Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life Experience

1. Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers
During Engineering and Testing:
Real-Life Experience
Pigler Automation, LLC
Automation Summit Las Vegas, NV, June 27-30, 2016
usa.siemens.com/summit
Unrestricted © Siemens 2016

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2016 Automation Summit
Title: Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life Experience
Versus Expectations
Track: Best Practices & Novel Approaches
Presenters: Karen Pigler, Rachael Dinger
Company: Pigler Automation, LLC.
Connect Event Badge ID (use this # to connect with me):
Karen Pigler:
Rachael Dinger:
Session # (for your survey):

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• Pigler Automation, LLC was founded in 2005
• We are a Siemens Solution Provider for PCS7 with 5 Siemens PCS7-Certified Engineers
• Located in Longmont, Colorado -- 30 miles north of Denver
• 11 Employees and Growing
• Industries Served: Chemical, Power and Mining, ….
For more information please visit:
www.piglerautomation.com
Or call : (866) 871-1456

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The Presenters
Karen Pigler
• Electrical Engineering degree from Fachhochschule Kiel, Germany
• 17+ years of employment with Siemens AG in Germany and the United States
• Founder and Chief Executive Officer with Pigler Automation, LLC since 2005
• PCS7 Certificed Process Control Engineer
Rachael Dinger
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University
• Lead Process Controls Engineer with Pigler Automation, LLC since May 2015
• Engineering Assistant with Pigler Automation, LLC from April 2009 to May 2015
• PCS7 Certificed Process Control Engineer

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Our Challenge:
The Project:
• Greenfield Hydrogen Plant in the US
The Control System Specifications:
• Two sets of redundant AS 417s
• DCS, PESS and Eex application
• ~650 I/O points
• Custom PCS7 User Library
PCS 7 OS Clients
PCS 7 ES
417H
PROFIBUS
PCS 7 OS
Server
PCS 7
Process
Controller
417H
Remote Clients
Local Clients

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Our Customer’s Challenge:
• First plant of this type to be operated from a remote
location
• Plant will start-up and run continuously for several years
without shutting down
How to prepare the operator for commissioning and
operations as well as keep the remote operator trained?
 Training Simulator based on SIMIT V8.1
 Model built in-house based upon specifications for the
new plant

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Use SIMIT instead of Conventional Testing Methods?
Advantages:
• No need to program and execute simulations in PLCs
• No need to disable simulations or delete simulation logic after FAT
• “Real-Life” testing with an accurate plant model
• Significantly better testbed than “normal” loop-oriented simulations
• Great training opportunity for engineers in preparation for commissioning activities
• SIMIT’s Snapshot tool speeds up testing: e.g. safety verification of the running plant

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Use SIMIT instead of Conventional Testing Methods?
Risks:
• Pigler Automation had not worked with SIMIT in many years
• PLCs were expected to be installed on-site before FAT: need to use Virtual Controllers instead,
which were not tested by customer or Pigler Automation
• Test depends on model delivered by the customer; time delays in creating the model reduced
testing time
• Any test conducted included also testing the simulation:
• If there is an unexpected response, is it the programming or simulation’s problem?
Decision: Advantages Outweigh the Risks

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Our Assumptions:
• Virtual Controller would work like an actual PLC (and PLCSim); test results are 100% transferrable
to actual hardware – in both static and dynamic behavior
• Handling of Virtual Controller is similar to PLCs:
• Time to download code
• Capability of online changes
• Capability to download changes
• Efforts to prepare a testbed were negligible (all information is available in the project)

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Designing a Suitable Test Environment
• Use ES/OS equipment from project
• Procure powerful laptop to host
SIMIT installation
• SIMIT Simulation Framework and
both Virtual Controllers share an
instance of SIMATIC Net which
communicates over the Plant Bus

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Licensing & Processing Power Requirements
• SIMIT PC fitted with 32MB RAM, SSD, newest
I7 processor, and 4 cores – 3 cores needed for
SIMIT:
 one for SIMIT Framework,
 one for each VC
• In addition to the SIMIT Dongle, an active
network connection is required to check out
SIMIT licenses to avoid running in DEMO mode
• In DEMO mode, accessible address ranges
become very limited and other restrictions apply
that make SIMIT functionally useless for our
task

