wp_FF integrated power for virtual marshalling cabinets rC

2013-12-04 18:43:00

Integrated Power for Virtual Marshalling Cabinets

FOUNDATION fieldbus provides more diagnostics from devices, fast synchronized closed loop
control, and has reduced the cost of wiring field devices by putting multiple devices - each with
multiple signals - on the same pair of wires. Now, with integrated fieldbus power, DeltaV I/O on
Demand further reduces DCS cabinet footprint by eliminating marshalling panels.

With increased attention to quality, throughput, energy efficiency and the environment, modern
plants require more measurement and control devices which could mean more wires. Moreover,
modern devices pack more functions, potentially meaning even more wires. Hardwiring all these
devices using 4-20 mA and on/off signals is very costly. Change orders to hardwired I/O to
accommodate signals from additional or different devices late in the projects have the potential to
cause schedule delays and incur cost, especially if they occur when the system is already at site.
There is a growing need to reduce the wiring and to simplify changes.

A beauty of digital technology is that you can easily make changes through software. For instance,
you can effortlessly modify documents and drawings in soft copy, touch up digital photos, and edit
videos. The same applies to tying field instruments to DeltaV. When building a new plant, change
orders late in a project such as changing or adding 4-20 mA and on/off device signals are
infamously disruptive and costly. DeltaV I/O on Demand makes it easier. For instance, because
fieldbus utilizes digital communication, signals are marshalled virtually from software which makes
late changes easier and less costly. This is an important benefit of fieldbus which has not been
examined before.

Power on Demand
A regular DC bulk power supply cannot be connected directly to a fieldbus. There has to be a
fieldbus power supply (a.k.a. "power conditioner") in between. Until recently this fieldbus power
supply has been a standalone, intermediate component between the H1 card and the fieldbus trunk,
and had to be installed in a separate marshalling cabinet, requiring some wiring.

FPS
FPS
FPS P
FPS
JB T
FPS
FPS FIELDBUS

JB
CONTROLLERS MARSHALLING
& INTERFACES & POWER
Figure 1 Already first generation fieldbus systems had a simpler architecture than hardwired
systems

The new DeltaV S-series H1 interface card optionally comes with integral power supply. This
design eliminates the need for intermediate, standalone power conditioners, marshalling cabinets,
and associated wiring, as the fieldbus trunk cable from the bus coupler inside the field junction box
lands directly on the H1 card in the DeltaV cabinet without intermediate marshalling cabinets.

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Figure 2 Fieldbus interface card with integrate bus power supply

The interface module with integral power supply results in fewer cabinets, a reduced footprint, less
weight, and even fewer connections. There is no marshalling cabinet sizing or cross-wiring design
for fieldbus.

P
FIELDBUS JB T

JB
CONTROLLERS
& INTERFACES
WITH POWER
Figure 3 Marshalling cabinets are not required when fieldbus power is integrated in the
interface card

Hazardous Areas
In Div 2 hazardous area or in zone 1 using flameproof (explosion proof) installation method, a
regular bus coupler is used in the field junction box. For zone 0 and 1 using intrinsic safety, field
mounted safety barriers are used in the junction box to which the field devices are connected by
their "spur" cables.

When intrinsic safety is used, the integrated power supply fits neatly with the high power/energy
trunk topology.

2
 Barrier Barrier
Field
Exe T
Trunk
(Armor) P

Field
Exia
‘Spur’

JB

CONTROLLERS
& INTERFACES
WITH POWER
Figure 4 High power/energy trunk topology with barrier in the field junction box

For a FISCO trunk topology, regular interface cards (without power) are used, and barriers are
mounted indoors in cabinets.

Integrated Bus Power Monitor

Fieldbus interface cards with integrated fieldbus power supply also include a bus power monitor
circuit. The bus power monitor circuit measures the output voltage to the bus, but also measures the
current drawn by the devices on the bus. Changes in current drawn could indicate short circuit on a
spur or other installation problem. The integrated bus power monitor and the communication
statistics in DeltaV Diagnostics complement each other. Communication statistics detect fieldbus
problems in the field-end of the bus in addition to problems on the trunk. Together these diagnostics
detect problem on either field device-side or controller cabinet-side of the safety barriers. See
separate white paper on bus diagnostics.

