Simulating drift, stiction and lost motion Fixing flow measurement errors
TOP 50 AUTOMATION SUPPLIERS
The largest global and North American automation suppliers report artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, advanced computing and services drive growth
Process improvement is like sailing.
With an experienced partner, you can achieve more.
Optimizing processes and maximizing efficiency is important to remain competitive. We are the partner that helps you master yield, quality, and compliance. With real-time inline insights and close monitoring of crucial parameters, we support manufacturers to optimize processes, reduce waste, and increase yield.
The top 50 global and North American automation suppliers report artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, advanced computing and services drive growth – but uncertainty lingers by Larry O'Brien with contributions from Patrick Arnold, Colin Masson, Chantal Polsonetti and Naresh Surepelly
DEVELOP YOUR POTENTIAL
Simulating drift, stiction and lost motion
Part 2 of this series further explains how to add realism to dynamic simulation for control testing by R. Russell Rhinehart
35 ASK THE EXPERTS Fixing flow measurement errors
High-accuracy Coriolis flowmeters measure fuel-gas consumption by Bela Liptak
CONTROL (USPS 4853, ISSN 1049-5541) is published 10x annually (monthly, with combined Jan/Feb and Nov/Dec) by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N. Main Street, Fifth Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTROL, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. ($120 per year); Canada/Mexico ($250 per year); All other countries ($250 per year). All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds.
Printed in the USA. Copyright 2024 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.
Photo: Derek Chamberlain / generated with Shutterstock AI
Solving daunting issues requires working together
The future is brighter than you think Technology advances bring achieving a green energy economy closer to reality
Escape the basement, embrace diversity
Engineers' value is sometimes in collaborating with co-workers
WITHOUT WIRES
Better assess asset performance
Facing the challenges of turning data into productive knowledge
FLOW POINT
How long is a circular rope?
A fresh look at the math of measuring circular and curved pipes
Interface innovations at ICC 2024
Close to 1,000 visitors exchange HMI/SCADA best practices at Inductive Community Conference
Level measurement technology brings safety, sustainability and productivity to the chemical industry
An explanation of the different options for operators
PERSPECTIVE SCADA redundancy: 5 questions to ask Industrial users of every size should consider how redundancy can increase system resilience 34 RESOURCES
Ethernet and fieldbus work the networks
Control's monthly resources guide
37 ROUNDUP
Wide-ranging temperatures and pressures
Sensors and transmitters extend their capabilities
40 CONTROL TALK
Simulation lifecycle management, part 2
Despite value there's still a challenge to maintain simulation
42 CONTROL REPORT
Get outgoing It never hurts to ask a few specific questions
Listen to our podcast series. Find it at controlglobal.com
Endeavor Business Media, LLC
30 Burton Hills Blvd, Ste. 185, Nashville, TN 37215
800-547-7377
EXECUTIVE TEAM
CEO Chris Ferrell
President
June Griffin
COO
Patrick Rains
CRO
Paul Andrews
Chief Digital Officer
Jacquie Niemiec
Chief Administrative and Legal Officer
Tracy Kane
EVP/Group Publisher
Tracy Smith
EDITORIAL TEAM
Editor in Chief Len Vermillion, lvermillion@endeavorb2b.com
Executive Editor
Jim Montague, jmontague@endeavorb2b.com
Digital Editor Madison Ratcliff, mratcliff@endeavorb2b.com
Contributing Editor John Rezabek
Columnists
Béla Lipták, Greg McMillan, Ian Verhappen
DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM
Art Director
Derek Chamberlain, dchamberlain@endeavorb2b.com
Production Manager
Rita Fitzgerald, rfitzgerald@endeavorb2b.com
Ad Services Manager
Jennifer George, jgeorge@endeavorb2b.com
Operations Manager / Subscription requests Lori Goldberg, lgoldberg@endeavorb2b.com
PUBLISHING TEAM
VP/Market Leader - Engineering Design & Automation Group
Keith Larson
630-625-1129, klarson@endeavorb2b.com
Group Sales Director
Amy Loria
352-873-4288, aloria@endeavorb2b.com
Account Manager
Greg Zamin
704-256-5433, gzamin@endeavorb2b.com
Account Manager
Kurt Belisle
815-549-1034, kbelisle@endeavorb2b.com
Account Manager
Jeff Mylin
847-533-9789, jmylin@endeavorb2b.com
Subscriptions
Local: 847-559-7598
Toll free: 877-382-9187
Control@omeda.com
Jesse H. Neal Award Winner & Three Time Finalist
Two Time ASBPE Magazine of the Year Finalist
Dozens of ASBPE Excellence in Graphics and Editorial Excellence Awards
Four Time Winner Ozzie Awards for Graphics Excellence
It's our responsibility
Solving daunting issues requires working together
NOW for a break from negativity. I know that’s an effort that seems daunting this month as the U.S. is shoulder deep in campaign muck. However, the election will soon be decided and half of the people will celebrate and the other half will lament their futures, even if unnecessarily so. But, there will still be problems to solve, and a unified effort to find solutions is needed.
I’m talking about issues near and dear to us all in process control, including energy transition, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics
I recently covered the Honeywell Users Group (HUG) in Dallas and was struck by the optimism of executives, such as Lucian Boldea, president and CEO of Honeywell Industrial Automation, who said we live in a great time because the tools we need are right in front of us. Indeed, despite the gloom you’ll find when “doom scrolling” on social media these days, we live in a time where technology gives us more than a puncher’s chance to solve some really tough problems, such as oil and gas emissions and threats to our industrial operations from nefarious actors.
These issues won’t be solved by half the industry. We must work together. Partnerships between technology companies and operators go a long way to ratcheting up the movement toward gainful solutions. Take energy, for example. Upgrading energy infrastructure (i.e., the grid) is vital to securing electricity reliability and curbing emissions. But utilities and technology need each other to ultimately make meaningful progress.
Boldea reiterated that point at HUG. “We can’t achieve the energy transition and emission targets on our own. We need to do it together,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Girash Saligram, CEO of Weatherford International, appeared in a video to tell the crowd at HUG how his company, one of the largest upstream oil and gas companies in the world, works with Honeywell to shore up its emission reduction efforts.
While daunting, these tough tasks, some even existential in nature, can be solved. It just takes a coordinated effort of two conflicting sides. I wonder how that will play out once we’ve picked a new U.S. president and congress?
We'll soon find out.
LEN VERMILLION Editor-in-Chief lvermillion@endeavorb2b.com
" Partnerships between technology companies and operators go a long way to ratcheting up the movement toward gainful solutions."
BÉLA LIPTÁK liptakbela@aol.com
"The robots that perform solar construction can work 24/7, and install hundreds of 60- to 80lb panels each day."
