Upcoming NAMUR Field Test of WirelessHART Devices Is the First Step in Study for Wireless Sensor Networks
(Austin, Texas, 12 May 2009) – The HART® Communication Foundation is working with NAMUR on a Field Test of WirelessHART™ technology being conducted at the BASF facility in Ludwigshafen, Germany. This Field Test is the first step in the evaluation of wireless sensor networks and technologies being conducted by NAMUR.
The Field Test includes WirelessHART products from ABB, Emerson Process Management, Endress+Hauser, MACTek, Pepperl+Fuchs and Siemens. The Field Test includes both a laboratory phase, in which the different performance characteristics are to be tested, and several implementations in production plants at BASF's Ludwigshafen site. The field trial will start this summer and test results are expected 4th Qtr. of 2009.
“The HART Communication Foundation is pleased to be working with NAMUR on this field test that will provide objective verification of the reliability and security of the WirelessHART standard,” says Ron Helson, HART Communication Foundation Executive Director. “The NAMUR Field Test will confirm the benefits and promise of wireless technologies for process industry applications.”
This Field Test will verify alignment of the WirelessHART standard with the NAMUR Requirements for Wireless Automation (NE124) that defines requirements for wireless technologies in process applications.
The WirelessHART Standard is an evolutionary enhancement to the HART Communication Protocol, the leading communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 26 million devices installed worldwide. WirelessHART technology is backward compatible with currently installed HART devices, is supported by existing HART tools, and provides an additional capability to access asset management information in both existing and new monitoring and control applications
The HART Communication Foundation is an international, not-for-profit, membership organization supported by more than 230 companies worldwide. Founded in 1993, the Foundation is the technology owner, standards setting body and central authority on the HART Protocol and provides global support for application of the HART technology. The Foundation establishes and controls the HART Communication standards including new developments and technology enhancements that benefit and support the needs of the industry.
For more information, go to www.hartcomm.org.
HART® and WirelessHARTTM are trademarks of the HART Communication Foundation