ifix ipower 5.5-5.8 docv2.3

iFIX iPower

Product Overview

iFIX iPower - Product Overview 16 July, 2013 of 32

iFIX iPower 5.5-5.8 docv2.3.docx

Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3

2 IPOWER OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 4

3 NAVIGATION ........................................................................................................................................... 6

4 DEVICE DISPLAYS ..................................................................................................................................... 7

5 OBJECT DISPLAYS ................................................................................................................................... 10

6 ATTRIBUTE INDICATORS ......................................................................................................................... 11

7 OPERATOR CONTROL ............................................................................................................................. 13

8 CONTROL TAG-OUT / LOCK-OUT ............................................................................................................. 15

9 INFORMATION TAG ................................................................................................................................ 16

10 MANUAL OVERWRITE ............................................................................................................................ 17

11 ALARM MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................................................... 18

12 EVENTS .................................................................................................................................................. 19

13 DATA DISPLAY ....................................................................................................................................... 21

14 NOTES ................................................................................................................................................... 22

15 IPOWER LISTS ........................................................................................................................................ 23

OPERATE FROM LISTS .................................................................................................................................................... 23

16 SYSTEM STRUCTURE & AUTOMATED CONFIGURATION ............................................................................ 24

STRUCTURED BLOCK NAMING ......................................................................................................................................... 24 AUTOMATED OBJECT CONFIGURATION ............................................................................................................................. 25 AUTOMATIC AUXILIARY SCREEN POPULATION .................................................................................................................... 26 AUTOMATIC DEVICE DISPLAY POPULATION ........................................................................................................................ 27 AUTOMATIC DIALOG POPULATION ................................................................................................................................... 28 AUTOMATIC LIST FILTERING ............................................................................................................................................ 29 MENU CONFIGURATION ................................................................................................................................................ 30 LIST CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................................................... 31

17 MISCELLANEOUS .................................................................................................................................... 32

SCREEN CONTROL & RIGHT CLICK MENU........................................................................................................................ 32 DATABASE PERMANENCE ............................................................................................................................................... 32



1 Introduction

iPower is a fully productized software application, tightly integrated with Proficy iFIX. It is

developed by Catapult Software, and sold and supported internationally by GE Intelligent

Platforms, a division of GE Energy Management.

iPower delivers all the power and flexibility provided by the Proficy iFIX architecture. Users can

extend their iFIX iPower system by integrating any of the applications within the Proficy family:

historian, analysis, workflow, web and mobile services. iPower customers benefit from the

ongoing developments of iPower, plus Proficy iFIX SCADA and other Proficy products through

ongoing releases by GE Intelligent Platforms.



2 iPower Overview

A Consistent and intuitive HMI experience

• Navigation

• Monitoring

• Operations

Safe and secure operation

• Select before operate controls

• Simultaneous control prevention

• Control timeout

• Control fail alarm

• Control tag-out / lockout

• Unusual condition warnings

• Manual overwrite (Local Force)

Operator information

• Alarm, event, display, record, report

• Operator notes and messages

Alarms

• Acknowledge all alarms on a picture

• Acknowledge one alarm

• Alarm disable/enable

• Mute alarm horn

• Disabled alarms list

• Online alarm limit setting

• Off-normal summary

Events

• A permanent record of activity

• Search, Report, Export

• Sequence of Events



Data Display

• Display current values and attributes for iFIX database blocks

Summaries

• Manual Overwrite list

• Control tags list

• Information tags list

• Off-normal list

• Notes list

• Disabled alarms list

• Customized lists

Low deployment & maintenance costs

Automated configuration:

- Intelligent dynamos and automated picture generation

- Automated replication of complex devices

- Automated navigation configuration

Extensible, flexible, evergreen

• Grow from single computer, to multi-computer distributed, server-client systems

• Build complimentary services: historian, analysis, workflow, web and mobile services

• Avoid obsolescence with technology-matched Globalcare updates



3 Navigation

A complete navigation system

• Visual, familiar, intuitive

• Highly user-configurable

• Low deployment cost, low maintenance cost

Browser-like navigation

Back Return to the last picture (or older, from the list of previous pictures)

Forward Go to the next picture (or other in the list of later opened pictures)

Home Display the home picture (typically also the start-up picture)

Favorites Each Operator can save their own favorite picture(s)

This completely configurable menu system lets users organize structured access to pictures,

standard iFIX and iPower functions.

