wireless makes it - control design · new wireless components and methods give users the support...

Q4 • 2013

p10 Redundant Redundancy Revisitedp18 MoRe FibeR in youR cable dietp21 bewaRe thiRd-PaRty integRation

New Wireless Components and Methods Give Users the Support and Freedom to Optimize All Kinds of Applications

Wireless Makes It simple

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52013 • Q4 • IndustrIal networkIng

C O N T E N T S

wireless networking niches growUsers Recognize the Ability to Measure Variables and Statuses in Places That Were Previously Too Difficult or Costly

Fiber optics in Manufacturing Copper Cable Is Pervasive in the Industrial Network Space, but Some Applications Benefit Greatly by Using Optical Fiber

by Ian verhappen

7 FIrst bIt Convergence Makes Wireless

Convenient

8 paCkets FF Transducer Specs for ISA 100

10 bus stop Redundant Redundancy Revisited

21 parIty CheCk Beware Third-Party Integration

22 bandwIdth Building Better Connection Boxes

26 terMInator Mobile Workers Embrace Wireless

Features

ColuMns & departMents

Cover story

INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING is published four times annually to select subscribers of CONTROL and CONTROL DESIGN magazines by PUTMAN MEDIA INC. (also publishers of CHEMICAL PROCESSING, FOOD PROCESSING, PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING and PLANT SERVICES), 555 W. Pierce Road, Suite 301, Itasca, IL. (Phone: 630/467-1300; Fax: 630/467-1124.) Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offices, same address. ©Putman Media 2013. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without consent of the copyright owner. INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items reported. Single copies $15.

wireless Makes It simpleNew Wireless Components and Methods Give Users the Support

and Freedom to Optimize All Kinds of Applications

by jIM Montague, exeCutIve edItor

I M p l e M e n t 1 2 e v a l u a t e 1 8

r e s e a r C h 2 3

volume xI, no. 4

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t e r m i n a t o r


JIM MONTAGUeEXECUTIVE EDITOR

[email protected]

FOR UsERs wITh many

TypEs OF sEnsORs,

maChInEs anD

pRODUCTIOn lInEs In

VaRIOUs lOCaTIOns

anD DIsTanCEs, VERy

DIFFEREnT wIRElEss

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nEEDED. ThIs COUlD

COmpOUnD ThE

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anD aDOpTIOn CURVEs.

F i r s t b i t

EVERYBODY, INCLUDING ME, TALKS ABOUT how great wireless is, and how it can reduce the need for cabling and connectors and the time, labor and expense of installing and maintaining them. We also trumpet the fact that wireless lets users gather sensor data and other signals from places where they couldn’t go before, and fuels all kinds of new capabilities and performance.

However, we tend to forget some important details in all our breathless hype. Chiefly, for users who have been working with reliable hardwired devices for a long time, switching to wireless or making any other equipment change is a pain in the neck. And for users with many types of sensors, machines and production lines in various locations and distances, very different wireless methods, from Wi-Fi to radios to cellular, might be needed. This could compound the required learning and adoption curves.

Fortunately, some developers merge these different wireless functions into combined components to make them simpler to deploy, to accept different types of wireless signals and to relay data out to more types of interfaces. Aside from facility size, adding wireless to many industrial settings is getting to be just about as easy as adding wireless to your house.

Bill Conley, systems engineering manager at B&B Electronics (www.bb-elec.com), reports on a water well-monitoring demonstration project he and his colleagues assembled in Arizona’s Sonora desert, which includes a 600-ft-deep well with a differential pressure sensor and ground-pump current sensor, a 10,000-gallon holding tank with a level sensor, pressure pump with current sensor, 1,000-gallon pressure tank with pressure-holding sensor and an IP security camera, which all had to be remotely monitored from a residence about 600 ft away. The well’s mechanical and network components must also cope with the desert’s extreme temperatures, dust storms, sun damage, wind, rain, snow, lightning and accompanying power surges and electromagnetic interference.

“There are a lot of way systems like this can break,” Conley says. “This application’s two main weak spots are the pressure pump and the in-ground pump, which would cost $10,000 to lift out of the ground, so their current needs to be monitored. We modeled the performance of

the pressure and in-ground pumps based on their SCADA performance data and found their mechanical switch was running them in a very narrow section of the holding tank and causing a lot of starts and stops. More sophisticated controls could manage the pump cycle more efficiently and extend the life of the pump.”

In the past, monitoring all these devices via wireless would likely require each one to report back separately to one control room, and that centralized location would have to coordinate all those signals. One of the main ways wireless is becoming simpler is that its components gather these different signals in the field and then relay them back to one switch that can accept them all. Conley’s demonstration uses one of B&B’s 900-MHz, 3G cellular routers, which can communicate with any well or other device equipped with its I/O radios within 40 miles, and make their data available via the Internet anywhere it’s needed. These radios combine analog and digital I/O and native Modbus remote terminal unit (RTU) communications, and transmit via 900 MHZ and 2.4 GHz.

“Previously, users had the option to send longer-distance signals like these over miles of fiber-optic cable or hundreds of Ethernet cables with repeaters, or use radio frequency (RF), Wi-Fi or hardwiring with extenders for local networks, and ensure power redundancy with an onsite generator with a fail-safe switch or perhaps a solar panel,” Conley adds. “The solution is to have data from all the sensors go from their copper wiring to RF-enabled DAQ devices and I/O radios, and then go to a radio modem and one cellular modem to a central location.

“Consequently, instead of using several types of networks, we now combine all our Modbus telemetry in one package and convert Modbus RTU to Modbus TCP/IP in the cellular router, which allows us to add other Ethernet-based signals and add IP video inputs too. This method also lets us use 128- or 256-bit encryption and virtual private network (VPN) tunneling for security. Basically, a 3G router’s ability to convert Modbus RTU to TCP/IP gives users the ability to IP-enable all their sensors from anywhere. ”

So while switching to wireless might not be as easy as making no changes, it’s certainly getting easier to deploy it and enjoy its benefits, and getting harder to rationalize not using it.

wireless gets more Convenient

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t e r m i n a t o r

8 IndustrIal networkIng • Q4 • 2013

Fieldbus Foundation Issues Specs for Transducer Blocks for ISA100 Wireless Devices

THE FIELDBUS FOUNDATION ISSUED A preliminary specification for transducer blocks supporting ISA100.11a wireless devices. According to the Fieldbus Foundation News, “As part of the Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM) solution implementing wireless and remote I/O, the new technical specification defines a fieldbus transducer block used within Foundation for ROM devices to communicate with ISA100.11a instruments. “ In addition, it describes the method for configuring tools and asset-managing hosts to access ISA100.11a devices, and structures to identify and maintain device status in ISA100.11a networks connected to Foundation for ROM devices.

“The foundation says the new transducer block specification will enable automation end users to interface ISA100.11a devices to Foundation fieldbus for better integration with a control system or with Foundation devices. The technology is said to support

a networked method for asset-managing hosts to access an installed base of ISA100.11a devices for configuration and maintenance purposes.

“The recent announcement and development by the Fieldbus Foundation further validates the object-based approach of ISA100 Wireless,” said Andre Ristaino, managing director, ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute. “We are thrilled to see the specification released. Users will benefit from the added integration between ISA100 Wireless and Fieldbus Foundation technology.”

The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (ISA100 WCI) is a non-profit industry organization that provides users and developers with market awareness, educational information, technical support and compliance testing for the ISA100 family of standards. More information about the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute can be found online at www.isa100wci.org.

The demand for cybersecurity products and services continues to grow, according the “Industrial Cyber Security Global Market Research Study,” from ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com). An increase in security concerns surrounding facilities along with more government influences are responsible for the growing demand. Greater supply of product consolidations, expanded services and a shift from emerging to mature market players is also influencing demand.

