23 Samss 030

Materials System Specification
23-SAMSS-030 9 October 2018

Remote Terminal Unit
Document Responsibility: Process Control Standards Committee
Contents
1 Scope ................................................................ 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations .................................... 2
3 References ........................................................ 2
4 Definitions and Terms ........................................ 4
5 General .............................................................. 7
6 Environmental Conditions ................................ 10
7 Hardware and Assembly.................................. 11
8 Electrical Requirements ................................... 18
9 Tagging and Nameplates................................. 20
10 Functionality .................................................... 20
11 Architecture ..................................................... 22
12 Software .......................................................... 24
13 Maintainability .................................................. 24
14 Communications .............................................. 25
15 RTU Cabinet .................................................... 26
16 Documentation ................................................ 30
17 Inspection and Testing..................................... 30
Revision Summary .................................................. 31
Attachment 1 - RTU Specific Requirement Sheet ... 33
Previous Issue: 1 January 2018 Next Planned Update: 10 October 2021

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Contact: Turki Al-Anezi. (anezitk) on phone +966-13-880-1835
©Saudi Aramco 2018. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Process Control Standards Committee 23-SAMSS-030
Issue Date: 9 October 2018
Next Planned Update: 10 October 2021 Remote Terminal Unit
1 Scope
This specification defines the minimum mandatory requirements for Remote Terminal
Units (RTUs) for oil & gas and utility applications.
1.1 This specification and explicitly referenced Saudi Aramco specification applies
to all RTU equipment, RTU cabinet, accessories, power distribution, process
instruments power supplies and associated software required to remotely control
and monitor a process area.
1.2 This specification excludes non-integrated network switches and radio modems
that are covered by other existing specification documents.
1.3 Where a project Functional Specification Document (FSD) calls for an

integrated SCADA and RTU system, this specification shall apply to the RTU
portion of the system. As defined in SAES-Z-004.
1.4 Application functional requirements, such as well testing, flow calculations,

shall be stated in the individual project FSD or related documents while this
specification will serve as the minimum mandatory requirement for the RTU.
1.5 The RTU Specific Requirement Sheet (Attachment 1) lists only items that are
optional. It is not intended to list design parameters. The parameters have to be
supplied by the design office or the proponent.
2 Conflicts and Deviations
Any conflicts between this document and other applicable Mandatory Saudi Aramco
Engineering Requirements (MSAERs) shall be addressed to the EK&RD Coordinator.
Any deviation from the requirements herein shall follow internal company procedure
SAEP-302.
3 References
Material or equipment supplied to this specification shall comply with the latest edition
of the references listed below, unless otherwise noted.
3.1 Saudi Aramco Documents

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures
SAEP-302 Waiver of a Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering
Requirement
SAEP-750 Testing Procedures for Process Automation Systems
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

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SAEP-99 Saudi Aramco Industrial Control System Security

Saudi Aramco Materials System Specification
34-SAMSS-820 Instrument Control Cabinets
Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards
SAES-B-014 Safety Requirements for Plant and Operations
Support Buildings
SAES-J-003 Instrumentation and Control Buildings - Basic
Design Criteria
SAES-Z-004 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System
Saudi Aramco Nonmaterial Requirements
Form NMR-7907 Nonmaterial Requirements for Instrumentation
(General)
Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements
Form 175-230400 Remote Terminal Unit
3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NEMA ICS 6 Enclosures for Industrial Controls and Systems
NEMA 250 Enclosures for Electrical Equipment (1,000 Volts
Maximum)
International Society of Automation
ISA-S71.04.2013 G3 Conformal Coating
ISA RP60.6 Nameplates, Labels, and Tags for Control Centers
American National Standards Institute
ANSI/IEEE 802.3 IT – Telecommunications and Information Exchange
between Systems
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
IEEE STD C37.90.1 Surge Withstand Capability (SWC) Tests for
Protective Relays and Relay Systems
International Electrotechnical Commission
IEC 61000 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)

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IEC 60529 Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosure

(IP Code)
National Fire Protection Association
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code
Two methods widely accepted for calculation of predicted MTBF are; MIL-
HDBK-217 and Bellcore TR-332.
Electronic Industries Association
TIA EIA/TIA-232 Interface between Data Terminal Equipment and
Data Circuit - Terminating Equipment
Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange
EIA/TIA RS485 Electrical Characteristics of Generators and
Receivers for Use in Balanced Digital
Multi-point Systems
4 Definitions
This section contains definitions for acronyms, abbreviations, words, and terms as they
are used in this document. For definitions not listed, the latest issue of the
“Comprehensive Dictionary of Measurement and Control,” International Society for
Measurement and Control, shall apply.
4.1 Acronyms and Abbreviations

DTM Device Type Manager
EDDL Electronic Devises Description Language
EK&RD Engineering Knowledge & Resources Division
HMI Human Machine Interface
HTTP Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
HTTPS HyperText Transport Protocol Secure
FDT Field Devices Tool
FSD Functional Specification Document
OPC Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control
PDR Preliminary Design Review

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RTU Remote Terminal Unit

SCADA Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition
SOE Sequence of Events
SSH Secure Shell
4.2 Words and Terms
Application Software: The software written specifically to perform functional

requirements for an individual plant when standard software packages cannot be
configured to meet the requirements. Application software operates within the
standard operating system software without requiring any modifications to the
operating system software.
Configurable: The capability to select and connect standard hardware modules

to create an RTU, or the capability to change functionality or sizing of software
functions by changing parameters without having to modify or regenerate
software.
Configuration: The physical installation of hardware modules to satisfy RTU

requirements, or the selection of software options to satisfy RTU requirements.
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): A measure of equipment tolerance to

external electromagnetic fields.
Expandability: The capability of an RTU to be increased in capacity or

provided with additional functions.
Firmware: Programs or instructions that are permanently stored in hardware

memory devices (usually read-only memory).
Marshalling Cabinet: A cabinet containing wiring ducts, DIN rails, terminal strips
and/or wire terminations only. Cabinets: Generically used within this specification;
refers to all of the above. Module: An assembly of interconnected components
that constitutes an identifiable device, instrument, or piece of equipment. A
module can be disconnected, removed as a unit, and replaced with a spare. It
has definable performance characteristics that permit it to be tested as a unit.
Mean Time between Failure (MTBF): A statistical value equal to the mean or
average time expected between failures of a given device which is used in the
determination of system reliability. MTBF figures can be “predicted” or
“observed.” Observed MTBF for a given component is calculated using actual
failure rate data collected for the population of the component while in-service.
Predicted MTBF is a figure which is calculated based on failure rate models of