Security

Menu supports iFIX security. Only permitted commands are visible in the menu and available to

the logged-on user. Security can be applied to both buttons and/or sub-menus.

Automatic inclusion of new pictures

Menu provides automatic inclusion of new iFIX pictures into user-defined locations in the menu

system. Examples:

*trends = will include all iFIX pictures with name ending in trends.

*_sub = will include all iFIX pictures with name ending in sub(station)



4 Device displays

iPower device display pop-ups provide an intuitive and consistent user experience:

• For any device, from any manufacturer, for any industry

• Easy, intuitive access to detailed information

• Can include a wide-range of device specific information:

- Alarms, events, data, trends and other SCADA information

- Drawings, diagrams, manuals, photos and other images or documents about the

device.

• Tab number, location, function, content, look and feel is all configurable

• Highly automated, low-cost configuration of database and graphics

As these examples show, the default view is usually a conventional graphic, or a device

faceplate, that provides commonly-required monitoring and control facilities:

Generator example UPS example

Multilin relay faceplate example



Users click the tabs to display extensive device information. Tab function and content is entirely

configurable. This example shows:

Overview: Main graphic for monitoring & operations

Alarms: SCADA alarms from this generator

Events: SCADA events for this generator

Data: SCADA current values and data attributes for all iFIX blocks in this generator

Trends: Trend(s) of SCADA blocks within the device as required

Notes: Operator notes for this generator

Power quality display for this generator

Functional Diagram for this generator

Clicking on any dynamic element of any display, or any row in an iPower list, in any of the tabs,

will display the appropriate iPower dialog for operations:

Control dialog example

Alarm dialog example

Device displays are easily produced using existing or new iFIX graphics, along with iPower

facilities such as lists and dialogs. Once created, iPower enables their replication without

manual reconfiguration, greatly accelerating system implementation.



*Device displays are available in iFIX iPower 5.8



5 Object displays

• A consistent user experience for common objects

• Deliver comprehensive information, while retaining clarity and simplicity.

• Highly automated, low-cost configuration

Circuit Breaker example

• Breaker status & control

• Phase current values

Transformer example

• Tap status and raise/lower control

• MW and MVar readings

with… Auxiliary data display for values & attributes of every block in the object:

and… Pop-up dialogs for operator control/interaction for every block in the device:



6 Attribute Indicators

Attribute indicator lights show the presence of:

• Control Tags (one or many)

• Information Tags (one or many)

• Alarm Disabled

• Manual Overwrite in place

*Configurable look and feel:

• Font, size, weight, style, font color, background color

• Indicator shape: Circle, ellipse, square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, octagon…

• Indicator width, height

• Multiple indicator spacing, orientation (horizontal / vertical)

Fig: Indicator examples

*Tool-tips display more information when you mouse over an indicator:



*Available in iFIX iPower 5.8



7 Operator Control

iPower provides a complete environment for safe and efficient operator control, making it ideal

for operator-intensive SCADA applications. No programming or special configuration is required

to deliver the following functionality:

Control Dialog

Click on a device to pop-up a control dialog that is specific to that type of device. The operator is

presented with a clear and consistent control interface.

Select Before Operate

The Operate button is only highlighted once a specific control command has been chosen,

reducing the chance of accidental control.

Check Before Operate

“Are you sure” prompts operators for a last check before issuing a control. This final check can

be disabled for those that don’t require the extra safety step.

