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C H A P T E R 11

CONTROL CENTERS

Overview
The design of control centers must meet the codes and regulations in effect at the site as well as
the requirements for the plant’s operation. Control centers, also commonly referred to as “con-
trol rooms,” form the nerve center of a plant. They are generally air-conditioned, sometimes
pressurized with clean air, and their temperature and humidity are controlled to preset condi-
tions. Additional information is available from ISA-71.01-1985, Environmental Conditions for
Process Measurement and Control Systems: Temperature and Humidity.

When designing a control center, the designer must develop a layout (see figure 11-1) and
ensure that the center’s design and use conforms to good engineering practice and standards. A
good source of information on these is ISA's RP60 series of recommended practices for control
centers. Some of the items that should be addressed when designing control centers are design,
physical aspects, security, fire protection, air conditioning, electrical/electronic, and communi-
cation. These are discussed in this chapter.

Figure 11-1
Example of a control center layout.

SECTION NO. 1
SE O.
CT 2
N
IO
N

CONTROL ROOM

Design
Many points should be considered when designing control centers. For example, the control
room should be located, whenever possible, away from sources of vibration and completely
protected from heavy rain, external fire-fighting water, and the like. In some cases, the control
room must be earthquake-proof. For safety purposes, no process lines should enter the control
room except for instrument air. The electrical area classification should be taken into account
when locating and designing the control room.

Where required (and where economically justifiable), the control room may need a false floor
for the passage of cables and/or tubing. In this case, smoke detectors should be installed under-
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neath the false floor, and the floor should be made of a flame-resistant and anti-static material.
Where equipment has to be accessed, space should be allowed between that access area and the
nearest obstruction (such as a wall), with a minimum of 3 ft (1 m) clearance. In most cases,
control room doors should be of the self-closing type.

To avoid electrical noise, high-voltage cabling should be routed at a 3 ft (1 m) distance from

low-voltage cabling. Also, to avoid unnecessary noise, air conditioning units are typically kept
outside the room. There should be a minimum of two sockets in the control room for portable
power tools and other uses.

Easy and safe access must be available so the control room equipment can be brought into the
room. As obvious as this may sound, many control rooms were completed before it was real-
ized that the purchased equipment would not fit through the doors. Construction and ware-
housing personnel should coordinate to ensure that openings are left in walls so large
equipment panels can be installed.

Physical Aspects
When designing control centers, the physical characteristics of the operators should be consid-
ered. For example, the distance the operator must move should be considered and reflected in
the design. Locating controls in hard-to-reach areas that require extreme physical movement
will produce fatigue and should be avoided. The dimensions shown in figures 11-2 and 11-3 as
well as in tables 11-1 and 11-2, reflect the static anthropometric data. It may be refined to
reflect the physical characteristics of a given plant’s actual operators.

Control room design should have a good ergonomic layout. Details such as the type of chairs
used, their ability to adjust height and tilt, and the type of armrests selected are all important
factors. Operator comfort is directly related to operator performance and efficient plant opera-
tion.

Figure 11-2
Standing body dimensions.

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Table 11-1
Standing body dimensions.

