The system has flexible architecture and integrated security to meet monitoring and control application needs.
A manufacturer of automation and control products offers a high-density, highly configurable modular RTU and programmable logic controller (PLC) system. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) says their SEL-2240 Axion extends their automation and control product family. The system has flexible architecture and integrated security to meet monitoring and control application needs. Users simply select the right combination of modules in almost any arrangement to create a customized solution for each job.
David Whitehead, SEL’s vice president of research and development explains that the Axion can help solve tough control system and substation automation problems. Users can build an Axion system with up to six units, or nodes, which are connected in a network using the EtherCAT protocol. Each node can accommodate ten modules, including a processor module, one or two power supplies, and a user-determined mix of I/O modules suitable for the application. An Axion node uses an integrated RTAC module as its CPU, which means the device is not only an RTU, but also a complete substation data concentrator and integration platform. The company says the power supply module employs the same technology found in their protective relays and supports an entire node. In critical situations where two incoming power sources are available, install dual power supply modules in each node so the Axion can control needed processes even if one power source should fail. Even when the Axion nodes are distributed using the available fiber Ethernet connections, all of the I/O points are updated every millisecond. All of the tags in the system can be logged for a system-wide sequence of events report. Engineers can combine the Axion with the SEL ICONTM communications networks when they need to place nodes significant distances apart with no loss of determinism.
The Axion has a complete IEC 61131 logic processor, secure communications, advanced data concentration, local and remote I/O, and protocol conversion capabilities between multiple built-in client/server protocols. The IEC 61131 engine provides a means for engineers to run their custom control logic at two different rates. The higher-speed solve rate can be as fast as 4 ms and is intended for critical control loops. The slower solve rate can be as slow as 1 second and is perfect for SCADA reporting. The solution also gives integrators the necessary tools to easily integrate and concentrate information from the wide variety of microprocessor-based devices found in plant applications.
SEL says the Axion works seamlessly with their SEL-3530 Real-Time Automation Controller (RTAC), SEL-2411 Programmable Automation Controller, SEL-2440 DPAC Discrete Programmable Automation Controller, and SEL-2523 Annunciator Panel to provide I/O, control, and annunciation for many industrial applications.
ACSELERATOR RTACTM SEL-5033 configuration software is included with each Axion for no additional cost. SEL says it features everything you need to set up I/O, communications, security, and programmable logic in one easy-to-use package.
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. www.selinc.com
Filed Under: O&M
