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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Process Control and Instrumentation

DCS

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

abbreviationCommon term

In chemical engineering, DCS means: Short for distributed control system: the computer-based system that runs the control loops of a plant and gives operators their screens, alarms and trends in the control room.

In Turkish: dağıtık kontrol sistemi, DCS

How it is used

Used every day in control rooms and projects. Operators watch the DCS, acknowledge alarms and change setpoints on it; engineers configure it and pull trends from it. Safety functions usually run on a separate SIS.

Example sentences

  1. Pull the DCS trends for the last 48 hours so we can see when the pressure started rising.

  2. The new interlock will run on the SIS, not on the DCS.

Common collocations

  • DCS screen
  • DCS trend
  • DCS alarm
  • DCS operator
  • DCS configuration
  • control loopA set of parts that work together to hold one process variable at its setpoint: a sensor and transmitter, a controller and a final element such as a control valve.
  • PID controllerThe most common type of process controller. It sets its output from three terms: proportional (the present error), integral (past error) and derivative (how fast the error is changing).
  • transmitterA field instrument that measures a value such as pressure, temperature, level or flow and sends it as an electrical signal, often 4–20 mA, to the control system.
  • interlockAn automatic protective function that stops or prevents an action when a dangerous condition is detected, for example closing the feed valve on high reactor pressure.

More terms: Process Control and Instrumentation

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