The International Society of Automation (ISA) has established a new standards committee, ISA108, Intelligent Device Management. The committee will define standard templates of best practices and work processes for the design, development, installation and use of diagnostic and other information provided by intelligent field devices in the process industries.
Intelligent field devices, pervasive in modern process manufacturing, bring the promise of transforming the way information related to these devices and the processes they control is used. For example, devices with impending maintenance problems can be identified earlier with the information provided directly to process automation systems, plant asset management systems or other systems or software as required.
In many cases, the promise remains unrealized, often because users are employing old maintenance work processes with new technology. The new devices and applications are installed, but operators and technicians stick to their traditional approaches to preventive or routine maintenance, and do not take advantage of the huge amount of information available to them.
Indeed, as ISA108 Managing Director Ian Verhappen, of Yokogawa Canada, points out, "With more than 80% of smart instrument data not being used or even connected to an online data collection system, the lost revenues to the process industries are tremendous. Thus, the need is clear for a series of standards on how to integrate this data into control systems and work practices to achieve the benefits of proactive maintenance."
ISA108 will hold an initial meeting on Sept. 24, 2012, in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with ISA Automation Week 2012. However, the bulk of the committee’s work will be conducted electronically. If you’re interested in participating in ISA108, please contact Ellen Fussell Policastro of ISA Standards at [email protected].
