Up next: More open process automation?
Process automation systems need lower lifecycle costs, easier integration with third-party components, better scaling, intrinsic security, flatter architecture, and interoperability. Multiple, broad-based efforts are underway to create cooperative, rather than conflicting, standards.
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Knowledge from multiple field trials will help shape the final Open Process Automation standard in 2021, so commercial process control vendors can comply, as explained at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum by David DeBari, process control engineer, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, CFE Media
The deadline for open, interoperable process automation systems is 2021. Those involved in multiple efforts remain confident in the promise of greater efficiency, higher safety, greater ease of use at a lower cost, and without conflicting standards. Experts outlined the vision and progress of Open Process Automation (OPA) standards efforts in the U.S. and Europe at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum conference by ARC Advisory Group in February.
Skeptical at first about Open Process Automation (OPA) efforts, David DeBari, process control engineer, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and OPA program prototype lead engineer, jumped in after considering the inefficiencies involved in control system migration, as explained at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, CFE Media
David DeBari, process control engineer, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering and OPA program prototype lead engineer, joined the effort seven years ago after seeing inefficiencies in the migration process for process automation systems—also called a process control system (PCS) and distributed control system (DCS).
“About seven years ago, I said this is crazy, but I’m in. I did not like the migration process,” DeBari said, for DCS and programmable logic controller (PLC)-based systems—not including safety systems.
The industry put in different kinds of computers 30 and 40 years ago, which replaced pneumatic process control systems. The need to lower lifecycle costs, get more benefits, lower the expense to integrate third-party components, add best-in-class devices from other manufacturers, and economically scale and update as needed, with intrinsic security.
The vision is to have a control system architecture flatter than the Purdue Reference Model (layers 0 through 4, physical layer through business systems) to reduce the scope of failures and improve reliability. It should be more than a device from one vendor, reduce scope of failure, and keep operations running. The distributed control network (DCN) should include a real-time (RT) communications network, operations platform with RT services (abnormal event detection, procedural automation, advanced control, and process optimization).
Proof of concept occurred in April 2018 in the London Open Process Automation forum meeting with ExxonMobil/Lockheed Martin, about 50 devices, and 10 vendors, DeBari said. The effort demonstrated interoperability, configuration portability, network throughput, interchangeability, application portability, and control application capabilities.
Knowledge from multiple field trials will help shape the final Open Process Automation standard in 2021, so commercial process control vendors can comply, as explained at the 2019 ARC Industry Forum by David DeBari, process control engineer, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, CFE Media
After a prototype on a pilot unit, a test bed to support field trials, and field trials with seven companies in 2020, a full standard is expected in 2021 for commercial use. More 80 participants including users, vendors, suppliers, and academics are involved.
