ISA100 Wireless Comes of Age at Achema 2015
ISA100 Wireless, the global standard IEC 62734, demonstrated the power of its capabilities in the Field Communications Lounge at the June 2015 Achema event in Frankfurt, Germany. This year, the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) hosted a display booth that emphasized end-user applications supported by suppliers using ISA100 Wireless technology. The display was organized into three general categories including Safety, Asset Monitoring and, Management and Control. WCI has been quietly growing the supplier ecosystem, certifying devices and, expanding the coverage of applications based upon ISA100 Wireless technology. Devices covering, gas detection, vibration, corrosion, pressure, temperature, proximity, level, valve position and, steam traps were on display. The display included three separate, live ISA100 Wireless networks with over 35 devices from 17 suppliers. There was also an area dedicated to ISA100 Wireless technology providers including communication stack suppliers Murata, Nivis and, a compact communication stack housed in an ATEX certified antenna module available from Yokogawa. New ISA100 Wireless network infrastructure products from Nexcom were also showcased at Achema 2015 as were adaptors for Hart and Modbus. Read the full article for details, photos of the devices and, comments from WCI leaders and ISA100 Wireless device suppliers.
Achema 2015 visitor traffic at the ISA100 Wireless
display was brisk all week.
ISA100 WCI Members celebrate a great show at Achema
2015.
Dr. Penny Chen, Yokogawa Sr. Principal Technology Strategist and ISA100 WCI Board Chairman commented on the progress of ISA100 Wireless technology during the show.
“We are pleased with WCI’s successful technology demonstrations at ACHEMA 2015. Every year, more end users and suppliers recognize that applications using ISA100 wireless technology are their best choice for today and tomorrow. We would also like to highlight the presence of all top suppliers of steam traps in the ISA100 Wireless portfolio. I would encourage all industrial automation users and vendors, whether or not you are familiar with ISA100 wireless communication technology to come to WCI to learn, experience, and share your needs. ISA100 wireless technology is a flexible, open, universal standard built to fulfill your needs”.
Andre Ristaino, WCI managing director provided a summary of the progress of ISA100 Wireless technology.
“We have consistently focused upon certification of ISA100 Wireless devices to support our vision of easy integration from multiple suppliers to provide end-users with choices and rapidly expand the ISA100 Wireless portfolio. The devices and networks on display here at Achema were set up on-site in one day. We did not preconfigure or pre-stage this demo….and it is all working. This is a validation of our focus on interoperability. WCI suppliers added more than 15 devices in the first half of 2015, certifying 7 of them with the remainder scheduled to be certified by the end of the year. With both Honeywell and Yokogawa offering wired Hart to ISA100 Wireless adaptors, any Hart device can now be included in ISA100 Wireless networks and applications. Further, the addition of Murata as an ISA100 Wireless communication module supplier offers our members another alternative for sourcing supplies of this key product component."
Applications, Applications, Applications
The ISA100 Wireless display at Achema 2015 was organized into three broad application areas, each supported by live networks. These were:
- Safety
- Asset Management
- Process Measurement and Control
The Yokogawa STARDOM FCN-RTU SCADA system provided the host for one of the safety monitoring functions and was connected to an ISA100 Wireless network comprised of a SIL 2 certified gas detector from GasSecure and a SIL 2 certified limit switch from Honeywell as well as a Scott Safety gas detector. The network was comprised of redundant ISA100 Wireless gateways with redundant access points operating in ISA100 Wireless standard Duo-cast mode.
Achieving SIL certifications for wireless devices is challenging and the suppliers described a number of features in the ISA100 Wireless technology that were enabling factors for reliability and SIL certification including:
- QoS or contracts which supports guaranteed signal paths
- Duo-cast or redundant communication paths for device communication
- Ability to easily modify the communication layers for such thing as adding a PROFIsafe layer
Asset Management benefits were demonstrated in the Yokogawa host control system communicating to an ISA100 Wireless network via redundant gateways to dual access points. Field devices in this network included:
- Yokogawa digital I/O device
- GasSecure gas detector
- Yokogawa Temperature transmitter
- RCS COSASCO Corrosion sensor
- Eltav valve position monitor
- Flowserve valve positioner
Eltav’s small yellow wireless valve monitor device is mounted on a manual valve and provides near real time position in the range 0% to 100% in ±0.50 accuracy. “The valve device also provides valve operation diagnostics when mounted on actuated valve” commented Israel Radomsky, Eltav Chairman.
Armstrong International hosted a Company Kiosk demonstrating the savings derived from their Sage Asset Monitoring Applications and certified ISA100 Wireless steam trap monitors. Kerry Phillips, Armstrong Smart Wireless Division Manager states that “Wireless Information systems are growing every year and Armstrong is honored to be a part of WCI. It is great to be pushing cutting edge technology to not only save energy by monitoring steam traps but also eliminating costly installations of plant wide wired systems.
