Profibus-PA expands its user base
Jan 2000
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Endress & Hauser -
United Distillers and Vintners Canada is one of the latest plants to install a Profibus-PA fieldbus system. This brings the total number of plants to more than 90 worldwide to have adopted Profibus-PA as its communications protocol.
The client has deployed two multi-vendor Profibus PA networks as part of its re-instrumentation project for a 19 storage tank application at its Valleyfield, Quebec, distillery with the aim to improve system reliability, increase monitoring accuracy and enhance its overall inventory management. The distillery, which processes more than 230 t of grain per day, sought to reduce production costs while increasing product quality. Says a spokesperson for Endress+Hauser, the instrument supplier for the contract, "The decision to use Profibus PA was made based on cutting the overall project cost for reinstrumen-ting the tanks, including cabling, hardware and software by about 40%."
The Profibus system helps manage the inventory of final products stored in the 19 tanks which are fitted with level transmitters connected via Profibus PA and two Pepperl+Fuchs segment couplers over Profibus DP to a Modicon PLC through an X-Link. A Profibus DP-to-Modbus gateway was provided by a separate supplier while Endress+Hauser's Commuwin II engineering and configuration software, installed on a PC, is utilised for configuring instruments.
Profibus PA is the intrinsically safe IEC 61158-2 compliant version of the Profibus fieldbus protocol, designed to provide power and data over the bus in hazardous areas. At present there are more than two million installed Profibus compliant devices in 200 000 applications throughout the world, worth an estimated $4,5 billion. It has been deployed in a broad spectrum of industries from mining, chemicals, food and brewing to water, wastewater treatment, paper and more. In South Africa, it has already seen its deployment in three major projects.
Endress+Hauser
(011) 444 1386
Further reading:
Why secure industrial communication depends on deployment as well
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The Industrial Security Harmonisation Group has released a joint industry perspective highlighting a critical truth in industrial cybersecurity: secure communication is not determined by protocols alone, but by how they are deployed and managed in real-world environments.
Read more...
A single platform for all automation functions
Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The introduction of TwinCAT in 1996 marked a decisive evolutionary step for PC-based control. Today, the TwinCAT platform combines all automation functions in a strictly deterministic real-time environment, from PLC and motion control through CNC and measurement technology and beyond, to vision, robotics and pioneering AI tools.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-4: Feedforward Control: Part 3
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
In the previous articles in this series, the basic theory behind feedforward control was discussed, and it was also shown how to apply feedforward in practice. In this article, it will be shown how well feedforward can work in practice by giving a couple of examples.
Read more...
Control Station and Dimension Software partner to connect control performance monitoring with enterprise operations intelligence
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Control Station has entered into a strategic technology partnership with Dimension Software, a leading provider of industrial operations management platforms. The collaboration connects Control Station’s PlantESP control loop performance monitoring platform with Dimension Software’s Asset Intellect operations intelligence environment, enabling manufacturers to operationalise control performance insights across their organisations.
Read more...
PCIe digitiser cards for optimal GHz signal acquisition and analysis
Vepac Electronics
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The addition of two new PCIe Digitiser cards from Spectrum Instrumentation extends the company’s flagship M5i series to deliver optimal GHz signal acquisition and analysis capabilities.
Read more...
Precise, synchronised control for automated steel mesh handling system
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Automation specialist Hambi Maschinenbau has developed a world-first system that automates the cutting, handling and stacking of heavy reinforcing steel mesh – a task that previously required up to six human operators.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-3: Feedforward Control: Part 2
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Feedforward control tuning is not nearly as critical as feedback tuning, and fairly simple models are usually fine for the purpose in hand.
Read more...
Upgrading radiological surveillance systems in nuclear facilities
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Nuclear plant operators face an uncomfortable reality. Many of the control and monitoring systems still in use today were never designed to support the full operational lifespan of the facilities they serve.
Read more...
Next-level CAN Software enables easy access to CAN XL
Industrial Data Xchange (IDX)
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
With the release of its PCAN-Explorer 7, PEAK delivers a major update that adds full support for CAN XL, multiple symbol files per connection, Python scripting and flexible licensing including floating licenses.
Read more...
Loop signature Part 2-2: Feedforward Control: Part 1
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Feedforward control is a powerful technique that can dramatically improve control variance in cases where load changes cause big deviations from setpoint and the actual process dynamics are too slow to allow the feedback controller to operate fast enough to catch these disturbances.
Read more...
printer friendly version