Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
www.isa.org/intech
Intuitive Interface Controls
Adaptive Interface Wheel to enter values and navigate menus
Dedicated and Soft keys for instant feature access
One or Two Pressure Sensors
±0.025% of Reading from 10 to 100%,
±0.002% of FS below 10% of range.
Accuracy constant over -20º to +50º C range
New types and ranges
Integral mA / V Instrument
±(0.015% Reading +2 counts)
Accuracy constant over -20º to +50º C range
Measure ±55 VDC, ±100 mA DC
Source 0-24 VDC, 0-24 mA DC
Source 24 VDC with HART® resistor & measure mA
simultaneously
Multi-Channel Data Logging
SD Card and USB mini-B connector
In continuous production for nearly 25 years, the over the operating temperature
MeriCal™ digital pressure transmitter calibrator range. Values are easily selected
is one of the most successful instruments to ever using the interface wheel with left
serve the process industries. Meriam’s NEW and right arrow function keys.
M4 Series Handheld Precision Calibrator /
Data Logger builds on this reputation with an Data Logging is standard on all M4
impressive array of new features, functions and models. Select Data Logging from
improved accuracy specification! the Setup key menu and then enter
the desired Interval and Duration
The M400 includes one pressure sensor and one parameters using the keypad controls.
mA/V instrument. Choose from differential, For M400 single pressure sensor units,
gauge, compound or absolute pressure types and pressure, VDC and mA DC values are
ranges from 10” H2O (pending) to 3000 PSIG saved to the SD card at each interval.
full scale. Need two ranges for wider utility? No M402 dual pressure sensor units log
problem! The M402 can be configured with any both pressure values plus VDC and mA
two gauge, compound or absolute type sensors. DC values.
omega.com, of Course!
Your single source for process measurement and control products!
Shown larger
than actual size.
Wireless Transceiver
MADE IN MWTC-REC6-V1-915**
Thermocouple
$
SC-GG-K-30-36 49
USA
(Included with MWTC)
Visit omega.com/mwtc-rec6
For Complete Product Details
Shown smaller
than actual size.
Soon!
ka
nd
Find thousands of
Encyc edia
temperature
measurement and
control products in
lop
one place!
Shown smaller than actual size.
Visit omega.com
to reserve your New DP24-E
FREE copy of Panel Meter $
The Temperature
HandbookTM and
Visit omega.com/dp24-e
195
Encyclopedia
7th Edition For Complete Product Details
12 Pharmaceutical 7 Talk to Me
Sustainability challenge
automation 8 Letters
project Determining value, defending
management Detroit, and more
43 Government News
FaCtory automation speCial seCtion: Wireless & ethernet Civilian nuclear plants in Israel, boost-
ing food safety in China, and more
18 Integrating the 34 Ethernet
bus empowers 44 Automation Basics
Focus on final control elements
By Ian Verhappen fieldbus
A control system is only as good By Craig McIntyre 46 Standards
as its infrastructure. Having the The evolution of ISA-18.2
right infrastructure enables bet- Now that fieldbus is becoming
ter control and higher return on widely used and accepted in process 47 Channel Chat
investment. plants, the next step for many will Re-engineer yourself
be an upgraded and Ethernet-
enabled fieldbus. Upgrading to Eth- 48 Workforce Development
system integration ernet improves fieldbus by providing Thriving by building a real-time
24 Opportunity for better performance at lower cost. enterprise, part 2
valve innovations speCial seCtion: Wireless & ethernet 51 Association News
By Hans D. Baumann Control Systems Engineer licensing
38 Industrial Ethernet and certification review
Despite economic downturn, op-
portunities are out there for con- all the rage
trol valve innovation. A modified
54 Products & Resources
By John Rinaldi
triple-eccentric butterfly valve is Spotlight on valves and actuators
one example of improving design. When designing an industrial Eth-
ernet network, consider options 55 Products & Resources
that make your network reliable. It New releases in the marketplace
automation it is designed to deal with harsh en-
28 Implementing MES vironments, data collisions, factory 58 The Final Say
noise, and factory process needs. Engineering automation
boosts profits
By Bianca Scholten resourCes
Intangible benefits
of upgrading control
technology Events calendar
Have you ever tried to justify upgrading old Find out about upcoming
control room equipment to a Distributed events in the industry.
Control System? Have you been challenged www.isa.org/intech/calendar
to justify an upgrade, strictly on the basis of
economic returns, in the face of maintaining
an obsolete system? If you answered “Yes,”
you are not alone. Read more at www.isa.
org/intech/201004web.
Breaking automation news Black and white and read all over
News is not a 9 to 5 occurrence; it breaks out all the White papers are a great way to learn technical detail
time. So if you want to be the first to know about behind some of the latest industry advancements.
what is happening across the industry, click here. www.isa.org/intech/whitepapers
www.isa.org/intech/news
story idea
automation industry newz Have an idea for a story? Pass it along to the InTech editors.
Deals, deals, deals: See what company is doing what. www.isa.org/intech/feedback
Also find out about promotions and new jobs.
www.isa.org/intech/industrynewz people in automation
Technology is great, but when it all comes down
products 4 u to it, the industry thrives because of the people
Companies are releasing new products all the time; working day in and day out. From movers and
find out the latest automation products hitting the shakers, to the real people behind the scenes,
plant floor. find out about the heroes in automation.
www.isa.org/intech/products www.isa.org/intech/people
© 2010 InTech ISSN 0192-303X Opinions expressed or implied are those of persons or contact ISA. Articles published before 1980 may be
organizations contributing the information and are not copied for a per-copy fee of $2.50.
InTech is published bimonthly by ISA.
to be construed as those of ISA Services Inc. or ISA.
Editorial and advertising offices are at 67 Alexander To order REPRINTS from InTech, contact Edward
Drive, P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, NC Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to InTech, 67 Kane at (866) 879-9144, ext. 131 or ekane@fostere-
27709; phone (919) 549-8411; fax (919) 549-8288, Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle prints.com.
e-mail info@isa.org. InTech and the ISA logo are Park, NC 27709. Periodicals postage paid at Durham
LIST RENTALS: For information, contact Kerry S.
registered trademarks of ISA. InTech is indexed in and at additional mailing office.
Fischette, (609) 580-2875, kerry.fischette@alc.com
Engineering Index Service and Applied Science &
Printed in the U.S.A.
Technology Index and is microfilmed by University InTech magazine incorporates Industrial Computing®
Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Publications mail agreement: No. 40012611. magazine.
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box
Subscriptions: To members in the U.S. and
503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, Ontario, InTech provides the most thought-provoking
Canada, $8.65 annually, nondeductible from dues;
L48 4RG and authoritative coverage of automation
to members outside North America, $10 annually,
nondeductible from dues. Other subscribers: $145 in For permission to make copies of articles technologies, applications, and strategies
North America; $205 outside North America. Multi- beyond that permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of to enhance automation professionals’ on-
year rates available on request. Single copy and back U.S. Copyright Law, contact Copyright Clearance the-job success. Published by the industry’s
issues: $15 + shipping. Center at www.copyright.com. For permission to copy leading organization, ISA, InTech addresses
articles in quantity or for use in other publications, the most critical issues facing the rapidly
changing automation industry.
Smart. Robust. Economical.
Magnetrol’s non-contact level transmitters combine
advanced features with a user-friendly price point.
R82 355
1-800-624-8765 • magnetrol.com
info@magnetrol.com
Perspectives from the Editor | talk to me
PublICAtIonS mAnAgEr
Susan Colwell
scolwell@isa.org
Sustainability is a concept I suggest should ral gas consumption 35%, and electricity Emily Blythe Kovac
ekovac@isa.org
be in our thinking. In ecology, the word sus- 25%. Commercially in 2009, these sav-
tainability describes how biological systems ings were $70 million dollars or about 2.5 Art dIrECtor
remain diverse and productive over time. margin points for Frito-Lay. In addition, Colleen Casper
ccasper@isa.org
For humans, it is the potential for long-term the company has gained recognition and
maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn de- awards that have marketing value. grAPHIC dESIgn SPECIAlISt
pends on the wellbeing of the natural world Frito-Lay’s Killingly, Conn., plant has run a Pam King
pking@isa.org
and the responsible use of natural resources. combined heat and power system since 19
Some business people think of sustainability March 2009 to get off the power grid. Power
as a threat from “tree huggers” and govern- is generated with a 6.4 megawatt gas pow-
ISA PrESIdEnt
ment that will drive down profits and stifle ered turbine and the 1,000 degree Fahrenheit Nelson Ninin
growth. A more reasoned and productive waste heat is used to make all the steam re-
view is to embrace the concept of sustain- quired for the plant. The system automati- PublICAtIonS VICE PrESIdEnt
ability to improve operations, lower costs, cally reduces greenhouse gases by 5% by Vitor Finkel
and improve the environment. Automation saving transmission losses, and nitrogen oxide EdItorIAl AdVISory boArd
systems are an important part of achieving emissions have been reduced by 60%. The Chairman
industrial production sustainability. system was funded in part with a more than Steve Valdez
A great example of a company that em- $1 million grant from the state of Connecticut GE Sensing
braces sustainability is PepsiCo with their through the Energy Independence Act. Joseph S. alford Ph.D., P.E., CaP
“Performance with Purpose” focus. Chair- The big projects get the headline, but Eli Lilly (retired)
man and Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi there are low cost projects that are low
Joao miguel Bassa
is clear about the goals: “Together we are risk and have impact. Haft described a Independent Consultant
all building on the platform of human, en- project using infrared scanners to look
vironmental, and talent sustainability while for heat losses from valves, steam leaks, Vitor S. Finkel, CaP
Finkel Engineers & Consultants
continuing to deliver great results.” Pepsi- bad steam traps, missing/bad insulation,
Co’s sustainability vision is based on the high and other energy wasters. Haft said this Guilherme rocha Lovisi
BAYER MaterialScience
level goal, “Leave No Trace.” The strategy is project was “relatively low tech but very
to conserve and preserve the earth’s natural high payback. Every point of efficiency at David W. Spitzer P.E.
assets, particularly water, energy, and land Frito-Lay is worth $1 million.” Spitzer and Boyes, LLC
use. PepsiCo has three strategic objectives: Success stories like this should be an James F. Tatera
n Perpetually reduce consumption of non- inspiration and call to action for thinking Tatera & Associates Inc.
renewable natural assets. creatively about what I can do to improve Victor G. Smith P.E.
n Step function change in consumer loy- the sustainability of processes. Automation Granite Services, Inc.
alty and customer intimacy. can be a big part of achieving sustainability
Gerald r. White P.E.
n Embed sustainability within the cultur- to increase efficiencies or implement new GRTW Inc.
al DNA of the company. functions. I suggest spending some time,
I had the opportunity to see a presenta- may be once a week, thinking about how michael Fedenyszen
R.G. Vanderweil Engineers, LLP
tion by David Haft, group vice president, to improve sustainability and writing your
Sustainability & Productivity for Frito-Lay, ideas down so they can incubate and then
a PepsiCo company. Haft is an engineer, form action plans. Collaborating with oth-
and he addressed engineers at the Inven- ers in your operation is also productive with
sys OpsManage09 Conference describing some opportunities requiring the coordina-
real-world examples of how sustainability tion of multiple disciplines. It is important
is in alignment with business results at to clearly state the goal and potential sav-
Frito-Lay. The results are impressive: After ings to justify doing these projects.
setting goals in 1999, by 2009, they have Please share any thoughts and success-
reduced water consumption 43%, natu- es at blydon@isa.org.
Determining value termine value in our situation? “Widgets” are harder to price based on
Jim Pinto’s pricing paradigm sounds like Maris Graube, Relcom performance and typically priced competitively.
a win-win situation for both seller and The question becomes what is a “wid-
buyer (Jan/Feb InTech). My question is: Response: get?” And what is a “system.” The key
How can “value” be determined? Performance-based pricing is typically for is to talk to the customer to find out why
We make widgets that become part of large systems (like DCS and SCADA sys- they’re buying, and what they expect. The
a process control system. The sale of our tems), which need major budgeting and attitude of “performance based” is itself a
products is through intermediaries. We planning. The buyers already have a break- welcomed idea for many customers.
seldom see where the products are actu- even analysis based on review bids. This is The key: Find what works for your com-
ally used. Besides situations where, for where performance-based pricing makes it pany. I wish you success.
example, IBM installs a system for a state’s easy—some of the price is based on future Jim Pinto
DMV and can charge for the number of performance, which of course must be joint-
customers processed, how would you de- ly evaluated based on the buyers objectives. Defending Detroit
I object to the notion that the Detroit au-
tomakers “...forced cars they produced
down the public’s throat.” I know that’s not
exactly what you said (September “Talk to
me”), but that’s the implication. The public
is going to buy what it wants to buy, neither
the government nor the automakers can or
should do anything about that. Detroit has
been slammed for making big SUVs and
trucks rather than the small cars “people
want.” It is interesting that Ford sells three
times as many F series trucks as it does
the economical Focus. It is interesting that
the small carmakers—Honda, Toyota, Nis-
V200 V100 san—have entered the big truck, big SUV,
big luxury car markets. If anyone wants to
D400 know what the public wants, just look at
what’s on the road, and don’t blame Detroit
The for making what people want to buy.
John Marshall
VAC PAC Value...
Our pollution footprint
Saving Regarding the InTech October 2009 “The
Final Say,” I agree the sun is the main source
YOU of the atmospheric heating of our planet;
however, I’ve been in the controls industry
Time and for over 40 years and have worked in most
industries, petro-chemical, steel, etc.
Money Even as a young guy, I realized that
dumping human generated waste into the
environment was bad (industrial or oth-
erwise). I worked at a plant in the U.K.,
which at the time dumped untreated hy-
drocarbon waste into the local river.
That the current drive to limit CO2 emissions
is driven by global warming fears, I for one
believe it is a good thing. We should be at all
times looking at what we can do to mitigate
our pollution footprint on our home planet.
