March 2015

State of Technology Report

I/O Systems
From Connectors & Cordsets to Intrinsic Safety
and Power Supplies: the Latest Technology
Trends,Back-to-Basics Tutorials,
and Application Stories
All Together in One
Convenient eBook
Table of Contents
Trends in Technology
Incremental Thinking Won’t Solve Automation Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Brain Power for Power Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Why Aren’t Industrial Couplers Commodities? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Smarter I/O Addresses Host of Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
A New Fashion in Industrial Enclosures? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Back to Basics
Intrinsically Safe Fieldbus Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Power Supplies Get In On The Reliability Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Wire, Cable, and Connectors Are Crucial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Power Supplies & Circuit Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Maintaining Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Technology in Action
Cordsets Survive a Great Flood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Water Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A Charming New Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Advertiser Index
Wago, http://www.wago.us/XTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Opto 22, http://op22.co/ethernetio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Advantech, http://www.advantech.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Weidmuller, http://www.weidmuller.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3
 Trends in Technology

Incremental Thinking Won’t Solve

Automation Challenge
Automation’s off the critical project path, but more work remains

By Keith Larson, VP Content

A
s the project execution arm of the global energy giant,
ExxonMobil Development Company typically is in-
volved with more than 100 active projects around the
world at any given time. And while automation engineer-
ing is a critical aspect of them all, it’s an “infrastructure”
activity that is wholly dependent on other engineering dis-
ciplines for its design inputs. Consequently, it often rests
on the critical path for project completion. Sandy Vasser
wants that to change.
On behalf of ExxonMobil and the rest of the user com-
munity, Vasser several years ago began challenging the
company’s automation suppliers to throw away traditional
thinking in order to address its most pressing project needs.
“Because automation hardware and software design is to-
tally dependent on plant design data from other disciplines,
input data frequently changes throughout the project de-
sign cycle,” Vasser explained in his closing keynote address
to the 2014 Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Americas Sym- "We realized we couldn't continue to do automation this way and be
posium in San Antonio, Texas. “Late input changes put us successful." ExxonMobil's Sandy Vasser on the need to take automa-
in continuous recycle mode on our engineering designs tion off the critical path for its many global projects.
and drawings.”
Vasser leads a group of some 120 design engineers respon- cabinets that result in 15 to 25 wire terminations for each
sible for the electrical, instrumentation and automation as- instrument. Weight, floor space, cooling load and tedious
pects of ExxonMobil’s increasingly large “mega” projects. factory acceptance tests (FATs) are also the target of Exxon-
“Despite increasing scale and complexity, little time has Mobil’s campaign to simplify, streamline and, where possi-
been added to project schedules,” Vasser said. “Whereas ble, eliminate system components and steps along the way.
things used to be done more sequentially, now all disciplines “We realized we couldn’t continue to do automation this
are working full steam ahead from the start.” way and be successful,” Vasser added.
He described the complexity and inflexibility of time-hon-
ored I/O design and commissioning practice, such as en- A wish list
gineered junction boxes and marshalling and controller To begin to address these issues, the company brought its

