VirtualMarshalling IS the future of Distributed I/O

While hosted our seminar in Chicago this week, I was reminded about distributed I/O alternatives out there in the industry and it warranted a bit of discussion. For those that don't have copies of our latest Fieldbus Report (Spring 2013), you may have missed an article Larry O'Brien at the Fieldbus Foundation has recently put together a document on the future of distributed I/O. The interested thought-provoking premise behind it is that the future of distributed I/O has actually been around for quite some time with FOUNDATION fieldbus.

Why are there others who try to make physical distributed I/O smarter or better when it can be easily eliminated entirely? With FOUNDATION Fieldbus, individual physical I/O points have long been replaced by software based distributed I/O, meaning multiple signals are carried over one single H1 cable. There are no custom hardware configurations or additional hardware components to purchase. It all comes pre-canned with FOUNDATION fieldbus. Blocks can be linked together virtually in the software without the added work, cost and labor of running additional wiring. This is what we've dubbed "VirtualMarshalling". It is the future that is already available today. It's a bit like those Samsung Galaxy commercials of today that take pokes at the iPhone with their tagline "The Next Big Thing is Already Here". In the realm of industrial process control, the next big thing is already here and it is called VirtualMarshalling. 

Check out our paper on VirtualMarshalling below and learn how returning to the basics actually provides you with the competitive edge, all built-in. Remember, FOUNDATION fieldbus was built by end users wanting a better technology built specifically for Process Control that can replace the outdated 4-20 from days yore. 

Back to Basics with VirtualMarshalling

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

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