Title of Invention

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REAL TIME PROCESS ASSET MANAGEMENT

Abstract An apparatus, system and method for facilitating decision-making in connection with management of enterprise assets are disclosed (10). A real time expert decision support module (11) is interfaced with an access portal including a navigation table for asset management, and with an historical parameter database (12) associated with a distributed control system of plant end sensors and actuated control elements of a production process. The access portal and navigation table provide access to tools in the support module that facilitate real time decision making information (13) delivery to the functional teams that 10 support an asset, line of sight management performance models of team performance, practical performance analysis tools that extract information in real time from the process control system and other sources of asset data (14) for translation into actionable information (13), and a real time interactive schematic environment (10).
Full Text FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
PROVISIONAL/COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION :
“SUPPORT APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REAL TIME OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE”
2. APPLICANT(S)

(a) NAME : KELLOGG BROWN & ROOT, INC.
(b) NATIONALITY : U.S.
(c) ADDRESS : 601 JEFFERSON AVENUE
HOUSTON
TEXAS 77002
U.S.A.

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

PROVISIONAL
The following specification describes the invention

COMPLETE
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

4. DESCRIPTION (Description shall start from next page)
5. CLAIMS (not applicable for provisional specification. Claims should start with the preamble -
"l/we claim" on separate page)
6. DATE AND SIGNATURE (to be given at the end of last page of specification)
7. ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION (to be given along with complete specification on
separate page)
Note:-
*Repeat boxes in case of more than one entry.
*To be signed by the applicant(s) or by authorized registered patent agent.
*Name of the applicant should be given in full, family name in the beginning.
*Complete address of the applicant should be given stating the postal index no./code, state and country
*Strike out the column which is/are not applicable.





WO 2004/070526

2

PCT/US2004/001534

Title: SUPPORT APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REAL TIME OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Background
[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus, method and system
5 facilitating decision-making in connection with the management of assets, and more particularly to real time operations and maintenance decisions in connection with assets, such as, for example, petroleum and/or petrochemical production facilities.
Summary of the Invention
10 [0002] Apparatus for real time production process asset management,
access portal based systems for facilitating decision-making in connection with management of enterprise assets, methods of real time process asset management, and methods of real time performance management are disclosed The invention enables: real time decision making information
15 delivery to the functional teams that support an asset; a line of sight management performance model to facilitate the visibility and clarity of team performance; practical performance analysis tools that extract information in real time from the process control system and other sources of asset data for translation into actionable information; and a real time interactive schematic
20 environment
[0003] In one embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatus for real time process asset management The apparatus includes a distributed control system to receive readings from facility sensor devices and transmit control signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the process, and a
25 process parameter data historical database interfaced with the distributed control system. An expert system is interfaced with the historical database to generate expert status and trend reports on uptime, production status, production loss, equipment loss, equipment performance, or any combination

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thereof. An access portal, such as an Internet or web-based portal, for example, is provided for displaying the expert trend reports to a user. A work management system is provided to schedule a corrective work procedure to equipment or system of the production process in response to a request to
5 resolve a production loss from the access portal. The expert system can include logic rules or algorithms for generating expert reports such as alerts. The apparatus can include a knowledge capture tool to update failure logic rules in the expert system. A telecommunication device can be linked to the expert system to transmit the expert alerts or other reports to a remote user.
10 The access portal can include a graphical user interface to display the expert reports and to input requests to resolve the expert alerts or other reports.
[0004] Another embodiment of the invention is an apparatus for real time process asset management The apparatus includes a distributed control system to receive readings from facility sensor devices and transmit control
15 signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the process, and a process parameter data historical database interfaced with the distributed control system. An expert system is interfaced with the historical database to generate and transmit expert status reports to a user interface device, and expert trend reports to a user via an access portal. A work management
20 system is provided to schedule a corrective work procedure to equipment or system of the process in response to a request to resolve production loss via the access portal. The expert system can include calculation instructions and logic algorithms to report statistical data selected from the group consisting of uptime, production status, production loss, equipment loss, equipment
25 performance, and the like, or any combination thereof the user interface device can include telecommunication equipment The expert system is desirably linked to one or more input devices for real time data selected from the group consisting of engineering analysis, operations loss, process

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capacities, and the like, and combinations thereof. The engineering analysis data can include equipment and system performance data. A process simulation model can be linked to the expert system for the process capacities data. A reservoir simulation model can be linked to the expert system to
5 provide reservoir capacities data. The access portal can include a graphical user interface to display the expert trend reports and to input the requests to resolve production losses.
[0005] Another embodiment of the invention includes apparatus for real time process asset management The apparatus can include a distributed
10 control system to receive readings from facility sensor devices and transmit control signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the process, and a process parameter data historical database interfaced with the distributed control system. An expert system is interfaced with the historical database to generate and transmit process variance reports to a user interface device, and
15 optimization opportunity reports to an access portal. A work management system is provided to schedule an optimization procedure to equipment or system of the process in response to a request to adjust an operating parameter sent via the access portal. The expert system can include logic rules or algorithms for process or production optimization. A process simulation
20 model can be interfaced with the expert system for updating the expert system with simulation data. The apparatus can include an input device for process engineering mode] data and configuration information to adjust the process simulation model, production optimization logic rules or algorithms in the expert system, and the like, or a combination thereof. The apparatus can
25 additionally include an input device for process engineering model data and configuration information to adjust logic rules and algorithms in the expert system. The use] interface device can include telecommunication equipment.
[0006] Another embodiment provides a system for facilitating decision-

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making in connection with management of enterprise assets. The system includes a real time expert decision support module, an access portal for user access to the real time expert decision support module, and a navigation table accessible via the access portal providing a clear line of sight through the
5 enterprise. The navigation table can include a first dimension of grouping attributes comprising planning, actions, and results, and a second dimension of grouping attributes can comprise people, equipment, and cost, for the purpose of grouping access to tools associated with the support module. The planning group can provide access to maintenance tactics and strategy tools,
10 the actions group to defect elimination and loss prevention tools, and the results group to facilities, maintenance, and production performance tools, and the like. The navigation table can include access to an operations knowledge capture tool. The operations knowledge capture tool can include a database of information collated on process equipment items and respective
15 recorded system defects, containing engineering and operational experiences of causes and effects of the system defects. The operations knowledge capture tool can include a database filter based upon a selective combination of two or more of system, manufacturer, sub-system, and defect The recorded systems defect data can include symptoms, severity, consequence, detection
20 mechanism, and the like, or any combination thereof. It is desirable that the recorded systems defect data also include data selected from the group consisting of defect occurrence frequency, logic rule frequency, rules, recommended remedial actions, report recipient, miscellaneous comments, and the like, and any combination thereof. The operations knowledge capture
25 tool is can be associated with an updating tool to populate the database with data selected from the group consisting of shutdown incident report data, vendor data, expert knowledge, and the like, and combinations thereof.
[0007] The navigation table can also include access to a shutdown

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incident report register tool, including access to information from shutdown incident reports selected from the group consisting of report number, time back, functional responsibility, date raised, product lost, fault found, loss category, cost, corrective action, sent to, cause category, asset focal point,
5 source location, independent service contractor loss, outstanding action, maintenance work request, time down, responsible asset, review process, explanation of problem, explanation of event, close out, and the like, and any combination thereof The shutdown incident report register tool can alternatively or additionally provide access to tools selected from the group
10 consisting of administration, shutdown incident report generation, root cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines, technical changes, report generator, and the like, and any combination thereof. The shutdown incident report templates can be defined via the administration tool. The shutdown incident report generation tool can be operable to generate a
15 shutdown incident report including data selected from the group consisting of person generating, person sent, loss category, independent service contractor loss, cause category, responsible asset, explanation of event, source location, time down, and the like, and any combination thereof. The root cause analysis tool can be operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data
20 selected from the group consisting of date raised, focal person, execute root-cause-analysis-preventive- 25 maintenance strategy tool can be operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data selected from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,

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execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof. The maintenance routines tool can be operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis and preventative care maintenance date,
5 strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date, execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof. The technical changes tool can be operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data selected from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis and preventative care
10 maintenance date, strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date, execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof. The report generation tool can be operable to generate a report including data selected from the group consisting of total asset shutdown performance, downtime by cause categories for source
15 locations date range, downtime by source locations date range, downtime by loss category for responsible asset date range, production loss by functional responsibility date range, recurring events date range, shutdown incident report date range, issues report date range, and the like, and any combination thereof.
20 [0008] The people grouping can include tools selected from the group
consisting of preventative maintenance workload, history and plan, maintenance supply and demand, critical actions register, idea database, action log, preventative maintenance compliance, ratio of preventative maintenance to corrective maintenance work, productivity, corrective
25 performance, man hours expended, total maintenance backlog, completion of defect elimination action, and the like, and any combination uiereof. The equipment grouping can include tools selected from the group consisting of operations knowledge capture, real time influence diagram, criticality

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assessment, RAM simulation potential, equipment strategy matrix, equipment database, equipment performance, critical equipment status, crane status, shutdown incident register, shutdown incident reports, asset performance metrics, top failures by cause, top failures by location, and the like, and any
5 combination thereof. The cost grouping can include tools selected from the group consisting of maintenance budget, maintenance key performance indicators, maintenance budget control process, total maintenance costs, maintenance budget tracking, corrective maintenance costs, maintenance key performance indicators tracking, and the like, and any combination thereof
10 [0009] The access portal of the system can include a home page with
access to tools selected from the group consisting of asset performance metrics, leadership team, maintenance, supply chain management, planning, well operation, human resources, emergency response, field team, facilities, engineering and construction, and the like, and any combination thereof The
15 t access portal can include a display geographically representative of a production process, and can also include an asset performance tool. The asset performance tool can be operable to provide real time asset statistical data selected from the group consisting of production rate, deferment, uptime, availability, and the like, and any combination thereof. Tne asset
20 performance tool can, be operable to access tools selected from the group of infrastructure overview, choke model, status, traffic light system, production performance, expert system, satellite overview, shutdown incident report, compressor envelope, uptime and availability, loss summary, and the like, and any combination thereof. The infrastructure overview tool can generate a
25 pictorial overview of the respective assets for a selected field of production process assets. The choke model tool can report flow of production along a supply chain. The status tool can report real-time status of an asset The traffic light system can display availability and efficiency of an asset The

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production performance tool can display the potential and actual production
performance of the selected complex. The expert system tool can display
defect alarms and recommended actions. The satellite overview tool can
display production flow rate over time.
5 [0010] The shutdown incident report tool of the system can provide
access to tools selected from the group consisting of administration, shutdown incident report generation, root cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines, technical changes, report generator, and the like, and any combination thereof The compressor envelope tool can display
10 compressor status performance and envelope map showing current operating points on the map. The uptime and availability tool can display uptime and availability of an asset expressed as a percentage over a user selected period. The loss summary tool is operable to generate a summary of shutdown incident report information with respect to production losses for a selected
15 asset and detail losses attributable to an independent service contractor and
deferred production for the asset
[0011] Another embodiment of the invention is a method of real time
process asset management The method includes the steps of: (a) operating a production process with a distributed control system for receiving readings
20 from facility sense devices and transmitting control signals to actuated
elements to monitor and control the production process; (b) interfacing the
distributed control system with a process parameter data historical database;
(c) exchanging process data between the historical database and an expert
system for generating expert alerts to notify a user of alert status; (d)
25 transmitting instructions to the distributed control system for initiating an
automated connective action in response to one or more of the expert alerts;
(e) updating failure logic rules in the expert system; (f) transmitting a
corrective action request to a work management system in response to one or

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more of the expert alerts; (g) performing a corrective work procedure cm equipment or system of the process in response to the corrective action request; and (h) repeating steps (a) through (g) on a real time basis, the expert system can include logic rules and algorithms for generating the expert
5 alerts. Updating the failure logic rules can include capturing knowledge from failure analysis. One or more of the expert alerts can include remote user notification via a telecommunication device. One or more of the expert alerts can include notification via an access portal graphical user interfece. The transmission of the corrective action request to the work management system
10 can include generating a request to resolve one or more of the expert alerts via the access portal.
[0012] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of real time process asset management, including the steps of: (a) operating a process with a distributed control system for receiving readings from facility
15 sensor devices and transmitting control signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the process; (b) interfacing the distributed control system with a process parameter data historical database; (c) exchanging process data between the historical database and an expert system for generating
expert status and trend reports on uptime, production status, production loss,
20 equipment loss, equipment performance, or the like, or any combination
thereof; (d) updating equipment, system, operations loss, and process
capacity data in the expert system; (e) transmitting a corrective action request
to a work management system in response to one or more of the expert
reports; (f) perforating a corrective work procedure to equipment or system
25 of the production process in response to the corrective action request; and (g)
repeating steps (a) through (f) on a real time basis. The expert system can
include calculation instructions and logic algorithms for generating the expert
reports. The updated data in the expert system can include engineering

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analysis, production loss reporting, simulation model output, and the like, or a combination thereof The method can include delivery of the expert reports to a remote user via a telecommunication device. The method can also include display of one or more of the expert reports in a line of sight format Via an
5 access portal graphical user interface. The method can additionally include sending a request to resolve production loss via the access portal to a workflow engine for root cause analysis, issue resolution, and the like, or a combination thereof, to generate the corrective action request to the work management system.
10 [0013] Another embodiment of the invention is a method of real time
process asset management, including the steps of: (a) operating a process with a distributed control system for receiving readings from facility sensor devices and transmitting control signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the production process; (b) interfacing the distributed control system
15 with a process parameter data historical database; (c) exchanging process data between the historical database and an expert system for generating expert reports to notify a user of report status; (d) transmitting instructions to the distributed control system for initiating an automated corrective action in response to one or more of the expert reports; (e) updating logic rules for
20 process optimization in the expert system; (f) transmitting an optimization action request to a work management system in response to one or more of the expert reports; (g) performing an optimization procedure to equipment or system of the production process in response to the optimization action request; and (h) repeating (a) through (g) on a real time basis. The expert
25 system can include logic rules or algorithms for process or production optimization. The method can also include exchanging simulation data between the expert system and a process simulation model. Additionally, the method can include adjusting processing parameters between the process

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simulation model and process engineering model data. The method can also include adjusting optimization parameters between the expert system and the process engineering model data. One or more of the expert reports can include production variance data. The production variance data can be transmitted to
5 a remote user via a telecommunication device. The one or more of the expert reports can include optimization opportunities. The optimization opportunities can be transmitted to a user via an access portal graphical user interface. The transmission of the optimization action request to the work management system can include generating a request to adjust operating parameters via the
10 access portal.
[0014] A further embodiment is a method of real time performance management, including the steps of: (a) interfacing an enterprise system database with one or more functional system databases and a user interface; (b) exchanging data between the enterprise system database and an expert
15 system for calculating performance metrics of the enterprise functions; (c) exchanging data between the expert system and the one or more functional databases; (d) building a functional group performance model for use by the expert system; (e) sending status reports from the expert system to a user; (f) displaying a trend reports via a line of sight access portal graphical user
20 interface; (g) transmitting a request to resolve function group performance issues via the access -portal to a workflow engine for the respective functional group; (h) sending a corrective action request from the workflow engine to a work management system; and (i) repeating (a) through (h) on a real time basis.
25 [0015] The expert system can include logic rules and algorithms for
generating the expert reports. The logic rules updating step can include capturing knowledge from functional group performance. One or more of the expert reports can include remote user notification via a telecommunication

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device, and additionally or alternately notification via an access portal graphical user interface.
[0016] The access portal can include a navigation table comprising a first dimension of grouping attributes comprising planning, actions, and results,
5 and a second dimension of grouping attributes comprising people, equipment, and cost, for the purpose of grouping access to tools associated with the support module. The planning group can provide access to maintenance tactics and strategy tools, the actions group to defect elimination and loss prevention tools, and the results group to facilities, maintenance, and
10 production performance tools.
[0017] The navigation table can include access to an operations knowledge capture tool, which can include a database of information collated on process equipment items and respective recorded system defects, containing engineering and operational experiences of causes and effects of
15 the system defects, and the like. The operations knowledge capture tool can include a database filter based upon a selective combination of two or more of system, manufacturer, sub-system, and defect The recorded systems defect data can include symptoms, severity, consequence, detection mechanism, and the like, or any combination thereof, and can additionally of alternately
20 include data selected from the group consisting of defect occurrence frequency, logic rule frequency, rules, recommended remedial actions, report recipient, miscellaneous comments, and any combination thereof. The method can further include using an updating tool associated with the operations knowledge capture tool to populate the enterprise database with
25 data selected from the group consisting of shutdown incident report data, vendor data, expert knowledge, and the like, and combinations thereof.
[0018] The navigation table in the method can also include access to a shutdown incident report register tool. The shutdown incident report register

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tool can include access to information from shutdown incident reports selected from the group consisting of report number, time back, functional responsibility, date raised, product lost, fault found, loss category, cost, corrective action, sent to, cause category, asset focal point, source location,
5 independent service contractor loss, outstanding action, maintenance work request, time down, responsible asset, review process, explanation of problem, explanation of event, close out, and the like, and any combination thereof. The shutdown incident report register tool can provide access to tools selected from the group consisting of administration, shutdown incident report
10 generation, root cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines, technical changes, report generator, and the like, and any combination thereof. The method can also include the step of defining shutdown incident report templates via the administration tool. The method can include operating the shutdown incident report generation tool to generate
15 a shutdown incident report including data selected from the group consisting of person generating, person sent, loss category, independent service contractor loss, cause category, responsible asset, explanation of event, source location, time down, and the like, and any combination thereof The method can include operating the root cause analysis tool to generate a shutdown
20 incident report including data selected from the group consisting of date raised, focal person, execute root-cause-analysis-preventive-corrective-maintenance (RCA-PCM) date, recommended corrective action, actions completion date, cost benefit analysis, approval or rejection date, planned execution details, implementation date, close out date, and any combination
25 thereof. The method can further include operating the maintenance strategy tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data selected from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit

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analysis, execution planned date, execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof The method can include operating the maintenance routines tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause
5 analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date, execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof. The method can also include operating the technical changes tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data from the group consisting of date
10 raised, execute root cause analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date, execution implemented date, close out date, and the like, and any combination thereof
[0019] The method can also include operating the report generation tool
15 to generate a report including data from the group consisting of total asset
shutdown performance, downtime by cause categories for source locations
date range, downtime by source locations date range, downtime by loss
category for responsible asset date range, production loss by functional responsibility date range, recurring events date range, shutdown incident
20 report date range, issues report date range, and the like, and any combination
thereof.
[0020] The people grouping can include tools selected from the group
consisting of preventative maintenance workload, history and plan,
maintenance supply and demand, critical actions register, idea database,
25 action log, preventative maintenance compliance, ratio of preventative
maintenance to corrective maintenance work, productivity, corrective
performance, man hours expended, total maintenance backlog, completion of
defect elimination action, and the like and any combination thereof. The

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equipment grouping can include tools selected from the group consisting of operations knowledge capture, real time influence diagram, criticality assessment, RAM simulation potential, equipment strategy matrix, equipment database, equipment performance, critical equipment status, crane status,
5 shutdown incident register, shutdown incident reports, asset performance metrics, top failures by cause, top failures by location, and the like, and any combination thereof. The cost grouping can include tools selected from the group consisting of maintenance budget, maintenance key performance indicators, maintenance budget control process, total maintenance costs,
10 maintenance budget tracking, corrective maintenance costs, maintenance key performance indicators tracking, and the like, and any combination thereof.
[0021] The method can also include accessing, via a home page of the access portal, tools selected from the group of asset performance metrics, leadership team, maintenance, supply chain management, planning well
15 operation, human resources, emergency response, field team, facilities, engineering and construction, and the like, and any combination thereof The method can include displaying a geographical representation of the process on the access portal.
[0022] The access portal can include an asset performance tool. The
20 method can also include providing real time asset statistical data selected from the group of production rate, deferment, uptime, availability, and the like, and any combination thereof via the asset performance tool. The method can also include operating the asset performance tool to access tools selected from the group of infrastructure overview, choke model, status, traffic tight, production
25 performance, expert, satellite overview, shutdown incident report, compressor envelope, uptime and availability, loss summary, and the like, and any combination thereof.
[0023] The method can include operating the infrastructure overview tool

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to generate a pictorial overview of the respective asset for a selected production process area, the choke model tool to generate the flow of production along a supply chain, the status tool to generate real-time status of an asset, the traffic light tool to generate availability and efficiency of an
5 asset, the production performance tool to generate die potential and actual production performance of a selected production process area, and/or the satellite overview tool to report production flow rate over time. The method can include generating defect alarms and recommended actions via the expert tool. The shutdown incident report tool can provide access to tools selected
10 from the group consisting of administration, shutdown incident report generation, root cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines, technical changes, report generator, and the like, and any combination thereof The method can include operating the compressor envelope tool to generate a compressor status performance and envelope map
15 showing a current operating point on the map, operating the uptime and availability tool to generate the uptime and availability of an asset expressed as a percentage over a user selected period, and/or operating the loss summary tool to generate a summary of shutdown incident report information with respect to production losses for a selected asset and detail losses attributable
20 to an independent * service contractor and deferred production for the respective asset The transmission of the corrective action request to the work management system can include generating a request to resolve one or more of the expert alerts via the access portal.
Brief Description of the Drawings
25 [0024] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one relationship between
the source and delivery of value in the context of the present invention.
[0025] Fig. 2 is a chart of typical sources and uses of data according to an embodiment of the invention-

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[0026] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the basic elements and framework for an embodiment of the invention.
[0027] Fig. 4 schematically outlines one embodiment of the use of the invention for eliminating defects and improving uptime performance of an
5 asset
[0028] Fig. 5 is one example of a display screen used to show the knowledge capture tool according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0029] Fig. 6 is one example of the knowledge capture display according
to an embodiment of the invention.
10 [0030] Fig. 7 is a display screen for an example of the operations decision
support portal mat integrates the operations support functions and processes according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0031] Fig. 8 is a display screen for an example of a line of sight model
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
15 [0032] Fig. 9 is a display screen for an example of a production efficiency
model applied to an upstream oil and gas asset based on real time information from the process control system associated with the asset
[0033] Fig 10 is one example of the choke model tool according to one
embodiment of the invention.
20 [0034] Fig. 11 is a display screen for an example of a web-enabled system
for manually recording loss causation through a shutdown incident reporting process.
[0035] Fig. 12 is a display screen illustrating an example of real time data extraction and processing through specific algorithms to automatically deliver
25 loss causation and facility downtime information
[0036] Fig. 13 is a display screen illustrating an example of compression performance in terms of real time process data against compressor operating envelopes.

