Bernard Controls Master Station Allows Enhanced Security for Industrial Valve Control
Chicago - After changing its name and logo in June to better reflect their international dimension in the global actuation business, Bernard Controls now launches a brand new range of explosion-proof actuators as well as a new Master Station fieldbus solution. Designed to ease the command and control of many Motor Operated Valves by the means of a fieldbus, Bernard Controls Master Station is a turnkey system that takes care of practical aspects that bring the security of an installation to the next level.
Compared to traditional point-to-point connection, the fieldbus gathers more information while optimizing the on-site wiring and reducing the overall cost of installation. In many cases, the control architecture integrates a "Master Station" located between the DCS and the actuators. Bernard Controls Master Station addresses three key advantages of high importance for site engineers, but often neglected at the design stage: flexibility, reliability and efficiency.
Flexibility
There are two types of buses to manage fieldbus communication. A "proprietary" system compels customers to use compatible devices supplied by the same manufacturer, whereas an "open" system allows to connect several brands of actuators or sensors to a fieldbus and consequently to freely choose the equipment supplier. Opting for an open system makes a user's installation much more flexible and eases site management. This is why Bernard Controls chooses the open protocol PROFIBUS DVP1 for all its fieldbus solutions.
Reliability
Most fieldbus systems clearly offer a good level of reliability: Availability rate higher than 99.99% are common on redundant PLC-based fieldbus communication systems. The security is critical for complex process. Therefore, in some cases, security level has to be further raised by using a full redundant communication between the Master Station and slaves (by doubling the fieldbus lines and interfaces). However, there can be a case where the continuity of the two lines can be disrupted at the same time: When one actuator is being retrieved from the field for maintenance, the whole installation is affected since the signal cannot circulate anymore. It is therefore very important to make sure that in such case, there exist a technical means to secure the line continuity.
Combining PLC technology, full redundancy and bus continuity, Bernard Controls Master Station has been designed as a reliable system to protect an installation.
Efficiency
Digital communication allows the user to retrieve a large quantity of information from the field units. This is all the more valuable as it is combined with high speed of communication. Bernard Controls Master Station needs only 1 to 3 second(s) to scan the entire installation while being able to simultaneously send multiple orders. Generally located close to the field units, the Master Station represents a good access point to MOV data for maintenance engineers. The availability of data such as valves' torque curves, number of travels, running time, alarm logs, and status of communication between the devices, can be very useful to support preventative maintenance management and finally help reducing process downtime and increase plant availability.
About Bernard Controls:
In 2010, L. Bernard - specialist in electric actuators and control technologies for the automation of industrial valves - gathered a great momentum and became Bernard Controls. For this company, which counts seven subsidiaries in China, Europe and the United States, representative offices in Bangkok, Dubai, and Moscow, as well as more than 30 agents throughout the world, this change represents a key step in the creation of a common global identity. "This new name is understandable everywhere in the world," explains Etienne Bernard, Bernard Controls CEO. "It is loyal to the brand Bernard, whose reputation is firmly established in our business. Furthermore, it emphasizes a major technical element of both our activity and that of our customers: industrial control, fluid control, flows and energies." Bernard Controls products are used for critical applications for which control is crucial, such as the nuclear field - where the group is the leader - water treatment or oil & gas. This renewal thus stresses the commitment of the company, and its 350 employees, to take fully on its position as international leading actor of the actuation market and reliable partner of the most demanding industries.
For more information, please contact:
BERNARD CONTROLS
Alexandra Fontaine
Marketing and Communication Department
4 rue d'Arsonval
ZI 95 500 Gonesse
FRANCE
Tel.: +33 1 34 07 71 00
E-mail: mail@bernardcontrols.com
Web: www.bernardcontrols.com
or:
Ubifrance Press Service Ref #: A122
205 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3740
Chicago, IL 60601
Contact: Kimberly Elsham
Tel: (312) 327-5260
E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.fr
