SPECIAL REPORT

The rise of configurable I/OThe latest critical trends in I/O systems take advantage of the versatility and communications

capabilities of intelligent, configurable I/O. Being able to install universal I/O based on approxi-

mate point count, then configure or reconfigure it later to match the needed process variables

allows construction and installation to proceed independent from engineering, taking I&C off the

critical path. Intelligent I/O transmits more than just the measured and manipulated variables,

opening the possibilities for integrating capabilities from condition monitoring and predictive

maintenance to all the potential of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Here’s the latest I/O

system coverage from the annals of Control. For a deeper dive into I/O technology, applications

and analysis, download the March 2015 Control State of Technology Report on I/O Systems.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The rise of configurable I/O 3

Programmable I/O can be a multitasking master 5

Advances make I/O easier, but still not as simple as it could be 17

ExxonMobil commits to thinking differently with electrical 19 integration, configurable I/O

Benefits of integrating smart I/O in asset management system 22

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The rise of configurable I/O 5

Programmable I/O can be a multitasking masterSoftware-configurable I/O saves on cabling, cabinets, hardware, labor and maintenance, but that’s just the beginning.

By Jim Montague

One good thing leads to another, and nowhere is this more true than with soft-

ware-configurable I/O. Though it can go by several different names, this quickly

emerging and maturing I/O technology is granting previously unheard of flex-

ibility when bringing process signals, data and wires into I/O points, cards, modules and

cabinets. This flexibility is allowing developers, suppliers, integrators and users to simplify

and save on cable and cabinets, program I/O remotely, and achieve new efficiency, optimi-

zation, maintenance and performance gains.

However, not only does assigning I/O roles using software save on hardware, it also enables

users to consolidate and eliminate much traditional infrastructure; take design, planning and

implementation tasks off costly critical paths for their users; virtualize process calculations

and data analysis on rack-mounted or cloud-based servers; and even participate more fully

in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

“Basically, a programmable I/O card makes any channel do whatever it wants, and align its

I/O configuration with wires coming in from the field,” says Thad Frost, technology director

for I/O products at Schneider Electric, which makes FBM 247 Intelligent Marshalling mod-

ules. “Many times, customers specify having a particular percentage of spare I/O channels

for each signal type. Well, a software-configurable I/O card is like having a wild card that

can be any type of signal. This means less capital costs, better inventory management be-

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 6

cause fewer different backups are needed,

and smaller footprints than required by

dedicated I/O cards.”

SIMPLIFY AND SAVETo help update its own project specification

and implementation process, engineering

and construction provider Fluor Corp. in

Irving, Texas, recently began using smaller

I/O junction boxes with non-incendive

wires, wireless instrumentation and net-

working, smaller remote instrument enclo-

sures, transmitters bought and configured

in bulk, and fiber-optic cabling to minimize

cross wiring and marshalling.

“Labor is expensive in southern California,

so it can make sense to spend a little more

on materials,” says Adrian Lee, control sys-

tems director at Fluor. “Remote I/O radical-

ly reduces wiring connections and the costs

that go with them.”

For example, Lee explains that wiring

12,500 I/O in the conventional way—with

350,000 terminations and 201,000 wire

markers at a rate of 15 minutes each—would

take 1.4 million man-hours. Using Electronic

Marshalling with CHARMs from Emerson

Process Management, would reduce termi-

nations to 65,000 and markers to 27,000,

which requires about one-sixth the time.

This saves money, but it can also shorten

entire project schedules.

Likewise, it also pays to optimize the size

and number of junction boxes. Using more

but smaller boxes, placing them closer to

instruments, and connecting them with fiber

minimizes wiring run lengths. For those

12,500 I/O, using 48-CHARM boxes instead

of 96-CHARM boxes adds about $785,000,

or about 10% to the DeltaV DCS’s hardware

costs, but reducing average wire runs to

100 feet from 150 feet saves more than $16

million in wiring labor and materials. Also, us-

ing non-incendive wire means it requires no

conduit, no barriers and no permits for field

work, so it has the lowest overall installed

cost. As a result, where common Div. 2 wir-

ing would cost $114 million, non-incendive

would cost $42 million. Fluor also found it

could eliminate loop drawings by letting the

connection drawings become the loop draw-

ings, and simplifying the connection draw-

ings by using CHARMs for a net savings of

22,000 engineering hours at $100 per hour

for a total savings of $2.2 million.

“Smaller junction boxes with non-incendive

wiring are the clear winner for this project,”

adds Lee.

