SYSTEM DESIGN & PROCUREMENT
Process automation and SCADA systems involve thousands of details – essential building blocks that must be carefully crafted to meet your strategic objectives and deliver a functional system.
System design is the process of converting the functional requirements developed during the planning phase into a set of biddable and buildable plans and specifications. During design, you determine how the system will function, communicate and interact with other systems. Westin’s approach to design ensures the system meets your unique process, business and scalability needs.
Design specifications serve two critical roles. First, they clearly and completely describe the required scope of work to the contractors. Westin’s seasoned engineering staff, many of whom have experience as systems integrators, have a keen awareness of the practical details that must be defined. This type of experience during planning and specification helps ensure “apples-to-apples” bid comparisons while minimizing change orders during construction.
The second critical role of plans and design specifications is as a blueprint for system construction. It is imperative that design documents clearly describe all required functionality.
Key Considerations in System Design
- Hardware: Storage devices, servers, clients, peripherals, redundancy
- Software: Operating system, HMI, applications, DBMS, network OS, programming software
- Communications: Optical fiber, cable, low-voltage wiring, UHF/microwave, licensed and unlicensed radio
- Protocols: standard and de facto transport protocols
- Applications: manual vs. automatic control strategies, attended vs. unattended operations
- Integration: Technologies for delivering business value by interfacing with IT systems
- Performance: Data update rates, historical data capture rates
- Installation: Mounting details for equipment instruments, panels, antennas, cables and conduits
- Control center design
- Process instrumentation, RTU and PLC selection
- Network design
- Telecommunication design
- HMI requirements
- Control strategy design
- Procurement specifications
- Vendor prequalification
- Proposal evaluation and contract negotiation