With regard to Mars, if it is proven that
no life exists there, then by all means, use
it as a laboratory.
Derek Appleton, Industrial System Arts Inc.
T
he National Aeronautics and Space Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer to send and receive multiple radar signals
Administration (NASA) has awarded Engineering who is principal investigator on almost simultaneously. This approach em-
$2.4 million to the Georgia Insti- the project. The lightweight radar approach ploys a technique called phase-shifting to
tute of Technology to develop a new type could allow unmanned aerial vehicles to electronically steer the radar-signal beam.
of radar system that will be used to study the gather information by flying over a large The basic sub-array unit under develop-
Earth’s ice and snow formations from the air. area such as Greenland, using the radar sys- ment consists of a flat grid with eight an-
The system could provide new information tem to map ice sheets in three dimensions. tenna elements on a side—64 in all. These
about the effects of global climate change. “This aerial approach would greatly facili- sub-arrays, measuring about 8.5 by 7 inch-
The research will create a small, light- tate environmental remote sensing of ice, es, can be combined to create a larger radar
weight, low-cost phased-array radar that allowing us to map larger areas of interest array capable of high-quality 3-D mapping.
E
ngineering researchers have crafted a flat surface that re- and distance apart. But he learned that spider hairs are both
fuses to get wet. Water droplets skitter across it like ball long and short and variously curved and straight, forming a sur-
bearings tossed on ice. face that is anything but uniform. He decided to try to mimic this
University of Florida engineers have achieved what they label random, chaotic surface using plastic hairs varying in size but
in a new paper as a “nearly perfect hydrophobic interface” by averaging about 600 microns, or millionths of a meter.
reproducing, on small bits of flat plastic, the shape and patterns Water-repelling surfaces or treatments are already common,
of the minute hairs that grow on the bodies of spiders, according spanning shoe wax to caulk to car windshield treatments. How-
to ScienceDaily. ever, Sigmund said the UF surface may be the most or among the
“They have short hairs and longer hairs, and they vary a lot. most water phobic. Close-up photographs of water droplets on
And that is what we mimic,” said Wolfgang Sigmund, a profes- dime-sized plastic squares show the droplets maintain their spher-
sor of materials science and engineering. ical shape, whether standing still or moving. Droplets bulge down
Spiders use their water-repelling hairs to stay dry or avoid drown- on most other surfaces, dragging a kind of tail as they move. Sig-
ing, with water spiders capturing air bubbles and toting them under- mund said his surface is the first to shuttle droplets with no tail.
water to breathe. When water scampers off the surface, it picks up Also, unlike many water-repelling surfaces, the UF one relies
and carries dirt with it, in effect making the surface self-cleaning. As entirely on the microscopic shape and patterns of the material—
such, it is ideal for some food packaging, or windows, or solar cells rather than its composition. In other words, physics, not chemis-
that must stay clean to gather sunlight, Sigmund said. Boat designers try, is what makes it water repellent.
might coat hulls with it, making boats faster and more efficient. Sigmund said making the water or oil-repelling surfaces in-
Sigmund said he began working on the project about five volves applying a hole-filled membrane to a polymer, heating
years ago after picking up on the work of a colleague. Sig- the two, and then peeling off the membrane. Made gooey by
mund was experimenting with microscopic the heat, the polymer comes out of the holes in the desired
fibers when he turned to spiders, noted by thin, randomly sized fibers. While inexpensive, it is hard
biologists for at least a century for their to produce successful surfaces with great reliability, and
water-repelling hairs. different techniques need to be developed to make the
As a scientist and engineer, he surfaces in commercially available quantities and size, Sig-
said, his natural tendency was to mund said. Also, he said, more research is needed to make
make all his fibers the same size the surfaces hardy and resistant to damage.
12
est members of the
famous banking dynasty, wants the public to start viewing
The National Tool- waste as a resource, particularly plastic. He and collabora-
ing and Machining tors designed a boat made almost entirely of plastic bottles
Association, the Pre- and recycled plastic, and in March, de Rothschild and the
cision Metalforming Association, and the crew began the 11,000-mile (17,700-kilometer) voyage
Association for Manufacturing Technology have from San Francisco, Calif., to Sydney, Australia. The crew
launched a “re-shoring” initiative aimed at documenting to hopes to accomplish the voyage in 100 days on a 60-foot
large manufacturers nationwide the benefits of sourcing in the catamaran-style boat named The Plastiki. Builders of the boat
U.S., including a “Re-shoring Fair” set to take place 12 May in said it weighs in at 12 tons, with only 10% of the vessel
Irvine, Calif. The associations said re-shoring means bringing lost made from new materials. Constructed mainly from 12,500
manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. by uniting large manufactur- reclaimed plastic water bottles designed to keep Plastiki
ers with competitive domestic suppliers. “Going local can reduce afloat,the main frame is made
a company’s total costs and offer a host of other benefits, from self-reinforcing polyethylene
while bringing U.S. manufacturing jobs back home,” they said. terephthalate, a recyclable
The move to re-shore production has grown increasingly plastic material, and the
popular in the U.S. in the face of higher transportation and sail has been handmade
fuel costs, higher wage rates, and reject rates in developing using recycled PET cloth.
countries, the organizations assert. For more information, visit
http://tiny.cc/YU9e2.
50
Fifty years after the first laser was demonstrated,
engineers are celebrating the golden anniversary.
Although there has been a historical debate over
who is most properly credited as the inventor
of the laser, the clearest milestone came on 16
May 1960, when Hughes Research Laboratories’ Theodore Maiman
demonstrated a solid-state device that used a
flashlamp coiled around a ruby crystal to pro-
duce coherent pulses of red light. “Even 50
years after the invention of the laser, new ap-
plications are being patented at a phenome-
nal rate,” said Thomas Baer, executive director
of the Stanford Photonics Research Center.
Patent data searches show the term “laser”
ranks as the third most popular keyword,
right behind “engine” and “computer.”
FAST FORWARD
● In pharmaceutical automation projects,
define and fix your requirements.
● Have a robust plan, obtain management
support, and maintain the discipline to
execute the plan.
● Too little testing during the development
process will result in missed mistakes
during application coding.
D
By Dave Adler id you ever wonder why it is so difficult to cess challenging have lots of company. There
have a successful pharmaceutical auto- are many ways to do automation projects poor-
mation project? My definition of success ly, but just a few ways to do them correctly.
is measured by achieving the schedule mile- I recently conducted research on pharmaceu-
stones, meeting the cost estimate, satisfying the tical automation technology, costs, and benefits
system automation requirements, having the for 24 facilities of 16 member companies of the
automation system work from day one, and sat- Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR).
isfying the facility’s business leaders. To satisfy all This study analyzed the relative automation cost
of these measures is almost impossible. Pharma- per input and output device (I/O). The costs per
ceutical automation is tough, but when success- I/O varied greater than a factor of three from the
ful, it is very rewarding. least expensive to the most expensive automa-
Numerous studies of software projects have tion system. The wide variance in automation
found success rates of less than 20%, where suc- cost per I/O in the study indicates the opportu-
cess was defined as achieving schedule, meet- nity exists to optimize the business processes to
ing cost estimates, and satisfying requirements. manage automation projects.
Automation professionals who find project suc- Pharmaceutical companies have developed a
The facilities business leaders agreed writing automation application code ware during start-up than during the
and bought into this plan because they without agreed to valid requirements. development process. The sooner a de-
wanted the lower cost. The automation In fact, we were still arguing about re- veloper catches a mistake, the cheaper it
upgrade project was approved. I will skip quirements during start-up. Not sur- is to fix. Appropriate testing can reduce
forward several months as this project prisingly, this project went poorly, and overall project cost and minimize rework
was recently completed. The automa- start-up did not go well. Cost estimates during start-up. Of course, inappropriate
tion project actually pleased the facility’s were missed, and schedule milestones testing will increase cost and lengthen
business leaders. The software and hard- were not met. Product was not made the development time.
Testing determines if the automation
If you have a robust plan, obtain management support, system meets the previously defined
requirements. The success of testing de-
and maintain the discipline to execute the plan, you can pends, in part, on good requirements. If
achieve your targets. a process automation professional has
solid and fixed requirements, it is much
ware worked flawlessly during start-up, on time. This story does not have a easier testing.
the project was completed on schedule, happy ending. Even though it was not a The development process consists
and the final automation project cost good experience for me, I learned some of testing the software at each stage of
was 20% less than the revised project valuable lessons. the process. The testing starts with the
plan estimate. If you have a robust plan, Later in my career, in the mid 2000s, I individual software module, and then
obtain management support, and main- was again assigned to a fast-track phar- the units should be individually tested.
tain the discipline to execute the plan, maceutical upgrade project. The busi- This module and unit testing uses “test
you can achieve your targets. ness drivers mandated a compressed scripts” that test small portions of the
schedule. The project manager and whole system software. It is important
Define, fix your requirements manufacturing executives wanted au- to define test scripts so the observed re-
You must accurately define your au- tomation to get started and get off the sults are clear and concise. This testing
tomation project requirements with critical path of the overall project. The is frequently conducted in an off-line
the help of the users of the automation automation team felt a lot of pressure to or development system.
system. The requirements should be get started. However, we refused to write Once all the individual units have
measurable and testable. They need to code and order instruments until we had been tested, the overall system is tested
identify the business, equipment, and requirements and piping and instrument as a whole. A portion of this may be
process needs. Define the requirements drawings. Of course, I was getting wor- achieved as a Factory Acceptance Test,
before you start the design, and get the ried looks and phone calls from everyone or FAT. Final testing in the pharmaceu-
key stakeholders to agree to them. Com- in management. We took two months to tical industry is often defined as on-site
municate broadly these requirements. define requirements and locked in the acceptance testing and includes instal-
You need to keep the requirements fixed piping and instrument drawings before lation qualification, operation qualifi-
during the course of the project design, we started writing code and ordering in- cation, and performance qualification.
implementation, and through start-up. struments. I will make a long and gruel- During a recent retrofit project, it was
If you can minimize scope creep, you ing story short and jump to the end of the critical to minimize the time the facil-
have removed a major hurdle to auto- story: Automation was done on schedule ity was down. The facility was produc-
mation project success. Scope creep and on budget, and it worked well. We ing a life-saving medicine. The needed
can result in changes and additions to had a successful start-up, and within six production output would not allow for
requirements that can greatly lengthen months, automation facilitated some an extended downtime. This retrofit re-
and increase the cost of the project. dramatic improvements in the opera- quired software and hardware changes to
One of my early failures was a major tions of the facility. It does pay to plan replace an existing obsolete automation
pharmaceutical plant upgrade in the your project and get the requirements system, including its I/O with a new au-
early 1990s that was a fast track proj- right before you start your work. tomation system. This led to significant
ect. It looked like we would not make off-line testing of the automation soft-
enough material to launch this project- Testing reduces start-up issues ware. In addition, a plan was developed
ed blockbuster product. The project If a developer does too little testing dur- to optimize hardware changeover. Off-
manager and manufacturing execu- ing the development process, there will line testing of the hardware was desired.
tives wanted automation to get started be mistakes in the process control appli- An I/O room was built of plywood and
and get off the critical path of the over- cation code. The software will then have plastic sheets to simulate the hardware
all project. The automation team felt a to be debugged later in the development changeover process. This room was a
lot of pressure to get started. We started process or during start-up of the manu- full-scale mock-up of the actual I/O room
ordering instruments without piping facturing equipment in the facility. It is including the elevated floors. It allowed
and instrument drawings. We started significantly more costly to debug soft- training of the electricians and trial runs
Optimize the use of resources, energy, manpower, and equipment. With the
PlantPAx™ process automation system. This flexible, scalable plant-wide solution,
based on a single open platform, features advanced control and diagnostics.
It provides business-level intelligence. And reveals hidden costs. Connect
productivity to cost recovery. Visit discover.rockwellautomation.com/go/InTech0410.
of wiring efforts. The electricians prac- project actually was less expensive than and exert additional effort to maintain the
ticed disassembly of the old I/O system planned because start-up went so well automation system. If the development
and reassembly of the new I/O system. It with almost no hardware and software is- team does too much, the project could be
allowed optimization of the number and sues. Even with the extra testing expense, delayed and experience cost overruns.
activities of the electricians, pre-labeling this project was less expensive overall When I first started in process automa-
terminations, fabrication of panels, and than other retrofit projects being done at tion in the early 1980s, I learned a painful
even allowed some pre-cut wire to be the same time. lesson. On one of my first projects, I did
made up to exact lengths. This reduced the minimum level of documentation. It
the wiring effort during construction by Long-term viability resulted in frequent phone calls from me
over 75%. The actual hardware change- Documentation is critical to the success to explain to my replacement what the
out took days rather than the normal of an automation project. If the develop- design or software was doing. Since the
weeks to change out a large I/O system. ment team does too little, the long-term new engineer could not figure out what
The most surprising outcome was the support team will have a difficult time I did, I clearly had not documented the
automation system well. In future proj-
ects, I spent a lot more time and effort to
document as I designed and coded the
automation applications.
By the late 1980s, the pharmaceutical
industry was implementing computer
system validation. One of the unique fea-
tures of the pharmaceutical industry is
the actual medicine you take sometimes
cannot be completely tested. A sampling
of medicine from each batch is tested,
but the testing itself often destroys the
product. Obviously the pill that the pa-
tient takes cannot undergo a destructive
test. This has led to a business process to
ensure quality called validation. Quality
has to be built into the process of manu-
facturing the product and the software to
control the equipment. Quality cannot be
tested into a product, but it must be built
into the process for making the product.
