Wireless HART

Binoy B Nair
The 4-20 mA current loop
Some background: 4-20 mA current loop

• The 4-20 mA current loop has been the standard for

signal transmission and electronic control in control
systems since the 1950’s.
• In a current loop, the current signal is drawn from a
dc power supply, flows through the transmitter, into
the controller and then back to the power supply in
a series circuit.
• The advantage is that the current value does not
degrade over long distances, so the current signal
remains constant through all components in the
loop.
• As a result, the accuracy of the signal is not affected
by a voltage drop in the interconnecting wiring.
What is HART?

• Highway Addressable Remote Transducer

Protocol
• Hybrid analog+digital industrial automation
protocol.
• Open protocol.
• Can communicate over legacy 4–20 mA analog
instrumentation current loops, sharing the
pair of wires used by the analog-only host
systems.
• Due to the huge installation base of 4–20 mA
systems throughout the world, the HART
Protocol is one of the most popular industrial
protocols today.
Working of HART

• The HART Protocol makes use of the Bell 202 Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)
standard to superimpose digital communication signals at a low level on top of
the 4-20mA.
• Because the average value of the FSK signal is always zero, the 4–20 mA analog
signal is not affected.
• The digital communication signal has a response time of approximately 2–3
data updates per second without interrupting the analog signal.
• Hence the HART Protocol provides two simultaneous communication
channels: the 4-20mA analog signal and a digital signal.
• The 4-20mA signal communicates the primary measured value (in the case of a
field instrument) using the 4-20mA current loop – the fastest and most reliable
industry standard.
• Additional device information is communicated using a digital signal that is
superimposed on the analog signal.
HART Wiring and
connections
• HART is a master/slave protocol, which means
that a smart field (slave) device only speaks when
spoken to by a master.
• HART Protocol can be used in point-to-point or
multidrop mode for communicating information
to/from smart field instruments and central
control or monitoring systems.
• HART Communication occurs between two HART-
enabled devices, typically a smart field device
and a control or monitoring system.
• Communication occurs using standard
instrumentation grade wire and using standard
wiring and termination practices.
HART communication modes
There are two modes of communication used in HART:

1. Master Slave Mode

• During normal operation, each slave (field device) communication is initiated by a master device.
• Two masters can connect to each HART loop.
• The primary master is generally a distributed control system (DCS), PLC, or a PC.
• The secondary master can be a handheld terminal or another PC.
• Slave devices include transmitters, actuators, and controllers that respond to commands from the
primary or secondary master.

2. Burst Mode
• Some HART devices support the optional burst communication mode.
• Burst mode enables faster communication (3–4 data updates per second).
• In burst mode, the master instructs the slave device to continuously broadcast a standard HART reply
message (e.g., the value of the process variable).
• The master receives the message at the higher rate until it instructs the slave to stop bursting.
Comparing
Protocol stacks
HART Summary
WirelessHART

• WirelessHART was developed by HART Communication Foundation.

• It was initiated as a standard in early 2004 and provides a wireless protocol for the full
range of process measurement, control, and asset management.
• It is one of the most widely spread communication protocol for process instrumentation
nowadays.
• WirelessHART is characterized by implementation simplicity, reliability and security.
• It operates on the free license band of 2.4GHz and complies with IEEE 802.15.4-2006.
Comparing
Protocol stacks
2.4 GHz? Then is WirelessHART same as
WiFi?

No. Although WirelessHART uses the same frequency range, it has several features built-in
to provide a more reliable and secure network:
• Channel hopping to avoid neighboring networks
• Channel assessment to check that a frequency channel is clear before it is used
• Mesh network to provide redundant wireless pathways
• Data is encrypted
• Data is authenticated to check it has not been altered on route
• New devices are authenticated before they are allowed to join the network
2.4 GHz? Then is WirelessHART same as
WiFi?

