Wireless technologies can have a dramatic impact for your plant in two broad categories:
• Wireless Field Networks sensor / field device applications
• Wireless Plant Networks business / operations applications
Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions extend the benefits of PlantWeb digital architecture for Wireless Field and Plant Network applications. This extension has united wireless process plant operations with plant enterprise networks to provide a complete, integrated, open-standard network.
This architecture provides highly secure, reliable, easy-to-use, open, standards-based wireless solutions for process automation, workforce productivity, and plant management.
Wireless Field Networks are extremely low-powered to enable the use of battery-powered devices that operate for many years on the same battery. These solutions are also extremely secure and reliable. Emerson uses open standards such as 802.15.4 and IEC 62591 WirelessHART® to provide these solutions.
Wireless Plant Networks provide the high bandwidth, flexibility and expansion capabilities required by your business and operational applications. Of course, security and reliability are just as important for these applications as well. Emerson uses open standards such as 802.11 (“WiFi”) to provide these solutions.
Emerson’s Smart Wireless solutions provide seamless integration of wireless technologies with existing wired networks to address process industry needs. These wireless technologies can solve difficult plant problems and improve plant operations.
Wireless Field Networks
Wireless Field Networks have specific requirements which are different from those of a Plant Network. Field Networks are focused on process applications like measurement or sensing, process control and diagnostics. Requirements include:
Process Applications – sensing, condition monitoring, control and diagnostics
Bandwidth – Short, high priority communications
Security/Reliability – must coexist and perform in dynamic, harsh plant environment
Power Management – Intrinsically safe power solutions optimised for user and process safety lasting at least 5 years
Standards – IEC 62591 WirelessHART is driven by the process community
WirelessHART devices use small amounts of bandwidth enabling high priority communications. Security and reliability are very important for these solutions as well and have been engineered into the WirelessHART standard utilising proven industry standards. However, one of the most important requirements that characterise field networks is the extremely low power requirement. Emerson has invested in SmartPower innovations enabling extremely power efficient devices with unequaled safety and ease of use. These devices are powered by an intrinsically safe Power Module that lasts for 5 to 10 years. These SmartPower enabled devices use 10 times less power that other wireless networking solutions that consider themselves “low power”.
At the heart of Emerson’s Smart Wireless approach is the Self-Organising network, based on the WirelessHART standard. Secure, robust, infinitely configurable, with data reliability of greater than 99%, Emerson’s self-organising network ensures an interoperable, adaptive, flexible approach to wireless that defies the “canyons of metal” which define most plants.
Unlike traditional approaches to in-plant wireless in which the older technology required direct line-of-sight between the instrument and the communications gateway, Emerson’s Smart Wireless approach ensures the greatest network integrity by allowing devices to communicate with each other. This means there is no single point of failure, every device serves as a network connector.
Wireless Plant Networks
Wireless plant networks have requirements that are unique and different from wireless field networks. Plant networks implement applications like video, voice and people or asset tracking. Requirements include:
Bandwidth – High; multiple applications must share the service
Security/Reliability – Industrial security and robust coexistence are essential
Power Management – Devices can be line powered or recharged daily
Standards – Driven by IT community (802.11, WIMAX...)
Emerson has been delivering wireless products and solutions at the plant network level since 2001, when IEEE 802.11 became an accepted standard in the process industry. Our experience has demonstrated the importance and benefits of using WLAN technology in manufacturing and processing plants. Our Smart Wireless architecture uses rugged wireless access points from Cisco to provide Wi-Fi coverage. The Cisco® Aironet 1520 Series Outdoor Wireless Mesh Access Points are Class I, Div 2 certified and support dual band radios compliant with IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b/g standards, providing a universal standard network infrastructure for easy integration of all the wireless applications in your plant, including security, personnel and asset tracking, and mobile worker productivity solutions.
Cisco WCS allows Network Managers to design, control, and monitor enterprise wireless networks from a single location, simplifying operations. It oversees a series of WLAN controllers, which are responsible for Network wide wireless functions such as security policies, intrusion prevention, RF management, QoS, and mobility. Cisco WCS itself facilitates load balancing and traffic management, policy provisioning, network optimisation, troubleshooting, user tracking, and monitoring for end-to-end security.
The architecture uses Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS) software, the industry’s leading platform for wireless LAN planning, configuration, management and mobility services, for wireless network management, supported by Cisco Secure Services for network security. This provides a cohesive wireless communications platform across the physical as well as the functional areas of plant operations so that the shared network can support diverse applications.
Emerson offers comprehensive services to help you get started with your plant network applications. The Wireless Plant Network service portfolio includes:
• Site Survey
• Network Planning and Design
• Network installation and Commissioning
• Application Implementation
• Network Support and Management
• Project Management
Wireless technologies can have a dramatic impact for your plant in two broad categories:
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Wireless plant networks have requirements that are unique and different from wireless field networks. Plant networks implement applications like video, voice and people or asset tracking. Requirements include: 