PcVue, a subsidiary of ARC Informatique (www.arcinfo.com) and automation solution provider of HMI/SCADA software, announced the signing of a worldwide OEM agreement between Canary Labs (www.canarylabs.com) and its parent ARC Informatique. In North America, PcVue will make Canary Labs’ Historian software available as part of its PcVue Solutions offered directly or through its distribution channels.

The National Association of Manufacturers says there is a growing sense that manufacturing activity is accelerating in the second half of 2013. But even with these improvements, demand and production growth has been modest at best, with increases in hiring still lagging behind. Manufacturing production has risen just 1.3% year-over-year, and the sector has added just 20,000 net new workers during the past 12 months.

Pa C K e t S

Bits & Bytes

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©2013 TURCK

ImplementingIndustrialEthernet technology:Which protocol is right foryour communication challenge?

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South Carolina Paper Mill Now Camera-ReadyFACED WITH A NEW REGULATORy requirement to monitor freight car loading and unloading of hazardous materials, a paper mill in South Carolina could assign a worker to watch the entire loading/unloading process or monitor it remotely via video from the control room. The mill decided it wanted to add cameras.

But a plan to add the cameras to an existing wired network cost too much. A wireless system was found to be much less expensive and allows additional cameras to be placed where coax is not available. At the Emerson Exchange user group meeting last month in Dallas, Dan Blome, wireless solutions engineer, ProSoft Technology (www.prosoft.com), addressed the challenge of how to choose an appropriate wireless technology, design a wireless network, choose and configure cameras, and test and troubleshoot a final installation.

The 2.4-GHz 802.11g/n spectrum offers three channels, but most process monitoring systems run on the 23-channel, 5-GHz 802.11 a/n spectrum, which offers rates up to 72 Mbps by bonding two adjacent channels—the n designation—and up to 144 Mbps by multiple streaming using multiple-input, multiple output

(MIMO) antennas. “It’s mainly only practical at 5 GHz due to channel count, but 5 GHz does have lower range due to its higher frequency,” Blome said.

Designing the system requires basic site information, starting with the video server location (most designs place the server in the control room). Decide where antennas can be located using a plant layout. “you can use Google Earth to zoom in and determine the distances between the remote locations and the control room,” Blome said. “Then verify that there are unbroken lines of sight between antenna locations.”

Software tools help you use the distances between locations to calculate signal strengths and verify optimal data rates. “The weaker the signal, the less bandwidth,” Blome said. “Make the bandwidth as high as possible.” Design software helps you select antennas and cables.

Blome said that now is the time to decide camera numbers, frame rates and frame sizes (resolution) to determine the necessary data rate. Catching process information, where materials move at higher speeds than people walk, often

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t e r m i n a t o r


Pa C K e t S

requires 30 frames per second. The cameras themselves are similar, but vary in lens quality and pan/zoom capabilities. Choose the right camera for the job in each location. Be realistic—many process applications don’t require high frame rates or resolutions.

The system should be clamped up temporarily and tested before components are permanently mounted. Even with good engineering and trials, expect some glitches. “There are some tools out there you can use for testing, and there’s always some final tweaking of things like camera frame rates,” says Blome.

The project at the paper mill was driven by the regulatory requirement to monitor loading and unloading of freight cars. The paper mill system uses three networks to monitor an indoor boiler and turbine, a railcar loading/unloading facility and a remote

conveyor system. With the existing hard-wired cameras, nine images are tiled on a 70-in. display in the control room.

“Some of the existing hardwired cameras are losing their images and the conduit is corroding,” says Mitch Jones, account manager at Emerson’s local business partner R.E. Mason, the system integrator on the job. “So now if an existing camera goes out, a wireless one goes in.” There’s also bandwidth to add additional cameras where needed.

Adding the additional cameras to the existing wired network would have cost $89,000; the wireless system cost $46,000 for an estimated cost savings of 48%. The savings come from conduit, wiring and labor costs. “Most projects save more,” said Jones. “Going wireless typically saves 50% to 75% of the installed cost.”[More on this story can be found at http://bit.ly/1aP4prK.]

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ImplementingIndustrialEthernet technology:Which protocol is right foryour communication challenge?

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GE and ATT Partner to Expand Industrial InternetCoMMuniCAtion holdinG CoMpAny, At&t (WWW.Att.CoM), and General Electric (www.ge.com) have teamed up to create the first-ever, high-security, wireless communications system. The two companies signed a global agreement this month that lets GE machines connect to the At&t network and cloud, allowing customers of GE’s “industrial internet” to benefit from increased productivity. The machine-to-machine (M2M) communications system will allow GE employees to remotely track, monitor, record and operate GE machinery, according to At&t.

Through the partnership, At&t and GE also plan to develop offerings that combine At&t network technologies, single global subscriber identity module (SiM), device expertise, security and cloud access for GE industrial products. At&t also plans to use its At&t Foundry innovation center to develop M2M solutions for GE’s software platform, predix.

“imagine a world where an airline, for example, can remotely

monitor, diagnose and resolve issues with its fleet engines virtually anywhere in the world,” said Andy Geisse, chief executive officer, At&t Business Solutions. “GE’s vision of the industrial internet, combined with our global network and leadership in machine-to-machine solutions are a powerful combination to help businesses realize the benefits of connected machines.”

“GE’s collaboration with At&t validates our shared and common vision for the industrial internet,” said Bill Ruh, vice president and corporate officer for GE Software. “together, we see a future where the intersection of people, data and brilliant machines will have an enormous impact on the productivity and efficiency of industries around the world. By connecting machines to the network and the cloud, we are taking an important step to enable workers all around the world to track, monitor and operate our machinery wirelessly and remotely through highly secure and machine-to-machine communications.”

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John [email protected]

10 IndustrIal networkIng • Q4 • 201310 IndustrIal networkIng • Q4 • 2013

B U S S T O P

At the ARC foRum in oRlAndo eARlieR this year, American Axle’s Jeff Smith was on a panel with a number of engineers, myself among them, talking about fieldbus,. he described his sophisticated, painstaking and very successful method for ensuring all his ethernet/iP device suppliers had the necessary capabilities to function in any one of 35 assembly lines across the globe, some of which are a few football fields long. Jeff’s efforts ensured that his uptime and interoperability were impeccable.

But when asked what new features he’d like to see, he said it was for suppliers’ devices to capture and preserve diagnostics that preceded an outage. despite best-in-class networking practices, all devices are still susceptible to the vagaries of local power quality and availability, and other disruptions of the physical layer. if the next step is to fortify the power and network infrastructure with redundancy, can we choose judiciously so we get the maximum reliability gain for the effort?

The fundamental goal of any redundancy scheme is “fault tolerance.” That means no single fault shall cause a loss of data or control. hot standby or redundant CPus can fend off an array of detectable logic solver crashes, but their utility is limited if they share the same power supply and/or network infrastructure.

one plant’s design had diode-auctioneered redundant power wired to each redundant pair of CPus, only to find that the scheme didn’t protect them from an over-voltage fault. That is, if any of the redundant power supplies ever had a fault that resulted in a higher voltage, the simple redundancy scheme would route the too-high voltage to all the CPus and possibly cause a system-wide, common-mode failure. So we take pains to power each CPu of a redundant pair with physically and electronically separate redundant power systems.

This sort of vexing common-mode bugaboo comes into play both upstream and downstream of where we might power an individual panel, machine or rack. our dc power supplies don’t power themselves, so where is the ac or other upstream power coming from?

Clearly, we don’t want redundant power supplies on the same circuit, but what if they’re on the same power bus or even the same uPS? A brown-out might bring production to a halt,

and the boss will be asking why. having no data or incomplete data due to the same power failure won’t answer many questions or help to avoid the same issue in the future.

Keeping devices and nodes alive despite faults in the infrastructure is helpful, but the network poses the same challenges and some unique ones. ethernet requires switches; switches require power; and the way we source and distribute that power will directly impact the effectiveness of any network redundancy strategy. if you have clean, redundant, battery-backed-up uPS power in a control center or rack room, it’s not always trivial to distribute it far and wide through the production facility, especially if you measure your site in miles.

