Latest Edition of Fieldbus Report Now Available!

You can now download the latest edition of the Fieldbus Foundation's Fieldbus Report on our web site.  The latest edition includes stories about the proposed merger between Fieldbus Foundation and HART Communication Foundation and our new Usability Initiatives.  You can also read an update on our FOUNDATION for ROM technology initiative as well as a report from the ROM demo at the Automation Mumbai show.  We also have a new project roundup, an update on FDI, and a new installment for our ongoing series of "People in Fieldbus" articles profiling Matt Schrier of Honeywell.

Fall 2013 Fieldbus Report (PDF)

Read Our Article in InTech this Month!

Check out this new article published at InTech that goes into a lot of detail about the new initiatives we are taking at Fieldbus Foundation to bring the technology forward and enhance usability.  Worth a read!

Big changes ahead for Fieldbus Foundation on the eve of twentieth anniversary

Reliance Eyes Big Cost Savings from New Technology

Some recent news hit the press in India on dnaindia.com about FOUNDATION for ROM. The news piece was written following the Automation 2013 Mumbai Conference in India.



A brief yet thorough write up on the article can be found on dna's website here:
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-ril-eyes-big-cost-savings-from-new-tech-at-jamnagar-1893559

The event was a great success overall. In fact, Larry did a good write up right here in the blog about it on October 2nd. Click here: http://foundationfieldbus.blogspot.com/2013/10/foundation-for-rom-at-automation-2013.html

You can also find more about F_ROM by visiting our ROM webpage HERE. 

Last Seminar of the Year next month being held in the Houston Area - Sign up today!

Next month (November 6-7th to be exact) will be the last seminar of the year in North America and we'll be in the Houston area. One of our prestigious certified training centers, Lee College in Baytown, TX has chosen to host us for our event. We look forward to this really great opportunity.

Lee College offers certified training courses of varying lengths and depths of study and is the only one in the Southern united states to offer this type of vendor-neutral excellent training.

Our day-long seminar on November 6th will focus on the applications side of FOUNDATION technology and how the technology unlocks more power for your process so you can spend more time at operational efficiency and less time in unexpected shutdown. In case you have not ever attended one of our seminars, you definitely don't want to miss it. Some of the best and brightest minds in FOUNDATION fieldbus are in attendance sharing their knowledge and experience. The best part of it too is that it's completely FREE for all attendees. You can find out more information as well as register on our website: http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=136&Itemid=371

Typical seminar format

Following the end user oriented seminar, we have a Sales Force Training seminar on November 7th that is geared towards salespeople of FOUNDATION fieldbus. The class is a half day training session on the latest news of the technology and how it can be a major part of a customers next installation. The course gives market data and figures for FF as well as some great resource material to help guide you and your customer on every aspect of FOUNDATION technology. Learn how the latest FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management can help your customers see further into their process by reaching out to remote assets and integrating them into their control systems and how they can integrate wired HART, WirelessHART and ISA100.11a into their existing FF infrastructure! Also come hear about our latest announcement on Project Gemstone and how FOUNDATION fieldbus is the only open system out there focusing squarely on making the user experience easier and more intuitive, including device replacement.

We understand how valuable salespeople's time is so we'll have everyone out of the training day before noon so you can still make customer calls and site visits. Sign up today to refresh yourself on the latest FOUNDATION fieldbus has to offer!
http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=136&Itemid=371

Be sure to check out our Twitter page for announcements on the seminars @FieldbusEvents. You can also view videos from previous seminars on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/FieldbusFoundation.

Modbus Integration Into FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management Announced

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced that it is developing technical specifications for integration of devices based on the Modbus® communications protocol into its FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology. Integration of these instruments will help enable an overall remote operations solution in a wide range of industrial automation applications.

The first development of its kind integrating remote input/output (I/O), ISA100.11a, WirelessHART®, wired HART, and Foundation fieldbus H1 protocols into a single, standard data management environment, FOUNDATION for ROM extends the capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus to wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world’s harshest and most remote locations. This open, non-proprietary solution provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and even original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids.

The FOUNDATION for ROM technical specifications for the remote I/O, wired HART, WirelessHART and wireless ISA100.11a interfaces have been completed and were successfully demonstrated at a live end user demonstration at the Petrobras research and development facility (Cenpes) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in April of this year.

The Fieldbus Foundation is now proceeding to develop specifications for Modbus integration into FOUNDATION for ROM. Modbus devices such as well head flowmeters and submersible pump controllers need to be integrated as part of the overall solution in some applications.

The Modbus integration team, comprised of end user and supplier engineers, had their kickoff meeting in May hosted by Shell Global Solutions in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The team completed the use cases in August and finished their review at a meeting in September hosted by MTL in Luton, UK. The team is now proceeding with requirements and specification development.

Fieldbus Foundation Director of Technology Development David Glanzer said: “We have a great team working on the Modbus integration. They have made exceptional progress on the use case development.” Technical Team Leader Todd Shadle of Phoenix Contact agreed, saying, “All of the team members are fully engaged and are eager to complete the specification.”

Whether operating on a wired or wireless HSE backhaul network, the FOUNDATION for ROM solution enables automation end users to bring device data into the Foundation fieldbus infrastructure, which provides a single source of data management, diagnostics, alarms and alerts, data quality control, control-in-the-field capability, and object-oriented block structure.

For more information, visit the FOUNDATION for ROM page on the Fieldbus Foundation’s website.

