Retro-Fitting the Process Control Industry with Intelligent Field-Devices: From R&D to Standardisation

The actual world of plant instrumentation is going through a lively development phase due to the contemporary availability of both microcomputers embedded into field devices (transducers, actuators, etc.) and field digital communications (Fieldbus). These technologies allow the manufacturers to transfer into the field devices part of the functions which have traditionally been located, even if only partially and less effectively, in the centralised computers. This is a huge opportunity to provide full support for user requirements provided that these are more explicitly and completely specified by the end users.