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[0037] Fig. 14 is a display screen illustrating an example of the linkage of business processes and real time analysis tools to the asset infrastructure in an infrastructure overview format
[0038] Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of the basic elements and
5 framework for an embodiment of the real-time expert system.
[0039] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of the basic elements and framework for an embodiment of the real-time production optimizer.
[0040] Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of the basic elements and
framework for an embodiment of the real-time production monitoring system.
10 [0041] Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of the basic elements and
framework for an embodiment of the real-time performance monitoring system.
[0042] Fig. 19 is an example of a traffic light system used to show the efficiency and availability of platforms according to one embodiment of the
15 invention.
[0043] Fig. 20 schematically illustrates an operations and maintenance support process according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0044] Fig. 21 is a display screen of the starting page according to one embodiment of the invention,
20 Detailed Description of the Invention
[0045] The real time operations support provided in one embodiment
comprises a portal-based decision support process, knowledge management
and asset performance monitoring system for the effective operations and
maintenance of an asset. The system facilitates a line of sight through an
25 organization, from the asset performance goals to the actions that deliver them
at various levels and across various functions within the organization. It is
desirable that the levels and functions are substantially or essentially
comprehensive. The system provides for the analysis and display of

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performance metrics and supporting actions by personn access profile, thereby providing the production process readily viewed and managed.
[0046] In one embodiment, the system comprise
5 operation and maintenance management process, which time" through an access portal technology medium. N of an access portal medium can include: a "web" portal, the Internet or an intranet; wired or wireless telecommu public, private or personal communication systems; z
10 present application the term "web portal" will mean an within the invention and is not limited to only an Interne unless specified.
[0047] An "asset" includes any production, process manufacturing facility in the industries selected 1
15 petrochemical and refining; power utilities; pulp and p£ specialty chemicals; and the like. The asset has sources o effectively describe the performance of the asset in term uptime, energy efficiency, product quality, operational cc A non-limiting list of sources of data can include control
20 parameter readings /manual, electronic, pneumatic, associated with enterprise management systems. In the sources were invariably used independently and not brouj system or grouping of systems in order to view, monito; performance of the assets, as well as the functional gro
25 assets.
[0048] In one embodiment the present invention operations support analysis algorithms and data extrat leverage the reservoir of data that exists in production

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control systems and client enterprise management systems. These applications can extract key performance information, including production loss or deferment, and loss causation information, as well as equipment uptime performance. The extraction and presentation of these performance metrics
5 facilitates improved decision-making within operations and maintenance support teams. Real time asset performance information gathered from control systems and other information sources can be brought together in the line of sight management system, which can be designed to be the operations and maintenance support control panel or dashboard. The access portal
10 technology enables a real time access medium for production and maintenance management information. The benefits that the present invention provides to a support organization include the capability for focusing support team efforts on value-based decisions and the measurement of their alignment with asset goals. Asset performance can be viewed from any authorized
15 workstation with access, thereby enabling subject matter experts to support operations, regardless of their physical location.
[0049] The present invention can provide significant value to an operation, especially with the engagement of local operations and maintenance teams associated with the asset Embodiments of the present
20 invention can provide, in some cases, as much as 30 percent in cost reductions through reduced operating and maintenance staff needs as well as reduced equipment repair expenses. Uptime improvements o£ for example, 3 to 8 percent can be acTheved, depending on the reliability of the operation.
[0050] Another aspect of the invention includes a "clear line of sight" of
25 operating performance in terms of uptime, availability and cost on a real time basis throughout the organization from senior management to workfront levels and across various functions. Within the present application the term "clear line of sight' shall mean the ability of various personnel within an

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organization to view, with proper access and authorization, operations and maintenance data, status reports and other information relating to an asset Significant value can be realized by each function in the support organization that can observe and measure their performance on a real time basis. The
5 alignment and clear line of sight through an organization provided by the invention can deliver a reduction in the level of resources required to provide the support function and at the same time can improve the work product A fully aligned organization is one that applies the right resource, at the right time to the point of need for an operation, and has high efficiency.
10 [0051] The present invention can provide the distinct benefits of showing
the relationship between cross-functions that support an asset and building a clear picture of how the organization can align actions to goals. The line of sight model enables each support function group to measure its performance to suit the overall business goals and introduces significant rigor to the
15 process.
[0052] The present invention provides the ability to significantly improve the performance of an operating facility by having access to performance information that drives effective facility improvements. The system can push information to the user, as opposed to an information pull by the user, so that
20 time is not wasted t searching for the information needed for decisions. Effective asset optimization can be facilitated from a presentation format that is not traditionally available.
[0053] With the present invention, the capture of knowledge of asset operation from operating and maintenance staff can facilitate the retention of
25 enterprise operating knowledge. The value this can deliver is multifold and may include the opportunity to reduce the number of operating staff because the operations and maintenance knowledge base is accessible to personnel and systems throughout the organization, such as, an expert in a particular field or

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an embedded "expert" built within the operating system. Another value is the matching of an understanding of the failure potential with the delivery of mitigation measures to prevent recurrences. This is particularly the case in maintenance and operating related knowledge that might be held in memory
5 by enterprise or operations personnel in the prior art methodologies, but is not more permanently captured for future use.
[0054] The present invention can provide more consistent operations through the use of expert systems that employ captured knowledge and technical experts embedded in control systems. By capturing knowledge from
10 mature operators and facility personnel and then combining it with process technical knowledge, the present invention facilitates retention of operational and asset process knowledge and consistent application over the life of the asset
[0055] The present invention provides defect-elimination processes and
15 tools to reduce corrective maintenance work activity and associated costs. The preventative maintenance decisions facilitated by the present invention can focus both technical and operating resources to reduce production losses and deferments. These can be reflected in the revenues from improved production volumes. Cost improvements can also be realized through improved
20 equipment life and lower maintenance needs. Use of real time loss and cost information can often justify asset improvements more effectively and enhance performance.
[0056] The present invention can optimize maintenance activity for proactive and planned maintenance. The expert systems provide intelligence
25 on equipment and system condition to generate maintenance activity by condition, in addition to any strictly calendar-based maintenance activity. The use of condition-based mechanical integrity analysis can reduce equipment inspection costs, equipment failure incidents, and the associated business and

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personnel risks.
[0057] The present invention facilitates the following implementation
mechanisms and returns: (1) it can be differentiated from other asset
management systems for large engineering and maintenance support projects
5 that are based on long term asset performance; (2) significant front end
activity and conceptual studies associated with projects for improving asset
and enterprise operations can be enhanced by the use of supervisory control
systems information; (3) it can deliver focused business improvement for
support functions in enterprise operations; (4) it provides a system that can be
10 serviced and improved by maintenance experts; (5) it provides the ability to
feed equipment reliability and performance knowledge into new facility .and
process designs to deliver more reliable projects; (6) it can be included as part
of an engineering, procurement and construction project for a new asset, or as
a retrofit for existing assets; and (7) it can provide a benchmarking database
15 of equipment performance knowledge for use in requests for proposals,
project bids, or for use by a third party.
[0058] A significant reservoir of data exists for operating assets and facilities across industries including for example, oil and gas, petrochemical and refining, power generation and utilities, pulp and paper, commercial and
20 specialty chemicals, and the like. These industries are hereinafter referred to as "process industries" or "production process industries," and the operating assets and facilities as "process assets" or "production process assets." The key objectives and focuses of one embodiment of the invention include the knowledge-based extraction of information from several disparate sources and
25 the transformation into actionable information across functional groups that support an asset process, or manufacturing plant or facility, as shown in Fig. 1.
[0059] Typical sources of days that are available within an operation and

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the potential use of that data information delivery according to an embodiment of the invention are shown in Fig. 2. Data information comes in various types with different values and applications for each type of data. The needs necessary to make each decision regarding a piece of data also vary.
5 Real time operations also vary depending upon the type of data and its value and application.
[0060] The basic elements and framework for an embodiment of the system architecture of the invention are outlined in Fig. 3. The main elements for delivering a solution for an abnormal operating event, e.g. from a pump
10 failure to a process or equipment parameter deviation, can include: performance monitoring and diagnostic systems module, including expert systems, for example; a decision support module, including expert systems; an intelligent scheduling and work management/task allocation module; a supply chain management module; an information exchange module; and a
15 supervisory rule set manager. This gives an overview of the main elements at a very high level. Implementation of each element can require several methods and software tools depending on the particular systems an operation uses to manage various aspects of the asset or enterprise. However, the information necessary to manage an event through to a solution can be made
20 available through access portal technology for functional work groups that support and manage the particular asset The access portal technology implementation language can include, but is not limited to, JAVA, C/C++, PERL, XML, HTML, HTMLS, Flash ASP, and other internet-based languages. The access portal may also be done as a hardware implementation
25 or by other access means.
[0061] Information about an asset can exist in multiple sources and systems, including process control systems, enterprise management systems, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), technical and

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engineering document management systems, vendor data including both
procurement and technical vendor data, equipment monitoring systems,
logistics tracking systems, individual staff applications, and so on. This
information can be relative to timeframes that are very short to time frames of
5 a year or more in duration. Illustrative examples are: less than a second for
some online vibration monitoring equipment; months for engine oil analysis
data, one year for infrared surveys of electrical systems; and 5 years or more
for internal inspection of a vessel during a facility maintenance turnaround.
These various timeframes, and the time involved to compile, analyze,
10 manipulate and act on the information can be considered "real time" within
the context of the present invention. In the prior art, the information in these
disparate sources are not brought into one location and presented to the
organization in a manner that shows the overall picture and cross-functional
relationships, and as such the prior art methodology can create silos of
15 inefficiency in an organization that put roadblocks in the path of improving
organizational performance and understanding of the asset management
processes.
[0062] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the real time support process and system facilitates the coordination and alignment of
20 cross-functional support, such as through web technology, and delivers a consistent way of performing asset management processes and measuring their effectiveness on a real time scale. One such process, that is an important part of an operation, is the maintenance process known as defect elimination. which addresses how the maintenance and technical groups systematically
25 eliminate equipment problems in a process plant or manufacturing asset. The purpose of defect elimination is to introduce and create sustainable reliability of equipment and deliver the maximum product and process uptune in the manufacturing asset to ensure maximum revenue. This is simply an example

