What are the best ways to minimize downtime during DCS maintenance?

DCS Maintenance is a planned activity. Whenever plant shut down activity is carried out, it is essential that DCS also should be backed up. Inventory maintenance for DCS plays a pivotal role in executing smooth changeover. It is always advisable to take regular backups in order to avoid any conflicts and reduce unnecessary downtime

Proper Planning is the most important thing for Preventive Maintenance that includes number to of tasks with work method statement, including checklists, identify and arrange spared if need to be replaced. If working on ESD system then special care is needed such as maintenance override, compensating measures etc.

DCS Backup is the first thing while performing modifications or maintenance or testing things. One thing which is mostly ignored by DCS Engineers for not documenting software revisions and hardware specifications along with backups which later on becomes a problem when there is need to restore.

Mostly DCS engineers are taking regular backups but ignoring validation/ restoration and pressurizing their companies to buy proper restoration software/equipment. I agree End-users are also responsible for not buying DCS vendors built-in Backup and Restoration solution because of budget constraints.

Control systems like DCS usually have to be serviced during a planned shutdown of the plant, if any major change is needed. Regular backup, I/O systems and processors and communication modules if have redundancy can be checked online where possible. Most systems are robust and don't require a longer downtime anyway. It is thought important to keep inventory of critical spares updated and ready. DCS vendors normally suggest and support the critical spares inventory and this will help to ensure minimum downtime if any replacement is required.

1. Control & operational Voltage checking periodically. 2. System earth, panel earth checking periodically 3. Panel conditions like filters, fans healthiness 4. Maintaining required control temperature. 5. Daily basis redundancy checking like power, control unit, communication, IO module(if applicable). etc.

DCS or ICSS maintenance should be included in CMMS. That is the best way to reduce DCS downtime due to following reasons: - Backup is assured due to routine backup work order raised by CMMS - Spareparts availability - Task List or Maintenance procedure is established and encoded in CMMS and will be generated upon release of DCS maintenance work order. - All risks will be taken into consideration when a work order is generated by CMMS since a PTW will be issued for the job. - Hence, no unnecessary jobs will be done on DCS without proper work order.