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager (EM)
• All Virtual Controllers are configured, compiled,
and exported from the EM
• Import of project hardware configuration
files and symbol tables
• Configuration and scaling (if necessary) of
all I/O points
• Specification of High Level Language (HLL)
block use
• WinCC/Virtual Controllers and Virtual
Controller/Virtual Controller connections
created

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
• If multiple Virtual Controllers are hosted on the same
PC, they share an instance of SIMATIC NET
• ISO transport connections must have unique TSAP
and MAC address assignments
• TSAP assignments are set in the Emulation
Manager, and where WinCC connections are
concerned, must be set by adhering to very specific
directions contained within the User Manual

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
• Testbed computer configuration
completed in the EM as well
• Each PC requires a mapped network
drive from the SIMIT PC to a
designated shared folder in order to
distribute project files (.xdb files)

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
• Project files then loaded into the
Station Configuration Editor on each
PC

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
Additional caveats of WinCC
connections:
• The SIMIT PC’s IP Address must
be the lowest in the range if
hosting one or more Virtual
Controllers
• The MAC address of the PC
hosting the Virtual Controllers
must be manually specified in
the connection parameters of
each AS via WinCC’s Tag
Management

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
Our Set-up Experience:
• Documentation was not sufficient for
project set-up out of the box – Ronald
Nijssen (Siemens) helped
• Initial installation and set-up took
days
• While connection to ES was easier,
establishing OS communication was
a major hurdle

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
• Scaling I/O Ranges in the Symbol List
• Each I/O point required configuration in the Signal List
editor of EM
• Analog inputs and outputs required additional
parameterization to scale values appropriately
 Time consuming task, and any changes to I/O ranges
required a compilation of the EM and re-distribution of
project files

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
High Level Language Blocks:
• How good is the test if we are NOT testing with the same code as in the PLC?
• Need to deactivate unsupported function blocks that were imported by configuration
files
• No verification of function block number conflicts between the project and SIMIT
libraries
• Ongoing issues with a select few blocks that were found to not work correctly

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Setting up Virtual Controllers:
Working with the Emulation Manager
Missing Diagnostics:
• Troubleshooting of internal faults on the
Virtual Controllers – if the PLC or PLCSim
doesn’t report an error then why is the Virtual
Controller upset?
 Problems with HLL Blocks
 System configuration issues

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Virtual Controller Performance Issues
Challenges Faced:
• Download times for CFC charts could be painfully slow for
larger programs (upwards of 3x longer than to a PLC)
• Delta downloads were not possible.
 Simulation had to be stopped and re-initialized in
order to conduct a download
• “Online” changes made during testing were not retained by
the Virtual Controller
• WinCC updates were slow and plagued by interruptions
 Alarm Logging listed many falsely suppressed alarms
 Virtual Controllers were not utilized during FAT; customer’s
hardware was used (PLCs and SIMBAPro)

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Working with SIMIT Simulation Framework
• Project View is very intuitive to navigate and work
with
• SIMIT charts are graphics based, much like PCS7
CFC charts – a lot of dragging and dropping
components and controls, then interconnecting them
• I/O signals can be directly placed on charts, or
connectors can be used for variables
• Many options available to customize your simulation:
 Simulation execution time (25% - 500%)
 Option to create macros and templates

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Working with SIMIT Simulation Framework
Our Experience:
• End customer provided the SIMIT Process Model; our team
quickly learned to “tweak” the model
• SIMIT’s Snapshot tool was utilized frequently with the Virtual
Controllers to aid in development of the project’s FAT
Procedure and Trip Protocol

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Working with SIMIT Simulation Framework
Lessons Learned
• Keep the Process Model
accurate:
• Understanding what side of
the logic required alteration
(PCS7 vs. SIMIT) was
discussed frequently
• Archiving, transferring, and
retrieving (small) SIMIT
projects worked great

