using simit and virtual controllers during engineering and

Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life Experience

Pigler Automation, LLC

Automation Summit Las Vegas, NV, June 27-30, 2016

usa.siemens.com/summitUnrestricted © Siemens 2016

Unrestricted © Siemens 2016

2016 Automation Summit

Title: Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life Experience

Versus Expectations

Track: Best Practices & Novel Approaches

Presenters: Karen Pigler, Rachael Dinger

Company: Pigler Automation, LLC.

Connect Event Badge ID (use this # to connect with me):

Karen Pigler:

Rachael Dinger:

Session # (for your survey):


• Pigler Automation, LLC was founded in 2005

• We are a Siemens Solution Provider for PCS7 with 5 Siemens PCS7-Certified Engineers

• Located in Longmont, Colorado -- 30 miles north of Denver

• 11 Employees and Growing

• Industries Served: Chemical, Power and Mining, ….

For more information please visit:

www.piglerautomation.com

Or call : (866) 871-1456


The Presenters

Karen Pigler

• Electrical Engineering degree from Fachhochschule Kiel, Germany

• 17+ years of employment with Siemens AG in Germany and the United States

• Founder and Chief Executive Officer with Pigler Automation, LLC since 2005

• PCS7 Certificed Process Control Engineer

Rachael Dinger

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University

• Lead Process Controls Engineer with Pigler Automation, LLC since May 2015

• Engineering Assistant with Pigler Automation, LLC from April 2009 to May 2015

• PCS7 Certificed Process Control Engineer


Our Challenge:

The Project:

• Greenfield Hydrogen Plant in the US

The Control System Specifications:

• Two sets of redundant AS 417s

• DCS, PESS and Eex application

• ~650 I/O points

• Custom PCS7 User Library

PCS 7 OS Clients

PCS 7 ES

417H

PR

OF

IBU

S

PCS 7 OS Server

PCS 7 Process

Controller

417H

Remote ClientsLocal Clients


Our Customer’s Challenge:

• First plant of this type to be operated from a remote

location

• Plant will start-up and run continuously for several years

without shutting down

How to prepare the operator for commissioning and

operations as well as keep the remote operator trained?

Training Simulator based on SIMIT V8.1

Model built in-house based upon specifications for the

new plant


Use SIMIT instead of Conventional Testing Methods?

Advantages:

• No need to program and execute simulations in PLCs

• No need to disable simulations or delete simulation logic after FAT

• “Real-Life” testing with an accurate plant model

• Significantly better testbed than “normal” loop-oriented simulations

• Great training opportunity for engineers in preparation for commissioning activities

• SIMIT’s Snapshot tool speeds up testing: e.g. safety verification of the running plant


Use SIMIT instead of Conventional Testing Methods?

Risks:

• Pigler Automation had not worked with SIMIT in many years

• PLCs were expected to be installed on-site before FAT: need to use Virtual Controllers instead,

which were not tested by customer or Pigler Automation

• Test depends on model delivered by the customer; time delays in creating the model reduced

testing time

• Any test conducted included also testing the simulation:

• If there is an unexpected response, is it the programming or simulation’s problem?

Decision: Advantages Outweigh the Risks


Our Assumptions:

• Virtual Controller would work like an actual PLC (and PLCSim); test results are 100% transferrable

to actual hardware – in both static and dynamic behavior

• Handling of Virtual Controller is similar to PLCs:

• Time to download code

• Capability of online changes

• Capability to download changes

• Efforts to prepare a testbed were negligible (all information is available in the project)


Designing a Suitable Test Environment

• Use ES/OS equipment from project

• Procure powerful laptop to host

SIMIT installation

• SIMIT Simulation Framework and

both Virtual Controllers share an

instance of SIMATIC Net which

communicates over the Plant Bus


Licensing & Processing Power Requirements

• SIMIT PC fitted with 32MB RAM, SSD, newest

I7 processor, and 4 cores – 3 cores needed for

SIMIT:

one for SIMIT Framework,

one for each VC

• In addition to the SIMIT Dongle, an active

network connection is required to check out

SIMIT licenses to avoid running in DEMO mode

• In DEMO mode, accessible address ranges

become very limited and other restrictions apply

that make SIMIT functionally useless for our

task


Setting up Virtual Controllers: Working with the Emulation Manager (EM)

• All Virtual Controllers are configured, compiled,

and exported from the EM

• Import of project hardware configuration

files and symbol tables

• Configuration and scaling (if necessary) of

all I/O points

• Specification of High Level Language (HLL)

block use

• WinCC/Virtual Controllers and Virtual

Controller/Virtual Controller connections

created


Setting up Virtual Controllers: Working with the Emulation Manager

• If multiple Virtual Controllers are hosted on the same

PC, they share an instance of SIMATIC NET

• ISO transport connections must have unique TSAP

and MAC address assignments

• TSAP assignments are set in the Emulation

Manager, and where WinCC connections are

concerned, must be set by adhering to very specific

directions contained within the User Manual



• Testbed computer configuration

completed in the EM as well

• Each PC requires a mapped network

drive from the SIMIT PC to a

designated shared folder in order to

distribute project files (.xdb files)



• Project files then loaded into the

Station Configuration Editor on each

PC



Additional caveats of WinCC

connections:

• The SIMIT PC’s IP Address must

be the lowest in the range if

hosting one or more Virtual

Controllers

• The MAC address of the PC

hosting the Virtual Controllers

must be manually specified in

the connection parameters of

each AS via WinCC’s Tag

Management



Our Set-up Experience:

• Documentation was not sufficient for

project set-up out of the box – Ronald

Nijssen (Siemens) helped

• Initial installation and set-up took

days

• While connection to ES was easier,

establishing OS communication was

a major hurdle



• Scaling I/O Ranges in the Symbol List

• Each I/O point required configuration in the Signal List

editor of EM

• Analog inputs and outputs required additional

parameterization to scale values appropriately

Time consuming task, and any changes to I/O ranges

required a compilation of the EM and re-distribution of

project files



High Level Language Blocks:

• How good is the test if we are NOT testing with the same code as in the PLC?

