I. Determination of System Functional Requirements Before selecting a DCS, it is necessary to clarify the application objectives, propose the requirements for DCS functions, and determine the scale of the system. Generally, it requires discussion and determination by several parties, including the person in charge of instrumentation automation, process and computer, and the project manager of the design institute, in order to maximize the satisfaction of production and operation requirements. 1. Objectives of DCS Application (1) Improve the production and management level of the equipment Improve production efficiency (increase revenue), reduce production costs, save energy, reduce consumption, improve product quality, improve the flexibility and adaptability of production plan changes, improve the management level of the equipment, improve the scientific nature of fault analysis and the standardization of production management, which is conducive to labor competition and tapping production potential. (2) Improve the control level of the equipment Realize stable control and operation optimization of the equipment, realize advanced control, realize sequential logic control, realize equipment fault diagnosis and interlock protection, realize the optimal control of the local or whole equipment. The improvement of production and management level and the improvement of control level will play an important role in realizing the "safe, stable, long-term, full-capacity and excellent" production of the equipment, and have significant economic and social benefits. These objectives can be considered in stages, applied and developed gradually, and the system will also be gradually expanded to achieve the final objectives. 2. System Functional Requirements (1) Data Acquisition and Storage Functions: Scanning time of analog input signals, scanning time of digital signals, types, number of points and cycles of historical data storage (including adjustment trends and historical trends), and input signal processing functions. (2) Control Functions: Possess complete monitoring, adjustment and sequential control functions, as well as equipment operation monitoring, interlocking protection and other functions, maximum capability of feedback control functions (types and quantities of input and output, logical operation capabilities, sequential steps, execution cycle), process control language capabilities (such as ST, FORTRAN, BASIC, C or other control languages), and requirements for advanced control software. (3) Display Functions: CRT size, color, screen refresh time, screen types and quantities. The display screen includes an overview screen, flowchart screen, control group screen, adjustment screen, trend screen, process alarm screen, system alarm screen, system status screen, operation log screen, historical query screen, etc., and has window (multiple, stretched, overlapping) display functions, Chinese character function and touch screen function. (4) Alarm functions: analog input/output signal alarm (absolute alarm, rate of change alarm), digital input/output signal alarm, instrument shutdown (calibration, scan stop) alarm, system component (card, network) fault alarm, adjacent alarm time resolution, alarm management functions (such as historical query filtering, alarm group setting, alarm point group priority, alarm suppression function, etc.). (5) Report and screen copy functions: real-time report function, timed report function (including daily, shift, daily, monthly, and annual reports), alarm summary record, operation record report, operation or parameter modification printing, printer screen copy function. (6) Operation safety: operation permission password query function, engineer and operator key key function, MAN/AUT/CAS switching without disturbance function, redundancy measures. (7) System flexibility: system reliability indicators, redundancy and error prevention, convenient system expansion, compatibility with new and old products, communication interface and software practicality with host computer, communication with other types of machines (openness). System functional requirements are determined based on system objectives and specific content, with particular emphasis on the characteristics of the specific project: a) The speed of rapid scanning and the execution cycle of sequential control and interlocking must be specifically required according to process indicators. For example, when a user introduced a DCS for a device, the contractor was unclear about the patent holder's requirements for sequential control. During configuration design, it was found that the speed and capacity of this DCS could not meet the process requirements, so another PLC had to be purchased, increasing investment. b) If the goal is to develop advanced control software, then the control functions and software development tools should be emphasized. II. DCS Selection 1. Model Selection Principles Selecting a DCS model is an important task. Due to the rapid pace of DCS technology advancement and short replacement cycles, the era of monopoly by a few major foreign DCS manufacturers is over. Domestic DCS manufacturers have rapidly developed and matured, and now occupy half of the Chinese DCS market. Their performance, reliability, stability, and superior cost-effectiveness have been recognized by a wide range of users, which is a source of pride for the national industry. Currently, there are over a dozen major DCS manufacturers both domestically and internationally. DCS procurement generally adopts a bidding process, typically where the user (or the bidding company) selects 3-5 companies for quotations and bidding. After comprehensive evaluation and comparison by experts, leaders, and technical personnel, a final model is selected. Many factors influence the selection of a DCS model, and it's not sufficient to consider only the initial investment. The principles for selecting a DCS