December 2006

EXPO 2006: Wireless thrives

Improving control
Engineers meet IT
Vision in hostile environments

Benefits
of Heat
Predictive maintenance ensures dynamic
NOx and heat rate optimization

www.isa.org/intech
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December 2006 | Vol 53, Issue 12 Setting the Standard for Automation™ www.isa.org

COVER STORY

14 Charting the
future
By Don Labbe, Bill Hocking, Bill Ray, Jon Anderson, and
Pat Klepper

Better unit reliability and thermal performance lie behind

an Arkansas electric producer project to optimize NOx and
build heat rate benefits.

COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS

7 Talk to Me 56 Automation Basics

Wireless taking off The I/O—the arteries of a PLC

8 Your Letters 57 Standards

Career in process control Power to security standards

10 Automation Update 62 Products and Resources

Texas City safety saga, integration automation, Spotlight on I/O
and more
64 ISA News
50 Executive Corner Global initiatives in India, version 3.0 of PackML
Wiring in to wireless guidelines, and more

51 Ask the Career Coach 68 The Final Say

The nutshell model A merging of cultures

53 Channel Talk Resources

Migration solutions
58 Datafiles
54 Certification Review 66 Classified Advertising
Preventing valve leakage, teaching process upset 67 Index to Advertisers
reactions, and more
67 2006 Article Index
 © 2006 InTech
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22 Vision in hostile environments

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The hot topic for attendees at ISA EXPO 2006 in Houston was wireless. Their To order REPRINTS from InTech, contact
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 Perspectives from the Editor | talk to me

ISA INTECH STAFF

A long time coming, EDITOR

wireless taking off Gregory Hale

[email protected]

SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR

By Gregory Hale, InTech, Editor
Nicholas Sheble
[email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR

M
agnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the plant. We can put in more monitoring Ellen Fussell Policastro
[email protected]
is an incredible tool in the med- points and at 1/10 the cost of wired sensors.”
ical profession. It offers an unpar- “This will open new doors in the areas of COPY EDITOR & PRODUCTION
alleled view inside the human body at a predictive maintenance and asset manage- Emily Blythe Kovac
[email protected]
level of detail never seen before. Simply put, ment,” Berra said. “We’ll save money in
it is an imaging miracle with magnets. factories, not because we’re saving by not EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT
Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell, both of using copper wire, but because we can, for Dr. Cris Whetton
whom won the Nobel Prize in 1952, example, monitor corrosion better or keep [email protected]
discovered the magnetic resonance closer track on valve health and its affect ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
phenomenon independently in 1946. on process efficiency.” Colleen Casper
However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Another industry behemoth, Honeywell, [email protected]
the medical profession accepted it as an agrees. PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
imaging method of choice. “What happens when a company gets T.S. Lee
When you see a player get hurt as you serious about technology? Look at what
watch a pro football game on any Sunday, happened when Microsoft got serious
ISA PRESIDENT
the sideline reporter will offer the player’s about the Internet,” Paul Orzeske, Ken R. Baker
condition, saying he is out for the game Honeywell’s vice president and general
and will get an MRI on Monday. The play- manager for Europe, Middle East, and PUBLICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT

Africa (EMEA), said during the company’s Don R. Frey

With Honeywell and Emerson user group meeting in Seville, Spain in EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

pushing wireless technologies, November. “We have taken wireless CHAIRMAN

technology and applied it to industrial Steve Valdez
can there be any doubt it wireless. We have 30 million installed Industrial Process Measurement Inc.

will become a hard and fast sensors today. We have more than 400 Joseph S. Alford Ph.D., P.E.
dedicated engineers working on wire- Eli Lilly
standard industry technology? less technologies.”
Joao Miguel Bassa
Where is wireless headed? Orzeske sees
RHODIA
er will then get an instant diagnosis and two areas: one will be complying with
either start rehabbing the injury or get wireless standards; the other will be devel- Vitor S. Finkel
surgery as soon as possible so he can get oping the next wireless infrastructure. Finkel Engineers & Consultants
back out on the field. With these two giants pushing wireless Guilherme Rocha Lovisi
MRI’s took time to get established, but technologies, can there be any doubt it White Martins GI S/A
once they did, the technology just took off. will become a hard and fast standard
David W. Spitzer P.E.
The same is true with the wireless industry technology? Right now, we know
Spitzer and Boyes, LLC
phenomenon going on in the automation wireless is not going to jump off the
industry. Wireless technology has been on shelves and into your plant. But, rather, James F. Tatera
the scene for years and years (dating back manufacturers will use it on trial basis Tatera & Associates Inc.
to the 1890s with Marconi's work in whenever a need arises. They need to test Victor G. Smith P.E.
radio), but the giants are now taking the reliability and security to ensure their Consultant
notice and are seemingly ready to go. processes remain safe.
Gerald R. White P.E.
“The technical obstacles to wireless Great technologies, like the MRI, start
GRTW Inc.
communication in plants and factories are off that way. They take a slow circuitous
falling,” said John Berra, president of route, and then one day it becomes a
Emerson Process Management, during his common tool to even someone sitting in
company’s annual information exchange an armchair watching a football game.
conference in Nashville, Tenn. “No wires Talk to me: [email protected] or (919) 990-
means no limits to what we can see and hear 9275.

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 7

your letters | Readers Respond

Career in process control in their undergraduate curriculum. occurs through the use of external tools to
I read Samuel Herb’s article “What are they, I would appreciate Herb’s thoughts that create product. Process control involves
and where are they going?” in the can help me better focus in the control transforming materials through the applica-
September 2006 InTech. It was quite inform- and automation direction, considering tion and/or action of heat, pressure, reac-
ative from a learning perspective. I am a new my background in engineering and as a tions, etc., on materials usually contained
graduate of chemical engineering and recent graduate of engineering seeking to within vessels. It is about dynamic flows,
wanted Herb’s experienced thoughts on increase his career potential. which can be oil, gas, electricity, molten
pursing a career in process control and Umeet Bhachu steel, grain, or whatever. It is more like
automation. I have recently joined a con- Response: cooking a meal than assembling “widgets.”
sulting firm as a junior engineer, however Many process control engineers come from Folks usually “fall into” the profession
cannot help wondering if chemical engi- the chemical engineering profession and rarely set out to become an instrument
neers make good automation engineers, because processes are nearly always due to and controls engineer. I’ve seen them come
considering the lack in electrical knowledge chemical reactions. Discrete manufacturing from just about every discipline … physics,
chemistry, civil engineering, mechanical engi-
neering, electrical engineering (power and
electronics), and now computer engineering,
and of course programming. I even know
some whose degrees were in animal
husbandry, ornamental horticulture, and
taxidermy. No formulas here.
Some may design control systems;
many will apply control systems to various
applications, often as system integrators
or users. They may work for one of the
major instrument and controls compa-
nies, for one of the many thousands of
small operations, or for users like steel
companies, power companies, refineries,
chemical plants, pipelines, food, phar-
maceuticals, and more. It may lead to
technical sales as well.
I am hardly an example of a focused
career path. Then again, I doubt most are
if they really think about it. My family
had no money, and at the time I was ready
for college, there was no such thing as
student loans. I searched out a job in a
technical plant as an errand boy for the
engineering department, and while work-
ing full time during the day, went to Drexel
at night … for 14 years to get a BS.
During that time, I became a technician,
later a technical writer. Outside activities
also influenced my direction and skills—
editor of school paper, radio station, model
railroading, Boy Scout Commissioner, vari-
ous roles in my church, all of which overlaid
teaching and presentation skills along with
a number of other subtle capabilities, lead-
ing me to various marketing roles.
Although I figured I was interested in
technical things, much of my “progress”
came from watching for any opportunity
that presented itself, then checking it out
if it looked interesting.
Samuel M. Herb, PE

8 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

automation update | News From the Field

Texas City safety saga persists

F
ederal investigators examining a lines for pressure relieving systems. blowdown drums from its refineries and
major explosion at BP’s Texas City In particular, the group should warn plans to eliminate all blowdown drums
refinery called on the U.S. oil industry against using blowdown drums similar to from its refineries by 2008.
to eliminate the use of blowdown drums. those used in Texas City at the time of the In late October, the CSB released
Blowdown drums are at work in many explosion, the board said. preliminary findings saying BP disregarded
refineries, and that piece of equipment Because the blowdown drum vented employee safety, despite a record of prob-
was most responsible for the explosion directly to the atmosphere when the lems at Texas City, and the oil giant chose
that killed 15 people last year. drum overfilled, a geyser-like release of to focus on cutting costs and reducing the
Dow Jones Newswires reported the highly flammable liquid and vapor spilled number of reportable injuries to safety
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard directly onto the grounds of the Texas City regulators, rather than looking at larger
Investigation Board urged industry trade refinery, causing a series of explosions safety and management issues.
groups to ask their members to improve and fires that killed workers in and around
Vent to
safety practices for pressure-relief systems nearby temporary work trailers. Rupture
disk Long radius swept atmosphere
and to eliminate the type of atmospheric The CSB said such releases had bend or elbow or flare
stack or
vent that caused the explosion that killed occurred six times in the 10 years prior to scrubber

15 and injured more than 170 people at the explosion years, but none of the previ- Reactor
the BP facility in 2005. ous releases ignited.
The equipment problems at Texas City BP had 22 of these drums in use in its
were not unique to the refinery, the five refineries in the continental U.S., said
Blowdown drum
agency said, and require further attention CSB investigator Don Holmstrom.
from federal regulators and the industry, Beyond BP, “we have received informa-
investigators said. tion that there are a number of other
The two-phase mixture—liquid and gas—
The board asked the American Petroleum drums,” he said, but added most refiner- enters from the reactor or vessel at one
Institute, which sets the safety standards ies had replaced the devices with flares. end of the blowdown, and the vapor
that most refineries use, to revise its guide- BP said it has already removed some exits at the other end.

Integration automation: The ultimate business cluster

S
ome giants in the chemical industry have spun off various divi- At BASF’s Verbund sites, they integrate all the production
sions to narrow the spectrum of their business. Some haven’t. plants, energy and waste flows, logistics, and site infrastructure,
Bayer, Germany’s second-largest chemical firm, listed its so chemical processes consume less energy, produce higher yields
specialty chemical division, Lanxess, as a separate company in of products, and conserve resources.
January 2005. By linking plants in a production Verbund, they create efficient
Although the trend in the industry is to put new labels on bits value-adding chains starting with basic chemicals and extending to
of the business, such as “life sciences,” which includes health higher-value products like coatings and crop protection products.
and food, or “coatings,” which includes paint, BASF still brands In addition, by-products from one plant serve as raw materials
itself as “The Chemical Company.” elsewhere. Production plants connect to one another via an intricate
The one business it has quit is pharmaceuticals, accepting network of piping that provides an environmentally friendly method
there is little overlap between drugs and its other products. of transporting raw materials and energy quickly and safely.
It is no wonder BASF jettisoned pharmaceuticals when one Their Verbund site at Ludwigshafen comprises 250 individual
considers the company’s use of the of the Verbund concept. chemical factories turning out 8,000 different products and
Pharma and chemicals, usually toxins, do not work well together. sprawls over 10 square kilometers.

And then there was one–The strategies of chemicals firms

1980s 2006
Oil and gas
Petrochemicals BASF Ticona, Formosa
Celanese SABIC
BASF Dow Plastics
Commodity chemicals Hoechst Dow Lanxess Invista
Bayer DuPont Bayer
Specialty chemicals Clariant Mat. Sc. ICI
DuPont
Agrochemicals/ ICI Bayer Syngenta
biotechnology Crop Sc.
Bayer
Pharma Sanofi- Health- Astra-
aventis care Zeneca
Source: BASF Source: The Economist

10 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 News From the Field | automation update

Hubbert’s peak PLC market will grow 20% by year 2010

M. King Hubbert, a Shell Oil geophysicist,
estimated in 1956 that oil production in The worldwide programmable logic controller
the United States would peak when half (PLC) market
12,000.0

l
of the country’s oil was gone—year 1970, (Millions of dollars)
he said. The oil business scoffed at the
prediction. U.S. oil production peaked 10,000.0

l
around 1970.
8,000.0
Hubbert’s Peak

l
Annual U.S. crude oil production
6,000.0

l
40 billion barrels

4,000.0

l
30

20
2,000.0
l

10 0.0 l l l l l l
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
0 Source: ARC Advisory Group
l l l l l l
1950 ‘60 ’70 ’80 ‘90 ’00 Manufacturers striving to satisfy regula- PLCs beyond discrete manufacturing are
Source: WSJ tory requirements, an increase in capital the primary reasons PLC sales will
investment, and the expanding role of expand.

Hackers: “I enter in your server like you in Iraq”

A
foreign hacker who penetrated security at a Harrisburg,
Pa., water filtering plant is under investigation for
planting malicious software capable of affecting the
plant’s water treatment operations, the FBI said.
The hacker did not attempt to take control of the system;
instead, the intruder tried to use the system as its own distribu-
tion system for e-mails or pirated software, officials said.

The intrusion is the fourth recorded cyber attack

on a U.S. water supply in the past four years.
“The concern was high because it is a computer that controls
an important infrastructure system, and if, for some reason, it “This is very common … computer hackers try to gain control
caused it to fail, it would have disrupted service,” said Special of systems to use them as a resource to distribute e-mails, pirat-
Agent Jerri Williams of the FBI’s Philadelphia field office. ed software. It does not appear that this particular computer was
The Columbus Day weekend intrusion is the fourth recorded hacked into for any other reason,” Williams said.
cyber attack on a U.S. water supply in the past four years, In one of three past attacks cited by WaterISAC, hackers used
according to the records of WaterISAC, an industry information a Korea-based telecom to launch a denial of service attack on
sharing and analysis center with members from among more one water supply. In a second, they penetrated a top-level data
than 1,000 drinking water and wastewater systems in the U.S. control and acquisition system on a California irrigation district
The hacker operating on the Internet tapped into an employ- wastewater treatment plant. In addition, in a third, they
ee’s laptop and then used an employee’s remote access as the announced their entry into the computer system with a
point of entry and installed a virus and spy ware in the water message, “I enter in your server like you in Iraq.”
plant computer system, officials said. Following the intrusion, the “We are seeing an increase in reporting,” said WaterISAC
plant changed all passwords to the system and eliminated Executive Director Diane Van De Hei. Prior to 11 September
home access to the system. 2001, most companies dealt with breaches locally, she said.

