Hazardous environments are areas where flammable liquids, gases or vapors or combustible dust exist in sufficient quantities to produce an explosion or fire. In hazardous environments, specially designed equipment and special installation techniques must be used to protect against the explosive and flammable potential of these substances. (OSHA Publication 3073) There are three factors which have to be present in order for there to […]
History The “Process Industry” includes the waste water treatment, food & beverage, chemical, oil & gas, and pulp & paper industries. In the past, plant operators had to physically monitor performance values and the quality of outputs to determine the best settings on which to run production equipment. Process automation simplified this with the help of sensors at thousands of spots around […]
PROFIBUS PA ( Process Automation) was designed to work along with PROFIBUS DP (Decentralized Periphery) to make a consolidated network using DP for high-speed communications and PA for process environment. A network consists of a DP master (controller), a DP segment, a DP/PA coupler and the process network with slave devices. Fast DP controllers connected to slow PA instruments. How does […]
PROFIBUS PA is a slowly-transitioning, low-volume data network for Process Automation, based on Manchester-encoded Bus-Powered for Intrinsic Safety (MBP-IS). The rate of data change is within the range of tens-of-milliseconds to multiple seconds. A PROFIBUS PA network operates over a single cable that provides power and communication. In contrast, PROFINET is a high-speed, high-volume data network for Industrial Automation, based on […]
In general, the process automation industry has many complex requirements. Due to complex automation processes and high restart costs, some process networks require continuous production; device introduction, replacement or re-parameterization without interruptions. The original PROFIBUS Configuration in Run (CiR) specification addressed this requirement. In fact, CiR provides the ability to reconfigure, insert, remove, or replace devices or modules without stopping the control application. […]
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is making direct access to process data at all levels more necessary by the day. End users, DCS and PLC manufacturers require process device data for control, monitoring, problem reporting, and inventory management simultaneously. There is a limit to the amount of data traditional fieldbuses like PROFIBUS PA can handle due to data packet […]
PA networks are designed to be operated as process “islands” within a larger PROFIBUS DP controlled network. The total network could consist of several of these “islands” all controlled by a single PLC/DCS. Each PA “island” starts with the DP/PA coupler which acts as the PA master and consists of several PA devices on a segment. Each “island” could be […]