Industries’ response to build quality into
the manufacturing process resulted in
progressively more rigorous and larger
computer system validation documen-
tation packages on pharmaceutical proj-
ects. By the early 2000s, automation proj-
ects were being implemented with only
10% of the effort on design and coding,
Getting to a remote oilfield takes a great but 90% of the effort on testing and pro-
deal of time and money. That’s why an ducing documentation.
oil company in Texas put ProSoft’s radios By the mid 2000s, the pharmaceuti-
in the middle, allowing data from the site cal industry was taking a look at using a
to be seamlessly transmitted to their more appropriate level of documenta-
headquarters. Now the only rattle they tion. Numerous FDA investigators made
hear is the change in their pockets on comments that it was not the thickness
the way to the coffee machine. of the documentation that was impor-
tant, but rather the business value of the
documentation. The FDA encouraged
industry to take a critical look at its busi-
ness processes to ensure cost-effective
drugs for its patients. Concepts such
ASIA PACIFIC | AFRICA | EUROPE | MIDDLE EAST | L ATIN AMERICA | NORTH AMERICA as using a “risk-based” approach to the
rESOUrCES
Automation Applications in Bio-Pharmaceuticals, ISa, 2008
www.isa.org/link/AABP_bk
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
www.isa.org/link/PMBOK_bk
Bridging batch gap in pharma
www.isa.org/link/Standards_sept07
D
igital communications are becoming all pervasive and certainly in non-industrial set-
tings are now almost being taken for granted with wireless Ethernet hot spots everywhere,
PDAs/cell phones in practically every pocket or purse, and digital communications/mi-
croprocessors incorporated in a plethora of other everyday products. Despite this, the adoption
of similar technologies in the automation sphere has been slower than expected based on the
otherwise widespread adoption of digital communications. Part of the reason may be the lack of
a “killer application” in the industrial setting, or perhaps it is simply the culture of “the existing
system provides me the information I need to run my plant, so why change to something new and
unproven such as fieldbus?” The reason to make the change is the “opportunity lost.” A digital sys-
tem provides the foundation on which significant incremental opportunities to improve facility
operations can be made. Of course “opportunity lost” is difficult to quantify—sort of like buying
insurance; more of a risk management item than real dollars that I lost because something hap-
pened. So why is the fact that you are not taking advantage of the digital communications in your
plant a lost revenue opportunity? The reason is no different than what these systems enable, so
let’s see why.
Digital systems include the hardware and as- tion other than control
Fast Forward
sociated software, and the benefits of one are not data? This is a question ● approximately 80% of installed smart field
possible without the other. In fact, there are some that each site/operator devices are being underutilized.
similarities between the network communica- must answer and then ● Having the right infrastructure enables bet-
tions used at the various levels of the enterprise design their system ac- ter control and higher return on investment.
with the complexity of the network and the asso- cordingly. ● Continuing developments in hardware and
ciated types of applications being implemented The majority of to- software will enable better access and com-
at each of the ISA95 levels to maximize the effi- day’s control systems munication with smart field devices.
ciency of plant operations. support HART com-
munications on their analog I/O cards, however
many “legacy systems” require installation of signal
“strippers” so only the pure analog signal is received
and processed by the I/O card. These stripper sys-
tems use an associated parallel data gathering sys-
tem, typically a combination of RS-485 and Ether-
net, to a dedicated server where the information is
processed as part of an asset management system.
All HART devices can also be communicat-
ed with on a one-to-one basis using handheld
communicators/laptops and foregoing the as-
Control’s pyramids
set management system—though doing so cir-
As we rise “higher” in the hierarchy of control, cumvents the ability to effectively mine the de-
the amount of data, number of variables, data vice diagnostic information for trends occurring
processing requirements, and complexity of the across a similar range of products, or in a specif-
associated software to optimize the return on ic application to help you find the root cause of
capital increases almost exponentially. Howev- failures, or as a minimum, frequent “bad actors”
er, what remains true in the hardware and soft- to minimize your maintenance budget impact.
ware realm is like all control algorithms, or any One possible reason organizations are not
assembly for that matter, the result is only as using the HART data they have installed in an
good as its foundation. For control algorithms, organized manner is doing so requires a change
this is the base regulatory controllers and asso- in culture. Some technicians are afraid that by
ciated loop tuning, and in the case of the con- connecting their handheld units for synchroni-
trol system hardware that foundation is the field zation with a server, the data collected will be
level/fieldbus sensor and signal network. used to see how much work is being completed
Since the lowest layers of the hardware pyra- by each of them with associated feeling of Big
mid are most critical, the balance of this article Brother watching. The result is all the data is on
will focus on these lower two layers. Therefore, a local laptop but not being analyzed to provide
what are considerations that must be made to the benefits of a complete asset management
provide relay signals from these levels of the system, including integration with the plant
control system? work order/planning system.
Though not as common—at least not yet—
Field network layer full digital fieldbus systems provide the ben-
The most widely installed digital communica- efits of supporting multi-drop capabilities and
tions protocol in process automation is HART. hence multiple devices on a single network. In
There are millions of HART devices installed in the wet process industries, the two most com-
the world, yet more than 80% of the time, the monly used fieldbus networks are Founda-
digital capabilities of the device are not being tion Fieldbus (www.fieldbus.org) and Profibus
used. Why? PA (www.profibus.com), both using the same
Despite being able to support multi-drop com- physical layer of individually shielded twisted
munications, practically all HART installations use pair cables wired in parallel and a Manchester
a point-to-point connection. The HART protocol encoded 31.25 kbps signal.
requires that devices must be polled for any digital Both of these standards included as part of their
information, therefore it is inherently slower than design basis reuse of existing infrastructure and full
other “true” fieldbuses. However, because the backwards compatibility with previous versions of
process data is provided as an analog signal, does the protocol from revision one to infinity (when-
the polling frequency really matter for informa- ever we might get there.) The choice of twisted pair
had an impact on the noise immunity of Manchester Cables with and without Cables with and Subject to any
the network and of course distance (as Encoded Shield: 60VDC or 25VAC without Shield: > electro-magnetic
well as environment) in which the cable Cable and < 400VAC 400VAC exposure
that is run affects the maximum distance Manchester 10 cm 20 cm 50 cm
the cable can be installed while still insur- Encoded Cable
ing a measurable signal. Cables with and
Experience has also shown the big- without Shield: 4 inches 10 cm 50 cm
60VDC or 25VAC
gest factor in reliability of a fieldbus and < 400VAC
system is the installation practices,
Cables with and
simple things like making sure the con- without Shield: 8 inches 4 inches 50 cm
nections have the proper torque, prop- > 400VAC
er grounding practices, spacing be-
Subject to any
tween high voltage AC conductors and electromagnetic 20 inches 20 inches 20 inches
signal cables, and of course remember- exposure
ing fieldbus signals are wired in parallel Minimum separation distances between cabling (conversion rounded up for simplicity)
so a short in one device can potentially
WirelessHART, and related industrial in which the data (application and/or
short the entire segment unless short
“personal area networks” with typical user layer) is then carried. The infor-
circuit protection is included in the
ranges of <100 meters should also be mation in the data packet/user mes-
field device coupler.
considered part of this level of the en- sage is packaged inside the complete
Culture is often less of an issue with
terprise infrastructure foundation. Ethernet packet as it passes from the
these installations since most facili-
user layer, where the message is creat-
ties deploying Fieldbus either migrated controller networks+
ed, down to the physical layer, where it
from pneumatic or “dumb” analog de- Though proprietary networks still ex-
becomes either a voltage (cable) or fre-
vices so the change to this new technol- ist at this layer, they are predominantly
quency (wireless) so the 1s and 0s can
ogy also brings with it the expectation of now being based on Ethernet as the as-
be transferred from one location to an-
other changes to the way work is done. sociated physical layer. Practically all
other. When the message is received at
By definition, field level networks in- buses have an Ethernet version where
the other end, the process is reversed,
clude the communications between the the protocol is bundled in an Ether-
and the voltage/frequency is converted
field devices and their associated I/O net package/packet. This is because
back to the message at the user layer
card. Therefore, though it is still evolv- the lower levels of the OSI model pro-
of the recipient. The whole process is
ing, wireless networks such as ISA100, vide the physical and data link layers
similar to sending and receiving a let-
ter; the message does not care if it goes
Wireless field level networks by foot, truck, ship, or plane as long as
Wireless is the new field level network that has the potential to open a range of it eventually arrives and can be read by
process monitoring functions and a potential abundance of new applications once the intended person.
this data become available. We need only look at what we now do with our mobile It is also because of this functionality
phones to get an inkling of the possibilities. that the control system supplier pro-
However, like most industrial products, the challenge will be one of being able prietary protocol as well as the various
to take advantage of economies of scale. There are two impediments to making fieldbus protocols can run on an Ether-
the economies of scale a reality in the wireless space. One is beyond our control, net backbone.
and that is it is unlikely a single wireless standard will be correct for all the different It is likely a matter of time before Eth-
vertical segments/industries in which automation and control is used. Most notable ernet-based field devices become more
of these is the high speed/low data packet size (discrete status bits) requirements of common, especially as Power Over Eth-
factory automation versus the lower speed/high data packet (analog information) ernet can provide signal and power via a
needs for process automation. The second challenge is partially a result of the first, single cable. However, the limitations for
and that is the need for standards and like the fieldbus standard the resultant mul- Ethernet continue to be distance (max.
tiple versions of wireless networks standards to meet each niche. 100 meters) and a killer application
Unfortunately, it looks like the process automation industry is compounding the where the high bandwidth (data) avail-
problem with a potential three-way offering for a wireless standard being considered able with Ethernet is required.
for submission to the IEC. The three standards include: ISA100, WirelessHART, and a At the Historian+ levels, and certainly
“made in China” standard, all of which will likely be put forward for consideration, at the interfaces between each layer with
and as indicated above, the precedent has been set, so do not be surprised if the Ethernet, we need to be aware of secu-
result is at least two process automation standards. Consequently, neither manufac- rity requirements and associated separa-
turers nor end users will get the benefits of the economies of scale that might have tion of systems. ISA99 standards propose
been possible with a single standard, and everyone loses in the end. several best industry practices, the key of
TITAN
icestation TITAN by ITSENCLOSURES can benefit you.
Featuring a viewing window suited to accommodate
wide screen LCDs up to 24”, a retractable keyboard
drawer, customizable front panel and a large work by ITSENCLOSURES
surface, the icestation TITAN is designed to keep
your computer running in any environment. Dirt, dust,
splashing fluids and other contaminants will never
bother your sensitive electronics again!
Prevent downtime with the exclusive
The control valve industry, being closely aligned A somewhat brighter future is offered by the
with process control instrumentation, suffers coming renaissance of atomic power plants.
similarly from the current recession. This dras- Those are the only, large scale, viable alternatives
tic decrease in order came as a severe blow, fol- to all other “green” energy providing schemes.
lowing the hay-days in 2008 after the oil boom. Another avenue towards an increase in business
Unfortunately, the future outlook is still bleak. is to export, especially into the developing markets.
The prospect of future high oil prices is expect- However, exports require competitive products
ed to materialize only at the end of the current and a strong manufacturing base. Unfortunately,
recession. Even then, spending is only expected the latter has suffered due to the past outsourcing
on the production (upstream) side with refinery boom. This has led to a dramatic shrinkage of man-
construction tabled due to lower gasoline de- power employed in the industrial sector. The per-
mand and use of smaller cars. centage of workers in manufacturing as percentage
This somber assessment is reflected in the last of total employment went from 26% in 1965 to less
survey statistic published by Valve Magazine, than 8% today. As a result, we now have to import
where at the end of 2009, only 13% predicted about 40% of all manufactured goods from abroad,
an increase in business among their members, mostly from China. This does not come for free,
while 56% expected a decrease in shipments and we have to pay for it in U.S. Treasury Bonds to
during 2010. the tune of $650 billion in 2008 alone. This (current
account) deficit, which started in the 1980s, has lack of attention for this
FAST FORWARD
reached a total of about $6 trillion, about one half vital part and its func- ● at least 80% of all control valve designs
of our total national debt. tion as the final element originated in the 1960s.
There is a direct correlation between decrease in our fluid controlling ● Standards activities for control valves have
in industrial manpower and our foreign debt loops is our seeming ob- taken a hit as a result of the severe econom-
(current account deficit). While manufacturing session with everything ic downturn.
numbers started to decrease by about 20% be- electronic. ● a modified triple-eccentric butterfly valve
tween 1960 and 1980, due to the effects of auto- One can also ob- is one example of improving control valve
mation, 1980 saw the beginning of outsourcing serve the basic hard- design.
on a grand scale and with it the accelerated loss ware functions of a
of manufacturing jobs. Analyzing foreign coun- valve have not changed, leaving few choices for
tries found a number of 16% of factory employ- innovation. After all, we have not found a better
ment is needed for a country to have to have a way to control the rate of fluid flow in a pipe (the
positive trade balance. We reached that point in basis of all control modes, be it for pressure, tem-
about 1990. At that time, our trade imbalance perature, or level). We still do it by creating a pres-
was only around $80 billion, mostly due to im- sure differential, which then creates velocity. This
portation of foreign oil. In a recent interview, in turn is converted by the valve plug or vane into
Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive officer of Gen- turbulence (and heat), leading to a change in the
eral Electric Co., seemed to agree by suggesting amount of fluid passing a valve. This is a process
increasing our manufacturing base to 20% of the called “throttling.”
total employed. That would be a great goal. However, relying too much on old, established
What can we do about this problem? We urgently hardware can bring major disadvantages. The pri-
have to reverse the trend and start rebuilding our mary problem is old technologies offer no patent
manufacturing basis. Only by selling manufac- protection and can easily be copied. This can hap-
tured goods, control valves being part of it, can we pen domestically by low-cost domestic repair fa-
increase our exports and in turn earn foreign cur- cilities or overseas by factories in emerging coun-
rency to pay our debt. President Barack Obama was tries, aided by lower labor costs. Sadly, the latter is
only half right when he called for a doubling of our unintentionally aided when U.S. manufacturers
export business. This can not be done without an have valves made in foreign countries and in the
increase in our current weak manufacturing base. process export vital know-how.
