Product category:
Plantwide control
News Release from: GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK | Subject: Proficy Process Systems
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 12 July 2007
Process control system improves
reliability
Proficy Process Systems is a fully integrated system that offers increased throughput, performance and efficiency, and reduced total cost of ownership.
GE Fanuc Automation has released the Proficy Process Systems process control system Based on GE Fanuc's process control technologies, Proficy Process Systems is a fully integrated system that will provide customers with improved quality and reliability, increased throughput, performance and efficiency, and reduced total cost of ownership
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 23 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Process control system provides efficiency upgrade
Proficy Process Systems features a common global namespace that provides simplified configuration and maintenance for the user.
Chemicals company receives efficiency boost
Proficy Process Systems will be controlling Xinneng Energy's three process lines, producing one million tons of dimethyl ether per year.
"GE Fanuc has been a leading provider of solutions to the process industries for more than 20 years", said Bill Estep, Vice President of GE Fanuc's Control Systems Business.
"Our expertise in serving these companies has led us to Proficy Process Systems, a state of the art system that will help optimise operational performance, gain operational visibility, and maximise uptime and productivity".
The foundation of Proficy Process Systems is a contemporary hardware and software infrastructure that offers the benefits of both traditional DCS and PLC/HMI systems, without many of the historic limitations of those approaches.
GE Fanuc's multi-disciplined PACSystems controllers can handle process, discrete and motion control applications giving users unparalleled flexibility in their control system.
GE Fanuc's Proficy software technologies empower users with unprecedented visibility, analytics, and connectivity throughout their enterprise.
Further reading
Optimisation software supplied for process system
Intune software will allow GE Fanuc customers to effectively tune their process control loops to optimise their systems and achieve the results they need
"Master recipes" speed time to market
During the execution of a formulation recipe, the set of global parameters and product formulation parameters are applied to the master recipe to create a batch.
Software tracks asset condition
Proficy Change Management V5.8 is capable of version management audit trails, central storage and automated backup and recovery.
The award-winning HMI/Scada and Historian technologies, coupled with Batch and a complete production management suite allows customers to finally close the gap between automation and information.
"Companies in hybrid and continuous process industries are facing unprecedented pressures to perform amidst the growing challenges of global competition, aging technologies and increased regulatory pressures", said Steve Ryan, GE Fanuc Director of Process Solutions.
"Proficy Process Systems is designed to provide the power of DCS control with the freedom and flexibility of a PLC-based system".
"The system's contemporary architecture allows customers to implement a system that meets their needs today, and grow and expand to meet their needs tomorrow".
The architecture of Proficy Process Systems is highly scalable both in system size and functionality, allowing users to cost-effectively implement applications of any scope.
The system's Engineering Workstation provides an integrated development environment that centralises project-engineering including: control strategies, alarm and I/O configuration; process graphics development; historian configuration and system change management.
The operator console provides a user-friendly environment for process operations and information access.
In addition to state of the art graphical components for process monitoring and control, the operator console also includes alarm monitoring and management tools for process and system diagnostics and troubleshooting.
Proficy Process Systems features a common global namespace that provides simplified configuration and maintenance for the user.
Based on technology co-developed with the GE Turbines business, tags in the system are defined once and then referenced and used commonly throughout the system.
This global namespace capability can reduce system configuration time by 30%.
The broadcasting technology used by the global namespace between the controllers and the operator consoles provides for inherent system redundancy.
By leveraging advanced reflective memory technologies from the GE Fanuc Embedded Systems Business, Proficy Process Systems provides a controller redundancy solution with data synchronisation rates of 2Gbit/s The system is also packed with powerful control features including a comprehensive set of function blocks for advanced regulatory control.
In addition, user-defined function blocks can be created for the freedom and flexibility to define control algorithms as necessary, and system integrators can lock these blocks to protect their intellectual property.
"One of the key ways we are providing freedom to our customers is to allow them to choose the fieldbus technologies they need for their applications", said Ryan.
"Proficy Process Systems provides an open fieldbus approach by supporting Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus DP and PA, HART, Ethernet, and ASI.
To do this, GE Fanuc is partnering with industry-leading companies with recognised technologies that enhance the effectiveness of Proficy Process Systems".
Softing is a recognised industry expert in Foundation Fieldbus communications.
Proficy Process Systems will use the Softing technologies for customers who chose Foundation Fieldbus for their system.
Pepperl and Fuchs provides interface components that create connections in industrial automation systems including Profibus-based analogue signal transfer and digital fieldbus communication.
Proficy Process Systems will use Pepperl and Fuchs for Profibus connectivity.
Allied-Telesis offers powerful Ethernet switch technology and products that deliver high-performance, cost-effective solutions.
Proficy Process Systems uses these switches for optimising system communications.
To help customers optimise the operations of their Proficy Process System, GE Fanuc has teamed with ControlSoft to provide the Intune product for tuning and optimising process control loops.
For advanced process control within Proficy Process Systems, GE Energy's KN3 product can be applied for model predictive control.
"We're putting our customers in control and changing what's possible in process", said Ryan. Request a free brochure from GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK ...
• GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
