Overview of Smart Factory Studies in Petrochemical Industry

System Structure and Network Computing Architecture of Petrochemical Cyber‐Physical System: Overview and Perspective

“…However, under the historical background of big data and cloud computing, it is necessary to further improve the production efficiency, resource allocation, and management coordination ability of the petrochemical industry, so as to realize the leap from digitization to intelligence in the petrochemical industry. Sinopec Group (hereinafter referred to as Sinopec), took the lead in the construction of a smart factory since 2012, and put forward the petrochemical cyber‐physical system (PCPS) for the industry, took PCPS as the infrastructure of the petrochemical smart factory, and carried out the pilot construction in four enterprises; they thereby promoted the transformation of enterprise production mode and management and control mode, improved the level of safety and environmental protection, cost decreasing and benefit increasing, and green and low carbon, accelerating the improvement of labor productivity, and accumulating valuable practice experience …”

Theoretical research and application of petrochemical Cyber-physical Systems

“…Experts and scholars gave different definitions of CPS from different perspectives; e.g., Lee (2007) gave the definition from the perspective of the physical entity and virtual entity, and Branicky (2008) gave the definition from the perspective of embedded system development and noted that CPS is an intelligent system that integrates computing and control capabilities. The petrochemical industry is a typical representative of the process industry, and former studies (Li, 2016a;Li et al, 2015) have given the definition of a petrochemical smart factory, pointing out that CPS is the core.…”

“…A petrochemical smart factory orients the entire industry chain; fuses information technology, production process technology and equipment operation technology; achieves highly horizontal, vertical and end-to-end integration; enhances the four key competencies of comprehensive perception, predictive early warning, collaborative optimization, and scientific decision making; improves the level of plant operations management in a more sophisticated and dynamic manner; and promotes the creation of new manufacturing and business mode innovations (Li, 2016a;Li et al, 2015).…”

“…In 2013, Sinopec began construction work of smart factories in four enterprises--Yanshan Petrochemical, Maoming Petrochemical, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical, and Jiujiang Petrochemical--according to development characteristics and the development status of the industry and Sinopec, and applied in-depth CPS to the existing petrochemical production process, achieved the deep integration and fusion of techniques, equipment operations and human resources, enhanced the four key capabilities of comprehensive awareness, prediction and early warning, collaborative optimization, and scientific decision-making, and improved the factory operation and management level in a more sophisticated and dynamic way (Li, 2016a;Li et al, 2015).…”

“…In the present environment, where China vigorously promotes the integration of information technology and industrialization (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China et al, 2011;Miao, 2015) as well as intelligent manufacturing (The State Council of the People's Republic of China, 2015) to achieve industrial restructuring and upgrading (Jiang, 2003;Hu, 2012), Sinopec took the lead in the research and exploration of petrochemical CPS in 2013 (Li, 2016a;Li et al, 2015), focusing on three main lines--whole process integrated production control, whole process integration optimization and life cycle integrated asset management--to create a robust and dynamic factory operation and management. The first batch of four pilot smart factory enterprises has achieved the integration of information, communication and the physical world after years of digital, network, and intelligent construction, which promoted enterprises to achieve safe, environmentally friendly, stable and efficient production organization and operation control.…”