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individual sub-components of the component. Two methods widely accepted

for calculation of predicted MTBF are; MIL-HDBK-217 and Bellcore TR-332.
Point: A process variable derived from an input signal or calculated in a

process calculation.
Polling (data request): The process by which a data acquisition system

selectively requests data from one or more of its RTUs. An RTU may be
requested to respond with all, or a selected portion, of the data available.
Protocol: A strict procedure required to initiate and maintain communication.
Report-By-Exception (RBE): The reporting of data (e.g., from RTU to master

station) only when the data either changes state (e.g., for a status or digital input
point) or exceeds a predefined dead band (e.g., for an analog input point).
Redundant Configuration: An RTU configuration that provides automatic

switchover, in the event of a failure, without the loss of RTU functionality.
Resolution: The least value of the measured quantity that can be distinguished.
RTU Cabinet: An enclosed structure containing Remote Terminal Unit, electronic

equipment and wiring for process control or telemetry.
RTU Programming Access Restriction: Programming access control by key

lock, password, or other equivalent methods.
RTU Alarm: Alarm which occurs as a result of an RTU hardware or software

fault.
RTU Operating Software: The vendor's standard software that performs the
basic functions of the RTU.
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisitions (SCADA): A system operating

with coded signals over communication channels so as to provide control of
RTU equipment. The supervisory system may be combined with a data
acquisition system by adding the use of coded signals over communication
channels to acquire information about the status of the RTU equipment for
display or for recording functions.
Self-Diagnostics: Programs automatically executed in the RTU at pre-determined

intervals to check the health of the RTU and report back to the master station.

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5 General
5.1 Use of Standard Products
5.1.1 The RTU shall be composed of manufacturer's standard supplied

hardware, software, and firmware that can be configured to meet the
stated requirements.
5.1.2 The vendor shall not supply Non-Standard version of the RTU
operating software to meet any of Saudi Aramco's requirements.
5.1.3 Application software shall be designed in a manner that requires no

modification to the RTU operating software.
5.2 System Support
5.2.1 The RTU vendor shall guarantee support of all system hardware,
firmware, and software with spare parts and services for a period of
twenty five (25) years from the hardware freeze date as defined in the
contract purchase order or the Preliminary Design Review (PDR),
whichever is the latter. Vendor shall submit the product support during
PDR. The RTU vendor shall guarantee support for all workstations,
servers, networking equipment and any commercial off-the-shelf
(COTS) products supplied as part of the RTU for a minimum period of
ten (10) years from the hardware freeze date as defined in the contract
purchase order or the Preliminary Design Review (PDR), whichever is
the later. Support shall include spare parts and technical support. This
support shall not be contingent on the customer upgrading to later
releases of software
Commentary Note:
It is not the intent of Saudi Aramco to require RTU vendors to service
commercially available products which they did not manufacture. The vendor
shall, however, guarantee that this equipment can be replaced with a similar
component for the period specified without loss of functionality and without
requiring software upgrades.
The RTU cabinet design shall be engineered and implemented to allow
easy hardware components replacement of aged, obsolete, and
unsupported components without impacting the RTU system hardware.
5.3 RTU Revision Level
5.3.1 All RTU and I/O subsystem hardware and/or firmware and other
vendor proprietary hardware shall be the latest revision level, approved
by Saudi Aramco, at the time of the hardware freeze date as defined in
the contract purchase order or the Preliminary Design Review (PDR);
whichever is the latest.
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Commentary Note:
It is acceptable for a system to contain different revision levels of a hardware

component as long as the revision level of the component represents a minor
revision. In such cases, the vendor must demonstrate that the two components
work together and remain physically interchangeable as a redundant pair, if
redundancy is required on the system, and that the functionality of the module is
not affected by the revision of the module.
5.3.2 All software shall be the latest, commercially released, software

revision level that is compatible with the hardware revision level being
supplied at the time of Critical Design Review (CDR).
All personal computers, monitors, printers, peripherals, Ethernet

switches and other commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment
provided by the vendor as part of the system shall be the latest model
commercially available which has been tested and approved for
compatibility by the vendor at the time of the hardware freeze date as
defined in the contract or purchase order. The Main Automation
Contractor shall standardize COTS equipment for all automation sub-
vendors as much as possible.
5.3.3 Application packages supplied by the vendor to meet Saudi Aramco

requirements shall be the vendor's standard off-the-shelf software
configurable to meet job-specific requirements.
5.3 Field Proven Systems
All supplied hardware, firmware, and software (excluding application software)

shall be field proven prior to the hardware freeze date. Field proven is defined
as successful operation at a field installation for six (6) months or more
(excluding beta test period). It shall be possible for Saudi Aramco to verify the
field proven status of the system.
Commentary Note:
Application software that is written for project specific control and monitoring
strategies cannot be field proven prior to the hardware freeze date. The exclusion
of application software is not intended to provide exclusion for software written to
perform standard functions.
5.4 Software Protection
5.4.1 No software or hardware locking mechanisms that restrict the user

from copying the application software source code (RTU logic,
configuration and/or application programs) or compiled executable
code from the storage media shall be employed.

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5.4.2 No software or hardware locking mechanisms that restrict the user

from booting (starting up) shall be employed.
5.4.3 System's operation and maintenance shall not be dependent on license

renewal.
5.5 Software and Firmware Revision Level
Application software shall be backward compatible and shall be able to run the
same features under new releases of the system operating software. Re-compiling
of application software to integrate with new software release is acceptable. It is
acceptable if the vendor provides a translator.
5.6 Spare Capacity
Each RTU shall be supplied with the following minimum spare expansion
capability for all elements of the RTU configuration. However, the Project FSD
shall be followed if higher spare capacity is specified for a specific project.
5.6.1 10% expansion capability for all elements of the RTU configuration.
The base RTU is defined as the hardware and software needed to meet
the project requirements. Hardware communication modules and
modems are excluded from this requirement.
5.6.2 A minimum spare capacity of 5% for each I/O type in the base RTU
shall be installed and wired to termination points.
5.6.3 The RTU processor shall have 50% spare processing capacity after
downloading RTU IO configuration, all applications and
communication interfaces to the master and subsystems.
5.6.4 One Spare communication port of each type. For compact RTU, spare
communication channels can be provided by TCP/IP connection on the
same port.
5.7 Engineering Units
All physical dimensions and measurements shall be identified in both the

“International System of Units” (SI), as well as by conventional “English” units.
Non-critical dimensions may be rounded off to the nearest practical value.
Exceptions:
a) This requirement does not apply to the vendor's standard documentation.
b) The units of values displayed on monitor screens or printed on printers shall be as

defined in the Contract or the Purchase Order.