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 11

COVER STORY

Charting the
Future
E
lectric power producer, Entergy, operates
By Don Labbe, Bill Hocking, Bill Ray, two 800 MW units at their White Bluff
Jon Anderson, and Pat Klepper Station in Redfield, Ark. Reducing NOx
emissions was a main concern and led to a major
project to retrofit the units with distributed con-
trol systems for the boiler and auxiliary controls.
This retrofit would also extract heat rate benefits
while trimming the frequency and duration of
high steam temperatures. The results enhanced
unit reliability, improved thermal performance,
and provided continuous dispatch capability.
Predictive maintenance ensures Entergy White Bluff Units 1 & 2 are split furnace

dynamic NOx and heat rate

800 MW PRB coal-fired drum units constructed in
the early 1980s. The units have tangentially fired-

optimization
drum type dual-furnace boilers with eight coal
mills supplying coal from the Powder River Basin
mine in Wyoming. Design turbine throttle condi-
tions are 1000°F/1000°F and 2400 psig. The distri-
bution of energy between the superheat and
reheat sections of the boiler as the unit varies in

14 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 COVER STORY

FAST FORWARD
● An electric producer in Arkansas sees
NOx emissions as a main concern.
● A major retrofit project would help
optimize NOx and build heat rate
benefits.
● The results led to better unit reliability
and thermal performance.

load promotes a challenging steam temperature optimization system included the prime con-
control problem. trol variables of superheat and reheat steam
We retrofitted the plants with a modern distrib- temperatures, superheat and reheat spray flow,
uted control system (DCS) and achieved signifi- excess O2, and air heater exit gas temperature.
cant control and ramp rate improvement. To fur- We wanted to drive these parameters towards
ther improve unit heat rate and lower NOx emis- their optimum values by reducing variability
sions while enhancing ramp rate capability, we and maintaining adequate margin to alarm
required a dynamic optimization approach to conditions.
address unit limitations, such as O2 and steam The station had assigned a significant per-
temperature control during unit ramping, coal mill formance penalty to high steam temperature
changes, and soot blowing. We integrated with the conditions due to past experiences with boiler
DCS a dynamic optimization system combining tube failures and issues with high temperature
model predictive control and neural nets operat- steam components. A paramount objective was
ing at high execution rates. to minimize the frequency and duration of
The comparison of results with a prior project steam temperatures above the 1010°F thresh-
illustrates the contributions of a smart soot blow old, designated a plant operational excellence
system to heat-rate performance. Such a system limit. Due to these temperature issues, the dis-
was added to the overall optimization system this patch rate sometimes went below 20 MW/min.
summer and achieved an additional 0.1 to 0.2% in Another objective was to sustain the dispatch
heat rate benefits. rate of 20 MW/min over the load range and
The system provides tighter regulation of the extend the target rate to 25 MW/min in the near
critical ramping variables, thus allowing reduction future.
of operator margin for heat-rate improvements Our challenge intensified with the recent
approaching 1% and NOx reductions in excess of operating mode transition to wide load swings.
15%. Through the dynamic multi-variable control A shortage in coal supply had forced the unit
structure, we can maintain these improvements into a coal conservation mode. During daily off-
during dispatch operation, which is nearly con- peak power periods, the unit loads fell below
tinuous for this unit. The system provides the 50%, and then it rose to near full load during
added benefit of lower peak steam tempera- peak periods. The units required quick dispatch
tures while lowering the standard deviation. between load demands and operated in near
This enhances the ramp rate capability while continuous dispatch mode at all loads.
improving heat rate. This mode of operation amplified the difficul-
ties of steam temperature control. Drum units
Dynamic optimization requirements have a characteristic issue associated with the
Since NOx reduction was a prime project objec- distribution of energy between superheat and
tive, prior to initiating the optimization project reheat sections as a function of load. The ability
at the station, we retrofitted 152 drives for the to provide sufficient reheat steam temperature
air dampers. These pneumatic drives with at low load conditions requires a large reheat
internal I/P provided independent control of surface area due to the low cold reheat steam
each air damper, resulting in increased flexibili- temperature. As load increases, the cold reheat
ty in adjusting the air distribution. We mini- steam temperature increases linearly, thereby
mized the cost impact for these additions by increasing the hot reheat temperature capabili-
using a fieldbus interface to the DCS. ty. This can result in excessive reheat sprays at
The heat rate parameters available to the high load to maintain reheat set point. On the

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 15

COVER STORY

flip side, the proportion of energy

absorbed by the superheat sections
Model predictive Neural net Combo
drops as load increases, tending to lower
superheat potential. When burner tilts or A B D A B E A B C D E
another direct energy distribution mech- 1 2 1
anism is provided, it typically functions 2 3 2
+ =>
to strike a balance between superheat 3 4 3
temperatures controlled by sprays and 4 4
5 5
reheat temperatures controlled by
sprays.
For these boilers, the ratio of superheat
to reheat absorption resulted in low The combination of merging features in neural net and model predictive models.
The control variables (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) have model predictive relationships with
reheat temperatures at low load and low
manipulated variables (A, B, C, and D). Neural net models appear between a subset of
superheat temperatures at high load these variables and another manipulated variable (E). The combination features models
with high reheat spray flow. This charac- from both the model predictive control and the neural net.
teristic, combined with the dispatch
mode of operation, challenged the regu-
latory steam temperature control sys- steep load ramps and usually follow Neural networks are well suited for
tem. During dispatch, the steam temper- operation with temperatures below set processes like NOx, where the relation-
atures would quickly accelerate from a point. Load ramps with mill changes ship to dampers is dependent on other
low temperature condition (zero spray) result in over-firing scenarios that dampers. The air dampers form a parallel
through set point to a high steam tem- require precise control of superheat network and are interactive, suggesting a
perature as the spray system responded. sprays from zero to very high values. The neural network approach.
Similarly, the steam temperatures would peak temperatures were 1028/1021°F Neural networks can be dynamic, but
drive down with no control as sprays with standard deviations of 16.5/16.6°F. this increases the computational over-
shut off. These characteristics made this The superheat temperature is above the head dramatically, resulting in a compro-
unit a prime candidate for a model pre- threshold of 1010°F approximately 0.51% mise in the size of the solution or the exe-
dictive approach that can anticipate of the period. cution interval. Also, neural nets pose no
increasing steam temperature and take Since superheat temperature trans- advantage to processes with known
appropriate control steps in advance and lates into reheat temperature in a very physical relationships and can in fact
thereby prevent high peaks without short time, the reheat control loop also reduce the accuracy of response for such
excessive spray at lower steam tempera- has a difficult task. The peak tempera- systems. This arises from the statistical
tures. tures were 1028/1027°F with standard characteristics of neural net learning
We were to accomplish the commis- deviations of 35.8/34.3°F. The reheat from noisy plant data.
sioning and subsequent operation with temperature is above the threshold of The approach with this system is to
the unit operating in dispatch mode with 1010°F about 5.4% of the period. combine the two methods and apply
load cycles from near minimum load to each to its strengths: model predictive
near maximum several times per day. Dynamic optimization methodology control to fast dynamic manipulation,
The combination of the load varia- The optimization solution applies a neu- and neural nets to variables like NOx.
tions and boiler thermal characteristics ral net/model predictive control combo. The control variables (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
challenged the ability of the DCS to catch This system combines model predictive have model predictive relationships with
peak superheat temperatures and hold control with its dynamic process models manipulated variables (A, B, C, and D).
set point. and neural nets with its quasi steady- Neural net models appear between a
Steam temperature control response state gain derivations to provide control subset of these variables and another
trends present the load, A/B side super- and optimization for a dispatching unit. manipulated variable (E). The combina-
heat temperatures and set point, and A/B Model predictive control models are tion features models from both the
side reheat temperatures and set point well suited for processes like steam tem- model predictive control and the neural
for one week. At low loads the superheat perature control and O2 control, where net.
and reheat set points lower to provide the variables are related by thermody-
temperature control capability. At high namic, chemical, or control relation- Excess air
loads, reheat temperatures easily make ships. Final steam temperature is related Challenges in lowering excess air
set point, but superheat temperatures to superheat spray with a particular gain increase dramatically with dispatch
fall off due to boiler characteristics. based on steam properties and a time operation. Fuel and air swings due to
The high temperature spikes in super- response based on metal mass and load changes, and mill starts/stops
heat temperature typically correspond to steam flow. result in large variability of the furnace

16 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 COVER STORY

Expert Systems Keep Goods on Rail, Energy Company Connected

R
ailway oil analysis laboratories handle anywhere from 300 to 1,000 samples per day
to sample oil from each diesel engine and compressor once every 10 days. The
potentially overwhelming volume of analyzed samples is not the only challenge the
labs face. The typical diesel engine fleet comprises different makes and models, and each
one has unique metallurgy and performance characteristics. “This means the fault signa-
tures for each class of machine are unique,” said John K. Turner, manager of software
development at GasTOPS, a control system and condition assessment products and serv-
ices provider for defense, aviation, power generation, oil and gas, marine, and wind ener-
gy applications based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. “Combine this with the fact condi-
tion indicators frequently relate to multiple fault modes and multiple engine component
parts. Multiple faults can and do occur at the same time,” he said. “The resulting fault
matrix is complex, and human experts are hard pressed to untangle the patterns of indi-
cators to explain which failure modes are at play in a real-world situation.” Each person
also has a different experience and may make different decisions depending on the data
and how it relates to their experience. In the last two years, Turner’s team has implement-
ed expert systems for the Canadian Air Force, Panama Canal Authority, and BNSF Railway.
Suncor Energy is a growing integrated energy company focused on developing
Canada’s Athabasca oil sands. The company’s oil sands operations, located near
Fort McMurray, Alberta, get support from businesses providing exploration and pro-
duction of natural gas and renewable energy, energy marketing, and refining.
Suncor’s growth plans target production capacity of 500,000 to 550,000 barrels per
day in 2010 to 2012.
After making major investments in ERP and plant maintenance, Suncor faced a com-
mon situation; the company had invested millions of dollars in operations and mainte-
nance, and yet the systems were completely disconnected. Instead of allowing a one-off,
custom solution that would be risky to maintain in the future, Suncor demanded a solu-
tion that leverages the MIMOSA open standard for integrated operations and mainte-
nance. The company also wanted to leverage the intelligence in its operations systems for
predictive maintenance. The integrated solution, built on the MIMOSA standard, lays the
groundwork for a roadmap of future use cases beyond predictive maintenance (such as
capability forecast, optimized O&M planning).
An expert system can incorporate rules to analyze valid combinations of the para-
metric measurements to resolve the specific failure mode or conditions at play using
physical concepts, such as the molecular ratio of atoms in a compound, the percent-
age of elements in an alloy, and the statistical correlation of elemental ratios or unique
elemental patterns with the specific maintenance or repairs. “These rules ensure the
expert system will always render the same decision for the same set of conditions,”
Turner said. As a result, an expert system can analyze each sample passing through the
lab to the same level of detail, and with a consistency and accuracy impossible for a
human expert to achieve. The volume of data and the complexity of the fault matrix
are no longer an issue, and the expert system becomes a resource to support and
empower human experts.
Introducing the expert system at GasTOPS has led to the transition from a test param-
eter based diagnostic system to a machinery failure-mode-based process, Turner said.
“Experts now raise predictive maintenance recommendations in the context of the diag-
nosed failure mode and the associated maintenance action.” The new system has
reduced the number of locomotive shutdowns, thus increasing availability, which helps
meet customer delivery times for goods delivered by rail.
Other oil & gas companies, such as Chevron and BP, are taking an active role in the
MIMOSA organization to leverage Suncor’s efforts as well. One high-level type of informa-
tion the company is leveraging for predictive maintenance includes instrumentation alerts
(when a device is out of calibration), which automatically generate work requests. Another
is rotating equipment alerts (based on statistical vibration analysis), which also generate
work requests when the equipment degrades beyond pre-defined health thresholds.
SOURCE: Alex Bates, chief technology officer at Mtelligence Corporation, a maintenance intelligence software
provider in San Diego.

18 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

Ê
COVER STORY

exit O2. Excessively low O2 is a great con- lower net O2 for improved heat rate and vides increased superheat temperature,
cern to operations. Combine that con- lower NOx. lower reheat spray flow, and lower air
cern with low O2, and the large variability heater exit gas temperature with prelimi-
in the O2 typically results in a significant Smart soot blow potential nary estimates of 0.1 to 0.2% heat rate
operational margin in the O2 control. One way to address the energy distribu- improvement at the high load condition.
By applying a model predictive tion issue is to apply soot blow sequenc- These improvements in steam tem-
approach to the control of O2, the vari- ing in a more effective manner. However, perature and O2 control, along with air
ability below the low constraint reduces due to budget constraints, we delayed damper optimization, improve NOx and
through aggressive constraint control. the installation of a smart soot blow sys- heat rate performance. We applied the
With less variability, you can reduce the tem and completed it this summer. Delta heat rate methodology to provide
O2 operating margin with no increase in Through effective soot blow techniques, an on-line assessment of the benefits.
operational alarms. This results in a a more favorable energy distribution pro- The components include variables the
optimization system controls or influ-
ences—NOx excess air (O2), superheat
and reheat temperature, superheat and
reheat spray flow, and air heater exit gas
temperature.
The trend presents the data from the
20-day dispatch period. We derived the
baseline values from periods of steady
load operation prior to the installation of
the optimization system. Since these
comparisons occur dynamically during
dispatch operation, transient periods
exist when benefits are negative. During
load increases when the unit is firing up,
superheat and reheat spray flows
increase sharply over steady load values.
However, other periods of operation off-
set these. The key assessment is to deter-
mine the average or mean benefit over
extended periods.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Bill Ray is a production superintendent
at Entergy in Texarkana, Tex. Jon
Anderson is an engineer, and Pat
Klepper is a senior engineer at Entergy
White Bluff in Redfield, Ark. Don Labbe
is a consulting control engineer, and Bill
Hocking is a consulting application
engineer at Invensys in Foxboro, Mass.
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20061201.

RESOURCES
Apply for CIMM Certification
www.isa.org/link/CIMMcert

Rotary Control Valve Offers Smart

Solution
www.isa.org/link/RCVsolution

The Perfect Storm Platform

www.isa.org/link/PerfectStorm

20 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Vision in hostile
environments By Walt Pastorius and Nicholas Sheble

22 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 FACTORY AUTOMATION

T
here are numerous process monitoring monitoring every part produced, taking advantage
jobs for vision sensors in hostile manu- of the fast, non-contact nature of vision sensing.
facturing environments, such as arc and While this required sensors to operate in the fac-
spot welding, molten metal pouring, wood pro- tory environment, the applications were remote
cessing, and electronics. from the more hostile manufacturing process.
When vision sensors lie right in the manufactur- Over time, vision systems have dramatically
ing process, rather than after the fact, instant data improved in terms of performance, accuracy,
to detect process change becomes available for robustness, size, and cost effectiveness.
closed loop control and instant response. Components of vision sensors (cameras, lasers,
Each in-process monitoring environment has LED’s, and other items) have evolved in to fully,
its own specific needs regarding sensor perform- solid-state rugged devices, available with ever-
ance specifications, environmental factors, opera- increasing performance and lower cost.
tor interface requirements, and different industrial Computational devices, required for image pro-
practices. cessing algorithms, have similarly dramatically
Specially designed sensor environmental pro- evolved. Much of this evolution has followed
tection for hostile in-process applications is a developments in the consumer market, such as
major issue. Considerable development effort on digital cameras, CD players, and PCs.
packaging vision sensors to survive harsh environ- As vision sensors have become more robust,
ments has transpired over the years. vision sensors have become an integral part of the
Specific environments encountered include process, with sensor data often directly controlling
high temperature—both of the sensor environ- the process in an adaptive closed loop manner,
ments and the surface monitored, including providing optimization of the process.
molten metal, high electromagnetic fields, and Today, these applications involve placing sen-
metal splatter found near weld guns, dirty environ- sors in hostile environments, including molten
ments, and saw mill applications operating in high metal pouring, welding, wood processing, and
ambient light levels. many others. Sensor packaging has also improved
The validation of sensor performance in hostile to survive these hostile environments.
environments is necessary and important, as are
results outlining the values users find after imple- Automotive assembly
menting vision sensing in processes. Depending Monitoring of dimensions of automotive bodies
on individual applications, these cover a spectrum and subassemblies was one of the first applica-

With computer processing a given, the key issue is sensor survival

from quality and/or productivity increases, faster
response to process changes, and cost reductions.
FAST FORWARD
We’ll look at examples from automotive assem-
● As vision sensors became more robust, they
bly, foundry, and the wood processing industries. became an integral part of the process, with the
data often directly controlling the process in an
Dramatic evolution adaptive closed loop manner.
Machine vision systems for industrial applications ● Monitoring the dimensions of automotive bodies
first began appearing in the 1970s. Most of the and subassemblies was one of the first
early systems rested on custom designed sensor applications using large numbers of 3-D vision
sensors.
technology, were relatively complex, and were rel-
atively fragile, largely due to components. ● Data can also transmit over a network to
plant information systems, statistical
Initial systems were 2-D, with 3-D sensing tech- analysis systems, or other PCs for custom
nology evolving roughly 10 years later. Early imple- report generation or other special
mentations in manufacturing provided 100% analysis.
inspection capability on finished components,

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 23

FACTORY AUTOMATION

tions using large numbers of 3-D vision might have 80 to 100 sensors. To address these issues, the next step
sensors to come to the factory floor. Final inspection stations usually in development of vision sensors for
Prior to use of vision sensors, dimen- come with a computer-based con- assembly monitoring provided sensors
sional monitoring occurred on a sam- troller, which collects and displays data for in-process monitoring.
pling basis, using coordinated measur- and data-derived statistical informa- Most automotive sheet metal assembly
ing machines and offline measuring tion, and communicates with line con- operations involve spot welding, an envi-
devices. Vision systems provided abili- trols and the plant network. ronment with weld splatter, smoke, high
ty to monitor 100% of production End-of-line or completed compo- electromagnetic fields induced by weld-
rather than a small sample, flagging nent inspection provides valuable ing currents, and sometimes water when
process deviations quickly and finding capability to monitor dimensions of cooling hoses for the weld guns rupture.
parts with random deviations. assemblies and identify any parts out- To meet desires to mount sensors
For many years, these systems were side of tolerances. throughout the assembly line to provide
end of line stations, with many sensors However, such stations do not gen- in-process monitoring, sensor design and
mounted on a frame in an idle station. A erally assist the user to identify the packaging has improved to allow sensors
typical installation like a final inspection cause of variation, such as what sta- to mount in the assembly weld tools,
station for a body in white—an assem- tion or sub-component in the assem- right next to the weld guns. This allows
bled car body, before adding doors, hood, bly process created unacceptable sensing to spread out to critical locations
and deck lid, and prior to painting— conditions. throughout an assembly line for rapid