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of one asset management process in an operation within the maintenance function of the organization, provided for the purpose of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the invention to other asset management functions.
5 [0063] Fig. 4 outlines a part of the process in eliminating defects and
improving uptime performance of an asset in one embodiment of the invention. It illustrates the initial planning and strategic definition that can be used to successfully conduct reliability performance improvements. By taking information from a field or plant and transforming that information into
10 meaningful charts and graphs, defect elimination teams have a better understanding of what problems have occurred, root cause failure analysis reviews can be performed, control system optimization procedures audits can be performed, and the design out of failure can be performed In the prior art, most of these steps are manual. In contrast, the real time operations support
15 of the present invention can deliver consistent performance reporting in the decision process, extracted on a real time basis from multiple data sources. The present invention provides the information that is required to make the decisions in such a way so as to shorten the time between the abnormal event and the solution delivery. The present invention can also facilitate the uniform
20 delivery of the right amount of information provided across several different operations to make consistent, quality decisions and analysis of the abnormal event.
[0064] The schematic of Fig. 4 shows an example of a reliability analysis at the front-end of the process determining the priorities associated with
25 critical plant components and systems. These priorities can determine the relative impact that the components and systems have on delivery of a product and are used to focus the elimination of equipment defects to impact production. The ability to measure real time product loss (sometimes called

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"deferment") and downtime accelerates and improves the effectiveness of the defect elimination process undertaken by the maintenance group. The process of analyzing data to determine areas of focus can now be performed in real time and the results presented for action.
5 [0065] Traditionally, the analysis of operational data to deliver uptime
and loss causation information is a manual process, however, real time operations support in this embodiment of the invention provides the analysis from the appropriate data sources on a real time basis. It also allows the standardization of the analysis process to give a consistent approach over
10 several operations and a basis for benchmarking equipment and system performance.
[0066] The definition of "real time" is important in the description of the present invention because the type of decision support system used depends on the nature of, and the speed required to make the decisions regarding the
15 system supports. Certain operational decisions fall into broad and generalized timeframes depending on the nature of the decision and the particular function the decision supports. Relevant timeframes can be less than one second in length for certain aspects of an operation, such as for example, the rotational speed (rpm) of an operating motor or turbine. Timeframes of hours, days, or
20 months can be relevant for other aspects of an operation, for example weekly spot measurements or monthly corrosion monitoring. Timeframes of up to a year or more can be relevant for inspections that require entering a piece of equipment, which might only be possible during a complete facility shutdown. Each of these timeframes can be considered "real time" in context
25 with the present invention. People experts and/or machine experts can be used to translate the data to actionable information and make the appropriate decisions. The time involved to gather, compile, analyze, manipulate and respond to the data can ah1 be considered to be within a "reaj time" process

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within the scope of the present invention.
[0067] In the present invention, production-related decisions can be made on a real time basis. True real time decision-making in producing operations are typically associated with production control related decisions. These can
5 be made either by the supervisory process control system or by operators that use the information presented by the control systems. The decisions on a level over and above regulatory and automated control can be determined by the operator and to a large extent are dependent upon operator competence and plant process stability. Decisions can be made ranging from seconds to as
10 much as 24 hours or more, in response to a process parameter excursion, or to an abnormal situation when a process upset occurs. The focus of the present real time operations support in this context is to improve the quality and integrity of production decisions by the use of so-called machine experts or expert systems. The use of expert system technology is well known in the art
15 and has been applied to the process industries, as well as more diverse applications in, for example, the medical sector. However, one embodiment of the present invention provides a knowledge capture process that engages technical support and maintenance staff as well as operating staff. This process enables the structured capture of process facility, systems and
20 equipment abnormal trends and potential failure mechanisms for use in expert systems that make use of process control systems. Fig. 5 shows an exemplary display for the knowledge capture process, which includes choices for the user to select a combination of which systems, manufacturers, sub-systems, and defects are to be captured This process also allows for a user to quickly
25 and efficiently search for data regarding a particular asset.
[0068] Fig. 6 is one example of the knowledge capture display according to one embodiment of the invention. The display is made up of three main components: an overview, symptoms of defect, and other or miscellaneous

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human intervention.
[0071] According to embodiments of the present invention, operations support related decisions can also be made with real time decision-based information. The vast majority of decisions made in operations and
5 maintenance support in the prior art are done by people in the plant operations maintenance team and by operational technical support staff The decisions are usually associated with actions that need to be taken in response to an equipment failure or an aspect of equipment underperformance. These decisions are generally made on a real time basis in connection with facility
10 operations in a relevant time frame of less than a second to one or more days, maintenance operations in a time frame on the order of from 1 to 90 days, whereas real time engineering decisions generally occur in 3 to 6 months, and reservoir decisions in the case of petroleum production assets in from 6 months to 1 year or more. The emphasis here is on the provision of real time
15 information that promotes the right decisions and value-based actions of corresponding functional support teams. The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a real time, line of sight management process that coordinates the operating support functions and creates alignment across the support functions.
20 [0072] An example of an operations decision support portal that
integrates operations support functions and processes is shown in Fig. 7. In this example, available shutdown incident reports are filtered by downtime range, loss category, cause category, independent service contractor loss, who the issue was raised by, the responsible asset, the shutdown incident report
25 status, and the shutdown incident report number. Once the data has been filtered it can be presented in a format such as a table that allows a user to see a shutdown incident report
[0073] Each functional group that supports an operating asset or plant can

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information. The overview component shows which system is involved, who
the manufacturer of the asset is, the work breakdown structure (or type of
asset), the objective of the asset, and the cause of a recorded defect The
symptoms of defect component shows the symptom the asset is presenting,
5 the severity of the defect, the consequence of the defect, and the detection
mechanism utilized to find the defect The miscellaneous information
component shows the defect occurrence frequency, the frequency of the logic
rule application, the logic rule applied, what action to take, the recipient of the
defect report or alarm, and miscellaneous comments.
10 [0069] Since the response of the plant process under small excursions and
abnormal conditions is usually predictable, it is possible to use the control and logic capability of an expert system to replace the human intervention of the operator. The machine expert also has the ability to respond more consistently to abnormal conditions where the response typically has heretofore relied on
15 the operator competence and ability. There are also the limits an operator will place on the process performance, based on the level of confidence the operator has in managing the process under certain process conditions. The supervisory control system also has the ability to control and manage multiple process variables, but more consistently and at wider technical limits than the
20 human operator, to allow optimal process system performance.
[0070] The benefits of allowing the machine expert to replace certain operator functions include: (1) Improved operational integrity by ensuring consistent decision making under abnormal conditions and optimization of the response to process excursions and upsets; (2) Operation of the process at
25 levels closer to the technical limits of the plant process and the associated production increases and energy efficiency; and (3) Improved process stability from the use of multi-variable control technology to manage production processes that are very dynamic in nature and difficult to optimize with

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be represented in the line of sight portal and visible to the whole organization in the asset management model. Presented in this fashion, it demonstrates to an organization that several functional groups are required to support the operation and each have defined roles to play in its performance. Each
5 function has a line of sight management process to guide the impact and delivery contribution of the function to the operation. This is described in the line of sight model for the maintenance function as a typical example. It is however, important to recognize that each support function can have differing and unique line of sight model implementations due to the nature of their asset
10 management processes.
[0074] Typical functions that support an operating plant or asset include facility engineering and construction; maintenance; planning and scheduling; health, safety and environmental services; human resources; production operations; manufacturing; supply chain services, e.g. procurement, materials,
15 logistics and so on; field or site operations; operations leadership; subsurface operations and engineering; and the like. Some functions can be specific to an industry and can make the management model differ cross-industry.
[0075] As mentioned, one embodiment of the invention is a line of sight (LOS) model. The portal illustrated in Fig. 8 provides a window to the plant
20 operation and access point to display the real time performance information about each of the support group functions, e.g. maintenance, operations, supply chain, and so on. The plan, real time performance results, and actions to support these are incorporated in a line of sight management model for clear alignment of the support teams. It is different from prior art management
25 models, which usually focus on a continuous improvement cycle of planning, execution, measurement and monitoring.
[0076] For each LOS model a facilitated process can be used to develop the appropriate LOS content or the associated functional group. This can be

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an important part of the overall process of this embodiment of the invention as it dictates the quality and focus of the function. It is at this point mat the effectiveness of the LOS for the business functional group is determined, Clear goals are stated for the asset or plant and the functional group is
5 challenged to identify the clear performance measures that can be made to track the acThevement of the goals of each of the applicable functions.
[0077] In the example of Fig 8, the maintenance group LOS is depicted. It has three main elements, the plan, the actions and the results, labeled in each column. The plan element includes the strategy and tactics the
10 maintenance group has adopted to manage the maintenance of equipment and the performance of the plant systems. It may include any criticality analysis of equipment and systems, the strategy for maintenance, the annual budget requirements, reliability simulation studies and other relevant staff work that describes the approach; philosophy and plan to manage equipment
15 performance.
[0078] The actions element includes the specific actions by the
maintenance function in applying corrective steps to improve the performance against the real time results acTheved. If there is a variance from target in cost or planned maintenance compliance, or any other of the maintenance metrics,
20 there should be one or more specific actions to bring the metric in line with
targeted results.
[0079] The results element forms the last leg of the LOS and link to real time
information that measures the performance associated with the maintenance
function. Typical real time performance information includes
25 uptime and availability of equipment maintenance support costs and maintenance metrics such as ratio of corrective to preventive maintenance. These are all standard metrics in maintenance and express the outcome of a consistent and appropriate maintenance strategy and philosophy applied to the

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asset The way in which results are displayed can be a part of the asset
management process and can be important in setting the business measures on
the performance of the maintenance teams, as well as the cost of the
associated equipment and systems.
5 [0080] Displayed in this way, there is a clear LOS through the
maintenance function to the business goals. The asset or plant manager,
maintenance manager and other authorized staff can see a clear connection
between business^ associated functional goals and the actual real time results.
"This creates a high level of visibility across the business and demonstrates
10 clear actions to improve performance.
[0081] The system of the present invention also includes in one embodiment a real time production efficiency model. The production efficiency model is one example of metrics for plant performance. The example seen in Fig. 9 is the model applied to an upstream oil and gas asset in
15 which real time information from the process control system is used to construct the production efficiency model. The potential performance and actual real time performance are displayed for the key aspects of the asset; the reservoir, the producing wells, the process plant, the export pipeline and the product sales point This can be provided real time for all producing fields in a
20 complex asset infrastructure, and gives the teams involved in the support of the operation a clear picture and understanding of where value is lost as the product passes through key elements in the production process or value chain.
[0082] The chokes or pinch points in the production process can be measured and a value for the loss or production deferment provided real time.
25 The overall product loss or production deferment value gives the support teams clear information on the value that is being lost and where the loss is occurring. The importance of this is fundamental to the defect elimination process in implementing the maintenance process as well as in guiding