5
 Trends in Technology
suppliers together and challenged them with a 13-item wish
list of priorities:
1. Eliminate, simplify and/or automate steps in the auto-
mation execution process;
2. M inimize custom engineering;
3. Shift custom engineering to software and rely on stan-
dardized hardware components;
4. Use virtualization to separate hardware from software;
validate software independent of hardware. Eliminate
hardware FAT;
5. P revent design recycle and hardware/software rework;
6. Eliminate components not necessary in the system ar-
chitecture and standardize those that remain;
7. Eliminate or minimize physical, data and schedule de-
pendencies with other disciplines;
8. Simplify the configuration of interfaces with third-party
packages;
9. M ore easily accommodate even very late changes;
10. Mitigate the effects of software and hardware version
changes;
11. Eliminate, simplify and/or automate generation of re-
quired documentation;
12. Manage alarms and ensure cybersecurity by design;
13 .Challenge traditional approaches and solutions.
Vasser further noted the persistent barriers to achieving
these goals, including the impulse to focus on “perfecting”
current processes. “Improvement only results in incremen-
tal change,” he said. “We have to think differently if we’re to
transform the way we do things.”
Progress to date
Although work remains to be done, progress toward Exxon-
Mobil’s goals has been made. New I/O technology, such as
Honeywell Process Solutions’ Universal I/O, together with
its cloud engineering environment and lean engineering for
automation projects (LEAP) methodology showcased at the
HUG Americas event, are making a difference.
“So far we’ve eliminated 66% of the components in the
6
system and 60 to 70% of the wire terminations. We’ve elim-
inated marshalling cabinets altogether and have fewer con-
troller-only standard cabinets,” Vasser said.
Other forward progress includes:
• Reduced heat load, space and weight;
• Reduced quantity of spares;
• All system design customization now in the software;
• Standard junction boxes, with easily configurable I/O,
ordered by part number; and,
•No hardware FAT.
“We’ve eliminated 66%
of system components
and 60-70% of the
terminations."
Key items that have now bubbled to the top of Vasser’s
wish-list include:
• “DICED” I/O that allows systems and instruments to
auto-detect, auto-interrogate, auto-configure, auto-en-
able and auto-document;
•A standardized and simplified interface for electrical sys-
tems;
• Multivariable transmitters that, for example, convey
flow, pressure and temperature data over a single cable
via a single process penetration;
• The direct programming of safety system logic by trans-
lation from cause-and-effects tools; and,
• DC power to eliminate inverters.
“It’s the packaging of many technologies that will achieve
the necessary outcomes,” Vasser said. Meanwhile, the com-
pany is benefiting from many strides forward in technology
and project methodology. “We’ve taken automation off the
critical path.”
 Trends in Technology
Brain Power for Power Supplies
If controllers and field devices already have diagnostics power,
why can’t tower supply devices have it too?
by Jim Montague, Executive Editor
E
verything is getting “smart,” and this trend appears to
be holding true for power supplies as well. Devices that
used to only deliver power, convert it and maybe offer
surge protection are now monitoring and measuring current
and voltage profiles, implementing alerts and alarms for pre-
defined operating ranges, and sending data on power supply
performance up to higher-level systems and users for analy-
sis and optimization efforts.
For instance, Richard Anderson, senior automation spe-
cialist at Solid State Automation and Controls (http://sol-
idstateautomation.com) in Houston, Texas, reports in a
whitepaper, “How to Develop Cost-Effective, Ruggedized,
Skid-Based Applications for Remote Deployments,” that
SSAC recently designed and built a viscosity-reducing, skid-
based, oil-mixing system for an unmanned production plat-
form in the Gulf of Mexico, and employed Siemens Indus-
try’s Siplus S7-1200 PLCs, ET200M I/O modules, MP377
HMIs and two power supplies in an explosion-proof, NEMA
7 enclosure and intrinsically safe track pad.
The two power supplies consist of two Sitop units, both
capable of 24 Vdc and 120 Vac with a redundancy module
between them. They support and maintain high availability
on the skid’s equally redundant PLCs, which pull data from
a flow sensor, and use 4-40 mA analog wiring, HART, Pro-
fibus and Profinet communications protocols and Siemens’
Scalance wireless modules to transmit it to the user’s onshore
DCS. Likewise, S7-1200 PLCs can also use Modbus RTU
and Modbus TCP for communicating between legacy RS-
232 and RS-485 systems and industrial Ethernet, while Si-
top 1600 DC uninterruptible power supplies have two Ether-
net ports for integrating with Profinet and reporting to users’
higher-level networks.
7
I’d add not to take my word that power supplies are getting
smarter, but I can’t because when I researched this topic, I
ran across two articles I wrote on it last year and the year
before. In the earlier article, “Power Supplies Take Sophisti-
cated Paths”, Roolf Wessels, business unit manager for mon-
itoring and protection at Pepperl+Fuchs, said, “Power sup-
plies have always been a bit of a stepchild compared to other
process control devices, but users are recognizing that power
is the most critical element in their applications. You can
lose a few I/O points and networking nodes and still run
an application, but losing power means losing your whole
application, so it’s worthwhile investing in high-reliability,
high-efficiency power. As a result, users want more diagnos-
tics in their power supplies. They already have diagnostics
for predictive maintenance and asset management in their
controllers and field devices, and now they want it them
their power supplies, too.”
In the more recent article, “Power Supplies Get in on the
Reliability Act”, Mike Garrick, power supply manager at
Phoenix Contact, added, “Applications become more robust
when a power supply can report when its connected field
devices are drawing too much current, while the integrity of
the DC bus is intact. For example, if the system is designed
for 10 amps, it’s become a reasonable expectation for the
power supply to provide a signal to the process controller
when the load starts to draw more than 10 amps. This sig-
nal is an early warning that the load is drawing too much
current, and maintenance should be scheduled. When this
early warning is received, the controller knows the process is
running at the proper voltage at a current beyond the nomi-
nal rating of the supply. The reason for this could be a field
device that’s getting old and requires service.”
 Trends in Technology
Why Aren’t Industrial
Couplers Commodities?
Maybe we should ask if couplers can be procured on the basis of cost only
by John Rezabeck, Columnist
W
hen fieldbus pioneers expressed concerns about sin-
gle points of failure in simple two-wire buses, Relcom
engineered and patented the “SpurGuard,” a com-
pact assembly that could be substituted for pluggable termi-
nals on their wiring blocks. Any “spur” (what fieldbus calls a
single-pair drop to a device) fitted with a “SpurGuard” could
sustain a water-logged or otherwise short-circuited condition
without cratering the whole network.
SpurGuards were expensive, so Relcom and its compet-
itors began to design and manufacture “couplers,” wiring
blocks pre-fitted with short-circuit protection for each spur.
Since about 2009, end users have been able to choose from
a wide selection of couplers that are registered and tested by
the Fieldbus Foundation. So can couplers be procured on
the basis of cost only?
There are distinctions. If you’re creating a wiring block
or “brick,” you have to make choices regarding how many
spurs you can wire to each brick.
Pepperl+Fuchs has one of the wider selections of bricks,
which can be purchased with 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 spurs per brick.
P+F and Phoenix Contact go a step further to optimize scalabil-
ity in their lines of snap-together modular coupler hardware.
Both P+F’s RM-SP* line and Phoenix Contact’s FB-ET lines
allow you to build up couplers with between two and 26 spurs.
A pluggable bus rail extends the bus for up to a half-dozen more
modules, each extending the base unit in increments of four
spurs. These solutions may provide the optimal solution for
those who want to minimize junction box size.
I used to think the original Relcom “Megablock” had a
comforting ruggedness due to its physical mass, but Rel-
com’s Cyrus Kelly explains the “heft” came from “potting”—
8
encasing the entire electronics assembly in a substance that
sealed the circuitry from its environment. Cyrus’s research
revealed that potting was no better than the significantly
more cost-effective technique of “conformal coating” —
sealing the circuit with what amounts to a coating of a sim-
ilar non-conductive substance, such as acrylic lacquer. So
perhaps “heft” isn’t an infallible indicator of reliability or
ruggedness.
MooreHawke’s couplers are extremely rugged. The case
of the TG200 series is metal, and an eight- or 12-block
spur block might break a toe if you dropped it on your foot.
MooreHawke also has unique “auto terminator” circuitry
that adds the required impedance-matching terminator at
the furthest end of the trunk automatically. While other
couplers may add a short-circuit load of 50 mA to 60 mA
when a spur is shorted, MooreHawke couplers add only a
few, once a short-circuit is detected.
R. Stahl offers another line of couplers that have low-qui-
escent short-circuit current. This can be a factor when one is
computing the maximum power budget for a segment: The
30 mA you save could facilitate adding an additional device
or allow test equipment to be connected without causing
communication errors. Stahl couplers also have special ac-
commodations to limit inrush current when powering up an
entire segment.
Arguably, any of the certified couplers will be one of the
most reliable components of one’s fieldbus networks. But
there are ample features and distinctions that have their ap-
peal for individual users and cultures.
John Rezabek is a process control specialist for ISP Corp., Lima, Ohio.
Email him at jrezabek@ashland.com
 Trends in Technology
Smarter I/O Addresses a Host of Issues
Microprocessor-based I/O reports the ongoing health of its own electronics
by Dan Hebert, Senior Technical Editor
Y
ou’ve just completed the control system design for your
latest project, but now a level switch needs to be changed
to a level transmitter.
That would mean adding another analog input card, sub-
stantially changing the design and also generating a change
order from the electrical contractor for additional wiring. Or
maybe your control system is up and running, but overall
processing speeds aren’t up to snuff.
How about a case where all the control system I/O is com-
patible with your selected digital fieldbus network, except
for one specialized instrument that doesn’t feature the con-
nectivity that you need?
In all of these cases, the solution is “smart I/O.” This tech-
nology provides a microprocessor at the I/O level—adding
flexibility, protocol conversion and/or high-speed local I/O
processing and control.
One of the newest “smart” innovations is software-con-
figurable I/O. “With our universal safety I/O, each module
can be configured via software to accept any signal type—
analog or digital, input or output,” says Erik de Groot, the
marketing manager for safety systems at Honeywell Process
Solutions (http://hpsweb.honeywell.com).
Only one type of module is needed for each project, and
the only question is how many total modules are needed.
I/O spares are reduced to one part number instead of a min-
imum of four. Each module is connected to the host proces-
sor via an Ethernet network, eliminating the need for home-
run discrete and analog wiring.
“The engineering tools used to configure each universal
I/O module generate an electronic record of the entire au-
tomation system’s wiring configuration. This makes mainte-
nance much easier because there’s automatically generated
documentation,” adds de Groot.
10
Smart I/O can add intelligence to each module and also
to a group of modules via a local processor at the I/O rack.
“Intelligence at the I/O module and rack level gives the abil-
ity to perform complex functions such as scaling, thermo-
couple linearization, digital counting and latching, analog
clamping, alarming, event reactions, waveform generation,
ramping, pulse generation, totalization and PID loop con-
trol,” observes Tom Edwards, a senior technical advisor at
Opto 22 (www.opto22.com).
“The complicated algorithms and calculations required
for PID loops can adversely affect a typical control system’s
performance very quickly, but a distributed control archi-
tecture gives you the modules you need to acquire your in-
puts, the processing power required to perform the complex
math, and the modules needed to set the outputs and con-
trol the process—all local and completely self-contained on
the I/O rack,” explains Edwards.
Smart I/O modules can also perform protocol conversion,
taking a 4-20mA or other analog signal as an input and send-
ing a digital network signal out to a centralized processor.
“Our dual-channel I/O cards allow users to establish digi-
tal fieldbus communication via HART based on pre-existing
4-20 mA connections,” notes Matt Boudjouk, product man-
ager with Turck’s network division (www.turck.com).
Local diagnostics are yet another feature of smart I/O.
“Microprocessor-based I/O reports the ongoing health of its
own electronics,” says Jim McConahay, the senior field ap-
plications engineer at Moore Industries-International www.
miinet.com). “Any detected errors of the input/output signal
or of the internal analog converters that exceed the defined
range of the I/O device are reported to the host processor,
which can indicate if a particular channel’s data is no longer
within expected ranges.”
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 Trends in Technology
A New Fashion in Industrial Enclosures?
Will electronic marshalling mean the end of the “bespoke” enclosure?
by Nancy Bartels, Managing Editor
U
nlike clothing fashions, enclosure styles don’t change
a lot from year to year. A 40-year-old enclosure doesn’t
stand out like your dad’s leisure suit. After all, a big
metal box is pretty much a big metal box, even with the
added glitz of ventilation, temperature control or an ex-
plosion-proof or safety rating. However, like a classic, tai-
lor-made suit, enclosure styles are slowly evolving. Driven by
the advent of electronic marshalling, as surely as hemlines
get shorter, enclosure boxes are getting smaller and becom-
ing more standardized.
Dan McGrath, solutions manager at physical infrastruc-
ture products and solutions provider Panduit, explains:
“Electronic marshalling provides the ability to more read-
ily distribute enclosures around facilities, rather than need-
ing as many home runs to central consolidation marshalling
points. Ultimately, we are talking about standardizing with
best practice designs rather than ‘one-offs,’ or every designer
needing to sweat the details and develop custom specifica-
tions each time.”
So how did this happen? The short answer is a shift in
the way marshalling is done. Emerson Process Management
led the way in 2010 with its “characterization modules” or
CHARMs. When the system is installed remotely, each
loop’s field wiring is landed on one of the special terminal
blocks, and the loop signal is characterized by plugging the
appropriate CHARM into the terminal, and the marshalling
is configured electronically, eliminating the spaghetti nest
of cross wiring.
While Emerson was first out of the gate, other automa-
tion vendors have not been far behind. Honeywell Process
Solutions is offering its Universal Process I/O for its Series
C I/O. The module reduces or eliminates marshalling and
allows immediate configuration without the need for addi-
12
tional hardware. Released in May of 2012, the SIL-3-certi-
fied solution uses a single, universal, optionally redundant,
32-channel I/O module that can accept DIN, DOU, AIN,
AOU or smoke/heat/gas detector signals.
Joe Bastone, Honeywell’s solution manager for Experion
control I/O, describes it this way: “It’s a funny looking mod-
ule with a termination assembly. What plugs into that is the
I/O module. These communicate with the controller. It’s to-
tally software-configurable, and it’s all done from the engi-
neering console.”
Invensys Foxboro’s I/A Series Intelligent Marshalling from
Invensys, released in late 2011, also takes a crack at eliminat-
ing much of the marshalling work. Its FBM247 Universal
Fieldbus Module for the Foxboro I/A Series DCS fits into
the standard I/A series base plate. Base plate-mounted termi-
nation assemblies provide the link between field wiring and
the FBM247 modules.
“This module is a hybrid type,” says Thad Frost, who over-
sees Foxboro’s intelligent marshalling solution. “It bypasses
the marshalling process. It can handle multiple types of I/O
signals. [With this system] you are able to bypass the mar-
shalling cabinet and go directly to the control cabinet..”
Although each of these approaches is technically different
in some respects, the result is similar: fewer wires, more flex-
ibility, a much more compact footprint, lower costs, reduced
inventory and an installation that is much more forgiving of
late changes in engineering plans.
Heading for size 0?
Anyone who follows women’s fashions will tell you that over
the past couple of decades, the “ideal size” has shrunk from
6 to 4 to 2 to 0. Is the same thing going to happen to enclo-
sures? Up to a point, yes.
 Trends in Technology
Charlie Norz, product manager for I/O systems at com-
ponent supplier Wago, says, “We’re seeing users continu-
ing to downsize. This need has triggered a push for com-
prehensive, all-in-one systems for ever-condensing control
footprints and enclosures. Ultimately, enclosure issues drill
down to I/O size and keeping the control system’s footprint
compact for future expansion. Thus, the primary focus will
continue to be space-efficient I/O.”
Scott Pries, marketing manager for Emerson’s smart wire-
less systems, points out, “One of the things that will be go-
ing away is one of the two cabinets you need for home-run
cable. You don’t need one whole cabinet. Intrinsically safe
operation is being incorporated into electronics. Now a sin-
gle card incorporates that and reduces another 20% of the
cabinet. If you reuse the old cabinets, you can use the extra
space for more I/O.”
Standard issue
More standardization is also in the offing. Erik de Groot,
marketing manager at Honeywell Process Solutions says,
“There are always going to be places where you have a cus-
tom-built cabinet, but one of the things we’re working at is
putting together a cabinet that will have 64 I/O, and can be
all bundled together with all the known parts. Customers
don’t want to specify all the individual parts that go into the
cabinet. That’s time-consuming. If you can stamp out the
[required] cabinets and make them all identical, you don’t
have to do a FAT [factory acceptance test] on every one.
We’re exploring this with leading-edge customers.”
Frost says this standardization is appealing to some of his
largest customers. He tells the story of a large oil producer
to whom he was pointing out the virtues of his system—the
shortened wiring times, the ability to do remote configura-
tion, the ease of late changes to the plans, the reduction of
inventory, the lower costs.
The customer told him, “I don’t care about all that. In a
mega-project, those things amount to petty cash. What I do
care about is the fact that we could take the cabinets full of
13
intelligent marshalling modules, ship them to the site and
finish them up there. What you have done is break the de-
pendency between control system design and I/O system in-
stallation. This gives me schedule compression and makes
scheduling easier.”
Emerson Process Management offers its own enclosure
options for DeltaV, version 11, systems. The “canned” solu-
tion is a factory-tested enclosure which will hold electronic
marshalling equipment. The company also offers both con-
figure-to-order and design-to-order enclosures.
A new classic?
Software-based marshalling is beginning to look a lot like
a new classic—say a pair of jeans for the I/O world. It won’t
happen overnight, of course. The process industries are full
of “fast followers,” waiting for the other guy to try it first. But
ARC Advisory Group points out that the installed base of
systems 20 years or older is $53 billion. Existing enclosures
will have a much longer useful life, but upgrades are defi-
nitely on the horizon.
As for how this will affect the enclosures business, it will
change too, if only incrementally.
Panduit’s McGrath says, “Enclosure suppliers need to
consider product mix as part of their business strategy. Large
marshalling panels will diminish and be replaced with
smaller panels in many cases. Panduit sees demand for a
similar approach with network zone enclosures, so [we’ll
see] a building-block approach with smaller enclosures stra-
tegically deployed to provide plant coverage in harsh areas.”
But there are also plenty of opportunities for new and dif-
ferent enclosures, he adds. “Custom enclosures will most
certainly be required, as innovation never stops, and there
are new devices, sensors and controllers that will require
custom housing. The exciting part about standardization,
though, is that as the industry advances, the building blocks
will need to evolve and become smarter, providing advan-
tages for customers that can adopt new technology with re-
duced risks and deployment times.”

