BIS Test Find EDDL Meets NAMUR NE 105
BIS Prozesstechnik (subsidiary of Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services) conducted a detailed independent study entitled "Applicability & Usability of Enhanced EDDL (IEC61804-3) when applied to typical Use Cases in Process automation" using devices and control systems from different suppliers to see if the EDDL meets the requirements in NAMUR recommendation 105 for field device integration in engineering tools, in which the way is the IEC 61804-3 standard is used by device and control system manufacturers, and which advantages has the new EDDL standard has for plants in the commissioning, operation, and maintenance phases of the life-cycle.
A wide range of device types were tested including everything from the simple temperature and pressure transmitters to sophisticated radar level transmitters, valve positioners, and frequency converters (variable speed drive) connected via HART, FOUNDATION fieldbus, PROFIBUS DP and PROFIBUS PA bus systems.
Sophisticated devices such as radar level transmitters provide user-guidance in the form of quick start wizards and include illustrated information such as tank shape images simplifying parameterization and support persistent data storage.
The study found that EDDL meet the requirements also for complex devices, further software tools are not required. EDDL wizards, images, and trend charts enable good usability and intuitive operation also for complex use cases (e.g. Partial Stroke Tests). The study also found that loading EDDL files had no influence on the stability on the control system also during run-time and that all devices were interoperable thanks to certification tools and process. The enhanced EDDL graphical support features grants an intuitive device operation and support for all device functions. Further more, all basic functions have a common look and feel for all devices as required by the NAMUR recommendation.