FOUNDATION for ROM at Automation 2013 Mumbai

We had a great week in Mumbai, India last week as we unveiled our FOUNDATION for ROM demonstration at the Automation 2013 trade show.  India has one of the largest installed bases of FOUNDATION fieldbus on a country by country basis.  Reliance refinery in Jamnagar, for example, is our largest installation in the world, with over 30 thousand fieldbus devices, many thousands of segments, all done with nearly flawless project execution in cooperation with major engineering and construction partners like Bechtel. Many other industries in India have FOUNDATION fieldbus installed as well, including metals, power chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and more.  This is one of the primary reasons the Fieldbus Foundation held our General Assembly in India in 2011.

The ROM demonstration was great but that was only part of the picture.  Monday September 23rd was the first day of the show and included keynote presentations from Dr. Peter Martin of Invensys, Dr. Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs (also chairman of the board of the Fieldbus Foundation), Larry O'Brien, global marketing manager of Fieldbus Foundation,  and Mr. Nandakumar, founder of Chemtrols, a major Indian solution provider to the process industries.

Tuesday we began to discuss FOUNDATION for ROM and overall FOUNDATION fieldbus technology in earnest with a full day seminar that attracted close to 200 attendees, most of them end users, from the Indian process automation business.  Mr. B.R. Mehta, senior vice president of Reliance Industries and Chairman of the FOUNDATION Fieldbus India End User Council, began the seminar with some opening remarks about the significant presence of FOUNDATION fieldbus in India. Other presentations included the effect of fieldbus on cyber physical systems by Dr. Gunther Kegel and the FOUNDATION for ROM business value proposition, development roadmap, and demo program by Larry O'Brien.  Several presentations from our key supplier sponsors for our live demo project were also given, including Ravi Venkatramana of Invensys, Jonas Berg from Emerson Process Management, Prasad Samudrala from Honeywell, and Andre Fritsch from Stahl.

Wednesday and Thursday we delivered presentations on ROM at the booth, which included a live demonstration of FOUNDATION for ROM technology with the full range of devices integrated, including WirelessHART devices, ISA100.11a devices, H1 devices and electric actuators, remote I/O, the ROM devices themselves, and the wireless backhaul network based on HSE, all hooked up to an Invensys host DCS.

We were also very fortunate to win the Technology Advancement Award at the show for our ROM booth!

You can access my presentations from Automation 2013 at the Fieldbus Foundation Slideshare account here:

http://www.slideshare.net/Fieldbus-Foundation/foundation-for-rom-2013-14-presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/Fieldbus-Foundation/automation-mumbai-2013-fieldbus-update

http://www.slideshare.net/Fieldbus-Foundation/automation-mumbai-2013-presentation

A big thanks to our FOUNDATION Fieldbus India Committee (FFIC) for helping us organize this event. Thanks to our FOUNDATION for ROM sponsor companies for helping us get the booth organized.  Thanks to IED Communications for helping organize the show, and our very active end users in India who are the reason we are doing all this in the first place!

Link to Flickr Photoset of ROM Booth and Seminar at Automation 2013 Mumbai

Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee Supports ISA Automation Conference 2013, Saudi Arabia – December 2013

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 16 September, 2013 - The Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee (FFMEMC) is pleased to announce its support of the forthcoming ISA Automation Conference and Exhibition – Europe, Middle East and Africa 2013, to be held at the Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 8-12 December, 2013. In addition to being an official supporter of the conference and exhibition, the FFMEMC and member companies will be active participants throughout the event.

Organised by the Saudi Arabia Section of ISA (International Society of Automation) and DMS Global, the global marketing specialist for the energy sector, the ISA Automation Conference and Exhibition will be dedicated to process automation with the theme ‘Experience the Future’. ISA Automation 2013 will include a comprehensive technical conference programme, product exhibition, technical training sessions and workshops, and technology panel discussions throughout the five day event.

Industry sponsors of the event include: Saudi Aramco (titanium host sponsor); ABB (diamond sponsor); Al Abdulkarim, Auma, Azbil, Emerson Process Management, Invensys, SKF and Yokogawa (gold sponsors). The event is also supported by the FDT Group.

As part of the technical conference programme, the FFMEMC will give a technical presentation entitled “The Benefits of High Speed Ethernet (HSE) and FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (F-ROM)”. FOUNDATION™ fieldbus has been adopted extensively across the Middle East region in almost all the greenfield and the majority of the brownfield sectors of the region’s refinery, petrochemicals, chemicals, upstream and gas plant applications. Remote Operations Management is one of the fastest growing segments of the process automation industry today. The F-ROM solution enables end users to diagnose the condition of their automation assets either locally or remotely and then optimise predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.

The FFMEMC will also be conducting a ½ day technical tutorial session which will include practical insights into the implementation of FOUNDATION fieldbus systems in a range of applications with hands-on training and hints for successful system design, physical layer considerations, device commissioning, diagnostics, trouble-shooting and asset management.

As Head of ISA Saudi Arabia Section and ISA Automation 2013 Conference Chairman, Luay H. Al-Awami, Instrumentation Consultant at Saudi Aramco, commented, “The technical conference programme promises to be outstanding – we have been overwhelmed by submissions from industry leaders and subject matter experts. The selected papers explore the latest products, innovations and technologies and offer a unique opportunity for all participants to learn and discover.”