Intrinsically Safe Fieldbus Applications
This article takes a look at ways companies get around limited power and other hazardous
environment barriers to connect more fieldbus devices using a technology that goes
beyond FISCO.
by Mike O’Neill, C .Eng.
A
s one of the more successful communication protocols
for process control and industrial automation, fieldbus
has proven its merit in bringing projects on-line ear-
lier and more efficiently, allowing advanced digital feed-
back and control to processing plants previously stuck in
the analog age. This allowed far more exacting process con-
trol, greater autonomy of control loops, accurate trending,
greater centralized monitoring, and lower installation costs
through easier wiring and faster commissioning. However,
when it came to the hazardous environments often encoun-
tered in many chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics and pe-
troleum plants, fieldbus initially fell short when intrinsically
safe (IS) techniques were required.
Users of intrinsically safe devices in conventional control
schemes have been used to the flexibility and ease of use af-
forded by the Entity Concept since the late 1980s. FM in the
U.S. led the way in simplifying the process of confirming
the safety of intrinsically safe loops and the Entity Concept
now governs how every non-fieldbus IS loop is designed and
documented.
Initially, fieldbus implementations went the same way: use
a conventional IS interface, apply the industry-standard En-
tity Concept and the loop (now a segment) would be safe.
The problem was conventional IS interfaces under the En-
tity Concept allowed only 80mA or so, barely enough to
drive four devices at an average draw of 20mA per device.
Fieldbus segments with only 4 devices somewhat defeated
the point of early fieldbus justifications; plants still had lots
of cable, and hardware costs went up.
Technology stepped up to the challenge in the form of
FISCO (Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept) which was de-
14
Back to Basics
veloped in the late 1990s. Work in Germany had established
that if cables and device parameters were defined by bound-
ary values, modern electronic current-limiting designs
could allow more current and still remain intrinsically safe.
By taking advantage of this new technology, FISCO succeed
in making more current available in hazardous locations-a
full 115mA in worst-case (hydrogen) areas, enough to com-
fortably drive five devices, rather than the 80mA (4 devices)
allowed by the Entity Concept.
Improvement, indeed. Yet FISCO makes this incremental
gain at the expense of operational limitations because these
units are complex pieces of electronics, generally based on
switch-mode power supplies with duplicated current-limit-
ing networks. This complex circuitry creates more heat and
reduces unit reliability (complexity = more components
= lower MTBF). Furthermore, a primary requirement of
FISCO design is that the maximum allowable trunk and
spur lengths fall from 1900m to 1000m, and from 120m to
30m, respectively. In addition, all devices and cable must
be FISCO-compatible, further limiting choices in installing
fieldbus networks.
For some time then, many I&C engineers have been
searching for a new solution that would allow them to max-
imize intrinsically-safe segment capacity and operational
ease within hazardous applications to the same level cur-
rently enjoyed within non-hazardous implementations.
The split architecture solution
At last, technology has come through once again with a
solution. The capacity barrier of FISCO has now been sig-
nificantly surpassed by a novel split architecture design that

A unique I.S. split-architecture system supports up to 350mA per
segment to provide safe and reliable installation and operational
advantages in hazardous locations.
has already proven itself in the field.
Engineers at MooreHawke, a division of Moore Indus-
tries-International in North Hills, California, developed this
new technology by reexamining traditional approaches to
pushing the capacity limits of intrinsically safe segments.
It quickly became evident that the primary cause of low
segment power in fieldbus applications was the placement
of the main current-limiting resistor at the point of highest
current: the IS interface between the safe area and the haz-
ardous area.
In response, MooreHawke developed a split architecture
approach using a field-mounted device coupler, and an asso-
ciated power supply with a safe-area interface. Here, the to-
tal resistance requirement is obtained via a split resistance; a
small resistor is used in the IS interface and a larger resistor
is placed in the field device coupler. The small (trunk) re-
sistor ‘sees’ a large current (sum of all devices), but only gen-
erates a small voltage drop. The larger (spur) resistor ‘sees’ a
small current (single device) and so only generates a small
15
Back to Basics
voltage drop.
Subsequently approved by the FM (US) and SIRA (ATEX)
certifying organizations, this design enables intrinsically
safe fieldbus segments to support up to 350mA, enough to
power 16 devices at 500m, while still being intrinsically safe
for hydrogen at the individual spur connection.
In terms of reliability, the split-architecture power supply
steps around the complexity associated with FISCO circuits
by the use of a conventional wire-wound resistor which, in
IS terms, is deemed to be infallible. To further augment the
overall systems reliability, the MooreHawke design also in-
corporates full AC/DC power conversion, simple linear
power supply, and full galvanic isolation, with built in re-
dundant supplies. Here again, fewer components translate
into greater reliability. MTBFs (AKA MTTF) rise.
Entity parameters
One of the advantages claimed for FISCO systems is that if
the design uses a FISCO Power Supply, FISCO-approved
devices, and FISCO-marked cable within the FISCO
length limitations, then the segment meets the FISCO re-
quirements and no Entity Parameter calculations need be
done--a previously laborious process employed to confirm
that the inherent energy storage in any device, plus its con-
necting cable, were within the allowable parameters in that
particular hazardous environment.
At first glance, the split-architecture system, being an En-
tity design, seems to fall back into requiring new calcula-
tions per segment whenever additions are made. However,
the unique MooreHawke design has intrinsically safe cur-
rent limiting resistors per spur, making each spur an inde-
pendent IS loop.
Also, IS fieldbus devices all have the same minimum En-
tity parameters as a requirement of their Foundation field-
bus approval. This means that while Entity calculations are
indeed required, they only have to be done once. This is nor-
mally documented for the longest (worst case) spur length,
120m. After that, no device or spur can be any more “worse,”

so no more calculations are required.
Considering all of the above, I&C engineers get to have
the best of all worlds: the digital efficiencies of fieldbus;
the long cable lengths, reduced documentation, and unre-
stricted device (non proprietary) benefits of the Entity Con-
cept; and vastly increased power (350 mA).
Increased flexibility during installation
Having access to the full 1900meters/120meters per spur
(limited only by Ohm’s law) allows systems designers to ap-
ply the operational advantages of fieldbus to all hazardous
areas of a plant, inside or out, almost as if they were looking
at a non-hazardous plant. This simplifies installation when
facility engineers wire their DCS system, whether retrofit-
ting an older plant or building one up from a “greenfield.”
While a collective experience is growing in fieldbus imple-
mentation, many installation contractors are still learning
the process. One of the issues that frequently causes prob-
lems during installation is the fieldbus requirement to have
a ‘terminator’ at each end of the segment. Operationally,
these terminators prevent reflection of the high frequency
communications signal and subsequent interference. How-
ever, correctly determining the right amount of terminators,
and where to place them, can prove challenging, leading to
a common situation of having too many or too few.
Once again, technology came up with a solution. To re-
duce any resultant communication errors during segment
commissioning, a unique auto-terminator feature was incor-
porated into the MooreHawke device couplers.
Reducing downtime and easing maintenance
The new circuits that help propel fieldbus to increased func-
tionality also work to improve the reliability of hazardous
plant operations. As it is, MooreHawke’s ROUTE-MASTER
system has 99.99993% availability because of the use of pas-
sive components, simple design and power redundancy.
Installing a series fuse per spur is a well-proven tech-
nique and many such installations exist today. When a fuse
16
Back to Basics
“blows,” the fault is isolated quickly, no segment-loading ef-
fects can occur, and adjacent devices are completely unaf-
fected. Simple fuses have enormous MTBF and are gener-
ally inexpensive. On the other hand, blown fuses must be
physically replaced and though this can be done with the
segment on line, it can still be a maintenance nuisance.
In keeping with a theme of making fieldbus systems work
for the benefit of the plant, technology managed to come up
with a simple solution for spur protection when accessing
a fuse proves difficult. MooreHawke, for one, offers a fea-
ture that provides spur protection via a fold-back technique
which locks in a small 2 mA load, just enough to turn on an
LED light, and then removes the device from the segment.
This approach is distinctly different from earlier cur-
rent-limiting designs which, as the name implies, simply
hold the fault current on the segment at a fixed (and always
higher-than-normal) value. A fixed current of 60mA is com-
mon, and this can quickly overload power supplies and crash
the segment. On the other hand, the fold-back technique
completely eliminates any and all fault loads from the seg-
ment and allows the rest of the system to remain up and
running.
Modern device couplers can also ease the maintenance of
control systems through diagnostic capabilities in excess of
what Foundation fieldbus or Profibus has to offer by them-
selves. Some couplers contain LED indicators to provide sta-
tus checks at a glance. Built-in access points for hand-held
communicators such as fieldbus trouble-shooting devices
also save time.
A promise fulfilled
For plants that process chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petro-
leum and other products whose production may involve
hazardous environments, it appears that recent technolog-
ical improvements in split architecture systems design have
finally delivered what FISCO promised: Intrinsically-safe
segment capacity virtually indistinguishable from non-haz-
ardous fieldbus implementations.

