This document discusses intelligent instrumentation and power plant training simulators. It describes how instrumentation in power plants has advanced from pneumatic to digital controls using field bus technologies. Intelligent instruments now have self-check and control capabilities. Power plant simulators provide realistic replicas of control rooms to train operators. Simulators allow operators to practice responding to malfunctions and other scenarios in a risk-free environment. They provide advantages like backtracking, initializing conditions, and evaluating trainee performance. Overall, intelligent instruments and simulators have enhanced power plant monitoring, control, and training.

1. Intelligent Instrumentation and
Power Plant Training Simulators
Dr. S Selvam
Director, NPTI (SR)

2. Intelligent Instrumentation and Power Plant
Training Simulators
With the development of the Instrumentation, Electronics and digital
communication, the power plant control has witnessed enormous changes.
Starting from the pneumatic control (0.2 to 2 kg/cm2) in the late 70s, the
instrumentation lines have changed the signal control to Instrumentation
loop lines (4-20mA) and concentrated bus structure using Data concentrators
with Profi Bus / Field Bus Data structure. As a whole, the connections to the
control room is made with these Bus structures.
The Instrument transducers have also become smart with self check and
control mechanisms.
The presentation is aimed to show the latest developmentsalong with
power plant trainingsimulators for the skill enhancement.

3. About the presentation
• Late 90s developments in DAS /PLC/ DDC and their advantages
• Micro controllers and Industrial Computers as Intelligent
Instrumentation and the advantages
• Field Bus / Profi Bus and the protocols
• Wireless Instruments / Highway Addressable Remote Transducers
(HART)
• Power Plant Replica Simulators – Definitions
• Advances in Power Plant Simulators

4. Power Plant Control
A Power Plant Control room is the heart of all process control and
about 5000 parameters are taken to the central control room and
monitored 24 hours for the healthier and economic operations of the
power plant. Senior persons are deputed as desk officer.

5. Types of Control
Types of Control
• Centralised control (late 70s)
• All parameters were taken to the central control room and
control / monitoring was done.
• Decentralised Control (late 90s)
• Local recording and auto control were executed
through micro controller accomplished with DAS and
status/data were digitally communicatedto the
control room. As a result, the number of parameters
were reduced in the control room
• Scheme based control / HMI (technology of today)
• In this the control (operation of valve, switch, Regulation,
setting of parameters etc.) were done on a schematic way
using Human Man Interface (HMI)

6. Need for recording Parameter Data
• At least one week of parameter data (temp, flow, pressure,
frequency, Vibration, Gas analyser, Ph value)are required in the
critical equipments
• Data recording is required for monitoring efficiency, safety and
maintenance purposes. Hence log book was created which was
maintained by local operator & central departments. A few
examples are : Manual Log Book, 2-3 point recorders and multi
point recorders used in measuring winding temperatures.

7. Distributed Digital Control System
A distributed control system(DCS) refers to a control system usually of a
manufacturing system, process or any kind of dynamic system in which
the control element not in the central location (like the brain) but are
distributed through out the system (like neurons) with each component
subsystem controlled by one or more controllers.
The entire system of controller connected by a network (in optical
fibre) through intra plant bus for communication and Monitoring.
DCS is a broad system that can be applied to big process industries like
power, steel and chemical.

8. DCS system Architecture

9. Advantages of DCS
• Easy monitoring
• Number of parameters taken to the control room reduced
• Auto self check
• Zero drift
• Easy Expansion
• Better than PLC control

10. Applications of DCS
• Electrical power grids and electrical generation
plants
• Environmental Control systems
• Traffic signals
• Radio signal
• Furnace supervisory and safeguard system
• Substation Automation
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Chemical plants

11. Field Bus systems

12. Field Bus
• Fieldbus is the name of a family of industrial computer network protocols
used for real-time distributed control, standardized as IEC 61158.
• A complex automated industrial system — such as manufacturing assembly
line — usually needs a distributed control system—anorganized hierarchy
of controller systems—tofunction. In this hierarchy, there is usually a
Human Machine Interface (HMI) at the top, where an operator can monitor
or operate the system.This is typically linked to a middle layer of
programmable logic controllers (PLC) via a non-time-critical
communications system(e.g. Ethernet). At the bottom of the control chain
is the fieldbus that links the PLCs to the components that actually do the
work, such as sensors, actuators, electric motors, console lights, switches,
valves and contactors.

13. Field Bus (Foundation)with different devices

14. Comparison of field Bus and 4-20mA current loop

15. Comparison of field Bus and 4-20mA current loop

16. Field Bus Architecture

17. Thermal Power Plant Simulators
If you say that computer was the best invention by human then the
best application of Computer is in replica Simulators used in Nuclear ,
Aviation, Thermal and Hydro Plants.
Are they real?
What is the need for the Replica Simulators?
What are the operations you can do with simulators?
Can we test the skill for the person in the simulators?
And why it is made as a mandate to have training in a simulator before
actual hands on working in a Plant?

18. A replica simulator is a replica of the power plant control room and the
process is 99% similar to a model power plant! Of course there is 1 %
exception on local parameters that can be neglected.
Thermal Power Plant Simulators

19. How a Simulator Works?
A high speed workstation simulates the
entire process on Real time operating
system or Unix. The complex operations
are divided into
• Modelx
• Panel i/o
• Process i/o
• Annunciations
• Protection and interlocks
• Mal functions
• Trainee performance evaluation
Control Room Panel
Work Station
Trainer stationTrainee station
Programmer station
Node Controller stations

20. Advantages of Simulator
• Backtrack
• Initial Conditions
• Snapshots
• Halt and Continue after lunch break
• Save the current conditions and resume after some day
• Malfunctions
• The life time malfunctions in the entire service of the desk operator can be insjected
with the time variant as a function
• Created failures : puncturing of super heater, failure of motor, pump etc. with variable
time linearly, logarithmically and randomly

21. Thank you .