Valmet D3 Distributed Control System

Resilient automation for essential industries

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The Valmet D3 DCS has provided decades of reliable control for the world's essential industries. It combines rock-solid Made in USA hardware, no-hassle software licensing, open connectivity, and a continuous forward migration path to maximize your ROI.

Lowering lifecycle costs with reliability and forward-compatible upgrade paths since 1982

Standardize (and save time) with reusable SABL code and device logic

Supports virtualization at every level, including training & development controllers

Built-in automation features and works great with Valmet FlexBatch for ISA-88 applications

Do it all with one system

Valmet D3® connects to and integrates data from any plant system through Ethernet protocols and OPC, and an extensive library of I/O interfaces for legacy equipment. Valmet D3 is designed in alignment with the Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) guidelines.

Unlimited flexibility

If you can think it, the Valmet D3 can do it. Its agile Sequence and Batch Language (SABL) programming environment is built around S88 and S106 standards, so there’s no limit to the process variables you can tweak and adjust.

A platform that grows with your business

A single Valmet D3 System can scale from 2 to 160 nodes, handle up to 50,000 I/O points, and manage hundreds of simultaneous batches and product recipes with no performance degradation.

Secure from the PCB to the DMZ

Our latest family of process controllers (PCM5) are built from the circuit board up to provide integral secure boot and firewall, whitelisting, and other security features -- forming a cornerstone of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and architecture.

Easy for new users, powerful for pros

With intuitive loop configuration software, the ability to virtualize a complete system on your laptop, and a collaboration-first development environment, the Valmet D3 allows new users to get up and running quickly—while giving pros unlimited flexibility in development.

With you for the long haul

We directly support our clients (rather than through a network of integrators), and we’re uniquely committed and capable of ensuring the reliable performance of your Valmet D3. Valmet D3's unmatched 40+ year continuous migration path and engineering expertise ensure the long-term success of your process.

Valmet D3 is the only DCS to preserve investments in application development seamlessly from its initial release in 1982 up to the latest release. This continuous migration path is unique in the industry, as is a critical element of the Valmet D3s outstanding ROI.

Where other control systems are typically bundled with valves and other capital equipment, Valmet D3 makes the integration of existing assets, including legacy and unsupported equipment, easier to accomplish.

This means upgrades can happen in a phased and cost-effective manner, allowing for spare parts to be captured from decommissioned drops, alignment with plant outage limitations and staggered financial investments. Valmet D3 Systems with redundant PCMs can perform online upgrades, keeping your system software current and up to date without process interruption. Our field service and applications teams have performed thousands of successful IO and system upgrades, many of them over a weekend outage.

Powerful and Secure Process Controllers

The Process Control Module 5 Series (Valmet PCM5) is built to last and to change. Designed and built in-house to ensure the highest levels of performance and quality, PCM runs a cybersecure Linux OS and features an intuitive capacitive-touch display. Its modern C/C++ development environment can quickly incorporate and deploy the latest technologies and customizations. The Valmet PCM5 is cybersecure by default, and includes a self-configuring firewall, whitelisting, secure boot and standard IT configuration tools.

 

Field-Proven I/O

Valmet 8000 Series I/O includes a full range of remote I/O modules with a -40ºC to +70ºC temperature range and ISA’s stringent G3 corrosion resistance. HART® information passes through the modules without additional field wiring and intrinsically safe modules are available for hazardous locations. In addition to the redundant Ethernet communication modules, Valmet 8000 I/O is available in a 1 to 6 I/O module redundant configuration. D/3 also directly supports I/O families from Schneider and Siemens and a wide variety of I/O protocols including Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP, Foundation Fieldbus, and DF-1.

 

Reliable Ethernet Communications

Valmet D3 uses reliable Ethernet communications to all D3 nodes. It fully supports redundant Ethernet highways to eliminate any single point of failure in the communication system. Peer-to-peer communications between PCMs and DCMs speed across the high-speed 100 Mbit Ethernets.

Valmet D3 is built on an open architecture philosophy to “play well with others” and leverage more of your existing equipment. Valmet D3 ensures that all process information is available to a variety of industry-standard applications including OPC Classic DA and AE, OPC UA, Windows API (VP Data, Microsoft SQL) as well as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access. Valmet D3 process information is available to other applications through such powerful industry-standard tools as ODBC, DCE, OPC, and standard C database access techniques.

