“Ethernet-APL is the key to a new type of flat communication infrastructure in the process area “, Marc Van der Pelt, managing director of Pepperl+Fuchs South Africa said at the launch of Ethernet-APL at Electra Mining Africa yesterday. Van der Pelt was joined by Charl McAllister, head of marketing at industry partner Endress+Hauser South Africa.
The suffix APL stands for Advanced Physical Layer and describes a physical layer for the transmission of data and electrical energy via 2-wire cables and distances of up to 1000 metres.
“Ethernet-APL stands in contrast to the hierarchically structured system environments of today's plants and allows unhindered access to all process data down to each individual field device. In addition, Ethernet-APL field devices and other infrastructure components allow data access fully independent of the running process and are also able to communicate directly with each other. Process data are therefore available without restriction. Big Data applications can draw on the full potential and no longer fail due insufficient availability of data”, he said.
The impetus for the development of Ethernet-APL was essentially given by two organisations. The Open Process Automation Forum was focused on a completely new system architecture for the process industry. The Namur Open Architecture (NOA), on the other hand, was looking for ways to make process data from the automation system usable for the purposes of plant maintenance and optimisation without affecting the ongoing process flow.
The vision of both initiatives included a solution that would not require any gateways between individual networks or fieldbuses. In addition, the process and status data provided by the individual field devices should be always openly accessible. On the one hand, a new generation of field devices should enable the use of different protocols to suit the respective application. On the other hand, it was about transmission paths with high bandwidths that allow fast access to the field devices, thus opening completely new applications.
The path to Ethernet-APL began in 2011 with a conference of leading suppliers of components and systems for the process industry. It soon became clear that all participants were driven by the same vision. The declared goal was an open solution that guaranteed full interoperability and put an end to the complexity and limitations of the existing system environments. It was all about nothing less than a new standard that not only offered unrestricted transparency, but also enabled high transmission rates. In addition, Intrinsic Safety ignition protection for hazardous areas was to be made possible and the proven principle of transmitting both data and the energy for operating the field devices over long distances was to be retained.
A first demonstrator was presented in 2015. With this setup it was proven that Ethernet-APL was indeed capable of transmitting data and electrical energy over 2-wire cables and long distances.
In 2018, the three leading user organisations in the process sector demonstrated that they were fully behind Ethernet-APL. A joint presentation by Profibus International, ODVA and the FieldComm Group presented practical solutions for the first time to demonstrate the capabilities of Ethernet-APL and position the new technology as the future standard in process automation. In addition, migration paths were shown that enabled an easy transition from the current heterogeneous system world to the digital future.
Until now, process plants have been isolated solutions that offer only a few interfaces to the information technology of the company that operates them. This results in numerous restrictions, which are removed by Ethernet-APL.
Ethernet-APL will thus become an integrated component of a uniform and universal communication landscape, making the principles of Industry 4.0 a reality for the process industry as well. After all, Ethernet is just as much behind the Internet of Things as it is behind Big Data, the cloud, ubiquitous mobile communications and the Internet.
New field devices for completely new possibilities
The vision of the organisations driving Ethernet-APL also includes concrete requirements for Ethernet-APL-capable field devices and infrastructure components. The principle is based on self-contained field devices that can be easily integrated into any system environment without a high degree of adaptation effort. Such devices can be automatically integrated by the system controller, whereby the configuration made when the system was commissioned is automatically transferred to the replacement device.
Such devices not only instantiate themselves in the network. They can also be put into operation and easily replaced in case of failure without the need for time-consuming manual configuration.
Since Ethernet APL-capable field devices do not require a gateway to communicate with the automation system, there are no longer any restrictions on data transmission. Instead, there is unrestricted access to all process and status data provided by the respective device. These can be used not only for efficient process control. They are also available for maintenance tasks and Big Data applications.
Another new feature is that the device description and the entire technical documentation of the field device are embedded directly in the device itself. This eliminates the need to laboriously search and download drivers and device information from the Internet, which significantly speeds up the development and commissioning of an automation system.
Thanks to Ethernet-compliant data transmission completely independent of the running process control, direct access to field device data is now possible from any location for the first time. This not only speeds up maintenance and trouble shooting. It also allows preventive maintenance concepts, which can be vital for the availability of the process plant. It also enables a wealth of new applications that will give the process industry a completely new impetus.
