Emerson DeltaV PK Controller Reflects Several Industry ‘Firsts’

According to Emerson (Austin, TX), the launch of its DeltaV PK Controller makes the advanced automation of the company’s DeltaV distributed control system (DCS) available to fast-growth industries that have traditionally been less reliant on large-scale automation.

This next-generation controller provides scalable control for all process industries, particularly parts of the life sciences, Oil & Gas, petrochemical, and discrete-manufacturing sectors that may have been depending on complex, non-integrated programmable logic controllers (PLCs) with limited capabilities. Such industries have often tended to use PLCs for smaller applications, which can create disconnected “Islands of Automation,” and hamper plant production improvements.

Emerson notes that the “fit-for-purpose” DeltaV PK Controller brings a number of process-industry “firsts” to the table, including its ability to bridge small and large control applications. Operations can leverage the product for effective, easy-to-implement standalone automation control akin to a PLC, but with the features of a full-scale DCS, including advanced batch production, recipe management, execution, and historization.

Users can then choose to leave the DeltaV PK Controller standalone, or natively merge it into their DeltaV DCS. This capability is said to eliminate operational complexity and dramatically improve the performance, safety, and efficiency of projects and operational life-cycles.

Product Specifics
Designed with connectivity in mind, particularly with regard to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the DeltaV PK Controller leverages an assortment of communication protocols, including, among other things, the first Emerson controller with a built-in OPC UA server.

As the first Emerson controller with six Ethernet ports, the DeltaV PK can operate using any Emerson DeltaV I/O type, including DeltaV Electronic Marshalling, traditional marshalled I/O, wireless I/O, and integrated safety instrumented systems. It also incorporates built-in protocols to communicate with Ethernet devices such as drives and motors.  Together, these features can make connectivity easier at every stage and help plants achieve operational benefits of cloud-based tools and analytics through the IIoT.

Other features include built-in redundancy for controllers, communication, and power supplies, allowing organizations to improve uptime without adding to complexity or footprint.

Simplifying Capital Projects
The DeltaV PK Controller is the latest addition to Emerson’s Project Certainty Initiative, which focuses on radical transformation in capital project execution. The product is expected to simplify capital projects by enabling OEM skid-builders to design and produce skids in the same way they do today, while eliminating costs, time, and risks associated with integrating a PLC into their control system.

CLICK HERE for more information on the DeltaV PK Controller.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Emerson’s Project Certainty Initiative.