january1989 honeywell’s first tdc2000 controller · pdf filedecember/2 014 39 i n 2015,...

D E C E M B E R / 2 0 1 4 www.controlglobal.com 39

I n 2015, the distributed control system (DCS) will mark its 40th anniversary—40 years since the � rst Honeywell TDC2000 was installed at

Exxon’s Sarnia, Ontario, re� nery, and Yokogawa introduced its version, Centum. By 1980, Bailey (now part of ABB) introduced the Network 90 system, Fisher Controls (now part of Emerson) introduced the ProVoX system, and Fischer & Porter (now also part of ABB) introduced DCI-4000.

During this period, the DCS swept alternative process control technologies from the � eld. “In the late 1970s, market analysts projected the decline of analog control, but no one anticipated the speed or completeness of this transformation,” wrote Terry McMahon in April 2005. “At least two generations of process control engineers have matured during the DCS era, which has endured much longer than earlier technologies.”

In the 1980s, users began to look at DCSs as more than basic process control. If proprietary systems were opened,

data could be shared and greater things could be achieved. This led to adoption of Unix op-erating systems and Ethernet-based networks. The full TCP/IP standard was not imple-mented, but using Ethernet allowed object management and global data access.

PLCs were integrated into the DCS infra-structure, and plant-wide historians emerged to capitalize on the extended reach of automation systems. The � rst DCS to adopt Unix and Ethernet networking technolo-gies was Foxboro’s I/A Series.

The 1990s saw increased adoption of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and IT standards, and the controversial move from Unix to Windows. Even today, the real-time operating system (RTOS) for control gener-ally remains on variants of Unix or proprietary operating systems, but above that, applications tend to be Micro-soft-based.

Distributed to Centralized to Network-Centric

For 25 Years, We’ve Watched in Wonder at the Progress of Our Most Powerful Systems

by Paul Studebaker

T I M E L I N E

1 9 8 9 2 0 1 4

OCTOBER1988Microprocessor-Based Control: Current ChallengesIn Control’s 284-page inaugural issue, editor Brian Wolske’s

DCS wish list included improvements in real-time manipulation of online process data, advanced control, expert systems,

ruggedization, business management integration and open system connectivity.

2 5 Y E A R S O F C O N T R O L

JANUARY1989Honeywell’s First TDC2000 Controller Marks 14 Years at Imperial OilPart of the world’s � rst distributed control system, installed in 1974 at Esso Petroleum’s Sarnia, Ontario, re� nery marked 14 years of service, and was linked to Honeywell’s latest TDC3000 system without need for hardware or software modi� cation.

NOVEMBER1989ARCO Alaska Meets

North Slope ChallengeA Bailey Network 90 DCS and

Management Command System console and data acquisition platform

automate the world’s largest gas processing plant in Prudhoe Bay,

Alaska, monitoring 7,500 process and 5,000 safety I/O points.

Continued on page 41

CT1412_39_43_Feature2_25Years.indd 39 12/3/14 9:20 AM

40 www.controlglobal.com D E C E M B E R / 2 0 1 4

MARCH1996Opening the Black BoxAn “open system” used to involve a big, black (proprietary) box with an Ethernet connection, wrote news editor Bob Sperber. Now, “application programming interfaces (APIs), common objects, increasing network standardization and the efforts of consortia at all levels are making users—not developers—the masters of their process control destinies.”

OCTOBER1992Study Predicts DCS Growth in Software

An Automation Research Corp. (ARC) study said vendors of distributed control systems are realizing that standardization

will make DCS hardware a commodity, and are concentrating on software and services. Global growth of 5% annually is

predicted for the next � ve years from the current $1.6 billion.

AUGUST1993DCSs Become Smaller, Modular, Hybrid

A study by Frost & Sullivan Market Intelligence found traditional DCSs moving down in size and complexity to

meet PLCs head-on in a battle for mid-level applications.

SEPTEMBER1994Client-Server Approach Links

Distributed Controls to Desktop PCsMonsanto’s Arthur Huggard described how the ability to readily

access and analyze process data through favorite spreadsheets has paid for itself more than three times over at the company’s

glass plant in Spring� eld, Massachusetts.

APRIL19911990s–The Decade of DCS PartnershipsLynn Parker at Tennessee Eastman Co. explained the increasing prevalence of end-user partnerships with DCS manufacturers and how these alliances can shorten project time cycles, improve use of higher level functions, improve both parties’ application expertise and reduce training, spare parts and maintenance costs.

AUGUST1991Avoid Automation ObsolescenceFoxboro’s Mark Davidson described how modular hardware and software, standardized power and voltage requirements, and applications written to common communication services allow seamless migrations and a long-lived automation system architecture.

OCTOBER1990DCS Innovations

Senior associate editor Keith Larson identi� ed signi� cant

trends including batch control applications and intensifying

competition with PCs and PLCs, as well as easier integration with

other manufacturers’ systems, embedded advanced control

capabilities and incorporation of off-the-shelf operator consoles.

Getting the Most from Your DCSUsing a distributed control system simply to replace analog/pneumatic controls falls short of its potential,

said Honeywell’s Mel Beard. Relatively small additional expenditures for advanced control, optimization and information integration can yield substantial returns.


SEPTEMBER1991Distributed Control Opens Up at the SeamsThe trend of DCS suppliers to incorporate more off-the-shelf computer hardware and software is intensifying, said editor Keith Larson. Examples include PC- based con� guration tools, Unix workstations, Windows-based operator consoles and Ethernet-based data highways.

MARCH1994Foxboro, Honeywell Settle Jurassic DisputeFoxboro initiated legal action over a Honeywell � yer showing a “Turbosaurus” dinosaur chasing a � eeing fox. The � yer played on a Foxboro ad campaign showing the imminent extinction of proprietary DCS technology. Both companies agreed to discontinue the disputed practices.

MAY1995The Shifting Sands of DCS, PLC

and PC TechnologyAs the underlying microprocessors and hardware become more alike,

the distinctions among the three alternative platforms are increasingly

about software and supplier application expertise, said editor

in chief Keith Larson. Meanwhile, convergence on open systems may

eventually render the decision moot.


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As the DCS became increasingly network-centric, many of the sup-pliers built new “process automa-tion systems” from the ground up to maximize functionality with Ether-net and � eldbuses. These solutions included Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx, Honeywell’s Experion, ABB’s System 800xA, Emerson’s DeltaV, Siemens’ Simatic PCS 7 and Yokogawa’s Centum VP.

Since the inaugural issue of Con-trol magazine in October, 1988, we’ve made the DCS the center of our process control coverage. Over the past 25 years, we’ve described how DCS has evolved from dis-tributed control with centralized microprocessing, to “truly distrib-uted control” with centralized su-pervision of microprocessors in the � eld, to today’s rise of virtualization, where critical and non-critical func-tions coexist in servers (or even the cloud). Control, safety, supervisory, historian and business functions are increasingly distributed as needed in network-based architectures across � eld devices, controllers, thin cli-ents, central processors and the web.

With increasing use of inexpen-sive and standard COTS hardware and operating systems, the heart of the DCS is moving from equip-ment to software and services. Ap-plications now include production management, model-based control, real-time optimization, plant as-set management, real-time perfor-mance management, alarm man-agement and more. Much of today’s activity is in wireless networks, mo-bility, remote access, business op-timization and decision-making, which largely run outside the DCS.

In 2013, we described the latest permutation of the original DCS, Honeywell’s TDC 2000, now typical of the best of today’s systems: “You’d think a DCS as useful and success-ful as Experion PKS Orion R2 might stop for a well-deserved break, or at least pause to catch its breath,” wrote executive editor Jim Mon-tague. “But that’s just not how its de-velopers operate. Together, they just keep churning out an unrelenting stream of improvements, capabilities and innovations, until it seems like there’s nothing that Experion can’t do—and maybe that’s the point.”

MAY1996Emerson Introduces DeltaV

Initially taking aim at smaller applications that might traditionally be using PLC and

PC combinations, the product of Emerson’s “Hawk” project uses controversial Windows

NT and a plug-and-play bus architecture that starts to take full advantage of the

promises of remote I/O.

OCTOBER1996NT Threats, NT Promises

DCS vendors are giving Windows NT an increasing role in distributed control by taking

advantage of its strengths and working around its weaknesses. “In the short run, vendors say NT is good enough to rival Unix,” wrote senior

editor Paul Studebaker. “Over the long haul, they expect the system to become the best as a result of a huge dedication of resources and attention by Microsoft, developers and users.”

AUGUST1996Field-Centric Architecture Displaces the DCSFisher-Rosemount’s PlantWeb expands on the DeltaV concept with intelligent field devices, scalable control/computing platforms and integrated modular software fully compatible with Microsoft systems. “The DCS moves from the center of the architecture to being, in effect, a node on a field-centric network,” wrote editor in chief Keith Larson. The network is directly accessible by other departments such as maintenance and engineering.

Continued from page 39


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OCTOBER1997New Frontiers for Distributed ControlDCSs are the obvious source of process information for managing assets and making decisions, but users can’t � nd the software, wrote technical editor Peggy Piper. Users need an accepted � eldbus standard, packages that harvest � eld information, controlled access and, of course, proven and rapid payback on the investment.

APRIL2000Windows 2000 Debuts to Mixed ReactionsExperts said, “Don’t be too quick to convert your plant.” Apart from its high cost, Windows 2000 does not have many I/O or device drivers yet. Wait at least until after the next service pack is issued “sometime in June to � x some of the rumored 63,000 bugs.”

DECEMBER2001Good Migrations?“Is it really possible to retain much of your investment in your old DCS while reaping the bene� ts of a new control systems platform?” asked Dan Hebert, P.E., technical editor. Experienced end users said, given the choice, it’s often wiser to keep the old system or replace it entirely.

