Enhanced version of flagship control system!

Yokogawa is continuously developing and enhancing CENTUM VP as the foundation of its IA business’s VigilantPlant® vision for operational excellence. The company has just announced the release of CENTUM® VP R5.03, an enhanced version of the company’s flagship production control system platform. In accordance with the strategies set out in the Evolution 2015 mid-term business plan, CENTUM VP has been enhanced with significant value creating new functions for process plant control and enterprise integration.

Future Development


With CENTUM VP as its core platform, Yokogawa continues to develop the most scalable, flexible and operator centric of production control systems architecture. Yokogawa is expanding its range of comprehensive production control systems solutions for process industry and manufacturing markets which make it easy to integrate field, plant and enterprise systems with a single platform.

New Features Include:
1. Wide area communication (WAC) router for control via public communications networks
Yokogawa has developed a WAC router that enables a CENTUM VP system to remotely monitor and control equipment over a wide area network (WAN) established using public communication lines, satellite links, and the like. The WAC router provides the same high reliability and security as the Vnet/IP control network that is used with Yokogawa production control systems. It compensates for limited bandwidth and transmission delays by prioritizing communications based on data type and target. For added reliability, the router has dual redundant communication modules. Each of these modules can be linked with the WAN by up to two communications lines. When two lines are employed, they may be of the same type or of different types, e.g. satellite link and fiber optic cable. The router enables reliable, secure and inexpensive monitoring and control of widely distributed facilities such as the production platforms and FPSO’s in deepwater offshore oil and gas production, pumping and compressor station controls along pipelines, and wellhead, gathering treatment and separation facilities in the new shale oil and gas onshore fields.

2. Enhanced batch functions 
The CENTUM VP R5.03 batch package¹ is based on ISA-88 and has enhanced functions that allow greater flexibility when accommodating changes in production procedures. The number of operating procedures has been increased and the recipe² procedure has been provided with additional levels of granularity, simplifying the process of making recipe changes. CENTUM VP R5.03 is thus ideal for companies that employ complex batch production processes and are engaged in such industries as foods, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals.
¹ Used with batch processes that rely on the same facilities and equipment to produce a variety of products.
² A batch process recipe defines the manufacturing process for a specific product, specifying the requirements for items such as equipment, formulas, and procedures.

3. Easy integration with intelligent electric devices (IEDs)
CENTUM VP R5.03 supports the IEC 61850 communication protocol, which has been widely adopted in the electric power industry and manufacturing industries that operate processes with extensive electrical equipment and machinery. This latest version of CENTUM VP can integrate data from intelligent electric devices such as protective relays, switchgear, motor controls and power distribution equipment and can be used to monitor the operations at process plants whose electrical facilities have been designed based on the IEC 61850 standard. This allows better integration with the electrical equipment in process plants, eliminates the need for multiple systems in the plant and also enables the monitoring of electrical energy in process plants that allow for better plant energy management.

4. Eight-loop operation keyboard
A new keyboard has been released with sets of dedicated function keys that can be used to simultaneously adjust eight control loops. For graphic, alarm, and trending operations, there are also dedicated control keys, operation confirmation keys, window call-up keys, a total of 64 special function keys, and keys for alarm acknowledgement and key locking. This keyboard has been designed to make it easier for plant operators to perform their tasks.

Major Target Markets
Process control and monitoring applications in industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, electric power, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages, iron and steel, and water supply and wastewater treatment

Applications
Control monitoring and integration of distributed facilities, process plants and manufacturing operations