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Measure
- Calibration|
  Product roundup: Calibrator capabilities accumulate
  
  Combined functions, networking, documentation let users easily achieve calibration benefits
  
  IS CALIBRATOR WITH COMMUNICATORMC6-Ex is an accurate, intrinsically safe (IS), documenting, multifunction field calibrator and communicator that calibrates pressure, temperature and electrical signals, and contains a field communicator for HART, Foundation fieldbus and Profibus PA instruments. It's an easy-to-use, IEC- and ATEX-certified calibrator that can be deployed in any Ex Zone/Division, even in the most demanding Zone 0/Division 1. MC6-Ex also communicates with Beamex calibration software, enabling automated, paperless calibration.Beamix Inc.770-951-1927EXPANDED TEMPERATURE RANGEJofra reference temperature calibrator (RTC) 187 provides temperature measurement from -45 °C to 180 °C, which is an increase of 25° C over its previous…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  The expert inside, part 1—level
  
  Process, power and plant controls join forces to achieve performance gains
  
  Resource guide: calibration education
  
  Fluke’s faster, easier pressure calibrator
- Flow|
  Prevent pressure transmitter problems
  
  Installation details make the difference in DP flow and level applications
  
  Greg: Measurements are our only window into what a process is doing, plus, you can’t control something if you’re not measuring it. There have been great advancements in measurement technology. Smart transmitters have increased accuracy an order of magnitude or more, and drift is so slow that calibration intervals can be significantly extended. However, a measurement is only as good as its installation. Not enough knowledge is published or presented on how to make sure the installation doesn’t limit performance or create maintenance and reliability issues. Here, Hunter Vegas and I (cofounders of the ISA Mentor Program) offer what we think is important. The newest resource to our ISA Mentor Program, Daniel Warren, has stepped up to…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Why and how to use ultrasonic flowmeters for flare flow metering
  
  How to meet the wireless flow measurement power challenge
  
  Custody transfer flow measurement: Why can a DP flowmeter be used for gas but not liquid?
  
  Process control as inventory control
- Level|
  Process control as inventory control
  
  This concept eases troubleshooting, CV-MV pairing, developing models and more
  
  Often, chemical process control is fundamentally inventory control. Understanding the cause-and-effect of the inventory is key to understanding the process, troubleshooting, choosing appropriate controlled variable-measured variable (CV-MV) pairing, designing cascade or ratio structures, specifying safety overrides and developing models (either first-principles or empirical).Usually, we don’t measure the inventory. We measure the response to it. Unfortunately, an initial focus on the response often distracts the person from seeing the fundamentals. Recognize the fundamental mechanism. Here are several examples.Inventory of gas molecules results in pressure:A standard air compressor can be an example. The inventory relation of number of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Product roundup: Multitalented level measurement devices
  
  Is it wise or dangerous to back up differential pressure with nuclear instrumentation?
  
  Virtual sensors validate vital data
  
  Sometimes a level instrument is only as smart as the guy doing the calibration
- Pressure|
  Digital technology redefines scope of pressure measurement applications
  
  Emerson's Rosemount continues to embrace digital technology to deliver reliability, accuracy
  
  The first applications of any new technology often do little to capitalize on its potentially transformative capabilities. Rather, new technology is first used to replicate its predecessor’s functionality—only afterwards do new possibilities begin to emerge. Such was the case with the earliest analog electronic pressure transmitters. An analog milliamp or low voltage circuit replaced the pneumatic signal, but the force-balance sensor mechanism of the previous generation pneumatic transmitter remained—complete with its drift-prone and maintenance-intensive moving parts.Only when the entire sensor and communications package was re-imagined from the ground up in 1969 did Rosemount Engineering Co. have the complete package of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Mechanical innovation opens pressure measurement horizons
  
  Emerson marks 50 years of pressure instrumentation innovation
  
  Process control as inventory control
  
  Pepperl+Fuchs debuts Bebco 7500 purge, pressurization system
- Temperature|
  Watlow introduces new heater catalog
  