Magic and technology become one

A 3-D scanner analyzes a real-world object or environment to col- light and the amount of time before the reflected light reaches a
lect data on its shape (and sometimes color). detector registers.
Using collected data, algorithms, and computer processing, Since the speed of light—c—is a known, the round-trip time
one can then construct digital, 3-D models that work in a wide determines the travel distance of the light, which is twice the dis-
variety of industrial and commercial applications. tance between the scanner and the surface.
The 3-D scanner creates a point cloud of geometric samples on If t is the round-trip time, then the distance is equal to (c × t)/2.
the surface of the subject. They are analogous to cameras in that The accuracy of a time-of-flight 3-D laser scanner depends on
they have a cone-like field of view, and like cameras, they can how precisely we can measure the time: 3.3 picoseconds is the
only collect information about surfaces that are visible to them. approximate time for light to travel 1 millimeter.
While a camera collects color information about surfaces with- The laser range finder only detects the distance of one point in
in its field of view, 3-D scanners collect distance information its direction of view. Typical time-of-flight 3-D laser scanners can
about surfaces within its field of view. measure the distance of 10,000-100,000 points every second.
The “picture” produced by a 3-D scanner describes the dis- The triangulation 3-D laser scanner is also an active scanner
tance to a surface at each point in the picture. that uses laser light to probe the environment. With respect to
If a spherical coordinate system is defined in which the scanner time-of-flight 3-D laser scanner, the triangulation laser shines a
is the origin and the vector out from the front of the scanner is laser on the subject and uses a camera to look for the location of
ϕ=0 and θ=0, then each point in the picture is associated with ϕ the laser dot.
and θ. Depending on how far away the laser strikes a surface, the
Together with distance, which corresponds to the r compo- laser dot appears at different places in the camera’s field of view.
nent, these spherical coordinates fully describe the 3-D position This technique is triangulation because the laser dot, the camera,
of each point in the picture, in a local coordinate system relative and the laser form a triangle.
to the scanner. The length of one side of the triangle, the distance between
Two types of 3-D scanners are contact and non-contact. Non- the camera and the laser emitter is a known. The angle of the
contact 3-D scanners come in two flavors: active scanners and laser emitter corner is also a known. The angle of the camera cor-
passive scanners. ner can be determined by looking at the location of the laser dot
Active scanners, like those in this article, emit some kind of in the camera’s field of view.
radiation and detect its reflection in order to probe an object or These three pieces of information fully determine the shape
environment. Possible types of radiation used include light, ultra- and size of the triangle and give the location of the laser dot cor-
sound, or x-ray. ner of the triangle.
The time-of-flight 3-D laser scanner is an active scanner that In most cases, a laser stripe, instead of a single laser dot,
uses laser light to probe the subject. At the heart of this type of sweeps across the object to speed up the acquisition process.
scanner is a time-of-flight laser range finder. The principle that serves for these applications and others is the
The laser range finder finds the distance of a surface by timing same. Software runs on a PC or an embedded system, and it con-
the round-trip time of a pulse of light. A laser emits a pulse of trols the process and connects to a scanner card.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

24 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

21(0RGHO

0$1<6ROXWLRQV

)/2:

/(9(/

,17(5)$&(

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7KHUPDO6ZLWFK,QQRYDWLRQ
ND\GHQFRP
FACTORY AUTOMATION

feedback and root cause analysis of process information automatically, improved throughput and quality, and
process variations. A typical in-tool 3-D right in the line, facilitates process removing operators from a dangerous
vision sensor sits inside a sealed, water- development and process improve- environment.
tight housing that prevents damage when ment studies, and it is particularly The pouring environment is extremely
water lines rupture. valuable when setting up a new tool or hot, smoky, and often includes splatter of
Sensor electronics make use of electro- assembly line. molten material, a major challenge for
magnetic protection from fields induced The in-tool sensors operate from a any sensor technology. Laser 3-D sensors
by welding currents. A further feature of cost effective Pentium PC platform, have met this challenge since the 1980s.
the sensor is a removable protective with ability to connect multiple distrib- Locating the sensor away from the
shield on the front of the sensor. The uted sensor locations to a single PC. A molten surface solves part of the environ-
shield protects the sensor’s glass window Windows-based operator interface to mental issue. Temperature, both from
from weld splatter and requires only display data and control system opera- ambient conditions as well as radiation
infrequent changing when pitting even- tion, as well as generate statistical from the surface, can not affect the guts of
tually occurs. reports is part of the rig. the mechanism as sensor packaging,
When sensors mount in active assem- Data can also transmit over a net- housing the sensor in an enclosure, with
bly stations, studies of the process work to plant information systems, sta- water, and/or air-cooling of the sensor
become easier. Sensors can operate in a tistical analysis systems, or other PCs head at work.
continuous data-gathering mode to for custom report generation or other Optical issues also are important—to
obtain data of actual location movements special analysis. obtain a clean image of the laser spot
during the process. Since data acquisition without “seeing” the energy emitted by
is automatic, and results read out in Molten metal pouring the surface. Sensors specifically designed
essentially real time, such studies can Level control of molten metal during for molten metal measurement combine
transpire quickly and easily. pouring can provide significant ben- both optical filtering for the laser wave-
This ability to take and display efits in terms of reduced cost, length and electronic filtering to obtain a
clear image of the laser spot on the
molten metal surface. Today, laser line
Can You Read These? sensors for level control applications are
working well in providing more informa-
tion for better accuracy and reliability.
Implementation of closed loop pour-
ing control requires not only sensing
capability but also control software and
mechanical devices to control physically
the molten metal flow, fully integrated.
Laser based pouring control reduces
waste by eliminating over pouring,
reduces scrap by preventing short pours,

WE CAN!
improves quality, and often improves
throughput by optimizing the pouring
cycle.

If your packaging operation isn’t running our high-speed,

Wood products align logs
flexible, intelligent vision system , you’re missing
Processing trees into lumber is a compli-
on-the-fly errors, wasting product, and experiencing costly
down time. Get back on track 24/7. We don’t miss a thing. cated endeavor because every tree has a
different shape, making optimization of
recovery difficult. Optimization, however,
provides best use of limited ecologically
valuable natural resources.
Over the last 25 years, vision sensing in
wood processing has evolved, in con-
junction with advances in computing
power as well as material handling, to
increased yield, reduce waste, and pro-
vide better end-product quality.

26 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

FACTORY AUTOMATION

Today, 3-D laser sensors monitor the Implementation of vision sensing and can survive in extreme temperatures,
geometry of materials at each step in the related process optimization can next to welding and molten metal pour-
process, determine the best geometry of increase process yields by 5% to 15% and ing operations, and even mount on out-
cutting for desired yield, and provide off- even more, improving economics and door vehicles. These capabilities provide
sets to the saws for each individual cut. addressing environmental concerns. many opportunities to apply sensors in
Applications throughout the wood process monitoring, closed loop process
mill include log and cant optimization, Working on the road gang optimization, and inspection. They
board edgers and trimmers, veneer peel- Inspection of road and runway surfaces improve quality and productivity.
ing, and lumber sorting, stress grading, for profile, roughness, rutting, cracks,
and measuring the thickness of panels and macro texture provides the ability to ABOUT THE AUTHORS
and boards. Automatic defect detection predict maintenance requirements, Walt Pastorius, Ph.D., (walt.pastorius@
and classification of boards using non- enhance safety, and monitor wear, as sensorsthatsee.com) is a technical adviser
contact laser measurement combined well as providing a database for optimiz- at LMI Technologies Inc. Nicholas
with other techniques is now installing ing construction methods. Sheble ([email protected]) is senior
at an increasing number of planer mills. Manual and mechanical methods are technical editor for InTech magazine.
The latest sensors for lumber applica- time consuming, labor intensive, and View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20061202.
tions combine 20 color sensing for disrupt traffic flow. Since 1979, 3-D laser
defects with 3-D laser sensing in a single sensors have provided an ideal way to
sensor package, simplifying implemen- collect information from roads and run-
tation and footprint. ways. Typically, a number of laser sen- Terminology
Ambient conditions in a lumber mill, sors sit mounted on the front of a test Solid state: Pertaining to circuits where
such as temperature and ambient light- vehicle, which then drives over the road signals pass through solid semiconductor
ing, are typically uncontrolled. Processing surface at highway speed, without dis- material such as transistors and diodes as
operations cause large amounts of saw- rupting traffic. opposed to vacuum tubes where signals
dust and other contaminants in the Sensors for road monitoring pass through a vacuum
atmosphere. encounter a variety of challenges, EMI is electromagnetic interference, and
Through sensor packaging such as including widely varying ambient light- its affect on signal transmission or recep-
sealed enclosures and air purging to ing (sunlight to dark shadows), rapidly tion comes from the radiation of electrical
keep dust from accumulating on sensor changing surface texture, color and and magnetic fields. Electric and magnetic
windows, these problems are no longer brightness, dirt, rain, and widely varying force fields surround moving electric
problems. temperature conditions. charges, near weld guns.
Since sensor data serves in closed loop The laser sensors used for road Spherical coordinate system is a coordi-
control, sensors must be robust and reli- inspection typically have sealed sensor nate system for representing geometric
able. In addition, effective contouring of housings to protect from moisture, large figures in three dimensions using three
logs or boards requires typically thou- standoff to clear rough roads, and spot coordinates, (ρ, ϕ, θ), where ρ represents
sands of data points from random sizes down to 0.2mm to provide detailed the radial distance of a point from a fixed
geometry surfaces, which can have surface resolution. origin, ϕ represents the zenith angle from
widely varying surface conditions and Data rates provide sampling intervals the positive z-axis, and θ represents the
colors, all collected in a small number of as low as every 0.4mm at vehicle speeds of azimuth angle from the positive x-axis.
seconds. 90 km/hr. Sensors are equipped with fast,
Dynamic automatic light control is broad, dynamic range gain control to deal
necessary to deal with widely varying with varying road surface conditions.
light levels from varying surface condi- Today, thousands of laser sensors RESOURCES
tions. A typical sensor implementation work daily for road authorities and con-
Eye on Machine Vision: Lower-cost
has multiple sensors measuring each tractors to survey the condition of pave-
systems attract manufacturers’
board passing dynamically on a con- ment in many parts of the world. The
attention
veyor. result is improved maintenance, better
www.isa.org/link/MachEye
Today, 3-D scanning works in a variety roads, fewer accidents, and lower costs
of lumber processing operations, with for motorists. Thermal imaging sensors: New safety
growing demand for measurement Vision sensors have found a broad measures
accuracy and speed, and day today con- range of applications in hostile environ- www.isa.org/link/Thermal_sensors
sistency in combination with higher ments in a variety of industries, as these
Seeing it my way: Machine vision is
production rates, which have made examples show.
making more and more sense … now.
mechanical and manual optimization The key issues are proper sensor
www.isa.org/link/SeeWay
methods uncompetitive. design and packaging to insure sensors

28 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

Improving control
By K.C. Meyer and Scott Kempf

30 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SYSTEM INTEGRATION

A precision electric actuator is

unaffected by valve stiction and FAST FORWARD
can track closed-loop controller ● The key performance issue of a final
control element is its ability to consistently

demand almost perfectly, without ●

control the process variable.
Minimizing the actuator’s time-based

dead time, lag, or overshoot response dynamics allows the final control
element to track demand as closely and
quickly as possible.
● No process is linear. However, as process
non-linearities increase, the process

A
model becomes less valid and control
natural response to the increasing eco- performance degrades.
nomic, environmental, and competitive
pressures facing industry is to improve
process control performance, and many com- In reality, no FCE can provide this perfect per-
panies are investing in powerful, state-of-the- formance, but by minimizing actuator dead time,
art control instrumentation as a result. lag, dead band, and performance inconsisten-
Unfortunately, these efforts often suffer from cies, while appropriately selecting and sizing the
the performance of the final control element, or valve, one can minimize a major source of con-
FCE (defined as the control valve/actuator or trol performance limitations and nonlinearity.
damper/actuator assembly). Minimizing the actuator’s time-based response
The positioning performance of the FCE and dynamics allows the FCE to track demand as
its importance on process control is often mis- closely and quickly as possible. Insuring these
understood, underestimated, or simply ignored. dynamics are constant over time and changing
Updating control instrumentation and design process conditions reduces nonlinearities and
is a wise, but costly, investment. Maximizing the makes it easier to tune a controller aggressively
return on the investment is possible, only if the without worry of instability.
proper actuator couples to a properly applied
valve/damper. Key players in the cast
Here are the actuation performance issues Traditional PID control theory rests on the
critical to control. We’ll look at why electric premise that the process to be controlled is
actuators designed for precise positioning and linear within the control range. To better under-
continuous modulation duty eliminate a major stand this premise, first define the terms
source of performance limitations and control “process,” “dynamics,” “gain,” and “linear.”
loop non-linearity. For this discussion, a “process” is a particular
Of course, this makes the return on a control system or variable, acted upon and maintained
system investment look good. by a controller. The time-based response of a
process (i.e. dead time and lag) is the process
The performance issue “dynamics,” while the proportional, non-time-
The key performance issue of an FCE is its dependent response is the process “gain.”
ability to control consistently the process vari- It is important to note the overall process
able in response to the closedloop controller response (i.e. dynamics and gain) is the cumu-
demand, without inducing dead time, lag, or lative sum of the dynamics and gain of each
gain variations over the expected control range. individual device or element within the process
The FCE gain is a function of the valve/ control loop, except for the controller itself.
damper itself (hereafter referred to as the valve Consider a flow control loop for example. The
only), while the time-based dynamics (dead overall process dynamics and gain not only
time, lag) are largely a function of the actuator include the flow response itself—as determined
performance. by the flowing medium, the pressure, the tem-
An ideal FCE includes a valve with a constant perature, volume, etc—but also the response
gain throughout the control range and an actu- dynamics of the actuator, the valve, the primary
ator that responds to the controller demand element, and the transmitter.
perfectly with no effect on the overall process The definition of “linear” in the context of
dynamics. process control is not always intuitive. Process

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 31

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

control principles assume one can linearities break out into two groups: detune the loop or simply put it in
describe a process using a mathemat- 1. Non-linearity characteristic of the manual. Engineers often overlook this
ical model. valve itself and not the actuator common situation in spite of the signif-
Since these models are based on linear 2. Non-linearity that results from the icant control penalties that result.
differential equations (in time), linearity is actuator positioning ability
not defined in the traditional algebraic Non-linear valve characteristics Actuator dynamics on control
sense. Take, for example, the most result from using a valve that is the The many cause and effect relation-
common of process models, the first order wrong size or that has wrong flow char- ships associated with control perform-
plus dead time response. The differential acteristic. This results in process gains ance are vastly complicated, but it is a
equation for this model is as follows: that vary with valve position, which certainty that adding dead time and lag
dy makes optimal loop tuning over the to a process limits control perform-
τ + y (t ) = K p m (t− Td) entire control range impossible. ance. Although lag is not as detrimental
dt
However, the good news is one can as dead time, multiple or higher-order
Where: minimize, even eliminate, this valve lags effectively add more dead time to
● y(t) = Process output as a continuous non-linearity by carefully selecting the the loop.
function of time correct valve for the application. The negative impact of dead time on
● m(t) = Controller output (process control, which is especially apparent in
input) as a continuous function of processes with inherent fast dynamics
time Actuator non-linearities are like pressure and flow, is like the diffi-
● Kp = Process gain culty one would experience driving a car
a function of many variables
● τ = Process time constant (lag) if there was dead time between seeing
● Td = Process dead time including valve friction and the road and taking action to steer.
When using this model to describe a Predictive control algorithms intended
load as well as control loop
process, linearity is a measure of the to compensate for dead time exist but are
model’s validity under all the expected activity. Some degree of more effective for set point changes than
control conditions. Non-linearities are they are for load disturbances. Dead time
actuator non-linearity is
the actual process response character- kills control performance, and valve
istics that tend to invalidate the model. always present, but often actuators are often a leading source.
Non-linearities, therefore, cause the Every effort to reduce process dead
it becomes significant.
process dynamics and gain, repre- time is important; this makes the
sented by the constant terms in the potential for better control perform-
model equation, to vary over the con- A far more insidious non-linearity is ance and optimal loop tuning possible.
trol range or with changing conditions. one that is a function of the actuator. Since one can do little to reduce the
In this model, the constants are the Actuator related non-linearities tend to physical process dead time, elimi-
time constant (τ), the process gain (Kp) affect the time-based loop dynamics, nating dead time from control devices
and the dead time (Td). adding inconsistently variable dead like the actuator is important.
Simply defined then, a process is time and lag. Actuator dead time leads to poor
“linear” if the dynamics and gain remain Actuator non-linearities are a func- positioning resolution and limit cycling
constant for all inputs throughout the tion of many variables including valve of the valve that tuning or other com-
entire control range. If these terms vary, friction and load as well as control loop pensation techniques cannot solve.
the process has non-linearities. activity. Some degree of actuator non- Both pneumatic and electric actuators
No process is linear; however, as linearity is always present, but often it can create problems.
process non-linearities increase, the becomes significant. A common source of significant
process model becomes less valid and What compounds the problem of pneumatic actuator dead time is
control performance degrades. actuator non-linearity is actuator non- sticking due to friction (stiction). This
linearity, especially in pneumatic actua- causes stick-slip response, and that
Role of FCE non-linearity tors, can develop and change over time occurs as a pneumatic actuator builds
Just as the response of each device in a and with changing conditions making it air pressure to overcome the static fric-
control loop (FCE, measurement inconsistent and unpredictable. tional valve load to initiate motion.
device, the process itself ) contributes Known non-linearities negatively Once the pressure builds to a level
to the overall loop dynamics and gain, affect control but can be compensated sufficient to overcome friction, the
each device also contributes to the for at the expense of optimum control valve begins to move, and the coeffi-
non-linearities present in the loop. FCE performance; however, inconsistent and cient of friction drops. This causes the
non-linearity is anything that causes unpredictable actuator non-linearity valve to overshoot its target and initiate
the response dynamics or gain of the cannot be effectively handled. correction in the opposite direction.
FCE to vary. For simplicity, FCE non- The normal response is to severely The end result is a limit cycle around