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6 Environmental Conditions
6.1 The RTU and all associated equipment/devices including communications

equipment installed inside the RTU cabinet shall operate continuously without
damage, mis-operation, or data corruption under the environmental conditions
listed below.
6.1.1 Temperature
6.1.1.1 The RTU and all components installed within the RTU
cabinet shall be rated for a maximum continuous operating
temperature of 65°C.
Commentary Note:
Cabinet lights that operates when the door is open, are excluded from the above
requirement.
6.1.1.2 For RTU environmental conditions vendors to comply with

34-SAMSS-820
6.1.1.4 Cabinet fans may only be used to dissipate internal heat when
RTU cabinets are installed in air-conditioned buildings or
shelters. Where fans are used, redundant fans shall be
supplied for each cabinet and credit may only be taken for the
air-flow volume of a single fan.
6.1.2 Humidity
Indoor humidity design basis shall be 20% to 80% relative humidity.

Outdoor design basis shall be 5% to 95% relative humidity
(non-condensing).
6.1.3 Dust Concentration
Usual airborne dust concentration is 1 mg/m³. During sandstorms, dust

concentrations may reach 500 mg/m³. Particle sizes are as follows:
95% of all particles are less than 20 micrometers
50% of all particles are less than 1.5 micrometers
Elements present in dust include compounds of calcium,

silicon, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, chlorides and sodium.
When wetted (high humidity conditions) these compounds function as
electrolytes and can result in severe corrosion.

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Other pollutants present in the atmosphere under the most extreme

conditions are:
H2S 20 ppm (vol/vol)
Hydrocarbon 150 ppm (vol/vol)
SO² 10 ppm (vol/vol)
CO 100 ppm (vol/vol)
NOx 5 ppm (vol/vol)
O3 1 ppm (vol/vol)
6.2 Equipment which is not enclosed or hermetically sealed, but is situated outdoors
offshore or outdoors near-shore shall be protected against corrosion and
operational failure due to wind-borne sea water spray and the accumulation of
wetted salt (sodium chloride).
Commentary Note:
Near-shore is defined as within one kilometer from the shoreline of the Arabian
Gulf, all of the Ras Tanura refinery and terminal, and within three kilometers from
the shoreline of the Red Sea.
6.3 Equipment situated outdoors offshore or outdoors near-shore shall use G3

conformal coated RTU components in accordance with ISA-S71.04.1985.
7 Hardware and Assembly
7.1 General
7.1.1 The RTU shall support a local programming interface via a laptop
computer.
7.1.2 The RTU shall support analog and smart wired field devices as specified
in the attached RTU Specific Requirement Sheet (Attachment 1),
e.g., transmitters, positioners. Communications to the smart field
devices shall be HART or Foundation Fieldbus.
7.2 Central Processing Unit
7.2.1 The CPU utilization at peak load shall not exceed 60% of the processor
capacity. This requirement shall be demonstrated during FAT.
7.2.2 The RTU execution cycle time shall not exceed 500 msec (this
includes I/O scan and execution of diagnostics and application

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program).
This requirement shall be demonstrated during FAT.
7.2.3 The RTU program/application design and execution shall make use of
real-time operation system supporting multiple threads and processes
and inter process communication. The application execution
environment shall run asynchronously to the communication and
database support processes. No process waiting on communication
response shall block another independent process.
7.3 Memory
7.3.1 The RTU memory shall be sized such that 50% of total memory
supplied is available after all memory requirements for system and
application software are utilized at peak load conditions.
7.3.2 Configuration data shall be retained for a minimum of sixty (60) days
upon loss of power supply to the RTU.
7.3.3 The RTU shall have minimum of 64 MB RAM plus 32 MB FLASH

memory to store process data which needs permanence greater than
60 days.
7.3.4 RTU shall provide status of Memory Back up battery to SCADA.
7.4 I/O Modules
7.4.1 General
7.4.1.1 Process I/O circuits shall be protected against common mode

transient surges of up to 500 V RMS. Such transient surges
shall not cause damage or system performance degradation.
7.4.1.2 All input and output points shall incorporate internal short-
circuit or overload protection. Fuses shall only be used for
Discrete Output points and any loop which utilizes an
external power source for loop power (ie. not powered from
the I/O card). Where fuses are required, they shall be
integral, fused terminal blocks which are hinged, quick
disconnect or equivalent, shall have blown fuse indication,
and it shall be possible to replace the fuse without disturbing
signal wiring or the IO module.
7.4.1.3 If specified in the RTU Specific Requirement Sheet

(Attachment 1), the RTU shall support (after signal filtering

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and buffering) 500 msec time resolution of discrete inputs

for Sequence-of-Events functions.
7.4.1.4 Common Mode Rejection Ratios (CMRR) of the input

circuitry shall be 60 dB or greater for DC to 60 Hz. Normal
mode rejection ratio shall be 30 dB or greater at 60 Hz.
7.4.1.5 Analog input modules shall be able to power 4-20 mA field

instrumentation loops with a maximum loop resistance of
600 ohms. Alternatively, if specified in Attachment 1 - RTU
Specific Requirement Sheet, 4-20 mA loops can be
externally powered.
7.4.2 Analog Inputs
7.4.2.1 The nominal input range shall be 4-20 mA DC, 1-5 VDC,
and 0-10 VDC.
7.4.2.2 The total number of analog inputs or outputs shall not affect
minimum program execution time constraints and the way
they are monitored and processed.
7.4.2.3 All AI shall be electrically isolated from every other channel

and other non-isolated components. Isolation in group of 4
or 8 of AI is acceptable.
7.4.2.4 Analog input modules shall provide the repeatability and

accuracy shown below:
a) Repeatability: (±) 0.05% of full range
b) Accuracy: (±) 0.5% of full range
c) Resolution: (±) 0.01% of full scale
7.4.2.5 Calibration of the A/D converters shall be automatically

checked by the RTU on a periodic basis. All A/D calibration
errors shall be provided by the RTU in a message or a
diagnostic data format.
7.4.2.6 In case of bad field input the RTU shall report Bad input,
e.g., ????, and not the last good value.
7.4.3 Analog Outputs
7.4.3.1 The nominal output range shall include 4-20 mA and

1-5 VDC.