• Need to deactivate unsupported function blocks that were imported by configuration

files

• No verification of function block number conflicts between the project and SIMIT

libraries

• Ongoing issues with a select few blocks that were found to not work correctly



Missing Diagnostics:

• Troubleshooting of internal faults on the

Virtual Controllers – if the PLC or PLCSim

doesn’t report an error then why is the Virtual

Controller upset?

Problems with HLL Blocks

System configuration issues


Virtual Controller Performance Issues

Challenges Faced:

• Download times for CFC charts could be painfully slow for

larger programs (upwards of 3x longer than to a PLC)

• Delta downloads were not possible.

Simulation had to be stopped and re-initialized in

order to conduct a download

• “Online” changes made during testing were not retained by

the Virtual Controller

• WinCC updates were slow and plagued by interruptions

Alarm Logging listed many falsely suppressed alarms

Virtual Controllers were not utilized during FAT; customer’s

hardware was used (PLCs and SIMBAPro)


Working with SIMIT Simulation Framework

• Project View is very intuitive to navigate and work

with

• SIMIT charts are graphics based, much like PCS7

CFC charts – a lot of dragging and dropping

components and controls, then interconnecting them

• I/O signals can be directly placed on charts, or

connectors can be used for variables

• Many options available to customize your simulation:

Simulation execution time (25% - 500%)

Option to create macros and templates



Our Experience:

• End customer provided the SIMIT Process Model; our team

quickly learned to “tweak” the model

• SIMIT’s Snapshot tool was utilized frequently with the Virtual

Controllers to aid in development of the project’s FAT

Procedure and Trip Protocol



Lessons Learned

• Keep the Process Model

accurate:

• Understanding what side of

the logic required alteration

(PCS7 vs. SIMIT) was

discussed frequently

• Archiving, transferring, and

retrieving (small) SIMIT

projects worked great



Lessons Learned

• Simple restart of the SIMIT computer can resolve a lot of

problems

• Utilize the “Find & Replace” tool to save time when

troubleshooting

Larger SIMIT projects

Complex charts

• Take advantage of the Simulation Framework’s

graphical nature: utilize display controls as often as

possible

• The Snapshot tool is extremely handy when recreation

of a specific system state is required

Being aware of its limitations can save a lot of

time (and headaches)


Project Successes

• Pre-FAT testing completed with two VCs

• FAT testing completed with the SIMBA PRO hardware

platform and two AS 417s

• Implementation of simulation logic in the PCS7 project

kept to a minimal amount

• FAT successfully completed over a two-week period


Project Successes

• Overall customer feedback regarding working with the SIMIT

Process Model during FAT was very positive

• Additional software changes requested during and after FAT

implemented and tested in-house utilizing the SIMIT Process

Model and Virtual Controllers

• Trip-protocol prepared and tested in-house utilizing this set-up

as well

• Pigler Automation selected by Siemens for SIMIT Version 9

beta testing, currently on-going


SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements

Virtual Controller Set-up:

• The Emulation Manager is no longer

a part of the SIMIT package’s user

interface

VCs are created and

configured directly in the

Simulation Framework

environment

• Configuration settings for each VC

have been greatly reduced

Less guesswork

Less time spent configuring

each controller




• Hardware Configuration exports are now

completed using .xml files with an improved

version of the HWCNExport tool

Multi-projects can now be imported

Individual selection of AS Stations

possible

Hardware configuration and symbol

tables are included in the same

import




• Signals are configured in the

Virtual Controller settings of each

AS

• Raw values are pre-configured,

scaling still needs to be adjusted

for analog inputs and outputs



• Loading of SIMIT-generated Station

Configuration files (.xdb) no longer required

• Resource parameters for each VC’s connection

to the OS Server (e.g. TSAP and ID numbers)

taken directly from the PCS7 project – no

additional configuration required

• Communication connections between two VCs

taken directly from the PCS7 project as well



• Delta downloads now possible

• If a complete download is

required, simulation can be kept

in the run position and the VC will

be stopped and restarted

• Overall, behavior of the VC is far

more robust and much more

similar to that of an actual PLC



• Creation of distributed Virtual

Controllers is now an easier, faster

process

• Create a new host, configure

settings, assign virtual controllers by

dragging and dropping, then save

and distribute

• Host computers only require VC

software to be installed

• VCs are automatically initialized,

started, and stopped from the SIMIT

host (seen as Localhost)


Live Demonstration


Looking Ahead, Our Involvement with SIMIT

• Will continue to utilize SIMIT for in-house testing

during the engineering phase, as well as for FAT

testing, of future projects when possible

• Looking into development of other SIMIT Process

Models for future Pigler Automation Project

Validations and Operator Trainings

• Development of custom components utilizing the

SIMIT CTE tool

• Continuation of SIMIT Version 9 beta testing


Our SIMIT Wish-List

• Automatically generated S7 SIMIT templates

• Discontinue use of HLL blocks

• More flexibility for introducing on-line changes with the

Snapshot tool

• Chart partitioning to limit size and complexity of SIMIT charts


Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life

Experience Versus Expectations

Name: Karen Pigler

Title: CEO


Email: [email protected]

Phone: (866) 871 - 1456


Session #:


Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life

Experience Versus Expectations

Name: Rachael Dinger

Title: Lead Controls Engineer


Email: [email protected]

Phone: (866) 871 - 1456


Session #:

using simit and virtual controllers during engineering and

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