Distributed control systems in the process control laboratory

Industrial process control, which moved from Direct Digital Control (DDC) to Distributed Control Systems (DCS) in the late 1970s, is now making another transition to Field Control Systems (FCS). White FCS is just a form of DCS, it adds additional dimensions to the control function through the use of networked systems and smart control elements. Foundation Fieldbus (FF), an implementation of FCS based on international standards, was introduced in 1994 and is becoming an established technology for use in industrial control systems. This paper describes the development of a FCS process control laboratory that includes FF and other networked software products to enhance the learning in a control based laboratory. In addition, the paper compares process control issues using the older DCS model with the Fieldbus solution, and it describes the hardware and software used at Penn State Altoona to build a fully networked FCS process laboratory.