The cooperation of PetrSU with Metso Corporation

The cooperation of PetrSU with Metso Corporation has been successfully developing since 1993. The main directions of cooperation include scientific research, development of mathematical models and software for industrial automation and process control, organization of conferences and seminars, and training of specialists.

Software development for Metso is made by the following units of ASC:

• Device Type Manager (DTM)
• Business Process Automation (BPA)
• Control systems development
• Information systems development
• Engineering tools development
• Mineral automation solutions

Device Type Manager (DTM)

The major function of the unit is creating and supporting generic FDT-based (Field Device Tool) driver (DTM) that considerably simplifies the use of enormous set of various devices in modern industrial control systems.

One of the main advantages of modern control systems is ability to create common network with different field devices to organize connection between these devices. Thus shared automation equipment becomes a unified system on sensors and actuators level. Generally such systems collect information throughout a life-cycle process. The main computer is included into the system to process data received from all devices. Monitoring and controlling of analog and digital devices enables companies to collect huge amount of information: device status, process status and also a review of all manufacturing processes “on-the-fly”. Companies have never before had the opportunity to collect such information from their enterprises and potentially they can collect more sophisticated information.

In practice, industrial control systems should interact with a large amount of field devices. Devices cause a big load on the control center and also on control system operator. Control center has to have a description for each device in the system, i.e. a driver. Automation engineer also should have some knowledge about user interface and device functionality.

The developed FDT based driver can connect and detect the device types automatically and provide a full access to all information available in the device via graphical user interfaces. The driver can be configured manually during the planning and commissioning phases of the plant. It allows the interaction with unknown devices from different vendors which do not have vendor specific FDT drivers for their products. The device configuration is not the only benefit of this driver and FDT technology. Driver can expose the collected device information to the FDT frame applications in standard way. This information can be utilized further on e.g. in automation maintenance systems. Generic FDT-based driver (DTM) functionality is based on FDT Specification (version 1.2). The user interface was developed according to DTM Style Guide (version 1.0). It guarantees correct implementation and operability of basic device functions. Adherence to standards insures simple and effective usage of generic modified driver in industry.

Business Process Automation (BPA)

Typically user has to define big amount of different data selection and visualization parameters for adequate representation of process conditions as trends and dynamical alarm limits definition purposes.

The situation gets more complicated by huge information content and necessity of coordinated collaboration between database and visualizing application.

The configurator enables users to build templates of the subject of the condition monitoring. These templates minimize the needed configuration when adding new similar applications for condition monitoring.

Therefore, the main goal of the configurator development is to assist user in management of process condition monitoring applications. After completion of the project the configurator will be included into condition monitoring application package. The configurator is implemented as web-application.

Control systems development

Information systems development

Engineering tools development