An Improved Human Machine Interface modernization for a Combined Cycle Power Plant

摘要

In order to fulfill the Mexican Electric Utility's (CFE) modernization demands, the Electrical Research Institute (IIE) developed at the Process Supervision Department an improved Human Machine Interface (HMI) modernization for a Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) to replace the old one based on VAX workstations with a microcomputer base system using personal computers(PC), maintaining the same functionality and integrating management capabilities as well as processing functions currently performed by a proprietary system. The HMI modernization provided to CFE an integral solution through a single interface allowing the system to interface not only to current proprietary controllers but also to commercial controllers, PLCs or other Intelligent Electronic Device by integrating OPC technology. Data analysis is possible in the improved HMI due to a powerful database back-end engine added to the system. Integrating new technology to legacy systems in order to preserve its life span and be able to integrate modern devices represented a challenge to be resolved. This paper also describes how suitable these new technologies promises were accomplished in the IHM modernization. Improvements to the HMI also included an intuitive color-base navigation in a multi-level model. Improvements in communications involved the replacement of the current PC-based communication concentrators with a pair of high performance servers to improve the overall system flexibility and robustness. Among the more challenging tasks was the integration of a modern commercial redundancy system to work with current proprietary controllers.