Yokogawa Releases Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation R5.03

Tokyo, Japan - May 25, 2021

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that Yokogawa and Shell have jointly developed Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation R5.03 and will release it on June 2 as a solution under the OpreX™ Asset Operations and Optimization family.

Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation is a software suite that brings together Shell's advanced plant process control technology and Yokogawa's real-time control technology to help customers improve productivity by increasing product yield and reducing energy consumption. This version upgrade supports Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA)^*, the latest version of a communication standard that improves plant systems interoperability and security, and provides the basis for digital transformation to help customers transition to industrial autonomy.

* OPC is the interoperability standard for the secure and reliable exchange of data in the industrial automation space and in other industries. OPC UA is recognized as a communication standard for Industry 4.0, benefitting from high security and scalability without hardware or OS dependence.

Development Background

Advanced process control (APC) systems improve product yield and reduce energy consumption by maintaining temperature, flow rate, pressure, and other process values within a set range and keeping them as close as possible to their optimal set points. Such systems are increasingly used in facilities such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, and LNG trains.

Yokogawa's Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation suite delivers the following functionalities:

• Multivariable model predictive control (the control of multiple variables based on predictions made using models of the dynamic characteristics of plant responses)
• Soft sensing for estimating quality in real-time based on temperature, flow rate, pressure, and other process values
• Customization of calculations

Yokogawa has continued to enhance this suite in response to changing customer requirements. The release of version R5.03 meets urgent industry needs for enhanced plant systems interoperability and security.

Enhancements

1. Feature expansion
   • Support for OPC UA
     Version 5.03 conforms to OPC UA, the latest version of the OPC communication standard. OPC is the prevailing data exchange standard in the industrial automation field. Support of the latest OPC version enables users to securely exchange data with OPC UA devices and work with data from a wider range of sources.
   • Addition of new Base Layer Control (BLC) model
     A new BLC model that employs proportional integral differential (PID) control logic has been added. This model uses the PID parameters of a distributed control system (DCS) to represent the dynamics of a PID loop. This improves control by reducing mismatches with the process described by the BLC model.
   • Expansion of Shed Logic to Event Logic
     Shed Logic is a function that customizes how applications operate. It gives users the freedom to customize the behavior of their applications to suit the operating conditions of a plant. Shed Logic is now called Event Logic, with expanded functionalities that eliminate the need for custom code and enable event-based processing for measurement validation, model change, etc.
2. Improvement of maintenance features
   • Design-Time advisor
     This function verifies the parameter values for applications, processors, and variables that have been set using Design-Time and displays a warning message for any invalid parameter settings. By making it easier to identify and correct configuration errors, this helps to improve applications.
   • Automatic trend scaling
     The scale of the trend pen (upper and lower limits of the trend display) can now be adjusted automatically. This feature reduces the time and effort required for setting the trend scale.
   • Visualization of OPC performance data
     It is now possible to view OPC performance metrics such as read time when accessing data from an OPC data access/unified architecture (DA/UA) server. In addition, a list can be displayed that shows all accessible OPC items. This feature makes the diagnosis of OPC DA/UA access easier.
3. Improvement of execution speed and robustness
   Applications are more robust and run faster. Also, lab updates take significantly less time to perform and are more robust.

Major Applications

Advanced control of continuous plant processes in the oil, petrochemical, chemical, gas, and other industries

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. Platform for Advanced Control and Estimation, an OpreX Asset Operations and Optimization family solution, is in the OpreX Transformation category. OpreX Transformation delivers operational excellence throughout an enterprise's activities, from production through to supply chain optimization and risk and business management.

With this 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

Yokogawa provides advanced technologies and services in the areas of measurement, control, and information to customers across a broad range of industries, including energy, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, food, and water. Yokogawa addresses customer issues regarding increasingly complex production, operations management, and the optimization of assets, energy, and the supply chain with digitally-enabled smart manufacturing, enabling the transition to autonomous operations.
Founded in Tokyo in 1915, Yokogawa continues to work toward a more sustainable society through its 17,500 employees in a global network of 119 companies spanning 60 countries.
For more information, visit www.yokogawa.com

The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.