Alarm Control Failures

An alarm is raised if a control fails to complete after a user-defined time.

Suppress Alarms for Operator-initiated Changes

Prevents the generation of spurious alarms, when an operator deliberately controls a device to

a normally alarmed state. An example is tripping a circuit breaker open.

Simultaneous Control Prevention

Once the first operator opens the control dialog, any other operators trying to do the same are

advised who has control of the device and on which workstation. This prevents multiple users

on different computers from controlling the same device at the same time.

Dialog Timeout

The control dialog automatically closes if idle for a user-defined time. This releases the device

for control by other operators, thereby preventing any unintentional disabling of control.



8 Control Tag-out / Lock-out

A control tag is a software lock, applied by operators, that prevents operation of a device.

• Prevents both manual (operator) controls and controls initiated by SCADA automation

• Attempts to control a tagged device cause the tag information to be displayed

• Operators select from up to 50 user-defined control tag types when tagging a device

• Users can define their default tag type

• Operators can add a free-format, unlimited-length tag reason message

• Tag presence is shown by Attribute Indicators

• Adding and removing tags is recorded in the Events list

• Control Tag List displays all tags in a system

• View / remove tags from any display of the block, or from Control Tag lists

• *Control Tag list in a Device display, only displays Control Tags for that single device




9 Information Tag

An information tag provides an advisory or warning to Operators. When an operator clicks on a

block, any information tags are displayed to the Operator, before the Operator can control the

device. That is, the Information Tag acts as a pre-control warning, typically of an unusual

condition. However unlike a control tag, an information tag does not prevent the operator

completing the control.

• Attempts to control a tagged device cause the Information Tag to be displayed

• Both Information Tags and Control Tags can be applied to one device.

• When both tag types are present, the Control Tag text message is displayed in preference to

the Information Tag message.

• Operators select from up to 50 user-defined Information Tag types when tagging a device

• Users can define their default tag type

• Operators can add a free-format, unlimited-length tag reason messages

• Tag presence is shown by Attribute Indicators

• Adding and removing tags is recorded in the Events list

• The Information Tag list displays all tags in a system

• *An Information Tag list in a Device display only displays Information Tags for that device

• View / remove tags from any display of the block, or from Information Tag lists

*Available in iFIX iPower 5.8 and later



10 Manual Overwrite

Manual Overwrite enables operators to write a current value for a block into the SCADA

database, and have the SCADA ignore telemetered readings for that block. It is typically used

when a transducer is not yet installed, is faulty, or has been removed for servicing. Manual

Overwrite is also known as ‘Local Force’

Fig: Operator dialog for Manual Overwrite

• Manual Overwrite is available for both analog and single-bit digital values

• Manual Overwrite presence is shown by Attribute Indicators

• Manual Overwrite values are displayed in an identifiable Manual Overwrite color

• Adding and removing a Manual Overwrite is recorded in the Events list

• Manual Overwrite List displays all blocks in a system where a Manual Overwrite is in place

• Operators can view / remove Manual Overwrite blocks from any display of the block or from

the Manual Overwrite list

• *A Device Manual Overwrite list displays manually overwritten blocks in that single device



11 Alarm Management

iPower enhances core iFIX alarm processing with:

• Acknowledge a single alarm

• Acknowledge all alarms in the current picture

• Silence the alarm horn

• Change alarm limits

• Permanently record the reason for changing alarm limits

• Disable / enable alarms

• Permanently record the reason for disabling an alarm

• “Off-Normal” List: All blocks not in their normal state, regardless of alarm conditions

*iPower Alarms list

The iPower alarms list provides consistency with other iPower lists, and includes features like:

• Click & drag column sizing

• Click & drag column positioning

• A>Z / Z>A column soft

• Advanced sort

• Configuration-time filters

• Simple and advanced run-time filters


Fig: Analog Alarm Tab: To change alarm limits, acknowledge an alarm, disable/enable an alarm



