ZEROTECH, a worldwide consulting and engineering group specialising in industrial automation and control systems, and power transmission and distribution has launched Zerotech Advisor, a powerful way to enhance the performance of highly complex industrial processes, by enabling your operators to respond quickly – and effectively – to the difficulties and problems that typically arise in everyday operations.

It works as an adjunct to your process control systems, to help your operators expertly diagnose, troubleshoot and rectify a wide range of contingencies – problems that would otherwise call for bringing in engineers or specialists, says a company spokesman.
As an expert system, Zerotech Advisor can guide one’s operators through adjustments, fixes, and restorations much like a skilled engineer would – 24/7, in real time, anytime. It is ideal for supporting process controls in chemical plants, petroleum refining, power generation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, glass production, steel, wastewater treatment, desalination and pollution management.
Zerotech Advisor goes far beyond the simple alarms and diagnostics provided in process control systems. While process control systems can indicate which devices are malfunctioning or which processes may be impaired, it cannot tell operators how to rectify the situation – especially when the process involves an array of tightly-coupled dependencies and interconnected elements.
Zerotech Advisor offers a solution. Based on precisely what is happening in the process, the expert systems technology will assess the situation and guide your operators through appropriate troubleshooting and restoral procedures – or even temporary work-arounds.
It is all based on real-time conditions in your equipment and processes, the unique design of your systems, and a customised knowledge base created for the operations. Zerotech Advisor can be configured to respond to almost any scenario or contingency that can arise in processes – even if the systems involve non-linear input/output relations, long time lags, or variable feed and process characteristics.
The architecture of Zerotech Advisor provides an infinitely flexible framework for capturing and codifying information about your processes, then applying it to real-world, real-time situations in complex processes.
The system interfaces directly with the process control system (regardless of manufacturer ) to continually monitor the process for alarms, anomalies, and other conditions requiring intervention. In the event of a problem, Zerotech Advisor relies on software called an inference engine that applies customised rules and logic to the incoming data – to determine precisely what is happening, and how best to respond to it.
The logic can take into account multiple data streams and alarms at the same time – “pump is operating, pressure and flow rate are low, tank empty” – to decide on the best course of action. The Advisor then uses a simple, intuitive interface to explain to your operators what is occurring, and then guide them through the next steps, whether it involves further troubleshooting, restoral procedures, safety shutdowns, workarounds, or providing detailed reports to engineers or maintenance teams.
The open architecture of Zerotech Advisor can support virtually any process control system, whether from Siemens, Yokogawa, Honeywell, or others.