GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

PALA

DEPARTMENT OF
ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

SEMINAR REPORT
ON
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Field networks are not the only solution when plant operators want to use the advantages of
smart field devices. The HART protocol provides many possibilities even for installations
that are equipped with the conventional 4 to 20 mA technique. HART devices communicate
their data over the transmission lines of the 4 to20 mA system. This enables the field devices
to be parameterized and started up in a flexible manner or to read measured and stored data
(records). All these tasks require field devices based on microprocessor technology. These
devices are frequently called smart devices. Introduced in 1989, this protocol has proven
successful in many industrial applications and enables bidirectional communication even in
hazardous environments. HART allows the use of up to two masters: the engineering console
in the control room and a second device for operation on site, e.g. a PC laptop or a handheld
terminal. The most important performance features of the HART protocol include: proven in
practice, simple design, easy to maintain and operate compatible with conventional analog
instrumentation simultaneous analog and digital communication option of point-to-point or
multidrop operation flexible data access via up to two master devices supports multivariable
field devices sufficient response time of approx. 500 ms open de-facto standard freely
available to any manufacturer or user.
 CHAPTER 2

How HART Works

HART” is an acronym for Highway Addressable Remote Transducer. 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.

Fig2.1. Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)

This enables two-way field communication to take place and makes it possible for additional
information beyond just the normal process variable to be communicated to/from a smart
field instrument. The HART Protocol communicates at 1200 bps without interrupting the 4-
20mA signal and allows a host application (master) to get two or more digital updates per
second from a smart field device. As the digital FSK signal is phase continuous, there is no
interference with the 4-20mA signal.
HART technology is a master/slave protocol, which means that a smart field (slave) device
only speaks when spoken to by a master. The HART Protocol can be used in various modes
such as point-to-point or multidrug 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. 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. The digital signal contains information from the device including device status,
diagnostics, additional measured or calculated values, etc. Together, the two communication
channels provide a low-cost and very robust complete field communication solution that is
easy to use and configure.

Fig2.2. Two Communication Channels

The HART Protocol provides for up to two masters (primary and secondary). This allows
secondary masters such as handheld communicators to be used without interfering with
communications to/from the primary master, i.e. control/monitoring system.

Fig 2.3 Primary and Secondary Masters

 CHAPTER 3

Connecting HART Devices

Devices which support the HART protocol are grouped into master (host) and slave (field)
devices. Master devices include handheld terminals as well as PC-based work places, e.g. in
the control room. HART slave devices, on the other hand, include sensors, transmitters and
various actuators. The variety ranges from two-wire and four-wire devices to intrinsically
safe versions for use in hazardous environments. The HART data is superimposed on the 4 to
20 mA signal via a FSK modem. This enables the devices to communicate digitally using the
HART protocol, while analog signal transmission takes place at the same time. Field devices
and compact handheld terminals have an integrated FSK modem, whereas PC stations have a
serial interface to connect the modem externally. Fig. 3.1 shows a typical connection scheme
of a HART host device and a HART field device. HART communication is often used for
such simple point-to-point connections. Nevertheless, many more connection variants are
possible. In extended systems, the number of accessible devices can be increased by using a
multiplexer. In addition to that, HART enables the networking of devices to suit special
applications. Network variants include multidrug, FSK bus and networks for split-range
operation

Fig3.1Connection of HART Master Devices

 3.1 Point-to-point connection

The HART communication shown in Fig. 3.2 is referred to as point-to-point connection, i.e.
the HART master device is connected to exactly one HART field device. This connection
variant requires that the device address of the field device be always set to zero since the
operating program uses this address to establish communication.

Fig3.1 Point to Point connection

3.2 Multiplexer

Fig. 3.2 shows the use of a multiplexer system, which enables a large number of HART
devices to be connected in a network. The user selects a particular current loop for
communication via the operating program. As long as the communication takes place, the
multiplexer connects the current loop to the host. Due to the cascaded multiplexer structure,
the host can communicate with many (> 1000) devices, all with the address zero.
 Fig 3.3 HART communication via multiplexer

3.3 Multidrop Configuration

There is also an optional "burst" communication mode where a single slave device can
continuously broadcast a standard HART reply message. Higher update rates are possible
with this optional burst communication mode and use is normally restricted to point-to-point
configuration.

