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[June 2007]
Expanded Features for Siemens Process Control System
Siemens has increased the performance of its Simatic PCS 7 process control system with Version 7, adding a host of new functions. These include innovations in the areas of process security, plant-wide asset management and data exchange.
The enhanced alarm management system in version 7 prioritises alarms so that operational personnel can pinpoint the most urgent cases. Also new is comprehensive protection against computer hackers based on the coordinated interaction of individual measures such as encryption or firewalls and a defence-in-depth security architecture.
In addition, the new version allows integration of non-intelligent mechanical assets such as heat exchangers, tanks, pumps or motors into plant-wide asset management. Special functions have been developed that channel maintenance alarms into the asset management system for display on the maintenance station. Simatic PCS 7 Version 7 offers redundant Profibus-PA fieldbus communication based on couplers and intelligent active field distributors (AFDs). This now provides plant operators with a fully integrated and scalable redundancy solution, from the automation system right through to the PA field device.
The result is increased availability of their production plants and the avoidance of unscheduled plant downtime. The new version also has interfaces to Foundation Fieldbus and thus creates a link for FF instruments and actuators. With the OpenPCS-7 interface of Version 7, users can also integrate their control systems direct into higher-level systems for production planning, process data evaluation and management. The 'Engineering Station' function has been added to the system-wide Simatic Logon user management system, allowing comprehensive access protection and traceability of changes for configuring purposes.
The new function of online multi-user engineering enables several specialists to access the central database in parallel and work on the plant configuration. On the hardware side, the new version of Simatic PCS 7 features new S7-400 controllers with up to 25% higher processing speeds, depending on controller type and increased memory capacity of up to 30MB.
www.siemens.com
ENDS