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7.4.3.2 The minimum output load shall be 600 ohms at 24 VDC.
7.4.3.3 All AO shall be electrically isolated from every other

channel and other non-isolated components.
7.4.3.4 Analog output modules shall provide the repeatability and

accuracy shown below:
a) Repeatability: (±) 0.1% of full scale
b) Accuracy: (±) 1.0% of full scale
c) Resolution: (±) 0.01% of full scale
7.4.4 Pulse Counters
The RTU shall support pulse input modules that shall be capable of
measuring pulse inputs with the following characteristic:
a) Square wave or sine wave
b) 0 to 10 kHz
c) 5, 12 or 24 Volt
Alternatively, input module can be used for pulse count.
7.4.5 Digital Inputs
7.4.5.1 The signal voltage range shall include 24 VDC, 125 VDC,
and 120 VAC.
7.4.5.2 24 VDC inputs shall be able to use either internal or external

power supplies. The other voltages may be provided by
external power supplies.
7.4.5.3 Discrete input channels shall have hardware filters or

configurable software filter algorithms to handle transient
inputs or perform contact de-bouncing.
7.4.5.4 All digital input circuits shall be electrically isolated from

other non-isolated components.
7.4.6 Digital Outputs
7.4.6.1 The RTU shall be capable of supporting the following:

a) On/off contact
b) Latching and non-latching (momentary) contact outputs.
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7.4.6.2 The following solid state or relay board output ratings shall
be available:
a) 24 VDC, 80 mA, non-inductive load
b) 125 VDC, 1 A, non-inductive load
c) Each Digital Output module shall be capable to support
2A per output (8A max. per common) loads.
7.4.6.3 Output contacts shall be volt free and electrically isolated

from other non-isolated components.
7.4.6.4 The duration of the single pulse outputs shall be individually

configurable.
7.4.7 Relay Board
7.4.7.1 Relay boards shall be used to interface with external loads.

Commentary Note:
If absolutely required, interposing relays, shall be

hermetically-sealed for outdoor and dust-tight for indoor use
and shall be rail or card mounted and configured in such a
manner as to meet the requirements of 34-SAMSS-820 with
loop back circuitry and logic to verify the health and
functionality of the relays or the intended state of the final
control element/field device.
7.4.7.2 The following relay board output ratings shall be available:

a) 24 VDC, 5 A, non-inductive load
b) 125 VDC, 5 A, non-inductive load
c) 120 VAC, 5 A
7.4.7.3 Relay output contacts shall be volt free and electrically

isolated.
7.4.7.4 Relay must be able to do the following minimum operation

before failure:
a) 30 million mechanical operation or
b) 200 Million electrical operations at 10 A, 250 VAC,
cos ф=0.6, 70C
7.4.7.5 Fuses for the relay output connection must be provided

externally to the Relay Board.
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7.4.7.6 Output response time should be 12 ms or less for (status

output) and 3 ms for digital.
7.4.7.7 Each relay shall be supplied with a bracket or holding clip to

prevent it from falling off the base (socket).
7.4.7.8 Each relay shall be equipped with a least 1 set of SPDT

contacts (Form C contact).
7.4.7.9 Each relay shall be permanently identified with a non-

removable identifier, i.e., R1, R2, etc… on the relay output
module or board.
7.4.7.10 Relay modules/board shall be conformal coated.
7.4.7.11 Relay output module/board shall use either a ribbon cable or

through direct wired connection interconnected to the DO
module.
7.4.7.12 Relay module/board will have to have the necessary

interface connectors and terminals.
7.4.7.13 All relays shall be provided with suppression diodes.

(Protect from voltage spikes induced on connected wires).
7.4.7.14 Pull-in voltage shall be 80% or less of nominal voltage.
7.4.7.15 Relays shall be used when the RTU relay board is incapable
of meeting signal isolation specifications. Electric relays
shall be dust-tight when installed indoors and hermetically-
sealed when installed outdoors.
7.4.7.16 A dedicated relay base shall be provided for each relay.

Using multi- socket modules that can accommodate more
than one relay is not acceptable.
7.4.8 Communication Modules
7.4.8.1 The RTU shall support communication module to interface

with subsystems.
7.4.8.2 The design of the physical communication ports shall meet

EIA/RS-232C, EIA/RS-485, or ANSI/IEEE 802.3
specifications.
7.4.8.3 Communication port shall provide 16-byte on-chip FIFO

buffer for both incoming and outgoing data.
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7.4.8.4 The RTU shall support Pass through communication port for
Instrument Asset Management Systems for RTU that do not
offer HART enabled IO.
7.4.9 Protocol Based I/O
7.4.9.1 The RTU shall support built-in modules which are capable
of communicating to HART ™ registered devices using the
latest HART protocol version.
7.4.9.2 The RTU shall support modules which are capable of

communicating to FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus (FF) based
devices.
7.4.9.3 The RTU shall be capable of receiving and forwarding device

alerts from HART devices to the SCADA system.
7.4.9.4 The RTU shall provide the capability to pass HART device
diagnostic data from the IO card to an Instrument Asset
Management System using industry standard protocols such
as EDDL or FDT/DTM.
7.4.9.5 It shall be possible to modify/reconfigure the HART devices

from the engineering and maintenance workstations.
7.4.11 Failure Mode
7.4.11.1 It shall be possible to configure analog and discrete outputs

to fail in a fail-safe mode in response to a CPU failure, a
communication module failure, or an input/output module
failure.
7.4.11.2 The following configurable fail-safe options shall be

available for each output module:
a) Drive to zero output (4 mA for a 4-20 mA analog
output, de-energized for a digital output).
b) Maintain last good output value for an analog or hold
for a digital output.
7.4.11.3 It shall be possible to configure an analog input/output to fail

high or low or hold last good value in response to a CPU
failure, a communication module failure, or an input/output
module failure.
7.4.12 Remote I/O Modules

