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Measure
- Calibration|
  The expert inside, part 1—level
  
  Embedded intelligence in field instruments isn't new, but more and better knowledge is getting captured in more sophisticated, easier-to-use and better-networked devices.
  
  Maybe it's all those crystal-clear highballs and free-flowing beverages that make level measurement seem conceptually simple to uninformed observers. However, when they sober up and peer into pitch-black tanks and silos with internal structures, mixers and agitators that must handle viscous and volatile fluids, solids and slurries—not to mention the build-up, dust, vapor, foam and other conditions they generate—well, let's just say accurate level measurement in the real-world is a whole different ballgame. These challenges have been met by generations of inventive operators, process engineers, system integrators and suppliers, who have developed an array of innovative techniques for precisely determining the level and volume of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Process, power and plant controls join forces to achieve performance gains
  
  Resource guide: calibration education
  
  Fluke’s faster, easier pressure calibrator
  
  Control 2017 Readers' Choice Awards
- Flow|
  Product roundup: fierce flow measurement, control
  
  The latest flow measurement, control and support solutions aren't shy about serving in difficult settings
  
  PLUG, PLAY, MONITOR, MEASURE Picomag electromagnetic flowmeter is an inline transmitter for measuring temperature and flow of conductive liquids in ½ in. to 2 in. pipe sizes. It measures flow up to 198 gpm with ±0.5% full scale accuracy and ±0.2% repeatability, and performs in temperatures from 14 to 158 °F (-10 to 70 °C) with ±4.5 °F accuracy. Picomag combines a sensor and transmitter in the same housing with a 1.4-in. TFT color display showing flow, totalizer and temperature readings, as well as warnings and alarm messages. Endress+Hauser CORIOLIS FOR DIFFICULT FLUIDS, GASES FMC5000 series Coriolis flowmeters handle mass flows of fluids and gases that can be corrosive or difficult to measure. They're rugged with no moving parts,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Video: Using magmeters in zero upstream, zero downstream applications
  
  Reader feedback: April 2018
  
  Vortex flowmeter calibration & rangeability
  
  Video: Measuring mass flow with the Coriolis Principle
- Level|
  Virtual sensors validate vital data
  
  You may already have instruments you can use to cross-check critical measurements.
  
  The level of hazardous waste in the tank was increasing steadily, but the truck to haul it away for processing wasn’t expected until after the long weekend. With demand for saleable product high, no one was inclined to cut production—but it…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Sometimes a level instrument is only as smart as the guy doing the calibration
  
  Smart engineers can get more than level from level instrumentation
  
  Merging old and new in level measurement
  
  The expert inside, part 1—level
- Pressure|
  Calculating medical flow measurement
  
  How can we measure flow to determine whether or not to install a stent?
  
  Q: It was brought to my attention that in your column you might also give advice on non-industrial measurement and control topics. I have a question relating to a medical flow measurement application that involves stents. A stent is a small mesh tube that is used to keep narrow or weak arteries open. The insertion of stents is a high-risk operation and many lives could be saved, if we accurately knew if the insertion of a stent is essential or not, so that we would install a stent only in cases where blood flow is below a minimum. If you or your colleagues have any advice or recommendation concerning this flow measurement, I and all cardiac specialists would appreciate your advice. Z. Friedmannsolarh2cell@aol.com A: In this context,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Expro unveils first proven electromagnetic transmission of reservoir pressure data to surface across an open-hole well section without casing
  
  Pressurization affects hopper weight
  
  Ask the experts: controlling fuel gas to a fired heater
  
  2017 State of Technology: temperature and pressure measurement
- Temperature|
  2017 State of Technology: temperature and pressure measurement
  
  The latest trends, technology and implementations are detailed in this new ebook from the editors of Control.
  
  The latest trends, technology and implementations are detailed in this new ebook from the editors of Control. Topics covered include: Taming temperature and pressure Secrets to good vessel temperature and pH control Living on the edge with surge…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  E+H unveils new Midwest temperature, analyzer plants
  
  Resource guide: Temperature and pressure don't stress
  
  26 things to not do in temperature, flow, valve, differential pressure and pH applications
  
  Control 2017 Readers' Choice Awards
- Vibration|
  Meggitt offers HART-enabled vibration sensors
  
  Meggitt's PCH420V vibration sensor has a programmable transmitter that allows vibration data to be accessed by HART enabled process controllers.
  
