Newest release of extended automation system leverages the power of integration for customers in all industries to improve performance, usability and operator effectiveness

Since its introduction in 2004, ABB’s Industrial^IT Extended Automation System 800xA has been sold to more than 6,000 new and existing ABB customers in a diverse range of industries. This figure includes new system installations, as well as existing ABB system evolutions to 800xA.

System 800xA serves as the foundation for a number of unique industry-specific automation applications. Designed from the beginning to act as an integration platform, it has been proven to promote collaboration, improve operator effectiveness, achieve seamless control solutions, and provide flexible evolution paths through integrating diverse, usually separate plant systems, applications, information or fieldbus and controller platforms.

“With System 800xA, ABB basically rewrote the rules for what could be done with an automation system, said Roy Tanner, System Marketing Manager, from ABB. “ As the first true integration platform available on the market, System 800xA redefined how customers could leverage the power of information to achieve significant efficiency and productivity improvements, while providing robust and reliable process control. It helps them to make the most of their existing resources, along with a path forward to successful business expansion.”

The newest version of System 800xA, released on July 13, 2010, includes enhancements to improve overall system performance and usability while significantly reducing its physical footprint, promote operator effectiveness, ease of use and deeper integration with smart devices and electrical systems. These enhancements help customers operate more efficiently and profitably, while making the best use of existing plant assets, energy resources and personnel.

Highlights of the release include:

Improved operator effectiveness: System 800xA 5.1 includes advanced alarm management capabilities that help users implement successful alarm management strategies, as well as provide operations personnel with better control of responsibility between control rooms and other operating locations. New Alarm Shelving and Alarm Analysis features have been added to an already long list of alarm management capabilities in order to help keep alarms in check. The new release also includes a new Point of Control feature that improves coordination of operators during critical periods such as shift change providing a safer, more secure operating environment.

Improved engineering and change management: The new release of System 800xA includes multiple engineering improvements, such as simplified bulk data handling when engineering FOUNDATION Fieldbus projects and a new and improved batch procedure editor.

In addition, two new features improve and streamline change management procedures. The Task Analysis Tool lets the user evaluates how his/her application will be executed based on the current task rates assigned prior to downloading. The Detailed Difference Report provides a way to easily see changes made in control applications and graphics and provides a report of exactly what has been modified, added, or removed in an easy-to-read, user interface.

Improved performance: Several performance enhancements make System 800xA’s already robust Control and I/O offering even more versatile, flexible, and scalable. The latest version includes a new member of the AC800M controller family, the PM891. With three times the clock speed (450Mhz) and four times the memory of its predecessor, the PM891 helps customers do more with less, as they need fewer controllers to maintain processing requirements for complex applications. This controller is also designed to perform 1-1 controller evolution projects for previous generation ABB and third party controller platforms.

Reduced footprint: The latest version of System 800xA supports virtualization to reduce the physical number of PCs required for installations by as much as 75%. This significantly reduced footprint also reduces energy consumption and maintenance requirements. In addition, improvements made to System 800xA’s FOUNDATION Fieldbus architecture have greatly reduced the infrastructure requirements for its High Speed Ethernet (HSE) network approach, increasing the number of devices that can be connected to one node by 400%.

Enhanced maintainability: Based on User Centered Design practices, the newest version of System 800xA includes a System Administration Console and a Security Update Tool to help keep the system running securely and at an optimum level. The Security Update Tool will allow users to download Security Patches from Microsoft and cross match that to ABB’s qualified list. The user can then create a loadable set of supported, tested security updates that can be rolled out to System 800xA. This helps the user save valuable time and effort while providing a more robust, secure system.

Improved connectivity: The System 800xA portfolio of communication interfaces has been enhanced to help users further leverage its powerful integration capabilities. These include new communication interfaces for PROFINET, DeviceNet, and WirelessHART. System 800xA’s FOUNDATION Fieldbus interfaces also now support EDDL. These interfaces make it easier for customers to access and use diagnostic data from smart instruments, regardless of manufacturer or physical device location.

To provide even deeper and wider integration with electrical systems, System 800xA’s IEC61850 Communications Interface capability has been enhanced by increasing the number of supported Intelligent Electrical Devices (IEDs) per communication interface card and by improving alarm and event support.

By integrating power and process systems on the common 800xA platform, customers optimize the design and performance of their electrical and automation systems and see additional benefits in reduced maintenance, engineering and overall lifecycle costs. According to ARC, typical savings can result in a 20% reduction in CAPEX (capital expenditures) and OPEX (operating expenditures) by integrating these two, usually separate, automation infrastructures.

ABB’s groundbreaking extended automation System 800xA has improved industrial productivity, safety, and operational profitability for customers in virtually every industry and every region, from process industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, pulp and paper, cement, and mining to traditional electric and water utilities to alternative energy production such as solar, waste-to-energy and bioethanol. For more information, please visit http://www.abb.com/controlsystems

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.