Boundless Automation begins with an intelligent field

Laura Schafer, vice president cross portfolio technology & innovation, explains how the intelligent field provides easier access to data from a wider range of applications, computational power closest to where it’s needed, and faster decisions for improved operational performance. 

Across all industries, one common truth is the dramatic increase in the amount of data that manufacturers generate every minute. However, data has become a paradox for many organizations – they can feel like they are drowning in data that is not effectively utilized, and simultaneously they are concerned over a lack of data from under-instrumented areas of their facilities or unforeseen data requirements such as sustainability. When data is generated, it is often stored and utilized in department specific systems accessible to only that department. For example, most operational data today is connected to, and only accessible via, the automation system. There it used mainly for control of the manufacturing process, a critical system with restricted users and access due to security concerns. For those not directly connected, this often introduces latency as well as a less-than-democratic ‘haves and have-nots’ data access model. 

The intelligent field creates smart, interconnected data systems inside the field data level itself, enabling companies to fully understand the performance and health of their processes and equipment, and gain complete confidence in their control capability and equipment availability. The seamless transfer of data supporting safety, reliability, sustainability and logistics from the field to increasingly powerful software hosted on-premises or in the cloud helps to provide real-time insights. Organizations expect the latest sensors and devices to not only be smart, but also easy to install and use, providing ‘plug and play’ capability and producing high-fidelity, contextualized, actionable data that can be delivered to the right person or system at the right time, with appropriate security controls where applicable. 

A new automation architecture 
The emergence of this modern, boundless automation architecture is transforming the field and floor of manufacturing facilities with a wider range of applications for data access, faster and more flexible communications methods, and perhaps most importantly, embedded computing capabilities in virtually any device. Not only are more applications capable of being instrumented, but data can be accessed through a wide variety of applications, faster and more flexibly than ever before. Connectivity options – such as Bluetooth®, Ethernet-APL™, 5G and deeper adoption of wireless solutions like WirelessHART® – are transforming the way in which data is transported throughout a facility and to remote locations. (We cover the topic of connectivity in a companion article, entitled `Enhanced connectivity delivers actionable insights’.) 

Actionable data from more sources 
Advances in new sensing technologies and wireless communications have extended the deployment of measurement technologies to applications that were previously unthinkable for physical or fiscal reasons. The combination of new sensor applications and enhanced connectivity solutions helps to eliminate data ‘blind spots’, where organizations lack information about what is happening with their operations. Here are some examples: 

• Non-intrusive wireless corrosion detection systems, that continuously monitor for pipework metal loss in harsh environments, enabling better-informed decisions and leading to safer and more profitable operations. 
• Wireless acoustic measurement sensors, that ‘listen’ for leaks from steam traps or pressure relief valves, reducing emissions and energy usage. 
• Wireless vibration sensors that maximize visibility to machinery health by monitoring rotating assets. 
• Gas detection solutions that increase worker and site safety by detecting toxic gas leaks before they lead to harmful conditions. 
• Safety shower monitoring solutions that enhance worker safety in hazardous locations by ensuring a rapid response to injured personnel. 
• Sensors that maintain a safe environment by monitoring the condition of highly reactive and flammable chemicals being transported by rail. 
• Smart LED lighting solutions that increase safety and sustainability through motion sensing, daylight harvesting and scheduling capabilities. 
• Wireless adapters that accesses valuable diagnostic information ‘stranded’ in wired instruments, improving reliability and operational performance. 
• Wireless remote video monitoring solutions, providing a cost-effective means of improving plant security and operations monitoring. 
• Multivariable instruments providing multiple measurements in a single device, enabling enhanced measurement accuracy and process insights, and reducing pipe penetrations and wiring costs. 

Embedded computing and analytics 
Field instruments historically serve as data acquisition devices, but have typically lacked the computational horsepower to convert raw data into actionable information onboard the device, and have depended on centralized systems for that conversion. One of the many ways in which the intelligent field is already transforming the process and manufacturing industries is via increased predictive maintenance capability. Traditional maintenance approaches are reactive, which can often lead to costly unscheduled downtime. However, the intelligent field employs predictive analytics to forecast equipment failures and schedule maintenance proactively, thereby minimizing downtime and reducing costs. 

In the modern intelligent field, computational horsepower in the form of onboard analytics is increasingly finding its way into every device and asset, accelerating decision-making and reducing the burden on systems such as the DCS. In addition, access to that information is made even easier. Examples include: 

• The Fisher™ FIELDVUE™ DVC7K Digital Valve Controller from Emerson provides real-time awareness of valve health by analyzing data locally via on-board diagnostics. Advice at the Device™ capability means that information can be viewed at the DVC’s local user interface, as well as nearby on a smartphone or tablet via secure Bluetooth® communication, or remotely after it is transmitted via a wired digital network to a host, such as a DCS or asset management system. 
• Emerson’s Plantweb Insight™ applications, enabled by wireless sensors and networks, provide rich pervasive sensing data to the Plantweb digital ecosystem. Industrial software instantly interprets key asset health data with pre-built, industry-accepted analytics, digitally transforming sensor data into actionable information for improved decision-making. 
• Innovative radar tank monitoring solutions for intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) utilize 5G cellular networks to securely transmit inventory, temperature and location data to purpose-built cloud-hosted software. This solution increases visibility and operational efficiency. Operational insights can be integrated into SCADA or ERP systems to enable better-informed strategic decisions, leading to optimized truck routes, improved sustainability and reduced costs. 
• Emerson’s AMS wireless Vibration Monitor not only measures vibration in three axes, it provides patented PeakVue™ analysis of the data right on board the device, providing meaningful information about equipment health, not just data. 

Summary 
The intelligent field enhances operational efficiency through real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance – reducing downtime, extending equipment lifespan, and enabling better decision-making via data-driven insights. Additionally, it fosters greater flexibility and agility in manufacturing processes, allowing for rapid adaptation to market demands and customization of products. These benefits collectively lead to cost savings, increased productivity and a competitive edge in the market. 

Learn all about Boundless Automation^SM in “Innovations in Automation”.