Fig 3.4. Multidrop Configuration

3.4 Bus for split-range operation

There are special applications which require that several usually two actuators receive the
same control signal. A typical example is the split-range operation of control valves. One
valve operates in the nominal current range from 4 to 12 mA, while the other one uses the
range from 12 to 20 mA. In split-range operation, the control valves are connected in series in
the current loop. When both valves have a HART interface, the HART host device must be
able to distinguish with which valve it must communicate. To achieve this, the HART
protocol revision 6 (anticipated for autumn 1999) and later will be extended by one more
network variant. As is the case for multidrop mode, each device is assigned to an address
from 1 to 15. The analog 4 to 20 mA signal preserves its device-specific function, which is,
for control valves, the selection of the required travel. To be able to use HART
communications also for such applications as the split-range operation, the HART positioner
from SAMSON always takes the analog current signal as a reference variable, independent of
the device address (Fig. 3.4).

Fig 3.5 Split-range operation with two HART positioners

3.5 FSK bus

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.

Fig 3.6. Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)

This enables two-way field communication to take place and makes it possible for additional
information beyond just the normal process variable to be communicated to/from a smart
field instrument. The HART Protocol communicates at 1200 bps without interrupting the 4-
20mA signal and allows a host application (master) to get two or more digital updates per
second from a smart field device. As the digital FSK signal is phase continuous, there is no
interference with the 4-20mA signal.

3.6 Higher-level communication systems

To be able to connect a HART communication system with other communication systems,

gateways are used. They convert the respective protocols of the networks to be coupled.
HART protocol Û Field bus protocol In most cases, when complex communication tasks
must be solved, field bus systems would be the preferred choice anyway. Even without
complex protocol conversions, HART enables communication over long distances. HART
signals can be transmitted over telephone lines using HART/CCITT converters. Field devices
directly connected to dedicated lines owned by the company can thus communicate with the
centralized host located many miles away
 CHAPTER 4

TWO-WIRE TECHNIQUE & LOAD IMPEADANCE

HART signals are imposed on the conventional analog current signal. Whether the devices
are designed in four-wire technique including an additional power supply or in two-wire
technique, HART communication can be used for both cases. However, it is important to note
that the maximum permissible load of a HART device is fixed. The load of a HART device is
limited by the HART specification. Another limitation is caused .especially in older
installations .by the process controller. The output of the process controller must be able to
provide the power for the connected two-wire device. The higher the power consumption of a
two-wire device, the higher its load. The additional functions of a HART-communicating
device increase its power consumption .and hence the load. Compared to non-HART devices.
When retrofitting HART devices into an already existing installation, the process controller
must be checked for its ability to provide the power required by the HART device. The
process controller must be able to provide at least the load impedance of the HART device at
20 mA. The required load impedance UB and the consumed power PW are calculated as
follows: The value of the device load is always defined for a current of 20 mA. If the process
controller cannot provide the load .including the cable resistances, etc. ., a HART-compatible
IS (Intrinsic Safety) isolating amplifier can be installed.
 Fig 4.1 Point to point connection: with or without IS isolating amplifier

CHAPTER 5

FIELD DEVICE INTERFACE

HART-communicating field devices require an appropriate communication interface. As
already mentioned, field devices have an integrated FSK modem. Fig. 5.1 shows the
components of the SAMSON Type 3780 HART Positioner in a block diagram. For signal
evaluation, the following components are important: The analog current signal (8) is
transmitted via an A/D converter to the microprocessor which is responsible for the
application, e.g. for position control. The FSK modem feeds the received HART signals (8)
to the microprocessor (5) which computes the communication data. The FSK modem
superimposes the HART signals to be sent on the analog current signal of the 4 to 20 mA
line. Both processors, one for communication (5) and the other for application (2), exchange
the received data and the data to be sent. The other function blocks show the components (3,
4, 6 and 7) which measure the position of the valve (1) and adjust the pneumatic pressure in
the actuator as requested by the controller
 Fig 5.1 HART interface of SAMSON positioned

CHAPTER 6

HART COMMUNICATION LAYERS

Fig 6.1 HART protocol implementing the OSI model

The HART protocol utilizes the OSI reference model. As is the case for most of the
communication systems on the field level, the HART protocol implements only the layers 1,
2 and 7 of the OSI model. The layers 3 to 6 remain empty since their services are either not
required or provided by the application layer 7 (see Fig. 6.1).

