The Benefits of Standardizing Control System Configurations
By Jody Poirier, P.E. | C&A Engineering Leader
You may not notice it, but standards underlie most aspects of our daily lives, from road signs and electrical outlets to the code that created this website. These standards reduce complexity and variability and ensure that things work the way they should. Without standards, our day-to-day tasks would be much more complicated and, frankly, chaotic.
The importance of standardization also applies to control system configurations, especially as more companies shift configuration projects from internal personnel to external integrators. While an integrator can bring a wide range of knowledge and experience to a configuration project, they often lack familiarity with plant-specific processes and systems. This disconnect can result in new configurations that deviate from standards already in use, or that don’t follow any particular standard at all. This lack of consistency in standardization can cause headaches for maintenance personnel and lead to prolonged downtime when there’s an operating issue that needs to be resolved.
Why Configuration Standards Matter
Consider a small processing company that lacks configuration standards in their plant, making it difficult to maintain their processes and troubleshoot when issues arise. To mitigate these issues and reduce downtime, they retained a local integrator on an open contract to help when there was a control or process issue. The ongoing reliance on the integrator was a significant expense that could have been avoided if their control system configurations had been standardized; not to mention the extended downtime and lost production caused by waiting for an external party to get involved.
On the other hand, an amusement park operator implemented a set of control system standards across all the rides in the park, down to the level of components such as pushbuttons, indicator lights, and selector switches. When onboarding a new integrator, the operator simply provided models and templates that included their configuration standards, and the integrator followed these specifications throughout the project. When the project was done, the park operator knew their personnel could easily maintain and troubleshoot the new system, thanks to their standardization efforts.
Standardization: Where to Start
Standardizing a process or plant that already exists can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be done all at once. A phased approach can work well, starting with individual components such as pushbuttons, and then moving to valves, motors, and more complex systems. In fact, many leading control platforms incorporate standards into their control code, often in the form of function blocks that define parameters such as input and output behavior for switches and other components.
Another good place to start is with the International Society of Automation (ISA) standards, such as ISA-88 for batch process control and ISA-95 for enterprise control systems. Working with an experienced integrator can also help when getting started, as the integrator can recommend appropriate standards and advise on how those standards should be applied to your plant or process.
Keeping Configuration Standards on Track
If your plant has already implemented configuration standards in some areas, be sure to communicate this to a new integrator when they’re brought on for a configuration project. This will allow the integrator to incorporate those standards when defining the scope of work and ensure alignment with existing systems.
In some plants, different standards have been applied across various processes or areas, and harmonizing these disparate standards can be time-consuming and costly. When this is the case, the most practical course of action is to specify which of the standards should be used for new configurations and also apply that standard to older systems as they’re upgraded or replaced.
Regardless of where you are in the standardization journey, a key factor for any configuration project is to have a thorough understanding of your processes and plant and to clearly communicate this with the integrator. The integrator should also take a deep dive into the process, walk the facility, and understand the short- and long-term goals. This will help avoid making the control system overly complex, because a complex system – even if it’s based on standards – is more difficult to troubleshoot and maintain in the long run.
Whether you’re ready to start a new configuration or want to standardize your existing configurations, the process and control experts at Hargrove can help. Contact us today.
