Distributed Control Systems (DCS) !!

At one time, taking the thousands of pieces of information in a plant and displaying it on some kind of information system was a real challenge and in fact, impossible.  With the development of Distributed Control Systems (DCS) it is now easy to take all the information and organize it in a hierarchical system.

DCS displays information on a computer and allows process operators to run the process, making the process information available to other people in the plant.  Once the DCS converts the process information to personal computer language, it can be distributed to everyone on the plant site and to other parts of the organization that may be located anywhere in the world.

A type of automated control system that is distributed throughout a machine to provide instructions to different parts of the machine. Instead of having a centrally located device controlling all machines, each section of a machine has its own computer that controls the operation. For instance, there may be one machine with a section that controls dry elements of cake frosting and another section controlling the liquid elements, but each section is individually managed by a DCS. A DCS is commonly used in manufacturing equipment and utilizes input and output protocols to control the machine.

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In this course participants will learn about the main characteristics of the DCS systems.  They will become familiar with the DCS hardware and how it is connected together to make up the basis of the DCS.  Once the hardware is installed and tested, the participants will learn about programming the DCS software.  Once the software is configured the participants will become familiar with the DCS accessories, such as alarm and data reporting systems.

• Day 1
  Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
  
  • Introduction
  • Basic concepts of DCS
  • DCS specifications and selection criteria
  • Control system and security hierarchy
  • DCS implementation
  On day one, participants will learn about the basic concepts of DCS and how the thousands of pieces of information required to operate the plant are received into one central unit and then manipulated to control the process.  They will learn about the specifications and selection criteria to consider when implementing a new DCS system.  They will cover how the plant process information is distributed to other DCS users described in the DCS hierarchy, as well as security levels that are established in order to prohibit unauthorized access.
  
  
  Day 2
  DCS Hardware
  
  • Block diagram
  • Hardware
  • Communication
  • Hardware security and redundancy
  Participants will become familiar with the basic parts of the DCS and the hardware involved in bringing information in and sending information out to the final control elements. They will become familiar with the hardware involved in delivering information among any number pf personal computers, as well as internet access.  The second day concludes with participants exposed to the various types of security and redundancy options that are included in the hardware of a typical DCS system.
  
  Day 3
  DCS Software
  
  • Control system configuration
  • Controller configuration
  • Function block configuration
  On the third day, participants will be introduced to software connections and the main DCS parts through the control system configuration.   Participants will learn about configuring of individual controllers through the function blocks, which give the flexibility to connect and transform input to determine complex outputs to final control elements.
  
  Day 4
  DCS Accessories
  
  • Alarm system management
  • Reporting
  • Diagnostics
  • Typical DCS Systems
  The course concludes on day four  with introduction to the capabilities of the DCS alarm and information reporting systems.  Participants will become familiar with the DCS system diagnostics used to troubleshoot problems.  They will also become familiar with some of the most popular DCS systems available today.

More to watch : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkXcUfeFyIM