January 2008

Fieldbus Facts Online is brought to you by the Fieldbus Foundation, an international, not-for-profit corporation consisting of industry leaders dedicated to providing the "Freedom to Choose" and the "Power to Integrate."

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In This Issue...

Timoney cites Fieldbus Foundation's 2007 achievements

2008 General Assembly called year's 'most important event'

2008 global Fieldbus events: Make plans today!

Fieldbus end-user seminar coming to Japan

FOUNDATION developer training available in March

ARC Advisory Group plans annual manufacturing forum

ARC to host European process management academy

ABB installs Fieldbus technology at Irish pharmaceutical plant

Emerson will automate coal-fired power station unit

ABB software tool manages Fieldbus networks, assets

Beamex calls its new fieldbus calibrator 'world's first'

Coastal Skills Training offers Fieldbus eLearning courses

Honeywell outlines keys to successful Fieldbus implementation

Timoney cites Fieldbus Foundation's 2007 achievements

Tens of thousands of FOUNDATION-compliant control systems, and over a million field devices, are now in service around the world; ARC Advisory Group reports the technology is now "mainstream," holding a 68% market share in the process industries; and ARC predicts Fieldbus Foundation's market leadership will increase at a double-digit growth rate. These are among the many important achievements made by the Fieldbus Foundation in 2007 and noted recently by Fieldbus Foundation President Rich Timoney.

Said Timoney: "The coming year will see progress on many key projects benefiting the automation industry. For example, the FOUNDATION for Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) development, which has achieved TÜV type approval, will help meet the growing worldwide demand for commercial, standards-based safety instrumentation incorporating FOUNDATION fieldbus. Our SIF working group will conduct a series of technology demonstrations at end user sites around the world, including Shell Global Solutions, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; BP, Gelsenkirchen, Germany; and Chevron, Houston, Texas, USA.

"The Fieldbus Foundation has joined the HART Communication Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO) in launching a cooperative initiative to develop a specification for a common interface to a wireless gateway. The intent of this collaboration is to facilitate full, scalable integration of both wired and wireless technology in industrial automation.

"In addition, we will accelerate our work defining the structure for interfacing remote I/O over our High Speed Ethernet (HSE) control backbone. The addition of remote I/O further tightens the integration of process instrumentation within the FOUNDATION system solution.

"The foundation's board of directors has also mandated rigorous host testing, which will strengthen fieldbus interoperability and system integration. Under our new host registration program, hosts successfully completing the test requirements will be authorized to bear the official FOUNDATION product registration symbol.

A new End User Council was launched in India to support the huge demand of Foundation-based systems to address the growing demand for the best technology in this economically dynamic region. Our inaugural seminar in Mumbai attracted over 300 end users in August, further evidence of our growing market share within the industry.

"I would like to thank the member companies and the hundreds of end users who dedicate their time and efforts to further the growth and adoption of the technology. All in all, 2008 looks bright, and busy, for those of us involved with FOUNDATION technology," concluded Timoney.

Learn more about the Fieldbus Foundation by visiting its Website.

2008 General Assembly called year's 'most important event'

The Fieldbus Foundation's 2008 General Assembly, set for the Antwerp Hilton Hotel in Antwerp, Belgium, Feb. 27-29, is being called the year's "most important event." Open to Fieldbus Foundation members and non-members, the meeting will include FOUNDATION technology suppliers, end users, and industry participants from around the world. Don't delay—register today!

The theme, "Why FOUNDATION Has Become The Standard," reflects FOUNDATION fieldbus as the global "technology-of-choice" for process automation. FOUNDATION technology now holds a major share of European chemical, pharmaceutical, and oil & gas markets, as well as many other process industries.

The annual meeting will open on Wed., Feb. 27, with an overview of current Fieldbus Foundation developments around the globe. The program will include end user presentations on process integrity, open scalable integration, and business intelligence. Supporting demonstrations and Q&A sessions will let attendees share experiences and technology insights.