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When specified in the RTU Specific Requirement Sheet (Attachment 1),

the RTU shall support remote I/O modules with the specified minimum
distance from the processor.
8 Electrical Requirements
8.1 Electrical Area Classification
When required, the RTU system shall be suitable and certified for use in
hazardous locations as defined in Article 500 of the National Electrical Code
(NEC). The panel/cabinet and all components within the panel shall be suitable
for the electrical area classification where the panel will be installed. All RTUs
intended for operation in locations classified under requirements of NFPA 70,
Article 505, shall have a certification from organizations that is approved to
operate within the IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme. The classification of the
area in which the panel will be used, shall be specified in the Purchase Order.
8.2 Electromagnetic Compatibility
RTU equipment shall carry CE Mark for compliance with European EMC
Directive 2004/108/EC or shall comply with immunity levels stated in
IEC 61000-6-2. Alternatively, the vendor shall provide testing results to
confirm that the equipment will operate without disturbance when energized and
subjected to an electromagnetic field from a radiating source equivalent to a
level 3 disturbance as detailed in IEC 61000-4-3. In particular, RF sources such
as hand-held radio transceivers operating at 5 Watts within the frequency ranges,
50-174 MHz, 406-470 MHz, and 800-870 MHz and held at a distance off
1.0 meters from the equipment shall not cause any malfunction, data corruption,
or damage to the equipment.
8.3 Power Supply and Distribution

8.3.1 The requirements for wiring, spacing, cabling, terminal blocks and wire
ducts in 34-SAMSS-820 shall apply for wiring associated with the
following:
 Power supply and power distribution
 Utility power, lighting, and convenience outlets
 Intermediate terminal strips for I/O wiring
 Grounding
Commentary Note:
It is not the intent to dictate to RTU vendors of interconnecting and mounting
their standard proven equipment. However, the wiring for system power,
lighting, convenience outlets, field terminal wiring and input/output wiring
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between intermediate terminal strips within these cabinets shall adhere to this
specification.
8.3.2 The need and type of internal cabinet lighting for outdoor cabinet shall
be determined in the project FSD and provide improved LED or DC
operated lighting. The selected lighting shall meet the temperature and
environmental spec for outdoor installation.
8.3.3 All provided I/O points shall be terminated to Terminal Blocks within
the RTU.
8.3.4 All requested spare I/O points by the standard and the project FSD
shall be terminated to Terminal Blocks within the RTU.
8.3.5 The RTU shall be able to tolerate a loss of power for at least 100 msec
without damage, mis-operation, or data corruption. A power supply
buffer module shall be used to provide voltage stability during voltage
dips.
8.3.6 Power supply unit external to the RTU and RTU internal power supply
modules shall incorporate over current/voltage protection schemes for
input and output power circuits.
8.3.7 The RTU shall comply with the surge withstand capability tests as
defined in IEEE STD C37.90.1 or IEC 61000-4 without damage,
mis-operation, or data corruption.
8.3.8 Power supply shall never be mounted below the CPU. Power Supply
unit shall be installed in the upper section of the cabinet.
8.3.9 If redundant power supplies configuration is specified in the Project

Functional Specification Document (FSD), each power supply unit
shall be capable of being removed and replaced without disturbing the
operation of the redundant unit.
8.3.10 The RTU shall be capable to support standard power supply input
voltage ranges including 24 VDC and 120/230 VAC at 60 Hz.
8.3.11 If required in the project FSD, the RTU vendor shall provide lightning
protection for all incoming and outgoing circuits to/from the RTU.
This shall include the power supply, communication circuit, and I/O
circuits.

Page 19 of 33
9 Tagging and Nameplates
9.1 All RTUs shall be identified with tag number and service description.
The nameplates shall be permanently attached in accordance with
34-SAMSS-820.
9.2 RTU shall comply with ISA RP60.6, Nameplates, Labels, and Tags for
Control Centers
9.3 Wire tagging shall be in accordance with 34-SAMSS-820.
9.4 Each circuit board shall be identified by part or type number.
9.5 Card slots shall be labeled with an identification number or letter.
9.6 The type of card in each slot shall be indicated either by labels on the card slots
or a drawing or a table securely attached to the inside of the cabinet door.
10 Functionality
10.1 General
10.1.1 The RTU shall support PID closed loop control, open loop control, and
logic & sequence functions.
10.1.2 The RTU shall be capable to support flow calculations using AGA3,
AGA7, AGA8 for gas and API Chapter 14.3 Part 1, equation 1-2, mass
measurement equation for orifice meters.
10.1.3 The RTU shall automatically upload data to the Master station upon
receiving a poll request.
10.2 Remote Functions
10.2.1 The RTU shall support remote configuration, remote down loading,
remote uploading of stored data, and remote data base modifications.
10.2.2 In case of Redundant CPU, The RTU shall be capable of being

manually rebooted via a remote command from the Engineering
workstation. This requirement shall be demonstrated during FAT.
10.3 Communication Functions
10.3.1 The RTU shall be capable of operating in a stand-alone manner, with

full functionality, independent of communication with the Master
Station.

Page 20 of 33
10.3.2 In case of a communication failure with the master, the RTU shall be
capable of archiving data points. The number, type of data points that
to be archived and the archive frequency shall be specified in the RTU
FSD. The archived data points shall utilize the memory specified in
section 7.3.3.
10.3.3 Upon recovery from communication failure or switch over to back up

communication channel, the RTU shall be ready to resume all normal
functionalities and accept download on new changes from engineering
work station within 30 seconds of re-establishing communication with
the Master Station.
10.4 Special Functions
10.4.1 The RTU shall be provided with initialization functions at power up,
such as initial self-checking, and controlled start-up.
10.4.2 Upon RTU power up, all initial data shall be re-stored equal to the
values prior to predetermined safe values.
10.5 Output Command Integrity
10.5.1 The RTU shall support select-before-execute (SBE) and a check-

before-operate (CBO) communication sequence for Digital output
control operation. Visual feedback, user interface (UI) sequence for
select-before-execute shall be provided so the user can verify that the
RTU has interpreted the selection correctly before executing the
control function. The communication sequence check-back message
shall allow the master station to verify that the communication was
error free and the RTU's I/O hardware and software acted correctly in
interpreting the selection. The number of loops requiring SBE and
CBO functionalities shall be specified in the RTU Specific
Requirement Sheet.
10.5.2 If supported by the communication protocol, such as DNP3, Secure

Authentication shall be used for all output commands to provide
enhanced output command integrity.
10.6 Communication Security
10.6.1 If a backup communication port is specified in the RTU Specific

Requirement Sheet, the RTU shall periodically test and validate its
integrity.

