Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) this week announced a new version of its Experion distributed control system (DCS) that is designed specifically for small- and mid-sized manufacturers.
The Experion LX, now available through Honeywell channel partners and system integrators, is made for batch and continuous process manufacturers in the chemical, industrial power, biofuels, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and water and wastewater industries.
Built on the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), which integrates control, asset management, and process management, Experion LX handles all continuous process control applications and optimizes batch and sequence-oriented applications. The system can scale from a single PC and controller to many stations and controllers, and it utilizes in-built function blocks, pre-built templates, and function libraries. It can also integrate with exiting automation systems, including PLCs, DCSs, RTUs, drives and smart field devices.
In addition, Experion LX’s major enhancements include:
Enhanced Batch operations: S88 compliant batch system runs entirely on Experion LX’s C300 Controller providing faster and more reliable batch operations compared to the competing server-based system. Class-Based Recipes enable reuse of recipes and helps reduce the cost of recipe engineering, maintenance, and testing.
SCADA enhancements: Experion LX provides a comprehensive set of SCADA capabilities including equipment-based configuration, which significantly reduces engineering effort.
Engineering tools enhancements: The HMIWeb Solution Pack provides a ready-to-use library of standardized objects to build abnormal situation management (ASM) compliant displays, enabling quick project implementations, and effective plant operation. In addition, the custom algorithm block (CAB) developer and an application development toolkit enable efficient algorithm and application development tailored to specific requirements.
The purpose of Experion LX is to help users maximize plant uptime and improve plant reliability. This is done, in part, by enhancing operator effectiveness and safety through alarm management and procedural operations designed in association with the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium.
“Increasing manufacturing agility, meeting strict regulatory standards, controlling energy usage, and reducing maintenance costs are pressing challenges faced by our small- and mid-sized customers,” says Honeywell’s Experion LX senior product manager Shen Tao. “A powerful, compact DCS like Experion LX provides those customers with a cost-effective solution to efficiently solve the challenges of smaller plants and operations.”
