NOVEMBER 2021
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today
A Quarterly Supplement of
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Industrial Internet of Things
I/O SYSTEM FIELD
NOVEMBER 2021
IP67 RATED
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03
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today
07
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud
12
A Uniform Interface for Robots
14
The Value of Power Control Rooms
17
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART
SENSORS
CONTROL
INTEROPERABILITY
INTELLIGENCE
Industrial Internet of Things
ETHERNET
NOVEMBER 2021
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Industrial Internet of Things
5
With the rise of the Industrial Internet of Things, production systems are driving toward a seamlessly connected future, in which all mechanical, electrical, and intelligent interfaces work together as one complete package.
NOVEMBER 2021
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today
By Sandro Quintero and Tom Worsnopp, product marketing managers, electric automation, Festo
I
Emerging intelligence at the field level
ity is the here and now. Technological developments are already
In a typical factory, the production floor consists of various
underway at the field level of industrial automation, distributing
electromechanical components like linear devices, rotary drives,
intelligence among devices that formerly were unintelligent. At
servo drives, and grippers, as well as more complex mechanical
the same time, open interfaces like the Open Platform Commu-
systems like multi-axis cartesian handling systems. To realize
nications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) are bringing us one step
the full vision of Industry 4.0, all relevant data from production
closer to true device interoperability. Together, these develop-
processes, including the status of these unintelligent devices,
ments have vast implications for how we design, deploy, and main-
must be made available in real time. Smart components are the
tain our production systems in an increasingly digital world.
prerequisite for real-time data availability and play a critical role
With the right changes, technologies—such as smart pneumatic components, Internet of Things (IoT) gateways, and open communication standards—can be the stepping stones to a truly connected future.
in the consistent and uniform exchange of information within production processes. A testament to enhanced connectivity, many formerly unintelligent components now incorporate IIoT functionality, data processing, and
Industrial Internet of Things
f seamless connectivity is the future, then enhanced connectiv-
6
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today diagnostic capabilities, rendering them smart. These new local functionalities bring multiple performance benefits to the overall operation, especially where efficiency and maintenance are concerned. One example of newly distributed intelligence at the field level
that don’t need additional end-position force. • Leakage diagnostics. By detecting leaks at an early stage, the Motion Terminal VTEM increases process reliability and productivity. It also reduces unnecessary energy losses.
is the Motion Terminal VTEM—the first valve that makes pneu-
• Condition monitoring. Thanks to this capability, the Motion
matic functions available through motion apps. Designed with
Terminal VTEM reduces the lifecycle costs of systems. It also
enhanced connectivity in mind, it enables users to easily adapt to
facilitates a faster return on investment (ROI) and makes you
changing process parameters in a way that improves production
more competitive in the market.
flexibility compared to hardwired technologies. It also integrates
With its combination of traditional valve technology and digital
intelligent sensors for control, diagnostics, and self-learning tasks,
motion apps, the Motion Terminal VTEM replaces more than 50
eliminating the need for additional components.
individual components—all while improving manufacturing flexi-
The Motion Terminal VTEM provides the functionality of traditional 2/2-, 3/2-, 4/2-, or 4/3-way valves, as well as proportional
bility, reducing system complexity, and enabling new data analysis and condition monitoring capabilities at the field level.
Component integration with IoT gateways
ing complex movements, variable positioning, and preset travel
One of the biggest challenges to implementing seamless con-
time—all in one device. Other smart functions of the Motional
nectivity is the integration of networked components and sys-
Terminal VTEM include:
tems. Traditionally, integrating servo drives and controllers from
• Energy-efficient apps. The Motion Terminal VTEM includes an
different manufacturers has been a complex and laborious task,
ECO drive motion app that automatically reduces pneumatic
driving up both engineering time and costs. In addition to changes
energy to the level required for movement. As a result, it keeps
in software and hardware platforms, software engineers face
energy consumption to a minimum for simple motion tasks
different fieldbus systems, software modules, and data protocols
Industrial Internet of Things
technology and servo-pneumatic functions. At the same time, users can perform motion tasks using a single valve type, integrat-
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
7
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today that require them to master several programming languages.