32 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

the desired valve position. olution, limit cycling, and the inability and accuracy (0.1% or better)
Electric actuators not well suited for of the FCE to track closely the closed- ● Performance unaffected by frictional
continuous modulation will create loop demand signal from the controller. or dynamic load
similar dead time, resulting from the Detuning does not eliminate the cycle, ● Repeatable performance that
wide dead bands necessary to protect rather only changes the frequency. remains consistent over time, over
against thermal trips or motor coast. the valve operating range, and with
In this situation, the reset action of Actuator closed-loop tracking varying process conditions
the controller constantly integrates A precision electric actuator designed An electric actuator with these charac-
back and forth through the dead band for continuous modulating control teristics provides a large process-control
in an effort to position the valve, and a service can minimize the actuator’s performance advantage. The closed-loop
limit cycle with a magnitude equal to contribution to closed-loop dynamics. field response of an electric actuator,
the dead band results. In addition, it can eliminate dead equipped with integral position control
Ultimately, whether dead time results time and lag non-linearity caused by electronics, shows close tracking.
from a pneumatic actuator sticking or stiction problems in pneumatic actua- The electronics monitor the con-
an electric actuator with a wide dead tors and duty-cycle and dead band lim- troller demand and instantly position
band, the result is poor positioning res- itations of typical electric actuators. the valve in very small precise move-
Select an appropriate electric actu- ments (as small as .075%) to balance
RESOURCES ator with the following design charac- the position with the demand.
Final Test: Safety valve testing goes teristics: The actuator performance is accu-
digital. ● Capable of continuous modulation rate, repeatable, and virtually elimi-
www.isa.org/link/FinalTest without thermal duty cycle limitations nates actuator-induced dead time and
● Ability to start instantaneously at full lag common with pneumatic actuators
Speed manages streams: The case for
rated torque/thrust and accessories, as well as typical elec-
variable frequency drives as a final
● Ability to stop instantaneously tric actuators.
control element spreads.
without coast or overshoot Furthermore, since the performance
www.isa.org/link/Speedstreams
● High degree of positioning precision of this actuator is unaffected by

34 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

changing conditions, friction, and load, with proper valve selection.

it remains constant over time and Actuators, however, are more prob-
throughout the valve range, thus elimi- lematic.
nating non-linearities. They are a leading source of control
The actuator produces near perfect loop dead time and lag, both of which
closed-loop demand tracking thanks to limit control performance. Worse yet,
its ability to start/stop instantaneously actuator dynamics are often non-linear
and make quick, precise position resulting from pneumatic actuator sus-
adjustments. ceptibility to stiction, or electric actuators
Normal closed-loop control requires not capable of continuous modulation.
quick, precise valve position changes, Actuator non-linearities cause vari-
but seldom if ever requires extremely able dead time, overshoot, sluggish
large and fast adjustments. response, and limit cycling. They are
In rare circumstances, the full-stroke inconsistent, unpredictable, and easily
timing of an electric actuator may be a overlooked.

Actuator non-linearities cause variable dead time,

overshoot, sluggish response, and limit cycling. They are
inconsistent, unpredictable, and easily overlooked.

concern. These circumstances nor- They develop over time and with
mally are associated with emergency or changing conditions and limit overall
other unusual operating conditions control loop performance. These prob-
and handled using emergency shutoff lems prevent the FCE from tracking the
valves or similar equipment. closed-loop controller demand and
In most circumstances, the electric control the process.
actuator full-stroke timing is actually A precision electric actuator designed
several orders of magnitude faster than for modulating control service provides
the speed at which the demand signal an enormous control advantage
from the controller is changing. because it is completely unaffected by
Utilizing an electric actuator with the valve stiction and can track closed-loop
described capabilities results in near controller demand almost perfectly,
perfect closed-loop tracking of the con- without dead time, lag, or overshoot.
troller demand that is consistent over The performance remains consistent
time and changing conditions. over time and with changing condi-
This minimizes the actuators contri- tions. When coupled to a properly
bution to closed-loop process selected and sized control valve, the
dynamics and eliminates actuator- electric actuator ensures the FCE’s
induced non-linearity in the form of ability to position the valve never limits
variable dead time and lag. the control performance.
Therefore, tuning can be faster and This makes it possible to maximize the
geared to the actual process response return on a control system investment.
rather than the actuator response. Also,
the loop tuning remains consistent over
time and with changing conditions. ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Every element of a process control
K.C. Meyer ([email protected]) is
loop contributes to the overall
registered professional engineer. He is a
dynamics and loop non-linearities, and
project engineer with Fluor Global Service
FCEs are a leading contribution of both.
– Fluor/Alcoa Alliance. Scott Kempf
Valves have a significant effect on
([email protected]) is an applications
loop gain and can add gain non-lin-
engineer at Harold Beck & Sons, Inc.
earity due to the valve size and flow
characteristic; but these effects can be
smaller, and we can eliminate them View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20061203.
 FREE
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AUTOMATION IT

Engineers
Meet IT
By Ellen Fussell Policastro

38 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION IT

FAST FORWARD
● New technologies mean new skill
requirements for engineers and information
technology professionals.
● Communication between the two groups is
essential to make projects come to fruition.
● Users and suppliers talk about their
strategies in building bridges to make it
happen.

How engineers and IT professionals can coexist and

even thrive in the changing world of automation
See related story in The Final Say
on page 68.

L
aptops, Blackberries, and personal digi- encapsulating legacy information while provid-
tal assistants are key terms in today’s ing a higher level of interoperability from the fac-
engineering world. The developing tech- tory floor to enterprise applications.”
nology has opened the engineering door In many design organizations, responsibility
to information technology (IT) professionals, for a project is passed on from one group of peo-
and it has created a need for engineers and IT to ple to another. “The chemists develop a process
work more effectively together to meet produc- and then pass it on to the process design group
tion goals. Engineers need to be more IT savvy, who blame the chemists for their ignorance of
and IT professionals need to have a better grip what is practicable,” said Trevor Kletz, depart-
on what engineers are up against. ment of chemical engineering, Loughborough
“Engineers and IT people have existed in dif- University, U.K. The project is then passed to the
ferent worlds; engineers in process and automa- mechanical engineering group for development
tion plants, IT people in the office, but with the of the detailed design, while the electrical, and
emergence of MES and enterprise software, the instrument groups add their contributions to the
worlds must converge,” said industry guru Jim detail. The project then passes to the construc-
Pinto. “Those who are isolated will become obso- tion team and finally to the team who will start
lete. Those who can synthesize all aspects of the up and operate the plant. Often these different
needs will succeed,” he said. groups are in different buildings and rarely speak
to each other.
Communication is key Such a “pass the parcel” organization can lead
It’s important to establish connections between to accidents and operating problems, he said.
all domains with the manufacturing enterprise, The way to avoid them is for “representatives of
internally to functional organizations, and exter- all the various groups to meet regularly as the
nally to remote sites, partners, suppliers, and project progresses. Each group can suggest
customers, said Craig Resnick, research director changes that will make the design easier for them
at ARC Advisory Group in Dedham, Mass. or comment on features, which will increase
But collaborative manufacturing is “more their costs,” Kletz said. This way, “everyone will
than connecting the plant floor to business and gain some knowledge of other groups’ prob-
supply chain systems,” Resnick said. “It is a lems. A hazop of the line diagrams should form
seamless combination of systems, processes, part of the regular meetings, and similar reviews
and technologies that enable a step change in should take place at earlier stages,” he said.
effectiveness of the entire value chain. The move “There are a number of ways software is
to these technologies is ushering in a new era of changing technologies for the stationary air

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 39

AUTOMATION IT

pollution control industry,” said Chad industries, Monday said. In those indus- same security issues faced by the IT
Whiteman, Institute of Clean Air tries, such as parts and machine manu- world,” Resnick said. “Operations will
Companies, a nonprofit national associ- facturing, plant engineering and IT have need to develop a security mindset to
ation of companies that supplies air different objectives and operate with address security requirements that are
pollution monitoring and control sys- different systems. “The plant engineer changing the way manufacturing pur-
tems, equipment, and services for sta- uses a variety of systems, controls, and chases, operates, and maintains systems.
tionary sources. Air pollution control devices to maximize productivity and Security constraints are changing the
industry engineers are now using three- accommodate product changeovers relationship between operations, IT, and
dimensional software that allows them while assuring safe operation,” he said. technology and application suppliers.”
to be more efficient and accurate in the IT usually operates on one or two plat- Safety and security are also chal-
design of their equipment. Large air forms to mine and manage enterprise lenges for Monday. “Plant engineers
pollution control systems for power data. “Neither of these systems is inher- cannot risk having their systems inter-
plants and other large industrial appli- ently compatible.” Monday said his rupted or changed by an unintended
cations require the integration of com- team has seen over its 10 years in busi- event caused by a virus, hacker, or oper-
plicated mechanical, civil, and chemical ness the growing need to exchange data ator error somewhere in the connected
systems into tight spaces. Emissions between the plant floor and the busi- enterprise,” he said. “Likewise, an open
controls systems such as selective cat- ness system. “The trick is to be able to system on the plant floor connected to
alytic reduction or flue gas desulfuriza- do it in such a way that it meets the the business system can lead to security
tion systems require large amounts of needs of both the plant engineer and problems throughout the entire enter-
materials and skilled laborers for their the IT professional.” prise. This is a very real and contentious
construction. issue between plant engineers and IT.”
“An SCR system installed on an exist- Challenges impede progress Rebecca Gill, vice president of
ing coal-fired power plant would typi- Some of the challenges precluding a Technology Group International, an
cally require more than 1,000 tons of seamless transition to merge the two ERP developer in Toledo, Ohio, has two
steel and almost 400,000 man-hours worlds could be “people are too busy, challenges: First, get the software engi-
for their construction,” Whiteman said. perhaps overworked, and have no time neers to think like a user when develop-
“Advanced software now permits to change their perspectives,” Pinto ing new code; and second, get the IT
design engineers to view a computer said. “Engineers and IT people are typi- staff to communicate their needs and
image of the equipment from various cally linear thinkers and cannot see or objectives better to the engineers.
angles, reducing potential equipment understand the lateral needs. So, it often “Both of these revolve around commu-
interferences, which may be a location becomes adversarial—us versus them.” nication,” she said.
where two pieces of equipment were Training aging workforces with new
designed to occupy the same space. software, so they can better use the “full Resolutions offer hope
This software minimizes project set- capacity of new software products,” is Gill’s team resolves the problem by forc-
backs and reduces the amount of another challenge Whiteman said. “For ing the issue. “We encourage direct
reengineering that would be required to this reason, software designs that are communication between our program-
reduce equipment interferences. user friendly and use more graphics for ming staff and customer base, thus pro-
Ron Monday, president and CEO, their visual interfaces will facilitate the viding a communication bridge
Online Development Inc., a Knoxville, adoption of these types of software by between IT and software engineers,”
Tenn.-based developer of factory design engineers.” she said. First, the technical support is
automation hardware and software In addition to design engineers, also the programming staff. So “they
technologies, needed to enable PLCs skilled laborers who are constructing are forced to talk to real users and learn
and PACs to communicate with field the equipment may also benefit from firsthand what people like and dislike
devices or other controllers on the fac- these types of innovations,” Whiteman about their programming,” Gill said.
tory floor. “Increased global competi- said. “Two-dimensional engineering “We do not have voice mail for this
tion and regulations such as Sarbanes- drawings are primarily used by boiler- group, so the customer talks to live
Oxley and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 make it makers and piper fitters for construc- engineers and the engineers talk to live
imperative for companies to mine and tion, which may provide opportunities customers.”
manage total enterprise data,” he said. for portable type software devices to aid Second, when new customers go live,
“Those that do it well will succeed; in the construction of major pieces of they usually like to have a technical per-
those that don’t will suffer the conse- equipment.” son on site. “This allows our customer
quences.” And with this connecting going on, the comfort of having expertise avail-
While process industries have done a there’s bound to be an issue with securi- able at go live and it again forces real-life
good job of tying enterprise data togeth- ty. “When IT technologies converge with interaction between the engineers and
er, the problem today is mainly in the factory floor operations, plant floor sys- the users,” she said. Being onsite with
discrete and hybrid manufacturing tems manufacturing must address the the client makes the company more

40 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

AUTOMATION IT

personable to engineers. Meeting the ware, as well as help brainstorm future economy.” Monday’s team has developed
staff, “from president to order entry development,” Gill said. “Each year the a simple appliance to ex-change plant
clerk, seeing their operations, and engineers come back with a new respect floor data with business systems, a data
touching their product all helps create for the IT staff and new ideas on how they exchange device that installs in a PLC and
an ownership and bond between engi- can greatly impact the user community can connect to the business system via
neer and IT.” by making small programming changes Ethernet that can’t affect the operation of
Third, software engineers and their to make the software more user friendly.” the PLC or the business system.
families travel to a user conference each Resolution also lies in good communi- Monday’s advice to other companies
year. “It is a reward for the software cations between the groups to ensure is to embrace outside support and
engineers, and it is a wonderful opportu- they and their fellow co-workers will keep newer technologies to get enterprise
nity for the engineers to interact with their jobs, Monday said. “Managing and data connected. “We are seeing systems
large numbers of customers, hear their acting on timely and accurate data is the integrators playing a vital role in con-
praise and complaints about the soft- key to survival in today’s global business necting plant systems with business
systems that meet the needs of both
engineering and IT,” he said.
Engineers save One promising advantage pointing to
the future of improved communications
configuration time is “manufacturers are focusing on the
real benefits of connecting their factory
with N-TRON’s floor systems to enterprise business sys-
tems through P2B architectures and
Managed Industrial applications,” Resnick said. Manufact-
urers are realizing “they need real-time
Ethernet Switches metrics from the source, production
lines, work cells, machines, and sensors
involved in the build process.”
Factory-floor production systems are
the key component in the shift to event-
driven integration, Resnick said. “This
indicates a bottom-up approach where
N-TRON’s managed switches are “plug-and-play” information is accessed from the shop-
ready for EtherNet/IP networks. floor production level to drive higher level
business applications. In order to run the
• Out of box “plug-and-play” with N-TRON ® managed Ethernet switches factory of the future, it is absolutely
essential to have access to events as they
most Ethernet control networks, allow for the automatic detection of bi-
happen in real time,” he said. “All of these
especially suited for EtherNet/IP directional router ports required for the
applications require real-time informa-
networks seamless formation of IGMP groups in
EtherNet/IP™ environments. This will tion to provide the level of visibility and
• Automatic discovery of other greatly reduce or eliminate the switch optimization needed for a performance
N-TRON switches and registration configuration requirements for most management environment, and to power
of IGMP router ports Ethernet control networks. N-TRON’s event-driven supply chains.”
managed industrial Ethernet switches will
• Automatic IGMP query discovery dramatically save time in configuring,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
algorithm Ellen Fussell Policastro is the assistant editor
commissioning, and maintaining Ethernet
of InTech. Her e-mail is [email protected].
• Master/Slave query redundancy based control systems.
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20061204.
for IGMP based control networks
• Reduces or eliminates Ethernet RESOURCES
Leadership and the engineer
switch configuration for control
www.isa.org/link/pinto0604
networks
Disaster IT: A catastrophe is just around
the bend; do you have a plan?
www.isa.org/link/DisIT

® N-TRON, and the N-TRON logo are registered

Armed with Business Acumen
trademarks of N-TRON, Corp. EtherNet/IP is a
Visit us on the web @ www.n-tron.com, or call (251) 342-2164 trademark of Rockwell Automation, Inc. www.isa.org/link/BizAcumen

42 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Setting the Standard for Automation™

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Automation on display

Wireless, security, “We work in oil and gas, and we do a lot of

telemetry, collection systems in the office,

safety key elements SCADA data, digital, analog in the field, RTUs.
We’re just looking to see what’s out there,” said
to ISA EXPO 2006 Albert Surovik, of Anadarko Petroleum, The
Woodlands, Tex.
Several attendees, including Michael Poore,
By Gregory Hale of Palmetto Engineering, and Robert Burton, of
Londell Refining, acknowledged wireless tech-
nology does not now have a major role in their

A
utomation technologies came out in employer’s plant operations. However, both
force at ISA EXPO 2006 this year; but the were interested in learning more about it and
prevailing thought on what was the most said in-house testing is going on.
popular technology came from one exhibitor “We don’t use [wireless] in instrumenta-
who said, ISA should change the name to the tion, but in the PC industry, it’s a huge
“Wireless Expo.” advancement,” said Jason Greenfield, of
Stopping by any of the booths, it seemed Fagen Engineering, Granite Falls, Minn.
wireless was what exhibitors and show goers “Access to the Internet is really important
were talking about. when we go on the road, to stay current with
Wireless protocols ranging from low-end office activities. We need to get back to the
ZigBee to wireless Ethernet; Foundation fieldbus- server in the office. It’s very convenient for
based and Profibus-based plant communications engineers and managers.”
systems; the HART Communications Protocol; However, nearly every conversation about
and technologies that make some or all of those wireless technology invariably leads to the single
simply work better were front-burner topics. most concern—security, or possibly lack of it.

