The operator interface to your control systems is an important part of the of the operators ability to control the plant processes. A well designed graphic that encourages operator response in an accurate and timely way is crucial to the operation and can make money for the plant.

1. Standards
Certification
Education & Training
Publishing
Conferences & Exhibits
How to Make Money
with your Operator
Graphics
James Henry

2. 2
Presenter
James Henry
• PhD in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University
• Taught Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State
University for six years
• Engineer for ProSys for four years

3. Making Money Definitions
• Increase efficiency, eliminate bottlenecks
• Avoid errors that decrease production or increase
downtime
• Avoid errors that cost you money
– Repairs
– Replacement
• Lost opportunities to make more money
3

4. The Cost of Errors
Average Dollar Loss per Major Incident by Cause
0 25 50 75 100
Mechanical Failure
Operational Error
Unknown
Process upset
Natural Hazard
Design error
Sabotage / arson
Millions of Dollars
Source J & H Marsh & McLennan, Inc.

5. The Cost of Operator Errors
• Errors cause 42% of unscheduled shutdowns
• 70% of process incidents occur during start-up or
shutdown

6. ASM Consortium Claims
• Cost of production disruptions is estimated to be ~3% to
8% of capacity
• Cost of Lost Production due to accidents ~$10B

7. ASM Consortium
Effect of Incidents
Efficiency
Operating Target
Current Limit
Theoretical Limit
Plant Performance
Comfort Margin
Theoretically possible; currently unsustainable
Lost opportunity
(Cost of comfort)
Future upgrades (e.g.,
Advanced Control)
Lost Profit
Additional
unplanned costs
Break-even
Loss
Fixed Costs
(Idle Plant)
Equipment
damage, etc.
Accident
Lost Revenue
Profit
Shut down
Incident
Losses due to incidents,
accidents (about 10% of
operating costs)
Savings from reducing the comfort margin
Source: http://www.asmconsortium.net/Documents/InterKAlm.ppt

8. 8
Categories for Errors
• Lack of skill
• Lack of knowledge or experience
• Carelessness
• System design

9. 9
System Design
System design must be addressed by management
because “a major cause of (human) error is built in to the
system during its development by inappropriate design
practices.” [1] This is “where the system operator is ‘set up’
to make the error by some design aspect of the system.
Such ‘errors’, if they can rightfully be called errors at all, are
predictable and therefore preventable through re-design.”
[2]
[1] Meister, David, Human Factors: Theory and Practice, John Wiley & Sons, 1971
[2] Nelson & Associates, Human Error vs. Human Nature, Fact Sheet 1990, 2010

10. 10
Operator Graphics
The Risk of Changing Focus
• Distraction of changing focus from the process graphic to
a separate faceplate window
• Added operator workload from managing multiple open
windows while operating a process
• Increased probability of errors when changing values for
an unintended tag when multiple faceplate windows are
open
• All of the above problems are multiplied and become
more complicated when the process is transitioning from
one process state to another

11. Process Operating Display
using Faceplates
11

12. Direct Entry Operation

13. 13
Using Keystroke Level Model
to Estimate Risk of Errors
Direct Entry System Faceplate-based Library
Change SP or OP Potential Error Change SP or OP Potential Error
Move to SP or OP (P) Select wrong
parameter or point
Move to shape (P)
Select wrong parameter
or point
Select wrong
parameter or point
Click on SP or OP field
(BB)
Click on shape (BB)
Move hands to keyboard
(H)
Move to faceplate (P) Point in faceplate is
previous point
Type in value and press
enter (4K)
Mistype value and
press enter
Click on shape (BB) Change wrong
parameter
Move hands to keyboard (H)
Type in value and press
enter (4K)
Mistype value and
press enter
Move hands to mouse (H)
Move to close faceplate (P)
Click to close faceplate (BB)
Total Potential
Errors
2 Total Potential Errors 4

14. Helpful Displays to “Make Money”
• ESD Display – Tells Operator what caused the shutdown
condition to be met
• Permissive Display – Tells if the permissive conditions
have been met for startup
• Overview Variance Display – Allows operator to address
issues proactively
14

15. ESD

16. Permissive

17. Console Overview
2003.

18. Helpful Displays to “Make Money”
• Intuitive Navigation – Alarming “up” the display tree to
guide operations
• Smartshape Design – “Intelligent” shapes that perform
higher level evaluation
• APC Monitoring – Present controller status to pperator
with engineering evaluation
18

19. Intuitive Navigation
19
A. Tier 1 of Navigation – Unit Overview (PFD)
B. Tier 2 of Navigation – Process Detail (P&ID)
C. Tier 3 of Navigation – Ancillary Displays
D. Tooltip
E. Alarm Navigation

20. Smartshape Design – “Smart” Bars
• Show alarming in object
• Show “speed” of
movement
– Engineer evaluated
– Position and
movement
• Tooltip
• Context for normal
controller use
20
“Smart” Bars

21. APC Monitoring
• Visual alarms and alerts
• Main and subcontroller
status presented to
operator
– “Desired” vs. “Undesired”
– “Unkown”
• Quickly alert APC
engineer to the current
condition
21

22. The Impact of Poor Design
• Three Mile Island – >100 alarms in first few minutes with
no system for alarm suppression
– President’s Commission – Little attention had been paid to the
interaction between humans and machines previously
• Hydrocracker for major company - operator went to
adjust setting but entered desired value into wrong
faceplate
– Costly shutdown caused
• Major refinery – alarm annunciated for triplicated
modular redundancy failure
– No one in Operations knew what this alarm was
– Logic solver failed in SIS system, would have shut down plant in
4 hours
22

23. Conclusions
• Design flaws cause loss
• Even new consoles can have design flaws
• Operators are ‘set up’ to make errors by design of the
system
• Such ‘errors’, if they can rightfully be called errors at all,
are predictable and therefore preventable through re-
design
• A well thought out design can help you avoid loss and
improve plant efficiency
23

24. Standards
Certification
Education & Training
Publishing
Conferences & Exhibits
Questions?