November 2008

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In This Issue...

Fieldbus Foundation, ISA collaborate on wireless

ISA Expo technology exhibit demonstrates enhanced EDDL

Fieldbus seminar in Sweden generates positive response, plans for more events

Switzerland named site of FFGMC’s 4th annual FOUNDATION technology conference

Norwegian end-user seminar targets oil, gas industries

Fieldbus Foundation plans educational events around the world

ARC whitepaper explains FOUNDATION SIF technology

ABB shows interoperability of System 800xA at ISA Expo 2008

Free preview! Coastal Skills eLearning provides self-paced fieldbus training

Endress+Hauser offers technologies for analysis measurement

MTL enhances FISCO power supplies for H1 fieldbus networks

Fieldbus, instrumentation whitepapers available from MooreHawke

Pepperl+Fuchs introduces Advanced Diagnostic Module commissioning kit

Softing USB interface provides access to FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 networks

Fieldbus Foundation, ISA collaborate on wireless

An agreement between the Fieldbus Foundation and ISA will facilitate the implementation of wireless backhaul transport networks. The technology initiative is based on a shared interest to serve the needs of end users and suppliers of wireless systems in industrial automation.

Representatives from both organizations discussed the effort last month in Houston, TX, at ISA EXPO 2008, a leading international exposition focused on automation and control technology and techniques. Prior to that event, at a meeting in June, ISA 100 leaders established a new working group to develop and maintain a standard that will address one or more dedicated or shared wireless backhaul(s) to support technologies running multiple applications. The first of these backbones to be addressed by the working group, ISA100.15—Wireless Backhaul Networks, will be the Fieldbus Foundation’s High Speed Ethernet (HSE) implementation.

To expedite the work, Fieldbus Foundation and ISA entered into a cross-licensing agreement to allow the organizations to collaborate on wireless networks. To develop the wireless backhaul standard, the ISA100.15 working group will need to use parts of Fieldbus Foundation specifications and other ISA standards.

Noted Dave Glanzer, Fieldbus Foundation director of technology development and co-chair of the ISA100.15 working group, “The Fieldbus Foundation recognizes the opportunities that are emerging with wireless applications and believes that effectively interfacing with ISA100 systems will serve as a basis for extending the value and applicability of FOUNDATION technology in industry.”

Added Penny Chen, principal systems architect with Yokogawa and co-chair of the working group: “I am pleased to be playing a critical role in helping ISA100 fulfill its mission, and fostering collaboration between ISA100 and the Fieldbus Foundation.”

Improvements in wireless technology performance and ease of use have led to a variety of wireless technologies being deployed for various applications in mixed environments. These developments create the need for a wireless backhaul transport network to facilitate interoperability, end-to-end security, and end-to-end quality of service. End users have reported a strong interest in such needs because multiple wireless technologies are deployed in the same environment for various applications, all of which need transport over the common shared wireless media backhaul.

As part of the initiative, the Fieldbus Foundation and ISA will develop a standard to interface different technologies suitable for backhaul networking; address wireless co-existence (frequency sharing) related to the backhaul networks; define prioritization of multiple applications and ensure quality of service; support multiple application protocol translators; and address security issues. ISA will publish the technical documents as a standard within the ISA100 family of standards. The standard will be owned jointly by the two organizations and used accordingly in the marketplace.

For more information about ISA 100, visit the ISA Website.

For more information about FOUNDATION fieldbus, visit the Fieldbus Foundation Website.

ISA Expo technology exhibit demonstrates enhanced EDDL

The Fieldbus Foundation joined control industry leaders in supporting Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) solutions for process automation systems and devices at the ISA104 standards committee's booth at ISA Expo 2008 in Houston, TX last month. The ISA104 standards committee continues to provide education and information on the international EDDL standard, IEC 61804-3. This standard has been adopted by ISA/ANSI to specify a descriptive language for describing the properties of automation system components. The EDDL standard was created to support rich user interfaces for advanced diagnostics and sophisticated setup for multiple protocols.

The demonstrated EDDL technology includes enhancements that provide the ability to:

• Display images to simplify setup and diagnostics;



• Display waveforms such as radar echo curve for setup and valve hysteresis curves for diagnostics;



• Display and use menu functionality for more intuitive operation;



• Simplify calibration efforts with wizards;



• Communicate via FOUNDATION fieldbus, HART, or Profibus; and



• Tap into device manufacturer knowhow through context-sensitive help.

Fieldbus seminar in Sweden generates positive response, plans for more events

The Fieldbus Foundation Swedish Marketing Committee (FFSWMC) participated in the Process Teknik 2008 exhibition and conference last month, providing information on the basic principles of fieldbus technology and its application within the process industry. The conference took place at the Svenska Mässan i Göteborg, the Swedish Exhibition Centre, in Gothenburg, Sweden, Oct. 7-9.