  Meggitt's PCH420V is the first HART®-enabled piezo-electric vibration sensor enabling continuous online monitoring of balance-of-plant assets with a digital connection to PLC or DCS systems for local analysis of multiple vibration bands. They are capable of installation in multi-drop configurations and reduce wiring requirements. HART functionality enables the user to specify vibration frequency bands, detector types and full-scale measurement ranges—effectively enabling field-configuration for specific monitoring requirements. PCH420 sensors are powered by the network for continuous coverage, unlike wireless solutions only offering snapshots of asset performance and employing batteries that require frequent replacement. Utilizing PCH…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Designing and testing networking devices for harsh environments
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Meggitt provides HART-enabled piezo-electric vibration sensors
  
  Level Field
- Weight|
  Pressurization affects hopper weight
  
  Why does our hopper weight appear to drop during pressurization?
  
  Q: We have weighing hoppers on three load cells (Figure 1). During charging, the vent valve is open and the pressure is atmospheric (zero). When filling is complete and the weight is registered, the vent valve is closed and we pressurize the hopper…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource Guide: Weighing systems tip usefulness scale
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Quickly Test Load Cell Systems
  
  The Care and Feeding of your Weigh Cells
- Analyzers
  High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.
  
  Atonarp recently introduced a molecular sensor (quadrupole mass spec) solution
  
  Industrial process control is facing one of its greatest challenges. Billions of dollars of pharmaceuticals and advanced process node semiconductor devices will be manufactured using processes where fast, accurate molecular analysis is critical to the quality of the end product. There's a pressing need for in-situ molecular analysis that delivers real-time results that are accurate, repeatable and quantitative from a small, rugged and easy-to-integrate solution. However, existing molecular analysis solutions such as residual gas analysis (RGA), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and optical solutions like near-infrared (NIR) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) have limitations that make them impractical solutions. Current…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Gas safety for semiconductor fabs
  
  E+H unveils new Midwest temperature, analyzer plants
  
  Resource guide: process analyzers seek the truth
  
  Connecting process analyzer systems
Control
- Loop Control|
  Understanding P, I and D
  
  The simple mathematics can be clarified with mechanical analogies and an example of level control.
  
  It is important to understand what the proportional, integral and derivative terms do within the PID controller. That understanding is essential to choose appropriate action, troubleshoot controllers, choose appropriate modifications, or set up…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The greatest source of process control knowledge
  
  Adaptive and intuitively simple optimization
  
  A streamlined approach to loop tuning
  
  Methods to assess whether a change warrants correction via controls
- Distributed Control|
  Reader feedback: April 2018
  
  Readers respond to February's Control Talk column and PID controller basics article
  
  Thank you for taking the time to address some of the main areas around some of the more traditional metering technologies (“The art of flowmeter selection”). It was interesting to read someone else's opinion on these common metering technologies, and I liked the “good, bad and ugly” simplification. I would add something to the differential pressure (DP) discussion in the bad/ugly category, and point out the possible errors in measurement accuracy caused by mechanical damage to the plates/wedge. Prejudiced as I may be, I felt that the area of ultrasonics could have done with a little more attention, especially as there are several varieties around the theme: high accuracy multi-beam inline meters for liquids and gases, clamp-on…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Schneider Electric details DCS at Foxboro event
  
  Virtual plant virtuosity
  
  2017 State of Technology: control systems
  
  How we can support a proliferation of smart devices
- PLCs & PACs|
  Bedrock Automation releases OSA Remote
  
  Compact controller unifies PLC, RTU and edge control, intrinsic cybersecurity, and universal I/O
  