JANUARY1998Open DCS: Be Careful What You Ask For

A world of freedom and a new range of responsibilities await those who specify, create and implement open control systems, wrote editor

in chief Paul Studebaker. Open control systems are being sold with broad claims of performance swimming in a sea of acronyms. Decide what you need your system to do, write your speci� cation accordingly,

and test any candidate to be sure it will perform as you expect.

JANUARY2001The System Decision

“Don’t just compare features, bene� ts and prices,” wrote Kevin Totherow, systems integrator. A better method is to focus on plant issues and needs, and the system vendor’s long-term strategy. “In

the long run, the least painful problem is paying too much for the initial purchase.”

JANUARY2003Framework Wars

An epic battle is under way for ownership of the control system architecture marketplace, this time over the framework: “Despite vendor claims of using standards and ease of integration, many

users are concerned that vendors once again may be trying to fence them in with proprietary products.”

JUNE1997Founding Father of DCS

In 1969, Honeywell embarked on “Project 72” to “explore the state of the art and come up with proposals

for developing product lines in the 1970s,” said Renzo Dallimonti, who

led the project. “It was not until 1975 that we felt we were ready to release what was then called the TDC2000,

which the media, in time, labeled the DCS or distributed control system.”

JULY1999DCS: Dead Yet?

“It’s gotten so that control system vendors refuse to use the DCS

moniker for fear of being considered closed, proprietary and even archaic,”

wrote Rich Merritt, technical editor. But, “the ever-evolving distributed control system has so far survived

many reports of its demise.”


FEBRUARY1997Will Microsoft Have Unix for Lunch?Beyond the operator interface, Unix dominates the demanding world of process control, but Windows NT offers popular features at a price that’s hard to resist. Despite Unix’s large following, proven capability, distributed computing and 64-bit architecture, most industry experts expect Windows’ commercial popularity to drive its ultimate success.

JULY1998DCS = PLC = PC?Vendors of DCS-, PLC- and PC-based systems are adopting each others’ functionality, and adding similar features in their efforts to satisfy end-user demands and earn additional market share. The result is systems that work, look and act a lot alike. Users have to look at all the options to � nd the best, most economical solution.


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APRIL2003Centralized vs. Distributed:

Is Bigger Better?As recently as � ve years ago,

� eld-based distributed control was impractical. In 1998, a 100-I/O

PLC with an open communications protocol such as Ethernet cost

about $5,000. Today, a 100-I/O PLC with Ethernet can be purchased for

less than $500, and fast, reliable networking is easily accomplished.

DECEMBER2006The DCS Spirit Lives On

Classic DCSs typically remain only in high-availability re� ning and power applications,

but their strategies and capabilities persist in integrated digital automation architectures,

which give users improved project execution and timing, higher operational efficiency and

uptime, safer facilities and smarter plants with predictive technology.

MARCH2010Surprise! Field-Based Control Beats DCS

Studies by ARC and ISC both arrived at the same conclusion, wrote John

Rezabek, contributing editor. “The SP50 committee set out years ago to de� ne

and specify a robust, vendor-independent controls suite, exploiting the intelligence of

microprocessor-based � eld devices that would equal or exceed the ‘bulletproof’ DCSs of the 1990s. They succeeded.”

DECEMBER2013Let the DCS Fit the Process

One size de� nitely doesn’t � t all when it comes to process control. DCSs are gaining

new capabilities, such as integrating with safety systems, because big process

applications are unique environments—even from one to another—so they need the appropriate controls hardware and software

deployed in the correct manner to operate safely and efficiently.

MARCH2004Running with the Big DogsSenior technicale editor Rich Merritt observes that the big vendors have been resting on their haunches. It’s time for the dominant dogs of DCS to reassure the market that they still lead the pack, and still offer the best hardware and software in the industry. If not, customers might start the hunt for better process control by turning to second-tier suppliers.

APRIL2005Three Decades of DCS TechnologyAt least two generations of process control engineers have matured during the DCS era, which has endured much longer than the pneumatic, electronic analog and computer-based control eras, wrote Terry McMahon, columnist. DCS technology and its pioneers have had a profound effect on our profession and should be recognized.

DECEMBER2008Does the DCS Have a Future?What were once simple control systems are now decision-support and decision-automation systems. Rich Merritt, senior technical editor, polled system integrators and vendors, and found that users want systems that will put more people and functions—engineers, managers, maintenance, planning, environmental and the supply chain—in touch with the process. They said, “We want to report problems in a timely manner to the right people and automate complex decisions.”

MAY2011Distributed Safety ArrivesExecutive editor Jim Montague pointed out that process safety systems are following the DCS path: � rst distributed (or often nonexistent) systems, then centralized via triple-modular-redundant safety controllers and local I/O, and now distributed via SIL-rated safety networks connected to safety-rated intelligent I/O and via ever-smarter and often redundant instruments and controllers.


january1989 honeywell’s first tdc2000 controller · pdf filedecember/2 014 39 i n 2015,...

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