model can be summarized as follows: choose a well-known company with strong engineering capabilities; choose a mainstream model recommended by experienced experts; prioritize the reliability, stability, and ease of operation of the DCS system; secondly, ensure the DCS functions meet functional requirements and possess internationally advanced (but not necessarily the most advanced) capabilities; the system should have an open architecture and flexible scalability. Examine whether there are precedents of its use in the same industry, whether the results are satisfactory, the completeness of the manufacturer's backup support system, investigate the manufacturer's engineering experience and implementation capabilities, their ability to provide specialized solutions and design capabilities, the quality of service, the best performance/price ratio, the acceptable price, and the timeliness of spare parts supply and response. Ideally, a factory should use the same DCS model for ease of maintenance and management. 2. Evaluation content of the models (1) Comparison of system hardware composition: Compare the hardware configuration and functions of 3-5 models participating in the inquiry. The main items are as follows: operator station, engineer station, printer, host computer interface, auxiliary storage, network and internal communication, field controller, field monitoring station, auxiliary cabinet (safety barrier cabinet, terminal cabinet, relay cabinet, auxiliary operator console, etc.), application module and power supply. (2) Comparison of I/O card capabilities (list each item: number of points/cards, number of cards, total number of points): Monitoring input 4～20mA pulse T/C RTD Control input 4～20mA pulse T/C RTD Control output 4～20mA D/I button, switch status D/O switch, relay output (3) Comparison of system communication functions: standardization, openness and functions of communication procedures, communication network (bus), communication speed, transmission distance, total number of devices allowed to be loaded by the network (bus), whether it is dualized. (4) Comparison of communication functions with host computer (5) Comparison of system software functions (6) Comparison of after-sales technical services (7) Comparison of application software tools (8) Development potential and advancement (good, relatively good, average, poor) (9) The price is listed in the following categories: hardware, software, spare parts, services (including training, materials, on-site services, technical consultation, etc.), host computer hardware and software, taxes and fees and total price. 3. Lessons learned When choosing a machine type, it is best for the end user to decide based on their actual situation, with the opinions of the patent holder and the design institute (engineering company) as a reference. Especially when DCS is a complete set of process equipment, the patent holder and the design institute (engineering company) often choose the model that is most advantageous to them, which may be outdated, of poor quality and high price, and they do not consider the user's needs in terms of spare parts, maintenance, networking, etc. If you choose yourself, you can avoid this phenomenon. When bidding for DCS for a certain device, the opinions of the end user were adopted, which not only saved more than 1/3 of the investment, but also selected a system with better performance. In addition, we should prevent the practice of deciding on the choice based solely on a one-time investment. A certain device purchased an outdated foreign DCS product at a price that was only 6% cheaper. The cost of spare parts and maintenance in the future will far exceed 6%. Because DCS updates very quickly, although the manufacturer can promise that the equipment price will not increase for several years when signing the contract, it is difficult to keep that promise. III. DCS System Configuration 1. Work Content of System Configuration The development of DCS has made the system configuration more and more adaptable, and it also includes PLC control functions. It can realize small systems with a few or a dozen loops to large systems with hundreds or thousands of loops. The principle of system configuration should be to minimize the number of hardware while meeting the production and control requirements of the device, so as to achieve economic rationality and leave an appropriate margin. The system configuration work mainly includes the following aspects. (1) System I/O point statistics: Generally, it includes 10-15% of the spare capacity. Hot spare and cold spare situations should be considered separately. (2) Control station: All variables involved in control or important monitoring variables should be considered to be included in the control station. The types and quantities of I/O cards are determined according to the number of I/O point statistics. The cabinet has 10% spare space. Redundant configuration of main control unit, redundant configuration of internal network, redundant configuration of control I/O card, redundant configuration of power supply, and system load estimated according to 1 second standard scan cycle to meet the specific requirements of DCS, considering the correlation between the power supply system of field transmitter and DCS. (3) Monitoring station: For systems with monitoring stations, some points that only need to be monitored can be considered to be added to the monitoring station. However, the monitoring station is generally not redundant. (4) Operation station: The number of operation stations is determined according to the division of process flow sections or areas and the number of operators in the central control room. At a minimum, two main operation stations with computer equipment should be provided. The number of printers should meet the needs of alarm, report and copy, but the printers used for alarm and report must be separate. (5) Configuration of