Yokogawa releases Plant Resource Manager (PRM) R3.20

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the release of version R3.20 of its Plant Resource Manager (PRM) software tool for the centralised management of large amounts of data from plant monitoring and control devices and manufacturing equipment. PRM R3.20 is an upgrade to R3.12 and includes an improved management function for HART® and ISA100 WirelessTM field devices. With this new PRM version, Yokogawa aims to capture a larger share of the plant maintenance market.

Development background

Manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve maintenance efficiency by using software tools like PRM that can centrally manage large amounts of maintenance and other types of data from plant monitoring and control devices and manufacturing equipment. Maintenance personnel use such data to reduce plant downtime and enhance safety by proactively spotting and responding to device failures.

To optimise plant operations, it is essential not only to keep devices in good working order but also to have up-to-date information on device status and maintain records on all maintenance work that is performed. Such information is most useful if operators can view it on screen at their control system human interface stations.

With such needs in mind, Yokogawa has developed new functions for its PRM tool that facilitate the collection of information from field devices for use in optimising device maintenance and plant operations.

Enhancements

1. Quick access to HART device status information

Using the CENTUM VP R6.01 integrated production control system’s N-IO (Network-IO) field input/output (IO) device that was released in February, PRM can now obtain start-up, stop, failure, and other status information from Yokogawa HART7 compliant devices in almost real time. For other companies’ HART5, 6, and 7 compliant devices, PRM can collect information at 1 minute intervals. With PRM R3.12, data collection at intervals of 10 to 60 minutes was supported.

2. Various management functions for field wireless devices

The new PRM version comes with improved management functions for ISA100 Wireless devices. Diagnostic information can be viewed on screen and in real time not only in the PRM window, but also in the operation and monitoring screens of the CENTUM series integrated production control system. The new PRM version also works with the console that centrally manages plant field wireless devices. When it accesses this console, PRM can call up the console screen so that operators can monitor the status of the entire wireless network as well as the status of individual devices on that network.

3. Complying with FDT2.0, the latest FDT standard

FDT2.0 is the latest version of the field device tool (FDT) communications interface that links field devices and control systems. FDT2.0 has entered wide use because it improves device response times and performance. As this new PRM version is compatible with FDT2.0, it is easier now to monitor and set up FDT-compliant devices.

About Plant Resource Manager (PRM)

PRM is a software package that centrally manages large amounts of status and maintenance information from plant monitoring and control devices and manufacturing equipment. With PRM, users can monitor the status of their devices and perform online diagnosis via a network. In addition, PRM centrally manages maintenance information, including device ledgers, in a database, and supplies maintenance information for plant field devices and equipment to maintenance personnel.

Major target markets include industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, iron and steel, pulp and paper, electric power, and wastewater treatment

Applications include maintenance of field devices in plants and the operation of plants

About HART

A field network communications protocol developed by the HART Communication Foundation. While the latest version of this protocol is HART7, HART5 and 6 are still in wide use.