SIMATIC PCS 7 system architecture
Totally Integrated Automation with SIMATIC PCS 7
SIMATIC PCS 7 is one of the international leaders in process control systems, and has the potential to implement innovative solutions for the special challenges associated with the process industry. The functional diversity, flexibility, and performance of the current version 8.0mean that SIMATIC PCS 7 pushes the limits of a typical process control system, and its technological enhancements offer many additional possibilities and new perspectives.
SIMATIC PCS 7 benefits from its seamless integration in Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA), a complete range of matched products, systems, and solutions for all hierarchy levels of industrial automation - from the enterprise management level, to the control level, all the way down to the field level. This enables uniform, customer-specific automation in all sectors of manufacturing, process, and hybrid industry.
An important advantage of the consistency of the product and system spectrum and the solutions based upon this spectrum is that faster and more precise control sequences, as well as integrated security functions of shared hardware, engineering, and engineering tools can be used for automation of continuous and discontinuous processes. Perfect interplay of all components makes it possible for you to sustainably produce in higher quality and to establish new products significantly faster on the market.
In process engineering plants, the process control system is the starting point for optimal value added: All procedures and processes can be operated, monitored and influenced with the process control system.
The more powerful the process control system, the more effectively this potential can be used. For this reason, performance is in the foreground with SIMATIC PCS 7, alongside scalability, flexibility, and integration. Starting with planning and engineering, the process control system offers powerful tools, functions and features for cost-effective and efficient plant operation through all phases of the plant life cycle.
Integration is one of the special strengths of SIMATIC PCS 7. This has many aspects:
Horizontal integration
A system for integrated automation of the entire process chain, from incoming raw materials to outgoing goods – this is one of the decisive advantages resulting from the seamless integration of SIMATIC PCS 7 into Totally Integrated Automation.
The process control system is mainly responsible for automating the primary processes here, but it can do much more: All auxiliary facilities, as well as the electrical infrastructure in the form of low-voltage or medium-voltage switchgear and the building management system, can also be integrated into the system.
Integration of selected SIMATIC standard components – automation systems, industrial PCs, network components, or distributed process I/O – into the process control system guarantees optimum interaction of individual components, and secures economic benefits such as simple selection, reduced stock keeping, and global support.
Vertical integration
The hierarchal communication of a company encompasses the field level, the control level, and the process level, up to management and enterprise resource planning (ERP). Thanks to standardized interfaces – based on international industry standards as well as internal interfaces – SIMATIC PCS 7 is able to provide process data for analysis, planning, coordination, and optimization of plant sequences or production and business processes – in real time, and at any location in the company.
Central engineering
SIMATIC PCS 7 convinces with graded functional diversity, consistent operator control philosophy, and uniformly structured engineering and management tools. A central engineering system with a coordinated range of tools for integrated system engineering and configuring of batch automation, safety functions, material transport or telecontrol systems creates value added over the entire life cycle. Reductions in configuring and training costs result in minimization of total cost of ownership (TCO) over the entire plant life cycle.
Functional diversity
Depending on the typical process automation or customer-specific requirements, SIMATIC PCS 7 can be functionally expanded for the following, for example:
Further additional functions that are also integrated, or can be integrated, seamlessly into the control system make optimization of processes and reductions in operating costs possible. SIMATIC PCS 7 has, for example, tools for energy and asset management, and it offers higher quality closed-loop control functions, as well as industry-specific automation solutions and libraries.
Thanks to a unique scalable system architecture, SIMATIC PCS 7 creates the ideal basis for cost-effective implementation of individual automation solutions and economic operation of process plants.
SIMATIC PCS 7 users derive sustained profit from a modular system platform based on standard SIMATIC components. Its uniformity enables flexible scaling of hardware and software, as well as perfect interaction both within the system and beyond system limits. The architecture of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Control System is designed in such a manner that instrumentation and control can be configured in accordance with customer requirements and optimally matched to the dimensions of the plant. The control system can be subsequently expanded or reconfigured at any time if there is an increase in capacity or a technological modification. When the plant grows, SIMATIC PCS 7 simply grows along with it – without the provision of expensive reserve capacities.
With regard to planning and engineering, performance can be equated with minimizing time and costs. In conjunction with COMOS, SIMATIC PCS 7 offers a unique approach here: Integrated planning workflow from the description of the process to the automation program.
A standardized system interface, strictly object-oriented working, and centralized data management mean data consistency across all planning steps, including automatically updated system documentation.
Engineering using other planning tools is also mastered extremely efficiently by SIMATIC PCS 7 by means of the Advanced Engineering System (AdvES). This can be used to import plant data from CAD/CAE tools without problems. It additionally allows automatic generation of the AS configuration thanks to simple multiplication of process tag types and model solutions, as well as parameter processing.
