Success is based on good integration of field instrumentation

With Industry 4.0 and digitalization gradually entering the process industries, process instruments get assigned a new role. More and more so, they play a vital part in generating process information and evolve to what the industry calls smart sensors. With their increasing intelligence also comes complexity: being smarter means having more functionality and hence more parameters to adjust. SITRANS devices come with on-board maintenance and diagnostic functions such as self-test, drag indication, partial stroke tests and multiple adjustable limit values, and there is a whole range of further sophisticated functions to keep track of and use for process monitoring and control.

In the process industry the Simatic Process Device Manager (PDM) is one of the most widely used tools for the access to all parameters, diagnostic and maintenance information of process devices. More than 4,500 devices of over 200 different manufacturers can be commissioned, parametrized, or serviced using a single program with a uniform user interface.

In its latest version 9, these tasks can be executed using both, stationary and mobile clients, freeing operators from having to use one engineering station for different plant units.
The access to intelligent field devices can now happen with a local client, while the data will still be centrally stored. With this functionality in place, the maintenance personnel no longer needs access to the central engineering station, simplifying coordination, shortening distances, and allowing more efficient processes and higher plant availability.

When using the SIMATIC PDM Maintenance Station, diagnostic states and condition data of the field devices are cyclically reported as maintenance alarms - locally or in the cloud. The cyclical acquisition of data in the SIMATIC PDM MS results in long-term data series from which the applications can develop statements on the life cycle or intelligent service strategies.

PDM Flyer

Our Interoperability Lab team already took care of that. We test our devices upfront with all common DCS systems to make sure that their integration is seamless and easy.
We test the devices with the following DCS systems:

• Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7
• ABB 800xA
• Emerson Delta V
• Yokogawa Centum VP

This ensures proven integration compatibility of SITRANS field devices in all major DCS systems. Whenever you encounter a problem with integrating our devices, do not hesitate to get in touch. Our experts will recreate your problem in the Interoperability Lab and give you feedback and advice.

Intelligent process instruments are equipped with smart features that used to be accessible only with additional programming effort. This gap is being closed by the SITRANS Library.

Offering device-specific faceplates, this engineering and operation tool offers plant owners a new degree of transparency, allowing easier operation and fast troubleshooting.

The SITRANSLibrary also aids the protection of assets. An example is valves, which depending on their size, can represent large investments.

This is why the SIPART PS2 electropneumatic valve positioner is equipped with additional functions to protect the valve and to cut maintenance costs.

The SIPART PS2 faceplate shows the following information at a glance, and saves operators from having to create project-specific function blocks from scratch:
• valve opening and closing
• switching from automatic to manual control of the valve
• setting limit values
• visualizes the binary inputs and outputs
• trend curves and
• alarm management
With this interplay between the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system and the SITRANS Library, operators can reap the benefits of the entire functional scope of their field devices. The result is a simpler and safer automation solution with less engineering overhead.