OPC Based Client-Server Communication For Operator Training Simulator (OTS)

• Main Author: WIBOWO HENDRA PUTRO (NIM 13203102), ARYO
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/10028
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

<p align="justify">Nowadays, advanced technology have had a great effect on industrial process technology. Such complicated process on a plant requires a highly skilled operator to operate it. One of the tools that could be used to train those operators is the Operator Training Simulator (OTS). The OTS that's being developed is based on a client-server configuration. It is more advantagous to use this kind of configuration because the load will be distributed to several machines. The components required for the system is an simulation engine, operator station, instructor station, field operator station, an a database engine. The simulation engine will run Scilab 4.0, the GUI will run Aspic MP HMI, and the database will run SQL Server 2005.<p align="justify"><p>Every component mentioned above should be connected to one another so that the whole system could work well. For that purpose, a communication protocol is needed so that all the data can flow smoothly in the system. The protocol to be used is OLE for Process Control (OPC). OPC is chosen for a few reasons. First, OPC is a technology that could accommodate real time communication. Secondly, HMIs, including Aspic usually supports OPC as a client. This means it will be easier to implement the sysem. For softwares that doesn't support OPC, it is easy to create a program that could add OPC functionality to the software. This programing is done using C++ language. OPC Foundation have published the header file needed for programming an OPC client or server. <br /> <br /> <br /> In this OTS system, there are two softwares that doesn't support OPC. Those softwares are Scilab 4.0 and SQL Server. In order to integrate the whole system, these two softwares need to be added with OPC client library which is programmed. In Scilab 4.0, the library could be added directly by linking to that library so that it forms a toolbox for OPC. In SQL Server, the OPC client application could not be added to the software, so it is required to build an intermediate software between OPC Server and SQL Server. This Application will be built using Visual C++ 6.0.<p align="justify"><p>The integrated system will be tested for functionality and data transfer rate. All the components performed well during testing, as well as the OPC server serves realtime data. The transfer rate for reading 2000 tags from the OPC server is about 2 seconds for both Scilab and the C++ application. If more datas are to be transferred, the delay will also increase. For the integrated testing, the simulation is run by generating random datas from the simulation server. The GUI also works well and database storage is performed every second. <br />