Honeywell Users Group 2008

Power to Perform Testing Automation Software With Dynamic Process Models Anne Mueller

Outline Introduction Creating the Dynamic Process Model Expanding the Model with UniSim Operations Connecting the DCS Conclusion and Outlook

Personal Data
Anne Mueller
Studying Process Engineering at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, since 2004

Project developed during work experience placement

at Linde-KCA-Dresden GmbH Supported by the Department of Process Automation by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Wolfgang Kloeden

Introduction
Modern industrial plants are very complex and require extensive control schemes Control typically provided by a Distributed Control System (DCS) Dynamic process models allow the accurate prediction of plant behaviour for various process conditions

The connection of both leads to a powerful means to test the implemented control algorithms of the DCS
In this case, the control system PCS7 by Siemens is connected to a USD dynamic model
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Introduction
Ready-made solutions to connect a USD process model to common DCS already exist for Experion, SimC300, SimACE and more
So far, no interface between UniSim Design and PCS7 available This work demonstrates the steps required to establish communication between the two systems USD 370 Dynamics + USO R300 Simit 5.2.201 PCS7 6.1 SP1

Creating The Dynamic Process Model

Process: CO2-Purification and Liquefaction

Used to separate CO2 from flue gas
Two-stage Densification Water Separation Adsorptive Drying Liquefaction (plate-fin HX) Inert Gas Separation

Operating conditions up to 20 bar and between -50C and 100C

Creating The Dynamic Process Model

Components include CO2, O2, N2, Ar, CO, H2S, SO2, SO3, NO, NO2, H2O and NH3
Peng-Robinson EOS recommend for cryogenic gas processes Dynamic model created from scratch with a steady state model as reference Inlet stream as starting point for the model Pressure-driven simulation pressure specifications on every boundary stream

Creating The Dynamic Process Model

Piecewise addition of unit operations downstream integrator run after each new operation to update stream data
Advantage: errors found immediately

Disadvantage: separate steady-state calculation necessary for initial values for the distillation column
Contains
1 distillation column 1 plate-fin heat exchanger 3 adsorber 4 compressors and 1 pump
7 vessels 11 shell-and-tube heat exchangers about 180 transmitters and control units

The Dynamic Process Model - Challenges

Keeping numerical stability
Process showed periodical oscillation Stability increased by changing the integrator time step from 0.5 s to 0.3 s
0.3 s 0.5 s 0.3 s

The Dynamic Process Model - Challenges

Insert pipe segment between units without pressure-flow relation or holdup (e.g. Tee or Mixer)

Holdup volume NOT modelled

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Holdup volume modelled

The Dynamic Process Model - Challenges

Modeling adsorber regeneration
adsorber used for removing moisture USD adsorber model does not support regeneration spreadsheet and integrator logic used counts adsorbed water

automatic switch of water split fraction when maximum capacity is reached

counts back to zero during regeneration

implementation of complicated adsorber control possible

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The Dynamic Process Model - Challenges

Parametrising the plate-fin heat exchanger
Estimation of heat transfer coefficients (U) Difficult for mixed gas-liquid flow and condensation / vaporisation Assumption of constant U-value Only rough correlation for U on mass flow Uact Uspec

m m

act

ref

0.8

Experimental estimation by comparison with steady-state temperatures Results: UGas=2080 W/mK Ucond=20002800 W/mK Problem with temperature crosses solved with new LMTD approach
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The Dynamic Process Model - Challenges

Temperature cross of hot and cold streams

Desired temperature profile

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Setting Up The Control Scheme

Control units necessary to keep desired process conditions, e.g. for plant pressure, levels and temperatures
Dynamic model allows efficient controller tuning by monitoring the step response Different tuning rules used, e.g. Ziegler and Nichols Parameter testing possible Reduction of controller tuning time at startup

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Setting Up The Control Scheme

Step response of a pressure controller to identify the parameters of the system
K R 0.6
Tn 4 Tu
(CHIEN, HRONES and RESWICK)
x y

Tg Tu K S

xw

Tu Tw
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Tg

Setting Up The Control Scheme

Using the stability limit to find controller parameters with Ziegler-Nichols
KR=11 KR=10 KR=11,5 KR=11,8 K kr=11,9 Kkr=11,9

K R 0.45 K kr
Tn 0.85 Tkr

KR=8

Tkr
KR=5

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Setting Up The Control Scheme

Focus on level taps
used to observe level in certain boundaries level normalised to a desired scale scale depends on the scale of the transmitter provides input for level controller
Level tap = 0 100 %

