We hear a lot these days about the value of IIoT technologies and how they will change the way OT teams operate. However, in many cases, the added complexity of IIoT solutions can be difficult for teams to navigate. Effectively implementing IIoT technology into an existing infrastructure takes careful consideration and planning and requires an infrastructure in place that is designed from the ground up to be IIoT capable.
In a recent interview over at Control magazine, Emerson’s Claudio Fayad shared some of his insights into how IIoT is changing the game in control, and what needs to happen to make it work. Claudio shared a recent Emerson experience with Inter Pipeline Ltd. to illustrate just how great the benefits are when IIoT is implemented well.
Eliminating complex tie-ins
One of the challenges of implementing IIoT technologies is tying them into existing systems. Claudio explains,
“Users still want to tie into their processes and plants, and always-on connectivity is freeing them to think more about digital transformation, virtualization, and real-time applications and advantages of artificial intelligence (AI), which can enable new levels of data analysis and process optimization. IIoT just needs a common foundation, language and context, so its users can coexist and build interoperability on top. So far, this role has been filled by OPC UA, Profinet, HART-IP, MQTT and other protocols.”
Connecting to existing systems is nearly always possible, but if the process isn’t planned well, teams can easily end up with many complex, custom-engineered interfaces that are difficult to implement and even more challenging to maintain. One of the key ways to avoid this complexity is to build with a boundless automation vision in mind. By focusing on technologies that are built by design with seamless integration, teams can much more easily add technology and expand and scale where necessary.
Benefits of close collaboration
By working closely together, Emerson and Inter Pipeline Ltd. were able to quickly and easily expand the company’s operations and IIoT capability, using the inherent benefits of a flexible, scalable control system with support for virtualization. Five key factors contributed to the collaboration’s success:
- Using spare system virtualization capacity in the complex’s DeltaV DCS;
- Expanding its thin-client network to provide more workstations;
- Acquiring thin clients from spare IT inventory, and relying on Emerson for spare testing hardware;
- Repurposing an existing telecom, fiber-optic network, and extending the thin-client network outside the control building; and
- Employing virtualization to centralize support for console and workstation management, flexibly switch workstations between zones, and add new workstations quickly with no downtime.
Virtualizing spare DCS capacity was critical for Inter Pipeline Ltd. as the team gained the capability to quickly and easily change machine configurations or add new workstations as needed, helping expand capabilities and increase safety and security. It also provides far more flexibility to deliver IIoT solutions in the future.
You can learn more about the project by reading the article in full over at Control, where you’ll see more details on the solutions the team used as well as the business results of the project.
