Foundation Fieldbus technology to be debated at BUSSTOP 2002
June 2002
News
One of the topics for debate at BUSSTOP 2002 (15 to 17 September, Dikhololo Lodge) is Foundation Fieldbus.
Foundation Fieldbus (FF) aims at a single, open, interoperable and international standard. This technology is being developed at different levels (indicated by H1 and HSE). The H1 technology is now available for project implementation. FF-H1 uses a low speed (31,25 Kbps) two-way, multidrop digital communication, which is very powerful for process control. The technical advantages include increased data from the field units and the operation, while more control functionality is moved to the field. The technology is, in particular, powerful for advanced diagnostics enabling preventive over and above corrective maintenance. These advantages will result in a lower total cost of ownership. As it is a new technology, the status of implementation has 'early adopter' risks. First FF devices have been approved by the Foundation in 1999 followed by host testing in 2001.
Shell Global Solutions International monitors the status of industrial developments at SRTCA (Shell Research and Technology Centre Amsterdam). A number of devices and three hosts (DCS systems from Honeywell, Yokogawa and Emerson) are being tested in a hydrocraking pilot plant. The trial objective is to assess the benefits of an early system implementation in a process control environment. The test results are used also as vendor independent input into actual projects. Furthermore, results are fed back to the Foundation and to vendors involved in further developments/improvements.
FF technology for project implementation is currently recommended as single vendor application. Multivendor implementation requires additional development by the manufacturers. It is anticipated that once the level of interoperability has been improved, multivendor implementation becomes feasible within the coming years.
Presenter: Bindert S. Douma obtained a PhD in Physics from the University of Leiden (The Netherlands) in 1979. At Shell Global Solutions International he is a specialist in sensor physics with emphasis on optics, fibre optics, NIR and Foundation Fieldbus technology. As part of a larger team he is responsible for the technical assessment of Foundation Fieldbus technology and contributes to the technology implementation in projects.
Hanli Nangle, élancommunications
012 244 3107
hanli@elancomm.com
www.elancomm.com
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