Configuration software and its application in natural gas measurement

Configuration software has been around for nearly 20 years since its birth in the early 1980s. Its emergence is inseparable from the rise of PC applications. Most of the initial configuration software ran under DOS. With the emergence of Microsoft's visual interface, software with human-computer interaction interfaces began to appear. At the same time, with the development of China's national economy, the demand for natural gas is increasing, and the requirements for accurate natural gas metering are getting higher and higher. The application of configuration software has also brought new concepts and methods to natural gas metering, and its application has penetrated into natural gas metering.

1. Overview of configuration software

1.1 What is configuration and the meaning of configuration software

Configuration is the process of using the tools and methods provided in the application software to complete a specific task in the project. Before the concept of configuration appeared, to achieve a certain task, it was achieved by writing programs (such as using BASIC, C, FORTRAN, etc.). Writing programs is not only labor-intensive and time-consuming, but also prone to errors and cannot guarantee the construction period. The emergence of configuration software has solved this problem. Work that used to take several months can be completed in a few days through configuration.

Configuration software is some software that provides configuration functions, and configuration software is professional. A configuration software can only be suitable for applications in a certain field. The concept of configuration first appeared in industrial computer control, such as DCS (distributed control system) configuration and PLC (programmable logic controller) ladder diagram configuration. The human-machine interface generation software is called industrial control configuration software. In fact, there is also the concept of configuration in other industries. For example, AutoCAD, PhotoShop, and PowerPoint all have similar operations, that is, using the tools provided by the software to form their own works and save the works as data files instead of executing programs. The data formed by the configuration can only be recognized by its manufacturing tools or other special tools. The difference is that the configuration results formed in industrial control are used for real-time monitoring. The interpretation engine of the configuration tool must run in real time according to these configuration results. On the surface, the running program of the configuration tool is to perform its own specific tasks.

1.2 Composition, functions and characteristics of

configuration software The configuration software group must include human-machine interface software (HMI), PC-based control software, and production execution management software.

Functions of configuration software: (1) Dynamic visual control of industrial production process; (2) Collection and management of production data during production process; (3) Production process monitoring and alarm; (4) Report function; (5) Upload and corresponding control of network-based data.

Features of configuration software: (1) Continuity and scalability. When the site (including hardware equipment or system structure) or user needs change, the application developed with general configuration software can be easily updated and upgraded without much modification. (2) Encapsulation (easy to learn and use). The functions that general configuration software can complete are packaged in a user-friendly way. Users do not need to master too many programming language techniques (or even no programming techniques) to complete all the functions required by a complex project. (3) Universality. Each user can use the I/O Driver, open database and screen creation tools of the underlying equipment (PLC, intelligent instrument, intelligent module, board, inverter, etc.) provided by the general configuration software according to the actual situation of the project to complete a project with animation effects, real-time data processing, coexistence of historical data and curves, multimedia functions and network functions, without industry restrictions.

2. System Application Overview

Here we use MCGS configuration software. In the natural gas metering project, there are large and small workstations. First, each station is equipped with extremely high-precision pressure, differential pressure, temperature transmitters, and data acquisition cards to measure and collect natural gas flow data. These data are transmitted to the host computer and used in combination with MCGS software to complete the functions of field data collection, data storage, report printing, and alarm. The realization of these functions facilitates the on-site staff to monitor and control production, thus forming a site in our entire system. All sites transmit metering data to the server of our dispatching center through computer networking. We have installed the IE version of MCGS on the server of the dispatching center. The field workstation can transmit the field data to the server through microwave, modem, serial communication, etc., and configure and publish it on the server of the dispatching center, thus forming a Web-based host computer management system. Managers use the host computer management system to understand production data, data curves, historical storage data, etc. in real time from the Internet browser, and grasp production dynamics in a timely manner. At the same time, the Web-based host computer management system gives full play to the functions of the server and management, and gives full play to the numerical calculation ability and statistical summary function, so that the potential of the entire system can be brought into play. The system structure diagram is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 System structure diagram

3. System functions

Real-time collection of differential pressure, pressure, temperature, instantaneous flow, daily cumulative gas volume, monthly cumulative gas volume, and annual cumulative gas volume of pipeline operation. These data are displayed and saved in real time for easy query.
Automatic compensation function, the gas volume compensation function can be used for maintenance, power outages, and replacement of metering instruments.
Real-time display of the process flow chart of the gas transmission station, and display of the operation status and production parameters of each corresponding point, such as temperature, pressure, differential pressure, instantaneous flow, etc.
Real-time display of trend curves of each parameter.
Print and query hourly reports, daily reports, and monthly reports to measure parameter settings.
Modify natural gas metering parameters in time through the interface.
Black box function, automatically record parameter modifications and operating status changes, the data cannot be modified, convenient for querying and understanding abnormal situations.
Alarm function, alarm for situations that may cause dangerous accidents and notify staff through sound.
Remote data exchange is carried out to facilitate upper computer management.

4. Introduction to station control

In order to improve the metering accuracy and automation of the metering system, we use Advantech industrial computers, the temperature transmitter is a Class A Pt100 platinum thermal resistance measurement, and the pressure and differential pressure transmitters are transmitters from Yokogawa, Japan. The transmitter signal converts the analog signal transmitted from the site into a digital signal via Siemens PLC and transmits it to the computer. In the host computer, we use MCGS industrial control configuration software to calculate the instantaneous flow of natural gas in the pipeline from the three physical quantities of temperature, differential pressure and pressure of the transmitted digital signal. At the same time, the powerful configuration function of MCGS is used in the host computer to realize functions such as reports, alarms, curves, and data display. In addition, the secondary instrument communication function of MCGS can also be used to adjust the range of the instrument according to the gas volume, instantaneous flow, user demand pressure, etc. on site, so that the value on site is always kept within the reasonable range of the instrument range, ensuring the accuracy of measurement, greatly reducing manual work, and improving the intelligent automation of the station control system.

5. Server configuration and network publishing

When the data within the station is transmitted to the dispatch center server through the communication line, the IE version of MCGS is selected, and the data configuration transmitted from each metering site is used to realize functions such as curves, reports, real-time display, historical curves, and historical data browsing, and the functions are published on the local area network through the network. According to their respective permissions, the management machine can easily browse various screens through IE, including data display, reports, historical curves and data, and animation display, so that managers can clearly understand the production situation on site. The Web-based upper computer management system can adapt well to the characteristics of slow remote data transmission, and can work well even when using a modem, which allows managers to understand the system status at home; they can also use the graphics function of the management machine to draw animations, and give full play to the data calculation function of the server to generate statistical data, so that the entire system can be fully utilized. (end)