Operator interface system using a plant object-oriented model

Recent researches in the area of plant modeling in concurrent engineering proposed a mechanism to represent the plant lifecycle in a central model on the basis of unified modeling language (UML). UML models are intelligent and informative, where they include useful information about plant objects. In this article, we are studying the utilization of such model as a part of the operator interface system. The focus will be on how to represent plant design model in an easy and useful manner along with operational models in a window within the operator interface system. The proposed plant model is translated into static and dynamic web pages so that the operator can use normal Internet browsers to navigate through the model. The proposed plant model includes information about plant structure, behavior, and function. Such information is essential for an operator to make the correct decision in normal and abnormal situations. System architecture of the proposed solution is illustrated. A reactor unit from a PVC batch plant is used as a case study to elucidate the utilization of the proposed solution.