The effort took the form of seminars, jointly sponsored by the Fieldbus Foundation and Profibus, held October 8. Free morning and afternoon sessions were aimed at process engineers. Speakers included Lars Larsson representing Profibus; and Travis Hesketh, Steve Harrison, and Mike O’Neill representing the Fieldbus Foundation.

During the Fieldbus Foundation session, a live FOUNDATION system unit gave the audience a practical demonstration of the technology. Multivariable fieldbus devices were added to a segment, configured, and commissioned. Functions and features demonstrated through the live configuration of the system and its devices included control strategies with hot backup logic in the device; control in the field; hot backup switchover on failure; mode shedding on complete probe failure; EDDL diagnostics; help screens; predictive intelligence (pH coating); management reporting of information; and interoperability. The demonstration used devices from BEKA, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, MooreHawke, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Turck, and Vega, with an Emerson host system.

The 50 attending delegates were impressed by the comprehensive hands-on demonstration of FOUNDATION technology as they learned about its deliverable business benefits of process integrity; business intelligence; and open, scalable integration as part of a single, plant-wide system. Positive feedback from seminar attendees is prompting the FFSWMC to organize several more events for end users and engineering contractors in the region over the coming months.

Email the FFSWMC for more information.

Switzerland named site of FFGMC’s 4th annual FOUNDATION technology conference

Switzerland will be the site of the 4th annual German+Swiss FOUNDATION fieldbus Conference. Organized and sponsored by the Fieldbus Foundation German Marketing Committee (FFGMC), the event will take place at the Congress Center in Basel on Dec. 3, 2008.

The conference will follow a format similar to that of last year’s event, held in Marl, Germany. Aimed at end users and engineering contractors, the conference will include morning presentations by end users and engineering contractors and include an update of FOUNDATION technology developments and market trends by Marc Van Pelt, Fieldbus Foundation vice-president, EMEA. In the afternoon, attendees will participate in a choice of two of three parallel roundtable discussions covering tendering and planning, operation and maintenance, and commissioning/facility handover. Moderators include industry experts Frau Michaela Geiger, editor, Technische Rundschau; Frau Dr. Christine Eckert, freelance journalist; and Herr Armin Scheuermann, chief editor, Chemie Technik.

The Basel conference will let end users, engineering contractors, and system integrators share and discuss experiences about implementing FOUNDATION fieldbus technology. It is sponsored by Burkert, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Hans Turck/Bachofen, Leoni Kerpen, MTL Instruments, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, R. Stahl, Samson, and Yokogawa. Sponsoring companies also will provide tabletop exhibits throughout the conference. Representatives will be on hand during breaks to discuss products and applications. In addition, representatives from BIS Prozesstechnik GmbH, a Centre of Excellence for FOUNDATION technology, will be available throughout the conference to answer technical questions about FOUNDATION technology and its applications.

In addition to Dec. 3 program, delegates are invited to attend a basic FOUNDATION fieldbus training course, which will take place from 1 to 5 pm on Dec. 2 at the purpose-built FOUNDATION fieldbus laboratory at Endress+Hauser Process Solutions facility in Reinach, Switzerland.

The course will include technical presentations enhanced by practical demonstrations using a test host system and multiple field devices. Topics covered include: general overview of fieldbus technology; architecture and functionality of FOUNDATION technology; development of FOUNDATION devices and function blocks; comparisons with conventional technologies; system integration; and control in the field. The training course costs 280 CHF (175 Euros) and includes seminar notes and refreshments.

Email for more information or to register for the events.

For directions to the event, visit the Basel Congress Center Website.

Norwegian end-user seminar targets oil, gas industries

The Fieldbus Foundation Norwegian Marketing Committee (FFNOMC) hosted a fieldbus seminar for end users and engineering contractors in the oil and gas industries earlier this month.

Held at the Clarion Hotel, Stavanger, Norway, Nov, 18, 2008, the event introduced FOUNDATION fieldbus technology and covered such topics as: interoperability; control in the field; set up, configuration and maintenance; the economic benefits of FOUNDATION fieldbus in terms of CAPEX and OPEX savings; FOUNDATION Fieldbus for Safety Instrumented Functions (FF-SIF); and end user applications.

Participating in the seminar were FFNOMC member companies ABB, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, MTL/Norex, Pepperl+Fuchs, Stahl/Syberg, and Yokogawa. They welcomed end-user speakers Bindert Douma of Shell Global Solutions and Jan Grønlid from INEOS (formerly Hydro Polymer), who described their experiences implementing FOUNDATION fieldbus.

Email for more information about the seminar and future events.

Fieldbus Foundation plans educational events around the world

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

Click here for a complete list of events.

