Redundant Process Controllers for Segregated Control Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial process control and automation systems face challenges in segregating and maintaining redundancy for supervisory and industrial control networks, as existing redundancy mechanisms often conflict or are incompatible, leading to potential single points of failure and network protocol issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of redundant process controllers that operate in primary or secondary modes, communicating over segregated supervisory and industrial control networks via redundant interfaces, with a private network for secure inter-controller communication, allowing for synchronization and traffic segregation without requiring compatibility with different network protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant process controllers are implemented for both supervisory and industrial control networks, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate supervisory control network and industrial control network segments, each with its own redundant controllers. The supervisory controllers (202, 206) handle high-level monitoring while industrial controllers (204, 208) manage field device control, allowing redundancy to be implemented independently in each segment without requiring complete system redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
A private network (210) acts as an intermediary communication channel between the supervisory and industrial control networks. This intermediary allows the two segregated networks to exchange necessary data while maintaining their independence, enabling redundancy without protocol compatibility requirements.
2Reliability
If network segregation is implemented between supervisory and industrial control networks, then network security is improved, but communication flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The private network (210) serves as a secure intermediary that enables controlled communication between the segregated supervisory and industrial networks. It allows necessary data exchange for control operations while maintaining network separation and security boundaries, preventing direct protocol interactions that would compromise security.
Solution Approach 2:
The private network infrastructure provides multi-functional capability by supporting both secure segregated communication and synchronized operation between controllers. It handles multiple communication protocols and data types while maintaining network separation, making the segregated architecture as flexible as traditional networks.
3Reliability
If redundant controllers communicate over segregated networks with different protocols, then network security is improved, but protocol compatibility issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The private network (210) acts as a protocol-agnostic intermediary that translates and routes messages between the supervisory and industrial control networks without requiring the networks to speak the same protocol. This eliminates protocol compatibility requirements while maintaining secure segregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication architecture is segmented into independent network domains (supervisory network 108 and industrial network 104) that can use different protocols without interfering with each other. Each segment maintains its own protocol stack, eliminating the need for cross-protocol compatibility while enabling secure communication through the private network intermediary.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes redundant first process controllers configured to communicate over redundant supervisory networks in an industrial process control and automation system. Each first process controller is configured to operate in primary or secondary mode. The system also includes redundant second process controllers configured to communicate over redundant industrial control networks in the industrial process control and automation system. Each second process controller is configured to operate in primary or secondary mode. The system further includes a private network configured to communicatively couple the first and second process controllers. Each controller could be associated with at least three Media Access Control (MAC) addresses.