Here is where the government can help: Why don’t we see more R&D activities in the
1. Give tax advantages to U.S. manufacturers. valve industry? My opinion is all new products are
2. Feed stimulus money into the manufacturing associated with risk, be it customer acceptance or
sector. worrying about performance problems. Corporate
3. Provide low-cost loans to build new factories. management, especially with a tight budget, tends
4. Encourage R&D efforts to make our products to be highly risk-aversive. A second reason has to
more desirable. do with the way R&D activity is conducted—mostly
5. Allow to let the U.S. dollar to devaluate further. on a computer. This restricts free and independent
This will increase the cost of imported foreign thinking, the basis of creativity, and limits “hands-
goods (to be then replaced by local products) on” experience. After all, there is no software as yet
and decrease the price of U.S. exported items in telling you how to invent something.
order to be more competitive.
What is new
State of the art Yet, there are some efforts, albeit on a smaller
At least 80% of all control valve designs originated scale, to add to the “state of the art” in control valve
in the 1960s. This to me is regrettable, since it rep-
resents a lack of progress and entrepreneurship. relationship between manufacturing employment and current accounts
While there was a major leap forward in the de-
current account in $10 billion
20
Percentage of decrease
0
where technologies jumped from analog to digital 26%
signals and circuitries enabled valve maintenance -20 Current acct.
-40 Employment %
and even offered control functions, not much prog-
ress has been seen since. Yet, control valves still are -60 -$650 billion
a vital part of our control loops and, despite many 8%
-80
predictions, have not been substantially replaced 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Year
by speed-controlled pumps and the like. Part of the Source: US Bureau of Census and Labor Statistics.
Standards activities
Standards activities for control valves are
in the realm of ISA75. Here too, the severe
economic downturn has left its mark, and
A modified triple-eccentric butterfly valve Installing a plug from below creates a
some standards activities are now relegat-
Source: YEARY CONTROLS, Chicago, Ill. “negative feedback” situation and assures
(Patent applied for) dynamic stability. ed to the Working Group 9 under Interna-
Source: Spence Engineering Company, Inc. tional Electrical Commission (IEC), Swit-
zerland, Committee 65B. But even here,
activities are relegated to updating exist-
design. One example is a modified triple- standard valves discharging directly and ing valve and positioner standards. The
eccentric butterfly valve. Here, is a way to unimpeded into a piping system. most important revision is on IEC 60534-
convert a standard, commercial, on-off Another example is a new control 8-3, “Control Valve Aerodynamic Noise
butterfly valve into a well-performing valve design especially developed for the Prediction.” The new draft, currently in
control valve, by adding a downstream bioprocessing industry. The design chal- preparation, departs from the current
attachment having curved and slotted lenge is such a valve has to be aseptic, to “science-fundamentals” based model to
internal surfaces providing, in conjunc- be self-draining, have a good flow char- one heavily inspired by empirical data,
tion with the camming vane, an equal- acteristic, and be dynamically stable. which makes the document less “ven-
percentage flow characteristic and, at the Highly polished angle valves meet most dor neutral” and adds substantial math-
same time, offer low noise and anti-cav- of those requirements, since they can ematical complexity. Standard 6053-2-1
itation features. Thus, by combining the drain directly into the top of a vessel, with on control valve sizing also gets updated.
advantages of a low-cost, tight shut-off, flow entering from the horizontal port. There are no basic changes planned in
and the high pressure capabilities offered The problem with such designs is the customary sizing equations. What is pro-
by such a valve with a replaceable static valve plug is inserted from the top, which posed is to simplify some equations and
throttling device, one can offer a better means the plug is closing down against make them more user-friendly.
substitute for many standard globe and the seat where the fluid pressure tends to ABOUT THE AUTHOR
rotary control valves. force the plug down and close the valve.
Hans D. Baumann (baumannh@comcast.
The slotted areas between the teeth are This creates a “positive feedback” force
net), an ISA Honorary Member, is a senior
gradually opened by the lower half of the and can lead to dynamic instability, even
consultant for H. B. SERVICES PARTNERS
vane. Such reduced flow areas increase slamming against the seat. This is espe-
LLC. in Rye, N.H.
turbulent frequencies of passing gas- cially problematic with larger valve sizes.
eous fluids. This leads to a substantial at- One valve design overcomes such View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20100403.
tenuation by the downstream pipe wall, problems by installing the plug from be-
hence a lower aerodynamic noise level. low, i.e., pulling the plug up against the
rESOUrCES
A similar effect is achieved with liquids. seat (and the inlet pressure). This creates a
ISa75, Control Valve Standards
Here the “coefficient of incipient cavita- “negative feedback” situation and assures
www.isa.org/link/75
tion” (the pressure ratio signaling the dynamic stability. Another feature of this
onset of cavitation) is increased, allowing design is the use of throttling channels in Control Valve Primer: A User’s
for higher pressure drops. However, even the sides of the outlet ports, where they Guide, Fourth Edition
if cavitation should occur, it is only a local are easy to clean and polish and where www.isa.org/link/CVP_Baumann
phenomena, restricted to near the outlet the circular surface areas between such
Your best bet in control valves
of the slots, thereby avoiding the pipe- “slots” provide ample guides for the mov-
www.isa.org/link/BestBet
damaging “super cavitation” typical with ing valve plug. Removing the throttling
a
By Bianca Scholten s a consultant, I visit many production Today, it means manufacturing enterprise solu-
facilities. Currently, several factories are tions. After all, MES is more than just a system
replacing their 10- to 15-year-old, cus- for production control. Issues such as quality,
tom built manufacturing execution systems. inventory, maintenance, product data manage-
An even larger amount of industrial compa- ment, and product life-cycle management can’t
nies have only just become aware of something be viewed as separate from the MES domain. ...
called MES. They still have to convince manage- That’s why we changed the term in 2004.”
ment that MES is worth the investment. In one of its white papers, MESA Internation-
al distinguished 11 manufacturing execution
What is MES? MOM? activities, which later gained recognition pri-
What is MES? That is the first thing to explain to marily thanks to the MESA honeycomb model.
the board. And what is the relationship between Simply put, the original concept, “Manufac-
MES and other terms like manufacturing opera- turing Execution System,” concerns informa-
tions management (MOM)? Why do companies tion systems that support the things a produc-
invest in these kinds of information systems? tion department must do in order to:
And why should you replace the old system, to • Prepare and manage work instructions
which people are so attached? • Schedule production activities
“The term MES arose in 1991,” said Jan Snoeij, • Monitor correct execution of the production
board member of MESA International. “Mul- process
tiple people claim they invented it. At that time, • Gather and analyze information about the
it stood for manufacturing execution systems. production process and the product, and
units
cards that stood for the answers “Agree,” “Dis- Product
Performance
tracking & Product/
agree,” and “No opinion,” respectively. One of genealogy
analysis
process
the questions was, “Who believes that MES can engineering
follows: They are fast; they have cou- ness Movers. The faster the company MES and information dashboards. This
pled their operational goals to their fi- can feed results back to employees, the group clearly shows more improve-
nancial and business goals; they know faster employees can take corrective ments than do companies that have
their results; their plant activities are action. Automated data collection can not adopted these types of systems.
profitable; they concentrate on what is help make this information available MES is a belief, but various market re-
important; they use software applica- earlier. Many Business Movers feed re- search agencies think they have found
tions; and they have, in general, a re- sults back within 24 hours, or even in a causal link between the use of MES
turn on investment of two years or less real time. They more frequently use au- functionalities and improvements to
on their investments in plant software. tomated data collection than do others. operational and company-wide perfor-
According to the report, speed is Another conclusion from the report mance. Keep in mind, however, these
one of the characteristics of the Busi- is Business Movers more often use studies are not always conducted at the
B
efore we started to use the new MES system, we had should be able to lower the costs of solving quality issues 25%.
a custom built production information system that we We made this estimation by listing historical incidents and un-
had been using for about 10 years. For a long time, we derstanding how the future MES could have avoided these is-
were very happy with the old solution, but toward 2006, it was sues. Furthermore, the risk of unavailability of the old software
outdated. It did not cover all the modern requirements any- system would end.
more. For example, the requirements for tracking and tracing We also saw some advantages that we could not quantify.
had become much more rigid, and the old package did not sup- For example, we have a quality index that tells us what percent
port that. Furthermore, we of course wanted to continuously we produce according to desired specifications. Our standard is
improve things, and therefore we need good information, e.g. 95%, but thanks to a better monitoring, 97% should be pos-
about the usage of raw materials and consumables and quality sible. We wanted to realize that by purchasing a laboratory in-
costs. In the old system, it took us two or three days to collect formation system but also by improving production tracking and
the right data, so that was hard to do. We knew we were over- tracing. That would make our quality even more stable. Quality is
seeing things and savings had to be possible in the process. But the trump of our brewery. It is possible other breweries purchase
it was not feasible to adjust the old system, which had become a MES mostly to lower costs, but for us, the focus was on quality.
basically unreliable, because we had not updated the latest ver- We also fill and package beer for other breweries. One of
sions of the software platform. the advantages that we could not quantify was the satisfac-
Finally, we concluded we wanted to purchase a new system, tion of these business-to-business customers. For those clients,
which had to make it easier to comply with regulations. We it is nice if they quickly and accurately receive reports about the
also defined other advantages and tried to quantify them. We products we made for them. Making those reports in the old
assumed the system was going to cost approximately $812,800 situation took a long time, and it was error prone. Now, we
(€600,000), and for that, I had to present the business case to have automated this process, and reports are sent in near time
the Board of Directors. to our customers. We know from our own experience—we
We estimated the consumption of raw materials could be have our beer filled in cans by another brewer—that you trust
lowered 1% and the usage of consumables 2%. Up till then, in your supplier when they provide insight this quickly, as if it
we used to calculate our losses in Excel, by comparing the pur- were packaged on our own site.
chased amounts of raw materials with the amounts of finished We also found the employee satisfaction an important driv-
products we had sold. But it was very cumbersome to analyze er. We want to be ahead in the market and offer a profes-
in which process step and during which week the exact loss had sional working environment. The old system led to frustrations,
been generated. Now, with the new system, we know our loss- whereas the people are happy to work with the new system.
es per lot and per process step, and we can easily look up the We have realized the most important goals. Some we even
lots of specific periods of time and compare them. The same is surpassed. On others, like the reduction of raw material losses,
true for consumables. Thanks to the storage of historical data we are still working. Of course, it is difficult to prove specific
in a historian, we would gain better insight in the process, and savings were caused by the software package, but we believe
we would be able to relate quality data to production data. in it. We earned back the investments. We had calculated a
This way you discover where savings are possible concerning onetime savings of $135,000 (€100,000) and a yearly saving
consumables and energy. of $101,000 (€75,000). We saved two full-time equivalents,
We also made an interface between the planning function- so there we already have our yearly calculated savings. We are
ality in MES and the level 4 purchasing system. By improved satisfied. In the mean time, we keep discovering new possibili-
planning and less rush orders, we estimated we would be able ties in the system that is all extra benefit.
to purchase packaging materials at a lower price. SOUrCE: Alex De Smet, head of production, Palm Breweries (interviewed by Bianca
Quality also was a very important driver. The MES system Scholten in January 2010)
require tracking and tracing, and as they look at the past, and they always first custom MES 15 years ago are fac-
long as you are recording data, why contain the same information. Reports ing the challenge to replace the old sys-
not use all that information for other are static. A company that runs its plant tem. In many cases, this is necessary
objectives, such as continuous im- based on reports is like a car owner because they are based on outdated
provement? But collecting data from who drives while looking in the rear- technologies and maintenance costs
paper forms and Excel files, converting view mirror. It is better to know what is are high. IT managers have nightmares
units of measurement, and then mak- happening now, to respond proactively, because the plant has become com-
ing comparisons takes a lot of process and to make adjustments. And because pletely dependent on the knowledge
engineers and production managers’ you cannot be everywhere at once or and skills of one technician. Extend-
time—time they would rather spend talk to everyone at once, it is useful to ing the MES with new functionality is
improving the process, quality, effi- have a dashboard. expensive or impossible. So from an
ciency, and so on. Finally, workflow management mod- IT cost efficiency point of view, the re-
MES can provide more insight by ules can function as the orchestra con- placement of the old custom built sys-
quickly generating a variety of reports ductor. They streamline processes in tem by a system with out-of-the-box
and charts based on the collected data, which different departments are in- functionality, which can be supported
relating to quality, overall equipment volved, by pointing out tasks and pri- by different system integrators, has
efficiency, performance by shift, by orities to employees and by providing many advantages. But how is the IT
day, by batch, and so on. These reports insight into who is working on which guy going to convince the users who
form an important input for team dis- order and where. Implementing a by now are so attached to this solution
cussion in order to get everyone on the workflow management system could that was built with a complete focus
same wavelength and to concentrate thus lead to shorter turnaround times on their specific requirements? A new,
on what is really important. and improved delivery reliability. standard system will never have the
But reports alone will not get you same perfect fit. It is like the difference
there. They do offer a basis for making Replacement of existing MES solutions between haute couture and prêt a por-
various comparisons, but by definition, Those pioneers who already built their ter. You do not have your clothes made
by a famous designer; you buy them
at the mall. It is not a perfect fit, but
you are okay with it because the price
is acceptable. Now, convincing the us-
ers to move from designer solutions to
standard, fit-all systems is the biggest
challenge in replacement situations.
You will have to carefully stitch in the
change to avoid a culture shock.
aBOut tHE autHOR
Bianca Scholten (bianca.scholten@task24.
nl) is a principal consultant at system in-
tegrator firm TASK24 in The Netherlands.
She is a voting member of the ISA95
committee. Her books, MES Guide for Ex-
ecutives and The Road to Integration, are
available at www.isa.org.