FOUNDATION Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) technology is the focus of a whitepaper now available from the Fieldbus Foundation. Prepared by ARC Advisory Group, a leading research and advisory firm for manufacturing, energy, and supply chain solutions based in Dedham, MA, the paper describes the implications of FOUNDATION SIF (FF-SIF) technology for the global plant safety system market and for end users.

According to the document, FOUNDATION Fieldbus Safety Instrumented Functions Forge the Future of Process Safety, successful beta testing of FOUNDATION SIF means big changes in the way automation end users will approach safety instrumented system (SIS) implementations in process industry plants. In May 2008, the Fieldbus Foundation conducted a successful live demonstration and press day for FOUNDATION SIF technology at Shell Global Solutions in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Several leading energy companies described their use of FOUNDATION SIF in a wide range of industrial safety system applications.

In the whitepaper, Larry O’Brien, ARC Advisory Group research director—Process Automation, describes FOUNDATION SIF as a critical part of the FOUNDATION fieldbus automation infrastructure. FOUNDATION fieldbus, with its industry-proven distributed function blocks and open communications protocol, is considered an ideal platform for advancing standards-based solutions for plant SIFs. FF-SIF helps end users significantly reduce total cost of ownership by extending fieldbus benefits into plant safety systems.

O’Brien said, “It is very clear that end users want this technology and are striving to include FF-SIF systems in their project specifications. Many major end users will probably be specifying FF-SIF systems for their new projects starting in 2011.”

The whitepaper reviews the history and development path of FOUNDATION SIF technology, and provides insights into topics such as: SIF product registration, conformance to international standards, diagnostics functions and benefits, and future challenges. It also outlines key advantages of FOUNDATION SIF at the safety system layer.

According to O’Brien, “FF-SIF meets the IEC 61508 standard for functional safety systems up to SIL 3, and allows users to build safety systems that adhere to the IEC 61511 standard for functional safety in the process industries. The protocol has already received TÜV approval, and suppliers will begin submitting their products for TÜV approval over the next year. Actual products certified by TÜV are expected to be available commercially some time in 2010.”

Download the free FOUNDATION SIF whitepaper from the Fieldbus Foundation Website.

ABB shows interoperability of System 800xA at ISA Expo 2008

Giving visitors a glimpse into the future, ABB demonstrated its soon-to-be-released functionality for Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) support of fieldbus devices inside its System 800xA Fieldbus Builder FOUNDATION fieldbus toolset at ISA Expo 2008, Houston, TX, last month. In a demonstration of interoperability, the ABB System 800xA Host was connected to a segment populated with two non-ABB devices, each with EDDL support for visualizing device data and methods execution for configuration, testing, and diagnostics.

The demonstration occurred at the ISA sponsored EDDL ISA-104 booth, set up as a forum to introduce automation users to the features and functionality of EDDL for FOUNDATION fieldbus and other device communication protocols. The Fieldbus Foundation has made EDDL one of the key test criteria for host registration under the testing requirements for Host Test 61a that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2009.

The demonstration reflects ABB’s commitment to and leadership in the field of FOUNDATION fieldbus. The company intends to make System 800xA among the first host systems certified under these latest requirements.

To learn more, visit the ABB Website.

Free preview! Coastal Skills eLearning provides self-paced fieldbus training

The 14-part Fieldbus Process Control eLearning series developed by Coastal Skills Training and The Fieldbus Center at Lee College is now available for free preview. Designed to train operators and technicians on the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of FOUNDATION fieldbus systems, the series also offers an effective way for fieldbus device manufacturers to train their sales forces on fieldbus basics.

The Fieldbus Process Control eLearning series, available in Coastal’s ClarityNet HD online courseware, includes:

• 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.

Endress+Hauser offers technologies for analysis measurement

Two technologies from Endress+Hauser—Liquiline CM42 and the new Memosens—are reported to offer the best in FOUNDATION fieldbus analysis measurement.

The 2-wire transmitter (Liquiline CM42) features a large, high-contrast display with multilingual user guidance and online sensor status for predictive maintenance. A robust plastic or stainless steel casing is designed to IP67/NEMA 4x specifications. Intrinsically safe versions are available with ATEX, FM, CSA, or NEPSI certification. Beside LAS capability and four AI blocks, the device features two configurable DI blocks for warnings and alarms. It conforms to ITK 5.01 and is fully integrated into all major FOUNDATION fieldbus systems.

The Memosens technology with integrated electronics in the sensor head provides an inductive coupling of the sensor to the transmitter. Relevant data for identification, calibration, status, and historical data are stored in the sensor and visualized in a transducer block for asset management. The technology is available for pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. It is already industry proven in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries. In addition, the Memosens technology facilitates laboratory calibration under reproducible conditions. Complete life cycle management of the sensor is simplified by the software Memobase, where all data are transferred automatically into an SQL database.

