Fieldbus in the cement industry

Using examples from the cement and mining industries, the authors explain the benefits and the challenges of fieldbus in real world applications. Most of the standard fieldbus types are examined; AS-i, DeviceNet, FOUNDATION fieldbus, HART and Profibus DIP. This paper\´s focus is not on fieldbus as just another needless set of communication protocols, but rather fieldbus as an essential building block of the new generation of "smart plants" designed to lower costs, increase profitability, and improve customer service across the supply chain.