  Just as all roads led to Rome, most if not all cornerstone functions of process control have been melding into more unified, multi-role devices. One of the leading expressions of this coalescence is Bedrock Automation's new Open Secure Automation (OSA) Remote high-performance controller, which combines PLC, RTU and edge control, universal I/O and intrinsic cybersecurity into a compact, rugged, standalone module that's ideal for remote monitoring and control. Two models will be available: OSA Remote R10 with 10 soft-selectable channels and OSA Remote R20 with 20 soft-selectable channels. OSA Remote also features free IEC 61131-3 engineering software, wide operating temperature range (-40 °C to 80 C°), all-metal enclosure, and pricing…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Product roundup: PLCs, PACs & PCs get connected
  
  The father of the PLC lives on in all the lives he touched—and will continue to touch
  
  Open system gives precise temperature control
  
  Product roundup: PLCs, PACs and PCs proliferate
- SCADA|
  SCADA reflects and reinvents
  
  The cloud, IIoT, virtualization and other forces are reshaping supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) into new forms and functions, but can they do it securely?
  
  If it had a face—and it sort of does—would you recognize supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) if you saw it on the street? Would SCADA even recognize itself in a mirror these days? Chance are, probably not. This is because all the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Benefits of upgrading to get more information may easily justify the cost
  
  HMIs are multiplying, diversifying, and gaining flexibility
  
  Yokogawa Corp., eSimulation Inc. form partnership
  
  Control 2017 Readers' Choice Awards
- Multivariable Control|
  2017 State of Technology: control systems
  
  The latest trends, technology and implementations are detailed in this new eBook from the editors of Control.
  
  The latest trends, technology and implementations are detailed in this new eBook from the editors of Control. Topics covered include: Pressure rising for open, secure systems Exploring the love/hate relationship with distributed control Making…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  An ‘entitlement’ approach to continuous process control improvement
  
  Expanding advanced process control to secondary units
  
  Boilers as fast as fast can be
  
  Continuous improvement of continuous processes
- Industrial Computers
  2017 State of Technology: HMIs and industrial PCs
  
  This State of Technology report brings together all of the latest and best articles on HMIs and industrial PCs,
  
  This State of Technology report brings together all of the latest and best articles on HMIs and industrial PCs, and covers the latest trends, articles, back-to-basics tutorials, application stories and product solutions. Process automation…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Working with IoT is not as easy as it sounds
  
  Avoiding the Internet of spam still requires human intelligence
  
  Online resources: PLCs and industrial computers
Manipulate
- Motors|
  Factoring life cycle variables helps make intelligent motor-drive purchases
  
  The largest potential for electric motor energy savings lies in system- and process-level optimization
  
  Early electric motors were operated at one speed, guided by available current and voltage and often drive belt and pulley systems that mechanically controlled system speed and power. As motors evolved, efficiency improved, mostly by changing output control from mechanical to electrical and eventually leading to the creation of modern adjustable speed drives (AC drives). Today, the largest potential for electric motor energy savings lies in system- and process-level optimization. Many different measures can be taken to improve the performance of processes and systems, but AC drives have the most important role to play. System-level optimization is possible thanks to several key elements in AC drive technology: Motor independence: Drives…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Motors, drives deliver force behind the scenes
  
  Resource guide: motors and drives turn on process industries
  
  How automation can best affect the ratio that defines energy efficiency
  
  Nord Drivesystems delivers biggest gearbox
- Valves|
  How to sequence valves to smooth the transition from small to large
  
  Who invented the Coriolis flowmeter?
  
  Q: I'm working at a wastewater treatment plant where we're using 50 weight-percent NaOH to neutralize the water in a mixing tank. To cover the rangeability requirement of the application, we're sequencing two control valves in parallel. I'd like to learn how we can reduce or eliminate the limit cycling that occurs near the point where the reagent requirement is under the minimum flow of the large valve, but under the maximum flow of the small valve. Harry CrowneyHrowney@aol.com A: Rangeability requirements are usually determined by the titration of a 50 ml or so wastewater sample in a laboratory, and the results are typically plotted as pH vs. milliliters of reagent used. To convert this information into gallons per minute (gpm) of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How to eliminate uncertainty, risk when performing partial stroke tests
  
  Ethanol plant learns why pipe cracks
  
  Common automation myths debunked
  
  26 things to not do in temperature, flow, valve, differential pressure and pH applications
- Actuators|
  Smart instruments deliver
  
  Tips and tricks to get valuable information out where it can so some good.
  
