Using fiber optics to create a unified cabling system for process control

Most modern industrial plants have a variety of different communication systems used for process control, including PLC/DCS data highways, remote I/O systems, local area networks (LANs) and fieldbuses. Installing and maintaining separate cabling structures for each of these systems can add substantially to the capital costs and result in future maintenance and spares issues. This paper looks at a large pulp and paper mill in Western Canada which used a unified fiber optics backbone as a common strategy for all communications in the process and millisystems. The design methodology for the backbone, the issues of interconnection and security and the economics of the project are investigated in this paper.