Power Supplies Get In On
The Reliability Act
The demand for increased reliability and global application for process control
is driving evolution of power supply design
by Jim Montague, Executive Editor
J
ust as large electricity producers and consumers are us-
ing smart devices and software to improve power qual-
ity and operating efficiency, developers of device-level
power supplies are employing many of the same strategies.
Mike Garrick, power supply manager at Phoenix Contact,
reports that demand for increased reliability and global appli-
cation for process control is driving evolution of power supply
design. “Process designers are looking for power supplies with
increased diagnostic/monitoring ability,” says Garrick. “The
application becomes more robust when a power supply can
report when its connected field devices are drawing too much
current, while the integrity of the DC bus is still intact.
“For example, if the system is designed for 10 amps, it’s be-
come a reasonable expectation for the power supply to provide
a signal to the process controller when the load starts to draw
more than 10 amps. This signal is an early warning indication
that the load is drawing too much current, and maintenance
should be scheduled. When this early warning signal is re-
ceived, the process controller knows the process is still running
at the proper voltage at a current beyond the nominal rating of
the supply. The reason for this could be a field device, such as a
pump, that’s getting old and requires service.”
If this hypothetical application continues to draw more
and more current, Garrick explains, then its power supply
voltage will eventually start to drop (load down). “The pro-
cess controller should expect to receive a second indication
when the voltage has dropped 10% down from the adjusted/
required application voltage,” he adds. “At 10% down in
voltage, the application should be tolerant, and continue to
maintain the process, but this second indication is the fi-
17
Back to Basics
nal warning. Any further reduction in voltage will threaten
the fidelity of the process. With the reception of the second
warning, maintenance must be considered. Depending on
what’s at stake with the application, an organized safe shut-
down or an acceptable idling point should be considered.”
Garrick adds that global process applications must con-
sider various other dynamics to meet all requirements for
power supply installation, and these firms will standardize
on power supplies that meet these needs. “Approvals for haz-
ardous location are the first step to determine the suitability
of a power supply to be applied anywhere in the world,” he
explains. “Power supplies listed for use in Class I Division
2, ATEX and IEC Ex suit the need for most installations
worldwide. Temperature is the next consideration for an ap-
plication. Temperature can vary greatly depending on the
location of the installation. Global process integration com-
panies need power supplies rated for -40 °C to 70 °C to meet
their design specifications.
“Finally, the last important, but commonly overlooked fac-
tor is choosing a power supply with printed circuit boards
(PCBs) that have been dipped in conformal coating. Confor-
mal-coated power supplies provide resistance from moisture,
such as salt spray, corrosive gases, conductive dust and other
contaminants that could influence the life of the power sup-
ply. Please know that all coated supplies are not created equal.
Techniques range from hand painting, spray and dip coating
the PCB. Perfect coverage can only be obtained by dipping the
entire PCB in conformation coating. When evaluating the sup-
plies, the extent of the coverage can be determined by analyz-
ing the PCBs under an ultraviolet light source.”

Wire, Cable and Connectors Are Crucial
As the use of wire and connectors increases with added networking functions and interoperabil-
ity–and decreases, as networks simplify–cabling has become forever crucial in industrial network-
ing applications.
by Jim Montague, Executive Editor
W
ith all the cool stuff happening in industrial network-
ing, hardware can be easy to overlook. Wireless and
Ethernet seem to be taking over the world. Interop-
erability is advancing everywhere. Fieldbuses are reaching
into intrinsically safe areas. Sensors and transmitters are get-
ting their own web servers. Plant floor and enterprise sys-
tems are linking up.
Wires and related components just lie there. Not very
exciting.
So, who cares about cables, connectors, and cordsets?
Everyone. That is, everyone who knows networking hard-
ware still forms the backbone of their control, automa-
tion, and manufacturing applications, and quietly will
continue to enable every rookie networking method that
emerges in the future. Point-to-point 4-20 mA still dwarfs
all other industrial networking methods, though twist-
ed-pair fieldbuses and industrial Ethernet have scratched
its surface lately. And, truth to tell, there are some pretty
historic shifts occurring among the cable and connector
sectors themselves.
Tailoring cordsets
Faced with smaller, aging staffs and high labor costs, many
end users are asking cable and connector manufacturers, sys-
tems integrators, or assembly houses to build more and more
complex cordsets for them. As a result, more assembly work
reportedly is being outsourced to lower-cost labor centers
worldwide. Frank Koditek, Belden CDT’s industrial market
manager, says his company has seen a big increase in user de-
mand for pre-made cables and connector sets, and that more
assembly businesses have grown up to serve that need.
18
Back to Basics
Connector Methods for Networks
Most industrial networks use one or more of the following three con-
nector technologies:
• Mini: These connectors are based on a 7/8-in wide barrel with a 16
pitch. They usually consist of two through seven-pin connectors.
• Euro or Micro (DC): These are based on M12 threads, and have a
coupling unit that’s about 14 mm wide. They include two through
six-pin connectors.
• 9DB: These include D-shell, subminiature connectors typically with
nine pins.
In fact, Jack Gayara, Lapp USA’s connector products man-
ager, claims that his firm’s custom cordset and wiring har-
ness division has seen double-digit growth in the past couple
of years, though business has leveled off in the past several
months. “This is a very cyclic business,” says Gayara. “When
business is booming, then OEMs keep their cordset build-
ing in house. When the economy is down a little, they out-
source that work.”
Five or 10 years ago, adds Gayara, there was a lot of
relay logic in control panels, so the wires going to the
machine had higher pin counts. “Then PLCs combined
a lot of that wiring, and pin counts went down,” he says.
“Next, newer technologies allowed users to control more
functions, and pin counts when up again, until they were
reduced by users implementing fieldbuses, Ethernet, and
wireless technologies. It seems that cable and connectors’
contacts increase; someone finds a way to simplify, and
they decrease for awhile; and future technology allows
more monitoring and control functions, and pin counts

go up again. These two forces really do seem to balance
off each other.”
Ed Nabrotzky, industrial communication general man-
ager at Woodhead Industries, says increasing use of tai-
lor-made cordsets is part of a trend it calls “connector-
ization.” “Hardwiring usually requires a skilled, union
electrician to pull wire, screw on connectors, and address
many power and compatibility issues, ” says Nabrotzky.
“Preassembled cabling and connectors, or ‘softwiring,’
means less skilled labor is needed, enables more modular
design practices, and allows worldwide shipping and servic-
ing far from where components were originally sourced.”
“It’s amazing how much wire
and cable it takes to go wireless.”
In the past, machines often were designed as one unit.
“Now, we can break designs into sub-machines and/or
sub-assemblies, and mix and match components as needed
by the recipe for the product being produced,” adds Nabrot-
zky. “We can build a machine in Kentucky, and reassemble
it in Eastern Europe.”
This increased use of customized, modular technologies
doesn’t stop at the cable. Individual connectors also are mul-
tiplying the variety of inserts and contacts to meet increas-
ingly varied demands. “People are using more rectangular
connectors with different housing or hoods on the ends, but
now we even have modular inserts within them, so we can
custom configure for specific applications,” says Gayara.
“It’s a lot like Legos. Many users seem to enjoy doing their
own inserts. We’ve even added Ethernet to these modular
inserts, which gives some flexibility, but maintains a reliable,
shielded connection.”
Though much cordset assembly is outsourced, some man-
ufacturers are finding they can do it themselves economi-
cally. “We do a lot of assembly work here, rather than send-
ing components to two or three other companies before they
reach the end user,” says Kirk Larson, Turck’s project engi-
19
Back to Basics
neering manager. “We’re also seeing work come back from
Asia because of quality and lead time. We’re finding we can
be competitive in this area.”
Ethernet and M12
Though its presence is still small compared to legacy indus-
trial networks, Ethernet is gaining nodes quickly, and this is
fueling demand for Ethernet-based cable, connectors and
components that can survive and serve long-term in harsh
industrial settings with high temperatures, corrosive fluids,
electrical noise, extreme heat or cold, high vibrations, or a
combination of these factors.
“Presently, Ethernet only makes up 3% of our cable and
connector businesses, but that’s up from zero just a couple of
years ago,” says Nabrotzky. “For example, we have the global
contract for General Motors’ networking, and they’ve speci-
fied having Ethernet in all applications by 2007.”
Despite this push, Nabrotzky adds, automotive production
suppliers such as robotics and transfer line manufacturers are
still having some problems getting all their devices up and
working on Ethernet. “The big vendors say they have a work-
ing network safety standard in place, but the drives and ro-
botics guys still are asking how to build these standards into
their devices,” says Nabrotzky. “When they try to do it, they
find that everything isn’t defined, there are a lot of gray areas,
and they have to guess when they try to format a data packet
or interpret a signal. There are still a lot of incompatibilities.”
For a new standard or safety technology to be effective, it
must have broad support from vendors to enable interoper-
ability and a stable supply chain for end users. “My view is
that Ethernet will be very well accepted as a future technol-
ogy because vendors are building now, though there aren’t
enough products yet to allow it to be more widely imple-
mented,” concludes Nabrotzky.
Similarly, as safety functions migrate from redundant
hardwiring to join the rest of the operating network, some
difficulties persist. “The design is to have safe PLCs and ver-
ifications, but all the Ethernet safety standards aren’t fully

developed yet,” adds Zabrotzky. “However, there’s already
harmonizing going on between Europe and the U.S. and
between the IEC 61508 and EN 954 standards. They’re al-
ready referencing each other, and they have common provi-
sions now. For example, the Profibus Trade Organization is
putting harmonized standards into Profisafe, and ODVA is
releasing its CIP Safety standard.
One trend expected to hasten Ethernet’s adoption is that
its users have generally gathered around two connector types.
RJ45 is already the most-used Ethernet connector worldwide,
mostly in the usual office settings, but now these connectors
are being made more rugged for industrial settings, and even
acquiring over-molding for especially harsh applications.
Users also are adopting traditional, round M12 and M8 four
and eight-pole connectors for installing Ethernet on the plant
floor. This has triggered an increase in demand for two-pair
Ethernet cable, which M12 connectors require, rather than the
four-pair Ethernet cables that don’t match these connectors.
Turck’s Larson says users want more pins and sockets in
smaller packages. “M12 used to have just four pins, but now
people increasingly want the 12-pin maximum that these
connectors can handle,” he states. “It’s a challenge, but it
also opens new markets for us. For example, users are adding
IP67 ruggedized RJ45 cables to on-board systems on off-road
construction vehicles.”
Ethernet education essential
Koditek reports that Ethernet can only keep growing on the
plant floor if users are educated about industrially hardened
cabling and switches that will help them be successful in
the long term.
“With all the oil, solvents, and fumes in many applica-
tions, degradation can take place, and failures can occur,”
says Koditek. “Process engineers certainly know their own
environments, but they may not know the industrial compo-
nents they’ll need to get Ethernet into these areas. Similarly,
when the IT department is asked to extend Ethernet into a
factory, it often doesn’t know that a commercial Ethernet
20
Back to Basics
product isn’t good enough. The walls and cabinets where
Ethernet historically exists are much more benign, with a
much narrower temperature range, and so the jackets on
these cables work at the beginning. However, they can dete-
riorate quickly because they can’t withstand the abrasion, oil
“Safety automation that gets rid
of hardwired stops, but the cable
market accelerates anyway because
now you need cables devoted
to this new technology.”
exposure, sunlight, cold, crushing forces, and other factors
on the plant floor. That’s when intermittent problems start,
and downtime costs begin to come in.”
In fact, some of this message might be getting through be-
cause, after experiencing slow growth in Ethernet for several
years, Koditek reports that Belden has seen strong double-digit
growth in Ethernet cabling for the past two or three years.
Wireless needs wires
After years of worrying that wireless technologies were going
to eliminate hardware, suppliers and users realized sensors
and transmitters often need new wires to send wireless sig-
nals, and that receivers and PLCs also need cabling to relay
that data. Grant Bistram, also of Turck, sums up the industry’s
favorite punch-line about the new technology, saying, “It’s
amazing how much wire and cable you need to go wireless.”
Woodhead’s Nabrotzky adds, “We’re not seeing wireless in
the discrete automation platform at all. No car plant I know of
uses it. Some retailers use wireless technology such as RFID
for sorting, handling and logisitics, but they still cable all their
automation. Wireless is being used in the process industries
in remote telemetry units (RTUs) that collect and control I/O
data slowly, over long distances, and in wide open spaces.”
In the end, Koditek says wireless and wire likely will co-ex-