Luay H. Al-awami - Saudi Aramco

Al-Awami continued, “The conference will include several training sessions and workshops as a key aspect to enable automation engineers to get better exposure and some real hands-on experience with the products and technologies that they have installed or are considering for their applications – practical tutorials with technology experts are one of the most valuable ways to learn.”

Representatives from several FFMEMC member companies will participate in themed panel discussions that will address and discuss topical issues and challenges within the process industry – the full programme will follow in due course.

In addition, representatives from the sponsoring member companies will showcase their fieldbus products and services at the trade show enabling delegates to discuss their applications and view the technologies and solutions available.

Mehul Vaidya, Chairman – FFMEMC, welcomes the opportunity to be so actively involved in the event. “The FFMEMC enjoys a close working relationship with several ISA groups across the Gulf region and is particularly pleased to support the ISA Saudi Arabia Technical Committee in the organisation of ISA Automation 2013. This conference brings many technologies and facets of automation to a common platform. FOUNDATION fieldbus is definitely one of the leading technologies in the market and the FFMEMC is keen to engage in such an event.”

Mehul Vaidya - Chairman FFMEMC

Mehul continued, “Similarly, the FFMEMC has developed a strong partnership with Saudi Aramco as a major contributor to the Fieldbus Foundation Middle East - End User Council, and we are extremely grateful for the personal efforts of Luay H. Al-Awami in his role as FFME-EUC Chairman for several years. ISA Automation 2013 promises to be a unique opportunity for all parties involved with process automation to share or gain the latest technical knowledge and applications experiences from industry experts, suppliers, and end users from around the globe.”

ISA Automation 2013 is the first event of its kind in the region but Mohammed Loch, President & CEO – DMS Global, is confident that it will become a cornerstone event in the Middle East Process Automation calendar. “There are many mega energy events in the Middle East.  However, the ISA Automation Europe, Middle East, Africa Conference & Exhibition 2013 is the first major event to be dedicated to the Automation Sector. We are thrilled to have the official support of the Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee as it shows that it is not just an ISA event but a platform for the whole industry.”

For more details about ISA Automation Europe, Middle East, Africa Conference and Exhibition 2013, visit www.isa-emea-expo.org or email isa@dmsglobal.net.

For more information about the Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee and its activities, visit the Middle East pages of the Fieldbus Foundation website www.fieldbus.org.

About the Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee

The Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee was formally established in 2004 and currently has 15 members including ABB, Azbil, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Invensys, Metso Automation, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Rockwell Automation, Samson, Siemens, R.Stahl, Turck and Yokogawa.

The FFMEMC is fully supported by the Fieldbus Foundation EMEA Steering Committee that implements the directives and strategies of the Fieldbus Foundation EMEA Executive Advisory Council (EAC). Since its establishment in February 2005, the FFEMEA EAC aims to ensure the funding and availability of human resources to support local fieldbus marketing across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The FFMEMC aims to host three or four technical seminars per year throughout the region and supports the Fieldbus Foundation Middle East End User Council in its activities. To view the upcoming events with the FFMEMC, visit the Middle East Events Page. 

About the Fieldbus Foundation™

The Fieldbus Foundation is a global not-for-profit corporation consisting of leading process end users and automation companies.  Within the Fieldbus Foundation, end users, manufacturers, universities and research organisations work together to develop an automation infrastructure that allows you to view your process in high definition; manage information effectively; and optimise people, processes and technology.  For more information, visit their web site at www.fieldbus.org.

About the International Society of Automation (ISA):

Founded in 1945, the International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a leading, global, nonprofit organisation that is setting the standard for automation by helping over 30,000 worldwide members and other professionals solve difficult technical problems, while enhancing their leadership and personal career capabilities. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA, ISA develops standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; and hosts conferences and exhibitions for automation professionals. ISA is the founding sponsor of the Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org). The Saudi Arabia Section of ISA (ISA-SAS) was officially formed on October 24, 1980 under Saudi Aramco support.

About Data Media Systems (DMS):

Data Media Systems (DMS) is a global marketing specialist for the energy sector. It has various divisions, namely the DMS Projects, DMS Publishing, DMS Events, DMS Cybernation and DMS Promostation. DMS operates globally through its operations in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, India, China, Singapore, Russia, UK, Italy, Spain, Canada & USA.  For more information please look at www.dmsglobal.net

FOUNDATION for ROM Makes it onto ARC's Top Technologies to Watch List!

ARC is known for its list of top technologies to watch in the coming year and I am pleased to say that FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management is mentioned on this year's list alongside technologies such as predictive analytics and cloud computing.

ARC: Nine Technologies to Watch for the Automation Industry

The New Fieldbus Report Is Here!

The Spring 2013 Fieldbus Report is here and available for download from our web site.  This issue was a little later than usual because we had a lot of new content to add, like a full write-up of our first ever live field demonstration of FOUNDATION for ROM at Petrobras, our General Assembly in Shanghai, and our recent seminars around the world.  You can also read about our launch of Project Gemstone, which is designed to make fieldbus easier for end users.  With all the talk about the new generation of smarter marshaling solutions for process control, Fieldbus Foundation has now joined the discussion and you can read about the benefits of VirtualMarshallingTM in the new report as well.

Another new and ongoing feature is "People in Fieldbus".  Our spring issue profiles fieldbus pioneer Terry Blevins.  We are truly grateful to have so many dedicated people that have worked hard to make fieldbus a success and we look forward to profiling new people in every issue.

