Yokogawa Electric Corporation has announced the release of an enhanced version of its Centum VP integrated production control system. The enhancements in this latest release, R6.04, include a new I/O module that will give end users a greater range of choices.
Centum VP is a highly reliable production control platform that has demonstrated its worth in a wide variety of process operations. Its solutions encompass all stages of the plant lifecycle, from design, engineering, installation, and start-up to full operation, and routine and major maintenance, including the migration and upgrade to next-level technology platforms based on user needs, market dynamics and technology advancements.
Control systems rely on field I/O devices to transfer data to and from field instruments such as sensors and valves in order to automate the control of plant facilities. Centum VP’s N-IO (Network-I/O) is one such field I/O device. As the universal I/O module originally developed for the N-IO device can handle a wide variety of I/O signal types, it is easy to install different types of sensors when constructing a new plant or renovating an existing facility; this saves significant time and effort, and makes it possible to complete such projects much sooner. There are cases, however, when users may wish to add sensors that do not require this versatile capability. For just such a need, Yokogawa has added to its N-IO line-up a new low-cost I/O device that handles only digital signals.
Enhancements
1. New I/O module
As the latest control systems often primarily use digital signals, a new, low-cost I/O module that handles only digital signals has been added to the N-IO line-up. To accommodate both analog and digital signals, it can be used in combination with the universal I/O module. In this way, the cost of a plant construction or expansion project can be reduced.
In addition, a signal conversion function is included in the new I/O module’s adaptor. With the universal I/O module, a dedicated signal conversion board is required to directly receive signals from a field instrument such as a temperature sensor. The incorporation of this function in the new I/O module eliminates the need for this hardware.
2. Windows 10
This latest version uses Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, the optimum OS for control systems. Based on its long-term servicing branch (LTSB) model, Microsoft provides five years of extended support in addition to the standard five years of mainstream support (free-of-charge support that includes security patch updates), thus enabling a 10-year product lifecycle. By such means, Yokogawa continues to optimise its systems and, in turn, ensures stable long-term performance.
3. Ring network topology
Centum VP’s Vnet/IP real-time control bus uses the star topology, in which all devices are connected to a central hub. This latest version also allows the use of a ring topology, in which devices are connected to each other in the form of a ring. With this feature, more flexible networks can be configured to satisfy customer needs.
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