Glossary of Terms, Acronyms & Abbreviations
The following is a glossary of terms that may be found throughout the GMP website, as well as documents provided by Good Manufacturing Practices.
Alarm Summary: A display panel that depicts an operational group’s process alarms in a hierarchical manner.
Analog I/O: Flow, pressure, level and temperature indicators read or set by the process control system.
Client/Server: Communications strategy whereby one device (server) provides information for a multitude of other devices (clients).
Control Function: Regulatory, discrete, or sequential, logic that is executed once or is executing continuously, such as, control of utilities, multi-point alarm monitoring and interlocks.
Control Group: A display panel that depicts the status of a group of instrument faceplates.
Control Loops: Process inputs signals, such as flow, pressure, level or temperature that are compared with a desired state in order to produce an output signal.
CPU: Central Processing Unit.
DCS: Distributed Control System.
Devices: Diverter valves, header valves, blowers, motors, pumps, etc. that use combinations of discrete I/O to perform a coordinated function. (Also referred to as Discrete Control Devices).
Discrete I/O: Input/Output of contacts that have binary characteristics.
Display Panel: Display on a CRT such as an overview, control group, graphic, trend, etc.
Faceplate: A representation of a function block and its parameters.
FAT: Factory Acceptance Test – This is a test that exercises all aspects of the Application Software provided as per the SRS.
FCS: Field Control Station – provide control and interlock functionality for the Yokogawa DCS
FHT: Factory Hardware Test A functional test of the process control system that ensures proper operation at the completion of the system assembly process.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol that allows file transfer between computers that operate on TCP.
Function Block: A control entity that performs a combination of input processing, control processing, output processing, and/or alarm processing as required.
Graphic panel: Custom pictorial display of the process or recipe data.
I/O: Input/Output – hardware for reading/writing field signals.
IS: Intrinsically Safe – low power specification used for hazardous areas in order to minimize explosion possibilities due to electrical signals.
Modbus: Transmission protocol operating on a master/slave principle for the communication of data.
MV: Manipulated Value.
Operator Guide Panel: A display panel that depicts a summary of operator guide and dialogue messages.
Overview: A display panel consisting of 32 display blocks designed to monitor overall operation and to access panels that are more detailed.
P&ID: Piping (or Process) and Instrument (ation) Diagram (Drawing).
Peer-to-Peer: Communications strategy whereby all devices have equal opportunity to send and receive requests to other devices.
PLC: Programmable Logic Controller.
PQP: Project Quality Plan – A document that defines the quality assurance activities and tasks necessary for the project.
PV: Process Value.
RL-Bus: Proprietary communication highway linking OPSs and FCUs via coaxial cable
RS-232C: A low speed serial data communications protocol.
RS-422: A unipolarity differential data communications protocol.
RS-485: A data communications protocol similar to
RS-422: with added capability of supporting many drivers and receivers on a single line.
SAT: Site Acceptance Test. A test to verify the actual operation of the process at the site.
Screen: A single display monitor.
Sequence Table: A truth table that evaluates a set of conditions, evaluates whether they are either true or false, and then provides a set of actions. Sequence tables can be used for either phase logic, interlocks, or sequential processing.
SRS: System Requirements Specification – a document that defines how the functional requirements will be accomplished within a specific hardware and software environment. The SRS, together with P&ID’s and instrument index, becomes the basis for system implementation.
Station: A single device on the control highway, such as an operator station or field controller.
Tag: An entity corresponding to a function block, such as a PID control function block. Data is always acquired or set by designating tags.
Trend Panel: A time-base graphical representation of up to eight tags with a single parameter value.
Tuning (Detail) Panel: A display panel that depicts a specific function block’s parameter’s, associated instrument faceplate and tuning trend.
UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply. Provides Power conditioning and backup power to System components.
VL-net: Communication bus of CS3000. VL-net can function as either single or dual redundant bus.
Vnet/IP: 1GB Communication bus of CS3000 and CentumVP. Dual redundant bus.