Momentum continues to build behind the WirelessHart standard for wireless communication in process automation, as evidenced by two recent announcements.
The Hart Communication Foundation (HCF, www.hartcomm.org) announced on April 6 that that the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved the WirelessHart specification as a full international standard (IEC 62591Ed. 1.0). That word came following a March 25 announcement by Siemens Industry Inc. (www.sea.siemens.com), the Alpharetta, Ga.-based automation supplier, that it is introducing a new family of WirelessHart products for the U.S. market.
Siemens said the new family includes two transmitters. The Sitrans P280 transmitter for pressure measurement and the Sitrans TF280 transmitter for temperature both have a WirelessHart interface. Additionally, all other Siemens process instruments without WirelessHart interfaces can be integrated into WirelessHart communication with the new Sitrans AW200 adapter, the company said.
Vendor support
Released in September 2007, WirelessHart is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications. The Siemens announcement adds another major company to a growing list of suppliers that have introduced WirelessHart-compatible products, including ABB, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser and Pepperl+Fuchs.
Another process-oriented wireless standard, the International Society of Automation’s ISA100.11a, continues to trail WirelessHart in the adoption cycle. Following its approval in September 2009 by the ISA100 Industrial Wireless Standards Committee, ISA100.11a has so far failed to gain approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) due to procedural issues.
