Automated Software Tools Streamline Railway SCADA Project

Transcription

1 Automated Software Tools Streamline Railway SCADA Project INTRODUCTION Each day, 4,624 trains travel along the 3,582-kilometer, Belgian railway network. Infrabel is responsible for maintaining and modernizing the entire railway infrastructure and, ultimately, for allowing train traffic to operate reliably and safely. In order to coordinate all traffic on a 24/7 basis and ensure proper operation of the railway infrastructure, Infrabel relies on the dedication of 12,750 employees and a SCADA system that provides live status information. PROJECT OVERVIEW The DGN (data management) project comprises part of the SCADA system. Initiated in 2001, the DGN project will ultimately consist of Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) that perform monitoring and control functions at 1,900 locations and 20 PC-based servers, which are located at railway stations. The servers, in turn, communicate with supervisors who monitor the entire railway network from control centers. The primary function of the DGN system is monitoring of the operational status of signaling systems that are located along the tracks. The RTUs transmit this information to the servers via Ethernet on a fiber optic network. The project has evolved to the extent that RTUs also control heaters that prevent freezing on switches and manage the power supply network for the trains. This system further manages the sorting platform in Antwerp in order to control the direction of trains arriving by boat depending on their destinations throughout Europe. The contracting team on the project consists of Alstom, Siemens and Semaphore. Supplier of the RTUs and servers, Semaphore has worked extensively with the contracting team and end user in development of software tools, which have considerably streamlined installation, start-up and operation of the system. Using 20 servers and 1,900 RTUs, the DGN project extends over the entire Belgian railway network. Control centers oversee the entire railway network 20 PC-based servers are located at train stations Fiber Ethernet network Local technicians interact via Excel or use Plug & Go without a PC 1,900 RTUs are located along the tracks throughout the railway network

2 SOFTWARE TOOLS In order to prevent operations and maintenance personnel from being overwhelmed by the complexity of a 1900-node SCADA system, the project team devised an array of simplified software tools. Although the SCADA industry has embraced open software such as Microsoft Windows, web browser HMIs and IEC , end users continue to be faced with steep learning curves due to considerable, custom content and productspecific technician tools. For this project, Semaphore devised software tools that isolate users from the company s TWinSoft programming environment. While TWinSoft supports open, IEC Ladder Diagram and provides function blocks using Windows menus, Infrabel wished to interact, instead, via applications such as Microsoft Excel. Like Excel and other Microsoft applications, TWinSoft includes an Automation interface, which is an interprocess communication mechanism based on Component Object Model (COM) and intended for use by scripting languages such as Visual Basic. Using Excel menus, Infrabel personnel are able to program RTU applications with very little exposure to TWinSoft, which is running in background. TWinSoft Automation-enabled tools for the Infrabel DGN project include SOCRATES and ElecGenerator. SOCRATES is a tool for configuration of the signaling application program in the RTU. ElecGenerator is similar to SOCRATES and was developed to support configuration of the power supply network management functionality. A third tool, UMPConfigurateur, configures the PCs, which are located at the railway stations. UMPConfigurateur is not a TWinSoft application but does share similarities with SOCRATES and ElecGenerator. Semaphore also developed two tools, Pack & Go and Plug & Go, which simplify the uploading, transportation and management of RTU project files. SOCRATES SOCRATES is used to configure the signaling system application in the RTU. It is written in Visual Basic script and generates the program from the information that is contained in an Excel file. Infrabel personnel need only know how to enter information on one or more Excel forms and how to load this file in SOCRATES to generate the corresponding TWinSoft application. The result is a complete project that includes multiple files such as programmable logic and web pages, which will be downloaded into the RTU. Shown, here, is the SOCRATES main configuration page that specifies communication and general parameters for the RTU. In addition, Pack & Go files comprise the complete project for downloading into the RTU.

3 Among the tables generated by SOCRATES are those for input cabling, as shown here. ELECGENERATOR While SOCRATES is used to configure RTU applications for the signaling system, ElecGenerator is used to configure RTU applications for the monitoring and remote management of the power supply network for the train. Like SOCRATES, this tool is written in Visual Basic script and generates the RTU application from the information contained in an Excel file. In addition, ElecGenerator uses Semaphore s WebForm Studio software to automatically configure the HMI that consists of web pages, which are resident in the RTU.

