Eaton’s electronic overload relays are now available up to 175 ampere (A) and feature integral ground fault protection and communications capabilities in a single, compact device.

Designed for global applications, Eaton's expand line of C440 and XT electronic overload relays provide an integrated starter solution and eliminate the need for an external current transformer(CT), reducing overall space and equipment requirements

For applications requiring National Electrical Manufacturer Association (NEMA) size 4 and 185A International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) contactors, the electronic overload relays provide an integrated starter solution. Additionally, the new frame is available in cable-in/cable-out and pass-through versions, making it well suited for upgrading existing customer infrastructure.

Customers can select the motor protection features they need, with selectable trip class, ground fault detection, phase imbalance and full load current (FLA) adjustment (5:1). Further, the C440 and XT overload relays can integrate into plant management systems, allowing network monitoring and providing asset protection. Eaton C440 and XT overload relays feature integral communications capabilities, which allow the relays to easily integrate with customers’ preferred industrial network. DeviceNet, PROFIBUS, Modbus, Modbus TCP, Ethernet/IP communication protocols are supported.

A light-emitting diode (LED) display on the device provides easy-to-see indication of device status and fault indication, allowing maintenance personnel to quickly determine if the device and motor are operating appropriately.

These relays meet Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Conformité Européenne (CE) standards. Additionally, the solid-state overload relays are Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant.

This month, DrivesMag asked North American process chemical plant designers and facility managers about their facilities and process lines. The answers to the question: What communication method do you use in your plants/processes? return some interesting insights into automation and control networks and the systems that define their work. Users were able to choose more than one answer and were given the choice of "other", but rarely selected it.

This research has a confidence factor of 90% and a confidence interval of 10%.

The five major automation foundations, including the FDT Group, Fieldbus Foundation, HART Communication Foundation, PROFIBUS & PROFINET International, and OPC Foundation have developed a single common solution for Field Device Integration (FDI). These foundations have combined their efforts to form a joint company named FDI Cooperation, LLC. The organizations is headed by a “Board of Managers”, which is composed of the representatives of the involved organizations, as well as managers of global automation suppliers including ABB, Emerson, Endress+Hauser, Honeywell, Invensys, Siemens, and Yokogawa.

FDI’s mandate is to develop a single technology for the management of information that comes from all intelligent devices throughout all areas of the plant. The mission of FDI LLC is to do the following:

• Complete the standardization of FDI under the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
• Manage the FDI Specification.
• Finalize the FDI tool kits for system and device manufacturers.
• Promote and provide high quality technology support for FDI, independent of and common for the respective communication protocols.
• Preserve end users’ and automation manufacturers’ investments by providing state-of-the-art technology that is fully backward compatible.
• Ensure stability, interoperability and compatibility of FDI-based products.

In the past, the development of such uniform technology was inhibited by too many different interests from organizations and automation manufacturers, resulting in the creation of disparate technical solutions. The current solutions – EDDL (Electronic Device Description Language) in various formats and FDT (Field Device Technology) – have their strengths and weaknesses, but also overlap to a large extent and thus lead to additional expense for users and manufacturers. Efficient and economically viable device integration requires multiprotocol, standardized technology that makes device information available across systems and applications from different manufacturers.

FDI technology will provide a scalable solution that users can deploy in applications ranging from simple configuration to complex management of the most sophisticated field devices for the various tasks associated with all phases of their lifecycle, from configuration, commissioning, and diagnostics to calibration. This makes different solutions for different devices obsolete. FDI is a unified solution that addresses end user requirements across the spectrum.

FOUNDATION fieldbus, PROFIBUS, and HART all use EDDL as a core technology, but they all use slightly different variations of the technology. The FDI Cooperation has harmonized EDDL across communication protocols. This enables FDI to provide single cross protocol FDI Design and Test Tools including a common EDD Interpreter. EDDL harmonization is now complete, and this facilitates the second step -- harmonization between EDDL and FDT technologies. This is the ultimate goal of FDI.

In November of 2011 at the NAMUR meeting in Germany, FDI device packages were used for the first time to integrate FOUNDATION Fieldbus, HART, and PROFIBUS field devices from various manufacturers within an ABB process control system. Typical applications, such as parameter assignment, configuration, diagnostics, and maintenance, were demonstrated. The purpose of the working prototype was to verify the FDI concepts, apply the standard host components in a system context, and demonstrate FDI functionality. This successful demonstration leads to organizations' next steps:

• First draft of the FDI specifications was published at the end of 2011.
• Completion of Conformance test concepts to occur mid-2012.
• Completion of the validation and release of the FDI specifications for member review within the foundations (mid-2012).
• Completion of the FDI standard host components, such as EDD Engine and User Interface (UI) Engine by the FDI Cooperation (end of 2012).

The primary benefit of FDI is that end users with either an FDT or EDDL-based host will have a single source solution for managing the wealth of functionality and information from intelligent field devices. Users will no longer need to manage disparate device descriptions, which will reduce the costs associated with maintaining assets in the field.  FDI combines the advantages of FDT with those of EDDL in a single, scalable solution. FDI is applicable to a wide range of tasks over the entire lifecycle of the plant for both simple and the most complex devices, including configuration, commissioning, remote diagnostics, calibration, and more.

Since a sample of respondents in the May edition of “Industrial Ethernet Book” was not statistically accurate, IMS Research is looking again at the data, and will revise survey results in a future edition of the book.

But initial corrections are offered here.

IMS reports that Ethernet TCP/IP continues to remain the dominant Ethernet technology used in factory automation due to extensive use at the plant level, where deterministic delivery of data is not always critical to the system. Considering the Industrial Ethernet variants that are designed to support communication functionality at the lower levels of an automation system, PROFINET enjoys the largest share of nodes in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), while EtherNet/IP is most prevalent in the Americas.

The companies that champion these protocols play a large role. Siemens backs the PROFINET standard and dominates the PLC market in Europe, while Rockwell Automation supports the EtherNet/IP standard and enjoys a similarly strong position in the Americas. IMS Research suggests that PLCs represent the most influential type of automation equipment when dictating the types of protocols being used.

Given this, the company suggests that long-term outlook for the adoption of industrial Ethernet variants will continue to be heavily influenced by the choice of PLC platform in region. Both companies continue to own in excess of 50% of revenues for their respective region, and while they also both compete with great success in each other’s local market, in all likelihood their regional strengths will continue. This factor is reflected in the forecast for 2014 industrial Ethernet usage, where PROFINET is projected to continue to gain strength in EMEA and EtherNet/IP in the Americas.