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TAKE THE LOAD OFF YOUR DCS, SCADA AND PLC
23 February 2005 - Omniflex
| The last two to three years have seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry, allowing DCS, SCADA and PLC systems to get on with their main function. Take the load off your DCS, SCADA and PLC. We have in the last two to three years seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry. |
The last two to three years have seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry, allowing DCS, SCADA and PLC systems to get on with their main function. Take the load off your DCS, SCADA and PLC. We have in the last two to three years seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry. This has come largely as a result of failure of the PLC and SCADA to provide the kind of integrity and alarm functionality that the Omni16 Annunciator can provide.
There are limitations of the PLC. PLCs are there to do control, and anything that deviates from that affects its performance. Providing Alarm Annunciator functionality with alarm sequences and operator intervention becomes part of its programme cycle which the PLC must service to the detriment of the control functions. A 100 I/O or more and the PLC has to have considerable resources to process all those alarms and provide control. With a single point of failure if the PLC fails the alarm system has thus also failed and the plant is vulnerable. A separate alarm system can also provide the key parameters for shut down conditions should the plant process become unsafe. PLCs have to be programmed for these application each time with the inherent risk of new code. Omni16c Alarm Annunciators integrate tightly with a PLC via the Modbus RS485 or RS232 port the PLC can deliver the status of alarm points and read back the pushbutton status while leaving all the annunciation functions to the Omni16c Alarm Annunciator. The PLC has full access to all parameters on the annunciator. Omni16 annunciators can be used to reduce the number of I/O a PLC needs to monitor by providing group alarm functionality. SCADA suffers from information overload: its easy to keep adding monitor points for a plant and many plants suffer the consequences of to much information for operators - this includes too many alarms and statuses coming through as events on the system.
An alarm annunciation approach provides the means to display important and indeed critical alarms in conjunction or independently of the SCADA.
The operator can easily have his attention drawn to these alarms with his intervention being require through acknowledgement and resetting of alarms manually.
You cannot inadvertently miss an annunciator alarm.
Omni16c annunciators can be connected to the PC serial port to display critical alarms that demand attention cannot be missed.
Limitations of DCS.
DCS systems suffer from overload, generally they run using the limits of their resources for control, safety shut down, followed by alarms and monitoring.
The burden of this means that finding out which alarm came first can often not be determined because the I/O scan cycle is so long.
Using Omni16c annunciators ensures critical alarms can be displayed off the DCS system to ensure operators respond accordingly.
The annunciator can also be used as front end I/O with inputs hardwired to the annunciator and read back to the DCS via the Modbus RS485 connection if the scan cycle is too long the annunciator can discriminate first up alarms to with 4 milli-seconds.
The annunciator will indicate the first-up alarm within the defined annunciator groups and this can be read by the DCS.
Omni16c Annunciaotrs have easy interfacing and integration. The Omni16c Annunciator compliments all of the systems above in a number of ways.
1) Modbus Communications Port - Connect your PLC, DCS or SCADA via the Optional Modbus Port on Omni16.
2) Save PLC or DCS I/O and bring alarm statuses in via Omni16 with serial connections to the supervisory systems.
3) ISA Standard Alarm Sequences on DIP switch - standard industry tried and tested ISA alarm sequences.
4) Conforms to international standards.
5) IEC 61508 Rated for integration into functional safety related systems (SIL 1). The Omni16c Annunciator is a world leader in annunciator technology with the first IEC61508 rated units. Take the load off your DCS, SCADA, PLC by using Omni16 in conjunction with them.
http://www.omniflex.com
About: Omniflex
OMNIFLEX designs and manufactures electronic products and systems for the automation and control industry worldwide, specialising in industrial networking, remote I/O systems, process automation systems, signal conditioning, and alarm and event management.The company was founded in 1965 in South Africa and was originally named CONLOG, developing expertise in systems integration and product development for the process control and instrumentation market. The company's products are now sold on 5 continents and include such well known brands as OMNI16 alarm annunciators, MAXIFLEX process automation and remote I/O systems, and OMNITERM signal conditioning and RTU systems.
History.
Over the early years the company, under the CONLOG brand, grew to become the largest manufacturer of instrumentation for the process control industry in Africa and became a well respected designer and manufacturer of innovative products and systems of superior quality. In 1997 the CONLOG industrial products business was acquired by the present owners and the name of the company changed to OMNIFLEX. OMNIFLEX owns all of the intellectual property rights for the entire range of industrial products sold under the CONLOG brand and provides full technical and service support for all these products sold over the past 38 years. OMNIFLEX continues to market these products under the OMNIFLEX brand and continues to invest in research and development to maintain its state-of-the-art technology base.
Mission.
OMNIFLEX has as its core business, the design and manufacture of industrial automation electronic products and systems. OMNIFLEX has as its strategy the ongoing investment in research and development of electronic products for the control and instrumentation market globally. As a world-wide supplier of automation products, OMNIFLEX provides technical training, backup and application engineering support to a variety of locally based distributors and value adding re-sellers in order to provide superior levels of technical assistance to system integrators and end users in their own environment. |
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• For February 2005
• From Omniflex
• For Alarm Annunciators
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