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resources and efforts in other asset support groups. "Loss" in this context is defined as the amount of product lost (or sometimes, deferred) over time and can be expressed as a volume and/or revenue equivalent In one embodiment of die invention, a choke model tool provides visual and/or data output that
5 shows what the status of the "choke" points in the system are, as seen in Fig. 10. The choke points can, for example, be displayed in green, which indicates that the point is junctional and working fine, or in red, which indicates a problem. Examples of reasons for a red choke point can include process or emergency shutdown, unit conditions that restrict production throughput, or
10 not all of the production facilities are available. The choke model tool can show various areas in the process or facilities simultaneously, allowing for an overall view of the production process and identification of problems that have occurred at choke points.
[0083] Once the overall plant loss is known, the next most important
15 piece of decision-making information that is required to take relevant action in the LOS model is the determination of the cause of loss. The cause of loss may have the root cause stem from various plant systems and equipment or a combination thereof. This information can be arrived at from two or more alternative paths, such as for example: manual logs of shutdown incidents and
20 the reason for loss recorded by the operator or maintenance staff; or from the control system real time. Each method can have validity in use and can be complimentary sources of loss causation information.
[0084] The present invention also provides in one embodiment a web enabled loss causation evaluation process. The recording of loss causation
25 can be made possible through a shutdown incident reporting process, which is performed manually through a web-enabled system as illustrated for one example in Fig.11 The shutdown incident reporting (SIR) process can have several functions: administration. which allows the shutdown incident report

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template to be altered; new SIR, which allows for the creation of a new SIR entry, root cause analysis; maintenance strategy update, which allows for an enterprise to change its strategies based upon knowledge captured; preventative maintenance amendment; technical change; and report
5 generation. Fig. 11 also shows that one can filter SIRs by a variety of means and the SIRs and their respective data can be displayed to a user in a reader friendly format such as a table.
[0085] Operations staff typically records each incident that results in a loss of production from the asset to capture the time, duration, reason for
10 shutdown, location, product lost, revenue lost and other pertinent information. This library of shutdown incidents is then analyzed and presented in several forms to support actions made by the operations and maintenance staff in eliminating future causes of loss. Any significant losses may require specific root cause failure investigations and actions taken to resolve the problems.
15 These are linked to the LOS model for the maintenance function to demonstrate the management of defect elimination. The shutdown incident register provides details, including but not limited to, the date the shutdown incident was raised, the loss category attributable, the name of the people who were sent the shutdown incident report, the source location of the asset, the
20 time the asset is down, the time when the asset came back online, the production lost, the cost, a cause category, whether or not it is an independent service contractor loss, which asset is responsible and to what complex the loss is to be attributed, an explanation of the problem including factors that may have contributed to the problem, what department is functionally
25 responsible for the asset, the fault found after a root cause analysis, the corrective action taken, the name of the asset focal point any outstanding action that needs to be taken, review status, close out status, and so on.
[0086] In this way, key steps in the maintenance management process and

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the facilities engineering processes are linked back to the cause of product loss. The processes linked to the source of loss incident include the root cause failure analysis (RCFA), maintenance strategy revisions as a result of maintenance changes to prevent future loss, maintenance task changes and
5 technical engineering changes to the physical plant design. The overall process provides the organization with a complete management-of-change process that is fully auditable.
[0087] The operations support teams can also increase their level of understanding in the magnitude, source and nature of production losses and
10 thereby improve the effectiveness of the organization in managing the business performance.
[0088] To compliment the loss causation process, similar information can be generated from the data in the plant process control systems as shown in Fig. 12. This figure shows a graph of downtime contributors for a user-
15 defined period of time and the corresponding production losses. Real time data can be extracted and processed through specific algorithms to deliver loss causation and plant downtime information automatically.
[0089] The present invention, in one embodiment, provides real time
equipment performance analysis. A further level in the process of real time I
20 performance monitoring is done at equipment level. This is based on an
understanding of the criticality of key items of equipment or systems in the
delivery of uptime performance, such as gas compression in the case of an oil
and gas production asset In the example shown in Fig. 13, the engineering
knowledge of the design and operating envelopes of a gas compression
25 system is married with real time process data to deliver a real time depiction
of compression performance. The representative graph shows the relation
between suction pressure and gas flow for a specific compressor that is
chosen by a user through the interface provided. The raw data behind the

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compressor efficiency are also shown. Any excursion from normal operation or from the point of optimal performance can be registered in the production efficiency model as a loss in product The importance of this monitoring process is in identifying the relative impact of performance deviations on
5 production loss and associated revenue.
[0090] The present invention also provides in one embodiment an
integrated management process. A facet of real time operations and
maintenance support is the ability to link the business support processes and
associated decision-making information into an integrated business model,
10 which acts as a guidance system for response to operational problems and
variances from normal operation. For example, a link is made from
identification of product loss at facility or plant level to the cause or source of
the product loss through to the follow-up actions required to solve the
problem and determine the root cause failure mechanism. The integration of
15 business processes can be made both in process and information/action links
as well as in integration of support function staff located in geographically
remote places. Fig. 14 shows an overview display screen demonstrating the
linkage of business processes and real time performance analysis tools to the
asset infrastructure. A user can select an infrastructure from within the
20 process and view it with this tool. In this representation the assets of an oil
field are displayed. Each asset can then be selected to see further data.
[0091] An illustrative example is provided to show an application of the present invention. In an oil or gas asset, such as shown in Fig. 14, the production from one of the producing wells can experience an increase in
25 water production, thereby increasing the water and salt content of fluids entering the overall system. Various devices such as wellbore probes or surface water treatment vessels may indicate the increase in water production. Salt contained in the produced fluid can precipitate in the processing vessels

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and production lines. Salt deposits can interfere with readings such as flow measurement or liquid level indicators in vessels. Entrained salt can be carried over with the gas stream to the gas gathering pipelines, gas processing equipment that may service multiple producing wells such as compressors,
5 dryers and gas treating systems, into the gas sales line and to the distributions system or end user, such as a power generating plant
[0092] In this example, a reservoir engineer assessing the situation in the traditional manner would determine whether the water production could damage the formation or reduce ultimate hydrocarbon recovery. If no
10 production damage is expected, the reservoir engineer may see no need for corrective action. An operator on the production platform may notice an increase in water, but if the facility can handle the additional fluid, he may likewise see no problem. A technician may notice that the salinity of die produced fluids has increased and may take local action to avoid the salting
15 up of instruments, or may question the validity of readings such as the increased liquid level in a water knockout vessel. An increased liquid level can increase the amount of salt and liquid carryover with the produced gas stream, which can collect in the pipeline between the production platform and one of the common compression/treating platforms. A production engineer
20 may notice that a gas compressor on the compression/treating platform is operating at reduced RPM and under higher load than expected, but since still within acceptable ranges, may dismiss it An operator overseeing the gas sales line may notice that throughput is less than expected, but is within his alarm limits so he is not concerned. Wanting to minimize operating expenses,
25 the gas sales line operator may not add any additional compression. The end user may receive the minimum volume of gas for his facility, and might complain within his organization, but cannot seem to acTheve greater flow from the gas sales line, and only hopes that he can make it through his shift

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without any disturbances.
[0093] The occurrences in this example are the result of increased water
production from a single well that is being carried over and collecting in the
pipeline between the production platform and the common
5 compression/treating platform. However, the increased salt content is
unknowingly coating the internals of the compressor. Either fee slugging of
water from the pipeline between the production platform and the common
compression/treating platform, or the salt buildup within the compressor, or a
combination of both, could lead to the shut down and/or equipment failure on
10 the common compression/treating platform. The loss of the
compression/treating platform can lead to flow surges and possible shut down
of the sales pipeline and also of the end user facility, possibly leading to
further equipment failure. Due to the restricted throughput on the system,
producing wells, compression/treating platforms and other assets would need
15 to be curtailed or shut down. Equipment failures and production interruptions
such as these can result in significant economic loss and to an increase in
safety related incidents.
[0094] The present invention as applied to this example could have pulled the various seemingly unrelated issues into a common system overseeing the
20 overall process. The* data such as increased water and salinity, higher liquid levels and reduced compressor efficiency could be analyzed together rather than separately. Historical data and logic rules could be considered and may have warned of a possible salt buildup within the compressor, due to its altered operating conditions, resulting in a relatively minor maintenance
25 action such as water washing the compressor internals. The present invention, through aspects such as choke point analysis and analysis involving multiple variables, could have alerted users of the potential domino effect that was possible and warned of potential operational disruptions from one or more

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single point failures.
[0095] One example of real time process asset management is shown schematically in Fig. 15. Using data gathered from assets such as devices in the plant or production process and interpreting historical data with an expert
5 system, alerts can be sent to persons in the enterprise that are responsible for those assets. The expert system is made up of rule sets that are based upon knowledge gained either by those working within the enterprise or from outside sources such as vendors. With this system, those responsible for assets are notified of problems or potential problems and can take corrective
10 or preventative action.
[0096] One example of real time asset management is shown schematically in Fig. 16. This example monitors and controls the production process, using data gathered from assets such as devices in the plant or production process, and interpreting historical data with an expert system, to
15 generate and send reports to persons in the enterprise who are responsible for
those assets. _ The expert system is made up of rule sets that are based upon
knowledge such as equipment and system performance curves, operation loss
data, and reservoir and plant capacities, gained either by those working within the enterprise or from outside sources such as vendors. With this system,
20 those responsible for assets are notified of problems or potential problems and
can take corrective or preventative action.
[0097] One example of real time asset optimization is shown
schematically in Fig. 17. This example of optimization of a plant process uses
data gathered from assets such as devices in the plant or production process
25 and interprets historical data with an expert system to generate and send
reports to persons in the enterprise who are responsible for those assets. The
expert system is made up of rule sets that are based upon knowledge such as
process simulation mode] data (dynamic or steady state), process engineering

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model data, and the like, gained either by those working within the enterprise or from outside sources such as vendors. With this system, those responsible for assets are notified of production variances and production optimization opportunities. Once notified of a deviation, proper optimization action can be
5 taken.
[0098] One example of real time asset optimization is shown schematically in Fig. 18. This example monitors performance using data gathered from assets such as people, work processes, costs, and the like and interpreting data with an expert system, to generate and send reports to
10 persons in the enterprise who are responsible for those assets. The expert system is made up of rule sets that are based upon knowledge such as enterprise system databases which are updated by group functions, functional system databases on group software applications, and functional group performance models and plans, gained either by those working within the
15 enterprise or from outside sources such as vendors. With this system, those responsible for assets are notified of performance variances, trends, status and the like. Once notified, proper performance resolution action can be taken.
[0099] An exemplary traffic light system definition is shown in Fig. 19. Each traffic light color (red, yellow, and green) can be customized to meet the
20 particular needs of a»plant. In this figure the availability and efficiency from the start of a gas day is defined. The real time operations process can include a guidance or navigation capability that highlights where product loss or product variance due to equipment efficiency problem has occurred. The process can include a traffic light indication of plant status where green
25 indicates normal operation, yellow indicates a drop in facility or equipment performance and red indicates a severe drop in performance and/or shutdown of the facility or equipment This allows the authorized operations support staff, particularly the technical teams and leadership, to focus on the important