44 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION

FAST FORWARD
● Attendees’ wireless needs are growing, and they get a chance to
view exhibitors’ product offerings.
● Around 5 million ZigBee chip sets will go out the door this year.
● Cybersecurity standard should be ready by Q1 next year.
● ISA offers free standards to its members starting 1 January.

at the Measurement, Control & Automation

Association (MCAA) 2006 Industry Breakfast in
conjunction with EXPO. Advaithi is a vice presi-
dent at Honeywell and a mechanical engineer.
Kaufman is a director and an industrial engineer.
“The novelty of wireless has worn off, and its
reliability is taken for granted by those using it,”
said Advaithi in her opening remarks.
She recited a litany of nodes (millions) and
patents (hundreds) and installations (hun-
dreds) and products (lots) that Honeywell
already has out there in the market.
Kaufman listed the concerns of the newer
adopters and those considering wireless, the
“usual suspects.”
● Customers want the system to be reliable and

secure. They want it to work right away, and

they do not want dropped signals or eaves-
dropping by outsiders.
● Customers do not want any problems

regarding power. It is wireless, so they want

batteries to last a long time.
● Customers want one solution no matter what

Wireless and security the “need of their speeds.” They do not want
“We’ve been examining wireless closely for its multiple networks or gateways.
benefits, but we also need to consider security,” ● Customers want to be able to start small and

said Gwen Bates, with J. Ray McDermott’s expand their adoption.

Corporate Health, Safety and Security opera-
tions in Houston. Not all about wireless
As a sign of growth in the wireless sector, Communications systems and technologies were
ZigBee is seeing more interest. “People are get- not the only area of interest at EXPO.
ting around to asking the serious questions Security, safety, environmental issues, and
about deployment,” said Bob Heile, chairman of automation systems and equipment are major
the ZigBee Alliance. areas of interest, as demonstrated by atten-
“We’ve seen a doubling of ZigBee chipsets dance at more than 70 technical conferences,
between 2005 and 2006,” Heile said. He said 2.5 including tutorials, panel sessions, and tech-
million chipsets came out in 2005, and 5 million nical presentations.
will hit the street this year. “Price points are get- There are early adopters making use of the
ting better also. I have heard it is down to long awaited cyber security standard ISA-99,
around $2.65 in production quantities.” Security for Industrial Automation and Control
When it comes to wireless, there definitely Systems, said Brian Singer at the end of his “state-
seems to be two camps: one has users that of-the-standard” address in the Standards Theater
already take the technology for granted, and the at EXPO. Singer is the chair of the panel, and he
other not yet using wireless are hesitant for the works as manager of network and security services
usual reasons. at Rockwell Automation.
That is the word from two engineers, Revathi “The first two parts can work for the asset
Advaithi and David Kaufman from Honeywell holder as they stand. However, we probably
Industrial Measurement and Control who spoke won’t have them ready for official release for

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 45

AUTOMATION

two or three months,” he said. Located 20 miles south of New which the company post-Katrina
There are over 260 members and 220 Orleans, the Alliance Refinery on 29 chose to replace completely with
companies sitting on the committee August 2005 fell under siege of 135 mile- new equipment
and contributing to the standard’s per-hour winds and an estimated 18- ● 900 pumps and motors, nearly all of
move forward. foot combined storm and wave surge. which also needed to be replaced
ISA-99 addresses the security needs Thanks to smart planning, the refinery with new equipment
that pertain to the control network went back to full operation on 20 April Although Katrina was later classified
existing at the plant and extending up 2006, 235 days later. by meteorologists as “something
to but not entering the enterprise or Katrina damaged or destroyed the between a 1-in-300-year storm and 1-
business level of the network. “We’re outside insulation shells of 12 major in-600-year storm,” Batey said,
concerned with the shop floor. We’re vessels at the plant in Plaquemines ConocoPhillips decided to harden its
not going to write a fieldbus standard Parish. It took four weeks and 50 tem- new control center to withstand 200
or a wireless standard,” said Singer. porary pumps to dry the plant—then mile-per-hour winds and raise instru-
came Hurricane Rita, with another 5 mentation higher, where possible.
Ahead of the game feet of storm surge and rainwater.
Disaster preparedness and safety Batey told the packed room three Safety in the plant
issues were also strong topics this year major systems were affected: The idea of safety carried over the next
as two keynoters would attest. ● Instrumentation, primarily an aging day, as the keynoter on 18 October
Captivating an audience with photos distributed control system in the dished out practical advice to keep the
of extensive damage caused by submerged old control room, which plant safe.
Hurricane Katrina, EXPO’s opening day ConocoPhillips was in the process of “If something looks odd, say so,” was
keynoter and ConocoPhillips Alliance replacing with a new, but unfinished just one tip from Trevor Kletz, a veteran
Refinery Manager Peter M. Batey shared control room and more modern plant safety expert with a long list of
important “lessons learned” that could system credentials and honors from his
help others struck by catastrophe. ● Electrical systems and subsystems, England homeland. “You may embar-

YAP about automation

Serial Data Recorder “I’m going for a degree in instrumentation, and I want to
Logs RS-232 data to CompactFlashTM become a member of ISA. Plus, it’s a good networking oppor-
solid-state storage without a PC tunity,” said Tracey Collymore of Lee College in Baytown, Tex.,
summing up the whole purpose of Young Automation
„ saves power Professionals (YAP) FEST at EXPO.
Even the midday humidity and downpour of rain didn’t
„ saves hassle
keep students and young professionals away from the
„ saves money chance to eat barbecue, listen to a band, and, oh yes,
network with more experienced professionals in the instru-
mentation field.
Instrumentation is “a niche area of technology a lot of
people don’t know about,” said Richard Tunstall, an advisor at
Lee College in Baytown, Tex. “As a teacher, it’s hard to
describe it to students because no one has a frame of refer-
ence. This event is a good chance to give young professionals
an introduction to the field and to ISA.”
“I’m hoping to rub shoulders with people who are hiring,”
said Jerome Grant, an instrumentation major at San Jacinto
College in Houston. Grant’s inspiration to go into instrumen-
tation came from his father, and the fact the oil and gas indus-

DataBridge SDR-CF
TM try is here in Houston, where he lives. “I’ve found in this
industry I can continue to grow,” he said. “I watched my
Acumen Instruments Corporation father start at NASA, calibrating instruments; he went from an
Great for replacing 2625 N. Loop Drive Suite 2200 electrical engineer (EE) to a senior EE. So I’ve seen a lot of
Ames, IA 50010 progress and potential to grow.”
serial printers ! www.acumeninstruments.com —Ellen Fussell Policastro
(515) 296-5366

46 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION

rass someone, but it’s better to do that conditions, Kletz said.

than to let the plant blow up.” After Kletz’s keynote, Paul Gruhn of
Because something looked odd and ICS Triplex presented an update on
no one said anything, the worst plant safety system trends and safety instru-
explosion in U.K.’s history occurred, he mented systems.
said. The “odd” thing someone should He gave pointers on changes in fault
have flagged was a temporary pipe that tolerance tables and how they mandate
was not supported in any way when it was redundancy. He also covered the separa-
installed. It broke, causing the disaster. tion of control and safety and new vendor
Kletz said systems undergo design by platforms. Who’s doing what, and what
design engineers, or draftsmen, who may are the pros and cons of each technique?
have no experience with the process. He There are different vendors coming up
discussed systems that had several with new systems that address this
instruments that could fail for various change in safety in different ways. He dis-
reasons, which the process engineer cussed partial stroking of valves; what’s
would have recognized from the get-go. the point, and who’s doing it?
One system resulted in an explosion A safety instrumented system is a
because the draftsman thought nitrogen system composed of sensors, logic
flowing into a tank for safety purposes solvers, and final control elements to
would always be a greater pressure than take the process to a safe state when
another gas it was designed to hold back predetermined conditions are violated.
in a tank. “If the draftsman worked on The safety system is a separate system
the plant floor, or talked to the plant with its own sensors, logic, and final
staff, he would have known nitrogen elements. “The safety system doesn’t
pressure could be erratic” under certain control anything,” he said. “It’s mostly

ISA EXPO 2006 Unveiled

By Ellen Fussell Policastro
Fieldbus system offers redundancy

H ouston’s Reliant Center housed the

pinnacle of technology in October as
ISA EXPO 2006 attendees unveiled their
MooreHawke, a division of Moore
Industries released its TS Series TRUNKSAFE
system, which provides a method for main-
wares. Nearly 13,000 attendees showed taining continuous communication
up to hear keynote addresses from inter- between a control system and instruments
national experts, listen in at more than 70 on a Foundation fieldbus H1 segment. In
conference sessions, and witness the the event of a failure on a fieldbus
latest developments from over 550 segment, TRUNKSAFE makes it possible for
exhibitors on the event floor. Take a look the control system to switch immediately
at some of the announcements and prod- and automatically to a redundant path.
uct briefings you might have missed.
Lantronix reveals
Radar-wireless temperature sensors Announcing a full line of products and an
Radar technology has become the base of expanded channel support program,
wireless sensors. Kongsberg Maritime Lantronix, Inc., is hoping to strengthen its
revealed sensors for continuous monitor- leadership position in the industrial
ing of operational temperatures in rotat- networking marketplace with four new
ing, reciprocating, orbiting, and stationary product releases, including the company’s
machine components (crank & crosshead first wireless device server, specifically
bearings, and gears). The radar technolo- designed for extreme environments.
gy allows flexibility in positioning sensor
and antenna, generous, and non-critical Alarm management solution
mounting tolerances. The sensor-antenna ICONICS offered its Alarm Analytics
set is based on a newly developed, answer to help users with industry stan-
specialized radar technology, used in elec- dards-based alarm management, report-
tronic highway toll collection systems. ing, and analysis within the Microsoft
Continued on p. 48
 AUTOMATION

Reading, writing, and automation

The students were back and ready to go. Expectations remained high as they lined
up outside the exhibition hall waiting to march in for the opening ceremonies of ISA
EXPO. “We’re hoping to get a gold medal,” said Lambton College’s Paul Murray. To
prepare, Murray said his team went through the program and did all the work. “It’ll
be interesting today,” he said. “I’m just trying to relax.” It seems the preparation paid
off as Lambton College won the gold medal.
This year, 12 teams from Canada, Mexico, Russia, Italy, and the U.S. competed in
the student competition. The British Columbia Institute of Technology team was
looking for some fun out of the games. “We want experience, to meet people, expo-
sure to new products,” said Craig Whitaker. Other members of Whitaker’s team,
Hilary Smith, Brian Piskorik, Katie Bramhall, and Ryan Schwabe, agreed the four
training sessions helped them prepare for the event. “But we’re not nervous,” they
said. They were mainly curious to see what kinds of problems they would encounter.
“We know we have to troubleshoot,” Whitaker said.
The gold medal winners from Lambton College were, Neal Finch, Nicholas Iafrate, Paul
Murray, Trista Van Der Veeken, Alternate: Scott Metcalfe, and Advisor: Michael Grey.
—Ellen Fussell Policastro

ISA EXPO 2006 Unveiled

Continued from p. 47 Drilling Technology Ltd. The model-free
Excel environment. The product gives adaptive (MFA) control software will
users 15 industry standard reports for embed into Canrig’s top drive drilling
quick presentation of KPIs, such as alarm systems for oil and gas exploration and
distribution, tag frequency/chattering, production. MFA is an adaptive control
cross-correlations, operator response method that does not require process
time, and operator changes by interval. models and can automatically control
physical processes in instruments, equip-
ProSoft’s in-rack PC ment, tools, software platforms, or
ProSoft Technology introduced its in-rack automation systems.
PC, which can communicate directly
across the backplane to a ControlLogix HART talks wireless
PLC with the flexibility and processing HART officially launched its wireless
speed of an industrial computer. program in March 2005 with the objec-
Backplane connectivity and this module tive to produce a wireless communication
provide a high speed data exchange rate, standard for process measurement and
vital for the speed of calculations required control applications, developing the same
in multi-head weighers. The open plat- application layer as on wired.
form of the PC56-LX800 module
supports Microsoft’s Window XP, Magnetic level gages
Windows CE, and Linux. Features include Clark Reliance unveiled its new magnetic
space saving, in-chassis, industrial hard- level gage with a guided wave radar
ware, support of applications using transmitter from the company’s Jerguson
Serial, Ethernet, and USB. product line. The Model MGWR provides
redundant level measurement through
CyboSoft, Canrig Drilling pact the combined use of the Magnicator II
Automated oil or gas well drilling may magnetic level gage and an independent
occur more frequently now that guided wave radar level transmitter. The
Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based CyboSoft, combination of the independent guided
General Cybernation Group Inc., signed wave radar level transmitter and the
a long-term software license agreement Magnicator II level gage increases plant
with Magnolia, Tex.-based Canrig and personnel safety by providing inde-

48 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION

monitoring and looking for a haz- “and they’ll be able to bring value to
ardous condition. If you exceed bound- their employers by introducing best
aries, the safety instrumented systems practices into their business.”
will bring the system to a safe state.” ISA members will be able to down-
Another hot topic for people working load all ISA standards in PDF format
on the safety standard is the separation for free as of 1 January 2007.
of control and safety. “Standards have Along those lines, Fieldbus Foundation
evolved, and there are new and dif- will launch an initiative to develop a
ferent platforms available,” he said. specification for standardizing remote
input/output devices.
Eye on standards Fieldbus Foundation also released a
In order to garner more acceptance Device Description Integrated Develop-
and use of standards, all ISA members ment Environment, which Rich Timoney,
will get free, downloadable ISA-devel- foundation president and chief execu-
oped standards beginning next year. tive, said provides a single application for
“Because of this action, our current debugging device description files.
and future members will benefit pro- This story was compiled from reports
fessionally from our standards at no by Ellen Fussell Policastro, Nicholas
cost,” said ISA President-elect Secretary Sheble, and Jim Strothman.
Steve Huffman at a press conference, View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20061205.

