Control system RTU targets the upstream oil & gas industries

Until recently, gas wells were drilled at multiple sites spread out over a wide area, and each individual well head had its own controller for monitoring and control. With the advent of unconventional horizontal gas drilling techniques, multiple wells can now be drilled from a single well pad, reducing in the number of controllers needed to monitor and control the well heads.
 

For such applications, the controllers need to be able to handle more I/O signals. Also, as wells are often drilled in remote locations where temperatures can be extreme, the controllers need to rugged. The new version of the STARDOM FCN-RTU addresses these needs.

The enhanced FCN-RTU can accommodate eight I/O modules, allowing it to handle up to 256 input/output signals. An additional ten STARDOM FCN-RTU I/O modules are rated for use in temperatures ranging from -20°C to +70°C. 

ASTMAC VDS, the STARDOM SCADA package, as well as all related software, now also supports the 64-bit version of Windows 7. All engineering, monitoring, and control functions can be performed on computers running 64-bit Windows 7.

STARDOM is Yokogawa’s open network control system, which consists of components with control, operation, and monitoring functionality. It is said to combine the reliability of a DCS and the versatility and economy of a PLC. The autonomous controllers at the core of STARDOM have the same control and monitoring functions found in a PLC as well as the information distribution functions of a PC. When used in combination, the FCN/FCJ autonomous controllers and FAST/TOOLS SCADA software give increased flexibility in distributed applications.