Power-over-ethernet (Poe) would seem to have some promise. Power your “power sourcing equipment” (PSe) switch in the rack room and distribute the same clean power to the field using Poe. But Poe has the same distance limitation (100 m) as plain ethernet over Cat-5 cable—you can only push the 48 VdC so far over 24 AWG twisted-pair. And because Poe typically only delivers 15 W of power, the remote node can’t become a PSe for another Poe-powered switch 100 meters away—no daisy chaining is currently possible. So if you’re constrained to locally powered switches and media converters, you can improve your odds by using a ring topology, so one switch can’t bring down the entire network. And by designing some degree of power diversity, that is, at least source the field power from different buses, switch racks or power panels, the best you can do to minimize common-mode failures.

The other gotcha of network redundancy is geographic diversity. if the network is threatened by heedless back-hoe or crane operators, running all the cable or fibers in the same raceway negates the fault tolerance you were aiming to provide. if such human and environmental factors are in play at your site, you’ll want your redundant media to take geographically separate paths through the facility.

The dictionary defines redundant as “needless.” to ensure your redundancy strategy isn’t needless, minimize common-mode vulnerabilities to ensure you’re getting the maximum value from the additional hardware and complexity.

Redundant Redundancy Revisited

The fundamenTal

goal of any

Redundancy scheme

is “faulT ToleRance.”

ThaT means no single

faulT shall cause a

loss of daTa

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It only looks like magic until you know how it’s done. Whether it’s slight of hand, unfamiliar technologies, juggling, invisible

networks or other forms of prestidigitation, new tricks always seem alien and unworkable until you learn their inner workings. The same was true for many wireless tools and methods, but acceptance has grown along with familiarity—as it always does.

As long as data is communicated correctly, safely and securely, does it matter if you can’t see a wireless network doing its job? Heck no. Likewise, most old-time control engineers never saw their pneumatic valves and relays actuate either, but they still trusted their equipment because they were intimately familiar with how it worked, and very often had installed it themselves. Now, the same is becoming true for wireless.

Freedom From Wear The Johnson Controls (www.johnsoncontrols.com) automotive seat plant in Tlaxcala, Mexico, has 43 carts that move around a carousel as they pass through a urethane process. The line’s communication cables that transmit monitoring and control data were wearing out, breaking and causing unplanned downtime. Johnson’s engineers needed a more durable, non-intrusive way to establish real-time communications between their carts and supervisory control system, including delivering data to its field office PC and managing permissions on a urethane-injecting robot on the line (Figure 1).

System integrator Adepi (www.adepi.com.mx) and distributor Risoul y Cia worked with Tlaxcala’s staff, and together they implemented 1743 I/O modules on 23 carts, which were linked via IHN radios and an IHN master that can transfer data at 300 Mpbs

to a PLC platform. The I/O modules and PLC are from Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com), and the radios are from ProSoft Technology (www.prosoft-technology.com).

“High data-rate radios were the best option for wireless communications between each of the carts and the PLC, based on our testing results and presale technical support provided onsite,” says Adrian Torres, Johnson’s project leader.

Because the radio-enabled I/O and PLC optimized speed and reduced cable wear on Tlaxcala’s urethane-injection process, its remaining carts were scheduled to get wireless components earlier this year. Johnson is also evaluating a similar solution at its U.S. facility.

move FreelyBesides preventing wear and tear on hardwiring by reducing the need for it in the first place, wireless frees up operators and technicians to move more easily in and around their machines and process applications. It lets them change parameters more directly and efficiently without having to communicate as often with a centralized control room or other detached supervisory stations.

For example, Paper Converting Machine Co. (www.pcmc.com) in Green Bay, Wis., had two hardwired HMI pendants mounted on its printing presses and lifts, but it recently added radios to make one HMI wireless. This allows operators to walk around the presses, which makes them easier to set up and adjust while they’re running, mostly printing on film or paper for packaging. After adopting an earlier IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi radio, PCMC migrated to wireless local area network (WLAN) access points and radios from Phoenix Contact (www.phoenixcontact.com). The WLAN also uses Wi-Fi and 200 mW of output power to send 300 Mbps to PLCs on the presses.

New Wireless Components and Methods Give Users the Support and Freedom to Optimize All Kinds of Applications

by Jim montague, executive editor

WIreless Makes It sImple

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“Customers asked for a wireless interface, so in 2010 we integrated fully guarded radios with ranges that weren’t too long to monitor channels on the presses. The biggest issue was providing wireless, but we needed communication speeds of 1 second or less, and got 200 ms to 700 ms, which was enough because our monitoring, setup and adjustments don’t have to be in real time,” says Jordan Koplien, electrical engineer at PCMC, which is a division of Barry-Wehmiller Companies (www1.barry-wehmiller.com) “The wireless pendant allows operators to see the process web itself, including both sides of the web around its central impression drum, which is a two-sided cylinder with printing heads on each side.”

Functionally, PCMC’s wireless pendants have all the same capabilities as its regular interfaces, except for e-stops, and run PCMC’s proprietary HMI software. They’re also Class I, Div. 2-rated for use in potentially explosive environments. “We have reliable communications, but this isn’t real-time data, so it’s okay to lose a few packets,” Koplien adds. “Each user has to decide what he needs for his application. We’re not doing critical or safety functions, but wireless is great for general HMI tasks, and it’s easy to integrate with the existing Ethernet networking that’s on our presses.”

Justin Shade, Phoenix Contact’s product marketing specialist for wireless, reports that acceptance of wireless is growing in control and automation because so many potential users employ it in consumer devices, and more new devices emerge that make wireless easy to deploy and manage. “Wireless is now second nature in the mainstream,” Shade says. “People ask ‘My cell phone is reliable, so why shouldn’t we do it same way in our plant?’ At the same time,

tools like Metageek (www.metageek.net), which is a USB-based spectrum analyzer that can easily test an area for Wi-Fi and other radio frequency (RF) signal types, strengths and interference., are coming out. In fact, we added this function to our radios, too.”

no-wIre go-roundFigure 1: Operators handle carts on Johnson Controls’ urethane-injection production line with help from I/O modules that transmit real-time monitoring data via radios, which receive PC-based control instructions for the line’s urethane-injecting robot.

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FREED UP FUNCTIONS Beyond reducing cabling and aiding operator fl exibility, the great benefi t of wireless is that it allows sensing and networking in places

that were too small or costly before, which unlocks all kinds of new capabilities and even entirely new applications that were impossible before wireless showed up.

For instance, Wells Concrete (www.wellsconcrete.com) relies on process automation to reduce the energy and operating costs of making precast concrete products at its plants in Albany, Minn., and Grand Forks, N.D. Precasting involves pouring concrete into molds or beds and then precisely curing it to maintain hydration of the concrete and sample boxes within a specifi c temperature range for the greatest strength and durability. Wells previously used analog chart recorders to monitor its 12- to 14-hour curing process and digital controllers to regulate its heat sources, including 300-W light bulbs for the sample box and gas-fi red steam boilers or radiant heaters for the concrete beds. � e curing process usually took place overnight, and during this time a boiler operator would check for the proper cure temperature and manually close the steam valve if the temperature was satisfactory (Figure 2).

To make its cure process more effi cient and save energy costs, Wells worked with Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), which implemented its wireless temperature transmitters, hybrid controller for loop and logic, and SCADA software to monitor and control eight concrete beds and sample boxes in one building at its Albany plant. � e wireless temperature transmitters eliminated the need for long thermocouple wiring runs around the concrete

CUSTOMIZED CURING Figure 2: Workers at Wells Concrete fi ll a bed with concrete before 12 to 14 hours of curing, which is monitored and controlled by wireless transmitters reporting to a central PLC that regulates boiler systems and radiant and steam heating, and maintains hydration to produce the strongest and most durable concrete.

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beds, cut down on the number of I/O modules required with wired transmitters and simplifi ed the overall control system design. � e wireless transmitters reliably and securely transmit up to 2,000 feet with an accuracy of ±0.1% over a three- to fi ve-year battery life.

