Instruments

Difference Between PLC & DCS

Published July 21, 2019 · Updated November 16, 2020

Difference between PLC & DCS:- To perform advanced regulative management on a plant-wide scale, DCSs contain the integral infrastructure. Slower processes usually need coordination across varied production units. Superior speed makes PLCs a much better alternative for applications involving quick production startup mistreatment distinct I/O. They additionally provide range in I/O graininess and maintainability.

At a similar time, the DCS is hybridized to include PLCs and PCs to control certain functions and to produce coverage services.

To differentiate between PLC & DCS, there are 5 key factors to consider: They are:

1) Response Time

PLCs are quick, that create the PLC a perfect controller for time period actions like a safety ESD (Emergency shut down)) or firing control.

A DCS takes for much longer time to process information that created it not the proper resolution once response times are important.

2) Scalability

A few thousand I/O points will be handled by a PLC whereas DCS will handle several thousands of I/O points and accommodate new instrumentation, process enhancements, and data integration.

DCS will be most popular once advanced process control is needed and contain an outsizes facility that’s displayed over a large geographical region with thousands of I/O points.

3) Complexity

The advanced process control capabilities of the DCS are needed to hold out the complicated nature of the many continuous production processes like oil and gas, water treatment and chemical process.

4) Frequent process changes

PLCs are used for processes that may not modification typically. And, a DCS is that the better solutions once the method is complicated and needs frequent changes or should analyze an out sized quantity of data.

5) Vendor support

To provide integration services and implement method changes, DCS vendors need users to use them. System integrator perform similar functions for PLC- based systems. it’s additionally become common for PLC vendors to supply support services through their network of system measuring system partners.

Overall, DCS tends to be utilized in massive continuous process plants wherever high reliability and security is very important, and also the room isn’t geographically remote.