April 2011 - Control Global

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THE HIDDEN FIELDBUS NETWORK THE RIGHT TOOL FOR TRICKY MEASUREMENT JOBS ANALYZER SAMPLE SYSTEMS BASICS CT1102_01_CVR.indd 3 EXCLUSIVE TO THE WEB HOW MUCH THREAT INFO DO USERS REALLY NEED? EUROPEAN PROCESS NEWS 1/27/11 9:06 AM 555 W. PIERCE RD., SUITE 301 • ITASCA, ILLINOIS 60143 administrative team President & CEO: JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI Vice President: JULIE CAPPELLETTI-LANGE VP, Circulation: JERRY CLARK publishing team Group Publisher/VP Content: KEITH LARSON klarson@putman.net Midwest/Southeast Regional Sales Manager: GREG ZAMIN gzamin@putman.net 630/551-2500, Fax: 630/551-2600 Western Regional Sales Manager: LAURA MARTINEZ 310/607-0125, Fax: 310/607-0168 lmar tinez@putman.net Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager: DAVE FISHER Inside Accounts Manager: POLLY DICKSON Ad Traffic Supervisor: ANETTA GAUTHIER 508/543-5172, Fax 508/543-3061 dfisher@putman.net pdickson@putman.net agauthier@putman.net Subscriptions/Circulation: JERRY CLARK, JACK JONES foster reprints Reprints Marketing Manager: JILL KALETHA 888/64 4-1803 1-866-879-914 4 ex t. 168, Fax 219.561.2019 jillk@ fosterprinting.com editorial team Editor in Chief: WALT BOYES Executive Editor: JIM MONTAGUE wboyes@putman.net jmontague@putman.net Digital Managing Editor: KATHERINE BONFANTE Managing Editor: NANCY BARTELS Senior Technical Editor: DAN HEBERT kbonfante@putman.net nbar tels@putman.net dheber t@putman.net Contributing Editor: JOHN REZABEK Columnists: BÉLA LIPTÁK, GREG MCMILLAN, STAN WEINER Editorial Assistant: LORI GOLDBERG design & production team Group Art Director: STEVE HERNER sherner@putman.net Art Director: DEREK CHAMBERLAIN dchamberlain@putman.net Associate Art Director: BRIAN HERTEL bher tel@putman.net JESSE H. NEAL AWARD WINNER ELEVEN ASBPE EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS TWENTY-FIVE ASBPE EXCELLENCE IN GRAPHICS AWARDS ASBPE 2009 MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR FINALIST FOUR OZZIE AWARDS FOR GRAPHICS EXCELLENCE T E C H N I C A L LY S P E A K I N G F E E D B A C K Fieldbus Errors I enjoyed reading the article “Fieldbus Jungle,” (www.controldesign.com/industrynews/2011/018.html), but I found a number of factual errors connected with Profibus and Foundation fieldbus (FF): 1. Comparing the cost of Profibus PA and 4-20mA, the author uses the example of 5 to 10 valves or transmitters for non- IS. In my experience, most non-IS designs will use 15 to 20 valves and transmitters. By the article’s argument, increasing the number of valves and transmitters would make Profibus more economical than 4-20mA. 2. The author states that the lead time for fieldbus devices is longer than for 4-20 mA devices. This is not true for Siemens. The published lead times for Profibus PA, HART, FF and 4-20 mA option for Siemens instruments are the same. 3. When designing a network the author states that you need to know within a few feet where devices are installed for a fieldbus network. The design rules in the IEC standard state a maximum limit on the spur lengths based on the number of instruments. For the most part, this is either 30 or 60 meters, which gives designers a large range to work from 4. The author states that troubleshooting fieldbus networks is very hard. A number of diagnostic tools are available to troubleshoot fieldbus networks. Several manufacturers—Procentec, Softing, P+F, MTL—make them and have case studies showing how easy they are to use. 5. According to the author, fieldbus lifecycle costs are high because people do not understand the technology. Furthermore, it is implied that it is hard to train instrumentation people. I have been a technical trainer at Siemens for more than 10 years and have seen things change. There is no doubt that 4-20 mA is easier to teach, but people of all ages are catching on to the new technology. 6. The author states that the bus wars are over and that Profibus and FF are merging. It is true that FF and Profibus organizations are now cooperating; however, I am not aware of any move to a common control bus. Given the technical differences, I am not sure if this would even be possible. 7. The author stated that GSD files change often. It is possible that the author is confusing GSD files and EDD files. If you look at the case of Siemens transmitters and actuators, GSD files do not tend to change, while EDD files tend to change with each firmware revision. What that means is that you can take an old instrument and replace it with a new one without touching the control system, although you will have to update the engineering station. JAMES POWELL, P.ENG SIEMENS MILLTRONICS james.powell@siemens.com Why We Can’t All Tweet That I read with interest your recent article in the February issue of Control magazine (“What the Tweet!!?,” www.controlglobal. com/articles/2011/AutomationTweet1102. html). I agree that many social media tools can have a powerful positive effect on being able to keep up with current trends in the profession. However, there are many of us that are actively prevented from using these tools during our professional time at the office. Many companies, mine included, block any access to YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Even LinkedIn is blocked since all “social networking” sites are not allowed. Yes, I do use my smart phone to view training videos on You- Tube, but it is not nearly as convenient as the large screen on my computer. Please don’t forget about those of us that are not able to use these tools. DEWIGHT REA ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS adrea@ascendmaterials.com [Editor’s Note: Don’t worry. We never forget here that we still have a lot of “treeware” readers. We won’t abandon you for the “shiny” of social media.] FEBRUARY 2011 A P R I L / 2 0 1 1 www.controlglobal.com 13
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April 2011 - Control Global

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