Figure 1.

Intelligent field devices do

calculations and PID control.

Thomas Wallace and Marcos Peluso, Emerson Process Management, USA,

discuss methods of improving intelligent field instruments and using them
to their full capacity as is done in PlantWeb Digital Plant Architecture.

illions of intelligent field instruments are installed ‘Expanding The Role of Intelligent Field Devices’, pre-

M and operating throughout the world; however most

of them are not delivering full value. At the same
time, new generations of intelligent field devices are plac-
ing more capability in the field than ever before. Some
engineers are beginning to question whether this new
capability in smart instruments is making a significant
impact on plant operation. The truth is that simply by
developing smarter devices, vendors are improving them
and enabling them to achieve more. In his paper
sented at ICAM Singapore in May 2001, Denver Smart
stated that ‘improvements in pressure and temperature
transmitters have demonstrated 3 - 4% reductions in
process variability and up to 80% reduction in field device
calibrations’. In addition, he said, ‘improvements in con-
trol valve technology and the addition of digital valve con-
trollers have resulted in a 10% increase in throughput with
over a two fold improvement in controllability perfor-
mance’.

REPRINTED FROM HYDROCARBON ENGINEERING JULY 2002


Figure 2. Control in the field.
Figure 3. Cascade control.
While field intelligence is improving devices, this is
just a small part of the overall story. Migration to distrib-
uted intelligence is a natural progression away from cost-
ly proprietary distributed control systems, towards vendor
independent solutions, where the system host is freed of
many lower level activities. Safer, more reliable, more
productive processes with lower costs can be obtained by
those who understand distributed intelligence and are
committed to making it work.
More than 20 years after intelligent instrumentation
was introduced for use in the process industries, a world
of opportunities await those companies that fully utilise
‘smart field devices’ and allow this distributed intelligence
to bring value in a broad range of activities. These extend
from simple signal conditioning, through device and
process diagnostics, to a variety of control functions in the
field. These devices are actually capable of performing
many of the calculations and control activities traditional-
ly carried out by PLCs or distributed control systems
(DCS), as shown in Figure 1. One early example of intel-
ligence in the field is the square root extraction to derive
flow from differential pressure. Another is the conversion
of resistance or voltage into temperature for temperature
transmitters. Before these functions existed in field
devices, they were carried out in analogue control mod-
ules or host computers and distributed control systems.
Field devices now calculate total flow, perform tempera-
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ture and pressure compensation, adjust pH and calcu-
late heat content of natural gas or other gasses. These
capabilities have made life easier for every process
engineer who ever configured a control strategy.
Placement of PID in the field device is simply a log-
ical development in a migration process already well
underway. The fact is that hundreds of fieldbus systems
worldwide currently operate with PID in the field
devices, controlling a whole range of production activi-
ties (Figure 2).
Enabling technologies
Distributed intelligence is made possible by develop-
ments in three broad areas of technology: information
producing devices, distribution protocols and useful
applications.
Intelligent instrumentation for processing is the
result of two noteworthy developments in the field of
electronics. Firstly, the availability of low power con-
sumption, high performance electronics has made it
possible to implement sophisticated control and diag-
nostics in field devices that consume mere milliamps of
power. These devices, operating at intrinsically safe
levels, are the heart and soul of distributed intelligence.
Secondly, open communications standards such as
HART®, FOUNDATION™ fieldbus and other digital pro-
tocols enable quick transmission of data generated by
the field devices. Equally important is the full support of
these protocols in system hosts to maximise the high
value diagnostics and control information, which can be
utilised by the host, another intelligent device or a free
standing PC loaded with a useful application.
Information access and management are key differ-
ences between distributed intelligence and a traditional
DCS or PLC. Rather than managing information from a
host located at a central hub, as in a conventional DCS,
this architecture shares information freely from one
device to another. Scalable control platforms, PCs and all
intelligent devices are attached as nodes on a network,
communicating control and diagnostic information to
appropriate platforms as needed.
Processes employing this field based architecture typ-
ically exhibit reduced installation, commissioning and
startup costs; seamless integration of field instruments,
hardware and software systems; as well as improved data
management and process control.