ist peacefully on the plant floor with each doing the jobs it
does best. “Wired infrastructures are more secure and sta-
ble, but wireless is more flexible, and more easily can ad-
vance performance to where it’s needed, such as hooking up
and accessing remote sensors,” he adds.
Do you RoHS?
Perhaps the most substantive physical change in wire and ca-
bling in recent years was driven by the Europe-based RoHS
regulations requiring lead-free, non-heavy-metal composi-
tion in a variety of hardware and other components. Major
manufacturers already have spent several years gearing up
to comply with the new rules, which officially take effect
in July 2006, and already are getting rid of non-RoHS-com-
pliant inventories. This process reportedly hasn’t been easy
because many cable manufacturers have had to find substi-
tutes for the heavy-metal additives that often helped make
their cables more flexible and durable.
“We spent a couple of years working on this technical chal-
lenge, but we haven’t had to change specifications, we hav-
en’t lost any capabilities, and we’ve been able to mitigate most
of the cost impacts, so there’s minimal if any effect on our
customers,” says Koditek. “Now that most of the compound
changes are pretty well set, we can continue looking at getting
higher performance from these cables, whether it’s increased
system speed, more data capacity, or better quality signals.”
Coming attractions
Nabrotsky adds another reason for softwire’s growth is that
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) revised
its rules in 2002 to allow higher-voltage power, typically 30
A and 600 V, to be supplied via softwiring with factory-ap-
plied, molded connectors. Again, this design simplification
reduces labor and potential errors, but it also fits with how
cables and connectors have evolved in recent decades.
“Simple tool cords began to be used in the 1970s, and
these branched into networking in the 1990s and softwired
power in 2002,” says Nabrotzky. “Next, we’re seeing safety
21
Back to Basics
Cable and Connector Glossary
The following terms are some the basic instruction included in
Belden CDT’s Cable 101: The Basics of Wire & Cable.
•A
 ttenuation: A measure of a cable’s loss of electrical energy;
expressed in dB/unit length
•B
 reaking strength: The pulling force, in pounds, that will cause a
conductor to fracture.
•C
 apacitance: A measure of insulation’s ability to store electrical
energy; expressed in picofarads per foot.
•D
 ielectric constant: Electrical property that determines capaci-
tance, propagation velocity, impedance, and insulation perfor-
mance.
•D
 ielectric strength: Material’s ability to withstand voltage break-
down; expressed in volts (V) or kilovolts (KV).
•F
 lexibility: Ease with which a conductor can be bent.
•F
 lex life: Ability of the conductor to bend repeatedly without
breaking.
• Insulation: Substances that electrically and physically separate
conductors in a cable.
•L
 ength of lay: The number of twists in a conductor.
•P
 ropagation velocity: Transmission speed of an electrical signal
through a length of cable; compared to light speed in a vacuum.
•S
 kin effect: As its frequency increases, the flow of electrons move
to the surface or skin of the conductor.
•W
 orking voltage: Maximum voltage allowable by UL to be applied
to cable; expressed as AC Volts (V) or kilovolts (KV).
• Shielding: Contains electrical energy so signal on cable doesn’t
radiate and interfere with other nearby signals.
automation that gets rid of hardwired stops. This means you
no longer need cables for that task, but the cable market ac-
celerates anyway because you do need new cables devoted to
the new safety automation.”
Nabrotzky adds that future developments also will include
more data and power combined in the same system, espe-
cially when a Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard is com-
pleted. He also expects DeviceNet and AS-i to tie power and
data onto the same cable.

Power Supplies & Circuit Protection
An overload on any circuit that increases the total current to more than 11A will cause
the power supply to go into its shutdown or hiccup mode
by Dan Hebert, Senior Technical Editor
E
lectromechanical and analog technologies once dom-
inated the world of automation and electrical systems.
Automation systems migrated to electronic digital tech-
nologies a few decades ago as PLCs and DCSs replaced re-
lays, timers and analog instruments.
The electrical systems that power and protect process plant
automation systemsfollowed suit. Among the first to transi-
tion was the power supply. Switch-mode power supplies have
now replaced transformer-based power supplies in many ap-
plications, but in some instances switch-mode power sup-
plies don’t work well with thermal and thermal-magnetic
circuit breakers. E-T-A Circuit Breakers illustrates why in a
white paper summarized below.
When a transformer-based power supply sees a load
change, it reacts based on basic electrical principles. A cur-
rent overload due to an increase in load will cause a gradual
drop in voltage output. A voltage drop may disable control
components powered by the supply, as they typically require
at least 18 volts to operate.
Switch-mode power supplies, on the other hand, are de-
signed to shut down when the total load current reaches
110% of nominal current. Shutdown is typically via a
quick-operating electronic switch.
Most of the components that make up the power supply load
have capacitive behavior when switching on, so initial current
inrush can easily exceed the range of nominal current, causing
the power supply to shut down. Switch-mode power supplies
can handle this condition. If a power supply is supplying mul-
tiple circuits, an overload condition on just one circuit that
is not cleared quickly will cause the power supply to shut
down. To protect individual circuits fed from one power sup-
ply, the system designer will often place a thermal or ther-
22
Back to Basics
mal-magnetic circuit breaker between each individual cir-
cuit under load and the power supply.
Let’s look at the behavior of a typical 10-A, 24-VDC
switch-mode power supply. Let’s say it has four circuits draw-
ing 2A each for a base load of 8A. The maximum current
the switch-mode power supply will provide is 11A or 110% of
nominal current. Therefore, an overload on any circuit that
increases the total current to more than 11A will cause the
power supply to go into its shutdown or hiccup mode.
Conventional circuit breakers are effective in many appli-
cations. But because a switch-mode DC power supply out-
put is current limiting, no conventional circuit breaker is
able to limit the current to a safe value that avoids shutting
down the power supply while distinguishing between a mo-
mentary inrush and a short circuit.
Electronic switches overcome the limitations of thermal
and thermal magnetic breakers in this and many other ap-
plications. These switches give more control in defining
which current overload conditions trigger a trip.
For example, E-T-A’s smart electronic circuit protectors
tolerate a momentary inrush and at the same time limit the
maximum current to no more than 1.8 times their rating.
These circuit protectors can provide advanced circuit pro-
tection of automation components, such as sensors, actua-
tors and fieldbus couplers.
Electronic circuit protectors use a mechanical circuit
breaker in series with an electronic switch. This allows isola-
tion of a faulty circuit while still aggressively protecting con-
trol system components.
Precise trip-current monitoring, remote operation capabil-
ity and remote status indication make electronic circuit pro-
tectors a good match for modern automation and systems.
 Back to Basics

Maintaining Connections
There are plenty of issues that cause network headaches, but never assume your electrical
subcontractor is familiar with routing and terminating network connector cables, even if they
do it all the time.
by Mark Lamendola, Contributor

Y
ou’ve probably never counted go with industrial devices. Weid-
the number of connectors in müller is one of many industri-
your network. However, you al-component suppliers that make
might be surprised at just how connectors suited for harsh envi-
many there are. You might be ronmental conditions, including
even more surprised,unpleasantly solvents, fumes, vibration, abra-
so,if you’ve been treating signal sion, oil exposure, sunlight, cold,
wire connectors as mere commod- crushing forces, corrosive fluids,
ity items. Why? Because doing so electrical noise, and extreme heat
leads to some of the stealthiest per- or cold.
formance and downtime problems Andre Jordao, Weidmüller’s
a network can experience. THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING business development manager
We might not think much about Figure 1: Notice the protective boots on these connec- for advanced connectivity in
the technology behind each con- tors. Your choice of protection devices and methods North America, says, “One of
nector, such as which style (see can affect the reliability of the connection. Expect trade- the biggest problems with Ether-
sidebar on next page) or termina- offs in cost and accessibility. net for industrial applications is
tion method to use, but all can af- that many customers chose to use
fect bandwidth, reliability, and total cost of ownership. common, small-office/home-office (SOHO) equipment.
The pricing and availability are tempting, but those de-
The Right Stuff vices were designed for a clean office environment. These
A sound strategy for preventing connector-related problems products were never designed to work in harsh environ-
begins with using the right connectors. At the very least, ments. The products might work for a while, but inter-
these must be industrial-grade rather than consumer-grade. mittent problems or complete failures are guaranteed. It’s
“Home network devices are meant for conditioned en- only a matter of time.”
vironments,” says David LaBree, CTO of Prime Telecom You also need to provide the proper protection for each
in Tampa, Fla. “They use inexpensive components to keep connection. (See Figure 1) You must ask what contaminants
prices down. Placing home devices into industrial environ- (e.g., oil, water, or solvents) are present, and to what degree?
ments is asking for problems.” Prime Telecom provides net- Do you need to protect from spraying, dripping, immersion,
work engineering, integration, and maintenance services to or high concentrations? Your choice of protection devices
municipal and ISP networks. and methods will affect the reliability of the connection. Ex-
Manufacturers agree that your first line of defense is to pect tradeoffs in cost and accessibility.