In summary, the key features of WirelessHART are:

• Channel hopping
• Channel hopping (also known as frequency hopping) allows devices to choose different channels for communication to avoid jamming
and prevent using poor link-quality.
• WirelessHART uses packet-by-packet frequency hopping which helps to avoid multi-path fading and interference.
• Multi-hop mesh network
• In order to increase reliability, redundant communication paths provide path diversity.
• TDMA for radio channel access.
• In order to provide contest-free utilization of the radio channel, TDMA is used to arbitrate and coordinate communications between
the devices in the field.
• The devices can be allocated fixed time slots for accessing the radio channel.
• The communication link between devices is made secure by using join keys, session keys and data-link network keys.
• The security in the data transfer is achieved through encryption, authentication and integrity check.
A typical WirelessHART
Network
Each WirelessHART network includes three main elements:
1. Wireless field devices connected to process or plant equipment.
This device could be a device with WirelessHART built in or an
existing installed HART-enabled device with a WirelessHART
adapter attached to it.
2. Gateways enable communication between these devices and host
applications connected to a high-speed backbone or other existing
plant communications network.
3. A Network Manager is responsible for configuring the network,
scheduling communications between devices, managing message
routes, and monitoring network health. The Network Manager can
be integrated into the gateway, host application, or process
automation controller.
A typical WirelessHART
Network
WirelessHART network components:
1. Gateway: Provides the connection to the host network.
2. Network Manager: builds and maintains the mesh
network. It identifies the best paths and manages
distribution of slot time access (WirelessHART divides
each second into 10msec slots). Slot access depends upon
the required process value refresh rate and other access
(alarm reporting – configuration changes)
3. Security Manager: manages and distributes security
encryption keys. It also holds the list of authorized devices
to join the network.
A typical WirelessHART
Network
WirelessHART network components:
4. Process: includes measuring devices – the HART-enabled
instrumentation.
5. Repeater:
• A device which routes WirelessHART messages but may
have no process connection of its own.
• Its main use is to extend the range of aWirelessHART
network or help “go around” an existing or new obstacle
(New process vessel).
• All instruments in a WirelessHART network have routing
capability which simplifies planning and implementation
of a wireless network.
A typical WirelessHART
Network
WirelessHART network components:
6. Adapter:
• a device which plugs into an existing HART-enabled instrument
to pass the instrument data through a WirelessHART network to
the host.
• The adapter could be located anywhere along the instrument 4-
20mA cable
• it could be battery powered or obtain its power from the 4-20ma
cable.
• Some adapters will be battery powered and use the same
battery to power the instrument as well – in this case there will
be no 4-20mA signal to the host – all process data will be
reported via WirelessHART
A typical WirelessHART
Network
WirelessHART network components:
7. Handheld Terminal: This may come in two versions:
• Standard HART FSK configuration unit just like the one
used for everyday tasks such as routine maintenance
and calibration checks. In the case of wireless support,
the handheld is used to join a new instrument to an
existing WirelessHART network.
• In the 2nd version, the handheld has a WirelessHART
connection to the gateway and then down to an
instrument and could be used for reading PV or
diagnostics.
A typical WirelessHART
Network
• Testing has proven that in a correctly installed
WirelessHART network, data reliability (i.e. data reaches
destination) is almost 99.999 %.
• Following criteria need to be satisfied, though:
• Each device must have at least 3 neighbors
• 20 % of the devices must be connected directly to the
gateway
Advantages of WirelessHART

• HART is the industry-standard protocol for communicating with intelligent field instruments.
• Engineers are familiar with the tools (hand-held and system-integrated) and HART maintains
backward-compatibility as new features are added to the standard.
• WirelessHART uses existing tools for commissioning (for example, HART hand-held)
• Along with new wirelessHART instruments, we can add WirelessHART to existing instruments
(via adapter) rather than replacing the instrument – Robustness at a reduced cost.
• Reduces training costs – WirelessHART is an extension of HART.
• Security is built in – you do not have to specify it.
Siemens WirelessHART
References

• Why 4 to 20ma is used for Signal Transmission in Instrumentation. 4-20ma current signal.4to
20ma, Instrumentation Academy, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=273Lmle6zpc
• What is a 4-20 mA current loop?, https://www.fluke.com/en-in/learn/blog/calibration/what-
is-a-4-20-ma-current-loop#:~:text=The%204%2D20%20mA%20current,supply%20in%20a
%20series%20circuit.
• What is HART Protocol ?,https://instrumentationtools.com/what-is-hart-protocol/
• Lennvall, T., Svensson, S., & Hekland, F. (2008, May). A comparison of WirelessHART and
ZigBee for industrial applications. In 2008 ieee international workshop on factory
communication systems (pp. 85-88). IEEE.
• WirelessHART Information and FAQs,ABB, https://new.abb.com/products/measurement-
products/wireless-products-and-solutions/highlights/wirelesshart-information-and-faqs