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Entries in networking (11)

Friday
Jul232010

Another Milestone for WirelessHart

DateFriday, July 23, 2010 at 5:02PM

The Hart Communication Foundation has announced that the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has approved the WirelessHart specification as a European National Standard (EN 62591). CEN released the standard to CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, whose members are the national electrotechnical committees of 31 European countries. CENELEC approved the WirelessHART European Standard on 01 June 2010.

“In March, the WirelessHart specification was approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission as a full international standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0),” says Ron Helson, Executive Director of the Hart Communication Foundation. “Approval as a European National Standard further confirms acceptance of the technology by users and suppliers as a technically sound, reliable and secure solution for wireless communication in process automation.”

The IEC Standard was approved by CENELEC as a European Standard without any modification. According to the announcement of approval issued by CENELEC, “members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration”.

A growing number of WirelessHart compatible products are available today from major global suppliers including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, MACTek, Nivis, Phoenix Contact, Pepperl+Fuchs, Siemens and others.

Released in September 2007, WirelessHart is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications.

WirelessHart is a backward compatible, evolutionary enhancement to the Hart Communication Protocol, the leading communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 30 million devices installed and operating in process plant applications around the globe.

The CEN was founded in 1961. Its 30 national members work together to develop European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European internal market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. CENELEC is a non-profit technical organization set up under Belgian law. CENELEC members have been working together in the interests of European harmonization since the 1950s, creating both standards requested by the market and harmonized standards in support of European legislation.

The Hart Communication Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization that provides global support for the application of Hart technology. The Foundation is the technology owner, standards setting body and central authority on the Hart Communication Protocol, establishing and controlling new technology developments and enhancements that support the needs of the process automation industry. Founded in 1993, Foundation membership includes more than 230 companies worldwide.

AuthorGary Mintchell | CommentPost a Comment |
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Tuesday
Jan192010

Ethernet Field Device Network from CC Link

DateTuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:54PM

I'm in Chicago this week for a series of meetings. The triggering event was a visit from Chuck Lukasik and John Wozniak of the CC-Link Partner Association. What a great meeting. I love a deep dive into networking technology. And..from people who don't try to mis-characterize the competition. And also people who can take my challenging comments and answer them. Sure keeps me from going to sleep in meetings.

CC-Link has released a controller-level network based on Ethernet. They just announced a device-level network also based on Ethernet.

Now--a cautionary word. When I say "Ethernet", what do you think? Wrong. In common usage, we say Ethernet when we mean Ethernet plus the entire TCP/IP protocol suite including http, ftp, snmp, smtp, cip and the like. But Ethernet really only applies to the physical layer. So, CC-Link IE Field Network is Ethernet at the physical layer (Cat 5e, RJ-45 connectors and the rest), but the protocols and ASICs are all developed specifically for CC-Link. This is not proprietary--CC-Link is just as "open" a standard as are EtherNet/IP, EtherCat, Ethernet PowerLink and Profibus/Profinet. And the use of custom ASICs (chips) is not unique to CC-Link, either. EtherCat, Ethernet PowerLink and Profinet IRT all use them. I've also heard that EtherNet/IP uses (or will use) one for a motion control option.

CC-Link IE (for industrial Ethernet) Field Network is a spec-killer. It blazes at 1 gigabit/sec. Since the network uses custom firmware, network design, implementation and use becomes faster and easier. As they like to say, "It requires no IT knowledge." For the electrician (technician) installing this network, it is similar to, but easier than, a device network. Essentially just plug it in. The configuration tool is easier than SNMP. It can be daisy-chain (they call it line), star or ring--or a combination. It is deterministic, yet simultaneously transmits control, log and diagnostic data.

It makes no pretense to "standard" Ethernet--as are basic Profinet and EtherNet/IP. However, it is specifically designed for manufacturing networks and targeted at control engineers and technicians. Mitsubishi, an automation supplier very strong in Japan and strong in China, is the systems supplier behind this network. So, third party suppliers have been lining up support since everyone wants to penetrate the China market. While not strong in North America, it is growing and putting pressure on Rockwell Automation (primary automation supporter) and EtherNet/IP.

The next few years should be very interesting regarding the automation networking landscape. (No, I'm not "prognosticating" a winner.)

AuthorGary Mintchell | Comment10 Comments |
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Monday
Jan112010

Hart Plant of the Year

DateMonday, January 11, 2010 at 1:00PM

The Hart Communication Foundation has selected the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan's largest chemical manufacturer) ethylene plant located in Kashima, Japan, as recipient of the 2009 Hart Plant of the Year Award. The award is given annually to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that are using the advanced capabilities of Hart Communication in real-time applications to improve operations, lower costs and increase availability.