auxiliary operation station: Install flashing alarm, indicator, handheld device, switch button, indicator light, terminal block, circuit breaker, telephone, etc. (6) Configuration of other stations or modules: According to the structural and functional needs of different systems, engineering station, large screen, host computer, etc. can be configured. (7) Communication system configuration: All network cards, network cables (buses), switches, couplers, modems, etc. related to communication should be configured with redundancy as needed. (8) System power supply and auxiliary cabinet configuration (safety barrier cabinet, terminal cabinet, relay cabinet, distribution box, etc.): The UPS uninterruptible power supply capacity should be 40% higher than the capacity required by the DCS system, and should ensure that power supply can continue for 30 minutes when the power grid fails. According to the classification of dangerous locations on site, the safety barrier model is recommended. (9) Spare parts and consumables should, in principle, be prepared for two years of use. 2. Experience and lessons learned The system hardware configuration is directly related to the investment, application and maintenance of DCS. Some unknown small bidders or agents, in order to win the bid or based on general standards, propose configurations that do not meet the requirements of the end users, and engage in unfair competition. For example, a certain unit was provided with a DCS by an agent, which had very little redundancy. After one year of operation, the process equipment needed to be modified to increase the number of points. Reordering would cost a lot of money and the ordering cycle was long, which delayed the start of operation. Another tendency is for end-users to introduce systems themselves, resulting in hardware configurations that are over 30% larger, tying up capital. Both extremes should be avoided. For new equipment, redundancy should be appropriately large; for retrofits, less redundancy is needed. There shouldn't be too many operator stations. If operator positions are assigned based on the habit of using conventional instruments, there will inevitably be idle operator stations after operators have been familiar with them for a few months. However, there shouldn't be too few either. For example, a system configured by a foreign company, with thousands of process inputs/outputs and hundreds of loops, only had three operator stations (5 CRTs), and they couldn't even be used as backups. This might be manageable under normal circumstances, but it becomes particularly difficult during process emergencies or partial DCS failures. Small, unknown bidders or foreign agents generally have poor after-sales service, slow response times, and high costs. Well-known domestic DCS manufacturers prioritize engineering services and after-sales response, providing timely, convenient, and satisfactory service. Spare parts supply is not an issue, reducing spare parts inventory without affecting production start-up. Furthermore, it is recommended that companies use the same model of DCS as much as possible. IV. Establishment of the System Operating Environment 1. Work Content Establishing the operating environment is crucial in the implementation of DCS applications, ensuring its normal operation. This includes the following aspects: determining the location of the DCS control room; determining the location of the DCS control room and auxiliary rooms; defining the location of equipment and building requirements within the control room; lighting requirements; anti-interference measures; grounding requirements; power supply requirements; and isolation requirements. DCS environmental requirements can be determined by referring to GB2887-82 "Technical Requirements for Computer Station Sites" and relevant technical specifications from the DCS manufacturer. The design institute should design according to the above requirements and select a suitable construction company. Generally, interior decoration, air conditioning, and lighting should be carried out by specialized computer-related construction teams to ensure quality. Investing in the DCS environment is necessary. 2. Experience and Lessons Learned Environmental issues are a prerequisite for the long-term continuous and normal operation of the DCS. Neglecting these aspects can cause various hazards to the normal operation of the equipment. For example, excessively high temperatures and excessive dust can easily cause hard drive head springs to break and scratch the disk. In one instance, a foreign DCS system in a certain device experienced two consecutive drive failures due to this reason, and spare parts could not be obtained in time, resulting in a shutdown for nearly six months. High temperatures have caused memory and secondary storage to malfunction, leading to system instability in several systems. Excessive heat also generates static electricity, potentially causing some DCS systems to crash. If operators are not careful, electrostatic discharge can cause card or module failures, impacting process operations. Grounding is another crucial yet challenging issue; several mainstream DCS systems on the market have experienced various adverse consequences due to poor grounding during installation and commissioning. In short, it is essential to create a good operating environment for the DCS. In the DCS layout, it is best to consider adding a buffer room before entering the control room or server room; this is a good dust control measure. For situations with very high dust control requirements, a cleanroom (such as a disk cleanroom) can be added. Spare parts warehouses, media warehouses, and hardware repair rooms should ideally be air-conditioned. Although some DCS manufacturers tout the excellent adaptability of their products, in actual use, it has been found that air conditioning is indispensable (affecting product quality and the DCS's