Smart and reliable whether on or off - valve automation trends

Smart automation is increasingly becoming the benchmark for field instruments in process engineering. Fol-lowing the success of microprocessor and communication technology in transmitters and valve positioners, digital systems are now conquering the on/off valve sector, including safety-related valves, formerly the do-main of conventional systems. The historical developments and the current state-of-the-art are examined, and the opportunities for digital systems in binary automation are outlined and evaluated.