Best Practice

SABP-J-900 30 May 2016

FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commissioning
Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee

Contents

1 Introduction ...................................................... 2
2 Conflicts with Mandatory Standards ................ 2
3 References ...................................................... 2
4 Definitions ........................................................ 3
5 Background ..................................................... 3
6 FF Segment Components................................ 4
7 Recommendations ........................................... 6
Revision Summary ................................................ 9

Previous Issue: New Next Planned Update: TBD

Contact: Balhareth, Hamad Salem (balhhs0e) on phone +966-13-8801893 Page 1 of 9

©Saudi Aramco 2016. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose

The objective is to establish best practices and guidelines for commissioning the
physical layer components of a FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Segment.

1.2 Scope

This best practice provides information and guidelines for the proper
commissioning of Foundation fieldbus physical layers in Process Automation
Systems. For the purpose of this SABP, a FOUNDATION™ fieldbus physical
layer includes the following: Fieldbus devices, (i.e., transmitters, transducers,
etc.), wiringblock, terminators, bulk power supply (24 V DC), FF power supply,
and H1 FF interface cards.

1.3 Disclaimer

This SABP is not intended to detail all aspects of the configuration and does not
include adequate information to enable it to be used as an instruction or user
manual.

2 Conflicts with Mandatory Standards

In the event of a conflict between this Best Practice and other Mandatory Saudi Aramco
Engineering Requirements, the Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirements
shall govern.

3 References

Specific sections of the following documents are referenced within the body of the
document. Material or equipment supplied to this best practice, shall comply with the
referenced sections of the latest edition of these specifications. Where specific sections
are not referenced, the system shall comply with the entire referenced document.

3.1 Saudi Aramco Documents

Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards

SAES-J-902 Electrical Systems for Instrumentation
SAES-J-904 FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Systems

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

End User Advisory Council (EUAC) of the Fieldbus Foundation

AG-181 FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Systems Engineering
Guideline

International Electrotechnical Commission

IEC60079-14 Equipment of a Lower EPL (Equipment Protection
Level)

4 Definitions

This section contains definitions for acronyms, abbreviations, words, and terms as they
are used in this document.
BPS Bulk Power Supply (24 V DC)
DCS Distributed Control System
FF FOUNDATION™ fieldbus
FFPS FOUNDATION™ fieldbus Power Supply
H1 FOUNDATION™ fieldbus Interface Card
HSE High Speed Ethernet
I.S. Intrinsically Safe
P&CSD Process & Control Systems Department
PELV A protective extra low voltage system which is not electrically separated
from earth but which otherwise satisfies the requirements for SELV.
SELV A safety extra low voltage system (i.e., normally not exceeding 50 V AC and
120 V ripple free DC) electrically separated from earth and other systems in
such a way that a single fault cannot give a rise to an electrical shock.
Segment A single network consisting of fieldbus devices, BPS, FFPS, Terminators,
WB, and H1 Interface Cards.
WB Wiringblock (Megablock, or Segment Protector)

5 Background

Saudi Aramco has been installing Foundation fieldbus (FF) systems since 2001, and
experience shows higher reliability is associated with proper physical layer

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

commissioning. Physical layer refers to the wiringblock, power supplies, terminators,

field devices, and FF H1 interface cards. Figure 1 below shows a typical FF segment
diagram.

Figure 1 - FF Segment Diagram

6 FF Segment Components

6.1 Field Devices

6.1.1 Field devices shall be certified as Ex ic if it is to be installed in Zone 2

areas per SAES-J-904. Most of FF devices are now certified as Ex ia so
they may be installed in all zones. Live-workability with Ex ic is
allowed for a spur device. Trunk side of the wiringblock shall not be
disconnected while the segment is powered up.

6.1.2 Field device shield conductor shall be cut and insulated with heat shrink
sleeve at the field instrument per SAES-J-902.

6.1.3 FF Motor Operated Valves (MOVs) and other non-I.S. devices shall be
grouped together in a field junction box and shall not be mixed with
other two-wire FF devices. Live-workability is not allowed.

6.1.4 Field device shall carry the FF logo.

6.2 Wiringblock and Terminators

6.2.1 Wiringblocks shall be certified as Ex ic for Zone 2 areas per SAES-J-904.

It shall also have current-limiting circuit to clamp the current at around
55 mA DC.

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

6.2.2 Wiringblock shall carry the FF logo.

6.2.3 Only two (2) terminators shall be used on a particular segment.

Typically, one terminator inside the junction box and another one
embedded into the FF power supply. Using more than two terminators
will attenuate the signal. Using one terminator will amplify the signal
above 1000 mV AC. Using a Fieldbus Tester (i.e., FBT-6 or P&F
handheld tester) may not reveal an installation mistake. The number of
terminators shall be physically checked.

6.2.4 Using built-in terminators is recommended.

6.2.5 Maintaining a separation distance of 2 inches (50 mm) is required

between I.S. and non-I.S. connections.