 

Native I/O

• 8000 Series I/O
• 16000 Series I/O also supported

 

Protocols Supported

• Allen Bradley DF-1
• Ethernet/IP
• Ethernet Modbus/TCP
• Modbus
• Modbus Plus
• Profibus-DP
• ControlNet
• Foundation Fieldbus
• Data Highway Plus
• AS-Interface

 

PLC and Direct I/O Connectivity

• Modicon
- I/O: 200, 800, Quantum PLC: Quantum, 584, 984

• Rockwell
- I/O: 1771, Flex (1794)
- PLC: 2.3.5.SLC5, ControLogix

• Siemens
- I/O: 505, S7, ET200

• Triconex
- Safety System PLCs

Easily Build High-Performance Graphics for Operators

Valmet D3 TotalVision® Human Machine Interface (HMI) displays real time continuous and batch process information from the Valmet D3 DCS with an extensive and customizable library of High Performance Smart Graphical Objects. An operator can control any process element, enter information, interact with sequence programs, or access SOPs, maintenance records, web pages and other media via these graphical objects in a vector-based visual representation of the process. Once a graphic is built and registered, it’s available for use throughout the system, and all graphics are kept current with automatic updates through global library objects. Graphics are accessible from common Web browsers and can display data from multiple plant sites, allowing users to monitor enterprise-wide information from anywhere.

Predrawn System Engineering Interface

Valmet D3 ProcessVision allows users to easily and securely monitor, analyze, and adjust production processes. It provides operators, engineering staff, and plant managers with intuitive navigation, diagnostic tools, and a library of video tutorials to ensure efficient and cost-effective management of plant operations. Drill down from the entire Valmet D3 System to individual I/O channels, quickly determine the real-time status of each I/O module, channels within a module, input values of each channel, what tags are assigned to a channel, and which channels are unused. Engineering staff can take advantage of global synchronization of tag modifications, better diagnostics for event analysis and recovery, and enjoy no-hassle, easy-to-configure displays. Plant Managers will appreciate the enhanced cyber security, reduced off-spec product, easier knowledge transfer between senior and junior operators, higher equipment utilization, the ability to run ProcessVision in parallel with previous consoles, and the responsive 24/7 support of our personnel.

Be Informed, Not Overwhelmed

Make It Easy to Do the Right Thing When It Matters Most

Native Valmet D3 Alarming functionality allows the creation of very granular TAG or UNIT based alarms, directs alarms to specific operator workstations and alarm history files, provides for detailed alarm analysis, dynamic alarm management, alarm shelving, alarm system audit, and enforcement of alarm system parameters. Effective Alarm Management means providing plant operators with the right information at the right time to reverse an escalating problem, and our team of certified applications engineers can help your staff design and implement an enterprise wide alarm philosophy that helps ensure safe, effective and efficient operation across multiple DCS and/or PLC platforms.

The Recipe is the Program

Develop, Modify and Document Recipes Without Technical Staff

Valmet FlexBatch® integrates recipe management and the automation layer so operators can quickly and easily develop, scale up, modify and schedule batch manufacturing recipes for products ranging from beer to chocolate to specialty chemicals and more. FlexBatch delivers shorter time to first batch, reduced changeover times, increased throughput and production yield. New and existing products are brought to market faster and at lower cost. Valmet FlexBatch also facilitates compliance with stringent FDA standards such as 21 CFR Part 11 and the ISPE standard GAMP-5. FlexBatch improves product/record integrity, reduces commissioning time, validation costs, and compliance workloads. Production staff can execute library procedures to overcome process upsets. All of which means a more nimble, responsive, and profitable process.

Create Phases and Operations

FlexBatch simplifies the creation, maintenance and documentation of procedures with a graphical editor that creates Procedure Charts for all aspects of production. FlexBatch uses ISA-88 conventions to define transitions between entities which reduces the need for controller programming. The recipe developer creates phase and operation classes and stores them in libraries of reusable objects that recipe developers insert graphically into procedures. Meanwhile, the control engineer can define the plant equipment and the equipment connections within FlexBatch. The actual phases are created using development tools for the Valmet D3 DCS. This modular approach to creating recipes and phases saves time, reduces testing and errors, and simplifies validation. Because procedures are part of the recipes, producing or modifying a recipe is simple and virtually error free.

Execute and Manage Batches

Operators create, schedule and manage campaigns of assembled recipes to fulfill customer orders or production targets. Whether running batches on a single production line or at multiple facilities, operators can visualize and adjust production to meet changing customer demands, assign equipment to specific batches, or modify recipe parameters and procedures associated with individual or multiple batches.

