Say 'No' to sparks

April 2011 Electrical Power & Protection

Pepperl+Fuchs has announced its FieldConnex components for Profibus PA and Foundation Fieldbus H1 to make the high-power trunk intrinsically safe (IS). DART (dynamic arc recognition and termination) based fieldbus power supplies and segment protectors enable safe and powerful segments to be connected in hazardous areas Zone 1. IS trunk and power cables can now be connected to multiple devices with spurs up to 120 m long, this includes existing IS instrumentation to protect current investments.

DART Fieldbus is designed for hazardous area Zone 1 and gas group IIC and is certified through PTB, the German Metrology Institute, according to IEC 60079-11. It is easy to engineer, requiring minimal documentation and calculation, with redundancy of DART power supply modules ensured through load sharing design for maximum segment availability. The innovative new range is all based on Pepperl+Fuchs’ popular low-dissipation FieldConnex technology.

For the fieldbus of today

Simplicity is built into DART Fieldbus through all the benefits of FISCO (Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept) with respect to engineering, application and maintenance. According to Pepperl+Fuchs, DART Fieldbus enables more than five times the power of current intrinsically safe fieldbus installations – enough to drive long cable lengths carrying multiple devices. Ten years ago, with FISCO, the acceptance of intrinsically safe fieldbus began with rules simplifying application and validation of explosion protection. Today, DART Fieldbus breaks more barriers by lifting power limits and enabling a greater freedom of choice.

Existing intrinsically safe fieldbus instrumentation can be applied or remains in place on upgrades. “Our first idea for DART Fieldbus was to come up with a full IS fieldbus segment with the same attributes and power compared to fieldbus in the safe area,” says Michael Kessler, technical director components and technology at Pepperl+Fuchs. This is why DART only protects the trunk, the spurs being intrinsically safe in the classic way. This means DART Fieldbus can be used for existing IS instrumentation, since the differences between DART Fieldbus and fieldbus in safe areas are negligible.”

Other attributes include physical layer diagnostics and redundancy of power supplies. Load sharing means that power supplies are controlled to carry exactly half the load current each. This gives optimal operating conditions, a longer service life and higher system availability. “DART Fieldbus has the power, the options and the experience of a leading innovator and specialist in hazardous area products, Pepperl+Fuchs,” explains Kessler.

DART has been recognised as a major innovation for the process industry through a top five nomination for the prestigious Hermes Award at Germany’s Hannover Fair. Only two years after the nomination, Pepperl+Fuchs has put the technology into practice. “This recognition filled us with pride and drove us to create a practical industrial solution that is easy to apply,” concludes Kessler.

Risk reductions include

* Safe fieldbus installation with power – both intrinsically safe.

* Working without hot work permit.

* Same equipment for all gas groups – certified for gas group IIC.

* Reduced planning risks – no special considerations for the hazardous area.

* Protection of investment – for intrinsically safe fieldbus instrumentation.

* Higher plant availability through built-in supply redundancy.

Lifting power limits

* Intrinsic safety with more power.

* Long cable runs – up to 1000 m trunk and up to 120 m spur.

* Optional advanced diagnostics fort the physical layer.

* Up to 32 instruments per segment.

* Designed and conformant to standards for explosion protection IEC 60079-11.

Credit(s)

Pepperl+Fuchs PI SA (PROFIBUS & PROFINET SA)

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