Emerson presents the S factor

Orlando, Florida -  Emerson Process Management has unveiled its new S-series platform featuring a series of potentially significant new control & automation concepts including "I/O on demand" and "Electronic Marshalling". The S-series is part of new technologies in the the company's v11 release of the DeltaV digital automation system and is intended to improve usability and flexibility for end users.

The new DeltaV release includes enhancements to all of the systems¹ I/O processing, operator displays, asset management, batch capability and system security. These combined capabilities reduce customer project complexity, eliminate needless work, and speed system commissioning.

According to Emerson, the S-series I/O on Demand flexibility give users the option to use traditional wired, wireless, bussed or Electronic Marshalling systems. They can also select the type of I/O - Wireless, FF, HART, AI, AO, DI, DO, DP, T/C, or RTD. They can also choose the most suitable I/O for late project changes, during start-up, during operation, or temporary installations; and where they want the I/O -  whether in a rack room, remote locations, hazardous areas, safety systems, or harsh environments.

Electronic Marshalling, meanwhile, offers a powerful new technology that streamlines design and installation and eliminates two-thirds of the wiring and connections needed by conventional marshalling cabinets. This is made possible by  single channel CHARacterization ModuleS (CHARMS), a new technology invented with the S-series, to relay I/O information to any DeltaV controller via Ethernet backbone.

The electronic communications method eliminates the need for users to wire I/O to specific controller I/O cards, claims Emerson. This change, it said, provides single-channel integrity and flexibility down to the channel (not I/O card) level to improve plant uptime, and make projects simpler and easier to engineer and implement.

Moreover, while traditional project engineering requires major time and cost in changing rack-room I/O wiring and terminations as process design is refined during project execution and construction, the DeltaV S-series hardware with Electronic Marshalling makes changes easy and eliminates re-wiring.

Simply land the field wires, pop in the CHARM and electronically marshal it wherever needed, said Emerson. "By adapting to change easily, Electronic Marshalling allows process manufacturers to shorten project schedules, accommodate late project  changes, and dramatically simplify the I/O and marshalling design process. This late binding of process changes provides unparalleled adaptability and can help avoid costly, last minute change orders.

The S-series includes a new Foundation fieldbus I/O card that includes an integrated power supply, which eliminates the cost and expense of purchasing, engineering, mounting and maintaining separate bulk power supplies and fieldbus power conditioning modules.