the rise of configurable i/o · 2016. 10. 11. · 12,500 i/o, using 48-charm boxes instead of...
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SPECIAL REPORT
The rise of configurable I/OThe latest critical trends in I/O systems take advantage of the versatility and communications
capabilities of intelligent, configurable I/O. Being able to install universal I/O based on approxi-
mate point count, then configure or reconfigure it later to match the needed process variables
allows construction and installation to proceed independent from engineering, taking I&C off the
critical path. Intelligent I/O transmits more than just the measured and manipulated variables,
opening the possibilities for integrating capabilities from condition monitoring and predictive
maintenance to all the potential of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Here’s the latest I/O
system coverage from the annals of Control. For a deeper dive into I/O technology, applications
and analysis, download the March 2015 Control State of Technology Report on I/O Systems.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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The rise of configurable I/O 3
Programmable I/O can be a multitasking master 5
Advances make I/O easier, but still not as simple as it could be 17
ExxonMobil commits to thinking differently with electrical 19 integration, configurable I/O
Benefits of integrating smart I/O in asset management system 22
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The rise of configurable I/O 5
Programmable I/O can be a multitasking masterSoftware-configurable I/O saves on cabling, cabinets, hardware, labor and maintenance, but that’s just the beginning.
By Jim Montague
One good thing leads to another, and nowhere is this more true than with soft-
ware-configurable I/O. Though it can go by several different names, this quickly
emerging and maturing I/O technology is granting previously unheard of flex-
ibility when bringing process signals, data and wires into I/O points, cards, modules and
cabinets. This flexibility is allowing developers, suppliers, integrators and users to simplify
and save on cable and cabinets, program I/O remotely, and achieve new efficiency, optimi-
zation, maintenance and performance gains.
However, not only does assigning I/O roles using software save on hardware, it also enables
users to consolidate and eliminate much traditional infrastructure; take design, planning and
implementation tasks off costly critical paths for their users; virtualize process calculations
and data analysis on rack-mounted or cloud-based servers; and even participate more fully
in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
“Basically, a programmable I/O card makes any channel do whatever it wants, and align its
I/O configuration with wires coming in from the field,” says Thad Frost, technology director
for I/O products at Schneider Electric, which makes FBM 247 Intelligent Marshalling mod-
ules. “Many times, customers specify having a particular percentage of spare I/O channels
for each signal type. Well, a software-configurable I/O card is like having a wild card that
can be any type of signal. This means less capital costs, better inventory management be-
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The rise of configurable I/O 6
cause fewer different backups are needed,
and smaller footprints than required by
dedicated I/O cards.”
SIMPLIFY AND SAVETo help update its own project specification
and implementation process, engineering
and construction provider Fluor Corp. in
Irving, Texas, recently began using smaller
I/O junction boxes with non-incendive
wires, wireless instrumentation and net-
working, smaller remote instrument enclo-
sures, transmitters bought and configured
in bulk, and fiber-optic cabling to minimize
cross wiring and marshalling.
“Labor is expensive in southern California,
so it can make sense to spend a little more
on materials,” says Adrian Lee, control sys-
tems director at Fluor. “Remote I/O radical-
ly reduces wiring connections and the costs
that go with them.”
For example, Lee explains that wiring
12,500 I/O in the conventional way—with
350,000 terminations and 201,000 wire
markers at a rate of 15 minutes each—would
take 1.4 million man-hours. Using Electronic
Marshalling with CHARMs from Emerson
Process Management, would reduce termi-
nations to 65,000 and markers to 27,000,
which requires about one-sixth the time.
This saves money, but it can also shorten
entire project schedules.
Likewise, it also pays to optimize the size
and number of junction boxes. Using more
but smaller boxes, placing them closer to
instruments, and connecting them with fiber
minimizes wiring run lengths. For those
12,500 I/O, using 48-CHARM boxes instead
of 96-CHARM boxes adds about $785,000,
or about 10% to the DeltaV DCS’s hardware
costs, but reducing average wire runs to
100 feet from 150 feet saves more than $16
million in wiring labor and materials. Also, us-
ing non-incendive wire means it requires no
conduit, no barriers and no permits for field
work, so it has the lowest overall installed
cost. As a result, where common Div. 2 wir-
ing would cost $114 million, non-incendive
would cost $42 million. Fluor also found it
could eliminate loop drawings by letting the
connection drawings become the loop draw-
ings, and simplifying the connection draw-
ings by using CHARMs for a net savings of
22,000 engineering hours at $100 per hour
for a total savings of $2.2 million.
“Smaller junction boxes with non-incendive
wiring are the clear winner for this project,”
adds Lee.
