Foundationn Fieldbus

Foundation Fieldbus Workshop
Minutes

Wednesday 30 June - Thursday 1 July, 1999

Auckland Institute of Technology

Welcome

The workshop was opened by Dominic Hollewand – co-chairman of the EUC. He raised a number of points about the future development of the NZ EUC, and reminded delegates that the EUC constitution was being reviewed. It is hoped a full EUC management structure can be established and a team appointed at the next EUC event (a proposed workshop at Control ‘99 later this year.

Among the EUC constitutional issues being considered are:

the council structure
its funding
event development
FF training
information transfer

Any thoughts or suggestions about these issues (and any additional issues) are welcomed and should be forwarded to Dominic at:

WaterCare Services
Tel: 09-634-4812
Fax: 09-634-6380
Email: dhollewand@clear.net.nz

Presentations

Various papers were presented over the two-day workshop.

i. FF EUC co-chairman Jim Neville presented an update from Fieldbus Foundation President John Pittman on the development of the H2 High Speed Ethernet (products will start becoming available for H2 early next year). Pittman’s report also outlined the current status of the IEC voting for an international fieldbus standard. Other fieldbus suppliers (such as Profibus) have four months to submit their protocols for assessment regarding compliance with IEC 61158 technical specifications. It is probable the IEC will again vote on the international fieldbus standard issue – and a decision is expected before Control ’99.

ii. Melbourne’s Carlton United Breweries has recently installed a FF system in its filtration plant, and project manager Rob Glastonbury outlined the installation and commissioning experience.

iii. Mark Sears (Custom Controls) and Tom Rolton (Streat Control Agencies) provided guidelines on FF segment design, while Fisher-Rosemount’s Murray Cox discussed the implications of distributing control functions throughout a FF network. Honeywell’s Colin Campbell explored the use of FF diagnostics in predictive maintenance programmes.

iv. A number of control equipment suppliers demonstrated the ‘open’ ability of the Foundation Fieldbus by configuring their equipment into a single network. 3. NZ FF installations

Workshop delegates were told that there were at least four FF systems installed or being installed in New Zealand. They are at AIT (its system was commissioned the day before the workshop), Waikato Polytech, Fletcher Challenge Energy and the Dairy Research Institute.

4. The Path Ahead

A number of issues regarding the future activities and development of the EUC were discussed during the workshop. Below is a summary of the plan and the names of those who have volunteered to coordinate the various activities.

FF EUC Stand – Control ‘99

The next FF EUC meeting will be held at Control ’99 at the Ellerslie Convention Centre on November 23 – 24. The IMC has reserved two stands (side-by side) at the event, one for the IMC and the other for the EUC.

It is envisaged that the EUC stand might incorporate a multi-vendor display illustrating the compatibility of their technology in a FF environment. Issues to be considered for the stand include its design and signage. Logically, the cost of the stand would be shared between those participating.

Offshore, parent manufacturers of FF compliant equipment also need to be advised by their New Zealand representatives (and via the FF US-based website) of Control ’99 and the FF EUC stand, and should be invited to attend and display equipment.

Bruce McKenna is coordinating the stand. He can be contacted at:
Tel: 09-444-1646
Fax: 09-444-0066
Email: bruce.mckenna@frco.com

FF EUC Workshop at Control ’99

It is envisaged that another EUC workshop will be held during Control ’99. Potential items for the agenda include an international guest speaker (possibilities include John Pittman and/or a representative of an offshore organisation that has recently installed a FF system). There is also a possibility that (by November) a representative of a local company (with a recently installed FF system) will be able to do presentation on the experience.