Siemens A&D and Ipcos expand cooperational agreement
April 2002
News
Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) and the Belgian company Ipcos have expanded their cooperational agreement. Siemens will be integrating Presto softsensor technology and the RaPID PID tuner into Simatic IT Framework and the Simatic PCS 7 process control system. Mutual project cooperation will be expanded to include these additional technologies. This arrangement offers customers integrated automation and advanced-process-control solutions - covering everything from the process control and factory level to the plant management and corporate management level. The software Inca for model predictive control has already been integrated into the Siemens systems within the scope of an existing cooperational agreement.
Using Presto softsensor technology, it is now possible to determine the quality of products in production plants of the process industry in realtime and - in combination with Inca software - to achieve fast quality control. Consequently, users can respond more quickly to product quality deficits while automating and optimising product and load changes. That minimises rejects and increases the flexibility of production plants considerably. In the past, the quality of products was usually determined through expensive analysers with analysis times of up to 60 minutes, or in the lab with an analysis time of up to one day. These sampling rates would be much too slow for automated quality control in closed control loops.
The grade of quality control is decisively influenced by the performance of the subordinate basis controller, which is implemented in the form of PID controllers in 95% of all cases. The PID tuner RaPID optimises this basis control. That leads to a more stable and secure production process. RaPID is also suitable for complicated process dynamics requiring online intervention in the PID optimisation process and interactive determination of optimised PID parameters.
Craig Hudson, Siemens Automation & Drives
011 652 3739
craigh@siemens.co.za
www.siemens.co.za
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