Rune Reppenhagen, DeltaV hardware prod-

uct marketing manager for Process Systems

and Solutions at Emerson, reports that,

“Electronic Marshalling has been well adopt-

ed with more than 1,000 field installations

and more than 10 billion hours of operating

experience. One of its major benefits is re-

moving the need for traditional marshalling

and associated cabinets by offering a wide

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The rise of configurable I/O 8

selection of different I/O types and field

devices to eliminate the need for external

signal conditioning. Electronic Marshalling

provides flexibility by allowing field enclo-

sures for the I/O to be designed before the

accurate I/O mix is known. It also reduces

project risk by allowing non-intrusive, flex-

ible changes and additions of I/O without

causing major redesigns and change orders.

Also, by supporting nearly every possible

I/O type customers would need, as op-

posed to only the four traditional I/O types

that some programmable I/O solutions are

limited to, there’s little risk of needing to

add external signal conditioning to a design,

which would require added cabinets and

enclosures.”

In the past few years, Electronic Marshalling

and CHARMs evolved from their initial I/O

types launched in 2009 to include intrinsi-

cally safe (IS) versions and I/O subsets,

a safety instrumented system (SIS) plat-

form and an IS version for SIS, and these

CHARMs can be easily installed in junction

boxes in the field. “If you’re looking at a

greenfield project, the number and types of

I/O can vary among analog input (AI), ana-

log output (AO), digital input (DI) and digi-

tal output (DO), but 60 to 80% will still be

one of these four main types,” says Reppen-

hagen. “So our work has focused on remov-

ing the need for traditional marshalling by

developing and incorporating new CHARM

types and terminal blocks for power, IS and

other specific I/O requirements to further

reduce the need for external signal condi-

tioning. Now, we’re complementing our ini-

tial I/O types with better distribution in the

field by offering CHARMs in smart junction

boxes that are closer to the devices they’re

serving, so users can handle late changes

there, too.”

NAMING IS THE GAMEJust like adding other ingredients and

flavors to vanilla ice cream after bring-

ing it home, software-configurable I/O’s

initial, primary talent is that its wires and

modules can be standardized and installed

before their specific designations and

roles are decided and assigned later. This

“Just like adding other ingredients and flavors to vanilla ice cream after bringing it home, software-configurable I/O’s initial, primary talent is that its wires and modules can be standardized and installed before their specific designations and roles are decided and assigned later.”

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 9

seemingly small change opens new realms

of flexibility, and paves the way for all of

software-configurable I/O’s other benefits

and gains. For instance, Universal Process

I/O from Honeywell Process Solutions con-

sists of software-based programming and

engineering tools that let users go to each

module’s 32 channels and decide which is

AI, AO, DI or DO. Honeywell also plans to

add a pulse-input DI to Universal Process

I/O by the end of 2016, which will allow it to

perform sequence-of-events functions, find

first alarm triggers, and help determine why

certain events happened, similar to root-

cause analysis.

“Universal I/O’s standalone benefits are ma-

jor because they can reduce project deploy-

ment costs. Usually, there are a lot of dif-

ferent I/O point types that need a separate

card for each role,” says Joe Bastone, mar-

keting manager for Experion controls and

I/O at Honeywell. “Now, with Universal I/O,

we just build one module type into process

cabinets. It has 64 redundant I/O points

that can be deployed anywhere, and then

all their data can be brought back by fiber

or IO-Link. This means less need to worry

about junction boxes, homerun cables or

marshalling cabinets, or the labor and cost

of wiring them up.” (Figure 1)

Bastone reports that a Honeywell cost

study found that wiring a marshalling cabi-

LITTLE BOXES, ALL THE SAMEFigure 1: Because they can be assigned any role and designation after installation, Universal Process I/O and standard cabinets (right) from Honeywell Process Solutions eliminate complexity, can be built sooner based on I/O count rather than mix, and can easily accept late wiring changes. Tradition-al cabinets (left) must wait for instruments and I/O to be defined as analog input (AI), analog output (AO), digital input (DI) or digital output (DO), which are then built into custom cabinets.   Photo credit: Honeywell Process Solutions

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The rise of configurable I/O 10

net with I/O talking to field devices using

Universal I/O with junction boxes would

cost about 30% less to install than one us-

ing traditional, dedicated I/O and wiring.

The study also confirmed that Universal I/O

also made it much easier to recover from

late changes or errors.

“For example, if a channel was misidentified,

Universal I/O just reassigns it onscreen and

reloads it. A traditional channel would have

to be physically rewired,” says Bastone. “It

helps potential users to see this difference

in practice, so we demonstrate it at our

development centers, and many custom-

ers order a couple of cabinets to prove it to

themselves. We’re not really inventing new

processes, hardware tools or form factors;

we’re taking existing principles, such as all

our Series C products, and extending what

we’ve already done with Universal I/O.”

Schneider’s Frost adds, “The biggest gain

for programmable I/O is that it allows users

to break their dependence on traditional

control system design and I/O system

installation. Typical systems engineering re-

quires defining and designing in all the dif-

ferent I/O points they need, but program-

mable I/O can be designed at the same

time as I/O installation onsite.