Rune Reppenhagen, DeltaV hardware prod-
uct marketing manager for Process Systems
and Solutions at Emerson, reports that,
“Electronic Marshalling has been well adopt-
ed with more than 1,000 field installations
and more than 10 billion hours of operating
experience. One of its major benefits is re-
moving the need for traditional marshalling
and associated cabinets by offering a wide
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The rise of configurable I/O 8
selection of different I/O types and field
devices to eliminate the need for external
signal conditioning. Electronic Marshalling
provides flexibility by allowing field enclo-
sures for the I/O to be designed before the
accurate I/O mix is known. It also reduces
project risk by allowing non-intrusive, flex-
ible changes and additions of I/O without
causing major redesigns and change orders.
Also, by supporting nearly every possible
I/O type customers would need, as op-
posed to only the four traditional I/O types
that some programmable I/O solutions are
limited to, there’s little risk of needing to
add external signal conditioning to a design,
which would require added cabinets and
enclosures.”
In the past few years, Electronic Marshalling
and CHARMs evolved from their initial I/O
types launched in 2009 to include intrinsi-
cally safe (IS) versions and I/O subsets,
a safety instrumented system (SIS) plat-
form and an IS version for SIS, and these
CHARMs can be easily installed in junction
boxes in the field. “If you’re looking at a
greenfield project, the number and types of
I/O can vary among analog input (AI), ana-
log output (AO), digital input (DI) and digi-
tal output (DO), but 60 to 80% will still be
one of these four main types,” says Reppen-
hagen. “So our work has focused on remov-
ing the need for traditional marshalling by
developing and incorporating new CHARM
types and terminal blocks for power, IS and
other specific I/O requirements to further
reduce the need for external signal condi-
tioning. Now, we’re complementing our ini-
tial I/O types with better distribution in the
field by offering CHARMs in smart junction
boxes that are closer to the devices they’re
serving, so users can handle late changes
there, too.”
NAMING IS THE GAMEJust like adding other ingredients and
flavors to vanilla ice cream after bring-
ing it home, software-configurable I/O’s
initial, primary talent is that its wires and
modules can be standardized and installed
before their specific designations and
roles are decided and assigned later. This
“Just like adding other ingredients and flavors to vanilla ice cream after bringing it home, software-configurable I/O’s initial, primary talent is that its wires and modules can be standardized and installed before their specific designations and roles are decided and assigned later.”
www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 9
seemingly small change opens new realms
of flexibility, and paves the way for all of
software-configurable I/O’s other benefits
and gains. For instance, Universal Process
I/O from Honeywell Process Solutions con-
sists of software-based programming and
engineering tools that let users go to each
module’s 32 channels and decide which is
AI, AO, DI or DO. Honeywell also plans to
add a pulse-input DI to Universal Process
I/O by the end of 2016, which will allow it to
perform sequence-of-events functions, find
first alarm triggers, and help determine why
certain events happened, similar to root-
cause analysis.
“Universal I/O’s standalone benefits are ma-
jor because they can reduce project deploy-
ment costs. Usually, there are a lot of dif-
ferent I/O point types that need a separate
card for each role,” says Joe Bastone, mar-
keting manager for Experion controls and
I/O at Honeywell. “Now, with Universal I/O,
we just build one module type into process
cabinets. It has 64 redundant I/O points
that can be deployed anywhere, and then
all their data can be brought back by fiber
or IO-Link. This means less need to worry
about junction boxes, homerun cables or
marshalling cabinets, or the labor and cost
of wiring them up.” (Figure 1)
Bastone reports that a Honeywell cost
study found that wiring a marshalling cabi-
LITTLE BOXES, ALL THE SAMEFigure 1: Because they can be assigned any role and designation after installation, Universal Process I/O and standard cabinets (right) from Honeywell Process Solutions eliminate complexity, can be built sooner based on I/O count rather than mix, and can easily accept late wiring changes. Tradition-al cabinets (left) must wait for instruments and I/O to be defined as analog input (AI), analog output (AO), digital input (DI) or digital output (DO), which are then built into custom cabinets. Photo credit: Honeywell Process Solutions
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The rise of configurable I/O 10
net with I/O talking to field devices using
Universal I/O with junction boxes would
cost about 30% less to install than one us-
ing traditional, dedicated I/O and wiring.
The study also confirmed that Universal I/O
also made it much easier to recover from
late changes or errors.
“For example, if a channel was misidentified,
Universal I/O just reassigns it onscreen and
reloads it. A traditional channel would have
to be physically rewired,” says Bastone. “It
helps potential users to see this difference
in practice, so we demonstrate it at our
development centers, and many custom-
ers order a couple of cabinets to prove it to
themselves. We’re not really inventing new
processes, hardware tools or form factors;
we’re taking existing principles, such as all
our Series C products, and extending what
we’ve already done with Universal I/O.”