Percentile values in centimeters

5th percentile 95th percentile

Ground Ground
troops Aviators Women troops Aviators Women

Weight (kg) 55.5 60.4 46.4 91.6 96.0 74.5

Standing body dimensions

1 Stature 162.8 164.2 152.4 185.6 187.7 174.1

2 Eye height (standing) 151.1 152.1 140.9 173.3 175.2 162.2

3 Shoulder (acromiale) height 133.6 133.3 123.0 154.2 154.8 143.7

4 Elbow (radiale) height 101.0 104.8 94.9 117.8 120.0 110.7

5 Fingertip (dactylion) height 61.5 73.2

6 Waist height 96.6 97.6 93.1 115.2 115.1 110.3

7 Crotch height 76.3 74.7 68.1 91.8 92.0 83.9

8 Kneecap height 47.5 46.3 43.8 58.6 57.8 52.5

9 Functional reach 72.6 73.1 64.0 90.9 87.0 80.4

10 Functional reach, extended 84.2 82.3 73.5 101.2 97.3 92.7

Percentile values in inches

Weight (lb) 122.4 133.1 102.3 201.9 211.6 164.3

Standing body dimensions

1 Stature 64.1 64.6 60.0 73.11 73.9 68.5

2 Eye height (standing) 59.5 59.9 55.5 68.2 69.0 63.9

3 Shoulder (acromiale) height 52.6 52.5 48.4 60.7 60.9 56.6

4 Elbow (radiale) height 39.8 41.3 37.4 46.4 47.2 43.6

5 Fingertip (dactylion) height 24.2 28.8

6 Waist height 38.0 38.4 36.6 45.3 45.3 43.4

7 Crotch height 30.0 29.4 26.8 36.1 36.2 33.0

8 Kneecap height 18.7 18.4 17.2 23.1 22.8 20.7

9 Functional reach 28.6 28.8 25.2 35.8 34.3 31.7

10 Functional reach, extended 33.2 32.4 28.0 39.8 38.3 36.5

Figure 11-3
Seated body dimensions.

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Table 11-2
Seated body dimensions.

Percentile values in centimeters

5th percentile 95th percentile
Ground Ground
troops Aviators Women troops Aviators Women
Seated body dimensions
14 Vertical arm reach, sitting 128.6 134.0 117.4 147.8 153.2 139.4
15 Sitting height, erect 83.5 85.7 79.0 96.9 98.6 90.9
16 Sitting height, relaxed 81.5 83.6 77.5 94.8 96.5 89.7
17 Eye height, sitting erect 72.0 73.6 67.7 84.6 86.1 79.1
18 Eye height, sitting relaxed 70.0 71.6 66.2 82.5 84.0 77.9
19 Mid-shoulder height 56.6 58.3 53.7 67.7 69.2 62.5
20 Shoulder height, sitting 54.2 54.6 49.9 65.4 65.9 60.3
21 Shoulder-elbow length 33.3 33.2 30.8 40.2 39.7 36.6
22 Elbow-grip length 31.7 32.6 29.6 38.3 37.9 35.4
23 Elbow-fingertip length 43.8 44.7 40.0 52.0 51.7 47.5
24 Elbow rest height 17.5 18.7 16.1 28.0 29.5 26.9
25 Thigh clearance height 12.4 10.4 18.8 17.5
26 Knee height, sitting 49.7 48.9 46.9 60.2 59.9 55.5
27 Popliteal height 39.7 38.4 38.0 50.0 47.7 45.7
28 Buttock-kneel length 54.9 55.9 53.1 65.8 65.5 63.2
29 Buttock-popliteal length 45.8 44.9 43.4 54.5 54.6 52.6
30 Buttock-heel length 46.7 56.4
31 Functional leg length 110.6 103.9 99.6 127.7 120.4 118.6

Percentile values in inches

Seated body dimensions
14 Vertical arm reach, sitting 50.6 52.8 46.2 58.2 60.3 54.9
15 Sitting height, erect 32.9 33.7 31.1 38.2 38.8 35.8
16 Sitting height, relaxed 32.1 32.9 30.5 37.3 38.0 35.3
17 Eye height, sitting erect 28.3 30.0 26.6 33.3 33.9 31.2
18 Eye height, sitting relaxed 27.6 28.2 26.1 32.5 33.1 30.7
19 Mid-shoulder height 22.3 23.0 21.2 26.7 27.3 24.6
20 Shoulder height, sitting 21.3 21.5 19.6 25.7 25.9 23.7
21 Shoulder-elbow length 13.1 13.1 12.1 15.8 15.6 14.4
22 Elbow-grip length 12.5 12.8 11.6 15.1 14.9 14.0
23 Elbow-fingertip length 17.3 17.6 15.7 20.5 20.4 18.7
24 Elbow rest height 6.9 7.4 6.4 11.0 11.6 10.6
25 Thigh clearance height 4.9 4.1 7.4 6.9
26 Knee height, sitting 19.6 19.3 18.5 23.7 23.6 21.8
27 Popliteal height 15.6 15.1 15.0 19.7 18.8 18.0
28 Buttock-knee length 21.6 22.0 20.9 25.9 25.8 24.9
29 Buttock-popliteal length 17.9 17.7 17.1 21.5 21.5 20.7
30 Buttock-heel length 18.4 22.2
31 Functional leg length 43.5 40.9 39.2 50.3 47.4 46.7

Security
If the control center is considered a high-security area, the entrance will have to be restricted
and a means for maintaining this restrictiveness incorporated. This is generally accomplished
by requiring the use of badges or magnetic cards and permitting only approved personnel into
the control room.