“With the new control system, bed temperature is monitored and sent from the wireless transmitters to a base unit, which is hardwired to the controller,” stated Greg Jacobson, Wells’ vice president and

general manger. “� is temperature reading is used to control the sample box as it was before. However, the current temperature also controls operation of the radiant heater. When the concrete reaches the desired curing temperature, the heater shuts off automatically, and the concrete will hold enough heat to continue the curing process. When the concrete temperature goes below the desired curing temperature, the heater is turned on again.”

WIRELESS OPTIONS AND STANDARDSSo you want to go wireless? Well, you’d better select the right one for your application—and make sure not to install any of your antennas under a conveyor. Here are some of the main options:

• Bluetooth is a standard for exchanging data over short distances by using short-wavelength radio transmissions in the 2,400- to 2,480-MHz ISM band to create personal area networks (PANs). It’s based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (www.ieee.org) 802.15.1 standard that is no longer maintained, but is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (www.bluetooth.org).

• Wi-Fi is defi ned by the Wi-Fi Alliance (www.wi-fi .org) as any WLAN product based on the IEEE 802.11 standards that allows an electronic device to exchange data or connect to the Internet wirelessly using radio waves with a typical operating range of about 65 feet.

• ZigBee is a specifi cation for protocols used to create PANs built from small, low-power, digital radios and is based on the IEEE 802.15 standard, which is also the foundation for WirelessHART and ISA100 devices. Though low-powered, ZigBee devices often transmit data over longer distances from 10 to 100 meters by creating a mesh network that passes data through intermediate devices. It’s supported by the ZigBee Alliance (www.zigbee.org).

• 6LoWPAN stands for IPv6 over low-power, wireless PANs, and it is supported by a working group at the Internet Engineering Task Force (www.ietp.org), which has defi ned encapsulation and header compression mechanisms that allow IPv6 packets to be sent and received via IEEE 802.15.4 networks.

• Traditional 2.4- and 5.8-GHz radios, 3G and 4G cellular, and satellite networking methods include wide ranges of long-distance, RF and subscriber-based communications.


In addition, Wells applied the same wireless solution to 13 radiant steam beds in a second building at its Albany plant in August 2009. In this case, wireless transmitters still monitor bed temperatures, and sample boxes are controlled by applying a heat source. However, steam valves in the field also are controlled by a wireless gateway that takes an on/off signal from the controller, sends it to various I/O units, and this output request activates a relay that’s hardwired to each steam valve’s motor actuator. Most recently, Wells tied a Kraft steam generator to the controller to better regulate heat and adopted Honeywell’s Experion DCS platform and Vista software.

Thanks to their wireless transmitters and digital controller, Wells operators

+1-661-716-5100www.prosoft-technology.com/wireless

Wires are so

• 802.11i, WPA2 and 128 - bit AES encryption ensures secure networking

and advanced authentication

• 802.11n MIMO & channel bonding (supports up to 300 Mbps RF data rates)

Harness

the power of

industrial wireless

and give workers mobile

access to critical data.

A S I A PA C I F I C | A F R I C A | E U R O P E | M I D D L E E A S T | L AT I N A M E R I C A | N O R T H A M E R I C A

WIRELESS TODO LISTTo begin implementing wireless networking in most, if not all, discrete or process settings, there are some common, primary steps:

• Evaluate application’s present and future performance requirements.

• Check existing wired and any wireless networks and upgrade overall, facility-wide communication integration plans.

• Perform complete wireless site assessment and RF survey to evaluate physical settings and possible interference sources.

• Try out antennas and test locations for stable coverage and best signal transmission and reception.

• Implement wireless components and network to meet application’s present requirements, but allow for future expansion.

• Teach operators and other staff maintenance and troubleshooting skills for wireless.

WIRELESS FREES UP OPERATORS AND TECHNICIANS TO MOVE MORE EASILY IN AND AROUND

THEIR MACHINES AND PROCESS APPLICATIONS. IT LETS THEM CHANGE PARAMETERS

MORE DIRECTLY AND EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT HAVING TO COMMUNICATE AS OFTEN WITH A

CENTRALIZED CONTROL ROOM OR OTHER DETACHED SUPERVISORY STATIONS.


who used to run their gas heaters for up to 15 hours per concrete bed were able to apply heat to the beds for an average of only three hours, which saved 60% to 70% in energy costs. “Likewise, after only a month of service with the upgraded control system in the second building, we saw a 75% reduction in steam usage and a decrease in labor hours required for production personnel to monitor the bed operation at night,” Jacobson adds. “Also, operators at the Albany facility have the automation technology to maintain consistent quality of architectural concrete products, regardless of ambient temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions in the plant.”

Amidi Soroush, Honeywell’s wireless product marketing manager, reports, “There are now thousands of wireless instruments out there, but not millions, so we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, users are moving from thinking of wireless just a replacement for wires to thinking of wireless as a way to gather new signals and save time. Still, most use wireless for monitoring non-critical, one- to 10-second signals, while critical, 250-millisecond, closed-loop control signals are still usually hardwired.”

Free to DeciDe Once the many advantages of wireless convince users to adopt it in their applications, there are many guidelines and resources

to help them choose the most suitable strategy and devices. Still, because many users are reluctant to try wireless in the first place, some reflexively blame it when early wireless projects struggle with initial problems or growing pains—so patience is another essental requirement.

To select the right radios and supporting components, Phoenix Contact’s Shade adds that users need to determine how fast they need their communications to be, how much data they need to process, what they’re able to spend and what kind of connection media their environment requires. “Next, they need to work with a local system integrator and supplier, conduct a site assessment of their facility, try out and test a few wireless solutions, and narrow the choice to one or two finalists,” he adds. “Finally, they need to work with their integrator to install it, adjust and add more antennas as needed, and maintain it. There’s a lot to do the first time you implement wireless, but the second and subsequent times are much easier.”

Honeywell’s Soroush adds that, “Wireless can be approached like any other control and automation project. Users just need to decide what they’re trying to accomplish, evaluate existing equipment, learn how other users employ wireless, pilot and test their own smaller applications, find a wireless solution they like and then roll it out.”


t e r m i n a t o r


e V a L U at e

Copper Cable Is pervasIve In the IndustrIal network spaCe, but some applICatIons

benefIt Greatly by usInG optICal fIber. there are some thInGs you should know

Fiber Optics in Manufacturing

Though a greaT deal of The conversaTion on industrial networking of late has been on wireless technologies, copper and fiber are still the workhorses of industrial networks, especially with the rapid growth in deployment of ethernet-based digital networks.

Because of the high bandwidth of 100 MB/s associated with ethernet, it’s susceptible to noise and, therefore, typically limited to the distances for which cat 5e or cat 6 cable can be used. This is in addition to the 100-m limit between nodes for ethernet in general. since copper communications systems let many devices share the same cable and communicate with each other, while fiber signal transmissions and reception are point-to-point, there will continue to be a need to mix systems for many years to come. fiber typically can be installed 2 km to 20 km between nodes and is, therefore, well-suited to connect the various automation nodes throughout a facility—part of the reason for its increasing use in industrial settings.

Therefore, it’s time to have a look at just what to consider when using fiber in the industrial environment.

Fiber is GOOd FOr the systeMfiber optics, as the name implies, uses light rather than current or voltage for signalling. as such, the primary reasons to use fiber optics, other than for the greater distances possible, are:

• Ground Isolation—since electrical currents do not flow on fiber-optic cables, grounding systems are not needed;

• Noise Immunity—Because fiber-optic cables are immune to electromagnetic noise from radio stations, motor turn-on surges, welding discharges, electrostatic discharges and other radio frequency interference (rfi), and since fiber-optic cables do not conduct electricity, they can be placed on the same cable trays as power-carrying cables.

in the accompanying sidebar, you’ll find an example of how fiber networks are being used to advantage in an electrically noisy environment in alternative energy projects using ethercaT technology.

