[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 2, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               STANDARDIZED MONITORING AND CONTROL SYSTEM

                                 ______


                        HON. MAURICE D. HINCHEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 2, 1994

  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, at a time when affordability must be a 
central tenet of Defense Department acquisition, I would like to call 
the attention of my colleagues to a program that will reduce costs 
while rationalizing and modernizing the control and monitoring systems 
in the Navy's surface fleet. This system, the standaridized monitoring 
and control system [SMCS] has recently been the subject of a feature 
article in Surface Warfare, the Navy's journal for professionals in 
this area. It is manufactured by my constituents at CAE-Link Corp. in 
Binghamton, NY.
  The standard monitoring and control system will bring the surface 
fleet into the digital age. Not only will it permit a vessel to operate 
more efficiently, but SMCS should also increase survivability and 
reduce costs for training operations, maintenance, manpower, and spare 
parts. The system's cost is modest when compared to the total costs 
associated with the control sytems now in place.
  These innovations can also be tied to a state-of-the-art battle 
damage control system [BDCS], which is also built by CAE-Link. BDCS 
will allow operation in high-threat situations and enable crews to be 
trained in how to handle many different scenarios on shipboard. Both 
systems are now operating effectively in the surface fleet. Binghamton 
is proud that its products are contributing immensely to the safe, 
successful, and efficient operation of our fleet as it sails into the 
next century.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent that the article ``21st 
Century Engineers Enter New Frontier'' appear in the Congressional 
Record.

               21st-Century Engineers Enter New Frontier

                         (By Lt. Jon P. Walman)

       Computer networks and advanced electronics are no longer 
     the sole domain of twidgets and ops types in CIC. Snipes, 
     putdown those green logs and man your keyboards! With the 
     recent commissioning of Osprey (MHS-51)-class coastal 
     minehunters, the soon-to-be built LPD 17-class amphibious 
     assault shops and planned upgrades to Arleigh Burke 
     destroyers, a new ear of digital electronics for integrated 
     machinery control and minitoring has arrived.
       As more and more bits of information are able to be 
     collected, condensed and passed from one place to another, 
     computer technology continues to dramatically change just 
     about every industry in America. The advent of digital 
     control technology, for example, has had a profound impact in 
     industries such as manufacturing (process control), military/
     commercial aircraft design and more recently, combatant 
     shipbuilding. Ever wondered how two pilots can effectively 
     control a Boeing 757 with two gas turbine engines and all the 
     electronic and auxiliary systems that support it? The answer 
     is digital control technology.
       The introduction of gas-turbine propulsion to naval 
     combatants in the early 1970s marked the beginning of 
     widespread use of electronics and automation in engineering 
     spaces. Since then, improved hardware and software design has 
     led to the highly automated and intelligent DDG-51 machinery 
     control system.
       The Osprey's AN/SSQ-109 Machinery/Ship Control System (M/
     SCS), however, is a fully integrated monitoring and control 
     system that uses distributed processing, a triplicated 
     databus and a CRT-based man-machine interface. Designed by 
     CAE Electronics, SSQ-109 is also the first integrated system 
     that allows both steering and propulsion to be controlled 
     from the pilot house, CIC or the central control station.
       In the same manner Arleigh Burke destroyers use six central 
     microcomputers (AN/UYK-44) for a system that monitors and 
     controls the functions, health and status of its engineering 
     plant, the SSQ-109 system uses three distributed computers 
     (enclosed in three data acquisition enclosures) to control 
     and monitor hull, mechanical and electrical systems (H.M. &E) 
     systems aboard Osprey. The SSQ-109's distributed computer 
     architecture and fully digital electronics expand system 
     functionality to include: propulsion machinery; steering 
     control; auxiliary/ancillary machinery; electrical power 
     generation/distribution machinery; trend monitoring; integral 
     electronic telegraph system; integral Voith Schneider 
     propeller controllers; built-in-testing to the single line-
     replaceable unit; damage control and monitoring; combat 
     systems interface.


                       Commonality and Modularity

       By incorporating distributed software and built-in hardware 
     redundancy, the SSQ-109 M/SCS provides a highly reliable, 
     rapid-response system which enhances total ship survivability 
     and affordability through commonality. All associated 
     hardware and software is modular by design to ensure maximum 
     interchangability and minimum life-cycle cost. More 
     importantly, because the software modules are common to all 
     digital platform controllers, man-machine interface (MMI) 
     functions and remote data-acquisition units, battle damage 
     to a central processing unit--where a single point of 
     failure would severely limit a ship's machinery systems--
     is otherwise avoided.
       Distributed computers effectively coordinate engine power 
     and changeover, monitor electrical switchboard loads, and 
     control propeller pitch and auxiliary systems using the 
     common software suite. All operation software is capable of 
     on-line calibration and is based on erasable programmable 
     read-only memory (EPROM) that allows (with the appropriate 
     built-in safeguards) for on-line, software changes of set 
     points.
       The CRT-based MMI software resides in the operator consoles 
     and displays the color pages used to monitor and control 
     platform machinery. Each color CRT display uses a 
     hierarchically organized mimic-page format which allows the 
     operator to monitor the status and control machinery from any 
     of the M/SCS consoles.
       In addition, a built-in-test (BIT) system provides 
     continuous diagnostics of electronic components to any of 36 
     single line-replaceable units (LRU)--this compares to more 
     than 200 LRUs used in previously built Navy machinery control 
     systems. Displayed automatically on the operator consoles, 
     BIT messages have the reduced Mean Time to Repair of less 
     than 20 minutes.
       The SSQ-109 MSCS represents the baseline for monitoring and 
     control systems of the future. The Navy has contracted CAE-
     Link to design and build the advanced development model (ADM) 
     for the Navy's Standard Monitoring and Control System (SMCS). 
     In support of affordability through commonality, the Navy's 
     strategy is to eventually use SMCS as the standard control 
     system aboard all Navy ships, both new construction and back-
     fit.
       ``Unquestionably, one of the principal drivers for the 
     development of this system is the realization of cost savings 
     from and adaptability of technologies now available in 
     private industry,'' said CAPT G.R. Whaley, Head of Controls 
     and Monitoring Systems Group, Engineering Directorate of 
     NAVSEA.
       SMCS will expand upon SSQ-109 functionality by 
     incorporating enhanced equipment health monitoring, combat 
     systems support, damage control and onboard training 
     features.