cation protocol. As mentioned earlier, machine builders and
They must also understand how individual components behave
engineers often spend a lot of time integrating these vari-
in relation to one another. In these situations, electromechanical
ous components into their machines. Fortunately, new open
drive systems can take a long time to de-bug, and any technical
communication protocols are paving the way for true device
difficulties that arise during commissioning can cause unsched-
interoperability in connected environments.
uled production delays.
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
One example, IO-Link, provides a new standardized I/O tech-
IoT gateways, like the CPX-IOT, enable users to connect drives
nology interface that expands fieldbus and industrial Ethernet
and other components for visibility into various operating param-
systems. In addition to transmitting process data, it lets users
eters, including temperature, speed, voltage, and more. The
download parameter data from the control system to the sensor
gateway not only consolidates machine and production data,
or actuator, and then send diagnostic data back to the control sys-
but it also makes this information easier to manage. Depending
tem. Whereas integrating a fieldbus interface down to the lowest
on the complexity, users can connect up to 31 components and
field level used to be a costly endeavor, IO-Link transmits digital
modules at the shop-floor level. They can then receive real-time,
or analog values with a simple three- or five-wire cable. A second example, OPC UA, is a vendor-neutral software inter-
opens up many data analysis options—from smarter maintenance
face that transports machine data, including process values and
practices to digital twins.
measurements, and then describes that data semantically in a machine-readable way. Because OPC UA works independently of
Open protocols for device interoperability
the operating system, it provides an open communication solution
Whether for mechanical or control systems, an overwhelming
from front-end devices, sensors, actuators, and controllers up to the
number of products, components, and solutions are avail-
cloud. In addition to bringing the industry closer to true plug-and-
able from different manufacturers—each one with its own
play functionality, this interface enables the seamless integration of
interface, hardware, programming language, and communi-
components—allowing them to talk to each other, as well as gather
Industrial Internet of Things
cloud-ready data via secure open interfaces. This capability
8
Connecting the Factories of Tomorrow, Today or Message Queueing Telemetry Transport (MQTT).
and exchange data easily. To reap these benefits, suppliers of factory automation solutions are
The road ahead
increasingly adding open interface compatibility to their components
As connected technologies continue to take off, factories are
to provide seamless communication between front-end devices, con-
moving toward a future in which all components, controllers, and
trollers, and the cloud. For example, Festo has embedded OPC UA
the industrial cloud are seamlessly integrated, yielding countless
into its valve terminals, enabling plant managers, engineers, and oper-
production benefits. Although progress is well underway, we are
ators to realize the benefits of smart manufacturing. When paired
not quite there yet. The last mile will require a continued drive to
with IoT gateways like the CPX platform, operators can quickly and
tie together formerly siloed systems, to embrace open commu-
easily collect device information and statuses via an Ethernet connec-
nication standards, and to fully implement digital strategies from
tion and OPC UA protocol. From there, the system can then send that
the shop floor to the enterprise level.
information to the cloud via a second Ethernet connection and IoT protocols, such as Advanced Message Queueing Protocol (AMQP)
To learn more about putting IIoT into practice, please visit www. festo.com.
I
the machine communicates with the tool crib about inventory and places an order for a spare part after learning it’s not currently in stock. At this point, the purchasing manager receives an email alert on his smartphone, asking him to approve the order. Once Monday morning rolls around, the machine calculates that the actuator is now at 80% failure and automatically moves the maintenance appointment to earlier
in the week after the part arrives. This example demonstrates the power of machine visibility, especially during periods of unattended operation. It also shows how the addition of simple IIoT functions can remedy the problem of planned, costly downtime with just a few clicks on a device.