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20100404.
rESOUrCES
MESa International
Come meet your group’s newest member, the GEICO Gecko. www.MESA.org
ISA members could get additional discounts on car insurance. MES Guide for Executives: Why and
How to Select, implement, and Maintain
Call or click for your FREE quote. a Manufacturing Execution System,
1-800-368-2734
ISa, 2009
www.isa.org/link/MES_Scholten_bk
MES ownership up in air
Discount amount varies in some states. One group discount applicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction is available. Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are
not available in all states or in all GEICO companies. See geico.com for more details. GEICO and Affiliates. Washington DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2010.© 2010 GEICO
www.isa.org/intech/20080505
Your technology.
Your solutions.
Your way.
Just a small fraction of the more than
1,000,000 automation professionals
in the world will be able to secure a seat
at ISA Automation Week. Sign up for
advance registration access today and
make sure you’re one of them.
www.isaautomationweek.org/yourway
F
ieldbus networks have been around for within parameters.
Fast Forward
over a decade, delivering value in indus- As needed, calibra- ● most fieldbus organizations are transition-
trial automation applications worldwide. tion improves perfor- ing to an Ethernet-based protocol.
In most cases, a fieldbus network is used to link mance because more ● Ethernet platforms are expected to provide
field devices to a host computing system in a frequent calibration a better fieldbus solution in terms of price/
process plant. can be performed on performance ratio.
The field devices in question are most typical- critical field devices ● End users will welcome the change as it
ly instruments, analyzers, and modulating con- that are drifting out of lowers their costs and simplifies installation
trol valves. The most popular types of instru- range. and maintenance.
ments are flow, level, temperature, and pressure Predictive mainte-
transmitters—although a typical process plant nance is perhaps the most important benefit
will also include many other types of process delivered by a fieldbus system. Using the data
variable transmitters. delivered by fieldbus, a plant can predict prob-
Common analyzer types measure the chemi- lems before they occur. Maintenance can then
cal composition of parameters such as mois- be performed on a planned basis as opposed to
ture, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gasses a reactive basis, saving money and improving
and liquids. Modulating control valves provide safety.
continuous flow control of liquids and gases. But the main benefit of predictive mainte-
The host computing systems linked to field nance is avoidance of downtime. If a field device
devices include control systems, Enterprise is found to be failing, it is often possible to re-
Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and asset pair or replace the device before it brings down
management systems. The control systems in the entire process.
question are usually basic process control or Fieldbus is a generic term for a number of dig-
regulatory control systems. Other control sys- ital industrial networks, including but not limit-
tems with fieldbus links to field devices include ed to, Foundation Fieldbus, HART, EtherNet/IP,
advanced process control systems and safety Modbus TCP, and Profibus. Many fieldbus net-
systems. works, including those mentioned above, are
The benefits of linking field devices to host transitioning to Ethernet-based protocols for a
computing systems via a high speed data link variety of reasons.
like fieldbus include:
• Networked device configuration and health Why ethernet?
management saves money Benefits of fieldbus have been well documented
• Networked device documentation saves in many process plant applications for years,
money and most of these fieldbus installations use
• Predictive maintenance increases uptime proprietary protocols as opposed to Ethernet-
• Predictive maintenance improves perfor- based protocols. But Ethernet-based fieldbuses
mance can often provide better performance at a lower
• Predictive maintenance cuts maintenance price, while also simplifying installation and
costs maintenance.
In almost all cases, fieldbus is used to replace When the term Ethernet is mentioned in the
a hard-wired 4-20mA one-way connection from commercial world, it is usually in reference to
the field device to the host computing system. an Ethernet network utilizing the TCP/IP pro-
This 4-20mA signal was used to transmit the tocol. In the industrial world, the term Ethernet
measured process variable to the host comput- only identifies the underlying hardware and not
ing system. the protocol, which can be found in various fla-
In contrast, fieldbus provides a high-speed vors. The bad news is there are many competing
two-way data link that can transmit copious industrial Ethernet-based protocols. The good
amounts of information between the field de- news is they can all run on the same underlying
vice and the host computing system. The most Ethernet hardware, often simultaneously. (See
important bits of information are data related sidebar for more information.)
to instrument health, which can be used by the An improved price/performance ratio is per-
host computing system to schedule calibration haps the main benefit of switching to Ethernet.
as needed and for predictive maintenance. A few years back, one of the leading fieldbus
Scheduling calibration only as needed instead network organizations was trumpeting the
of on a periodic basis saves money because fact that over 1 million fieldbus devices using
field devices are not calibrated when operating their proprietary protocol had been sold over its
10-year life. This number may have ier for a number of reasons. First, it is by PACs. This can decrease costs for
been impressive compared to other much easier to find technical person- process control systems as a PAC is
proprietary competitors, but it is trivial nel familiar with Ethernet as opposed typically less expensive than a DCS.
in comparison to the number of Ether- to a proprietary network. Second, A leading manufacturer of floor cov-
net devices installed worldwide. hardware and software tools for instal- erings for commercial and residential
As the leading protocol for comput- lation and troubleshooting are widely applications uses a combination of
ing connectivity, there are billions of available at low cost. Finally, it is often PACs and EtherNet/IP-enabled field
Ethernet nodes installed worldwide, possible to lean on corporate and plant devices to improve product quality,
mostly in commercial applications. IT personnel for support and mainte- promote green manufacturing meth-
Large numbers generate economies of nance because IT folks speak Ethernet. ods, and enhance production effi-
scale, allowing providers of Ethernet By converging their industrial and of- ciencies. At one of their plants, this
hardware to continually drive down fice networks, end users have fewer manufacturer uses a PAC as their main
costs and increase performance. And variant networks to maintain and gain real-time control platform. The PAC
because Ethernet is a worldwide stan- more leverage when integrating tech- comes with EtherNet/IP built in, so the
dard, vendors compete based on price/ nologies and communications. plant would like to use this protocol as
performance ratios and thus have tre- Ethernet provides concrete benefits their Ethernet-enabled fieldbus.
mendous incentive to deliver the best to fieldbus, and many users are taking Consequently, an EtherNet/IP-
bang for the buck. advantage in a variety of applications. enabled Coriolis flowmeter was re-
Fieldbus organizations have taken In particular, Ethernet connectivity is quired for measurement and control
advantage of commercial Ethernet bringing fieldbus to the Programmable of mass flow in one of the plant’s
economies of scale to deliver higher Automation Controller (PAC) level. continuous processes related to col-
speeds at lower costs. Higher speeds orant control. The mass flowmeter
allow quicker update times for moni- Fieldbus ethernet enables pacs selected was found to have superior
toring applications. Depending on the In early implementations, most field- accuracy in competitive field trials
characteristics of the process being bus control systems were of the DCS conducted by the manufacturer. Di-
controlled, higher speeds can also en- variety. Now that Ethernet is pro- rect connectivity from the meter to
able real-time control. viding a common communications the PAC via EtherNet/IP provides a
Because Ethernet is so pervasive, protocol, fieldbus is becoming a vi- number of benefits.
installation and maintenance are eas- able option for processes controlled The meter is capable of simultane-
Direct is best
ll t
he
rage
Industrial Ethernet is designed to deal with harsh environments,
data collisions, factory noise, factory process needs
E
By John Rinaldi thernet is a well known and recognized tech- The network works well because it uses “hand-
nology in the home and office environment. shaking” to ensure message delivery. To illustrate
Recently, it has become the hottest trend in this attribute, let’s say our bottling device begins
moving data in industrial applications on the fac- filling a bottle of Automation Ale at the command
tory floor. The factory floor, however, is a much of the controlling PLC. The PLC is also responsible
different environment than home and office en- for sending the “stop filling” command when the
vironments. This article highlights the differences bottle is full. If the message is lost on the network,
between industrial and commercial Ethernet by the PLC is aware because it does not receive a de-
comparing communication needs, process con- livery response, (part of the handshaking) so it
cerns, environmental challenges, and hardware. knows to resend the command.
In the office setting, such a lost transmission
Let’s communicate is rarely important. If a web page gets lost in
Industrial Ethernet has unique requirements based transmission, the user simply presses “refresh.”
on two-way communications. To understand this, In the production setting, though, we cannot
think about a possible application at a bottle-filling wait for Automation Ale to spill on the floor be-
plant. Assume the plant is creating a new micro- fore someone manually turns off the filler. The
brew beer, Automation Ale. The filling operation handshake saves ale, money, and time.
will be run by an industrial Ethernet network. In an industrial Ethernet network, we also incor-
environmental concerns
Temperature: Heat and cold are
two factors that can have a major
effect on a network. Cold is par-
ticularly damaging. At relatively
cold levels, near freezing, a cable
is susceptible to impact, which
can cause a break in the cable, de-
struction of the protective jacket,
task and tackle it without use of the Internet. or attenuation. At even colder temperatures, the
In a production setting, that downtime is cable may become brittle and break through no
costly. Assembly lines operating with continual large force, but instead through simple bending.
processes can be rendered nonfunctional if one Heat is also damaging. The protective jacket
aspect fails. Critical processes could be ruined, may melt, leading to shorts and vulnerability.
leading to lost material and money. Heat also causes attenuation over time.
Think for a minute of a factory producing tem- Chemicals: Chemicals may cause a jacket to
pered glass for windows. A continuous flow of dissolve or change shape, leading to a shorter
glass moves from pour, to cut, over an assembly life and worse performance. Some solvents can
line a mile long. The glass flow progresses through also directly impact the internal cable should the
specific heat-ups, cool-downs, and rests to prop- protective jacket not be effective. Radiation, es-
erly temper it to meet production specifications. pecially UV Radiation from sunlight, can cause
If the line seized, the factory would be left with a discoloration and degradation of the jacket. Hu-
mile of scrap glass. Much of it that would need to midity can also degrade the cable.
be removed manually due to the fact it had cooled The industrial Ethernet environment is harsh,
hard on a portion of the line that was meant to and office Ethernet applications were not cre-
deal with hot malleable glass. ated for such environments. Taking measures
When designing an industrial Ethernet network, to physically protect cables and connectors can
you must consider options that make your network minimize, or even negate, the effects of an indus-
reliable. That often leads to increased costs. trial environment.
Security: In an office setting, the information Factory noise: Electric and magnetic noise
traveling through the network can be confidential generated by large motors and high voltage de-
and important, thus an office Ethernet network vices can distort data transfers on the network.
must guard against unauthorized use. The same is Vibrations: Some processes may create vibra-
true in an industrial application. Another security tion, which can cause degradation of the jacket
and disconnection if poor connectors are cable, though, the jacket and metals im- cess needs. It is still Ethernet, just Ethernet
used. You must consider what will happen prove. At some point, you begin to see designed to fulfill unique industrial needs.
when the machines switch is turned on. complex and thick jackets around incred- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ibly high-quality cable. Heavy-duty cable
John Rinaldi (jrinaldi@rtaautomation.com)
Other notable differences is more expensive than light-duty cable,
has a great deal of experience in industrial
Topology: Commercial Ethernet is al- so it is only used when necessary.
control and is the coauthor of the book In-
most always configured in a star topolo- Connectors: Connectors can fall on a
dustrial Ethernet. His company Real Time
gy. Industrial Ethernet has many different spectrum from office to light duty and up
Automation, Inc. specializes in industrial net-
topology options to fit diverse industrial to heavy duty. Typically, industrial Ethernet
working software stacks, OEM modules, cus-
applications. The topologies include star, connectors will not rely on basic snap-in
tom design, and off-the-shelf gateways to
tree, line, and ring topologies. lock mechanisms on the same level as of-
bridge protocols (www.rtaautomation.com).
Heavy and light duty: Office Ethernet fice Ethernet. Instead, heavier lock mecha-
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20100406.
components are designed for a base level nisms are used. In heavy-duty applica-
of use. Industrial Ethernet components tions, sealed connectors are often used.
rESOUrCES
can be considered for multiple levels Industrial light and heavy-duty parts Industrial Ethernet, 2nd Edition
of use. Thus, industrial Ethernet com- carry a premium price tag when com- www.isa.org/link/IE_Rinaldi
ponents can be divided into heavy and pared to commercial components. Fieldbus Foundation’s High Speed
light-duty categories. Ethernet is quickly becoming a well Ethernet
Cable: Cables can be classified as heavy known and used technology on the fac- www.fieldbus.org
or light duty. A light-duty industrial Ether- tory floor. It offers cost, data volume, and EtherNet/Ip
net cable may have slightly higher qual- transmission speed improvements over its www.odva.org
ity jacketing than office Ethernet cable. fieldbus predecessors in industrial appli- ETHErNET powerlink Standardization
The cable may even be an office Ethernet cations. Industrial Ethernet is able to effec- Group
cable if the conditions do not require ex- tively deal with harsh environments, data www.ethernet-powerlink.org
tra protection. As you rise to heavy-duty collisions, factory noise, and factory pro-
www.otcnet.org/2010
Register Now!
W
Editor’s Note: Dr. Ken e used to speak about an “emerging” n Get out of the tower and get involved in cur-
Ryan is an education skill shortage in this country as much as rent industry trends. Ask the following questions:
professional passionate we used to talk about the “potential” What is industry doing? What do they need from
about giving people the financial crisis. us? How do we deliver?
education and know- Well, they both happened! n Quit making every student so specialized, limit-
how to improve manu- Not only is the skill shortage knocking on our ing their value to employers.
facturing comments on front doors, it is now residing in our living rooms as n Get more practical and less theoretical. There
the issues in North we permanently rearrange our furniture. must be a balance between the two.
America. This is one per- There are two principle reasons for this: n Start teaching technicians across the technical
spective, and InTech is 1. We have duped ourselves into believing we can spectrum (e.g., mechatronics).
interested in perspectives build a sustainable economy without the du- n Take over the technical training responsibilities
from other parts of the rable manufacturing activities that characterize abandoned by the secondary education system.
world with similar issues. those nations threatening to eclipse us. What can industry do? Invest in the future work-
2. We face not only an aging of the skilled work- force that will make you successful.
force but a collateral erosion of the education n Stop outsourcing.
assets required to replenish the supply. n Get involved in curriculum advisory committees at
Reversal of the first problem demands a steel- your local technical/community college or university.
ing of the collective social will that may be beyond n Open your facility to educators for industry co-
the American public’s attention span. In this case, ops during the summer.
