VGB Compliant Function Planning with

Integrated Function Plan Engineering in Power Plant Design

Babcock Prozessautomation GmbH (now: Babcock Borsig Service) is an international service company in the power generating industry. It offers a wide range of optimisation concepts which focus on efficiency increases, service life extensions and reduction of emissions. With logi.DOC, an open-system function planning software from logi.cals by kirchner SOFT GmbH (now: logi.cals), Babcock is capable of producing integrated function plan engineering i.e. from basic engineering to target code generation for automation stations. The specific requirements of power-plant engineering (guideline VGB R170C) have been met by specific enhancements of logi.DOC. In addition, an individual target code compiler has been developed. Also essential have been the connection to existing databases, offline simulation of the function plan logics and the "as-built"documentation, which is immediately available on-site.
The following report (abridged version) was written with Dr. Eckhard Becker, Babcock Prozessautomation GmbH, Oberhausen. In order to save time in large-scale power plant engineering, engineers work on different planning levels at the same time. This has repercussions across all levels of the planning process. The function plan (FUP) as a central medium not only defines possible operation modes but also monitors the power plant and operating process. FUP documentation is standardized according to guideline VGB R170 C and therefore provides a uniform communication level for engineers, suppliers and power plant personnel. With the company-owned power plant control system "Intraset M2 " - made by Babcock

Prozessautomation GmbH (BPA) - the end customer gets 'all of a piece': efficient engineering, integrated documentation and smooth implementation of technological specifications in the realization of the control system. Close cooperation between process engineers and automation and PCS engineers not only generates benefit for the supplier, but also for the customer.

Closing a gap in the Function Planning Process

A gap had to be closed in the function planning process. All supporting information for the procedural planning of a power plant was stored and managed in a process database (German: Verfahrens-Datenbank (V-DB). Within the Babcock Group, BPA is responsible for the planning and supply of electro-technical components and maintains in a control database (German: leittechnische Datenbank (L-DB)) all essential data for the control system.

Unlike the process engineer who thinks in terms of KKS numbers (KKS = KraftwerksKennzeichnungs-System), a control engineer concentrates on single signals. Accordingly, the organisation of the V-DB follows KKS numbers while the organisation of the L-DB follows signal numbers. In the past there was no consistency in the automatic signal transfer and signal generation from the V-DB to the L-DB via an ODBC interface. Paper-based function plans were manually transferred to a proprietary function planning system of the BPA. The detail plans were also manually transferred into a source code understood by the target machine compiler (e.g. IL). Such a procedure was very time consuming, error-prone and accordingly expensive. Changes at a later stage of the project were also difficult to manage. While reviewing large programmes in general is difficult at the level of IL source code. Changes had then to be re-documented for the 'as-built' documentation. The documentation system could not however be installed on-site with the result that final documentation had to be prepared at BPA. BPA therefore urgently demanded more

consistency and efficiency. No software product was however available in the market . BPA sought a graphical editor for function planning which on the one hand allowed the connection of a code generator for the Intraset automation stations and which on the other hand, was open for changes necessary to make it VGB R170C compliant. This gap in the function planning chain was closed 1 with logi.DOC by kirchner SOFT (logi.cals). In an intensive co-operation between kirchner SOFT (logi.cals) and BPA, logi.DOC was improved in accordance with the requirements of VGB R 170 C and an individual target code compiler for the Intraset automation stations was developed.
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logi.DOC is a graphical tool for IEC 1131/3 compliant function planning and is a leading open-system solution

VGB Compliant Function planning with logi.DOC

In general, documentation structured in accordance with VGB guideline R170 C is function focused and system independent. The core elements of VGB R 170 C needed therefore to be implemented in logi.DOC. The open structure of logi.DOC quickly proved itself to be a flexible and reliable platform for a stable and all-round solution. After the initial adaptation, it was already possible with this system to create VGB-compliant documentation for a combi-power plant in development. In the course of the project, logi.DOC seamlessly integrated itself into the engineering environment of the onsite Intraset system, which made the "as-built" documentation readily available on-site. In a second step, the full integration from the basic engineering level to the detail level was accomplished. This step was divided into two important work packages: 1. logi.DOC was connected to an external signal database in MS-ACCESS via ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity). As a result, a signal connection between the entire project and function planning was achieved. 2. During the development of the Intraset code generator, the object library and the storage model of the Intraset stations were reworked in order to ensure IEC 1131/3 compliance of the target system in so far as is possible. With these steps greater integration and consistency were achieved in that all planning levels down to the generation of the binary code for the Intraset automation stations were connected by clearly defined data interfaces between the various tools involved in the process.

With the use of logi.DOC the separation of the planning stages, basic engineering and detail engineering became obsolete. The BPA automation engineer in charge of the details had already created in advance, the frame for basic engineering with logi.DOC. The plans resulting from this procedure in effect represented the programmes given to the customer for quality inspection. Very important for the function planner was the option of an OFFLINE simulation within logi.DOC in order to already check the plausibility of the created logics at his desktop. Simultaneously with function planning, the control displays for the function groups in use were designed, drawn in the Intraset system and optimised after discussions with the customer. At the final stage the control system was configured. All configuration information essential for the generation of the process image was

Programming and configuration of the Intraset System

For a major parallelrunning of the planning processes, data from the process database (VDB) needed to be imported into the control database (L-DB) at quite an early stage. As a result, the VGB overview level had been prepared before function planning at the single control level had even started.

readily available in the L-DB which meant that the process image could be generated automatically.

The control displays were then activated by ssigning a KKS to each of the symbols in the displays from the process image proposal list.

graphically programmed process control systems compliant with VGB R170 C. BPA therefore decided for a highly integrative and consistent solution from the procedural planning level down to the binary code generation for the automation stations of the company-owned power plant control system Intraset M2. In the area of "control system planning" BPA selected the Austrian system provider logi.cals by kirchner SOFT. logi.cals best understood the individual requirements of large-scale power plant engineering and produced a user-oriented solution. In addition, the software development order for the resource type (automation system connection) of Intraset M2 was successfully carried out and could be tested with a real project. Using logi.DOC brings benefits for both the supplier and customer. The supplier is able to accelerate the entire planning process while the customer gets high quality documentation which at any one time reflects the current application programme status of the process control system.

Summary and Prospects

All large-scale projects are characterised by multiple tasks and tools. New programmes can best be integrated into the overall process if they have open structures and interfaces as well as high configurability. These requirements are fully met by logi.DOC. The integration of logi.DOC into the overall planning process of Babcock was very successful.

Opinion of Dr. Eckhard Becker

Usage of logi.DOC at BPA Oberhausen Standardized and consistent tools reduce the number of interfaces between the engineering processes, increase transparency and also the efficiency of design. In the area of function planning for control systems, customers increasingly demand