  John Rezabek recently discussed how to make more effective use of the infrastructure we likely already have installed, and in particular the investment in positioners (“Can things of yore deliver gold?”). Here are some suggestions on how easy it…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource Guide: valves, actuators and positioners
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Reader feedback: How large does an actuator have to be to handle actual process conditions?
  
  New Valve Actuators Address Both Ends of Torque Spectrum
- Drives
  Factoring life cycle variables helps make intelligent motor-drive purchases
  
  The largest potential for electric motor energy savings lies in system- and process-level optimization
  
  Early electric motors were operated at one speed, guided by available current and voltage and often drive belt and pulley systems that mechanically controlled system speed and power. As motors evolved, efficiency improved, mostly by changing output control from mechanical to electrical and eventually leading to the creation of modern adjustable speed drives (AC drives). Today, the largest potential for electric motor energy savings lies in system- and process-level optimization. Many different measures can be taken to improve the performance of processes and systems, but AC drives have the most important role to play. System-level optimization is possible thanks to several key elements in AC drive technology: Motor independence: Drives…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Motors, drives deliver force behind the scenes
  
  Resource guide: motors and drives turn on process industries
  
  How automation can best affect the ratio that defines energy efficiency
  
  Nord Drivesystems delivers biggest gearbox
Visualize
- HMI|
  Interfaces lighten the load
  
  Human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and operator workstations are simplifying, multitasking, and seeking "one pane of glass" as they multiply and go mobile.
  
  Traveling lighter means traveling faster, farther—and hopefully getting more done. That's seems to be the slimmed down, New Year's resolution for many operator interface and human-machine interface (HMI) technologies and their users, who appear to…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  SCADA reflects and reinvents
  
  2017 State of Technology: HMIs and industrial PCs
  
  Open system gives precise temperature control
  
  Defined, tailored, protected mobility
- Operator Interface|
  OI package empowers operations
  
  Easy configuration promotes better decisions under changing conditions.
  
  Process and equipment conditions change all the time, but the typical DCS operator interface (OI) display is painstakingly designed and scripted for one, predetermined set of operations. DeltaV Live by Emerson is engineered to break that paradigm by allowing users to easily change configurations with no scripting. “In the past, DeltaV and other DCSs used graphic packages that are not really designed for the application, and so required extensive use of global variables and scripts,” says Cindy Scott, DeltaV product marketing director. “They took a specialist team to design, and were hard for the user to change. We’re putting the power back into the users’ hands.” “DeltaV Live is a new kind of operator interface,” says…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Interfaces lighten the load
  
  Advice on implementing ANSI/ISA standards for operator interfaces
  
  Human factors engineering delivers ROI
  
  How to reduce alarm chatter
- Alarm Management|
  Risk management offers an expanding menu of opportunities for ROI
  
  Our process plants are not exempt from the forces of chaos, so when the caller ID indicates the plant, we might worry that it brings news of an unexpected trip or an injury to an employee or contractor.
  
  A few years ago, my insurance man asked me, “You’re an engineer, aren’t you?” I was indeed, I said, and he went on to explain that I was eligible for a rate reduction, I just needed to fax him documentation of the degree I’d earned decades…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Why automation has limitations in emergency situations
  
  Control 2017 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  How to reduce alarm chatter
  
  Prepare to rationalize and operate on alarms from the Internet of Things
- Recorders|
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Our readers tell us who they think delivers the best technology in our industry
  
  There's knowledge in our readers. That's why every year we ask our loyal audience to help us determine which automation service providers offer the best products and brands they can rely on to get the best combination of performance, ease of use,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  How Smart Can You Get? The Newest in Data Recorders
  
  Data Acquisition Must-Haves
  
  The Latest Data Acquisition Tools
  
  Data Acquisition and Logging Gets on Track
- Data Acquisition
  High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.
  