6.1 Coding

Data transmission between the masters and the field devices is physically realized by
superimposing an encoded digital signal on the 4 to 20 mA current loop. Since the coding has
no mean values, an analog signal transmission taking place at the same time is not affected.
This enables the HART protocol to include the existing simplex channel transmitting the
current signal (analog control device field device) and an additional half-duplex channel for
communication in both directions.
 Fig 6.2 HART signal superimposed on the analog current signal

The bit transmission layer defines an asynchronous half-duplex interface which operates on
the analog current signal line. To encode the bits, the FSK method (Frequency Shift Keying)
based on the Bell 202 communication standard is used. The two digital values .0. And .1. Are
assigned to the following frequencies (see Fig. 6.2):

Logical .0: 2200Hz

Logical .1: 1200Hz

Each individual byte of the layer-2 telegram is transmitted as eleven-bit UART character at a
data rate of 1200 bits/s.The HART specification defines that master devices send voltage
signals, while the field devices (slaves) convey their messages using load-independent
currents. The current signals are converted to voltage signals at the internal resistance of the
receiver (at its load). To ensure a reliable signal reception, the HART protocol specifies the
total load of the current loop. Including the cable resistance. to be between minimum 230
ohms and maximum 1100 ohms. Usually, the upper limit is not defined by this specification,
but results from the limited power output of the power supply unit. The HART masters are
simply connected in parallel to the field devices (e.g. Fig. 4.1), so the devices can be
connected and disconnected during operation because the current loop need not be
interrupted.
6.2 Wiring

HART wiring in the field usually consists of twisted pair cables. If very thin and/or long
cables are used, the cable resistance increases and, hence, the total load. As a result, the
signal attenuation and distortion increases while the critical frequency of the transmission
network decreases. For trouble-free transmission, the cables must have a sufficient cross
section and an appropriate length. If interference signals are a problem, long lines must be
shielded. The signal loop and the cable shield should be grounded at one common point only.
According to the specification, the following configurations work reliably:

(1).For short distances, simple unshielded 0.2 mm2 two-wire lines are sufficient.

(2).For distances of up to 1,500 m, individually twisted 0.2 mm² wire pairs with a common
shield over the cable should be used.

(3).For distances of up to 3,000 m, individually twisted 0.5 mm2 two-wire lines shielded in
pairs are required. Most of the wiring in the field meets these requirements and can therefore
be used for digital communication

6.3 Plug connectors

An essential benefit is that HART integrates the existing wires. So the HART specification
does not prescribe the use of a specific type of plug connector. Since the polarity has no
influence on the frequency evaluation, HART signals are usually connected via simple clamp
terminals.

6.4 HART-compatible features

HART communication between two or more devices can function properly only when all
communication participants are able to interpret the HART sine wave signals correctly. To
ensure this, not only the transmission lines must fulfil certain requirements (see above), also
the devices in the current loop which are not part of the HART communication can impede or
even prevent the transmission of the data. The reason is that the inputs and outputs of these
devices are specified only for the 4 to 20 mA technology. Since the input and output
resistances change with the signal frequency, such devices are likely to short-circuit the
higher frequency HART signals (1200 to 2200 Hz). Inputs and outputs with an internal

resistance that falls below the FSK frequency range short-circuit the HART signals! To
prevent this, the internal resistance must be increased using an additional circuit. The RC low
pass (250 W, 1 mF) illustrated in Fig.6.3 performs this function.

Fig 6.3 Controller output must not short circuit the HART signal

However, a disadvantage is that the serial resistance must additionally be powered by the
controller. When using the specially designed HART box, the additional load can be reduced
by one fifth to 50 W. If this value is still too high, either a signal amplifier more a controller
with higher power output must be installed. Load to be powered by the controller:

RC low pass: 250 W + line resistance + load of field device

HART box: 50 W + line resistance + load of field device

 Fig6.4 Hart transaction: data exchange between master and slave

CHAPTER 7

SERVICES OF LAYER 2
7.1 Access control

The HART protocol operates according to the master-slave method. Any communication
activity is initiated by the master, which is either a control station or an operating device.
HART accepts two masters, the primary master, usually the control system and the secondary
master, a PC laptop or handheld terminal used in the field. HART field devices, the slaves,
never send without being requested to do so. They respond only when they have received a
command message from the master (Fig. 6.4). Once a transaction, i.e. a data exchange
between the control station and the field device, is complete, the master will pause for a fixed
time period before sending another command, allowing the other master to break in. The two
masters observe a fixed time frame when taking turns communicating with the slave devices.

7.2 Communication services

The HART protocol provides standard and broadcast command

Figure 7.1HART communication modes

The simplest form of a transaction is a master telegram which is directly followed by a

response or acknowledgement telegram from the slave (Fig. 6.4). This communication mode
is used for the normal data exchange. When connection is established, the HART command
11 can be used to send a broadcast message to all devices to check the system configuration.
Some HART devices support the optional burst communication mode. A single field device
cyclically sends message telegrams with short 75-ms breaks, which can alternately be read by
the primary as well as the secondary master. While usually only two transactions per second
are possible, the field device can send up to four telegrams using this method.

