One of the biggest innovations to come out of Emerson is wireless technology for process-industry operations. A far cry from the wireless Internet access commonly found in coffee shops and public libraries, this wireless technology from Emerson Process Management was developed specifically for the challenging world of refineries, power plants, and other large-scale industrial operations.
The challenge Emerson engineers needed to overcome was how to securely, reliably deliver a wireless signal within the "canyons of metal" in process plants, where ordinary wireless technology is often defeated by obstructions and interference. We overcame that challenge by converging the technologies of self-organizing mesh networks, "channel hopping," and other innovations to deliver secure, reliable, and robust communications.
The resulting Smart Wireless solutions allow our customers to access information about their plants that was previously out of economic or technical reach. Wireless technology can reduce sensor installation costs as much as 90 percent, enabling our customers to gather more and richer information about what's happening in their plant and process – and put that data to work with Emerson control and asset-management systems. The payoff is fewer plant shutdowns, more output, more efficient operations, and fewer accidents.
Emerson Process Management is also collaborating with Cisco to offer open-standard solutions for wireless process and plant management applications, such as hand-held computers that enable mobile operators and engineers to access the data they need from anywhere in the plant. Many Emerson customers use Cisco’s wired plant network applications today and will realize an advantage by extending their relationships to include wireless applications.
Related Information:
Smart Wireless website