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Working with SIMIT Simulation Framework
Lessons Learned
• Simple restart of the SIMIT computer can resolve a lot of
problems
• Utilize the “Find & Replace” tool to save time when
troubleshooting
 Larger SIMIT projects
 Complex charts
• Take advantage of the Simulation Framework’s
graphical nature: utilize display controls as often as
possible
• The Snapshot tool is extremely handy when recreation
of a specific system state is required
 Being aware of its limitations can save a lot of
time (and headaches)

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Project Successes
• Pre-FAT testing completed with two VCs
• FAT testing completed with the SIMBA PRO hardware
platform and two AS 417s
• Implementation of simulation logic in the PCS7 project
kept to a minimal amount
• FAT successfully completed over a two-week period

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Project Successes
• Overall customer feedback regarding working with the SIMIT
Process Model during FAT was very positive
• Additional software changes requested during and after FAT
implemented and tested in-house utilizing the SIMIT Process
Model and Virtual Controllers
• Trip-protocol prepared and tested in-house utilizing this set-up
as well
• Pigler Automation selected by Siemens for SIMIT Version 9
beta testing, currently on-going

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
Virtual Controller Set-up:
• The Emulation Manager is no longer
a part of the SIMIT package’s user
interface
 VCs are created and
configured directly in the
Simulation Framework
environment
• Configuration settings for each VC
have been greatly reduced
 Less guesswork
 Less time spent configuring
each controller

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
Virtual Controller Set-up:
• Hardware Configuration exports are now
completed using .xml files with an improved
version of the HWCNExport tool
 Multi-projects can now be imported
 Individual selection of AS Stations
possible
 Hardware configuration and symbol
tables are included in the same
import

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
Virtual Controller Set-up:
• Signals are configured in the
Virtual Controller settings of each
AS
• Raw values are pre-configured,
scaling still needs to be adjusted
for analog inputs and outputs

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
• Loading of SIMIT-generated Station
Configuration files (.xdb) no longer required
• Resource parameters for each VC’s connection
to the OS Server (e.g. TSAP and ID numbers)
taken directly from the PCS7 project – no
additional configuration required
• Communication connections between two VCs
taken directly from the PCS7 project as well

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
• Delta downloads now possible
• If a complete download is
required, simulation can be kept
in the run position and the VC will
be stopped and restarted
• Overall, behavior of the VC is far
more robust and much more
similar to that of an actual PLC

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SIMIT V9.0 Preview: Improvements
• Creation of distributed Virtual
Controllers is now an easier, faster
process
• Create a new host, configure
settings, assign virtual controllers by
dragging and dropping, then save
and distribute
• Host computers only require VC
software to be installed
• VCs are automatically initialized,
started, and stopped from the SIMIT
host (seen as Localhost)

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Live Demonstration

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Looking Ahead, Our Involvement with SIMIT
• Will continue to utilize SIMIT for in-house testing
during the engineering phase, as well as for FAT
testing, of future projects when possible
• Looking into development of other SIMIT Process
Models for future Pigler Automation Project
Validations and Operator Trainings
• Development of custom components utilizing the
SIMIT CTE tool
• Continuation of SIMIT Version 9 beta testing

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Our SIMIT Wish-List
• Automatically generated S7 SIMIT templates
• Discontinue use of HLL blocks
• More flexibility for introducing on-line changes with the
Snapshot tool
• Chart partitioning to limit size and complexity of SIMIT charts

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Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life
Experience Versus Expectations
Name: Karen Pigler
Title: CEO
Company: Pigler Automation, LLC.
Email: Karen.Pigler@PiglerAutomation.com
Phone: (866) 871 - 1456
Connect Event Badge ID (use this # to connect with me):
Session #:

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Using SIMIT and Virtual Controllers During Engineering and Testing: Real-Life
Experience Versus Expectations
Name: Rachael Dinger
Title: Lead Controls Engineer
Company: Pigler Automation, LLC.
Email: Rachael.Dinger@PiglerAutomation.com
Phone: (866) 871 - 1456
Connect Event Badge ID (use this # to connect with me):
Session #: