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Catch up with the latest press releases from WorldFIP:
- Jan 30th 2002: New WorldFIP Secretary
- Jul 11th 2001: Safe shipping - thanks to WorldFIP integrity
- Jun 29th 2001: Boiler protection system approved to IEC 61508
- Nov 23rd 2000: The Secretary General of WorldFIP will take a seat on the Board of Fieldbus Foundation
- Sep 14th 2000: Rail transport - a continuing WorldFIP success
- Aug 4th 2000: Crowds at WorldFIP Success in Beijing
- Jul 14th 2000: FIPWARE: A new release
- Jun 27th 2000: HART is added to WFIP technology
- Jun 27th 2000: From WorldFIP to Fieldbus Internet Protocol
- Jun 20th 2000: 2 million bottles a day...with no bottlenecks!
- Jun 2nd 2000: WorldFIP keeps precise time
- Jun 2nd 2000: A precision time module for CERN
- Jun 2nd 2000: CERN tests WFIP radiation hardness
- May 15th 2000: In touch with reality...
New WorldFIP Secretary
Jean-Pierre Hauet, WorldFIP secretary for 15 years, retired at the Board meeting on 8th January.The WorldFIP President, Marc Desjardins, thanked Jean-Pierre for his major contribution over the years and the everlasting support he brought to WorldFIP.
The new secretary is Eric Cazeaux, Deputy President, Alstom Technologies. In his acceptance speech Eric confirmed ALSTOM's strong support for WorldFIP today and for the strategy to take WorldFIP from the 31.25 Kbit/s, 1Mbit/s and 5Mbit/s data rates (available today) and towards the higher data rates of tomorrow.
"WorldFIP is today confirmed in its unique position in sectors such as transport, electrical power and other industries", continued Eric," WorldFIP's combination of high availability, security and reliability make it an ideal solution. In addition, WorldFIP's unique ability to easily connect to and carry Internet protocols make it a key enabling technology in the increasingly integrated solutions for equipment maintenance and asset management."
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Safe shipping - thanks to WorldFIP integrity
Marine vessels of all types rely on WFIP for control system reliability . . .
Enormous Variety
Control systems for marine vessels operate in severe conditions, usually with high vibration, and often also with wide ranges of ambient temperature and humidity, from tropical to arctic, and with corrosive salt spray as an added factor.Depending on the vessel's function, there can also be a wide variety of things to control, such as:
- Power generation systems
- Main & auxiliary propulsion systems
- Ballast control systems
- Shipboard lighting and utilities
- Shallow and deep-water drilling
- Diving support
- Oil/gas extraction systems, FPSOs etc
- Pipe/cable storage and laying systems
- Pumping systems
- Fire and alarm systems
Class Society Certification
Insurance certification is an essential part of vessel operation. In many sectors (eg oil and gas) a vessel's ability to obtain work is affected critically by its class of insurance cover -- for example, vessels with dual- and triple-standby systems have higher insurance classifications, and can win business in a wider range of well-paid applications.More Every Year
WorldFIP has advantages which make it the ideal choice for networking in this business sector, such as:- Support for redundant systems
- Fast deterministic communication
- Ultra-high reliability
- Supports a variety of network types
- 30 in the oil/gas industry
- 26 pipe- and cable-layers
- 13 cruise liners
- 7 others (dredgers, ice-breakers, etc)
All Network Configurations
WorldFIP is available in either copper or optic-fibre, with a range of bridges and repeaters to permit all kinds of network configurations, each with some specific advantages for a particular situation:- Simple Bus (A):
Simple applications use an ordinary copper dual-redundant bus, for a low-cost reliable solution. - Active Star (B):
Star confgurations, either copper or fibre-optic, have advantages for some complex geographic/physical layouts. - Ring Main (C):
Where electrical isolation is a critical factor, a fibre-optic ring-main is used. This configuration has become a favoured standard for all ALSTOM's largest marine installations.
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Boiler Protection System Approved to IEC 61508
The ALSPA P320 system now has Bureau Veritas approval under IEC 61508 System Integrity Level 3, protection of high power boilers (i.e.: 100-600 MW)
The application consists of monitoring the ventilation sequence prior to ignition, and processing of safety shutdown signals. The safety processing is concentrated in dual-redundant field controllers. The logic implemented is relatively simple, but the criteria for start-up involve multiple combinations of a significant number of signals (200 to 600, according to the type of boiler and the degree of redundancy required in the instrumentation).
WorldFIP Network
The ALSPA P320 system is based on a distributed architecture with two levels of communications:- Data exchange between "control room" functions and the links between "automation cells"
- The communications network of the "automation cell" itself.
Operation of the cells is implemented following a basic WorldFIP principle:
- Simple and cyclic operation of controllers (time critical)
- Separation of messages for configuration and monitoring.