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plant performance issues as they occur. Information of this nature is normally available only to operations staff through the plant process control system and not accessible to the organization as a whole. An important purpose of the traffic light process is to raise the awareness of the organization, other than
5 front line operations staff of the plant downtime and efficiency problems to
generate the right response and effort of support
[0100] Where decisions are made and where support is accessed are important features of the present invention. An important function of real time operations and maintenance support is the ability to deliver technical and
10 commercial solutions to operational issues and abnormal events from anywhere in the world on a continuous 24 hours/day and 7 days/week basis. It is desirable to have the ability to use finite specialist and subject matter expertise in specific locations for asset support to any location worldwide in the most economic way. The best use of enterprise resources can thus be
15 brought to any operating problem without the need to mobilize or transport scarce personnel.
[0101] An exemplary overall process to support an operation according to one embodiment is shown in Fig. 20. It covers the implementation of the maintenance and operations business plans at system and equipment level, the
20 work management and planning, and the technical and operational support resource experts involvement, as well as the plant performance monitoring and decision support information feedback loop. In real time, data from assets such as pipelines, compressors, etc. can be received by a technical support center and remote locations via an access portal, such as for example,
25 an Internet link. Data from the remote locations can also be seen by the technical support center and other locations allowing for a complete line of sight throughout an organization.
[0102] In one embodiment, a real time operations interactive schematic

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environment is provided for use with the portal. This comprises a software program that allows user to interactively create a process schematic via drag and drop smart graphical objects. The program can be easy to use, menu/wizard driven, and require minimal amount of training to create a
5 schematic.
[0103] A process schematic representing a plant or a facility can be developed by selecting smart graphical icons (SGI) from a template and dropping them on to a drawing such as, for example, Microsoft Visio. When an SGI is dragged and dropped on a drawing, the user is prompted to link the
10 SGI to a database that contains information about the particular object Once this link is established, the program can dynamically retrieve the information from the database and display it, such as via a simple mouse move over and/or a mouse click on the drawing object. The template desirably has a number of pre-defined smart graphical icons such as pumps, vessels, compressors,
15 columns, pipelines, buildings, and so on.
[0104] Each SGI has a series of connection points that can be connected via a pipeline object to other objects. These pipeline objects show the connectivity between objects and indicate direction of flow. The pipeline object can also be linked to a database object There are desirably several
20 special SGIs in the template that enable the user to link the object to a specific or desired attribute in the database such as flow, temperature, or pressure and display the attribute on the drawing.
[0105] Once a drawing is created, it can be saved and retrieved at a later date. The drawing can also be saved in an accessible means, such as in a web
25 enabled format and published on a web server. The drawing then can be viewed via a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. This allows other users to view the drawing and dynamically visualize the real time information from a database. In this example a web-enabled system is

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discussed, the present invention is not limited to this type of access system and can be linked by other means, such as hard wired, wireless, microwave, satellite, or other communications systems can be used.
[0106] In one embodiment of the invention the end-user has a designated
5 starting web portal screen or home page that allows the user to quickly access the various functions of the system, including but not limited to, asset performance metrics, leadership team, maintenance, supply chain management, planning, well operation, human resources, emergency response, field team, facilities, engineering and construction, and so on, as
10 seen in Fig. 21. In this example a representative oil field is displayed in the center of the display. Each asset of the field can be further explored
[0107] The present invention is described above in connection with an offshore petroleum production operation with multiple production platforms, compressors, pipelines, and the like. This example should be considered as
15 illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
[0108] The invention is described above in reference to specific examples and embodiments. The metes and bounds of the invention are not to be limited by the foregoing disclosure, which is illustrative only, but should be determined in accordance with the full scope and spirit of the appended
20 claims.

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We-Claims;
1 [cl 1] An apparatus for real time process asset management, comprising:
2 (a) a distributed control system to receive readings from facility
3 sensor devices and transmit control signals to actuated
4 elements to monitor and control the process;
5 (b) an historical database comprising process parameter data
6 interfaced with the distributed control system;
7 (c) an expert system interfaced with the historical database to
8 generate expert status and trend reports on uptime, production
9 status, pro duction loss, equipment loss, equipment
10 performance, or any combination thereof;
11 (d) an access portal for displaying the expert reports to a user;
12 (e) a work management system to schedule a corrective work

13 procedure to equipment or system of the process in response
14 to a request to resolve a production loss from the access
15 portal.
1 [cl 2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the expert system comprises logic
2 rules and algorithms for generating the expert reports.
1 [cl 3] The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a knowledge capture tool to
2 update failure logic rules in the expert system.
1 [cl 4] The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a telecommunication device
2 linked to the expert system to transmit the expert reports to a remote
3 user.
1 [cl 5] The apparatus of claim 1. wherein the access portal includes a
2 graphical user interface to display expert alerts and to input requests to
3 resolve the expert alerts.
1 [cl 6] An apparatus for real time production process asset management,
2 comprising:

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3 (a) a distributed control system to receive readings from facility
4 sensor devices and transmit control signals to plant actuated
5 elements to monitor and control the production process;
6 (b) an historical database comprising process parameter data
7 interfaced with the distributed control system;
8 (c) an expert system interfaced with the historical database to
9 generate and transmit expert status reports to a user interface
I o device, and expert trend reports to a user via an access portal;
II (d) a work management system to schedule a corrective work
12 procedure to equipment or system of the process in response
13 to a request to resolve production loss via the access portal.
1 [cl 7] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the expert system comprises
2 calculation instructions and logic algorithms to report statistical data
3 selected from the group consisting of uptime, process status,
4 production loss, equipment loss, equipment performance, or any
5 combination thereof
1 [cl 8] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the user interface device
2 comprises telecommunication equipment
1 [cl 9] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the expert system is linked to one
2 or more input devices for real time data selected from the group
3 consisting of engineering analysis, operations loss, process capacities,
4 and combinations thereof.
1 [cl 10] The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the engineering analysis data
2 include equipment and system performance data,
3 [cl 11] The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a process
2 simulation model linked to the expert system for the process capacities
3 data.
3 [cl 12] The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a reservoir

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2 simulation model linked to the expert system to provide reservoir
3 capacities data.
1 [cl 13] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the access portal comprises a
2 graphical user interface to display the expert trend reports and to input
3 the requests to resolve production losses.
1 [cl 14] An apparatus for real time process asset management,
2 comprising:
3 (a) a distributed control system to receive readings from facility
4 sensor devices and transmit control signals to actuated
5 elements to monitor and control the production process;
6 (b) an historical database comprising process parameter data
7 interfaced with the distributed control system;
8 (c) an expert system interfaced with the historical database to
9 generate and transmit variance reports to a user interface
10 device, and optimization opportunity reports to an access
11 portal;
12 (d) a work management system to schedule an optimization
13 procedure to equipment or system of the process in response
14 to a request to adjust an operating parameter sent via the
15 access portal.
1 [cl 15] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the expert system comprises
2 logic rules and algorithms for process or production optimization.
1 [cl 16] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a process simulation model is
2 interfaced with the expert system for updating the expert system with
3 simulation data
1 [cl 17] The apparatus of claim 16. further comprising an input device for
2 process engineering model data, configuration information to adjust
3 the process simulation model, production optimization logic rules or

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4 algorithms in the expert system, or a combination thereof
1 [cl 18] The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an input device for
2 process engineering model data and configuration information to
3 adjust logic rules or algorithms in the expert system.
1 [cl 19] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the user interface device
2 comprises telecommunication equipment
1 [cl 20] The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the access portal comprises a
2 graphical user interface.
1 [cl 21] A method of real time process asset management, comprising:
2 (a) operating a process with a distributed control system for
3 receiving readings from facility sensor devices and transmitting
4 control signals to actuated elements to monitor and control the
5 process;
6 (b) interfacing the distributed control system with an historical
7 database comprising process parameter data;
8 (c) exchanging process data between the historical database and an
9 expert system for generating expert alerts to notify a user of alert
10* status;
11 (d) transmitting instructions to the distributed control system for
12 initiating an automated corrective action in response to one or
13 more of the expert alerts;

14 (e) updating failure logic rules in the expert system;
15 (f) transmitting a corrective action request to a work management
16 system in response to one or more of the expert alerts;
17 (g) performing a corrective work procedure on equipment or system
18 of the process in response to the corrective action request;
19 (h) repeating (a) through (g) on a real time basis.
20 [cl 22] The method of claim 21, wherein the expert system comprises

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21 logic rules or algorithms for generating the expert alerts.
1 [cl 23] The method of claim 21, wherein updating the failure logic rules
2 comprises capturing knowledge from failure analysis.
1 [cl 24] The method of claim 21, wherein one or more of the expert alerts
2 comprises remote user notification via a telecommunication device.
1 [cl 25] The method of claim 21, wherein one or more of the expert alerts
2 comprises notification via an access portal graphical user interface.
1 [cl 26] The method of claim 25, wherein the transmission of the
2 corrective action request to the work management system comprises
3 generating a request to resolve one or more of the expert alerts via the
4 access portal.
1 [cl 27] A method of real time process asset management, comprising:
2 (a) operating a process with a distributed control system for
3 receiving readings from facility sensor devices and
4 transmitting control signals to actuated elements to monitor
5 and control the process;
6 (b) interfacing the distributed control system with an historical
7 database comprising process parameter data;
8 (c) exchanging process data between the historical database and
9 an expert system for generating expert status and trend reports
10 on uptime, production status, production loss, equipment loss,
11 equipment performance, or any combination thereof;
12 (d) updating equipment, system, operations loss, and process
13 capacity data in the expert system;
14 (e) transmitting a corrective action request to a work management
15 system in response to one or more of the expert reports;
16 (f) performing a corrective work procedure to equipment or
17 system of the production process in response to the corrective

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18 action request;
19 (g) repeating (a) through (f) on a real time basis.
1 [cl 28] The method of claim 27, wherein the expert system comprises
2 calculation instructions or logic algorithms for generating the expert
3 reports.
1 [cl 29] The method of claim 27, wherein the updated data in the expert
2 system comprises engineering analysis, production loss reporting,
3 simulation model output, or a combination thereof
1 [cl 30] The method of claim 27, comprising delivery of the expert
2 reports to a remote user via a telecommunication device.
1 [cl 31] The method of claim 27, comprising display of one or more of
2 the expert reports in a line of sight format via an access portal
3 graphical user interface.
1 [cl 32] The method of claim 31, further comprising sending a request to
2 resolve production loss via the access portal to a workflow engine for
3 root cause analysis, issue resolution, or a combination thereof to
4 generate the corrective action request to the work management
5 system.
1 [cl 33] A method of real time process asset management, comprising:
2 (a) operating a process with a distributed control system for
3 receiving readings from facility sensor devices and
4 transmitting control signals to actuated elements to monitor
5 and control the process;
6 (b) interfacing the distributed control system with an historical
7 database comprising process parameter data;
8 (c) exchanging process data between the historical database and
9 an expert system for generating expert reports to notify a user
10 of report status;