Page 21 of 33
10.6.2 The RTU shall generate an alarm or diagnostic message when it fails to
respond to a request from the Master station within a specified number
of retries. This requirement shall be demonstrated during FAT.
10.6.3 The RTU shall use a secure communication protocol for accessing and
managing the RTU. SSH shall be used instead of telnet and HTTPS
instead of HTTP.
10.7 Hardware and Software Security
10.7.1 For RTUs with redundant configuration, the fail over to a redundant
module shall be automatic upon detection of a failure. A diagnostic
message/alarm shall be generated.
10.7.2 The RTU shall have non-volatile station address retention.
10.8 Access Security
All connections shall be authorized with role based security. The RTU shall
employ access restriction for configuration and for operation. There shall be a
minimum of one password layer.
11 Architecture
11.1 General
11.1.1 It shall be possible to upgrade the RTU CPU and/or IO Hardware and
firmware to newer release.
11.1.2 Hardware and firmware changes shall not impact the supplied system
architecture.
11.1.3 Any Engineering or maintenance software upgrade to support the

Hardware and firmware upgrade/replacement change shall maintain
full compatibility with the existing architecture.
11.1.4 In redundant configuration, it shall be possible to perform the upgrade

on-line.
11.1.5 It shall be possible to configure the same RTU to function as:

a) Unit RTU Station (slave to a master).
b) Master RTU station (stand alone or networked with HMI).

Page 22 of 33
11.2 Scalability
11.2.1 The RTU shall be modular in design such that the same hardware is
used for small or large system configurations, with expansion being
based on plug-in modules.
11.2.2 For applications requiring a maximum of two (2) control loops and a
maximum of sixteen (16) I/O points, single board RTUs may be
considered. The justification to consider single board RTU is to reduce
power consumption and reduce back up battery size.
Commentary Note:
Single board RTU refers to single Module with built in CPU and limited
number of IO support of different types. It shall be noted that certain
standard requirement such as scalability/expansion my not be
applicable for this type of RTU.
11.3 Flexibility
11.3.1 For modular RTUs, flexible I/O configuration shall be supported such
that I/O cards can be physically located within any I/O slot without
restriction.
11.3.2 I/O module locations and addresses shall be software configurable, or

self-configured upon initial power up of the RTU.
11.4 Reliability
Mean Time between Failures (MTBF) of all RTU Modules shall not be less than
200,000 hours. Power supplies MTBF not be less than 100,000 hours.
11.5 Redundancy
11.5.1 The RTU shall support CPU redundancy and IO redundancy.
11.5.2 CPU redundancy and IO redundancy shall be integrated as standard

function of the RTU firmware. Custom code implemented as part of
the application logic is not acceptable. This shall be demonstrated
during the FAT.
11.5.3 External switches and/or 3rd party hardware shall not be used to meet
redundancy requirement.
11.5.4 Internal failures that would impact successful switchover shall generate
system alarm and shall be configured in the operator screen.

Page 23 of 33
11.5.5 During switchover of redundant hardware, there shall be no effect on

the reading of the connected sensors, programs, or tasks in progress
when a switch over to redundant modules occurs. The maximum time
required to resume complete functionality following a complete switch
over shall not be more than one (1) second.
11.5.6 Switchover from active to the standby RTU shall be bumpless transfer.
Switchover shall not cause loss of data or any upset to the analog /
digital input or output signals.
11.6 Expandability
Expanding the RTU's I/O shall be based on adding chassis and modules as required
in conjunction with required software changes to system I/O configuration.
12 Software
12.1 Programming Functions
The RTU shall support local programming tools and on-line program debugging
utilities to modify and develop application software. The RTU operating system
and application programs shall be stored in non-volatile memory.
12.2 Programming Languages
12.2.1 The RTU programming language shall comply with IEC 61131, Part 3.
12.2.2 The RTU shall have the necessary software to enable local interface
and uploading of historical data.
12.2.3 All software programs and comments shall be in English. No other

languages shall be used.
13 Maintainability
13.1 Diagnostics
13.1.1 The RTU configuration package shall have on-line help screens.
13.1.2 The RTU shall be supplied with menu-driven diagnostics, off-line

diagnostics, and remote diagnostics of analog and digital modules,
communication modules, and CPU.
13.1.3 The diagnostics shall be to the channel level. Diagnostic alarms shall be
mapped into the SCADA database and shall be available to the operator.

Page 24 of 33
13.1.4 All diagnostic functions that can be performed via a locally accessed
port on the RTU shall be executable via remote functionality.
13.1.5 The RTU remote on line diagnostic routines shall not affect normal
RTU operations or functionality.
13.1.6 RTU shall provide status of Memory Back up battery to SCADA
13.2 Ease of Maintenance
13.2.1 It shall be possible to install wires into I/O card connections without
disassembling the RTU or powering it down.
13.2.2 Vendor installed cables shall be designed and installed in such a way
as to allow cable disconnection in order to service the equipment.
Cables shall not interfere with circuit board removal.
13.2.3 It shall not be necessary to remove field or terminal panel wiring when
replacing an I/O module.
13.3 Hot Replacement
When RTU CPU and/or IO redundancy is specified in the project FSD, The
RTU shall support hot replacement of I/O cards. This requirement shall be
demonstrated during FAT.
14 Communications
14.1 Software
The RTU shall support DNP 3.0 level 3 Master and Slave with Secure
Authentication, Modbus Master and Slave and optionally other Open industry
standard communication protocols as defined in the RTU Specific Requirement
Sheet (Attachment 1).
Commentary Note:
For Power Applications RTU, The RTU shall support IEC61850,

IEC60870-5-101 and IEC60870-5-104 as open standard protocols.
14.2 Hardware
14.2.1 The RTU shall support different connectivity schemes or a

combination of connectivity schemes such as point-to-point, multidrop,
star, loop, and tree.

