HART Communication Protocol approved as China National Standard

The Standardization Administration of the China Industrial Department has approved the HART Communication Protocol as a China National Standard (GB/T 29910.1-6-2013).

A Chinese National Standard ensures consistency and reliability throughout China in terms of copyright and technology implementation. End users can use the Standard as a benchmark for selecting HART Registered products that meet mandatory technical and interoperable requirements.

“The HART China standard is yet another step in our ongoing commitment to the HART global marketplace,” said Ted Masters, HART Foundation President and CEO. “Our regional office in Shanghai provides local language technical support and educational activities; and ITEI’s HART-certified test facility in Beijing provides an opportunity for Chinese suppliers to verify compliance and register their HART-based devices more quickly and efficiently.”

The ITEI (Instrumentation Technology and Economy Institute) Test Lab performs the same rigorous compliance testing procedures on HART and WirelessHART devices as the Test Lab at the HART headquarters in Austin, Texas, in accordance with established Foundation policies, guidelines and requirements.

During an event on 8 May hosted by the Foundation, ITEI and the China National Technical Committee of Industrial Process Measurement and Control, Wei Sun, Division Chief of the Standardization Administration of the China Industrial Department, presented the official publication of the HART National Standard (GB/T 29910.1-6-2013: Industrial Communication Networks-Fieldbus Specifications-Type 20: HART Specification).

The event was sponsored by Foundation member companies Emerson Process Management and Linear Technology Corporation and attended by Chinese government officials, the GB/T drafting team, and industry end users and suppliers. Local Foundation member companies’ representatives also attended the event, some of whom participated in the GB/T drafting process and will help to promote the new standard at MICONEX 2014 in Beijing, including Beijing ECHO Technologies, Beijing Huakong Technology, Fujian Wideplus Precision Instruments, Microcyber and Shanghai Automation Instrumentation.

“The HART China Standard will have a huge impact on our member companies’ sales in the region,” says Masters. “End users are demanding that products comply with the HART standards to ensure the HART Registered products they purchase have the required technical capabilities and interoperability they expect from a HART device.”

In addition to the China National Standard, the HART Protocol is an IEC standard (International Electro-technical Commission), both wired (IEC 61158) and wireless (IEC 62591), and complies with the European NAMUR NE107 guidelines that standardise device display and alert information. The Foundation is also a founding partner of the FDI Cooperation LLC, working to develop a single scalable solution for field device integration.