Beckhoff will present its PC- and EtherCAT-based automation solutions for wind turbines from September 18 to 22, 2012 at Husum WindEnergy, Germany, the world’s largest wind energy trade show. Beckhoff has automated 7,000 wind turbines with a total output of 11.2 GW in 2011 alone. Worldwide, more than 20,000 wind turbines are equipped with Beckhoff control technology – both on and offshore. The highlight of this year’s trade show presentation is the Beckhoff solution for ultra-high-speed wind farm networking on basis of EtherCAT.

Automation technology from Beckhoff has successfully proven itself in use worldwide in wind turbines up to a size of 5 MW. PC-based automation technology offers powerful controllers that unite all components of a wind turbine – such as operational management and control of pitch, generator, converter and brake, as well as Condition Monitoring and farm networking – on a single platform. Eliminating special hardware lowers the costs of the basic electrical equipment of the wind turbine and the costs of maintenance, while at the same time increasing the availability of the wind turbine.

The open, scalable automation software, TwinCAT forms the core of the Beckhoff PC-based control platform. Open interfaces permit the integration of third-party software, for SCADA, Condition Monitoring, obstruction lighting or foundation monitoring, for example. The hardware interfaces for these functions are integrated into the controller via standard EtherCAT Terminals. A large variety of interfaces enables the integration of lower-level fieldbuses such as CANopen, PROFIBUS and Ethernet TCP/IP as well as RS232/RS485. Relocating subsystems into the field considerably reduces infrastructure costs and simplifies communication.

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Austin, Texas, The Fieldbus Foundation has announced registration of the first isolated device couplers based on its FOUNDATION™ H1 (31.25 kbit/s) device coupler test specification. Devices from MTL and R. Stahl successfully completed the foundation's rigorous registration process.

As part of a FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure, isolated device couplers are installed where the fieldbus trunk (i.e., home run cable) is connected to the various device spurs. Isolated device couplers are specifically designed to allow automation end users to connect more devices per coupler while permitting live segment work in hazardous plant areas. These couplers provide isolated, conditioned power to multiple fieldbus devices and protect against short circuits caused by excess current in a spur. By enabling more devices per segment, they also help reduce controller input/output (I/O) points and associated installation costs.

MTL's 9370-FB Series Fieldbus Barrier provides a range of complete integrated enclosure systems, instead of stand-alone barrier modules. All internal components are live pluggable, meaning that field maintenance can be carried out quickly and safely. Surge protection devices for the trunk and spurs can be easily fitted without requiring product re-design. The product series includes 6- and 12-spur versions in stainless steel or GRP enclosures, as well as a redundant option enabling improved system availability in critical fieldbus networks.

R. Stahl's Series 9411/21 and 9411/24 isolated device couplers are suitable for use in Zone 1, Zone 2 and U.S. Division 2, and are available with plastic or stainless steel housings that can be tailored to fit customer requirements. The series also includes a unique power management feature: during the start-up of a fieldbus segment, the spurs energize one after the other. This reduces the inrush current on a segment by up to 50 percent, requiring less spare energy and making longer segment lengths possible.

The Fieldbus Foundation's Stephen Mitschke, director-fieldbus products, commented, "The device coupler test specification provides a high level of robustness in fieldbus systems. And recent enhancements to the FOUNDATION fieldbus physical layer specifications provide end users with greater confidence that registered fieldbus equipment can be employed in a tightly integrated, interoperable control system architecture that is well suited to the most demanding industrial environments." Mitschke continued, "We look forward to seeing additional device coupler offerings joining R. Stahl and MTL on our registered products list."

Starting in 1941, when NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as “Nippon Shokubai”) pioneered the commercial production of phthalic anhydride in Japan, the company has independently developed a wealth of catalytic technologies for the efficient production of chemicals and has advanced and expanded its business globally. Their products are used in a wide range of applications, such as superabsorbent polymers, which can absorb up to 1,000 times their weight in water, and acrylates, which are used in paints, adhesives, and printing ink. They are the world’s largest producer of superabsorbent polymers, which is used mainly in disposable diapers but also has applications in fields such as anti-desertification and afforestation. Its technological innovations for the production of acrylic acid have been adopted by chemical companies worldwide.

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Austin, Texas, August 21, 2012 – The Fieldbus Foundation today announced updates to its DesignMATE™ software tool, a software download that allows plant automation professionals to audit segment layouts. The updates cover DesignMATE's library of registered devices, and revised terminology used within the software to align with current FOUNDATION™ fieldbus installations.

The user-friendly DesignMATE automatically audits segment layouts for conformance with the FOUNDATION physical layer specification, which is based on the international IEC 61158-2 (Type 1) standard. End-users can feel confident their fieldbus infrastructure will work with desired parameters such as cable length, number and type of installed devices, and selected power supplies.

The DesignMATE software provides an intuitive graphical user interface and mouse support, enabling fieldbus segment design "on the fly" with drag & drop capabilities. The tool displays fieldbus segments in the form of an exportable image of a stylized topology. A printable report in Rich Text Format (.rtf) is also available. Users can analyze and check key physical layer parameters, such as supply voltage, load conditions at all terminals of power supply, fieldbus couplers and field instruments. An error log indicates deviations from the FOUNDATION specification in clear text visuals for immediate remedy by the user.

To download a free copy of DesignMate, please visit the Fieldbus Foundation website's Technical Reference page. Technical support for DesignMATE is available on Fieldbus Forums. For information about other FOUNDATION fieldbus technology solutions, please visit the foundation's Technical Reference Page, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 512-794-8890, Ext. 21. A short "How-To" video for the DesignMATE segment verification tool is available through the Fieldbus Foundation's YouTube channel.