pendent and redundant level indication cient use of steam and other industrial
and control in one device. fluids. The range of new valve products
aligns with the range of customer needs,
Wireless sensor said Andrew Butcher, Spirax Sarco’s prod-
Smart Sensor Systems, Inc., released the uct manager.
first IEEE-1451 wireless sensor interface
in evaluation quantities. TinyTIM is a Ultrasonic sensors
wireless high performance smart sensor GE Sensings exposed its range of
interface based on Bluetooth radio tech- advanced measurement and sensor-
nology. The company has been working based technologies, including: the
with the IEEE 1451.0 and IEEE 1451.5 Sentinel, an ultrasonic natural gas
working groups to answer industry and flowmeter; the DigitalFlow ISX878, an
government requests for an open sensor ultrasonic flowmeter; and the HygroPro,
integration standard to develop custom, a multitasking moisture analyzer.
off-the-shelf intelligent sensor systems.
WINA joins AF
Valve condition monitoring Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance
UniTorq introduced a wireless valve (WINA) will join the Automation
condition monitoring device (VCM), Federation (AF), as part of the umbrella
which uses mesh network technology that makes up WBF, OMAC, and ISA.
and can integrate into existing industrial The organization aims to communicate
networks through a gateway/access the benefits of using wireless in industri-
point. Data getting to the access point al applications, to improve confidence in
can translate from the UniTorq protocol wireless technology and access to solu-
to most industrial formats such as AS-I, tions, and to focus on the end user. AF
DeviceNet, Foundation Field Bus, will join the WBF during a collaborative
PROFIBUS, MODBUS, and TCP/IP. conference 30 April–4 May 2007 in
Baltimore. AF is an umbrella organization
Control valves under which associations and societies in
Spirax Sarco introduced new control valve manufacturing, business integration, and
products, all focused on providing cost- process automation can work more effec-
effective solutions in the control and effi- tively to fulfill their missions.
executive corner | Tips and Strategies for Managers

Wiring in to wireless

At the Honeywell Europe, Middle East, and hacker, it is a heck of a lot more secure for But we have to walk before we can run.
Asia User Group Conference in Seville, him to sit in his basement trying to hack Eventually we will do things. Who could
Spain, Dan Sheflin, Honeywell’s vice presi- through the Internet into your system than predict what things will look like in 10
dent of technology for Automation and it is sitting alongside a fence of a plant with years? Who would have thought you
Control Systems, sat down with InTech a PC because it can take weeks trying to could walk around with your laptop not
Editor Gregory Hale to discuss the growth hack through. So I think emotionally, that is connected to anything six or years ago?
of wireless in automation. what customers are trying to get over. Who knows? I never say no. I do think
Technically, you can make it secure. But I there has to be a compelling reason to do
InTech: What advantages will a wire- think (a hacker) exposes himself more trying it, though.
less mesh network give to users? to hack into a wireless system than a wired
Dan Sheflin: I think the multifunctional system because you are going to have to be InTech: Over the past seven years,
nature of it makes it very flexible. We are close to the plant. We are going to know if wireless was always touted as the
very serious about open standards and somebody is hanging around a plant. newest and greatest thing, but yet it
having (the wireless mesh) be open. We The other thing is adoption in this indus- is now just starting to catch on. Is it
look forward to other companies entering try of new technologies is cautious. You are because there wasn’t as strong an
that network with products. I think we see right in the middle of the process, and if infrastructure as there is now?
an advantage in terms of having it ready for you mess it up it costs you a lot of money. Sheflin: I think what transformed wireless
process control so we can do one second Also, a lot of these plants are safety critical,
for people is 802.11. It took time to turn
updates for alarms. We have redundancy, so they are very cautious about that.
that into an industrially hardened secure
so every sensor talks to at least two power
thing. So, now we are ready to give
infrastructure nodes and every infrastruc- InTech: Your mesh network will run
people what they have in their office and
ture node talks to at least two other infra- on power, but will it be battery pow-
in their home, and it gives you that con-
structure nodes so we get reliability on ered also?
nectivity in a plant.
messaging. The other thing we’ve got ready Sheflin: Yes. The nodes will have more
for control is very low latency, so we can batteries, that would make sense.
InTech: Obviously, there are two fac-
communicate from a sensor to the powered Knowing it is going to have to support all
tions in the SP100 world. Do you think
mesh, and that is a 50-megabit-per-second this backhaul, you would approach it with
at the end of the day, there will be
mesh, so it’s high bandwidth and high a totally different battery solution with
only one wireless standard?
speed. Our vision is new applications and much more capability. Because they are
Sheflin: I don’t know if there are two fac-
new things that haven’t been done before. running a 50-megabit-plus-per-second
Wireless will allow customers to innovate. network, passing all those messages will tions, I think there are two approaches. I
For our traditional space, we will have chew up more power. If you look at a big think we have two different views of what
better visibility into the process. So we will plant, there will be a handful of those, so we are doing here. It isn’t two different fac-
have better feed forward information we if customers wanted to run it on battery, tions arguing just to argue. It is two dif-
don’t have for all of these applications. we would just run a bigger battery supply. ferent business models. Can they co-exist?
That improves the process for customers Probably. We are going to have to work
and takes this to a new level because we InTech: Wireless sees use in data hard at it, and there is going to have to be
now have better visibility in what is going acquisition, but will wireless ever be some give and take.
on and we can tweak the process better used for control?
and make those kinds of improvements. Sheflin: I think so. It is going to be people InTech: Who will own the wireless
getting over a lot of concerns. Customers system?
InTech: What arguments do you hear will have to get over a lot of issues (like Sheflin: Initially, it will be the plant and
against wireless? latency and security). engineering side. But eventually, it will
Sheflin: Security. From a hacking point of become an IT solution, and it will become
view, because you can put all the same InTech: Can you use wireless for mis- a corporate standard. And when that hap-
security measures in place for a wireless sion critical applications? pens, it will mean wireless has been wildly
device as you can from a wired device. For a Sheflin: I suspect someday yes. I really do. successful.

50 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Professional Development Advice | ask the career coach

Engineers to Managers: In a Nutshell

By Jan Jekielek

T
oday’s engineers aren’t just techni- newly acquired skills. In short, it’s a
cal experts; they also need to simplified presentation of a complex
understand the impact of manufac- concept. To be effective, though,
turing on the overall business strategy. these models must be easy to
And this paradigm shift is not limited to remember and use. They must
engineers’ thought processes about what also represent the basics of the
being an engineer means to their career subject matter.
paths once they hit the streets. They
might also need to master a menagerie of Organizational behavior
subjects as part of their engineering Learning organizational be-
education. Some of the new skills havior, corporate processes, and
popping up on the horizon of the engi- project management may be frus-
neering repertoire might include produc- trating. Technical mavens could
ing control system software docu- become bored with the transition to
mentation, learning organizational behav- project or engineering management, chal-
ior, and building management and project lenging the practicality of what they are
management skills. learning based on their corporate experi-
ences. Those who need to transition to A nutshell model must be
The nutshell model upper management positions could chal-
In 1992, I presented a business improve- lenge conventional approaches, wanting
memorable to capture the
ment process to one major corporation, to know more about the reality of their audience and mesmerizing
and that process became a universal new duties. Engineers in transition might
model for organizational improvement, want to learn more about priorities when
enough to be interesting
known now as the nutshell model. We assessing the importance of various con- during repetitive use.
later successfully used the model in cepts discussed in management books
training engineers for transition to mana- and courses.
gerial roles and in preparing middle man- Depending on the concept being improperly. It could also indirectly
agers for transition to upper manage- presented, the box labeled processes contribute to demotivation. One nutshell
ment. These new models can help engi- could represent a teaching process, model is based on the fact that the extent
neers in their careers as well as before a program, or a management project. of perception among people in an organ-
they venture into the engineering world Next are structures, which could represent ization is a key driving force. A variation of
by helping them simplify presentations of people and how they are organized, and this model can emphasize productivity
complex matters and maximize compre- finally beliefs and values of those people. leaks in the organization.
hension during the learning process. We can map all
A nutshell model must be memorable to organizational be-
capture the audience and mesmerizing havior and manage- Ext. processes
enough to be interesting during repetitive ment topics on the
use. The models can be introduced in a organizational turn- INPUTS Processes OUTPUTS
casual way or as a game. We can build an ing wheel model. It Int. processes
organizational process model step-by-step helps explain the Drive
when describing the basic organization. intricate relation-
The models present essential facts that ships between vari- Beliefs & Values 1 3 2
are easy to understand and may become ous functions. It
the framework upon which engineers can becomes obvious
learn non-technical concepts more effec- that adding a new
tively. They could also serve as a solid department could Bad structures Bad processes
point of reference during the engineer’s have a negative De-motivation (overgrown or (complicated or
superfluous) make-work)
career. A nutshell model can also signifi- impact on struc-
cantly speed up the learning process and tures, beliefs, and
extend knowledge retention of these values if handled Productivity leaks in the organization

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 51

ask the career coach | Professional Development Advice

Project control on J-curve of design, construction, and maintenance. Existing documentation

Project planning has to be kept to an Existing documentation quality and
absolute minimum. Unfortunately, infor- delivery process of many automation sys-
quality and delivery process
mation technology has contributed to the tems is often unsatisfactory to end users, of many automation systems
uncontrolled over-growth of planning and operations departments, and mainte-
scheduling activities. This can be detri- nance personnel. It may be implementa-
is often unsatisfactory to
mental to the project because these sched- tion- oriented, improperly structured, end users, operations
ules create an illusion that it is possible to disorganized, or lacking in necessary infor-
have detailed control over every aspect of mation. Often, the only option will be to
departments, and
the project throughout its duration. In reality, upgrade it at a substantial cost. maintenance personnel.
project over-planning results in serious Deficient documentation typically
damage. Some overgrowth of project con- reflects the priorities of those who orig-
system documentation are mainly focused
trol may be tolerable as long as it does not inally acquired the system and are
on the software rather than the hardware.
cause cost overruns or schedule delays; primarily concerned with basic function-
Suggested requirements for control
beyond this, it is unacceptable. ality and cost. In several, the actual end
system software documentation are
users exert minimal influence during the
based on the principles of a singular,
Technical documentation acquisition of the system. In addition,
minimum documentation set with no
Managing documentation of an automa- management often considers documen-
repetitive customizing for different users,
tion system, especially its software por- tation as an expensive luxury they can
and a staged process of identifying appli-
tion, can be difficult. Technical postpone or forget. Instead, they place
cation software structure, design process,
documentation and manuals are often dif- emphasis on training people using the
and documentation structure for the
ficult to learn, especially after several material provided by the designers,
given automation system.
hours of instruction. It can be a major installers, and suppliers.
Another advantage is a singular and
challenge with a direct impact on the cost Today, concerns over automation
integrated test, training, and simulation
copy of the software. The large system
example discloses complications result-
ing from at least two, non-integrated
software entities. Manually documented
items indicate the use of software
implants, reflecting the historical develop-
ment of the system. The end-result is
error-prone, double-manual entries. This
is a maintenance nightmare; mitigation
with strict procedures is an obvious strain
on time and cost. Reviewing the applica-
tion software design processes is a useful
exercise for the user. In addition to form-
ing a basis for useable operation and
maintenance documentation, it is an
invaluable learning and training process. It
also outlines the best project develop-
ment practices. It emphasizes the crucial
importance of the four, front-end docu-
ments for reference throughout the entire
system’s life cycle.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jan Jekielek is a managing partner at
NutshellModels.com, a developmental
learning consulting firm applied to
engineering, education, customer relations,
and marketing. He is also a former senior
project engineer at Ontario Power
Generation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

52 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Tips and Strategies for Integrators | channel talk

Migration solutions

A
n alternate solution to expanding However, the interoperable nature of a After simply connecting the cables,
and upgrading a DCS with same DAS enables it to connect with DCS and software running in the digital automa-
vendor parts is to consider a PLC systems to: tion system verifies input/output configu-
hybrid solution. • Provide scalability rations then either connects directly to the
Because of cost constraints and limited • Incorporate new bus technology controller or uses OPC to set up commu-
production downtime, the plant opted for • Improve process optimization nications.
a hybrid solution consisting of replace- • Lower maintenance costs The digital automation system then
ment of obsolete operator stations by an • Integrate smart diagnostics uses file conversion utilities to translate
off-the-shelf HMI and interfacing these A digital automation system offers and replicate DCS graphics and engineer-
into the existing plant architecture. multiple migration techniques enabling ing configurations such as batch applica-
tions.
This solution uses existing wiring and engineering In addition, it is easy to build high-
resolution graphics in the digital automa-
configurations, does not disturb field connections, eliminates tion system as time permits. Upon
engineering configuration, and produces minimal downtime. completion of these steps, advanced
control applications, such as tuning,
quickly get the process to optimum
A graphics converter worked to convert process manufacturers to choose the best capacity.
the DCS graphics to the HMI format. solution for their transition to a digital This solution uses existing wiring and
Minor modifications to the graphics were automation system. engineering configurations, does not
required. A standard interface provided by These solutions all ensure minimal disturb field connections, eliminates engi-
the DCS vendor between the HMI and the downtime and a phased approach to the neering configuration, and produces mini-
DCS network completed the integration. migration process. Over time, the digital mal downtime.
Another avenue embraces digital automation system will completely Some process manufacturers will use a
automation systems (DAS). Although at replace the proprietary system. serial interface and MODBUS protocol to
one time state-of-the-art, proprietary DCS Cable connection: Controllers in a set up communications between the
systems were challenging to maintain and digital automation system can connect to proprietary system and the digital control
not as reliable, secure, robust, or scalable the existing termination panel of a DCS system.
as standards-based, high speed, digital using a trademarked cable and a mass This solution uses a serial I/O card in the
automation systems. termination block. digital automation system controller with
a serial communications link. This requires
Business
LAN QNX Network custom written drivers for both ends of
Business the serial link. Some types of proprietary
LAN

systems will require using this migration

method.
EXPERT APP SERVER EXPERT APPS CLIENT HMI HMI PCV PCV Console connection: An OPC server
SCADA1 CLIENT CLIENT SERVER
CIU CIU CIU gets data from the proprietary control
Bailey LAN system, puts the data into a standard
format, and reads to an OPC-compliant
client.
GPI
Normally, a server provides data to
PCU1 PCU2 PCU3 PCU4 PCU5 PCU6 BRIDGE MCS 1 MCS 2 clients only; however, a digital automation
system enables data sharing between
Modbus plus
OPC servers.
GPI This functionality not only links to the
BRIDGE
control system but to all plant subsystems.
This creates plant-wide interoperability
at the workstation level.
PLC PGM PLC1 PLC2 PLC3 PLC4 VFD DRIVE 1 DRIVE 2
STATION DRIVE
Source: Fundamentals of Industrial
Hybrid solution – DCS/HMI integration Control, ISA Press, 2005.

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 53

certification review | Updates and Study Guides

Documenting skills is value-add

ISA certification provides an objective, third-party assessment, and confirmation of a
person’s skills. It gives manufacturing and factory staff the opportunity to differentiate
themselves from their peers and gain recognition. InTech covers three certification areas
in its monthly Certification department.

ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) program

C
ertified Automation Professionals CAP question upset conditions.
(CAPs) are responsible for the direc- One of your training objectives is to teach Reviewing the control system logic
tion, design, and deployment of sys- the operator to successfully react to a (answer A) with the operator would be
tems and equipment for manufacturing process upset. The MOST effective method useful if the operators have a technical
and control systems. to achieve that goal is to: background and understand logic.
The following question comes from the A. Review the control system logic with However, this may not be the case.
CAP study guide, Performance Domain VI, the operator Standard operating procedures (answer
Operations and Maintenance. B. Provide a copy of the standard oper- B) do not familiarize the operator with the
Long-term support of the system ating procedure manual control system interface to the point that
C. Provide a hands-on session in a he/she will be able to recognize problems.
virtual plant environment Reviewing the system alarm list (answer
D. Review the system alarm list D) is also not a solution. The alarm list tells
the operator what is wrong; however, one
CAP answer problem can raise a number of individual
The best answer is C, provide a hands-on alarms. An operator needs to understand
session in a virtual plant environment. how to correlate multiple alarms to quick-
Providing a hands-on session in a virtu- ly identify the cause.
al plant environment is the ideal method. Reference: Blevins, et al., Advanced
Hands-on sessions will demonstrate to Control Unleashed: Plant Performance
the operator what they might see during Management for Optimum Benefit, ISA
normal conditions as well as during Press, 2003.