The future is brighter than you think
Technology advances bring achieving a green energy economy closer to reality
OUR ability to correct the damage done to our environment has never been better. Some recent advances show how far we’ve progressed toward a safe future by building the foundations of a sustainable and green energy economy.
Artifi cial intelligence (AI), which grew out of process control, plays an important role. However, automation engineers must make sure AI isn’t allowed to do all it can, but is restricted to what it should do. When using AI, we must remember it has no conscious, emotions, self-awareness or morals. In other words, it has no "heart,” only the ability to do what it’s instructed to do.
You can think of AI as a tool, just like a knife, which a chef can use to make great chicken paprikash, but a terrorist can use to cause havoc. I mention this because AI can make us safer, freer and more human, but only if it’s properly controlled.
Let’s look at some lesser-known advances already acheived in our energy economy.
Solar robots
Solar energy is the market that drives technological progress, and green energy installations benefit from these market forces because these sources are the most profitable sources of electricity. Construction of fossil or nuclear power plants take about a decade, while solar farms can be built in a year or two. Once built, the electricity they produce is free and causes no carbon emissions. Also, solar farms can be built by AI controlled robots, halving the cost of solar park construction.
The robots that perform solar construction can work 24/7, and install hundreds of 60- to 80-lb panels each day. They can work twice as fast and for half the cost of traditional methods. Fully automating this 24-hour operation isn’t easy. It requires sophistacated sensors and control algorithms, which only our profession can provide. These
calculations and instruments arrange solar panels in neat rows, even on diffi cult or uneven terrain, and adjust them for maximum effi ciency, while performing in 100° F temperatures or even in darkness.
The argument that jobs will be lost to robots reminds me of discussions during the switch from horse-drawn carts to automobiles. Granted, many coachman jobs were lost during the transition, but at the same time, cities like Detroit were built, and millions of gas stations and refineries were constructed, which created 10 times the initial jobs lost. The same will happen by robotizing many processes as we convert to green energy. It’s estimated that solar employment in the U.S. will double by 2030, and reach more than half a million jobs by that time.
Transportation advances
While about 40 million, lithium-fueled electric vehicles (EV) are presently on the roads, future cars will eventually be hydrogen-fueled vehicles (HFV). Today, there are only about 75,000 HFVs operating, including 14,000 in California. Let’s compare the two designs.
Figure 1: AI-controlled, solar-park-cleaning robot
Source: AES Corp.
THE STANDARD IN INDUSTRIAL DRIVES
From fractional to 2250 HP, Yaskawa industrial drives cover all of your application needs, with an array of features that improve your operations.
ü Intuitive Mobile-Friendly Interaction
ü Fast Connection to Any Major Network Protocol
ü Safety - Standard
ü Best-in-class Efficiency
And don’t forget about everything else Yaskawa provides you with.
ü World-Class Quality and Reliability
ü Award Winning Customer Service
ü Product Lifetime Training
ü Free 24/7/365 Technical Support
Want to have all of that working for you? Contact Yaskawa today.
The lithium battery packs in most EVs weigh about 1,000 pounds (the weight of more than five passengers). They hold about 50 KWh, which is enough for a range of about 200-300 miles. For that distance, the electricity used costs $10 to $15, taking at least 30 minutes to recharge. These cars are also (falsely) promoted as "carbon-free," when in fact, producing lithium and conventional electricity generation to recharge them requires burning fossil fuels. Also, their performance in coldweather is poor. In hot weather or when overcharged, they heat up and become flammable, possibly causing fires. For example, a recent lithium battery fire destroyed 900 cars, and caused a great amount of damage at a parking garage building in Seoul, South Korea. As the limitations of EVs become known, use of HFVs increases, particularly in Asia. Nearly 100,000 HFVs are on the roads there, with hydrogen stored in pressurized tanks and electric motors driven by fuel cells. I consider this design a temporary one that will change because hydrogen can be stored more safely under highpressure or in cryogenic conditions. I believe these storage tanks will be replaced by magnesium-based, solidstate blocks that can store and transport hydrogen at ambient pressures and temperatures, eliminating the risks associated with high-pressure tank leaks or explosions. Similarly, I believe fully evolved designs will
" The argument that jobs will be lost to robots reminds me of discussions during the switch from horse-drawn carts to automobiles."
replace fuel cells and electric motors with internal combustion engines that directly burn hydrogen fuel. Such designs aren’t on the market yet, but they are being developed.
Building-industry advances
In the past, high-rise buildings collected solar energy only on their roofs. Today, collector panels are added to facades, baconies and other locations. If installed on balconies, they can be plugged into regular AC sockets to feed electricity directly into the home (Figure 2). A single, 800-watt panel, including the inverter, mounting and cables, costs about $500. If the user wants to store excess solar electricity during peak hours for use overnight, a small battey can be added that will roughly double the cost. One panel generates enough electricity to operate a small, ductless, split heat pump, which can cool a single room in summer and
store heat in winter. At an average electricity cost of 25 cents per KWh, the panel’s yearly savings is about $100. In 10 years, the investment will be paid off, and from that time forward, its electricity will be free.
Components of a balcony solar panel include:
• Mounting of balcony solar panels
• High rise building with solar panels operating split heat pumps
These units also feature wireless connections to computers, allowing owners to check how much electricity is generated, stored or taken from battery storage at any time. About 500,000 such balcony units have been installed in Germany, which added 6 GW to the nation’s solar electricity capacity (further reducing the need to import natural gas from Russia).
Solar panels can also be placed on any building surface, and not only serve the energy needs of the building, but also decorate it (Figure 3).
Figure 2: Components of a balcony solar panel
Figure 3: The school with the largest solar facade in the world
Source: Copenhagen International School
Source: Zendure
Escape the basement, embrace diversity
Engineers’ value is sometimes in collaborating with co-workers
RHONDA was jazzed about a career opportunity where she could interact with her co-workers in person. She imagined gaining insight and satisfaction from seeing the solutions she worked on in action, instead of endless hours on Zoom calls or Teams meetings. After a few weeks, she got her first assignment. “See Fred in the control house about the levels in the separation plant.”
Fred was a shift-team supervisor directing a relatively inexperienced crew of chemical plant operators. He was a little offput when the engineering manager sent young Rhonda his way. His experience with young engineers was mostly unsatisfying, as they seemed out of touch with his challenges: keeping the plant running safely and reliably, while conveying his process knowledge to inexperienced operators. He might have come off a little gruff when he explained to Rhonda. “I want all my level transmitters to match the sight glasses.”
His level instruments that bring measurements into the house were accompanied by a nearby level gauge, a simple, direct-reading, windowed chamber connected to the side of the distillation tower. When you looked at the liquid in the gauge’s glass, it seemed unlikely the level could differ from what you saw with your eyes.