Mind the detailsalthough fiber-optic cable is not susceptible to rfi, that does

not mean that fiber-optic data communications are error-free. Though the cable itself might not be conductive, an armoured sheath, if used, could be conductive, as will any metallic hardware used in the cabling systems, such as wall-mounted termination boxes, racks and patch panels, which all must be grounded. in addition, the electrical code requires that all premises cables shall be listed and have flammability ratings per nec 770.50 (2002), now 770.113 (2005). “listing, Marking and installation of optical fiber cables” requires all cables within a facility to be labelled with the following exceptions:

exception 1: optical fiber cables shall not be required to be listed and marked where the length of the cable within the building, measured from its point of entrance, does not exceed 15 m (50 ft), and the cable enters the building from the outside and is terminated in an enclosure.

exception 2: non-conductive optical fiber cables shall not be required to be listed and marked where the cable enters the building from the outside and is run in a raceway (which includes a conduit) installed in compliance with chapter 3.

COlOr COdes and spliCe tipsThe Tia 568 standard specifies color codes for the individual fiber connectors: orange, black or gray have been multimode, and yellow has been single-mode. however, the advent of metallic connectors, such as the fc and sT, made color-coding difficult, so colored boots were often used. The Tia 568 color code for connector bodies and/or boots is beige for multimode fiber; blue for single-mode fiber; and green for aPc (angled) connectors. in addition, color codes for the individual fiber sheaths in a multimode fiber are specified by Tia/eia 598-a.

Tia/eia 568 also specifies splice performance of 0.3-dB loss for both multimode and single-mode splices as industry-acceptable limits, and single-mode fusion splices are typically under 0.1 dB. The splicing itself can be a fusion splice that “welds” the two fibers together, usually in an electric arc. fusion splicers are generally automated to produce splices that have minimal losses. a note of caution for the industrial setting is that, since fusion splicing uses an electric arc, it should not be performed in a dusty or explosive atmosphere, as the electric arc could cause an explosion or fire.

by Ian verhappen

IN13Q4_10_20_FEATURE2.indd 18 10/30/13 2:31 PM


The second and more common field splice is a mechanical splice that aligns the two fibers in a ferrule or v-groove, and then uses an index-matching gel or adhesive between the fibers to reduce loss and back reflection.

Plastics in the MixGlass fibers are generally not field-serviceable, as they require special skills and tools. However, plastic cable can be cut with scissors and not fracture, and will continue to function if the alignment is “close.” This makes it much more field-service-friendly. Manufacturers sell kits to finish plastic fiber, although plastic fiber lengths can be restricted to as little as 50 m if finished this way. Despite the limitations of plastic, Kurt Wadowick, safety and I/O specialist at Beckhoff Automation (www.beckhoff.com) indicates that the company sells more plastic than glass fiber.

Key FactorsA typical fiber-optic cable construction from the inside or core to the outside consists of the following layers: fiber(s), buffer tube, rip cord, strength member, steel armor and outer jacket. Let’s look a little closer at the role each of these plays in a successful installation.

Multimode glass fiber typically has a 50-µm or 62.5-µm core with 125-µm cladding outside diameter, while plastic fiber is thicker at 200 µm or 230 µm for hard-clad silica (HCS) and plastic silica (PCS) and 1 mm for all-plastic fiber.

Attenuation in fiber-optic cable is the loss of optical power as the signal travels through the cable. In general, attenuation decreases as wavelength increases, but certain wavelengths are more easily absorbed in plastic and silica fibers than others. One of the reasons for establishing standard operating wavelengths of 850 nm, 1300 nm and 1550 nm in silica fiber and 650 nm for plastic is to avoid the high-attenuation regions. The typical attenuation of a 62.5-µm to 125-µm fiber at 850 nm is 4 dB/km, and the attenuation at 1300 nm is 1.5 dB/km. Plastic fiber is low-bandwidth, high-attenuation (19 dB/m), and due to these higher losses, best suited to short-run applications, such as those found in the manufacturing sector, where there is a high degree of repetitive motion.

When fiber-optic cable becomes kinked, several things can happen. Glass can fracture, resulting in splinter(s) that can’t be repaired, while plastic will crinkle like a garden hose. In both cases, the fiber will cease to operate properly. However, the effect in a glass bundle is obviously more catastrophic, and that’s why plastic fiber tends to be used in robotics and similar applications.

Because multimode is able to transmit to approximately 2 km, it is what is most commonly used for IT projects. It can therefore be sourced from the same suppliers, and often purchased with prefabricated ends, making it more easily available than single-mode or industrial fiber. As indicated earlier, single-mode fiber can handle 20-km distances before requiring amplification, and

is typically installed with one fiber transmitting and the other receiving, so when purchasing a cable bundle, it’s recommended to always install it in pairs or an even-numbered set of fibers.

Dispersion affects bandwidth by limiting how close together the individual light pulses are from each other to prevent overlapping. To minimize the chance of dispersion affecting communications, the signal rise-and-fall times generally must be no more than 20% of the width of the shortest period. The amount of time between pulses directly affects overall bandwidth.

ethercat’s roots in FiberBeckhoff Automation developed Lightbus in 1989 with microsecond range transmissions. Still in use today, the standard, plastic, fiber-optic-based Lightbus was the precursor to EtherCAT, and it should be no surprise that EtherCAT continues to support fiber-based equipment and components today.

Beckhoff’s fiber-optic junction systems provide the connection between fiber and copper on a junction box residing on the EtherCAT terminals I/O backplane. Available in either multimode or single-mode glass fiber with SC interfaces, the junction not only provides the long distance and electrical immunity benefits of fiber, but also enables conversion between 100BaseTX (copper) and 100BaseFX (fiber) physical layers. The devices can include ID switches for assigning to a group of EtherCAT components, which can be located anywhere within the EtherCAT network in a number of different topologies.

Typical fiber applications using this technology are in solar or wind projects, where individual units, such as wind towers, are a kilometer or more apart, yet can be integrated into a single system using a fiber ring to connect the EtherCAT terminals at each node.

ALThOugh FIBEr-OpTIC CABLE IS nOT

SuSCEpTIBLE TO rFI, ThAT DOESn’T mEAn ITS

DATA COmmunICATIOnS ArE ErrOr-FrEE. ThE

CABLE ITSELF mIghT nOT BE COnDuCTIvE, BuT

An ArmOurED ShEATh, IF uSED, COuLD BE

COnDuCTIvE, AS wILL Any mETALLIC hArDwArE

uSED In ThE CABLIng SySTEmS, SuCh AS wALL-

mOunTED TErmInATIOn BOXES, rACkS AnD pATCh

pAnELS, whICh ALL muST BE grOunDED.


t e r m i n a t o r


e V a L U at e

Signal gain, expressed in dB, determines distance between light source and receiver. Both the passive and active components of the circuit have to be included in the loss-budget calculation. Passive loss is made up of fiber loss, connector loss and splice loss. Active component specifications of interest are system wavelength, transmitter power, receiver sensitivity and dynamic range—the difference between transmitter power and receiver sensitivity.

There are two types of buffers: tight and loose. A tight buffer is applied directly over the fiber. This protects the fiber, but introduces a potential problem if the temperature drops below freezing. At low temperatures, the buffer material shrinks more than the glass fiber, which puts stress on the fiber and causes the glass to develop “micro-bends” or spots where light escapes from the fiber, thus increasing the attenuation of the fiber.

Loose buffers do not protect the glass fiber as well as tight buffers, but they hold the glass strand in a tube filled with a compound to keep moisture from getting onto the fiber. Because they are loose at low temperatures, the buffer can shrink without the fiber developing micro-bends. As a result, loose-tube cable

is primarily used for outside plant installations where low attenuation and high cable-pulling strength are required.

Stay DryUntil recently, most installations chose a gel-filled cable, but now dry-water-blocked cables are widely available and preferred by many users. Dry-water cables use water-absorbing tape that expands and seals the cable if any water enters it. Installers prefer dry cable, as it does not require the messy, tedious removal of the gel used in many cables and greatly reduces cable preparation for splicing or termination.

