May/June 2019

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L S O C I E T Y O F A U T O M AT I O N

Data-driven decision making

Digitalization value
Machine vision systems
Preventive maintenance
Thin clients

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May/June 2019 | Vol. 66, Issue 3 www.isa.org

PROCESS AUTOMATION

16 Industrial Process
Operation 4.0
By Martin Hollender, PhD

Industry can now provide the same level of digital

support to the industrial worker and the office worker
whether they are in the control room, in the plant, or
working remotely. Digitalization, Internet of Things, big
data, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are rapidly
Lead art here. developing technologies that will change how industrial
processes will be operated in the future.

FACTORY AUTOMATION

22 Digitalization delivers value

By Duncan Micklem

Every software initiative in the energy and chemical in-

dustry is now tagged with the name “digitalization,”
which has risen to the top of the C-suite agenda due
COVER STORY
10 to the rapid penetration of disruptive technologies.
Those who embrace digitalization will prosper, while

The Open Process those who do not respond will indeed be left behind.

Automation Standard SYSTEM INTEGRATION

26 A relook at machine vision

takes flight system design
By Dave Emerson
By Gineesh Sukumaran
The first release of O-PAS Standard, Version 1.0, addresses Machine vision systems must be designed so they can
interoperability topics, while forthcoming releases will be reused for multiple applications and easily modified
tackle configuration and application portability. for changing product designs, manufacturing process-
es, varying components, and business needs. Recon-
figurable vision systems’ programmable logic is meeting
this challenge.
SPECIAL SECTION: MOISTURE MEASUREMENT

34 Digitize and optimize AUTOMATION IT

preventive maintenance for 30 Building reliable

process instrumentation visualization and control for
By Fawaz AlSahan industrial edge applications
Conventional time-based preventive maintenance By Jason Andersen
is widely used throughout industry but has
shortcomings that can be overcome with The best industrial edge deployment strategies for
visualization and control include flexible hardware and
smart sensors and analytics, increasing the
software delivering the best advantages of thin clients.
effectiveness and profitability of process
facilities.

4 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

Setting the Standard for Automation™

www.isa.org/InTech
DEPARTMENTS
InTech Plus is ISA’s online eNewsletter that connects
8 Automation Update automation professionals to all things automation. InTech
Industry 4.0, digitalization domi- Plus has technical content, educational training and
nate 2019 Hannover Messe, Risks videos, industry-related Q&A excerpts, and the latest and
of connected OT networks, By the greatest on industry technology and news. InTech Plus
Numbers focuses on a variety of topics, such as fundamentals of
automation and control, certification, safety, cybersecurity, the Internet of
40 Association News Things, wireless devices, human-machine interface, pressure, level, temperature,
Bassett new InTech chief editor, ISA and batch. All editorial content comes from a variety of sources, including ISA
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Award; certification review subscribe to InTech Plus at www.automation.com/subscribe.

42 Automation Basics Are you up to date on instrument calibration, cybersecurity, system

Single-loop control – Still the main- migration, and industrial communications? Would you like to find out
stay of advanced process control more about ISA events, training, membership, and more? ISA’s YouTube
channel is your resource for how-to videos on all facets of automation
45 Channel Chat and control, and a great way to hear members talk about their real-life plant
The changing role of the control experiences and membership networking benefits. www.isa.org/isa-youtube
system engineer
© 2019 InTech ISSN 0192-303X
46 Standards
InTech, USPS # 0192-303X, is published bimonthly in Research Triangle Park, NC by the International
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RESOURCES
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INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 5

 Perspectives from the Editor | talk to me ISA INTECH STAFF

CHIEF EDITOR
Renee Bassett
[email protected]
If disruption is the CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Bill Lydon
“problem,” innovation [email protected]

is the solution CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Charley Robinson
[email protected]
By Bill Lydon, InTech Contributing Editor
PUBLISHER
Rick Zabel
[email protected]

F
uturist Nicholas J. Webb (www.nick- creation is first an act of destruction.”
PRODUCTION EDITOR
webb.com) spoke at the 2019 Man- Creating something new usually requires Lynne Franke
ufacturing in America conference in letting go of something old—which can [email protected]
Detroit in March and discussed a number be very difficult. Transitions are pain- ART DIRECTOR
of thought-provoking trends. On the topic ful, because they destroy the status quo, Colleen Casper
of disruption, he made a statement that to pushing us beyond our comfort zones. [email protected]
me seemed fundamental, “If disruption is It is important to remember that we of-
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
the problem, innovation is the solution.” ten do not see disruptive innovation com- Pam King
He suggested when change is occur- ing. Disruption takes us by surprise if we [email protected]
ring, people may have a tendency to are not the ones disrupting. This makes it
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
deny, hide, or be victimized by disruption. important to explore new ideas and tech-
Lisa Starck
Alternatively, people can realize change is nologies that can lead to innovative disrup- [email protected]
happening, embrace it, and benefit from tion within your manufacturing operations.
new opportunities. The task for automation professionals
is to analyze the confusing multidimen- ISA PRESIDENT
sional chaos of new technologies, expec- Paul Gruhn, PE, CFSE
tations, requirements, and processes to PUBLICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT
develop new superior solutions. Innova- Victor S. Finkel, CAP
tions may be internally complex but sim-
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
plify life for users, reducing complexity
CHAIRMAN
and increasing efficiency.
Steve Valdez
GE Sensing
Challenge
Automation professionals shine at using Joseph S. Alford PhD, PE, CAP
their experience, know-how, and creativ- Eli Lilly (retired)
ity to solve problems to improve manu- Joao Miguel Bassa
facturing and production efficiencies Independent Consultant
and quality by designing applications. Eoin Ó Riain
Another key point in his presentation Working within the limitations of exist- Read-out, Ireland
noted that “legacy” is very comfortable ing legacy systems in a plant inherently
Guilherme Rocha Lovisi
and creates a resistance to change. My limits the ability to create applications Bayer Technology Services
observation is that holding on to legacy to improve operations, productivity,
David W. Spitzer, PE
practices and systems too long can hold and profits. Newer automation systems
Spitzer and Boyes, LLC
back an organization from progress, and with superior technology give automa-
in manufacturing creates an environment tion professionals the tools to achieve Dean Ford, CAP
Westin Engineering
for competitors to overtake your business. greater results. In the environment of
Once it becomes obvious that competitors changing technology, it is important to David Hobart
Hobart Automation Engineering
are “beating” your company with sales look beyond and understand the options
and profits declining, the time, effort, for improving productivity and competi- Smitha Gogineni
and resources to become competitive are tiveness that may take new investments. Midstream & Terminal Services
expensive. At this point you are chasing Setting goals beyond today’s status quo James F. Tatera
rather than leading in your industry. and then finding ways to achieve those Tatera & Associates
goals will yield new results.
Destruction It’s hard to achieve the goal of disrup-
Thinking about innovation, the famous tive innovation if you aren’t certain what
painter Pablo Picasso said, “Every act of you are trying to accomplish. ■

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 7

automation update | News from the Field This content is courtesy of

Industry 4.0, digitalization dominate 2019

Hannover Messe

S
urrounded by a bustling fair by an alliance of industry partners for equately considered in 5G standardization
illuminating the theme of “Integrated the digitization of the factory, plant, and and regulation. It encompasses stakeholder
Industry – Industrial Intelligence,” warehouse. Founders and members groups including operational technology,
the excitement and energy overflowed at endorse an open ecosystem and commit information and communication technol-
the 2019 Hannover Messe. With 6,500 to using an Open Industry 4.0 Alliance ogy, and academic groups or associations.
exhibitors from 75 countries and 215,000 Framework to achieve interoperability
attendees from 95 nations, the event that provides attractive opportunities for New wave suppliers: Since the Industry 4.0
featured Sweden as the partner country companies of all sizes. A major end goal is topic was first explored at Hannover Messe
and hosted over 80 forums and conferences to have machines in a given smart factory 2011, there has been an influx of new wave
highlighting a host of new digitalization speak the same language. exhibitors and presenters reflecting the
trends and technologies. This year’s event transition to digitalization. Hannover Messe
revealed a number of organizations focused 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and 2019 continued to see the traditional in-
on providing standards and information Automation (5G-ACIA): This global forum, dustrial suppliers exhibit and show off new
to assist the modernization and digital prominently seen throughout Hannover products, but there has been a change. The
transformation of manufacturers. Messe 2019 halls, was formed to address, booths of high-technology companies—
discuss, and evaluate the technical, regula- including Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP,
Open Industry 4.0 Alliance: Some of the tory, and business aspects of fifth-genera- IBM, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hua-
biggest news was the announcement of The tion (5G) cellular network technology for wei, Dassault Systèmes, CISCO, and PTC—
Open Industry 4.0 Alliance, a collaboration industrial applications. The dominant objec- have gotten bigger and more prominent.
with the goal of overcoming proprietary tive of 5G-ACIA is the best possible applica- New high-tech companies, either upstarts
solutions. The charter of the organization bility of this wireless communications tech- or those crossing over from computer/IoT
is to create customer value through holistic nology for connected industries. 5G-ACIA applications, are also increasingly bringing
interoperable Industry 4.0 solutions and works to ensure that the interests and spe- value to manufacturing. ■
services in a common framework powered cific aspects of the industrial domain are ad- – By Bill Lydon, InTech

Transportation sector reveals risks of connected OT networks

T
ime to market is an essential competitive edge in a digi- strategy. The following examples show vulnerabilities in today’s
tal marketplace that has placed growing pressure on the transportation systems.
rapid delivery of goods. In addition to developing new Satellite/Internet communications: Navigation and cargo sys-
products and services, success today depends upon new func- tems are increasingly connected to satellite and Internet commu-
tions like DevSecOps teams and agile software development, nication, escalating cyberrisk. In 2013, a University of Austin stu-
more speed and bandwidth, on-demand infrastructures span- dent participating in a sanctioned experiment aboard an $80M
ning multicloud environments to manage big data, and hyper- yacht spoofed the navigation system, steering the ship off course.
connectivity across data and resources. Advanced persistent threats: APTs are a clear and present dan-
Few places are experiencing more of the cyberimpact of this ger to the transportation industry. Compromised ticketing and
new business model than the operational technology (OT) trans- scheduling systems, for example, can shut down transportation
portation sector. Organized cybercriminals have actively exploit- hubs. Airlines security experts agree that more intelligence across
ed container shipping companies and container port operators. the cyber kill-chain must be shared between carriers, but this
By hacking Internet-connected OT systems, cybercriminals have requires public-private cooperation that does not currently exist.
accessed ICS-based cargo systems to redirect containers or make Phishing attacks: The impact can be severe when cybercrimi-
them disappear off the grid entirely. They access aircraft systems nals execute a masquerade attack and gain network privilege,
by breaking into Internet-connected OT subsystems such as but the attacks are difficult to execute. Once a cyberattacker has
communication, maintenance, catering, and baggage handling. access, the threat can extend to IT resources.
Although OT systems do not present the sort of personal data Espionage: According to one report, 47 percent of malware
value that many traditional cybercriminals seek, targeting criti- aimed at manufacturers was intended to steal intellectual property.
cal infrastructure still has huge appeal. Cybercriminal agendas According to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, 21
include holding a critical system hostage, manipulating a stock percent of manufacturers lost intellectual property as a result. ■
price, or even operating as a cyber “hit man” as a competitive – By Rick Peters, Fortinet

8 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 News from the Field | automation update

Automation by the Numbers

After a two-year design and construction

630 phase, as part of its “Mission to Zero,”

ABB has opened its first CO2-neutral pro-
duction site in Luedenscheid, Germany.
As a visible sign of intent, the company is commissioning a so-
lar power plant at its Busch-Jaeger subsidiary. The installed ABB
technology will generate enough power on sunny days to cover
100 percent of the factory’s power requirements. The site is pro-
jected to save about 630 tons of CO2 a year.
The photovoltaic system, which measures 3,500 square me-
ters and is installed over the car parks on the company premises,
will deliver about 1,100 MWh of climate-neutral solar power a
year—approximately the annual requirement of 3,360 private
households. In combination with a cogeneration plant that oper- production site. The technological centerpiece of the entire system
ates with double the energy efficiency of a coal-fired power plant, in Luedenscheid is the scalable energy management system OPTI-
about 14 percent more energy can be generated than is needed at MAX from the ABB Ability Energy Management Suite.
the site. The surplus power is fed into the public grid, contributing OPTIMAX provides for the constant surveillance and optimal
to the region’s power supply with sustainably produced energy. control of energy production, consumption, and storage, and
To cover peaks in demand, additional green energy is sourced operates largely autonomously. This learning system calculates
from MVV Energie AG, which guarantees 100 percent CO2-neutral the optimal energy flow on the basis of predictive data and
production. MVV and ABB signed a partnership agreement in April compensates for deviations in real time.
that focused on shared solutions for the sustainable improvement Aside from the energy management system and the photovol-
of energy efficiency in industry, medium-sized companies, and taic system with inverters, the entire system brings together other
“smart city” municipalities. ABB technologies that are digitally interconnected. These include
Over half of ABB’s worldwide revenues are generated by tech- smart switchgear for energy distribution, a battery energy stor-
nologies that help industry combat the causes of climate change, age system, and ABB charging points where staff and visitors can
and many of those technologies have been used on this flagship charge their electric vehicles free of charge. ■

At its annual Innova- another record. Endress+Hauser owns digital communications, and instrument

537 tors’ Meeting held

this year in France,
the Endress+Hauser
Group claimed a company record of 537
patents granted in 2018. The company said
nearly 7,800 active intellectual property
rights worldwide and cites its 309 inven-
tion disclosures in 2018 as a sign of the
company’s ongoing innovation. Roughly
one-third of the 2018 patent filings are
diagnostics, released under the motto
#empowerthefield.
Each invention undergoes a multistage
internal evaluation process before sub-
mission to the patent office, usually within
it submitted 287 initial patents in 2018— related to the Industrial Internet of Things, four months. To handle the stream, in 2016
an internal patent
department was
created in the U.S.
Four specialists in
Greenwood, Ind.,
are responsible for
protecting the tech-
nical innovations,
handling all pat-
ent filings from the
group companies
located in the U.S.,
and handling up to
80 percent of the
overseas filings. ■

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 9

The Open Process
Automation Standard
takes flight
A detailed look at
O-PAS™ Standard,
Version 1.0

By Dave Emerson

FAST FORWARD
● OPAF, under the guidance of The Open
Group, has developed the O-PAS Standard, Version 1.0.
● The standard defines minimum requirements for components that can
be used to create federated process automation systems with an open
and interoperable reference architecture.
● O-PAS Version 1.0 was released in January 2019 as a preliminary
standard of The Open Group; OPAF will incorporate industry
feedback after an interoperability workshop this June.