23

Connector Styles
These are the more common connector styles used in networks:
• Mini connectors have a 0.875-in (about 23 mm) barrel and 16
threads per inch. They have two to seven pins. Best application:
Where space is at a premium and cables are thin.
• Micro connectors are smaller than mini connectors, and follow
European standards: They have a 14-mm (0.55 in) barrel and
use M12 threads. Typically, they have two to six pins, but an M12
connector might have up to 12 pins. Best application: Where the
equipment being connected adheres to metric standards rather
than SAE. Also useful for two-pair Ethernet.
• DB connectors come in a variety of sizes. Most common are
DB-9, DB-15, DB-19, DB-25, DB-37, and DB-50. The number
after the DB indicates the number of active lines the connector
has, and not the number of pins. Network applications typically
use a nine-pin DB-9 connector. Most computer monitors have a
DB-9 connector. Best application: Serial connections. They’re
commonly used for “snap-on” connectors, rather than plug-in
or threaded.
• IP67 RJ45 connectors are an industrialized version of the ubiq-
uitous RJ45 connector, the most common Ethernet connector.
Two problems with RJ45 are the small contact size and the weak
clips–neither of which were originally intended for industrial use.
Best application: Where standardizing factory floor Ethernet with
the office Ethernet is desirable and failure is tolerable.
Better Methods
Installation matters. “Installation errors can undermine
even the best design,” LaBree says. One reason errors oc-
cur is complexity. Communication Planning Corp. (CPC),
Jacksonville, Fla., is a full-service system integrator serving
industrial and commercial markets. Frank Bisbee, CPC’s
president, says, “The technology involved in connector
hardware can be mind-boggling.” So, if you use outside in-
stallers, it’s also good advice to be certain that they know
their stuff.
“Never assume your electrical subcontractor is familiar
with routing and terminating network cables, even if they
24
Back to Basics
• Narrow-tongue compression lugs provide high-quality, safe, re-
liable terminations, if you have the correct die for a given con-
nector. Best application: Accommodating limited-space applica-
tions where you want lug-style connections.
• Pluggable connectors for I/O modules simplify installation,
speed up maintenance, and reduce wiring errors. Common
features include built-in test points, tool-free operation, in-
tegrated coding, and industrial-grade (vibration-resistant or
vibration-proof, thermal cycling resistant, and corrosion-re-
sistant) secure mechanical connection. Best application:
Reduce construction time via pre-manufactured wiring har-
nesses (in house or outsourced), or to simplify replacement
of I/O modules.
Custom cable/connector assemblies (made at the factory or by a
specialty shop) allow elimination of tedious connector assembly
in the field, where it’s tougher to get right. This can result in se-
rious cost-savings up-front, plus increased reliability for the life
of the installation. Consider this for projects that you can plan in
sufficient detail to know the needed cable lengths and which con-
nectors to use with each one.
Custom connectors with modular inserts can solve oddball prob-
lems. Depending on the scope of your project, you might find it
cost-effective to “mix and match” the housing of one connector
with the guts of another rather than doing a major redesign.
do it all the time,” says Chip Schaible, senior engineer at
A&E Engineering. “Sit down with them and go through a
few example connectors.” Based in Greer, S.C., A&E pro-
vides complete industrial automation and information ser-
vices, from design through integration, to many industries.
A consensus view of the major factors for a good installa-
tion includes:
• Certification of the installers. Look for a relevant BICSI
designation.
• Compliance with the relevant standards, available from
BICSI and the IEEE.

Photo courtesy Fluke
A TESTY ATTITUDE
Figure 2: When you appreciate the value of testing and the right
equipment, one person can test runs point to point and end to end.
Proper testing isn’t expensive, but the cost of inadequate testing can
be exorbitant.
• Post-installation testing with a professional-quality net-
work analyzer.
In addition, “Always go back with a network validation
tool, no matter who does the connections,” adds Schaible.
LaBree agrees. “The client assumes the design is poor if
the network isn’t running optimally,” he adds. “Optimiza-
tion usually requires each leg or section of the network be
tested in its parts, and then tested as a whole. Poor installa-
tion will be found in testing.”
The quality of the test also is important. “Those doing the
testing need to use the right test equipment and correctly in-
terpret the results,” Bisbee cautions.
25
Back to Basics
Fiber Methods
A fiberoptic installation normally requires field terminations. Here
are some tips your installer should know:
• See if an anaerobic connector system will work for your applica-
tion. If so, you can skip the curing oven and eliminate one more
source of error.
• U nderstand that “feel” is important when inserting the fiber
into the connector. You can develop feel by setting up a prac-
tice station and doing several test runs on spare cable and
connectors, and evaluating the results. This also is true for
the polishing.
• Set aside the notion that “if a little is good, then more is better”
when using the epoxy. Too much is just as bad as not enough.
Follow specifications precisely.
• Use a microscope to inspect the polished connector. The flaws
you don’t catch with the unaided eye will degrade the system.
• Use a fiberoptic test set. Don’t rely on visual inspection alone,
which can evaluate only the surface finish of the fiber. Other de-
fects such as micro-bending or fiber breaks inside the connec-
tor need correction, too.
• O bviously, dirt interferes with fiber signal transmission. But
so can ordinary condensation, chemical cleaners, and sol-
vents. When planning your fiberoptic system, ask connector
providers about protection methods. Note that some methods
make it difficult to undo a connection. Look for an industri-
al-grade optical connector with an IP67-rated seal.
There’s a school of thought that says you save money by
conducting your first round of testing after the system has
been operational for a few months. Bisbee says don’t include
him in that school. “It’s more economical to test as part of
the installation procedure than it is to haggle later over who’s
responsible for that 18-hour downtime incident caused by a
faulty connector termination that should have been discov-
ered before system turnover,” he says.
Mark Lamendola is a frequent contributor to Control Design and Industrial Net working,
You can reach Mark at comments@mindconnection.com
 Technology in Action
Cordsets Survive a Great Flood
This case history demonstrates how cabling and connectors simplified networking
for engineers at an upstate N.Y. wastewater plant, and aided the plant’s recovery
following a devastating deluge.
by Jim Montague, Executive Editor
M
any engineers believe that water, in all its various
forms, is the most insidious force in nature.
Sure, it’s tasty and essential for life. Yes, we’re
three-quarters water ourselves. Some, yawn, astronomers
think liquid H2O might be the most precious substance in
the universe because of the relatively tiny temperature win-
dow it needs to exist.
However, this is small comfort to anyone who’s ever had
to mop up a flooded basement, keep moisture out of delicate
instruments, or clean up an inundated neighborhood or city.
Whether pulled down by gravity or condensing out of the
air, water literally gets in everywhere.
Ironically, though they make their living cleaning up
wastewater or supporting those that do, several engineers
in upstate New York this summer had far more cause than
they expected to sympathize with folks in New Orleans and
along the Gulf Coast. That’s because these municipal, elec-
trical, and construction professionals had to cope with and
recover from a devastating, late-June flood at their wastewa-
ter plant. And, as if this wasn’t enough, these engineers had
to deal with the extra tragic twist that they were within five
weeks of finishing a major retrofit of their plant.
Renovation innovation
About two years ago, the Binghamton-Johnson City Joint
Sewage Treatment Plant in Vestal, N.Y., started a $55-60
million retrofit project to improve its capability and capac-
ity for treating wastewater. The plant also needed to com-
ply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation reg-
ulations, according to Art Van Gelder, project manager for
26
C&S Engineers, Syracuse, N.Y., which is the project’s de-
sign, build, and construction management firm.
The original plant had six primary settling tanks, four
secondary settling tanks, three thickeners, three digesters, a
belt filter press, a composting facility, and equipment for grit
handling and other tasks.
However, because its 18.5-acre site is hemmed in by neigh-
bors, a road, and two rivers, the plant’s construction and
electrical engineers had to find a way to increase its capac-
ity without increasing its footprint. The designers eventually
settled on plans to implement an innovative biological aer-
ated filter (BAF) system. Though this technology is gaining
popularity in Europe, where riverfront space also is scarce,
Van Gelder says there are less than a half dozen of these in-
stallations in the U.S. The Binghamton-Johnson City plant
eventually bought its BAF system from Norway-based IDI
Systems.
The initial reconfiguration involved converting the
plant’s four secondary settling tanks into primary settling
tanks, which typically have slower flow rates. New tanks
added to the facility included eight carbonaceous filters,
eight nitrification filters, and four de-nitrification filters, as
well as backwash pumps, a second inflow pump station,
and fine-screen rooms.
To monitor and manage all of the plant’s new equipment
and systems, C&S and Matco Electric, Vestal, N.Y., net-
worked pneumatic control valves on the plant’s 21 motors
with Foundation fieldbus (FF) and DeviceNet protocols via
Turck’s molded cables, connectors and cordsets. These mo-
tors average 200-300 hp, but include a few 450-hp units.
The new network also controls the plant’s level, flow,
 Technology in Action
MOSTLY EMPTY TRAY
Figure 1: Installing twisted-pair Foundation fieldbus and DeviceNet
terminated with molded cordsets reduced the amount of hardwiring
used at the wastewater treatment plant. These waterproof cables and
connectors survived a late-June flood without needing the decon-
struction, drying, and rebuilding that a regular wire-in-conduit job
would have required.
and pressure transmitters, as well as its analyzers and level
switches. This twisted-pair networking topography, enabled
by FF and DeviceNet, reduced the plant’s hardwiring by
thousands of feet (See Figure 1). The plant previously relied
on a point-to-point architecture that filled its existing cable
trays. When it’s installed, FF’s cable usually contains one
pair of wires for data, and one drain wire. DeviceNet cable
usually has five total wires, including one pair for data, one
pair for power, and one drain wire or shielded conductor.
Dan Dvorsky, Matco’s general foreman, says DeviceNet gen-
erally is used to control valves and pumps, while FF monitors
the flow and level transmitters. The supplier provided cus-
tom-length cables and ends for a total of 200 valves on 20 tanks.
These improvements and the BAF system are designed
to increase the plant’s capacity from 18.5 mgd average flow,
with a peak of 23-25 mgd, up to 60 mgd. It was IDI’s develop-
ers that advised the plant to adopt FF and DeviceNet.
27
Flood and recovery
Because water treatment plants are situated near channels
that can accept their effluent, the Binghamton-Johnson City
facility is located at the confluence of the Susquehanna and
Chenango rivers, which both feed the greater Delaware wa-
tershed (See Figure 2 below). “All of the surrounding com-
munities are higher than the plant,” says Van Gelder.
Because its location is necessarily hazardous, the plant
was in a vulnerable position when extremely heavy rains
and resulting floodwaters arrived over a three-day period be-
ginning on June 28. Most of the facility and its new con-
struction ended up under about 8 ft of water. The rivers re-
portedly reached 4-5 ft above their estimated 100-year flood
level. This is the level that water treatment plants are usually
designed to withstand.
New construction damaged or otherwise affected by the
flood is estimated at $10.3 million, which is what it would re-
portedly cost to get the plant back to its pre-renovation state.
Total damage to the plant was reportedly $15-25 million.
In fact, this was the fourth flood that has occurred during
the two-year renovation project. The first two didn’t affect
the plant or the project, but the third in the spring of 2005
DOWN BY THE RIVER
Figure 2: The Binghamton-Johnson City Joint Sewage Treatment Plant
is located next to (and occasionaly in) the confluence of the Susque-
hanna and Chenango rivers.
 Technology in Action
reached the 100-year level and delayed the renovation by
about five weeks.
The treatment plant has continued to treat sewage from
its customers, even while its staff carries out flood-related re-
pairs. However, it’s still not known how many more months
it will take to completely repair the plant, or when its new
capacity will come online.
Cordsets eclipsing conduit
When a catastrophe like a flood happens, people often find
that few of their usual, sophisticated tools have survived.
One of the very few bright spots for the plant’s staff and
consulting engineers is that Turck’s over-molded, IP-67-
rated cordsets used in the renovation and the BAF system
survived the flood pretty much unscathed. This meant that
the plant’s staff didn’t have to clean and rebuild these net-
work components.
“A lot of the new installation was underwater,” says
Dvorsky. “However, our new cables and cordsets were wa-
terproof enough that they survived. We didn’t even have to
clean and dry them out like we did with all of our other elec-
trical conduit.”
Van Gelder adds, “If we’d had regular electrical conduit
instead of these molded cordsets, then we would”ve had to
take it all apart, clean out the water and silt, and rebuild
them.” Also, the fact that the plant converted from point-to-
point hardwiring to twisted-pair FF and DeviceNet meant
that there were far fewer networking paths, cable runs, and
other equipment to clean out.
Another advantage of using pre-made molded cordsets
is that they’re becoming less expensive for users than buy-
ing and assembling separate components. When originally
called in on the Binghamton-Johnson City project, Turck
reviewed several connector and I/O concepts to determine
which would be most efficient.
“The original plan was to buy the big traditional spools
of wire ands lots of field-wireable connectors, but we first
compared the cost of this typical wire to molded cordsets,”
28
says Kim Anderson, Turck’s business development man-
ager. “What we found was that a 5-m piece of cable and two
field-wireable connectors was $90.30 and would have a good
rating, but still have the possibility for leaks. However, a pre-
made, over-molded, 5-m cordset would only cost $79.50 and
is entirely sealed against possible leaks.
So, traditional wisdom that custom-made cabling is more
expensive than assembling cables on your own appears to
be wrong in some cases. Anderson attributes this to several
factors. “Cable molding machines are being improved and
working faster these days, so they can make a greater volume
of cable for less cost,” he says. “This retrofit converted pipe
and wires to an open-wiring configuration, but was still able
to maintain that same level of safety.”
Because they had experience with water getting into their
conduit before, Anderson adds that Binghamton-Johnson
City’s engineers and contractors initially were looking for al-
ternatives to pipe and wire, but were concerned about the cus-
tomized cables coming up too short or too long. However,
the varied lengths and standardized connectors of the cord-
sets actually make them more flexible than traditional wiring.
“This allows users to pull devices such as valves or transmit-
ters out of service much more easily, and work on them at the
more-comfortable workbench level,” says Anderson. Also, if
users ever want to add on to their cordset-based network, they
can simply extend with more connectorized cables.
“When mistakes occur, we also have a job box that allows
users to make cables available at different lengths,” adds An-
derson. “This makes contractors and end users a lot less wor-
ried.” Reducing worry is always good, but it’s especially help-
ful when a natural disaster comes along.
“When the flood happened, and so many of the devices
and cables were underwater, the contractors called Turck
because they thought they’d have to pull apart, clean, and
dry the cordsets like they had to do with conduit,” says
Anderson. However, our over-molded cordsets were fine.
They didn’t have to do anything, and so they could go on
to other repairs.
 Technology in Action

