Crazy, Simple Search Terms Get Results

Jim Montague is the Executive Editor at Control, Control Design and Industrial Networking magazines. Jim has spent the last 13 years as an editor and brings a wealth of automation and controls knowledge to the position. For the past eight years, Jim worked at Reed Business Information as News Editor for Control Engineering magazine. Jim has a BA in English from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and lives in Skokie, Illinois.Just as on most useful websites, there's a mountain of helpful information at www.controlglobal.com. However, the problem is always how to find the most applicable and helpful nuggets in that swelling haystack. Of course, there are many tools, such as "-" or "+" for adding or removing words from searches, "*" as a placeholder for unknown terms, or "OR" to allow either of several words. And, as I've mentioned before, two or three well-chosen, unusual words can pare down results and help find what you need.

Thinking of just the right name, phrase, standard number, software type or voltage level can be a challenge, but it can be worthwhile. For instance, my search for "sustainability flow" turned up a link to a case study about how U.K.-based Sellafield Ltd. is using Beamex's calibrators to better manage nuclear sites. Read it at Beamex Case Story: Sellafield.

Likewise, a search for "simulation pressure" resulted in "Going Green with Fuel Use Optimization" by Luther Kemp, of Minnesota Power in Duluth, Minn., who wrote about how model-predictive control optimizes boiler operation and cuts required manual operator intervention while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Meanwhile, checking for "security temperature" revealed "Risky Business—How to Optimize a Hydrocarbon Processing Plant" by Pierre Latour, president of Clifftent Inc., who wrote about determining the best trade-offs when managing a refinery application.

Also, entering "safety level" turned up a whitepaper, "Ultrasonic System Measures the Level of PVC Resin and Reclaim" by Siemens Industry, which detailed how Georgia Pipe evaluated and implemented Siemens Sitrans LU10 ultrasonic level systems and Echomax XPS-30 transducer to precisely monitor material level in its silos, improve process reliability, and better plan resin purchases.

Finally, "skid motor" produced the two-part "Fieldbus in Biopharma Applications" by William Dolan, PE, of Genzyme Corp., who reported on installing a multiple-fieldbus control system at a pharma processing facility and discussed its implications for handling an entire manufacturing suite. It's available at www.controlglobal.com/articles/2006/136.html. Now you try.