Standardising information in process automation applications

I&C July 2024 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

The co-owners of the Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM) have released the PA-DIM Version 1.1 specification. This release, a testament to collective efforts, includes expanded device-type support for process analysers, and an enhanced basic hierarchy structure with new extensions, benefiting the industrial user and vendor manufacturing community. The co-owners include FDT Group, FieldComm Group, ISA 100 WCI, NAMUR, ODVA, OPC Foundation, PROFIBUS and PROFINET International, VDMA and ZVEI,

The PA-DIM specification aims to improve information standardisation for process automation applications. All co-owners work together to support a unified information model that seamlessly integrates OT data exchange with IT systems and other higher-level applications. This model includes core parameters, capabilities, status and diagnostic data based on the NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA) initiative. It allows users to access and interpret device information consistently, regardless of the fieldbus protocol, device type or manufacturer.

The standard has been enhanced to introduce new extensions and features, further empowering users with comprehensive device integration capabilities.

Key highlights of the PA-DIM Version 1.1 specification include:

• Expanded device-type support for process analysers, including total organic carbon (TOC), continuous gas and pH. This extension broadens the scope of the standard, enabling seamless integration and management of analytical instruments within process automation systems.

• Enhancement of the basic hierarchy structure to include new extensions such as device condition sets, signal condition sets and signal calibration. These extensions give users greater flexibility and functionality in representing device information, including attributes such as type, timestamp and calibrated values.

PA-DIM facilitates various applications such as:

• Providing/receiving information to/from HMIs, information apps, and reporting apps.

• Supporting inventory management and remote monitoring applications.

• Enabling real-time control applications such as reading process values and setting parameters.

• Device configuration and parameterisation.

• Configuring device security, and monitoring its current hardening status.

• Providing information for device dashboards.

The Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM) is a specification that defines protocol-agnostic communication of common process automation instrument parameters, including semantic IDs as defined by IEC 61987, using OPC UA information modelling techniques. Eliminating protocol dependencies simplifies the integration of IT and OT systems, while enabling a semantic device information approach for unambiguous machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Seamless communication is achieved through data mapping of fieldbus-specific instrument parameters using the address space defined in the PA-DIM specification.

PA-DIM co-owners encompass standards development and end user organisations that share a common interest in collaboratively developing specifications and technology to accelerate the digital transformation of the process automation industry. Each participating organisation is a shared owner of the PA-DIM specification, managed by the PA-DIM Working Group that the FieldComm Group hosts. Current PA-DIM owners are FDT Group, FieldComm Group, ISA 100 WCI, NAMUR, ODVA, OPC Foundation, PROFIBUS and PROFINET International, VDMA and ZVEI.

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