DCS Project Development

Our Control System is developed in ABB’s System 800xA DCS. The version of the DCS
software is v5.1. Following sequence of steps was taken to complete the project:

 Hardware Configuration
 Input/ Output Configuration
 Application/ Logic Development
 HMI Development
 Program/ HMI Testing

For execution of above mentioned steps, the tools used in ABB DCS are as follows:

1. Control Builder Professional: -

Control Builder Professional (CB Professional) is a programming tool for creating control
solutions when using the AC 800M hardware. It provides tools for programming applications
and configure hardware units from the AC 800M family.
Control Builder supports five different programming languages according to IEC 61131-3. They
are Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, Instruction List, Ladder Diagram and Sequential
Function Chart.
Control Builder projects are created in the project explorer.

 Project Explorer: -
The Control Builder user interface is called Project Explorer and this is where you create and
build your projects. A project contains the entire configuration needed for an AC 800M based
control solution, including control applications and hardware settings.
Both the software (programs, diagrams, functions, and so on) and the hardware (the actual
hardware connected to the controller) are modelled in a project. The relationships are visualized
in Figure 1.
 Figure 1: Project Explorer and Hardware Configuration
The Project Explorer contains three main folders, see Figure 2:

Figure 2: Project Explorer Pane

  Libraries Folder: -
When a project is created, the Libraries folder contains the System folder (containing firmware
functions that can be used throughout the applications), and two libraries that are always
connected to a project: the BasicLib and the IconLib.
 Applications Folder: -
The Applications folder holds all code that is downloaded to the controller(s). This code is stored
as programs, control modules, single control modules or diagrams. The chosen method depends
on the requirements of the particular application.
To create a new application under the Applications folder, right click the Applications folder and
select New Application (see Figure 3). The new application folder can in turn contain both
applications and application folders.

Figure 3: Create New Application

 Figure 3: Analog Input Control Modules

Figure 3: Sequential Flow Chart for Dehydration Initial Step

 Controllers Folder: -
The Controllers folder contains all the controllers that belong to the project. Each controller has a
Connected Applications folder, containing the application(s) running in the controller. The
controller also has a Connected Libraries folder, containing all the hardware libraries to be used
when configuring the controller.
To connect an application to the controller, right-click the Connected Applications folder, select
Connect Application, and select the application.
To connect a hardware library to the controller, right-click the Connected Libraries folder, select
Connect Library, and select the hardware library.
For each controller, there is a CPU unit to which other hardware units, such as I/O units and
communication interfaces can be added. Units can also be added to the controller on the same
level as the CPU unit. The controller structure mirrors the physical structure, which means that
all ports and buses have their own corresponding unit (icon) in Project Explorer. As shown in
figure below:

Figure 3: Controllers and I/O Modules Configuration

Input / Output signals are further defined in the I/O modules configured as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Analog input signals

 2. Graphic Builder: -
Graphics Builder is a tool that helps to configure graphic aspects such as graphic displays,
graphic elements, and faceplate elements. The main parts of Graphics Builder are Edit Panel,
Menu Bar, Tool bar, Toolbox window, Expression Editor, Properties window, Status Bar, and
Element Explorer.

Figure 4: Graphic Builder

 Creating a New Graphic Aspect: -
This section describes the procedure for creating graphic aspects. Execute the following steps:
1. Go to Engineering Workplace, then Functional Structure as shown in figures below:
 Figure 5: ABB Workplace Login
2. In Engineering Workplace, select the object on which the graphic aspect should be
created see Figure 6.

Figure 6: Engineering Workplace

3. Right-click the object and select New Aspect from the context menu. The New Aspect
dialog box appears see Figure 7.

Figure 7: New Aspect

4. Select Graphic Display PG2 (for graphic display), Graphic Element PG2 (for graphic
element), or Generic Element PG2 (for generic element) from the list.
5. Type a name for the new aspect and click Create.
6. For using static objects in HMI like pipes, tanks and shapes, Go to Toolboxes and select
desired item as shown below
Figure 7: Toolboxes
 7. HMI screen with static object like pipes, tanks and shapes is shown in figure below:

Figure 7: HMI with Static Objects

8. For I/O linking enter I/o tag address in “Value” property of the I/o object as shown below:

Further detail of I/O linking, go to Expression Editor in Value property, then inside Control
Structure, go to location of control module of desired I/O tag in the project and select its
“.Value” tag to display the current value:
Figure 7: Expression Editor