Yokogawa Releases CENTUM VP R6.07.10 Integrated Production Control System

Tokyo, Japan - September 17, 2020

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces the September 18 release of CENTUM™ VP R6.07.10, an enhanced version of the CENTUM VP integrated production control system. CENTUM VP is a core product of the OpreX™ Control and Safety System family of solutions.

Yokogawa has enhanced CENTUM VP R6.07.10 through the introduction of a unified alarms and conditions server (UACS) that ensures safe and secure operations, even with large-scale systems. Based on standard rules, the UACS organizes and consolidates the alarms issued by plant devices so that only the more important alarms are brought to the attention of operators, allowing these personnel to concentrate on monitoring processes and improving overall plant efficiency.

[Image of the organized and consolidated alarms by UACS]
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Development Background

In recent years, manufacturers have sought to consolidate and integrate their plant control rooms and control systems to enable more efficient operations with the minimum number of human operators. This requires individual operators to monitor a wider range of activities and respond to an increased number of alarms while prioritizing their actions depending on the indicated type of process abnormality. However, if many alarms are displayed in quick succession, an important alarm may be ignored, leading to a delayed response and a potentially serious accident. Yokogawa has developed the UACS to integrate and manage alarms across large scale systems and thereby ensure that all important alarms are brought to the attention of operators.

Enhancements

1. Unified alarm management for large-scale systems
   The UACS operates based on a client-server architecture^*, centrally managing alarms that are displayed at operators' human interface stations (HISs). The UACS is suitable for use even with large-scale plant control systems that include safety instrumented systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), electrical systems, and other components. The server and the control functions have been designed to operate in a redundant configuration, so if an abnormality occurs in the operating server, operation is smoothly and automatically switched over to the standby server.
2. Alarm management that drives compliance with IEC 62682 (Ed1, 2014)/ISA18.2-2016 standards
   The UACS includes functions that meet the shelving, suppressed-by-design, and out-of-service requirements defined in the IEC 62682 (Ed1, 2014)/ISA18.2-2016 alarm management standards. The UACS supports an advanced function that suppresses alarm indication based on predefined alarm logic, so that only the more important alarms are brought to the attention of operators. To improve efficiency, this function can be set to, for example, display only key alarms when alarm flooding occurs, or suppress all alarms during equipment maintenance.
   
   Alarm status can be displayed in a format that complies with the requirements of the alarm status transition diagram defined in the aforementioned standards. In conformance with these standards, the UACS also supports alarm management with other Yokogawa solutions and services in the OpreX Control and OpreX Transformation categories.

* A computing model whereby specialized tasks are executed by a server and user-specific tasks are handled by clients connected to the server via a network

Major Target Markets

Oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, electric power, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, food, iron and steel, water supply and wastewater treatment, non-ferrous metals, metal, cement, etc.

Applications

Monitoring of plant operations and management of alarms for automated operations

About the CENTUM series

Yokogawa released its CENTUM distributed control system (DCS) in 1975, a world first. CENTUM VP is the ninth generation in the CENTUM series. Known for their rugged performance, CENTUM systems set high standards for engineering and technology excellence while ensuring backwards compatibility with previous system versions and support of the latest technology applications. Knowledge-driven engineering lies at the heart of CENTUM, a Yokogawa flagship product that has been proudly serving the process industry over the past 40+ years.

About OpreX

OpreX is the comprehensive brand for Yokogawa's industrial automation (IA) and control business. The OpreX name stands for excellence in the technologies and solutions that Yokogawa cultivates through the co-creation of value with its customers, and encompasses the entire range of Yokogawa's IA products, services, and solutions. This brand comprises the following five categories: OpreX Transformation, OpreX Control, OpreX Measurement, OpreX Execution, and OpreX Lifecycle. One of the product groups that make up the OpreX Control category is the OpreX Control and Safety System family, which includes the CENTUM VP DCS. With its various OpreX Control solutions, Yokogawa is able to quickly effect changes for its customers that lead to a transformation in such areas as management and operations, and provides highly reliable control technology that ensures high efficiency, high quality, and safe and stable plant operations. With the OpreX brand, Yokogawa will deliver integrated solutions that address specific needs and support its customers in their efforts to transform and grow their businesses.

 

About Yokogawa

Founded in 1915, Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper. With the life innovation business, the company aims to radically improve productivity across the pharmaceutical and food industry value chains. The test & measurement, aviation, and other businesses continue to provide essential instruments and equipment with industry-leading precision and reliability. Yokogawa co-innovates with its customers through a global network of 114 companies spanning 62 countries, generating US$3.7 billion in sales in FY2019. For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com.

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