Introduction to Distributed Control Systems

Distributed control system is a new generation of instrument control system based on microprocessors, adopting the design principles of decentralized control functions, centralized display operations, balancing separation and autonomy, and comprehensive coordination. Distributed Control System, abbreviated as DCS, can also be translated as "Distributed Control System" or "Distributed Computer Control System".

It adopts the basic design concept of decentralized control, centralized operation and management, and adopts a multi-level hierarchical and cooperative autonomous structural form. Its main feature is its centralized management and decentralized control. DCS has been widely used in various industries such as power, metallurgy, and petrochemicals.

DCS usually adopts a hierarchical structure, with each level consisting of several subsystems, each subsystem achieving specific finite goals, forming a pyramid structure.

Reliability is the lifeblood of DCS development, and there are three main measures to ensure the high reliability of DCS: first, widely use high reliability hardware equipment and production processes; Secondly, redundancy technology is widely adopted; The third is to widely implement fault-tolerant technology, fault self diagnosis, and automatic processing technology in software design. The MTBF of most distributed control systems today can reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of hours.