“Likewise, about 90% of process control

projects are installed around unknown ele-

ments, so users don’t know exactly what

I/O they’ll need. However, programmable

I/O let’s them put in what they can now and

decide on transmitter, level switch or other

roles later, or even change them on the fly

when their application is running without

taking down the whole I/O card. Traditional

I/O loading can be a very mundane and

thankless task, but with programmable I/O,

much of it goes away.”

ON BEYOND MARSHALLINGWhile software-configurable I/O makes land-

ing cables, marshalling and cabinet building

simpler and easier, its flexibility has been

helpful in other process applications as well.

To coordinate refining processes on its

Mobile Alkane Gas Separator (MAGS) for oil

wells, Pioneer Energy in Lakewood, Colo.,

uses programmable I/O modules and SNAP

CATCHING FIREFigure 2: Pioneer Energy’s Mobile Alkane Gas Separator (MAGS) relies on Opto 22’s PAC con-trollers and programmable SNAP I/O modules to support many I/O signals and communication protocols, and monitor compression, dehydra-tion, refrigeration and separation processes for capturing raw, liquids-rich natural gas that would otherwise be flared.   Photo credit: Opto 22 and Pioneer Energy

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The rise of configurable I/O 11

PAC controllers from Opto 22. A truck-

mounted MAGS captures raw/wet natural

gas that would otherwise be flared off at

recently developed oil wells, and processes

it into usable lean methane, ethane and Y-

grade natural-gas liquids (NGLs), such as

propane and butane (Figure 2). Lean meth-

ane is 80 to 90% methane and can be used

directly in generators and other natural

gas-powered engines, while Y-grade NGLs

have a low vapor pressure of no more than

250 psia at 100 °F, and can be transported

in regular propane trucks.

The compact compression, dehydration,

refrigeration, three-stream separation and

other operations on MAGS must work to-

gether with low-power requirements, and

support a range of I/O signals. Opto 22’s

components automate, monitor and con-

trol MAGS’ temperature sensors, flowme-

ters, pressure transmitters, control valves,

generator, refrigeration compressors, gas

chromatograph, process heaters and other

equipment.   

“To interface with all the equipment on

MAGS, we use nearly all of Opto 22’s I/O

modules and SNAP PAC’s built-in Modbus

protocol support,” says Andrew Young,

lead controls engineer at Pioneer. “Pioneer

focuses its technology on adding value to

waste streams. We see flare gas as another

potential waste stream, and remote com-

munications and a reliable controls platform

let us convert that into a resource.”

POWER CONVERSION AND OTHER SNAGSThough the potential benefits of software-

configurable I/O are enormous, there can

still be some power conversion, networking

and other technical hurdles to overcome on

the way to securing those gains.

“Not having to use traditional, dedicated,

16-channel I/O cards allows users to con-

figure 32 available I/O points on the fly,

make late design changes, customize

those points by function, and make them

what they want,” says Jeremy Valentine,

product marketing manager for interface

components at Phoenix Contact. “This can

have a huge impact on project planning

cycles. Traditionally, if you needed 5,000

I/O points, plus or minus 10%, then you’d

have to do the math early on the required

numbers of analog or digital points, and

there was a heavy burden on precision and

signing up the right dedicated equipment.

And, if you had to change the amount of

customized, dedicated devices later, it

could be a big problem. Universally con-

figurable I/O eliminates this, and shortens

project design, execution and lifecycles by

allowing programming changes to be made

later. Enabling these late-binding changes

can avoid a lot of ‘oh crap’ moments, and

shorten project lifecycles from 18 months

to six or eight months.”

Valentine adds that Phoenix Contact and

other suppliers are seeking ways to make

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The rise of configurable I/O 12

software-configurable I/O platforms even

more universal by solving some of the

first-generation issues many face, such as a

frequent inability to handle 120 V or more

than 3 A power, being required to convert

to 24 V, and needing relays to handle these

low-current-capacity limits. “At the circuit

board level, everyone wants to add more

components, but that requires more and

better surge protection, carrying more cur-

rent, and 4-20 mA signals coming to analog

cards though conversion isn’t available,”

explains Valentine. “Unfortunately, the limit

is still 3 A on the on the digital relay side,

so if a higher load needs to be driven, then

another contact will be needed. As a result,

though suppliers say they can eliminate

marshalling and cabinets, issues like the 120

V-to-24 V limit, means some of the required

technology isn’t quite there yet. Still, in the

next five or 10 years, the conversion abilities

will likely be on the boards as well.”

Albert Rooyakkers, CTO and engineer-

ing vice president at Bedrock Automation,

notes that users also need to question what

their programmable analog I/O devices can

support at the levels where they’re applied.