12 Events

iPower provides a comprehensive and permanent event recording system. It provides

recording, display, filtering, exporting and printing of system and operator activity, including:

• Alarms

• Non-alarm changes of state

• Sequence of Events (SOEs)

• Operator actions:

- Control

- Interlock acceptance

- Control & Information Tag, apply & remove

- Apply & remove Manual Overwrite

- Add Note

• Operator comments about SCADA events

• Operator event messages

List Features

• Click & drag column sizing

• Click & drag column positioning

• Configuration-time filters

• Advanced run-time filters

• Seamless scroll into history

• Jump to history using filters

• User-defined file duration to optimize

list performance



13 Data Display

The data display provides the current value and attributes of iFIX database blocks, without

requiring any graphics configuration. Click on a row in the display to pop-up the iPower

operator dialog for that block, a useful end-to-end testing / commissioning capability.

• Current values

• Block Attributes

• Operations

Fig: Real-time data display

Block Attributes:

• Control Tag(s)

• Information Tag(s)

• Manual Overwrite

• Alarm Disabled

Current values / current states

Alarm status by color

Click a row for the operator dialog



14 Notes

iPower Notes facilitates operators sharing information about devices or locations. iPower can

be configured to automatically provide a unique note for each main device (say a pump or a

transformer). Notes can also be added to pictures, so adding a note to a substation/pump-

station picture provides a note about that substation/pump-station.

Features

• Per device, e.g. circuit breaker, pump, generator, motor, transformer

• Per picture, e.g. substation picture, pump station-picture, well-head picture

• A Secure text editor, Notes does not provide access to computer hard drives through ‘Save

‘As’

• Automatic Notes history: Each ‘Save’ keeps the previous revisions accessible through Notes

History.

• No configuration costs

• Information is easily accessible to operators

• List of all Notes simplifies management



15 iPower Lists

The single iPower List application provides a consistent user interface for all iPower lists:

• Events

• Alarms (available in version 5.8)

• Disabled Alarms

• Manual Overwrite

• Control Tags

• Information Tags

• Data values & Attributes

• Notes

Lists have consistent menus, tools, configuration options and “look and feel” including:

• Base Filtering (configuration-time filtering)

• Run-time filtering

• Drag to relocate a column

• Drag to change a column width

• A>Z , Z>A sort

• Advanced sort

• Printing

• The status bar displays the list mode, number of records, filters, sorts, run mode

Operate from Lists

Click on a single block (row) in a list to display the appropriate iPower operator dialog.

Examples:

• Click a row in a control tag list, to display the Control Tag dialog, and remove the tag

• Click a row in a disabled alarm list, to display the Alarm dialog, to re-enable alarming on that

block

The exception is the Notes list: Clicking on a note in a notes list opens that specific note for

display/editing.



16 System Structure & Automated Configuration

iPower enhances both implementation and operation by building structure into configuration of

the system. While this structure is not required, it delivers important benefits:

• Reduced configuration time and costs

• Reduced commissioning times and costs

• Reduced maintenance costs

• Delivering intuitive, easy to use systems without micro-management

Structured Block Naming

As these examples show, iPower-structured naming usually reflects real-world system

organization:

Level

Electric Power

example

4 part name

Oil & Gas

example

4 part name

Water / Waste water

example

4 part name

1

Substation

Substation 6

‘SUB6’

Wellhead

Wellhead 67

‘WH67’

Pump Station

Pump station 3

‘STN3’

2

Device

Circuit Breaker 3

‘CB3’

Device

Motor Operated Valve 2

‘V2’

Device

Pump 4

‘P1’

3

Block Type

Analog Input

‘AI’

Block Type

Status Input

‘DI’

Block Type

Control Command

‘CS1’

4

Block ID

A Phase Amps

‘AMPSA’

Block ID

Valve State Indication

‘STS’

Block ID

Turn Pump On

‘ON’

Block

name SUB6_CB3_AI_AMPSA WH67_V2_ DI_STS STN3_P1_CS1_ON



Automated Object Configuration

iPower uses a structured naming convention to automate the configuration of common devices:

Fig: iPower automatically selects the three phase currents, plus any other blocks,

associated with this circuit breaker

Fig: iPower automatically selects the MW and MVAR analogs associated with this transformer. Users are

able to choose the voltage (color) of the high and low voltage sides of the transformer.