The strength member in a cable is either fiberglass or aramid, and the cable should be pulled only by these strength members. Any other method can put stress on the fibers and harm them. Similarly, cables should not be pulled by the jacket unless specifically approved by the cable manufacturer and an approved cable grip is used. In addition, twisting the cable can also stress the fibers.

Remember when installing cable that the typical minimum bend radius for fiber-optic cable is 20 times the outside diameter of the jacketed cable for installation and 15 times this same diameter over the long term. Bearing in mind that installation of an outside plant (OSP) cable could cost 100 times the cost of the cable itself, the recommendation is that you do not bend your fiber to less than 20 times the outside radius of the jacketed cable.

As it is the fiber sheath that provides strain relief and strength for pull-through conduit, more sheath means more rigidity and, therefore, a requirement for increased bend radius. In addition, you should always pull cable down to avoid stress from the weight of cable on the fibers in the core.

Knowing the limitations of the physical layer will help you prepare a better design, and the references at the end of this article and in the sidebar offer sources for additional information about the network layout as well as the specification and execution of the project in the field.

Beckhoff Automation’s Wadowick reinforced the importance of terminations, saying, “Technical support calls are almost always about fiber terminations, the connections and ends, or splicing.”

Fiber optics will continue to grow in the industrial setting. Fiber-optic cable is different than copper and requires special skills and tools to install. Terminations continue to play a critical role in the success of an installation. And, yes, the constant remains that the physical layer, which is the underpinning of any industrial network, continues be critical to the success of any project.

Reference: “Guide to Industrial Fiberoptics,” from Relcom at www.relcominc.com/pdf/relcomIFOGuide.pdf

Ian Verhappen is an ISA Fellow, Certified Automation Professional and a recognized authority on industrial communications technologies with 25+ years’ experience. Ian can be reached at [email protected] or via his blog at community.controlglobal.com/kanduski.

evaluation toolSTIA Fiber Optics Tech Consortium’s updated third-generation Network Architecture Model can help decide which architecture is best for an installation. The interactive cost model is a tool that helps compare the installed first costs of several standards-compliant architectures using fiber and copper cabling. The Network Architecture Model, which can be accessed from www.fols.org/cost_model/ lets designers input their own data to most accurately compare different media choices. You need to provide a valid email address to obtain the link to the download, as well as to subscribe to news on updates to the model.

Another very useful site for anyone working with fiber optics is The Fiber Optic Assn. Its technical topics page, www.thefoa.org/tech/, has links to a wide range of useful documents. One of the links on this page, www.thefoa.org/user/, includes links to download a number of useful guides on design, installation and troubleshooting.

UNTIl reCeNTlY, MOsT INsTAllATIONs ChOse

A gel-FIlled CAble, bUT NOw drY-wATer-

blOCked CAbles Are wIdelY AvAIlAble ANd

preFerred bY MANY Users. drY-wATer CAbles

Use wATer-AbsOrbINg TApe ThAT expANds ANd

seAls The CAble IF ANY wATer eNTers IT.


Ian Verhappen [email protected]

t e r m i n a t o r


For many automation engineers and integrators the words that often equate to “potential problems” are “third-party integration.”

of course, if you work on a time-and-materials basis, it also often equates to “billable hours” and profits. not so good on a fixed-price project. However, the problem is that, since automation is often the final hurdle before start-up, the pressure is on to start operations, so stress mounts quickly. if you’re unable to deliver, then your reputation can suffer, and it’s off to find a new customer, rather than having a satisfied, repeat client.

With the increasing use of modules in all forms of construction from automation cells to skid-based processes in the continuous and batch industries, the requirement for third-party integration will grow.

Fortunately, managing a third-party integration follows the same principles as any other engineering project and starts with proper planning up-front. The most basic component of that plan is to have a single database identifying all the project i/o points, not just their source and destination, but the actual tag names. Because tag names are the master index or pointer to all other databases and information in a control system, it’s critical that each tag name be unique. a common database to prevent duplication of devices on modules (i.e. two 10-Pit-10s) is necessary.

isa5.1 is used as the basis for most tag-naming practices, and it has both the granularity and flexibility to meet the needs of practically any application, including the power industry. Propagating a tag-naming convention across a project as part of the front-end engineering design (Feed) or design basis memorandum (dBm) to all suppliers will reduce the risk of tag duplication, and ease integration when all the parts come together at construction and commissioning.

With the increasing use of digital communications on projects, it’s also fortunate that most industries, or at least facilities and projects, restrict themselves to one or two industrial protocols. if we look at the 19+ protocols in the ieC standards, they’ve pretty much sorted themselves by vertical niches or applications. Foundation fieldbus, Hart and Profibus-Pa are primarily used in the process industries. BaCnet and Lonworks are in building automation

and by corollary often in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, where ambient temperature control is important. odVa languages are used in factory automation, and versions of Can are used in the automotive sector. The combination of these industry-niche protocols and projects limiting the number of approved networks helps with module integration, since all the modules are likely to be using the same protocol(s).

The most widely used digital protocol is modbus. it’s often the common denominator and, unfortunately, often the default protocol specified on projects. using a digital protocol with an electronic data sheet, such as an eds, dd, gsd, Fdi, etc., manages the mapping of data from the device registers into fields that reduce the manual labor required by other methods, such as modbus or other protocols without these features. if you use digital communications that require manual mapping, then another form of planning is required. That is, to allocate the appropriate contiguous registers for each data type as part of your planning process—again communicating this to all suppliers, so they comply as well.

one benefit to the engineering company or integrator of manual mapping is that it does result in billable hours, but it’s not the most productive use of the available time of project staff.

in the early 1990s, the society of automotive engineers’ (sae) truck and Bus Control and Communications sub-committee started development of a Can-based application profile for in-vehicle communication in trucks. The result of this work was the J1989 series of standards that we find today in all our vehicles, as well as diesel- and gas-powered electrical generator sets.

at the risk of starting another round of bus wars or complicating the modbus protocol. we might want to consider developing similar modbus “application profiles” for specific applications in which some of the existing buses are not a good fit or have too much overhead for the industry or sector where they’re being used.

Ian Verhappen, P.eng., is an isa Fellow, isa Certified automation Professional, member of the Control automation Hall of Fame, and is a recognized authority on industrial communications technologies.

Beware Third-Party Integration


WITh The IncreasIng

use of dIgITal

communIcaTIons

on ProjecTs, IT Is

forTunaTe ThaT mosT

IndusTrIes, or aT

leasT facIlITIes and

ProjecTs, resTrIcT

Themselves To one

or TWo IndusTrIal

ProTocols.

pa r i t y c h e c k

IN13Q4_21_PARITYCHECK.indd 21 10/30/13 2:42 PM


HANK HOGANcontributing [email protected]


b a n d w i d t h

22

For machine builders and end users, better connections are on the way, thanks to thinking both inside and outside the box. as a result, cable runs can be cut and control improved, while adding little to cost.

many of these connection advances rest on ethernet technology. The chips that implement the networking standard are rapidly dropping in price. in the past, the use of ethernet would bump up the cost of a connection box by a fifth or so, says Jason haldeman, product marketing lead specialist at Phoenix contact (www.phoenixcontact.com).

That differential wasn’t too substantial for junction boxes found inside cabinets, as these were iP20-rated. The situation was different for iP67 boxes, which resist water and dust, and so are suitable for use outside of cabinets.

