Delivering the true promise of fieldbus

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · InTech

OSTI ID:486259

Berra, J ^[1]

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1. Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Austin, TX (United States)

It would be hard to find a subject with more discussion than fieldbus. Perhaps the last thing the world needs is another article. However, as chairman of the Fieldbus Foundation, the author feels compelled to clear up some of the confusion on the subject. Fieldbus is not a {open_quotes}digital 4-20 mA.{close_quotes} It is not a file transfer protocol. It is nothing short of a total change in the architecture of process automation. It cannot be analyzed on any conventional basis. A narrow focus on things like chip cost and speed results in a perspective that misses the whole point. The only way to analyze fieldbus is from the perspective of automating an end user`s plant. How does fieldbus improve plant performance, plant safety, and plant availability? How does it lower installation and operating costs? This is the only perspective from which to judge a fieldbus. The Fieldbus Foundation has developed a protocol and application based on ISA and IEC standards to provide a solution specifically to meet the requirements of the toughest automation environment known to man. We are talking about mission critical here - intrinsic safety, hazardous areas, volatile processes, and tough regulatory environments. It is the need to meet these requirements that has driven the Fieldbus Foundation`s work. Because Fieldbus Foundation is the only fieldbus that meets these stringent needs, it will be the accepted fieldbus standard for the process industry. Foundation fieldbus is designed to enable the migration of intelligence to field devices. This intelligence includes fundamental regulatory control and sequencing. Foundation fieldbus will enable execution of control strategies in the field. It also will open up new vistas of noncontrol information. This will enable unprecedented levels of process monitoring and diagnostics. 3 figs.

• OSTI ID: 486259
• Journal Information: InTech, Journal Name: InTech Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 43; ISSN 0192-303X; ISSN INTCDD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AUTOMATION
AVAILABILITY
INDUSTRY
PERFORMANCE
PROCESS CONTROL
SAFETY