Industrial Internet of Things
How IIoT Functionality Improves Maintenance Processes mplementing components and machines with smart functionality goes a long way toward avoiding unwanted downtime. Picture a machine working on a Friday evening after everyone has clocked out. This machine detects an anomaly—an increase in friction, for example—on a pneumatic actuator and then calculates that the part will fail in the next three to four days. Without any human intervention,
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
9 More efficient, more flexible, more productive NOVEMBER 2021
The future of your production
Learn more at festo.com/VTEM
Industrial Internet of Things
Motion Terminal VTEM replaces over 50 components with one piece of hardware that combines the benefits of electrics and pneumatics.
10 NOVEMBER 2021
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud System integrator Perceptive Controls helps one community make the leap into a MQTT Sparkplug-based SCADA infrastructure. By Josh Eastburn, director of technical marketing, Opto 22
F
Time to upgrade
geographically in the center of Oakland County, Michigan,
In 2017, Russell Williams, director of public works, and Frank
and is home to over 72,000 residents. With 360 miles of
Fisher, engineering superintendent, at Waterford DPW started
water main and 355 miles of sanitary sewer, water management
on a project to upgrade their core SCADA infrastructure. The
in Waterford is no small task. The Department of Public Works
next year, they attended a conference announcing the release of
(DPW) operates and maintains 19 production wells, 3 storage
Opto 22’s groov EPIC and were excited by the potential of MQTT
tanks, 11 treatment plants, and 63 sewer lift stations.
Sparkplug to eliminate some long-standing systemic limitations.
To run all this, they invested years ago in integrating core appli-
With more than 90 controllers on their network, the polling
cations, including geographic information systems (GIS), asset
mechanism they used, combined with the limited bandwidth of
management systems (AMS), enterprise content management
their radio network, meant that data from each site would update
(ECM), and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA).
only every 3-5 minutes. Sometimes a lift station would run briefly
That system delivered a lot of value over the years, but nothing lasts forever.
in between polling cycles, creating gaps in their reporting and inhibiting operators’ ability to accurately detect issues until alarms
Industrial Internet of Things
ormally organized in 1834, Waterford Township is located
11
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud eventually made their way through. And for each I/O point they
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
added to the system, this latency only grew worse. It seemed clear that MQTT’s report-by-exception behavior could significantly reduce bandwidth usage and ensure delivery of important system actions. “We have many lift stations that will spend most of their time sitting,” Williams explains, “[So] why transfer data all the time?” And with no dependence on a central polling program, they saw the possibility to eliminate a systemic bottleneck and potential point of failure.
From proof-of-concept to production To help them execute their vision, Waterford DPW engaged Perin industrial and process control applications for the water/wastewater, food and beverage, and oil and gas industries. But building an MQTT system for the first time came with a learning curve, according to Kevin Finkler, software engineer at Perceptive. MQTT’s publish-subscribe communication model is a definite departure from that of traditional industrial protocols in a few key ways: 1. Each field device connects only to the broker, regardless of
Waterford DPW’s legacy infrastructure relied on a network of RTUs and RF transmitters communicating to SCADA workstations in the office.
Industrial Internet of Things
ceptive Controls, a Michigan-based system integrator specializing
12
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud where its data needs to go.
Building defense in depth
2. When using Sparkplug payloads, each device publishes (sends)
Seeing an opportunity to leverage cloud computing for greater
a list of its available data items, called topics, upon establish-
fault tolerance and scalability, Fisher decided to deploy Ignition
ing a connection to the broker.
directly on Amazon Web Services (AWS), and he and Kevin began
3. Other MQTT clients may also connect to the broker, see the available topics, and then subscribe to (request) updates on those topics when published by field devices.
