Getting ahead on the learning curve

Is it a mega trend or a problem solver? Will it be used as an enhancement rather than a replacement?
OK we need a standard, but does it have to be this one?

The introduction of wireless technology in process automation hasn’t looked exactly like love at first sight. When will wireless communications become a popular choice with the Chemical Process Industry (CPI) and its systems suppliers? We received some astonishing responses in the PROCESS online survey of nearly one hundred users.

More than half of the respondents expect to see a breakthrough of wireless solutions within the next five years. Up to this point, wireless technology has been used very selectively, for example to create a link to instrumentation that is difficult to access. However these applications show that the CPI is willing to accept new technology and get ahead on the learning curve. In actual fact, only a few sensor and automation suppliers have made an open commitment to the technology, and this could present an obstacle in the medium term.

The attitudes towards standardization of field device communications, which is currently a hot topic, are interesting. Nearly 50 percent of the users saw this as the main impediment to widespread deployment. The real problem is that nearly all wireless solutions are proprietary, and devices from different manufacturers cannot communicate with each other. That may be acceptable for special applications, but it is an insurmountable obstacle on large projects, because no user wants to be limited to devices from a single sup-
plier.

This situation explains why the Wireless Cooperation Team was founded. The goal of this project, which is supported by Fieldbus Foundation, Hart Communication Foundation and Profibus User Organization, is to develop a common, open standard. Fieldbus is a prime example of the problems which a lack of standards can cause for a promising new technology. The failure of manu-
facturers to agree ultimately prevented an early breakthrough.