IEC 61508
The "field controllers" and the associated application were developed according the IEC 61508 Standard.This standard defines a method of managing, developing and evaluating safety-critical applications over their complete life-cycle. In the case of boiler safety, the boiler may explode if the protection fails, endangering lives on the site (Integrity Level 3). The P320 system as applied to boiler safety was evaluated successfully by "Bureau Veritas", who issued an in-depth evaluation and certification to SIL3.
WorldFIP's ability to handle the most stringent safety requirements has allowed ALSTOM to meet the demands of the IEC 61508 standard in the power generation sector.
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Mr Jean-Pierre HAUET, Senior Vice-President of ALSTOM, in charge of technology and, moreover, secretary of WorldFIP, has been nominated to the Board of Fieldbus Foundation
For the WorldFIP organisation and its members, this event is seen as the possible point of departure for a collaboration with Fieldbus Foundation
The commonality of actions and ideas which have always prevailed in the standardisation activities of both organisations make such a co-operation possible, as hoped for for a long time by the large users of control-command systems and of instrumentation.
The specific characteristics of WorldFIP permit the offer of solutions complementary to those proposed by Fieldbus Foundation (FF-H1, an instrumentation network on the one hand, and FF-HSE, a network based on Ethernet on the other hand). The link between these solutions will be effected by bridges; the user will thus benefit at the same time from the time determinism of WorldFIP's own transmissions, from the possibilities offered by multimedia and from the implementation of its management functions.
The high speed technology under development by WorldFIP will very soon permit covering the set of speeds going from 31,25 K/bs to 25 Mb/s. Aside from the backward compatibility with the installed base, it will give access to technologies developed by the WEB, in particular multimedia, in the framework of the Fieldbus Internet Protocol project.
For more information : Top
Passengers' needs and perceptions have changed -- and rail operators have had to adapt to meet the requirements of a rapidly evolving market.
Operators must now supply:
WorldFIP's unique combination guaranteed support for time-critical traffic, and transmission of less critical traffic on the same bus is the key to this success.
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Nov 23rd 2000: The Secretary General of WorldFIP will take a seat on the Board of Fieldbus Foundation
The WorldFIP organisation has been a member of Fieldbus Foundation for 4 years. A significant stage in the relationship with this organisation has just been passed through with the ALSTOM Group joining Fieldbus Foundation as a full member. ALSTOM thus joins another eminent member of WorldFIP, SCHNEIDER, already a member of this organisation.
wftechno@worldfip.imaginet.fr (technical information)
wfinfo@worldfip.imaginet.fr (commercial information)
Sep 14th 2000: Rail transport - a continuing WorldFIP success
WorldFIP provides the basis for fully automated train systems of tomorrow . . .
Increasing Pressure
Continuing growth in the world's economies places increasing pressure on urban centres, as they struggle to cope with a steady rise in population. Inevitably this growth leads to:
Mass transit systems are a key solution to reduce pollution and ease congestion.
rapid, low cost, easily maintained solutions.
Passengers now expect:
increased comfort, amenities and reliability.
Fully Automatic
Such demands both from operators and passengers put pressure on train-builders, to provide more functionality with higher reliability and at lower cost. And now, the move to fully-automatic metro lines is pushing demands even further -- particularly in terms of passenger information/security systems.
Ideal Platform
WorldFIP has proved an ideal platform to support these diverse demands:
Commercial Proof
The results are already visible in commercial applications, from station infrastructure through the Eurotunnel Shuttle, freight locos, metros and TGVs. The latest trains use WorldFIP to send sound packets (for passenger comms system as well as for control) -- saving the costs, space and weight of a separate system.
Video Over WorldFIP
In response to a demand from transport systems (trains, tramways, metros) we have now completed trials of video-transmission via WorldFIP. Until now the video link had to be provided via a separate analogue system. The new possibility is to also send the video signals over the WorldFIP network, promising even further savings by removing the need for a separate video communications system.
Aug 4th 2000: Crowds at WorldFIP Success in Beijing
Fieldbus event in Chinese capital attracts over 1000
Massive Attendance
WorldFIP2000 Fieldbus Exchange and Exhibition on 29-31 March in Beijing attracted over 1000 visitors, including senior experts in manufacturing, equipment supply, system integration, and research in industrial automation from key industrial sectors:
400 at Opening Day
At the opening ceremony in the Friendship Hotel's "Friendship Palace", representatives of the Chinese State Administration of Machinery Industry (SAM), China Instrument Manufacturers Association, Electricity Industry sector and Railway/Transport sector were present on the platform, and Cai WEICI, Chief Engineer of SAM, gave the keynote speech. WorldFIP members on the platform included ALSTOM Technology, ALSTOM Transport and ALSTOM Power, and WorldFIP Managing Director Jean-Pierre FROIDEVAUX, outlined the current postion and future strategy of WorldFIP.