  Heater catalog can be downloaded from www.watlow.com
  
  Watlow introduced its new heater product catalog titled, “Heating Solutions; Thermal Systems for Every Application.”The new product guide now has a sleek and modern cover design and a cleaner look on the inside, making it easier to navigate and locate the electric heater products needed for a variety of thermal applications.Watlow also recently introduced its new SELECT program that helps customers quickly identify, configure and purchase some of Watlow’s most popular electric heater, temperature sensor, temperature controller and power controller products. Heater products that are available through Watlow SELECT are marked with the SELECT logo, which makes them easy to locate and configure.“We are excited to introduce our newest…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Watlow introduces SELECT for heater, sensor and controller products
  
  Process control as inventory control
  
  2017 State of Technology: temperature and pressure measurement
  
  E+H unveils new Midwest temperature, analyzer plants
- 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|
  Process control as inventory control
  
  This concept eases troubleshooting, CV-MV pairing, developing models and more
  
  Often, chemical process control is fundamentally inventory control. Understanding the cause-and-effect of the inventory is key to understanding the process, troubleshooting, choosing appropriate controlled variable-measured variable (CV-MV) pairing, designing cascade or ratio structures, specifying safety overrides and developing models (either first-principles or empirical).Usually, we don’t measure the inventory. We measure the response to it. Unfortunately, an initial focus on the response often distracts the person from seeing the fundamentals. Recognize the fundamental mechanism. Here are several examples.Inventory of gas molecules results in pressure:A standard air compressor can be an example. The inventory relation of number of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource guide: Weighing systems
  
  Pressurization affects hopper weight
  
  Resource Guide: Weighing systems tip usefulness scale
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
- Analyzers
  Improve efficiency by combining wireless and analytics
  
  Pairing the technologies eases evaluation of process units with little or no wired instrumentation
  
  Plant managers always are looking for ways to improve operational performance or reduce costs. This effort involves many elements; much hinges on the condition and performance of process equipment. Getting a handle on relevant metrics requires effective instrumentation and data analytics — which often can pose challenges due to a lack of measurement points and the complexity of data analysis software.Wireless instruments can provide a more cost-effective and easy-to-install solution to provide efficient data streams. Of course, you must always balance the cost of WirelessHART instruments and the possible downtime from installing them against expected benefits. Presuming you can justify installing WirelessHART instruments, you certainly…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Water-in-oil analysis uses controlled vortices
  
  High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.
  
  Gas safety for semiconductor fabs
  
  E+H unveils new Midwest temperature, analyzer plants
Control
- Loop Control|
  How to meet the wireless flow measurement power challenge
  
  Monitoring versus controlling has a significant impact on system design
  
  Flow measurement techniques continue to grow and evolve with new methods such as multipath ultrasonic, magnetic and Coriolis increasing at the expense of more traditional technologies such as orifice, weir and other differential pressure (DP)-based techniques. The increased use of these new technologies is partly a result of the increased capability of microprocessors and sensors to enable measurements not possible without enhancements in these areas. Another reason for their adoption is that, in most cases, they also provide higher accuracy and rangeability than DP technologies. But most of these flow measurement techniques tend to require more energy than DP flowmeters, and hence aren't well suited for deployment as wireless devices.A…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Controlling steam: What you don't know can hurt you
  
  Achieving the best APC
  
  HART PSK achieves practicality
  
  Understanding P, I and D
- Distributed Control|
  New NovaTech controller helps control systems modernize, provides next-generation features
  
  D3v16 delivered with the new PCM5 process controller
  
  What's the best way to upgrade distributed control system software? Give it a new controller to run on. Obvious, really. However, this is still a rare event, sort of like two holes-in-one in a single round of golf or winning two prizes in one raffle.Still, that's exactly what NovaTech has pulled off with the July launch of its D/3 distributed control software, Version 16 (D3v16), which adds high-value, standardized features its users have sought to give them a competitive advantage. Not stopping at one major release, the company is multiplying D3v16's impact by delivering it with the new Process Control Module 5 (PCM5) process controller with embedded cybersecurity, full system virtualization down to the controller, and many ease-of-use…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Reader feedback: April 2018
  
