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    Distributed Control

    See the forest

    Jim Montague
    Prepare to look back, be patient and explain the basics
    Distributed Control

    O-PAS open for business

    Jim Montague
    Plug-and-play products that comply with the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) are turbocharging testbeds and coming to supplier shelves
    Distributed Control

    ExxonMobil still leads on OPA testbeds

    Jim Montague
    Pioneering testbeds and field tests on the cusp of commercial application
    Distributed Control

    Plug-and-play products, testbeds built on O-PAS foundation

    Jim Montague
    Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) stays busy, keeps up pressure for interoperability
    Distributed Control

    O-PAS saves big compared to DCSs

    Jim Montague
    Study shows O-PAS computing power and speed saves 52% on initial costs and 47-70% over 25 years
    nodes_come_knocking
    Distributed Control

    Nodes come knocking

    Jim Montague
    ASRock, Schneider Electric and Phoenix Contact are on brink of launching O-PAS products
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    Control Report from Jim Montague: Lost in the sauce

    Jim Montague
    Laser-like mission focus cuts through extraneous baloney
    This simplified Open Process Automation (OPA) reference architecture shows what types of devices ExxonMobil and its OPA Testbed Lab are evaluating for conformance with O-PAS, V2.1 and whether they can meet ExxonMobil’s requirements for field use. Components tested include: 1) industrial PC (IPC)-based distributed control node (DCN) computing without local I/O, 2) network-connected remote I/O, 3) advanced computing platform hosting virtual DCNs, and 4) DCNs with local I/O. They’ll likely be deployed in ExxonMobil’s OPA field trial that’s expected to start operating later this year in a manufacturing automation system at an ExxonMobil facility in Baton Rouge, LA. Source: ExxonMobil
    Distributed Control

    ExxonMobil OPA field trial on the docket

    Jim Montague
    A pioneering open process automation (OPA) testbed by ExxonMobil serves as a model for other and is culminating in a operational field trial this year
    These profiles for “distributed control node (DCN)—I/O” and “DCN—compute” are two of the five developed by OPAF to clarify the roles and requirements that suppliers need to meet to produce products that comply with the Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS), Version 2.1, that was finalized in the first week of February. This “Rosetta stone” for the physical platform defines locations in the O-PAS reference architecture where DCNs are deployed, and the conformance requirement profiles for each configuration, such as system management, OPC UA networking, security and others. Source: OPAF
    Distributed Control

    Latest OPAF headlines on interoperability projects

    Jim Montague
    O-PAS sets the pace: in this second of a three-part series, members of the Open Process Automation Forum presented their progress report at the ARC Industry Forum in Orlando
    O Pas Sets The Pace
    Distributed Control

    Shell, Petronas and Reliance develop O-PAS testbeds

    Jim Montague
    O-PAS sets the pace: in this first of a three-part series, three major end users detail their efforts to implement and test Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) components...
    O Pas Sets The Pace
    Distributed Control

    O-PAS sets the pace

    Jim Montague
    The Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) standard starts operating and prepares conformance testing
    Industry News

    Valmet buys NovaTech’s process business

    Jim Montague
    Earliest expected completion is Jan. 1, 2023