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Measurement and Testing
MAKING THE CONNECTION: ETHERNET-APL HELPS PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS ACHIEVE MORE WITH SMART DEVICE DATA
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Ethernet-APL solves many of the problems of connecting fi eld devices, controllers and automation systems in harsh industrial environments. ABB’s David Bowers, Product Manager – Process & DP Flow, explains how this open physical layer standard extends the benefi ts of Ethernet connectivity all the way to the fi eld, allowing petrochemical plant operators to optimize process effi ciency and realize fresh value from the torrent of instrumentation data generated by today’s smart devices.
Billions of Ethernet cables link PCs, servers, routers, printers, Wi-Fi hubs, cameras, smart TVs and other connected appliances in data centres, factories, commercial buildings and homes around the world. Standardized over 40 years ago, this ubiquitous family of wired networking standards has progressively displaced legacy technologies in a huge range of commercial and industrial settings.
Ethernet is no stranger to the process industries. It’s commonly used as the physical layer to carry instrumentation data between devices and controllers, sitting beneath other higher-level protocols like PROFINET and Modbus TCP. But despite its near-universal popularity, it has been conspicuously absent from hazardous environments like petrochemical plants. Originally conceived for use in computing labs and offi ces, Ethernet was never designed to carry signals to and from fi eld devices in potentially fl ammable and explosive atmospheres where there’s a very real risk of electrical sparking. Nor was it specifi ed to connect sensors, actuators and other devices with their controllers over long cable runs of several hundred metres in a refi nery or processing plant.
The challenges of digitalization
Like other sectors, the petrochemical industry faces the pressing challenges of optimizing production effi ciency, reliability and sustainability while reducing complexity and costs. Process plants are steadily digitalizing their operations with the introduction of smarter instrumentation to measure and control process parameters including fl ow, temperature, pressure and fl uid levels. This new wave of smart fi eld devices generates large amounts of real-time information that can be harnessed by plant operators to inform asset optimization and preventative maintenance strategies. It’s a trend that demands
fresh approaches to the effi cient management of steadily increasing volumes of data generated and consumed in the fi eld. From the perspective of petrochemical plant owners, key obstacles are the complexity and cost of assimilating different communication protocols and underlying physical layers, many of which are vendor-specifi c and incompatible with other solutions.
Refl ecting these challenges, there have been increasing calls over the last decade for a uniform, highly reliable and intrinsically safe communication technology for process automation that can accommodate today’s requirements whilst also supporting future applications. In parallel with these evolving requirements, plant owners are increasingly reluctant to be locked into vendors’ proprietary solutions. Hence there is growing demand for cost-effective, future-proof solutions built around robust open industry standards that allow automation users to benefi t from ‘best of breed’ solutions that can scale smoothly with their evolving business needs.
Unlocking the true value of this data deluge can mean grappling with numerous communication protocols and control standards as well as the physical networking infrastructure that underlies them. The complexity of managing all these technologies means that much of the data collected at fi eld sensor level is often inaccessible for use by other enterprise systems, thus preventing process plants from realizing its true value.
Opening new paths for data
In recent years, ABB has been actively involved in efforts to broaden the applicability of Ethernet across a wider spectrum of industrial applications, notably connecting fi eld devices to their controllers in hazardous environments typically encountered in the process industries. The result of this initiative is Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer), a variant of the ubiquitous Ethernet set of standards that features a number of enhancements to extend reliable high-speed connectivity all the way to fi eld devices.
Ethernet-APL extends the familiar benefi ts and cost effi ciencies of high-speed Ethernet communications to the fi eld, leveraging open IEC and IEEE standards. In addition to simplifying direct connections with enterprise-level systems, it streamlines the installation, confi guration, and maintenance of instrumentation and automation technology, delivering signifi cant cost savings and enabling plant owners to unlock new value from their existing investments.
Ethernet-APL accommodates full duplex (bidirectional) data transmission speeds of up to 10 Mbps, orders of magnitude faster than legacy HART and digital serial Fieldbus technologies. This makes it ideal for carrying process, confi guration and diagnostic data between automation systems and the latest generation of smart fi eld devices. Data as well as power for devices are carried over a single twisted pair cable, reducing costs and simplifying migration from slower, older Fieldbus infrastructures to Ethernet-APL in existing installations.
PIN ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE 2025
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