Schneider’s Frost adds, “The biggest gain
for programmable I/O is that it allows users
to break their dependence on traditional
control system design and I/O system
installation. Typical systems engineering re-
quires defining and designing in all the dif-
ferent I/O points they need, but program-
mable I/O can be designed at the same
time as I/O installation onsite.
“Likewise, about 90% of process control
projects are installed around unknown ele-
ments, so users don’t know exactly what
I/O they’ll need. However, programmable
I/O let’s them put in what they can now and
decide on transmitter, level switch or other
roles later, or even change them on the fly
when their application is running without
taking down the whole I/O card. Traditional
I/O loading can be a very mundane and
thankless task, but with programmable I/O,
much of it goes away.”
ON BEYOND MARSHALLINGWhile software-configurable I/O makes land-
ing cables, marshalling and cabinet building
simpler and easier, its flexibility has been
helpful in other process applications as well.
To coordinate refining processes on its
Mobile Alkane Gas Separator (MAGS) for oil
wells, Pioneer Energy in Lakewood, Colo.,
uses programmable I/O modules and SNAP
CATCHING FIREFigure 2: Pioneer Energy’s Mobile Alkane Gas Separator (MAGS) relies on Opto 22’s PAC con-trollers and programmable SNAP I/O modules to support many I/O signals and communication protocols, and monitor compression, dehydra-tion, refrigeration and separation processes for capturing raw, liquids-rich natural gas that would otherwise be flared. Photo credit: Opto 22 and Pioneer Energy
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The rise of configurable I/O 11
PAC controllers from Opto 22. A truck-
mounted MAGS captures raw/wet natural
gas that would otherwise be flared off at
recently developed oil wells, and processes
it into usable lean methane, ethane and Y-
grade natural-gas liquids (NGLs), such as
propane and butane (Figure 2). Lean meth-
ane is 80 to 90% methane and can be used
directly in generators and other natural
gas-powered engines, while Y-grade NGLs
have a low vapor pressure of no more than
250 psia at 100 °F, and can be transported
in regular propane trucks.
The compact compression, dehydration,
refrigeration, three-stream separation and
other operations on MAGS must work to-
gether with low-power requirements, and
support a range of I/O signals. Opto 22’s
components automate, monitor and con-
trol MAGS’ temperature sensors, flowme-
ters, pressure transmitters, control valves,
generator, refrigeration compressors, gas
chromatograph, process heaters and other
equipment.
“To interface with all the equipment on
MAGS, we use nearly all of Opto 22’s I/O
modules and SNAP PAC’s built-in Modbus
protocol support,” says Andrew Young,
lead controls engineer at Pioneer. “Pioneer
focuses its technology on adding value to
waste streams. We see flare gas as another
potential waste stream, and remote com-
munications and a reliable controls platform
let us convert that into a resource.”
POWER CONVERSION AND OTHER SNAGSThough the potential benefits of software-
configurable I/O are enormous, there can
still be some power conversion, networking
and other technical hurdles to overcome on
the way to securing those gains.
“Not having to use traditional, dedicated,
16-channel I/O cards allows users to con-
figure 32 available I/O points on the fly,
make late design changes, customize
those points by function, and make them
what they want,” says Jeremy Valentine,
product marketing manager for interface
components at Phoenix Contact. “This can
have a huge impact on project planning
cycles. Traditionally, if you needed 5,000
I/O points, plus or minus 10%, then you’d
have to do the math early on the required
numbers of analog or digital points, and
there was a heavy burden on precision and
signing up the right dedicated equipment.
And, if you had to change the amount of
customized, dedicated devices later, it
could be a big problem. Universally con-
figurable I/O eliminates this, and shortens
project design, execution and lifecycles by
allowing programming changes to be made
later. Enabling these late-binding changes
can avoid a lot of ‘oh crap’ moments, and
shorten project lifecycles from 18 months
to six or eight months.”
Valentine adds that Phoenix Contact and
other suppliers are seeking ways to make
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The rise of configurable I/O 12
software-configurable I/O platforms even
more universal by solving some of the
first-generation issues many face, such as a
frequent inability to handle 120 V or more
than 3 A power, being required to convert
to 24 V, and needing relays to handle these
low-current-capacity limits. “At the circuit
board level, everyone wants to add more
components, but that requires more and
better surge protection, carrying more cur-
rent, and 4-20 mA signals coming to analog
cards though conversion isn’t available,”
explains Valentine. “Unfortunately, the limit
is still 3 A on the on the digital relay side,
so if a higher load needs to be driven, then
another contact will be needed. As a result,
though suppliers say they can eliminate
marshalling and cabinets, issues like the 120
V-to-24 V limit, means some of the required
technology isn’t quite there yet. Still, in the
next five or 10 years, the conversion abilities
will likely be on the boards as well.”
Albert Rooyakkers, CTO and engineer-
ing vice president at Bedrock Automation,
notes that users also need to question what
their programmable analog I/O devices can
support at the levels where they’re applied.
