Fieldbus support for process analysis

Fieldbus support for the analysis of process and control system operation is addressed in the Fieldbus Foundation's specification. Devices based on this specification will, as an integral part of their design, allow process inputs and outputs to be precisely sampled by the device without aliasing or skewing. This information may be accessed over an H1 or H2 fieldbus in an efficient manner without impacting control distributed between field devices, An overview of the features defined by the Fieldbus Foundation's specification for the support of process analysis is presented. Considerations given to filtering, variable sample rates, and communication of process measurements are discussed. Also, the manner in which fieldbus may influence future implementations, such as process identification for controller self-tuning, is reviewed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.