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
building out the mechanisms to secure the new infrastructure. First, Fisher configured the firewall on AWS to accept traffic only from his groov EPIC controllers and specific Ignition clients in Waterford’s and Perceptive’s offices. Firewalls on the cell modems
After experimenting with a few popular SCADA packages, Per-
and EPICs were also configured to accept only trusted IPs.
ceptive Controls decided on Ignition by Inductive Automation
He then installed a client SSL certificate on each EPIC so that
because it offered very tight MQTT integration, including the
Ignition could authenticate and encrypt the connection, protect-
ability to serve as an MQTT broker itself.
ing against man-in-the-middle attacks that could expose data or
took Finkler some work at first, establishing communication was straightforward in the end. “It kind of happens automatically,” Finkler says. “You basically define a few parameters [in Ignition] to set up the broker. And each of the EPIC devices was pretty simple. You just point it at the broker and it starts sending tags.” “I love that both of these sides have embraced MQTT,” adds Fisher. “It makes the connection seamless.”
permit unauthorized control. Every authorized user is required to create strong passwords to access any groov EPIC controller or Ignition client in the system. In addition, every user login is tracked and reported throughout the system as well. Fisher and Finkler even integrated physical site security into Ignition. Each lift station is secured with an outer door under lock and key, and a physical switch on the door is connected to the local EPIC. Ignition monitors the switch state to detect when
Industrial Internet of Things
Even though understanding the MQTT communication model
13
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
someone enters. If a user login is not registered within a specific time with access privileges for that specific room, Ignition then generates a global alarm.
Return on investment After completing upgrades on all 63 of its sewage lift stations and six of its clean water sites, the new groov EPIC/Ignition MQTT infrastructure has reduced field updates from multi-minute cycles to sub-second event-driven publications. With that kind of speed, Waterford never misses a system action or alarm notification anymore, and with cell-enabled tablets, operators can stay connected from anywhere through Ignition’s mobile-ready HMI client. tion with analog I/O deadbanding in each groov EPIC, the new infrastructure has also reduced bandwidth consumption, allowing Waterford to publish even more data than before. They have access to communications and controller diagnostics—such as update latency, connection time stamps, message size, and firmware version—which simply wasn’t possible in the old system. Waterford’s cloud-based infrastructure also enables greater flexibility and reliability. If there is ever an issue connecting to the data
Waterford DPW’s modernized infrastructure publishes data from groov EPIC controllers to a cloud-hosted Ignition SCADA and MQTT broker over a 4G LTE cellular network.
Industrial Internet of Things
Because of MQTT’s report-by-exception behavior, in combina-
14
Building Secure Wastewater Management in the Cloud center in Ohio that hosts the new SCADA server, Fisher can have
“We are still trying to figure out what else we can do with this,”
the entire system up and running in a different data center in 30
says Fisher. “We have a lot of other instrumentation that we want
minutes. In time, he will likely set up full server redundancy.
to be able to pull data from out in the field that wasn’t really fea-
In fact, a recent internet outage at the Department of Public
sible before… not just at our lift stations and our treatment plants
Works offices provided an unexpected test of their new system,
but throughout the organization. Where can we use [MQTT] with
which kept on working without interruption.
flowmeters? Where can we use it throughout all of our assets to
“We only lost the old system,” says Fisher. “Our internal stuff couldn’t reach out, of course, but our iPads could connect through Verizon... and I was able to get back in touch. In a situation like this,
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
give us a better overview? We’re just beginning that journey.” For more information, visit www.perceptivecontrols.com or contact Frank Fisher at ffisher@waterfordmi.gov.
the old system couldn’t send out alarms because it depended on a local connection. The new system didn’t even notice or care because it’s not running anything local.”
With huge increases in bandwidth, the low administrative overhead of MQTT Sparkplug, and EPICs providing spare data processing at the edge, Waterford can continue expanding its system for a very long time. Each new device or application they add only needs a connection to the MQTT broker to produce or consume data for/from the whole system.
Industrial Internet of Things
More to come
than the speed of light but have not invented clothing
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NOVEMBER 2021
DO Aliens travel faster
15
OPERATING
LIFE
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DO m
f c
xp c c m g p d c c f d c d W ’v p d c d v 22 d g d mc c 1975 D ’
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Industrial Internet of Things
Up w
16
Once again, a group of companies has banded together to create a vendor-independent standard and found a home in Profibus International to promote, harmonize, and certify their technology. This time it’s a collection of the world’s foremost industrial robot manufacturers.
