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Peter Welander, Control Engineering Research respondents say operator training is the most important use of process simulation software. This reflects changing day-to-day operational realities. While computer-based simulations can take many [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering A plant that has been allowed to deteriorate or is inadequately updated may be modernized or repurposed. Here's how to begin sorting out what has to [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Many devices are not suited to battery powering, so is removing just the data cable enough? What are your options for semi-wireless devices? With the growing [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering How many process plants suffer with poorly sized and poorly selected flowmeters? Why does this seemingly simple selection task get so complicated? At a recent industry [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Fieldbus is breaking new ground in discrete and process safety networks, a bastion of hard-wired systems. Users are drawn by promises of easier troubleshooting and maintenance. [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Tutorial: What causes these analog aggravations, and how to get rid of them. A technology refresher from Process Instrumentation & Sensors Monthly eNewsletter. Analog wiring from [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Recently it seems that everyone is talking about process safety, but more than that, they're doing something about it. ARC Advisory Group says that strong growth [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering While considered mainstream technology, fieldbus adoption in process industries is still far from commonplace. The picture for users remains upbeat, but incomplete in many respects. While [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Will the big four become the big five? While electrical energy consumption may not be quite the same as flow or pressure, optimizing it can bring [...]

Peter Welander, process industries editor The promise of wireless is clear: You can measure more in a plant situation, with new pieces of instrumentation checking different things and giving you [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Perhaps the most common computer connector you will find today is the USB port that adorns every type of computer hardware, including printers, keyboards, cell phones, [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Automation and motion control, Las Vegas style. If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas, I suggest you visit one show where the industrial technology [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Is the hydrogen economy headed your way? Implications abound for uninterruptible power supplies, industrial battery replacement, and related controls. Green power proponents are looking ahead to [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Increasing use of wireless networks and remote instrumentation calls for new approaches to supply current with no strings attached. In the hard-wired world of traditional instrumentation, [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Pressure measuring devices are everywhere, but do you really understand them? Measuring pressure is one of the most basic instrumentation functions in any industry. From an [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Building a coal-fired power plant in Wisconsin isn't easy given the state's tough environmental regulations. Visions of smokestacks and acid rain are incompatible with its draw [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering If you have never created an industrial network in your plant, this tutorial can help direct your analysis. For all the discussion of industrial networking and [...]

Peter Welander, Control Engineering Digging through manufacturer data to find what is really important for your process. Selecting instrumentation for a new or revised process can be daunting, especially if [...]

Peter Welander Debate over the current U.S. energy situation and government policy rages in all political forums and news media. These discussions generally examine the problem on a large scale [...]

The article discusses the risks of keeping an old distributed control system (DCS). Topics covered include the increased risk of failure associated with the use of an obsolete DCS platform in a plant, the measures taken by some firms to make improvements and reduce their risk profile and the tendency for some to put on a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system on top of the DCS to support a user interface.

An interview with Stan DeVries, senior director of solutions architecture, and Peter G. Martin, vice president of business value consulting, both with electricity distribution and automation management company Schneider Electric, is presented. DeVries discusses the challenges facing process manufacturers in identifying the exact number of workers they need to run their plants. Martin explains the relation between profitability and headcount. INSET: Can outside services take up the slack?.

The article presents an interview with cyber security experts Michael Assante, Tim Conway and Matt Luallen about an experiment conducted by Trend Micro in 2013 where it deployed honey pots designed to look like industrial control system (ICS) networks of municipal water utilities. Assante gave an overview of the study. Luallen discusses whether skilled hackers would be able to realize that they were not in a real control system. Conway shares the lessons that can be learned from the study.

The article focuses on the straightforward and consistent maintenance strategy implemented by the Monsanto Muscatine manufacturing facility, which received the 2012 HART Plant of the Year Award. Emerson DeltaV and Provox DCS platforms controls the processing units of the facility, which is tied to more than 3,200 instrument assets. The facility also uses the SAP CMMS to track labor and material costs in a particularly equipment.

The article discusses the role of distributed intelligence in decentralization of process control and information management. The advantages of distributed control systems (DCS) are mentioned. The emergence of smarter field devices and smarter networks is tackled. The application of distributed intelligence to safety systems is also tackled. Other topics discussed include areas that should be left centralized and the issue of data security which arises when networks become complex. INSET: A contrary opinion: The case for modern monolithic control.