  Atonarp recently introduced a molecular sensor (quadrupole mass spec) solution
  
  Industrial process control is facing one of its greatest challenges. Billions of dollars of pharmaceuticals and advanced process node semiconductor devices will be manufactured using processes where fast, accurate molecular analysis is critical to the quality of the end product. There's a pressing need for in-situ molecular analysis that delivers real-time results that are accurate, repeatable and quantitative from a small, rugged and easy-to-integrate solution. However, existing molecular analysis solutions such as residual gas analysis (RGA), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and optical solutions like near-infrared (NIR) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) have limitations that make them impractical solutions. Current…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  FieldComm Group seeking nominations for 2018 Plant of the Year Award
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 1
  
  Smart instruments deliver
Network
- Intrinsic Safety|
  Resource guide: Sure-fire intrinsic safety
  
  This month's slate of articles, papers, videos and other resources come from ICEweb, Predig, IDC Technologies, Omega Engineering, Phoenix Contact, and others.
  
  Barriers and isolators The legendary ICEweb site's sub-section on "Intrinsic Safety, Barriers and Isolators" consists of a collection of links to other articles and resources. Topics include fundamentals, safe design and applications, IS…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Intrinsic safety gives an inch
  
  Ask the experts: Level switch safety; level for flow
  
  Where wireless meets intrinsic safety
  
  Pepperl+Fuchs breaks ground on $25M U.S. distribution center
- Fieldbus|
  Resource Guide: Fieldbus, Ethernet networks explained
  
  Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.
  
  BASICS OF THE BUSESA group of Wiki-style web pages presented by Kunbus covers the basic history, characteristics and applications of the major fieldbuses and Ethernet-based protocols and technologies, including Profibus, Profinet, Ethernet/IP, Foundation fieldbus, Modbus TCP, DeviceNet, CC-Link, CANopen, EtherCAT, Ethernet Powerlink, AS-i, BACnet and others. They're located here. Kunbus Industrial Communicationswww.kunbus.com FUNDAMENTALS VIDEOThis 40-minute video, "Industrial Network Fundamentals" by Eaton Videos, covers the basics, background and history of industrial communication networks, as well as their topologies and protocols. It's located here. EATONwww.eaton.com OVERVIEW OF ETHERNET(S)The 165-page, slide-based document,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Subject matter experts necessary to support digitalization
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 1
  
  Product roundup: PLCs, PACs & PCs get connected
- Wireless|
  FieldComm Group seeking nominations for 2018 Plant of the Year Award
  
  FieldComm Group is now actively seeking qualified nominees for the 2018 Plant of the Year Award. End users and manufacturers from all world areas are encouraged to nominate their plant or customer’s plant for the award. Nominations will be accepted until May 31, 2018. About the awardThe FieldComm Group Plant of the Year Award is the only international award presented to end user companies in the process automation industry to recognize exceptional application of FOUNDATION Fieldbus and/or HART Communication technologies. “Selection of the Plant of the Year is based on a plant’s use of our field communication and integration technologies — not on the size or location of the installation. We are seeking a plant that has taken the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The case for single-purpose systems
  
  Subject matter experts necessary to support digitalization
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2
  
  Wireless cornerstone supports digitalization
- Industrial Ethernet|
  Resource Guide: Fieldbus, Ethernet networks explained
  
  Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.
  
  BASICS OF THE BUSESA group of Wiki-style web pages presented by Kunbus covers the basic history, characteristics and applications of the major fieldbuses and Ethernet-based protocols and technologies, including Profibus, Profinet, Ethernet/IP, Foundation fieldbus, Modbus TCP, DeviceNet, CC-Link, CANopen, EtherCAT, Ethernet Powerlink, AS-i, BACnet and others. They're located here. Kunbus Industrial Communicationswww.kunbus.com FUNDAMENTALS VIDEOThis 40-minute video, "Industrial Network Fundamentals" by Eaton Videos, covers the basics, background and history of industrial communication networks, as well as their topologies and protocols. It's located here. EATONwww.eaton.com OVERVIEW OF ETHERNET(S)The 165-page, slide-based document,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 1
  
  Q&A with Red Lion on field-to-cloud networking
  
  Alternate paths from the field to cloud
- I/O Systems|
  Bedrock Automation releases OSA Remote
  
  Compact controller unifies PLC, RTU and edge control, intrinsic cybersecurity, and universal I/O
  
