ILS Automation Case Studies
Advanced Automation Control and Diagnostics Platform
Project Brief
A global chemical company required a platform to develop advanced custom automation control and diagnostics applications. ILS worked with the company to develop toolkits that are used by site engineers to quickly develop applications. The toolkits are based on Ignition by Inductive Automation and work in a highly automated environment in cooperation with a Distributed Control System (DCS) and plant wide data historian. The toolkits rely on all the standard capabilities of Ignition such as built-in historian, high performance OPC and database integration, and powerful graphical user interface tools. The toolkits also highlight ILS Automation’s unique ability to develop custom modules that extend the capability of Ignition.
Block Language Toolkit
The Block Language Toolkit allows engineers to configure a closed loop system for detecting and correcting complex quality problems. A diagnostic schematic combines input, filtering, transformation, observation, and SQC blocks that lead to a diagnosis. The toolkit incorporates a unique prioritization scheme based on an application, family, and diagnosis structure so that the most important diagnosis is handled first. Handling diagnosis involves calculating specific recommendations that are downloaded within a framework that intelligently combines recommendations from multiple recommendations.
Sequential Control Toolkit
The Sequential Control Toolkit (SCT) is an extension of Inductive Automation’s Sequential Function Chart module. The SQT allows engineers to create recipes for startup, shutdown, grade change, and rate change. These operations tend to be complicated and are very sensitive to timing, the current state of the plant and the desired state. The toolkit delivers specialized blocks for reviewing recipe settings, getting user input, and monitoring the download process.
Tools & Skills Used for a Custom Engineering Solution
Ignition by Inductive Automation
Ignition provides the framework for developing and deploying our custom toolkits for seamless integration into a facilities process control network.
SFC+ Toolkit
Built by ILS for Inductive Automation’s implementation of the IEC 61331-3 Sequential Function Chart (SFC) module to automate start-up, shutdown, and other complex procedural logic.
Diagnostic Toolkit
An automation control and diagnostics toolkit built by ILS to detect and correct complex manufacturing problems in real-time in a maintenance-friendly framework.
Call Tree Utility and Testing
An extension of the SFC+ module, the Call Tree Utility facilitates a chart (which can be within a recipe of a hundred charts) to be analyzed, changed, and tested in a rapid manner.
Solution Summary