ISA Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST) program

C
ertified Control System Technicians CCST answer but slippery enough that it allows the
(CCSTs) calibrate, document, trou- A packing box is a chamber located in the valve and stem to go back and forth in the
bleshoot, and repair/replace instru- bonnet, which surrounds the stem and course of their duty—open and closing
mentation for systems that measure and contains packing and other stem-sealing the valve.
control level, temperature, pressure, flow, components. The packing itself is a The correct answer is A.
and other process variables. sealing system that
normally consists Globe valve
This question comes from the Level I
Packing nut
study guide, Domain 3, Troubleshooting. of a deformable Valve stem
Level I represents a professional who has a material such as Bonnet
five-year total of education, training, TFE, graphite,
and/or experience. asbestos, or the Packing
Valve plug
like. Valve body
CCST question It is usually in the
The body of the valve may contain packing form of solid or
material that prevents leakage: split rings that are Inlet Outlet
port port
A. Along the valve stem compressible such
B. Between the seat and the disk that it squeezes
C. Between the bonnet and the body against the valve Source: Fundamentals of
D. Between the inlet and outlet ports of Industrial Control, ISA Press Valve seat
stem not allowing
the valve any fluid to escape The packing keeps the fluid from seeping out along the valve stem.

54 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Updates and Study Guides | certification review

ISA Certified Industrial Maintenance Mechanic (CIMM) program

C
ertified Industrial Maintenance A. Pressure
Mechanics (CIMMs) are responsible B. Temperature Pressure balance in a relief valve
for preventive, predictive, and cor- C. Valve
rective maintenance. They are multi- D. Flow Compression
screw
skilled individuals whose expertise is
primarily mechanical in nature as opposed CIMM answer Valve
Spring body
to instrumentation or electrical. The correct answer is A, pressure.
CIMMs have a minimum of five years of Relief valves are safety devices FS
relevant work experience in the mainte- designed to protect tanks and vessels
nance mechanic field or three years expe- from over-pressuring. If a pressure Disc
rience and a two-year associate degree in vessel does not have a precautionary Discharge
maintenance or a related field. method to prevent over-pressuring, it
Am
This question is from Performance may explode or split apart.
Domain II: Preventive and predictive main- Reference: Lee, IPT’s Pipe Trades P1
tenance. Handbook, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, IPT Publishing, 1991. Where: FS > P1 Am at normal operating
CIMM question condition
The opening of a relief valve is proportion- FS = P1 Am when the valve starts
to open
al to the increase of ___________ above Nicholas Sheble ([email protected]) FS < P1 Am at relieving condition
the valve’s set point. edits the Certification department.

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INTECH DECEMBER 2006 55

automation basics | Nuts and Bolts

The I/O, if not the heart, the arteries of a PLC

By James Bouchard

T
he input/output (I/O) system user can build a system to suit the needs, system. The rack (also called a chassis or
provides the physical connec- and then later, expand or contract it as cage) is an equipment housing that
tion between the process equip- needs change. receives the various modules that make up
ment, or machinery, and the Troubleshooting and repair are also the system.
processor—the programmable logic easier, as only the suspect module needs In most systems, the location of the
controller, or PLC. examination and perhaps swap out, power supply, processor, and communica-
tions cards is fixed, and any type of module
By using an input/output system that consists of a relatively can fill the remaining slots.
The I/O modules generally have an
small number of modules, the user can build a system to edge connector on one end that plugs
suit the needs, and then later, expand or contract it as into the communications back plane and
a connector on the front that receives the
needs change. terminal block or wiring arm to which the
physical connections take place.
Many different types of devices can which can usually happen without remov-
connect to the processor. ing wiring. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The most common class of I/O devices Some smaller PLCs come with I/Os James Bouchard ([email protected])
in a PLC system is the discrete devices. in the same package with the processor, is a senior member of ISA and the
By definition, discrete devices have then allow additional expansion blocks engineering group leader for Johnson &
only two states—on and off. Some other with various combinations of I/Os to Johnson in Montreal. This article comes
names for these states are closed add-on. from Fundamentals of Industrial Control,
and open, true and false, high and low, 1 Medium and large PLCs use a rack ISA Press, 2005.
and 0.
The processor easily handles discrete
devices, because its memory also has only Backplane with communications bus
two states.
One of the major advantages of PLCs is
their modular construction. By using an
input/output system that consists of a Processor
and
relatively small number of modules, the power
supply

Typical discrete I/O field devices 16 I/O Slots

Input field devices Output field devices

An I/O rack, chassis, or cage arrangement
Selector switches Annunciators
Push buttons Electric control
relays
Rack selection
Photoelectric cells Electric fans
Take care in counting the number of slots available in a rack, especially when
Limit switches Lights making comparisons between manufacturers.
Logic gates Logic gates Although most manufacturers count only the slots available for I/O modules,
Proximity switches Alarm horns there may be times when one of the slots will be preempted.
Process switches Motor starters When a rack that normally uses an external power supply uses a rack-mount-
(level, flow, etc.) ed power supply, one slot is lost. In some cases, power supplies may run in paral-
Motor starter Electric valves lel for greater capacity, and so another slot may be lost.
contacts Furthermore, some modules take more than one slot, or have other
Control relay Alarm lights requirements that may reduce the number of I/O points that can install and locate
contacts in a rack.

56 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 New Benchmarks and Metrics | standards

Power to Security Standards

By Joseph M. Weiss

A
n increasing number of cyber Various standards bodies, organizations, A NERC-adopted Urgent Action
events impact operational control and associations, such as ISA and the North Standard 1200 is focused on the
systems, most of which could American Electric Reliability Council SCADA/EMS system and was successful in
have been prevented or mitigated with (NERC), continue to work towards educa- raising the bar on security in both practice
adequate control system cyber security tion and standardization for the security and awareness, as it mandates a mini-
policies and procedures. Education, stan- and reliable operations of control systems; mum cyber security program.
dards, and guidelines for control systems the same systems at the heart of electric Organizations use the International
will lead to enhanced security and main- power generation of all types. Standards Organization (ISO) 17799 as
tained reliability for the industry as a Guidance on the cyber security of the basis for their cyber security programs.
whole and to enhanced economic viabili- control systems has not been as readily
ty and public safety. available as that for traditional business IT Industry activities
The need for increased productivity and systems, but there are indications control Governments and private organizations, as
reduced control system operations and system security guidance will become well as industry associations, have devel-
maintenance costs led the control system more prevalent. The Department of oped cyber security courses, guidelines,
industry to move from proprietary systems Energy issued the document 21 Steps to and standards aimed at promoting
to open systems. Control systems include Improve Cyber Security of SCADA awareness of control system vulnerabilities
and mitigation measures. The U.S. DOE,
It is in the industry’s best interests to work to improve the American Public Power Association, ISA,
NERC, International Standards Organization,
security of the electricity infrastructure and to maintain a the U.K. National Infrastructure Security
standard baseline of security. Coordination Centre, Public Safety and
Emergency Preparedness Canada, and the
Department of Homeland Security are just a
plant distributed control systems, Networks. The document provides good few focusing more effort on cyber security
programmable logic controllers, and general guidance. However, the industry for control systems.
smart, interconnected field devices. These noted a need for more details stemming ISA’s SP99 committee and the Process
systems are the backbone and mission from the paper’s recommendations. Controls Security Requirements Forum,
critical components of global industrial Consequently, the NERC Control System established by NIST, is working to define a
infrastructures. Industrial infrastructures Security Working Group (CSSWG) has common set of information security require-
include electric power, oil and gas, chem- relayed detailed comments on this docu- ments for control systems that users and
ical, pharmaceutical, water, paper, metal ment and is developing further detailed vendors can reference, and several groups
refining, auto manufacturing, transporta- guidance on this topic. The CSSWG is are developing standards that increase the
tion, and food processing, to name a working on a Control System Patch security of control systems.
few. However, these open systems have Management Guideline and a Control More than 40 standards organizations
come with a cost some have often System Electronic Connectivity Guideline worldwide are now working on standards
neglected—cyber vulnerability. The for the secure connectivity between and guidelines that directly or indirectly
proprietary systems have also been vulner- control system networks and business affect control systems. Although some
able. However, some have either ignored networks. However, to be most useful for of these standards are not totally aligned,
them or assumed they fall into the cate- power plants, these guidelines will need including the NERC Permanent Standard,
gory of security by obscurity. to be modified for power plant control the recommendations from the 14
The 14 August 2003 U.S.-Canada Power system applications. August Blackout Report and the ISA SP99
System Outage Task Force Final Report ISA has also done a substantial amount standards, there is commitment from the
contains 46 recommendations to reduce the of work in the area of control system associated parties to work closer together.
impact of future outages. Although no security. ISA’s Technical Report, ISA-
malicious cyber attack was found to be a TR99.00.02-2004, Integrating Electronic ABOUT THE AUTHOR
direct or indirect cause of the power outage, Security into the Manufacturing and Joseph M. Weiss ([email protected])
the task force did identify areas of concern Control Systems Environment, provides is an executive consultant at KEMA, Inc.,
regarding cyber and physical security. These some of the most comprehensive guid- a technical and management consulting
concerns are reflected in 13 of the 46 ance available on developing a control company to the energy and utility
recommendations. system security program. industry, in Cupertino, Calif.

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 57

datafiles

Datafiles list useful literature on products and services that are available from manufacturers in the instrumentation and process-
control industry. To receive free copies of this literature, please contact each manufacturer via their provided contact information.

POWERFUL GAS ANALYZERS SUNLIGHT READABLE

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Analyzers are capable of simultane- Rack, panel or wall mounts in
ously measuring multiple gas compo- 6.5”-21.3” available in sunlight
nents from ppb to percent level readable or daylight readable.
range. Aspectrics Encoded High bright through film enhance-
Photometric Infrared (EP-IR) technolo- ment, back light enhancement, or
gy was designed for the process envi- active enhancement. Also avail-
ronment. The patented rotating able with a wide array of options
encoder disk provides real-time meas- such as touchscreens and various
urements of up to 128 photometric video inputs. E-mail:
channels simultaneously at ultra-fast data rates (100 scans/second)! [email protected].
Aspectrics Aydin Displays
www.aspectrics.com www.aydindisplays.com

ALL METAL, FULLY SEALED KEYBOARD WITH INTE- HIGH PERFORMANCE TURBINE FLOWMETERS
GRATED TRACKBALL The Hoffer HO Series high performance turbine
The QVP all metal, fully sealed, flowmeters provide precision measurement with
keyboard is designed to with- accuracies of ±.5% (±0.25% typical). End fittings
stand heavy public use, vandal available include MS, NPT, and flanged types.
abuse and the weather. The Flowmeter sizes are available in 1/4” to 12” with
engraved key tops provide long seventeen overlapping ranges. The standard con-
key life and a great tactile feel. It is designed to be either under- struction is 316 stainless steel, however a broad materials list is available.
panel mounted or to sit desktop. Call us or visit our website for The HO Series is covered by a 5-year warranty. Applications for this series
more information. flowmeter include clean liquid, gas, and cryogenic services.
www.mgrind.com E-mail:[email protected] For more information, please contact: Janna Critcher, Marketing Manager,
Toll Free: 1-888-228-1214 Ph: 970-221-2201 Fax: 970-484-4078. P.O. Box 2145, Elizabeth City, NC 27906; TEL: 1-800-628-4584 NATION-
MGR Industries WIDE; 252-331-1997; FAX: 252-331-2886; [email protected]
www.mgrind.com Hoffer Flow Controls, Inc.
www.hofferflow.com

ALL THE PRODUCTS YOU NEED RELIABLE, HIGH-SPEED

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sensing issues. Download brochure Repeater. Includes simultaneous
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ASCO and weigh feeders. Tel. (215) 646-
www.ascovalve.com 7400; Web: www.sea.siemens.com/ia.
Siemens, Inc.
www.siemens.com

58 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 ONLINE at www.isa.org/joinisa
MAIL THIS FORM TO:ISA, PO Box 3561
Membership Enrollment Form
Durham, NC 27702-3561, USA REWARDS FOR RECRUITING PROGRAM:
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60-1009--106
JRNL06
 datafiles

COMPLETE HART DEVICE CONFIGURATION AND MONITORING VORTEX FLOWMETER

ProComSol, Ltd designs and manu- OPTISWIRL, a unique vortex flowmeter featur-
facturers both the hardware and ing integrated pressure and temperature com-
software needed to perform com- pensation, reliably measures operating, normal
plete HART device configuration volumetric and mass flow of conductive and
and monitoring using your PC. non-conductive liquids, gases and vapors even
DevCom2000 software uses the where fluctuating pressures and temperatures
registered DD’s from the HART are present. OPTISWIRL’s Intelligent Signal
Foundation, allowing full access to Processing technology ensures exact interpreta-
all device parameters, including tion of measured values regardless of varying
Methods. The HM-USB USB HART modem and the HM-BT-BAT process conditions. OPTISWIRL is robust, reliable, maintenance-free.
Bluetooth HART modem offer significant cost savings and productivity With plug and play simplicity and intuitive human machine interface,
benefits. Tel. (216) 221.1550; Fax (216) 221-1554; E-mail: OPTISWIRL is ready for immediate operation by the user.
[email protected].
KROHNE, Inc.
ProComSol, Ltd
www.krohne.com
www.procomsol.com

NEW BETAGAUGE 301 PRESSURE

CALIBRATOR
Martel Electronics Corporation introduces a new
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with the BetaGauge 301 Single Sensor Pressure
Calibrator. It joins the advanced 321 and 311 pres-
sure calibrators to fill anyone’s need and budget.
The 301 is a single sensor pressure calibrator offer-
ing great performance at ±0.05% accuracy. The
301 can easily perform pressure switch tests and
automatically captures and displays set and reset
values. Additional ranges are available through the
use of BetaPort-P Pressure Modules. Tel. 1-800-821-0023;
E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.martelcalibrators.com.
Martel Electronics Corporations
www.martelcalibrators.com

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INTECH DECEMBER 2006 61

products

Spotlight: I/O

I Compact I/O modules

nput/output, or I/O (pronounced “eye-oh”), is a general term for the equipment used
to communicate with a computer as well as the data involved in the communications.
Every transfer is an output from one device and an input into another. Devices such as
keyboards are input-only devices, while devices such as printers are output-only. A
writable CD-ROM is both an input and an output device. I/O software organizes the effi-
cient flow of data and messages to and from external equipment.
Compatible with the Allen Bradley
CompactLogix Programmable Automa-tion

AS-interface I/O nodes The VBA family of I/O modules for AS-Interface specifica-
Controller, the Compact I/O line features a
patented, rackless design that extends the
benefits of Integrated Architecture to small
tion 3.0 is CE marked and UL listed, and supports
and midsize applications. Integrated archi-
extended addressing with four inputs and four outputs
tecture helps to improve user’s productivity.
for up to 62 nodes per network. “Combined transaction”
As part of the Logix Control Platform,
functionality allows transmission of fast analog signals,
CompactLogix addresses a full range of
and a dedicated high-speed communications profile
control and information needs using
updates analog data at the full speed of the network.
sophisticated control, networking, visuali-
The G2 node provides IP67 protection in a low profile
zation, and information technologies. The
flat housing, with an M12 quick disconnect I/O connec-
compact I/O modules include the 1769-
tion method. It includes an integrated addressing jack,
OB32T digital output, the 1769-IG16 input,
with inputs for mechanical contacts or 2-, 3- and 4-wire sensors. Electronic outputs can
and the 1769-OG16 output.
be collectively loaded with 24 VDC and 0.5 A per output.
The 1769-OB32T digital output module
The IP65 protected G4 node features input wires that can be cut to exact length in the
is a 32-point 24V dc module. It uses the
field with vibration-resistant cage tension spring terminals for I/O connection. Both 2-
standard single-slot plastic case devel-
wire and 3-wire sensors, as well as mechanical contacts, can be connected to the inputs,
oped specifically for customers that
with sensors supplied from the module. The electronic outputs can be loaded to a maxi-
require high density I/O with a focus on
mum of 24VDC and 1A per output at 24 VDC. The KE switch cabinet module is IP20
panel space savings.
protected, with thin 22.5mm housing for minimal enclosure space requirements.
Rockwell Automation
Pepperl+Fuchs
www.rockwellautomation.com
www.am.pepperl-fuchs.com