10 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 COVER STORY

P
rocess automation end users and sup- Figure 1. A broad sampling of suppliers and end
pliers have expressed interest in a stan- users are highly interested in the scope of the
OPAS under development by OPAF, because it
dard that will make the industry much
touches on all the key components of industrial
more open and modular. In response, the Open automation systems: hardware (I/O), the com-
Process Automation™ Forum (OPAF) has munication network, system software (e.g., run
worked diligently at this task since November time, namespace), application software, and the
Business
2016 to develop process automation standards. data model.
systems
The scope of the initiative is wide-reaching, as
it aims to address the issues associated with the
process automation systems found in most Open process
Advanced control,
industrial automation plants and facilities to- manufacturing automation
day (figure 1). execution system scope
(MES)
It is easy to see why a variety of end users and
suppliers are involved in the project, because
the following systems are affected: Distributed control Programmable logic Safety
system (DCS) + control (PLC) + instrumented
● manufacturing execution system (MES)
human-machine human-machine system (SIS)
● distributed control system (DCS) interface (HMI) interface (HMI)
● human-machine interface (HMI)

● programmable logic controller (PLC)

Distributed control Programmable logic Safety instrumented
● input/output (I/O)
system (DCS) control (PLC) system (SIS)
input/output (I/O) input/output (I/O) input/output (I/O)
In June 2018, OPAF released a technical refer-
ence model (TRM) snapshot as industry guid-
ance of the technical direction being taken for Sensor, actuator, plant
the development of this new standard. The
organization followed the TRM snapshot with
the release of the OPAS™ Version 1.0 in January
2019. Version 1.0 addresses the interoperability
of components in federated process automa- standard. The results will not be published but
tion systems. This is a first stop along a three- will be used to update and finalize the standard.
year road map with annual releases targeting
the themes listed in table 1. Some terminology
For clarity, a summary of the terminology asso-
Table 1. The O-PAS Standard three-year release road
ciated with the OPAF initiative is:
map addresses progressively more detailed themes.
● The Open Group: The Open Group is a global
Version Target date Theme consortium that helps organizations achieve
1.0 2019 Interoperability business objectives through technology stan-
2.0 2020 Configuration portability dards. The membership of more than 625
organizations includes customers, systems
3.0 2021 Application portability
and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, inte-
grators, academics, and consultants across
By publishing versions of the standard annu- multiple industries.
ally, OPAF intends to make its work available to ● Open Process Automation Forum: OPAF is
industry expeditiously. This will allow suppliers an international forum of end users, system
to start building products and returning feed- integrators, suppliers, academia, and other
back on technical issues, and this feedback— standards organizations working together to
along with end user input—will steer OPAS develop a standards-based, open, secure, and
development. O-PAS Version 1.0 was released interoperable process control architecture.
as a preliminary standard of The Open Group Open Process Automation is a trademark of The
to allow time for industry feedback. Open Group.
The OPAF interoperability workshop in May ● O-PAS Standard, Version 1.0 (O-PAS): OPAF is
2019 is expected to produce feedback to help fi- producing the OPAS Standard under the guid-
nalize the standard. The workshop allows mem- ance of The Open Group to define a vendor-
ber organizations to bring hardware and software neutral reference architecture for construc-
that support O-PAS Version 1.0, testing it to verify tion of scalable, reliable, interoperable, and
the correctness and clarity of this preliminary secure process automation systems.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 11

COVER STORY

Standard of standards has been identified by end users as a will develop conformance tests to make
Creating a “standard of standards” for requirement to allow their intellectual sure products interoperate properly. The
open, interoperable, and secure auto- property (IP), in the form of control O-PAS Version 1 profiles are:
mation is a complex undertaking. OPAF strategies, to be portable. Existing stan- ● Level 1 Interoperability Hardware
intends to speed up the process by le- dards under evaluation for use in Ver- Profile: A certified product claiming
veraging the valuable work of various sion 2.0 include: conformance to this profile shall
groups in a confederated manner. ● IEC 61131-3 for control functions implement OSM-Redfish.
The OPAS Standard will reference ex- ● IEC 16499 for execution coordination ● Level 2 Interoperability Hardware
isting and applicable standards where ● IEC 61804 for function blocks Profile: A certified product claiming
possible. Where gaps are identified, O-PAS Version 3.0 will address ap- conformance to this profile shall
OPAF will work with associated or- plication portability, which is the abil- implement OSM-Redfish BMC.
ganizations to update the underlying ity to take applications purchased from ● Level 1 Interoperability Software Pro-
standard or add OPAS requirements to software suppliers and move them file: Software claiming conformance
achieve proper definition. Therefore, among systems within a company in to this profile shall implement OCF-
OPAF has already established liaison accordance with applicable licenses. 001: OPC UA Client/Server Profile.
agreements with the following organi- This release will also include the first ● Level 2 Interoperability Software Pro-
zations: specifications for hardware interfaces. file: Software claiming conformance
● Control System Integrators Associa- to this profile shall implement OCF-
tion (CSIA) Under the OPAS hood 002: OPC UA Client/Server and Pub/
● Distributed Management Task Force The five parts that make up O-PAS Ver- Sub Profile.
(DMTF), specifically for the Redfish sion 1.0 are listed below with a brief The term “Level” in the profile names
API summary of how compliance will be refers to profile levels.
● FieldComm Group verified (if applicable):
● Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) ● Part 1 – Technical Architecture Over- Part 4 – Connectivity Framework (OCF)
● International Society of Automation view (informative) forms the interoperable core of the
(ISA) ● Part 2 – Security (informative) system. The OCF is more than just a
● NAMUR ● Part 3 – Profiles network, it is the underlying structure
● OPC Foundation ● Part 4 – Connectivity Framework (OCF) allowing disparate components to
● PLCopen ● Part 5 – System Management interoperate as a system. The OCF will
● ZVEI use OPC UA for OPAS Versions 1.0, 2.0,
Part 1 – Technical Architecture Overview and 3.0.
Additionally, OPAF is in discussions (informative) describes an OPAS-confor-
with AutomationML and the ISA Secu- mant system through a set of interfaces Part 5 – System Management covers
rity Compliance Institute (ISCI) as an to the components. Read this section foundational functionality and inter-
ISA 62443 validation authority. In addi- to understand the technical approach face standards to allow the manage-
tion to these groups, the OPC Founda- OPAF is following to create the O-PAS. ment and monitoring of components
tion has joined OPAF as a member, so using a common interface. This part
no liaison agreement is required. Part 2 – Security (informative) addresses will address hardware, operating sys-
As an example of this cooperation in the necessary cybersecurity functional- tems and platform software, applica-
practice, OPAS Version 1.0 was created ity of components that are conformant tions, and networks—although at this
with significant input from three exist- to OPAS. It is important to point out point Version 1.0 only addresses hard-
ing standards, including: that security is built into the standard ware management.
● ANSI/ISA 62443 (adopted by IEC as and permeates it, as opposed to being Conformance criteria are identified
IEC 62443) for security bolted on as an afterthought. This part by the verb “shall” within the O-PAS
● OPC UA adopted by IEC as IEC 62541 of the standard is an explanation of the text. An OPAF committee is working on
for connectivity security principles and guidelines that a conformance guide document that
● DMTF Redfish for systems manage- are built into the interfaces. More spe- will be published later this year, which
ment (see www.dmtf.org/standards/ cific security requirements are detailed explains the conformance program
redfish) in normative parts of the standards. The and requirements for suppliers to ob-
detailed normative interface specifica- tain a certification of conformance.
Next step: Configuration portability tions are defined in Parts 3, 4, and 5.
Configuration portability, now under These parts also contain the associated Technical architecture
development for OPAS Version 2.0, will conformance criteria. The OPAS Standard supports commu-
address the requirement to move con- nication interactions that are required
trol strategies among different auto- Part 3 – Profiles defines sets of hardware within a service-oriented architecture
mation components and systems. This and software interfaces for which OPAF (SOA) for automation systems by out-

12 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 COVER STORY

External OT
On-premise OT data center Enterprise data center
(executing IEC 62264 Level 2 and 3 functions) IT data centers (executing IEC
(executing IEC 62264 62264 Level 2
Level 4 functions) External data centers may run
and 3 functions) DCFs that are connected to the
Advanced computing platform
OCF through a firewall.
DCF DCF DCF Business platform Non-O-PAS DCF Stand-alone DCF environments
Transactional environments
computing platform DCF may be used for functions such
as offline engineering and
simulation.
Business platform
communicates through Legend
apps running in a DCF,
DCN Non-O-PAS
not directly to the OCF
DCN conformant
DCN = DCP + DCFs platform
Connectivity framework (OCF) O-PAS
component

Distributed control nodes

DCN

DCN

DCN

DCN

DCN

DCN

DCN
DCN

DCN

(Executing IEC 62264

DCN Level 1, 2 & 3 Functions
DCF DCF DCF Machinery Field Safety Electrical
DCS DCS PLC PLC Analyzer Analyzer monitoring networks systems systems
AI/AO/DI/DO
twisted pair, etc.
Figure 2. OPAS establishes a system architecture organizing process automation elements into interoperable groupings.

lining the specific interfaces the hard- and also allows it to run control software. Advanced computing platform (ACP):
ware and software components will An ACP is a computing platform that
use. These components will be used to Distributed control platform (DCP): A implements DCN functionality but has
architect, build, and start up automa- DCP is the hardware and standard soft- scalable computing resources (mem-
tion systems for end users. ware interfaces required in all DCNs. ory, disk, CPU cores) to handle appli-
The vision for the OPAS Standard is to The standard software interfaces are cations or services that require more
allow the interfaces to be used in an un- a common platform on top of which resources than are typically available
limited number of architectures, there- control software programs run. This on a small profile DCP. ACPs may also
by enabling each process automation provides the physical infrastructure and be used for applications that cannot be
system to be “fit for purpose” to meet interchangeability capability so end easily or efficiently distributed. ACPs
specific objectives. The standard will not users can control software and hard- are envisioned to be installed within
define a system architecture, but it will ware from multiple suppliers. on-premise servers or clouds.
use examples to illustrate how the com- Within the OPAS Standard, DCNs
ponent-level interfaces are intended to Distributed control framework (DCF): represent a fundamental computing
be used. System architectures (figure 2) A DCF is the standard set of software in- building block (figure 3). They may be
contain the following elements: terfaces that provides an environment hardware or virtual (when virtual they
for executing applications, such as con- are shown as a DCF as in figure 2), big or
Distributed control node (DCN): A trol software. The DCF is a layer on top of small, with no I/O or various amounts. At
DCN is expected to be a microproces- the DCP that provides applications with the moment, allowable I/O density per
sor-based controller, I/O, or gateway a consistent set of O-PAS related func- DCN is not settled, so some standardiza-
device that can handle inputs and out- tions no matter which DCN they run in. tion in conjunction with the market may
puts and computing functions. A key This is important for creating an efficient drive the final configuration.
feature of O-PAS is that hardware and marketplace for O-PAS applications. DCNs also act as a gateway to other
control software are decoupled. So, the networks or systems, such as legacy
exact function of any single DCN is up OPAS connectivity framework (OCF): systems, wireless gateways, digital
to the system architect. A DCN consists The OCF is a royalty-free, secure, and field networks, I/O, and controllers
of hardware and some system software interoperable communication frame- like DCS or PLC systems. Industrial In-
that enables the DCN to communicate work specification. In O-PAS Version 1, ternet of Things (IIoT) devices can also
on the O-PAS network, called the OCF, the OCF uses OPC UA. be accessed via any of these systems.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 13

COVER STORY

most aspects of industrial automation,

Configuration
information External
the O-PAS Standard will greatly im-
management prove interoperability among indus-
tool trial automation systems and compo-
nents. This will lower implementation
Distributed control node (DCN) and support costs for end users, while
allowing vendors to innovate around
Distributed an open standard.
control For more information on OPAS Ver-
framework Application
sion 1.0, please download the standard
(DFC)
at https://publications.opengroup.org/
Distributed p190. Submit feedback by emailing
control DCF services [email protected]. ■
node (DCN)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Distributed control platform (DCP) Dave Emerson is
vice president of
Yokogawa’s U.S.
Technology Center
Field devices, sensors, in Dallas, Texas. He
OCF networking infrastructure actuators...
is experienced in
applying and devel-
Figure 3. DCNs are conceived as modular elements containing DCP (hardware) and DCF
(software), both of which are used to interface field devices to the OCF. oping automation
systems used in the
process industries. Emerson is an ISA Fel-
low and a member of Control magazine’s
Building a system in-class elements of DCS, PLC, SCA-
Process Automation Hall of Fame. He has
End users today must work with and DA, and IIoT systems and devices as
more than 30 years of experience partici-
integrate multiple systems in most needed.
pating on U.S. and international consen-
every process plant or facility. There- Information technology (IT) can also
sus standards committees, such as ISA-
fore, the OPAS Standard was designed be incorporated deeper into industrial
88, ISA-95, IEC TC65, and ISO TC184.
so users can construct systems from automation operational technology
He also represents Yokogawa in several
components and subsystems supplied (OT). For example, DMTF Redfish is an
industry groups, including leadership
by multiple vendors, without requir- IT technology for securely managing
roles with MESA, MIMOSA, and the OPC
ing custom integration. With the OPAS data center platforms. OPAF is adopt-
Foundation. Emerson is Yokogawa’s pri-
Standard it becomes feasible to assimi- ing this technology to meet OPAS sys-
mary representative with OPAF and is
late multiple systems, enabling them to tem management requirements.
currently co-chair of OPAF’s Enterprise
work together as one OPAS-compliant
Architecture Working Group.
whole. This reduces work on capital Comprehensive and open
projects and during the lifetime of the Each industrial automation supplier
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190601.
facility or plant, leading to a lower total offers a variety of devices and sys-
cost of ownership. tems, most of which are proprietary
By decoupling hardware and soft- and incompatible with similar prod-
ware and employing an SOA, the neces- ucts from other vendors and some-
sary software functions can be situated times with earlier versions of their RESOURCES
in many different locations or proces- own products. End users and system “New software for next-gen
sors. Not only can software applica- integrators trying to integrate auto- automation”
tions run in all hardware, but they can mation systems of varying vintages www.isa.org/intech/201806final
also access any I/O to increase flexibil- from different suppliers therefore
“Breaking closed architecture
ity when designing a system. have a challenging job.
bonds”
One set of components can be used To address these issues, OPAF is
www.isa.org/intech/20180201
to create many different systems us- making great strides toward assem-
ing centralized architectures, distrib- bling a comprehensive, open process “End users want COTS, and they
uted architectures, or a hybrid of the automation standard. Partially built want it now”
two. System sizes may range from on other established industry stan- www.isa.org/intech/20160604
small to large and can include best- dards, and extending to incorporate

14 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Change the way you look at
pressure measurement

kelleramerica.com
oem pressure transmitters
Industrial Process
Operation 4.0

Digitalization is impacting industrial processes as the technical infra-

structure that allows data-driven decision making—Internet of Things,
big data, artificial intelligence, virtual reality—becomes available

D
By Martin igitalization, Internet of Things (IoT), for the Industry 4.0 high-performance work force.
Hollender, PhD big data, artificial intelligence, and vir- Work environments must support collaboration
tual reality are some examples of rapidly at all levels and support high-performance work
developing areas of technology that will have a around the clock.
big impact on how industrial processes will Like the situation in the transport sector with
operate in the future. Normal operations that the advent of self-driving cars, the way industrial
are already highly automated will be even more processes operate is dramatically changing.
automated in the future. Tasks like fault detec- Today’s sophisticated digital automation pro-
tion, diagnosis, and process optimization are grams can handle most situations. Cheap sensors
becoming more complex. connected to powerful artificial intelligence algo-
Many of those tasks are best handled by in- rithms, like image recognition or vibration moni-
terdisciplinary teams with broad expertise and toring, can increasingly replace human sensing. A
knowledge about process, plant, operations, single operator can take responsibility for larger
maintenance, networks, sensors, and actuators. and larger plant sections.
Collaborative process operations make it pos- Integrated industrial information systems gath-
sible to efficiently bring disciplines together to er operational data to enable collaboration across
focus on the problem at hand. Big data and arti- locations, disciplines, and organizations. They
ficial intelligence tools support teams and make make real-time data easily available to the appro-
them as efficient as possible. Previously isolated priate individuals.
control rooms become networked control centers However, the reality is often far from ideal. In a

16 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 PROCESS AUTOMATION

FAST FORWARD
● Digitalization, IoT, big data, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality
will improve industrial process operation.
● Work environments must support collaboration at all levels and
support high-performance work around the clock.
● Knowledge workers in process operation still spend too much time
searching for data in information silos or proprietary tools.

case example about offshore platforms, McKinsey motely, as is the case for many offshore platforms.
has shown that although huge amounts of data Modern control rooms have turned into net-
are already being collected, only a small portion is worked information and communication centers
actually being used as a basis of operational deci- where collaboration workflows come together.
sions (figure 1). This is currently changing, as the The remaining operators need a supportive work
technical infrastructure that allows data-driven environment that helps them stay vigilant and
decision making becomes available. carry out their jobs as effectively as possible.
Other important trends include flexible modu-
lar plants for producing small quantities of fre- Breaking down information silos
quently changing products. Such processes are Modern process plants are complex and highly
more difficult to operate because of the frequent coupled systems. As a result, a problem in one part
product changeovers, and it is more difficult to of the process will tend to propagate across dif-
gather experience. ferent subsystem and plant components. The ad-
New big data and artificial intelligence methods vanced automation systems in use also add com-
can predict upcoming problems long before they plex dynamic interactions between the different
affect production. They also enable prescriptive plant components, making it difficult to obtain a
maintenance strategies. Remote operation is be- clear assessment of a potential problem. Collab-
coming more widely used. Often it makes sense orative efforts from a multidisciplinary team are
to bring in highly specialized remote expertise. needed to effectively troubleshoot, diagnose, or
Sometimes even the whole plant is operated re- optimize process dynamics. In addition, the