7.3 Telegram structure

The structure of a HART telegram is shown in Fig. 7.2. Each individual byte is send as 11-bit
UART character equipped with a start, parity and a stop bit. In the revision 5 and later, the
HART protocol provides two telegram formats which use different forms of addressing. In
addition to the short frame slave address format containing four bits, a long frame address
format has been introduced as an alternative. This allows more participants to be integrated,
while achieving more safety in case of incorrect addressing during transmission failures. The
elements of the HART telegram perform the following tasks: The preamble consisting of
three or more hexadecimal FF characters synchronizes the signals of the participants. The
start byte indicates which participant is sending (master, slave, and slave in burst mode) and
whether the short frame or the long frame format is used. The address field of the short frame
format contains one byte (Fig. 7.3) with one bit serving to distinguish the two masters and
one bit to indicate burst-mode telegrams. For the addressing of the field devices, 4 bits are
used (addresses 0 to 15). The address field of the long frame format contains five bytes;
hence, the field device is identified using 38 bits. The command byte encodes the master
commands of the three categories, Universal, Common practice and Device-specific
commands. The significance of these commands depends on the definitions in the application
layer 7. The byte count character indicates the message length, which is necessary since the
number of data bytes per telegram can vary from 0 to 25. This is the only way to enable the
recipient to clearly identify the telegram and the checksum. The number of bytes depends on
the sum of the status and the data bytes.

Fig7.2 Structure and elements of a HART telegram

The two status bytes are included only in reply messages from slaves and contain bit coded
information. They indicate whether the received message was correct and the operational
state of the field device. When the field device operates properly, both status bytes are set to
logical zero. The data can be transmitted as unsigned integers, floating-point numbers or
ASCII coded character strings. The data format to be used is determined by the command
byte, however, not all commands or responses contain data.

Figu7.3 Short frame and long frame HART address formats

7.4 Noise immunity

During operation the communication participants can be added or removed without
endangering the components of the other devices or disrupting their communication. For
interferences that can be coupled into the transmission lines, the HART specification
demands class 3 noise immunity according to IEC 801-3 and-4. So general noise immunity
requirements are met. Further protection mechanisms to detect errors in the communication
are implemented in the different communication layers. On the lower levels, the UART and
the longitudinal parity check reliably detect up to three corrupted bits in the transmitted
telegram (Hamming distance HD=4). Errors occurring on higher levels, such as HART
commands that cannot be interpreted and device failures are indicated by the slave upon each
transaction using the status bytes reserved for this purpose. Polling at regular intervals
enables the master device to know the state of all connected communication participants and
to react as requested by the user or the operating program.

7.5 Transmission time and user data rate

The time required to transmit a telegram results from the bit data rate (1200Hz) and the
number of bits per telegram. The length of the telegram varies depending on the message
length. 0 to 25 characters. and the message format. When a short frame format is used and
the message contains 25 characters, a total of 35 characters must be transmitted. Since each
byte is tr ansmitted as UART character, we obtain the following data:

Fig 7.4 Transmission time of a HART telegram

In shorter messages, the ratio between user data and control data becomes increasingly
unfavourable so that it can take up to 128 ms to transmit one user data byte. An average of
500 ms is accounted for per transaction. I.e. for both a master and a slave telegram, including
additional maintenance and synchronization times. As a result, approximately two HART
transactions can be carried out per second. These values show that the HART communication
is not suitable for transmitting time-critical data. HART can be used to determine the
reference variable of a final control element in test and start-up phases, but it is obviously not
suited to solve control tasks.

CONCLUSION
While there are many benefits to be gained by using HART transmitters, it is essential that
they be calibrated using a procedure that is appropriate to their function. If the transmitter is
part of an application that retrieves digital process values for monitoring or control, then the
standard calibration procedures for conventional instruments are inadequate. At a minimum,
the sensor input section of each instrument must be calibrated. If the application also uses the
current loop output, then the output section must also be calibrated.
 REFERENCES
[1] HART Communication Foundation. “HART Field Communication Protocol
Specification". Bell System Technical Reference: PUB 41212, "Data Sets 202S and 202T
interface Specification", and July 1976.
[2] HART Communication Foundation Pamphlet. "HART Field Communications Protocol".
[4] Holladay, Kenneth L., "Using the HART a Protocol to Manage for Quality", ISA 1994
paper number 94-617.
[3] ANSI/ISA - S51.1-1979, "Process Instrumentation Terminology".
[4] Instrument Society of America, "Instrument Calibration Series - Principles of
Calibration", 1989.
[5] Instrument Society of America, "Instrument Calibration Series - Calibrating Pressure and
Temperature Instruments", 1989