Spring 2013 Fieldbus Report

New FOUNDATION for ROM Video on YouTube

Here's a new video from Brazilian automation publication Controle and Instrumentacao highlighting our FOUNDATION for ROM live demo at the Petrobras Cenpes research facility.  You can see some of the key players in the ROM demo here, including Alexandre Muller of Petrobras and Libanio de Souza of Smar.    Thanks very much to Controle and Instrumentacao for the coverage!

Controle and Instrumentacao FOUNDATION for ROM Demo Video

Report from the Live ROM Field Demo at Petrobras

The Fieldbus Foundation conducted the first live demonstration of its FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology at the Petrobras research and development facility (Cenpes) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Held on April 30, 2013, this important event was attended by Petrobras company executives and automation industry media from around the world.

The first development of its kind integrating remote input/output (I/O), ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART®, wired HART, and H1 fieldbus protocols into a single standard data management environment, FOUNDATION for ROM extends the capabilities of FOUNDATION  fieldbus to countless wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world’s harshest and most remote locations. This open, non-proprietary solution provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and even original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids. Whether operating on a wired or wireless High Speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul network, the FOUNDATION for ROM solution enables end users to pull device data into the Foundation fieldbus infrastructure, which provides a single source of data management, diagnostics, alarms and alerts, data quality control, control-in-the-field capability, and object-oriented block structure.

Industry Leader Evaluates the Technology 

Petrobras is interested in specifying FOUNDATION for ROM technology for the ambitious projects it is undertaking in the upstream and downstream hydrocarbon industry. The company has a record-setting $224 billion capital spending plan through 2015, with most of the investments targeted at the upstream sector on the highly publicized Pre-Salt area of the Santos Basin.  

The Petrobras Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello, also known as Cenpes, is the largest oil and gas research center in the Southern Hemisphere. During the press day event, a series of tests were performed with a FOUNDATION for ROM system installed on a distillation process pilot plant to evaluate the use of fieldbus-based ROM devices with wireless protocols for remote applications.

Miguel Borges, who is employed at the Cenpes facility, believes FOUNDATION for ROM can be an enabling technology for remote applications on Petrobras’ offshore platforms. “The Fieldbus Foundation’s ROM solution is attractive to us, since we want to gain access to diagnostic information from devices installed at our remote sites,” said Borges. “Petrobras is committed to investing in this type of technology, and is seeking the most effective solutions available in the marketplace.”  Reliance Industries (India) has also agreed to host FOUNDATION for ROM field demonstrations, and additional end user demonstrations in Japan, the Middle East and Europe are being planned.

Purpose of the Field Demonstration 

Running on one of many of the Cenpes pilot plants, the Petrobras field demonstration offered a look at the full functionality of Foundation for ROM, including wireless device integration, remote I/O integration, and wireless backhaul capabilities.  This demonstration is the first step to show the capabilities of Foundation for ROM before it is specified for commercial projects. The ROM solution enables end users to diagnose, either locally or remotely, the condition of their automation assets and then optimize predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.

FOUNDATION for ROM equipment is installed on an existing distillation column unit in the Cenpes pilot plant area. The project was completed through a cooperative effort between Petrobras and local Brazilian automation suppliers sponsoring the ROM initiative. The Cenpes installation is an excellent example of the value of installing FOUNDATION for ROM and Foundation fieldbus in an existing plant. The existing distillation column already has many analog and HART field devices installed. Petrobras was able to install a number of additional measuring points with a very small hardware footprint through a combination of FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 and wireless devices. The installation includes three types of FOUNDATION for ROM devices — wireless gateways, process controllers connected to FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 devices, and conventional remote I/O.

Borges said, “For Petrobras, the primary objective of this live demonstration at the pilot plant PC3 was to

verify that we could access and use remotely, with ROM, all the operational functionalities available locally.  Another objective was to check the interoperability of ROM devices of different manufacturers over the backhaul.”  He added, “ROM provides very easy and quick integration, and is transparent to the user.”

The demonstration took place inside the Center for Collaborative Visualization (NVC), also known as “The Egg,” a spherically-shaped building that houses a center for high-fidelity 3-D training simulation. Because of the remote capabilities of FOUNDATION for ROM, participants were able to use the meeting room as a virtual control room, showing live video feed from multiple locations in the pilot plant and wireless device diagnostic information all within the FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure. Information from the pilot plant in another part of the Cenpes compound was communicated across the High Speed Ethernet (HSE) wireless backhaul network to the virtual control room in the meeting room over standard Ethernet hardware and wireless equipment, as well as standard cyber security appliances.  

The press day event started off with some introductory words from Petrobras Cenpes Executive Manager Marcos Isaac Assayag and the introduction of participating vendors and press from Fieldbus Foundation Marketing Manager Larry O’Brien. Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Rich Timoney and Chairman Dr. Gunther Kegel also provided some key opening remarks.  According to Dr. Kegel, the world of automation is entering the age of Cyber Physical Systems, or the “Internet of Things” for automation,

if you will. FOUNDATION for ROM is an enabler for cyber physical systems in process automation because it has the ability to consolidate diagnostic information from a number of disparate networks and can manage that information effectively in a single infrastructure that can be shared wirelessly through standard Ethernet and IP technology.