I/O on Demand::Fieldbus
In the early stages of a project, the exact number of devices and their signals are not yet finalized.
Therefore the engineering team has to make assumptions based on available information, knowing
their estimations are subject to change later in the project as process design and package units are
finalized.

Traditional hardwired signal marshalling requires detailed design

Many kinds of devices have several signals of different signal types (see table 1). In hardwired
systems, the project cannot afford to use all of these signals due to the high cost of hardwired I/O.
Therefore, some signals are sacrificed. This means the full functionality of the device cannot be
utilized, leaving the automation system, and therefore the plant, operating below its full potential. In
the future, as devices get more sophisticated, they will have even more such signals each.

Table 1 Many hardwired devices require more than one pair of wires and system I/O card
channel
Kind of Device Signal Description AI* DI* AO* DO* PI
Valve positioner Setpoint, open and closed limit switches 2 1
(limit switch
feedback)
Valve positioner Setpoint and position retransmission 1 1
(position transmitter
feedback)
Electric actuators Up to 16 channels depending on how 2 9 1 4
(motor operated many signals fit the application
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 Kind of Device Signal Description AI* DI* AO* DO* PI
valve, MOV)
On/off valve Solenoid, open and closed limit switches 2 1
Coriolis mass- Mass-flow (pulse), density, process 2 1
flowmeter temperature, and more
Magnetic flowmeter Flow (pulse), reverse flow, totalizer 1 1 1 1
reset, and more
Gas chromatograph Up to 25 channels depending on 12 5 4 4
application
pH analyzer pH and process temperature 2
Guided wave radar Level and interface 2
level transmitter
Process gas analyzer Concentration of multiple components 5
*NOTE: There are several sub-types of system I/O cards for each of the AI, DI, AO, and DO classes
(see table 2)

Hardwired systems use multi-core "homerun" cables from the field junction box to the marshalling
cabinet. Each carries 12 signals, usually two of the pairs are left as spare, the remaining pairs
correspond to less than 10 devices since many devices have more than one signal. On average, one
device may correspond to approximately 3 I/O signals (i.e. 3 pairs of wires and 3 I/O card
channels). Therefore many multi-core cables are required. For instance, hardwired electric actuators
or variable speed drives require one multi-core cable each.
FTA FTA FTA FTA FTA FTA

P
JB T
1 device ~ 3 signals

A 8,000 device system = 24,000

I/O conventional system

JB
CONTROLLERS MARSHALLING
& I/O & POWER
Figure 5 Hardwired systems requires multi-core cables and many marshalling cabinets

A mix of many standard signal types (table 2) comes from the field junction box to the marshalling
cabinets. Selection of I/O card types and quantities, marshalling cabinet sizing, and power with due
consideration to sufficient I/O spares of all possible types, as well as assigning each signal of each
device to its I/O channel, some with auxiliary power, is a familiar, but very labor intensive process.
The multi-core cables from field junction boxes carrying mixed signals from the field devices land
in the marshalling cabinet. The device signal pairs are separated and then grouped together with
'like' signal types from other devices on a corresponding type "Field Termination Assembly" (FTA).
A connectorized cable links the FTA to the I/O cards. AC signals must be separated from the others.

Table 2 A plethora of different signals and corresponding I/O cards exist

Class Card Types
AI • 0-20 mA / 4-20 mA** / 1-5 V / 0-10 V
• RTD / Ohm**
• Thermocouple / mV
DI • NAMUR sensor
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Class Card Types
• 24 VDC / Dry contact
• 24 VDC isolated
• 120 VAC
• 230 VAC
• 125 VDC
AO • 0-20 mA / 4-20 mA
• 1-5 V / 0-10 V
DO** • 24 VDC
• 24 VDC isolated
• AC
• Relay
**NOTE: There are several ways to wire to I/O cards depending on if a two-wire or four-wire
transmitter is used, 2, 3, 4-wire sensor, or local or field auxiliary power is used and so on.

