Abstract:The advancements in wireless networking technology, specifically in the short-range wireless networking technology, offer an enormous opportunity for wireless connectivity of field devices both in oil and gas and other chemical processing plants. The prerequisite of a field network includes real-time support for mixed traffic, availability, security, reliability and scalability in a harsh industrial environment. These conditions have to be fulfilled by any wireless network in order to operate. This paper presents a brief overview of the requirements for wireless in process automation, relative standings of existing short-range wireless network technologies based on the outlined criteria, and associated shortcomings. Furthermore, an examination of emerging industrial wireless standards which are designed to address the unique and stringent requirements of the process industry, is presented.
Wireless communication is already used in process automation for process monitoring. The next stage of implementation of wireless technology in industrial applications is for process control. The need for wireless networked control systems has evolved because of the necessity for extensibility, mobility, modularity, fast deployment, and reduced installation and maintenance cost. These benefits are only applicable given that the wireless network of choice can meet the strict requirements of process control applications, such as latency. In this regard, this paper is an effort towards identifying current industry practices related to implementing process control over a wireless link and evaluates the suitability of ISA100.11a network for use in process control through experiments.
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