August 2008

PASNews - Focus on Engineering Efficiency and Productivity

Having a process control system that is designed to minimize life-cycle costs and maximize profits is the key to maintaining your competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Did you know?

For every $100 spent to purchase a process automation system and get it up and running:

$42 is spent on the Design & Engineering of the system
$34 is spent on the purchase of the system (Hardware & Software)
$24 is spent on Installation & Commissioning

Source: ISA: “Bottom Line Automation”: 2nd Edition, Peter G. Martin

One of the best ways to improve the overall efficiency and productivity of your PCS 7 projects is by taking advantage of the engineering toolset. Research proves that a significant amount of cost is saved when appropriate design-related decisions are made at the start of a new SIMATIC PCS 7 project.

In this issue of PASNews, we will show you how you can minimize your engineering costs by increasing your efficiency and productivity through the use of SIMATIC PCS 7. We will review some of the key engineering tools that are available to you and how these tools can help you keep your costs down while optimizing your engineering processes.

	The foundation of efficiency--SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering Manual
	Unlocking the tools to lower engineering costs
	1) Process Object View
	2) Import Export Assistant (IEA)
	3) Sequential Function Charts (SFC) Visualization
	4) Safety Matrix
	5) Multi User Engineering (AKA, Concurrent Engineering)
	6) Process Simulation

The foundation of efficiency--SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering Manual

Are you looking for recommendations on how to best implement a SIMATIC PCS 7 project? See the attached document "Guidelines for Implementing Automation Projects in a GMP Environment." This document describes what it takes to follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for your installation. GMP is not only for pharmaceutical installations or those regulated by the FDA, it is a recommended best practice for everyone. Read it now

Unlocking the tools to lower engineering costs

The SIMATIC PCS 7engineering toolset is designed so that engineers and technicians can implement, configure, and troubleshoot in an environment that they are familiar with by using pre-configured elements, powerful graphical configuration tools, and single point of entry. Boosting your productivity and efficiency are important factors to staying competitive in today’s global economy.

1) Process Object View

The process object view of the SIMATIC Manager permits an object-oriented approach to be used during configuration which is intuitive, powerful, and easy to use. In combination with the plant view (hierarchy), the process object view provides a tabular view of all aspects of a process control element, such as alarm limits, I/O signals, operator message text, alarm priorities, HMI representation, block interconnections, and archived variables.

All objects that have been selected in a branch of the plant hierarchy are displayed in tabular format so that they can be directly edited via fill-in-the-blanks without calling up the detailed engineering tool. Alternatively, a single click on a row calls up the detailed engineering tool for the selected item. The process object view maximizes engineering efficiency, helps to avoid configuration errors, and enhances overall engineering productivity by convenient functions such as:

	block-by-block copying/insertion
	search/replace
	undo
	two-stage filtering
	import/export of process objects and creation of templates, or
	data exchange with Microsoft Excel/Access using copy/paste

An integral project library contains preconfigured types of process objects and permits users to create their own custom objects.

2) Import Export Assistant (IEA)

The import/export assistant is a tool for replicating common configuration elements (like motors, valves or entire units) throughout an application. It can significantly shorten the time required for configuration by allowing users to import plant/project data which have already been configured (such as tag and alarm lists or charts from the CAD/CAE world) directly into the engineering system and automatically generating the corresponding user program. Existing SIMATIC PCS 7 projects can be both exported and re-imported.

The import/export assistant offers the following benefits:

	Importing of pre-existing plant layout and project data such as tag lists, alarm lists or other plant design data from the process and instrumentation design world
	Automatic generation of device and unit control strategy based on imported tag lists and device control logic templates
	Automatic derivation of the OS display hierarchy, creation of HMI symbols in displays, and linking of the HMI symbols to control system blocks
	Cloning of device or unit control strategies created using the CFC and SFC tools
	Exporting of parameters optimized during commissioning for documentation of as-built configuration

3) Sequential Function Charts (SFC) Visualization

SFC is a graphical configuration tool that is used to define control sequences (in continuous processes) and phases (in batch processes). Each SFC has an external shell consisting of inputs and outputs for controlling it and for passing of status information. SFCs can be directly positioned in a CFC and can be directly connected to other logic in the user program (other CFCs). Simple operations, such as drag-and-drop, point-and-click, and browse, can be used to connect to a CFC and to program the SFC steps and transitions.
The SFC visualization option for client stations of the operator system permits display and operation during runtime of the sequential control strategies that have been configured using the SFC tool. No additional engineering time is required to create these displays as they are created automatically from the ES configuration. Configuring overhead is unnecessary. In the SFCan overview display, it is possible e.g. to open step and transition displays, and to display step comments or online step transition criteria.

4) Safety Matrix

Safety Matrix is an innovative configuration tool designed for implementing safety logic based upon a cause & effects matrix. Specification of the safety program is simply completed by entering input parameters for the safety matrix:

Benefits of Safety Matrix

	Configuration of safety functions (logic) with the known cause & effects method
	Automatic creation of the safety logic
	User-friendly display of the safety matrix on the operator interface of SIMATIC PCS 7
	Minimization of programming mistakes thanks to easy and transparent configuration
	Shortened configuration times, since no special programming knowledge is required
	Easy tracking of changes

5) Multi User Engineering (AKA, Concurrent Engineering)

"Multi-project" engineering permits division of a large, complex project into several subprojects in order to allow a project team to work more efficiently in parallel (concurrent engineering), thus allowing configuration and checkout tasks to be completed quicker and more cost-effectively.
• The configuration contained in a single controller (AS) can be edited by multiple users at the same time

•Only one user (first in) can make changes to a specific CFC chart; other users may access the same chart in a view only mode (write protected)
• A single CFC chart can be tested online by one user, while at the same time it is being configured by another user (from a separate workstation)

6) Process Simulation

Process Simulation and Operator Training are fast becoming a "standard" part of process automation systems as a means of minimizing risk, reducing life-cycle costs, and improving process/operator performance. A wide variety of simulation options are available, differing based on their level of fidelity, functionality, and cost. Each type of simulation is optimized to meet different goals ranging from the testing of hardware and software at FAT, up to full-blown thermochemical simulation of a reactive process.
With SIMATIC PCS 7, different options are available to allow you to create a cost-effective solution for process simulation and operator training. We offer a modular building block approach to address the entire spectrum of simulation needs:

	System Hardware Checkout
	“Loopback” Testing
	Configuration Logic Checkout
	Process Simulation
	Batch/Recipe Development
	Operator Training

Do you have a question about engineering efficiency and productivity? Contact Todd Stauffer at (215) 646-7400 ext. 3160 or via email