WHITEPAPER

ThePowerofIntegration
ChooseanAutomationInfrastructureThatWillBoostPerformanceTodayandReadily AdapttoTomorrowsDemands

ByKeithLarson,VPContent

Thepotentialandthepowerofintegrationliesinwhatcanbeachievedwheninformationismade available,incontext,toallofthedevices,systemsandindividualsresponsibleforcontrolling,maintaining andmanagingproduction. Imaginethatwithoneclickanoperatorcanaccessanyinformationrequiredtomakeaninformed decisionregardlessofwherethedataresides.Orthatamaintenancetechniciancanaccessfromher wirelesstabletthecommissioningdisplays,diagnosticsandactiveworkordersforthetransmittersheis troubleshooting. Realizingthisvisionrequiresseamless,transparentaccessto Martin dataandinformationfromalltraditionalhierarchicallevelsof Hollenders plantinformation,fromfielddevicestocontrolsystem primer applicationstobusinesssystems.Andoneschoiceofprocess Collaborative Process automationarchitecturecanplayamajorroleinjusthow Automation easyorimpracticalrealizingthepowerofintegrationcan Systemsis be. availablefrom ISAPressand through ABriefHistoryofIntegration Amazon.com. Inthecontextofprocessautomation,thepursuitof integrationhasalongandstoriedhistory.Indeed,eversince thefirstdigitalnetworksandmicroprocessorswereusedfor processcontrol,establishingmeaningfulcommunicationlinks amongfielddevices,controllersandsoftwareapplicationshas beenacentraltaskofprojectwork. Butintegrationoftenwasabigandcomplexjobdisparate systemsandapplicationsfrommultiplesolutionproviders madeconnectionsbothtimeconsumingandexpensiveto build.Further,sinceeachlinkwastypicallyapointtopoint,customcodedsolution,theyproved inflexible,fragileandamaintenanceheadache:Changeorupgradeonesystemandbreakthelinks betweenthem.Asaresult,realizingthefullpromiseofrobust,seamlesslyintegratedsystemsandthe collaborationandinformeddecisionmakingtheywouldallowremainedmoreimpracticalaspiration thanachievablereality. Fastforwardtotoday,andagrowingnumberofprocessmanufacturersarefindingthattheirchoiceof automationarchitecturecandramaticallystreamlineintegrationtasks,inturnenablingnewlevelsof businessbenefitsintheformofincreasedlevelsofcollaborationandproductivity,improvedoperator effectiveness,aswellasstreamlinedsystemengineeringeffortandlowerlifecyclecosts.Further,because theproperinfrastructurearchitectureabstractsprocessdataandinformationitselffromtheunderlying communications,thebenefitsofintegrationcanmorereadilybepreservedinthefaceofinevitable changesintechnology,controlstrategyandbusinessprocesses.

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FromDCStowardCPAS Theevolutionofthetraditionaldistributedcontrolsystem(DCS)intotodaysmorecapableandmoreall encompassingprocessautomationarchitecturehasbeenchronicledbytheanalystsattheARCAdvisory Groupastheadventofthecollaborativeprocessautomationsystem,orCPAS. Fromafunctionalpointofview,CPASrecognizesonlytwosystemsinaprocessplant:thebusinesssystem andtheCPAS,eachwithdifferentclassesofapplications,writesDaveWolloftheARCAdvisoryGroupin MartinHollenders2010bookCollaborativeProcessAutomationSystems.TheCPASvisionleveragesa single,nonhierarchicalEthernet/TCPIPcommunicationsbackbonesuchthatfielddevices,controllers andapplicationsareabletoexchangedataandinformationwithoutbarriers,Wollnotes.Indeed,the CPASguidingprinciplesofacommoninfrastructurethatisfunctionallytransparent,logicallyconciseand basedonstandardsgoalongwaytowarddescribingtheoptimalautomationarchitecturethatmakes possibletheseamlessintegrationofplantsystems. IndustryTrendsandControlSystemImplications
IndustryTrend AutomationApproach ControlSystemRequirements

Increasinginformation accessrequirementsforall disciplines Controlroomconsolidation

Systemmustproviderealtime informationaccesstoallstakeholders

Informationintegrationplatformwith visualization

Singlesystemforallareasofthe plantandallrequiredfunctionality Abilitytoconnectandutilizedata fromsmartdevices Integrationofprocessandpowerfor advancedautomationsolutions Automationbeingusedtoaddress therootcausesofoperationalerror

Extensiveintegrationcapabilities

Moreintelligenceinalltypes offielddevices Risingenergycostsputting focusonuseofelectricity Reductionofunplanned interruptions

