Control Equipment Specifications
When you’re planning to implement a new control system, a subset of system components, a system migration, or an upgrade, you need to generate a functional specification. While most industrial process, control, and automation engineers might not consider this their favorite task, you definitely need to get it right the first time.
Your specification documents will govern the vendor selection and procurement processes. But most importantly, the control equipment specification will determine the equipment, including all hardware, software, and interconnects, that will control your critical industrial processes for an extended period of time, probably ten years at least.
When you’re planning to implement a new control system, a subset of system components, a system migration, or an upgrade, you need to generate a functional specification. While most industrial process, control, and automation engineers might not consider this their favorite task, you definitely need to get it right the first time.
Your specification documents will govern the vendor selection and procurement processes. But most importantly, the control equipment specification will determine the equipment, including all hardware, software, and interconnects, that will control your critical industrial processes for an extended period of time, probably ten years at least.
Outline Your Initial Specifications Draft in Context
It’s a good idea to start with your process block-level diagrams to illustrate and define the process strategy, major control components, and their interconnecting architecture. Depending on the size and scope, you may use schematic control diagrams for smaller projects.
Your block diagrams will show all inputs and outputs throughout all levels of control. This includes operational control of process elements on the production floor—like control valves, flow and temperature sensors, etc.—to operator-level computer consoles and ultimately to the centralized control room.
Industries Served by Control System Specifications
Biodiesel/Ethanol
Food/Beverage
Geothermal Power
Mining/Metallurgy
Refining/Petro Chem/Chem
Power Generation
Pharmaceutical
Semiconductor
This is Our Ten-Point Checklist of Design Data Points:
- Design and illustrate your system and network architecture
- Determine redundancy and uptime requirements at all levels and for every piece of equipment
- Create operational specs for all pieces of equipment based on process strategy
- Determine compute, storage, and network requirements such as historian servers, operator consoles, management servers, workstations, network gear, etc.
- Differentiate software and hardware requirements and functionality
- Define hardware and software integration strategies
- Define data protection and management strategies
- Determine environmental requirements based on equipment locations
- Choose between centralized IO or distributed IO cabinet layout
- Define power requirements for cabinets
Connect With Western States Controls
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