Equipment selection considerations

Some factors to consider when choosing replacement hardware for the project might include:

 Technology:

 The equipment should be state-of-the-art (widely used and not nearing the end of its life cycle) to forestall future obsolescence. It is recommended to contact other simulators that have installed the equipment under consideration to determine their satisfaction with the product;

 The equipment should be compatible with existing panel hardware (switches, controller, etc.) and simulation software. This minimizes cost by eliminating the need to create special purpose hardware and software interfaces between the new and existing hardware. System features should facilitate installation and integration;

 Evaluation of the compatibility of new or upgraded I/O system hardware, not only with the current simulator computer systems but also with potential replacement systems that may be implemented in the future is recommended. Systems that are compatible with existing standards, such as Microsoft Windows©, UNIX, LINUX, Ethernet, TCP/IP, CAN bus; will typically provide more flexibility and future upgrade capability than systems that are not;

 The system should be expandable, with adequate I/O connections available to support existing needs, as well as allow for future control panel modifications;

 The system should be designed to accommodate the required data transfer rates that may result from DCS upgrades which may possibly be implemented in the future;

 When equipment is installed in the MCR, perhaps inside the operating panels, low noise level equipment should be preferred to prevent creating a noisy control room environment. Loud power supplies or computing gear could be moved behind walls or other structures to isolate noise sources from the MCR space;

 A spacious, well-lit working environment behind the panel makes installation, maintenance and troubleshooting easier and safer than cramped cabinets;

 Maintainability:

 Avoidance of ‘black box’ hardware that creates long-term dependence on the equipment supplier for maintenance support is recommended;

 The new or upgraded system should have features that make it easy to troubleshoot and repair in-house, or with minimal vendor involvement, for example:

 Monitoring and remote control of power supply modules: remote on/off, voltage and current measurement in real time, etc.;

 Protection and detection of hardware faults with real-time information for the simulation software, such as: open circuit (especially useful to detect blown bulbs) or short-circuit situations;

 Hardware self-test functions implemented in each card (Built-In-Test Equipment feature, with testing of 100% of the card functionality). Ability to repair equipment in-house at the board or even the IC chip level that is important for long-term maintainability and cost savings;

 Procurement of suitable testing tools such as test jigs, card extenders, cable and connector testers, logic analysers, oscilloscopes etc. gear which makes testing fast and reliable helps reduce down time and identifying unreliable equipment;

 An adequate supply of spare parts to be included in the initial purchase, and parts to be readily available from the system vendor for the foreseeable future;

 Proper markings and layout of equipment is essential for efficient working, this equipment will be used for decades and looked after by different people;

 Use of ‘obscure’ connectors or parts from another part of the world can be hard to get, expensive, unfamiliar and ill-suited for the tools and skills available locally;

 Electrical distribution and safety features should be designed and procured locally in the country the installation will be used;

 A modular system where modules can be quickly exchanged with connectors should be preferred over fixed-wire installations where equipment replacement requires powering off sections of the system and qualified electricians with suitable tools and dismantling of protective materials before disconnecting/connecting equipment;

 Knowledge transfer:

 It is important to ensure that knowledge transfer occurs to the technicians, from the vendor, who is to be responsible for the maintenance of the new simulator equipment. This is best accomplished by ensuring that the equipment supplier provides training. This training should be specified in the initial project contract.

The technicians responsible for equipment maintenance should be involved in project specification development, as well as installation of the new equipment (if the project contract allows). Some overlap in knowledge between the system engineer for the I/O system logic and the technicians handling the hardware helps working with the system. Ideally there has to always be one responsible person available who understands the whole functional chain of operation from the buttons to the model variables and back, otherwise debugging and planning for changes will be more difficult and prone for errors. Consistent unified documents detailing the whole chain at least in principle if not in per-signal format is always useful but may not be included in the standard delivery of a system vendor who often designs his system to be constructed and assembled in separated parts. Also, initial vendor design and documentation may not have provisions for future maintenance, extension and additions and may not be available for the customer to take over, update and maintain in its native form. If several vendors are involved in the design, build and delivery of as system there should be one responsible party for the design and documentation process, naming conventions etc. so that documents are produced in a uniform and centralized way instead of every supplier delivering their own part with little regard on what is ‘on the other side’.

8.2.19. Project implementation considerations

The I/O system is a critical simulator system; and the process of choosing new equipment and the strategy to implement the new equipment should be carefully analysed. The following factors should be considered:

 The new or upgraded system must be linked with the simulator computer platform, preferably provisions have to be made to cross-connect platforms such as the FSS and BSS or a spare hardware platform quickly and easily for disaster recovery or change testing needs;

 Methods of communication should be established between the new equipment and the equipment that is not being replaced;

 A window in the simulator training schedule should be identified where the simulator can be de-energized to facilitate equipment replacement and testing. In some cases, a ‘phased’

replacement approach may be utilized where equipment is replaced one section at a time.

This approach maintains full functionality of the simulator over the course of the project.

It is important to perform a partial acceptance test for each section of the I/O system that is replaced in order to ensure that the response of the simulator is correct;

 If problems are encountered during installation and testing of the new equipment, the project plan should include contingencies for re-installation of the old equipment to minimize simulator unavailability time. In some cases, this may not be possible if wiring or other permanent changes have already been implemented;

 Simulator wiring diagrams (or a wiring database) are fundamental information needed to support an I/O system replacement or upgrade. It is recommended to ensure that diagrams and/or the database are updated and well understood to reflect the new configuration. A single unified data base with all relevant information for the I/O system and all signals (hardware, software and virtual panels) is recommended over several separate records.