Yokogawa Enhances its STARDOM Network-based Control System

Tokyo, Japan - Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the market release of an upgraded version of its STARDOM network-based control system that provides a number of functional enhancements. With the aim of becoming the world’s number one provider of industrial automation solutions by the year 2010, Yokogawa is developing highly competitive products for the world marketplace. Based on this strategy, we are continually making enhancements to STARDOM in response to the latest market trends and user needs. The functional enhancements announced today include strengthened network functions, communications functions and newly developed pulse width output modules. This upgrade strengthens the capabilities of the STARDOM control system, which is optimized for high-speed distributed control over a wide area, and enables its use in combination with CENTUM, our flagship distributed control system (DCS) designed for large-scale main processes. By making these enhancements, Yokogawa is optimizing the solutions that it offers users and will proactively develop the markets for these solutions worldwide. * STARDOM is an open network control system comprised of function-specific control, operation, and monitoring components that can be interconnected flexibly and on a scaleable basis using networking technology. The system features the same high reliability and supportability of a DCS while having the openness, versatility, and cost-effectiveness of systems that combine PCs, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and other devices. STARDOM is widely used in the control of shared-use plant facilities, including boilers and compressors.Development BackgroundAs the oil price and energy demand continue to rise, capital investment has been strong in oil and natural gas projects as well as in such industries as chemicals and iron and steel. The pace of investment has been especially active in oil and natural gas extraction and in the construction of pipelines and other upstream processing facilities. Since these facilities can be located across a wide area, there is a growing demand for monitoring and control systems that can link these widely distributed facilities via an open network. Likewise, chemical plants and iron and steel works need monitoring and control systems that can achieve high reliability levels and throughput rates, while featuring compatibility with an open network and a no-frills system configuration.Yokogawa has responded to these latest market trends and user needs with an upgrade to the STARDOM control system that features newly developed pulse width output modules and enhanced network and communication functions.Overview of Functional Enhancements1. Enhancements to Network FunctionsThis upgrade makes it possible for Yokogawa’s CENTUM DCS to connect to STARDOM through a general-purpose Ethernet that is capable of high-speed data communication. An operator at a CENTUM operation and monitoring station can now view the operating status information of a STARDOM controlled plant. By combining these two platforms, users can efficiently build systems for plant-wide operation and the monitoring thereof.2. Support of DNP3 CommunicationSTARDOM now supports DNP3 communication* to ensure fault-free data exchange even when general-purpose telephone circuits and other types of low-stability communication lines are used. Consequently, highly reliable supervisory control systems can be configured even at oil and natural gas drilling sites or pipeline sites. * DNP3 refers to Distributed Network Protocol 3, a communication protocol that was originally developed for the electric utility industry in Europe. This protocol has recently been introduced to the wide-area distributed control of oil and gas drilling sites, pipelines, and water supply and sewerage systems.3. Enhancements to the Control Functions of Electrically Operated ValvesWith the newly released pulse width output modules, it is possible to control the gating of electrically operated valves in just 2 ms, ten times faster than conventional modules. For example, these modules can be used in a continuous casting process at an iron and steel plant that requires high-speed, precision control. By using these modules in combination with a CENTUM DCS best suited for blast furnace control, a user can efficiently build a system capable of controlling an entire iron and steel plant.Major Target Markets