COMMUNICATIONS & NETWORKS
MAKING BETTER USE OF DATA
Ethernet-APL offers several key benefits to process plant operators, including device interoperability, simplified infrastructure and real-time diagnostics
This can all be achieved on existing Fieldbus Type A cabling, cutting the cost and complexity of greenfield installations and easing migration from Fieldbus to EtherNet APL. EtherNet-APL boasts a data rate of 10 Mbps,
A new standard, EtherNet-APL, is enabling intrinsically safe communication with devices in hazardous environments, helping the process industry make better use of digital data, writes Christian Johansson, Global Product Manager, ABB Process Automation
technologies into their operations. Today, condition-based monitoring systems, smart devices and distributed sensors provide valuable digital data that helps plant operators oversee production, diagnose machine problems and raise efficiency. Communicating with devices in hazardous
A
areas can however, be tricky. The traditional physical networks like Fieldbus or HART are old- fashioned and not geared up for rapid transfer of digital data, limiting the amount of useful information they can supply. As a trusted, reliable way to transfer large industrial datasets, EtherNet seems more appropriate but cannot be used due to safety limitations in hazardous environments. Standard EtherNet cabling is also restricted to 100m in length, making it unsuitable for servicing the requirements of huge chemical plants. To make it suitable for hazardous
environments, the existing EtherNet 802.3 standard has been extended to create a new one: EtherNet-APL (‘Advanced Physical Layer’). With its intrinsic safety features that limit supply voltage and current, EtherNet-APL removes the risk of electrical sparking in the flammable atmospheres of oil refineries and chemical plants, enabling its safe deployment in Zone 0, 1 and 2 environments.
1 SEPTEMBER 2025 | PROCESS & CONTROL 4
s digitalisation has become the new normal in industry, process operators are increasingly adopting digital
Aside from its suitability for use in hazardous
environments, the new standard also offers several other key benefits to process plant operators, including device interoperability, simplified infrastructure and real-time diagnostics. EtherNet-APL works with established
industrial communication protocols, including OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP. Most importantly, it can also be used with PROFINET, making it ideal for plants with a distributed control system (DCS) that already uses PROFINET or EtherNet/IP. Compatibility with multiple protocols makes for simpler installation and removes the need for gateways and other protocol conversions, reducing complexity, improving usability and cutting ownership costs compared to traditional systems. Combining EtherNet-APL with PROFINET and Field Device Integration (FDI) means that plant operators can squeeze more from their process data. EtherNet-APL uses a single twisted pair of
conductors in a shielded cable which serve the dual purpose of carrying both process and diagnostic data and powering field devices. Developed for long cable runs, it accommodates the trunk and spur networks that are common in the process sector. As well as a maximum trunk length of 1,000m carrying signals and high power, it also has spurs carrying lower power for lengths up to 200m.
which far outstrips both the Fieldbus (31.25 kbps) and analogue HART (1200 bps) protocols, enabling operators to achieve real-time diagnostics. Such high-speed data transfer enables the use of asset management applications for chemical plant operators, including those that monitor machine performance and health. Diagnostic data from these field instruments
can be routed via EtherNet-APL either to a control room or the cloud for detailed analysis, opening new possibilities for both operation and preventive maintenance. By providing fast access to diagnostic data, maintenance staff can identify possible causes of failure quickly, enabling immediate remedial action to be taken. Diagnostic information from EtherNet- APL devices is available to plant operators via NAMUR NE107 standard messages. Data collection is critical to all industries,
including manufacturing and processing. By enabling vital instrumentation to be installed in hazardous areas, EtherNet-APL helps plant operators gather data that would once have been unobtainable. In turn, this helps them save costs by using their valuable process data to improve maintenance and boost efficiency.
Photo credit: ABB
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