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11 (d) transmitting instructions to the distributed control system for
12 initiating an automated corrective action in response to one or
13 more of the expert reports;
14 (e) updating logic rules for process optimization in the expert
15 system;
16 (f) transmitting an optimization action request to a work
17 management system in response to one or more of the expert
18 reports;
19 (g) performing an optimization procedure to equipment or system
20 of the process in response to the optimization action request;
21 (h) repeating (a) through (g) on a real time basis.
1 [cl 34] The method of claim 33, wherein the expert system comprises
2 logic rules or algorithms for process or production optimization.
1 [cl 35] The method of claim 33, further comprising exchanging
2 simulation data between the expert system and a process simulation
3 model.
1 [cl 36] The method of claim 35, further comprising adjusting processing
2 parameters between the process simulation model and process
3 engineering model data.
1 '[cl 37] The method of claim 36, further comprising adjusting
2 optimization parameters between the expert system and the process
3 engineering model data
1 [cl 38] The method of claim 33, wherein one or more of the expert
2 reports comprises production variance data.
1 [cl 39] The method of claim 38, wherein the production variance data
2 are transmitted to a remote user via a telecommunication device.
3 [cl 40] The method of claim 33, wherein one or more of the expert
2 reports comprises optimization opportunities.

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1 [cl 41] The method of claim 40, wherein the optimization opportunities
2 are transmitted to a user via an access portal graphical user interface.
1 [cl 42] The method of claim 41, wherein the transmission of the
2 optimization action request to the work management system
3 comprises generating a request to adjust operating parameters via the
4 access portal.
1 [cl 43] A method of real time performance management, comprising:
2 (a) interfacing an enterprise system database with one or more
3 functional system databases and a user interface;
4 (b) exchanging data between the enterprise system database and
5 an expert system for calculating performance metrics of the
6 enterprise functions;
7 (c) exchanging data between the expert system and the one or
8 more functional databases;
9 (d) building a functional group performance model for use by the
10 expert system;
11 (e) sending status reports from the expert system to a user,
12 (f) displaying trend reports via a line of sight access portal
13 graphical user interface;
14 (g) transmitting a request to resolve functional group
15 performance issues via the access portal to a workflow engine
16 for the respective functional group;
17 (h) sending a corrective action request from the workflow engine
18 to a work management system;
19 (i) repeating (a) through (h) on a real time basis.
1 [cl 44] The method of claim 43 wherein the expert system comprises
2 logic rules or algorithms for generating the expert reports.
3 [cl 45] The method of claim 43 wherein the logic rules updating

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2 comprises capturing knowledge from functional group performance.
1 [cl 46] The method of claim 43, wherein one or more of the expert
2 reports comprises remote user notification via a telecommunication
3 device.
1 [cl 47] The method of claim 44, wherein one or more of the expert
2 reports comprises notification via an access portal graphical user
3 interface.
1 [cl 48] The method of claim 47, wherein the access portal includes a
2 navigation table comprising a first dimension of grouping attributes
3 comprising planning, actions, and results, and a second dimension of
4 grouping attributes comprising people, equipment, and cost, grouping
5 access to tools associated with the support module.
1 [cl 49] The method of claim 48, wherein me planning group provides
2 access to maintenance- tactics and strategy tools, the actions group
3 : provides defect elimination and loss prevention tools, and the results
4 group provides facilities, maintenance, and production performance
5 tools.
1 [cl 50] The method of claim 48, wherein the navigation table includes
2 access to an operations knowledge capture tool.
1 [cl 51] The method of claim 50, wherein the operations knowledge
2 capture tool is a database of information collated on process
3 equipment items and respective recorded system defects, containing
4 engineering and operational experiences of causes and effects of the -5 system defects.
1 [cl 52] The method of claim 51, wherein the operations knowledge
2 capture too] includes a database filter based upon a selective
3 combination of two or more of system, manufacturer, sub-system, and
4 defect.

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1 [cl 53] The method of claim 51, wherein recorded systems defect data
2 comprise symptoms, severity, consequence, detection mechanism, or
3 any combination thereof.
1 [cl 54] The method of claim 53, wherein recorded systems defect data
2 further comprise data selected from the group consisting of defect
3 occurrence frequency, logic rule frequency, rules, recommended
4 remedial actions, report recipient, miscellaneous comments, and any
5 combination thereof
1 [cl 55] The method of claim 47, comprising using an updating tool
2 associated with the operations knowledge capture tool to populate the
3 enterprise database with data selected from the group consisting of
4. shutdown incident report data, vendor data, expert knowledge, and
5 combinations thereof
1 [cl 56] The method of claim 47, wherein the navigation table includes
2 access to a shutdown incident report register tool.
1 [cl 57] The method of claim 56, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 register tool includes access to information from shutdown incident
3 reports selected from the group consisting of report number, time
4 back, functional responsibility, date raised, product lost, fault found,
5 loss category^ cost, corrective action, sent to, cause category, asset
6 focal point source location, independent service contractor loss,
7 outstanding action, maintenance work request, time down, responsible
8 asset, review process, explanation of problem, explanation of event,
9 close out and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 58] The method of claim 56, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 register tool provides access to tools selected from the group
3 consisting of administration, shutdown incident report generation, root
4 cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines;

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56
5 technical changes, report generator, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 59] The method of claim 58, comprising defining shutdown incident
2 report templates via the administration tool.
1 [cl 60] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the shutdown
2 incident report generation tool to' generate a shutdown incident report
3 including data selected from the group consisting of person
4 generating, person sent, loss category, independent service contractor
5 loss, cause category, responsible asset, explanation of event, source
6 location, time down, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 61] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the root cause
2 analysis tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 selected from the group consisting of date raised, focal person,
4 execute root cause-analysis-preventive-corrective-maintenanoe (RCA-
5 PCM) date, recommended corrective action, actions completion date,
6 cost benefit analysis, approval or rejection date, planned execution
7 details, implementation date, close out date, and any combination
8 thereof.
1 [cl 62] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the maintenance
2 strategy tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 selected from' the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause
4 analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number,
5 action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof.
1 [cl 63] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the maintenance
2 routines too] to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis
4 and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action

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5 completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof
1 [cl 64] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the technical
2 changes tool to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis
4 and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action
5 completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof
1 [cl 65] The method of claim 58, comprising operating the report
2 generation tool to generate a report including data from the group
3 consisting of total asset shutdown performance, downtime by cause
4 categories for source locations date range, downtime by source
5 locations date range, downtime by loss category for responsible asset
6 date range, production loss by functional responsibility date range,
7 recurring events date range, shutdown incident report date range,
8 issues report date range, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 66] The method of claim 48, wherein the people grouping comprises
2 tools selected from the group consisting of preventative maintenance
3 workload, history and plan, maintenance supply and demand, critical
4 actions register, idea database, action log, preventative maintenance
5 compliance, ratio of preventative maintenance to corrective -
6 maintenance work, productivity, corrective performance, man hours

7 expended, total maintenance backlog, completion of defect
8 elimination action, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 67] The method of claim 48, wherein the equipment grouping
2 comprises tools selected from the group consisting of operations

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3 knowledge capture, real time influence diagram, criticality
4 assessment, RAM simulation potential, equipment strategy matrix,
5 equipment database, equipment performance, critical equipment
6 status, crane status, shutdown incident register, shutdown incident
7 reports, asset performance metrics, top failures by cause, top failures
8 by location, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 68] The method of claim 48, wherein the cost grouping comprises
2 tools selected from the group consisting of maintenance budget,
3 maintenance key performance indicators, maintenance budget control
4 process, total maintenance costs, maintenance budget tracking,
5 corrective maintenance costs, maintenance key performance indicators
6 tracking, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 69] The method of claim 43, comprising accessing via a home page
2 of the access portal,' tools selected from the group of asset
3 performance metrics, leadership team, maintenance, supply chain
4 management, planning, well operation, human resources, emergency
5 response, field team, facilities, engineering and construction, and any
6 combination thereof
1 [cl 70] The method of claim 43, comprising displaying a geographical
2 representation of the plant process on the access portal.
1 [cl 71] The method of claim 43, wherein the access portal includes an
2 asset performance tool.
1 [cl 72] The method of claim 71, comprising providing real time asset
2 statistical data selected from the group of production rate, deferment,
3 uptime, and availability, and any combination thereof via the asset
4 performance tool.
3 [cl 73] The method of claim 71, comprising operating the asset
2 performance tool to access tools selected from the group of

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3 infrastructure overview, choke model, status, traffic light, production
4 performance, expert, satellite overview, shutdown incident report,
5 compressor envelope, uptime and availability, loss summary, and any
6 combination thereof.
1 [cl 74] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the infrastructure
2 overview tool to generate a pictorial overview of the respective asset
3 for a selected process area.
1 [cl 75] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the choke model
2 tool to generate a display of flow along a supply chain.
1 [cl 76] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the status tool to
2 generate real-time status of an asset
1 [cl 77] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the traffic ligjit
2 tool to generate a display of availability and efficiency of an asset
1 [cl 78] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the production
2 performance tool to a display of generate the potential and actual
3 production performance of-a selected production process area,
1 [cl 79] The method of claim 73, comprising generating defect alarms
2 and recommended actions via the expert tool.
1 [cl 80] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the satellite
2 overview too) to report process flow rate over time.
1 [cl 81] The method of claim 73, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 tool provides access to tools selected from the group consisting of
3 administration, shutdown incident report generation, root cause
4 analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines,
5 technical changes, report generator, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 82] The method of claim 73. comprising operating the compressor
2 envelope tool to generate a display of compressor status performance
3 and envelope map showing a current operating point on the map.