“What resolution, accuracy and isolation
do they need? Do they require a fast chan-
nel response? HART? What discrete I/O are
they using, do they support NAMUR, and
how much current can they handle?” asks
Rooyakkers. “Do they need power to source
a discrete input? Are they able to do pulse?
Universal I/O should start with this level of
capability to be truly valuable to users.”
Rooyakkers reports that all 10 channels of
Bedrock’s SIOU.10 universal I/O module
are galvanically isolated and software-
programmable to receive field input or
output signals for analog, discrete or pulse
sensors and actuators. He adds that Bed-
rock’s SIOU.10 also has integral read-back
functions to confirm analog and discrete
outputs. “Virtual marshalling via universal
I/O is the new standard for control system
engineering and optimal life cycle owner-
ship,” he says. “With deeply embedded
cyber security, scalable redundancy and
unprecedented technical specifications,
SIOU.10 combines the equivalent function-
ality of multiple I/O module types into one
software-programmable module.”
OFF THE CRITICAL PATH— AND UPWARDNo doubt the greatest benefit of software-
configurable I/O is that it can take design,
planning and installation projects off the
costly and risky critical path they’re usually
on during implementation.
“When big jobs are executed, concrete is
poured, and process equipment is in place,
then the last thing on the schedule is the
DCS,” says Schneider’s Frost. “However,
dedicated and inflexible wiring, marshalling
and cabinets could make this risky, espe-
cially when late changes were needed. The
www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 13
flexibility of programmable I/O allows many
jobs to be done in parallel instead of serial-
ly, takes them off the critical path, and help
avoid calls we want to avoid, such as, ‘Why
isn’t my plant running?’”
Beyond saving hardware and time, pro-
grammable I/O allows the sensors and
instruments it serves—and the process-level
signals and data they deliver—to cooperate
more closely with higher-level networks,
controls, analytical and business systems.
“The second path for Universal Process I/O
is that combining it with virtualization and
cloud-based engineering systems as part
of Honeywell’s LEAP program means that
user can rethink their designs, engineer-
ing, implementation and deployment,” says
Bastone. “Universal I/O also allows users to
extend their hardware and software freeze
dates, which is when project configurations
must be frozen in time before construction
and installation. Universal I/O and LEAP
also allow simpler, standard engineering
drawings, which lets users consolidate on
several cabinet types and create standard
loop templates. This is better than creat-
ing 20,000 loop drawings for 20,000 I/O
points, and building custom cabinets and
KILLING CABINETSFigure 3: Where traditional I/O requires 32 cabinets for controllers, I/O and marshalling, Electronic Marshalling needs only 20 cabinets for controllers and I/O for a 37% reduction in hardware, while using Electronic Marshalling and Smart Junction Boxes together requires just one cabinet for another 95% hardware reduction. Photo credit: Emerson Process Management
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The rise of configurable I/O 14
maintaining them throughout the lifecycle of a project. If you
can reference a master list of 20 loop templates, then you’ll
know exactly how to wire up each one.”
Similarly, Emerson’s CHARMs fit into its overall Project Cer-
tainty program, which begins with early engagement during
clients’ engineering and design studies to define project goals
and high-impact strategies to meet those goals. Kevin Jack-
son, vice president of global project operations at Emerson,
reports that Project Certainty eliminates labor costs by elimi-
nating unnecessary work, improving the efficiency of neces-
sary work and eliminating rework, and it cuts material costs by
eliminating the need for piping, structural and electrical com-
ponents, and by pushing for “fit for purpose” and right-sizing
engineering on projects.
“On a recent project that previously had 18,000 I/O and needed
32 cabinets, Electronic Marshalling with CHARMS reduced tradi-
tional I/O by 37% to 20 cabinets, and Electronic Marshalling with
Smart Junction Boxes reduced this project another 95% to just
one cabinet for a total savings of $14.5 million,” says Jackson.
“Likewise, when a safety measurement requirement for pump
control and shutdown was added late in a project design cycle, an
EPC saved about $1 million thanks to a 97% reduction in straight-
run piping on four LNG trains (Figure 3).
“In addition, a recent, integrated well-test solution saved $3.5
million on seven units by eliminating separators, valves and
instrumentation; reducing piping by 60%; and reducing engi-
neering, construction and leak points. Another end user elimi-
nated $23 million in capital expenditures for spare parts by
identifying common and critical parts, and performing a cost/
risk analysis on them.”
Project Certainty works in conjunction with two other new Emer-
son programs: Project Data Link, which is a single-source-of-truth
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The rise of configurable I/O 15
engineering environment that helps reduce complexity and ac-
commodate changes in capital projects, and Smart Commission-
ing, which builds on the combination of the Electronic Marshal-
ling with CHARMs and AMS Device Manager software to remove
automation from the critical path. “Smart Commissioning reduces
typical loop commissioning times from 140 minutes before to 25
minutes now to 10 minutes in the future,” says Jackson.
