By Bill Lydon - Contributing Editor
PROFIBUS Hits New Highs...over 25 million installed nodes!
August 5-7, 2008 Scottsdale, Arizona
This year’s PTO General Assembly Meeting again was attended by an enthusiastic group of users, suppliers, and distributors that apply PROFIBUS and PROFINET technology.
Michael (Mike) Bryant, Executive Director was master of ceremonies and forecasted PROFINET will be the leading Ethernet Technology for automation applications. He further commented that PROFINET has changed from a fieldbus technology to an automation technology reflecting the integration of controls, automation, and business enterprise systems.
"PROFINET has changed from a fieldbus technology to an automation technology."
Michael (Mike) Bryant, PTO, Executive Director
Mike Bryant reinforced previous statements about the delivery of the technology, “Most of the available products will be based on Ethernet controller ASIC technology with PROFINET enhancements built in (including IRT). The ASIC technology guarantees high speed, real-time transmissions, determinism, interoperability, and cost efficiency.”
“Most of the available products will be based on Ethernet controller ASIC technology...guarantees high speed, real-time transmissions, determinism, interoperability, and cost efficiency.”
Along with user experience presentations and technology updates this year’s PTO General Assembly Meeting featured a “Collaboration Corner” to highlight the cooperative efforts of the PROFIBUS and PROFINET community with the Wireless Cooperation Team (WCT) and EDDL Cooperation Team (ECT).
Training Focus
PTO has always been committed to training - the backbone of the organization's service to the industry is insuring the technology is properly applied. Over the last year the PTO has given 49 free educational seminars throughout North America. Two days before the meeting the PTO held a one day PROFINET training class and a PROFINET Developer workshop. The PTO is one of 25 regional associations worldwide. The worldwide organization now has 37 competence centers, 10 certified test labs, and 16 certified training centers.
Click for PTO Training Calandar
PROFI Growth
Mike Bryant, proudly reported the growth achieved and future goals for the organization.
- 410,000 PROFIsafe devices installed through 2007
- 750,000 PROFIBUS PA devices installed through 2007
- 23,300,000 PROFIBUS devices installed through 2007 (4.5 million in 2007)
- Over 25 million PROFIBUS devices installed through April, 2008
- 1.14 million installed PROFINET nodes through 2007
- Goal - 50 million PROFIBUS DP Installed nodes by 2012!
- Goal - 3 million PROFINET nodes by 2010
User Experience Presentations
Water Plant Retrofit with PROFIBUS Installed $20 Million Under Budget!
Case Study: DeKalb County Georgia Water Plant
Merat Zarreii, Filtration and Treatment Division Manager for DeKalb County, presented a case study on the upgrade of their Scott Chandler Water Filter plant expansion including the experience with PROFIBUS. The big idea from the presentation was “Digital Communication Networks are Bringing Intelligence into Municipal Plant Operation and Maintenance”. Merat is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all water and wastewater plants as well as distribution/ collection system facilities in DeKalb County. He has over 20 years experience in private and municipal process plant design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
“Digital Communication Networks are Bringing Intelligence into Municipal Plant Operation and Maintenance”
DeKalb County serves a pollution of over 700,000 covering 261 Square miles. Water is taken from the Chattahoochee River. They have achieved the lowest water and sewer rates in the Metro Atlanta area. With this project, the Scott Chandler water capacity was upgraded from 128 Million Gallons per Day (MGD to 200MGD.
The Scott Candler project goals were capacity and compliance improvements, zero discharge, lower operations and maintenance costs, standardize processes across all DeKalb water plants, easy operation, increased reliability, and increased operation & maintenance efficiency.
Positive Results
- Reduced Enclosure Sizes
- Less PLC I/O Cards
- Eliminated 300,000 feet of 12 gauge wire and associated cond
- Lower operational and maintenance costs
- Regulatory compliance easily achieved
- The overall number of maintenance staff has decreased
- Field work safety level has increased
- Reduction of plant shut downs due to detailed diagnostic data from devices
- Plug & play device replacement with Endress+Hauser Memosens sensors
- Project actual cost of $155 million was $20 million under budget!
PROFIBUS Selection
Merat described the key reasons for selecting PROFIBUS for this project.
- PROFIBUS is offered in both DP and PA flavors
- DP has a very fast Communication speed
- PA is perfect for intrinsically safe requirements
- More instruments were available in PROFIBUS than other Fieldbus protocols
- Higher level of standardization in instrumentation could be achieved by PROFIBUS instruments
PROFIBUS Benefits
DeKalb personnel found significant installation and commissioning benefits using PROFIBUS:
- Less cable (shorter runs)
- Less distribution cabinets
- No Main or Subsidiary Marshalling Racks
Pitfalls to Avoid
Merat provided advice to avoid mistakes based on their experience.
- Few engineering companies specializing in municipal market have experience with field bus design - qualify them
- Few Integrators in US have experience with field bus design, installation and commissioning - qualify them
- Specify a minimum communication speed for DP in advance
- Faulty installation could lead into Phantom problems that will cause costly delays
"Problems created because the systems integrator was not trained on PROFIBUS resulted in weeks of projected delays that could have been avoided."