lifespan). Heating should generally not be added to the computer room and central control room, especially water-based heating. This is particularly important when raised floors are installed or cable trenches are present, to prevent accidents caused by water or steam leaks from the heating system, which could damage circuits, flood cables, and submerge equipment. V. Personnel Training 1. Work Content After the hardware, software, and operating environment of the DCS are determined, personnel training is crucial for its effective use. It includes the following aspects: System Engineer Training: Each DCS system must have at least one trained system engineer to be fully responsible for the system's technical leadership and the organizational work undertaken by the project manager. This engineer should have a comprehensive understanding of the DCS system. Configuration Design and Configuration Generation Software Engineer Training: Ideally, the DCS application software should be developed by the user themselves or with their participation, with the seller providing technical guidance. This approach yields the best training results and is a prerequisite for future improvements, modifications, and continued development of the system application software. This aspect is generally trained by engineers from both the design personnel and the factory user (instrumentation and automation personnel, process personnel), with the factory taking the lead. Training for host computer and DCS interface software and hardware engineers: If the DCS is configured with a host computer or MES system, separate training should be provided. Personnel can be selected from the enterprise information center, production scheduling management, and computer personnel. Training for hardware maintenance engineers: Modern DCS hardware maintenance is mostly board-level or module-level maintenance, and the system has diagnostic functions. Therefore, hardware maintenance personnel generally do not require separate training; instead, some software engineers can focus on training them. Training for the above four types of personnel generally needs to be conducted at the manufacturing plant. Before training, it is best to conduct preliminary self-study and read relevant technical materials to make thorough preparations for satisfactory results. Personnel with some DCS basics and application experience are even better. Training for operators, workshop directors, and relevant leaders is also very important. This training is conducted by trained computer personnel through lectures and practical operation training. First, trained personnel should write operation manuals for workshop operators and conduct practical training according to process groups. Generally, they can master the skills quickly. Establishing standards and requirements before they start working and issuing operation qualification certificates is a good approach. 2. Lessons Learned: Training is crucial for users to master the system and effectively undertake tasks such as system maintenance, modification, commissioning, and further development. It's essential to avoid training biases, such as treating DCS training trips as internal favors and sending irrelevant personnel; when DCS is introduced as part of a complete system, focusing only on process and design training without attending training at the DCS manufacturer; sometimes failing to include end-user technical personnel in configuration design training; sending trainers with no DCS experience and inadequate pre-training, resulting in minimal gains during brief DCS training sessions; some trainees lacking a comprehensive understanding of the system before training, failing to prepare questions, and being unaccustomed to foreign question-and-answer training methods; and some training sessions focusing too much on basic commissioning work while neglecting application software and knowledge needed for future development, leading to difficulties in application maintenance and development, and preventing the correct and comprehensive use of expensive application software. DCS operation is generally simple and convenient, and easy to learn. For process operators, it's unnecessary to explain complex computer principles and internal structures; the focus should be on teaching them practical usage methods and operational requirements. Well-known domestic DCS systems are generally fully localized in Chinese, eliminating language barriers. However, imported DCS systems rarely display Chinese characters; they primarily display and print in English. This can be challenging for operators with varying English proficiency, especially with the numerous abbreviations, hindering their understanding and memorization and impacting the effectiveness of the DCS. This is crucial in training process operators. VI. System Configuration and Generation 1. Work Content The core work of DCS application is system configuration, including hardware configuration and system application software configuration. Hardware configuration begins with completing the system configuration diagram, including the configuration diagram of each card to determine addresses or names. This work must be completed before application software configuration. Each DCS application software configuration method is different, with its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. The development trend is towards configuring independent configuration workstations, or engineer workstations. Some DCS manufacturers have also developed microcomputer configuration system software, which allows the configuration of most application software to be completed on a PC and then converted into a form that the system can accept. There are also new developments in configuration software, such as CAD speeding up the configuration process. There are three key links for DCS application software configuration. (1) Configuration design should first scientifically