Rhonda was a recent hire, so she was only beginning to delve into the company’s engineering specifications. These can date back many decades, and one dictate from those days of yore was that level transmitters shall be bracketed by the vessel’s level gauge. This spec came from a time when the displacer was the primary device for controlling level, whose suspended cylinder once produced a usable force-balance to power a pneumatic controller. Meanwhile, all of Rhonda’s new plant’s levels used electronic differential pressure (DP) transmitters. Their process connections followed the old spec, with the lower connection above the lower tap of the gauge glass, and the upper one below the high tap of the local gauge.
Experienced instrument technicians know DP levels aren’t intuitive. The high side of the transmitter is connected to the lower vessel tap—ensuring the signal increases directly with increasing level. Since the upper tap is likely to fill with condensing liquids from the boiling chemicals in the tower, the low side tubing (impulse line) is filled with liquid. In Rhonda’s plant, the fluid was carefully chosen, so it wouldn’t contaminate the chemicals being purified. As a result, its density didn’t match the stuff in the tower bottoms.
When Rhonda looked at the calibrations of the DP transmitters, they were all strange, -35 inches of water column to -4 inches. It was zero suppression further depressed by the weight of the fill fluid on the low side. But with the taps so configured, how was she supposed to make this instrument match the level seen in the gauge glass?
Back in the office, she had a chat with her boss. Fred gave her some important advice. “The old guys expect you to work with them. Go tell him why you feel perplexed by his request.” Rhonda discovered Fred wasn’t worried about precision, he just wanted his newbies to see a connection between the level in the field and the DCS graphic.
Young engineers may find it easier to work from the basement because one rarely deals with people like Fred. But as engineers, our value to the enterprise isn’t always determined by our knowledge or expertise—sometimes it’s collaboration with co-workers whose goals and motivations are unlike ours. If you allow yourself to dismiss individuals whose education, accents, hobbies, politics or priorities are different, you’ll miss a chance to make an impact, even if it’s only showing your willingness to try. Rhonda didn’t miss her opportunity, and found a place in the operator’s world, whose advice helped her inoculate projects from oversights, and find many suggestions for improvements.
JOHN REZABEK Contributing Editor JRezabek@ashland.com
"If you allow yourself to dismiss individuals whose education, accents, hobbies, politics or priorities are different, you’ll miss a chance to make an impact, even if it’s only showing your willingness to try."
IAN VERHAPPEN
Solutions Architect
Willowglen Systems
Ian.Verhappen@ willowglensystems.com
"The increasing complexity of modern, intelligent devices that have hundreds of configurable parameters raises the question of what data should be sent where and how to use it."
Better assess asset performance
Facing the challenges of turning data into productive knowledge
EVERY facility strives to make the best use of its assets. One challenge to reaching that objective is a good understanding of how each asset is performing, while collecting the data to do it at the lowest cost.
In most cases, manual data collection is expensive and susceptible to error. Automated, machine-to-machine data collection is becoming more common, driven by increasing use of intelligent devices that can provide data and reduce connectivity costs.
Increased, data-density collection capabilities brought on by distributed I/O, including pending implementation of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in many industries, has grown data available today exponentially. All of it's collected for a reason, normally to improve asset performance, whether at the macro level (organization or facility), intermediate level (unit operations or machines such as compressors or centrifuges) or micro level (individual devices). The tools are placed to turn data into knowledge—a key step that’s often overlooked and one reason projects of this type often fail.
The increasing complexity of modern intelligent devices with hundreds of configurable parameters raises the question of what data should be sent where and how to use it. This was the reason ISA formed the ISA-108 Intelligent Device Management (IDM) committee (bit.ly/isa-standards) last decade. Since then, it’s published two editions of “Part 1: Concepts and Terminology Technical Report.”
The follow-up implementation standard, IEC 63082-2, “Intelligent device management— Part 2: Requirements and recommendations,” was published in August, and it defines requirements and recommendations for the full IDM lifecycle, including:
• Foundational requirements as the basis for detailed or derived requirements for IDM activities, products, and services related to IDM and its management;
• Risk management for the program, its work processes, and the potential for overlap/ conflict with other programs;
• Developing and maintaining an IDM program;
• Enterprise-level activities applied across the organization, including supplier-management and program requirements;
• Coordinating across facilities with suppliers, and other enterprise programs, such as HSE and maintenance;
• Facility implementation from concept through commissioning, as well as operations and maintenance, including turnaround and eventual decommissioning;
• Supplier requirements for equipment and service suppliers; and
• Information management and transition between different lifecycle phases. Key elements of IDM and effective management of sensors and actuators, which processes depend on for reliable operations, are addressed by IEC 63082-2. They include:
• Optimizing functionality and performance of intelligent devices;
• Managing information related to IDM;
• Integrating intelligent devices into industrial automation and control systems (IACS);
• Exchanging information between stakeholders to achieve and sustain IDM;
• Coordinating multiple asynchronous IDM lifecycles;
• Procedures, processes and tools or templates to implement and monitor the effectiveness of IDM, including support, selection and subsequent integration of device information and device configuration into the IACS;
• Cybersecurity and secure, data-retention considerations; and
• Long term support of the different lifecycles for facilities and the equipment.
If you have additional ideas on where intelligent device management standards are required please reach out to me with your thoughts to share with the committee.
How long is a circular rope?
A fresh look at the math of measuring circular and curved pipes
THOUGH open-channel flow measurement is becoming more important as fresh water is increasingly scarce, most industrial flow measurement is done in closed pipes. While not all pipes are round, circular pipes are preferred for most flow applications.
Circular pipes allow more uniform flows than square or rectangular pipes, minimizing turbulence and pressure loss. They’re also more cost-effective to manufacture, and can be easily connected using standard fittings and joints, simplifying installation.
There are many good reasons to use round pipes to transport gas, water, petroleum liquids and steam. However, there’s still one issue that no one has figured out: providing a rational value for circular area. Engineers rely on mathematicians to provide formulas for measuring flow velocity and flowrate, and they use π in the calculation. The value of π is the ratio of the length of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
Finding the area of a circle is a problem that goes back to the ancient Greeks. Around 250 B.C., Archimedes tried to solve this problem by inscribing progressively more polygons inside a circle. The area of each polygon was less than the circle, but as the sides increased, the area of the polygon more closely approximated the circle. He also circumscribed an increasing number of polygons outside the circle. The area of each circumscribed polygon was greater than the area of the circle, but as the circumscribed circles increased, the total area of the polygons came closer to matching the circle. Using a polygon with 96 sides, he concluded that the value of π was as follows: 3 10/71 < π < 3 1/7.
