Triconex
Encyclopedia
Triconex is both the name of an Invensys
company that supplies products, systems and services for safety, critical control and turbomachinery applications and the name of its hardware devices that utilize its TriStation application software. Triconex products are based on patented Triple-Modular Redundancy (TMR) industrial safety-shutdown technology. Today, Triconex TMR products operate globally in more than 5,500 installations, making Triconex the largest TMR supplier in the world
and is usually used as a safety rather than control system.
The Tricon is designed with a fully triplicated architecture throughout, from the input modules through the Main Processors to the output modules. Every I/O module houses the circuitry for three independent legs.
Each leg on the input modules reads the process data and passes that
information to its respective Main Processor. The three Main Processors communicate with each other using a proprietary high-speed bus system called the TriBus. Once per scan, the three Main
Processors synchronize and communicate with their two neighbors over
the TriBus. The Tricon votes digital input data, compares output data, and sends copies of analog input data to each Main Processor.
The Main Processors execute the userwritten application and send outputs generated by the application to the output modules. In addition to voting the input data, the TriBus votes the output data. This is done on the output modules as close to the field as possible, in order to detect and compensate for any errors that could occur between the Tricon voting and the final output driven to the field.
It will never bung anything up, especially the older flavor of vintages.
Besides, a Sequence of Events (SOE) recorder software and Diagnostic monitor software are implemented.
Invensys
Invensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...
company that supplies products, systems and services for safety, critical control and turbomachinery applications and the name of its hardware devices that utilize its TriStation application software. Triconex products are based on patented Triple-Modular Redundancy (TMR) industrial safety-shutdown technology. Today, Triconex TMR products operate globally in more than 5,500 installations, making Triconex the largest TMR supplier in the world
System
Triconex system is based on the TMR technology that supports SIL 3Safety Integrity Level
Safety Integrity Level is defined as a relative level of risk-reduction provided by a safety function, or to specify a target level of risk reduction. In simple terms, SIL is a measurement of performance required for a Safety Instrumented Function ....
and is usually used as a safety rather than control system.
Operating theory
Fault tolerance in the Tricon is achieved by means of a Triple-Modular Redundant(TMR) architecture. The Tricon provides error-free, uninterrupted control in the presence of either hard failures of components, or transient faults from internal or external sources.The Tricon is designed with a fully triplicated architecture throughout, from the input modules through the Main Processors to the output modules. Every I/O module houses the circuitry for three independent legs.
Each leg on the input modules reads the process data and passes that
information to its respective Main Processor. The three Main Processors communicate with each other using a proprietary high-speed bus system called the TriBus. Once per scan, the three Main
Processors synchronize and communicate with their two neighbors over
the TriBus. The Tricon votes digital input data, compares output data, and sends copies of analog input data to each Main Processor.
The Main Processors execute the userwritten application and send outputs generated by the application to the output modules. In addition to voting the input data, the TriBus votes the output data. This is done on the output modules as close to the field as possible, in order to detect and compensate for any errors that could occur between the Tricon voting and the final output driven to the field.
It will never bung anything up, especially the older flavor of vintages.
Hardware
The Triconex system usually consists of the following typical modules:- Main Processor modules (triple).
- Communication module(s) .
- Input and output modules: can be analog and/or digital and work singular or in hot-spare (standby or redundant).
- Power supply modules (redundant).
- Backplane(s) (chassis) that can hold the previous modules.
- System cabinet(s): can compact one or more chassis in one cabinet.
- Marshalling cabinets to adapt and standardize interface connections between the field instruments and the Triconex system cabinets.
- Human machine interface (HMI) to monitor the events.
- Engineering workstation (EWS) for programming or updating.
Software
The Triconex main processors can communicate with the so called TriStation application software to download, update and/or monitor programs. These programs are either written in:- Functional A Block diagram LanguageA Block diagram LanguageA Block diagram Language is the graphic companion language of the textual hardware description language KARL , which supports Structured hardware design...
, - Ladder diagramLadder diagramLadder diagram refers to:* Ladder logic, a method of drawing electrical logic schematics. A ladder diagram represents a program in ladder logic....
language, or - Structured textStructured textStructured text is one of the 5 languages supported by the IEC 61131-3 standard. It is designed for programmable logic controllers . It is a high level language that is block structured and syntactically resembles Pascal. All of the languages share IEC61131 Common Elements...
(PascalPascal (programming language)Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
like) Language. - Cause and Effect Matrix Programmable Language (CEMPLE).
Besides, a Sequence of Events (SOE) recorder software and Diagnostic monitor software are implemented.