SPECIAL FOCUS Automation vendors
Rakesh Rao
A
ll virtualization is abstraction that uses software to create an isolated, functioning duplicate of a computer system component. While virtualization is not new, its application in the process control systems has gained traction in last few years, with leading automation vendors offering virtualization technology. Barry Young, Principal Analyst, ARC Advisory Group, says, “Yes, all the major automation suppliers now incorporate virtualization to varying degrees within their process control system architectures. Initially, suppliers used virtualization in the operator interface area in the form
virtualization offers, its application within the industrial control domain is increasing rapidly. In a recent survey of our large customers, 50 per cent of these customers were virtualising their advanced control networks today, and the remaining 50 per cent had plans to do so. Of these same customers, 80 per cent have plans to virtualise their DCS networks. In addition to the customer demand, awareness is being driven by the fact that most automation vendors now have virtualization offerings.” For virtualization to be successful in the process automation industry, customers need turnkey solutions. These include supplying the processing, networking and storage components along
on ‘one box’, suppliers must address user concerns over potential hardware failures. Automation architectures for high availability, and disaster recovery and backup are available to address these concerns.” Realising these shortcomings, automation vendors now offer solutions that can solve challenges of people training and design process skills. “Customers face the challenge related to training of their people, given that this can be a new technology within their organisation. For this, Honeywell has training courses on virtualization that can help customers learn how to apply it in an industrial context. Another challenge is the skills required in the
UPGRADING PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM WITH VIRTUALISED OFFERINGS The use of virtualization in a control system is a recent phenomenon. However, chemical companies are showing increasing inclination to use virtual machine as it helps the plant operators to achieve the goal of maximising RoI by improving the utilisation of their control system server assets. In order to tap this trend, automation vendors are now offering a wide range of process control system architectures with virtualization feature.
of thin client HMIs being served by one hardware server, rather than a separate PC for each operator interface. Once this application was field proven, other applications were virtualised at the operations management level. Today, virtualization is used for engineering, factory and software acceptance testing, training, simulation, and advanced process control. We are also beginning to see virtualization used to emulate legacy and proprietary control platforms.”
Expanding virtualised offerings Practically any system component can be – and has been – virtualised: disk drives, servers, operating systems and networks. Paul Hodge, Head Product Marketing - Virtualization, Honeywell Process Solutions, elaborates, “Because of the many compelling benefits that 28
Chemical World | April 2013
with guidance and support to deliver a complete solution from design through implementation and management. Hence, automation vendors such as Honeywell Process Solutions, Emerson Process Management, Rockwell Automation, etc are expanding their range of products with virtualization features.
Virtual portability The application of virtualization in process control environment is a challenging task as it involves collaboration from multiple disciplines. Young elaborates, “The use of virtualization requires close co-operation between a chemical company’s operations, IT, and control engineering departments, as well as with the automation supplier. This has required some departments that traditionally have had competing agendas to now work together. Also, since many applications are now virtualised
design process. We believe that building a virtual environment for process control is different from the approach that would be taken in IT. Honeywell has taken its process control expertise and designed best practice virtualization reference designs,” observes Hodge. Though application of virtualization in process control system is new phenomenon, experts believe that in next few years every aspect of chemical industry right from plant and process design to manufacturing operations will run on virtual machines. Young agrees, “Eventually, everything will be virtualised in the process control architecture. The use of virtualization will begin during detailed design and then used throughout the project lifecycle. Essentially, applications are now ‘virtually’ portable and hardware independent.” Email: rakesh.rao@network18publishing.com