“on machine-mount products, because they’re more expensive to begin with, a 20% increase was quite a bit. but that price has dropped down to almost equal now, so there’s very minimal difference in cost,” haldeman says.

in response, Phoenix contact created a new product family that takes the junction box to the next level, he says. its products use industry-standard m12 cable connections throughout, but connectivity is actually via ethernet, with box addresses settable by software or a rotary switch. The boxes can be daisy-chained, and have a simple web page for diagnostics.

meanwhile, omron automation and safety (www.omron247.com) released a processor and products that support ethercaT, which it picked because it offers the fastest performance, says Johnston hall, omron’s commercial engineer in Plc, networks and distributed i/o.

importantly, the master is a normal ethernet port, while the slaves have dedicated hardware, he says. “The advantage of that dedicated piece of hardware is it allows you to daisy-chain the i/o, which ethernet normally does not do. That gets rid of the need for a high-performance switch and the need to pull all the cables back to a central point.”

another benefit shows up in motion control. connecting the slave junctions together with synchronizing clocks allows time-stamping events to the microsecond. That’s well below the millisecond or so possible with earlier systems and a benefit for high-speed processing.

beckhoff automation (www.beckhoff.com) also embraces ethercaT, having rolled out a line of multi-function junction boxes that are iP67-rated. These include products that distribute power, handle multiple input and outputs, measure pressure and acceleration, and drive small steppers and motors.

of course, to be fully taken advantage of, these advances outside the cabinet have to be accompanied by ones inside. one such advance comes from rockwell automation (www.rockwellautomation.com). about a year ago, the company unveiled its ciP sync technology, which regional product manager of distributed i/o scot Wlodarczak says solves a common problem: how to synchronize nodes for high-speed operations.

synchronization depends on controller scan time and network latency. The ability to get clocks aligned to one another also has an impact. consider a part moving past an inspection station. as it does so, a generated time stamp enables a controller to calculate when the part will be at a rejection point located further down the production line. less clock jitter yields a more accurate calculation and, therefore, raises maximum allowable production speed.

at regular intervals, the rockwell automation solution synchronizes the local clocks in the input and output block of any connected distributed i/o junction with the controller master clock producing a tight time connection.

siemens industry’s (www.siemens.com/industry) iP20-rated boxes fit inside automation control cabinets, but advances here are important, says Kevin Wu, distributed i/o product manager. he points to reduced response time and improved resistance to electromagnetic interference. siemens redesigned the i/o backplane of its products, encasing pins with gold plating, and improving the fit. another change was a bump up in the number of pins from seven to 26, meaning that some can be used for shielding.

such beefed-up protection is increasingly necessary because of the growing use of wireless technology, Wu notes. Without the right precautions, wireless can lead to signal loss, throughput hits and engineering headaches.

of the impact of those wireless gremlins, he says, “For critical processes, it can really be detrimental. You spend days trying to figure it out.”

building better connection boxes

thE chips that

implEmEnt thE

EthErnEt nEtworking

stanDarD arE rapiDly

Dropping in pricE.

in thE past, thE usE

of EthErnEt woulD

bump up thE cost of

a connEction box by

a fifth or so.

IN13Q4_22_BANDWIDTH.indd 22 10/30/13 2:44 PM

T E R M I N A T O R

232013 • Q4 • INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING 232013 • Q4 • INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING

R E S E A R C H

SMALL, SECURE Smart wireless gateway 1410 eliminates manual readings in remote locations and delivers real-time information. It was designed to meet the needs of smaller networks (up to 25 devices) required for remote applications, has built-in layered security, and additional devices can be added quickly and easily without the need to confi gure the communication paths. Emerson Process Management; 800/999-9307; www.emersonprocess.com

SIGNAL RECEIVED SureCross Wireless Q45 pushbutton with confi rmation light and bidirectional communication permits operators to send a digital signal, and receive confi rmation of its receipt. � e device’s frequency-hopping signal ensures secure data transfer. It has a line-of-site range to 3,000 ft, and it can run for up to fi ve years on two AA lithium batteries, or it can be powered by a local 10-30 V supply. Banner Engineering; 888/373-6767; www.bannerengineering.com

GATEWAY TO THE HART WirelessHART Gateway connects the wired structure and wireless network with its network management to organize and control the wireless network and connect this to a control or SCADA system. Field device signals are received and passed on via the appropriate bus protocol in the fi eldbus. � e gateway can be installed in Zone 1 areas and can serve up to 250 WirelessHART fi eld devices.Pepperl+Fuchs; 330/486-0002; www.pepperl-fuchs.us

FIVE IN ONE Adam-2000Z series wireless I/O modules use IEEE 802.15.4 standard I/O and support 2.4-GHz mesh networking. � ey include a Modbus RTU gateway, router node, I/O and sensor devices. An internal compartment for two AA alkaline batteries will keep devices updated at 1 min intervals for a year. � ey can connect up to 32 nodes, including router and end devices.Advantech Industrial Automation;800/205-7940; www.advantech.com/ea

USERS RECOGNIZE THE ABILITY TO MEASURE VARIABLES AND STATUSES

IN PLACES THAT PREVIOUSLY WERE TOO DIFFICULT OR COSTLY

Wireless Networking Niches Grow

EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE SURVEYED THE INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING audience about its wireless network practices. � e respondents’ most common uses or intended uses of wireless were for monitoring (60%), control (28%) and alerts/alarms (13%).

Survey respondents indicated their biggest concern about/need for wireless connectivity is reliability/data loss (42%), the need for an industrial standard (20%), security issues (18%) and sensor power/battery life (12%).

Regarding industry trends, “� ere is a greater push to integrating industrial networks with corporate networks, so many customers are looking for features that are present in commercial products such as controllers,” says Ariana Drivdahl, product marketing manager for industrial wireless at Moxa. “� ere also is a greater push towards mesh networking, as customers want true seamless wireless coverage in pretty much all vertical markets.”

Wireless is used in many types of applications in the industrial space, says Ira Sharp, product marketing manager, I/O and

networks at Phoenix Contact. “In many cases wireless can be a problem solver, replacing cables, reducing cabling costs and reducing installation time,” he explains. “However, with the growth and the acceptance of wireless in the industrial space, wireless has moved from a simple ‘problem solver’ to enabling applications that would not be possible with other types of networking.

“A common enabling application would be mobile operator access, allowing technicians to collect system data or upload/download new PLC code via wireless without having to power down the panel to connect directly to the PLC from their computers. And wireless has a enabled the use of new operator panels via tablet PCs, which are connected wirelessly to the control system, allowing operators to have updated process information in real time anywhere wireless connectivity is available. � ese enabling applications are not simple wire-replacement applications, and they make a process more effi cient and increase the accessibility of information, which increases productivity.”

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no losses AWK-6232 wireless access point/bridge/client for outdoor networks delivers a net data rate to 300 Mbps and supports IEEE 802.11n. Dual 2.4/5-GHz RF modules permit two independent wireless connections over different frequencies to make zero wireless packet loss possible. It is housed in a IP68-rated metal enclosure with waterproof/dustproof M12 RJ45 connectors. Moxa Americas; 714/528-6777; www.moxa.com

no BatterIes requIred Wireless, industrial-grade, single- and multi-actuator command stations come with pushbutton, selector and key-operated switches. Each has an energy generator, eliminating need for a battery and its related maintenance or replacement. For 915-MHz operation, they’re c CSA us, FCC and IC-certified, and have a nominal transmission range of 40 m inside and 450 m outside.Steute Industrial Controls; 203/244-6301; www.steutewireless.com

douBle Coverage Cisco Aironet 1552S industrial access point, as part of the OneWireless mesh network, provides wireless coverage for tablet PCs, ISA100.11a field instruments, such as wireless temperature transmitters, and Ethernet devices, Wi-Fi clients and ISA100.11a field instruments. It has three dual-band radios that are compliant with IEEE 802.11a/n (5-GHz) and 802.11b/g/n (2.4-GHz) standards. Honeywell; 800/343-0228; www.honeywellprocess.com

long-dIstanCe transmItter WNM wireless network module for sending process signals between remote field sites from up to 30 miles can act as a repeater for a virtually unlimited transmission range. Bi-directional device employs spread-spectrum, frequency-hopping operating at standard 902–928 MHz or 2.4–2.4835 GHz. In Smart Switch Ethernet (SSE) mode, it determines the most efficient path of broadcast on a packet-by-packet basis.Moore Industries; 818/894-7111; www.miinet.com

