New I/O system: Safety, higher density, ATEX-compliant

-- Control Engineering, 1/4/2007

New high-density modules, enhanced diagnostics, and ATEX compliance help increase performance and reduce installed costs for Invensys' flagship safety instrumented systems (SIS), the company says. The Triconex unit of Invensys Process Systems says its new generation of I/O subsystems for Tricon triple-modular-redundant (TMR) safety and critical process control systems also has higher resolution, faster scan rates, an innovative approach for per-point supervision, and user-configurable nominal load limits in digital output modules.

The new I/O features provide increased speed and better accuracy for high-speed critical control applications, improving operations of connected control components, while decreasing the cost per I/O point and cost of ownership, says Triconex.

Related announcements from the company include:

• Release of Version 10.2.1 of the Tricon safety instrumented system platform. This provides Tricon users with increased levels of flexibility when configuring safe and reliable critical control systems.
• Release of TriStation 1131 version 4.1.437 developer's workbench within Tricon v10.2.1, to support I/O module configuration.
• TÜV certification for European Union ATEX standards covering I/O module and field terminations in potentially explosive atmospheres. I/O modules and external termination panels for Tricon systems now can meet application requirements for non-incendive electrical equipment in hazardous locations such as volatile gas environments. These changes can eliminate the need for isolation barriers or similar configurations and related installation and maintenance costs.
• Enhanced Diagnostics Monitor v1.1.111, a Microsoft Windows XP-based software application that provides a more comprehensive view of the health of the Triconex safety systems. This application helps end-users make better troubleshooting decisions when maintaining safety-system configurations, minimizing the chances of downtime.
• Easy integration of Tricon TMR safety and critical control systems with all popular distributed control systems (DCS) and serve as the safety system platform within an InFusion enterprise control system (ECS).

Other Invensys automation businesses include Foxboro, SimSci-Esscor, Wonderware, and Avantis.

—Edited by Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering editor in chief