“What resolution, accuracy and isolation

do they need? Do they require a fast chan-

nel response? HART? What discrete I/O are

they using, do they support NAMUR, and

how much current can they handle?” asks

Rooyakkers. “Do they need power to source

a discrete input? Are they able to do pulse?

Universal I/O should start with this level of

capability to be truly valuable to users.”

Rooyakkers reports that all 10 channels of

Bedrock’s SIOU.10 universal I/O module

are galvanically isolated and software-

programmable to receive field input or

output signals for analog, discrete or pulse

sensors and actuators. He adds that Bed-

rock’s SIOU.10 also has integral read-back

functions to confirm analog and discrete

outputs. “Virtual marshalling via universal

I/O is the new standard for control system

engineering and optimal life cycle owner-

ship,” he says. “With deeply embedded

cyber security, scalable redundancy and

unprecedented technical specifications,

SIOU.10 combines the equivalent function-

ality of multiple I/O module types into one

software-programmable module.”

OFF THE CRITICAL PATH— AND UPWARDNo doubt the greatest benefit of software-

configurable I/O is that it can take design,

planning and installation projects off the

costly and risky critical path they’re usually

on during implementation.

“When big jobs are executed, concrete is

poured, and process equipment is in place,

then the last thing on the schedule is the

DCS,” says Schneider’s Frost. “However,

dedicated and inflexible wiring, marshalling

and cabinets could make this risky, espe-

cially when late changes were needed. The

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 13

flexibility of programmable I/O allows many

jobs to be done in parallel instead of serial-

ly, takes them off the critical path, and help

avoid calls we want to avoid, such as, ‘Why

isn’t my plant running?’”

Beyond saving hardware and time, pro-

grammable I/O allows the sensors and

instruments it serves—and the process-level

signals and data they deliver—to cooperate

more closely with higher-level networks,

controls, analytical and business systems.

“The second path for Universal Process I/O

is that combining it with virtualization and

cloud-based engineering systems as part

of Honeywell’s LEAP program means that

user can rethink their designs, engineer-

ing, implementation and deployment,” says

Bastone. “Universal I/O also allows users to

extend their hardware and software freeze

dates, which is when project configurations

must be frozen in time before construction

and installation. Universal I/O and LEAP

also allow simpler, standard engineering

drawings, which lets users consolidate on

several cabinet types and create standard

loop templates. This is better than creat-

ing 20,000 loop drawings for 20,000 I/O

points, and building custom cabinets and

KILLING CABINETSFigure 3: Where traditional I/O requires 32 cabinets for controllers, I/O and marshalling, Electronic Marshalling needs only 20 cabinets for controllers and I/O for a 37% reduction in hardware, while using Electronic Marshalling and Smart Junction Boxes together requires just one cabinet for another 95% hardware reduction. Photo credit: Emerson Process Management

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 14

maintaining them throughout the lifecycle of a project. If you

can reference a master list of 20 loop templates, then you’ll

know exactly how to wire up each one.”

Similarly, Emerson’s CHARMs fit into its overall Project Cer-

tainty program, which begins with early engagement during

clients’ engineering and design studies to define project goals

and high-impact strategies to meet those goals. Kevin Jack-

son, vice president of global project operations at Emerson,

reports that Project Certainty eliminates labor costs by elimi-

nating unnecessary work, improving the efficiency of neces-

sary work and eliminating rework, and it cuts material costs by

eliminating the need for piping, structural and electrical com-

ponents, and by pushing for “fit for purpose” and right-sizing

engineering on projects.

“On a recent project that previously had 18,000 I/O and needed

32 cabinets, Electronic Marshalling with CHARMS reduced tradi-

tional I/O by 37% to 20 cabinets, and Electronic Marshalling with

Smart Junction Boxes reduced this project another 95% to just

one cabinet for a total savings of $14.5 million,” says Jackson.

“Likewise, when a safety measurement requirement for pump

control and shutdown was added late in a project design cycle, an

EPC saved about $1 million thanks to a 97% reduction in straight-

run piping on four LNG trains (Figure 3).

“In addition, a recent, integrated well-test solution saved $3.5

million on seven units by eliminating separators, valves and

instrumentation; reducing piping by 60%; and reducing engi-

neering, construction and leak points. Another end user elimi-

nated $23 million in capital expenditures for spare parts by

identifying common and critical parts, and performing a cost/

risk analysis on them.”

Project Certainty works in conjunction with two other new Emer-

son programs: Project Data Link, which is a single-source-of-truth

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The rise of configurable I/O 15

engineering environment that helps reduce complexity and ac-

commodate changes in capital projects, and Smart Commission-

ing, which builds on the combination of the Electronic Marshal-

ling with CHARMs and AMS Device Manager software to remove

automation from the critical path. “Smart Commissioning reduces

typical loop commissioning times from 140 minutes before to 25

minutes now to 10 minutes in the future,” says Jackson.

