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Control Platforms Resource Center

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Control platforms are the heart of any process manufacturing operation. They regulate processes, report vital information, communicate with field instrumentation and interact with other enterprise software. Keeping these systems running safely, securely and cost-effectively is Job 1 for process engineers. Our Control Platforms Resource Center provides you with a complete library of articles from Control, plus white papers, news articles and product announcements to keep you current about this important process technology.

SOUND OFF! at CONTROL's Editor's Blog!
Want to know what's really going on in the industry? CONTROL's Intrepid Roving Editors blog from just about anywhere on almost any process automation topic.

Just How Safe Are Those "Standards-Based" Systems in Your Enterprise?
Why Should I Care if the OPC Product that I Use Has Been through Certification?

Process Manufacturers Overcome Business Challenges
ControlGlobal.com
This podcast discusses the top business issues process manufacturers are facing today and how an integrated main automation contractor approach can help overcome those challenges and ensure a smooth transition from project into operations.

Drowning in Data, Starving for Information-2
McMillan and Weiner Tacked a Big Question, What Is Data Analytics?

How End-Users Have Reduced Cost and Increased Efficiency with Wireless Technology
ControlGlobal
Learn how to increase your plant asset uptime and how to reduce plant maintenance costs with wireless technology.

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White Papers: In Depth Research

Growing a Green Corporation
Author: Schneider Electric
Posted: 03/18/2010
Meeting the next great disruptive challenge of the 21st century.

Since the Industrial Revolution our society has been driven by an increasing pace of change in business and technology. Every decade or two we have faced a new and disruptive event that challenges business and creates opportunities-the locomotive, the electric light, the automobile, the airplane, the television and the computer, to name a few.

But the greatest disruptive event of the next 20 years may come, not from a single invention, but from the world around us-that is, climate change.

How your business responds to the climate challenge can either differentiate you from the competition and launch new and successful products, or make you the focus of consumer backlash and eroding margins.

This paper will explore the environment as a disruptive force in business, examine the consequences of inaction, and propose the benefits of a proactive environmental policy. It will describe increasing levels of investment that a small company, an enterprise or an industry can make to address the challenge and develop a business case. The paper ends with a concrete roadmap to lead you from today's "business as usual" to a long-term sustainable approach to growing a Green corporation.

After reading this paper, business leaders in every industry will have an understanding of how the environment will impact their business, how to make changes to mitigate the negative impacts and how to explore business opportunities in this new and exciting sustainable world.

Predicting Control Valve Noise in Gas and Steam Applications: Valve Trim Exit Velocity Head vs. Valve Outlet Mach Number
Author: Joseph Shahda, Dresser Masoneilan
Posted: 03/18/2010
Predicting and managing control valve noise has long been an important consideration in gas and steam applications, with the dual goals of protecting workers from potential auditory damage and preventing excessive vibration that could destroy equipment and piping, possibly leading to a catastrophic failure.

At first glance, it may seem that a logical way to achieve these goals would be to limit valve trim exit velocity head to a maximum of 480 kilopascals (kPa), and this indeed is how some have addressed the issue. In practical application, however, it is an oversimplified approach that, in many cases, will not produce the desired results. First, it typically requires the use of expensive multi-stage or multi-turn trim designs, which can cost up to 30 percent more than a simpler solution. More importantly, it also can create a false sense of safety.

This article will explain why the focus should instead be on keeping the valve outlet Mach number low. Practical examples will be used to illustrate that:
- Even if the trim exit velocity head is kept below 480 kPa, valve noise can be unacceptably high if the valve outlet Mach number is high.
- Even if the trim exit velocity number is above 480 kPa, valve noise can be kept to acceptable levels - without using costly trim designs - if the valve outlet Mach number is kept low.

Making Permanent Savings Through Active Energy Efficiency
Author: Schneider Electric
Posted: 03/18/2010
This white paper argues strongly that meeting greenhouse gas emissions targets set within the Kyoto Protocol will fail unless Active Energy Efficiency becomes compulsory.

Active Energy Efficiency is defined as effecting permanent change through measurement, monitoring and control of energy usage. Passive energy efficiency is regarded as the installation of countermeasures against thermal losses, the use of low consumption equipment and so forth.

It is vital, but insufficient, to make use of energy saving equipment and devices such as low energy lighting. Without proper control, these measures often merely militate against energy losses rather than make a real reduction in energy consumed and in the way it is used.

Everything that consumes power - from direct electricity consumption through lighting, heating and most significantly electric motors, but also in HVAC control, boiler control and so forth - must be addressed actively if sustained gains are to be made. This includes changing the culture and mindsets of groups of individuals, resulting in behavioral shifts at work and at home, but clearly, this need is reduced by greater use of technical controls.

Personnel Functional Safety Certification: Not All Programs Are Created Equal
Author: Exida
Posted: 03/05/2010
As production runs ever closer to equipment and facility operating limits and new plants come on line in expanding and developing economies, the pressure to design and operate systems more safely and economically is increasing. A key to meeting this goal is having competent people who are knowledgeable and experienced in applying the IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 / ISA 84 functional safety standards. To develop and measure an individual's safety engineering competence, several personnel functional safety certification programs have been created. This paper will discuss why these programs are needed and the benefits they deliver to individuals and companies alike. It will also review the characteristics and differences of the various certification programs on the market today, things to watch out for, and some important questions to ask when selecting a certification program.

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