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The benefits of asset management systems lie predominantly in reduced maintenance costs: Whereas previously maintenance had to be carried out indiscriminately, digital field devices can now be gathered in a higher-level system and comprehensive diagnostic data can be displayed. This offers in particular the opportunity for preventative maintenance and results in lower personnel requirements, reduced plant standstill and material costs and subsequently overall savings in reduced maintenance costs of up to 50 percent.

The diagnostic data from the field devices is extracted as HART signals by the globally first SIL 3 and ATEX certified intrinsically safe analog isolator H 6200. The globally first  SIL 3 and ATEX certified HART multiplexer H 6210 collects the data from up to eight analog isolators and passes them via the integrated RS485 interface to a HART/OPC server which transmits the diagnostic data to the asset management system. At the same time the HART multiplexer can protect the field devices against unauthorised modifications of their parameters in accordance with SIL 3 requirements. The 4?20-mA signals are directly coupled to the safety controller H51q and can be used for safety functions.
 
In practice the benefits of the asset management also materialise in the option to carry out partial stroke tests on valves. Safety-related valves are subject to a rigid proof test interval for which the plant has to be decommissioned. Otherwise the usually single channel valves cannot be tested at full stroke. Short proof test intervals unfailingly lead to high costs due to the frequent  and ? in relation to the overall lifetime of the plant ? lengthy downtimes.

Using a partial stroke test these proof test intervals can be extended and the plant safety optimised. Just one example will suffice: In the combination of a HIMA safety system and the valves of Samson AG an intelligent positioner, which can be parameterised via an asset management system using the HART protocol, triggers and executes the partial stroke tests at defined intervals. Via a safety-related initiator transmitting a feedback signal to the HIMA safety system the successful completion of the test can be reliably detected. In addition, comprehensive diagnostic data of the Samson valve can be read via HART from the asset management system.