Share some light on the DCS market, please... 3

[AutoDCS]

Firstly would like to say that this site is incredible and such an eye opener for people like me who are just starting out... recently I have been invited to an interview with ABB and really nervous...so trying to find out some info about their control systems and products.
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AC800xA Industrial IT has been rumoured to have a grown 20% in the first quarter of 2005 for ABB. This to me sounds maybe a bit weird especially since I know that they are experiencing migration problems....

Well Yokogawa is thriving in Asia and to my surprise also have plans to operate in the European DCS market which I expect is going to give ABB a run for their money...

By the way is ABB still the leading supplier of DCS worldwide or what?

Please share your knowledge...much appreciated.

 

[FrancisL]

Hey LJ, what exactly is it that you want to control?
And what do you mean DDC. Direct Digital Control ?
I thought the topic was the DCS market.
Maybe it is expensive but in proportion to the plants they control it is only a few percent. Good stuff is not cheap.

 

[LJAUTOMATA]

Hi FrancisL,

Actually DCS or DDC or BAS or BMS, I believe they are all used interchangeably.

They are all used mainly for Building/Plant control with systems over 500 I/O’s or systems requiring central HVAC systems.

Either way, I found a Web site with the top tier DCS Control companies.

http://www.ddc-online.org/manufacturers/index.aspx

Note. These are NOT PLC’s.

 

[Ashereng]

LJAUTOMATA,

The site seems to be for HVAC Home/Building control vendors only.

I normally do not lump BMS (Burner Management Systems) with DCS (Distributed Control Systems).

I am not familiar with DDC (Direct Digital Controls), nor BAS (Building Automation Systems). However, I would not say that they are used interchangeably with DCS or BMS - at least not in my industry.

I have not seen a DCS used to control HVAC, regardless of I/O count.

I have seen a DCS used to control a burner instead of a dedicated BMS. It is still rare for me though.

I have only seen BMS control the burner, and nothing else. They are pretty specialized.

 

[ScottyUK]

LJAUTOMATA,

That site completely omits most if not all of the major DCS manufacturers. The companies it does list are building controls manufacturers, equipment which is an entirely different species to DCS. DCS is pretty much confined to process control in the power generation, chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceuticals, and nuclear industries where the high capital cost of DCS is justifed by either the high value of the product or of the plant, or the high risk of the process being controlled. DCS has a specific and distinct meaning, as has BMS: the terms are not interchangeable.


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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

 

[Ashereng]

ScottyUK,

You can also add DCS to pie factories, in your list.

 

[ScottyUK]

Really! Wow - never dreamed of that as an application.

Is this a fairly young DCS installation or have you had a DCS for a long time? The (two) food plants I've visited were almost all PLC based. Is it a very large plant, or are these just the best-made pies in the world?


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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

 

[Ashereng]

I wouldn't say young - the ovens, rollers, packaging, etc. are about 7 years.

I don't know about the best pies in the world ... that's a whole different forum.

 

[LJAUTOMATA]

Ok guys.

Can someone point me to a DCS site to study their hardware/software config?

Please, don't tell me DELTA V falls under this category.

 

[ScottyUK]

As a starter, check out Foxboro's I/A series...

http://www.foxboro.com/us/eng/products/automationsystems/iaseries/default.htm

Or Emerson's Ovation...

http://www.emersonprocess-powerwater.com/ovation/descriptions.cfm

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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

 

[Ashereng]

Delta V is currently the most commonly sold DCS system in our area, for upstream, gas plants, power plants and especially in retrofit/migration of existing legacy DCS systems.

I don't know why you belittle it - I am sure the reasons are many and valid - but if you would like somthing else, there is also Honeywell Experion, ABB/Bailey Infi90 and Yokogawa Centum.