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Take the load off your DCS, SCADA and PLC

The last two to three years have seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry, allowing DCS, SCADA and PLC systems to get on with their main function

Take the load off your DCS, SCADA and PLC.
We have in the last two to three years seen a resurgence in the use of annunciators as a dedicated device in industry.
This has come largely as a result of failure of the PLC and SCADA to provide the kind of integrity and alarm functionality that the Omni16 Annunciator can provide.
There are limitations of the PLC.
PLCs are there to do control, and anything that deviates from that affects its performance.
Providing Alarm Annunciator functionality with alarm sequences and operator intervention becomes part of its programme cycle which the PLC must service to the detriment of the control functions.
A 100 I/O or more and the PLC has to have considerable resources to process all those alarms and provide control.
With a single point of failure if the PLC fails the alarm system has thus also failed and the plant is vulnerable.
A separate alarm system can also provide the key parameters for shut down conditions should the plant process become unsafe.
PLCs have to be programmed for these application each time with the inherent risk of new code.
Omni16c Alarm Annunciators integrate tightly with a PLC via the Modbus RS485 or RS232 port the PLC can deliver the status of alarm points and read back the pushbutton status while leaving all the annunciation functions to the Omni16c Alarm Annunciator.
The PLC has full access to all parameters on the annunciator.
Omni16 annunciators can be used to reduce the number of I/O a PLC needs to monitor by providing group alarm functionality.
The limitations of SCADA.
SCADA suffers from information overload: its easy to keep adding monitor points for a plant and many plants suffer the consequences of to much information for operators - this includes too many alarms and statuses coming through as events on the system.
An alarm annunciation approach provides the means to display important and indeed critical alarms in conjunction or independently of the SCADA.
The operator can easily have his attention drawn to these alarms with his intervention being require through acknowledgement and resetting of alarms manually.
You cannot inadvertently miss an annunciator alarm.
Omni16c annunciators can be connected to the PC serial port to display critical alarms that demand attention cannot be missed.
Limitations of DCS.
DCS systems suffer from overload, generally they run using the limits of their resources for control, safety shut down, followed by alarms and monitoring.
The burden of this means that finding out which alarm came first can often not be determined because the I/O scan cycle is so long.
Using Omni16c annunciators ensures critical alarms can be displayed off the DCS system to ensure operators respond accordingly.
The annunciator can also be used as front end I/O with inputs hardwired to the annunciator and read back to the DCS via the Modbus RS485 connection if the scan cycle is too long the annunciator can discriminate first up alarms to with 4 milli-seconds.
The annunciator will indicate the first-up alarm within the defined annunciator groups and this can be read by the DCS.
Omni16c Annunciaotrs have easy interfacing and integration.
The Omni16c Annunciator compliments all of the systems above in a number of ways.
1) Modbus Communications Port - Connect your PLC, DCS or SCADA via the Optional Modbus Port on Omni16.
2) Save PLC or DCS I/O and bring alarm statuses in via Omni16 with serial connections to the supervisory systems.
3) ISA Standard Alarm Sequences on DIP switch - standard industry tried and tested ISA alarm sequences.
4) Conforms to international standards.
5) IEC 61508 Rated for integration into functional safety related systems (SIL 1).
The Omni16c Annunciator is a world leader in annunciator technology with the first IEC61508 rated units.
Take the load off your DCS, SCADA, PLC by using Omni16 in conjunction with them.

 

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