Back when digital technologies started to gradually supplement and then largely displace pneumatic and analog electronic instrumentation in industrial process plants, the then-visionary concept of “sensor to boardroom” integration emerged. This envisioned an uninterrupted, bi-directional flow of relevant and timely data and information across the field, plant, business, and enterprise levels. But until now, no standard digital communications protocol has been available to help fulfill that vision, which is key to successful industrial digital transformation.
Ethernet, already widely utilized at other plant and enterprise levels, offered significant potential for industrial process networks. However, specific limitations at the physical layer made Ethernet unsuitable for use at the field level. The Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (Ethernet-APL) finally addresses these limitations, bringing all process plant communications — from the field level to higher level control systems — under a common Ethernet-based standard.
Download this asset to learn how this new physical layer standard:
1. Fills previous gaps in process instrumentation networks
2. Supports intrinsically safe Ethernet for hazardous area connectivity
3. Can be easily incorporated into current industrial process networks