Where intrinsic safety is used, a suitable safety barrier type for each kind of hardwired signal has to
be selected. This can be particularly challenging for discrete outputs due to the varying electrical
characteristics of solenoids.

Fieldbus detail design

All FOUNDATION fieldbus devices use the same simple, two-wire digital communication with
power supplied over the bus known as "H1" and therefore all connect to a single common type of
H1 interface card. Transmitter or valve, control or on/off, single or multi-signal, they are all the
same and can be mixed on the same bus. Multiple signal paths 1 are established among devices and
system across the common bus. Signal grouping to specific I/O card types is eliminated since there
is just one type of card for all fieldbus devices, and field wiring connections are simple and
straightforward since it is just one pair.

In the early days of fieldbus only regulatory control devices such as transmitters and valve
positioners used fieldbus, but this is changing as electric actuators and intelligent on/off valves now
also use it. Because there is only one type of fieldbus interface card, cabinets can be standardized
instead of custom designed and fabricated for each project, eliminating work in the project cycle.

Because in fieldbus individual control and feedback signals are “virtual”, each device can have
multiple signals, all accessed across the same two terminal screws. Each signal in the device has a
different name and therefore not mixed up on the bus, and easy to identify from software. Sixteen
signals for an electric actuator is still just one device. Eight sensors on a multi-input temperature
transmitter is still just one device, taking the place of eight hardwired transmitters. Fieldbus valve
positioner feedback requires no special feedback option, no additional wiring, and no additional
input cards. Actual valve position feedback is built in, and just has to be enabled. Virtual limit
switches are also provided. All signals from a device can be utilized at no additional cost, no signals
sacrificed. That is, the full functionality of every device can be utilized to bring the plant to its full
potential. The wiring and space saving is achieved without placing DC power supplies or system
I/O cards remotely in the field. The entire system is located indoors for greater availability and easy
maintenance without sending technicians into the field.

DeltaV supports 16 devices per fieldbus port, but the bus is typically not fully loaded so there is
plenty of spare capacity. Considering that each device has multiple signals, one fieldbus takes the
place of much more than a hardwired 12-pair multi-core cable. For instance, one single-pair
fieldbus cable can support a dozen electric actuators instead of hardwiring an individual multi-core
cable to each MOV.

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In fieldbus terminology the signal path between devices is known as a Virtual Communication Relationship (VCR)
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Fieldbus planning is based on device count as opposed to exact quantities and types of many
different kinds of hardwired I/O. That is, the H1 card quantity and spare capacity is easy to
estimate, as only the number of fieldbus devices needs to be estimated, not the number of control
and feedback signals that come from each one or of which type.

With FOUNDATION fieldbus, transmitter and valve are “soft I/O” (serial I/O), not “hard I/O”, and
it is well understood that soft I/O (serial I/O) takes less space than hard I/O. One fieldbus device
takes the place of on average 3 I/O signals. That is, fieldbus changes I/O count to device count. For
instance, a DeltaV H1 card has two ports, which if loaded with 16 devices each with an average of 3
signals per device would translate into 96 I/O signals for just one card. The equivalent of a
traditional 300 I/O panel would just require a few fieldbus H1 cards. Fieldbus is virtual I/O if you
will.

1 fieldbus device ~ 3
signals

A 24,000 I/O
conventional system =
8,000 device fieldbus
system

Figure 6 For fieldbus, the I/O is per intact device, not scrambled by kinds of signal

Intrinsic safety is simplified too, as a single type of safety barrier is used for all kinds of fieldbus
devices; input or output, regulatory or discrete, and single or multi-channel.

