January, 1997

Superior Controls recently completed the installation of a large monitoring and control system for a major Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company. The system has more 2,000 I/O points that monitor temperature, pressure, humidity, etc., in animal and research labs as well as, fermentation and production areas.

With this system, Superior Controls configured 11 computer nodes using Intellution's FIX Full Function SCADA, View, and Remote software packages, as well as MS Visual Basic and VBA. The system uses Intellution's networking, SCADA, object graphics, historical trending, database access, and alarming features.

System configuration included implementing both standard and custom communications drivers accessing numerous Allen-Bradley PLCs, a Westinghouse IMPACC power monitoring system, and a Landis & Gyr control system.

One of the FIX nodes is configured with Intellution's remote access that allows facility supervisors to log into the system from computers running FIX in their homes.

Real time data are displayed on more than 80 custom-configured, graphical, operator screens available to operators, technicians, and engineers over a PC network. Each desktop PC is configured to monitor and display all I/O signals connected to the system.

In addition to providing real time process information, the system performs historical data collection, provides extensive reporting throughout the facility, alarms security for specific conditions and performs automatic personnel paging for select alarm conditions.

The system includes an NT Server that archives analog data collected by FIX nodes in an MS Excel format. An Excel VBA program automatically plots more than 200 graphs that are used daily for maintenance, process turning, and validation purposes. Another VBA program collects data on power usage in specific facilities for analysis.

The entire project was implemented within nine months and is presently providing operators, technicians, and engineers with continuous, invaluable data throughout this pharmaceutical facility.