A keynote address by Dr. Norbert Kuschnerus, President of the NAMUR Board of Management and Senior Vice President, Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, will highlight an evening reception. Dr. Kuschnerus will discuss how end users like Bayer can use the enabling capabilities of fieldbus technology now and in the future.

The Fieldbus Foundation will conduct its annual business meeting for members only on Friday, Feb. 29. During this time, end users may attend workshops on topics such as fieldbus engineering, implementation, and maintenance at ACTA (Antwerp Center for Applied Automation), a local academic institution. The sessions will give participants hands-on training experience on live fieldbus segments.

A technology showcase also will be available throughout the General Assembly with major control system and instrumentation suppliers displaying the latest FOUNDATION fieldbus products, solutions, and services.

Register now.

Are you interested in sponsoring the Fieldbus Foundation General Assembly? Email marketing@fieldbus.org.

2008 global Fieldbus events: Make plans today!

The Fieldbus Foundation offers many informational and educational events around the globe. Make plans now to attend an event in your area.

Click here for a complete list events.

Fieldbus end-user seminar coming to Japan

Fieldbus Foundation-Japan will conduct a free FOUNDATION fieldbus end-user seminar at the Nagai Memorial Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 17. The seminar provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the FOUNDATION automation infrastructure, recent updates to the technology, and practical implementation of fieldbus instrumentation.

Highlighting the seminar will be several Japanese end-user presentations describing FOUNDATION fieldbus installation experiences. In addition, tabletop demonstrations will showcase sponsors' fieldbus products and solutions.

Registered attendees will receive a CD of the seminar presentations and related technical documents such as the FOUNDATION fieldbus Engineering Guide.

Click here to register.

For more information, contact Maggie Carlson, Fieldbus Foundation, at 512-794-8890, Ext. 21, or email maggie.carlson@fieldbus.org.

FOUNDATION developer training available in March

The Fieldbus Foundation will conduct developer training courses during March, 2008, in Austin, TX, USA; and Brielle, The Netherlands. Two courses will be offered: "Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus" and "Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus."

Training course details:

Introduction to FOUNDATION Fieldbus

One-day, vendor-neutral course is designed for developers, end users, marketing professionals, applications engineers, system integrators, and others interested in obtaining a fundamental knowledge of FOUNDATION technology. Students will become familiar with the basic concepts and new terminology related to the FOUNDATION integrated architecture. The technology introduces new terminology that control personnel must understand to be successful. Students will learn key strategies for wiring and installing a fieldbus network. Design issues such as power requirements, device types, and topologies will be emphasized.

Click here for more information on this course.

Advanced Principles of FOUNDATION Fieldbus

Three-day, vendor-neutral course is designed for manufacturers and developers of FOUNDATION hardware and software. It is intended for development engineers, test engineers, and those who wish to understand the detailed, inner workings of a FOUNDATION device. The course covers major tools used by fieldbus device developers. Students will learn bus monitor basics and participate in interactive exercises demonstrating fieldbus communications and the use of filters for network troubleshooting.

Click here for more information on this course.

To register today, click here.

ARC Advisory Group plans annual manufacturing forum

ARC Advisory Group's 12th annual forum, "Winning Strategies and Best Practices for Global Manufacturers," will address the extraordinary opportunities and threats created by today's global market through informative, focused presentations by best-in-class CEOs, manufacturing and automation executives, and ARC industry analysts. The event will take place Feb. 4-7 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

Attendees will hear how top industry leaders are addressing business challenges successfully and continually improving their strategies to reach operational excellence. No other conference reportedly offers such a high level of personal interaction in an environment focused exclusively on manufacturing.

Forum highlights include a presentation by Mike Miller, Oconee major projects electrical engineering supervisor for Duke Energy Carolinas LLC, who will describe his company's installation of FOUNDATION fieldbus. The project is the largest fieldbus host system installation at a nuclear power facility, and proves the benefits of FOUNDATION technology for end users seeking a highly reliable and open solution for automation infrastructure management.