NOVEMBER 2021
A Uniform Interface for Robots
By Michael Bowne, executive director, PI North America
I
n today’s manufacturing plants, the presence of robots is increas-
via a library provided by the vendor. Each library is proprietary
ing every day. They are often arranged, along with other machines,
and different for each robot vendor. Generally, this inhibits inde-
in cells, each for a different step in the manufacturing process. A
pendence by promoting vendor lock-in and greatly increases the
robot cell will typically consist of a robot controller (RC), the robot
complexity of programming robots.
arm itself, a dedicated human machine interface (HMI) pendant, and
A solution based on standardization
vendor typically supplies all four components. Meanwhile the entire
The goal of the new “Uniform Robot Interface” is to have a sin-
manufacturing line is orchestrated separately by one or more pro-
gle interface between the PLC and the RC. This would eliminate
grammable logic controllers (PLCs). The PLC interacts with the RC
the unique libraries from each robot maker and standardize the
to synchronize the whole process.
programming across brands. There are additional benefits beyond
A problem with this setup is that an end-user will often have
standardizing the motion commands between PLC and RC, such
multiple robots from different vendors that need to interact
as the ability for an end-user to operate the robot arm via an HMI
with the PLC. This is quite challenging because each vendor has
connected to the PLC in the same way as the dedicated HMI pro-
its own way of programming. The programming is implemented
vided by the robot vendor. The interface could also allow for the
Industrial Internet of Things
the engineering software employed to program the robot. A single
17
A Uniform Interface for Robots gathering of diagnostic information from the RC and robot arm
saki, Yamaha, Panasonic, Techman, and Epson.
in a standardized manner.
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
PLC vendors are welcome to participate in this effort as well. As of Q3 2021, the specification is fully written and currently under
Vendor and protocol independence
review at Profibus International (PI) in preparation for public
While currently being implemented via Profinet, the standard can
release. The Uniform Robot Interface is being incorporated and
run over any communication protocol. The interface can be imple-
fits well into the broader PI technology portfolio of Profibus,
mented just as well over OPC UA or any other industrial Ethernet
Profinet, IO-Link, and omlox. It is another step in the organiza-
protocol. The effort is driven by a collection of the world’s largest
tion’s evolution from one focused purely on data communication
robot makers: Stäubli, ABB, Fanuc, Comau, KUKA, Yaskawa, Kawa-
to one helping speed up digitalization across the industrial space.
Plant Automation
RobotProgram
Robot Cell Lib. A
Lib. B
Robot Controller
Robot Arm
Lib. C
HMI
Engineering Lib. …
Robot HMI
Robot control with proprietary robot interfaces and libraries.
Engineering Software
Industrial Internet of Things
PLC / PAC
18
Powell, the creator of the Power Control Room, teams up with Wago to further improve its manufacturing quality and productivity.
NOVEMBER 2021
The Value of Power Control Rooms Submitted by WAGO
S
ince first coming up with the idea of the Power Control Room
times become loose due to vibration or through installation errors,
(PCR) in 1968, Powell has been recognized as a market leader
which created safety and reliability concerns. Therefore, upon
in modular electrical equipment design. By utilizing innovative
delivery, prior to connecting the rooms together, engineers would
products in the design and construction of these PCRs, they improve
need to enter each box, reconnect the wires, and re-tighten the
quality and productivity while lowering costs and reducing labor. Used
screws that held the wires in place using calibrated torque screw-
in a wide range of markets from utility substations to oil & gas projects
drivers. This made the process both costly and time consuming,
to transportation systems, PCRs have been transported and installed
as these specialty tools carry not only a high initial investment but
in all 50 states and more than 70 countries.
