Interfacing ABB System 800xA and SIMATIC PCS 7 for Substation and Process Data Integration

To transfer electrical substation data (such as 230 kV line voltage and current under IEC 61850) from an ABB System 800xA DCS to SIMATIC PCS 7 WinCC, use OPC client/server bridging at the supervisory level or direct hardware couplers at the controller level. For supervisory monitoring, configure the WinCC OPC Channel to query the ABB 800xA OPC DA/UA Server across the plant network. If deterministic controller interlocks or fast load shedding are required, deploy a PN/PN Coupler (6ES7158-3AD10-0XA0) or DP/DP Coupler (6ES7158-0AD01-0XA0) between the ABB AC 800M and Siemens AS 410 controllers.

Architectural Overview of Heterogeneous DCS Interoperability

Industrial facilities frequently operate heterogeneous distributed control systems, pairing SIMATIC PCS 7 for continuous chemical/process automation with ABB System 800xA for power management and electrical substation automation (PMS/ECMS). Substation systems capture high-voltage parameters (e.g. 230 kV line voltages, active/reactive power, breaker statuses) from Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) communicating over the IEC 61850 standard.

Integrating these systems requires evaluating data update speed, deterministic requirements, network security boundaries, and whether data is needed strictly for HMI operator visualization or for real-time controller trip interlocks.

Integration Architecture 1: Supervisory OPC DA / OPC UA Bridging

The most flexible and cost-effective approach for displaying electrical measurements in WinCC without altering PLC logic is supervisory OPC communication:

ABB 800xA OPC Server: ABB System 800xA Connectivity Servers host native OPC DA 2.05a and OPC UA Servers exposing all substation objects and aspect directory tags.
WinCC OPC Channel Client: On the PCS 7 WinCC OS Server, add the OPC channel (OPC.chn) in Tag Management. Establish a connection pointing to the ABB OPC Server IP address.
Tag Browsing and Mapping: Browse the ABB OPC address space, select voltage and current tags, and instantiate them as WinCC process tags. These tags are mapped directly to standard APL analog monitoring faceplates (MonAnL).

Integration Architecture 2: Deterministic Controller Couplers (PN/PN and DP/DP)

When electrical variables participate in critical process interlocks, automatic bus transfers, or emergency generator shedding, software-level OPC bridging lacks the required determinism and safety isolation. Direct fieldbus couplers bridge the automation controllers directly:

PROFINET-to-PROFINET Coupler (PN/PN Coupler): Order number 6ES7158-3AD10-0XA0. Provides deterministic, galvanic, bus-isolated data exchange up to 1440 bytes per subnetwork between the ABB AC 800M (via CI871 PROFINET module) and the Siemens AS 410-5H controller.
PROFIBUS-to-PROFIBUS Coupler (DP/DP Coupler): Order number 6ES7158-0AD01-0XA0. Links an ABB CI854 PROFIBUS DP master with a Siemens CP 443-5 Extended or CPU onboard DP port, transferring up to 244 bytes per cycle.

Integration Architecture 3: Direct WinCC IEC 61850 Channel Polling

If the substation IEDs (e.g. protection relays) reside on an open Ethernet substation bus, WinCC can bypass the ABB 800xA servers entirely:

By installing the WinCC IEC 61850 Communication Channel on the PCS 7 OS Server, WinCC communicates directly with the substation protection relays using Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS).
This eliminates software middleware and prevents data loss if the ABB connectivity server requires maintenance.

Comparison Matrix of ABB 800xA to SIMATIC PCS 7 Interfacing Approaches

The table below contrasts integration mechanisms between ABB 800xA and SIMATIC PCS 7:

Integration MechanismInterface HardwareProtocol / StandardCycle LatencyTypical Operational Use CaseSupervisory OPC DA / UAStandard Ethernet NICOPC DA 2.05a / OPC UA200 - 1000 msGeneral SCADA visualization & archivingPN/PN Coupler (6ES7158-3AD10-0XA0)Dual PROFINET CouplerPROFINET IO (Deterministic)2 - 10 msCritical fast load shedding & process tripsDP/DP Coupler (6ES7158-0AD01-0XA0)Dual PROFIBUS CouplerPROFIBUS DP (Galvanic isolation)5 - 20 msController-to-controller interlocksWinCC IEC 61850 ChannelHardware USB Dongle + NICIEC 61850 MMS (ISO-on-TCP)100 - 300 msDirect relay monitoring bypassing 800xA

Verification

Verify cross-system data transfer between ABB 800xA and PCS 7:

If using OPC, open WinCC Channel Diagnosis (WinCCChnDiag.exe) and confirm the OPC connection shows status OK.
In WinCC Tag Management, verify the online quality code for the 230 kV voltage tag reports 16#C0 (Good).
If using a PN/PN Coupler, check the diagnostic LEDs: verify SF and BF LEDs on both sides are extinguished, and ON is solid green.
Compare live voltage and current readings on the ABB 800xA operator display against the WinCC OS faceplate; ensure values match within calibration tolerance.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Review the following technical precautions regarding cross-DCS integration:

Network Security Boundaries: Never bridge the ABB control network directly to the PCS 7 plant bus with an unmanaged switch. Always place a firewall or managed router between different DCS subnets.
Authority of Control: Clearly establish in design specifications which system retains control authority. Typically, electrical breakers should only be commanded from one designated DCS to prevent conflicting operator actions.
DCOM Configuration: If using classic OPC DA across separate Windows domains or workgroups, configure identical local user accounts and matching DCOM permissions on both servers.

Engineer FAQ

Can WinCC command breaker trips in ABB 800xA via OPC DA?

While OPC DA supports bidirectional reading and writing, commanding high-voltage electrical breakers via SCADA OPC is not recommended due to lack of determinism. Safety-critical breaker trips should be wired via physical I/O or deterministic PN/PN couplers.

What happens to the WinCC display if the ABB 800xA connectivity server reboots?

If using OPC, WinCC marks the affected tags with an invalid quality code (e.g. 16#00 Bad), causing block icons to display a communication fault symbol until the ABB server finishes restarting.

Do I need an additional license in WinCC to use the OPC Client channel?

No. The basic WinCC OPC DA Client channel is included with the standard WinCC RT license. However, connecting to OPC UA or third-party servers may require an Open PCS 7 or IndustrialDataBridge license depending on the software tier.