The standards that define the protocols make field
based information easy to use for asset management and
enterprise management purposes as well as process con-
trol. Such applications enable end users to realise signif-
icant savings in time and money.
Applying distributed intelligence
Control in the field
The FOUNDATION fieldbus technology unleashes the
ability of smart field devices to perform calculations and
control functions that have traditionally been undertaken
by PLCs or a DCS. A key aspect of distributed intelligence
is that the field devices communicate with each other and
perform process control when a host is not present. Even
if a host is present, calculations and diagnostics functions
typically run at a faster rate in the field than the sampling
 cise than host sampling
rates and processing times.
Fault tolerance and con-
trol performance are two
principal motivations for
control in the field. In addi-
tion to the flexibility and
scalability of this arrange-
ment, the host is freed to
perform such higher level
functions as advanced con-
trol, optimisation, batch
sequencing, unit control,
etc.
A field based control
strategy may start with one
simple flow control loop and
become more complex as
needed. As the system
grows, a DCS may be used
to integrate different units in
a refinery or other process-
ing complex. The emerging
fieldbus foundation high
speed ethernet provides
seamless integration of mul-
Figure 4. Diagnostics in field devices improve process performance and reliability.
tiple H1 fieldbus segments.
This further simplifies con-
nectivity and enables web
times of a DCS, thus process control and data quality are access to the field devices
improved. Scheduling of control functions and communi- and all the information they possess.
cation between devices reduces jitter and aliasing in the Placing control in the field is not without controversy.
control system, providing superior control quality. Finally, Host vs field and transmitter vs valve as the best location
having control functions performed within the field devices for control have been debated extensively. In fact, all work
may also increase plant reliability by eliminating process and can work well, however concerns about the location
control failure paths through the host. of the PID are distracting process engineers from the real
With the fieldbus technology, user applications are benefits of distributed intelligence: the explosively grow-
defined through the configuration of function blocks, not ing diagnostic capabilities in smart field devices, which
unlike the configuration of control strategies in a DCS. ultimately result in improved process performance and
The functionality, terminology and parameter formats for reliability (Figure 4). The information that they generate
the function blocks are the same for all devices meeting gives engineers a unique way to view the process and
FOUNDATION fieldbus standards, resulting in more con- determine the operating condition of production equip-
sistent implementations across vendors. Interoperability ment, and thus provide a new basis for decision making.
of devices from different suppliers is a basic principle of For example, after the Pennzoil/Quaker State MEK
the fieldbus foundation, making its use simple and flexi- unit, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, installed smart digital
ble. valve controllers on nine control valves, the diagnostics
Figure 3 illustrates a typical cascade control scheme immediately revealed an improperly installed cam on one
where primary control is in the temperature transmitter valve. When the problem was corrected, the operation of
and secondary control is in the flow transmitter. With field the flash recovery section stabilised, reducing solvent
based architecture, the user selects where to execute the carryover. The annual savings were projected at more
function blocks. The same cascade could have the two than US$ 280,000.
PIDs in the temperature transmitter, flow transmitter,
valve positioner or the control system host. Diagnostics
All fieldbus devices share a common sense of time, The diagnostic capabilities of distributed intelligence
which allows process engineers to schedule block execu- allow users to control nothing less than the quality, quan-
tion in a co-ordinated sequence, leading to excellent con- tity and cost of their end products by managing the avail-
trol and superior performance. Control messages flow ability, performance and useful life of each plant’s physi-
between devices on a pre-established schedule. Non time cal assets. This is a lofty goal, but aiming lower simply
critical messages are only exchanged when no control leaves money on the table.
messages are being transmitted. This feature guarantees Diagnostics are intended to satisfy three broad purpos-
real periodic and synchronised communication, enhanc- es: identification, localisation and resolution. Tying them
ing control performance and reducing variability. All together is an advisory system that helps an operator take
alarms, events and trends can have a time stamp at the the best possible action if the diagnostics reveal a problem.
device level. The recorded time of each event is more pre- Identification provides the knowledge that a problem

