ABB DRA02 control card base unit
As new technology advances and business requirementschange, many customers have adopted the strategy of extending the service life of their process control systems.
Managed properly, a process control system can provide
continually higher levels of performance throughout its life
cycle. Rather than degrading over time, it can be maintained
in a way that vastly extends its longevity and continually increases its performance.
ABB supports this strategy with the Automation Sentinel Program. It offers a range of services to support and extend the
life and reliability of your ABB control systems. ABB recommends its customers that all installed ABB control systems
are covered with an Automation Sentinel subscription.
The Automation Sentinel Program provides solutions for the
main challenges system owner face to achieve maximum
availability and reliability of the control system:
– Software maintenance and upgrades
– Cyber and IT security
– Online access to relevant information
– Control system software and performance checks
It also provides an evolution path to newer technology system
enhancements to improve plant effectiveness and long-term
support through annual maintenance subscription budgeting.
Benefits
Maintain operation and avoid loss of production
Higher productivity through enhanced software functionality
Continuous optimization of your process operations
Improves system availability, performance and reliability with
predictable costs
Reduces overall maintenance costs
Yearly subscription provides predictability for plant budgeting
Complete flexibility
Improve your control system over time. Always the best, lowest risk path forward
Protection of intellectual property
Your operator graphics and control programs are protected
when new technology is implemented

More support at lower costs maximizes the return on assets
(ROA) of the systems and reduces operational expenditures
(OPEX). Plant managers look to improve overall productivity
from their installed system by adding new functions and fea tures (improving performance),
extending useful life and appli cations (improving availability) and reducing maintenance
costs while improving overall reliability (improving quality).
With business conditions constantly changing, requiring faster
turnarounds, achieving compliance with operational and envi ronmental requirements, increasing
greater operator effective ness through advanced alarm management, all in a secured
and reliable control environment with lower overall costs,
more is required than first and second generation Distributed
Control Systems (DCS) could offer.
Today’s collaborative process automation systems synchro nize all process operations within one common environment
for operations, engineering and information.
In response to these system owner needs, the Automation
Sentinel program provides the means to keep installed sys tems performing at a high level to meet production needs. It
also provides system enhancements to improve plant effec tiveness, a long-term support through annual maintenance
subscription budgeting and an evolution path to newer tech nology.
Benefits
– Improve operation and productivity with new software ver sions providing new features
– System performance improvements to ensure compatibility
and ongoing life cycle support with software maintenance
updates that also incorporate third-party product changes.
– Maximize system availability and decrease process and
personnel interruptions with regular maintenance