Automatic Auxiliary Screen Population

iPower auxiliary pictures display all the secondary or minor database blocks associated with a

main device. Structured naming enables iPower to automatically populate these auxiliary

pictures, enabling monitoring and control of every block in the system, without requiring

manual graphics configuration.



Automatic Device Display Population

iPower almost entirely automates the replication of these complex device displays:

Device facility Configuration requirements

Faceplate or other graphic

Configured once,

for all instances of this device

List of alarms for this device

All events related to this device

List of blocks with disabled alarms in this device

All Control Tagged blocks in the device

All Information Tagged blocks in the device

All blocks in an Off Normal condition in this device

List of Manually Overwritten blocks in this device

Trends configured for this device

All Operator Notes for any blocks in this device

Diagrams, drawings, photos, manuals, other images

and documents

File device-specific images and

documents in Proficy folders using

structured file names. iPower

includes the right file with the right

device display. *Alarm Device displays are available in iFIX iPower 5.8



Automatic Dialog Population

iPower dialogs provide a complete user interface for operations. The many instances of iPower

dialogs available across an iPower system do not require any individual configuration in a

normal iPower implementation. Core dialogs functions:

Control

Alarm

Control Tag

Manual Overwrite

Information Tag

Link



Automatic List Filtering

This iPower list includes columns that (automatically) display the first two levels in iFIX the block

naming convention. In this example Level 1 is called ‘Location’ and Level 2 is called ‘Device’.

Users can A>Z and Z>A sort on either Location or Device by clicking a column header:

This list also includes drop-down filter for both Location and

Device. Users can filter the list for a specific location, a specific

device, or both

*This facility is only partially available in iFIX iPower 5.5. Enhancements planned for iFIX iPower 5.8 include:

1) User-defined level names 2) Implementation of the top 4 levels 3) Implementation for the following Lists:

o Alarms o Data Summary o Disabled Alarms o Control Tags o Information Tags o Manual Overwrite



Menu Configuration

Catapult Menu is a software application, completely integrated within the iFIX environment.

The menu configuration tool is accessed directly from within the Workspace in configure mode,

from the “iPowerTools” toolbar:

Menu editing requires no programming. Menu editor windows:

Menu

Editor



List Configuration

All iPower Lists provide a consistent user experience. The function of any list is set during

configuration, but can also be changed on the fly at runtime. So for example an events list can

become and list of disabled alarms, then a Control tag list, and so on. The List configuration

tool is accessed directly from within the Workspace in configure mode, from the “iPowerTools”

toolbar:

Adding a list is simply a case of dropping it into the iFIX picture, dragging it to resize and position

it, then picking the functions required:

iPower List Properties editor, main window

List column selector

List function selector

List Editor



17 Miscellaneous

Screen control & Right Click Menu

iPower Right-click menu provides the following tools:

• Zoom in/out

• Zoom (to a) window

• Pan

• (Return to) Full View

• Cancel Pan/Zoom

• Disable wheel zooming

• Resize picture

• Arrange Pictures

• Send picture (up, down, left, right…to another monitor)

• Print picture

• Close picture

• Acknowledge (all alarms on the current) picture

• Silence the alarm horn

Database permanence

Key parameters are retained through a system fail-over, shutdown and restart. These include:

- Block alarm disable/enable

- Block Manual Overwrite

- Block Control Tag

- Block Information Tag

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