Live Fieldbus/Internet Demo
ALSTOM Technology demonstrated a Hart transmitter and AMS (Fisher-Rosemount "Asset Management System") running over a WorldFIP network, with remote Internet access to a laboratory in France. ALSTOM's Alspa C80-35, C80-75, CE2000, CE80-30 controllers and I/O systems were on display, with WorldFIP gateway (DI80), and boards (CC139/121).WorldFIP showed components (MICROFIP, FULLFIP2, FIELDRIVE, FIELDTR, etc.), boards (CC144/139 etc.), gateways (MG-HART-WF) and software tools (FIPACCESS, FIPSPY, FIPWEB, FIP Device Manager), and demonstrated the simplicity of Device WorldFIP Development Kit.
ALSTOM Transport showed WorldFIP-based on-board AGATE equipment, and ALSTOM Power a bi-screen workstation of the Alspa P320 supervisory system.
WorldFIP Seminars Prove Popular
The Beijing WorldFIP Exchange and Exhibition was accompanied by a series of WorldFIP technology seminars.
120 Experts at Each Seminar
The seminars proved very popular with an average of 120 delegates at each session.Jean-Pierre FROIDEVAUX of WorldFIP HQ first gave a WorldFIP overview -- the technology, its principles and features, application, comparison with other fieldbuses, the offer and activities of the organization, etc.
Eric CAZEAUX of ALSTOM Technology presented ALSTOM Technology, its WorldFIP offer, WorldFIP in ALSTOM control systems, and the Internet developments.
Xavier THIBAULT of ALSTOM Transport introduced ALSTOM's WorldFIP-based train control and monitoring system.
Finally, Ms. Yuxin HE-CHEN of ALSTOM Power described the Alspa P320 supervisory system and its applications.
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It also provides greater integration of functions, with savings in cost and in board area.
For more information on this exciting high-speed chip development, use our Faxback.
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The new bottle conveyor lines at the Verdôme works at Puy-Guillaume, France, produce two million bottles per day using an installation of 150 variable speed drives linked to each other and to an automation level by a WorldFIP(FIPIO) network. Verdôme is one of the 7 French units of BSN Glasspack, previously part of the Danone Group.
The furnaces are fed with a mix of sand, carbonate of soda, lime, aluminium and up to 60% recycled glass. The glass paste from the output of the furnaces is transferred onto the fabrication lines and cut into blobs of glass. These are introduced into moulds which shape the bottle using an air-blowing process. The bottles then undergo undergo a reheating and then two surface treatments aimed at improving their resistance to wear and making them slide more easily. They then pass to the four conveyor lines in the "cold" part of the works.
Each line comprises a succession of conveyors and quality monitoring machines. Two conveyors are in line and two act as buffers to match the constant flow from the furnace to the variable flow of the monitoring machines. Each conveyor is independently speed controlled. Monitoring includes detection of faults, the dimensions, the absence of micro-fissures in the glass as well as reading the number of the mould to assure traceability.
The central controller communicates with a Magelis operator interface terminal with touch screen, on which the operator enters the number of bottles to be produced. It then calculates the different speed references and other parameters for the conveyors, and transmits them on the WorldFIP network to the drives.
The central controller also manages the data supplied by quality monitoring machines, and delivers messages of state, alarms and faults to other operator terminals in the plant. All PLCs are linked by a TCP/IP Ethernet network to a central production management system..
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The time-source is taken from the satellite Global Positioning System (GPS). This time-value must then be distributed to all relevant equipment to synchronise all their clocks.
In the past, synchronisation was guaranteed to a few tens of nanoseconds by a dedicated synchronisation line. In most situations, this line was used in addition to a control bus, using a bus such as MIL1553 for data transfer.
Thanks to WorldFIP's deterministic nature, CERN can now combine these two functions on a single WorldFIP bus
Jul 14th 2000: FIPWARE: A New Release
A new release of the FIPWARE range of development support is available from WorldFIP. It comprises a set of software products and electronic documentation on CDROM including:
The FIPWARE range also includes the new CC 142/143/144 boards for PCI mezzanine extension bus PCI 2.1. These provide a dual-redundant WorldFIP interface at 31.25 kbit/s, 1 or 2.5 Mbit/s.
Jun 27th 2000: HART is Added to FIPWEB Technology
The WorldFIP 2000 General Assembly saw the first demonstration of WorldFIP's fieldbus/web integration technology to include HART instruments in addition to the previously demonstrated connections to camera, PLCs and variable-speed drives (see diagram).
Jun 27th 2000: From WorldFIP to Fieldbus Internet Protocol
WorldFIP's development towards the Fieldbus Internet Protocol is supported by development of a new High Speed (up to 25Mbit/s) Fieldbus chip set.