Page 25 of 33
14.2.2 The RTU shall support communication media such as radio,

microwave, fiber optic, coaxial cables, and dial up to communicate
with the master.
14.2.3 The RTU shall support communication data transmission rates of 9,600
bits per second or higher.
14.2.4 The RTU shall provide minimum of two Ethernet ports. IEEE 802.3
14.2.5 The RTU shall support redundant communication Modules for

redundant communication paths or to communicate with two different
nodes.
14.2.6 The RTU shall support two (2) communication ports which can be
configured to communicate with two different nodes.
15 RTU Cabinet
15.1 RTU Cabinet Design
15.1.1 The RTU cabinets shall be rigid and self-supporting.
15.1.2 Instruments and electronic accessories shall be wired in accordance

with this specification.
15.1.3 When multiple cabinets are required, the cabinets shall be identical in
construction and external appearance.
15.1.4 Multi-Bay cabinets of modular construction shall be mounted on a one

piece plinth for structural integrity. When multi bay cabinets are
utilized they shall be of a rigid design and have a one piece plinth for
structural integrity. The assembly shall not exceed cabinet
manufactures maximum load specification and be shall fitted with
necessary lifting lugs.
15.1.5 Removable covers to facilitate access to the underside of gland-plates

are to be provided.
15.1.6 The cabinet fabricator shall supply detailed drawings for review and
approval.
15.2 Cabinet Drawings
15.2.1 The detailed drawings, shall as a minimum, contain the following

information. These drawing can be supplied part of the NMR:

Page 26 of 33
a) Cabinet fabrication drawings showing dimensions for exterior,

openings, removable plates, doors and door swings, internal
cabinet segregation, internal frame supports/bracing, ventilation
louvers, lifting bolts, and shipping breaks.
b) Cabinet layout drawings showing the locations and arrangements
of all electronic equipment, terminal strips, fuses, plastic ducts,
raceways, pushbuttons, switches, lamps, name plates,
annunciators, rack-mounted equipment, power supplies,
convenience outlets, lighting and grounding strips. Electronic
equipment manufacturer and model numbers shall be shown.
c) Wiring diagrams showing termination strips and all electronic
interconnections, with tag names and equipment/terminal
identification.
Requirements stated in paragraph a) and b) shall be drawn to scale and

supplied as vendor drawings for the proponent’s review and approval.
15.2.2 If specified in the Purchase Order, above items shall be issued with
proponent drawing numbers and completed in format convertible or
compatible to Saudi Aramco Drawing Format as specified in the PO.
15.2.3 All instruction manuals and technical information supplied with

components received by the RTU integrator shall be placed in a folder
or binder and shipped with the cabinet.
15.2.4 All Vendor literature and drawings shall be of sufficient size and
quality to be clearly legible.
15.3 Cabinet Construction
15.3.1 Cabinets installed at outdoor areas or in air conditioned unpressurized

building, shall be NEMA Type 4X or IEC 60529 Type IP66,
manufactured of 316L stainless steel.
15.3.2 Where convection-ventilated cabinets are provided, cabinets shall be

provided with readily accessible, removable filter screens inserted
behind slotted louver inlets. Depending on the location of the heat
generating components, louvers and filters may be installed at the top
of the cabinet or within cabinet doors. Louvers installed on the sides
or back of the cabinet are not acceptable.
15.3.3 Louvers installed at the top of cabinets shall be protected by a screen or

shroud to prevent debris from falling into the cabinet. Filters shall

Page 27 of 33
slide into preformed grooves or be fastened with removable, corrosion

resistant hardware.
15.3.4 Fans may be used within indoor cabinets to assist in heat removal and
cabinet ventilation. If the fans are required to dissipate heat when the
HVAC is running, redundant fans shall be provided. If the fan(s) are
only required to dissipate heat when the HVAC is not running, a single
fan is adequate. In both cases, fan failure and over-temperature
detection and alarm are required in the SCADA.
15.3.5 Where two or more front sections are required for the RTU cabinet, the
interior shall be an open-frame construction. Cabinet support bracing
shall not restrict maintenance access to chassis, modules or components.
The cabinet shall be properly sized to have easy access to all installed
components and wires. Accessing any of the installed components or
wiring shall not require the removal of other components.
15.3.6 RTU cabinets shall be provided with removable lifting rings.

For cabinets in outside locations, lifting rings shall be screwed into
blind sockets which preserve the ingress protection rating of the
cabinet if the lifting rings are removed.
15.3.7 Cabinet doors shall be full-height. All doors shall be dust-tight and
reinforced against buckling. The maximum door width shall be
900 mm (36 inches) unless otherwise specified in the Purchase Order.
15.3.8 All doors shall be capable of opening at a minimum 90 degrees and

shall be equipped with mechanical stops for holding the doors open.
15.3.9 When front and rear access is required by the FSD, the following
requirements shall be fully complied with:
a) Cabinet vendor standard mounting plate sizes shall be used.
b) Top and side gaps around the mounting plates SHALL not be used
to run wiring and or system cables between the two sides of the
cabinets exception for front lamp to rear lamp connection.
c) Internal wiring and/ or system cables shall be routed from the
bottom of the mounting plats using approved duct or equivalent.
15.3.10 RTU and marshalling cabinets if required, may have double door
access on each side (front and rear) subject to site conditions and final
mounting location.
15.3.11 All doors shall be provided with integral lockable door handles with
the same lock and key combination, unless otherwise specified in the
Page 28 of 33
purchase order. For Offshore cabinets door locking facilities shall be

suitable for padlocking.
15.3.12 Equipment that are installed within cabinets or panels and are normally
used by the operator shall be readable and operable with the operator in
a standing position.
15.3.13 The inside of each door shall be equipped with a pocket suitable for
holding A4 documents and/or cabinet drawings.
15.3.14 Cabinets intended for bottom cable entry shall be provided with a
gland plate at the bottom of the cabinet.
15.3.15 RTD to monitor the RTU internal temperature monitoring shall be

provided and connected to the RTU and reported to the SCADA.
15.3.16 For RTUs installed inside AC Sheller Smoke detections requirements

shall follow SAES-B-014, Section 7.6.
15.5 Cabinet Finish
For indoor and outdoor locations, cabinet finish shall be unpainted grained
stainless steel. If specified in the Purchase Order cabinets may be painted
internally and / or externally.
15.6 Nameplates
15.6.1 All Cabinets and the equipment therein shall have a nameplate
permanently attached indicating the service description. Nameplates
shall comply with the relevant sections of 34-SAMSS-820 specific to
Nameplates.
15.6.2 Using adhesive nameplates is not acceptable for outdoor installations.
15.6.3 Nameplates installation method shall not degrade NEMA 4X

certification.
15.7 Cabinet and Panel Spare Requirements
Unless otherwise specified in the Purchase Order, each cabinet shall be provided
spare capacity to allow for future system modifications in accordance with the
relevant sections of 34-SAMSS-820 specific to Spare Requirements.

Page 29 of 33
16 Documentation
16.1 The following standard documents shall be provided as part of the RTU
documentation package: installation, operating instructions, maintenance
instructions, test records, complete schematics/logic diagrams, and the RTU
application software.
16.2 Electronic documentation shall be supplied with the RTU. The document
management system shall include graphics, and text string search as defined in
the PO.
17 Inspection and Testing
17.1 FAT criteria shall be developed by the vendor and approved by Saudi Aramco.
17.2 The vendor shall supply a list of any required test tools.
17.3 Each RTU and/or Integrated systems shall be tested at the RTU vendor's staging
facilities according to the project Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and in
accordance with Saudi Aramco FAT procedure in SAEP-750.

