Re-Engineering the DCS, 1995 Process Control, Electrical & Information Conference Proceedings

F. P. Bader

Moore Products Co.

Distributed Control Systems have been the most visible form of process control for almost two decades. Based on the introduction of the microprocessor, they have been successfully installed in every process industry all over the world. Throughout this reign, the DCS has been characterized as a proprietary solution of process control systems. Each system developed was unique, as the microprocessor created significant opportunities for design creativity and generation of user benefits. The differences also required a large investment in training and technical support for each system. Now, the proprietary DCS is being challenged and changed by a host of new initiatives and standards that are turning the DCS into a network of diverse components. Communication, operating system, and software tool standards are at the forefront of this change. The author will discuss the changes that are reshaping the DCS without sacrificing performance, flexibility and security, while producing lower installed and support cost as well. Keywords: DCS Ethernet HMI UNIX IEC 1131-3 Fieldbus Object Software Client/Server Motif