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Preparing The DCS Connection

Basic dynamic model ready and tuned

Addition of all DCS tags besides the controller, i.e. transmitters for pressure, temperature, flow and composition as well as switches and state transmitters

Making tag values available to external devices

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Preparing The DCS Connection

Transmitter

Level control + switch

Pressure specification on boundary stream

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Expanding The Model With UniSim Operations

OPC (OLE for Process Control) communication standard of real-time plant data between control devices from different manufacturers UniSim Operations provides an advanced operator training solution plus capabilities for control system checkout Only the OPC-Server is used for the project
UniSim Operations OPC Server USD Model
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Control System OPC Client

Expanding The Model With UniSim Operations

Create a reference text file with desired tags for OPC access
UsdTags.dat

Maintain a certain folder structure

Load the dynamic model into UniSim Operations

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Expanding The Model With UniSim Operations

Successful loading indicated by the message

Tags automatically added to MV-table Data now available over OPC

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Testing the OPC-connection

Test with a free OPC-client from Rockwell Software International (RSI)

All values can be read

Analogue values can be written by the OPC-client Writing error occurs with digital values (states)
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Connecting the DCS - Software

PCS 7: Distributed Control System by Siemens
handles all automation and controlling tasks OPC-client NOT included

Simit: platform for running and testing S7-applications

includes process simulation library includes Emulation Platform to emulate the automation hardware equipped with an optional OPC-Client package bridge between USD model and PCS 7

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Connecting the DCS - Structure

DCS structure:
SIMATIC PCS 7
Engineering Station

Field Device

Automation System (AS)

Hardware

Field Device Field Device

Software

Automation hardware emulated as SoftPLC on a PC with the Simit Emulation Platform

Same performance and S7-code as real AS

Signal communication between dynamic model and DCS

SIMATIC PCS 7
Engineering Station
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SIMIT SoftPLC

OPC USD Model

Connecting the DCS Test Network

Test-network on three virtual machines

PCS7 Simatic Manager DCS WinnCC Server WinnCC Client

Operator + Engineering Station

SIMIT Emulation Platform SoftPLC (AS)

SIMIT Controller + Emulation Platform

USD Model USO

Ethernet Switch

Emulation PC

Instructor Station

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Connecting the DCS Platform Configurator

Setting up a new project with the platform configurator

Basis for overall connection

Specifying all network resources (IP-address, shared folder, etc.)

Specifying the distribution of the resources On which computer?

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Connecting the DCS Platform Configurator

Import PCS 7 hardware configuration SoftPLC emulation
Specify communication connections (to SoftPLC, to operator interface (WinCC), to USD model) Generate emulation environment Simit project file with signal interface automatically generated Contains all tags from the DCS Tag names in the model must equal the DCS tags Do NOT use spaces in tag names
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Connecting the DCS Platform Configurator

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Connecting the DCS Inside Simit

Import the generated Simit project
Already contains the signal interface (connection between emulation and USD model) Additions necessary (Insert Coupling )
Data link to emulation OPC-Client (Activate Take signals from plans)

Compile Simit project Start simulation

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Connecting the DCS Inside Simit

Signal interface hierarchy

Data from the model

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Connecting the DCS Inside Simit

Opening simulation starts the SoftPLC on the emulation PC
go online
(CPU accessible to PCS7)

initialised running

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Connecting the DCS Inside PCS7

Model values visible in CFC plans in PCS 7 (test mode)

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Connecting the DCS - Summary

Communication successfully established
USD Model Process Values OPC Simit
Analogue / Binary - Switch

TCP/IP

WinCC Operator Interface

PCS 7 SoftPLC CFC - Plan

USD Model Controller Output

OPC

Simit
Analogue / Binary - Switch

TCP/IP

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Conclusion and Outlook

UniSim Operations together with Simit allows the connection of a UniSim Design Dynamics model and the control system PCS 7
Proof given by model values in PCS 7 CFC-plans

Signal interface easy to generate with Simit

Difficulties:
Failure to communicate digital values

Cause apparently in USO OPC-server

Connection to operator interface inside PCS 7 not established (no effect on model DCS interaction) Creating UsdTags.dat reference file is time-consuming
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Conclusion and Outlook

Possible uses:
Testing the control system First estimates for controller parameters Operator training with the real DCS Reduce time and cost of startup Increase safety and stability of the plant

latest USO release R320+ already includes an interface to Siemens PCS7 Simit

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Thank you for your attention!

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