Ethernet and Automation Controller Marriage Proving to be a Successful One
Wednesday June 29, 2016
According to the ARC Advisory Group, about $65 billion in installed process automation systems worldwide are reaching end of life, with most having been in operation for over 20 years. As these aging systems phase out at an accelerated rate, these closed, proprietary devices are being upgraded to more open, more intelligent processor-based devices that enable a newer, high degree of interoperability. Since increased interoperability is helping to drive productivity and lower operational costs in plants, industrial stakeholders are benefitting.
At the center of this modernization wave are two important cornerstones:
- Ethernet Programmable Automation Controllers (ePACs) that allow operators real-time control and information sharing
- An Ethernet backbone that has emerged as a key catalyst for opening the floodgates of connectivity and high-speed communications.
The integration of Ethernet and ePACs now allows the network to become the controller within a distributed intelligence configuration. This serves to break down barriers to real-time data access and eliminates time latency and inconsistency, thereby permitting the sharing of data at all levels of industrial organizations.
The acceleration of the ePACs/Ethernet evolution will change the way industrial organizations pursue growth. Listed below are a few of the more notable outcomes:
Standardization benefits
The Water & Wastewater, Food & Beverage, Metals & Mining, Hydropower, and Cement & Glass industries all depend upon reliable interoperability among their diverse installed base of automation products. Ethernet is a boon to these industries because it provides standardization via an open protocol. The ePACs support standardization efforts as well because this single product group can provide a large percentage of the required control functionality.
Flexibility benefits
The ePACs architecture is geared to maximizing production flexibility, data and information transparency, and openness for local and remote diagnostics. Industrial enterprises need to be able to change automation configurations and architectures on the fly, without disrupting production processes. Ethernet connectivity contributes by allowing for bi-di...