Eaton Unveils Revolutionary Smart Universal Marshalling Solution, Delivering Lowest Lifetime Costs and Increasing Process Uptime

November 12, 2019

Power management company Eaton has launched its MTL SUM5 smart universal marshalling solution for process applications capable of reducing distributed control system (DCS) marshalling cabinet requirements by up to 50%. With six patents pending, MTL SUM5 combines five functions in one modular design enabling one standard cabinet to deliver the lowest lifetime costs and lowest installed cost while saving valuable space in a control room.

Process applications requiring intrinsic safety (IS) isolation, signal conditioning, relay interfaces, surge protection and loop disconnect would typically require four different cabinet designs, with complex wiring between the marshalling components. Now, process and plant managers can benefit from a single cabinet design, with ‘plug and play’ configurable modules for the five key marshalling functions. This eliminates the need for intricate wiring to interconnect the components, ultimately improving uptime and reducing the cost of wiring, installation and maintenance. 

“With MTL SUM5, we are revolutionising marshalling and leading the way with this first-to-market smart solution,” said Paul Hartley, MTL Global Product Line Manager and Business Unit Leader at Eaton. “We have created a modular, universal, configurable product with excellent functionality, so process managers and engineers can streamline their operations and make significant cost savings. The most common reason for failure of existing marshalling systems is due to the wiring. Since MTL SUM5 removes the need for this wiring, it also eliminates this risk of failure, therefore providing a more robust and reliable solution for processing plants in the oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, power, pharmaceutical and water and wastewater industries.”

MTL SUM5’s modular design simplifies marshalling and provides increased flexibility throughout the product lifetime. Loop disconnect is integrated in every terminal, so loops can be easily isolated, which together with the modular design, simplifies maintenance and keeps associated costs to a minimum. 

There are two options of field terminal assemblies (FTAs): Intrinsically Safe (IS) FTAs for IS installations and General Purpose FTAs for signal conditioning or pass-through installations, which can easily be switched as the application requires. The configurable design of MTL SUM5 accommodates late changes. This reduces risk during project execution as modules can easily be reconfigured or added as necessary at any point during the build. For example, the surge protection module can simply be added as and when it is required on completion of the surge risk analysis, which is carried out during the detailed engineering stage. This enables plant managers to save upfront costs where surge requirements are not known.

MTL SUM5 reduces the number of marshalling components by 65% compared to a standard solution. One MTL SUM5 universal ADIO isolator module supports the functionality provided by 20 different MTL4500 single channel modules, while the configurable parameters enable support for an even wider range of applications. The marshalling solution provides comprehensive diagnostics, notifying the process managers when action is required. It also features LED indicators for power, function and status, which simplifies commissioning and troubleshooting. The MTL SUM5 modules are designed for both cabinet mounting in the control room, or field mounting. They are designed for ambient operating temperatures from –40 to +70°C and for mounting in a Zone 2 hazardous area, thus providing reliable operation in remote locations.

The marshalling components have a width of 10 mm, which together with the options of mounting two or three columns in each side of a standard 800m cabinet, delivers the highest packing density of 512 or 768 I/O channels per cabinet. This reduces the number of cabinets required, which delivers savings on cabinet hardware, installation, weight. Furthermore, a footprint of 3m2 of control room space per cabinet is eliminated. 

Standardizing on one cabinet simplifies procurement, inventory management and documentation significantly. With fewer cabinets to install, process managers can reduce costs associated with installation, commissioning, start-up and maintenance further.

“Project managers and engineers also have the benefit of being able to specify cabinets, associated power management equipment and accessories from Eaton as a single source, which has additional procurement advantages,” said Roger Highton.

MTL SUM5 is designed for ATEX, IECEx and North American certification requirements to ensure safety of the plant and employees, and therefore provides peace of mind to process managers. Eaton has over 40 years’ experience in harsh industrial environments and its MTL products are reliable and trusted for hazardous areas.

For further information visit: www.eaton.com/mtlsum5.