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Wireless Compliance Institute tests ISA100 devices at chemical plant

October 7, 2009 - Within days of approval of the ISA100.11a standard by the ISA Standards and Practices Board, the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute successfully deployed tested and approved ISA100.11a standard devices in a multi-vendor installation of the technology at an Arkema plant in Crosby, Texas. The objective of the installation is to demonstrate interoperability among multiple vendor devices using the ISA100.11a technology.

The system has been operating at Arkema since 19 September 2009, ten days after the ISA100.11a standard was ratified. The parallel development of stacks, transmitters, and compliance tools while the ISA100.11a standard was being finalized by ISA, made it possible to install a working, interoperable, multi-vendor system achieving clear user benefits in the real world in record time.

“It’s a great opportunity to discover this new technology and understand what it can bring to our operations,” notes Didier Auber, the Arkema Crosby Plant Manager. “With the standard ratified, multiple vendors supporting, and big industry players coming on board, the ISA100.11a standard is here to stay so we can develop and grow its use in our plant.”

Suppliers participating in the Arkema site installation include Gastronics, Honeywell, Nivis, Wilson Mohr, Wireless Access Solutions (formally Gooch Engineering) and Yokogawa. Sensors from additional WCI supplier members will be added to the ISA100.11a network starting in October 2009 as part of the ongoing WCI facilitated Arkema user deployments.

“The transmitters installed at Arkema have been tested and approved for ISA100.11a compliance using the Wireless Compliance Institute’s Device Interoperability Test Kit (ITK),” says Jay Werb, WCI Technology Director. “The ITK is a hardware/software tool using XML scripts which emulate the operation of an ISA100.11a system manager in a transparent and vendor-independent manner. The ITK is being packaged for commercial release in early 2010.”

There were numerous applications at the site for ISA100.11a standard including temperature, pressure, contact closure, valve positioning, gas detection, corrosion detection, and others. Arkema Crosby enthusiastically embraced the vision of a single coherent architecture that is scalable to cover all of these applications, plus many more, with high reliability across the site. The entire site is currently covered by two backbone connections and sensor meshing.

Herman Storey, formerly of Shell Global Solutions reports that, “The ISA100.11a devices do work in a multi-vendor mesh with a common host system. The mesh dynamically handles re-routing in real time. Provisioning and commissioning is interoperable thanks to work done by WCI to provide support services and tools.”

Arkema is a €5.6B diversified global chemicals manufacturer that produces vinyl products, industrial chemicals, and performance products. Worldwide, Arkema has 80 industrial sites in more than 40 countries and six research and development centers. Arkema’s site in Crosby Texas produces liquid organic peroxides that are the foundation for products that we use in every day life, ranging from automotive components and food packaging to health and beauty aides and, cleaning products.

About the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute
Comprised of industry leaders from major manufacturing and automation control system users and suppliers, the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) was formed to decrease the time, costs, and risks of developing and deploying standards-based, industrial wireless devices and systems. WCI has established a collaborative industry-based program among users, suppliers, and other stakeholders that conducts independent testing and certification of wireless devices and systems; provides education, tools, and technical support to users and suppliers; accelerates adoption of the ISA100 standards; and assures interoperability.

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