An Interactive tool for the study of the Fieldbus impact on a Steam Turbine-based Current Generator

The teaching and study of distributed process control systems can be greatly enhanced through the use of suitable tools which emulate the behavior of real systems, thus allowing students to test and compare different configurations and choices. In this paper we present a software tool which emulates a Steam Turbine-based Current Generator with distributed control, where communication between the different devices (sensors and actuators) can be supported by different types of Fieldbuses. Students can set several different system configurations and simulate their behavior. The tool produces graphs which allow students to monitor and evaluate the behavior of the system and the performance offered by the control system.