Wikipedia defines a solenoid valve as an:

…electromechanically operated valve. The valve is controlled by an electric current through a solenoid: in the case of a two-port valve the flow is switched on or off; in the case of a three-port valve, the outflow is switched between the two outlet ports. Multiple solenoid valves can be placed together on a manifold.

Pneumatic valve manifolds are used in many industries including Medical & Life Sciences and Food & Beverage. These valve manifolds, with multiple solenoid valves per valve bank, are often installed directly on production machines or integrated into specially designed cabinets that include all electrical and pneumatic connections. These can be installed in safe areas or in locations rated as hazardous areas for electrical equipment.

In this 5:14 YouTube video, Electronic Marshalling/ASCO Video, Emerson’s Rune Reppenhagen demonstrates how ASCO Numatics Series 580 CHARM pneumatic valve manifolds are installed via a pair of redundant communications cables via Electronic Marshalling to DeltaV distributed control systems.

Rune opens describing the typical approach to engineering and installing valve manifolds. This integration between the valve manifold and the control system is typically done through a digital communications protocol. A digital network such as Profibus or DeviceNet is established and the solenoid valves in the manifold are added and the I/O mapped into the control system.

Rune shows the ASCO Numatics 580 CHARM node mounted in a cabinet with other DeltaV CHARM I/O cards. When an I/O autosense action is initiated, all the solenoid valves are read and brought into the DeltaV configuration as discrete output solenoid valves. Diagnostic information is also available locally at the manifold and back to the DeltaV system. All the extra engineering required to map the I/O and diagnostics is eliminated.

Rune then shows how these solenoids appear in the DeltaV configuration software and DeltaV diagnostics. He simulates a failure condition to show how the diagnostics display the failure, all without any configuration required beyond autosensing the pneumatic valve manifold.

Watch the video and for more read the Series 580 CHARM technical brief. You can also connect and interact with other DeltaV experts in the DeltaV group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.