Improving Industrial Ethernet for the Process Industries

Dec. 6, 2016
NAMUR and ODVA announce collaboration on the optimization of industrial Ethernet for process automation technologies and applications.

When it comes to industrial networking, it’s been clear for many years that Ethernet will be the plant floor network of the future. Even the fieldbus technology providers agree on this point, as they have all released industrial Ethernet versions for their respective protocols. But the transition is not exactly moving forward rapidly.

Feedback to a recent Automation World survey on fieldbus and industrial Ethernet installations indicates that fieldbus networks still represent the majority of the installed industrial networking base and fieldbus installations are expected to grow by 7 percent a year. Despite this, the move toward industrial Ethernet continues upward at a growth rate of 17 percent a year. In other words, the tipping point toward industrial Ethernet as the de facto plant floor network is on the horizon.

Highlighting the work that remains to be done to broaden the application of industrial Ethernet, ODVA (the organization supporting the Common Industrial Protocol) and NAMUR (an international automation user association) announced that the two groups are working together to “advance the adoption of industrial Ethernet in the process industries.”

NAMUR and ODVA will reportedly focus their work on “the refinement of formal requirements for an Ethernet communication system for the process industry through joint collaboration between NAMUR’s Working Group 2.6 Fieldbus (WG) and the ODVA Strategic Market Requirements Team for its Process Initiative (SMRt). The WG and the SMRt have agreed to on-going discussions on the requirements for successful deployment of process field devices on industrial Ethernet addressing the physical layer, device integration and diagnostics.”

One specific area on which the two groups will cooperate involves the installation of an EtherNet/IP system in the process automation lab at Industriepark Höchst, a center of the European process industry located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The system to be used in this installation is a multi-vendor system consisting of process field devices, control systems and infrastructure from ODVA members Cisco Systems, Endress+Hauser, Rockwell Automation and Schneider Electric, among others.

The goal of this deployment, according to ODVA, is to “provide process users with a hands-on environment to learn more about the benefits of industrial Ethernet for process applications and identify needs for the application of Ethernet-based process field devices versus classical fieldbus-based process field devices. It will also help automation suppliers get a better understanding of the applications and ease-of-use requirements for the process industry as it relates to Ethernet in general and EtherNet/IP in specific.”

“The aim of NAMUR’s investigation into Ethernet is to extend its application to traditional process field devices,” said Michael Pelz, head of NAMUR Working Area 2 Automation Systems for Processes and Plants, of which the fieldbus working group is a part. “NAMUR believes that effective and easy-to-use Ethernet communication systems between the field level and the higher system levels, such as EtherNet/IP, is a key factor for future applications with modern IoT (Internet of Things) and Industry 4.0 solutions in the process industry.”

NAMUR and ODVA expect installation of the EtherNet/IP proof-of-concept system at Industriepark Höchst to be completed in the first half of 2017.

About the Author

David Greenfield, editor in chief | Editor in Chief

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher. 

Sponsored Recommendations

Why should American-Made Products be a top priority?

Within this white paper, Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, founder of AVG Advanced Technologies, stresses the importance of prioritizing American-made products to safeguard the country'...

How to Improve Production Accountability in Manufacturing

David Greenfield, Automation World's Editor-in-Chief, and Shalli Kumar, founder of EZAutomation, discuss the idea of production monitors: a preprogrammed PLC/LED display that ...

HALT/HASS: The Ultimate Test for Reliability

Discover how companies like EZAutomation push the limits of reliability with HALT/HASS testing, originally designed to mimic the extreme conditions of space shuttle launches. ...

Your Next Production Monitor Is Only a Few Clicks Away

Shop for your very own EZ Production Monitor. It's designed for non-technical staff, so there's no programming required! It combines pre-coded firmware, real-time data, and WiFi...