require calibration annually. For mounting connections, Powell had previously used an inter-
final application. “Some are so large they need to be split apart and
nally fabricated aluminum angle bracket modified with seven
shipped in sections,” explained Rick Deiss, production designer at
pre-punched square-mounting holes which would allow a third-
Powell. When Powell assembles these larger PCR buildings, the
party, two-piece pull-apart terminal block assembly to snap into
sections (or rooms) are first physically joined together. Then the
each square hole. This design was considered labor intensive and
interconnected wiring between each building must be reliably
could cause reliability issues, as the connectors would sometimes
terminated during the manufacturing phase and subsequently
become dislodged from the mounting bracket. As a result, Powell
“de-terminated” before the buildings are split apart again so they
began to look for ways to improve their design while simultane-
can be shipped to the final job site. Each section typically includes
ously gaining a higher-quality connection.
shipping split boxes for wiring. In the past, when these boxes were shipped, wires would some-
“We needed a terminal block for power connections that could be disconnected by pulling it apart,” Deiss said.
Industrial Internet of Things
The size of the PCRs created by Powell varies depending on the
19
The Value of Power Control Rooms The Wago connection
integrity while reducing production and labor costs.
In 2016, Ciarah Tapley-Smith of Future Electronics, Wago’s local
Powell then requested samples to see if the connectors could
distributor in Houston, Texas, along with Kevin Stevenson, Wago
indeed fit their company’s specific application needs. Deiss pointed
regional sales manager, introduced Powell to Wago’s Cage Clamp
out that he and his colleagues were also able to visit Wago’s manu-
design technology. Specifically, Powell was shown the 831 Series
facturing and testing facilities in Minden, Germany, to learn more.
connectors and learned how they could improve their connections
“The 831 Series connectors are just what we needed,” stated
Powell Industry’s PCR onsite at customer facility.
Industrial Internet of Things
Wago 831 series DIN-rail mounted wire-to-wire connector.
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
20 NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
The Value of Power Control Rooms Deiss, “while touring the Wago factory in Germany, I saw parts
Keeping up with technology
being manufactured as well as many tests performed on their
Over the last four years, both Powell and Wago have devel-
products. I was amazed by the quality of their products and how
oped more innovative solutions to help with the production and
well they held up to the grueling testing.”
shipping of Powell’s Power Control Rooms. Currently, Wago is
Powell soon realized that the 831 series would prove to be an
producing a new version of the 831 series with tool-free lever
innovative component in the manufacturing of their PCRs. This
actuation. Powell is also looking at using Wago’s new 832 Series
would empower them to offer more value to their customers and
connectors to replace additional competitive devices and some
remain an industry leader.
old connections that need larger wire connectors. “Powell is looking to implement more of our products in their
ated, DIN-rail mounted 831 Series that they value our connection
design and are very excited to hear that we will soon have the
technology and form-factor, not only for its time and labor sav-
832 Series connectors coming out later this year with a DIN Rail-
ings, but also for the improved connection integrity it provides,”
mount capability,” Stevenson says, “which will allow them to use
said Cory Thiel, Wago’s PCB interconnect product manager.
our Cage Clamp technology on larger wiring circuits ranging up
Since its partnership with Wago, Powell has eliminated the cost of
to 4 AWG.”
lugs and the labor for crimping as well as the need for the pre-fabri-
Deiss noted that the 832 terminal blocks have larger ampacity
cated aluminum mounting bracket. With the use of spring pressure
ratings, allowing for pull-apart connections on up to #4 gauge
connection technology, there are no screws, thus eliminating loose
wire. “Currently wiring larger than #8 requires lugs, screw termi-
connections and the need for torqueing. These products have sped
nations, and torquing,” said Deiss. “With the help of these prod-
up the process of manufacturing, connecting, and disconnecting
ucts, Powell will continue to work on speeding up and simplifying
the shipping splits, ultimately reducing labor costs.
the wiring process, all while remaining the standard bearer for electrical equipment design.”