Click here to review the list of session topics, speakers, and hotel information.

Click here to register. Type "association" in the source code box on the registration form for a 10% discount.

ARC to host European process management academy

ARC Advisory Group will host its 4th annual Process Management Academy (PMA) on Jan. 28-30 in Düsseldorf, Germany, at the Maritim Airport Hotel. The educational event is specially designed for professionals in the process industries.

More than 300 decision-makers from production and engineering departments are expected to attend. They will learn how to manage and optimize production plants effectively using collaborative manufacturing concepts and technologies. The international event features speakers from around the globe, including executives from Arla Foods, BP, Degussa, EDF, Merck, Shell, and other leading companies, who will share their experiences and best practices and discuss strategies for success. Topics include control architecture and migration strategies, safety, field instrumentation impact on asset management and plant performance, manufacturing software solutions, and emerging standards of industrial communication.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers and gather intelligence about the latest developments in process automation solutions. Manufacturers also can participate in a benchmarking workshop that will show how companies measure performance and develop best practices to make their processes more efficient and effective.

For more information, visit the Process Management Academy Website, or contact Uwe Grundmann by phone at +49.211.3003.416 or e-mail at ugrundmann@arcweb.com.

ABB installs Fieldbus technology at Irish pharmaceutical plant

ABB has installed its FOUNDATION technology system at the Greenfield manufacturing facility of Janssen Pharmaceutical, part of the Johnson and Johnson family, in Little Island, Cork, Ireland.

The facility produces innovative medicines for hematology, psychiatry, and pain management. It consists of three production modules, including a Category 3A containment area for low-bio, burden-active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and Aseptic DS manufacturing; utilities; a tank farm; and associated HVAC.

The scope of supply for this life sciences project includes a 21 CFR Part 11-compliant System 800xA solution, including redundant controllers with multi-product/multi-train batch; full electronic batch recordkeeping functionality; FOUNDATION-enabled instrumentation; and intelligent MCCs. The equipment was implemented following a long, live prototyping phase.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in some 100 countries and employs about 105,000.

For more information on ABB FOUNDATION solutions, visit the ABB Website.

Emerson will automate coal-fired power station unit

Emerson Process Management has won a contract to install its PlantWeb digital architecture with Ovation expert control system at a new 300-MW, coal-fired power station unit.

At Southwest Power Station Unit 2, being built by Springfield, MO-based City Utilities, the Ovation system will monitor and control a Foster Wheeler boiler, burner management system, cooling tower, air quality control system, and balance of plant processes. The new plant will use digital bus-based technologies extensively, with Emerson's Ovation system incorporating 57 FOUNDATION fieldbus segments (representing 1,368 I/O points) and 31 Profibus DP segments (representing 1,890 I/O points) to network intelligent field instrumentation. Overall, Ovation will manage nearly 4,200 I/O points.

Under the contract, Emerson will also install its AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager, which streamlines device configuration and commissioning for more efficient plant startup. The Device Manager also provides online access to instrument and valve process data and predictive diagnostic information to arm power generators with valuable information for optimizing plant operations and maintenance activities and avoiding costly unplanned outages.

"These projects exemplify our ongoing efforts to bring clean, reliable, and low-cost energy to our customers," said Jay Lohrbach, Southwest 2 project team I&C lead at City Utilities. "Emerson's automation and control technologies will play a vital role in helping us achieve these important objectives."

For more information, visit the Emerson Process Management Website.

ABB software tool manages Fieldbus networks, assets

ABB's Asset Master is a new software tool designed to improve asset performance, duration of operation, and uptime. Intended for engineering and maintenance personnel, it provides set-up tools for configuring and calibrating ABB and other manufacturers' instrumentation communicating over FOUNDATION fieldbus, HART, and Profibus.