Another aspect of security is access to software and software management. It is good practice
to have duplicate copies of software stored in separate locations and to maintain control over
who has access to these storage areas.

Fire Protection
The fire protection system in the control center must conform to the requirements of the local
codes and regulations as well as the requirements of the insurance companies. The fire protec-
tion system must be designed by qualified fire protection specialists.

When plant designers assess the fire hazards, they must make a determined effort to reduce fire
hazards by constructing the control room (including the floor) of noncombustible material and
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reducing stacks of paper. It is good practice to have a separate area for high-risk devices (such
as printers) unless they must be in the control room. If they are, then the storage of paper in the
room should be kept to a minimum. The designers should assess whether records (or tapes)
should be stored in fire-proof safes, in the control room, or in a remote area.

The use of a safe fire-protection fluid will ensure that the fire protection system poses no harm
to the control room operator. In addition, hand-operated fire extinguishers of dry CO2 are usu-
ally stored near the exits of most control rooms. The room is usually designed with emergency
lighting since non-essential power services will shut off during a fire, and means should be
provided to ensure that power supplies can be manually or automatically isolated.

Placing basements below control rooms is not recommended because they may collect water
from fire-fighting or even from rain. Also, in control rooms with false floors, water may accu-
mulate under the floor. A water detector may therefore be required.

Air Conditioning
Air conditioning maintains a comfortable working environment for the operators while dissi-
pating the heat that is released by all the equipment in a typical control center. The air-condi-
tioning unit must be sized to maintain temperature and humidity within the requirements of the
control systems, for example, around 75°F (24°C) and 50% RH.

The air conditioning air intake must be located where it will supply clean air to the control cen-
ter even during an abnormal situation such as the discharge of a nearby relief valve. Under nor-
mal operating conditions, air conditioning maintains a comfortable working environment, but
during a power failure the air-conditioning unit will stop. Heat will begin to build up because
in most plants the control system will remain operational since it may be on stand-by power.
Control room design for critically hot environments should consider installing more than one
air-conditioning unit in case one unit fails. Additional information on control room tempera-
ture and humidity conditions is available from ISA-71.01-1985.

Pressurized rooms located in hazardous locations must conform to the code and statutory
requirements in effect at the site (such as NFPA 496). They should be clearly marked with the
following:

• a notice stating “WARNING - PRESSURIZED ROOM”;

• a warning located at both the control switch for the source of pressurization and at the rel-
evant points of electrical isolation that indicates the time in minutes for which purging is
to operate before the electrical supply can be switched on or restored; and
• a warning at all entrances to the pressurized room against introducing any flammable
materials.

Electrical/Electronic Considerations
The design of a control center must ensure that all electrical peripheral functions such as
grounding, lighting, and electronic interference suppression are correctly implemented. All
power and chassis grounds and cable shields should be connected to the grounding electrode in
conformance with the recommendations of the system vendor. Cabling in and out of the con-
trol room must go through wall penetrations and must be adequately sealed to prevent the entry
of water.

In situations where both electrical power services and control signal cabling are distributed
using subfloor cable trays, the design should ensure that the trays for electrical power distribu-
tion and for control and communication signals are kept a minimum of 3 ft (1 m) apart and
cross at right angles only. This will minimize the potential of generating electrical noise. To

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prevent electronic interference, susceptible equipment (such as microcomputers and networks)

should be kept far from high-power electrical equipment.

Lighting requirements should be evaluated. For instance, the lighting needed to monitor dis-
play areas is typically less than that required for printers and disk drives. However, for mainte-
nance purposes, strong lighting is needed throughout the control center. Control center lighting
may be provided by fluorescent fixtures mounted above parabolic egg-crate-type ceiling pan-
els (to diffuse light and minimize glare on displays). Dimmers should be used to control differ-
ent sections of the control center. There should be at least two independently controlled
circuits: one for general room lighting and the second for monitor display lighting. And, if
lighting is not supplied from the UPS, there should be a separate emergency light in the control
center.

Communication
In many modern control centers walkie-talkies are not allowed. A sign to that effect may be
installed on the control center door. This is done to avoid the effect of electrical noise that
walkie-talkies generate. In such cases, an FM transceiver with a roof-top mounted antenna is
supplied to make possible communication with field operators who are using walkie-talkies.
Inside the control center, movable microphones (or telephone handsets with long cords) should
be provided on each console. Walkie-talkies should operate on a unique assigned frequency to
avoid interference from other nearby units and operations.

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