HUG embraces Wireless for Safety, Reliability & Efficiency

Jack Bolick, President of Honeywell Process Solutions, kicked off the 32nd annual Honeywell Users Group this week in Phoenix, Arizona. Bolick summarized Honeywell’s approach to the market with four main points.

• Start with the customer’s required outcome
• Provide a Global Enterprise Solution enabled by Open System Architecture
• Process control networks are expanded by economical wireless technology to access needed data
• Filter data to make individual decisions; i.e., don’t get flooded with data

According to Bolick, Honeywell continues to fulfill the Experion PKS Vision by blending control, advanced applications and business applications into one solution. PKS is intended to address Process Control, Business Agility, People Agility and Asset Management.

Exemplifying its commitment to offering complete automation solutions, Honeywell announced OneWireless Mesh Network. Honeywell claims their wireless leadership position with over 300 patents published or pending. It’s interesting to note that the U.S. Department of Energy has selected Honeywell for industrial wireless research and solution development.

According to Honeywell, its new OneWireless is universal, simple and efficient. Universal because it’s one platform that supports multiple protocols and applications. Simple because it’s one system to learn, operate and maintain. Efficient because it’s one scaleable network that conserves spectrum and power.

OneWireless supports Honeywell’s existing line of XYR 5000 wireless transmitters (with more than 500 installations) as well as the new line of XYR 6000 transmitters which includes corrosion, gauge pressure, differential pressure, high-level analog input and temperature transmitters. The transmitters all run on battery power and can last anywhere from 3-10 years depending on update frequencies.

Honeywell touts that OneWireless is the only wireless solution you will need in your plant and outlines the benefits as…

• Single plant-wide wireless infrastructure for lowest total cost of ownership
• Simultaneous connection to multiple industrial protocols including Modbus, OPC, HART, etc.
• Best integrated industrial security available today
• Extremely reliable mesh system – field proven for best uptime
• Most flexible and upgradeable plant-wide wireless system available today

The wireless access point features three radios and two Ethernet ports, and is compliant with ISA’s emerging SP100 standard. As a result, it can communicate with any device that is compliant with the standard. OneWireless is scalable up to 30,000 devices per network and can run up to four networks simultaneously.

The OneWireless solution allows Honeywell to expand existing process control networks where hard-wired solutions were impractical or impossible. With this wireless technology, Honeywell can help plants improve overall safety, reliability and efficiency by tapping into data that was previously unavailable.

The OneWireless starter kit, which includes one access point and two transmitters, can be set up in as little as 20 minutes. The cost of the kit is $7500.00.

Please share your thoughts, concerns and experiences with wireless technology in our new discussion forum which is accessible from the "Forum" navigation button on Automation.com (registration and login required).

Other Honeywell announcements made at HUG:

• Honeywell introduces Real-time Locator System for manufacturing facilities
• Honeywell introduces line of Krohne flow meters

Enjoy the rest of this eNews!

Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher

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