  Schneider Electric details DCS at Foxboro event
  
  Virtual plant virtuosity
  
  2017 State of Technology: control systems
- 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|
  AI’s impact will depend on how we control it
  
  We need to get a grip on AI while there’s still time
  
  We control the planet, not because humans are the strongest, fastest or biggest creatures, but because—as of yet—we’re the smartest of all God's creations. The totality of our mental processes allowed us to best adapt to our environment. This was the case since the end of the last ice age, but it is ending because of our own activity. This ending does not endanger nature, but could endanger us. This new chapter in our evolution was opened by automation, which delegated some of our muscle and brain functions to machines.Human or "normal intelligence" is the totality of all mental process to acquire and apply knowledge. When we delegate some of that intelligence to machines, they acquire artificial intelligence (AI). In the very…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  2017 State of Technology: control systems
  
  An ‘entitlement’ approach to continuous process control improvement
  
  Expanding advanced process control to secondary units
  
  Boilers as fast as fast can be
- Industrial Computers
  HMIs on tablets, smart phones need to comply with intrinsic safety standards
  
  How to keep devices safe in hazardous areas
  
  Going out in bad weather? You may need a sweater or coat. Working in a harsh or hazardous environment? You and your co-workers will need the right protective and safety gear. The same goes for tools and accessories, especially all the human-machine…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  2017 State of Technology: HMIs and industrial PCs
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Working with IoT is not as easy as it sounds
  
  Avoiding the Internet of spam still requires human intelligence
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|
  Digital positioners facilitate tuning
  
  When they can be applied, digital positioners offer the opportunity to examine and optimize the “innermost” control loop
  
  The level simply wouldn’t stop cycling. Maintaining a reasonably stable level in the small vaporizer—to feed a gaseous hydrocarbon feed to a catalytic reactor—was crucial to reliable operation, as liquid carryover to the reactor would cause a shutdown. But no matter how much the tuning constants were increased or decreased, the cycling wouldn’t stop.Loop tuning practices vary widely, from making the best of default values that haven’t changed since commissioning, to highly sophisticated, online model-based adaptive control. Despite its potential to reduce variability, increase operator confidence, and maximize rates and profitability, tuning control loops can be painfully random, sometimes relegated to individuals whose training…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Product roundup: Valve technologies
  
  How to sequence valves to smooth the transition from small to large
  
  How to eliminate uncertainty, risk when performing partial stroke tests
  
  Ethanol plant learns why pipe cracks
- 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|
  How to design effective HMIs
  
  Designing the best HMI requires the right knowledge
  
  Industrial human-machine interface (HMI) has been a lively topic of discussion and development for decades. The Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) style started in the 1990s with the ASM Consortium. ASM style evolved, and the best-practice HMI gained a series of names, including different spellings of “high“ performance, etc. Many names were trademarked by different parties, including ASM style.The ANSI/ISA-101.01, Human Machine Interfaces for Process Automation Systems standard was published in 2015. Its most significant contributions were the introduction of a lifecycle to manage the entire HMI, and a common set of terms and definitions for HMI components.As standards and guidelines developed, technology evolved and open systems…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Leeway on the learning curve
  
  HMIs on tablets, smart phones need to comply with intrinsic safety standards
  
  Interfaces lighten the load
  
  SCADA reflects and reinvents
- Operator Interface|
  Knowledge on demand - Part 2
  
  Tapping into better, faster, more useful process information—for wiser decisions—can be easier than you think.
  
  Putting fingertips to workOf course, once quicker access to data is gained and better decisions are possible, some users are also confronted with unexpected capabilities and new roles based on that enhanced information and perspective. For…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Reader feedback: May 2018
  
  OI package empowers operations
  
  Interfaces lighten the load
  
  Advice on implementing ANSI/ISA standards for operator interfaces
- Alarm Management|
  Resource guide: Alarms
  
  Control's monthly guide brings you invaluable industry information to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.
  