As a prime example he described the "south side communications problem" as a reason to be sure your system integrator has certified PROFIBUS engineers on staff. In this case, the manufacturer offered the integrator a free three day class on PROFIBUS installation techniques. The integrator declined because they could not afford to have their staff lose three days work! The communications problems created because the systems integrator was not trained on PROFIBUS resulted in weeks of delay on the project.
Lessons Learned
- Fiber runs between all cabinets to combat noise, reflections, and transient surge
- Number one tool is Field Care by Endress and Hauser
- Number two tool is the Cisco Network Assistant
Manufacturers Products used on this project.
- Endress and Hauser (most instruments)
- Rockwell Automation (MCC, PLC, Vibration Monitoring, Drives)
- Cisco, ABB, PEPPERL + FUCHS, AND Phoenix Contact (network components)
- HACH (Turbidity Monitoring)
- Siemens (Ozone System PLC’s)
- SST and Prosoft (Prolinx Data concentrator and PROFIBUS Master cards)
Making Compost with PROFINET?
Case Study: Mushroom Compost Production
The Dutch company CNC Grondstoffen produces compost for the commercial cultivation of mushrooms. When modernizing its operations, CNC chose PROFINET and PROFIBUS for controls networking.
PROFINET was used becasue it offered a deterministic control network running on the same Ethernet with general office applications.
The Netherlands is the world's largest exporter of cultivated mushrooms and CNC Grondstoffen is the country's leading compost supplier. The process requires precise climate control of relative humidity, temperature, and fresh air supply and optimal balance. This application required approximately 3,000 digital inputs and outputs, as well as 900 analog inputs for control and monitoring.
PROFINET is used as the high level network connecting the PLCs to the control room and twelve PROFINET IO stations from Phoenix Contact communicating via an optical fiber ring that is approximately 3km long. This network is also used for normal office communication. Phoenix Contact MMS modular managed switches are used at the individual stations. Six PLCs are used for the tunnel control system, another for exhaust air decontamination, and another to control the I/O devices. Additional I/O is connected to each PLC over PROFIBUS using Phoenix Inline PROFIBUS I/O nodes, there are a total of 64 stations.
PROFIBUS In The Mining Industry
Case Study: Mining Shovel Controls
Todd Preder, Business Development Manager for Professional Control Corporation in Germantown, WI presented the application of PROFIBUS to upgrade the control design for mining shovels. The mining shovels are in harsh environments and used at remote locations around the world. Initial challenges were the harsh environment, electrically noisy environment, and the units rotate 360°. Another consideration is the machines are assembled on the delivery site because they are so large.
The goals of the project were elimination of downtime due to electronics failures, provide advanced diagnostic capabilities, simplify installation, project modularity/consistency, make machine options easy to add, and distributed intelligence for some machine functions.
Products Used
The system uses a combination of products incorporating PROFIBUS.
- PROFIBUS using ABB AC-800 controller allows for multiple PROFIBUS masters to separate drive communications from the I/O network
- Fiber communications between enclosures to reduce noise problems
- PROFIBUS communication through Slip Rings
- ABB Large Drives with Profibus
- Siemens PROFIBUS Drive
- PROFIBUS I/O using Siemens ET200S Distributed I/O with built-in fiber optic interface and hot swappable I/O
- Milltronics Multi-Ranger Level Sensor w/PROFIBUS Used for sensing the level of hydraulic fluid
Technology Updates
The PROFIBUS and PROFINET technologies are driven by more than 500 technical specialists in over 50 working groups with technical progress reported at the meeting.
2007 Technical Developments
PROFINET
- Fast Start-up for PROFINET IO specified
- Certification for Conformance Class A finished
Profiles
- Profile for Intelligent Pumps for PROFIBUS / PROFINET IO finished
- Profile for Laboratory Devices finished
IO-Link
- Specification for physical layer and protocol released
- Integration in PROFIBUS and PROFINET finished
System integration
- DCS Requirements for PROFINET for process automation finished
- FDI started
Standardization
- PROFINET IO and CBA in IEC 61158/61784 finalized
- PROFIsafe IEC 61784-3 finalized
- PROFIdrive IEC 61800-7 finalized
Current Standardization Activities
Completed Activities
- PROFIBUS in IEC 61158 Ed. 4 & IEC 61784-1
- PROFINET (IO and CBA) in IEC 61158 Ed. 4 & IEC 61784-1/-2
- PROFIdrive in IEC 61800-7 (Generic Drive Interface )
- PROFIsafe in IEC 61784-3-3 (Functional Safety)
- PROFINET Security in IEC 62443 (available as PAS document)
- ISA 61804-series FBsfor Process Control & EDDL (adopted from IEC)
- ISA/TR 61804-4 EDDL Guideline
- ISA 61804-3 EDDL with Enhancements of the ECT (EDDL Cooperation Team) Phase 1
Ongoing Activities
- PROFINET Security in ISA SP99 und IEC 61784-4
- PROFINET & PROFIBUS Installation Guide in IEC 61918 & IEC 61784-5-3
- Profile "Low Voltage Switch Gear" in IEC 61915
- PTCP for PROFINET IO in IEEE 1588 V2 und IEEE 802.1as
- MRP for PROFINET IO in IEC 62439 (High Availability)
New Activities
- Wireless Sensor Actuator Network in ISA SP100
- IO-Link in IEC
Collaboration Corner, Cooperative Efforts
Wireless Cooperation Team (WCT)
HART & PROFIBUS
Ron Helson, Executive Director of HART Communication Foundation gave the presentation on this activity. The PROFIBUS organization (PNO), PTO's sister organization in Germany, is backing an "unprecedented" initiative aimed at driving forward wireless standards for automation. The Fieldbus Foundation (FF), HART Communication Foundation (HCF) and PNO, have formed a Wireless Cooperation Team (WCT) to collaborate on wireless technology in the manufacturing and process industries. The initiative is modeled on the organization’s successful collaboration on Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and is focused on delivering consistent functionality to end users. The PROFIBUS wireless specification for process control was abandoned in favor of the WCT approach.
