Showing posts with label CIF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CIF. Show all posts

Monday, August 26, 2013

Advantages of FOUNDATION in FPSOs

I came across an interesting article on the use of FOUNDATION fieldbus in a Floating Production Storage and Offloading project. I originally posted it to our LinkedIn group but I thought it was a good piece to also share with everyone on our blog.

The article, by Suresh P. Nair, was featured in a web exclusive by InTech.


The article explains all the benefits of having a "plug and play" technology that allows for quick modular connections of instrumentation in a very confined space. As we all know, space on a sea-bearing vessel comes at a premium so the smaller the footprint of your equipment, the more room for raw product. More raw product is the bottom line.

In the LinkedIn group posting I linked above, Jonas Berge talks about what this type of installation means beyond just FPSOs. The overarching benefit here is with regards to the ability to modular construct FOUNDATION fieldbus projects. While the immediate benefits for this type of application on an FPSO is space savings, weight savings, diagnostics, cabling savings, ease of commissioning etc (you all know the extensive list of benefits of FOUNDATION fieldbus by now), the true benefits are something bigger.

With the ability to modularly construct projects, easier project implementation on site greatly increases. Jonas points out that the ability to modularly construct a project allows the user to "reduce labor at the isolated site where resources are scarce, using manpower in the yard where resources are plenty." There is a powerful message to be learned in that statement. I agree with Jonas that we're not too far off from major mammoth projects being built offsite and shipped modularly for connection. We already see this type of thing happening across other industrial projects like major roadway/bridges and building construction. In fact, many of our regular homes are being built offsite these days with entire walls being pre-fabricated and delivered to site.

Be sure to read the full article on InTech's website here: Advantages of FOUNDATION for FPSOs

Also, be sure to read all of Jonas Berge's insights on the project on our LinkedIn group here: FOUNDATION Fieldbus LinkedIn Group - FPSO



As a side note I can't help but be reminded of the story of a hotel just south of us in San Antonio that is sitting along the riverwalk that was build in a modular fashion for the Texas World Fair in 1968. It took only 46 days to "build" 496 rooms on the 21 story hotel.

Click Image to Read about the Modular Construction of the San Antonio Hotel

Monday, July 1, 2013

NEW Brochure Released on the Basics of FOUNDATION Fieldbus

What is FOUNDATION fieldbus? How does it differ from 4-20mA? What are the advantages of our all-digital FOUNDATION fieldbus network? These are just a few great questions users find themselves looking to understand before retrofitting their existing plants. The Fieldbus Foundation has put together a new brochure addressing just these types of questions. The new literature is a 'back-to-basics' style brochure focusing on the core of what FOUNDATION fieldbus is at its roots. This guide provides a simple explanation to new users, potential users, marketing professionals etc looking to understand what value FOUNDATION delivers.

What is FOUNDATION fieldbus?
Get back to the basics with the new FOUNDATION fieldbus brochure
Click on the link above to download the brochure and understand how this real-time digital communication network designed specifically for process control can help you gain the competitive edge through reduced hardware footprint, reduced device count, faster commissioning, tighter control, better signal quality and advanced diagnostics.

The Fieldbus Foundation also has many alternative resources available to help understand the value of FOUNDATION technology on an ongoing daily basis. Below are a few;

Social Media/Forums

Official FOUNDATION Fieldbus News Outlets

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

FOUNDATION Fieldbus: Control in the Field Helps Nicaragua Achieve its Aggressive Renewable Energy Agenda

Having been awarded the concession for a geothermal field in Nicaragua, US geothermal power specialist Ram Power and their design engineer POWER Engineers evaluated the available technologies and opted for a standard control system to be located centrally in the control building. The decentralized field devices (e.g., pressure and temperature transmitters and control valves) at the San Jacinto Steamfield are linked to the central controller over a FOUNDATION fieldbus Modbus over Ethernet gateway. The project team of Ram Power selected the Softing FG-110 FF gateway to link the field devices to FOUNDATION fieldbus technology. In using this approach, Ram Power was able to exploit the advantages of FOUNDATION fieldbus Control in the Field (CIF) to implement the required control loops, thereby moving the actual control function from the control room to the field devices.


To learn more about the business value of Control in the Field, check out ARC's report: The Business Value of Control in the Field. You can also click the link in the body copy about for a great presentation on CIF by Travis Hesketh at our General Assembly in 2011.