  Practical approach, benefitsThis online article, "Improve alarm management," by G.C. Shah of the Wood Group in Chemical Processing, covers how the main standards—ISA-18.2 (IEC 62682) and EEMUA-191, API RP 1167—provide guidelines for implementing an effective AM system by considering the alarm lifecycle. It also describes gap analysis and alarm system development. Read the article here. Chemical ProcessingCompare EEMUA 191, ISA-18.2The 23-page whitepaper, "Alarm management standards—are you taking them seriously?" from Honeywell, demystifies alarm standards and guidelines. It compares EEMUA publication 191, "Alarm systems—a guide to design, management and procurement” with ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009, "Management of alarm systems for the…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Risk management offers an expanding menu of opportunities for ROI
  
  Why automation has limitations in emergency situations
  
  Control 2017 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  How to reduce alarm chatter
- 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
  How to identify and process data for usable, actionable information
  
  Build essential capabilities into projects from the start
  
  As the number of intelligent devices able to communicate digitally continues to increase, which is a precursor and requirement of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), one of the challenges is managing all the resulting data. Managing the data and associated flows, being sure it's captured and sent to the right place, is only one part of the challenge. Identifying and processing the data, so it becomes usable information on which actions can be taken, is why it's collected in the first place.For reference, the ISO definition of data is “sampled measurements of a physical quantity” (ISO 2041:2009). ISO defines information as “facts, concepts or instructions” (ISO/TS 13399-4:2014) or, per ISO-9000:2015, meaningful data.Without a…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Application gateways enable collection of edge data
  
  We all can be data analysts
  
  Knowledge on demand - Part 2
  
  Knowledge on demand - Part 1
Network
- Intrinsic Safety|
  Where wireless meets intrinsic safety
  
  How to deal with the constraints of putting access points in hazardous areas
  
  In an ideal world, it wouldn’t be necessary to worry about explosive atmospheres. Unfortunately, plant environments are far from ideal, with most process plants being about 80% Class I, Div. 2 (Zone 2) and another 10% Class I Div. 1 (Zone 1), so some protection is the norm. This is one constraint faced by network designers.If we could install all the required wireless network access points in unclassified areas, things would continue to be easy. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and we need to place access points anywhere they’re required—unless, of course, we wish to spend significant effort with corresponding impact to system complexity by forcing the design to fit the area classifications. This is constraint two.Consistent…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  HMIs on tablets, smart phones need to comply with intrinsic safety standards
  
  Resource guide: Sure-fire intrinsic safety
  
  Intrinsic safety gives an inch
  
  Ask the experts: Level switch safety; level for flow
- Fieldbus|
  5 fieldbus pitfalls to avoid
  
  Our next group of common fieldbus errors center around diagnostics and alerts.
  
  The operations team had asked about a loop that appeared to be unstable, but by engaging the DCS autotune function, the systems engineer discovered issues maintaining a connection to the PID block. Drilling down into the DCS diagnostics application, she noticed that the controller’s backup (standby) redundant partner was unavailable. It was alive, but cycling through successive unresolved downloads, never returning to a healthy state and confirming its availability as a hot backup. Had it not been for the loop troubleshooting, this condition might have gone unnoticed until the primary failed and no partner was available. That would not have been a good day. But the redundancy trouble indication was masked by standing “bad quality”…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  15 ways to fail at fieldbus - Part 1
  
  Task force to release new Power over Ethernet wiring standard
  
  Reader feedback: May 2018
  
  Distributing I/O
- Wireless|
  Where wireless meets intrinsic safety
  
  How to deal with the constraints of putting access points in hazardous areas
  
  In an ideal world, it wouldn’t be necessary to worry about explosive atmospheres. Unfortunately, plant environments are far from ideal, with most process plants being about 80% Class I, Div. 2 (Zone 2) and another 10% Class I Div. 1 (Zone 1), so some protection is the norm. This is one constraint faced by network designers.If we could install all the required wireless network access points in unclassified areas, things would continue to be easy. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and we need to place access points anywhere they’re required—unless, of course, we wish to spend significant effort with corresponding impact to system complexity by forcing the design to fit the area classifications. This is constraint two.Consistent…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Improve efficiency by combining wireless and analytics
  