Mathematicians have studied this problem for more than 2,000 years, and have computed π to trillions of digits using supercomputers. However, the digits don’t repeat, and π remains a stubbornly irrational number. Today, many people use the values 3.14 or 22/7.
There’s no escaping the need to measure the area of a pipe when calculating flow. The formula for measuring volumetric flow is: Q = A * v. Here, Q is the volume of flow that passes a specific point in a unit of time, A is the cross-sectional area of the inside of the pipe, and v is the average flow velocity. Circular area is calculated using the formula: Area = π * r2
The Rope Experiment compares the computed value of the length of the circumference of a circle with the computed value of that length when it’s a straight line. The formula for the circumference C of a circle is: C = 2 * π * r
Suppose that the circumference of the circle is made up of a rope or string in the shape of a circle. Suppose further that the radius of the circle is 1 inch. Then, the circumference of the circle will be: C = 2 * π * 1, which equals 2 * π. Omitting the multiplier sign, we can write this more simply as 2 π.
Suppose we take that rope or string and stretch it out to form a straight line. The length of the rope doesn’t change when we make it into a straight line. Only its shape has changed. When we measure the length of this rope as a straight line, there’s no need to bring π into the equation. Instead, using a ruler, we can determine its length as a rational value, such as 6.28 inches. We only need π when measuring circular or curved areas.
While using 3.14 or 22/7 as an approximation for π may work for practical calculations of flow measurement in round pipes, there may be a flaw in the underlying mathematics. Using squares as a unit for measuring circular area yields indefinite results. Saying that a rope changes length depending on its shape is simply a contradiction. After living with π for several thousand years, it’s useful to reexamine our mathematics for measuring circular and curved areas, including the mathematics for measuring flow in round pipes.
JESSE
YODER Founder & President Flow Research Inc.
jesse@flowresearch.com
"Engineers rely on mathematicians to provide formulas for measuring flow velocity and flowrate."
Interface innovations at ICC 2024
Close to 1,000 visitors exchange HMI/SCADA best practices at Inductive Community Conference
STARTING with its Firebrand Awards and ending with the finals of its Build-a-Thon competition, Inductive Automation (www.inductiveautomation.com) served up a smorgasbord of case studies of its Ignition web-based SCADA/HMI software to 989 visitors at its Inductive Community Conference (ICC) on Sept. 16-19 in Folsom, Calif.
Each of these specific examples provided ample evidence that automation and digitalization is more likely to support users and create new opportunities, rather than take them away. “Automation doesn’t replace people. It’s empowers them. Automation is a force multiplier,” says Travis Cox, chief technology evangelist at Inductive. “When our founder started this company 20 years ago, no one believed we could break through all the entrenched automation and old, closed, locked-down SCADA systems that killed innovation. Our open, modular, web-based Ignition SCADA software and its unlimited licensing model made automation available to far more users, whether they’re implementing a massive application with 100,000 tags or a small, edge project with just a few tags.”
2024 Firebrand winners
This year, more than 80 projects competed to win one of just six Firebrand Awards for 2025. The winners include:
• CertainTeed exterior and interior building products had many aging systems that couldn’t achieve sufficient operating efficiencies, integrate orders from SAP software, and display operating performance 24/7, so it used Ignition to create easy-glance KPIs for scrap quantities, downtime events and other parameters, and scale them up to 15 plants with more on the horizon;
• To make the most of raw materials by improving recipe management, Deloitte Australia partnered with Goodman Fielder, which operates 40 baking and food plants in Australia and the Pacific region. Information from its baking systems was usually displayed on outdated HMIs and Excel software, so Goodman and Deloitte worked with system integrator Efficient Factory Automation to use Ignition to develop automated and dynamic recipes that increased visibility and decreased waste and downtime.
• Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago maintains a -200 °F, liquid argon application as part of its short-band neutrino detector (SBND), and this system relies on pressure sensors and control valves managed by a manually configured PLC. To update this process, Fermilab and its cryogenic contractor adopted Ignition software, so it could also add more sensors, valves, and alarms.
• To coordinate its advanced and isolated systems that produce ibuprofen and other medicines, Spain-based Cinfa Pharmaceutical Co. worked with system integrator Idom to improve the communications and messaging required by its new plants and products. Cinfa also used Ignition to quickly build its 21 CFR Part 11 and management system.
• Neomatrix brought process data together, developed a standardized, scalable platform, and optimized smart manufacturing at Lucid Motors’ electric car plant;
• Madkour Group is automating an irrigation system as part of an effort by Egypt’s government to reclaim about 3 million acres. Phase 1 of the New Valley/Toshka project covers 750,000 acres, and Madkour is using Ignition for templates, connectivity, visualization, recording and analysis of 200 pump sites, five lift stations and 2,000 sprinklers.
Donald Bailey, senior engineer for digital transformation at system integrator Gray Solutions, shows how a Boston Dynamics robot uses its software development kit in conjunction with Inductive Automation’s Ignition Perspective module to acquire a Lidar map of its location, which lets it identify and pick up a 22 °F bottle. Source: Jim Montague
The Build-a-Thon team from system integrator DMC, (l. to r.) Nicoli Liedtke, Sheila KennedyMoore and Brandon Tanner, demonstrates the dashboards for managing their convenience store model using Ignition Perspectives software and Opto 22’s groov EPIC controller on Sept. 19 during the Inductive Community Conference (ICC) 2024 in Folsom, Calif. Source: Jim Montague
SIGNALS AND INDICATORS
• Marquis Who’s Who (www.marquiswhoswho.com) reported Aug. 23 that longtime Control columnist and pillar of the process control community Greg McMillan has been included in its well-known biographical volumes in celebration of his decades of dedication to the process engineering field and his work with ControlGlobal.com. Marquis Who’s Who profiles individuals based on their positions, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence.
• The International Society of Automation published Aug. 26 a position paper, “Automation enables digital deglobalization efforts” (www.isa.org/standards-and-publications/ isa-publications/position-white-papers), which states that automation technology and techniques can help businesses optimize their digital deglobalization efforts, secure their supply chain infrastructure and improvements their environmental and social responsibilities.
• Honeywell (process.honeywell.com) agreed Sept. 23 to implement its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) distributed control and safety system at USA BioEnergy ’s (USABE, usabioenergy.com) new Texas Renewable Fuels Bon
Ignition on the move
While HMIs using Ignition software have long appeared on laptops and smart phones, system integrator Gray Solutions (www.graysolutions.com) took this initial mobility a step further at ICC 2024. It implemented the Ignition Perspective module on a four-legged Boston Dynamics robot in conjunction with its software development kit (SDK), and enabled it to make temperature measurements or conduct other eventdriven inspections. Donald Bailey, senior engineer for digital transformation at Gray Solutions, showed how the robot acquired a Lidar map of its onstage location, which let it identify and pick up a 22 °F bottle from a nearby lectern.