Frost adds that Schneider Electric’s umbrella initiative for com-
pressing or even eliminating factory acceptance tests (FAT) and
other pre-startup tasks is called Flexible Lean Execution (FLEX)
program, which includes Intelligent Marshalling, universal I/O,
engineering in cloud-based services and virtualized computing.
These capabilities are also based on Schneider’s Foxboro Evo
process automation systems and Triconex process safety system.
“This is why there’s been such an uptick in interest in having I/O
undefined at installation, and then configured in software,” adds
Frost. “Programmable I/O can slash capital costs, which also
helps when oil prices are down.”
CLOUD, VIRTUALIZATION AND IOT COMINGNaturally, the ultimate expression of software-configurable
I/O’s flexibility and simplicity is how they help process control
applications run in virtualized, cloud-based and IIoT systems.
“As IIoT grows, programmable I/O will play a large role in its
architecture,” explains Opto 22’s Newton. “Key capabilities for
a workable IIoT solution are translation of physical things or
properties into digital data, edge processing, protocol transla-
tion, and fast, dependable, ubiquitous networking and com-
“Programmable I/O can slash capital costs, which also helps when oil prices are down.”
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www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 16
munications options. Programmable I/O possesses all of these
in a compact, industrial package. Future programmable I/O will
add native IIoT communication capabilities such as RESTful
interfaces, IIoT protocols like MQTT, data storage and analysis,
visualization of data, cloud communications and more.”
Emerson’s Reppenhagen adds, “As we evolve this technology
further, I think we’re going to see more flexibility for connections
between I/O ‘clouds’ and controller ‘clouds.’ There’s more and
more use of Ethernet in automation today; for example, last fall
we introduced an Ethernet I/O card to enable large data transfers
using Ethernet, and our partner Mynah Technologies also recently
released a driver for our Virtual I/O Module 2 that now supports
Profinet natively in DeltaV.
It will be interesting to see if there will be a merging of Ethernet
protocols in the future, or if it will be similar to the bus tech-
nologies of the past with multiple protocols on the market for
the long term. WirelessHART is also a well-proven technology
that was first introduced for monitoring only, but is now used
in some applications for control. Wireless I/O is the ultimate
programmable I/O in that it allows instruments to connect to
wireless I/O cards without wiring and with no marshalling, and
it just works for all wireless I/O types.”
Jim Montague is executive editor of Control magazine, and has served as
executive editor of Control Design and Industrial Networking magazines. He’s
worked for Putman Media for more than 10 years, and has covered the pro-
cess control and automation technologies and industries for almost 20 years.
He holds a B.A. in English from Carleton College and lives in Skokie, Illinois.
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Your Global Automation Partner “As we evolve this technology further, I think we’re going to see more flexibility for connections between I/O ‘clouds’ and controller ‘clouds.’”
www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 17
Advances make I/O easier, but still not as simple as it could beBut no interoperability between WirelessHART and ISA100 is holding back more universal adoption.
By Ian Verhappen
Continuing with our evolution conversation from last month of how control systems
continue to change, the same transformation is certainly happening with the Input/
Output (I/O) systems used to connect the field sensors to the associated control-
lers. Wired systems now offer ‘configurable I/O’ such as Schneider Electric’s “intelligent
marshalling” and Honeywell’s “Universal I/O” where the type of signal landed on the terminals
is configured in software. Emerson is offering CHARMS a solution where you purchase and
install the right type of I/O module in their backplane for each type of signal. If you want to
be a bit more adventurous you can get ‘similar’ functionality with analogous products from
other companies with ‘smart terminal blocks’ and a backplane that also serve as data concen-
trators; However, you then need to use a “third-party tool” different from the one you use to
configure the rest of your system and perhaps a gateway to convert protocols. The other big
change, of course, has been the addition of wireless field sensor networks.
These new technologies are making it easier to access measurements more effortlessly
than ever before. We can not only provide measurements via wire, but now with wireless
systems, it is possible to consider signals from locations previously inaccessible because
location made them prohibitively expensive to connect with a cable or, more importantly,
by removing the cable tether, it is now possible to make devices of a size and form factor
to fit in smaller spaces. Going to a smaller form factor may require losing some functional-
ity, however if the cost is low enough the “signal” can be determined from the pattern of a
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The rise of configurable I/O 18
number of individual nodes, much like we
sense a smell or taste food.
Bringing this pattern data to a more central
device for processing in a single environ-
ment is also now feasible. With the recent
adoption of ISA100.15 and HART/IP, it is
now possible to have the two major pro-
cess industry wireless networks connect
from sensor to controller without having
to change protocols through a gateway.