Frost adds that Schneider Electric’s umbrella initiative for com-

pressing or even eliminating factory acceptance tests (FAT) and

other pre-startup tasks is called Flexible Lean Execution (FLEX)

program, which includes Intelligent Marshalling, universal I/O,

engineering in cloud-based services and virtualized computing.

These capabilities are also based on Schneider’s Foxboro Evo

process automation systems and Triconex process safety system.

“This is why there’s been such an uptick in interest in having I/O

undefined at installation, and then configured in software,” adds

Frost. “Programmable I/O can slash capital costs, which also

helps when oil prices are down.”

CLOUD, VIRTUALIZATION AND IOT COMINGNaturally, the ultimate expression of software-configurable

I/O’s flexibility and simplicity is how they help process control

applications run in virtualized, cloud-based and IIoT systems.

“As IIoT grows, programmable I/O will play a large role in its

architecture,” explains Opto 22’s Newton. “Key capabilities for

a workable IIoT solution are translation of physical things or

properties into digital data, edge processing, protocol transla-

tion, and fast, dependable, ubiquitous networking and com-

“Programmable I/O can slash capital costs, which also helps when oil prices are down.”

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www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 16

munications options. Programmable I/O possesses all of these

in a compact, industrial package. Future programmable I/O will

add native IIoT communication capabilities such as RESTful

interfaces, IIoT protocols like MQTT, data storage and analysis,

visualization of data, cloud communications and more.”  

Emerson’s Reppenhagen adds, “As we evolve this technology

further, I think we’re going to see more flexibility for connections

between I/O ‘clouds’ and controller ‘clouds.’ There’s more and

more use of Ethernet in automation today; for example, last fall

we introduced an Ethernet I/O card to enable large data transfers

using Ethernet, and our partner Mynah Technologies also recently

released a driver for our Virtual I/O Module 2 that now supports

Profinet natively in DeltaV.

It will be interesting to see if there will be a merging of Ethernet

protocols in the future, or if it will be similar to the bus tech-

nologies of the past with multiple protocols on the market for

the long term. WirelessHART is also a well-proven technology

that was first introduced for monitoring only, but is now used

in some applications for control. Wireless I/O is the ultimate

programmable I/O in that it allows instruments to connect to

wireless I/O cards without wiring and with no marshalling, and

it just works for all wireless I/O types.”

Jim Montague is executive editor of Control magazine, and has served as

executive editor of Control Design and Industrial Networking magazines. He’s

worked for Putman Media for more than 10 years, and has covered the pro-

cess control and automation technologies and industries for almost 20 years.

He holds a B.A. in English from Carleton College and lives in Skokie, Illinois.

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Your Global Automation Partner “As we evolve this technology further, I think we’re going to see more flexibility for connections between I/O ‘clouds’ and controller ‘clouds.’”

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 17

Advances make I/O easier, but still not as simple as it could beBut no interoperability between WirelessHART and ISA100 is holding back more universal adoption.

By Ian Verhappen

Continuing with our evolution conversation from last month of how control systems

continue to change, the same transformation is certainly happening with the Input/

Output (I/O) systems used to connect the field sensors to the associated control-

lers. Wired systems now offer ‘configurable I/O’ such as Schneider Electric’s “intelligent

marshalling” and Honeywell’s “Universal I/O” where the type of signal landed on the terminals

is configured in software. Emerson is offering CHARMS a solution where you purchase and

install the right type of I/O module in their backplane for each type of signal. If you want to

be a bit more adventurous you can get ‘similar’ functionality with analogous products from

other companies with ‘smart terminal blocks’ and a backplane that also serve as data concen-

trators; However, you then need to use a “third-party tool” different from the one you use to

configure the rest of your system and perhaps a gateway to convert protocols. The other big

change, of course, has been the addition of wireless field sensor networks.

These new technologies are making it easier to access measurements more effortlessly

than ever before. We can not only provide measurements via wire, but now with wireless

systems, it is possible to consider signals from locations previously inaccessible because

location made them prohibitively expensive to connect with a cable or, more importantly,

by removing the cable tether, it is now possible to make devices of a size and form factor

to fit in smaller spaces. Going to a smaller form factor may require losing some functional-

ity, however if the cost is low enough the “signal” can be determined from the pattern of a

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 18

number of individual nodes, much like we

sense a smell or taste food.

Bringing this pattern data to a more central

device for processing in a single environ-

ment is also now feasible. With the recent

adoption of ISA100.15 and HART/IP, it is

now possible to have the two major pro-

cess industry wireless networks connect

from sensor to controller without having

to change protocols through a gateway.

