On the cutting edge

By Dan Hebert, Senior Technical Editor

ControlGlobal.com

The wheels of commerce demand that you adapt to new technologies in order to do things better. Here are eight tech trends that are changing the face of process control automation and instrumentation today.

rom the water wheel to the DCS and beyond, throughout history processors adept at identifying emerging technologies and then applying its potential affectively have continued to possess a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Whether to gain energy efficiency to lower costs or to develop precise command over a batch process for higher product quality, the wheels of commerce demand you adapt new technologies to do things better. But which technologies have the most potential?

We at Control would like to think we can help you decide and that's why we publish this article. But it’s not just our opinions that we publish. As with all of our feature articles, first we turn to our readers, process control users and independent systems integrators for input. Next we ask research organizations and suppliers for opinions. Then it’s our turn to sift through all the data, facts and conjecture we receive and try to make some sense of it.

Of course, some suppliers suggest that the next trend will coincide perfectly with their latest product release. Not to worry, such "trends" never make the list. We need to see that multiple vendors identify a trend before we recognize it as such. Then we do our own independent research.

One question that often arises is: Do we discern new trends each year, or do we recycle the prior-year’s trends? The answer is, a little bit of both. Tables throughout the article present technology trends CONTROL’s editors identified in 2001, 2002 and 2003, as well as in this issue. As the table shows, some trends have legs and gain strength, while others fade, unable to hold up in the real world. 

With that in mind, we’ve identified eight technology trends that are sure to impact the process industry control automation and instrumentation marketplace in the coming years.

ADVERTISEMENT TRENDS 2004 1.  Asset management 2.  The ultimate in closed-loop control 3.  Real-time performance management 4.  Smartphones conquer mobile computing 5.  Software defines the system 6.  Wireless again 7.  IT requirements drive process control 8.  Industrial biotech arrives TRENDS 2003 1.  Industrial Ehernet marches on 2.  Wireless 3.  XML and web services provide data access 4.  Frameworks offer super structure 5.  Field-based control 6.  Comprehensive condition monitoring 7.  Engineering and finance converge to define optimization 8.  Engineer's changing roles

Asset Management
Asset management uses software-based monitoring systems to improve the uptime, performance, and operation of plants assets. Asset management can allow a controls company to run its customer’s plant remotely through imaging and monitoring systems that monitor assets (equipment, processes, people, software, and systems, etc.) from the top floor to the shop floor.

Richard McCormick, a process control engineer with Ultramar Limited in St-Romuald, Qubec, sees asset management as especially useful. To keep data flow to a minimum, he suggests that "reporting by exception" be the accepted protocol. McCormick adds, "Asset management provides first-pass diagnostics based on reported symptoms. Then it directs us toward the causes so we know where to drill down and so that maintenance can to plan ahead for repairs." 

Terry Krouth, Emerson Process Management’s (www.emersonprocess.com) vice president of PlantWeb technology, believes asset management, which is now only getting started, will grow in sophistication. "In the drive for improved availability and return on capital, asset management systems will continue to grow. Even though this technology has already delivered major benefits, it is still in its infancy. Users are beginning to understand and enjoy asset management benefits, including faster commissioning of plants and more efficient maintenance of assets," says Krouth.

"Growth will come with increasing integration of all plant assets into plant-wide automation systems and management systems. The holistic view of all the assets, presented in a form to help achieve and sustain operational excellence, will continue to drive further integration of machinery health management, real time optimization, and equipment performance monitoring," adds Krouth. 

Integration is key to asset management, and because integrated software is easy to use, it’s more likely to be used. Further, integration of expanded asset information on plant and enterprise HMIs is an empowering part of this trend.

The Ultimate in Closed-Loop Control
Process control professionals have been performing closed-loop control for decades, but are they using the correct measured variable? Shuzo Kaihori, the president and CEO of Yokogawa Corporation of America (www.us.yokogawa.com), doesn’t think so.