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may exist in a specific part of the process. FOUNDATION
fieldbus devices report a ‘good, bad or uncertain’ status,
which accompanies every process variable. Newer tech-
nologies monitor every loop for variability, pinpointing
areas where improvements can be made. Simply recog-
nising a problem brings the solution closer.
Today’s diagnostic software can pinpoint the location
of such a problem with great accuracy. For example, one
can determine if a specific transmitter or valve is causing
excess variability in a loop, or if the problem is tuning or
even related to other process equipment. Localisation
leads the user to the source, and this knowledge dramat-
ically reduces the time it takes for an experienced techni-
cian to troubleshoot a suspected problem. This alone can
have a profound effect on improving performance. An
example is the detection of plugged impulse legs, where
a transmitter statistically monitors the noise from the
process. By analysing how the noise patterns change sta-
tistically, a plugged impulse leg can be detected within
two minutes of occurrence.
Often diagnostics must be run in the field device.
Information critical to problem determination is lost
between the sensor and the outside world. For example,
it is valuable to know impulse legs are plugging before
they fully close. As impulse legs close, the high frequen-
cy noise and the low frequency noise change in statisti-
cally different ways. By combining a sensor with very high
frequency response and processors with the power to
monitor statistics across many frequencies in the power
spectrum in the near future, impulse line plugging can be
predicted and alarmed before it happens. This type of
early warning makes cost saving predictive maintenance
a reality.
Finally, there is resolution: doing what is necessary to
return production equipment to ‘like new’ condition and
prevent a recurrence of a problem. If one knows that a
valve is sticking and is able to learn that the cause is
excess packing friction, the resolution becomes rather
obvious. When action is taken to restore the operation of
that valve, the entire process improves.
Asset management
Special asset management software (AMS) loaded into a
PC communicates directly with smart field devices on a
HART or fieldbus network without delaying process con-
trol signals. The software manages a database covering
every field device. Easy to follow screen graphics allow
engineers and technicians to ‘look inside the device’ and
examine the condition of each instrument in a way that
has never before been possible, all from the comfort and
safety of the maintenance shop. In addition to diagnostics
run in the devices, a combination of asset management
software and field device intelligence can drive many
maintenance activities. For example, device specific
setup, calibration and checkout procedures are often con-
trolled or even executed by software residing in the
device.
Asset management software saves money because
less time is required for device commissioning and start-
up; routine maintenance activities including instrument
calibration and troubleshooting are more efficient;
unscheduled downtime is reduced and costly manual doc-
D350887X012 / 00802-0100-2127 / 5K / 09/02
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umentation by technical personnel is eliminated.
At Noltex, LLC, a petrochemical company near
Houston, USA, asset management software enabled
faster commissioning of almost 1000 smart field devices,
helping to start a new unit weeks ahead of schedule. The
fast start added an early US$ 200,000 to company rev-
enues. Noltex continues to save money by using the
same software to reduce the cost of routine maintenance,
optimise instrument performance and preserve high pro-
ductivity through predictive maintenance.
Predictive maintenance
By using diagnostics and asset management software to
identify deteriorating conditions and potential problems,
maintenance engineers can make informed predictions on
how long equipment can be expected to run. Repairs or
replacement can be scheduled based upon actual condi-
tion and not some predetermined schedule. Moreover,
predictive maintenance takes place before real trouble
starts, avoiding the unscheduled breakdowns and work
stoppages typical of reactive maintenance.
The Total Solvants plant in Oudalle, France, claims to
be one of the first petrochemical plants in Europe to
implement a 100% predictive maintenance program on all
field instrumentation and associated production equip-
ment. According to the assistant instrumentation supervi-
sor, technicians formerly serviced all 100 control valves
annually to ensure that nothing would fail during produc-
tion. Predictive maintenance indicated that only 10 valves
actually required maintenance, and service on the other
90 was curtailed during the last two annual shutdowns.
Getting the most out of distributed intelligence
The sooner a refinery begins to build an infrastructure of
smart field instrumentation and develops the expertise to
utilise field based information, the sooner the value of dis-
tributed intelligence can be realised. This could mean
implementing the fieldbus technology in new production
units or during rehabilitation of existing units.
Alternatively, it may mean adding to already installed
HART smart devices and starting up software applications
designed to utilise the information they produce.
Frequently, software packages can be tailored to work
with existing instrumentation and expanded as more
smart devices are installed. Proper implementation of a
distributed intelligence strategy will return value for virtu-
ally any end user.
Process engineers throughout the petroleum industry
should adopt an open attitude towards distributed intelli-
gence and initiate projects to move towards a field based
architecture and the fieldbus technology. Distributed intel-
ligence is here to stay and is not just a passing fancy. It
has been evolving since the introduction of smart field
devices some 20 years ago, however the technology is
significantly more rewarding today than at any time in the
past. Furthermore, the pace of new capability has
increased dramatically in the last few years.
Field intelligence is entering a golden age, bringing
unprecedented improvements to overall plant operations.