  Just as all roads led to Rome, most if not all cornerstone functions of process control have been melding into more unified, multi-role devices. One of the leading expressions of this coalescence is Bedrock Automation's new Open Secure Automation (OSA) Remote high-performance controller, which combines PLC, RTU and edge control, universal I/O and intrinsic cybersecurity into a compact, rugged, standalone module that's ideal for remote monitoring and control. Two models will be available: OSA Remote R10 with 10 soft-selectable channels and OSA Remote R20 with 20 soft-selectable channels. OSA Remote also features free IEC 61131-3 engineering software, wide operating temperature range (-40 °C to 80 C°), all-metal enclosure, and pricing…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2
  
  OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 1
  
  Product roundup: PLCs, PACs & PCs get connected
  
  Saudi Aramco handles increasing digitalization in the processing
- Mobility|
  App Platform aims to ‘drive the 33s’
  
  Be just 33 seconds more productive each hour, and the savings mount quickly.
  
  Rockwell Automation previewed its new, forward-looking App Platform for mobility at this week’s TechED conference in Orlando. While focused first on redefining smartphone use on the plant floor – with the aim of making individual workers more…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Opto 22 adds mobility to operator interfaces with groov Action Plan
  
  Mobile trends in industrial automation
  
  Smart Industry conference promises real-life approach to IIoT
- Power Supplies
  Power supplies: just another detail?
  
  Careful specification can prevent startup problems and maintenance headaches.
  
  As a chemical engineer by training, one aspect of automation that I had to pick up post-graduation was a basic understanding of electrical engineering. Although it wasn't a natural fit for me (my alma mater makes Chem Es take an electrical…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Energy efficiency tools
  
  Power control joins process control to aid energy efficiency
  
  2016 State of Technology Report: The latest trends in power systems
  
  Back to school time: All you need to know about power supply
Manage
- Systems Integration|
  Reduce Cutover Concerns
  
  Mitigate risks in migrating from dated control systems.
  
  The distributed control system (DCS) has been used since the mid 70s, while the programmable logic controller (PLC) is slightly older. Some early installations still use microprocessors that predate the original personal computers. The ARC Advisory Group, Dedham, Mass., estimates that more than $65 billion worth of DCS installations are approaching (and in many cases, exceeding) 20 years in service—and this doesn’t include other control platforms such as PLCs or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. So, industry faces an enormous challenge in replacing these computer-based systems. And, of course, doing so poses a substantial challenge in justifying the investment, managing the risk, and executing the project with…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Software speeds water plant project
  
  Intelligent device management
  
  Give clients what they need, not just what they say they want
  
  The case for zero-fault software systems
- Asset Management|
  Column about nothing
  
  When you go digital/virtual, many things vanish, even if they're still running.
  
  Most publications and even websites maintain a pretty tidy appearance with all the words fitting in nice, even columns, and articles coming to a conclusion just as they run out of space. This is a gross deception because every story has loads of worthy but unused material, and dozens if not hundred of loose ends that will likely never get followed up. Just as many stories never get covered or told, even the ones that do are incomplete snapshots. Readers can always pursue with their own research, of course, but I can't remember hearing about any that did. Still, it might be a good idea because, even though there's supposedly nothing new under the sun, what I find is really new is a deeper understanding of what was previously thought to be…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Reduce Cutover Concerns
  
  Smart Industry & Safety Instrumented Systems
  
  Top 10 IIoT asset-maintenance trends
  
  IIoT and asset management
- Batch Management|
  Sometimes operators sense changes missed by managers and engineers
  
  Engaging the operations team can help troubleshooting
  
  Dale’s plant had been dutifully manufacturing and shipping out tank wagons of useful chemicals, until one day a customer called to return a batch—it was off-spec for color, which was required to be water-white. That was unfortunate and garnered the attention of layers of management that usually left their little plant on the prairie in peace. When it began happening every 10th shipment or so, the small staff was perplexed. What had changed, or was changing, that caused seemingly random batches to fail their own and their customer’s expectations? Measurements in a small facility aren’t always abundant, and process history may not reveal much in deviations from the happy days of yore when customer complaints were near zero. In…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource guide: Mixing up a batch—maybe even golden
  
  Getting away from batch opens opportunities for quality and throughput
  
  Procedural automation everywhere
  
  Resource Guide: The best of batch control
- Optimization
  High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.
  