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 17

PROCESS AUTOMATION

From a base of 30,000 data tags, close to zero tags are used to inform operational decisions. Although industrial applications
Comment Source have been lagging behind consumer
People and 0% Schedule predominately based on OEM- and enterprise solutions, industry is
processes recommended maintenance intervals now catching up to provide the same
Interviews with
operational staff
Deployment <1% No interface in place to enable real-time level of digital support to the industrial
analytics to “reach” offshore worker and the office worker, whether
Analytics <1% Reporting limited to a few KPIs that BI and KPI they are in the control room, in the
are monitored in retrospect walkthrough
plant, or in a remote location (figure 2).
Data ~1% Data cannot be accessed in real time, Information previously hidden within
management enabling only ad hoc analysis Walkthrough of infra-
structure and band- the control systems or proprietary tools
width between off-
Infrastructure 60% Only about 1% can be streamed onshore and onshore is now increasingly made available
for day-to-day use
through improved connectivity and inte-
Data capture About 40% of all data is never stored— Assessment of storage gration across different systems and net-
100% capacity (on the
the remainder is stored locally offshore highest-capacity asset) work layers. Web-based applications are
~30,000 tags measured available to support the consolidation
of data from different systems and tools,
Figure 1. Case example about data-driven decisions Source: McKinsey making these easily accessible from one
place. Easy data access and a common
work environment is the first step for ef-
fective collaboration to support process
operation. Improvements in analytics
and visualization techniques also help
workers make sense of the increasing
amount of data available.
Other technology trends are also sup-
porting a new collaborative approach to
working. After many years of teething
troubles, video conferencing technol-
ogy has matured and is moving from a
nice-to-have technology to a necessity.
Several companies now have remote
operation centers that support the local
control rooms with continuously open
video links between locations. High-
Figure 2. Although industrial applications have been lagging behind consumer and enter- quality video conferencing technology
prise solutions, industry is now catching up to provide the same level of digital support to is also available from mobile devices or
the industrial worker and the office worker. personal workstations, so operators can
get instant access to remote expertise
via video conferencing whenever they
highly advanced systems used to sup- port multidisciplinary collaboration, need it. In combination, the introduc-
port plant operations may also require and therefore tend to execute work tion of digital technology for easy ac-
the involvement of specialized exper- based on a relay race approach instead cess to information, independent of
tise, often represented by an external of as a collaborative effort. location, and the proliferation of video
supplier. However, industrial companies are conferencing to support remote col-
Unfortunately, collaboration be- realizing that they need to improve the laboration, are blurring the boundaries
tween personnel from different disci- way they work to stay competitive in an between local and remote operation.
plines, locations, and organizational increasingly volatile market. The digitali- Modern automation systems cover
boundaries is often hindered by the fact zation trend is sweeping across the indus- most aspects of normal operation
that the information needed to solve tries. Companies are taking actions to but also handle many abnormal situ-
the problem at hand is hidden within improve workforce effectiveness through ations. Advanced control techniques,
numerous information silos. Knowl- the introduction of digital technolo- such as model-predictive control
edge workers in process operation still gies. Many companies are introducing (MPC) and state-based control, allow
spend too much time searching for “bring-your-own-device” policies and the automation of very complex tasks,
data in information silos or proprietary deploying solutions so their employees such as the startup of a plant. Auto-
tools. Many companies also lack the or- can work effectively wherever they are: at matic control performs better than
ganization and work processes to sup- the office, on trips, or from home. typical human operators. The opera-

18 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 PROCESS AUTOMATION

tor is less and less involved in the inner was the incorrect interpretation of avail- to achieve best results. Many of the tasks
control loops with direct contact to the able measurements. Quite likely, with either can be performed by centralized
process. The tasks shift more and more advice from highly qualified remote ex- internal service centers or can be out-
to supervisory control, where the op- perts, the company would have avoided sourced to specialized external service
erator manages and supervises a large this accident. providers.
number of control modules. The high complexity of modern plants Typical goals are increased through-
requires expertise from many different put, efficiency, and uptime for the pro-
Bridging the knowledge gap domains (e.g., MPC, chemistry, electri- duction plant. These goals are accom-
But being less involved in direct process cal drives, distributed control systems). plished by a structured approach to
control also means fewer opportunities It is impossible for most plants to hire revealing the sources of process varia-
to develop a feeling for the process by personnel with sufficient knowledge in tions and upsets and how they are cur-
training on the job. (This problem was
dramatically illustrated with the ac-
cident of flight AF447. The autopilot To be able to take over when automation fails, operators
discovered inconsistent speed mea-
surements from all three redundant
need higher qualifications and a profound understanding
speed measurements and switched of the technical process, the automation system, and the
into manual mode. The pilot did not
have enough experience flying at great
control modules.
heights and was overburdened with
this sudden and unexpected transfer all these areas. Modern collaborative rently handled. By reducing process
of responsibility. He went into climb environments make it possible to bring variations, organizations will increase
mode, which reduced the speed of the in remote expertise as needed. the operational flexibility, plant regular-
plane and finally led to the crash.) Managing key performance indica- ity, safety, and integrity, while reducing
To be able to take over when auto- tors for process operations in areas such off-spec production, energy costs, envi-
mation fails, operators need higher as control loop performance, alarm ronmental impacts, operator stress, and
qualifications and a profound under- management, energy efficiency, and equipment wear.
standing of the technical process, the overall equipment efficiency is not a For example, Dow Chemical intro-
automation system, and the control classic operator task but is becoming duced a global analytics layer that turns
modules. Simulator training is neces- more and more important to ensure vast amounts of data into information
sary to develop a feeling for the pro- good production performance. Disci- and metrics anyone could see. Experts
cess. Modern operators should also be plines such as operations, maintenance, from a centralized Analytical Technology
deeply involved in the optimization of and analytics need to go hand in hand Center can now support plants globally
process operations, because such an
activity keeps them involved and helps Phase 3
to build up the required knowledge Sustain
that allows them to take over in case of 100% (ProcessPRO)
automation failure. Phase 1
Another area where Industry 4.0 will Diagnose Ideal
(fingerprints) Phase 2 Performance
Process performance potential

have a huge impact is industrial qual-

ity control. Big data techniques make it Implement gap
possible to distill historical process data
Holistic control room
into algorithms that can predict the
Auto working environment
quality of the currently production. Up-
coming problems can be detected early,
and countermeasures can be taken be-
fore the effect of the problem becomes
significant. Previously, it took an opera-
tor many years to accumulate compa- Manual
rable experience.
Remote expertise should be brought
in for all complex and difficult decisions Time
(figure 3). For example, in the case of the
Figure 3. Modern operators should be deeply involved in the optimization of process
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the investi- operations, because such an activity helps to build up the required knowledge that
gation report clearly states that one ma- allows them to take over in case of automation failure. Remote expertise should be
jor factor contributing to the accident brought in for all complex and difficult decisions.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 19

PROCESS AUTOMATION

kind of work as well as if they were in

the same room.
These new workflows, still rare today,
but which will be the norm tomorrow,
have completely new requirements con-
cerning room layout, working zones,
screens, cameras, analytical tools, and
remote collaboration workspaces. An
example of the new design is five tradi-
tional control rooms with 12 operators
will be replaced by a collaborative center
hosting two operators, who will call in
remote expertise on demand. The space
around the operators will be more con-
nected to many different functions that
were previously separated.
There is ongoing research to under-
Figure 4. The only way to encourage the next generation of operators to work in control stand how we can establish an individual
rooms is with a holistic approach to the control room working environment. Introducing health improvement microenvironment
gamification can be a motivation for learning, education, and passing knowledge from
that can be adapted to each operator. A
baby boomers to the gaming and multitasking generation.
typical integrated platform will be much
more than an advanced motorized op-
to determine manufacturing obstacles, organization is ready for all benefits. erator desk. This platform is a complete
improve efficiencies, and develop best The involvement of experienced health improvement microenvironment
practices. World-class expertise, meth- control room designers from an early that can be adapted and even automated
ods, and tools are now available. stage is even more important in the de- to change for each individual operator
sign of next-generation, collaborative depending on individual needs. For ex-
Improving the working environment operations centers. They require a to- ample, the distance between eyes and
As shown in previous sections, most tally new approach and “future integra- screens can automatically be adjusted
simple parts of traditional operator tion” thinking. As the traditional way of with imperceptible slow speed to release
work have been taken over by auto- building control rooms becomes obso- muscle tension in the eyes, and the light-
mation. Modern operators now have lete, new best practices will have to be ing can shift from warmer to colder light
a very different profile. They supervise defined. during the day. These are just two exam-
large numbers of control modules and The new control centers will have ples of how technology can support the
must be able to quickly diagnose com- fewer operators, and the operator role health and well-being of the operator.
plex situations, collaborate with vari- will evolve from reactive to predictive New technology and big data ana-
ous support units, and coordinate field problem solving and analytic operat- lytics make it possible to create a
operators and maintenance personnel. ing. It will become more important to data-driven “day by day” improvement
They decide when it is time to bring have motivated, stimulated, and more program for operators. The new collab-
in external expertise and manage the alert operators with better education orative operations center will turn big
temporal integration of remote experts. to deal with increasingly bigger parts of analyzed data into actions and, thanks
To make use of their full potential, they the production process. to Industry 4.0, yield benefits by be-
need a work environment that really The space around the operator will coming faster, safer, more competitive,
supports their work. be more connected to many other and of course more profitable.
A challenge will be how to design the functions, such as IT/OT support,
more collaborative environments that multifunctional support, technical New generation of operators
will replace traditional control rooms. and remote support, asset risk man- Generational shift will affect business
Often those centers will no longer be agement, alarms, safety, cybersecu- markets and the industry sectors as
physically close to the process, but they rity, and maintenance management, the older generation (i.e., baby boom-
need to be much better integrated with that previously were often separated ers) retires. One challenge will be to at-
remote service communities in their from the control room operations. tract the next generation of operators,
own company and with service provid- More frequent interactive communi- often referred to as Generation Y, the
ers and suppliers. New collaboration cation with different remote service gaming generation, or the multitasking
centers can also be implemented to people to jointly solve troubleshoot- generation, into the control room work-
work through different steps in modern- ing and optimization tasks will require ing environment. An average, a gamer
ization before the entire technology and a work environment that supports this executes up to 300 actions per minute,

20 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 PROCESS AUTOMATION

while a nongamer can perform a maximum 100 actions per

minute (figure 4).
Personal ergonomics is becoming more and more important
to improve the health and well-being in the control room work-
ing environment. Human factor involvement in the early stage
of design layout is even more important in future control rooms
or control centers with the entry of the next generation into the
industrial field. We must seriously consider the needs, require-
ments, behaviors, and values of the next generation of operators
ISA
that we need to attract to the industrial world.
The only way to encourage the next generation of operators
would like
to work in control rooms is a holistic approach to the control
room working environment. Acoustic disturbances will play
to thank
a key role if operators must share a common working space,
communication devices, navigation keyboards, etc.
our sponsors
Improved illumination is another area of concern, because
we know that interrupting individual circadian rhythms can
have devastating consequences for shift operators. Air qual-
ISA Strategic Partner for
ity, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation also matter when
enhancing human performance in the control room working Systems Integration
environment. Dedicated operator fatigue management mini-
mizes the influence of fatigue.
The knowledge gap is another problem that we will face
as baby boomers retire. One way of transferring knowledge
from baby boomers to the gaming and multitasking gen-
eration is by introducing gamification as a motivation for
learning, education, and passing on knowledge. Human-
centered design that creates intelligent and individual
working places is the way forward to meet these demands
for the next generation of operators.
ISA Corporate Partners
Integrated control centers
With the shift away from traditional control rooms toward
integrated collaborative control centers, tomorrow’s opera-
tors will require a very different skill set, with much more em-
phasis on cooperation, coordination, analytics, and manage-
ment. To be able to attract the best operators and offer them
an environment where they can consistently bring high
performance in 24/7 work settings, the integrated control
centers should be designed by experts from the beginning.
New digitalized infrastructures tear down information silos
and make world-class remote expertise available. Optimiza-
tions previously not possible are coming into reach. ■

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ISA Promotional Partner
Martin Hollender, PhD ([email protected]), is a prin-
cipal scientist and project leader at ABB’s Corporate Research
Center in Germany.

View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190602.

Note: This article was adapted from Hollender, M.; Graven,

T.-G.; Partini, J.; Schäring, P. Process Operation 4.0. atp
edition, 2017, 59, pp. 52–58.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 21

 Digitalization
delivers value
Creating a sustained competitive advantage

It
By Duncan Micklem seems that every software initiative in The process industries saw this and feared they
the energy and chemical industry is would be left behind.
now tagged with the name “digitaliza- In the consumer world, entrepreneurship
tion.” Yet similar initiatives a few years ago were caused the digital revolution. Consumers ben-
called Six Sigma or lean manufacturing proj- efited from improved efficiency and conve-
ects. In essence, they are all focused on opera- nience, greater social connectivity and personal
tional excellence, but digitalization has risen to security, and even elevated status. Minor im-
the top of the C-suite agenda due to the rapid provements in a consumer’s experiences have
penetration of new technologies disrupting the changed suppliers’ business models massively
way consumers are buying and using everyday and forever—newcomers have entered from
products and services. nowhere, and some household names that
Music and movies are provided as services failed to respond are gone forever (think Block-
that learn about your preferences and those of buster, Sears, and Toys“R”Us). Some of our kids
your peers; they used to be sold as a hardware are growing up knowing nothing different.
product that you bought and owned. More and The response of the energy and chemical in-
more, people are buying products of all kinds dustry is digitalization. In this world, the gains
from unknown vendors in far-off locations to be had are much more valuable—greater
through trusted online marketplaces. They are profitability, improved asset performance, and
delivered to your doorstep, so you no longer better competitiveness. We can expect much
have to find and visit a local vendor and hope it more drastic consequences—hundreds of mil-
has stock on hand. Newspapers and magazines lions of dollars are at stake, and those who
are failing as we consume news and entertain- embrace digitalization will prosper. Those who
ment in real-time through our phones, and do not respond will indeed be left behind: either
often for free. Our cars are mobile information consumed by those who do or fatally destroyed
centers with the intelligence to save us from our in the marketplace.
own bad driving habits. And we can control our So digitalization is more than just another Six
homes and maintain their security remotely. Sigma or lean manufacturing project. It is an

22 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 FACTORY AUTOMATION

imperative that is not going away. Digitalization

FAST FORWARD
is the scalable application of the digital tech- ● Every software initiative in the energy and chemical industry is
nologies and alignment of the organizational now tagged with the name “digitalization.”
capabilities that we believe an energy or chemi- ● The goal is operational excellence, leveraging new technology.
cal process operation should have and master ● Digitalization gives process plant operators the opportunity to
with digital information at the core in order to anticipate and respond to swings in market dynamics to
achieve excellence. All the emphasized words outmaneuver competition.
matter.
Applied correctly, digitalization allows a process
plant operator to not just manage day-to-day per- at outcomes; we explore how digitalization can
formance of the plant safely and reliably, but also deliver and sustain true value to the energy and
to anticipate and respond to swings in market chemical industry.
dynamics. Plant personnel become implementors
and supervisors of strategy, rather than number- Sticking to the map
crunchers or tacticians. Digitalization ensures All digitalization initiatives lie somewhere on
that the plant will operate at its true optimum, the journey shown in the map image on the next
squeezing down on the gap between potential page. For any initiative to be successful, no mat-
and realized margin. Better and faster decisions ter where it lies on the journey, the earlier stag-
will be made, outmaneuvering competition. es must already have been accomplished. For
For many beginning their digitalization example, most analytics projects (“situational
journey, there is a strong pressure to deliver awareness” ambition) fail due to poor data
something big using one of the latest buzz- quality (lack of “readiness”); most advanced
words—Industrial Internet of Things, Industry controls (“operational execution” ambition) are
4.0, cloud, edge, big data, or analytics. Propo- turned off (a sure sign of failure) because their
nents of this input-oriented approach risk ap- strategy or constraints are not up to date (poor
plying technology for the sake of technology, “situational awareness”), so the operator can
without realizing its true value. Here, we look do better. Let’s explore each part of the journey.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 23

FACTORY AUTOMATION

Digitalization
journey
All digitalization initiatives
go through this series
of five steps.