Process control also becomes more complex due to the multi-layer nature of automation engineering and the increased merging with information technology. Intuitive and fault free operation is therefore more important than ever with regard to efficient working and the minimization of downtimes and servicing requirements. Using effective Advanced Process Control (APC) functions and an excellent operator system, SIMATIC PCS 7 supports optimization as well as user-friendly and safe control of the process. Monitoring of product quality and performance indicators additionally allows the process to be operated more economically. At the same time, SIMATIC PCS 7 convinces with high flexibility, plant availability, and investment security.
Process control and maintenance
SIMATIC PCS 7's operator system is used to monitor process operation using various views, and permits interventions when necessary. Its architecture is flexible and scalable – from single-user systems up to multi-user systems with a redundant client/server architecture. The operator interface takes account of the current specifications of NAMUR (user association of automation technology in the process industries) and PI (Profibus International) and offers a high level of user-friendliness for simple, intuitive interaction with the plant. Ergonomic symbols, task-oriented faceplates, uniform representation of status information, and optimized alarm functions allow safe process control.
The alarm management function integrated in SIMATIC PCS 7 is able to focus on essential alarms and to specifically guide the operator in exceptional circumstances. In this way, it systematically reduces the workload of operating staff.
Preventive and predictive maintenance strategies reduce total cost of ownership. With the SIMATIC PCS 7 Maintenance Station, maintenance personnel always have a watchful eye on critical production equipment such as pumps, valves, distillation columns or motors, and can carry out the relevant maintenance measures in good time before servicing is required – independent of the maintenance plan and without the risk of an unplanned plant standstill.
Process optimization
SIMATIC PCS 7 supports process optimization in many different manners, including:
The Control Performance Monitoring function monitors and signals the control quality of the closed-loop control block. If the performance declines, the controller can be optimized in good time or specific maintenance measures can be initiated.
The integrated I&C libraries of SIMATIC PCS 7 also provide higher quality closed-loop control functions with which cost-effective Advanced Process Control applications can be implemented: multi-variable control, predictive control, or override control. It is thus possible to effectively improve profitability, product quality, safety, and environmental protection in small and medium-sized plants.
Current and historic process data form the basis of all optimization. Secure and user-friendly real-time data storage and analysis is handled using the Process Historian. The process values, messages, and batch data managed in the database of the Process Historian can be called extremely rapidly. User-specific processing and visualization of this historic data are supported by the information server, which is a reporting system based on the Microsoft Reporting Services.
Modularity, flexibility, scalability, and the openness of SIMATIC PCS 7 offer optimal prerequisites for integrating supplemental components and solutions in the process control system in an applicative manner and thus extend and round off its functionality.
Many supplementary add-on products for SIMATIC PCS 7 have been developed by Siemens as well as by external partners (see Catalog ST PCS 7.1, Add-ons for the SIMATIC PCS 7 Process Control System). These software packages and hardware components authorized by the system manufacturer enable cost-effective implementation of SIMATIC PCS 7 for special automation tasks.
Many systems and plants must now be expanded and modernized to ensure that companies can continue to provide products complying with market requirements. However, since the installed basis of hardware, application software and know-how of the operating and maintenance engineers represents an enormous value, the safeguarding of investments for companies operating the plants is always assigned a high priority during all modernization plans.
Migration spectrum
Siemens recognized the significance of migration for process automation at an early stage, and has for many years offered a wide range of innovative migration products and solutions for its globally proven systems, such as APACS+ or TELEPERM M.
Migration of old systems from other manufacturers such as ABB, Honeywell, Emerson or Invensys has since become firmly established. The universal, OPC-coupled SIMATIC PCS 7/Open OS is being increasingly used with which any systems can be integrated into the uniform operating concept of SIMATIC PCS 7. Engineering tools such as DBA (Data Base Automation), or the powerful migration platform for controller engineering, accelerate the changeover from old systems to SIMATIC PCS 7. This is all supplemented by individual solutions including those for communication between the old and new systems, or for fast inclusion in migration projects, e.g. specific gateways, connectors, cables, and field termination assemblies (FTAs).
Experts with experience of migration
In view of the complexity of many migration projects, decisive prerequisites for migration success include the analysis and design of the correct procedure, including a realistic assessment of the opportunities and risks.
The migration experts at Siemens have already acquired relevant experience in migrating the most diverse systems. This know-how is concentrated in Migration Support Centers that support migration projects worldwide by means of analyses, concepts and powerful tools.
If desired, Siemens works closely with the customer's system integrators when implementing migration projects, for they have the know-how gained over many years, coupled with precise knowledge of the plant and the customer's requirements. For the plant operator, this partnership is the guarantee for an optimal migration outcome.
Other Product：