“Resistance is futile!” We may as well sit down, n Badger your legislators to support education
collect our government checks, and wait for the funding for skilled technician training.
end; however, I believe it is still (barely) within our n Quit turning a blind-eye to the closure of hands-
power to reestablish the preeminence of manufac- on education programs in secondary schools.
turing in our society. Given this resolve, we must n Start valuing technicians and technologists as
point out why we are in this predicament and then much as you value engineers. (We hope.)
focus on solving problem number two. Effective technical education and the develop-
First, in a self-absorbed focus on academic purity, ment of technical people by companies are serious
pensions, and seniority, we educators have partici- problems that demand serious action. Forming a
pated in the isolation and politicization of the Amer- circular firing squad will not get the job done. This
ican education system and taken our collective eye is not a gradual decline into mediocrity we face, but
off the prize of service to the next generation. an ever steepening spiral into economic malaise.
Next, in pursuit of optimized bottom lines for its We are rapidly approaching the tipping point. The
shareholders, industry has commoditized and deval- day will come when some national security threat will
ued skilled employees while simultaneously abdicat- wake us from our service economy hangover only to
ing its social contract for the education of its most find the educational infrastructure needed to support
precious resource, its future workforce. a nimble, technologically-advanced response has fall-
Now both parties decry the inability of the govern- en into such a state of neglect that it will collapse
ment to adequately fund the education system each under the demand of the hour.
abandoned in their rush to self aggrandizement. As Warren Buffett said: “You never know who’s swim-
What can post-secondary education do? (Get real …) ming naked until the tide goes out.” Regarding the skill
n Invite dedicated informed industry stakeholders shortage, not only are we naked, but the global bully on
onto curriculum advisory committees. Listen to the beach is threatening to kick sand in our works.
them, but listen harder.
n Throw away your laminated lesson plans. Just ABOUT THE AUTHOR
because it was the right thing to teach yesterday, Dr. Ken Ryan (kenr@LearnMechatronics.org) is di-
does not mean it is relevant today. rector of the Center for Applied Mechatronics at
n Get involved with industry standards committees. Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria, Minn.
I
srael said in March that it intends to de- the United Nations Security Council, in-
velop civilian nuclear plants for energy, sists that its nuclear program is purely for
offering to build one as a joint project civilian purposes, but Western govern-
with Jordan, under French supervision. ments believe its intentions are military.
According to The New York Times, the Still, Israel’s announcement here may
Israeli infrastructure minister, Uzi Landau, further complicate efforts to get the Se-
said Israel wanted a cleaner, more reliable curity Council to impose new sanctions
source of energy than the large amounts on Iran.
of coal now imported. He said regional Israel has never admitted that it has
cooperation on civilian nuclear power nuclear weapons, and it has refused to Israel has chosen a location in the north-
could help bind the Middle East. sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is ern Negev desert. “In a region like the
Jordan, however, said any such coop- a member of the International Atomic En- Middle East, we can only depend on our-
eration was premature before a settle- ergy Agency, and Landau said any nuclear selves,” Landau said. “Building a nuclear
ment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. power plant would be subject to interna- reactor to produce electricity will allow Is-
Iran, already subject to sanctions by tional safeguards. rael to develop energy independence.”
T
penhagen climate accord calling concern the accord could be rendered
he U.S. Army
for voluntary limits on greenhouse gas meaningless, even though India and Chi-
launched its
emissions, according to The Associated na were among a small group of nations
“Apps for the
Press. that negotiated the deal.
Army” (A4A) contest
More than 100 countries had earlier re- China’s one-sentence note to the U.N.
in March, open to
sponded to a request to be “associated” climate change secretariat in mid-March
active-duty, Reserve
with the nonbinding agreement brokered said it agreed to be listed in the accord,
and National Guard personnel, and civil-
by President Barack Obama at the climate which was seen as weaker language than
ian employees. The service seeks good
change summit in December. asking to be associated with it.
web and mobile software applications
that can be used throughout the Army.
Scandal prompts China to boost food safety Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, the Army
chief information officer, said the purpose
C
hina will step up food safety efforts ditional to modern farming, many of our of the contest is “to encourage smarter,
in the wake of a massive dairy scan- operations remain scattered, production better, and faster technical solutions to
dal, expanding supervision to reach methods are still backward, and our super- meet operational needs.”
more of the country’s countless small farms, vision lags behind,” Wei said. The Army will distribute a total of
an agriculture official said. A ministry statement said the govern- $30,000 in prizes to winners of the con-
Vice Minister of Agriculture Wei Chao’an ment promises to “implement quality and test, which is probably much less than it
said agricultural officials at all levels are safety monitoring programs targeting raw would cost to pay a contractor to write
working this year “to prevent any large- and fresh milk, and strengthen supervision a thousand lines of code or an entire ap-
scale food safety crises,” according to Man- of purchase stations for raw and fresh milk.” plication. The top app submissions will be
ufacturing.net. Despite tightened regulations and in- recognized at the LandWarNet Confer-
Wei said China was working to bring creased inspections on producers, melamine- ence in August.
more farms under better supervision, a tainted milk products have recently shown The Army said A4A apps that will be
challenge in a vast country where some up repackaged in several places around the considered are ones that tackle “distrib-
rural areas are still very poor. country. Melamine, which can cause kidney uted training, battle command, career
“Our agricultural products overall are stones and kidney failure, and is used to management, continuing education, or
safe and of high quality, but we must also make plastics and fertilizers, has also been news and information distribution.” A4A
recognize that while we transition from tra- found added to pet food and animal feed. apps must be submitted by 15 May.
of deadband because of the direct con- to isolate VFD and instrumentation ca- stay within the desired control band.
nection between the actuator shaft and bles should be used to avoid mistakes A VFD has a negligible response time
trim stem, and low trim friction. For ro- during plant expansions and instru- delay unless a deadband or dead zone
tary valves, connections can be problem- mentation system upgrades. is introduced into the drive electronics
atic since there is the need to convert the to slow response to process measure-
linear motion of a piston or diaphragm VFD turndown ment noise, or if a low resolution input
shaft to rotary motion and the changes Since the inverter waveform is not purely card is used. A control valve or damper
in the effective lever arm length. Rotary sinusoidal, it is important to select mo- has a dead time proportional to the
valves originally designed by piping valve tors that are designed for inverter use. resolution limit (e.g., from stiction and
manufacturers for on-off or manual op- These “inverter duty” motors have wind- windup) and dead band (from back-
eration often have a non-representative ings with a higher temperature rating lash and windup) divided by the rate
position measurement and a degree of (Class F). Another option that facilitates of change of the process controller out-
excessive backlash and shaft windup that operation at lower speeds to achieve the put. For large or fast changes in signal,
cannot be corrected by a positioner. maximum rangeability offered by a pulse this dead time disappears.
width modulation (PWM) drive is a high-
Valve best practices er service factor (e.g., 1.15). VFD best practices
For best performance, users should The turndown of a VFD could drop to With a VFD, a tachometer or inferential
consider the following during the spec- 4:1 for the following systems: speed feedback signal should be sent to the
ification of control valves: • Older VFD technologies such as 6-step process controller in the DCS that is send-
• Actuator, valve, and positioner pack- voltage (excessive slip at low speed) ing the signal to the drive. The speed feed-
age from a control valve manufacturer • Systems with a high static head (flow back should be used in a similar way to the
• Digital positioner tuned for valve plummets to zero at a low speed) position feedback from a digital positioner
package and application • Operation on the flat portion of the to prevent the process controller output
• Diaphragm actuators where applica- prime mover curve (cycling at low speed) from changing faster than the VFD can re-
tion permits (large valves and high • Hot gases (motor overheats at a low speed) spond. The use of the dynamic reset limit
pressure drops may require piston option for the loops in the DCS can auto-
actuators) VFD controls matically prevent the process controller
• Sliding stem (globe) valves where size The turndown (rangeability) of a VFD from outrunning the response of any type
and fluid permit (large flows and slur- can be increased by ensuring the pump of final element. For best performance, us-
ries may require rotary valves) head is large compared to the static head, ers should consider the following during
• Low stem packing friction by using PWM inverters, and by dealing the specification and implementation of
• Low sealing and seating friction of the with the heating problems at low speeds. variable frequency drive systems:
closure components Turndown also depends upon the control • High resolution input cards
• Booster(s) on positioner output(s) for strategy in the variable frequency drive. • Pump head well above static head on-
large valves on fast loops (e.g., com- off valves for isolation
pressor anti-surge control) Which is faster: A valve or VFD? • Design B TEFC motors with class F in-
• Online diagnostics and step response Exceptionally fast loops can ramp off- sulation and 1.15 service factor
tests for small changes in signal scale in milliseconds. These loops have • Larger motor frame size
• Dynamic reset limiting using digital essentially a zero process dead time • XPLE (cross-linked polyethylene) jacketed
positioner feedback and may have a high process gain due foil/braided or armored shielded cables
to a narrow control range (e.g., frac- • Separate trays for instrumentation
VFD cable problems tional inches of water column for fur- and VFD cables
Belden Inc. has studied the radiated nace pressure). These loops require • Inverter chokes and isolation trans-
noise from cables between the VFD and DCS scan times of 0.05 to 0.1 seconds. formers
the motor. Unshielded VFD cables can Special fast scan rate digital control- • Ceramic bearing insulation
radiate 80V noise to unshielded com- lers or analog controllers are needed. • Pulse width modulated inverters
munication cables and 10V noise to DCS scan time requirements of 0.2 • Properly set deadband and velocity
shielded instrument cables. The radi- seconds or less signify a VFD opportu- limiting in the drive electronics
ated noise from foil tape shielded VFD nity. A properly designed VFD has no • Drive control strategy to meet range-
cables is also excessive. A foil braided measureable dead time, while control ability/speed regulation requirements
shield and armored cable performs valves and dampers take anywhere • Dynamic reset limiting using inferen-
much better. Still, a spacing of at least from 0.2 to 2.0 seconds to start to move. tial speed or tachometer feedback
one foot is recommended between For example, an incinerator pressure
shielded VFD and shielded instrumen- and polymer pressure loop that could Source: Essentials of Modern Measurements and Final Elements in
the Process Industry: A Guide to Design, Configuration, Installation, and
tation cables. The cables should never get into trouble in less than 0.1 second
Maintenance by Gregory K. McMillan (ISBN: 978-1-936007-
cross. As a best practice, separate trays required a VFD and analog controller to 23-3) www.isa.org/finalelements
O
n 23 June 2009, ANSI/ISA-18.2, viation, or abnormal condition—The Alarm Identification & Rationaliza-
“Management of Alarm Systems for alarm must indicate a problem, not a tion (TR2): This TR will describe how to
the Process Industries” (ISA-18.2), normal process condition. evaluate whether something should be
was released. As with many standards, com- ■ Requiring a response—There must be an alarm, and how to set its priority, clas-
pletion of ISA-18.2 entailed significant effort a defined operator response to correct sification, and limit by considering time to
from a cross-functional team of volunteers the condition. If the operator does not respond, process dynamics, and potential
representing end users, suppliers, consultants, need to respond, then there should not consequences.
integrators, and the government. The ISA18 be an alarm. Basic Alarm Design (TR3): This TR will
committee labored for more than five years, provide guidance and application exam-
turning out eight drafts of the standard and Benefits of ISA-18.2 ples covering the selection and configura-
reviewing/resolving almost 4,000 comments. A well-functioning alarm system can help a tion of alarm attributes (types, deadbands,
Release of a standard, however, is just one process run closer to its ideal operating point, and delay time).
stage in its life. Performance-based standards prevent unplanned downtime, and keep the Enhanced and Advanced Alarm De-
define the “what,” but not the “how.” Appli- process running safely. Poor alarm manage- sign (TR4): This TR will describe how to
cation guidelines and examples, the “how,” ment can affect an operators’ performance deliver information to the operator to help
are needed to support wide-spread adoption by making it more difficult for them to de- formulate a response, to modify alarm attri-
by industry. tect, diagnose, and respond to each alarm butes dynamically based on operating state,
correctly and within the appropriate time- to address events that trigger multiple alarms,
Overview of ISA-18.2 frame. Following the alarm management to use model-based predictive alarming, and
ISA-18.2 provides a framework for the lifecycle of ISA-18.2 can go a long way to- to redirect alarms outside of the control room.
successful design, implementation, op- ward eliminating and preventing common Alarm Monitoring, Assessment, and
eration, and management of alarm sys- alarm management problems such as: Audit (TR5): This TR will provide guidance
tems. It contains guidance to help pre- ■ Nuisance alarms on how to measure, analyze, and improve
vent and eliminate the most common ■ Chattering & fleeting alarms alarm system performance through evalu-
alarm management problems, as well as ■ Stale alarms ation of key performance indicators.
a methodology for measuring and analyz- ■ Alarms with no response Alarm Systems for Batch and Dis-
ing performance of an alarm system. The ■ Alarms with the wrong priority crete Processes (TR6): This TR will spe-
standard is organized around the alarm ■ Redundant alarms cifically address how the standard applies
management lifecycle. The key activities ■ Alarm floods to batch and discrete processes. It will
of alarm management are executed in the provide guidance on how to deal with the
different stages of the lifecycle. The prod- Next steps nuances of managing alarms associated
ucts of each stage are the inputs for the As part of the continuing evolution of with batch and discrete processes.
activities of the next stage. ISA-18.2, a series of ISA18 technical re-
ports (TRs) is being developed to help Looking for good men, women
Defining an alarm alarm management practitioners put the If you are interested in contributing your knowl-
Several of the most important principles requirements and recommendations of edge and experience to the TR development
of alarm management are highlighted in ISA-18.2 into practice. effort—and in gaining from the knowledge
the definition provided by ISA-18.2. Alarm Philosophy (Technical Report and experience of your professional colleagues
An alarm is … 1): The cornerstone of an effective alarm at the same time—please contact ISA18 co-
■ An audible and/or visible means of indi- management program is the alarm phi- chairs Nicholas Sands (Nicholas.P.Sands@USA.
cating—There must be an indication of losophy document, which defines how a dupont.com) or Donald Dunn (Donald.Dunn@
the alarm. An alarm limit can be con- company or site will execute alarm man- aramcoservices.com).
figured to generate control actions or agement. TR1 will define roles and re-
log data without it being an alarm. sponsibilities, how to classify and prioritize ABOUT THE AUTHOR
■ To the operator—The indication must be alarms, what colors will be used to indicate Todd Stauffer (tstauffer@exida.com) is an
targeted to the operator to be an alarm, an alarm in the HMI, and management of alarm management consultant for exida
not to provide information to an engineer, change procedures. It will also establish key and a voting member of the ISA18 com-
maintenance technician, or manager. performance benchmarks (e.g., acceptable mittee. He is co-chairing the development
■ An equipment malfunction, process de- alarm load for the operator). of TR3 on basic alarm design.