SITUATIONAL DECISION OPERATIONAL VALUE

AWARENESS MAKING EXECUTION SUSTAINMENT
READINESS Hindsight Forecasting Best practices Goal monitoring
Insight (“What next?”) Advice-based action Economic stewardship
Data Prediction
Foresight Closed-loop control Knowledge management
Infrastructure (“What if?”)
Oversight Procedural automation Management of change
Consumption Optimization Closed-loop Technology and
People (“What is best?”) optimization capability refresh

Frost & Sullivan estimated that process Analytics are necessary for foresight and oversight, and
industries use less than 5 percent of the we also consider them beneficial for hindsight and insight.
data that is collected—95 percent of the We are strong believers in using first principles-based ana-
data is either siloed (used selectively), lytics tools in conjunction with emerging correlation-based
dark (unused), or not consistently in analytics (also known as statistical or stochastic analytics)
READINESS
use. Problems of assigning context to for situational awareness—a so-called “ensemble approach.”
data and poor quality have also been identified. First principles tools bring rigor due to their built-in under-
To be ready for digitalization, the impediments to data standing of physics, chemistry, and dynamics, but at the cost
utilization must be addressed: (a) data readiness (data suf- of complexity and relatively high computation time. Corre-
ficiency, data trust, data propagation, and data governance), lation-based analytics suffer from lower fidelity without any
(b) infrastructure readiness (physical infrastructure; secu- guarantee of feasibility, but with the advantage of simplicity
rity, privacy, and confidentiality; software infrastructure and and speed of solution.
cloud infrastructure), (c) consumption readiness, and (d)
In the same way that we recommend an
people readiness. A wise approach is to perform a readiness
ensemble approach to situational aware-
assessment and to tackle any readiness issues before starting
ness, we also believe that decision mak-
(or perhaps in parallel with) a digitalization initiative.
ing should be grounded on first princi-
ples in conjunction with correlation-based
To take the right actions to improve a DECISION tools as necessary. Decision making is
plant’s operation, it is important to un- MAKING about looking for answers. In an operat-
derstand the potential for improve- ing plant seeking to improve performance, there are three
ment. Situational awareness is therefore main kinds of answer that can be sought: (a) forecasting (“what
a crucial step—knowing how the plant next?”)—a judgment of what is likely to happen in the future
SITUATIONAL is and has been performing in absolute based on knowledge of the past; (b) prediction (“what if?”)—
AWARENESS
terms (“hindsight”), understanding an estimate of what will happen in the future based on chang-
where it has capacity for improvement versus its constraints es that could be made in the present; and (c) optimization
and optimal capability (“insight”), predicting responses to (“what is best?”)—an approach that answers the question, “Of
changes (“foresight”), and assessing the success and value all possible changes that can be made, which has the best eco-
of such changes (“oversight”). nomic outcome?”
Tools associated with hindsight and insight are largely In the energy and chemical industry, there are many complex
visual—dashboards, BI tools, spreadsheets. These gain sig- decisions to be made due to the vast number of variables that
nificant value when they align with goals, targets, and con- can be controlled and the large quantity of disturbances and
straints. Therefore, to present decision makers with valid in- constraints. Correlation-based decision tools are useful when
formation in dashboards, for example, the right tools must be accuracy is not as important as feasibility and when the answer
applied to each situation being analyzed. lies within an already-experienced operating window. However,

24 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 FACTORY AUTOMATION

sloppiness in accuracy comes at a cost—the actual optimal so- value of the applications.
lution is likely worth a lot more than a simply feasible solution. Achieving this involves goal monitoring and economic
Rigorous models will always find the best answer. Always. stewardship, knowledge management, management of
change, and a value-versus-cost mindset around technology
Being ready, situationally aware, and mak- and capability refresh.
ing the right decisions only guarantee suc- No doubt this will have a significant cost. However, the value
cess with efficient and effective operation- that it unlocks will be orders of magnitude greater, enabling
al execution. Digitalization compresses sustainment actions to pay for themselves many times over.
time horizons, which means not only do- Our organization recently worked with a major multi-
OPERATIONAL ing the same thing faster, but becoming national oil company that was looking for a flexible, light-
EXECUTION
liberated to do completely new things. weight, and cloud-based solution to manage operating goals
The more encompassing the decision, the longer it takes to and constraints at its western Canada plants. It wanted to en-
make and the more economically and organizationally im- sure its assets were always operated according to best prac-
pactful it is, and for a longer time. A wise business decision tice, something it had struggled with due to a retiring skilled
may reap rewards for years, whereas a poor business decision workforce being replaced by younger, less experienced staff.
may have long-term costly consequences. Embracing the digitalization concept, the oil company
Automation, on the other hand, by its inherent nature, worked with our organization to adopt Operating Goals Man-
makes decisions very quickly based on very recent limited ager™ (OGM) as a standard application delivered through a
data. The scope is typically much more contained, and the software-as-a-service model. The application allowed users
automation actions can be suspended or terminated quickly. to define measured variables and tasks as indicators. Each
So, the more informed and timelier the decision process be- of these indicators contained company knowledge, such as
comes, the more likely the decision will be good, the quicker reasons for the specific operating envelope; consequences
it will be to execute, and the easier it will be to course correct. for not addressing an excursion in a timely fashion; recom-
Digitalization accelerates information flow, increases the mended actions to address an excursion; and stored com-
power of analytics, and automates much of the execution, pany procedures and documents.
which greatly condenses the decision/execution time horizons, As a result, OGM is being used in four gas plants in west-
allowing strategic business decisions to be made in real time, ern Canada as a cloud service, tracking thousands of live in-
and the results to be visible and available almost immediately. dicators in real time and supporting hundreds of users. This
The tools of operational execution (advice-based open- is just one example of many where a digitalization strategy
loop actions, closed-loop control, procedural automation, has helped improve overall operational excellence.
and closed-loop optimization) start with best practices.
Replicating poor or average business processes in a digi- Do not get left behind
tal environment does not ensure delivery of superior results. Digitalization creates and sustains competitive advantage and is
The focus should be on acquiring best practices to execute one of the key strategies a plant can adopt in pursuit of opera-
the organization’s work, and thereafter on finding the digital tional excellence. Despite this, many in the industry still remain
means to institutionalize automation of as much of each of confused or irritated by digitalization. Some feel it is merely an in-
these processes as possible. formation technology issue and do not understand its relevance
for operations; some are frustrated by the plethora of buzzwords;
Digitalization is typically not a one-time some see it as hype and fail to see the value proposition.
hit, where the benefits are achieved and Digitalization leaders, however, see it as a holistic busi-
stay forever. Unless proactive steps are tak- ness issue and are already making huge strides forward in
en, benefits will almost always decline over productivity, efficiency, flexibility, and agility. Those who
time, and the opportunity to capture in- do not realize the value digitalization has to offer risk being
VALUE cremental benefits will diminish too. This left behind. Failure to adapt and transform means that the
SUSTAINMENT happens for a number of reasons: magnitude of value being lost will continue to increase—the
● the economic basis for the solution changes digitally wise will consume the laggards in the market. ■
● goals change
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
● plant performance changes
Duncan Micklem ([email protected]) is the executive vice
● business priorities change
president, strategy and marketing at KBC, a Yokogawa com-
● focus by people (management, engineers, operators) changes
pany. Based in Houston, Texas, Micklem’s responsibilities include
● technology changes.
business planning, M&A/alliances, investment prioritization/cap-
Our approach to sustaining digitalization value entails go-
ital allocation, and marketing. Micklem has a degree in biology
ing above and beyond compliance with how new digital ap-
and geography from the University of Exeter, U.K., and an MBA
plications are implemented. It is an approach where there
from Cass Business School, U.K.
is a clear sense of ownership by the organization, especially
the front-line operators, through recognition of the added View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190603.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 25

A relook at machine
vision system design

Can reconfigurable
computing be the
answer to our woes?
By Gineesh Sukumaran

A
lthough machine vision may seem like a once took several minutes to compute images
new concept, we can trace its origins to are now expected to do the same computation in
the 1960s. Back then, machine vision seconds (real-time computing). A prime example
existed as raw image files. A paradigm shift hap- of this is bottle inspections in a soda manufac-
pened with the advent of digital photography. turing facility. Soda companies use an advanced
Slowly, companies began developing a software four-camera system that can inspect a whopping
ecosystem that could import these digital photo- 72,000 bottles per hour.
graphs and process them in multiple ways.
Alongside superior cameras and greater image Why does real-time machine vision need
processing capability came automation that en- more flexibility?
abled machines to independently capture images Engineering real-time machine vision is an ex-
without human intervention. Today, advanced tremely expensive process. Several companies
artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning tools have accomplished it by either building dedicated
have taken this one step further by augmenting field-programmable gate array (FPGA) systems or
machines with the intelligence to make right deci- installing custom camera systems that have prefed,
sions based on the images captured. application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
As machine hardware on the shop floor goes The limiting factor here is the need for a dedicated
through transformational upgrades, manufactur- design architecture for every single application.
ers want the ancillary things around the hardware This is expensive and not scalable.
to keep pace. Hence, machine vision systems that Going back to the soda bottle inspection system,

26 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SYSTEM INTEGRATION

every camera comes fitted with a dedicated ASIC puting, the camera system can be trained to ac-
chip. These high-end cameras cannot be repur- commodate modifications to the packaging or the
posed for any other application. To make matters inspection process.
worse, inspection processes and packaging in
manufacturing facilities are modified from time Ideal reconfigurable computing platform
to time. Tweaking the vision inspection system to Whatever the approach may be, configuration
work with the new processes or packaging requires management and development systems are inte-
extensive and expensive modifications. gral parts of a reconfigurable computing platform.
Given these limitations, machine vision sys- There are a variety of choices when considering
tems must be designed so they can be reused for the development of a reconfigurable system. Some
multiple applications and easily modified to meet of the critical elements to bear in mind when im-
changing product designs, manufacturing pro- plementing a task on reconfigurable systems are:
cesses, varying components, and business needs. ● Overhead for run-time reconfiguration: How
much additional work needs to be done to use
Reconfigurable computing is the best bet the flexibility offered by the reconfigurable
Selection of computing platforms for automa- systems?
tion tasks is often governed by the trade-off ● Configuration granularity: To what level can an
between two important parameters: efficiency algorithm be decomposed during the imple-
and flexibility. The search for a balance between
the approaches brings us to reconfigurable
computing. Reconfigurable systems are imple- Processor RC ASIC
mented with programmable logic. The best part
is that hardware circuits can be easily upgraded Program Configuration
memory
to meet the demands of fresh or modified vision
applications.
Processors with a fixed architecture allow the

Data
Data

Data
Processor RC device ASIC
user to temporarily compose the operations pro-
vided by the arithmetic logic unit (ALU). ASIC
processors are implemented by spatially compos-
ing dedicated functional units. Reconfigurable Concept of reconfigurable computing
computing uses both temporal and spatial com-
position—that is, these systems typically have
a programmable hardware logic and a group of Application
programmable interconnection networks. There
are several approaches available to accomplish a
reconfigurable computing system: Development system
● fine-grained systems: FPGAs and logic gates Software environment
HDL
as programmable elements, connected by
switches and wires Compiler
Configuration management
● coarse-grained systems: software-configu-
CAD tools
rable processors and a programmable net-
work on chips Reconfigurable computing engine
● heterogeneous reconfigurable systems: a
combination of fine-grained and coarse-
Composition of a reconfigurable system
grained elements
The ramifications are awesome. Take a tradi-
tional packaging vision system that comes with
FAST FORWARD
a prefed ASIC in a dedicated camera setup. If the ● Legacy vision systems are limited by the need for a dedicated design
product packaging were changed, new patterns architecture for every application. This is expensive and not scalable.
and components were added, or the text on the ● We can now deploy reconfigurable machine vision systems that are reus-
package was modified, we would need a new ASIC able for multiple applications and can be easily modified for changing
chip for every production line in every manufac- product designs, manufacturing processes, varying components, and
turing plant of this company. The costs and time business needs.
involved in design, fabrication, testing, and roll- ● Advanced AI and deep learning tools have taken this one step further
out are massive. by augmenting machines with the intelligence to make right decisions
based on the images captured.
On the other hand, with reconfigurable com-

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 27

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

mentation—the number of partitions ● Low-level vision algorithms: These are candidates for reconfigurable architec-
and their size—which mainly depends simple algorithms that typically oper- tures. It takes a great deal of effort to
on the resources available on the re- ate on a small neighborhood. Low- make reconfigurable processors work
configurable processor. level vision algorithms are easy to with midlevel vision algorithms.
● Ease of use of SW and development implement and provide great compu- ● High-level vision algorithms: These
system: This largely depends on how tational efficiency when operating on algorithms are computationally in-
the manufacturer packages different a large amount of data. Some typical tensive, nonlocal, nondeterministic,
hardware and software elements and examples include filtering operations, and extremely complex to process.
provides them to the developer. image enhancement, denoising, and A large majority of the matching, ob-
Based on the specific requirements at image compression. When processing ject recognition, classification algo-
hand, the most appropriate elements can low-level algorithms, reconfigurable rithms, decision making, inferences,
be put together to design an application. systems are extremely efficient—up and retrieve queries from database
to 100 times faster and more efficient algorithms fall under this category. As
Optimization of vision algorithms than CPU-based vision systems. the number of parallel operations are
The most important aspect when work- ● Midlevel vision algorithms: Though high, one can implement extremely
ing on a reconfigurable system has to they operate on a small neighbor- efficient and flexible systems using re-
do with programming the logic to the hood, midlevel vision algorithms are configurable processors.
reconfigurable processor. This requires more complex and often require ran-
an understanding of both the platform dom memory access. Some examples Reconfigurable computing pros/cons
and industry domain. of midlevel vision algorithms include The advantages
Every machine vision system can be connected component labeling and ● Increased efficiency: One of the greatest
considered a pipeline that uses three segmentation and feature extraction advantages of reconfigurable systems
kinds of algorithms, low, mid, and high, techniques. The components that can is the enhanced execution speed with
which are classified per the computa- be in parallel in these algorithms are lower power consumption. For manu-
tional characteristics. relatively fewer and are hence not ideal facturing organizations that deploy

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28 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SYSTEM INTEGRATION

hundreds of machine vision systems in the placement of the new hardware ABOUT THE AUTHOR
their shop floors across the world, the and routing. Once a new hardware
Gineesh Sukumaran (Gineesh.Sukuma-
savings are massive. is introduced, the time synchroni-
[email protected]) is an image processing and
● Faster time to market: As reconfigu- zation between the older hardware
computer vision specialist. He is technical
rable systems can be easily upgraded, system and newly introduced hard-
head at L&T Technology Services’ Digital
a product with reduced functionalities ware should be factored in. Other-
Image Processing division and has more
can be quickly designed and released wise, the system can behave incon-
than 14 years of experience in the design
to the market. Unlike ASIC systems, sistently.
and development of computer vision
most reconfigurable platforms have ● Development tools: The existing de-
algorithms. Sukumaran’s research inter-
simulators that developers can use to velopment tools in reconfigurable
ests include biomedical image analysis,
swiftly build prototypes and facilitate computing require a great deal of
multiple view geometry, and deep learn-
faster time to market. manual intervention. Most of these
ing. He has six patents in this field.
● Lower system cost: For ASIC and general- tools are in the development stage
purpose hardware, the design costs are and not very mature. Developers
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190604.
high, and the life of the vision product need commercial off-the-shelf tools
is short. Because reconfigurable sys- to be able to handle the develop-
tems have flexibility and upgrades, the ment and implementation of recon- RESOURCES
upfront design costs are substantially figurable systems. The Current Status of Reconfigurable
lower, and the shelf life of the vision Weighing the pros and cons, recon- Computing
product can be significantly enhanced. figurable computing has immense https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-004704215
promise in the field of machine vision.
Reconfigurable computing:
The drawbacks As more developers get onboard the
architectures and design methods
● Difficulty in programming reconfigu- reconfigurable wagon, the development
http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~wl/papers/05/
rable chips: The programming issues and implementation of these systems
iee05tjt.pdf
in reconfigurable computing involve will significantly ease. ■

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Building reliable visualization
and control for industrial edge
applications

Increase manageability, flexibility, and reliability using

thin-client and virtualization architectures

I
By Jason Andersen ndustrial manufacturers understand that maintainability, among other benefits.
holding steady is rarely an option. This is Production and manufacturing industries
because ongoing productivity improve- have long employed supervisory control and
ments are a near-universal requirement. Man- data acquisition (SCADA) applications, human-
ufacturers can achieve such improvements in machine interface (HMI) software, and other
many ways, with the most valuable upgrades automation platforms, such as programmable
enhancing several things simultaneously, per- logic controllers (PLCs) and process automation
haps across multiple levels of an organization. controllers (PACs). Progressive use of these sys-
Today’s automation experts are discovering tems reduces waste, increases uptime, and im-
that moving visualization and control func- proves overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
tionality toward the industrial “edge” is helping These systems require some level of “core”
them achieve better operations and improved server and PC computing power to function,

30 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION IT

combined with local “edge” computing elements

FAST FORWARD
in the field to support visualization and control. ● SCADA and HMI visualization that are installed closer to the plant
With the right pieces in place, organizations attain floor get information where it is needed, improving monitoring and
maximum value. Data from smart field systems control.
has a reliable path to flow to the core, while opera- ● Converging IT and OT business units is not the end game, but indus-
tors can access the key information required to trial edge deployments must successfully coordinate both groups.
run the factory in the best way (figure 1). ● Thin-client technology is the preferred way to reliably deploy and
Standard commercial solutions have often manage distributed HMIs and virtual machines throughout a facility.
been used to achieve these industrial comput-
ing goals. However, a better way is to use redun-
dant hardware and thin-client software opti-
mized for industrial applications. These products
help users scale and locate their automation ele-
ments anywhere they want with flexibility and
high reliability. This article examines why it is
compelling to use thin clients at the industrial
edge for improving visualization and control.

