Fieldbus Foundation at Emerson Exchange

The Fieldbus Foundation has a big presence at the Emerson Global Users Exchange this week at the Orange County Convention Center Hilton, and with good reason.  With thousands of attendees, many of them end users, the Exchange is one of the premier events in the process automation industry.  I am delivering the update presentation on our FOUNDATION for ROM program, Stephen Mitschke, our director of fieldbus products is delivering a presentation on the FDI (Field Device Integration) initiative, and Denise Lloyd, who is our director of training services, is delivering a great presentation on what it takes to develop a world class training program.

Richard J. Timoney to Deliver Keynote Speech at DCS 18, Hungary, Oct 24-26, 2012

The Fieldbus Foundation is pleased to announce its participation in the conference program during the Distributed Control Systems 18th Meeting (DCS18). The symposium will take place on 24-26 October, 2012 at Hotel Palota, Miskolc-Lillafüred, Hungary.

The main topics covered by the three day program will include new products, solutions and technologies in the process industry; DCS communication, security, operation; DCS applications; and industrial communication and data management. Speakers will include end users, industry experts and automation equipment suppliers.

As part of the opening plenary session on Wednesday, October 24, Richard J. Timoney, President and CEO – Fieldbus Foundation, will deliver a keynote presentation at 11:45 to introduce FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM) - an integrated engineering platform (open, standards-based and vendor-neutral) to replace complex, proprietary and highly customized remote monitoring solutions.

The ROM initiative provides a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in a wide range of remote applications. It enables fieldbus connectivity to remote I/O, wired HART®, and the leading industrial wireless protocols WirelessHART® and ISA100.11a. The solution allows users to seamlessly combine devices on all of these networks within the FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure to manage device data and information in a unified infrastructure specifically built for the requirements of remote applications — from oil and gas field applications to water treatment facilities, offshore platforms, and even OEM skid-mounted equipment.

In addition to the speaker program, attendees are also able to visit the exhibition and poster presentations and participate in several social events.

Link to CEE About Us page:
http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=544&Itemid=437

Link to DCS18 website:
http://dcs.akki.hu/DCS18/Document/startpage_english.html

Beamex Technology Conference - Nov. 15, 2012

Interested in FOUNDATION fieldbus and calibration? Go listen to David Lancaster speak at the Beamex Technology Conference on November 15, 2012 in Des Plaines, IL. Dave will be talking about calibration and tools of the trade for FOUNDATION fieldbus systems. David Lancaster is the certified trainer at one of our prestigious certified training partners, TRINE University. TRINE is located just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Dave has a wonderful breadth of knowledge on FOUNDATION technology and is an experienced teacher and communicator. Mr. Lancaster will be presenting on Calibrating Fieldbus Instruments.

The FREE event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Des Plaines, IL. A special room rate of $139 has been reserved for attendees of the event. Attendees who stay for both sessions will also receive 6 professional development hours. More information about the event can be found here: http://www.anpdm.com/newsletterweb/41425C4B7846475E4471454559/41465F4B76474B5E477545425143.

You can also register for the event HERE.

FOUNDATION Fieldbus in Modernization Projects

The installed base of process automation systems that are approaching or have approached the end of their useful life is about $65 billion according to ARC Advisory Group.  Most of the project activity in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe revolves around control system migration and modernization.  Users making their control system migration decisions are also simultaneously laying the groundwork for their overall future automation strategy for the next decade or more.

Users don't want to replace what they have with more of the same old proprietary technology.  That is why we are seeing more FOUNDATION fieldbus popping up in modernization projects around the world.  In the latest issue of InTech I have written an article that tackles this subject, as well as some of the key differentiators that FOUNDATION technology can offer.  Many solutions today offer alternatives to traditional "Marshalling" techniques for wiring and I/O and so forth.  With FOUNDATION fieldbus, we eliminate a lot of that marshaling, wiring, and I/O, we don't try to repackage it.  Our block-based structure also means you can put control in the field, which ultimately increases plant reliability and eliminates unplanned shutdowns.  Your overall hardware footprint is the smallest compared to any other industry solution.

The old arguments that control in the field is not safe or reliable simply do not hold water.  From gas fields to chemical plants to refineries, end users have avoided countless unplanned shutdowns because of control in the field and have saved millions.  Read more at the article!