Thanks to “late binding” which in the case of fieldbus means it doesn’t matter what type of signal
the device has, how many signals there are for the device, and where those signals go; it can be
continious or discrete, input or output. If the project requires design changes, a device can be
changed to another kind with different types of signals which can be accomodated simply by editing
from software, without modifying any of the hardware or connections. For example on/off valve to
control valve, or to MOV, without changes to hardware design. A big difference between hardwired
signals and virtual fieldbus signals lies in the cost of handling changes, upgrades, and, especially,
the cost of fixing a mistake. Design always involves a certain amount of changes, and hardwired
changes and errors are much more costly. If a hardwired requires changes, it can mean days of
expensive rewiring. If virtual relationships need to be changed, a software engineer fixes the
problem by clicking in software, in a few minutes or a few hours, and function block links can be
quickly modified even after the system has shipped.

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A Virtual Marshalling Cabinet
Inevitably, every project sees its share of changes towards the later part of the project. These can
come from:
• Changes in the process and control strategy
• Late definition of skid equipment requirements
• Additional field instruments
• Change of kind of device (signal types)
• Additional signals in the devices

Late changes, deviation orders, and delays are critical business issues familiar to EPC contractors,
and may also impact plant owners.

Bus technologies eliminate all sorts of marshalling: FTA, wiring, and cabinets. Where used, safety
barriers, (encapsulated) go into the field junction box, interposing relays are eliminated as motors
and electric actuators are controlled through PROFIBUS-DP and all AC switching is done in the
MCC itself.

Add Devices
When hardwired devices have to be added late in the project, it affects I/O card and safety barrier
type selection and quantity, and requires additional multi-core cable. The result is a ripple effect on
large portions of the detail design work. This causes delays. Hardwiring must be carefully planned,
because it is inflexible. "Spare" I/O cards and wire pairs are planned for, but when additional
devices have to be included, the spare I/O cards may not be the right type. For instance, when
adding hardwired on/off valves there may not be enough DO and DI cards, or the spare may be the
wrong kind of DO or DI cards (table 2). Moreover, it is not a good idea to use up spare I/O cards
and homerun wires before the plant starts up. Additional I/O cabinets and marshalling must also be
planned.

While hardwiring has finite “hard” limits, fieldbus has more flexibility. It is not possible to connect
9 hardwired I/O to an 8 channel card, or an analog signal to a discrete card. 13 hardwired I/O cannot
be pushed down a 12-pair multi-core cable. However, for fieldbus the limit to the number of devices
on a bus is flexible, not hard. When fieldbus devices have to be added late in the project, or even
after startup, it is often possible to load more devices on the existing busses by simply connecting
them to the respective junction box. Again, there is no need to worry about how many signals each
new device has. The signal marshalling changes are easily done from the DeltaV Control Studio
software, without more homerun cable, adding or changing card and safety barrier types, or
increasing marshalling cabinets and footprint. This minimizes project delays. Since there is only
one type of H1 card there is no issue with the spare cards not being the right type. Fieldbus devices
are easy to add, remove, and change since the interface card remains the same.

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 T
P
F JB

CONTROLLERS
& INTERFACES
WITH POWER
Figure 7 Adding a device requires wiring in the field, not on the system

"Spare" hardwired H1 cards are planned for, but by loading the existing busses, spare fieldbus cards
are not used up before the plant starts up. For fieldbus, when planning spare capacity, each spare
device opening can be used for any kind of device (input/output, continuous/discrete), with multiple
signals. This allows full usability of spare capacity even though the mix of devices for future
changes is not known.

Add Signals
When late in the project it is found that additional control, feedback, or auxiliary measurement
signals are required for some hardwired devices, additional cable will require more I/O cards, safety
barriers, and signal marshalling, with a cascading impact on the rest of the design. This causes
delays and the automation improvement may be abandoned because it is not recommended to use
up spare cards and homerun wires before the plant starts up; and the spare cards and safety barriers
may even not be the correct type. For instance, when adding position feedback from some of the
hardwired valves, there may not be enough AI or DI cards, or it may be the wrong kind of DI cards.
This is over and above installing the limit switches on the valves or position transmitter board in the
positioner.

