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Rick’s Picks of the Web: This month on ControlGlobal.com

May 11, 2007
CONTROL’s Rick Pedraza offers his picks of what’s best on the web. Here’s what's happening this month, May 2007, on ControlGlobal.com, the online resource of CONTROL magazine.
By Rick Pedraza, Managing Editor, Digital Media

Wireless Industrial Standard Begins to Take Shape
This month on ControlGlobal.com, contributor Dick Caro, a member of the ISA wireless industrial networking standards committee, reports to us the latest progress on SP100 activity from Karlsruhe, Germany. The SP100 standards working group has agreed on an architecture, the selection of a single application layer and the formation of an editorial team to actually write the standard.

Caro offers his expert analysis and predicts that the committee will complete a first draft of the standard, which should be ready for voting on in early 2008. Additionally, plans are in place for a full demonstration of a wireless field network during ISA 2007 in Houston in October. In order to keep abreast of the progress made toward this important new standard, go to ControlGlobal.com/SP100.html.

OPC, Modbus and Fieldbus, Oh My!
Just as Dorothy and her companions from Oz each had unique characteristics, end users are faced with a multitude of protocol choices for the heart of any industrial process: the communications network.

"It would be nice to just click our heels three times and have all integration issues solved," writes OPC Connection and ControlGlobal.com columnist and OPC expert Eric Murphy, BSc, PEng. For tasks performed by applications in the multiple levels of the enterprise hierarchy, Murphy suggests the choice is not simply one protocol versus another. "It requires integrating multiple complementary protocols," he writes, "each with individual strengths, to achieve the goal of a true enterprise system. The protocols used with each layer and to create interoperability between the layers need to be optimized for different applications." To read the latest installment of his online column, go to ControlGlobal.com/OPC.

The Business Value of Automation
WBF’s Director of Strategic Industry Alliances, Rodger Jeffery, is excited about the new challenges our industry faces and suggests we regroup, reorganize, and commit to a stronger working alliance in regards to standards. Read this special-to-the-web report at ControlGlobal.com/alliance.html.

Meet the Editor
Control Editor in Chief Walt Boyes will be speaking at several upcoming industry events. To catch up with our roving editor at a conference or symposium near you, go to ControlGlobal.com/events.

WHITE PAPERS

Improve Temperature Uniformity
This white paper supports the case for the use of a thermal anchor for temperature uniformity over a range of temperatures, which can dramatically reduce design and development time, while actually improving thermal performance in the process.

Corrosion Monitoring and Modeling
This paper reviews the state of the art in the understanding of amine unit corrosion and identifies outstanding issues. It also discusses two new tools for the evaluation of amine unit corrosion.

A Return to Single-Loop Integrity
Single-loop control in the field was once the norm, and thanks to Foundation fieldbus and a handful of pioneers, it’s becoming mainstream once again – just as the ISA SP 50 fieldbus committee predicted it would. Control contributor Dave Harrold tells why.

Security in the Process Industries
This report presents evidence in support of a business case for improving security of SCADA, process control networks and manufacturing and industrial automation systems in the processing industries.

E-NEWSLETTERS

Automation Products Bulletin
This monthly e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the most current new products available to the market place for process, factory and machine-control applications.

IndustrialNetworking E-News
From fieldbus to wireless, this monthly update delivers the latest news and technology developments in digital networking.