Convenience store challenge
This year’s Build-a-Thon challenged teams to develop an interface in just two days for the gas pumps, car wash, lights and I/O points for a model of a convenience store controlled by Opto 22’s groov EPIC controller and running Ignition Perspective software. The two system-integrator finalists, Chicago-based DMC and England-based BIJC SCADA Systems, built dashboards that displayed inventory levels, transactions, equipment status, alarms, ambient weather and other parameters, and accepted instructions such as operating the car wash and lights. In a live, audience vote, DMC won by earning 306 votes, which edged out BIJC’s 245 votes.
For expanded coverage of ICC 2024, visit www.controlglobal. com/icc2024
Wier advanced biorefinery that’s designed to convert wood waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Experion PKS will support the plant’s central control and safety operations.
• Beckhoff Automation (www.beckhoff.com) reported Aug. 28 that it’s opened a regional office in Alpharetta, Ga., near Atlanta. It will serve as a home base for local sales and support engineers, as well as a regional hub for training, seminars and other business activities, and help Beckhoff continue its market-share growth across the Southeast U.S.
• System integrator Avid Solutions (avidsolutionsinc.com) launched Oct. 1 its AvidCare service and support program for maintaining operations technologies (OT), including process control systems, servers and information solutions. It will include flexible, service-level agreements (SLAs) and real-time monitoring, and will concentrate on system reliability.
• Control Station (www.controlstation.com) launched Sept. 24 its System Health Monitoring (SHM) service that uses intelligence captured by its PlantESP loop-performance monitoring software. The service enables proactive monitoring of PlantESP deployments, facilitating rapid response to system resource issues and guidance for achieving control.
Cable Entry 360°
With the new distribution box, centrally routed cables can be distributed 360° in all desired directions.
Interested? Get your free sample now:
IP54
icotek@Rockwell Automation Fair
JENNY LEION
Chemical Industry Level Manager
Emerson
Level measurement technology brings safety, sustainability and productivity to the chemical industry
THERE’S no doubt that level measurement technology has opened a world of opportunities for the industrial sector, particularly when it comes to the many diverse applications in the chemical industry. Not only have level technologies made it easier to obtain accurate level measurements, but they’ve also helped chemical industry operators ensure a higher level of safety, while achieving their sustainability and productivity goals.
Of course, not all level technologies are the same, so Control asked Jenny Leion, chemical industry level manager at Emerson to explain those different options for operators and why each may work best for their applications.
Q: How can guided wave radar level technology improve safety and reduce environmental risks in chemical processes?
A: Guided wave radar is a key technology to measure both level and interface. This is very important, for example, for the petrochemical industry when it’s essential to avoid oil leaking into water or water leaking into the oil. This is not only key to avoid any leakages, but a proper level interface reading also helps petrochemical plants optimize production by utilizing more of their process vessels' volume.
Guided wave radar is also the preferred level solution for chemicals that have a very low dielectric or when the atmosphere in the process vessel makes it difficult for other technologies. This is true for liquid applications such as ammonia, and for solids applications, like very dusty polymers.
Saturated-steam applications, like boiler drums, are another example of when the right type of guided wave radar is useful for accurate level control.
Of course, even though guided wave radars come in a variety of different materials to
withstand different chemicals, many times a non-contacting solution is preferred.
Q: How does non-contacting radar level measurement help maintain accuracy and reliability in highly corrosive chemical environments?
A: For many chemicals a non-contacting level measurement solution is preferred, so the level transmitter doesn’t come in direct, constant contact with the media. This is true for highly corrosive chemicals and for chemicals or processes, where the media can be viscous or have impurities that can stick to the probe, or seal and make instrument readings difficult over time.
Another great feature of non-contacting radar level technology is that radar can measure through plastic. So, if you have a plastic tank without any existing tank fittings or with a highly corrosive chemical, you can actually have the level transmitter outside of the tank measuring through the tank's roof. This also simplifies maintenance since you don’t need to open the tank to access the instrument, and can avoid the hassle of a confined space entry.
Because of recent technological advancements, radar for level measurement is more affordable and easier to use. This plays well with the increased needs from the chemical industry for more reliable instruments and low maintenance solutions. It enables the exchange of old outdated technologies, such as level floats that can get stuck, and require operators to go on maintenance rounds to check, as well as ultrasonics that are sensitive to density changes.
Q: Can you explain how point-level detection technology helps prevent overfills and ensures compliance with safety regulations in chemical processing plants?
A: To ensure safe and sustainable operations in chemical plants, it's crucial to avoid spills and overfills in processes. An easy way to do this is to use point-level detection technology in addition to continuous level measurement, such as a vibrating fork. A common way is to have a high- and a highhigh-level alarm to prevent overfills, and good practice is to also use it for low-level alarms to keep pumps from running dry, for example.
Many companies prefer to have different technologies for their level control and safety system. This is why radar coupled with point-level detection can be a good solution, or used in combination with differential level pressure measurements.
Q: What's the role of differential level pressure to achieve precise and sustainable chemical processes?
A: Many times, in chemical process equipment, it can be difficult to get an accurate level measurement reading from the top because of obstructions in the vessel or because of extreme process conditions. Some examples of those types of process equipment in the chemical industry are distillation towers, adsorbers and evaporators. In those settings, you can have trays, a packed bed or condensers deployed in ways that don’t allow a radar signal or a probe to get through. For those applications and others, differential pressure is the best solution for measuring level.
Q: How can the integration of magnetic level technology and tank
Emerson's comprehensive level measurement portfolio encompasses various technologies to address any challenge in the chemical industry.
gauging systems enhance the overall efficiency and productivity of chemical manufacturing operations?
A: It's still extremely powerful for operators to have visibility in the field of the levels in different process vessels. Many have started to use handheld devices for their operators and can use Bluetooth technology to connect and see levels in tank farms, for example. Tank Master Mobile is another example of an easy-to-use solution for operators for a quick overview of a whole tank farm in the field.
Still, there are many chemical companies and areas where operators aren't allowed to use handheld devices and still want visibility. Of course, they can contact the control room operators, but quick visibility is preferred. Sight glasses on process vessels are a common solution, but
we all know how often they get murky and impossible to see through, especially in dark environments or at long distances, where it's easier to see a magnetic level indicator. A magnetic level solution combines, for example, guided wave radar and level measurement in a chamber, which goes into the control room with a level switch solution for high alarm and a magnetic level indicator for the operator to view in the field.