The “virtual” marshalling of fieldbus is the key to its flexibility. Fieldbus simply makes all control,
feedback, and auxiliary measurement signals from all devices available across the same two wires.
When late in the project, or even after start-up, more signals are required from some devices it is not
necessary to lay any cable or install any more hardware. There is no need to use up any of the spare
wires or cards and associated cross-wire signal marshalling - it is all configured from DeltaV
Control Studio without making any new connections. That is, there is no hardware cost and little or
no engineering cost to add signals. Engineers need not be specific about exact signal quantity and
types during the early design phases. The details are not needed in the initial design; the exact
requirements can be finalized closer to installation and startup. For instance, when incorporating
position feedback from some of the fieldbus valves, this can simply be soft-wired into the control
strategy from DeltaV Control Studio.

An important point is that DeltaV software has a simple licensing based on the number of fieldbus
devices rather than how many signals are actually used.

Change Devices
Similarly, if the kind of hardwired device has to be changed it affects the quantity of I/O cards and
safety barriers as well as the type selection because the signals required by these devices are not the
same. Additional homerun cable will be required if more signals are involved. This has a domino
effect on prior design work. For instance, if the process calls for a control valve or an electric
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actuator instead of the on/off valve originally planned, the 24 VDC DO card will have to change or
have the wires redirected to a 4-20 mA AO card or a 240 VAC DO card, and the DI cards have to
change to AI cards etc.

FTA FTA
DO (DC)

DI (DC)
FTA
AO (mA)
M
M
FTA

AI (mA)
FTA

DO (AC)
FTA

DI (AC) ON/OFF CONTROL MOV

VALVE VALVE
JUNCTION
I/O MARSHALLING BOX
Figure 8 Modifying the design to another kind of hardwired device requires many changes

With fieldbus, all measurements and outputs are conditioned in the field devices. Therefore the
fieldbus signal is the same for all devices: input or output, analog or discrete. No conditioning is
required in system cards. Thus a change of device does not affect system cards. The signals are
simply redirected and bound to the control strategy from the Control Studio software, virtually. If
the kind of fieldbus device has to be changed there is no associated engineering because the H1
interface card and safety barrier is the same and the cable, etc. is also the same. For instance, an
on/off valve can be changed to a control valve or an electric actuator (MOV) without changing the
signal wiring or system I/O, just by clicking in the system software. Similarly, and MOV can be
changed from on/off to throttling operation without changing wiring or I/O, simply by changing the
configuration.

Easy System Implementation

For hardwired systems a large number of marshalling and I/O card cabinets have to be fabricated,
incorporating the cross-wiring from the mixed signal terminals where the homerun cable lands, to
get each field signal to its assigned I/O card terminal. The system database must be built signal tag
by signal tag, for each device. Each signal tag must be created and mapped to the correct I/O card
and channel. Depending on the kind of device, many signal tags must be created.

Thanks to the Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) file for the fieldbus device, all
signals are automatically generated for the DeltaV database when the device is added to the
configuration from DeltaV Exporer, without the need for manual creation of each individual signal
tag. The database is built per fieldbus device in one click under one tag, rather than for each
individual signal. Depending on the kind of device, it may have many signals, saving significant
configuration time. The control strategy is virtually marshalled by linking - "soft wiring" - function
blocks which is a point-and-click operation from DeltaV Control Studio. For instance, an intelligent
on/off valve with a solenoid and two limit switches is a single device tag with three signals.

Full FAT Quicker

At the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of a hardwired system, each field signal terminal has to be
tested to make sure it is physically marshalled to the correct I/O card and channel, mapped to the
correct system tag, and that the cards are fully functional and calibrated correctly (full hardware
test) by physically wiring simulators and indicators to the actual I/O cards for all signals. Ranges,
faceplates, graphics, and alarms etc. are verified (full software test), a time consuming but important
step before shipment to site.