ROM Brings it all Together

Fieldbus Foundation Marketing Manager Larry O’Brien gave a brief description of how FOUNDATION for ROM does this, as well as the business requirements addressed by ROM.  According to O’Brien, FOUNDATION for ROM was designed to enable fieldbus connectivity to remote I/O and the leading industrial wireless protocols, and is the first successful integration of ISA100.11a, Wireless HART, wired HART, and wired H1 protocols into a single standard environment without sacrificing the diagnostic capabilities of existing wireless devices. Instead, these capabilities are mapped into the Foundation block structure to provide a standard environment for data management and quality, eliminating techniques that are highly customized and much more costly to maintain throughout the plant lifecycle.

O’Brien indicated that FOUNDATION for ROM takes full advantage of the FOUNDATION fieldbus HSE-based network, which shares the same architecture as the H1 field network technology. With FOUNDATION for ROM, the HSE backhaul network is the “glue” that brings other networks together into a single managed infrastructure.

John Rezabek, chairman of the Fieldbus Foundation End User Advisory Council (EUAC), then gave a presentation on the value of FOUNDATION fieldbus and Foundation for ROM to the end user.  Rezabek used the “Walled Garden” analogy of Apple to describe the proprietary approach that many have taken to process automation, stressing that the value of FOUNDATION fieldbus lies in the fact that it was created with the guidance of end users, and its evolution continues to be heavily influenced by the EUAC, FOUNDATION for ROM included.

How the Demo Equipment Operated 

The second half of the day consisted of presentations from Petrobras personnel and the Fieldbus Foundation’s demo project leader for Brazil, Libanio De Souza from Smar in Brazil. Renato Ogeda, equipment manager at the Cenpes plant, gave an overview of the Cenpes facility.

De Souza then gave a demonstration of the ROM functionality, including more details on how FOUNDATION fieldbus brings diagnostic information from devices on other wireless and wired networks through the FOUNDATION block-based structure. FOUNDATION for ROM adds a new function block to provide an efficient way to bring large concentrations of discrete and analog field I/O back to the control room using HSE communication. The new Association Block can aggregate 64 discrete inputs/outputs and 16 analog inputs/outputs. There is also a new function block for Wireless HART that includes HART statuses. FOUNDATION for ROM may be embedded into existing devices including RTUs, controllers, PLCs, PACs, and wireless gateways. Device status is reported using the NAMUR NE 107 framework, based on five states:

• Normal: valid output signal
• Maintenance Required: still valid output signal
• Out of Specification: signal out of the specified range
• Function Check: temporary, non-valid output signal
• Failure: non-valid output signal

This creates consistent status reports for operators who can then view remote data for further analysis. The actual demo equipment included FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 devices, a number of wireless devices, several ROM devices, and the wireless backhaul network. Fieldbus H1 devices were connected to a Smar FOUNDATION for ROM controller. 

FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 device suppliers include Emerson Process Management, Pepperl+Fuchs, Smar, StoneL, Westlock, and Yokogawa, as well as a fieldbus indicator from Beka. Discrete I/O from R. STAHL is also installed. H1 devices are connected to fieldbus device couplers and integrated power supplies from Pepperl+Fuchs, MTL, and R. STAHL.  In addition, a number of wireless devices on both the Wireless HART and ISA 100.11a networks are installed in the demo, and their diagnostic data is integrated into the host system and plant asset management system. Wireless HART devices from Emerson and Smar are connected to a FOUNDATION for ROM wireless gateway from Smar. Yokogawa and Honeywell have supplied ISA 100.11a devices that are connected to a Yokogawa ISA 100.11a gateway.

FOUNDATION for ROM conventional remote I/O is provided by R. STAHL. The conventional remote I/O, process controller, and wireless gateways are all connected to the HSE wireless backhaul network through managed switches from Belden and Phoenix Contact. The demo setup also shows the integration of cyber security for automation with the installation of automation firewalls from Belden and Phoenix Contact. The HSE wireless backhaul network uses backhaul WiFi radios from Belden and MTL. All the wireless backhaul network hardware is standard hardware with no modifications. OPC and video data are also transmitted over the wireless backhaul network, which connects to a remote control room location with a Smar FOUNDATION fieldbus host system and plant asset management system.  

The functional demonstration included accessing device diagnostics in wireless devices, including device status. Integration of video was demonstrated through observation of a control valve to determine if the valve was open or closed. A temperature sensor for a HART temperature transmitter was also pulled to show how the diagnostic alert would be visible in the same context as a Foundation fieldbus H1 device.

Demonstration Sponsors 

Fieldbus Foundation supplier members sponsoring the Foundation for ROM demonstrations included: APATechnologies, AUMA, Azbil, Beka Associates Ltd., Belden, Biffi, Buerkert Werke, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Festo Brazil, Fuji Electric, Honeywell, Invensys Operations Management, Leoni-Kerpen, Magnetrol, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, R. STAHL, Rotork, Smar, Softing, StoneL, Turck, Westlock, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation.

Flickr Photostream from Live ROM Demo at Petrobras

You can check out the full Flickr Photostream from our FOUNDATION for ROM live demo at petrobras here.

FOUNDATION for ROM Flickr Photostream

Presentations from ROM Demonstration at Petrobras

It has been a busy few weeks of travel and quite productive.  On April 30 we conducted our first successful field demonstration of FOUNDATION for ROM technology at the Petrobras Cenpes research facility in Rio.  We will be doing a full report on the demo and the media day event that surrounded it, but first we have uploaded the full set of presentations from the event.They are the four most recent slide sets added to the account.  Here is an overview of the CENPES pilot plant by Renato Ogeda, equipment engineer  at Petrobras:

Just click the six latest uploaded presentations in our Slideshare account to see the rest of the materials from the demo, including Miguel Borges' of Petrobras presentation on the anticipated benefits of FOUNDATION for ROM and their experience with the demo.  Libanio De Souza from SMAR also gave a very good presentation on the association block technology that makes ROM possible, and Edgar Hoffman of Petrobras delivered an excellent presentation on the benefits of the ROM wireless backhaul technology.

