Emerson’s DeltaV 7.3 includes engineering, operations, I/O enhancements

Austin, TX— To help users increase availability and performance of plants using its PlantWeb digital plant architecture, Emerson Process Management has released version 7.3 of its DeltaV digital automation system. DeltaV 7.3 adds PlantWeb Alerts for mechanical and process equipment, new engineering productivity tools, and additional I/O capabilities. DeltaV is a core component of PlantWeb.

“We’re continuing to make significant investments in our PlantWeb architecture to extend technology leadership in our markets by creating more value for our customers,” says Tom Snead, president of Emerson’s Process Systems and Solutions division. “DeltaV version 7.3’s enhancements enable users to engineer projects more easily, and further improve the availability and performance of their ongoing operations. Our sustained pace of investment in the PlantWeb architecture is a major reason why we continue to expand our markets.”

Version 7.3’s addition of PlantWeb Alerts for rotating equipment brings motors, pumps, heat exchangers, boilers and other plant equipment into the continuous surveillance of the DeltaV system. Process manufacturing users can receive ‘failed’, ‘maintenance’, or ‘advisory’ alerts from this extended class of plant assets, just as they do from Emerson’s valves and instrumentation.

Within the PlantWeb architecture, alerts on performance of mission-critical machinery are delivered to the DeltaV automation system where they are available through the: operator station, maintenance station, event chronicle, plant-wide event historian, and plant messenger.

In addition, Version 7.3 adds new engineering productivity tools. “Module Class” functionality enables users to build module class definitions for frequently used control and equipment modules. Subsequent changes to the definition are inherited by all of the modules in the class that are used in the configuration of the system.

Version 7.3 also adds “Lock and Protect” software, which enables designers to develop configuration structures that can be viewed but not edited, or can remain both hidden and not editable without password access. “Lock and Protect” gives engineers more security and confidence during project development that key control strategies won’t be altered. It also allows designers to secure the intellectual property in custom control strategies by keeping configuration details hidden. This feature applies to the following configuration library categories: composite and module templates; control and equipment module classes; and phase and unit classes.

I/O hardware upgrades in version 7.3 include a new 32-channel discrete I/O card that increases the density of conventional discrete I/O, providing more economical wiring connections. Version 7.3 also includes an isolated thermocouple/RTD card designed specifically for noisy applications. It has a 500 V ac channel-to-channel isolation and comes in a four-channel card with assignable RTD or thermocouple channel.

Version 7.3 also enables DeltaV’s Tune application to be downloaded into FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 devices that run the PID algorithm in the field device. This is available on both Emerson and third-party FOUNDATION fieldbus devices. To make this possible, an upgrade of the firmware in H1 fieldbus devices is easily done by flashing their memory with a download of the upgrade from the DeltaV controller.

To enable existing DeltaV users to maintain maximum process availability, an online upgrade to DeltaV version 7.3 is available for DeltaV installations with the following revisions, including versions 5.3.x, 6.3.x, and 7.x.

Control Engineering Daily News DeskJim Montague, news editorjmontague@reesdbusiness.com

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our WTWH Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.