The article discusses the strategy and topology of 3 companies that worked to establish a presence for wireless in process manufacturing. It cites Emerson's Smart Wireless platform that started with instrumentation and turned to WirelessHART when Smart Wireless program devices were made obsolete. Honey continues its strategy of integrating all wireless elements into a Wi-Fi infrastructure while Apprion provides large-scale wireless infrastructure to support any needs in a plant environment.

The article discusses integrated human-machine interface (HMI)/programmable logic controller (PLC) packages that offer simplicity and convenience only in the right application. Sam Schuy, engineering manager at Maple Systems, Inc. explains that with PLC and the HMI built into one, one only needs a programming software to program the PLC functionality and HMI functionality. The author explains that choices in an integrated unit are more limited compared to individual components.

The article focuses on smartphones and tablet computers as useful extension of industrial networks, especially Ethernet- and Web-based communication. Majority of major control system suppliers have incorporated some mobile worker human-machine interface (HMI) capability through wireless devices. In designing their applications, companies adopt HMI functions, including control, but use varying concepts and approaches. Applications from Opto 22 and ProSoft Technologies are compared.

The article discusses issues concerning the implementation of a distributed control system migration project. Key topics being highlighted include the importance of training when planning a migration as well as new control platforms' ability to interact with operators and the need for operators and designers to understand all the existing systems used in the organization.

The article looks at the security of proprietary process control systems. It explores the emergence of cyber security issues for control platforms that were allegedly not designed for the advancement of information technology. It discusses concepts of safe connection, systems and implementation of isolated network and the two broad categories of old control platforms, namely, proprietary networks and Microsoft Windows-based architecture in the context security control.

The article focuses on wireless networking in control system. According to Jeff Becker of Honeywell Process Solutions, they integrate a wireless network into the control system using Modbus, Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) for Process Control (OPC) or Highway Addressable Remote Transducer Protocol (HART). The two major application areas of wireless in industrial contexts, wireless instrumentation and wireless Ethernet, are also discussed. INSETS: Chevron gathers well pressure data: 'It's no different';DiGeronimo Aggregates upgrades for wireless infrastructure.

The article focuses on cyber security activities at power plants and larger electric utilities in the U.S. Under the critical infrastructure protection regulations to be enforced by the National Electric Reliability Corp., (NERC CIP) producers and distributors of bulk power are required to take security precautions to ensure uninterrupted delivery. It offers tips for those working with an electric utility or other industry on how to start implementing basic cyber security practices for distributed control system (DCS) or other industrial control network.

The article focuses on the three main technologies for measuring temperatures, namely, the thermocouple, resistance temperature detector (RTD) and thermistor. It cites the several key strengths of thermocouples such as several physical sizes and configurations, moderate price and simple configuration, and medium accuracy and sensitivity. It mentions some characteristics of RTDs that compare well against thermocouples, such as it is more accurate and stable. It notes that RTDs have extensive standardization which gives predictability for performance.

The article discusses the art of instrumentation. New technologies are noted to allow wider deployment of devices and are highly application specific. Praveen Muniyappa, chemical and biofuels business developer for Siemens Energy & Automation, said that customers want to add instrumentation to their processes but they have to be reminded of existing constraints that lead to process control design. It was added that instrumentation devices collect multiple variables to provide some type of correction factor.

This article discusses the need for upgrades of a process control platform. According to the author, aging distributed control system platforms lack some of the capabilities of newer designs. He identifies two main drivers for control system upgrades: obsolescence and functional needs. In addition, the author provides steps in an upgrade project. He indicates the factors to consider in any upgrade, including the cost of the project and the impact of upgrades.

The article focuses on the importance of safety testing of instrumentation and control equipment. According to Luis Duran, product marketing director, safety and critical control for London, England-based Invensys Process Systems, customers depend on product certification agencies to perform testing that they would otherwise need to do themselves. All products are tested by nationally recognized testing laboratories (NRTLs) to make sure that they can perform specific functions safely.

The article offers tips on establishing standards within a company when a process plant changes ownership or is under new management. It suggests that there are two ways of doing this, either from the plant up or from the top down. It stresses that assessing what makes a process plant work at the instrumentation and control level is the first step to implementing improvements. Those who watch production at the enterprise level are advised to get a common reporting structure normalized to provide visibility throughout. INSET: Customer case history: Alcoa.

The article presents information on pressure transducers which can help in choosing the right technology, specially in extreme applications. Among the variety of variables that should be considered in evaluating a pressure sensor technology are accuracy and linearity. The principle of measuring displacement to a diaphragm caused by the pressure on one side serves as the basis for the function of electronic measuring technologies.