Again, this certainly makes system configu-
ration much easier because it effectively
means that the wireless systems are no lon-
ger the equivalent of ‘third-party networks.’
Though we no longer have to map data
across gateways, unfortunately, we still have
the two wireless camps of WirelessHART
and ISA100. Until these two groups find a
way to interoperate, adoption of industrial
wireless technology will not be as great as it
would be otherwise. Hopefully this month’s
official formation of FieldComm Group as
a single entity from which both HART/IP
and ISA100.15 were largely developed, is a
precursor to at least developing a common
backhaul technology so we can connect
to the wireless field sensor network from
a single common access point. I was also
encouraged while at a recent IEC meeting in
Japan, held in conjunction with the JEMIMA
exhibition, to see a demonstration model of
a HART to ISA100.11a access point node, so
the standards and technology support the
potential for a single interface.
Ideally however, a single interface means
the protocols must be from the same fam-
ily such as HART-WirelessHART-HART/IP,
ISA100.11a-ISA100.15, or the CIP protocols
(CompoNet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, Ether-
net/IP), to name a few protocol suites, or
as a minimum, they must “transport” the
characteristics of the protocol so that the
device appears as if it is in its native pro-
tocol when it is configured or accessed for
maintenance/operations. Again, the desired
outcome is to make it easy for the system
and, in the end, the person working on the
control system to gather the information
required with minimum effort.
More signals, more easily is certainly the
trend and with more signals, especially
digital signals that normally support associ-
ated diagnostic information, mean that the
challenge will soon become how to identify
what signals are required by whom, how to
effectively manage all the data, and most
importantly use the resulting information to
operate our facilities better.
Ian Verhappen’ P.Eng. is an ISA Fellow’ ISA Certified
Automation Professional (CAP)’ and a member of the
Automation Hall of Fame. Ian is a recognized author-
ity on Foundation Fieldbus’ industrial communications
technologies and process analyzer systems. Verhappen
provides consulting services on field level industrial com-
munications’ process analytics and heavy oil / oil sands
automation. Feedback is always welcome via email at
iverhappen@gmail.com or on his Kanduski blog at
http://community.controlglobal.com/kanduski.
www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 19
ExxonMobil commits to thinking differently with electrical integration, configurable I/OWhat prompted ExxonMobil to start thinking and doing things differently? Sandy Vasser, I&E manager at ExxonMobil, explains the transition.
By Mike Bacidore, editor in chief, Control Design
Think before you act. Several years ago, ExxonMobil began its journey to act dif-
ferently, trying to find ways to improve success. However, acting differently first
requires the ability to think differently, and that is a significant change.
“In the old days, we would improve processes incrementally and consistently. It’s a lot more
complicated than that now,” explained Sandy Vasser, I&E manager at ExxonMobil. He spoke
at Schneider Electric’s CONNECT 2016 user group event this week in New Orleans. Vasser
has led a charge to change the way his organization acts by changing the way it thinks.
“We had to challenge our traditional automation practices and technologies,” he said. “We
really had to think completely differently and put the old practices to the side.”
Vasser also stressed the importance of not waiting. “The oil and gas industry is currently
at a low point in terms of number of projects, but this lull won’t last forever,” Vasser said.
Further, all disciplines—not just automation—can make these changes. They translate well to
other disciplines within the organization.
BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WE’VE ALWAYS DONE ITWhat prompted ExxonMobil to start thinking and doing things differently? Historical chal-
lenges were many. “There were numerous dependencies on other disciplines, and this forces
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The rise of configurable I/O 20
sequential execution,” said Vasser. “Design
input was provided throughout the project
lifecycle, and this forces numerous changes.
The resulting designs are highly engineered,
which makes them very customized and
frequently changing.”
To reduce customization and rely more on
standard solutions, ExxonMobil has pushed
customization to the software, which al-
lowed it to use standard hardware. This
eliminated the need for custom project
specifications and for the infrastructure to
support customized solutions.
By reducing complexity and simplifying
designs, it reduced the component count
and the number of divergent systems,
taking advantage of the capability of the
installed systems. It simplified interfaces;
it automated and sometimes eliminated
processes; and it mitigated the effects of
dependencies. “Intelligent I/O has allowed
us to progress the hardware design without
even knowing how the I/O will be used,”
said Vasser.
ExxonMobil reduced the amount of docu-
mentation or often generated it automati-
cally. It accepted managed risk and com-
promise, as it developed and enabled trust
with suppliers and contractors.
“All of this has resulted in fewer components,
reduced engineering, fewer drawings, re-
duced number of design reviews, elimination
of FATs [factory acceptance tests], short-
ened schedules, smaller project teams, higher
quality and lower costs,” explained Vasser.