Tank gauging systems can enhance the accuracy in which you measure inventory levels, down to ±0.5 mm accuracy and with custody transfer capabilities. With efficiency and productivity demands on the chemical industry steadily increasing, it's more and more important to keep track of inventory, not only for the monthly count, but also to optimize production.
Source: Emerson
The largest global and North American automation suppliers report artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, advanced computing and services drive growth
TOP 50 AUTOMATION SUPPLIERS
THE automation marketplace has changed vastly from what it was 30 years ago, but many trends persist and intensified during this time. The first is the increasing emphasis on software and services. Rapid advances in processing capability launched the decade of industrial, artificial intelligence (AI). Cloud computing, edge data processing, virtualization, containerization, Open Process Automation (OPA) and time-sensitive networks (TSN) have transformed the world of control systems. Suppliers continue to beef up their software
capabilities, as we saw in 2022 with Emerson buying a majority stake in AspenTech, and Schneider Electric’s acquisition of industrial software giant Aveva that closed in January 2023. ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com) keeps reporting this in just about every Control /ARC Automation Top 50 article in recent memory, but software is the driving force behind today’s market, and AI is now the tip of the spear. Suppliers know this, and will continue expanding and honing their software expertise and industrial AI solutions.
Photo: Derek Chamberlain / generated with Shutterstock AI
by Larry O’Brien with contributions from Patrick Arnold, Colin Masson, Chantal Polsonetti and Naresh Surepelly
Top 50 Global Automation Vendors
Approaching the Control /ARC Automation Top 50 global and North American automation suppliers is a unique exercise because we must keep one eye in the rearview mirror and the other on the road ahead. According to our
standard methodology, ARC has a strict definition and scope of the automation marketplace that you can read about here. We examine supplier performance based on calendar-year revenues. ARC uses publicly available data in addition to
information from our own database that we’ve developed during more than 30 years of following the automation marketplace, the overall operations technology (OT) space, and the key end-user trends that drive them.
Hardware and services
This doesn’t mean hardware isn’t important. The influx of commercial, IT-based solutions began in the automation marketplace more than 30 years ago, too, with the adoption of commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) operating systems and computing components. The industrial sector debated the benefits of Ethernet for years, until the dam finally burst, and just about every control network available today is based on Ethernet technologies with a few modifications. Today, this trend is accelerating faster than ever, with demand for industrial, edge-based systems and cloud-based automation architectures soaring. Computing requirements for industry will increase exponentially over the next decade, with AI again leading the way. Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (APL) networking was also introduced in 2023, and will bring the benefits of Ethernet down to the device level and hazardous locations.
Aveva and AspenTech aren’t the only recent software acquisitions, though they are substantial. In 2023 alone, ABB acquired a majority stake in Swedish AI startup Viking Analytics; Emerson acquired National Instruments (NI); PTC announced its acquisition of pure-systems; Belden acquired edge-software provider CloudRail; Rockwell Automation acquired OT cybersecurity provider Verve Industrial; and the list goes on. ARC expects more acquisitions as suppliers continue to strength their AI and cybersecurity capabilities.
Emerson’s real-time, actionable data from measurement instrumentation devices ensures you’re not always learning from hindsight. Leverage the power of robust and reliable measurement instrumentation to transform your operations and reach peak performance.
Learn more at www.Emerson.com/MeasurementInstrumentation
However, it’s the services business for all of these automation suppliers that continues to grow at the fastest rate. Almost universally, supplier service revenues are increasing faster than either their hardware or software businesses. Suppliers continue to differentiate themselves based on their deep understanding and engineering knowledge of specific industrial and customer requirements, and are striving to create lifelong partnerships with their clients where they provide a continuous stream of value-added lifecycle services. Many of these services are increasingly tailored to help users get more value out of their sustainability and digital transformation programs.
Supplier performance in 2023
On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, consolidated supplier revenues grew by 8% worldwide and by more than 3% in North America during 2022. This continues the postCOVID-19 growth trend that we’ve seen since 2021, when the market sharply rebounded from the pandemic. In typical fashion, the discrete manufacturing markets were the first to contract and the first to bounce back, while the process industries lagged slightly behind.
In typical fashion, the overall market leaders haven’t changed significantly, though some smaller suppliers gained ground during 2023. It’s worth noting that changes in relative position on this list don’t necessarily indicate the strength or competence of any supplier, and could be due to other factors, the most obvious being merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. This list will give you an idea of who the market leaders are, but any evaluation of suppliers should obviously be more in-depth than their positions in the Control /ARC Top 50 rankings. With the rapid changes taking place in the automation market, it’s also a good time to reevaluate supplier selection criteria.
Big acquisitions fortify positions
Emerson’s acquisition of NI cemented its number-one position in North America with total revenues close to $8 billion. NI’s consolidation into Emerson also removed it from the list, affecting the relative positions of other suppliers.
The same happened with Schneider Electric, which now wholly owns Aveva. It likewise cemented its numberfour position worldwide, and moved up the list in North America to the number four position, placing it very
STATE-OF-THE-SMART
close to ABB. In North America, Hexagon gained some ground to reach the eighth slot by acquiring several software suppliers concentrated in the digitalization, optimization and AI spaces.
Automation market hitting a wall?
After robust growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global and North American automation markets remain strong, but they’re also facing some serious headwinds and signs of softening in several sectors. We expect an overall slowdown in growth, but not a market contraction. Uncertainty surrounding the U.S. election and mounting geopolitical conflicts and tensions also contribute to future market uncertainty.
For example, ARC’s Automation Index declined in 2Q24, which was the first time since the post-pandemic recovery. The automation markets had experienced growth since 3Q20 (past 12 consecutive quarters). Demand for automation products continued to expand in the U.S. market, but at a slower pace. The YoY growth cycle started showing a decline since late 3Q23, and shows further decline through 1Q24. Many of the leading automation suppliers in North America have also increased prices to keep pace with rising production and distribution costs.
Many of the key automation suppliers in North America are reporting strong backlogs, which they plan to work through in 2024. ARC is seeing a shift in growth from converting backlogs to new orders as distributors and machine builders reduce excess inventory. Supply-chain issues have also eased since our last report, and because of this, we’re witnessing improved lead times.
New energy and decarbonization activities also remain strong, as we'll discuss later in this report. Aside from obvious investments in renewable energy, sustainability is also driving investments in automation for hydrogen infrastructure and its frequent counterpart, carbon capture and storage. Investment in plastics and other recycling technologies, such as wind turbine blade recycling, are increasing. Electrification, utilities, data centers and infrastructure (rail, port and marine) sectors are all experiencing strong growth.
