Advantages of edge computing platforms in controls-related applications

Edge computing insights

• Edge computing integration with automation and controls can include edge computers, controllers, human-machine interface (HMI), analytics, cloud and networking communications.
• OPC UA from OPC Foundation helps with edge computing connectivity for industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) implementations.
• Edge computing application examples are provided for municipal flood control and remote monitoring and predictive maintenance for an agricultural processing plant.

Edge computing use with automation and controls was the topic of a Control Engineering discussion with Darrell Halterman, director PACSystems products, Emerson. With the company for 23 years, Halterman began doing embedded systems development, writing the code that goes into some of the products that we still sell. He also did a few years of program and project management to help to bring products to market, and for the last 10 years, has been doing product management.

In the interview, Halterman answers the following questions. The discussion included an edge computing definition for industrial automation and controls implementations, differences from other computing options, when to use edge computing, software and programming, projects and lessons learned.

Edge computing integration with automation, controls

Below are excerpts from Halterman’s answers, lightly edited for clarity.

Edge computing differs from the traditional deterministic control system in that it’s not necessarily tightly coupled to the overall process so you know you may need to control it a hundred times a second or something like that. Edge computing may not be that tightly aligned to the process, but, at the same time, it really is providing that real time advice without being limited to the same performance requirements or environments that you would have for true deterministic control. Edge computing bridges that divide to provide better insights into that high-speed world for consumers of that data.

Using a digital twin or a cloud-based environment, an application may collect data from a fleet to learn observational points or insights about how the overall fleet is performing.

Integrating edge computing, controllers, human-machine interface (HMI)

A portfolio of solutions in our edge platform can combine, for example, a legacy controller, an edge controller and operator interfaces or HMI for visualization as well as analytics in one system. It’s a flexible portfolio for many use cases, performance points and the processing capability necessary for many applications. It still has a consistent user interface and experience among different products and software across a variety of applications. OPC UA helps with connectivity.

If you have a variety of applications that may need different compute and control capabilities, you can learn the software in the interface once and deploy in many different ways, with access to third-party tools and software. The majority of industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and machine learning applications today are written for a Linux-based environment. We support that natively.

Edge computing integrating OPC UA

The standard software interface is based on the OPC Foundation OPC UA data model using:

1. An open standard, becoming a ubiquitous protocol in the industrial automation space in current times.

2. Data objects providing context in a standard transmission form factor.

3. Provisions for security native to the protocol so it has the ability to provide digital certificates for authentication as well as encryption of the data and transmission.

Emerson software and software from third parties provide great flexibility in the platform to translate among dozens of protocols and OPC UA, for continued use of legacy devices, visualization, web-enabled devices, analytics designed for energy consumption and energy management, overall equipment efficiency and other functions.

Edge computing implementations for IIoT and why

Customers come in and say, “I’ve got some budget, and I need to do IoT,” or “I need to do Edge. Can you help me to do that?” We ask the customer to define the problem that needs solving, or the problem keeping you up at night. If you had information in real time, would it change the way your business operates, in performance or predictability or whatever it is you’re trying to achieve?

Drivers in the industry today include changing the way people view automation problems, installations, being able to supplement newer operators, helping newer controls experts in those environments to be able to make better decisions in real time, helping with supply chain disruptions, being able to be flexible and provide some predictability into operations to improve efficiencies. People need to get more done with limited resources and raw materials.

Two edge computing application examples

A remote Midwest agriculture plant was having difficulty getting operators to come to the plant. They set up a system where they could remotely monitor and diagnose the system. They were taking maintenance information from the edge and publishing it to a secure web page for maintenance operators, allowing fewer maintenance people to serve more sites, knowing what the problem is to maximize the productivity and increase uptime.

A Midwest municipality has a flood control pond in the middle of the downtown area with a park. They balance the desirability of having water in the pond with the need to control flooding by working with a local engineering firm. They coordinated a downtown hydrological model with weather forecast information, controllers and the pumping system to optimize the competing goals of aesthetics with keeping the downtown from flooding.

Savings examples, depending on the application, could include a 3x savings in worker productivity or 10% reduction in energy use.

Emerson PAC Systems page includes more information about controllers, devices and systems discussed here.

Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com, edited this from his video interview with Halterman.

KEYWORDS: Edge computing, edge integration, edge automation

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