Bus coupler Field device manager

The Field Device Manager for Foxboro I/A
The PROFInet Bus coupler, designated the 750-340 series, is
Series distributed control systems takes
designed to be used as local or distributed I/O. The 750-840 Series
advantage of both the latest Enhanced
is in accordance with the PROFInet RT specification V 2.01 and fea-
Electronic Device Description Language
tures a 32-bit multi-tasking CPU, 256 KB or program memory,
(Enhanced EDDL) and FDT technologies.
128KB data memory, 24KB of retentive memory, and a real-time
This combination provides comprehensive
clock. In addition to PROFInet, the controller supports many
lifecycle support to configure, calibrate,
common Ethernet protocols such as HTTP, BootP, DHCP, DNS,
commission, diagnose, and optimize the
SNTP, FTP, SNMP, and SMTP for system management and diagnos-
performance of any vendors’ FOUNDA-
tics. Creation of the control application is facilitated with the IEC 61131-3 programming
TION fieldbus device.
tool, WAGO-I/O-PRO CAA, which supports all 5 programming languages and offers a built-
The I/A Series Field Device Manager
in visualization tool.
enables users to take advantage of any
Housed in a modular, compact, DIN rail mount housing (2” wide x 2.56” height x
EDDL, Enhanced EDDL, and/or FDT host
3.94” long), the 750-840 is capable of fitting in the smallest of spaces, as well as reduce
deliverables supplied by the device
costs associated with traditional rack based PLCs. Furthermore, compatibility with all
vendor. Field Device Manager is the first
750 and 753 Series I/O modules offers access to over 200 digital, analog, and special
host system application capable of using
function I/O modules and ensures connectivity to virtually all signal types. Global deliv-
these enhanced device descriptions.
ery is scheduled for December 2006.
Invensys, www.invensys.com
WAGO
www.wago.us

62 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Hot Stuff for the Automation Market | products & resources

Display software Radar-wireless Keyboard

ArtistaControlCenterLITE brings flexibility
and simplicity of integration to digital sig-
temperature sensors
Radar technology
nage applications utilizing multiple TFT
LCDs. The software works in conjunction of recent years is
with the patented ArtistaNET or ArtistaUSB the base of these
display controllers to control multiple dis- newly developed
plays simultaneously displaying similar or wireless sensors—
different content with just one user PC via 100% passive,
The DT-2000-TB keyboard is constructed
connection to a LAN or USB interface. no battery, no power (approved for haz-
using a highly rugged, stainless steel case
Applications include digital advertising, ardous environments). Used for continuous
and industrial silicone rubber pad,
POI/POS displays, HMIs for machine control, monitoring of operational temperatures
ensuring NEMA 4X protection. Its track-
and status displays. The ArtistaControl- in rotating, reciprocating, orbiting, sta-
ball pointing device is a completely sealed,
CenterLITE automatically recognizes up to tionary machine components (e.g. crank 38mm optical unit. It features a remov-
six Artista kits, which include the ArtistaNET & crosshead bearings, gears, etc.) The able ball for convenient cleaning, as well
or ArtistaUSB controller, six TFT LCDs, all radar technology allows high flexibility in as an adjustable tension ring. The track-
necessary inverters, cables and power sup- positioning sensor and antenna, gen- ball is operated using stainless steel
plies, and a client PC. This enables erous and non-critical mounting toler- switches that are likewise sealed. In addi-
importing of digital images in different for-
ances: (0.2-2”) gap, 30 deg. angle, 50% tion to left and right click functions, the
mats, and permits the creation and playing
offset/overlap between the moving DT-2000-TB is built with a third, program-
of individual play lists for each display—
sensor and the stationary antennas. mable button.
with only one PC controlling all six TFT LCDs.
Kongsberg Maritime IKEY
Apollo Display Technologies
www.kongsberg.com www.ikey.com
www.apollodisplays.com

Call for 2007

ISA Award
Nominations
Nominate a deserving colleague for
one of ISA’s prestigious Society or
Technical awards, and they could be
on their way to global recognition.

Nominations must be received by 10 February 2007

To submit a nomination or for more information, including a list of award
categories, visit us online at www.isa.org/honors or call (919) 549-8411.

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 63

isa news | Updates from Your Association

Global Initiatives Going Strong The deadline to submit

your nomination
for the ISA Society
ISA represents U.S. as delegate to India Service Awards,
Technical Awards,

A
s part of its business mission to profession,” he said. and Corporate
India, the U.S. Department of A delegation of leaders representing Sponsorship &
Commerce selected ISA to par- nearly 100 U.S. businesses, industries, Recognition Awards
ticipate in the India Business Summit held educational institutions, and state and is 10 February 2007.
last month, a move that will give ISA the local governments are among others
“unparalleled opportunity to meet face to selected to participate in the summit.
participate in the spin-off mission to
(The Summit) will give ISA the “unparalleled opportunity to meet Bangalore.
Such a historic business development
face to face with prospective agents, distributors, partners, and
mission will serve as the “capstone of our
end users of ISA’s products and services.” —Gouhin country’s commercial dialogue with India
this year,” said ISA President Ken Baker. The
face with prospective agents, distributors, Hosts in India include the Government of mission honors the commitment of
partners, and end users of ISA’s products India’s Ministry of Commerce and President George W. Bush and Indian Prime
and services,” said ISA Executive Director Industry and the Federation of Indian Minister Manmohan Singh to revitalize
Pat Gouhin. The Society has had active Chambers of Commerce. Some select bilateral trade discussions, said the U.S.
sections in India for years, and believes participants will follow the summit in Commerce Department. Gouhin and Baker
India is “a key market for the automation spin-off missions to key cities. ISA will will serve as delegates to the mission.

ISA Standards Making Headway

C
onverging architectures for a unified solution to wireless Manges of Oak Ridge National Labs praised the similarity and
standards is the main goal of the ISA-SP100 committee, compatibility of ideas submitted already. Dan Sexton of GE
Wireless Systems for Automation. Because of the wealth Research and Pat Kinney of Kinney Consultants LLC will co-chair
of industry experience within the committee and users and the new working group. The scope of the consolidated effort will
vendors’ desire to work together to satisfy users’ define the OSI layer specifications, such as the physical layer and
needs worldwide, the committee will merge data link layer, security specifications, and management (includ-
Beginning two working groups: ISA-SP100.11 on ing network and device configuration) specifications for wireless
industrial process measurement and con- devices serving the Class 1 through 5 industrial environments
1 January,
trol and ISA-SP100.14 on optimized with some attention to Class 0 for fixed, portable, and moving
ISA Members
solutions for industrial monitoring. The devices. The group hopes to coexist with other wireless devices
will enjoy free
new working group will be ISA- in the industrial work space, such as 802.11x, 802.16x, and cell
downloading in SP100.11a. Work is already underway phones. The group also intends to work toward interoperability
PDF form of any within the new group. with communication networks, such as 802.3, 802.11x,
ISA standard. ISA-SP100 co-chair Wayne 802.16x, and HART.

Board Offers Standards Financial Support

The ISA Executive Board recently reaffirmed the Society’s Sr. engineering specialist at ATEX in Windsor, Berkshire,
commitment to support standards development activities by U.K. “It’s more easily available if they don’t have to get a
authorizing a new member benefit of free downloadable purchase order to get them; therefore, they’re more likely to
ISA-developed standards. This gives current and future use them,” he said.
members easier access to professional benefits from ISA ISA has traditionally invested over $1,000,000 per year in
standards and added value to members’ employers “by its industry standards development programs. The Society has
introducing best practices into their business,” said ISA typically recovered only 70% of that investment through the
President-elect Secretary Steve Huffman. sale of standards. Along with the member benefit of free
Having standards available for free is a good idea “because standards, the Executive Board reaffirmed its funding
it gets the information out to the industry, the users, to the commitment to assure standards development will continue
people who need to use the documents,” said Nick Ludlam, unabated, independent of any other Society business trends.

64 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Updates from Your Association | isa news

OMAC News
PackML Subgroup Finalizes Third Version
T
he PackML subgroup and the provides for the addition of multiple mode to another.
OMAC Packaging Workgroup modes. Since the number of modes varies The names and number of states also
(OPW) have approved Version 3.0 of with different packaging applications, the underwent some changes. The group
PackML guidelines. The three objectives for document provides for the addition of added two machine states (clearing and
PackML V3 are to allow for multiple modes multiple user modes. PackML V3 also complete) to allow a machine’s harmo-
and provide backward compatibility with addresses the addition of a mode manag- nization with ISA-88. To learn more, visit
PackML V2.2 as well as a path to harmo- er that handles the transition from one www.omac.org/packaging.
nization with the batch standard, ISA-88.
The OPW Guidelines for Packaging MS MUG, OPC Foundation Improve Reliability
Automation will undergo updates with
OMAC’s Microsoft Manufacturing User Group (MS MUG) subgroup (MUG OPC) is
these changes. PackML V3 and the
working with the OPC Foundation to improve reliability of OPC based on survey
update to the Guidelines for Packaging
results from 500 respondents.
Automation should be completed by the
The compatibility team will create a database in which users can input software that
end of the year.
does or doesn’t work to create an objective database. The testing team will define
The current PackML V2.2 only address-
how users should test software and report their results. One of the issues is the abil-
es the automatic mode. Since most pack-
ity to create a rating scale for how well different systems work together. Defining the
aging machines have a requirement of
type of data to enter into the Web site database is another goal. The OPC Foundation
additional modes (manual and mainte-
will create mockups of testing screens to review with the testing team.
nance), the ability to handle multiple
For more information, contact OMAC MS MUG OPC chair Bill Cotter at
modes was a top priority for changes to
[email protected], or visit www.omac.org/msmug.
the PackML document. PackML V3

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INTECH DECEMBER 2006 65

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Amgen is seeking a Manager of Engineering who Canada: Don Fenn, Fenn Co., Inc.,
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66 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

 ad index

InTech advertisers are pleased to provide additional information about their products and services. To obtain further information,
please contact the advertiser using the contact information contained in their ads or the Web address shown here.

Advertiser ................................Page # Advertiser ................................Page # Advertiser ................................Page #

ABB Automation Inc. ................18, 19 Kooltronic ........................................20 N-Tron ..............................................42

www.abb.com www.kooltronic.com www.n-tron.com
Acumen Instruments ......................46 Krohne, Inc. ........................................8 Omega Engineering Inc. ....................3
www.acumeninstruments.com www.krohne.com www.omega.com
ARC Advisory Group ........................41 Lantronix ..........................................29 Patton Electronics Co.................12, 13
www.arcweb.com www.lantronix.com www.patton.com
Aydin Displays Inc. ..........................55 Ludeca Inc. ........................................65 Phoenix Contact Inc. ..........................9
www.aydindisplays.com www.ludeca.com www.phoenixcon.com
Exsys ................................................48 Martel Electronics Corporation ......36 Rockford Automation......................26
www.exsys.com www.martelcorp.com www.rockfordautomation.com
Fluke Corporation ............................55 Meriam Process Technologies ........34 Rockwell Automation-CIG ..............21
www.fluke.com www.meriam.com www.rockwllautomation.com
Hirschmann Automation ................33 Metrix Instrument Co. ....................52 Siemens Process Instrumentation ..27
www.hirschmann-ac.de www.metrix1.com pia.khe.siemens.com
Intel Corporation ....................Cover 2 Moore Industries................................6 Wago Corporation ....................47, 49
www.intel.com www.miinet.com www.wago.com
ISA ........................................37, 43, 63 Morehouse Instrument Co. ............65 Wonderware Corporation ..............17
www.isa.org www.mhforce.com www.wonderware.com
ITS Enclosures ..........................Cover 3 MOXA Technologies ........................35 Yokogawa Corp. of America ..Cover 4
www.itsenclosures.com www.moxa.com www.yokogawa.com
Kayden Instruments ........................25
www.kayden.com

2006 InTech article index

January ..........................................Page May ................................................Page September ....................................Page
Automation outlook 2006 ..................14 Oil and gas supply chain peril ..............12 Chasing the cheddar ............................14
Uncovering cyber flaws ........................20 Dynamic oil system holds quirks ..........20 pH control nerves of steel ....................22
Wireless SCADA gains foothold ..........26 Network, organize thyself ..................28 Look within ........................................32
Integration fuels plant smarts ..............32 What’s in your tank? ............................38 Disaster IT ............................................42
For monitoring process temperature, ...... Keeping an eye on the process ............56 What are they, and where are ......................
IR is hot ............................................38 they going? ......................................50
June ................................................Page
February ........................................Page Plugging into wireless ..........................16 October ..........................................Page
Batch standards boost sophistication....14 What’s your legacy? ............................22 Job satisfaction ....................................16
.NET in real time ..................................22 The perfect storm platform ..................24
On the radio ........................................30
Where safety begins and ends..............26 Student to engineer ............................30
Armed with business acumen ..............38
Water system unplugs ..........................30 Industrial network integrity ..................38
Chemicals to cell cultures ....................46
Rotary control valve offers smart .............. Kanban can cut inventory ....................48
solution ............................................36 July ................................................Page
November ......................................Page
Turning around a turbine legacy ..........20
March ............................................Page SCADA sewage control no day at ................
Netting a model predictive combo........26
Information central ..............................16 the beach ..........................................14
Next-generation PLM ..........................34
The upside of outsourcing....................22 Say, you want a revolution?..................22
Microsystems technology ........................ Human element drives safe design ......40 Man, machine unite ............................30
on the cusp ......................................28 Taking it to the boardroom ..................50 Ethernet on the floor............................40
Electronic logic gains human touch ......34 August............................................Page Educating the engineer ......................48
Putting the squeeze on power plants....40 Wireless instruments identify leak ............ December ......................................Page
April................................................Page sources ............................................12 Charting the future ..............................14
Treat your water right ..........................16 Ethernet strategies in practice ..............18 Vision in hostile environments ..............22
Rooftop maker solves burning problem22 Mind your Ps ......................................26 Improving control ................................30
Sight system mimes housefly................30 When power takes a powder ..............38 Engineers meet IT ................................38
When all else fails ................................38 Open should mean open ....................46 Automation on display ........................44
Supply chain integration ......................46 Automation Founders Circle ................55
No limits ..............................................68

INTECH DECEMBER 2006 67

the final say | Views from Automation Leaders

A merging of cultures—IT and engineering

By Martin Michael

W
See related story hen I came into the manufacturing tech- Security policies are lacking, standards are what-
in Automation IT nology world two years ago, I was very ever the last internal project required, and the
on page 38. surprised at the status of technology. number of proprietary systems creates incredible
Coming from the traditional IT world, I lived support challenges.
through the client/server revolution, enterprise The collision of information technology and
resource planning (ERP), customer relationship engineering is here. Ethernet is pushing onto the
management (CRM), supply chain management manufacturing floor, and Microsoft SQL is becom-
(SCM), and all of the other acronyms that describe the ing a dominate plant floor data collection system.
various technology trends in the corporate world. New standards have emerged that create XML
While it is clear technology is rampant in every standards to move data between back office and
U.S. manufacturing plant, it was also clear the manufacturing systems. Manufacturing execution
world was dominated by proprietary everything. systems are being installed that cross both worlds.
Different operating systems, different communi- However, who owns these systems now merg-
cation protocols, and an overall lack of standardiza- ing? The two worlds of engineering and IT are
tion were immediately clear. different. For example:
Names like Rockwell, Schneider, and Siemens Engineering is concerned about milliseconds of
dominate the scene over the purity of the Microsoft time on their networks, while IT can survive
and Ethernet world I had come from. minutes of lost communications.
Although it is not clear if anyone will, or can, Getting an office worker up in two hours from a
dominate the market the way Microsoft has, personal computer failure is great response time.
consolidation is going to happen. Fixing a PLC in the same period can cost hundreds
While the technology challenges are clear, there of thousands of dollars.
is an even greater hurdle to overcome if the manu- Nowhere is this issue more apparent than in the
facturing marketplace is to ever evolve to a consis- world of MES. Charged with selling these solutions
tent set of standards that will work fluidly with to large corporations, we often find ourselves in a
back office systems. position of not knowing who is going to make the
That challenge is overcoming the human “buy” decision.
element. In many large American companies, the IT MES requires cooperation from both groups: IT
departments are big and powerful. They manage would prefer to buy their technology from Microsoft,
the network and the critical business software SAP, Oracle, or someone else they know and trust;
and often dictate the policies of the organization. engineering would prefer Rockwell, Siemens, or
With security and reliability so critical today, others they have been working with for years.
most business decisions cannot happen without The key to resolving this conflict may be one of
the approval of the company’s CIO. Moreover, the biggest management challenges a CEO of a
with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act scaring most corpo- manufacturing company has to overcome in the
rate officers with a fear of jail, networks and next few years.
systems are now becoming so tight employees As someone exposed to both worlds everyday,
often find themselves severely limited. my advice is to begin forming cross-functional
On the other hand, the engineering depart- teams now. Start moving toward one department
ment owns and manages manufacturing technolo- or the conflicts will hold back corporate growth
gy. Corporate heads of engineering are still in and efficiency.
operational support roles.
Their challenge is with keeping up with opera- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
tion’s production requirements. Worse, their Martin Michael ([email protected])
systems are inherently open technologies where is a vice president at Advanced Automation, where he
support engineers are constantly changing things heads the company’s work in Manufacturing Execution
to solve immediate production challenges. Systems and Manufacturing Support Solutions.

68 INTECH DECEMBER 2006 WWW.ISA.ORG

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