Endress+Hauser tests multi-vendor scalability of Ethernet-APL with Yokogawa DCS

In brief

Endress+Hauser has completed a large-scale Ethernet-APL scalability test with Covestro, BASF and Yokogawa, expanding earlier validation work into a more complex, multi-vendor process automation environment. The test integrated Yokogawa’s CENTUM VP distributed control system and Plant Resource Manager asset management platform into an Ethernet-APL PROFINET network containing a wider range of field devices, switches and infrastructure components. Unlike previous trials that focused mainly on device density and full-load performance, this fifth test examined whether the technology could support broader and more heterogeneous industrial architectures.

The setup was tested both under peak-load conditions and during a multi-day stability phase designed to reproduce realistic plant operation. According to Endress+Hauser, the successful results demonstrate Ethernet-APL’s maturity, flexibility and ability to scale across multi-vendor systems. The inclusion of Yokogawa’s control platform, additional Ethernet-APL switches and higher-level network components also broadens the range of validated equipment and provides further evidence that the technology can enable interoperable, high-speed digital communication in process plants.

Source: Control Engineering Europe

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