Siemens' Industry Automation division has announced availability of integrated telecontrol functionality for its Simatic PCS 7 process control system that enables the connection of substations to a central control system.
With Simatic PCS 7 TeleControl, plant operators have access to a homogenized operating system and alarm signals at distributed, remote substations as well as the central control system, reducing the risk of operating errors as well as engineering and servicing costs, Siemens said.
Applications for the Simatic PCS 7 TeleControl system include managing compressors, pressure reduction, and transfer and metering stations in gas supply networks, as well as pump and value station control within oil pipelines. The remote capabilities are also intended for use in water supply and treatment systems, Siemens said.
The TeleControl system can utilize dedicated communication lines, dial-up, or radio systems to connect a central Simatic control system to external substations, as well as TCP/IP-based data transmission modes, including DSL or mobile GPRS (general packet radio service) technology, Siemens said. The telecontrol system also works with Siemens' Sinaut ST7 wide area network communication system, which is used in applications where remote process stations are connected to one or more control centers using various transmission media. The Sinaut ST7 system is useful in the case of slow or sensitive transmission paths, buffering data in the event of transmission faults or interrupted connections in radio networks, the company said.