Freedomofchoiceamongfield networkoptions Standardizedsolutionstointegrate processandpowerautomation Efficientoperatorenvironmentfor realtimedecisionmaking

FromInstrumentstoApplications Attheleveloffieldinstrumentation,avarietyofstandardsbasedfieldbusand,morerecently,wireless networksprovideanefficientandtransparentmeansofgatheringbothprocessanddiagnosticdatafrom intelligentfielddevices.Oncewithinthecontrolsystemnetwork,thisdatacanbeusedforcontroland visualizationaswellasforconditionmonitoring,assetoptimizationorothernoncontrolapplications. Fromanarchitecturalstandpoint,itisimportantthatonescontrolsystemoffertheflexibilityto communicateoveranyofthestandardfieldbusandwirelessprotocols,allowingultimatefreedomof choicedependingonaparticularapplicationstechnicalandbusinessrequirements. Fromapracticalstandpoint,too,variousinstrumentsandfielddevicesmaycommunicateoveramore limitedrangeofstandardprotocolseitherbecauseoftheirspecializednatureorevencountryoforigin. Further,thereisanenormousopportunitytodaytointegrateintelligentdevicesthathavenot traditionallybeenpartoftheprocessautomationmix,notablyintelligentelectricaldevices,the integrationofwhichviatheIEC61850communicationstandardenablesadvancedautomationstrategies suchasintegratedpowermanagement.

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Atthecontrollerlevel,consideranarchitecturethatleveragesthefullsuiteofOPCstandardsfromOPC DA(DataAcquisition)toAE(Alarms&Events)toHDA(HistoryDataAccess)aswellastheupandcoming OPCUA(UnifiedArchitecture)toprovideaconsistentmeansofintegratingthirdpartyprocess controllers,includingprogrammablelogiccontrollers(PLCs)andotherdevices.Thisapproachallows productionfacilitiestogainthe Atthefield level, benefitsofintegrationwhile lookforthe evolvingtheircontrolplatform abilityto overtime,avoidingtheneedto seamless ripandreplaceolderyetstill accommodate multiplefieldbus functionalsystems. andwireless protocol Theoperatorcanthenviewand standards. interactwithallofthe equipmentthatheisresponsible forwithouthavingtolookat multiplescreensorloginto multiplesystems.Thismakesthe operatormuchmoreefficient andprovideshimacomplete viewoftheunitorplant.Further,itprovidesamigrationpathforoldersystems,enablingalongeruseful life,andreducestrainingrequirements. Attheapplicationslevel,todaysmostadvancedautomationarchitecturesincludeacommonengineering, informationandvisualizationenvironmentaninformationbusofsortsthatfacilitatesseamless integrationofthirdpartyapplicationssuchasforintegrateddocumentmanagement,electroniclogbooks andlaboratorysystemsthattraditionallyhavenotbeenintegratedintotheprocessautomation architecture.Withtheseandotherintegratedsolutions,commonvisualizationacrossplantareasdelivers savingsinengineeringaswellfacilitatingtherightoperationalandbusinessdecisionsandactionsto maximizeproductivity. Finally,atthebusinesssystemslevel,ensurethatintegrationalreadyhasbeendemonstratedbetween yourchoiceofprocessautomationarchitectureandyourcompanysbusinesssystemplatform. Meaningful,realtimeconnectivitybetweenyourplantsprocessautomationsystemsandenterprise resourceplanning(ERP)systemsisanincreasinglyessentialrequirementoftodaysmoreagileprocess manufacturingcompanies.Averifiedintegrationsolutionwillreducemaintenancecostsandprovidea configurableandconsistentwaytosharedatabetweenthetwoenvironments. TowardMoreEffectiveOperators Onekeyconsequenceoftheproperchoiceofautomationarchitectureisimprovedoperator effectiveness,whichinturncanyieldenhancedproductionperformance.Integrationimplicationsofones architecturechoicesincludetheability(orinability)toprovidecontextbypullingtogetherinformation regardlessofsourceorlocation,aswellastheabilitytofilteroutirrelevantinformation.Personalized, roledependentworkstationsandeffectivealarmmanagementareexamplesofthisadvancedintegration functionalityatwork. Acrossindustry,satellitecontrolroomsaregivingwaytocentraloperationscentersascompaniesfind thatthisapproachcanyieldimprovementsinbothoperationalexcellenceandfinancialperformance throughmoreeffectiveutilizationofoperationsstaffandimprovedcollaboration.Theproperautomation architecturecanaidinintegrationofthesemultipleplantareasandfunctions,providingbothfieldand controlroomoperationspersonnelwithaquickandeasytousedecisionsupportenvironmentfor analyzingandtroubleshootingbothroutineandupsetconditionsacrosstheplant.

