Emerson DeltaV (DCS) Driver
Overview
DeltaV is Emerson Process Management's DCS (Distributed Control System). It is used extensively in continuous processes such as refining, chemicals, power generation, and pharmaceuticals, and its internal control network (ACN, Area Control Network) is built on a proprietary protocol. To exchange data with DeltaV, external systems must use only the integration interfaces officially provided by Emerson (OPC Server, REST API, etc.).
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
opc_type | DELTAV |
| Implementation class | plantpulse.driver.protocol.deltav.DeltaV_Driver |
| Library | (none — stub) |
| read | ⛔ stub (returns "") |
| write | ⛔ stub |
| Security | Site-specific (follow Emerson's recommended guidelines) |
Reverse-engineering the internal DeltaV ACN protocol or connecting with unofficial libraries may void your Emerson license / support agreement. It also directly affects control system safety, so never use anything other than the official integration paths (OPC UA / OPC DA / REST).
Only a stub exists for DELTAV. For actual DeltaV data collection, use one of the
official integration paths below.
Why there is no plan for a native implementation
| Reason | Details |
|---|---|
| Proprietary | The DeltaV ACN protocol specification is not public |
| Licensing | Unofficial connections violate the Emerson support agreement |
| Safety / regulatory | Affects process safety systems. Audit impact on SIL, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, etc. |
| Standard bypass | Emerson itself officially provides OPC / REST interfaces, so a native driver is unnecessary |
PlantPulse recommends integration via OPC UA permanently.
Official integration paths
Option 1. DeltaV OPC Server → PlantPulse OPC UA driver
An official OPC server that can be enabled on a ProfessionalPLUS or Application station.
Previously only OPC DA (COM) was supported, but recent versions (DeltaV v14+) also provide an OPC UA Server.
| PlantPulse driver to use | Page |
|---|---|
OPCUA | OPC-UA |
Option 2. OPC DA → OPC UA gateway (older DeltaV)
DeltaV v13 and earlier systems often have only OPC DA (COM). In that case, place a gateway such as Kepware KEPServerEX, Matrikon OPC UA Tunneller, or Softing dataFEED on the DeltaV side, and have PlantPulse connect to the gateway's OPC UA Server.
| PlantPulse driver to use | Page |
|---|---|
OPCUA | OPC-UA |
Option 3. DeltaV Live REST API (latest versions)
DeltaV Live (the v14+ HTML5 operator interface) exposes some data over REST. It can be used as a supplementary channel for operational monitoring.
| PlantPulse driver to use | Page |
|---|---|
HTTP | HTTP |
Which path to choose
| DeltaV version | Recommended path |
|---|---|
| v14 or later | Built-in DeltaV OPC UA Server → OPCUA driver |
| v12 – v13 | OPC DA→UA gateway such as KEPServerEX → OPCUA driver |
| DeltaV Live operator screen data | DeltaV Live REST → HTTP driver |
| Other | Consulting with an Emerson Local Business Partner is recommended |
Security / operations checklist
- Verify permission to enable the OPC UA Server on the DeltaV ProfessionalPLUS console
- Add the PlantPulse host IP to the firewall whitelist on the DeltaV Application Station
- Register and trust OPC UA certificates (X.509) on both sides
- Give the user account read-only rights (never grant write)
- Follow the DeltaV-side management of change (MOC) procedure — all integration work must be approved in advance
- Monitor communication traffic — assess the load impact on the process network in advance
Future native implementation plans
None. Under Emerson's policy, integration via OPC UA / REST is the permanently recommended path, and PlantPulse has no plans to add a native DeltaV ACN driver.
stub registration (test only)
curl -X POST http://<edge-host>/api/v1/opc \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"opc_id": "OPC_DELTAV_STUB",
"opc_type": "DELTAV",
"opc_name": "DeltaV stub",
"opc_agent_ip": "192.168.0.0",
"opc_agent_port": "0",
"site_id": "SITE_00001",
"auto_collect": false,
"timecycle": 5000,
"tag_list": []
}'