Fieldbus Foundation Slideshare Account

Corrosion Management and Fieldbus

The ExxonMobil pipeline rupture looks to be the most significant thing to happen in the world of process automation this week.  Like much of the North American industrial infrastructure, the pipeline is quite old and was originally constructed in the 1940s.  Although there has been no official prognosis or root cause of this incident announced, the incident has sparked discussion about the role of corrosion measurement in process automation applications.  I wrote about bad corrosion management practices when I was at ARC and the BP Alaska pipeline ruptured back in 2008.  According to ARC, the process industries spend shockingly little on corrosion management systems annually.  Here is an excerpt from the 2008 article:

"ARC Advisory Group's Plant Asset Management (PAM) Systems Worldwide Outlook estimates that manufacturers spend over $50 million on corrosion monitoring million annually. One of the fastest growing segments of PAM, the corrosion monitoring market will nearly double over the next five years. The traditional method for monitoring corrosion in pipelines is through metal coupons that are weighed, inserted into the process stream, then periodically removed to determine if corrosion has occurred, by recording the average weight loss over time. Pipeline operators also use ultrasonic testing modules on smart pigs to measure the thickness of the pipe. These are not real time measurements for corrosion, however, and merely confirm that corrosion has taken place."

Like many of the variables in process automation, particularly in remote applications like pipelines, corrosion measurement is moving from the realm of the transactional to the realm of real time.  Methods such as electrical resistance (ER) and linear polarization resistance (LPR) can measure the resistance across wires that are inserted into the process.  We are even reaching into the realm of more localized corrosion detection through methods such as harmonic distortion analysis, which is used in this Pepperl+Fuchs product.

Obviously, this is an excellent use case for FOUNDATION for ROM as well.  This is one of those variables in remote applications that is moving from a transactional variable to a real time variable that can be measured from a remote location.  Sadly, none of the latest breed of real time corrosion measurement devices are tested or registered for FOUNDATION fieldbus, but we would have the capability to integrate with such devices with our FOUNDATION for ROM solution.  

But why should you think about FOUNDATION fieldbus for your corrosion measurement solution?  Simple, FOUNDATION fieldbus was design to report the condition of the sensor and provide a mechanism for the quality of the data coming from the sensor itself.  This allows you to immediately distinguish between problems in the process versus problems with a sensor, or sensor electronics, or memory, or other aspects of the device. Our diagnostics go deeper, they are managed much better, and they provide instant notification.  

In a corrosion monitoring solution, you would have much better information about wear on the sensor, and that critical information is reported to the operator much more quickly.   That real time view of corrosion also means that you can schedule maintenance and shutdowns exactly when they are needed, with a much better planning window.  FOUNDATION fieldbus then lets you prioritize that information more effectively, so the operator sees only the information that is critical to the process, while maintenance sees information that is relevant only to maintenance.  We do this through our Diagnostic Profile and adoption of NAMUR NE 107 guidelines.  So, consider asking your supplier to make a FOUNDATION fieldbus compatible version of their corrosion monitoring sensor, or you can use FOUNDATION for ROM technology to integrate wired HART or WirelessHART into a FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure for your remote application.  

Backhaul Architecture for Secure Connectivity

The latest issue of InTech has a good article on the new ISA technical report, developed in collaboration with the Fieldbus Foundation (FF), which "provides a common framework enabling multiple industrial communication protocols to run over a shared wireless backhaul network in process automation systems."

From the article:

"ISA100 Working Group 15, Wireless Backhaul Networks, was established to develop standards and technical reports to address one or more dedicated or shared wireless backhaul(s) to support technologies running multiple applications. A common interest arose when FF end-user members identified the wireless backhaul as critical in supporting implementation of FF’s wireless high-speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul included in Foundation for remote operations management (ROM) technology."

The automation business needs an effective model for backhaul networks that incorporates security.  Much of the SCADA infrastructure out there has serious security issues and is a primary target for malicious attacks.  Fieldbus Foundaton is happy to be working cooperatively with ISA to develop this important specification and make it part of our FOUNDATION for ROM specification.

You can read the entire article here:

Backhaul architecture model for secured connectivity over untrusted or trusted networks

Fieldbus Foundation Announces First Field Demonstration of FOUNDATION™ for ROM Technology at Petrobras

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced plans to conduct a series of live field demonstrations showcasing its FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology. The first live demo of FOUNDATION for ROM is scheduled for April 30, 2013, at the Petrobras research and development facility (Cenpes) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Petrobras company executives and automation industry media will attend the event.

The first development of its kind integrating remote input/output (I/O), ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART®, wired HART, and H1 fieldbus protocols into a single standard data management environment, FOUNDATION for ROM extends the capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus to countless wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world's harshest and most remote locations. FOUNDATION for ROM provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and even original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids. Whether operating on a wired or wireless High Speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul network, end users can pull device data into the FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure, which provides a single source of data management, diagnostics, alarms and alerts, data quality control, control-in-the-field capability, and object-oriented block structure.