Click on a product name—Liquiline CM42 and Memosens—to learn more about it. Visit the Endress+Hauser Website to find out more about the technology.

MTL enhances FISCO power supplies for H1 fieldbus networks

MTL Instruments, a division of Cooper Crouse-Hinds, announces major enhancements to its class-leading range of Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept (FISCO) power supplies for FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 networks, introducing redundancy of FISCO power conditioners and a resulting increase in fieldbus network reliability over a simplex installation.

The 910x Series power supply systems will support redundant FISCO power conditioners and associated supply arbitration modules for four fieldbus segments on a single backplane. They are designed to be fully live workable, with true hot-standby/failover to maintain the highest levels of system availability at all times. Redundancy is achieved with minimal impact on the fieldbus network communications and no resultant loss of messages on the network during a failover or replacement of a power conditioner unit during operation.

A number of important benefits make FISCO an attractive choice for fieldbus networks in hazardous areas:

• Fully live-workable field wiring in flammable atmospheres, without “gas clearance;”
• Compact, low-cost field enclosures, incorporating proven and reliable Megablock wiring hubs; and
• Clearly defined rules for design and installation of the physical layer components, as published in IEC standard 60079-27 and supported by FOUNDATION fieldbus application guide AG-163.

Fieldbus, instrumentation whitepapers available from MooreHawke

Moore Industries, and its fieldbus division MooreHawke, are making available on their Website an extensive selection of fieldbus and instrumentation whitepapers and articles. Among the dozens of titles offered are:

• Installing Fieldbus in Real Life Applications For the first time, automation engineers are coming face-to-face with real fieldbus applications. Although fieldbus is a wonderful technology with many benefits, its installation requires considerations over and above typical 4-20 mA projects.
  
  
• Intrinsically-Safe Fieldbus for Hydrocarbon Processing Plants
  For about 30 years, it has been a given within the oil and gas industry that intrinsic safety (IS) is the natural technique for explosion-proof protection of electronic instruments. Fieldbus users now want complex processing and digital communications to and from many devices in intrinsically safe applications. The key is delivering enough power to a large number of field devices.


• Implementing FOUNDATION Fieldbus Networks in Hazardous Areas
  Many engineers today find themselves questioning which bus technology to implement in their facility. As if that topic isn't difficult enough to resolve, the subject is further complicated by implementing your chosen bus in a hazardous area.

Pepperl+Fuchs introduces Advanced Diagnostic Module commissioning kit

Advanced Diagnostic Module Commissioning Kit, new from Pepperl+Fuchs, provides a complete diagnostics package in a rugged, portable case that enables users to commission, troubleshoot, and validate a fieldbus segment—even without a control system. All kit components come pre-wired so that there is no need to wire anything internally in the fieldbox.

The standard kit includes a Pepperl+Fuchs Mobile Advanced Diagnostic Module, 120 V mA power supply, 25-V fieldbus power supply, 120-V ac power cable, USB cable, and a fieldbus device cable with clip-on leads. All cables are for external connection only. The commissioning kit is available with a National Instruments PCMCIA H1Interface Card that allows users to verify segments prior to the host/control system installation. For users that already have a Mobile Advanced Diagnostic Module, a basic kit is also available with power supplies and cables only.

The Mobile ADM is a comprehensive physical layer measurement tool for FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 and Profibus PA installations. It provides the exact segment and individual device data needed for analysis of the fieldbus physical layer. Intermittent segment malfunctions can be traced without the need for a permanent connection.

The tool also eliminates repetitive tasks and automatically generates network documentation for each segment and device. It enables maintenance personnel to pinpoint fault locations quickly and efficiently from the control room. Comprehensive measurements are transmitted in real-time to the maintenance station and can be easily viewed by an OPC software client.

Learn more at the Pepperl+Fuchs Website.

Softing USB interface provides access to FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 networks

Called an innovative and unique USB interface device for FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 networks, the newly developed “FFusb” from Softing is said to be the world’s first USB interface module to provide access to H1 field devices over the USB interface of a desktop or notebook computer. The product will be available in Q1 2009. The initial release of the FFusb interface module will include a documented API to enable tight integration with a configuration tool or control system.

Traditionally, the configuration and parameterization of field devices is performed by a central control system. This approach is progressively complemented with current and new computer technology. For example, today’s inherently portable notebooks can perform device parameterization and immediate diagnostics directly in the field, significantly reducing the time needed to commission and troubleshoot a network.

At the same time, the conventional PC card solution for notebooks has been replaced with flexible USB interface technology that combines a fast data-throughput with a straightforward data exchange mechanism. The new FFusb is based on this technology and is used to directly configure and parameterize H1 field devices.

Softing is recognized as a technological leader in providing key components for FOUNDATION fieldbus and Profibus PA devices. To learn more, visit the Softing Website.

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