The Water Works

The City of Carlsbad Municipal Water District’s SCADA system monitors the transportation,
distribution and treatment of water for the entire community
by Tom Pagakis, City of Carlsbad

T
he scenic beach town of Carlsbad, Calif., just north of
San Diego is known for its beautiful beaches, upscale
homes and quaint shopping district. The SCADA system
employed by the city monitors current status and provides re-
mote control abilities for all of Carlsbad’s water and reclaimed
water. The key components for these systems are SNAP con-
trollers from Opto 22 (www.opto22.com). The city began us-
ing the hardware as an experiment. Years ago, outdated tech-
nologies like tone telemetry were in place, and then later the
city used a mix of I/O modules and systems from Grayhill
(http://grayhilloem.com) and other vendors. Special drivers
had to be created to make everything communicate, and the
system became very complicated and unwieldy.
The SNAP systems—which communicate with each other
and back to their command and control center through a Figure 1. The water facility for the City of Carlsbad, Calif., regulates
combination of radio, serial and Ethernet links—are used to water transport, monitors the water treatment plant and controls the
monitor, control and acquire data, as the City of Carlsbad’s chemicals for water purification.
Municipal Water Department regulates all water transport,
and an independent water treatment plant and controls the gravity feed that brings it from storage tanks as large as 9 mil-
chemical dosing of ammonia and chlorine that cleans the lion gallons located at higher elevations (around 700 feet) all
water. In total, these activities incorporate more than 1,000 the way down to sea level.
I/O points distributed across the control center and numer- The SCADA system has been carefully configured to
ous remote sites. The department’s responsibilities center on control equipment and monitor the water of both systems
two distinct areas of operations: sourcing, transport and dis- throughout this entire process. Specifically, analog and dig-
tribution of purchased water from lakes and reservoirs to the ital input and output modules connect to:
city, and reclamation of treated water. • Level transducers that track water levels both in large
reservoirs and tanks,
Water transport and distribution • Pressure transducers in pipes that measure pressure
Water purchased from San Diego County’s water authority within each zone, and ensure that water is pumped and
is transported through piping to Carlsbad, where it’s distrib- is flowing efficiently as it’s being delivered,
uted to businesses and residences. Delivery of the potable • Flowmeters that measure how many gallons of water per
water requires little to no pumping, as the water travels via a minute are being pumped,

29
 Technology in Action

cessing, while also giving the control center personnel the

convenience of being able to view and interpret easy-to-un-
derstand units of measure (for example, percentages as op-
posed to voltages.)
Distributing intelligence in this manner also provides a
safeguard in the event there’s an interruption in the oper-
ation of one of the main controllers. The brain can be in-
structed to continue to record measurements and perform
calculations, and operators can continue to view this data
from the control center’s HMI.

Wonderware HMI
The SCADA system’s HMI is Wonderware’s (www.won-
derware.com) InTouch, which is integrated neatly with
Figure 2. The SCADA system is configured to control the equipment the Opto 22 hardware, and allows control center person-
and monitor the water from its point of origin to delivery. nel to view operational variables and conditions relating
to pressure, flow, levels, equipment status and more. The
• Pressure-sustaining, pressure-reducing and various department also uses InTouch to generate bar and line
other valves that open and close incrementally to adjust graphs (indicating such things as tank levels, pump sta-
the rate at which the water flows. tus and valve positions) and also for performance and his-
Currently, the SCADA system encompasses three large
reservoir impounds, 14 reservoirs and 20 pressure reducing
stations used to monitor more than 500 miles of distribution
pipeline.
Significantly, all of the monitoring and data acquisition
functions are performed, not by a single (or even multi-
ple) central controllers, but by multiple local I/O proces-
sors (or “brains”) distributed at pump stations and several
other points across the city’s infrastructure. These brains
communicate to I/O located on the same rack and per-
form functions normally reserved for an expensive PLC.
For example, the brain takes valve readings from the an-
alog input modules, and performs scaling calculations to
convert a voltage measurement into a percentage. (Thus,
for a typical 4-20mA analog input module, a measurement
of 12 volts would result in a reading of 50%.) To have this Figure 3. All monitoring and data acquisition functions are performed
scaling and engineering unit conversion take place locally by multiple local I/O procesors distributed at pump stations and
at the I/O level relieves the main controller from extra pro- several other other points across the city's infrastructure.

30
 Technology in Action

torical trending. For example, the

system generates a 24-hour trend
for each storage tank along with
reports for the city on how much
water is pumped each day, week
and month.
The HMI is configured to alarm
on a number of I/O point readings.
By defining a “normal” or “safe”
operational state for specific I/O
points, if conditions ever deviate
from those parameters, the control
center receives a visual alarm. The
alarms are also integrated into a
pager system, so the on-call oper-
ator receives a cell phone message,
and he or she can acknowledge
the alarm immediately and handle
any crisis appropriately. For exam-
ple, as the control center monitors
downstream and upstream water
deliveries, it receives alarms on any
dramatic changes in pressure due
to factors such as a fire hydrant be- Figure 4. Wonderware's InTouch HMI provides trending data.
ing used or damaged—something
that occurred regularly when the region recently experi- The strict monitoring and alarming is due in part to the
enced a number of large wildfires. water district’s contract with the City of Carlsbad for how
The Opto-based SCADA system was also programmed much water can be sourced, as well as when and how fast it
to trigger an alarm that is passed on to the control center can be pumped. The city is contracted for seasonal delivery
HMI when valves malfunction, or when a failure occurs in of reclaimed water per day, so the Opto 22 control programs
any of the variable-frequency drives (VFDs) that regulate call for the controllers to shut down pumps as soon as this
the pumps. volume is reached.
The VFDs the department uses are driving pump mo- Furthermore, due to rates imposed by the local power
tors with large power loads, and these are subject to volt- company, San Diego Gas & Electric, the optimal time of
age spikes and unusual waveforms. To deal with this, they day to pump the water is late at night. So, although the sys-
were wired up to analog inputs to continuously monitor our tem has been programmed to monitor the city’s water sup-
VFDs’ hertz and motors’ RPMs. That way, if either one of ply levels and begin automated pumping whenever read-
them goes, operators know right away. ings drop below a certain point, a condition written into the

