Voices: Hebert
Piercing thick flow problems
From mud slurries to butter, tough measurement problems often call for clever solutions.
Oct 20, 2016
Difficult flow measurement problems require innovative solutions, ranging from using existing flowmeters in a unique way to developing entirely new technologies because current instruments can’t handle the application. In this article, we’ll look at several creative solutions to flow measurement issues.
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Aug 1, 2007The benefits of installing smart metering systems in the plight of utilities are clear, but implementation is complex.Mission Control
Jul 15, 2007Custom-built command-and-control centers are an expensive option, but they provide concrete benefits.Fieldbus in hazardous areas
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Apr 6, 2007Field calibration is faster and more accurate with digital calibrators and a CMS, but theres a catch. Senior Tech Editor Dan Hebert, PE, reports on the state of the art in calibration systems for the operator.Data access from everywhere
Mar 8, 2007Limitations have kept mobile data access on the tradeshow floor and out of most process plants, but things are changing for the better because of a number of hardware and software tools that are making it practical.Digital fieldbus networks
Feb 1, 2007It's not so easy to deploy digital fieldbus networks in existing process plants. Working to upgrade from discrete and analog connections to digital fieldbus networks presents a host of options and challenges.Alarm management improves plant operations
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Dec 14, 2006While basic plant-floor automation is no longer a mystery, advanced control often is, making techniques for solving difficult process control problems of high interest to end users and service providers.Analyzers not ready for prime time
Nov 2, 2006It is easy to see why the analyzer market doesnt work for end users, but it is harder to find a solution. Clues can be found, however, in one small part of the analyzer market that is improving rapidly.User-friendly advanced control
Oct 26, 2006Senior Tech Editor Dan Hebert, PE, looks at the latest advances in simulation and modeling technologies for improved loop control, including new software packages and embedded APC systems.Welcome to the Bus Wars, Part Tres
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Nov 10, 2005Fuzzy logic can minimize false alerts without compromising detection and notification of actual events, but there is always a tradeoff between sensitivity and increasing likelihood of false notification.Into the mesh
Oct 19, 2005Senior Tech Editor Dan Hebert, PE, identifies the leading candidates for best system architecture supremacy in the wireless arena and believes software algorithms will be key for high bandwidth mesh networks.Fiber optic sensors on the horizon
Sep 27, 2005The spread of fiber optic sensor technology from the laboratory into everyday use has barely begun. It's slashed the cost of communications, and may be poised to do the same for sensing applications.Use RFID to improve your automation systems
Aug 22, 2005Senior Technical Editor Dan Hebert, PE, addresses RFID technology and explains how RFID systems are being lnked to process automation systems to deliver process improvements.Do you need a single-source middleware solution?
Jul 21, 2005As integrated middleware solutions vie with best-of-breed products, Senior Tech Editor Dan Hebert wonders if there will ever be a true integrated solution that covers the entire middleware space?Applied control theory moves out
Jun 20, 2005Industry group gets automation industry support from companies that believe the partnership between industry and academia is most beneficial when theory moves out of the classroom and into the plant.An alarming situation
Jun 5, 2005Alarm systems of one type or another always have been part of industrial machine, robot, and skid control systems, but CONTROL Senior Technical Editor Dan Hebert, PE, notes that there's more to alarm technology than meets the eye ... or ear for that matter.Make your automation processes better
May 20, 2005There is no lack of technologies available that can improve your automation systems. The trick is to find, evaluate, and implement them without spending an inordinate amount of time, or taking on too much risk.Process controllers don't do windows
Feb 22, 2005Embedded operating systems dominate the process control market, but this soon could change according to Senior Technical Editor Dan Hebert in his monthly Technically Speaking column for CONTROL.Technically speaking: Will standards mesh?
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May 14, 2003It Can Be Deduced From the Excitation Coil Current