Blog
Control Systems
Current news on industrial automation, OPC technologies and the industry.
What is a DCS? Architecture, components and when you need one
A distributed control system (DCS) brings controllers, network, servers and operator stations together on one engineering…
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PLC or DCS? Criteria for choosing the right control platform
The choice between PLC and DCS depends less on plant size than on process type, redundancy needs, engineering model and lifecycle…
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Control system health check: 12 items for the annual maintenance review
Most unplanned stops do not come from nowhere; they grow out of small degradations nobody noticed. An annual health-check list…
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Virtualizing DCS servers: when, how and with what risks
Virtualization reduces server count and speeds up recovery, but badly designed it creates new single points of failure. Design…
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Secure remote access to control systems: design principles
Vendor support and remote intervention are unavoidable, but an uncontrolled VPN opens up the whole plant. Designing remote access…
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Automation in geothermal power plants: monitoring and control from wellhead to generator
Geothermal plant automation carries challenges unlike a conventional power plant: corrosive fluid, scaling, remote wellfields and…
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Control panel design: from requirements to commissioning
A good control panel is judged not on its first day of operation but on the first day it is maintained. A design guide to…
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Moving from Advant Master to System 800xA: a planning roadmap
Moving a long-serving Advant Master system to 800xA is less a product change than a risk-management exercise. A roadmap through…
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DCS project scope: decisions to make before a quotation
A DCS investment involves more than selecting controllers and software. Operations, maintenance and project teams need a shared…
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