Fieldbus has proven its value with users enjoying smart digital communication down to the field device, enabling many new opportunities for increased plant availability, faster plant start-up and better asset management. Experienced users agree, fieldbus installation practices have a significant influence on the quality of communication. A good installation is the only measure to protect fieldbus communication and thus plant operation from being adversely affected by maintenance work, water ingress, loose wire strands or corrosion. Over time these negative factors compound and will degrade communication signals leading to network instabilities.
Only real-time monitoring of the physical layer provides early notification of changes before they have a negative effect on the fieldbus signal. Monitoring the physical layer of a fieldbus maximises system availability. Fieldbus diagnostic tools with online monitoring capabilities, such as the FieldConnex Advanced Diagnostic Module (ADM) are typically integrated into the fieldbus power supply, such as the FieldConnex Power Hub. Here the ADM can monitor everything from load conditions, to noise, to ground faults and measure the device signal level. Status information is easily communicated to the DCS and the ADM provides transparency and clarity through detailed measurement and monitoring tools. It provides an easy to understand interface that decodes the data from the physical layer and translates it into actionable information in clear text taking the guess work out of fieldbus and supporting the user at every stage of a fieldbus project.
The ADM enables proactive plant management and plant upkeep turning the fieldbus physical layer into an asset that can then be included in proactive asset management.
The Diagnostic Manager software provides a visual representation of the digital fieldbus communications making users aware when a problem is about to arise. In conjunction with the ADM the Diagnostic Manager makes working with fieldbus easy as every interaction with the ADM is done from the safety of the control room via the Diagnostic Manager. The ADM Hardware is a connection to the bus and the software does the rest. This is the true benefit.
The system was designed to address the needs of four different user groups:
End users
The value to end users is in OPEX (operational expenditure) savings over the life of a plant. By determining potential trouble segments proactive maintenance can be scheduled and if a catastrophic failure should occur, rapid diagnostic analysis is on-line and available.
* Advanced diagnostics bring transparency to the physical layer.
* Operators are warned before problems become critical.
* The ADM gives actionable information per segment and per device for targeted action planning.
* For tricky problems fieldbus experts can be called on. Remote access or e-mail communication can be used to transmit detailed physical layer measurements.
Commissioning contractors
All fieldbus installations require the commissioning of each segment to ensure proper physical installation. The diagnostic software guides the contractor through the steps required to commission the segment and document the results in a custom report format.
This feature significantly reduces the commissioning time, thereby reducing start-up costs.
* Pre-commissioning checks including cable and communication validation are carried out with all devices connected saving time on the critical path.
* Documentation is automatically generated eliminating repetitive work.
* The ADM gives actionable information on wiring errors and detects types such as grounding, shorts, EMI, wrong termination and duplicate addressing.
* Complete and detailed documentation about quality of the physical layer ensures simplified handover.
Maintenance contractors
For the maintenance contractor the diagnostic module with appropriate software provides two key advantages. The first allows for proactive resolution of pending problems by periodically checking the health of the physical layer. The second, the Internet capability of the solution, gives the ability to perform both monitoring and troubleshooting from a remote site.
* Continuous communications monitoring.
* Detection of sudden or creeping performance degradation.
* Detection of intermittent faults, including fault history with time stamping.
* History, trending and alarming.
* Remote access decreases time for troubleshooting.
Fieldbus experts
Fieldbus specialists can use this tool to certify installations, products or software, and troubleshoot specific network problems. The software can be used to diagnose, either remotely or on-site, physical layer faults or hardware issues.
Distinction between faults per device or segment.
* The ADM gives actionable information on wiring errors for checkout after maintenance work or plant reconfiguration.
* Detailed analysis – an integrated oscilloscope displays wave forms.
* Remote access via secure Internet connection.
It is no longer necessary for installation and maintenance personnel to be specialists in the fieldbus physical layer. The expert knowledge is built into the ADM and Diagnostic Manager.
For more information contact P&F Products, +27 (0)11 609 8188, [email protected], www.pandf.co.za
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