Industrial edge not an isolated case

Visualization and control computing at the indus-
trial edge is applicable and beneficial to almost all
operations. Most edge-located systems, devices,
and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors
have become “smarter” and able to provide exten-
sive data. Improved SCADA and HMI connectivity Figure 1. Computing power located at the “industrial edge” occupies a critical
region for improving operations by efficiently gathering data and providing
at the field enables access to this data.
visualization when and where it is needed, often by using thin clients.
Plants and processes can operate more effi-
ciently when more HMI functions are deployed on
the production floor, at field locations, or wherever able thin-client devices, which are rapidly re-
operators need them. This includes basic process placed and redeployed if necessary. As with
monitoring and control, where operators need an commissioning, being able to deploy mobile vi-
immediate real-time picture of production that is sualization and computing clients on laptops or
accurate and comprehensive, along with the abil- tablets gives maintenance crews more options
ity to make adjustments and changes. But it also for troubleshooting problems.
involves providing visibility into more detailed
analytics performed on the big data obtained from Who owns industrial edge computing?
field devices. Analytics reveal longer-term trends At this point, it is relevant to examine who owns
that may not be addressed by directly observing the industrial automation computing structure
real-time data, but which informed operators can and how that definition concerns industrial edge
act upon to improve efficiency. and thin-client rollouts. Traditional industrial
In addition to operational improvements, computing solutions have been heavily based
other stages of the project life cycle can take on commercial information technology (IT)
advantage of the industrial edge. During design infrastructure, and rightly so. Many comput-
and development, proven edge computing archi- ing technologies used in industrial applications
tectures are a structure that can be reused from have trickled down from the commercial world,
project to project, leading to design efficiency. including PCs, servers, Ethernet wired and Wi-Fi
The modular nature of edge computing means networking, virtual machines (VMs), thin clients,
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and and certain redundancy schemes.
system integrators (SIs) can do programming However, manufacturing and process indus-
and testing development work on an in-house tries are built around the always-on world of
development platform, and then quickly deploy operational technology (OT). OT requires much
the results to new and existing field production of the computing infrastructure described
systems. Fast HMI deployments and mobile ca- above, but adds mission-specific hardware,
pabilities make it far easier to commission new software, and communications methods. This
systems and to update existing ones. includes PLCs, HMIs, smart instrumentation,
Ongoing maintenance is simplified by reli- and industrial Ethernet protocols.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 31

AUTOMATION IT

mounted terminal, or even mobile

devices.
● Easier development: Factory develop-
ment and testing activities can be car-
ried out on a VM environment hosted
anywhere; actual field-deployed hard-
ware is not required. This ability is very
significant for OEMs and SIs.
● Rapid integration: Transferring devel-
opment configurations to production
system thin clients is convenient and
Figure 2. Purpose-built edge computing platforms, like this Stratus ztC Edge system that quick, especially compared to config-
operates as a redundant pair of nodes, can withstand challenging environments and are
uring multiple standalone physical
easily deployed and maintained by OT personnel.
servers and PCs.
● Simplified maintenance: Centralized
Converging IT and OT business units PCs. And now, the growing trend to in- control of VMs is easier than main-
is not the end game, but industrial edge stall control and visualization comput- taining widely distributed assets that
deployments must successfully coordi- ing assets out on the factory floor, or would otherwise require in-person
nate both groups. Generally speaking, even on skids and machines, makes this attention for updates and security
IT personnel are not trained to work an even more complex proposition. patches.
with industrial-specific products. In A better solution is to maintain cen- ● Scalable: Thin-client architectures are
fact, the industrial network usually tralized redundant server hardware at readily scalable and benefit from cen-
must be carefully firewalled from the the core, but use it to host automation- tralized standardization and reuse.
business network. OT depends on VMs related VMs, while serving up HMI appli- ● Verified: Best practices can be estab-
and thin-client technologies, but per- cations to remote thin clients as needed. lished and maintained across de-
sonnel are often not equipped to man- The servers can be located in a secure ployed devices, for consistency, reli-
age extensive IT-centric systems. computer room or another protected ability, and repeatability.
A workable middle ground is to yet remote location like a control room The preceding benefits are only the
package IT-centric hardware and soft- or electrical room. Redundant servers basics that standard thin-client config-
ware deployment capabilities into can be traditional IT-centric style or OT- urations provide. Just as the industrial
OT-focused platforms. In this way, OT optimized versions tailored for operating hardware experience can be improved
personnel can readily operate and in an industrial role (figure 2). by using OT-optimized servers, so too
maintain IT technologies. Thin-client technology is the pre- can the thin-client software experi-
ferred way to reliably deploy and ence. Thin-client manager software
Thin clients aid the edge and core manage distributed HMIs and vir- optimized for industrial users is avail-
Traditional automation computing ar- tual machines throughout a facility, able (figure 3) and adds the following to
chitectures have included both distrib- especially those systems supporting enhanced thin-client management:
uted and centralized elements. Purely mobile device clients. This means any ● Redundancy: VM sessions are redun-
OT devices, such as PLCs and PACs, industrial automation VM or applica- dant and can fail on the server side to
have been installed at the industrial tion can be viewed and operated at keep the thin clients running.
edge to interact with field devices like any PC, panel-mounted terminal, or ● Shadowing: Administrators or termi-
motors, valves, and sensors for gath- mobile device connected to the com- nals can view and operate another
ering information and performing pany intranet. terminal.
detailed control. These OT assets con- This thin-client architecture brings a ● Session control: Multiple sessions
tinue to become more capable. They better experience at the edge and is far can be combined and arranged on a
still play an important role. more maintainable by OT personnel single display.
Crossing over into the IT realm, in- responsible for the industrial automa- ● Role-based control: Organizations can
dustrial automation SCADA and HMI tion core. Some benefits are: control and manage the content de-
servers formed a “core” above the OT ● Inexpensive edge: Edge-located thin livered based on login. Certain users
devices, networked to desktop PCs situ- clients are lightweight in terms of can view and control only what they
ated throughout the facility as needed. hardware resource requirements and are authorized to see and change.
Although this IT-centric server and PC relatively inexpensive. They can be ● Locational control: Content can be
arrangement is functional, this configu- quickly replaced and reconfigured. tailored to the location of the thin
ration can be cumbersome to manage, ● App-serving flexibility: HMI appli- client.
because it is relatively expensive to de- cations can be served to any sort of Next, let’s look at the architectural shift
ploy and maintain numerous remote remote device, such as a PC, panel- that enables thin-client deployment.

32 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION IT

Built for operations

Traditional automation computing ar- • FactoryTalk View SE Server 10.00.00 • ThinManager 10.0 SP1
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chitectures commonly employ servers • FactoryTalk View Studio Enterprise 10.00.00 (optional) • Studio 5000 Logix Designer 31.00.01 (optional)
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and PCs, while the improved configu-
ration advocated here uses servers and
thin clients. On the surface this does SOFTWARE
not seem like such a drastic difference.
VM1 VM2 VM3 VM4
However, the distinction is where the
computing is performed and how re-
dundancy is carried out. STRATUS VIRTUAL OS
Classic architectures use servers to
perform core supervisory computing
services (e.g., VMs for SCADA I/O servers,
historians), while remote PCs execute
HMI functions and access the servers
for I/O points. Reliability is based on de-
pendable servers, redundant networks,
and multiple parallel PCs. Careful IT con- Workstation PC for development Thin clients
figuration could enable high availabil- and commissioning
ity and failover between server VMs, but Wireless clients
these would be custom configurations.
On the other hand, thin-client archi-
tectures centralize almost all computing
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on the servers, even the HMI function- Allen-Bradley Logix controller Stratix-managed WAP
ality. VM sessions and HMI applications Ethernet switch
are delivered out to thin clients, with Figure 3. Thin-client deployment is eased by mission-specific visualization and mobility
each acting as a window into function- software like Rockwell ThinManager, which delivers content to many forms of comput-
ality hosted on server VMs. But because ing and mobile devices.
the critical computing core is more cen-
tralized, it becomes more important to each time industry personnel move using customized commercial solu-
improve network and server redundancy. ahead on a new project, they are well tions and carefully coordinating the
As with classic architectures, the positioned to survey the technological activities of IT and OT personnel. How-
server VMs could be hosted on tradi- landscape and make good use of prov- ever, a better approach is to use mis-
tional hardware with customized high- en technologies. To improve productiv- sion-specific server hardware and thin-
availability configurations, but a better ity and OEE, end users have recognized client software products optimized for
option is to use industrial-specific serv- a need to enable visualization and con- industrial applications—which can be
ers with paired redundant nodes. These trol closer to the industrial edge. more readily deployed, operated, and
systems can load share individual VMs SCADA and HMI visualization have maintained by OT personnel. ■
between two nodes, or even assign a been fundamental elements of automa-
VM to one node or the other. In the rare tion strategies for a long time, but now ABOUT THE AUTHOR
event of any single hardware failure, this there are better ways to deploy these Jason Andersen (Ja-
type of redundancy has zero downtime. systems. Establishing an architecture of son.Andersen@stra-
Furthermore, using industrial-grade redundant servers supporting remote tus.com) is vice presi-
thin-client manager software installed thin clients provides the familiar benefits dent of business line
on these servers provides even greater of SCADA and HMI systems, while allow- management, where
reliability. OT-optimized servers and thin- ing them to be easily extended to any he is responsible for
client software are complementary prod- location. Content can be delivered to any setting product road
ucts for visualization and control com- fixed or mobile device. Thin-client archi- maps and go-to-
puting services at the industrial edge. tectures are a modular way for OEMs and market strategies for
SIs to perform development, a rapid way Stratus products and services. Andersen
Closer to the edge to deploy the work to the field, and a flex- understands both on-premise and cloud-
The nature of the production and ible means for operations and mainte- based infrastructure for IIoT and has been
manufacturing industries, with their nance to own and operate these systems responsible for the market delivery of prod-
emphasis on reliability, means they for the long haul. ucts and services for almost 20 years.
do not usually employ cutting-edge This improved method for visualiza-
technologies for automation. However, tion and control can be achieved by View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190605.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 33

 Digitize and
optimize
preventive
maintenance
for process
instrumentation

Defining scope, optimizing tasks, and using digitalization

M
By Fawaz AlSahan, aintenance can be made more effi- ● Forty to 60 percent of PM tasks add no value
CAP, SCE cient, helping make operations more to operations.
efficient and profitable, by leveraging ● Some PM tasks are similar.
new digital technologies. Conventional time- ● Many tasks require removing the instruments
based preventive maintenance (PM) is widely or valve to the shop, while condition monitor-
used throughout industry but has shortcom- ing is enough to determine reliability.
ings that can be overcome with smart sensors ● New technologies and digital instrument
and analytics (digital transformation). This features are not used to optimize tasks.
enables process facilities to move into perfor- ● Some PM tasks have a high probability of
mance-based and shutdown-based preventive causing unnecessary shutdowns and opera-
maintenance. tion interruptions.
The common categories for preventive main- Using smart sensors and analytics (digital
tenance are: transformation) resolves these shortcomings
● Time-based preventive maintenance: Conducted and enables process facilities to move into
as a defined procedure during a preset interval. performance-based and shutdown-based
● Performance-based preventive maintenance: preventive maintenance.
Conducted when the instrument perfor-
mance goes below a certain limit. Perfor- Defining PM scope, tools, and frequency
mance monitoring is done either online (via To have the right preventive maintenance for
an online instrument) or off-line (via a por- instrumentation, first clearly define the type
table instrument). and scope of PM. Proper tools need to be se-
● Shutdown-based preventive maintenance: lected, and the right frequency defined. The
Conducted during plant shutdown. scope of PM can include a certain task to be
The diagram shows the ISO categorization for performed. This can be a time-based visual
maintenance in general and preventive mainte- check, time-based functionality check, remov-
nance in particular. al and overhauling, or a condition-based task.
It is worth highlighting that conventional Second, address who will perform the PM task,
time-based preventive maintenance is widely such as a field operator or maintenance techni-
used and has the following shortcomings: cian. Determining this point requires agreement

34 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SPECIAL SECTION

between the parties, with clear tasks and a sys- crepancy alarm
FAST FORWARD
tem to collect and communicate the findings. between adjacent ● Preventive maintenance for instrumentation
The tools used for PM tasks are either instru- control and safety shall be redefined as periodical, online, or
ment asset management systems (IAMSs), hand- transmitters shutdown tasks.
held tools, an instrument built-in keypad, hand ● avoiding soft-seat- ● Achieve PM optimization by enhancing the
tools, or shop activities. The frequency of a PM ed control valves design, effectively using instruments’ built-
task is based on prior knowledge from similar and instead install- in diagnostics, and utilizing new or alterna-
tive technologies.
equipment, manufacturer or supplier data, reli- ing a metal-seated
ability data, and performance prediction, and control valve next ● Digital transformation can eliminate or
greatly reduce conventional preventive
defines the task as online or shutdown activity. to a tight shutoff maintenance for instrumentation.
rotary isolation
Strategies to optimize PM valve
Optimizing the preventive maintenance for
instrumentation is needed to eliminate unnec- Diagnostics and online condition monitoring
essary activities and unnecessary cost. Exces- Available instruments are now smart and have in-
sive preventive maintenance may also cause ternal diagnostics (analytics) and digital commu-
nuisance trips or operation upset. This is an- nication. These features are effectively used to im-
other motive to optimize the PM tasks. prove the preventive maintenance program and
Implement optimization with the following eliminate or highly reduce traditional practices.
strategies: improve the design and apply tech- Diagnostic data is obtained and collected using:
nologies, capitalize on instrumentation self-diag- ● smart sensors (like smart transmitters, smart
nostics and online condition monitoring, and positioners, and smart pressure switches)
use the redundancy approach, once justifiable. ● an analytics data platform (IAMS, which re-
ceives the data from the smart instruments via
Design and technology a wired or wireless connection and generates a
Nowadays, available technologies, like smart status message with a recommendation)
sensors, bring a new dimension of reliability and ● digital connectivity, like Foundation fieldbus
minimize maintenance requirements. Capitaliz- (FF) with physical layer diagnostics
ing on the following technologies and design ap-
proach will highly reduce the PM scope and time: Redundancy
● single-rod, guided-wave radar (GWR) for level Redundancy is having a permanent or temporary
measurement reference to compare the installed instrument per-
● pressure transmitters instead of process- formance and reading to. Below are some examples:
actuated switches ● having dual circuits (or more) for axial and

● smart pressure and vibration fork switches radial vibration, bearing temperature, and
(with display and/or diagnostics) instead of fired equipment flame monitoring
conventional blind switches ● applying two-out-of-two voting, if safe and

● diaphragm/remote seal pressure transmitters practical, to avoid nuisance trips and reduce ex-
instead of tubing-based transmitters cessive maintenance
● digital vibration transmitter/switch instead ● installing control and shutdown transmitters
of mechanical
switches
1: Maintenance categories
● smart valve
positioner Before failure After failure
● single-rod GWR
and two-wire 2a: Preventive maintenance 2b: Corrective maintenance
noncontact radar
for inventory tanks
3a: Condition-based 3b: Predetermined
application maintenance maintenance
● electrochemical
gas detector for H2S
gas detection
4a: Testing and 4b: Condition 4c: Periodic 4d: Scheduled 4e: Scheduled
● infrared gas detec-
inspection monitoring replacement 4f: Immediate 4g: Deferred
test service
tor for combustible
gas detection
Figure 1. Maintenance categorization
● configuring a dis- Source: ISO 14224:2016