Again, this certainly makes system configu-

ration much easier because it effectively

means that the wireless systems are no lon-

ger the equivalent of ‘third-party networks.’

Though we no longer have to map data

across gateways, unfortunately, we still have

the two wireless camps of WirelessHART

and ISA100. Until these two groups find a

way to interoperate, adoption of industrial

wireless technology will not be as great as it

would be otherwise. Hopefully this month’s

official formation of FieldComm Group as

a single entity from which both HART/IP

and ISA100.15 were largely developed, is a

precursor to at least developing a common

backhaul technology so we can connect

to the wireless field sensor network from

a single common access point. I was also

encouraged while at a recent IEC meeting in

Japan, held in conjunction with the JEMIMA

exhibition, to see a demonstration model of

a HART to ISA100.11a access point node, so

the standards and technology support the

potential for a single interface.

Ideally however, a single interface means

the protocols must be from the same fam-

ily such as HART-WirelessHART-HART/IP,

ISA100.11a-ISA100.15, or the CIP protocols

(CompoNet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, Ether-

net/IP), to name a few protocol suites, or

as a minimum, they must “transport” the

characteristics of the protocol so that the

device appears as if it is in its native pro-

tocol when it is configured or accessed for

maintenance/operations. Again, the desired

outcome is to make it easy for the system

and, in the end, the person working on the

control system to gather the information

required with minimum effort.

More signals, more easily is certainly the

trend and with more signals, especially

digital signals that normally support associ-

ated diagnostic information, mean that the

challenge will soon become how to identify

what signals are required by whom, how to

effectively manage all the data, and most

importantly use the resulting information to

operate our facilities better.

Ian Verhappen’ P.Eng. is an ISA Fellow’ ISA Certified

Automation Professional (CAP)’ and a member of the

Automation Hall of Fame. Ian is a recognized author-

ity on Foundation Fieldbus’ industrial communications

technologies and process analyzer systems. Verhappen

provides consulting services on field level industrial com-

munications’ process analytics and heavy oil / oil sands

automation. Feedback is always welcome via email at

iverhappen@gmail.com or on his Kanduski blog at

http://community.controlglobal.com/kanduski.

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 19

ExxonMobil commits to thinking differently with electrical integration, configurable I/OWhat prompted ExxonMobil to start thinking and doing things differently? Sandy Vasser, I&E manager at ExxonMobil, explains the transition.

By Mike Bacidore, editor in chief, Control Design

Think before you act. Several years ago, ExxonMobil began its journey to act dif-

ferently, trying to find ways to improve success. However, acting differently first

requires the ability to think differently, and that is a significant change.

“In the old days, we would improve processes incrementally and consistently. It’s a lot more

complicated than that now,” explained Sandy Vasser, I&E manager at ExxonMobil. He spoke

at Schneider Electric’s CONNECT 2016 user group event this week in New Orleans. Vasser

has led a charge to change the way his organization acts by changing the way it thinks.

“We had to challenge our traditional automation practices and technologies,” he said. “We

really had to think completely differently and put the old practices to the side.”

Vasser also stressed the importance of not waiting. “The oil and gas industry is currently

at a low point in terms of number of projects, but this lull won’t last forever,” Vasser said.

Further, all disciplines—not just automation—can make these changes. They translate well to

other disciplines within the organization.

BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WE’VE ALWAYS DONE ITWhat prompted ExxonMobil to start thinking and doing things differently? Historical chal-

lenges were many. “There were numerous dependencies on other disciplines, and this forces

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 20

sequential execution,” said Vasser. “Design

input was provided throughout the project

lifecycle, and this forces numerous changes.

The resulting designs are highly engineered,

which makes them very customized and

frequently changing.”

To reduce customization and rely more on

standard solutions, ExxonMobil has pushed

customization to the software, which al-

lowed it to use standard hardware. This

eliminated the need for custom project

specifications and for the infrastructure to

support customized solutions.

By reducing complexity and simplifying

designs, it reduced the component count

and the number of divergent systems,

taking advantage of the capability of the

installed systems. It simplified interfaces;

it automated and sometimes eliminated

processes; and it mitigated the effects of

dependencies. “Intelligent I/O has allowed

us to progress the hardware design without

even knowing how the I/O will be used,”

said Vasser.

ExxonMobil reduced the amount of docu-

mentation or often generated it automati-

cally. It accepted managed risk and com-

promise, as it developed and enabled trust

with suppliers and contractors.

“All of this has resulted in fewer components,

reduced engineering, fewer drawings, re-

duced number of design reviews, elimination

of FATs [factory acceptance tests], short-

ened schedules, smaller project teams, higher

quality and lower costs,” explained Vasser.