31
 Technology in Action

program will always delay that

pumping until 10:15 p.m. and
cease pumping at 5:50 a.m.
Reclamation
Water reclamation is a process
by which water and sewage from
homes and businesses is brought
to a treatment plant where it’s
cleaned using biological and
chemical processes, and then re-
turned to the environment. All
of the sewage for six nearby cit-
ies goes to an independently op-
erated treatment plant monitored
from the control center.
The SCADA system can mon-
itor the treatment plant’s opera-
tions—particularly wet well lev-
els in lift stations—and other
remote equipment. Using level
transducers, we monitor re- Figure 5. The systems generates a 24-hour trend for each storage tank and reports for the city on how
claimed water storage tank lev- much water is pumped each day, week and month.
els, and track how much clean
water has been output and is currently available. The sys- hach.com) sensors and analyzers that monitor water proper-
tem was configured so that, whenever the city’s water sup- ties. The system then regulates chemical dosers that inject
ply starts to dwindle and tank readings reach a certain chlorine and ammonia into the water as needed.
level, the controllers send analog and/or digital output sig- Moving Forward
nals to partially or fully open valves and start pumps. This The SCADA system receives input signals from assorted
allows reclaimed water to be brought from the treatment infrared devices, motion detectors and reed switches outfit-
plant, combined with other-sourced water and then distrib- ted on door frames—all of which are used to ensure there is
uted. The SCADA system controllers are carefully config- no unauthorized entry into lift stations, booster stations or
ured to pump and “mix” water from different sources this any other facility. The department plans to add video sur-
way, so that all the stored water in lakes and more than a veillance to these intrusion-monitoring activities, and it is
dozen different storage tanks can be circulated, and water also closely tracking the development of a proposed desali-
never “stands” in any one place for too long without being nization plant that could provide an additional 50 million
refreshed. gallons of drinking water per day for distribution.
Finally, our SCADA system is used for a small amount of
water treatment. The system is connected to Hach (www. Tom Pagakis is a SCADA technician for the Cit y of Carlsbad Municipal Water Depar tment.

32
 Technology in Action
A Charming New Facility
Recycled Equipment, a New Automation System, Electronic Marshalling and Remote I/O
All Go into a Greenfield Sulfuric Acid Plant
by Bryan Beyer, Southern States Chemical
W
ilmington, N.C.-based Southern States Chemical
(www.sschemical.com), a division of Dulany Indus-
tries Inc., is the Southeastern United States’ largest
provider of sulfuric acid. Two locations (Savannah, Ga., and
Wilmington, N.C.) combine to produce over 1800 tons per
day, with total marketable tons exceeding 750,000 annually,
and combined storage capacity exceeding 35,000 tons.
The company’s existing Wilmington plant had produced
around 500,000 tons of product per year, but the aging plant
was almost entirely manually operated, and meeting EPA
emissions limits was a concern. So to expand production ca-
pacity and ensure conscientious environmental stewardship,
the company looked beyond expanding and upgrading the
existing facility to building a new state-of-the-art plant on a
15-acre site next to the old plant with ready road and rail ac-
cess to transport raw materials and finished product.
Another important consideration was the fact that this par-
ticular site meant that the principal byproduct of the sulfu-
ric acid manufacturing process—steam—could be converted
into a marketable commodity energy source. The new plant
is located adjacent to the plant of Invista Wilmington, a large
synthetic polymer and fiber manufacturer, which made a
ready customer for a reliable supply of clean, high-pressure
steam. The new plant would have three absorbing towers, a
sulfur furnace, two waste heat boilers, two SO2-to-SO3 con-
verters, gas-gas heat exchangers, four liquid heat exchangers,
four storage tanks, and truck and rail loading facilities.
Southern States also went all in with high-tech tools, aban-
doning its largely manual operations in favor of the latest in
automation technology, including HART communications,
remote terminal displays, flow elements, DeviceNet network-
ing and a DeltaV automation system from Emerson Process
33
Management (www.emersonprocess.com) along with Emer-
son’s electronic marshalling system, the new characterization
modules (CHARMs). All this technology comes together to
regulate temperature, pressure, flow, level, conductivity and
weight by means of around 235 I/O points.
Shopping in Wisconsin
The company was challenged with keeping down the expense
of building a new plant from the ground up. Among the solu-
tions it found was the recycling of major components from a
decommissioned government munitions plant in Baraboo,
Wis., and transporting them to the Wilmington site. The Bara-
boo “imports” included all three towers, two gas heat exchang-
ers, some acid pumps and most of the structural steel. To this
equipment were added two new converters, a new furnace, new
waste heat boilers, two new economizers, a new cooling tower
and new storage tanks. This recycling effort gave the new plant
its name—Wilbara, in recognition of the two contributing cit-
ies located 1100 miles apart. It also saved Southern States an
estimated 20% on the cost of the new facility.
Relocating the old equipment and integrating it with the
new was only the first challenge. With Southern States’ new
supplier relationship, reliability became a crucial parameter for
the new plant. Southern States not only had to be a reliable sup-
plier to sulfuric acid customers, but also reliable as a supplier of
steam under a contract with its neighbor. The company could
not afford to have delivery delays caused by start-up glitches or
problems getting employees up to speed on the new systems.
Other challenges
Furthermore, Southern States had little previous automation
infrastructure within the corporation. Everyone from upper
 Technology in Action
Clustered I/O
Figure 1. Because the I/O points are in clusters, Southern States placed
10 CHARM panels strategically near the clusters throughout the plant.
management to the junior operators had to be shown how to
look at things from an automation point of view. Training the
on-the-ground personnel to operate the new system from a
computer screen was another challenge. Working with auto-
mated equipment was a completely new experience for them
and a challenge to the new plant’s operational schedule. But
staff took to the new equipment thanks to hands-on, in-the-
field training.
Another potential challenge to the new system and technol-
ogy’s installation and start-up was the fact that Southern States
was working with two different firms for system configuration
and support, so coordinating the two teams’ efforts without
costly overlap, omission or schedule deviation was a concern.
Integration of technology between the two different compa-
nies went smoothly. Process automation consulting and engi-
neering firms Control Southern of Suwanee, Ga. (www.con-
trolsouthern.com), and R.E. Mason of Charlotte, N.C. (www.
remason.com), the local distributor of Emerson and Fisher
valve products, worked together during the entire project to
provide a seamless handoff from inception to operation. The
former firm ordered all the field devices, performed program-
34
Dual ethernet connectivity
Figure 2. Dual Ethernet cables connect the CHARM cabinets to the
Delta V cabinet (see yellow star).
ming and graphics design. The latter was involved in the ini-
tial concept, FAT, on-site installation and commissioning, then
took over all on-going programming and site support. One R.E.
Mason employee worked with Control Southern from the be-
ginning to get an overall perspective on the project, and then
the Mason team took over completely upon start-up.
The heart of the system
To automate its processes, Southern States implemented
Emerson’s DeltaV v11 digital automation system. While
that system has proven itself a reliable performer, Southern
States took a leap of faith in the system’s new CHARM tech-
nology. In fact, this project was one of North America’s first
installations of the new I/O technology.
The decision to use the new I/O technology came late in
the planning process. Southern States had looked at a stan-
dard fieldbus system incorporating wiring all the way from
the I/O point into the cabinet in the control room, but when
the new field junction cabinets and I/O system became
available, the company opted for them, as they appeared to
promise big savings in engineering and construction costs,
 Technology in Action
as well as increased reliability.
The characterization modules (CHARMs) enable I/O any-
where in the plant regardless of signal type. In the Wilbara
project, Southern States terminated the total I/O among 10
junction boxes located throughout the plant, running all the
signals from each junction box to the control room via two
Ethernet cables. Traditional marshalling cabinets were com-
pletely eliminated, decreasing the amount of field wiring by
half and cutting wiring cost by 40% (Figures 1 and 2).
The electronic marshalling technology eliminated one
of the most tedious and costly tasks that almost invariably
become a part of any plant construction or expansion proj-
ect: late engineering changes. The I/O system’s flexibility
showed its value in several cases where an I/O point was
located in a different cabinet from that originally planned,
and it was very easy for the team to relocate the I/O module
and reconfigure it in the control system.
The results are in
Plant operation has been reliable, aided by the system’s re-
dundant controllers and CIOC, dual Ethernet communica-
tions and smart transmitters in key areas.
Emerson provided all the field devices, including valves,
transmitters, thermocouples, RTDs and flowmeters. Among
these, the company’s mass flowmeters now allow truck and
rail car tanks to be filled with acid in a very streamlined pro-
cess. By tying the truck scale in with the flowmeter, opera-
tors input the target weight and, with the press of a button,
can fill the tank accurately and concurrently print the load-
ing bill. This dramatically reduces traffic, while increasing
both reliability and throughput.
FAT had an added component of key operator/supervi-
sor training. These operators and supervisors became our
mentors during operator training and site commissioning.
The digital control system’s ease of understanding and op-
eration reduced operator training and costs, with training
completed in two weeks.
Southern States achieved substantial capital cost savings,
35
with construction and wiring costs 50% less than a standard
DCS.
The start-up schedule was met by taking advantage of the
characterization modules’ flexibility when field I/O changes
were implemented during construction. I/O additions were
quicker and less costly because of the Ethernet communica-
tions backbone already in place. One of the changes made
in the I/O during construction concerned a point originally
planned for location in the field, which ended up requiring lo-
cation in the control room where the system controller is.
Integration with Southern States’ business systems is still
a work in progress, but the production data now available is
showing the way to continuous improvement. The digital
automation system provides a wealth of production data that
every segment of the corporation can use, enabling South-
ern States to provide outstanding quality, predict required
maintenance quicker, control the process better and make
better business decisions.
Payoff time
The gamble to entrust a new plant start-up and ongoing pro-
cess automation to a single supplier and its new electronic
marshalling technology clearly paid off. The new plant is
producing roughly 575 tons of sulfuric acid per day, versus
around 150 tons per day at the old plant with the same num-
ber of personnel. Recent state SO2 and acid mist emissions
tests fell significantly below requirements. Further, the Wil-
bara plant is delivering as much or more steam per month
to its neighboring customer as promised in its contract. The
construction, wiring and change management savings pro-
vided by the electronic marshalling technology, along with
subsequent reliability and performance have served as a
model for future plant automation engineering.
Using this state-of-the-art technology, Southern States
Chemical’s new Wilmington plant stands as the crown
jewel of the company.
Br yan Beyer is the acid operations manager at Southern States Chemical.