However, automotive growth remains weak as automotive manufacturers focus on near-term profitability amid a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles. In addition, semiconductor growth remains weak as manufacturers face several different challenges, including excess memory capacity and workforce shortages. Despite these signs of softening, our outlook remains positive for continued growth in both North America and worldwide through the end of 2024.
The world’s first switch that brings Ethernet into the field of process plants.
HOW THE TOP 50 LISTS ARE DERIVED & ASSEMBLED
ARC Advisory Group's analysts discover new firms to add to the Top 50 lists each year. If you find one that should be listed but isn't, let Larry O’Brien (LOBrien@arcweb.com) know, so it can be evaluated for potential inclusion. Though companies with increased sales are added, and those with decreased sales relative to the others or those that have been acquired are removed, the Top 50's basic analysis methodology hasn't changed for years. If anything, it's scope and focus on revenue generated by process control and automation activities have grown tighter.
Technologies included in the Top 50 definition:
• Process automation systems and related hardware, software and services;
• PLC and related hardware, software, services, I/O and HMI;
• Other control hardware, such as third-party I/O, signal conditioners, intrinsic safety barriers, networking hardware, unit controllers, and single- and multi-loop controllers;
• Process safety systems;
• SCADA systems for oil and gas, water and wastewater, and power distribution;
• AC drives;
• Motion control systems;
• Computer numerical control (CNC) systems;
• Process field instrumentation, such as temperature and pressure transmitters, flowmeters, level transmitters and switches;
With 70,000 certified Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) installed across major industries, ABB is a market leader in continuous emissions monitoring. In 2023, ABB received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan “Company of the Year” award for vision, innovation, and technical expertise in emissions monitoring. abb.com/measurement
• Analytical equipment, including process electrochemical, all types of infrared technology, gas chromatographs for industrial manufacturing and related products;
• Control valves, actuators and positioners;
• Discrete sensors and actuators;
• All kinds of automation-related software from advanced process control, simulation and optimization to third-party HMI, plant asset management, production management (MES), ERP integration packages from the major automation suppliers and similar software, and other automation-related services provided by automation suppliers;
• Condition-monitoring equipment and systems; and
• Ancillary systems, such as burner management systems, quality control systems for pulp and paper, etc.
Technologies not included in the Top 50 definition:
• Pumps and motors
• Robotics
• Material-handling systems
• Supply chain management software
• Building automation systems
• Fire and security systems
• Processing equipment such as mixers, vessels, heaters, as well as process design licenses from suppliers that have engineering divisions
• Electrical equipment, such as low-voltage switchgear, etc.
How AI is transforming industry
AI has revolutionized the way we approach problem-solving and decision-making in various industries. Often described as prediction machines or inference engines, AI systems are designed to analyze data, recognize patterns, and make predictions about future events or outcomes. This predictive capability is central to AI's value proposition, enabling businesses to anticipate trends, optimize processes, and make informed decisions. For instance, in the industrial sector, the most widely deployed AI use case involves predicting equipment failures before they occur, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing downtime.
The surge in investment in AI infrastructure is a testament to this technology's transformative potential. Investment banks like Goldman Sachs have highlighted the rapid growth in AI investment since the breakthrough of Generative AI (Gen AI) with OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5, with projections indicating a global spend nearing $200 billion by 2025.
Over the longer-term, AI-related investment could peak as high as 2.5% to 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the U.S. and 1.5 to 2.5% of GDP among other major AI leaders, if Goldman Sachs Research’s AI growth projections are fully realized. This investment is driving down the cost of AI solutions, making them more accessible, and enabling broader adoption across industrial sectors. They’re hungry to apply the technology to address growing skills gaps, control spiraling energy costs, and meet demand for more sustainable products and services with more resilient supply chains.
AI and the data explosion
The industrial sector's challenges aren’t just about volume, but also involve the complexity and fragmentation of data generated by sensors, machines and smart factories. This data is often disconnected and scattered across various applications, making it difficult to harness for insights and decision-making. Many end-users find it necessary to build a better framework for managing data when implementing new technologies like AI, and this is driving growth in industrial IoT platforms like Honeywell’s Forge, Siemens’ MindSphere, ABB’s Ability, Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, and Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure. Other suppliers like Yokogawa are implementing their own industrial AI platforms that allow connections between operational assets and the enterprise.
Each industrial AI use case requires specific datasets, and may necessitate different tools and techniques. For instance, predictive maintenance relies on sensor data to forecast equipment failures, while generative design uses parameters like materials and cost constraints to create product designs.
Flowmeter
With mobiLink you can peform a variety of configuration and monitoring tasks easily and flexibly in the field. mobiLink communicates via USB or Bluetooth and supports access to HART, Foundation Fieldbus and PROFIBUS PA devices.
Sustainability drives digital transformation
The real question is how all this technology is applied and what its business case is. Energy transition and sustainability are being woven into the core business strategies of most of the world’s largest industrial companies, which now have a mandate and opportunity to not only to tackle environmental and social challenges, but also take advantage of the commercial opportunities and competitive advantages that sustainability offers.
For several years, sustainability issues were approached as something to be dealt with cautiously in reaction to increasingly stringent regulations. However, massive commercial opportunities have emerged beyond just regulatory compliance. Many companies are discovering that ramping up digital transformation initiatives can help reach their sustainability goals. Sustainability can provide business value across several dimensions, including increased energy efficiency, new processes for carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen production and transportation.
Spending on sustainability increases
PROTECT PUMPS
For instance, Bank of America (BoA) reports that, prior to COVID-19, the U.S. spent about 0.4% of GDP on sustainability-related industrial policy, while Germany spent 0.5% or more, and the EU’s other member nations spent more traditionally. Today, the U.S. spends 0.8% of GDP on sustainability-related industrial policy thanks to passing its $1.8 trillion stimulus package. The most recent stimulus is structured quite differently from what the U.S. did before. It doesn't peak until 2026, and will run until 2031. The stimulus was designed so that many projects are in “red states,” and $2.4 trillion is needed to meet net-zero emission targets laid out for the U.S. over the next five years, according to BoA’s research.
Most companies are enhancing energy efficiency and switching to clean-energy sources. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) facilities have also been growing significantly. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Section 45 Q tax credits for capturing carbon have increased to $85 per ton, and most companies can do this at a much lower cost. This makes CCUS extremely profitable, which is why we see so much activity in it, including ExxonMobil’s acquisition of Denbury, Occidental’s acquisition of Carbon Engineering and others.
Edge computing push intensifies
Industrial, edge-computing solutions can overcome limitations such as latency, reliability and security by extending the cloud into OT environments, while also reducing cloud-input data volumes and egress costs. Data at the edge of networks can be aggregated and contextualized to deliver summary
information and insights directly to the cloud, ultimately reducing cloud-based, data-storage costs. Edge functionality has likewise expanded digital transformation’s reach into remote, hazardous and other distributed environments, simultaneously addressing potential lacks of reliable network connections and skilled IT personnel in the field.