  Atonarp recently introduced a molecular sensor (quadrupole mass spec) solution
  
  Industrial process control is facing one of its greatest challenges. Billions of dollars of pharmaceuticals and advanced process node semiconductor devices will be manufactured using processes where fast, accurate molecular analysis is critical to the quality of the end product. There's a pressing need for in-situ molecular analysis that delivers real-time results that are accurate, repeatable and quantitative from a small, rugged and easy-to-integrate solution. However, existing molecular analysis solutions such as residual gas analysis (RGA), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and optical solutions like near-infrared (NIR) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) have limitations that make them impractical solutions. Current…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Column about nothing
  
  Reduce Cutover Concerns
  
  Adaptive and intuitively simple optimization
  
  Motivating, inspiring and directing automation professionals
Protect
- Safety Instrumented Systems|
  Gas safety for semiconductor fabs
  
  System integrator Hallam-ICS uses risk assessments, methodical attention to detail, process automation, IEC 61511-1 and other strategies to make sure its toxic gas monitoring systems (TGMS) are safe for its users.
  
  Microprocessors may look like tiny, fragile bits of plastic and metal—at least until they power up and run software. However, they and their many layers, circuits, substrates and coatings are born in processes using severely toxic gases and…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Secure the SIS
  
  The ruggedness of ancient instruments is both a blessing and a curse
  
  Building cybersecurity firewalls
  
  IEC 61511 second edition updates
- Cybersecurity|
  New ISA99 standard integrates security-by-design
  
  New standard specifies process requirements for the secure development of products used in an IACS
  
  The International Society of Automation reports that ISA/IEC 62443 standards, developed by its ISA99 committee as American National Standards and adopted globally by the International Electrotechnical Commission, provide a flexible framework to address and mitigate current and future security vulnerabilities in industrial automation and control systems (IACS). A newly published standard in the series, ISA/IEC 62443-4-1-2018, "Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems Part 4-1: Product Security Development Life-Cycle Requirements," specifies process requirements for the secure development of products used in an IACS. It defines a secure development lifecycle for developing and maintaining secure products. This lifecycle…
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  How to design functional enclosures to protect electronic devices
  
  It's easy to make small and costly mistakes when specifying and applying enclosures
  
  Every component of a control system, from sensors to cables to controllers, needs to be protected from its environment. The most common way of providing this protection is by placing the equipment in some form of enclosure. Sensors and associated electronics are typically packaged in a metal transmitter housing. Cables have insulation, of course, and in many cases, the additional protection of conduit or a cable tray. Controllers and other larger electronics or combinations of equipment are normally mounted in some form of cabinet. The most common form of enclosure is metal, typically painted steel with stainless steel closing mechanisms and a suitable gasket or sealing assembly to provide the necessary level of protection from ambient…
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  How to design functional enclosures to protect electronic devices
  
  It's easy to make small and costly mistakes when specifying and applying enclosures
  
  Every component of a control system, from sensors to cables to controllers, needs to be protected from its environment. The most common way of providing this protection is by placing the equipment in some form of enclosure. Sensors and associated electronics are typically packaged in a metal transmitter housing. Cables have insulation, of course, and in many cases, the additional protection of conduit or a cable tray. Controllers and other larger electronics or combinations of equipment are normally mounted in some form of cabinet. The most common form of enclosure is metal, typically painted steel with stainless steel closing mechanisms and a suitable gasket or sealing assembly to provide the necessary level of protection from ambient…
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  Enclosures are more than a box
  
  2017 State of Technology: Workstations and enclosures

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High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.

Atonarp recently introduced a molecular sensor (quadrupole mass spec) solution
OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 2

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., Lockheed Martin gain ground with complementary initiative
OPA Forum expands open, interoperable standard for process control device interfaces - Part 1

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., Lockheed Martin gain ground with complementary initiative
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Tips and tricks to get valuable information out where it can so some good.

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