Industrial Internet of Things
“It was evident by their implementation of our original tool-oper-
21 NOVEMBER 2021
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Industrial Internet of Things
Built tough, our NFPA actuators feature anodized aluminum heads and barrels and stainless steel hardware for corrosion resistance. They also incorporate high-strength composite rod bears and PTFE piston wear bands for superior load handling and long service life. Choose from 19 standard mounting options and hundreds of standard configurable options to meet the requirements of almost any application.
22 NOVEMBER 2021
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART Lithium battery-powered remote wireless sensors enable WirelessHART communications to reach increasingly remote locations, even in extreme environments. By Sol Jacobs, vice president and general manager, Tadiran Batteries
Amid the wide implementation of HART-enabled devices, millions
a critical link to nearly 30 million intelligent field instru-
of these devices remain un-networked due to the exorbitantly high
ments and host systems used in SCADA, process control,
cost of hard-wiring them to the electrical grid, with is especially
asset management, safety systems, M2M (machine to machine), AI (artificial intelligence), wireless mesh networks, and numerous other applications. HART-driven network control systems have been adopted globally to monitor and control field instruments across process
problematic in remote locations and extreme environments. To address this problem, Linear/Dust Networks developed WirelessHART, a low-power communications protocol specifically designed for use in tandem with bobbin-type lithium thionyl chloride (LiSOCl2) batteries.
industries and manufacturing facilities, as well as in power generation plants. These industrial control systems consist of a single
Choosing lithium batteries
instrument or a group of instruments that form a single- or mul-
Low-power wireless devices extend battery life by operating pre-
tiple-loop network based on their design and deployment.
dominantly in a standby state, awakening only to query or transmit
Industrial Internet of Things
T
he HART communications protocol continues to provide
23
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART data on a predetermined schedule or if certain data thresholds
exceeds the amount of the current consumed annually by a low-
are exceeded. As a result, more energy is typically expended by
power device).
annual self-discharge than actual battery use.
NOVEMBER 2021
CONTINUED
Lithium battery chemistry supports long-term deployments
Since a wireless device is only as reliable as the batteries that
based on having an intrinsic negative potential that exceeds all
power it, product designers must prioritize between desired attributes, including: energy consumed in active mode (including the size, duration, and frequency of pulses); energy consumed in dormant mode (the base current); storage time (as normal self-discharge during environments (including storage and in-field operation); equipment cut-off voltage (as battery capacity is exhausted or when operating in extreme temperatures, voltage can drop to a point too low for the sensor to operate); cost considerations; and, most importantly, by the battery’s self-discharge rate (which often
The variety of applications suitable for remote wireless sensors.
Industrial Internet of Things
storage diminishes capacity); thermal
24
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART other metals. As the lightest non-gaseous metal, lithium deliv-
exceeds actual energy usage, requiring high initial capacity.
ers the highest specific energy (energy per unit weight), highest
• The widest possible temperature range—from -80°C to 125°C,
energy density (energy per unit volume), along with a normal
providing a more reliable power source in extreme environments.
operating current voltage between 2.7 and 3.6V. All lithium
• Smaller size—a space-saving form factor is possible with higher
chemistries are non-aqueous, making them better adapted to frigid temperatures. Numerous primary lithium battery chemistries are available. However, bobbin-type lithium thionyl chloride (LiSOCl2) chemis-
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energy density. • Higher voltage—can result in the need for fewer cells. • Lower lifetime costs—considering that the expense to replace a battery far exceeds its original cost.
try is overwhelmingly preferred for use in low-power devices that require periodic high pulses to power two-way wireless commu-
Bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cells commonly power WirelessHART
nications, including protocols such as WirelessHART, ZigBee, and
applications such as tank level monitoring, asset tracking, and
LoRA, to name a few.
environmental sensors that must endure extreme temperature cycling. A prime example of this can be found in the medical cold
and highest energy density, along with an extremely low annual
chain, where wireless data loggers are used to continously moni-
self-discharge rate as low as 0.7% per year, enabling certain
tor the safe transport of frozen pharmaceuticals, tissue samples,
devices to operate continuously for up to 40 years. Bobbin-type
and transplant organs at carefully controlled temperatures as
LiSOCL2 batteries deliver the following unique benefits:
low as -80°C.