organize the basic design of the automatic control system and the configuration requirements of the distributed control system according to the system objectives, and finally form the configuration source file. It includes the following parts: system configuration design, directory (DIRECTORY) and file (FILE) organization design (some systems may not need to do this), configuration design of monitoring station, configuration design of control station, configuration design of operator station, and configuration design of other network equipment. (2) Fully master the DCS configuration methods, skills and system functions. The training on DCS configuration methods, skills and system functions should be thoroughly understood and mastered. Only in this way can the role of DCS be fully utilized, and the system configuration can meet the requirements of practicality, convenient operation and strong function. Through practical application, the shortcomings can be found, and the configuration design can be gradually improved and modified. (3) Consulting and meeting process requirements, and combining operation and maintenance experience. DCS serves the process and is ultimately used and operated by the process. When configuring DCS, it is essential to carefully consider and consult process requirements. It is best if process technicians are involved to strive to meet process operation requirements. Pay attention to accumulating daily process operation and instrument maintenance experience, turn this experience into application software, fully explore the advanced control and operation functions of DCS, and improve the utilization effect of DCS. 2. Experience and lessons learned. Configuration and generation must involve the technical personnel of the end user. The depth of involvement in configuration design should be determined according to the user's capabilities. Ideally, generation should be completed entirely by the end user. In many cases, the configuration of systems is done by designers or DCS manufacturers, and the end user does not care. If the designers or DCS manufacturers are not familiar with process production operations and do not understand the requirements and habits of operators, standard software is not a big problem, but rework of content closely related to the process, such as reports, screens, and operation methods, is inevitable. Conversely, if the end user's process personnel and instrumentation and automation personnel with practical production experience undertake or participate in the design and configuration, the situation is very different. The reports and displays generated by a certain system based on the requirements of process engineers are highly popular. The control scheme designed in conjunction with practical considerations is simple and easy to implement, and its implementation has yielded good results. Numerous successful experiences demonstrate that user participation in the design and configuration process, combining theory with practice, is essential for successful configuration design and generation. Many companies rely on their own technical capabilities to complete DCS configuration design and generation, handling the entire process from design, installation, commissioning, construction, maintenance, and development in-house, thus creating a successful model. VII. Installation and Commissioning 1. Installation Work Content Before DCS installation, the following conditions must be met: The computer room and central control room must be fully renovated, eliminating the need for digging trenches or drilling that would generate dust or vibration. Raised flooring must be laid, the ground clean, and the air conditioning system must be operational and have passed testing. The UPS must have passed commissioning and testing; if some conditions are not met, temporary power supplies may be used for commissioning, but voltage stabilization equipment should be added. Lighting construction must be completed and operating normally. No construction involving vibration or electrical interference should be carried out near the computer room. The grounding system must be completed and repeatedly checked to ensure it will not introduce interference signals. System installation work includes: cabinet placement, equipment (host, monitor, printer, etc.) installation, card or module installation, system network cable and internal cable connection, terminal external instrument signal line connection, system power supply and grounding connection, etc. These tasks are generally completed by the user under the guidance of the DCS manufacturer. System installation should be carried out in accordance with the specific system installation requirements. When installing in winter, attention should be paid to ensuring that the temperature gradient from the warehouse to the computer room meets the system requirements. The computer room can take measures to gradually increase the temperature to meet the requirements. After the installation work is completed, the DCS manufacturer usually sends an engineer to the site for inspection and power-on. Then the system can be debugged according to the debugging plan. 2. Debugging work content (1) DCS single-machine debugging and system debugging A. Hardware debugging and single-machine debugging: each device goes through the diagnostic program, standard function test, voltage measurement and inspection of the power card, zero point, range and accuracy debugging and inspection of I/O card, zero point, range and accuracy debugging and inspection of signal adjustment card. Some DCS have dedicated calibration instruments. B. Functional inspection and debugging: system standard functions, including communication, display, printing, etc. User screen inspection, automatic format report inspection, control scheme inspection and debugging, interlocking logic sequence control scheme inspection and debugging, and other user