The ACORN 1479 project developed a software toolkit to support the design and implementation of the emerging new generation of open, highly distributed control systems based on fieldbus, and validated these tools in the context of real process applications in the Chemical and Power sectors. In doing so, the project overcame the limitations of existing tools which tend to address specific requirements associated with design, configuration or maintenance usually in the context of a specific proprietary hardware solution.
The ACORN 1479 project was conceived as one in which a major systems integrator (Siemens) worked with a software house (Intrasoft) and major end users (ICI, EDP and ENEL) on whose plants the results were tested, together with some of the best research organisations in this field (Fraunhofer Institute IITB, ifak, and CISE).
The results of this project have demonstrated that fieldbus is a practical and effective technology for delivering real end user benefits. The use of advanced design tools based on the ACORN methodology is expected to provide significant advantages for improving the efficiency and quality of the design process.