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Fieldbus Foundation Unveils Foundation for ROM

ControlGlobal.com
01/05/2012

By Control Global Staff

The Fieldbus Foundation (www.fieldbus.org) unveiled its Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM) solution at a media event held Dec. 1 at the Fieldbus Center at Lee College in Baytown, Texas.

The Foundation for ROM initiative is intended to develop a unified digital infrastructure for asset management in remote applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms and even original equipment manufacturer (OEM) skids.

The technology enables fieldbus connectivity to remote I/O and the leading industrial wireless protocols, including WirelessHART and ISA 100.11a. It provides an interface to these wireless technologies and uses Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and function blocks to ensure interoperability with Foundation for ROM devices.

Fieldbus Foundation's global marketing manager, Larry O'Brien, says, "Foundation for ROM is important because it is the first example of being able to integrate ISA 100.11a, WirelessHART, wired HART and wired H1 protocols into a single standard environment. More importantly, it is one that does not sacrifice diagnostic capabilities of the existing wireless devices. Instead, we map these capabilities into our block structure to provide a standard environment for data management, quality and more, eliminating solutions which are highly customized and much more costly to maintain throughout the plant lifecycle."

O'Brien added, "Remote operations management is one of the fastest growing segments of the process automation business. However, it is also caught up in the turbulence of business challenges, technological change, personnel issues and the need for operational excellence.

"With Foundation for ROM, industrial operations can implement a true predictive and proactive maintenance strategy for remote assets that could not previously support one. Data from devices on multiple networks, both wired and wireless, are tightly integrated into the Foundation fieldbus infrastructure, providing a single environment for management of diagnostic data, alarms and alerts, data quality, control in the field capability and object-oriented block structure."

Open Specifications

Within the Foundation automation architecture, the H1 (31.25 kbit/s) and HSE (100 Mbit/s) fieldbus networks provide a distributed function block capability, with HSE serving as a larger pipeline with increased speed and throughput. The Foundation for ROM solution expands these capabilities by establishing open, non-proprietary specifications for an interface to wireless field device networks, a wired HSE backhaul and a wireless HSE backhaul integrating various wireless sensor networks such as WiFi, satellite, cellular, etc. As part of this solution, Foundation for ROM provides a way to bring large concentrations of discrete and analog field I/O back to the control room using HSE communication. This is key to improved integration of critical functional areas, including machinery health monitoring, safety interlocks, fire and gas detection systems, and video surveillance.

Dozens of Supporters

The following companies participated in development of the Foundation for ROM technical specifications: ABB, Abzil/Yamatake, Aniotek, Advanced Process Automation Technologies, Apprion, Belden/Hirschmann, Boeing, BP, Byres Security Inc./Tofino, Chevron, Cisco, Cooper Industries/MTL, EF Johnson, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, ExxonMobil, Fieldbus Diagnostics, Fieldbus Inc., General Electric, Geode Network Technologies, HART Communication Foundation, Herman Storey Consulting, Hodson Consulting, Honeywell, Industrial Automation Networks Inc., International Society of Automation, Invensys Operations Management, Maximum Control Technologies, National Instruments, OPUS Consulting, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V, R. Stahl, RuggedCom, Saudi Aramco, Shell Global Solutions, Siemens, Smar, Softing, Turck, Westlock Controls, Wi-Fi Sensors, Inc. and Yokogawa.