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 Operatorseffectivenessintheseoftenexpandedrolesalsoisenhancedbyoptimalergonomicand presentationtechnologies,includingadvancedkeyboardswithhotkeys,directionalsoundsystems, integratedandadjustablelighting,andmotorized/adjustableworkstationconfigurations.Inadditionto betterdecisionmakingbyoperators,thisattentiontohumanfactorsinthecontrolroomcanresultin reducedturnoveramongthesehighlytrainedpersonnel,attractionandretentionofnewstaff,anda reductioninworkplacehealthissues. Finally,theassuranceofoperatorcompetencethroughpropertrainingalsoisaffectedbyintegration factors.Acloselyintegratedtrainingenvironment,forexample,makesitpossibletotrainoperatorson simulatorsthatbehaveessentiallyidenticallytoactualplantsystems,instillingconfidencethatoperators canrespondcorrectlytoabnormalsituationswhentheyarise.Anintegratedsimulationenvironmentalso providesaplatformforoptimizationstudiesandknowledgecapture. ObjectsandStates:EmpoweringEngineers Theabilityofonesautomationarchitecturetoreadilyenableseamlessintegrationrestsinnosmallpart onmakingthenecessaryengineeringtaskseasiertodo.Ratherthancustomcodinganinterfacebetween twoapplications,whynotdraganddroptheneededdatapointfromonewindowtoanotherinthe engineeringconsoleandlettheunderlyingarchitecturetakecareoftherest? Perhapsmorethananyotherunderlyingtechnology,theincreasinguseofobjectorientedarchitecturesis makingthisstreamliningofintegrationeffortareality.Inshort,theconceptofobjectorientation encompassesthosesoftwaredevelopmentandsystemsengineeringprinciplessuchasinstantiation, inheritanceandencapsulationthathelptomakepossiblemanagingandeffectivelyintegratingthe enormousnumberofdetailsinvolvedwiththethousandsofpiecesofequipmentandinformationina typicalprocessplant.

Thelaborious,pointtopointintegrationmethodologiesofyesteryearcanbereplaced byaninformationarchitecturethatgreatsimplifiesapplicationintegration. Objectarchitecturesallowforallofthesimilarpumpsinaprocessplant,forexample,tobetreatedas instancesofamoregenericpumpobject.Thesepumpobjectsinturncaninturnbeaggregatedinto largerobjectssuchasdistillationcolumns,andsoon.Thisunderlyingobjectarchitectureiswhatmakesit possibletoimplementthecommonengineering,informationandvisualizationenvironmentthat effectivelyabstractsimplementationdetailsfromtheconfigurationanddaytodaymanagementof seamlesslyintegratedproductionsystems.

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AgilityfortheFuture Thechoiceofautomationarchitecturehasclearimplicationsfortheabilityofenduserstoevolvetheir systemsovertimeandtoprotecttheirintellectualpropertyinvestments.Anarchitecturethatsupports freedomofchoiceinstandardcommunicationprotocolsandintegrationmethodologiesprovidesthe clearestpathtofacilitatingintegrationatalllevelsofplantsystemsfromfielddevicestocontrollersto applicationstobusiness Process & Power Workplaces systemsintotheoverall Theseamless controlandvisualization Control Room integrationofprocess architecture. automationandpower
Control System
Process Control Server Plant Network

automationsystems

allowstheuseof Further,itsimportantthat standardcomponents Controller Controller systemsuppliersprovide Control andsimplified continuedinvestmentand IEC 61850 Profibus/Profinet interfaces;lowers support,aswellasanactive investmentand LV Switchgear lifecyclecosts;aswell pathforportingtheircontrol Drives Motor starters asprovideshigher codeandgraphicsdirectlyinto the levelsofsystem Instruments latestsystemcontrollers,thus availability,reliability, Process reducingcostsandrisk.And safetyandsecurity. Process Process Substation becauseeffectiveintegration Instrumentation Electrification Automation infrastructurearchitecture abstractsprocessdataand informationitselffromtheunderlyingcommunications,thebenefitsofintegrationcanmorereadilybe preservedinthefaceofinevitablechangesintechnology,controlstrategyandbusinessprocesses. Ultimately,thepromiseandthepowerofIntegrationlieinenablingprocessmanufacturerstoachieve theirbusinessobjectives.Andtodaymorethanever,architecturalconsiderationsandtheextentto whichtheyenableseamlessintegrationandeffortlesscollaborationhaveimplicationsforrealizingthose objectives,andforsustainingthemintothefuture.

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