Introduction to Industrial Automation

Figure 8.13  Virtual screen of a pump station SCADA system.

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Industrial Networks of PLCs 

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 8.9.  If a system is geographically distributed (like a town water system, a gas or oil pipeline, etc.), 

how do you think that its communication integration is achieved?

 8.10. In an industrial process, there are 100 smart sensors with embedded microprocessors and 

communication ports, and 150 pure analog sensors all of which must be interconnected. 

In which manner will you interconnect the 250 sensors through a suitable industrial 

network?

 8.11. Using Internet databases, find what is called a “computer-integrated manufacturing” 

(CIM) model. What kind of networks and technical characteristics are suitable at each 

one of the three levels of the CIM model?

 8.12. The figure shows a possible configuration of an industrial Ethernet network consisting of 

a number of the same kind of subnetworks. Consider any kind of information that can be 

derived from the figure and write comments for any topic such as communication archi-

tecture, topology, devices, physical medium, etc.

PLC

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PLC

PLC

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CON

PLC

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PLC

PLC

Copper

cable

Wireless

Fiber optic

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Concentrator unit

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