                      equipment health monitoring

       Today's surface ship engineers, especially steam engineers, 
     from fireman to chief engineer, bear the time and labor-
     intensive task of reading, logging and analyzing machinery 
     plant data on a continuous basis. These duties are vitally 
     important to ensuring the safe operation of the plant. 
     Unfortunately, engineers haven't had much support from 
     advanced computer technology in meeting these essential 
     requirements--until now.
       New equipment health monitoring (EHM) software acts as the 
     enabling technology which gathers and archives operating 
     information on a computer hard drive and permits analysis of 
     equipment sensor data to assist in determining machinery 
     faults. This can eliminate the need to maintain a multitude 
     of engineering logs and save an engineer a great deal of time 
     spent evaluating data and formulating a meaningful analysis. 
     The EHM software: gathers and stores information such as 
     running hours, number of starts, fuel consumption and number 
     of washes (gas turbine); provides trend plots and all sensor 
     information; collects and analyzes vibration data from fitted 
     sensors and allow external inputs from portable vibration-
     monitoring devices; compares gas path data from the gas 
     turbines to model data and highlights deviations from the 
     norms; records engine performance data for gas-turbine and 
     diesel steady-state operating conditions; keeps a maintenance 
     log to determine the type and frequency of maintenance 
     actions.
       Additionally, the trend analyses performed by EHM software 
     serve as an ideal foundation for condition-based maintenance 
     (CMB). This new maintenance philosophy bases preventive 
     maintenance actions upon equipment condition instead of its 
     expect life cycle (time-based). CBM is proving to have 
     significant maintenance and cost benefits.


                     uniting decks above and below

       The combat systems interface is a planned subsystem of the 
     SMCS that will integrate information from both combat and 
     machinery control systems under one data-control system. An 
     electronic gateway with the combat system will provide 
     immediate combat-threat alerts to the machinery control 
     system and can be set to automatically increase machinery 
     readiness. This datalink will also be integrated with damage 
     control programs and data bases to help determine the extent 
     of equipment damage.
       In addition, the SMCS will be capable of tailoring a ship's 
     H, M and E systems to support its immediate mission as 
     defined by the ship's doctrine. Software-controlled load 
     shedding, for example, is accomplished by independently 
     selecting support systems that are essential to a particular 
     mission and giving them a higher priority than less-important 
     systems. When power is limited due to battle damage or a 
     major accident, this capability enables a ship to continue 
     its mission with uninterrupted support from vital systems.


                        total ship survivability

       Fast control-system response times for combat, machinery 
     and damage control are critical to the safe operation and 
     survivability of a ship. Consequently, CAE-Link is expanding 
     its digital control technology to include a damage control 
     system in support of TSS.
       Rapid exchange of damage control information is 
     revolutionizing damage control procedures on board USS Anzio 
     commanded by CAPT P.M. Balisle. The prototype Battle Damage 
     Control System (BDCS) is a nine-node computer network that 
     provides instantaneous damage control communications 
     throughout the ship and offers real-time decision aids to 
     assist in fighting a damaged ship.
       By displaying battle damage, fire-fighting status, combat 
     systems readiness and other critical information to each 
     node, the BDCS eliminates the need for grease-pencil status 
     boards and plotting. Instead, the system allows repair party 
     officers and warfare supervisors to simultaneously 
     communicate the DCA, CSOOW and CO using DC and CSOSS 
     symbology, minimizing the need for sound-powered phone 
     talkers and message runners.
       Running from distributed, IBM-compatible 80486 computers 
     tied together on Ethernet, CRT windows display information 
     such as ship drawings, combat systems and engineering 
     readiness and deactivation diagrams, compartment check-off 
     lists, a main space fire doctrine check-off list, repair-
     locker inventories and a Commander's Summary for each area. 
     It also contains programs for plotting detailed damage 
     control status, setting boundaries, calculating stability and 
     estimating battle damage.
       Another feature of the BDCS is its on-board training 
     capability which allows damage control training teams to 
     develop scenarios, from a daily inport fire drill to a 
     complex TSS exercise. Recorded and played back to the crew 
     these scenarios serve as a highly accurate post exercise 
     report as well as a valuable interactive training tool.
       The advantages of fully digital machinery control systems 
     installed in Osprey and planned for the LPD 17 (formerly LX) 
     and later variants of Arleigh Burke destroyers are 
     particularly valuable during the Navy's transition to a 
     smaller force. Faced with stringent operational and 
     maintenance (O&M) budgets, surface Navy leaders realize that 
     these systems not only help to improve material readiness, 
     but also lower operating costs by minimizing hardware and 
     manpower requirements.
       Although it seems as if it would require a ``computer 
     whiz'' to operate and understand the advanced electronics 
     associated with a machinery control system, this is simply 
     not the case. The basic principles can be learned quickly by 
     engineers totally unfamiliar with the system and its method 
     of operation. Moreover, the embedded training available with 
     SSQ-109, BDCS and SMCS allows operators to develop and 
     maintain their proficiency inport of at sea.

                          ____________________