Petrobras Cenpes Research Facility

Petrobras is interested in specifying FOUNDATION for ROM technology for the ambitious projects it is undertaking in the upstream and downstream hydrocarbon industry. The company has a record-setting $224 billion capital spending plan through 2015, with most of the investments targeted at the upstream sector on the highly publicized Pre-Salt area of the Santos Basin.

The Petrobras Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello, also known as Cenpes, is the largest oil and gas research center in the Southern Hemisphere. At the facility, a series of tests will be conducted with a FOUNDATION for ROM system installed on a distillation process pilot plant to evaluate the use of fieldbus-based ROM devices with wireless protocols for remote applications.

Miguel Borges, one of the automation leaders at the Cenpes facility, believes FOUNDATION for ROM can be an enabling technology for remote applications on Petrobras’ offshore platforms. “The Fieldbus Foundation’s ROM solution is attractive to us, since we want to gain access to diagnostic information from devices installed at our remote sites,” Borges said. “Petrobras is committed to investing in this type of technology, and is seeking the most effective solutions available in the marketplace.”

Reliance Industries (India) has also agreed to host FOUNDATION for ROM field demonstrations and additional end user demonstrations in Japan, the Middle East and Europe are being planned.

The Petrobras field demonstration will offer a look at the full functionality of FOUNDATION for ROM, including wireless device integration, remote I/O integration, and wireless backhaul capabilities.  This demonstration is the first step to show the capabilities of FOUNDATION for ROM before it is specified for commercial projects.  The ROM solution enables end users to diagnose, either locally or remotely, the condition of their automation assets and then optimize predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.

While industrial organizations deal with shrinking operations and maintenance personnel and assets being deployed in remote locations, remote operations management is quickly becoming a critical application. Experience has shown that a comprehensive remote operations management solution enables manufacturers to respond faster to market conditions, increase efficiency, reduce downtime, and achieve higher production availability.

Fieldbus Foundation supplier members sponsoring the FOUNDATION for ROM demonstrations include: APA Technologies, AUMA, Azbil, Beka Associates Ltd., Belden, Biffi, Buerkert Werke, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Festo Brazil, Fuji Electric, Honeywell, Invensys Operations Management, Leoni-Kerpen, Magnetrol, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, R. STAHL, Smar, StoneL, Turck, Westlock, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation.

For more information, please visit the FOUNDATION for ROM page on the Fieldbus Foundation website or go to www.fieldbus.org.

Link to Press Release on Fieldbus Foundation Web Site

FOUNDATION Technology Study Day – London, 26 February, 2013

London, UK – 15 January, 2013 - The Fieldbus Foundation UK Marketing Committee (FFUKMC) has announced the first of its 2013 schedule of end user events – a FOUNDATIONTechnology Study Day to be held in London on Tuesday 26 February, 2013.

With a morning session focused on an introduction to FOUNDATION technology, a lunch break with tabletop displays and additional presentations, and an afternoon session offering a more advanced programme, delegates will be able to tailor the day to suit their own requirements. Delegates may choose to attend either the morning or afternoon session or they are welcome to attend both. There is no charge to attend and the lunch and lunchtime sessions are open to all delegates.

Following registration and coffee, the morning session, from 10.00-12.00, will include an introduction to FOUNDATION technology and solutions, and an insight into the lifecycle economics of the system.

The afternoon session, from 14.00-16.00, will present a more in-depth programme of presentations and practical workshops with a focus on supporting a FOUNDATION installation through asset management; device replacement; calibration and recommended maintenance practices.

All registered attendees are invited to the complimentary lunch during which Fieldbus Foundation member companies will be available to discuss and demonstrate their Foundation products and services.

Also available during the lunch break are update presentations on Foundationfor Remote Operations Management (F-ROM) and Foundationfor Safety Instrumented Functions (FF-SIF).

Richard Barnes, chairman of the FFUKMC is looking forward to welcoming current or potential end users, system integrators, EPCs, and all personnel with an interest in FOUNDATION fieldbus systems or a need to gain an understanding of the technology. “The FFUKMC is trying a new approach to its end user seminars – we understand the need for differing levels of information to suit individuals in differing roles within the process automation enterprise. The study day format allows everyone to gain high quality information whether it’s at an introductory level or an advanced level.” He continued, “There will also be several opportunities throughout the day for networking with other users and potential users, as well as industry experts and suppliers of the systems, devices and components that make up a FOUNDATION system.”

The event will be held at the Emerson Process Management office, Accurist House, 44 Baker Street, London, W1U 7AL. Delegates are invited to register their names, company, email address and session preferences with the UK Committee, email: uk_info@fieldbus.org.

Additional FOUNDATION Technology Study Days are scheduled to be held at locations in Aberdeen, Scotland, the Scottish and central belt and the north of England.

About the Fieldbus Foundation UK Marketing Committee

The FFUKMC was formally established in 1999 to promote an increased awareness and adoption of FOUNDATION™ technology throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland through a range of end user focused activities including technology seminars and roadshows, technical demonstrations and support, and trade show and conference participation.

The FFUKMC membership now includes: ABB, Beamex, Beka Associates, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, MTL –Cooper Crouse-Hinds, Moore Industries, Pepperl+Fuchs, Rockwell Automation, Rotork, R.Stahl, Smar, Turck, Vega and Yokogawa.