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 35

SPECIAL SECTION

Recommended preventive maintenance for process instrumentation Part 1

Instrument PM task Online/ PM interval Task description
description performer turnaround
SIS input devices Maintenance Online Per SIL study • Conduct visual check (leaks, grounding, insulation, cables, terminations and
electrical fittings, heat tracing, corrosion, enclosure/cabinet doors).
• Zero check and functional check (use IAMS, if available for GWR, noncontact
radar, and similar devices)
SIS valve Operation Online Per SIL study • Conduct visual check and conduct partial/full stroke testing.
Maintenance Turnaround • Conduct full stroke test.
• Conduct leak test without removing the valve if possible.
• Replace the valve soft parts, per manufacturer recommendations.
Interposing relay Maintenance Turnaround • Conduct functional check for the relay.
• Confirm relay mounting and wiring are well tightened.
• Inspect relay for any sign of corrosion, color change.
Skid (instrument Maintenance Online Per • Secure a complete set of identical valves for one skid. During PM, remove the com-
air/nitrogen/ manufacturer plete valve set, replace with the spare set, and return the skid back to operation.
hydrogen) • For the removed valves, inspect and replace the valve’s soft parts.
Control valve Operation Online Six months • Visual inspection: Check for leak, vibration, heat tracing and insulation, corro-
sion, loose wiring, air regulator and filter, pressure gauges, auxiliary devices,
hunting. Compare DCS signal versus valve opening, noise, and enclosure
tightness.
• Stroking if valve at fixed position for long time.
Maintenance Online Two years • Check diagnostics via IAMS or a laptop.
• Apply lubrication per manufacturer recommendations.
• Stroke check and leak test prior to T&I.
Maintenance Turnaround • Overhaul and check.
(based on • Replace soft parts as recommended by manufacturer.
findings
from above • Conduct functional test.
task) • Perform leak test.

with the same calibration range and safety instrumented system (SIS) by re- (SIL) study/verification is conducted.
configuring discrepancy alarms for ducing the required physical preventive The SRS specifies the required testing
them maintenance. The safety requirement intervals for the SIS equipment (logic
● having permanently or temporarily specification (SRS) document should be solver, input and output devices).
installed pressure gauges to compare developed after the safety integrity level To define and further optimize the
to the nearby pressure transmitters’
readings
● local level gauges (sight glass, magnet- PFDavg
ic level indicator) or infrared cameras
to cross check the level instruments’ [  DU × TI ]
(displacer, differential pressure, radar, 2
etc.) readings PFDavg, SIF = PFDSensors + PFDLogic Solver + PFDFE + PFDPower Supplies
● checking the online temperature
sensor reading with a temperature
Safety integrity levels and performance requirements (for the entire system)
gauge, a test temperature element,
a portable temperature detector, or Probability of failure
ISA S84 safety on demand (pfd) Risk reduction factor
with an infrared detector/camera. integrity levels (SIL) Safety availability (1 – safety availability) (RRF) or (1/pfd)
3 99.9% – 99.99% 0.001 – 0.0001 1,000 – 10,000
SIS preventive maintenance
Diagnostics provided by the logic solver, 2 99% – 99.9% 0.01 – 0.001 100 – 1,000
input devices (like transmitters), and 1 90% – 99% 0.1 – 0.01 10 – 100
output devices (like emergency isolation 0 Process control – not applicable
valves) should support the overall pre-
ventive maintenance program for the Figure 2. Probability of failure on demand calculation and safety integrity level

36 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SPECIAL SECTION

required preventive maintenance for crew, and one is conducted by the op-
SIS devices, do the following for each eration crew. Operation tasks are visual Study/define
safety instrumented function (SIF): checks, visual inspections, or simple
preventive and
corrective maintenance
● Review the SIL study and SIL verifi- test and observation tasks. The mainte- operations
cation report or conduct a study. nance crew PM tasks include detailed
● Check the test interval (TI) for input test procedures, calibration, and physi-
and output devices recommended in cal testing that requires hand tools and Work planning
the study report. communication devices.
● Increase the TI to the maximum The objective of segregating the op-
number (such as matching the plant eration and maintenance tasks is to Work scheduling
total shutdown interval) and con- optimize the testing intervals and du-
firm if the SIL requirement is still ration. Some tasks are simple, requir- Release assignment
achieved. The preventive mainte- ing a long time to prepare the work of the work order
nance interval is based on the maxi- permit and the system that needs PM.
mum possible TI. Also, due to the internal mandatory re- Carry out the work
● For emergency isolation valves, quirements, the operations team must
if the TI for these valves (i.e., full be involved in these PM tasks. Simple
stroke test) cannot meet the plant examples are stroke testing for control Closure of the
shutdown window, introduce partial valves and emergency isolation valves work order
stroke testing (PST) with a weight of and testing gas detectors.
60 percent of the total stoke test. TI Production of reports
for the total and partial valve stroke Analysis of PM findings
shall then be clearly defined. There is great value in reviewing and
analyzing PM findings in terms of Reports analysis
Operator tasks versus technician tasks preventing failures and maintaining
There should be two different PM tasks. equipment reliability and availability. Figure 3. Maintenance work order
One is conducted by the maintenance This requirement is clearly addressed Source: EN 13460

Recommended preventive maintenance for process instrumentation Part 2

Instrument PM task Online/ PM interval Task description
description performer turnaround
MOV Operation Six months • Visual inspection, leak, damage, corrosion, enclosure and conduits tightness,
integrity of fire-proofing.
• Check handwheel, control panel, and remote-control modes.
• Check alarm messages.
• Conduct partial stroke, if MOV is SIS output device.
Maintenance Two years • Grease per manufacturer recommendation (might be turnaround scope).
• Change memory battery.
Maintenance Turnaround • Full stroke
• Do leak test.
• Check cables/terminations connections and sealing.
Process actuated Operation Online Six months • Test functionality.
Switches
Monitoring/ Operation Online Yearly • Verify level transmitters’ readings in comparison with local level gauges, infra-
control red camera, or by dip measurement.
transmitters • Verify pressure transmitters’ readings in comparison with permanently installed
or temporary pressure gauges.
• Verify temperature transmitters’ readings in comparison with infrared portable
device or camera or by inserting a temperature element inside a test thermowell.
Flame detectors Maintenance Online Yearly • Visually inspect flame, leak, damage, corrosion, cables and connection, enclo-
sure tightness.
• Visually inspect cooling air and purging air.
Gas detectors Operation Online Per manufacturer • Test the detector by a test gas and confirm correct alarm settings.
Maintenance Online Per manufacturer • Conduct detector calibration.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 37

SPECIAL SECTION

in industry references (figure 3). optimization opportunities and life- and failures. The “big data” collected
Doing analysis requires the PM ex- cycle costs, and capturing and apply- from the instruments can be used for
ecuter to write accurate PM findings. ing lessons learned across the plant making decisions about when main-
The analysis of the compiled find- or company. tenance is actually needed. Hence, 70
ings helps identify the PM tasks that percent or more of conventional PM
add value and eliminate the “value- Impact on instrumentation tasks for both process instrumenta-
wasting” PM tasks. Also, it helps to preventive maintenance tion and equipment could be deleted.
identify repeated failures and to rec- Digital transformation will change Digital transformation will address
ommend revisiting some system de- the world of preventive maintenance the major maintenance challenges of
signs. Moreover, analyzing PM find- for instrumentation and equipment aging equipment and the aging work-
ings helps improve PM tasks by better to more “predictive analytics,” where force, and can highly cut cost, time,
managing spare parts, highlighting data is used to predict performance and manpower.

Recommended preventive maintenance for process instrumentation Part 3

Instrument PM task Online/ PM interval Task description
description performer turnaround
Vibration Maintenance Online • Visually inspect damage, corrosion, cables and connection, enclosure tightness.
measuring • For switches, portable vibration measurement tool can be used to verify the
devices/switches installed switch reading.
• For vibration circuits with dual voting (2 out of 2), PM shall be conducted during
turnaround.
• For vibration circuits with no-voting (1 out of 1), the following needs to be
performed every year:
- Check grounding.
- Check extension cable and connector for scratches or damage.
• Confirm DC voltage at proximate without probe.
• Check vibration probe and extension cable resistance.
• Clean dirt and grease from the connector by spraying it with an electrical contact
cleaner.
• Check diagnostics via online asset condition monitoring system/station).
Level gauges Operation Online As needed • Sight glass:
- Retorque overhauled sight glass after plant startup.
- Drain and flush.
- Check for any leakage and examine for glass cracks.
• Magnetic level indicator:
- Drain to confirm float is not stuck.
Maintenance Turnaround • Ensure all isolation and vent/drain valves are functional and not clogged. Replace
as needed.
Thermowells Maintenance Turnaround • Remove and inspect thermowells for corrosion or cracks.
Pressure Operation Online As needed • Check the zero-reading of pressure gauges by isolating and draining/venting.
gauges Also, compare the pressure gauge reading to a pressure transmitter or pressure
gauge next to it. Pressure gauges can be calibrated during plant shutdown.
Process Maintenance Online Yearly • PM task for differential pressure flowmeters:
flowmeters - Inspect orifice in question during turnaround.
- Check for leaks and check zero.
- Check reading using clamp-on flowmeter.
• PM task for inline flowmeters (like ultrasonic, Coriolis, vortex, and magnetic
flowmeters):
- Conduct zero, if possible, by isolating the flowmeter while it is full of liquid.
- Conduct electronic verification or check diagnostics to verify performance and
reading accuracy. Obtain details from the manufacturer.
- Use clamp-on flowmeter to cross-check the reading.
Flare flowmeter Operation/ Online Yearly • Use smart sensor analytics (online diagnostics) or compare to a reference (inser-
maintenance tion flowmeter, tracer).
• Or collect a gas sample and identify the composition and then calculate sound
velocity using the manufacturer software and compare to the flowmeter reading.
(This option is for ultrasonic flowmeters only.)

38 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 SPECIAL SECTION

Solutions like wireless instruments, automatic work per-

mits, risk-based maintenance, remote maintenance, robotics, New instrumentation products
and self-calibrating instruments will be used more and more.
Printed PM sheets for equipment and instruments will be re- Gas analyzer for hazardous area zones I and II
placed by additional smart sensors, like acoustic detectors,
To use and valorize natural gas,
video, and infrared cameras. Digital transformation can also
it is necessary to control its com-
extend monitoring into the instrumentation utilities (i.e., the
position. Even if it is composed
quality of instrument air and power supply).
mainly of methane, natural gas
Digital transformation will also provide more efficient
contains some traces of sulfur
and safer PM by remote condition monitoring and built-in
compounds that can affect its
analytics and can provide faster resolutions to problems
quality and lead to pipe corro-
by having more data and more efficient spare parts man-
sion during transport. There-
agement.
fore, companies that work with
Control valves are another beneficiary of digitalization,
natural gas want to control the
where the cloud can be used to obtain data from the field,
level of sulfur compound im-
predict the life and performance, and also estimate the time
purities as well as add specific
for overhaul. Video and augmented reality, used to monitor
Mercaptans to odorize the gas
and train the maintenance crew on valve maintenance, will
and make it easily detectable.
be part of this digital transformation.
The energyMEDOR mea-
sures with speciation the fol-
PM procedures for process instrumentation
lowing sulfur compounds gen-
This section highlights recommended PM tasks for common
erally present in the natural gas: H2S, DMS, DMDS, and Mercaptans.
instruments. It covers SIS input and output devices, con-
This instrument works in hazardous areas, such as ATEX zone 1 with-
trol valves, motor operated valves (MOV), transmitters, gas
out any purge gas requested for operation.
and flame detectors, thermowells, process flowmeters, flare
The MEDOR Ex d uses MEDOR wet cell detector technology to
flowmeters, process actuated switches, level gauges, vibra-
analyze these sulfur compounds in hazardous areas without purge
tion circuits, and skids instruments.
gas. The instrument needs only a very small amount of zero air or
nitrogen to operate (down to 4 mL/min), and the wet cell Sulfur
An analytical approach
Specific Detector detects sulfurs as low as 1 ppb. This certified
This article gave guidelines for digitizing and optimizing the
analyzer can operate in zone I and II and can be used with 230V,
instrumentation PM program, an important task that every
115V, and 24V DC power supplies.
company needs to perform to avoid an unnecessary main-
Chromatotec, www.chromatotec.com
tenance work load, eliminate operational losses, cut unnec-
essary costs, and digitally transform conventional PM into
analytical maintenance. The scope of this exercise included Point level switch
revisiting the instrument type, PM scope, PM frequency, the The Nivector FTI26 point level switch detects all types of powdered
PM task performer, and the task sheet. and fine-grained solids, such as plastic granules, detergent, grain,
Using smart sensors and analytics (digital transforma- sugar, and other dry materials. The switch can be installed at the
tion) lets process facilities move into performance-based top of a tank to indicate high level, or at the bottom of a tank to
and shutdown-based preventive maintenance. They elimi- indicate low level. The switch is a capacitance device that fulfills all
nate or greatly reduce the conventional preventive mainte- hygienic requirements, such as 3A, EHEDG, and FDA. It is cleanable
nance for instrumentation, and replace it with an analytical up to protection class IP69. No additional or individual adjustments
approach, which uses data to monitor the instrument per- to different media are necessary. The function of the switch can
formance and predict failures. ■ be checked via LED signalization without dismounting the device.
Endress+Hauser, www.us.endress.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Two-wire loop-powered Coriolis transmitter
Fawaz AlSahan, CAP, SCE ([email protected]), is the
The Micro Motion 4200 two-wire loop-powered Coriolis trans-
chairman of Saudi Aramco instrumentation standards, a member
mitter can replace existing two-wire flow devices. The device
of the Saudi Arabia Standards Committee of Electrical Metrol-
can accommodate a line size of 4 inches and has an onboard
ogy, and a voting member of ISO technical committees. AlSahan
real-time clock for diagnostics. The unit is available in a remote-
has more than 20 years of experience in design, technical sup-
mount option for applications that require the transmitter to be
port, and maintenance of instrumentation and automation sys-
located separately from the sensor. The 4200 transmitter pro-
tems. He has several published papers, teaches several courses,
vides a viable migration path where Coriolis meters were previ-
and holds several patents.
ously not practical as a two-wire solution.
View the online version at www.isa.org/intech/20190606. Emerson, www.emerson.com

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 39

association news | Highlights & Updates

Bassett named chief editor of InTech

R
enee Bassett has been with Zabel to determine publication and content strategy, develop
named chief editor of ISA’s content, and manage the publications’ contributors, staff, and pro-
InTech magazine and Auto- duction processes. Bassett will be based in Nashville, Tenn.
mation.com digital content-delivery Bassett is an expert content creator, media manager, and mar-
site for automation professionals. keting communications specialist in the areas of industrial man-
Bassett replaces Bill Lydon, who will ufacturing, technology, and automation. She possesses more
continue with the publications as than 20 years of experience in content generation for techni-
contributing editor. cal and nontechnical audiences. Over the course of her career,
Bassett joins ISA’s team of pub- Bassett has provided her services to leading automation publica-
lishing professionals that includes tions—including Automation World and Control Engineering—
Lydon, ISA’s group publisher Rick and developed and implemented media and communications
Zabel, and content editor Cory Fogg. In her role, Bassett will work programs for many industrial automation companies. ■

ISA director of strategic initiatives awarded

SANS ICS Lifetime Achievement Award
his mission to help in- 25-year industry veteran was the longest-
dustries mature and serving director of the U.S. Department of
better defend ICS from Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Sys-
evolving cybersecu- tems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-
rity threats continues CERT). Under his leadership, the ICS-CERT
to have an unmistak- was awarded the 2013 SC Magazine Secu-
ably positive effect on rity Team of the Year Award and was named
society,” said Mike As- as a finalist in the community awareness cat-
sante, director of criti- egory in the 2015 Government Information
cal infrastructure and Security Leadership awards.
lead for the ICS curricu- Edwards also served as a program man-
lum at SANS Institute. ager focused on control systems security at
“His active involvement the Idaho National Laboratory and has held
in the community has a variety of roles in the instrumentation and
t the SANS ICS Security Summit made industrial cybersecurity a mainstream automation fields. He holds a diploma of

A in March, ISA director of strate-

gic initiatives Marty Edwards was
honored by his peers with the SANS ICS
topic worthy of attention at the highest
levels of government and with public and
private companies alike.”
technology in process control and indus-
trial automation (magna cum laude) from
the British Columbia Institute of Technology
Lifetime Achievement Award. As director of strategic initiatives at ISA, and in 2015 received the institute’s distin-
This award recognizes individuals who Edwards works with government and guished alumni award. In 2016, Edwards
have contributed exceptional efforts to en- industry leaders throughout the world to was recognized by FCW in its “Federal 100
hance the security of industrial control sys- broaden understanding and implemen- Awards” as being one of the top IT profes-
tems on an international scale, and who tation of the ISA/IEC 62443 cybersecu- sionals in the U.S. federal government.
actively strive to bridge the gap between rity standards. These internationally rec- Edwards is currently the managing
information technology (IT) and operations ognized standards are key components director of the Automation Federation,
technology. Through educational contribu- of The Framework for Improving Critical founded by ISA in 2006. This association
tions to the community, honorees have sig- Infrastructure Cybersecurity (updated April of nonprofit member organizations is
nificantly increased the awareness of risks to 2018), a how-to guide developed through dedicated to fostering economic growth
industrial control systems (ICSs) and fostered the U.S. National Institute of Standards and manufacturing innovation by helping
the idea that cybersecure ICS implementa- and Technology to help strengthen the industry harness the immense capabilities
tions and defense in ICS are achievable. cyberdefenses of critical infrastructure. and potential of automation technologies
“Marty’s unwavering commitment to Before joining ISA in mid-2017, the and applications. ■