  How to meet the wireless flow measurement power challenge
  
  Task force to release new Power over Ethernet wiring standard
  
  SMC's EX600-W wireless system combines speed, security
- Industrial Ethernet|
  Slip rings use CC-Link IE for gigabit data transfer
  
  Conductix-Wampfler has chosen CC-Link IE open gigabit Ethernet to provide a high performance connection solution for its range of slip rings
  
  Conductix-Wampfler has chosen CC-Link IE open gigabit Ethernet to provide a high performance connection solution for its range of slip rings. Traditionally used to provide continuous power and data communication to equipment mounted on a rotating assembly, the slip rings have been developed to help new and existing machinery enter the Industry 4.0 era with high-speed data connectivity.Conductix-Wampfler is a world leader in the design and manufacture of power, signal and data transmission systems for a wide range of mobile equipment and machinery. Key industrial applications include container handling, tunnelling, mining, bulk material handling and process machinery. Typical machines include cranes, rotating arms and gantries,…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Task force to release new Power over Ethernet wiring standard
  
  Knowledge on demand - Part 2
  
  The Mechanics' Institute shows how to meet today's digitalization challenges
  
  Distributing I/O
- I/O Systems|
  Phoenix Contact introduces new VIP-ER system
  
  Marshalling system supports configurable I/O
  
  The introduction of configurable I/O has given users a new world of opportunity and advantages. With this evolution though, there remain traditional requirements and challenges like safely marshalling signals, converting voltages and simplifying loop checks.“The Honeywell Universal I/O solution is fantastic because it’s software- rather than hardware-based, so people who want to can keep their marshalling,” says Michael Hardman, product specialist, Phoenix Contact. But traditional marshalling requires I/O-specific components for each point, such as relays, fuses and isolators, which traditionally must be individually wired."Phoenix Contact’s new VIP-ER system allows users to configure the wiring functionality for any type of…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource Guide: I/O, terminal blocks
  
  How do we deal with the brittle?
  
  Distributing I/O
  
  HMIs on tablets, smart phones need to comply with intrinsic safety standards
- Mobility|
  Mobile process automation monitoring and control evolves
  
  Mobile monitoring, automation and control means freedom and flexibility, but it also unlocks imagination and innovation.
  
  The famous Mark Twain quote is, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." In the same way, mobile process control lets users get closer to their pipelines, tanks and equipment, but it also frees them to understand and optimize…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Resource guide: Drones and UAVs
  
  Knowledge on demand - Part 1
  
  App Platform aims to ‘drive the 33s’
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
- 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|
  Honeywell assists users with Connected Plant efforts
  
  Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), Honeywell UOP and other divisions report they've been implementing their firm's Connected Plant program in projects worldwide
  
  In a recent flurry of activity, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), Honeywell UOP and other divisions report they've been implementing their firm's Connected Plant program in projects worldwide.The company reported May 30 that OMV Petrom S.A. will use Connected Plant to provide prescriptive monitoring of its CCR Platforming unit at its Petrobrazi refinery in Ploiesti, Romania. Platforming upgrades low-value naphtha into high-octane gasoline and aromatics. OMV will use Honeywell's Process Insight Reliability Advisor software to feed plant data through Honeywell UOP process and fault models, and deliver proactive information and recommendations.Likewise, Shandong Tianhong Chemical Co. Ltd. reported May 29 that it's selected Honeywell UOP's…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  CSIA to release Best Practices and Benchmarks Manual version 5.0
  
  Reduce cutover concerns
  
  Software speeds water plant project
  
  Intelligent device management
- Asset Management|
  Controlling steam: What you don't know can hurt you
  
  Why are steam systems so pervasive?
  