6.2.6 The shield wire shall be connected at the wiringblock.

6.2.7 The control drawing shall be provided from the wiringblock

manufacturer. Control drawing shall be used to verify and match
parameters such as capacitance, inductance, voltage, and current as in
Section 7 of this document.

6.3 FF Cables

6.3.1 FF spur cables shall be Type A per SAES-J-904. The outer jacket color
shall be light blue to indicate intrinsic safety as opposed to previous
orange color in non-incendive installations.

6.3.2 Spur cables shall be mechanically protected. They are typically armored
and placed on a secondary cable tray (i.e., Channel Type).

6.3.3 Spur cable voltage resistance test shall be conducted to ensure insulation
resilience at either 300 V ac for PLTC/ITC type cables or 600 V ac for
TC type cables.

6.3.4 Trunk cable outer jacket color shall be orange and maybe armored
suitable for direct burial.

6.3.5 FF Cables shall be tested using an ohmmeter as per Table 1 in Section 7

per AG-181.

6.3.6 The total length of any segment shall not exceed 1900 meters. Each spur
shall not exceed 120 meters.

6.3.7 Home-run cable trays should be covered all the time to protect cables
from sunlight. Sunlight could potentially cause signal degradation.

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

6.4 FF Power Supplies

6.4.1 FF power supplies shall have voltage limitation (i.e., embedded zener
diode) to limit the voltage to meet the intrinsic safety requirements.

6.4.2 They shall be rated for 24 V DC and shall carry the FF logo.

6.4.3 They shall have an embedded terminator.

6.5 FF H1 Interface Cards

6.5.1 H1 cards shall be designed as passive circuit (SELF/PELV).

6.5.2 They shall not be encapsulated inside an HSE card casing. H1 cards run
at 31.25 Kb/sec, whereas HSE could run at either 10 or 100 Mb/sec.

6.5.3 The connection from H1 cards to the DCS controller shall be through the
baseplate and shall not go through any network switches.

6.6 FF Segment Diagnostic Module and Software

6.6.1 The selected FF wiringblock/FFPS manufacturer will provide their

own diagnostic module to help commission the physical layer.
Diagnostic software shall be used to record signal-to-noise values,
maximum noise value, which device shows the lowest signal, signal
jitter, and voltage reading at each device. These readings shall be saved
electronically for future records and comparisons. During turn-arounds
or troubleshooting a problem, readings should be checked out using
FBT-6/P&F tester to help identify problems. Following this best
practice could potentially maximize plant availability and pinpoint real
problems before causing plant upsets.

6.6.2 Online diagnostic modules shall be provided for each segment.

7 Recommendations

7.1 Control Drawing

Per the relevant clause in IEC60079-14 (Section 14), IS type ‘ic’ may be utilized
while maintaining the nL architecture. This installation can be allowed
providing that proper entity parameters calculations between associated
apparatus (i.e., spur block or wiringblock) and field apparatus (field devices) are
done and matched. The safety parameters calculations shall consist of voltage,
current, capacitance, and inductance as follows:-

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

1. Voltage (Uo) at associated apparatus output ≤ Input Voltage (Ui) of the

field apparatus
2. Current (Io) at associated apparatus output ≤ Input current (Ii) of the field
apparatus
3. Output Capacitance of associated apparatus (Co) ≥ Capacitance of spur
cable (Cc) + Input Capacitance of field apparatus (Ci)
4. Output Inductance of associated apparatus (Lo) ≥ Inductance of spur cable
(Lc) + Input Inductance of field apparatus (Li)

7.2 Mixing Ex ic with Ex nL Components

Mixing of Ex ic and Ex nL components such field devices, wiringblocks is not

recommended and shall be evaluated very carefully. We recommend to use
Ex ic field devices, wiringblocks, and voltage limited FF power supply. In case
a mixed architecture is to be used, P&CSD/PASD/IU shall be consulted.

7.3 Fieldbus Segment Commissioning Form

7.3.1 The segment commissioning form shall be used and saved for each
segment before powering up that segment. This test will reveal any pre-
commissioning issues such as cable insulation damage, grounding
problems, or inferior cable qualities. The use of FBT-6 or P&F handheld
tester is recommended as it would reveal wiring problems as well as
signal quality. The recorded figures should be saved for future
comparisons. During turn-arounds, it is advisable to check signal quality
and compare with previous values. If the signal quality has deteriorated

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

by more than 35%, then a thorough investigation should be conducted

for each affected segment to find the culprit and restore quality.

7.3.2 Typical commissioning forms and physical layer measurement report are
attached below for reference only.

Fieldbus Segment Commissioning Form

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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-900
Issue Date: 30 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) Physical Layer Commisioning

Physical Layer Measurement Report

Revision Summary
30 May 2016 New Saudi Aramco Best Practice that provide guidelines for the proper commissioning of the
FOUNDATION™ fieldbus (FF) physical layers in Process Automation Systems.

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