40 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Certification Review | association news

ISA supports ISA Certified Automation

Cyber Shield Professional (CAP) program
n April, ISA provided operational Certified Automation Professionals CAP answer

I technology (OT) training in support

of the U.S. Army National Guard’s
national cyberoperations exercise, Cyber
(CAPs) are responsible for the direction,
design, and deployment of systems
and equipment for manufacturing and
The correct answer is D, Kp = change
in process variable (in percent of range)/
change in controller output in (in percent
of range).
Shield. Cyber Shield 19, held at Camp control systems.
Atterbury, Ind., brought together ap- The process gain indicates the rela-
proximately 800 Army and Air National CAP question tive change in process variable (PV) that
Guard network defenders and world- In the first order process with dead time results from the response to a change in
class cybersecurity professionals, industry model (FOPDT), the process gain Kp is de- the controller output (CO). Both PV and
network owners, and others to train the fined as: CO are expressed in percent of range to
next generation of cyberwarriors. change in controller output (in eng.units) ensure the calculation is not dependent
“The training that soldiers and airmen A. Kp = on the engineering units chosen. ■
change in process variable (in eng.units)
obtained through Cyber Shield 19 and
the National Guard adds to their ability change in controller output (in % of range) Reference: Trevathan, Vernon L., A Guide
B. Kp =
to conduct their civilian jobs, and, vice change in process variable (in % of range) to the Automation Body of Knowledge,
versa, the training and experience they Second Edition, ISA, 2006.
receive in their civilian positions strength- change in process variable (in eng.units)
C. Kp =
en the military’s cyber capabilities. They change in controller output (in eng.units
become very valuable assets in protect-
change in process variable (in % of range)
ing critical infrastructure,” said George D. Kp =
Battistelli, the Army National Guard Cyber- change in controller output in (in % of range)
security program manager, information
technology strategy division chief, and
the Cyber Shield 19 exercise director.
Cyber Shield includes a critical training
ISA Certified Control Systems
component with courses and seminars
organized into tracks based on the roles
Technician (CCST) program
of the participating cyberteam members.
Certified Control System Technicians CCST answer
“We focus on getting people prepared
(CCSTs) calibrate, document, trouble- The correct answer is C, “A diamond con-
for cyberdefense,” said Col. Teri Williams,
shoot, and repair/replace instrumenta- tained in a box with a horizontal solid line
commander, Cyber Shield 19. “There are a
tion for systems that measure and con- through the diamond.”
lot of people we bring to the table for that
trol level, temperature, pressure, flow,
first week of training. Microsoft, CISCO,
and other process variables.
and SANS are on hand for some of the cy-
berdefensive training. The International So-
CCST question
ciety of Automation provides ICS/SCADA
As outlined in ANSI/ISA 5.1-2009, Instru-
network training. We also focus on the
mentation Symbols and Identification, The diamond symbol was first defined
offensive side. Our belief is that the better
an instrument that is monitored on the for safety instrumented systems with
that you are trained on the offensive side
control system HMI and is part of a safety the release of ANSI/ISA 5.1-2009. Per
the stronger a defender you will be.”
instrumented system (SIS) loop would be previous releases, a box around the
ISA was selected by the National
represented by which type of symbol on instrument “bubble” with a solid hori-
Guard because of its leadership and
a process and instrumentation diagram? zontal line through it indicates that the
experience in developing the world’s
measurement or control element is nor-
only consensus-based series of industrial A. A circle contained in a box with a hori-
mally accessible to the operator from
cybersecurity standards, ISA/IEC 62443. zontal dashed line through the circle.
the main operator console, typically a
These standards, which also serve as the B. A hexagon with a double-dashed line
human-machine interface (HMI) screen
basis for ISA cybersecurity training, pro- through it, not contained in a box.
in modern control systems. ■
tect the industrial automation and con- C. A diamond contained in a box with a hor-
trol systems and networks that operate izontal solid line through the diamond. Reference: Goettsche, L. D. (Editor), Main-
OT machinery and associated devices D. There is no representation for a SIS in- tenance of Instruments and Systems,
within critical infrastructure. ■ strument given in ANSI/ISA 5.1-2009. Second Edition, ISA, 2005.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 41

 Single-loop control—Still
the mainstay of advanced
process control
J
By Jim Ford, PhD ust over a decade ago, an article titled, “Ad- to measured disturbance variables. This “reaction”
vanced Control Strategies Move into the Field” was coined feedforward control. If a disturbance
(Control, October 2008), highlighted three variable to a unit operation can be measured, then
evolving trends in the process control world that the key control variable (CV) for that operation can
would “make our dependence on single-loop con- be kept close to its SP by adjusting the associated
trol part of history.” The three trends cited were the: manipulated variable (MV) using a simple “model.”
■ movement of APC controllers to the field con- For example, consider a catalytic reactor where
trol devices the key CV is the reactor inlet temperature, which
■ increased availability of inexpensive sensors is controlled at the basic level on feedback by ad-
■ increased use of fieldbus and wireless in the justing the fuel flow to a fired heater. If the reactor
control network. feed rate changes, then a feedforward controller
Ten years later, how much of this prediction has can adjust the fuel flow (the MV) using a dynamic
come true? Predictably, not much. And, why? model between the feed rate and the fuel flow.
Single-loop control (i.e., a control loop with one The intended result is little or no change in the reac-
input and one output) as implemented in various tor inlet temperature (the CV)—the primary ben-
versions of the proportional, integral, derivative efit of all APC—a reduction in process variance.
control algorithm in modern distributed control Initially, feedforward control was implemented
systems has two primary functions: using one input – one output relationships. As the
■ servo-control—reacting to changes in the set technology developed in the 1970s and 1980s,
point (SP) to move the process variable (PV) to more complex approaches and strategies devel-
its new target oped, involving multiple inputs and outputs with
■ feedback control—reacting to changes in the PV more complex models. Eventually, multivariable,
to return the PV to SP model-predictive control replaced simpler APC
Servo-control is easy. Choose the right amount approaches and algorithms for both feedforward
of integral action (in combination with the gain and feedback control of complex process control
action, and with or without gain action on SP applications.
changes), and the control algorithm will adjust its But, throughout the past 50 years of APC tech-
output (OP) to move the PV to its new target at the nology advances, those unmeasured disturbances
chosen rate with or without overshoot, as desired. have not gone away. The APC controllers can now
Feedback control is much more important and be implemented in field control devices (trend
more complex. It is the only mechanism in the number 1); there are cheaper sensors (trend num-
entire process control world that can react satis- ber 2); and fieldbus and wireless (trend number 3)
factorily to changes in unmeasured disturbance are now realities. But none of these technologi-
variables, such as changes in ambient tempera- cal achievements have been able to mitigate the
ture, rainfall, stream composition, pump load, process instabilities created by unmeasured distur-
exchanger fouling, field operator moves, board bances. Their presence still confounds the most
operator moves, and many others. experienced control system engineers. That is why
single-loop control is still the mainstay of process
APC technological advances control, and why those trends discussed earlier (or
Advanced process control (APC) got its start and any others) will never result in APC being imple-
made its mark in the 1960s primarily by reacting mented successfully in its absence.

42 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 AUTOMATION BASICS

If APC needs single-loop control to reject un- “create” an intensive variable. Ratio variables are
measured disturbances, then how best to utilize it? used quite often in process control. For example,
reboiler duty on a distillation column can be cal-
APC control objectives culated from flow and temperatures and then
The most important APC control objectives are ratioed to the column charge rate. The column
related to production rate and product qual- reboiler duty/charge ratio can then be used as an
ity, because these variables are directly related to MV in an APC application. Same for treat ratios
operating profitability. Production rate is limited in absorbers, product yields in fractionators, and
by constraints (e.g., maximum temperature and so on. The single-loop flow controller rejects un-
control valve position). Product quality is normally measured disturbances and thereby stabilizes the
controlled by temperature, analyzers, lab analyses, created intensive variable.
or indirectly by “soft sensors” (inferred properties).
Vessel levels are integrating, inventory-related vari- Status quo: Do not disturb
ables and are almost never included as CVs in an Today, even after 50 years, APC continues to rely
APC controller. The same can be said for vessel on the lowly flow control loop, the most basic
pressure, unless it is a constraint variable related single-loop control, as the best rejector of unmea-
to pushing the production rate. (There are some sured disturbances and the most stable platform
exceptions—fired heater controls often use burner for the APC/optimization control hierarchy. So, the
pressure as a substitute for fuel gas flow to control next time somebody suggests getting rid of single-
heater temperature.) loop control in an APC application, just ask, “What
The lone outlier is flow, which is a true “exten- about unmeasured disturbance variables?” Do not
sive” variable, independent of product quality or expect a righteous reply. ■
operating profitability. In all but truly exceptional
cases, flow is always adjusted to achieve some other
process control objective. It is almost always the ABOUT THE AUTHOR
secondary, or slave, in a one-on-one basic cascade. Jim Ford, PhD ([email protected]), is
If the flow controller is standalone, then its SP is a senior consultant at MAVERICK Technologies, a
adjusted by the operator (or an APC controller) to platform-independent automation solutions provider
achieve a higher-level control objective. offering industrial automation, strategic manufactur-
At the same time, the flow controller is a true ing solutions, and enterprise integration services for
mitigator of unmeasured disturbances. It is typi- the process industries. Ford specializes in advanced
cally characterized as a high-frequency loop, process control, control system engineering, and ex-
meaning that a change in OP is followed almost ecution of detailed control system modernization and
immediately by a change in PV. When tuned migration front-end loading evaluations.
properly, and when
challenged by unmea-
sured disturbances, it Error
returns the PV to its detector
SP very quickly and Actuating
signal
with little overshoot
or oscillation. As such, Error
signal
it is normally the vari-
able of first choice as
an MV for any higher-
level control strategy,
especially for an APC
Feedback elements
controller. Feedback signal
There are some ex-
ceptions. Although flow
is a true extensive vari-
able, there are instances Single-loop control (shown) is the mainstay of process control, and APC can never be successfully
where it can be used to implemented in its absence.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 43

executive corner | Tips and Strategies for Managers

Building a cybersecure manufacturing strategy

By Bill Lydon

I
was fortunate to have the opportunity to Cappelli described the industry trend of CISOs
talk with Dawn Cappelli, an experienced and being given responsibility and/or accountability
accomplished cybersecurity expert, who shared for all cybersecurity for the company. One reason
her advice on building cybersecure manufacturing why is that cybersecurity in IT is significantly more
organizations. Cappelli is vice president, global mature than in OT, and someone with IT security
security, and chief information security officer at experience understands how to methodically build
Rockwell Automation. the cybersecurity program across the organization
Before coming to Rockwell, she was founder and using a risk-based approach.
director of Carnegie Mellon’s CERT Insider Threat One of the challenges is building a cross-function-
Center. Cappelli is recognized as one of the world’s al team including both IT and OT, since tradition-
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
leaders in insider threat mitigation and has worked ally they have not worked closely together. Cappelli
Bill Lydon (blydon@isa.
with government and industry leaders on national recommends using the NIST Cybersecurity Frame-
org) is an InTech con-
strategy issues. Cappelli is a certified information work (NIST CSF) (www.nist.gov/cyberframework)
tributing editor with
systems security professional (CISSP), and she has a as a tool to deploy a focused process and involve
more than 25 years of
BS in computer science and mathematics from the all parties. The framework helps to identify gaps in
industry experience.
University of Pittsburgh. Cappelli came to Rockwell cybersecurity strategy and becomes the blueprint
Automation in 2013 as director, insider risk, and for risk assessment. Bringing together cross-func-

“People are realizing now, due to the convergence of IT and OT, that it’s
important to have one security leader responsible for all cybersecurity
for the company.”
—Dawn Cappelli
built the company’s insider risk program. Her team is tional personnel consisting of IT and OT experts,
responsible for protecting Rockwell Automation and plant experts, and plant engineers using the NIST
its ecosystem of customers, suppliers, distributors, CSF focuses the activity and fosters team building
and partners from the ever-changing global cyber- based on shared goals. This process for building the
threat landscape. strategy creates a shared vision and understanding
I asked Cappelli what first steps a manufacturing of all stakeholders’ challenges and ongoing positive
company should take on the journey to achieve working relationships.
cybersecurity protection. She shared her experience, An important part of this process is prioritizing
insights, and recommendations for creating a com- cybersecurity efforts based on risk. This helps com-
prehensive industrial cybersecure manufacturing panies prioritize investments, because it is typically
organization. impractical to do everything at once.
The first step a manufacturer should take is to de- I asked Cappelli for any tips based on her expe-
termine the leader of the cybersecurity effort. Cappelli rience building the Rockwell Automation program
noted that many manufacturing companies already over the past few years. She suggests starting first
RESOURCES have a chief information security officer (CISO) re- in the IT group to “get your feet wet” if you have
sponsible for information technology (IT) security, but not yet used the NIST CSF, then use the NIST CSF
NIST Cybersecurity
traditionally operational technology (OT) security has Manufacturing Profile to create your manufactur-
Framework
been the responsibility of the OT engineers. “People ing security strategy. Also, the NIST CSF helps to
www.nist.gov/
are realizing now, due to the convergence of IT and identify some quick wins for the manufacturing
cyberframework
OT, that it’s important to have one security leader re- environment, like ongoing communications to
ISA Cybersecurity sponsible for all cybersecurity for the company.” This maintain security awareness among plant per-
Resources is someone who can work with both IT and OT to sonnel. Rockwell Automation has done this with
www.isa.org/technical- build and execute a holistic cybersecurity strategy that a monthly cybersecurity awareness bulletin to re-
topics/cybersecurity/ encompasses the entire ecosystem of not only IT and inforce topics like the importance of physical se-
cybersecurity-resources OT, but also of all external connections, including third curity, social engineering, not sharing passwords,
parties and the supply chain. and safely using USBs. ■

44 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Tips and Strategies for Integrators | channel chat

The changing role of the control system engineer –

Advanced technology and control system basics
By Michael McEnery

T
he rate of change for new technology in the world of project team regarding design. Again, this goes back to the
control system engineering is staggering and can be over- CSE having a strong understanding of process design and pro-
whelming if you do not step back to see the forest for the cess control.
trees. The role of a control system engineer (CSE) is changing So, the next time you start to stress about a new version of
with this technology and the cost of its implementation. Hard- an HMI or a just-released series of I/O modules, take a step
ware and software vendors continue to develop products that back and make sure you are also acquiring knowledge about
are more cost effective—from both product cost and implemen- how the equipment you are controlling actually operates. And
tation cost perspectives. how it can operate better. ■
Do not forget that a significant cost of a product is the time
required by a CSE to implement it. And let’s face it, we are well ABOUT THE AUTHOR
paid, particularly in North America and Europe. As cool as you
Michael McEnery ([email protected]) is the
might think the latest tool from your software vendor is, part of
president of McEnery Automation, a CSIA certified system in-
the reason it exists is to reduce your cost. Overall hours required
tegrator. Founded in 1994, the Control System Integrators As-
for the development phases of automation projects (program-
sociation (CSIA) is a not-for-profit professional association of
mable logic controller programming, human-machine interface
more than 500-member companies in 40 countries advancing
[HMI] programming, device configuration) have decreased drasti-
the industry of control system integration (www.controlsys.org).
cally over the past 15 years.
Technology also brings opportunities for offshore system de-
velopment, which further decreases the time CSEs are spending
with program development. At the same time, new tools provide NEW! From ISA Publishing
opportunities for CSEs to deliver even more value. Data histori-
ans; Industrial Internet of Things; data analytics; advanced pro-
cess control; proportional, integral, derivative (PID) autotuning; Situation awareness + situation assessment
and PID loop performance monitoring are all available to help + successfully managing abnormal
CSEs save energy, increase plant uptime, reduce material costs, situations = Situation Management
etc. But these tools
have no value un-
Operators must be able to
These tools have no value til they are put to
monitor operations,
work by someone
until they are put to work by who understands understand the data, and
plan and actualize neces-
someone who understands the processes be-
sary changes. This book
ing controlled. This
the processes being con- discusses the technology
places a stronger
and tools, as well as
trolled. This places a stron- emphasis on un-
effective methodologies for
derstanding pro-
ger emphasis on understand- cess control basics. safer and more productive
control room operations
ing process control basics. It It requires getting through situation
away from the
requires getting away from management.
keyboard and out
the keyboard and out onto onto the plant floor.
Control system
the plant floor. integrators also
have new oppor-
tunities for project management, design, and documentation. Order your copy today at
End users have fewer resources available for projects, and the
people who are assigned have less and less time. But a suc-
www.isa.org/situationmgmt
cessful project still requires someone to understand the process
requirements in detail and to communicate effectively to the