• Higher reliability—which is ideal for inaccessible locations
When specifying a bobbin-type LiSOCl2 battery, be aware that
where battery replacement is difficult or impossible, and data
a battery’s annual self-discharge can vary significantly based on
continuity is essential.
how the cell was manufactured and its raw materials, affecting its
• Long operating life—as the self-discharge rate of the battery often
ability to harness the passivation effect.
Industrial Internet of Things
Bobbin-type LiSOCl2 chemistry delivers the highest capacity
25
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART Passivation is affected by the cell’s current discharge capacity, the length of storage, storage temperature, discharge tempera-
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30% of available capacity every 10 years solely due to self-discharge, limiting its operating life to a maximum of 10-15 years.
ture, and prior discharge conditions, as partially discharging a cell and then removing the load increases the level of passivation over
High pulse requirements
time. Passivation serves to minimize self-discharge, but too much
WirelessHART-enabled devices demand periodic pulses of up to
of it overly restricts energy flow.
15 A to actuate two-way wireless communications. Unfortunately,
Self-discharge occurs with all batteries as chemical reactions
standard bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cells are not designed to deliver high
draw current even while the cell is unused or disconnected.
pulses. This challenge is easily overcome by combining a standard
Self-discharge can be minimized by controlling the passivation
bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cell with a patented hybrid layer capacitor
effect, as a thin film of lithium chloride (LiCl) forms on the sur-
(HLC). The standard LiSOCl2 cell delivers low level background
face of the lithium anode, separating it from the electrode to
current while in standby mode with the HLC delivering high pulses
reduce chemical reactions that cause self-discharge. Whenever
to support brief periods of data interrogation and transmission. Supercapacitors perform a similar function within consumer
high resistance and a temporary drop in voltage until the dis-
products but are generally ill suited for industrial applications
charge reaction start to dissipate the passivation layer: a process
because of inherent limitations, including short-duration power,
that repeats continuously.
linear discharge qualities that do not allow for use of all the
The highest quality bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cell features a self-dis-
available energy, low capacity, low-energy density, and very high
charge rate as low as 0.7% annually, retaining nearly 70% of its
self-discharge rates of up to 60% per year. In addition, superca-
original capacity after 40 years. By contrast, a lower quality cell can
pacitors linked in series require the use of bulky cell-balancing
have a self-discharge rate of up to 3% per year, exhausting nearly
circuits that add expense and draw additional current.
Industrial Internet of Things
a load is placed on the cell, the passivation layer causes initial
26
How Ultra Long-Life Lithium Batteries Expand the Use of WirelessHART Lowering your cost of ownership
superior quality battery that can last for the entire lifetime of the
Industrial grade applications require self-contained power sup-
device. Unfortunately, choosing among competing batteries can
plies that can perform reliably even in extreme environments. The
be a challenge, as high self-discharge could take years to become
future of industrial automation will be driven largely by electronic
fully apparent and theoretical life cycle models tend to underes-
devices that are truly wireless with bobbin-type LiSOCl2 cells and,
timate the effects of both passivation and extreme temperatures.
in certain instances, industrial grade Li-Ion rechargeable batteries
The key is to gain valuable insight by demanding fully docu-
supporting technology convergence and interoperability between
mented, long-term test results along with historic in-field perfor-
a growing number of HART-enabled devices.
mance data under similar environmental conditions. Gaining this
When designing for deployment in a remote location or extreme
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knowledge will serve to reduce your cost of ownership.
environment, it generally pays to go the extra mile to specify a
Industrial Internet of Things
27 NOVEMBER 2021 Industrial Internet of Things