mImo PerformanCe Scalance W786 and W788 access points with one or two wireless interfaces and W748 client modules offer multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) technology with up to three antennas. They have data rates to 450 Mbps, and comply with the IEEE 802.11n Wireless LAN standard. W786 access points have a high operating temperature range, and W788 has housings with IP65 or IP30 protection.Siemens Industry; 800/964-4114; www.automation.siemens.com

multI-funCtIon use Ethernet WLAN connectivity device is IEEE 802.11a/b/g-compatible in 2.4-GHz or 5.8-GHz bands, and it can be used as an access point, bridge or client. Device power can be supplied using PoE or with redundant power supply connections. It supports multi SSID, VLAN and QoS for integration into existing Ethernet networks. It has WPA/WPA2 encryption and Radius server authentication (IEEE 802.1X). Weidmüller; 800/849-9343; www.weidmuller.com

no Cluster HeadaCHes FL WLAN 5101 802.11a/b/g/n radio for wireless industrial Ethernet communications offers speeds to 300 Mbps. Cluster management (CM) technology simplifies wireless network management. All access points in a WLAN network can be configured and managed via a single web interface using any access point in the network without additional hardware or software.Phoenix Contact; 800/322-3225; www.phoenixcontact.com/wlan

slIP away from slIP rIngs IP65 WLAN wireless Ethernet gateways (WEGs) simplify machine-to-machine networking and replace slip rings on rotating equipment. 758-916 (2.4-GHz) and 758-917 (5-GHz) WEGS transmit data up to 1,300 ft line-of-sight via Modbus/TCP, EtherNet/IP or Profinet. On-unit LEDs provide diagnostics/operational status. A pushbutton and web-based management tool simplify configuration.Wago; 800/din-rail; www.wago.us


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go Pro IndustrialPro 6000 industrial cellular routers with Ethernet and serial interfaces provide wireless communication between SCADA servers and remote RTUs, PLC/controllers and other automation devices. Support for 4G LTE with 3G fallback provides streaming video support for monitoring applications. VPN capabilities, data encryption and stateful firewall configuration can be used to secure remote networks.Sixnet; 518/877-5173; www.sixnet.com

CustomIzed m2m Aleos Application Framework has an integrated development environment, feature-rich libraries and a set of tools to develop custom M2M applications on top of the Aleos embedded intelligence platform on AirLink GX400 and GX440 gateways. It provides M2M and network protocol stacks, access to existing services and direct access to hardware interfaces.Sierra Wireless; 604/232-1488; www.sierrawireless.com

use the wave PremierWave EN wireless device server includes an embedded Linux development kit for wireless connectivity with tunneling, secure tunneling, configuration manager, web-based configuration manager, system-level and diagnostic utilities, Ethernet-to-wireless LAN bridging and virtual IP access for remote connectivity behind firewalls.Lantronix; 800/526-8766; www.lantronix.com

versatIle wIreless AirborneM2M 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi platform with dual-band (2.4- and 5-GHz) connectivity includes industrial Wi-Fi access points (APXN) and Wi-Fi clients (ABDN), including Ethernet bridges, Ethernet routers and serial servers, and can connect RS-232, 422, 485, Ethernet 10/100M and I/O to the Wi-Fi network. Power options include 5-36 Vdc and 802.3af PoE. Security features include network security (EAP), wireless security (802.11i and WPA2-PSK), access security (authentication and firewalls), communication security (SSH) and device security (encryption). B&B Electronics; 800/346-3119; www.bb-elec.com

alerts for analog wSeries wireless transmitters for analog voltage and current, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure communicate over standard 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and send text messages or e-mail alarms if variables go above or below a pre-determined setpoint. The CE-compliant product has a NEMA 4/IP65 enclosure.Omega Engineering; 203/359-1660; www.omega.com

ad Index Advantech Industrial Automation ..........................11

ARC Advisory Group ....................................................27

AutomationDirect .......................................................... 2

CC-Link ............................................................................28

Hilscher North America ................................................ 6

Moxa Americas ................................................................ 4

Phoenix Contact ............................................................. 3

ProSoft Technology......................................................16

Red Lion Controls ..................................................15, 17

Sealevel Systems...........................................................14

Turck .................................................................................... 9

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WE RECENTLY DEPLOYED MOBILE OPERATOR stations enabled by wireless networking to speed up turnaround at our plant in Vicksburg, Miss. We saved 60% on labor or more than 1,400 hours worth $187,000.

Our mobile worker project started with buying two Panasonic Toughbook laptop PCs and then connecting them to the plant’s DeltaV DCS via four wireless access points and 61 wireless components. We wanted the laptops to work as complete DeltaV operating stations, so one person in the valve area could ask for a valve to be stroked and collect the signal right there.

Carried out this past January and February, the project had two main objectives: to perform a standard four-to-six-year maintenance turnaround of our hydrogen gas plant and propane distillation asphalt (PDA) plant, which consists of servicing or replacing about 130 valves; and to commission, site-accept and loop-check our crude Hydrogen Processing Unit 2 after migrating it to DeltaV and Emerson’s CHARMs electronic marshalling and I/O components. This project included five cabinets, each with two CHARMs I/O carriers (CIOCs) and 96 channels for a total of 550 loops.

The plan involved several primary steps: • Preconfigure and factory acceptance test

(FAT) applicable hardware;• Conduct a site survey;• Finalize locations for access points (APs);• Optimize AP locations based on available

networking infrastructure;• Complete temporary device installations;• Set up and start DeltaV’s Mobile Worker

program;• Begin to realize initial benefits;• Procure added equipment and ship new

hardware to Ergon for final installation.We also planned to turn the Toughbooks into

DeltaV stations by using the remote desktop protocol (RDP) or a remote access service (RAS) server to provide redundancy, access to multiple DeltaV DCSs, and automated disconnect/reconnect with visual feedback. As a result, RAS was implemented on the two laptops’ Pro+ sections; a remote node was created in Ergon’s DeltaV Explorer software; DeltaV was implemented on the laptops; and a license was assigned to them.

The main equipment used in Ergon’s mobile worker project include the two Model CF-19 Toughbooks, which are intrinsically safe, water- and shock-resistant PCs with touchscreen functions. Meanwhile, the AP functions are performed by Cisco 1552 Series outdoor access points, which are Class I, Div 2-rated as explosion-proof, while the plant’s WLAN controller is a Cisco 2504 wireless access point. The laptops communicate at 2.4 GHz, while the APs run at 5 GHz, and the overall WPN uses IEEE 802.11an Wi-Fi.

The APs and other wireless devices are secured by the Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol in Cisco’s components. As a result, mobile workers using the Toughbooks and DeltaV are protected because their and the controllers’ data is encrypted in a CAPWAP tunnel function that monitors the WPN and disallows any unauthorized communications. Ergon’s WPN also uses WPA2 passwords, authentication and security methods, as well as 128-bit encryption of its data.

We initially bought the DeltaV license, used a Cisco wireless router to help build the system, and made sure it was feasible by first bringing up the mobile worker in our conference room. After building a little confidence there, we began implementing Cisco and Emerson radios in other field locations. Our resulting WPN includes three main sections:

• Mesh access points that communicate among themselves and with the wired network using wireless connections over the 802.11a/n radio backhaul. They also provide client access on 802.11b/g/n radios;

• A wireless LAN controller that provides centralized control of the APs; and

• An optional network control system that provides a visualized system view of the network for RF planning and management.

In the future, we might add other devices and capabilities to its WPN. We might add another AP to the PDA or to the terminal area. We’re also talking about expanding the WPN into other assets and applications.

Steve Giddens is senior systems analyst at Ergon Refining (www.ergon.com), the world’s largest manufacturer of naphthenic process oils, with a processing capacity of up to 25,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Mobile Workers Embrace Wireless

Scott [email protected]

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