What is DCS?
DCS is a control system in a production system, process, or any type of dynamic system, in which component controllers are not concentrated in one place, but distributed in all systems. Each subsystem component is controlled by one or more controllers. The entire control system communicates and monitors through a network connection.
Top 10 DCS manufacturing companies are
- Honeywell
- Yokogawa
- Emerson Electric
- Invensys Limited
- Siemens
- Metso
- ABB
- General Electric
- Mitsubishi
- Rockwell
| Name | DCS Brand name | DCS Software name | DCS controller name | Industries |
| Honeywell | Experion | Honeywell Experion and TDC3000 (Legacy). | C300/C200, HPM/APM/CB | Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Metal industry, Polymers, etc., |
| Yokogawa | Centum VP | Centum VP and Centum XL(Legacy). | Centum CS 3000 and 1000 | Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Metal industry, etc., |
| Emerson | Delta V, Ovation | Delta V, Ovation and Fisher Provox(Legacy). | DeltaV PK Controller and Ovation Controller. | Oil and Gas, Pharmaceutical and Water applications |
| Invensys (now Schneider) | EcoStruxure Foxboro | EcoStruxure Foxboro | FCP 280, FDC 280 | Oil and GAs, Power, etc., |
| Siemens | Simatic PCS 7 | Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Power | ||
| Metso(Valmet) | DNA | Valmet DNA Explorer | ACN controller | Pulp and Paper, Chemical |
| ABB | System 800xA, Symphony Plus | Freelance 800F | AC800M | Power, Cement Industry |
| GE | Mark Vie | ControlST | Mark VIe controller | Power |
| Mitsubishi | PMSX Pro | MELSOFT | Power | |
| Rockwell | PlantPAx | FactoryTalk | ControlLogix controller | Pharmaceutical |
Honeywell
Honeywell is the industry’s top manufacturer of DCS. It features extremely durable DCS systems that fulfill a wide range of measurement and control services that enable process safety and operational success.
Experion PKS is the company’s core product, and TotalPlant Solution (TPS) is the company’s legacy DCS system.
Features of Experion
It is well suited for both small and large systems.It provides the power and flexibility needed to handle the full spectrum of process control and security applications.
Components involved
- Experion Server,
- Experion Workstations,
- C300/C200 controllers,
- Series C, Series A, PMIO IO modules
Yokogawa
Yokogawa provides control equipment and industrial automation products. Yokogawa’s DCS is mainly used in Oil & Gas industries, the Petrochemicals industry, the Metal industry, etc.
Centum XL is the legacy system of Yokogawa DCS and
Centum VP is the latest series of Yokogawa DCS
Components involved
A Yokogawa DCS is integrated with the following components:
- Human Machine Interface (HMI)
- Logic Solvers
- Common Database
- Alarm Management
- Standard engineering suite.
- Centum VP
- Centum CS 3000 and 1000 controllers
Emerson
Emerson combines comprehensive, easy-to-use control capabilities and robust system integration. Emerson also provides a reliable DCS that simplifies complex operations and increases productivity. Emerson’s Distributed Control Systems (DCS) provide decision integrity, ensuring that your operations execute smoothly and error-free.
Emerson DCS is divided into two parts. They are
Delta V
Ovation
Delta V has mainly used in process industries and the Ovation DCS system is for providing automation solutions in Power and Water industries
Components involved
- DeltaV PK Controller and Ovation Controller
- Ethernet I/O card
- Wireless I/O card
- Human Machine Interface (HMI)
Invensys Limited
Invensys is now Schneider Electric and it is another major company in industrial automation and provide dedicated process control solution in industries.
EcoStruxure Foxboro
EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS is a fault-tolerant, highly available control component family that consolidates important data and enhances staff capabilities to assure perfect, continuous plant operation.
Components involved
- EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS Server
- EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS workstation
- Field Device Controller 280 (FDC) 280 controller
- Field Control Processor 280 (FCP) 280 Controller
- Standard I/O, Universal I/O
Siemens
Siemens is another popular brand in the automation market, and Siemens provides high-end automation solutions to the industry. PCS 7 is a popular DCS solution provided by Siemens for industries. Siemens has two DCS solutions. They are
- PCS7
- SPPA-T3000
PCS 7: PCS 7 is a hybrid type controller, which implies it contains the characteristics of both DCS and PLC. It is powered by an s7-400 processor. It is referred to as AS-400 by DCS. AS means “Automation System”
Components involved:
- PCS 7, SPPA-T3000 Server
- Series C, Series A, PMIO IO modules
Metso (Valmet)
Valmet is the world’s leading developer and supplier of pulp, paper and energy processing technologies, automation, and services.
By using Valmet’s DNA DCS, we can have complete control over the various industrial processes and it also gives transparency that goes far beyond any other traditional DCS system.
ABB
ABB is a global leader in energy and automation technology. ABB’s DCS system helps to upgrade productivity along with the efficiency of the industry and quality of customer operation. ABB has created many technologies that change the face of modern society.
Symphony Harmony is ABB’s traditional automation system, and today it’s ABB Ability.
Components involved
- System 800xA, Symphony Plus Server
- System 800xA, Symphony Plus workstation
- AC800M controller
General Electric
1. About MarkVIe
The Mark VIe Distributed Control System (DCS) is a versatile platform for a wide variety of applications. It supports simplex, dual, and triple-redundant systems with a high-speed network I / O. For I/O, we used industry-standard Ethernet connection and supervisory interface for controllers.
2. About Integrated Plant Control
The GE Integrated Plant Control Distributed Control Solution (DCS) is a management system for complex plant processes that is efficient, consistent, and secure. To save costs and increase safety, use powerful plant control logic along with comprehensive fault protection, self-tests, and error reporting.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi is another automation vendor in the market. Mitsubishi DCS comes in two categories according to industrial needs.
PMSX PRO
PMSX Micro
PMSX PRO: PMSXpro was developed to fully meet all requirements in terms of availability, efficiency, expandability, and flexibility. Furthermore, it is characterized by a high degree of coordinated hardware and software and includes a finely tuned range of standardized automation devices.
PMSX Micro: Users can utilize PMSXmicro to operate, control, and monitor small plants, machines, processes, or continuous production flows. Process graphics are used to show the plant state, which allows for a good overview of the plant at all times. The plant is controlled by operating visuals, which mimic the aggregates’ exact status and make operation simple and convenient. If an alert or message is triggered, the operator can quickly and immediately browse the relevant process graphic, resulting in a timely and targeted response.
Rockwell
Rockwell Automation is a significant industrial automation firm. PlantPAx is the name of their DCS solution that was developed by Rockwell Automation.
We use FactoryTalk to configure Rockwell’s DCS.