  Greg: Steam is the most common method of providing heat to a process. We are fortunate to have Steve Huffman, vice president of marketing and business development for Mead O’Brien, Inc., to give us inside knowledge inside steam systems. Steve has been providing incredible support for the automation profession. He was ISA president in 2007, Chairman of the Automation Federation in 2007 and 2008, and is currently chairman of Government Relations for the Automation Federation. I have been working with Steve in the review and expansion of the Automation Competency Model (ACM). Steve, why are steam systems so pervasive?Steve: Steam systems are the most efficient means of heat transfer in industry with more heat content per unit volume, higher…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Column about nothing
  
  Reduce cutover concerns
  
  Smart Industry & Safety Instrumented Systems
  
  Top 10 IIoT asset-maintenance trends
- Batch Management|
  Honeywell launches batch solution
  
  Experion Batch increases productivity for batch operations
  
  Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) introduced a control technology solution, Experion Batch, which increases productivity for batch operations and speed-to-market of batch products by allowing operators to “look ahead” into their processes and see an intuitive and comprehensive timeline of every task required to complete a product batch. Experion Batch uses patent-pending visualization technology to provide batch automation processes with the benefits of distributed control capability. This approach provides operators with insights into upcoming events or potential delays, which make it easier for them to conduct multiple tasks, take appropriate actions sooner and adjust next steps accordingly.
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Sometimes operators sense changes missed by managers and engineers
  
  Resource guide: Mixing up a batch—maybe even golden
  
  Getting away from batch opens opportunities for quality and throughput
  
  Procedural automation everywhere
- Optimization
  AI’s impact will depend on how we control it
  
  We need to get a grip on AI while there’s still time
  
  We control the planet, not because humans are the strongest, fastest or biggest creatures, but because—as of yet—we’re the smartest of all God's creations. The totality of our mental processes allowed us to best adapt to our environment. This was the case since the end of the last ice age, but it is ending because of our own activity. This ending does not endanger nature, but could endanger us. This new chapter in our evolution was opened by automation, which delegated some of our muscle and brain functions to machines.Human or "normal intelligence" is the totality of all mental process to acquire and apply knowledge. When we delegate some of that intelligence to machines, they acquire artificial intelligence (AI). In the very…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  High-pressure mass spectometers offer robust, real-time, in-situ analysis.
  
  Column about nothing
  
  Reduce cutover concerns
  
  Adaptive and intuitively simple optimization
Protect
- Safety Instrumented Systems|
  Is your SIS getting the job done?
  
  Grandfathered systems now require a formal determination of adequacy
  
  ISA accepted the 2nd edition of IEC 61511, “Functional Safety — Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industry Sector,” as the replacement for the current U.S. national standard, ANSI/ISA 84.00.01-2004. Unlike the previous edition, the latest U.S. and international versions don’t differ at all. However, the “grandfather clause" now appears in clause 5, serving as a reminder that leaving an SIS “as is” demands a formal determination that it is achieving functional and safety integrity requirements, which must be determined by an assessment of the design, maintenance, inspection, testing and operating records for the installed system.Our sister website Chemical Processing examines some IEC 61511 requirements that…
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  Recent
  
  SIS: How testing impacts reliability
  
  Gas safety for semiconductor fabs
  
  Secure the SIS
  
  The ruggedness of ancient instruments is both a blessing and a curse
- Cybersecurity|
  ISA, The Open Group cooperate on development of control architecture
  
  Interoperability and cybersecurity goals drive partnership
  
  The International Society of Automation and The Open Group have agreed to a liaison Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate cooperation in advancing and harmonizing the development of a multivendor, interoperable, secure control architecture for application across the process industries. Activities will include sharing of best practices, document review and joint forums.The Open Group is an industry consortium of more than 625 companies and organizations that develops open, vendor-neutral technology standards and certifications. The new liaison agreement specifically pertains to The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF), which is focused on developing a standards-based, open, secure, interoperable process control…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Consider managed services to fill cybersecurity gaps
  
  Why GDPR spurred compliance
  
  Successful cybersecurity depends on up-to-date intelligence
  
  Exploring security awareness levels, new guidance, and unique vulnerabilities for industrial plants
- Physical Security|
  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…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Chemistry: What you don’t know can hurt you
  
  2016 Readers' Choice Awards
  
  Genpak plant roof collapses as staff evacuate building
  
  How to secure your industrial networks
- Enclosures
  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…
  Full Story
  
  Recent
  
  Product roundup: Enclosures, workstations protect and serve
  
  Resources: workstations and enclosures
  
  Enclosures are more than a box
  
  2017 State of Technology: Workstations and enclosures

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