“In addition to the virtual servers hosting redundant server functions, the system also included software-based controllers, which meant we could set up, simulate and test the entire project at our office in Calgary and even use them for training,” says Wilton. Plant availability, and hence redundancy, was a top priority for control and communications. The plant processes about 200 million cubic feet of sour gas every day, so it’s critical that plant personnel are able to keep tabs on the process at all times to assure that hydrogen sulfide, propane, butane and other impurities are being properly removed from the final product. For maximum uptime and visibility, the System 800xA’s redundant controllers were connected to the Select I/O cabinets and drives via Profinet utilizing a fault tolerant, redundant, fiber-optic ring of stars architecture. Profinet network designs are relatively straightforward, since standard, off-the-shelf Ethernet switches can be used. An optimized ISO model enables Profinet to connect with more than 1,000 remote I/O drops for communication over one network, along with millisecond performance and seamless failover on both ring and redundant architectures.
OPERATIONAL TRANSPARENCY