ADECS³
Distributed Control
ADECS3 consists of software and hardware combined. We consider the arrangement and distribution of the hardware that is involved in the system to be one of the most critical initial factors in our systems.
In the control room the hardware consists of computers and displays and sometimes (depending on the modules in use) there is a very small amount of control system hardware. The majority of the physical hardware for ADECS3 is usually distributed to multiple locations on the floating dock safety deck or is in the pump rooms.
 The hardware is connected via an Ethernet network. Typically this consists of a fiber optic loop that connects the Distributed Process Units (DPUs - also called Distributed Control Units or DCUs) throughout the entire dock.
Each DPU has a redundant power supply arrangement and a redundant network arrangement to account for the loss of the most critical components. All of this information is reported back to the control room for monitoring by the operations and maintenance staff. |