Invensys Process Systems (IPS; Plano, Tex.; www.ips.invensys.com) has teamed with Pepperl+Fuchs Inc. (Twinsburg Ohio; www.am.pepperl-fuchs.com) to offer seamless integration of the Pepperl+Fuchs intrinsically safe I/O interface product lines with IPS’ I/A Series distributed control system technology. With built-in barriers and field connections, the integrated modules are the lowest-cost, smallest footprint and easiest-to-maintain solution for mounting I/O modules in hazardous locations. Such tight integration provides users with a transparent interface from which they can set up, configure and maintain intrinsic safety using standard I/A Series tools. The solution is certified for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous environments.
"Our clients are looking for proven, cost-effective ways to prevent disasters in hazardous environments, not simply contain them," says Betty Naylor-McDevitt, IPS director of DCS Business. "Traditional explosion-proof cabinets are too costly to install and maintain, and our clients need reliable equipment that is easier to maintain and has a smaller footprint. This is the perfect solution."
Seamless integration of IPS and Pepperl+Fuchs technology has many benefits for users. Because the intrinsically safe modules are hot-swappable without a hot work permit, maintenance is easier and safer and with built-in redundancy in communication modules, power supplies and bus interfaces, availability is high. IPS offers the integrated solution on HART capable modules so I/A series system users can manage intrinsically safe operation of any vendor’s HART field devices. And because Integration with I/A Series technology also brings compatibility with IPS’s FDT-based Field Device Manager; users can set up, commission and maintain smart devices within a common engineering environment.
"We are impressed by how efficiently the IPS and Pepperl+Fuchs teams worked together to create a seamless integration of our products," says Karsten Fischer, Pepperl+Fuchs global account manager for Invensys. "I/A Series system users will experience and appreciate the ease of setting up and configuring the Intrinsically Safe equipment using standard I/A Series tools. They will incur less CAPEX while experiencing the same superior performance and without jeopardizing safety or needing to invest in expensive explosion-proof cabinets."