Modernization projects increase process availability and uptime while lowering ongoing maintenance costs applying FOUNDATION fieldbus embedded control

InTech Article on Troubleshooting FOUNDATION Fieldbus Networks

Our Fieldbus Foundation End User Council chairperson John Rezabek recently wrote an article for InTech on the interesting topic of troubleshooting FOUNDATION fieldbus networks.  Since we are a digital communication network, there are some things you should keep in mind about maintaining the health of your network.  From the article:

"The vast majority of fieldbus problems—more than 90% by most accounts—owe to deficiencies in the physical layer, that is, the wiring, terminations, and power supplies. Experienced fieldbus users are adamant that a little effort in training the installers pays immense dividends at commissioning time. At Reliance’s Jamnagar Refinery in India, for example, hundreds of local electricians were trained in the rudiments of the installation. When it came time for commissioning, only three out of more than 3,000 segments exhibited any network issues."

Read the article for some good tips and best practices regarding your network installation!

InTech: Troubleshooting FOUNDATION Fieldbus Networks

‘Hands On Fieldbus’ Seminar – Oct 25th 2012

The Fieldbus Foundation’s Benelux Marketing Committee, FF Benelux, will be hosting its next FOUNDATION fieldbus seminar at the STC Group’s training facility in Brielle, near Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The afternoon seminar is themed ‘Hands-On Fieldbus’ with a comprehensive agenda that includes a keynote address “Looking Back To The Future”, an end user experience presentation, and the opportunity to attend two workshops or lectures from a choice of nine specialist topics. The parallel sessions will cover a diverse range of subjects tailored for a technical & maintenance or administration & management audience and include:

• ‘FOUNDATION Fieldbus Basics’ hands-on training workshop
• ‘FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM)’ workshop
• ‘Asset Management’ workshop
• ‘Diagnostics’ workshop
• ‘FOUNDATION Fieldbus: Vision and Strategy’ end user lecture
• ‘Optimisation of your Organisation?’ end user lecture
• ‘Device Replacement’ workshop
• ‘NAMUR 107 Diagnostics’ workshop
• Guided Tour of STC Group’s Process Control Training and Demonstration Facility

A question and answer session and round-table discussion forum moderated by editor Mark Oosterveer will be held at the end of the afternoon and all attendees are invited to a complimentary dinner hosted by FF Benelux.

The STC Group’s training centre at Brielle, close to the Rotterdam-Europort industrial area in the Netherlands, was one of the first educational institutions worldwide to offer fieldbus training courses certified under the FOUNDATION Certified Training Program (FCTP).

The event is sponsored by FF Benelux members including: ABB, ACTA, Stahl/Electromach, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Flowserve, Honeywell, Invensys, Moore Hawke, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Smar, SPIE Nederland, STC Group, Turck and Yokogawa.

Further details are available from the FF Benelux Events page:

http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=125&Itemid=359

Registration contact: Jacqueline van Oosten ffbenelux@fme.nl

Upcoming Seminars in Romania

The Fieldbus Foundation Central and Eastern European Marketing Committee (FFCEEMC) is pleased to invite you to attend an end user seminar and live demonstration of FOUNDATION™ technology. A choice of two locations and two dates are offered. The seminars will take place from 09.00 – 14.00 at:

Tuesday 9th October, 2012 Hotel Crystal Palace 18-20 Alexandru Serbanescu Street 1st District, Bucharest Romania Tel: +40 (21) 233.20.30 Fax: +40 (21) 232.02.26 www: crystalpalacehotel.ro

Thursday 11th October, 2012 Prahova Plaza Hotel 11 C.D. Gherea Boulevard Ploiesti Romania Tel: +40244 526850 Fax: +40244 526309 www: hotelprahova.ro

The event will be hosted by representatives of FFCEEMC member companies including Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, R.Stahl, Turck and Yokogawa.

The presentations, given in Romanian language, will include an introduction to the FFCEEMC and an overview of FOUNDATION Fieldbus – An Infrastructure For Operational Excellence.

Practical, live, hands-on demonstrations of FOUNDATION technology and its functionality will take place using demonstration units with host systems from Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser and Honeywell, with devices from several member companies.

In addition to the presentation programme and demonstrations, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss applications and suitable FOUNDATION solutions with representatives from several member companies during the breaks and after the close of the proceedings. Complimentary refreshments, lunch and seminar materials will be provided.

We look forward to welcoming you to the seminar and demonstration. To confirm your attendance, please contact Mr Radu Ionila: radu.ionila@emerson.com, or telephone: +40 21 206 25 03

For more information about the FFCEEMC - visit the CEE webpages:

http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=544&Itemid=437