Schedules
- Last UpdatedNov 05, 2024
- 3 minute read
You can use schedules to automate the operation of equipment in a Plant SCADA system. Schedules are configured in Plant SCADA using Scheduler, a tool that uses a simple calendar-based interface to execute state changes for specific pieces of equipment at runtime.
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UNINTENDED EQUIPMENT OPERATION Do not use the Scheduler in situations where equipment requires a guaranteed sequence of successful actions. The Scheduler engine will attempt to run the actions in the correct order, but if entry actions take too long or a failure in communications occurs when an entry action is run, the engine does not guarantee that the equipment will receive every command. Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage. |
In Plant SCADA, a schedule specifies how a piece of equipment will operate at a particular time. This depends on the following:
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The piece of equipment needs to be defined within the system's equipment hierarchy (see Equipment)
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The piece of equipment needs to include a defined set of "states" that can be used to manage its operation (see Equipment States).
For example, the equipment hierarchy in the Plant SCADA Example project includes a branch that represents a building.
The piece of equipment selected above (Light1) represents an external light. When you view Light1 in Equipment Editor, you can see that it is an instance of an equipment type called "Building Light".
When you view the Building Light equipment type, you can see that it has two States configured:
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Off
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Active.
This allows a schedule to be applied to Light1 that uses the Active state to turn the external light on at 7pm every night, and the Off state to switch the light off again at 7am every morning.
Schedules are configured in Plant SCADA using Scheduler, a tool that displays the equipment hierarchy for a project alongside a calendar. When a piece of equipment or branch is selected in the equipment hierarchy, the current schedule for it is displayed on the calendar.
A change of state is configured for a selected piece of equipment by adding a "schedule entry" to the calendar. A schedule entry specifies a Start Time and End Time for a particular State. You can also use a schedule entry to create a recurring schedule using patterns based on a day, week, month or year.
Scheduler also allows you to perform the following:
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Configure a schedule for all equipment within a particular branch in the equipment hierarchy (see Schedule Inheritance)
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Set up "special days" that require a unique set of circumstances, such as public holidays or maintenance days (see Special Days)
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Take manual control of a piece of equipment (see Override Mode).
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See Prepare Your System for Scheduling for information on how to prepare Plant SCADA to support schedules at runtime.
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See Operate Scheduler at Runtime for information about how to use Scheduler in the runtime environment.
Note: Scheduler supports the integration of schedules that are configured locally on a BACnet device. This means you can view and modify schedule-object and calendar-object properties on a BACnet device at runtime. For more information, see Integrate BACnet Schedules into Scheduler.