Engineers—re-engineer yourself
By Jim Pinto
D
ecades ago, technology brought but did not take responsibility when things proud of the products you helped de-
the era of “specialization”— went wrong. Then I realized, directly or in- velop, find out what it takes to make
knowing more and more about directly, I was part of the problem. Instead those products successful.
less and less. To advance faster, you had to of kicking back to blame others, I started to n Read the corporate business plan. Make
focus. But in today’s global environment, find ways to become part of the solution. an effort to understand other depart-
new developments have accelerated to I started taking responsibility and got pro- ments’ goals and objectives. Dig into
where companies must generate winning moted. I discovered this truism, “I looked for the things that help to make your com-
strategies beyond narrow technical advan- a leader, and found myself!” pany successful. Most good companies
tages. Broad leadership vision and team- will welcome your broader involvement.
work have become important. Success demands many disciplines If they do not, go up the chain till you
Engineering has an image problem. Sur- Engineering is a detail-orientated job. The get to the leader who will encourage
veys show the public is not aware of what design of products and systems entails a you to understand more.
engineers do, beyond being involved in host of details that must be integrated. n Do not get stuck on narrow details. Go
construction of machines and buildings. And so, engineers are usually narrowly fo- beyond your own projects, and see how
Most people tend to think of engineering cused, trusting in the old adage, “Build a everything contributes to the company’s
as being a job concerned with objects and better mousetrap, and the world will beat goals. Success involves identifying the
gadgets rather than people. Actually, those a path to your door.” results required and knowing the right
ideas start with engineers themselves. It is The truth is the better mousetrap does steps, which includes recognizing the
their self-image. not sell itself. Before the design is even wrong steps. Ask questions to gain a clear
contemplated, you must know the target understanding of what it takes to accom-
Narrow focus = tunnel vision customer. The “to do” list for design opti- plish the overall objectives effectively.
Engineers tend to focus on engineering, mization must include the important mar- n Become more proactive by finding produc-
rather than the overall, broad picture. And ket requirements. This involves comparing tivity improvements and selling manage-
this limits their leadership potential. Most available products, reviewing competitive ment to implement those changes. Take
engineers do not want to be managers features, advantages, and benefits, finding time to talk with marketing on product re-
because they recognize leadership involves out whether engineering can offer some- quirements and specifications; work with
many things beyond the technical details thing superior, reviewing sales channels, and manufacturing to optimize production
they enjoy. They feel they should stick with coverage of key geographical market areas. methods and costs; come up with ways to
what they know rather than branch off into Good engineering must be involved minimize hardware inventory by develop-
the grey goop of people interface. Or even with all of these things to understand how ing selection options; be pro-active in the
worse, marketing or sales, which engineers and why the design specifications have specifications, to beef up the advantages.
jokingly call “the dark side.” been generated before the real engineer- There are dozens of ways to dazzle the
Did you know very few company chief ex- ing can commence. If you have a good customers, so keep looking for them.
ecutives are engineers? Even in technology understanding of the marketing require- n Get to know your customers. These are
companies, the top gun is typically a mar- ments, plus the follow-on manufacturing, the people (inside or outside your com-
keting person, followed (in order of prob- quality, sales, and distribution needs, then pany) for whom you are doing the work.
ability) by finance, then sales, then opera- you are a good engineer. This is what I call Go with sales people to visit customers to
tions (manufacturing), and last engineering. “total concept engineering.” find out what they are buying and why.
Especially in engineering companies, this is Satisfaction will bring customers back to
strange because, in my opinion, it is easier Re-engineer yourself generate success for your company.
to teach an engineer about marketing than If you are an engineer and want to move Re-engineer yourself. You will enjoy the
it is for a non-technical sales or marketing ahead in your management career, you growth and success that this will bring.
person to learn engineering. Engineers who need to be constantly re-educating your-
advance to executive leadership can make a self in other disciplines. Here are some ABOUT THE AUTHOR
big difference. positive ideas on what you can do to re- Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and found-
I am an engineer, and so I feel I can discuss engineer yourself. er of Action Instruments. You can e-mail
these things for and about engineers. Early n Make sure you re-invent yourself on him at jim@jimpinto.com or view his writ-
in my engineering career, I was as frustrated a daily basis. Start digging into things ings at www.JimPinto.com. Read the Table
at the lack of leadership around me. Most that affect your job and your company, of Contents of his book, Pinto’s Points, at
people seemed happy to be part of success, beyond just engineering. If you are www.jimpinto.com/writings/points.html.
T
ergy costs that can be retrieved directly
he previous article in this series (www. underpin the creation of the real-time
isa.org/intech/workdev_201002) from utilities in electronic format, basic business variables.
discussed the role of people, in- process data can be transformed into re- Fortunately, in modern industrial plants
formation, and technology to enhance quired business and operating data in real that are under automatic process control
the performance of existing plant assets time, allowing plant personnel to make the database exists, even if it is not ini-
in today’s challenging economic environ- real-time decisions that improve the plant tially obvious. The real-time data sourced
ment, and how companies can cope by performance. And this typically requires by the hundreds of process sensors in-
employing real-time techniques in enter- no additional capital investments. stalled in most plants provides an ideal
prise management using resources they All it requires is talent that can use ex- database for the development of the real-
may already have. This article details the isting plant automation and information time business metrics. If the equations of
real-time business approach to measure- systems in a new and different way to the necessary operational measures (key
ment, employee empowerment, and op- apply real-time operational and business performance indicators) and financial
erations, ultimately leading to real-time information. When the real-time business measures can be determined, typically
profit optimization. data of an industrial operation is utilized an experienced engineer can develop
to drive business models of those measures primarily using
Although the concept of a real-time enterprise performance im- the plant sensors as source data. Often
might seem daunting, the basics of controlling provements in this additional external information may be
manner, the result- required, such as the current price of en-
and improving such an enterprise are much ing operation is re- ergy. These models can execute right in
simpler than they may initially appear. ferred to as a real- the controllers of the plant automation
time enterprise. system, providing the necessary real-time
A real-time enterprise requires busi- Although the concept of a real-time business measures.
ness and operations information to be enterprise might seem daunting, the ba- Once the real-time business measure-
available to operations personnel and sics of controlling and improving such an ments have been developed, the second
management in real time, but traditional enterprise are much simpler than they step is to move to bring these measure-
IT systems are not designed to provide may initially appear. The key is to build on ments under feedback control. As with
information so frequently. They are opti- the knowledge engineers have developed the early process control systems, the best
mized around monthly, weekly, or at best, over the past 50 years in controlling real- and easiest starting point is the move to
daily schedules, and they typically do not time production processes. manual feedback control by using the
contain data that reflect the real-time op- As with any control challenge, the first plant operators to take control action.
eration of the business. It is impossible to component that needs to be developed In early process control systems, this was
take monthly data and extract minute-by- is the measurement of the variables to accomplished by assigning an operator
minute guidance from it. be controlled in the time frame necessary to control a specific process variable by
On the other hand, automation sys- for control. In the case of today’s business turning a hand valve and empowering
tems were designed from inception to variables of industrial operations, the time- the operator to make the right decisions
operate in real time. They are also con- frame has to be in real time. through a gauge that indicated the cur-
nected to a real-time process instrumen- The challenge is
tation that reflects everything happening how to measure
in the plant second by second and can be business variables
thought of as the real-time database of in real time. The
the industrial operation. business variables
Granted, this “database” is difficult of an operation
to use from a business perspective, con- are commonly
taining information such as flows, lev- managed through
els, temperatures, pressures, speeds, the company’s ERP
and chemical compositions, but there is system, which is
a clear relationship between these basic anything but real
process variables and the required real- time. Therefore a
time business variables. Using real-time new database is
business information, such as current en- required that will
rent value of the process variable. business. This careful process results in a that respond too slowly to changes they
For business variables, a similar ap- set of manual feedback business control make. For example, in a refinery an op-
proach can be taken. Plant operators can loops focused on production value, en- erator may change a set point to drive a
be empowered though the creation busi- ergy cost, material cost, environmental business result; but due to the dead time
ness gauges in the form of dashboard dis- integrity, and safety. in the process, the actual result may not
plays of the real-time business variables. Some business variables are beginning be realized for hours. By the time it is, the
These dashboards have to be care- to fluctuate so rapidly that it is becom- operator may be at home eating dinner
fully developed and contextualized to the ing very difficult for operators to control and may never find out the impact of the
skills and experience of each individual them through a manual feedback con- change. In these cases, technologies such
employee involved in the control of the trol system. In these instances, automatic as online simulators may be deployed.
feedback controllers of the busi- When the operator makes a change, the
ness variables will need to be simulator can go into fast-forward mode
developed. The algorithms for and immediately let the operator know
these business controllers may what the impact of the change will be
not be as straightforward as the when it worked through the process.
general purpose PID algorithm Once each of the five key business
used in process control. variables of an industrial operation—pro-
But careful analysis of each duction value, energy cost, material cost,
business control problem can of- environmental integrity, and safety—are
ten result in the effective develop- brought under control, the final step is
ment of a special business control to optimize the profitability of the plant
algorithm. The result is an auto- in real time. The simplified plant profit
matic business control loop. real-time optimization model shows three
Humans also tend to have business objectives—maximizing produc-
difficulty with business variables tion value, minimizing energy cost, and
www.testo.us/transmitters
(800) 227-0729
yet exist. Studies have found a human nities for improvements such as described
with a moderate education and the right here. With the reduction of capital proj-
information in the right timeframe will ects, industrial companies can mobilize
earn how to solve a multiple objective their existing human assets to build real-
optimization problem through experien- time operations business improvement
tial learning—so manual real-time profit programs using their automation and in-
optimization is available today. formation assets. As a result, not only will
Every aspect involved in moving to real- they ride the downturn with less disrup-
time profit optimization involves utilizing tion, they will also be in a great position
the installed plant capital investments in to capitalize when the economic upswing
the form of automation and information comes. The time is now. The opportunity
technologies more effectively to solve is ripe.
new kinds of business problems. In many
cases, this can be accomplished without ABOUT THE AUTHOR
minimizing material costs—constrained the need to acquire any new technology. Peter G. Martin Ph.D. is vice president for
by two key business constraint functions, Most control and process engineers business value generation at Invensys Op-
environment and safety. have the background and experience erations Management. Martin has spent
This model clearly shows optimizing to make great strides toward business three decades in the automation indus-
plant profitability is a multiple objective performance improvement by using the try, culminating with the development
optimization problem. Focusing on any models presented, along with their tra- of commercially-applied dynamic perfor-
single objective in deference to the others ditional knowledge and skills as control mance measurement technologies and
would result in a sub-optimized business. engineers, and the installed automation methodologies. An established author
Unfortunately, effective mathematical ap- and information technologies. and industry speaker, he received the ISA
proaches to resolve multiple objective, This is a difficult economic time for in- Life Achievement Award in 2009 for his
real-time optimization problems do not dustry. But such times offer new opportu- work in performance measurement.
W
ho decides what a licensed and rules. One cannot call themselves an in ISA84, Application of Safety Instrument-
Control Systems Engineer “Engineer” or offer “engineering services” ed Systems of the Process Industry (a.k.a.