Process Measurement and Control
The Yokogawa SMARTDAC+ GX20W ‘Paperless Recorder’ system was an interesting addition to the ISA100 Wireless portfolio and one of the three live ISA100 Wireless networks. Used in applications like Pharma to support FDA 21 CFR Part 11, Yokogawa embedded several components into a single compact unit, including:
- an embedded ISA100 Wireless Gateway
- communicating through the Yokogawa ISA100 Wireless digital I/O device
- to a Yokogawa ISA100 Wireless Temperature sensor and
- Hart pressure sensor with Yokogawa Hart to ISA100 Wireless adaptor
Yokogawa’s paperless recorder with integrated
ISA100 Wireless Gateway and System Manager
Honeywell C300 Controller and ISA100 Wireless network
- Dolphin industrial handheld device
- Wireless Device Manager (WDM)
- Field Device Access Point
- FF transmitter
- Hart temperature transmitter with One Wireless Adaptor
- Spirax Sarco Steam Trap Monitor
- Honeywell Temperature Transmitter
- Honeywell Pressure Transmitter
- Hart pressure transmitter with One Wireless Adaptor
- Scott Safety gas detector
- SKF MultiLog ON Line system WVT vibration sensor array
- CDS VS210 I/O Sensor node
“Honeywell is excited to see the ISA100 Wireless member group gaining further momentum and as a result have new value applications being brought to market each year by supplier members. Honeywell’s OneWireless is fully compliant with ISA100 Wireless and an increasing number of end-users benefit from the OneWireless network and freedom of choice for deploying multiple ISA100 Wireless applications to enhance plant safety, efficiency and reliability.” Stated Diederik Mols, HPS Business Leader, Industrial Wireless and WCI Board Vice-chairman.
Honeywell C300 controller communicating with several
non-Honeywell ISA100 Wireless devices at Achema 2015
Nivis Versa Router 900 and ISA100 Wireless Network
This Nivis display shows how easily an ISA100 Wireless application can be deployed in a simple network configuration. This display included:
- ISA100 Wireless Gateway with onboard System and Security Manager
- CDS VS210 IO Sensor node
- CDS Vibration Sensor
A number of additional ISA100 Wireless products were displayed at Achema 2015, although not connected to one of the three live ISA100 Wireless networks.
- Bitherm Steam Trap monitor
- Armstrong Steam Trap
- Honeywell Limit Switch
- GE wSIM
- GE Repeater
- GE Vibration Sensor
- Perpetuum energy harvester
- Honeywell Valve positioner
A rich supplier and technology ecosystem is key for adoption of ISA100 Wireless technology by end users and by suppliers seeking to add wireless capabilities to their product portfolios. WCI Leaders focused on this need over the past two years and the results were evident at Achema 2015.
Murata, Nivis and, Yokogawa ISA100 Wireless
Communication modules/stacks at Achema 2015
ISA100 Wireless Communication Modules / Stacks
Six years ago, the Nivis communication stack and related communication modules formed the communication foundation of ISA100 Wireless products. The availability of ISA100 Wireless communication stacks has been growing, along with the sources for the stacks. Today, four stacks have been developed including modules from Nivis, Honeywell, Yokogawa and, Murata. Yokogawa and Honeywell stacks are typically shared with technology partners but are available to the general market upon request. The Nivis and Murata stacks are available directly to any device supplier along with engineering support for product integration. Murata was the latest supplier to offer ISA100 Wireless stacks and, as an established $8.7 billion global technology vendor, provides confidence in the availability of key ISA100 Wireless components. Additional ISA100 Wireless communication stacks are expected in the near future from other suppliers.
Maturing and next-generation ISA100 Wireless Technology
We are now seeing next generation product architectures for ISA100 Wireless products. For instance, Yokogawa developed the integrated communication module / antenna. It has global ATEX certifications, uses a standard NPT connector and, draws power from the field device. So if, for example, future needs are better served by a sub-Ghz physical layer, a new version of the communication/antenna module can be easily substituted on new or existing field devices without changes to physical packaging on the field devices. An existing installation could be field-upgraded to a new communication technology without removing the field device or sensors.
CDS low-cost ISA100 Wireless vibration sensor
ISA100 Network Infrastructure Technology
A number of highly regarded industrial communication infrastructure suppliers have begun developing products based upon ISA100 Wireless technology and we expect to see continued expansion of ISA100 Wireless offerings in the near future. Nexcom displayed an ISA100 Wireless to WIFI bridge at Achema 2015 and plans to add other infrastructure products. Apprion has been shipping the Apprion Ionizer Gateway / Concentrator for more than five years now as has Nivis with their ISA100 Wireless Gateway / System Manager. CISCO Systems also offers an ISA100 Wireless to WIFI bridge in an industrial enclosure and additional suppliers are planning similar offerings.
Apprion, Nexcom and, Nivis ISA100 Wireless network
infrastructure products
The Nexcom ISA100 Wireless network infrastructure
product
WCI Collaboration with Relevant Industry Groups
This is the second year that WCI has collaborated with other field communication consortia in the Field Communication Lounge to provide a single destination for visitors interested in learning about the technology. Participants include Profibus/Profinet, FDT, FDI Cooperation LLC, OPC, Fieldbus Foundation and, Hart Communication Foundation (now FCG); at Hannover Mess in 2014 and Achema in 2015.
WCI has assigned a technical working group to collaborate with FDI to develop an ISA100 Wireless annex for inclusion in the FDI integration application. The WCI volunteers are currently developing technology for use in testing during development of the ISA100 WCI annex. The ISA100 Wireless annex is expected to be included in a future release of the FDI platform.
WCI continues to evaluate additional collaboration with relevant industry consortia to enhance value for end users and suppliers, building upon prior work done with organizations like FDT resulting in a FDT ISA100 Wireless annex and the ISA100 Wireless device emulator developed for the Fieldbus Foundation ROM project.