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60
1 [cl 83] The method of claim 73, comprising operating the uptime and
2 availability tool to generate a display of the uptime and availability of
3 an asset expressed as a percentage over a user-selected period.
1 [cl 84] The method of claim 73, wherein the loss summary tool is
2 operated to generate a summary of shutdown incident report
3 information with respect to losses for a selected asset and detail losses
4 attributable to an independent service contractor and deferred
5 production for the respective asset
1 [cl 85] The method of claim 73, wherein the transmission of the
2 corrective action request to me work management system comprises
3 generating a request to resolve one or more of the expert alerts via the
4 access portal
1 [cl 86] A system for facilitating decision-making in connection with
2 management of enterprise assets, comprising:
3 (a) a real time expert decision support module;
4 (b) an access portal for user access to the real time expert
5 decision support module;
6 (c) a navigation table accessible via the access portal providing a
7 line of sight through the enterprise.
1 [cl 87] The system of claim 86, wherein the navigation table includes a
2 first dimension of grouping attributes comprising planning, actions,
3 and results, and a second dimension of grouping attributes comprising
4 people, equipment, and cost, for grouping access to tools associated
5 with the support module.
1 [cl 88] The system of claim 87, wherein the planning group provides
2 access to maintenance tactics and strategy tools, the actions group
3 provides defect elimination and loss prevention tools, and the results
4 group provides facilities, maintenance, and production performance

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5 tools.
1 [cl 89] The system of claim 86, wherein the navigation table includes
2 access to an operations knowledge capture tool.
1 [cl 90] The system of claim 89, wherein the operations knowledge
2 capture tool is a database of information collated on process
3 equipment items and respective recorded system defects, containing
4 engineering and operational experiences of causes and effects of the
5 system defects.
1 [cl 91] The system of claim 90, wherein the operations knowledge
2 capture tool includes a database filter based upon a selective
3 combination of two or more of system, manufacturer, sub-system, and
4 defect
1 [cl 92] The system of claim 90, wherein recorded systems defect data
2 comprise symptoms, severity, consequence, detection mechanism, or
3 any combination thereof.
1 [cl 93] The system of claim 92, wherein recorded systems defect data
2 further comprise data selected from the group consisting of defect
3 occurrence frequency, logic rule frequency, rules, recommended
4 remedial actions, report recipient, miscellaneous comments, and any
5 combination thereof.
1 [cl 94] The system of claim 89, wherein the operations knowledge
2 capture tool is associated with an updating tool to populate the
3 database with data selected from the group consisting of shutdown –
4 incident report data, vendor data, expert knowledge, and combinations
5 thereof.
1 [cl 95] The system of claim 86, wherein the navigation table includes
2 access to a shutdown incident report register tool.
1 [cl 96] The system of claim 95, wherein the shutdown incident report

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2 register tool includes access to information from shutdown incident
3 reports selected from the group consisting of report number, time
4 back, fractional responsibility, date raised, product lost, fault found,
5 loss category, cost, corrective action, sent, to, cause category, asset
6 focal point, source location, independent service contractor loss,
7 outstanding action, maintenance work request, time down, responsible
8 asset, review process, explanation of problem, explanation of event,
9 close out, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 97] The system of claim 95, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 register tool provides access to tools selected from the group
3 consisting of administration, shutdown incident report generation, root
4 cause analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines,
5 technical changes, report generator, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 98] The system of claim 97, wherein shutdown incident report
2 templates are defined via the administration tool.
1 [cl 99] The system of claim 97, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 generation tool is operable to generate a shutdown incident report
3 including data selected from the group consisting of person
4 generating, person sent, loss category, independent service contractor
5 loss, cause category, responsible asset, explanation of event, source
6 location, time' down, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 100] The system of claim 97, wherein the root cause analysis tool is
2 operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 selected from the group consisting of date raised, focal person,
4 execute root-cause-analysis-preventive-corrective maintenance (RCA-
5 PCM) date, recommended corrective action, actions completion date,
6 cost benefit analysis, approval or rejection date, planned execution
7 details, implementation dale, close out date, and any combination

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8 thereof.
1 [cl 101] The system of claim 97, wherein the maintenance strategy tool is
2 operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 selected from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause
4 analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number,
5 action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof.
1 [cl 102] The system of claim 97, wherein the maintenance routines tool is
2 operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data from
3 the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause analysis and
4 preventative care maintenance date, strategy number, action
5 completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof.
1 [cl 103] The system of claim 97, wherein the technical changes tool is
2 operable to generate a shutdown incident report including data
3 selected from the group consisting of date raised, execute root cause
4 analysis and preventative care maintenance date, strategy number,
5 action completed date, cost benefit analysis, execution planned date,
6 execution implemented date, close out date, and any combination
7 thereof.
1 [cl 104] The system of claim 97, wherein the report generation tool is
2 operable to generate a report including data selected from the group
3 consisting of total asset shutdown performance, downtime by cause
4 categories for source locations date range, downtime by source
5 locations date range, downtime by loss category for responsible asset
6 date range, production Joss by functional responsibility date range,

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7 recurring events date range, shutdown incident report date range,
8 issues report date range, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 105] The system of claim 87, wherein the people grouping comprises
2 tools selected from the group consisting of preventative maintenance
3 workload, history and plan, maintenance supply and demand, critical
4 actions register, idea database, action log, preventative maintenance
5 compliance, ratio of preventative maintenance to corrective
6 maintenance work, productivity, corrective performance, man hours
7 expended, total maintenance backlog, completion of defect
8 elimination action, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 106] The system of claim 87, wherein the equipment grouping
2 comprises tools selected from the group consisting of operations
3 knowledge capture, real time influence diagram, criticality
4 assessment, RAM simulation potential, equipment strategy matrix,
5 equipment database, equipment performance, critical equipment
6 status, crane status, shutdown incident register, shutdown incident
7 reports, asset performance metrics, top failures by cause, top failures
8 by location, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 107] The system of claim 87, wherein the cost grouping comprises
2 tools selected from the group consisting of maintenance budget,
3 maintenance key performance indicators, maintenance budget control
4 process, total maintenance costs, maintenance budget tracking,
5 corrective maintenance costs, maintenance key performance indicators
6 tracking; and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 108] The system of claim 86, wherein the access portal further
2 comprises a home page with access to tools selected from the group
3 consisting of asset performance metrics, leadership team,
4 maintenance, supply chain management planning, well operation,

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5 human resources, emergency response, field team, facilities,
6 engineering and construction, and any combination thereof
1 [cl 109] "The system of claim 86, wherein the access portal includes a
2 display geographically representative of a production process.
1 [cl 110] The system of claim 86, wherein the access portal includes an
2 asset performance tool.
1 [cl 111] The system of claim 110, wherein the asset performance tool is
2 operable to provide real time asset statistical data selected from the
3 group consisting of production rate, deferment, uptime, availability,
4 and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 112] The system of claim 110, wherein the asset performance tool is
2 operable to access tools selected from the group of infrastructure
3 overview, choke model, status, traffic light system, production
4 performance, expert system, satellite overview, shutdown incident
5 report, compressor envelope, uptime and availability, loss summary,
6 and any combination thereof
1 [cl 113] The system of claim 112, wherein the infrastructure overview
2 tool is operable to generate a pictorial overview of the respective
3 assets for a selected field of production process assets.
1 [cl 114] The system of claim 112, wherein the choke model tool is
2 operable to report flow of production along a supply chain.
1 [cl 115] The system of claim 112, wherein the status tool is operable to
2 report real-time status of an asset
1 [cl 116] The system of claim 112, wherein the traffic light system is
2 operable to display availability and efficiency of an asset
1 [cl 317] The system of claim 112, wherein the production performance
2 tool is operable to display the potential and actual production
3 performance of the selected complex.

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1 [cl 118] The system of claim 112, wherein the expert system tool is
2 operable to display defect alarms and recommended actions.
1 [cl 119] The system of claim 112, wherein the satellite overview tool is
2 operable to display production flow rate over time.
1 [cl 120] The system of claim 112, wherein the shutdown incident report
2 tool provides access to tools selected from the group consisting of
3 administration, shutdown incident report generation, root cause
4 analysis, maintenance strategy, planned maintenance routines,
5 technical changes, report generator, and any combination thereof.
1 [cl 121] The system of claim 112, wherein the compressor envelope tool
2 is operable to display compressor status performance and envelope
3 map showing current operating points on the map.
1 [cl 122] The system of claim 112, wherein the uptime and availability
2 tool is operable to display uptime and availability of an asset
3 expressed as a percentage over a user-selected period.
1 [cl 123] The system of claim 112, wherein the loss summary tool is
2 operable to generate a summary of shutdown incident report
3 information with respect to production losses for a selected asset and
4 detail losses attributable to an independent service contractor and
5 deferred production for the asset

67
124. An apparatus for real time process substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying drawings.
125. Method of real time process asset management substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying drawings.
126. System for facilitating decision making substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying drawings.

Dated this 26U1 day of August 2005


Abstract:
An apparatus, system and method for facilitating decision-making in connection with management of enterprise assets are disclosed. A real time expert decision support module is interfaced with an access portal including a navigation table for asset management, and with an historical parameter database associated with a distributed control system of plant end sensors and actuated control elements of a production process. The access portal and navigation table provide access to tools in the support module that facilitate real time decision making information delivery to the functional teams that 10 support an asset, line of sight management performance models of team performance, practical performance analysis tools that extract information in real time from the process control system and other sources of asset data for translation into actionable information, and a real time interactive schematic environment

Documents:

957-mumnp-2005-abstract(26-04-2007).doc

957-mumnp-2005-abstract(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-abstract(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-abstract(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-abstract.doc

957-mumnp-2005-abstract.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-cancelled pages(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-claims(amended)-(26-4-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-claims(complete)-(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-claims(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-claims(granted)-(26-04-2007).doc

957-mumnp-2005-claims(granted)-(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-claims.doc

957-mumnp-2005-claims.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence(10-07-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence(10-7-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence(ipo)-(28-11-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence(ipo)-(7-1-2008).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence-received-ver-260805.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence-received.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-correspondence-send.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-description (complete).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-description(complete)-(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-description(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-drawing(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-drawing(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-drawing(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-drawings.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 1(29-08-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 13(29-08-2005).pdf

957-MUMNP-2005-FORM 16(1)-(17-6-2011).pdf

957-MUMNP-2005-FORM 16(17-6-2011).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 18(12-09-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(complete)-(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(26-04-2007).doc

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(granted)-(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(title page)-(complete)-(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 2(title page)-(granted)-(24-12-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 26(11-11-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 26(29-10-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 3(11-11-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 3(26-04-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 3(26-08-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 3(26-4-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 3(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 5(26-08-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form 5(29-8-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-1.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-2.doc

957-mumnp-2005-form-2.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-3.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-pct-ib-301.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-pct-ib-304.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-pct-ib-308.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-pct-isa-202.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-form-pct-ro-101.pdf

957-mumnp-2005-pct-isa-210(29-10-2005).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-specification(amended)-(26-4-2007).pdf

957-mumnp-2005-wo international publication report(29-8-2005).pdf

abstract1.jpg


Patent Number 213212
Indian Patent Application Number 957/MUMNP/2005
PG Journal Number 42/2008
Publication Date 17-Oct-2008
Grant Date 24-Dec-2007
Date of Filing 29-Aug-2005
Name of Patentee KELLOGG BROWN & ROOT INC.
Applicant Address 601 JEFFERSON AVENUE, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77002, USA
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 BUCHAN JOHN GIBB 4415 TESSIE COURT, SUGARLAND, TEXAS 77479, USA
PCT International Classification Number G06F
PCT International Application Number PCT/US2004/001534
PCT International Filing date 2004-01-21
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 60/443,725 2003-01-30 U.S.A.
2 10/753,190 2003-12-31 U.S.A.