Keeping an Eye on Technology Futures, No Hidden Agendas, New Attitudes, No Platitudes!
A couple of weeks ago (Jan. 2007) Emerson Process Management held its European wireless meeting in Bologna, Italy. Attendees reported that, though the program was great and the attendance excellent, there wasn't much that was new.
The primary difference in Europe is that the 900 MHz frequency band which the Emerson wireless network uses in the US is not available in Europe - it is dedicated to emergency services. So, Emerson has now released wireless products in the 2.4 GHz band.
After attending the Honeywell European User's meeting a couple of months ago (Nov. 2006), Andrew Bond provided an excellent summary of Emerson's meeting in his UK newsletter "Industrial Automation Insider", comparing the Honeywell and Emerson offerings.
Honeywell is pushing for wireless standards (SP-100) and puts wireless in the wider context of plant wide communications. Emerson has focused primarily on eliminating copper between control systems and field devices.
Both companies have adopted self-healing mesh-networks, but are deploying them at different levels. Honeywell's solution is based on a network of AC-powered iNodes, while Emerson markets battery powered field devices.
Honeywell claims that unpredictable loads can result in unpredictable battery life. Emerson responds that their mesh protocol monitors loading if individual nodes and avoids that problem.
For the skeptics who still may have had doubts at the Emerson meeting, a project leader for the BP refinery-of-the-future talked about successful trial runs of both the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz products. He reported that much of the installation is straight-forward and requires very little engineering or training for the wireless part; configuring for power management requires some thought, to assure adequate battery life; and the physics of the shorter wave-lengths on the 2.4 GHz models requires some knowledge for setup.
While Honeywell and other suppliers suggest that site surveys are needed for reliable operation, Emerson insists that none are required. Emerson says that site surveys are often obsolete during the time between doing it and actual systems implementation - things get built, tank cars move, etc. When signal reliability is important under changing plant conditions, mesh operation helps greatly.
And the turf battles continue in this important new arena. Stay tuned...