CONFIGURE THISSmart, configurable I/O in standard field
junction boxes is one of the key enablers
that Vasser cited. Virtualization, not just of
computers, but complete hardware virtual-
ization has allowed the company to validate
“We had to challenge our traditional automation practices and technologies.” ExxonMobil’s Sandy Vasser on the
company’s move to re-examine
decades-old project execution practices.
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The rise of configurable I/O 21
control system logic independent of system
hardware.
“When we can test out all of our graphics and
our alarms, that’s a significant improvement,”
said Vasser. “Customization has been pushed
from hardware to software. Cabinets, for ex-
ample, were all different. But today all of our
cabinets are a standard solution.”
ExxonMobil also is seamlessly integrating its
automation and electrical systems. “We’ve
combined them, and it’s all included in the
automation systems,” explained Vasser.
Instruments are automatically detected,
interrogated, configured, enabled and docu-
mented (DICED).
“We’ve used smart I/O to replace MCC [mo-
tor control center] wiring, simplified pack-
age PLC [programmable logic controller]
interface solutions and increased use of dc
power distribution. The smart I/O has al-
lowed us to eliminate 60 to 70% of cabinet
wiring; we’re getting rid of a lot of hard wir-
ing between the packages and the MCCs.
Electrical control interface improvements
include monitoring of the electrical system.
We’re always looking at ways to take ad-
vantage of smart I/O.”
AGE IN PLACEOne of the important new opportunities, or
challenges, depending on your perspective,
that updated control systems bring is the
concept of “aging in place,” where the infra-
structure allows for upgrades as the system
ages or technology changes.
ExxonMobil has embraced this by making
system architectures simpler. “Systems
consist of building blocks that can be eas-
ily upgraded to current technologies,” ex-
plained Vasser. “Upgrades or repairs will
not be intrusive, disruptive or unnecessar-
ily costly, and rip-and-replace will never
be necessary. Control system selection for
a facility is for life.”
As connectivity concerns become more
prevalent, ExxonMobil has adopted cyber-
security by design. “Security can’t be solved
only by rings of protection, such as fire-
walls, or by reactionary measures such as
virus protections,” he said.
“We started with how to deal with change,”
explained Vasser. “There are many opportu-
nities to eliminate or streamline processes.
Think about what you’re trying to achieve,
and think differently about how you’re go-
ing to achieve those things.”
Mike Bacidore is the editor in chief for Control De-
sign magazine. He is an award-winning columnist,
earning a Gold Regional Award and a Silver National
Award from the American Society of Business Publi-
cation Editors. Email him at mbacidore@putman.net.
www.controlglobal.com
The rise of configurable I/O 22
Benefits of integrating smart I/O in asset management systemAsset management + work procedures = value for Shell
By Chuck Micallef, FDT Group
Located near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, the Shell Scotford Upgrader facil-
ity has refining capacity of 255,000 bpd. This includes the 2011 commissioning of
a 100,000 bpd expansion. Because of a tight project schedule and the very cold
weather in the region, it was critical that the schedule not slip. After the automation/control
system supplier was selected—Honeywell DCS withField Device Manager (FDM)—the team
decided to include smart I/O in order to take full advantage of their intelligent field mea-
surement devices.
The DCS and FDM were FDT-enabled providing access to smart device information inde-
pendent of device supplier and field communication protocol—in this case FF (Founda-
tion fieldbus) and HART. The device DTM (Device Type Manager) enables easy-to-use,
graphical access to smart device process measurements and diagnostics for quick prob-
lem identification and resolution. This capability proved to be very valuable when con-
figuring and troubleshooting complex devices like valve positioners, radar level gages
and mass flowmeters. FDM is a powerful and flexible tool accepting DTMs and DDs.
The existing Shell Scotford facilities (Figure 1) had success using HART technology but
were using only some of its full capabilities. With an interest in leveraging the full intel-
ligence of their smart devices, the Upgrader Expansion project team got approval to
broaden the application of smart devices beyond the use of handheld device configura-
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The rise of configurable I/O 23
tion. This decision made valuable device
information available to staff in opera-
tions, maintenance and instrumentation.
There was a concern that the FDM asset
management system would not be fully
utilized. With the smart device information
fully integrated (Figure 2) with the system,
the team embraced the opportunity to use
the information and took steps to be sure
it became part of their work process. Ac-
cording to Andy Bahniuk, Shell Instrument
Technologist, procedures were written and
training conducted to make certain the
techs and other maintenance team mem-
bers were trained on the technology and
the procedures that documented how to
benefit from the information available in
their smart devices.
