Successful FOUNDATION Technology Seminars in Saudi Arabia and Qatar

The Fieldbus Foundation Middle East Marketing Committee (FFMEMC) is delighted with the success of its recent FOUNDATION fieldbus technology roadshows held on 4 June, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and on 5 June, in Doha, Qatar.

The objective of the 2012/2013 roadshow series was to offer an agenda to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of users – from new potential prospects for FOUNDATION technology as well as supporting the existing FOUNDATION fieldbus user base from the oil & gas industries in the Middle East region.

The agenda included various topics from the basics to advanced technology topics including:

·         FOUNDATION Fieldbus is Easy!

·         Putting a FOUNDATION System Together

·         Lifecycle Management of FOUNDATION Systems

·         FOUNDATION Fieldbus Technology Update

·         End User experience

Over 50 delegates, including end users, designers, engineers, manufacturers, system integrators, EPCs and PMCs, attended the event in Al Khobar, and over 80 participated in the over-subscribed Doha event. The interactive question and answer sessions at each event proved to be valuable and informative with active participation by attendees including end users sharing their FOUNDATION technology experiences with the rest of the audience. Further opportunities for discussion and networking were available during the breaks and the complimentary dinner for all attendees.

FFMEMC vice-chairman Mehul Vaiyda thanked members of the FFMEMC, speakers, sponsors, the FFEUC-ME and the ISA sections of Saudi and Qatar for their efforts and active support of the events. “Once again we have successfully achieved our aim to reach out to current and potential end users with vendor-neutral information about FOUNDATION technology and its role in lifecycle management in today’s plants. We want delegates to understand the benefits that the technology offers but also understand that the maximum benefits of a FOUNDATION project can only be realised if the project team is suitably trained at the outset of the project.” He continued, “We value end user feedback and would like to encourage this through the Fieldbus Foundation end user councils, Fieldbus Foundation social media channels or at end user events”.

Sponsors of the 2012/2013 roadshow series include: ABB, Azbil, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Metso Automation, MTL, Pepperl+Fuchs, Rockwell Automation, R.Stahl, Samson, Siemens, Turck and Yokogawa.

The FFMEMC enjoys a close working relationship with several ISA groups across the region and appreciated the support offered by the ISA Chapters in Saudi and Qatar in their active promotion of the events.

The presentations from the seminars are available to view and download from the Middle East ‘News’ page of the Fieldbus Foundation website: http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1208&Itemid=428

Further information about the FFMEMC and FFEUC-ME and their activities can be found on the Middle East ‘About Us’ page of the Fieldbus Foundation website: http://www.fieldbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=487&Itemid=427

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

The When, Where and Why of Ethernet

The somewhat manufactured controversy over "Ethernet" versus "Fieldbus" continues to rage on, albeit in a slightly weaker form.  Some months ago analyst firm IMS published a report that seemingly foretold the death of "fieldbus" networks in favor of Ethernet-based protocols.   The issue of fieldbus and Ethernet being mutually exclusive is tenuous at best.  The FOUNDATION fieldbus specification, for example, includes H1 FOUNDATION fieldbus that operates over twisted pair wire and is designed specifically for use with process sensors and actuators.  We also have HSE, which is a high speed Ethernet based network that shares the same fundamental block-based structure of H1.  

A closer look at the data from IMS actually shows greater than average growth in Ethernet-based network node counts over the next several years, while node counts for "fieldbus"-based devices will still represent the majority at the end of the forecast period.  You can read my analysis of the IMS research here.  

This recent article from Control Engineering provides a refreshing perspective to this issue as well, and discusses how application requirements dictate the type of protocol and network infrastructure you should use in your plant.  It's worth a read.  

Australia Seminar Highlights New Developments in Fieldbus

The Fieldbus Foundation, in cooperation with our supplier sponsors and the Institute for Instrumentation and Control Australia (IICA), held very successful end user and sales force training seminars at the Rydges Hotel in Perth on May 15 and 16 The seminars offered a detailed look into new developments in FOUNDATION technology and what it takes to execute a successful fieldbus project. Among the presenters were several of the key fieldbus end users in Australia from companies such as the KJV Gorgon oil and gas joint venture in Northwest Australia to leading Australian ammonium nitrate producer CSBP. 