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At the FAT of DeltaV with fieldbus, functional testing is first done on a card level (full hardware
test). Each actual H1 interface card is simply tested against a single device, making sure the cards
are fully functional before shipping to site. Next, each signal corresponding to each device is tested
from the MiMiC software using a virtual simulation card (software test). This makes FAT an easier
and much faster functional check to verify the faceplates, graphics, and alarms etc. Since fieldbus is
digital, there is no need to connect 4-20 mA simulators and multi-meters to test AI and AO card
calibration.

Less Installation
For a plant with hardwired devices, a large number of multi-core cables have to be laid, which is
labor intensive. An enormous number of connections have to be made: cutting, stripping, labeling,
crimping, and screwing down anywhere from two to two dozen wires per device. For each signal of
every device to find its way to its specific I/O card channel, each wired differently, it has to be
wired correctly at the device terminals, in the field junction box, for the homerun multi-core, and in
the marshalling cabinet where it is matched to the right FTA and I/O card and channel.

For fieldbus, smaller and lighter single pair fieldbus cables or fewer multi-core fieldbus cables have
to be laid, reducing labor. Connection arrangements are greatly simplified since there is just one
fieldbus pair regardless of the device having one or one dozen signals. Wiring of individual devices
is standardized for all kinds, even for complex devices with many signals. Fieldbus only requires
two terminals, the same as on simple 4-20 mA transmitters, but drastically fewer than hardwiring
for complex devices like electric actuators. An added benefit is that fieldbus is polarity insensitive.

Fast Loop Check

To make sure the gamut of signals from hardwired field devices are connected to the right channel
on the right I/O card, with correct polarity, an extensive loop check must be done at site pre-
commissioning to discover any signal marshalling mix-ups. This is an essential but protracted
process. For analog signals, a five point loop test simulating 4/8/12/16/20 mA is done to verify that
the current is not limited, detect ground loops, and ensure there is no non-linearity due to problems
with wiring, safety barriers, or signal conditioners. A loop check also makes sure there is no range
mismatch between the transmitter and the system, or difference in current calibration. That is, to
make sure 20 mA in the transmitter is exactly 100% in the system, etc. On/off device checkout
requires two individuals working together, one working at the field device and the other confirming
the signals at the system. This is a time consuming task.

A fieldbus loop check is much easier. DeltaV automatically detects connected fieldbus devices
along with their control and feedback signals and displays them as a live list in the DeltaV
Diagnostics software for easy verification. Since there is no 4-20 mA or range, a five point test is
not required; a simple plausibility check is sufficient, speeding up the process, not only for
transmitters and positioners, but also discrete devices like fieldbus electric actuators and intelligent
on/off valves. Fieldbus allows one technician to quickly verify the system. The field device names
can be verified, signals generated and feedback confirmed from the DeltaV Control Studio. There is
no need for manual activation in the field. DeltaV can automatically confirm the correct type
(model and manufacturer) device has been installed, not just for transmitters and positioners, but
discrete devices like intelligent on/off valves and electric actuators too.

The Future is Digital

Integrated power further reduces system footprint and simplifies fieldbus design and panel
fabrication. The virtual marshalling cabinet afforded by FOUNDATION fieldbus provides many
benefits. Since there are no cross-marshalling wires, all of the design, and engineering work
associated with cross-marshalling is eliminated. All signals from all devices share the same pair of
wires and are marshaled by software configuration from Control Studio. If late changes are made to
the kinds of fieldbus devices, or new devices are added, no changes to the existing bus have to be
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made. Instead, new devices and more signals from existing devices can be added to the fieldbus and
their signals marshalled through the Control Studio software. The hardwired marshalling cabinets
are gone. All that remains is software configuration from Control Studio. These simplifications
mean fewer wiring runs must be installed, much less time is consumed by terminating wires, greater
flexibility exists for late project changes, and less risk of project schedule delays.

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