configuration program inspection. (2) DCS and field joint debugging of instrument input signals, DCS output and actuator joint debugging, field interlocking function joint debugging, and sequential control function joint debugging. Debugging is a scientific, meticulous, and rigorous task, and is a reliable guarantee for system commissioning. Therefore, a debugging plan must be prepared first, and the debugging organization work must be done well. Debugging records must be standardized and signed by the debugger and the acceptance personnel. Complex interlocking protection and sequential control functions must be signed by the process manager. (3) Online debugging of advanced control or optimized control application software after startup. This debugging must be carried out after the process unit has been started smoothly. First, a debugging plan should be formulated to ensure the smooth and safe production of the process. Repeatedly adjust parameters such as P, I, and D to put the control system and interlocking protection into automatic state and achieve the desired effect. Through debugging, train operators to master the commissioning method and understand its working principle and precautions. 3. Lessons Learned The internal installation, wiring, and commissioning of DCS equipment are best undertaken by the end-user's instrumentation, automation, and process personnel. This is most beneficial for understanding the system's status, mastering its advantages and disadvantages, and ensuring proper future maintenance, development, and daily operation. During functional debugging and system integration, it shouldn't be solely the DCS manufacturer's responsibility; the user's process operators, instrumentation and automation personnel, and relevant personnel from the construction unit must all participate and cooperate. Before powering on, special attention must be paid to checking the UPS voltage waveform, frequency, and grounding, as well as the DCS board switch settings. Ideally, this work should be handled by the DCS manufacturer's engineer. There have been instances where excessively high supply voltage burned out multiple power cards and equipment, as well as accidents caused by incorrect board insertion. Equipment in the US, Japan, and Western Europe generally uses 110V power, while China requires 220V. Some current DCS systems have added 110V and 220V switching switches; however, due to supplier negligence and lack of thorough inspection, 220V was sometimes applied to 110V equipment, causing damage. Before connecting the field signal line to the DCS terminal, it is essential to measure its insulation resistance and check for any abnormal interference signals. Especially before the construction of a new device is completed, safety barriers and modules have been burned out due to the introduction of strong interference signals from welding machines or electrical equipment. There have also been instances where the fuse of a primary meter was blown due to grounding. During hardware testing, all spare parts must undergo a comprehensive inspection to ensure their proper standby status. Special attention should be paid to the preservation and transfer of modified content during the testing process. Generally, copies must be made after the end of the day's work, otherwise the content is easily lost due to multiple operators. VIII. Commissioning and Assessment 1. Content of System Commissioning System commissioning generally refers to the commissioning of the DCS for the device. The following conditions must be met for the DCS to be put into actual operation: (1) The system has passed the joint commissioning. (2) The system environment, such as the air conditioning system, UPS power supply system, and grounding system, is operating normally, meets the technical standards, and has passed the acceptance test. (3) The DCS maintenance personnel have completed the actual commissioning work and passed the examination, and have obtained their work permits. (4) The process operators and workshop directors have passed the training and obtained their work permits. (5) The system spare parts have been commissioned and are in standby status. (6) The DCS operation manual, troubleshooting manual and other materials are distributed to the operators and maintenance personnel. (7) Experienced engineering and technical personnel from the DCS manufacturer provide on-site service. 2. System assessment The DCS assessment time is best chosen after the process equipment is running normally, generally 72 hours. The guaranteed values ​​are as follows: the computer module's operating rate is 99.95%, and the DCS's operating rate is 99.99%. The calculation method for the operating rate is: Operating rate = (assessment time - accident time) / assessment time 3. Experience and lessons learned Before the DCS is put into use, the preparatory work must be carried out in advance. In general enterprises, process equipment is the first priority. The DCS assessment is carried out after the process is started up, because the DCS's functions cannot be fully demonstrated until it is running normally, and the actual load cannot be reflected. For those systems that are designed with load limits, the problems will not be exposed. Some systems run normally under no-load before start-up, but after start-up, they show insufficient capacity, insufficient speed, small processing capacity, or even crash due to excessive load. If the design is reasonable but the indicators provided by the system itself cannot be achieved, the DCS manufacturer should be responsible. DCS (Distributed Control System) is a product of high technology, integrating multiple technologies and disciplines, and its development and updates are particularly rapid. Improving DCS application levels depends on the development of advanced and optimized control software. This technology is complex and challenging, requiring a combination of efforts