Woodward MicroNet Plus Control System, Redundant or Simplex

Overview

The Woodward MicroNet Plus is a VME-based, modular and expandable control system designed specifically for prime-mover control. It handles gas turbine, steam turbine, compressor, hydro turbine and diesel or gas engine applications, and it targets power generation, oil and gas, process industries and marine users. Its flexibility spans simple applications with limited I/O up to complex processes with extensive I/O, because the CPUs, power supplies and I/O modules are chosen to match the project.

In Oman, large turbine-driven compressors, gas-fired power blocks and utility plants usually need controls that can be supported for decades. Seven Star LLC supplies the Woodward MicroNet Plus and associated modules with engineering support in Muscat, so owners and packagers can plan upgrades, spares and expansions around one platform. In turbine halls it often sits beside machines such as the Siemens SGT-300 industrial gas turbine.

Redundant Operating Principle

A simplex Woodward MicroNet Plus can be upgraded to redundant CPUs by adding a second CPU and making a minor application software change. In redundant operation the system runs in a master and standby arrangement with synchronized memory, so both CPUs use the same operating information in every rate group. If the master CPU becomes inoperable, full control including the I/O transfers to the standby CPU in less than 1 ms without affecting prime-mover operation, and the transfer is annunciated through the communication links.

Timing is handled by an SNTP version 4 compliant timeserver that synchronizes the control to within less than 1 millisecond of an external time source. Events are time stamped to 1 ms resolution on discrete I/O and 5 ms on analog I/O and software process variables, which helps engineers reconstruct trips and sequences accurately. Deterministic update rates can be as fast as 5 ms.

Engineering Design of the Woodward MicroNet Plus

The Woodward MicroNet Plus is built into a bulkhead-mounted chassis that can also be adapted to a 19-inch rack panel for control room use. A full-size chassis offers 14 VME slots and a narrow chassis offers 8, with four slots reserved for redundant power supplies. Two CPU options are available: the CPU5200 base CPU, which supports up to eight chassis and optional cybersecure versions, and the CPUP1020 high-performance dual-core CPU with six Ethernet ports and CANopen and RTC ports for RTCnet and LinkNet HT distributed I/O.

On the Woodward MicroNet Plus, I/O modules can be arranged in simplex, duplex or triplex combinations and most can be hot replaced without removing control power. Many are smart modules with an on-board microcontroller that performs continuous self-diagnostics and periodic on-line calibration monitoring. For larger systems the main chassis can communicate with up to seven expansion chassis over a real-time network, with fiber optic links allowing the chassis to sit up to 2 km apart. Applications are written in Woodward GAP, with ladder logic available and NetSim for pre-commissioning simulation.

Key Features

The Woodward MicroNet Plus offers the following capabilities:

• Simplex or redundant CPU configurations and simplex or dual power supplies in any combination of input voltages.
• IEC 61508 SIL 3 certification when used with the MicroNet Safety Module, whose logic solver responds in 12 milliseconds.
• On-line changes to program logic, I/O and communications when used with GAP 4.0 and redundant CPUs.
• Hot replacement of modules for on-line repair without removing control power.
• Ethernet TCP/IP and UDP/IP, OPC DA 3.0 and AE 1.0, Ethernet Global Data, Modbus over Ethernet or serial, and CANopen protocols.
• Expansion to seven additional chassis over a real-time network for I/O-intensive applications.
• Combustion, anti-surge, speed and load, temperature and process, and package sequencing control functions on one platform.
• Service tools including Control Assistant and Monitor GAP for trending, data logging and event logging.

Industrial Applications

The Woodward MicroNet Plus is used for complex dry low emission fuel control, load rejection performance, incipient surge detection and long-term naval programs, which makes it suitable for the compressor stations, gas processing facilities and power plants that anchor the energy sector of the Sultanate of Oman. Its modular I/O lets an engineer start with a compact system on a single turbine and add chassis later as additional machines or auxiliary systems are integrated.

Utility complexes at Sohar and Salalah and water and power projects along the coast rely on turbine controls that can be repaired on line. Because modules are hot replaceable and the CPUs can be redundant, the Woodward MicroNet Plus keeps critical machines available during maintenance. Seven Star LLC supplies it together with complementary safety and control hardware such as the HIMA HIQuad safety PLC system and the HIMA HIMax X-CPU 01 SIL 3 safety processor module, so project teams can consolidate documentation and delivery.

Technical Specifications

The table lists principal data from the manufacturer specification for the Woodward MicroNet Plus. Verify the chassis size, CPU type and power options against the datasheet when ordering.

Request a Quote for Woodward MicroNet Plus

For quotations on the Woodward MicroNet Plus, submit a formal RFQ to the Seven Star LLC instrumentation division in Muscat listing the application, chassis size, CPU and power options, and I/O module mix. We will confirm part numbers, arrange delivery across Oman and the GCC, and provide the manufacturer’s Woodward MicroNet Plus datasheet with the quotation so your engineers can review specifications before purchase.