4 Shown here is the Visual Basic application for ElecGenerator. Web pages such as this are automatically generated by ElecGenerator. UMP CONFIGURATEUR Even using today s software environments for SCADA servers, PC-based application programming can be an intensive, time-consuming process. In the DGN project, PCs at railway stations use Semaphore s T-VIEW data aggregator to communicate with multiple RTUs at locations along the railway and with supervisory systems at the control centers. For these PCs, Infrabel wanted to streamline configuration through the use of an application tool that operates in a manner that is similar to those for the RTU projects. Semaphore developed UMPConfigurator, which provides a step-by-step process that is familiar to users of SOCRATES and ElecGenerator.

5 UMPConfigurateur provides configuration steps for the railway station PC application. PLUG & GO Downloadable content in today s RTU products includes multiple files such as programmable logic, web pages, report files, a loader, and the operating system (OS). These files comprise the RTU project. For a SCADA system that includes 1,900 RTUs spread over an entire country, organization of the RTU project for transport to remote sites is critical. A simplified process expedites installation and start-up, replacement of an RTU that has failed, and maintenance tasks such as program changes and version upgrades. For management of RTU projects, Semaphore developed Plug & Go, which is a tool that loads the complete TWinSoft project onto a memory card. The project file can be generated on a PC by TWinSoft and saved on an SD card. When the SD card is pluggedin to an RTU, the RTU can be started up without connecting a PC. The RTU can also automatically generate the project file on the SD card. In case of a failure, this allows rapid start-up of a replacement RTU. Plug & Go is a TWinSoft application that loads RTU files onto a memory card. User interaction with TwinSoft is limited to selections on a simple menu.

6 PACK & GO Pack & Go allows for RTU project file maintenance on a PC. It creates a single, packed file and is used to backup or to transfer a complete project without missing files or to update an RTU with the complete project without the requirement of advanced knowledge of TwinSoft on the part of the user. All files are compressed and packed into a single file with the extension.tpg (TWinSoft Pack & Go). Once a project is packed, it can be unpacked or updated to the RTU via a double click on the.tpg file. Using a simplified menu shown, here, Pack & Go allows for maintenance of RTU project files by users who are unfamiliar with the TWinSoft programming environment.

7 As shown here, RTU installations are located nearby the tracks throughout the railway network. The trackside buildings include RTU equipment that is installed in racks such as those shown, here. The RTU chassis is in the second rack from the top of the lefthand frame.

8 DGN INTERFACE In addition to the automated software tools, Semaphore developed an interface for communication between the PC-based servers at the train stations and the supervisors at the control rooms. Using a protocol developed by Siemens, the servers forward information from the RTUs to the control rooms. The DGN Interface also allows supervisory commands, such as system tests or control of railway switch heaters, to be sent to the RTUs. In the DGN system, maintenance personnel use web pages through Semaphore s T-VIEW software in order to access the network in detail levels ranging from a system-wide overview to specifics at individual RTUs. CONCLUSION In order to significantly reduce the complexity of a live SCADA system consisting of 1,900 remote locations and 20 servers, Semaphore worked with Infrabel and the project team including Alstom and Siemens to develop a suite of software tools for application configuration. Key to the tools is integration of Automation into Semaphore s programming environment, TWinSoft. With TWinSoft Automation, there is no need for Infrabel personnel to be trained in TWinSoft, which runs in background in a manner that is practically invisible. Infrabel personnel instead use Excel configuration files and Visual Basic configuration tools, which are specific to their application. Semaphore also developed two tools, Pack & Go and Plug & Go, which simplify the loading, management, and transportation of RTU project files. These tools have proven to greatly reduce the learning curves that are associated even with today s open SCADA software. SEMAPHORE Worldwide contact information U.S.A. Semaphore Americas Inc. 280 Wekiva Springs Road Suite 3030 Longwood, FL U.S.A. P +1 (844) support.americas@servelec-semaphore.com Australia Semaphore Unit 8, 3-5 Gilda Crt Mulgrave, Victoria 3170 Australia P+61 (03) F +61 (03) Info.kingfisher@servelec-semaphore.com Europe Semaphore Belgium Waterloo Office Park Building M Dreve Richelle, 161 B-1410 Waterloo Belgium P+32 (2) F +32 (2) info.tbox@servelec-semaphore.com 2011 Semaphore. All rights reserved. T-BOX and T-VIEW are trademarks of Semaphore. All other marks may be trademarks of their respective owners /14