Smooth Migration
The chipset supports the additional functions required, and is backward-compatible with WorldFIP's present-day technology to ensure smooth migration.
Jun 20th 2000: 2 million bottles a day...with no bottlenecks!
French bottle-maker Verdôme finds WorldFIP the perfect networking solution to ensure fast production without any hold-ups . . .
New Conveyor Lines
Maximum production at the works has been raised to 800 tonnes per day using 3 furnaces. Furnace number 7, the object of the renovation, is the most important with a capacity of 390 tonnes, required new conveyor lines to handle its increased output.
WorldFIP Networks
Nearly 150 motors and controllers are spread across this very extensive installation.
The decentralised architecture uses "boxed" Altivar 58 variable speed drives. The drives in each line are linked by a WorldFIP network to a TSX Premium PLC as central controller.
Record Time
Jacques Fey, Verdôme works electrical and automation manager, is enthusiastic about the advantages gained by using WorldFIP in the new installation:
"Production started in September 1999 according to plan. The application programmes were written in a record time thanks to the productivity gains obtained by the integration of WorldFIP and speed control in the PL7 language, the language of the TSX Premium PLCs. The installation has now been running for 6 months and gives complete satisfaction, confirming the choice made by putting the drives in a distributed structure. We already envisage using such a solution for the renovation of another works."
Jun 2nd 2000: WorldFIP Keeps Precise Time
At the CERN experimental laboratory in Switzerland, WorldFIP provides the basis for the most exact time-keeping ever . . .
CERN Requirements
Because of the extremely precise nature of the scientific experiments at CERN, a knowledge of absolute time to great accuracy is extremely important (see diagram).
First Trials of WorldFIP
The first tests of WorldFIP showed that it was possible to obtain an accuracy of the order of 0.5 mS in the timing of cyclic frames on the network. These tests confirmed that WorldFIP is more than sufficient for a large part of the CERN supporting functions. This typically allows time-stamping of events to 1msec across an interconnected set of WorldFIP networks.
Now Even More Precise
A number of critical applications on the new LHC (Large Hadron Collider) require an even higher accuracy of 10 microseconds. The largest cause of inaccuracy is the differences in the crystal clocks in each equipment, not the WorldFIP protocol. It is therefore necessary to synchronise the crystal clocks in each equipment at three levels:
- First of all, in order to synchronise a set of equipments across the whole machine, it is necessary to synchronise all the fieldbuses to which they are connected.
- Then, within each fieldbus, a synchronisation variable is distributed with an accuracy of between 1 µsec and 1 msec, depending on the equipment. This variable contains the "universal time" plus additional information associated with control of time.
- Standard WorldFIP industrial equipment will easily meet the need for 1 msec precision. For stations requiring 1 µsec, an additional filter module is required to correct static errors and "jitter". (Figure 2 shows the process of synchronisation over a period of 8 seconds, starting with a static error of 25 µsec).
The WorldFIP solution
- Synchronisation between different WorldFIP networks can be better than 15 µsec, +/-8 µsec.
- Time precision without filtering is better than 25 µsec, +/-13 µsec.
- Time precision with error correction is better than 1 µsec.
For more information..
This article is based on a paper by Raymond Brun, SL/RF Division, CERN.Top
Jun 2nd 2000: A Precision Time Module for CERN
The GESSCD 1137 intelligent I/O module from GESPAC is being used to provide the sensor compensation for the very high time precision applications at CERN.
The module includes a dual-redundant WorldFIP interface and uses the low-cost MICROFIP protocol component. An associated FPGA on the module is programmed to handle the CERN time-correction algorithms.
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The result is very encouraging for potential use of WorldFIP in avionics applications. It emphasises the ruggedness and reliability of WorldFIP components in the most demanding applications.
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In the real world, rapid changes are being fuelled by penetration of Internet technology into the automation domain, and increasing adoption of high speed Ethernet for less critical systems.
WorldFIP is developing in the context of this reality, whilst maintaining WorldFIP's openness, becoming the Fieldbus Internet Protocol. This is supported by our new High Speed Fieldbus chip, capable of data rates from 31.25 to 25 kbit/s.
WorldFIP is a solution for today with a firm application base, which offers a clear path forward as Fieldbus Internet Protocol -- the logical extension of WorldFIP for the world of tomorrow.
Jun 2nd 2000: CERN Tests WorldFIP Radiation Hardness
A recent series of 9 months of tests (Gamma and neutron radiation similar to the levels of the LHC) have been completed on WorldFIP components. The results are more than conclusive that an cumulative dose of more than 400 Grays caused no damage.
May 15th 2000: In touch with reality...
After 14 years WorldFIP is the most respected fieldbus for its open approach and technical performance. By contrast, the IEC Fieldbus has lost all respect with the issue of its "8-headed monster".