(CSE) needs to know? Educa- unless they are licensed in that state where IEC-61511 Functional Safety of Safety In-
tors, legislators, industry? Envelope please they are practicing. The PAKS survey is strumented Systems for the Process Indus-
… it is YOU, the practitioners, based on the method used to help determine what try Sector), which defines a control system
your employers’ and clients’ needs. knowledge and activities licensed engineers as the input devices, final control elements,
must know to be mini- basic process control system, and the safety
mally competent. The instrumented system. From this definition,
most complete determi- the proposed framework may be:
nation of this knowledge n Measurement (Inputs)
and activities is when all n Final control elements
practicing facets of our n Process control system
profession are involved n Safety instrumented systems
and the committee over- n Standards and codes
seeing the PAKS repre- To determine which item is important
sents that diversity. to which practitioner, one of the first
The 2010 PAKS com- questions to be asked is, “what is your
The PAKS committee is under the Professional Development mittee is made up of 19 major area of practice?” The suggested
Department of ISA. members from nine dif- choices include:
How are the knowledge areas deter- ferent states, six of which are in the top 10 n Instrument engineer, who specializes
mined? Every six to eight years a Profes- states for CSE licensing. The members are in measurement and final control areas
sional Activities and Knowledge Study experienced in the following industries: n Process control engineer, who special-
(PAKS) survey is held by a sponsoring soci- n Aerospace n Polymers izes in distributed control systems,
ety. For a CSE, this is the International So- n Chemical n Power remote-terminal units, programmable
ciety of Automation (ISA), and it is done n Education n Pulp & Paper logic controllers, human-machine
in conjunction with the National Council n Food & Beverage n Refining interfaces, advanced process controls,
of Examiners for Engineering and Survey- n LNG n Safety Systems and other process control applications
ing (NCEES). The last PAKS survey for the n Oil & Gas n Steel n Safety system engineer, who special-
CSE was performed in 2001, and now it (Upstream) n Textiles izes in safety instrumented system
is time to do it again. n Petrochemical n Water & applications
To perform this survey, the PAKS com- n Pharmaceutical Wastewater By analyzing the survey information in
mittee meets to review the control system When the first CSE Specification was these major areas of practice with ques-
specification framework, develop the sur- developed in the early 1990s, it was based tions that examine the aspects of our
vey questions, review the survey prior to on the role of the instrument engineer of work, the results will be used to update
release, review the results of the survey, that period. From one viewpoint, it was the CSEs’ exam specification.
and then review any revisions to the CSE a world based on a renaissance engineer For this year’s PAKS to best represent
Exam Specification. The first exam under specification—one who could do it all. The what CSEs do and how they serve the
the new specification, which is called the framework was divided into the following: public, we strongly encourage you to par-
Anchor Exam, is then assembled and test- n Measurement ticipate in the survey. As this survey de-
ed. After the Anchor Exam is given, a Cut n Signals and transmission velops, additional information on when,
Score Panel is convened. The Cut Score n Final control elements where, and how you can participate will
Panel actually takes the exam, discusses n Control systems analysis be published. For more information on
the questions, and recommends a pass- n Control systems implementation the PAKS survey, contact Dalton Wilson
ing score to NCEES. Once these tasks are n Codes, standards, and regulations (dwilson@isa.org).
completed, all future CSE exams will be Today, a CSE’s world has evolved into
rESOUrCES
referenced back to the Anchor Exam until one with many more specialists and fewer
CSE licensing information
the next PAKS survey is undertaken. renaissance engineers. The exam frame-
www.isa.org/link/CSE
The purpose of licensing engineers is to work also needs to evolve to meet current
protect the public. Each state and territory practice. One thought is to use the frame- pE exam information
controls licensing via the enactment of laws work definition of a control system found www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam.php
4-20 mA TRANSMITTERS
Have Special Needs?
SNAP
You Need SNAP.
Moore Industries Special Needs And Products
may be your answer when you need a signal
interface instrument that’s a bit different, a lot
different or something you just can’t get anymore.
Butterfly valve broad range of manufacturing and pro- selection of related plug-in I/O modules.
An expansion of duction applications. The 802.11n Indus- Designed specifically to work together,
the large diam- trial Hotspots improve performance for this combination of a rugged, fanless
eter size range for high-bandwidth video/voice applications box computer and conduction-cooled
the Type 567 But- and high packet-rate control applications. I/O modules provides an integrated sys-
terfly Valve now They provide better signal sensitivity and tem for high-performance measurement
includes sizes 14- range in environments like mobile factory and control projects. The first release in
16 inches. The settings. Options are available to suit the the I/O Server line, the Model IOS-7400,
new size range application, including Single (RLXIB-IHN), is equipped with an Intel Atom CPU and
features a unique Dual (RLXIB-IH2N), and Watertight Dual interface connections for peripherals and
double eccentric (RLXIB-IH2N-W) Industrial Hotspots. The network devices. Users can insert up to
off-center design and excellent chemical radios utilize MIMO (Multiple Input, Mul- four mezzanine IOS modules, in any mix,
compatibility. The 567 Valve’s unique double tiple Output), a technology that uses up to onto the slide-out carrier card to perform
eccentric design features an off-center shaft three antennas to enable high-speed data A/D, D/A, discrete monitoring/control,
that allows the disc to completely disengage rates up to 300 Mbps, providing advanced counter/timer, serial communication, and
from the disc seal, even when partially open. performance in industrial environments. FPGA computing functions. The inter-
This results in reduced seal friction for lon- ProSoft Technology face for up to 192 channels of field I/O
ger service life and minimal maintenance www.prosoft-technology.com is handled through four high-density con-
compared to non-eccentric valve styles. The nectors on the front panel for clean, easy
double eccentric design requires only about Turbidity analyzers cable access. Advanced thermal technol-
half the torque of a traditional boot design, ogy removes heat without open vents or
which decreases wear on the disc seal to fur- fans for dependable operation from -30
ther enhance product life. to 75°C. Pricing for the I/O Server PC
GF Piping Systems starts at $2195 while the twenty-plus IOS
www.gfpiping.com modules begin at $325 each.
Acromag
Linear voice coil housed actuator www.acromag.com
The Lin- The CE compliant TRCN440 series turbid-
ear Voice ity analyzers are available in three models. FPC-to-board connectors
C o i l The TRCN441 is designed for medium to
Housed high turbidity ranges, and the TRCN442
Actuator targets lower turbidity ranges ideally from
features its own shaft and bearings as well 10 to 100 NTU and is ideal for applications
as an integrated AMP connector, which in the beverage industry, mining and wa-
simplify OEM installation. The presence of ter treatment. The TRCN443 is specifically
the integrated AMP connector eliminates designed for ultra low turbidity readings
flying leads and the need for terminals. The below 10 NTU for applications like drink-
only part needed by the customer for ac- ing water and pure water. All models are The series of FPC-to-board connectors, des-
tuator installation is a mating female con- compact in design, are light weight with ignated the BM10 Series, are RoHS-com-
nector. The actuator, manufactured with a the NEMA 4X (IP67), and include local in- pliant and halogen-free connectors avail-
linear bearing system, provides an extreme- dication, transmitter outputs, and control able with stacking heights of 0.6mm and
ly large number of cycles (tests have proven outputs. 0.8mm, and they feature a space-saving
performance up to 10 billion cycles). A flex OMEGA Engineering 2.98mm depth and 0.4mm contact pitch.
circuit inside the device also contributes to www.omega.com The 40-position BM10 Series connectors
high reliability of operation. Designed in a feature an enhanced self-alignment mech-
durable package measuring 2.75” (70 mm) I/O server industrial PC anism via guidance ribs, with a self-align-
in diameter and 5.2” (132.7 mm) in length, ment range of 0.3mm. Metal fittings and
its large size allows for a Peak force capabil- a clipping contact design provide high PC
ity of 60 lbs. (267 N). board retention force and a highly reliable
BEI Kimco Magnetics contact, while dimpled contacts result in
www.beikimco.com robust mating in high shock environments.
The BM10 Series connectors also feature
Industrial radios solder wicking prevention and contact pro-
The 802.11n Industrial Hotspot solutions tection against dust and other particles.
leverage the latest technology to provide The I/O Server Industrial PC features an Hirose Electric Co.
greater flexibility and performance to a internal carrier card to interface a wide www.hiroseusa.com
Safety Systems Engineer would be an asset. You have demonstrated a passion for pro-
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory: The Safety Systems cess/functional safety and are keen to expand your Controls
Section at SLAC (Controls Department) is responsible for knowledge with a world leader in the rapidly evolving fields
protection of personnel from prompt radiation, in the frame- of Process/Functional Safety. If you do not have your TÜV – SIS
work of accelerator safety systems (Personnel Protection Sys- Functional Safety Engineer accreditation, we will not just help
tems and Beam Containment Systems) and associate support you acquire it but keep you challenged applying it. Duties &
equipment. Current safety systems are both Programmable responsibilities: Develop and analyze control requirements for
Logic Controllers (PLC) and relay-based. The Safety Systems existing and new facilities (i.e. petrochemical plants, pipelines
Engineer is responsible for analyzing and designing safety and utilities). … see more at ISAJobs.org. For more opportuni-
systems; developing requirements and specifications; de- ties with this company, visit http://www.acm.ab.ca/CareerOp.
velop safety documentation; designing upgrades to existing aspx?menu_id=18.
circuits, drawing formal electrical and electronic schematics
and wiring diagrams from engineering sketches and existing
Product Engineering and Marketing Team Leader
documentation; selecting electronic parts and components
Fieldbus Foundation: The Product Marketing Team Leader
and preparing Bills of Materials and Parts Lists … see more
is responsible for ensuring the Fieldbus Foundation’s prod-
at ISAJobs.org.
ucts and services meets the needs of the marketplace. Work
with management and developers to generate test plans,
Intermediate Controls Engineer/Technologist test requirements, and test cases to validate development
ACM Facility Safety: ACM presently requires Intermediate tools and technical specifications. Gather, analyze, and de-
Controls Engineers / Technologists to compliment a team of velop corrective actions for interoperability and usability is-
employees who are passionate about process safety, exhibit at- sues with the implementation of the FOUNDATION fieldbus
tention to detail, and provide excellence in project delivery. Our technical specifications and automated test systems. Ensure
ideal candidate is an early to mid-career Instrument & Controls products and services are developed in accordance with ap-
professional who has some direct experience working with proved policies and procedures. The Product Marketing Team
Safety Instrumented Systems, either through a vendor, EPC Leader will support other activities of the Fieldbus Founda-
firm, owner/operator or perhaps a boutique firm like ACM. tion to further the promotion and adoption of FOUNDATION
You have 3 – 10 years of experience in the world of controls fieldbus technology including participation in trade shows,
on oil and gas installations. Direct field experience with the field demonstrations, beta tests, and technical teams. … see
installation and commissioning of PLC, DCS and SIS systems more at ISAJobs.org.
W
hat does automation mean to today’s ity would intersect accurately and the facility would
modern engineering contractors? From the fit onto the allowable real estate. However, even the
perspective of the automation engineering best modelers could only achieve a design accuracy
discipline, this means designing efficient systems with of a few inches. Today’s facility constructability accu-
modern instrumentation, the most current process con- racy is dependent more on the quality of the field
trol systems with all the bells and whistles, IEC61511- craftsmen, such as welders and pipefitters, than the
compliant safety instrumented systems, cutting-edge dimensional accuracy of the model which is a fraction
analyzers and sample systems, and the most up-to-date of an inch. Using today’s 3-D model results in fewer
communication system. Though the cost of a control engineering and field hours, fewer paper documents,
system including equipment, engineering, and design and less waste for lower cost and “greener” design.
is less than 3% of the total installed cost of most major The 3-D model is a multi-discipline effort. The instru-
projects, the opportunities for improved return on in- mentation and electrical disciplines model the lighting,
vestment are greatest within the discipline in the form raceway and conduit, junction boxes, electrical equip-
of advanced process control, energy savings, enterprise ment, in-line instruments, local panels, remote buildings,
solutions, asset management, plant maintenance, me- and stand-mounted instruments. The documentation
dium and high fidelity process modeling, and operator that goes to the fabricators and construction contractor
training. This is how an optimized facility is achieved; are automatically generated by the software and deliv-
but how do the contractor’s engineering groups use au- ered electronically. The 3-D model is then used by con-
tomation to optimize their productivity? struction for planning, reporting, and progressing.
Engineering automation in this context is defined as While the 3-D work is going on, data is being load-
the software tools and processes used during the de- ed into the instrumentation design platform, which
sign phases of a project by all engineering disciplines, will eventually produce datasheets, wiring intercon-
and it plays a very large factor in the design of a facil- nection reports, instrument indexes, cable schedules,
ity. Modern Engineering Contractors use some form and other deliverables. Data is imported into the con-
of engineering automation in their design, from 3-di- trol and shutdown systems for configuration. Much of
mensional (3-D) modeling to automatic generation of the engineering documentation is viewable through
drawings using a data-centric environment. the control system or plant-wide enterprise solution.
When engineering contractors first started using After construction is complete, owners use data gen-
personal computers tied together within networks, erated during the engineering phase for their mainte-
most automation was limited to creating small mac- nance, asset management, and enterprise solutions.
ros within a single electronically generated drawing. So what is the ultimate goal that engineering contrac-
The computer replaced the drafting table, and the tors and clients want from engineering automation sys-
effort it took to generate a CAD drawing was about tems? The “Holy Grail” of engineering automation has
the same as producing a drawing with a T-square and always been to have an integrated software package
lead holder. As engineers became more experienced that creates an “instant design”—otherwise known as
with databases, they started to automate the genera- “just mash the button,” as a senior ISA member used
tion of deliverables. As the computers and networks to say. Even with the application of data-centric systems,
became more powerful, the automation software is it feasible for engineers to develop a complete design
evolved, and data was put on servers able to handle that includes all the engineering deliverables that are
larger amounts of data. Work teams became virtual, needed? Owners would have to accept standardized
and projects were in operation worldwide. designs based on common industry practices and speci-
The design process starts with the overall blueprint fications. In reality, few owners are willing to accept de-
for the facility—the piping and instrumentation dia- signs based on this type of standardized criteria. We are
gram, or P&ID. Today’s “intelligent” P&ID has com- still a long way from our goal of achieving this level of
mon data imbedded in the symbology that is initiated engineering automation with the technology available
by the process engineer and used by all engineering today, but we are getting there with each step.
disciplines to develop the facility. After the P&IDs are
issued for design, the 3-D model and work in the en- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
gineering system design software begins. Ken Valentine is Fluor’s Global Excellence Leader for
Prior to computers, plastic models were developed Control Systems and a registered chemical engi-
to lay out facilities. This ensured all pieces of the facil- neer at the Sugar Land, Tex., office.
Complete the questionnaire on the back of this ad, mail and you will be entered into a
drawing to win an iPod Touch. Or, you can go to www.balstonfilters.com/intech to register
1.800.343.4048 www.balstonfilters.com
Name Title
Company Address
City State, Zip
Telephone E-mail
*In order to be eligible for drawing, all questions and contact information must be completed.
INTECH310
LFIND, LFINDLetter
Please fold here, tape shut, and mail
NO POSTAGE
NECESSARY
IF MAILED
IN THE
UNITED STATES