Mitsubishi Chemical is using the Hart Communication capability of over 800 interoperable field devices integrated with their DCS and asset management systems through multiplexers and Hart-enabled I/Os to access real-time continuous process variables and diagnostics. By accessing this real-time intelligent data they are able to diagnose abnormal process conditions and track equipment health 24 hours a day. As a result, peak production performance has improved with an estimated operational savings for the plant of $20,000-$30,000 USD per day.

Diagnostics also are used to uncover device failures before they affect the process. It is estimated that two or three device failures have been detected that would have caused unplanned shutdowns. An unscheduled plant shutdown costs an estimated $600,000 USD in lost production per day with a minimum production restart time of 5 days ($3 million USD total savings).

"Diagnostic parameters that help detect signs of an abnormal situation or degrading performance are difficult to obtain with simple handheld devices because they require a time-consuming, manual, step-by-step approach," says Takayuki Aoyama, team leader, instrumentation group, Mitsubishi Chemical. "Hart technology made it possible to access this data without manual operation. This made it much easier for us to gather data and detect abnormal situations from field devices and has reduced maintenance costs by 10 percent."

In addition, trending and analysis of secondary process variables throughout the plant provide process insight that has allowed plant engineers to analyze, troubleshoot and resolve a number of operational problems including plugged impulse lines, an unstable flow profile, and an inefficient compressor pump.

"We have designated Hart as our standard communication protocol and will replace (older) devices with Hart-type whenever we get a chance," says Takayuki. "We use Hart communication to collect online data from our field devices without disturbing the 4-20mA analog signal to the control system. Our goal is to detect abnormal situations in the process and protect field devices from malfunctions."

"Mitsubishi Chemical is a perfect example of how the power of Hart can be used to lower costs, improve plant availability and help keep a plant competitive," says Ron Helson, Hart Communication Foundation executive director. "We congratulate Mitsubishi Chemical on their innovative use of Hart Communication in applications that not only benefit their company, but also serve as a powerful model for industry users worldwide--a working illustration of how to realize far greater benefits from Hart Communication than ever before."

AuthorGary Mintchell | CommentPost a Comment |
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Thursday
Dec102009

Technology cooperation

DateThursday, December 10, 2009 at 5:17PM

At last, talk of cooperation on standards instead of fighting over them. I've received two releases (one from the Fieldbus Foundation and one from Emerson Process Management) supporting the new expanded role of the group previously known as the EDDL Cooperation Team. Members of the group have agreed to enlarge the scope into Field Device Integration (FDI) supporting a uniform device integration solution for process industries across all host systems, devices and protocols as required by end users.

The FDI Cooperation project will initially consist of major industry trade associations, such as the Fieldbus Foundation, FDT Group, Hart Communication Foundation, OPC Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganisation; as well as leading control equipment suppliers, including ABB, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Invensys, Siemens and Yokogawa.

Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Rich Timoney commented, “Adoption of a standardized FDI solution is in the best interest of controls & instrumentation suppliers and end users around the world, since it provides a unified path forward for device integration that is based on use case requirements, incorporates the best aspects of each member technology, and eliminates redundancies where they may exist. FDI also does away with double efforts for customers and vendors, and preserves backward compatibility and operating system independence.”

Timoney added, “The Fieldbus Foundation is in full support of FDI Cooperation and will continue to be a significant contributor to the related development work.”

The FDI project was kicked-off at the 2007 Hanover Fair. At that time the EDDL Cooperation Team welcomed the FDT Group with the primary objective of harmonizing EDDL and FDT/DTM technologies.  Since then, the project has carefully shaped the technology direction for the converged FDI solution. The addition of supplier companies, which have agreed to support FDI packages in their systems and products, will strengthen this effort by providing resources for the completion of this project.

Besides the finalization of the FDI specification, which is scheduled for mid-2010, the FDI Cooperation is covering common design and test tools, common binary format and EDDL interpreter across the Foundation Fieldbus, Hart and Profibus protocols.

AuthorGary Mintchell | CommentPost a Comment |
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Thursday
Dec102009

Webcast

DateThursday, December 10, 2009 at 1:04PM

Going live on the Web at 2 pm EST -- Webcast with Robert Jackson of National Instruments on wireless. It'll be a nice comprehensive view. You can sign up at Automation World.

AuthorGary Mintchell | CommentPost a Comment |
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