from various parties. Due to these characteristics, it is impossible to effectively implement DCS without a corresponding management system. While a uniform management structure is not necessary for every enterprise, establishing a dedicated management organization to uniformly plan the entire plant's DCS application, uniformly consider DCS model selection, uniformly arrange the storage, ordering, and localization of spare parts to meet urgent production needs, reduce inventory backlog, uniformly design integrated control and management information systems, uniformly arrange training and horizontal collaboration, and develop high-level control software has become an inevitable trend. Some enterprises have established dedicated process computer departments or other organizations to uniformly manage the process computers of the entire company (head office), breaking down the past fragmented situation where different units did not communicate, purchased various models, created automation silos, and spare parts costs reached tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. This streamlined relationships and facilitated rapid development. In addition to planning management, DCS management should also include application management and project maintenance management. Project management needs to determine the personnel composition, division of responsibilities, and inspection and acceptance standards for each stage of DCS design, construction, and commissioning, and organize on-site inspection, assessment, and acceptance work. DCS maintenance management first needs to establish relevant rules and regulations and procedures, such as: process computer maintenance, repair, and management system, technical management system, equipment and spare parts management system, job standards, hardware equipment assessment methods, software utilization rate assessment methods, safety management system, regular meeting system, and maintenance procedures. Strengthen the management of process computers throughout the company (head office) in accordance with the established system, establish necessary incentive mechanisms, mobilize the enthusiasm of maintenance personnel, and give full play to the role of DCS. (1) System maintenance After the system has been assessed and accepted as reasonable, it will be put into normal operation, and the task of system maintenance will be put on the agenda. a. The maintenance work can be summarized as follows: system operation status inspection, system environment status inspection, parameter and configuration modification, handling of faults and equipment defects, filling in relevant records, spare parts and maintenance tools, instrument storage, system equipment and workshop hygiene. b. The maintenance team can establish the following records: shift handover record, system operation status record, regular maintenance and repair record, software repair record, safety record, accident hazard, accident and violation operation record, fault and equipment defect record, spare parts management record, and visitor registration record. c. Development of hardware localization: Imported DCS also has its disadvantages. Spare parts are generally very expensive, and emergency response is very slow. Practical experience tells us that it is impossible to rely on imported spare parts for a long time in maintenance work. Moreover, the speed of model obsolescence is also very fast. In this regard, we should first focus on domestic production and realize the localization of some vulnerable parts. Some companies have established special task forces to replace imported products with domestic products for printers, keyboards, I/O cards, etc. Some companies have cooperated with colleges and universities and research institutions to realize the localization of major card parts. These are all directions for DCS maintenance work. (2) Continued application development of system application software When the system is first put into use, the application development of application software is often the most basic function. The focus of this stage is to coordinate the relationships between all parties so that the DCS can be put into operation on schedule. Personnel involved in the work need a process of familiarization, assimilation, and absorption. Process personnel should undergo a process of operational habituation. Generally, the continued development of the application software will only be put on the agenda one year after the system is put into use. This includes: further assimilation and absorption of the system application software; further modification and supplementation of the first version of the application software, such as modifying and improving the screens, adding screens more important to production operations, modifying and improving control schemes, developing advanced control software to improve economic efficiency, developing unit production management functions, developing software for partial or unit-wide optimization, and networking the entire plant's MES system to realize functional development. This work first requires training application development technical personnel, while integrating the technical strength and professional knowledge of process, instrumentation and automation, and computer science. Generally, a task force is established, conducted under the organization of the superior competent department. Collaboration with universities, research departments, and DCS manufacturers is encouraged to achieve the best economic benefits as quickly as possible. Conclusion In summary, by truly doing the above ten tasks well, the application of a company's DCS can fully realize its role, becoming an important guarantee for the company to achieve "safe, stable, long-term, full, and excellent" production, achieving significant economic benefits, and laying a good foundation for the establishment of management information systems and even MES.