CONFIGURE THISSmart, configurable I/O in standard field

junction boxes is one of the key enablers

that Vasser cited. Virtualization, not just of

computers, but complete hardware virtual-

ization has allowed the company to validate

“We had to challenge our traditional automation practices and technologies.” ExxonMobil’s Sandy Vasser on the

company’s move to re-examine

decades-old project execution practices.

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 21

control system logic independent of system

hardware.

“When we can test out all of our graphics and

our alarms, that’s a significant improvement,”

said Vasser. “Customization has been pushed

from hardware to software. Cabinets, for ex-

ample, were all different. But today all of our

cabinets are a standard solution.”

ExxonMobil also is seamlessly integrating its

automation and electrical systems. “We’ve

combined them, and it’s all included in the

automation systems,” explained Vasser.

Instruments are automatically detected,

interrogated, configured, enabled and docu-

mented (DICED).

“We’ve used smart I/O to replace MCC [mo-

tor control center] wiring, simplified pack-

age PLC [programmable logic controller]

interface solutions and increased use of dc

power distribution. The smart I/O has al-

lowed us to eliminate 60 to 70% of cabinet

wiring; we’re getting rid of a lot of hard wir-

ing between the packages and the MCCs.

Electrical control interface improvements

include monitoring of the electrical system.

We’re always looking at ways to take ad-

vantage of smart I/O.”

AGE IN PLACEOne of the important new opportunities, or

challenges, depending on your perspective,

that updated control systems bring is the

concept of “aging in place,” where the infra-

structure allows for upgrades as the system

ages or technology changes.

ExxonMobil has embraced this by making

system architectures simpler. “Systems

consist of building blocks that can be eas-

ily upgraded to current technologies,” ex-

plained Vasser. “Upgrades or repairs will

not be intrusive, disruptive or unnecessar-

ily costly, and rip-and-replace will never

be necessary. Control system selection for

a facility is for life.”

As connectivity concerns become more

prevalent, ExxonMobil has adopted cyber-

security by design. “Security can’t be solved

only by rings of protection, such as fire-

walls, or by reactionary measures such as

virus protections,” he said.

“We started with how to deal with change,”

explained Vasser. “There are many opportu-

nities to eliminate or streamline processes.

Think about what you’re trying to achieve,

and think differently about how you’re go-

ing to achieve those things.”

Mike Bacidore is the editor in chief for Control De-

sign magazine. He is an award-winning columnist,

earning a Gold Regional Award and a Silver National

Award from the American Society of Business Publi-

cation Editors. Email him at mbacidore@putman.net.

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 22

Benefits of integrating smart I/O in asset management systemAsset management + work procedures = value for Shell

By Chuck Micallef, FDT Group

Located near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, the Shell Scotford Upgrader facil-

ity has refining capacity of 255,000 bpd. This includes the 2011 commissioning of

a 100,000 bpd expansion. Because of a tight project schedule and the very cold

weather in the region, it was critical that the schedule not slip. After the automation/control

system supplier was selected—Honeywell DCS withField Device Manager (FDM)—the team

decided to include smart I/O in order to take full advantage of their intelligent field mea-

surement devices.

The DCS and FDM were FDT-enabled providing access to smart device information inde-

pendent of device supplier and field communication protocol—in this case FF (Founda-

tion fieldbus) and HART. The device DTM (Device Type Manager) enables easy-to-use,

graphical access to smart device process measurements and diagnostics for quick prob-

lem identification and resolution. This capability proved to be very valuable when con-

figuring and troubleshooting complex devices like valve positioners, radar level gages

and mass flowmeters. FDM is a powerful and flexible tool accepting DTMs and DDs.

The existing Shell Scotford facilities (Figure 1) had success using HART technology but

were using only some of its full capabilities. With an interest in leveraging the full intel-

ligence of their smart devices, the Upgrader Expansion project team got approval to

broaden the application of smart devices beyond the use of handheld device configura-

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 23

tion. This decision made valuable device

information available to staff in opera-

tions, maintenance and instrumentation.

There was a concern that the FDM asset

management system would not be fully

utilized. With the smart device information

fully integrated (Figure 2) with the system,

the team embraced the opportunity to use

the information and took steps to be sure

it became part of their work process. Ac-

cording to Andy Bahniuk, Shell Instrument

Technologist, procedures were written and

training conducted to make certain the

techs and other maintenance team mem-

bers were trained on the technology and

the procedures that documented how to

benefit from the information available in

their smart devices.