Australia was one of the first countries to adopt FOUNDATION fieldbus, and the end users there have learned a lot about what it takes to make a project successful. Nirmal Nandakumar from KJV Gorgon and Vinod Verma froom CSBP both shared many valuable insights. Fieldbus Foundation marketing manager Larry O’Brien shared the current market landscape and new developments in FOUNDATION fieldbus technology. Jonas Berge of Emerson Process Management provided a good presentation on what the Fieldbus Foundation and its member suppliers are doing to make fieldbus technology easier to use. 

The seminar also featured several good presentations on how to use and implement fieldbus technology. Andreas Agostin of MTL provided a thorough presentation on best practices for FOUNDATION fieldbus installation and commissioning. Arasu Thanigai, business development manager of Pepperl+Fuchs, covered fieldbus installation practices, and Jonathon Soanes of Endress+Hauser did a very good presentation on how FOUNDATION fieldbus turns diagnostic data into useful information.

Day 2 featured a sales force training seminar with unique content specifically directed at salespeople, including presentations from Ambrose Hagan of CSBP on popular myths and misconceptions about fieldbus.  Allen Tighe of SEACOVE Systems discussed the value of FOUNDATION fieldbus from the end user perspective.  

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

Introducing Project Gemstone: Making Fieldbus Easier and more App Centered!

The Fieldbus Foundation today announced a new technology development initiative—Project Gemstone—intended to make the digital fieldbus automation experience easier than conventional analog control systems in every conceivable way, from device setup to device replacement and daily maintenance practices.

Encompassing a wide range of FOUNDATION™ fieldbus development efforts, Project Gemstone covers many of the initiatives the Fieldbus Foundation is already working on today. This includes FOUNDATION for Remote Operations Management (ROM), Field Device Integration (FDI) Cooperation, and ISA108 intelligent device management.

FOUNDATION for ROM technology allows users to integrate their WirelessHART®, wired HART®, ISA 100.11a devices, remote I/O, and Modbus communication into the FOUNDATION fieldbus managed infrastructure. FDI is working towards a single device integration package that will provide all the benefits of Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and FDT/DTM technology. The ISA108 standards effort is defining recommended work processes for intelligent device management, regardless of communication protocol. The foundation's new usability team is also focusing on how to make fieldbus devices easier to specify, set up, configure and maintain.

According to Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Rich Timoney, "Our goal at the Fieldbus Foundation has always been to listen to the industrial marketplace and provide a managed infrastructure for process automation that allows end users to focus on their processes and their plants, not the technology tying everything together behind the scenes. For this reason, we have undertaken a number of key projects centered on making fieldbus automation solutions more user-friendly and compatible with other technologies."

Today's control technology should be easy to use and interoperable, and allow results to be achieved quickly, but end users need the right work processes to guide them in its successful application. For example, plant engineers want to be able to combine devices from different networks and manage them effectively, with minimal effort.

Experienced automation professionals in the process industries have taught us a lot about the implementation of fieldbus and how to make it better," said Timoney. "As an end-user-driven organization, we are taking all of this feedback from our dedicated end user customers, suppliers and engineering partners and driving it into a continuous improvement process to make the technology easier to use in a wide range of applications.  Many of the recent advancements we have made in our specification are geared not just toward the user. They allow process automation suppliers to create more effective applications as well. If you are a small supplier just starting out today, you can really use the FOUNDATION fieldbus specification to create an entire control system offering.

Project Gemstone will drive an innovation strategy enabling plant owners to focus more on what technology can do for them and their business, versus how they manage the technology itself. The project's focus on standards-based solutions will also make it easier for automation suppliers to develop new fieldbus-based products and applications. In addition, the Fieldbus Foundation's testing and registration process is designed to ensure FOUNDATION fieldbus devices, systems and components all work together as they should.

Check out our Upcoming and Free End User Seminar in Edmonton!

The first of our North American seminar series for 2013 will take place at the Radisson Edmonton South Hotel on June 5, with a mini sales force training seminar the next day from 8 AM to 12 PM.  You can register at our CVent registration site.   Our end user seminars are design to take a hands on approach to many of the basics surrounding FOUNDATION fieldbus throughout the plant lifecycle. Our sales force training seminars are specifically designed to address the requirements of the salesperson.  Come join us in Edmonton!

FOUNDATION Fieldbus Seminar - June 5th - Edmonton, AB 

FOUNDATION Fieldbus Sales Force Training - June 6th - Edmonton, AB