On site, Andy and Japan Shah, (formally
the lead engineer at Honeywell Process So-
lutions, Calgary lead on the Upgrader proj-
ect and now with Williams Energy Canada)
found the urgent need to configure 1,500
smart devices that were ordered complete-
ly configured—or so they thought. Per-
forming a check on the new devices found
that many devices were not configured
as requested. On a tight project schedule,
they used the FDT Technology-enabled
asset management system to download
device configuration information to each
device including ranges, engineering units,
NAMUR standard values and transmitter
body temperature alarm set points. This
provided a quick, low-cost solution to the
problem of needing to configure 1,500
non-configured devices and gave the proj-
Figure 1. Shell Chemicals, Scotford Facility
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The rise of configurable I/O 24
ect team a glimpse of the real capability in
their new system.
When Japan learned of the need to moni-
tor the temperature in the device instru-
ment enclosures for freeze protection,
he suggested using the internal device
temperature sensor measurement as a
secondary measured variable—a standard
feature in smart devices. This solution
greatly reduced the need for operators to
routinely visit each outdoor enclosure to
check the temperature. This has helped
improve their efficiency in executing an-
nual preventative maintenance on heater
boxes, saving them more than $200,000
per year. Most importantly, it ensures
trouble free operation throughout the frig-
id Alberta winter.
Japan and Andy knew that their asset
management system combined with their
documented procedures were a valuable
tool that had to be used on a daily basis to
provide on-going value to all phases of the
plant life cycle – much more than just dur-
ing device configuration and commissioning
but also providing real-time device diag-
nostic information for improved operations,
safety and maintenance.
Once management and the project team
learned that there was more information
available than just the PV (Primary Variable)
communicating on the 4-20mA or on the
communication bus from their smart devic-
es, they quickly put the information to work.
Here are a few of the other applications that
resulted from their use of this technology.
Valve Partial Stroke Test – Another chal-
lenge was to have a higher SIL rating
on some critical furnace gas valves to
ensure safety and reliability. The partial
stroke test (PST) function supports test-
ing valves without the need to isolate
HONEYWELL SMART I/OFigure 2. Smart I/O is the easiest and most seamless way to integrate smart device data with an asset management application. Photo courtesy of Honeywell Process Solutions
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The rise of configurable I/O 25
them from the process. With the PST
process, the respective valve is moved by
approximately 5% to 15% during normal
process operation. This testing supports
online diagnosis of the actuators and re-
duces the probability of failure on demand
(PFD). The asset management system
with Metso positioners using a DTM driver
can execute the PST to provide a sophis-
ticated and quick solution extending the
period between plant shutdowns.
NAMUR standard values - During the
initial project phase, Shell decided to use
the NAMUR settings to prevent spuri-
ous trips or unsafe operations caused by
faulty transmitters. Devices compliant with
NAMUR standard values provided that in-
frastructure. Risk of instrument failure tends
to be higher during the start-up and by
setting our device compliance to NAMUR
standard values we could ensure that our
start-up went smoothly without any major
instrument issues.
Empty Pipe Detection – This is used for
magnetic flowmeter to determine if there
truly is an empty pipe or if they just have an
electrode or sensor failure in the flowmeter.
This type of remote device diagnostics is
Figure 3. HART device status delivers important information, such as Device Malfunction, Device In-simulation and Device Variable Saturated. Image courtesy of Honeywell Process Solutions
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The rise of configurable I/O 26
very important in Northern Canada since it
may reduce trips to the field and identifies
the problem so technicians can be better
prepared for field work if required.
Device Diagnostics – Management has be-
come more dependent on the information
from their field devices because it has been
proven to be reliable. This information is
now used to analyze and troubleshoot po-
tential problems before they turn into major
problems (Figure 3).
Empower Instrument Technicians – Techs
now embrace the technology and have
come to depend on the device diagnostic
information. They routinely analyze the
device data as their first step—even before
they leave the safety of the control room.
New Devices – as new instruments are added,
the techs are quick to look into the device
capability to make sure they have a good
understanding of the device’s full capability.
Device suppliers are also consulted to make
sure the device DTM is the most current.
Procedures are then modified if required to
include the most recent device capabilities.
Based on a positive cooperative relation-
ship between the automation provider and
the project team, procedures aligned with
the needs of the users and the capabilities
of the system/technology were attributed
as being some of the keys to the success of
this project. The asset management system
included an FDT-enabled device manage-
ment tool that presented device status
and diagnostic information from devices
from 26 different suppliers communicating
using the HART protocol.
As a result, the team executed a safe and
efficient start-up and continued safe and
reliable plant operation. They now utilize
real-time daily instrument troubleshoot-
ing with a more predictive maintenance
strategy.
The overall savings is in excess of an
estimated $7.1 million which includes
hardware replacement and ongoing op-
erational and maintenance expenses.
Andy believes that an asset management
system will pay for itself by being able to
quickly and reliability know the status of
all devices in the plant.
“The overall savings is in excess of an estimated $7.1 million which includes hardware replacement and ongoing operational and maintenance expenses.”
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