Knowledge Center: Process Performance

While the future for wireless deployment in automation is undoubtedly promising, potential users see a perceived lack of interoperability as an impediment to faster adoption, says a report out from Frost & Sullivan.

In the recent past, plants predominantly built their own systems or purchased them from a single supplier. Increasing automation, however, has spurred the demand for wireless devices and systems for numerous applications like monitoring, alarm and telemetry. These are often customized on proprietary protocols, not based on a common standard or architecture. As a result, devices offered from multiple suppliers are often not compatible.

So even though the options have increased, end users have become more concerned about the compatibility of the devices and are wary of becoming locked into a proprietary system that may hinder their future advancement, as they may not be able to adopt any new technology.

Around 83 percent of end users surveyed across process and factory automation rated interoperability as a medium to high concern. However, the level of concern varies depending on different parameters such as end-user environment, types of wireless devices being used, the application area and the experiences of the end user with wireless devices.

For example, refining and pharmaceutical industry users stressed seemless integration with the existing network as being important, while in the water and wastewater industry, where one of the preferred application areas for wireless devices is telemetry, end users were more concerned that wireless devices be compatible in order to ensure a smooth flow of data.

Evolving standards In order to increase the level of adoption of wireless in the discrete and the process environment, suppliers must come up with wireless devices that are compatible. Moreover, there is a need for a uniform standard and open architecture to enable the seamless integration of wireless devices with existing plant infrastructure such as fieldbus or other control systems. End users must also be convinced about interoperability through product trials or demos suppliers should offer.

Nevertheless, the future for wireless devices in automation looks promising. Although the end-user concern is expected to hamper the adoption of wireless in the near future, standards like SP100.11a and WirelessHART are going to address this issue. In addition, numerous suppliers are supporting the initiatives that aim to establish a common standard. The increasing success stories of smooth wireless integration and functioning are likely to reduce end-user conservatism and raise the level of adoption of wireless devices.

Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com) is a global growth consulting company.

For more information Please visit Honeywell website at www.honeywell.com/ps/sea