Modify On-the-Fly

At any point during recipe development and execution, personnel can modify Recipe Parameters (ex: Amount of enzyme to add), Recipe Procedures (ex: Don’t use agitator for this batch), Production Schedule (ex: Make 10 batches instead of 5), Batch Start Rules (ex: Start batch after a certain operation completes), Equipment Utilization (ex: Only use Kettle 2 for this batch), or scale Batch Amount (ex: 500kg instead of 200kg)

Document and Analyze

With FlexBatch reporting tools, users can create custom campaigns and batch reports to document all activity associated with batch execution. FlexBatch also includes batch analysis tools to allow operations staff to monitor and analyze production line performance against established KPIs.

Valmet D3 provides users with a hardware-independent development, testing, and training environment. These portable and easy-to-maintain virtual Valmet D3 Systems allow users to learn, innovate, and optimize plant operations in a directionally medium fidelity simulation that can be utilized for testing and checkout of the application software during FAT and SAT. This virtual environment is set up separately and isolated from the production Valmet D3 DCS network.

Valmet D3’s native simulation capabilities allows users to thoroughly test the process, equipment, I/O, HMI, and abnormal state recovery of the completed system prior to start-up, keeping you ahead of schedule and under budget. System shutdown and start-up, diagnostic subsystems, hardware, and I/O, communication systems and any custom developments are tested and verified during the standard Factory Acceptance Test.

The new Valmet PCM5 offers controller-level cybersecurity features to meet today’s dynamic digital threat environment, and Valmet D3 allows redundant server and controller installations in different buildings, providing resilience in the event of catastrophic failure or a cyber attack on a given set of physical servers/controllers.  Seamless redundant networks and locked down usage of client/server hardware prevents intentional or inadvertent infection through physical devices such as USB memory sticks or disk drives. Granular privilege sets using Microsoft Windows Authentication allow only assigned operators and workstations to operate designated equipment, and IT staff can easily authorize or de-authorize an engineer or operator from the entire Valmet D3 System.

Everyone Can Tune Loops Like a Pro

Loops must be properly tuned in order to minimize energy usage, maximize product quality, and improve profits. In a plant with hundreds of PID loops, hectic startups and expansions, loop tuning can change and degrade over time. Instrument wear and tear can negatively affect PID loop performance and overall process efficiency. Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides a highly intuitive and effective platform for all PID loop tuning on a Valmet D3 System. It solves common problems associated with tuning PID control loops and allows users to model, analyze, and tune PID control loops quickly, accurately, and consistently. It’s like having your most experienced loop tuning operator on duty 24 hours a day.

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer employs proprietary modeling algorithms and tuning algorithms that automatically identify self-regulating and integrating process types.   Accurate models can be developed from noisy process data, normal operating adjustments, or traditional step tests. The intuitive interface and built-in guidance will have new users analyzing control loops as quickly and effectively as operators with many more years of experience. Users can model and tune to find optimal tuning parameters for each aspect of a process operation. For example, a user could easily generate optimal tuning parameters for a reactor at startup, steady state, or shutdown phases. Furthermore, Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides tuning capability for multiple simultaneous users from any Valmet D3 Console.

Proprietary Modeling Algorithm

Control Station’s patent-pending Non-Steady State (NSS) Modeling technology, Valmet PID Loop Optimizer is uniquely suited to analyze non-steady state process data collected directly from the D3. It provides superior PID controller tuning parameters by segmenting process data associated with any/all experiments performed (i.e. bump tests), and by centering the process model over the entire range of process data under review.

Customizable Controller Performance

The adjustable Closed-Loop Time Constant allows users to tailor a controller’s performance. Users can achieve control characteristics from Conservative to Aggressive via the intuitive slider bar control.

Comparative Statistics and Stability Analysis

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer enhances accuracy and understanding through dynamic stability analysis. Tabular statistics and graphical performance charts reveal the relative improvement to the selected control strategy through statistics such as: Settling Time, Percent Overshoot, Decay Ratio, and Controller Output Travel. Advanced robustness analysis algorithms are used to calculate process stability.

Simulated Controller Response

Dynamic simulation of the PID controller’s response curve permits users to evaluate proposed tuning parameters before implementing them in the PCM. In particular, users benefit from a side-by-side comparison of existing vs. proposed tuning parameters including optional controller settings such as P-only, PI, PID, and PID with Filter.

Documentation and Reporting

Valmet PID Loop Optimizer provides comprehensive documentation of the decision-making process and presents appropriate information in an easy-to-follow report. Each report includes the process data used, an associated model fit, simulated PID response, performance statistics, related stability analysis, model parameters, related data properties, and controller scaling values.