Open Architecture Applications
Oil Refinery Expansion
The best way to judge the openness of a communication protocol is by the number of products supported. By this standard, the HART protocol is perhaps the most open of any field-communication protocol available today.
In a major refinery expansion, an oil company weighed the advantages of using either a proprietary system or a HART-based system. The results indicated that the company could use HART digital instruments in 92% of their applications, compared to only 33% with the proprietary system. Choosing HART products resulted in an incremental $23,000 in savings due to commissioning efficiencies and ongoing maintenance and diagnostic capabilities.
The oil company used a traditional control system with analog I/O and supplemented the control capability with an online maintenance and monitoring system. All of the HART field devices were monitored from a central location.
Online Implementation
HART Within a PROFIBUS Network
HART field devices can be seamlessly integrated with PROFIBUS DP networks
using the HART/DP Link, which enables the connection of four HART
devices and facilitates the passthrough of HART commands to host applications
on the DP network. The HART/DP Link supports IS installations.
HART Within a PROFIBUS Network
HART/DDE Server
Cost-effective level- and temperature-monitoring systems can be designed
using HART multidrop networks and commercially available HART/DDE
interface software. HART/DDE interface software allows any compliant
application (e.g., spreadsheet) to directly read the process data
and status information available in HART field devices. A HART interface
module connected to the PC's serial port is needed for this HART monitoring
application.
