SIMATIC Route Control

Management of route processes

With SIMATIC Route Control, the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system offers an innovative and proven route management system at the same time. Due to its flexibility and scalability, SIMATIC Route Control can be used beneficially for almost any plant scale in a wide range of industries.

Using SIMATIC Route Control, engineering and planning offices as well as plant operators can significantly reduce project configuration and commissioning costs and at the same time increase configuration quality. Thanks to the flexible "multiplexing" capability of SIMATIC Route Control, plant expansions often no longer require new configuration. They can instead be configured during operation. Actuator control can be rescheduled and adapted during runtime. SIMATIC Route Control thus offers the highest degree of flexibility with unconditional assurance of plant safety.

SIMATIC Route Control can be profitably used for a wide range of applications. It significantly increases safe plant operation through automated, controlled actuator activation with simultaneous monitoring of interlocks, limits and material compatibility. The very easy-to-use operator interface of SIMATIC Route Control significantly reduces plant complexity for the plant operator and avoids operator errors. The optional redundancy of the Route Control Servers and the automation system-based control of routes ensure the high system availability required in many industries. The detailed documentation of operator interventions and the system activities enable full tracking of routing processes, which is especially required in validated environments.

SIMATIC Route Control can be profitably used for almost any plant size in a wide range of applications in the process industries.

SIMATIC Route Control shows its strengths in the following situations, among others: 

• High plant safety combined with maximum flexibility for route control required.
• Operator errors should be specifically avoided by employing automatisms
• Frequent changes to the route network are necessary due to modifications or expansion, including the involved actuators and sensors
• Materials used are incompatible or change frequently
• Source and destination (including reversal of direction for bidirectional routes) should be able to be specified dynamically
• Routes are often controlled in parallel
• Plant projects are executed with SIMATIC BATCH

The modularity and flexibility of SIMATIC Route Control are optimally supported by the hardware available. The SIMATIC PCS 7 Industrial Workstations from the "Industrial Workstation/IPC" section can be used for SIMATIC Route Control.

Hardware for small plants

With small plants, SIMATIC Route Control Client and Server can be installed together with the OS software on a single-station system to save costs. You can select the hardware for this OS/RC single station from the section "Industrial Workstation/IPC", under "SIMATIC Rack PC".

Client/server configuration

In medium and large plants, the SIMATIC Route Control route management system is typically used as a distributed multi-station system with client-server architecture. Depending on the application, it is generally possible to operate SIMATIC Route Control Server, SIMATIC Batch Server and SIMATIC OS Server on common basic hardware. Taking into account the availability and performance requirements of the respective application, it must be decided whether separate server hardware must be provided for each component.

The availability of the RC Server can be increased further by a redundant design of the SIMATIC Route Control Server hardware. SIMATIC PCS 7 supports a SIMATIC Route Control Server or pair of SIMATIC Route Control Servers for each multi-user system.

The SIMATIC Route Control Client (RC Client) is represented by the SIMATIC Route Control Center (RCC). The RCC can be installed on a SIMATIC OS Client, a SIMATIC Batch Client or separate client hardware.

Increasing plant availability due to the use of redundant SIMATIC Route Control Servers

The SIMATIC Route Control Server software supports SIMATIC Route Control Server redundancy. Additional software components or separate connection between the two servers are not required.

With the assistance of the SIMATIC Route Control Server software, the two redundant SIMATIC Route Control Servers monitor each other during operation. If the active SIMATIC Route Control Server fails, the redundant partner takes over operation. In this case, the SIMATIC Route Control Clients are automatically switched to the new active SIMATIC Route Control Server. Once the failed SIMATIC Route Control Server has resumed operation, data is synchronized with the active SIMATIC Route Control Server.

Supported automation systems

SIMATIC Route Control supports standard automation systems, fault-tolerant and safety-related automation systems of the S7-400 range based on to the following CPU types:

• CPU 416 3 (parallel control of up to 30 routes)
• CPU 417‑4 and CPU 417‑4H (parallel control of up to 300 routes)
• CPU 410 5H (parallel control of up to 300 routes)
• PCS 7 BOX

The SIMATIC PCS 7 Route Control system has a modular design and can be flexibly adapted to the respective application. In accordance with the growing demand of a plant, the required number of routes can be flexibly adapted using additional SIMATIC Route Control Routes software packages (10 and 50 route packages) up to the project upper limit of 300 routes.

The data managed by SIMATIC Route Control is protected against unauthorized access by a role/rights system. SIMATIC Logon as the central SIMATIC PCS 7 component for user management ensures optimum user administration.

SIMATIC Route Control Engineering – Individual interconnection of blocks no longer necessary

The central SIMATIC PCS 7 engineering system also provides SIMATIC Route Control Engineering in addition to other things. This includes the SIMATIC Route Control Library (for controlling route elements, etc.) and the SIMATIC Route Control Wizard for automated support of project configuration.

To control and monitor elements of a plant, blocks from a SIMATIC PCS 7 library are conventionally installed in CFCs in SIMATIC PCS 7 and interconnected with plant control blocks according to the technological requirements. Individual connection of the blocks is no longer necessary with SIMATIC Route Control (RC)! The standard blocks of the technological elements relevant for SIMATIC Route Control (RC elements) are adapted via uniform, reduced interface blocks of the SIMATIC Route Control Library. SIMATIC Route Control then takes of the control and monitoring of the elements.

The advantages of controlling and monitoring technological elements with SIMATIC Route Control are also possible in existing plants without increased work. Changes in the SIMATIC Route Control engineering project can be recorded and documented with a change log.

SIMATIC Route Control Runtime - Route management based on multiplexers

To control a route, the operator requests a route via SIMATIC Route Control Center, specifying source, destination and optional waypoints. Alternatively, the control of a route can also be automated (e.g. via SIMATIC Batch).

After successfully searching for a requested route, SIMATIC Route Control Server is ready to control the route. The control of a route takes place according to a defined function catalog, which contains the sequence and configuration of the control functions (control strategies). The SIMATIC Route Control Server (RC Server) supplies the SIMATIC Route Control Clients (Route Control Center) with the necessary data and transfers their operating information to the automation systems.

The detailed operating messages generated by SIMATIC Route Control allow all operating actions to be traced at any time (audit trail). SIMATIC Route Control can be used to request and safely perform maintenance work on automation systems. The automation systems involved can be specifically placed "in maintenance" (out of service). SIMATIC Route Control waits for the termination of active route controls for this.

Route Control master module

SIMATIC Route Control block icons representing a specific route can be added to process pictures of SIMATIC PCS 7 operator stations. A SIMATIC Route Control block icon references a corresponding SIMATIC Route Control faceplate that displays detailed information about the route and allows the route to be operated.