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 45

standards | New Benchmarks & Metrics

ISA99 to develop report on IIoT cybersecurity

I
SA99, Industrial Automation and Con- is appropriate and sufficient for IIoT. This Industrial-Process Measurement, Control
trol Systems (IACS) Security, has begun assessment is vital, as the IIoT is a specific and Automation. With more than 900
work on an ISA technical report to be case of IACS with a very wide range of ob- members, ISA99 draws on the input of
titled, Applying ISA-62443 to the Indus- jects, an extended surface area, and a high cybersecurity experts across the globe in
trial Internet of Things (IIoT). Coverage will scalability, resulting in a very large attack developing the standards, which are ap-
include general categories of IIoT devices surface and new vulnerabilities. The work- plicable to all industry sectors and critical
within IACS, cybersecurity challenges, and ing group will first examine the specific infrastructure in providing a flexible and
rates of adoption in industry. The report risks and new forms of attack to which the comprehensive framework to address
will then serve as a guide in determining if IIoT may be subject. and mitigate current and future security
any new and related ISA99 work products This project is one of numerous cur- vulnerabilities in IACS.
are required. rent development activities within ISA99 ISA99 Working Group 9 is cochaired by
The technical report will be the first to support and advance the widely used Suzanne Lightman of the U.S. National
work product of Working Group 9, IIoT ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards on IACS Institute of Standards and Technology, and
and Security, which was established by security. The standards are developed Eric Braun of Emerson Automation Solu-
ISA99 to analyze the specific characteris- primarily by ISA99 as American National tions. For information on ISA99, contact
tics of the IIoT in terms of threats, attack Standards, with simultaneous review and Eliana Brazda, ISA Standards, ebrazda@isa.
surface, and vulnerabilities, and to exam- adoption by the Geneva-based Interna- org. For information on viewing or obtain-
ine whether the approach developed by tional Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) ing the ISA-62443 standards and technical
ISA99 for securing a conventional IACS through IEC partner committee TC65, reports, visit www.isa.org/findstandards. ■

New ISA5.9 project to focus on controller New control

algorithms and performance valve terminology
standard
T
he time-honored proportional, in- ISA5.9 will seek to clarify the algorithms

I
tegral, derivative (PID) algorithm is used in industrial control systems to aid in SA75, Control Valve Standards, has
used in a vast majority of applica- their selection and application to improve completed a revision of ISA-75.05.01,
tions for basic control and in many for ad- manufacturing processes. The working Control Valve Terminology. The standard
vanced control. However, there appears group will develop technical reports, recom- provides a glossary of definitions commonly
to be a widespread lack of understand- mended practices, and standards document- used in control valve applications across
ing of the different forms, structures, ing the algorithms used in industrial control industry. The standard includes a number of
and features, and of how performance systems and the measures of performance new or significantly revised terms, including
objectives determine appropriate choices. for those algorithms. The documents may backlash, cage guiding, intelligent/smart po-
Consequently, most of the capability of include guidance on algorithm selection. sitioner, quick change trim, globe valve body,
the PID is underutilized, reducing process ISA5, the oversight committee for ISA5.9, hysteresis, port guiding, and post guiding.
safety, efficiency, and capacity, points is also responsible for the widely used stan- ISA75 is chaired by James Young of the
out ISA Fellow, author, and mentor Greg dard ISA-5.1, Instrumentation Symbols and Dow Chemical Company. For information
McMillan, a widely recognized expert on Identification. The committee is chaired on ISA75, contact Eliana Brazda, ISA Stan-
process control who received the ISA Life- by former ISA Standards & Practices De- dards, [email protected]. For information
time Achievement Award in 2010. partment vice president Tom McAvinew, on viewing or obtaining ISA-75 standards
This concern prompted McMillan to co-author of the ISA book Control System and technical reports, visit www.isa.org/
propose a new ISA standards project on Documentation: Applying Symbols and findstandards. ■
controller algorithms and performance, Identification.
which has led to the recent formation of The ISA5.9 cochairs are Yamei Chen of
Have an idea for an ISA
ISA5.9, Controller Algorithms and Per- Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, and Mi- standard, book, training
formance. The new working group will chel Ruel of BBA, Québec. Those who are course, conference topic, or
function under the ISA5 committee, Doc- interested in participating in the new ISA5.9 other product or service?
umentation of Measurement and Control are asked to contact Charley Robinson, ISA Send it to [email protected]
Instruments and Systems. Standards, [email protected]. ■

46 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 Visions Systems | product spotlight

Outdoor-certified safety laser scanner Prism line scan camera

Safety laser scanners enable humans and ma-
chines to work safely alongside one another in in-
for sorting, inspection
dustrial environments. OutdoorScan3 is a safety
laser scanner certified to IEC 62998 for use in
outdoor applications. The scanner allows auto-
mated guided vehicle (AGV) systems to navigate
safely through outdoor industrial environments.
Because of its outdoor-safe HDDM scanning
technology, the device works in all weather—sun,
rain, snow, or fog.
The second 10-GigE prism line scan camera
The laser scanner can work without errors when
in the Sweep+ series, the SW-4000Q-10GE
exposed to sunlight with an illumination intensity
has four prism-mounted CMOS sensors and
of up to 40,000 lux. In addition, the intelligent
a 10-GigE interface that also supports back-
software algorithm detects rain and snow, filter-
ward compatibility to 5 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and
ing out these environmental influences. For example, rain up to a precipitation intensity
1 Gbps Ethernet standards. The four CMOS
of 10 mm/h can be filtered out. Even in fog with a meteorological visual range of up to
prisms simultaneously capture red, green,
50 m, the OutdoorScan3 detects all obstacles, due to its special fog function.
blue, and near infrared spectral wavebands
SICK Inc., www.sickusa.com
for both color accuracy and multispectral
analysis via the NIR channel.
Via integrated auto-negotiation technol-
Machine vision controller ogy, the camera has automatic backward
compatibility to NBASE-T (5 Gbps and 2.5
The unit’s vision I/O integrates a range of Gbps) and the traditional 1000BASE-T (1-
isolated I/O interfaces and real-time controls Gbps output) for companies running vision
essential to machine vision applications, in- applications on these lower-speed Ethernet
cluding trigger input, an LED lighting con- standards. This makes the camera suitable
troller, camera trigger, and an encoder input for the slowest to the fastest running color
for conveyor tracking. The IPS960-511-PoE line scan setups, including applications in
also supports light-dimming control to iden- food sorting, plastic sorting, bottle/bottle cap
tify object characteristics for different in- inspection, and print/label inspection.
spections. Two swappable 2.5-in HDDs are The camera has a maximum resolution
available for extensive storage needs. of 4,096 pixels (4K) per channel/line, and in
To ensure performance in harsh environ- combination with the 10GBASE-T interface,
The IPS960-511-PoE is an integrated vision ments, the platform system supports an it provides RGB + NIR output at up to 72 kHz
controller optimized for machine vision ap- operating temperature range of –10°C to (72,000 lines per second) over dual 10-GigE
plications. With a multicore CPU, IP40-rated +55°C. Its setup and design allow installa- streams. The dual-stream configuration sup-
design, camera communication interfaces, tion in space-constrained environments. It ports 8-bit or 10-bit output per channel.
and real-time, vision-specific I/O with micro- comes with front-accessible I/O connectors, The camera also has a single-stream op-
second-scale and LED lighting control, this including two Gigabit LAN ports, four PoE tion using the RGBa8 format where the NIR
machine vision controller addresses needs ports, four USB 3.0 ports, one real-time vi- data is provided via the alpha channel. In this
across various machine vision platforms and sion I/O, one VGA, one HDMI, one three- configuration, the camera can operate at up
automatic inspection cases. pin terminal block, and one audio (mic-in/ to 73 kHz with 8-bit-per-channel output. A
The controller is powered by the line-out). The IPS960-511-PoE comes with third output option, capable of up to 74 kHz
LGA1151 socket with seventh- and sixth- one I/O module slot with a choice of four at full 4K resolution, includes 8-bit YUV color
generation Intel Core (Kaby Lake/Skylake) different types of I/O modules—a four-port data on one stream combined with 8-bit or
and Celeron processors (up to 65W) with RS-232/422/485 module (AX93511); a 10-bit NIR data on a second stream.
the Intel H110 chipset. The vision system four-port isolated RS-232/422/485 module The camera supports the precision
comes with dual DDR4-2133/2400 unbuf- (AX93516); a one-port GbE Ethernet, two- time protocol (IEEE 1588) for multicam-
fered SO-DIMM sockets for up to 32 GB of port USB 3.0, and two-port RS-232/422/485 era networked configurations and can be
system memory. It also supports camera in- module (AX93519); or a two-port isolated connected directly to rotary encoders for
terfaces for connecting industrial cameras, RS-232/422/485 and eight-in/eight-out DIO synchronization with conveyor belts and
including four IEEE 802.3at PoE LAN ports module (AX93512). other motion systems.
and four USB 3.0 ports. Axiomtek, www.axiomtek.com JAI, www.jai.com

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 47

ad index

InTech advertisers are pleased to provide Advertiser Page # Advertiser Page #

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View and download the InTech media

planner at www.isa.org/intechadkit

Reprints
Foster Reprints will work with you to
create a customized reprint package,
including hard copy reprints, eprints,
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or [email protected].

48 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

 classifieds

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Sample of Jobs Available at Jobs.isa.org

See more at Jobs.isa.org, where you can search for available jobs or advertise positions available within your company.
ISA Members post resumes at no charge.

Process control engineer Quality engineer

Tinuum Services, LLC: The engineer for this position in St. John Deere: As a quality engineer at the Augusta Works in
Louis will be responsible for technical programming support Grovetown, Ga., the successful candidate will support current
and expertise for the operation, maintenance, and continuous assembly operations in the compact utility tractor factory. In ad-
improvement of the company facility’s instrumentation and dition, the engineer will investigate issues related to product and
process control systems. This includes hands-on technical sup- process quality, gather and analyze data, determine root causes,
port of PLC and HMI programming and troubleshooting via and facilitate and use failure modes effects analysis. Knowledge
remote access or by traveling to the site. Eligible candidates of standard quality tools, manufacturing or distribution processes,
should have a two-year degree or certificate in a related field and drawing and schematic interpretation is required, in addition
(e.g., computer programming or process manufacturing with to one or more years of experience in related engineering areas.
control expertise) with a minimum of five years of industrial- Knowledge of advanced data gathering and analysis techniques,
based control systems programming experience. Preference a Six Sigma Green Belt, experience using statistical tools and tech-
will be given to candidates with a bachelor’s degree . . . see niques, and experience in team leadership will make the candi-
more at Jobs.isa.org. date stand out . . . see more at Jobs.isa.org.

SCADA system technician Senior manager system assurance engineer

City of Tallahassee: The technician in the T&I/SCADA engi- Raytheon: This engineer in El Segundo, Calif., is responsible for all
neering and maintenance department will perform computer system and software mission assurance efforts across the Secure
configuration, systems maintenance, and support of various Sensor Solutions (S3) programs. The engineer will lead a team
technical equipment and services. The technician will directly of system assurance and software quality engineers through the
support a project manager and will exercise technical indepen- entire program life cycle, focusing on business pursuit, program
dence in determining work methods and procedures. Posses- planning, product development, and qualification, and will be
sion of a two-year technical school certificate of completion or responsible for the implementation of the company’s system
an associate’s degree in fiber optics, computer networks, com- and software mission assurance management system consistent
puters, electronics, electrical engineering technology, computer with customer contractual requirements. Required skills include
technology, process control, or a related field and five years of excellent communication, a minimum of 12 years of experience
technical experience in the installation and maintenance of pro- in a mission assurance or engineering development environ-
cess control/monitoring systems or a bachelor’s degree and four ment, and ASQ quality professional certification. The position
years of experience is required . . . see more at Jobs.isa.org. requires 10–20 percent travel . . . see more at Jobs.isa.org.

INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 49

the final say | Views from Automation Leaders

Beware of the hype

By Dean Ford, CAP

D
o you have a plan to combat the fear mon- of cyber-assessment or mitigation project, and you
gers and the shiny-new-thing pushers? have not first assessed your risk profile, then you
I grew up in the plant floor automation have missed a critical step. Ask to see the data that
business. I have seen a lot of change in technology, shows this is your number one threat to operations.
and I have seen a lot of resources wasted on things I have found that in 100 percent of cases, threats
that really had no business case. Recently, this exist with a far greater impact to operations than
waste seems to be focused on cybersecurity and a cybersecurity incident. Bad business decisions are
other shiny new things. In an age where the pace made in the name of cybersecurity, like removing
of technological advancement is higher than ever, remote access from maintenance personnel, which
our profession is being bombarded daily with the significantly increases costs and response time
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
next great thing. Managers get calls from highly for troubleshooting. What are we really trying to
Dean Ford, CAP
effective sales people and do Internet searches that protect against?
dford2009@gmail.
com) is the managing
principal engineer and
If your organization is currently involved in any sort of cyber-assessment
executive vice president or mitigation project, and you have not first assessed your risk profile,
of Westin Technology
Solutions Engineering
then you have missed a critical step.
Practice. He is a licensed
teach them of all the threats they must protect I propose a different path. An overwhelming
control systems engi-
against and all the opportunities they are missing majority of cyberrisk can be eliminated through
neer in 18 states and an
because they do not have X, Y, or Z. This pressures simple procedural and policy changes that cost no
active ISA member. Ford
automation professionals to also focus on cyber- money. Instead of spending money to prevent a
participates in AWWA,
security and new technologies and usually forces cybersecurity issue, first go through the exercise of
WEF, WRF, SWAN, and
them to bypass some critical decision steps. assuming you will be hacked. How will you and the
is on the Government
Automation professionals are on the front lines of organization respond? What key decision-making
Relations and Workforce
risk management and mitigation. The cyberthreat process do you need in place? What is the hierar-
Development commit-
is merely one of many threat factors to overall risk chy? Who is authorized to call something a disas-
tee of the Automation
management, and it gets far too much attention. ter? Is your disaster recovery plan in place and has
Federation.
Our profession is getting a lot of pressure to spend it addressed things like building a new automation
money on this. “Your peers are doing it, why aren’t platform from bare metal? Have you tested it? Are
you?” your backups working? The list goes on. The key
If you have heard me speak at various conferences, point here is that if someone wants in, he or she
you have likely heard some shocking words. is going to get in, and it will be through normal
Cybersecurity is not the threat that it purports to channels. All of the money spent to prevent a hack
be. In one session recently, I was challenged. A will be useless.
prominent manager at a utility had done a lot of With a sound risk management and disaster
surveys with conclusive results. Cybersecurity was in recovery plan, you not only address cybersecu-
the top five biggest perceived threats to operations. rity incidents, but you also mitigate fires, theft,
I agree it is a threat, but I challenge the notion that weather events, rogue employees, etc. And per-
it is our greatest threat from two sides. First, if it haps, during the risk mitigation planning, cyber-
was truly that large of a threat, every utility would security jumps out as a critical need, and you have
be budgeting lots of money to address it. That is to develop some projects for network segregation.
not happening, and the more advanced utilities and At least then you will know that the capital is be-
companies are not wasting resources on it for very ing deployed in the best way and for the correct
good reasons. Second, there are far greater threats priorities. I suspect you will find that you should be
that should be dealt with first. Planning is the key to fixing the power failure scenario that causes hours
relieving the pressures. of down time, or moving the server out of the
The cyberthreat is merely one of many, many control room, or simply upgrading the automation
risks that must be addressed in our operations. If platform to current hardware with parts that you
your organization is currently involved in any sort can buy from a more reputable place than eBay. ■

50 INTECH MAY/JUNE 2019 WWW.ISA.ORG

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