SynC · Topic
These are the standards in the SynC Standards library that cover Automation. Each one is a complete, plain-language specification: the scope it applies to, the requirements that govern it, and a structured equipment datasheet listing the values a project has to decide — ratings, materials, setpoints, and the standards each is verified against. All of it is free to read without an account and published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A standard usually carries several topics, so most of the entries below also appear under neighbouring subjects. The topics each one carries are listed on its own page.
The automated final control element of a process control loop — modulating (throttling) control valves and the actuators and positioners that drive them — for industrial, process, and water/wastewater (WTP/WWTP) facilities. Covers globe, segmented-ball, eccentric-plug, and butterfly valves used for modulating control; pneumatic spring-diaphragm and piston actuators and electric actuators sized for continuous modulating duty; analog, HART, and digital/fieldbus valve positioners with diagnostics; and accessories (I/P transducers, solenoid valves, limit switches, position transmitters, volume boosters). Addresses valve sizing and flow-coefficient (Cv) selection per ANSI/ISA-75.01.01 / IEC 60534-2-1, inherent flow characteristic (linear, equal-percentage, quick-open), rangeability, choked flow, cavitation and flashing with anti-cavitation trim selection, predicted noise, fail-safe action (fail-open, fail-closed, fail-last), seat leakage class per ANSI/FCI 70-2, materials and trim, and stroke/calibration. Also covers electric (motorized) actuators on isolation valves (MOVs) where the actuator is the controls interface — open/close or modulate with position feedback to SCADA — because the actuator is I&C scope even when the valve body is an isolation valve.
The operational technology (OT) communications network that connects programmable controllers, remote and distributed I/O, networked field instruments, and the supervisory SCADA and HMI layer in industrial, process, and water and wastewater facilities. Covers the Purdue reference model and the boundary between the OT network and the enterprise network, security zones and conduits under ISA/IEC 62443, industrial Ethernet and serial protocol selection, transmission media by segment class, managed switches and conduit enforcement devices, redundant topologies and recovery time, traffic prioritization, time synchronization, wide-area telemetry to remote sites, the device hardening, account, patch, logging, and backup baseline, and the cable, functional, and security acceptance tests that put the network into service. Applies to new networks, full replacements, and substantial expansions of an existing OT network.
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs) serving as the real-time logic solver for industrial, process, and water/wastewater (WTP/WWTP) control systems. Covers processor (CPU) selection and memory, the I/O subsystem (discrete and analog input/output modules and signal conditioning), remote and distributed I/O, redundancy and high-availability architectures (hot-standby CPUs, redundant power and network), IEC 61131-3 programming languages, scan-time and performance requirements, power supplies, time synchronization, environmental and hazardous-area ratings, and safety-rated controllers for safety instrumented systems where process safety applies. Applies to controllers mounted in industrial control panels and field enclosures across treatment plants, pump and lift stations, pumping and conveyance systems, and process manufacturing.
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software and operator human-machine interface (HMI) for industrial, process, and water/wastewater (WTP/WWTP) facilities. Covers the supervisory layer that sits above the field controllers: client/server and standalone architectures, redundant (hot-standby) servers with automatic failover, the process data historian and trending, alarm management per ANSI/ISA-18.2, high-performance HMI graphics per ANSI/ISA-101.01 (situational-awareness displays, grayscale background discipline, color reserved for abnormal conditions), reporting, role-based user access and cybersecurity per ISA/IEC 62443, time synchronization, polling and communications to controllers, the software licensing model, and redundant local and remote operator workstations. Applicable to new SCADA platforms and to major migrations or expansions of an existing platform.