Batch Events Whitepaper

I'm sorry I jumped the gun last time in directing you out to the Acme Biotech site to download my whitepaper on Batch Events in DeltaV version 10.3 - I've got it finished now, so head on over to Acme and follow the links to the document.

Batch Events in PHV

Back in April, I wrote about how major batch events can now make their way into Process History View. So what’s that look like? How do I find these batch events? Well, there’s a new Category named BATCH-EVENT. So if I go into PHV, and filter on Category equal to BATCH-EVENT, I get something like this (I’ve hidden some columns that don’t pertain to batch events to make it easier to read):

One of the first things to note is the Parameter column contains both the unique Batch ID as assigned by DeltaV and the Batch ID as entered from the Create Batch view. The State column gives you a taste of the different “major batch events” now being captured. Here’s a non-comprehensive list of major batch events:

BATCH ADDED
BATCH REMOVED
CAMPAIGN CREATED
LOAD
Manual Phase Started
Mode Change
Operation Finished
Operation Started
Operation Started with Equipment
Phase Finished
Phase Started
Phase Started with Equipment
Procedure Finished
Procedure Started
REMOVED
Resource Acquired by recipe
Resource Released by recipe
State Changed
Unit Procedure Finished
Unit Procedure Started
Unit Procedure Started with Equipment

Noticeably absent from the list are report parameters. If I could somehow get report-like parameters into PHV, I’d have some pretty useful information. Enter the LOG EVENT function. The LOG EVENT function has been around a long time (go to BOL on how to use it), but the cool thing is how it looks in PHV. And it looks different, depending if it’s used in a regular module as opposed to phase logic:

When it’s used in just a regular module, the Desc1 column is empty. When it’s used in phase logic, the Desc1 column contains the Batch ID!

So for this example, if I look at the Parameter column to contain Acme11May2009 or the Desc1 column to contain Acme11May2009, and sort the result by Date/Time…to be continued.

Keeping Focus

I’m just back from a week of vacation at the beach. Very relaxing (except for having to get my presentations done for Emerson Exchange).

I got a call yesterday from one of my customers who’s just upgraded to version 10.3 of DeltaV. In case you haven’t heard, Emerson has equipped the new versions of control and recipe studio with Microsoft’s ribbon technology (ala Office 2007).

So Ray asks me “how do you know which control studio session has focus”? I hadn’t looked that close at 10.3 yet, but from past experience, the title bar at the top of the window is usually darker if that window has focus:

So I open up 10.3, launch three control studio windows, put them next to one another and damn if you can’t tell which one has focus:

Not a show stopper, but something to watch out for (BTW, the CS window in the upper left had focus).

Another 10.3 Nugget

Not everything that’s new in DeltaV version 10 is in the New Features section of the release notes – some new stuff is detailed in the Enhanced Functionality section.

Case in point – Linker utilities have been added to the batch toolbar to make linking the ActiveX buttons and lists in DeltaV Operate easy. Prior to version 10, a little under the hood magic was required to tie the objects together.

Just mouse over the buttons in the DeltaV Batch toolbar and you’ll notice the 3 new linker utilities:

Select the linker of your choice (below is the batch list control linker).


Be sure to select the linker after you’ve dropped the two items to be linked on the graphic – otherwise, you won’t be able to select them and complete the operation.

Cold Enough For Ya?

So in preparing for the 2009 version of our UGOC (User Group of the Carolinas), I came across an interesting new nugget in DeltaV version 10.3. Interesting because it’s not documented in the Release Notes.

So now there’s a new drop down menu on the Controller tab of a controller node for additional selections of Cold Restart. "Always Disabled" is really no different than setting the timer to 0. "Enabled Within A Time Limit" allows you to set the time (no difference than now). The new choice is the "Always Enabled (maximum time)" selection, just in case being without power for more than 30 days just isn’t long enough.