On site, Andy and Japan Shah, (formally

the lead engineer at Honeywell Process So-

lutions, Calgary lead on the Upgrader proj-

ect and now with Williams Energy Canada)

found the urgent need to configure 1,500

smart devices that were ordered complete-

ly configured—or so they thought. Per-

forming a check on the new devices found

that many devices were not configured

as requested. On a tight project schedule,

they used the FDT Technology-enabled

asset management system to download

device configuration information to each

device including ranges, engineering units,

NAMUR standard values and transmitter

body temperature alarm set points. This

provided a quick, low-cost solution to the

problem of needing to configure 1,500

non-configured devices and gave the proj-

Figure 1. Shell Chemicals, Scotford Facility

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 24

ect team a glimpse of the real capability in

their new system.

When Japan learned of the need to moni-

tor the temperature in the device instru-

ment enclosures for freeze protection,

he suggested using the internal device

temperature sensor measurement as a

secondary measured variable—a standard

feature in smart devices. This solution

greatly reduced the need for operators to

routinely visit each outdoor enclosure to

check the temperature. This has helped

improve their efficiency in executing an-

nual preventative maintenance on heater

boxes, saving them more than $200,000

per year. Most importantly, it ensures

trouble free operation throughout the frig-

id Alberta winter.

Japan and Andy knew that their asset

management system combined with their

documented procedures were a valuable

tool that had to be used on a daily basis to

provide on-going value to all phases of the

plant life cycle – much more than just dur-

ing device configuration and commissioning

but also providing real-time device diag-

nostic information for improved operations,

safety and maintenance.

Once management and the project team

learned that there was more information

available than just the PV (Primary Variable)

communicating on the 4-20mA or on the

communication bus from their smart devic-

es, they quickly put the information to work.

Here are a few of the other applications that

resulted from their use of this technology.

Valve Partial Stroke Test – Another chal-

lenge was to have a higher SIL rating

on some critical furnace gas valves to

ensure safety and reliability. The partial

stroke test (PST) function supports test-

ing valves without the need to isolate

HONEYWELL SMART I/OFigure 2. Smart I/O is the easiest and most seamless way to integrate smart device data with an asset management application. Photo courtesy of Honeywell Process Solutions

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 25

them from the process. With the PST

process, the respective valve is moved by

approximately 5% to 15% during normal

process operation. This testing supports

online diagnosis of the actuators and re-

duces the probability of failure on demand

(PFD). The asset management system

with Metso positioners using a DTM driver

can execute the PST to provide a sophis-

ticated and quick solution extending the

period between plant shutdowns.

NAMUR standard values - During the

initial project phase, Shell decided to use

the NAMUR settings to prevent spuri-

ous trips or unsafe operations caused by

faulty transmitters. Devices compliant with

NAMUR standard values provided that in-

frastructure. Risk of instrument failure tends

to be higher during the start-up and by

setting our device compliance to NAMUR

standard values we could ensure that our

start-up went smoothly without any major

instrument issues.

Empty Pipe Detection – This is used for

magnetic flowmeter to determine if there

truly is an empty pipe or if they just have an

electrode or sensor failure in the flowmeter.

This type of remote device diagnostics is

Figure 3. HART device status delivers important information, such as Device Malfunction, Device In-simulation and Device Variable Saturated. Image courtesy of Honeywell Process Solutions

www.controlglobal.com

The rise of configurable I/O 26

very important in Northern Canada since it

may reduce trips to the field and identifies

the problem so technicians can be better

prepared for field work if required.

Device Diagnostics – Management has be-

come more dependent on the information

from their field devices because it has been

proven to be reliable. This information is

now used to analyze and troubleshoot po-

tential problems before they turn into major

problems (Figure 3).

Empower Instrument Technicians – Techs

now embrace the technology and have

come to depend on the device diagnostic

information. They routinely analyze the

device data as their first step—even before

they leave the safety of the control room.

New Devices – as new instruments are added,

the techs are quick to look into the device

capability to make sure they have a good

understanding of the device’s full capability.

Device suppliers are also consulted to make

sure the device DTM is the most current.

Procedures are then modified if required to

include the most recent device capabilities.

Based on a positive cooperative relation-

ship between the automation provider and

the project team, procedures aligned with

the needs of the users and the capabilities

of the system/technology were attributed

as being some of the keys to the success of

this project. The asset management system

included an FDT-enabled device manage-

ment tool that presented device status

and diagnostic information from devices        

from 26 different suppliers communicating

using the HART protocol.

As a result, the team executed a safe and

efficient start-up and continued safe and

reliable plant operation. They now utilize

real-time daily instrument troubleshoot-

ing with a more predictive maintenance

strategy.

The overall savings is in excess of an

estimated $7.1 million which includes

hardware replacement and ongoing op-

erational and maintenance expenses.

Andy believes that an asset management

system will pay for itself by being able to

quickly and reliability know the status of

all devices in the plant.

“The overall savings is in excess of an estimated $7.1 million which includes hardware replacement and ongoing operational and maintenance expenses.”