"The PROFIBUS organization (PNO), PTO's sister organization in Germany, is backing an unprecedented initiative aimed at driving forward wireless standards for automation."
HART, FF, and PROFIBUS Organizations Launch Wireless Cooperation Team
HART® Communication Foundation, Fieldbus Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganisation to collaborate on the implementation of wireless technology.
Ron Helson, Executive Director of HART Communication Foundation described the Wireless Cooperation Team (WCT)
The cooperation goals are to address technical issues related to wireless applications. Fieldbus Foundation, HART, and PNO are working together in the interest of establishing a common, open standard. The intent of the collaboration is to facilitate the acceptance of wireless technology.
The three organizations have agreed to develop a specification for a common interface to a wireless gateway. The organizations have also agreed to base their work on the WirelessHART™ technology of the HART Communication Foundation and the emerging ISA SP 100.11a standard. The project is developing use cases, requirements and specifications for wireless communication with intelligent field devices in process measurement and control applications in the automation Industries. The goal of the cooperative project is to create a common specification while ensuring complete compatibility with the existing wired versions of each participant’s technology.
EDDL Cooperation Team (ECT)
Tom Burke, President and Executive Director OPC Foundation reported on the ECT cooperation in developing a common Field Device Interface standard. On 17 th of April 2007 the ECT – with the founding members FF, HCF, OPC Foundation and the PNO – held a joint press conference with the FDT Group announcing the initiative to have "FDI Field Device Integration." The goal is device integration for process and factory that incorporates the best of EDDL and FDT.
Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) is an international standard, IEC (IEC 61804-3). Using this technology, it is possible to provide an interoperable environment where information available in modern automation sensors and actuators may be accessed by distributed process control systems or handheld communicator to:
- Configure
- Calibrate a device
- Diagnose problems
- Provide data and alarms for user-interface displays
The Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) is a text-based language that may be used to describe the characteristics of field devices. Device suppliers use EDDL to create Electronic Device Description (EDD) files.
The EDD file provides a standardized form and structure for host systems and handheld communicators to access and display information in field instruments independent of the communication protocol or device operating system. The EDD file created by an instrument or device designer uses EDDL syntax to describe a device and all its parameters in detail. This can include parameters such as process variable, setpoint, high-low limits, ambient temperature, etc. Also, EDDL supports Methods, a scripting language based on a subset of ANSI C that is used to support step-by-step, interactive setup and calibration procedures. Device designers can define where all the important parameters should appear on an UI display, such as in columns or bar charts, and in which order.
The organizations reached an agreement to combine efforts and work toward a unified solution for device integration that is compatible with both technologies satisfying one of the most frequent customer requests. This will benefit users and manufacturers. The group is working together to finalize this solution and achieve a common framework that meets the requirements of all parties. Developments will use a subset of the OPC UA technology within a client-server architecture. These efforts are aimed at eliminating the double efforts for customers and vendors, and preserves backward compatibility and operating system independence. It is based on the upcoming OPC UA technology, providing EDDL based integration with the possibility for integrating software applications for highly complex requirements.
Tom Burke made the point that by using this technology and the associated Electronic Device Description file (EDD) it is possible to provide an interoperable environment where information available in sensors and actuators may be accessed by distributed process control systems or handheld communicator to configure, calibrate a device, diagnose problems, provide data and alarms for user-interface displays. EDD’s are available for more than 20 million installed field instruments from a host of manufacturers.
PTO Board of Directors
Victor Wolowec, E+H
Filomena Wardzel, Siemens
Thad Frost, Invensys
Robb Black, Turck
Micheal Bryant, Executive Director
Carl Henning, Deputy Director
Lynne Froehlich, Administrative Director
Marsha Bryant, Administrator
Open, Technical Director