The article presents a guide to setting up a wireless instrumentation. It discusses different aspects of wireless instrumentation such as instrument and radio configurations, powering options, and security. The article also presents different platforms and systems to setting up including point to point and mesh networks. The author recommends that one has to have a clear concept of the aspects discussed to be able to come up with the proper objectives for wireless networking.

The article focuses on the function of wind turbines as generators of electricity in the U.S. It cites the lack of manufacturing capacity as one of the greatest impediments to the expansion of wind power. It names the state of Texas as the leading wind energy state with over 3,000 MW installed. It also discusses the limitations and advantages of wind turbines including the dependence of turbine performance on the weather.

The article discusses three approaches to process plant wireless. It also offers a look at the business operations and wireless products developed by Emerson Process Management and Honeywell Process Solutions. The article focuses on the plans of the firms to offer full scale as well as manage wireless infrastructure solutions.

The article examines various level measuring techniques that are adaptable to electronic data collection and where multiple manufacturers are commonly available. The author noted that by using a float on the surface of a liquid is a reliable method of measuring its level, and some of continuous measuring float designs use magnetostrictive sensing technology. It discussed ultrasonic and radar techniques which both have the capabilities to see through different kinds of internal obstructions.

The article discusses the top 10 cyber security vulnerabilities that are accepted outside the utility industry as a model for protecting all industrial networking according to the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC). Such vulnerabilities are included in "The Top 10 Vulnerabilities of Control Systems and Their Associated Mitigations -- 2006" document maintained by a committee of NERC. They include inadequate policies, procedures and culture governing control system security.

The article discusses the need for distributed control system (DCS) technology to undergo significant change considering that it has been around since 1975. Topics covered include the launch of DCS technology by automation original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and some improvements in the technology such as operator interaction with human-machine interfaces (HMIs), alarm management and off-the-shelf hardware. Also discussed is the lack of standardization for DCS technology.

The article explains why smart instrumentation and field devices have to be configured manually. Topics discussed include the introduction of configurable input/output (I/O) systems by control system vendors, the things that users of Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART)-enabled instrumentation want to get rid of and the significant increase in the number of parameters on a usual smart device that makes it hard for a technician to key in the settings of the device. INSET: The DICED process of device configuration.

The article discusses the perspective of information and operations technology employees, and their possible convergence in the future. The information technology department evaluates a problem through work station authentication and system functions, while the operations consider their licensing agreement first that works on the present platform. Technical director Tim Conway explains the initiative to meet the overall equipment effectiveness focusing on quality and availability.

The article discusses how manufacturers can build their own model predictive control (MPC) also known as model-based control for their factories. It is said that MPC utilizes a mathematical model of a process that connects relevant parameters' relationships. The first step in building an MPC is to decide which process strategy to use. The next step is to use a process simulator to test assumptions. Manufacturers are advised to deal with problems by including some feedback element in the model. INSET: Hot water heater as process example.

The article focuses on the production of more flexible or smarter input/output (I/O) systems that allow for greater flexibility. Though I/O systems such as the Foundation fieldbus, Profibus PA and other approaches are not dependent on a specific platform, they still require field devices that work with specific protocols. One must reportedly acquire a system that works with one's controller.

The article highlights the collaboration between the U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) and ARM Automation to create the enhanced automated robotic launcher (EARL) that will be used to test various elements of the bowling process so as to separate human skills from hardware. The team specified ranges for four main parameters to quantify the action required to duplicate a human bowler. The designers analyzed the axes of motion and created a movement geometry to determine the robot's dimension.

The article discusses the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights to a company. It states that besides physical property, such as real estate, machines, and other structures, IP can be considered the most valuable asset of all. This is because IP is the knowledge which makes a product possible, and includes the processes which go into making that product. IP, however, is considered one of the most difficult to quantify. It says that it can be lost due to retirement, resignation, and termination. Suggestions on protecting IP are provided. INSETS: Legal protections for IP: What manufacturers need to know;Safety system IP.

The article focuses on the concept of understanding derivative in proportional, integral and derivative control (PID) loops. The author states that derivative factors in the control strategy can improve performance only if in the right situations and in right amounts and if applied properly. He claims that understanding such situations begins with basic knowledge of how each PID functions and operates. The benefits of each PID, as well as the disadvantages and solutions are discussed.