Page 30 of 33
Revision Summary
21 January 2013 Major revision to include Value Engineering Recommendations and defined RTU cabinet
requirements.
31 December 2015 Minor revision to clarify various requirements:
1. Revised section 5.2 to define new life cycle support requirement,
2. Revised section 6.1.1, temperature rating and cabinet sizing / heat dissipation
requirements based on PMT feedback,
3. Revised section 7.4.1.1 to define Process I/O circuit protection against common mode
transient surges of up to 500 V RMS,
4. Revised section 8.3 to clarify requirement of Power Supply and Distribution,
5. Revised section 10.5 to clarify output command integrity requirements,
6. Revised section 11.5 to clarify redundancy requirements, and
7. Revised section 15.4 to clarify RTU cabinet construction requirements.
14 March 2017 Editorial revision deleting the reference to the canceled procedures (SAEP-1630,
SAEP-1634, and SAEP-1638) and adding procedure SAEP-750 as a reference.
Also, deleting reference to cancelled SAES-J-905 and 34-SAMSS-911.
1 January 2018 Editorial revision to delete "without prior written approval from General Supervisor, Process
Automation Systems Division, P&CSD, Dhahran" in paragraph 7.4.9.8.
9 October 2018 Major revision

Page 31 of 33
Summary of Change Form

No. Change Type Technical Change
(New,
Paragraph No. Modification,..)
1 1.3 New Reference to SAES-Z-004.
2 3.1 New Added SAEP-99 Saudi Aramco Industrial
Control System Security.
3 3.1 Modification Updated 34-SAMSS-820 Instrument Control
Cabinets title.
4 3.2 Modification Updated International Society of Automation
title. Update ISA-S71.04. 2013.
Deleted references not used in this document.
Updated Electronic Industries Association
5 4.1 New Added new abbreviations
6 4.2 Modification Update Marshalling Cabinet definition
5.1.4, 5.2.3, 5.2.4, Modification
5.2.5 and 5.26 ,
6.1.1.3, 7.4.1.3,
7.4.10, 10.6.1 and
11.5.6
( in previous
7 Issue) Removed
8 5.2.1, 5.2.2 Modification Update System Support requirements
9 5.3 Modification Updated Revision level
10 5.6.3 Modification RTU processing capacity were updated
New Added “If supported by the communication
protocol, such as DNP3, Secure Authentication
shall be used for all output commands to
11 10.5.2 provide enhanced output command integrity.

Page 32 of 33
Attachment 1 - RTU Specific Requirement Sheet

Requirement
RTU Tag No.
Plant No.
Smart Transmitters (Yes/No)/Comm. Protocol

Sequence of Events (Yes/No)
Communication Protocol (Master Interface) /Physical
Connection
Communication Protocol (Salve/subsystem Interface)/
Physical Connection
Thermocouples Type (J, K, E)
Remote I/O Modules (Yes/No)/Distance
No. of Archived Data Points
User Interface Sequence for Select before Execute
(Yes/No)
Backup Communication Port (Yes/No)
Redundancy (Yes/No) Comm. Modules
Power Supply
Processor
I/O Modules
Analog input modules required to power 4-20 mA loops.
(Yes/No). If yes, specify number of loops to be powered
by AI module.
Lightening Protection Required (Yes/No)
Number of Loops Require CBO Functionality

Page 33 of 33

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Materials System Specification

23-SAMSS-030 9 October 2018

Attachment 1 - RTU Specific Requirement Sheet ... 33

Previous Issue: 1 January 2018 Next Planned Update: 10 October 2021

©Saudi Aramco 2018. All rights reserved.

1.3 Where a project Functional Specification Document (FSD) calls for an

1.4 Application functional requirements, such as well testing, flow calculations,

2 Conflicts and Deviations

3.1 Saudi Aramco Documents

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

SAEP-99 Saudi Aramco Industrial Control System Security

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

IEC 60529 Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosure

4.1 Acronyms and Abbreviations

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

RTU Remote Terminal Unit

4.2 Words and Terms

Application Software: The software written specifically to perform functional

Configurable: The capability to select and connect standard hardware modules

Configuration: The physical installation of hardware modules to satisfy RTU

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): A measure of equipment tolerance to

Expandability: The capability of an RTU to be increased in capacity or

Firmware: Programs or instructions that are permanently stored in hardware

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

individual sub-components of the component. Two methods widely accepted

Point: A process variable derived from an input signal or calculated in a

Polling (data request): The process by which a data acquisition system

Protocol: A strict procedure required to initiate and maintain communication.

Report-By-Exception (RBE): The reporting of data (e.g., from RTU to master

Redundant Configuration: An RTU configuration that provides automatic

RTU Cabinet: An enclosed structure containing Remote Terminal Unit, electronic

RTU Programming Access Restriction: Programming access control by key

RTU Alarm: Alarm which occurs as a result of an RTU hardware or software

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisitions (SCADA): A system operating

Self-Diagnostics: Programs automatically executed in the RTU at pre-determined

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

5.1 Use of Standard Products

5.1.1 The RTU shall be composed of manufacturer's standard supplied

5.1.3 Application software shall be designed in a manner that requires no

5.2 System Support

5.3 RTU Revision Level

It is acceptable for a system to contain different revision levels of a hardware

5.3.2 All software shall be the latest, commercially released, software

All personal computers, monitors, printers, peripherals, Ethernet

5.3.3 Application packages supplied by the vendor to meet Saudi Aramco

5.3 Field Proven Systems

All supplied hardware, firmware, and software (excluding application software)

5.4 Software Protection

5.4.1 No software or hardware locking mechanisms that restrict the user

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

5.4.2 No software or hardware locking mechanisms that restrict the user

5.4.3 System's operation and maintenance shall not be dependent on license

5.5 Software and Firmware Revision Level

5.6 Spare Capacity

5.7 Engineering Units

All physical dimensions and measurements shall be identified in both the

a) This requirement does not apply to the vendor's standard documentation.

b) The units of values displayed on monitor screens or printed on printers shall be as

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

6.1 The RTU and all associated equipment/devices including communications

6.1.1.2 For RTU environmental conditions vendors to comply with

Indoor humidity design basis shall be 20% to 80% relative humidity.