On a Geo SCADA Expert system, you configure the Geo SCADA Expert database so that entries in the database correspond to the plant, measuring instruments, and control devices on your system. This section summarizes the database items that you need to configure to represent the SCADAPack Modbus Realflo devices on your system.
In order to represent any SCADAPack Modbus Realflo devices, both the SCADAPack Modbus Driver and the Realflo extension component have to be installed and running on the Geo SCADA Expert servers on your system (see Confirm that the Realflo Server Component is Installed). When the driver is first installed, a system administrator needs to define the server settings for the driver (see Configuring SCADAPack Modbus Server Settings in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the SCADAPack Modbus Driver, and see Configuring Realflo Server Settings in this guide).
When you configure SCADAPack Modbus Realflo items in the Geo SCADA Expert database, many of the settings for those items need to correspond to the settings of the relevant SCADAPack Modbus Realflo devices on your system. Some settings are either fixed (incorporated into the design of the Realflo-enabled SCADAPack controller), or are configured by an engineer. You need to have access to, or an understanding of, the settings of the SCADAPack Modbus Realflo devices on your system before you can configure the SCADAPack Modbus Realflo database items successfully. For instance, you need to specify the user ID and passcode needed to access the Realflo components on each Realflo-enabled SCADAPack controller on your system.
You also need to be aware of which optional features are required for each SCADAPack Modbus Realflo item. These features include:
- Alarm views
- Alarm redirections
- Historic data storage
- User methods.
You can also use core Geo SCADA Expert features with SCADAPack Modbus Realflo database items, including Lists, Actions, and Mimics. For actions that are specific to the SCADAPack Modbus driver, see Using SCADAPack Modbus Specific Actions in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the SCADAPack Modbus Driver, and see Using Realflo Specific Actions in this guide. For further information on actions and for details on Lists and Mimics, see the core documentation.
In order for Geo SCADA Expert to monitor flow data via SCADAPack devices that are running Realflo, you need to configure:
- An Advanced Modbus Channel to represent each communication connection between a SCADAPack Realflo controller and the Geo SCADA Expert server.
see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Channel in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Advanced Modbus Driver.
With a Direct channel, use the fields within the Scan Groups section of the Scan Parameters tab to specify the frequency with which current data is updated in Geo SCADA Expert, (see Define Intervals for Timed Current Data Updates in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to Advanced Drivers).
For points other than Realflo Analog Input points, the Scan Group interval should be a multiple of the points’ Retrieval Interval rate (see Configure Common Point Properties in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the SCADAPack Modbus Driver). For Realflo Analog Input points, the Scan Group interval should be a multiple of the relevant Flow Run’s Current Scan interval (see Configure the Scanning Properties).
- An Advanced Modbus Set to define each group of SCADAPack Realflo controllers.
see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Set in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Advanced Modbus Driver.
Any sets that contain Realflo controllers should have their Broadcast Set Clock feature disabled. (The Realflo method of setting a clock results in a Realflo controller restarting its current Hour log.)
- A Realflo Controller to define each SCADAPack controller that is running Realflo, and is calculating gas, liquid or water volume and compressibility data, (see Configuring SCADAPack Modbus Realflo Controllers).
- A Flow Run for each set of flow run calculation parameters that Geo SCADA Expert is to monitor from a Flow Computer, (see Configuring a SCADAPack Modbus Flow Run).
Depending on your system hardware, you can attach between 1 and 10 Flow Runs to each Realflo Controller.
You can fully configure each Flow Run directly in Geo SCADA Expert, or you can read the majority of a Flow Run’s configuration into the Geo SCADA Expert database, (see Configure or Read the Flow Run Configuration). If you choose the latter option, each Flow Run needs to have been configured using a PC that is running the Realflo application, before the Geo SCADA Expert server can successfully read the Flow Run configuration into the Geo SCADA Expert database.
- A Realflo Analog Input Point for each item of Flow Run data that is to be further processed in Geo SCADA Expert (see Configuring Realflo Analog Input Points, and see Scanning Realflo Points on SCADAPack Modbus Controllers).
(To view certain Flow Run values in Geo SCADA Expert, you can attach and display those values in a Mimic, or in a Data Grid. You only need to configure a Realflo Analog Input point if you want to view data that is not directly available from the Flow Run database item, or to further process an item of Flow Run data in Geo SCADA Expert (for example, to raise alarms, or to store data historically in Geo SCADA Expert). For more information, see View and Process Flow Run Data.)
- If required, SCADAPack Modbus Analog and Digital Points to represent any other analog and digital measuring instruments and control devices that are connected to a Realflo-enabled SCADAPack controller (see Points Used on SCADAPack Modbus Controllers in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the SCADAPack Modbus Driver). You can use these points to optionally represent any controller functions that run independently to the Realflo components.
If you want other applications to communicate remotely with SCADAPack Modbus Realflo devices via Geo SCADA Expert, you also need to configure a Remote Connection.
see Configuring an Advanced Modbus Remote Connection in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Advanced Modbus Driver.
To minimize the time that it takes to configure the required SCADAPack Modbus Realflo items, you may want to configure them in the order listed above, as set configuration requires you to specify a channel, and controller (outstation) configuration requires you to specify a set, and so on.
Realflo-enabled SCADAPack controllers only support writing of Flow Run configuration from the Geo SCADA Expert server. However, you may be able to write other configuration remotely, via applications such as Telepace®. Refer to the documentation supplied with the application for information.
Be aware that some of the configuration properties, features and functionality mentioned in this guide are only supported by particular versions of Realflo firmware onwards. As such, not all of the properties and features described in this guide might be available on, or supported by, the Realflo devices on your system.