Key to the tool is integrated fieldbus management that supports engineers through the commissioning phase of a project. Selecting device objects from a comprehensive device integration library provides for easy configuration of network structures. Asset Master incorporates engineering tools for managing FOUNDATION fieldbus networks using ABB's LD800HSE linking device. The tools also support Link Active Scheduler time allocation and Function Block applications.

Asset Master can identify abnormal situations quickly and help personnel take corrective actions. Continuously monitored alarm conditions keep users informed of degrading device performance. SMS and email messaging services can notify key personnel via mobile telephones, email, and pagers. Reported faults can be directed to a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to initiate the work order process.

Using the same design foundation as ABB's larger 800xA extended automation system, the Asset Master may be readily expanded into System 800xA.

For more information, visit the ABB Website.

Beamex calls its new fieldbus calibrator 'world's first'

Beamex introduces what it calls the "world's first" fieldbus calibrator, the MC5.

Although modern fieldbus transmitters are significantly better than older models, they still need calibration. However, until the introduction of the MC5, no practical solutions have existed for calibrating them. With the MC5, it is possible to calibrate, configure, and trim FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 transmitters using a single unit. Because it is a combined calibrator and fieldbus configurator, the device can perform traceable calibration on fieldbus transmitters. Fieldbus configurators and configuration software cannot do this; they can only perform read/change configurations. Calibration can only be performed by one person instead of two.

The MC5 is able to calibrate stand-alone transmitters, or when they are connected to a live fieldbus, as with FOUNDATION fieldbus. No separate power supply is needed because the MC5 includes an integral power supply for powering up a stand-alone transmitter during calibration. Therefore, the MC5 can also be used during commissioning when the fieldbus and control systems are idle.

For more information, visit the Beamex Website, or email info@beamex.com.

Coastal Skills Training offers Fieldbus eLearning courses

Coastal Skills Training's 14-part Fieldbus Process Control eLearning Series—produced in conjunction with The Fieldbus Center at Lee College, Baytown, TX—trains instrumentation operators and technicians to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot FOUNDATION fieldbus systems. The series also gives fieldbus device manufacturers an effective way to train their sales forces on fieldbus basics.

The Series is available in Coastal's award-winning ClarityNet HD platform and features live-action video, high-resolution graphics, pre- and post-testing, embedded questions, and interactive exercises. Course objectives are outlined at the beginning of each course. The series includes 14 courses:

• Fieldbus Curriculum Overview
• The Road to Fieldbus
• Fieldbus Wiring
• Fieldbus Devices
• Introduction to Configuration
• Introduction to Control Strategy
• Control Strategy
• Data Flow and Communications
• Fieldbus Calibration
• OPC
• Introduction to Troubleshooting
• Troubleshooting
• Fieldbus Maintenance
• Maintenance Exercises

Harness the power and flexibility of eLearning! More than 450 additional industrial skills training titles are available.

For more information, or to order a FREE 15-day preview of the eLearning Series, call 1-800-501-0233 or click here.

Honeywell outlines keys to successful Fieldbus implementation

Although implementing a project using FOUNDATION fieldbus technology differs from applying conventional device technology, both require the same project disciplines and methodologies. Applying consistent implementation methodologies, capturing knowledge from previous installations, and using innovative technologies lead to successful FOUNDATION fieldbus project installations.

Using FOUNDATION fieldbus for a new installation offers many project implementation benefits, such as faster commissioning. Part of that speed results from using less wiring and fewer tools. Other contributions come from the project planning phase. Decisions need to be made early to ensure a successful outcome. Deciding whether to implement "control-on-the-wire" and choosing the number of devices and actuators per link require early wiring decisions. Segmenting the design is critical, but simple with available tools.

Further in the process, it is important to track device revisions and ensure those devices are tested with the host. There are also different philosophies for the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), such as whether to test all devices to no devices. And it is important to work with the on-site FOUNDATION fieldbus champion to train employees.

Honeywell works with end users and EPCs to incorporate its capabilities, technology, global knowledge database, and experience into making each project successful.

Click here to find out more from the Honeywell Website.

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