For more information about the Fieldbus Foundation UK Marketing Committee and its activities in the UK and Ireland, visit the FFUKMC webpages of the Fieldbus Foundation’s website www.fieldbus.org, or email uk_info@fieldbus.org

Fieldbus Foundation and ISA100 Wireless Collaboration Delivers Backhaul Architecture Model

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced approval of a backhaul architecture model, developed in collaboration with International Society of Automation standards committee ISA100 that provides a common framework enabling multiple industrial communication protocols to run over a shared wireless backhaul network in process automation systems.

Completion of this work is a key milestone supporting implementation of the Fieldbus Foundation's wireless High Speed Ethernet (HSE) backhaul included in FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) technology.

In June 2008, ISA100 leaders established a new working group, ISA100.15—Wireless Backhaul Networks Working Group—to develop standards and technical reports to address one or more dedicated or shared wireless backhaul(s) to support technologies running multiple applications. At the same time, Fieldbus Foundation end user members identified the wireless backhaul as critical for FOUNDATION for ROM development.

To expedite the work, the Fieldbus Foundation and ISA began joint collaboration on wireless networks combining Fieldbus Foundation application protocol expertise with ISA100 communication networking resources to complete the architecture model. ISA will publish the work as technical report ISA-TR100.15.01, Backhaul Architecture Model: Secured Connectivity over Untrusted or Trusted Networks, within the ISA100 family of standards.

Dr. Penny Chen, principal systems architect with Yokogawa and co-chair of the ISA100.15 working group, praised the results of the wireless backhaul collaborative effort. "Working together, dedicated engineers have a developed a solution meeting industry requirements for a wireless backhaul transport network to facilitate interoperability, end-to-end security, and end-to-end quality of service in industrial wireless installations," Dr. Chen said.

Dave Glanzer, Fieldbus Foundation director of technology development and co-chair of the working group commented, "The Fieldbus Foundation has consistently supported wireless advancements, and this joint initiative is crucial to FOUNDATION for ROM. Our ROM solution extends the capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus to countless wired and wireless devices installed in some of the world’s harshest and most remote locations. It provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and even OEM skids."

According to Glanzer, plans are underway for a series of field demonstrations using the FOUNDATION for ROM wireless HSE backhaul. Major end users hosting the demonstrations include Reliance Industries (India), Petrobras (Brazil) and Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia). Additional end user sites in Japan and Europe are expected to join the program. The field demos will offer a look at the full functionality of FOUNDATION for ROM, including wireless device integration, remote I/O integration, and wireless backhaul capabilities.

FOUNDATION for ROM was designed to enable fieldbus connectivity to remote I/O and the leading industrial wireless protocols, and is the first successful integration of ISA100.11a, WirelessHART®, wired HART®, and wired H1 protocols into a single standard environment without sacrificing the diagnostic capabilities of existing wireless devices. Instead, these capabilities are mapped into the FOUNDATION block structure to provide a standard environment for data management and quality, eliminating techniques which are highly customized and much more costly to maintain throughout the plant lifecycle.

As part of this solution, FOUNDATION for ROM provides a way to bring large concentrations of discrete and analog field I/O back to the control room using HSE communication. It also employs Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and function blocks to ensure interoperability with FOUNDATION for ROM devices. This is essential to improve integration of critical functional areas, including machinery health monitoring, safety interlocks, fire & gas detection systems, and video surveillance.

To learn more about FOUNDATION for ROM, go to www.fieldbus.org and select the ROM navigation button, or call (512) 794-8890. For more information about ISA100, visit www.isa.org/standards.

Quick Video of ROM Display at Jemima

Here's a quick video I shot with my Flip recorder at the Jemima show, which shows the FOUNDATION for ROM display unit.  There are some interesting devices included here, including wireless devices on both the ISA100.11a and WirelessHART protocols, wired HART, and of course H1 FOUNDATION fieldbus.  The demo also highlights our wireless backhaul network technology, which we are doing in concert with ISA100.15.  Devices come from a variety of suppliers, and include remote I/O from Pepperl+Fuchs and Stahl, an azbil linking device, wireless Ethernet hardware from MTL, and devices from companies like azbil, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Fuji Electric, and more.

YouTube: Jemima FOUNDATION for ROM Display

FOUNDATION Fieldbus at Jemima 2012 Osaka

We just spent three days at the Jemima Measurement and Control show in Osaka Japan, which is the biggest process automation trade show in Japan.  Thanks to the efforts of our Japanese marketing committee, Fieldbus Foundation had quite a large booth at the show this year, which consisted of FOUNDATION for ROM technology and overall FOUNDATION fieldbus technology, including a wide range of products from all the leading suppliers.  Automation trade shows may be a thing of the past in North America, but in places like Japan they are still thriving.  Jemima had an estimated 10,000 attendees this year and booth traffic was quite brisk all the way through Friday afternoon.

Jemima 2012 Fieldbus Foundation Booth

Fieldbus Foundation also held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to officially announce FOUNDATION for ROM technology to the Japanese market.  Jemima also held a technical seminar where we provided an additional update on FOUNDATION for ROM technology, FDI, and an update of the overall fieldbus market.  

Our thanks go out to the many people that made our presence at the show possible, including our many supplier sponsors.  Sponsoring companies included ABB, azbil, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Fuji Electric, MooreHawke, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Stahl, Turck, and Yokogawa.  Representatives from our Japanese FOUNDATION Certified Training Program partner Waseda University were also on hand.