The recent update of the industry HART standard includes a specification which allows vendors such as ABB to develop wireless instruments which can work together in a single network. ABB has drawn upon product developments in related key technologies (battery - mesh - low power design) to ensure the success of these new wireless devices.
Wireless instruments will be complementary to hard wired versions (4-20mA and fieldbus) offering a low cost installation route for process monitoring with plug in adaptors for existing installed instruments. With reduced installation costs, and other benefits, a wireless instrument network allows you to consider the following application examples
- Short term measurements
-Help solve process problems
- Automate manual rounds
-Low cost upgrade – ensure timely readings
- Monitor previously uneconomical data
-Tank farms – temperature – pressure - flow - rotating equipment
- Add wireless adaptor to existing instruments for asset management
-Condition monitoring – configuration management
ABB is at the forefront of this technology, with the goal of a single standard at the instrument level with tested WirelessHART built in.