System critical automation processes, such as monitoring oil pipelines, can be very demanding on a communication infrastructure. Performing reliable real-time communication over long distances from multiple Modbus masters to large numbers of remote devices can be a major challenge. The communication equipment must be highly flexible and robust to perform such a task and the DeviceMaster UP meets that challenge.
When a major oil company asked Comtrol to help them upgrade their current pipeline infrastructure, Comtrol provided a solution with the DeviceMaster UP running our Modbus Router firmware. Highly flexible and robust, the Modbus router provided the required communication needs. Multiple Ethernet and serial Modbus masters were connected to multiple serial Modbus slaves. The flexible Modbus routing capabilities, the wide operating temperature range, and the robust operation provided by the DeviceMaster UP proved to be the perfect solution.
the process of transporting oil from the oil well to the refining plant must be monitored very closely in order to ensure the total overall health of the system. Sensors all the way along the length of the pipeline must be constantly checked to ensure safe flow rates, pressure levels and temperatures are maintained. When a problem is detected, it must be quickly dealt with to avert a possible shutdown or, in worse cases, a catastrophic failure.
Satellite links are used to connect the control center where the SCADA systems reside, to remote Ethernet networks. It is at those remote Ethernet networks where the DeviceMaster UP provides simultaneous connections between both Ethernet and dial-up modem-based serial Modbus masters to the Modbus slave devices. In this way, all the individual remote networks, or subnets, are combined to form one large network. Comtrol’s Modbus Router provides the required real-time connectivity between the Modbus controllers and devices on the network.
- Highly flexible with many Modbus connectivity options
- Masters: Modbus/TCP, Serial Modbus RTU/ASCII, and Modbus RTU/ASCII over Ethernet TCP/IP
- Slaves: Modbus/TCP and Serial Modbus RTU/ASCII
- Automatic protocol conversion and routing
- Turn serial Modbus masters into Modbus/TCP masters for network wide connectivity
- Connect Modbus masters to Modbus devices anywhere on a network
- Simultaneously connect multiple Modbus masters to individual slave devices
