Smar participates at ISA2003 Show

Smar exhibited with significant presence at the ISA2003 Show in Houston, Texas last month. The company participated in all of the major technology foundation booths (Hart Communication, Fieldbus Foundation, Profibus and FDT) with its complete line of devices and plant management software and solutions.

While at the show, Smar’s powerful, fieldbus-based SYSTEM302 gained prominence as the “best-in-class” industrial automation solution system displayed at the Fieldbus Foundation Booth. In addition, Smar had a significant number of staff presenting papers, seminars and tutorials during the show.

For more information on Smar white papers and tutorials presented at ISA2003, please contact us via e-mail sales@smar.com or visit www.isa.org and search as follows:

1. “Retrofitting on Offshore Gas Platforms using Foundation Fieldbus Technology”. Fabrício Pascon / Silvio Pires Correa.

2. “Specifying Properly Direct Digital Inputs and Outputs in a Foundation Fieldbus System”. Douglas Fábio.

3. “Converting an Existing Plant to (SIMA) – Audit Flow Measurement System”. Luis Carlos Geron / Sergio Hideki Tateishi.

4. “Comparing Conventional DCS Projects with Foundation Fieldbus Projects (Tutorial)”. Claudio Fayad.

5. “Designing Foundation Fieldbus H1 Segments”. Claudio Fayad / Juliano Zarinello.

6. “Foundation Fieldbus Project Documentation”. André Giorgini / Claudio Fayad.

7. “Flow Computing in Gas Storage Applications with Foundation Fieldbus Technology”. Dave Evans / Edward Morrison

Smar project presented at Hart Communication Foundation Press Conference.

The following project was presented at the recent ISA2003 Show in Houston, Texas and received an award at the HART Communication Foundation Press Conference.

Smar – Protecting your investments
New HI302 interface enables seamless integration of HART and FOUNDATION fieldbus devices.

Cebrace, a leading manufacturer of specialty glass products, recently converted existing HART-based field devices at its Caçapava, São Paulo, Brazil, plant to the advanced performance of FOUNDATION fieldbus.

Cebrace completed the integration using Smar’s new HI302 interface, a unique solution for unifying instrument communications and data access tools within the HART and fieldbus environments.

For Cebrace, a key project requirement was protecting its investments in HART technology, while at the same time, obtaining the robust diagnostic capabilities of FOUNDATION fieldbus. Cebrace was seeking to integrate Smar's HART-based FY301 smart valve positioners with a FOUNDATION fieldbus network, and implement a maintenance and diagnostic system for the devices using Smar's best-in-class AssetView asset management system.

Cebrace chose the Smar solution because it offers users of HART and FOUNDATION fieldbus the best of both worlds. Those connecting HART transmitters or positioners to a FOUNDATION fieldbus system were previously limited to 4-20mA signals, with digital information only available separately through a hand-held communicator or similar device. This approach required duplicating wiring from the devices to the fieldbus network — a costly and time-consuming procedure.

With the HI302, users are liberated from the constraints of duplicate wiring to support communications between new and legacy systems. The pair of wires connecting HART devices to the fieldbus system can now carry digital information, which can be made available for historization or use by an asset management system.

The HI302 module is designed to execute a “conversion between protocols.” Through the device transducer and function blocks, the variables of the HART instruments are mapped to FOUNDATION fieldbus block parameters and accessed for reading and writing through the Smar Fieldbus OPC Server. All of the HART variables can be accessed through a fieldbus block parameter.

Using specific parameters, the module allows HART messages to be exchanged through an H1 fieldbus channel. It also permits applications that already have HART features (and are capable of accessing the OPC Server) to access HART instruments through the FOUNDATION fieldbus network.

The HI302 enables the AssetView asset management system (or any other system) to communicate transparently with HART devices as if they were FOUNDATION fieldbus instruments. AssetView makes full use of available parameter information from both device types (regardless of their make or model), and in doing so, helps eliminate the constraints of plantwide integration while protecting the user's installed investment.

AssetView provides continuous, on-line access to intelligent field devices, and enables technicians to perform a host of diagnostic and maintenance functions, including: calibration, device monitoring, device parameterization, valve diagnostic and performance evaluation, loop tests, documentation and operator audits.

AssetView also provides valuable data collected from smart valve positioners/controllers and other devices, and historically archived in the plantwide database. It makes the most of this historical information to optimize the operation of plant equipment with minimal frequency and extent of maintenance.

In Cebrace's view, the integration project provided significant benefits that will improve its process performance. The company was able to retain its existing HART instruments and 4-20mA/PLC control architecture, while migrating seamlessly to advanced fieldbus technology. Operators can now access all devices — HART and fieldbus — from every station plantwide (and worldwide via the Internet) in a single, web-based, integrated software environment.

Thanks to the powerful diagnostics of Smar's FY301 HART smart valve positioners, Cebrace’s plant personnel have the information they need to improve loop operation and avoid unscheduled downtime.

Most importantly, diagnostic information from both HART and FOUNDATION fieldbus devices reaches operators quickly and efficiently through Smar’s AssetView asset management solution.