Customers and suppliers alike are aligning their edge strategies to take advantage of the cloud’s centralized management, security and scaling capabilities, while preserving operational integrity by marrying these with onsite, edge capabilities. The descent of cloud-native, containerized architectures to the edge is simplifying deployment and management of edge applications, a key edge value driver, by providing a lightweight and portable way to package software and its dependencies. Industrial data can be pre-processed at the edge, sent to the cloud for analytics or model training, and then redeployed at the edge in lightweight software containers.
Industrial automation and cloud-native architectures are coming together, while industrial automation itself is increasingly software-defined. The data sought by edge and cloud-based solutions resides in the logic, process and
motion controllers sold by traditional automation suppliers, which are typically large players with deep domain knowledge that closely integrate their edge offerings with their higher-level, software-based solutions.
These products typically focus on domain-specific use cases that relate to their core automation competencies. Early offerings look to apply analytics to monitoring and maintenance applications focused on reduced downtime and asset utilization objectives. Automation suppliers are also taking advantage of existing edge technology and ecosystems, and partnering with and/or investing in complementary infrastructures, open-source and multiple cloud providers.
Larry O'Brien, VP of research; Patrick Arnold, research analyst covering IIoT and edge; Colin Masson, research director on ARC’s enterprise software team; Chantal Polsonetti, VP and industry analyst focusing on market research and analysis, strategic partnerships, product marketing and project management; and Naresh Surepelly, product manager and senior analyst researching Industry 4.0, IoT, networks and enterprise software, are all located at ARC Advisory Group, and can be reached via Larry at LOBrien@arcweb.com.
SCADA redundancy: 5 questions to ask
RESILIENCE, the ability to carry on in the face of adversity, is a hot topic among those who manage industrial systems. Automatic server failover is an important building block for making automation systems resilient. Not long ago, this was a luxury only large systems could afford. With increased accountability and advances in technology, industrial users of every size are now obliged to consider how redundancy can increase system resilience. Chris Little, media relations director at Trihedral Engineering Limited, creators of VTScada software, talked with Control about five questions users must ask to ensure a new SCADA application will support redundancy.
Q: Before we get to the five questions, who should be asking them?
A: Primarily, these are for managers or superintendents, who are the decision-makers responsible for capturing current and future needs in a specification to hand to their system integrator or in-house developer. They understand the problems and are familiar with standard terminology, but they don’t necessarily understand the specifics of how concepts such as hot backup server failover are supposed to work.
I also think this is relevant to integrators and consultants, who sometimes take for granted that their current approach to redundancy provides adequate resilience for their end users and adequate ROI for them.
Q: For less technical readers, can you describe hot and cold backup?
A: For cold backup, when a primary server fails, someone must go to that location, pull a backup machine out of a closet, power it up, and hope it still connects to the field devices. During this time, operators are blind to what's happening, and in most cases, process data is lost.
Hot backup means that, if a server fails or its network connection is lost, there are one or more backups that can take over in sequence without delay or human intervention. These days, new systems should only be hot backup.
Q: Let’s get to the questions you need to ask when upgrading your SCADA. Question number one, how many redundant servers will there be?
A: Unless you're a big system, the answer is probably one. If the primary fails, there's one backup. The problem is that extreme events, like hurricanes, which can bring down one server, can easily bring down two. Unlike other SCADA products, VTScada software supports any number of distributed servers. These can be configured in seconds without any fragile custom scripting.
Q: Question two, where are the servers located?
A: Let’s say you have two servers. Are they both under the same desk in the same office? Resilience is about eliminating single sources of failure. If you have 10 redundant servers in the same basement, you still have one source of failure in the event of a flood. To minimize risk, the best practice is to place servers in geographically isolated locations. VTScada makes it simple to configure distributed servers across your organization’s LAN or WAN.
"Hot backup means that if a server fails or its network connection is lost, there are one or more backups that can take over in sequence without delay or human intervention. These days, new systems should only be hot backup."
CHRIS LITTLE
Media Relations Director, Trihedral Engineering Limited
Operators must ensure their new SCADA application will support redundancy. These five questions should be asked before deploying new software.
Source: AI/Trihedral Engineering Limited
This problem can also occur with virtual machines. If all your virtual backup servers are hosted on the same physical machine, then you have one point of failure. Many users have redundant servers at several sites with one or more backups in the cloud.
Q: Question three, how does your system’s historian failover?
A: A reasonable person might think that the historical database would failover with the server. The problem is that many SCADA products use third-party databases that must be purchased, installed and backed up separately. Most support one backup historian that can't be hosted at another location. VTScada’s Enterprise Historian is built right into every license, so it automatically fails over with the server by default.
VTScada supports automatic bidirectional server synchronization, which means all servers have an up-to-thesecond backup of your process history, as well as the alarm/event history and configuration change log. Every redundant server is a backup of the entire application. If the network fails, they can each log local data, and automatically update one another when communications are restored.
Q: What about PLCs or networks?
A: When it comes to redundancy, we often think of servers, but many critical applications require backups for their communications network. VTScada’s built-in Driver Multiplexer not only allows you to do that without any custom code, but also let’s you easily add redundant PLCs to your system, which is becoming more and more of a requirement.
Q: Finally, are my thin client servers redundant?
A : For many operators, thin clients are their primary SCADA interface, letting them manage systems from anywhere using phones, tablets or laptops. The spec will not explicitly describe how the system is designed to handle thin client redundancy. Our thin clients are optional, native components that can be enabled on any VTScada server license. These can also be shared across all the redundant servers in an application, allowing any redundant server to be a seamless backup thin client server. No coding required.
Also, since most SCADA software requires third-party server products, they require failover to be configured separately. VTScada’s Internet server is built-in.
Q: We covered a lot of ground. Anything else to add?
A : On many SCADA specifications, redundancy is a single checkbox. It does or doesn't support redundancy. The real answer is always more complicated. These questions will help you quickly understand what's being proposed, and if that's going to offer you the resilience you need.
Q: Where can people learn more?
A : We go into more detail on our website, VTScada.com/redundancy. Plus, we have a free industrial version you can try.
Photo:Login/Shutterstock.com
Part 2 of this series further explains how to add realism to dynamic simulation for control testing
by R. Russell Rhinehart
realism in the form of random events to an otherwise deterministic, dynamic process simulator makes simulation more realistic for evaluating control structures. The following is an excerpt from the ISA-pubNonlinear model-based control using first-principles models in process control (https://programs.isa.org/ nonlinear-mbc).
Simulating ever-changing drifts
The simulation should include mechanisms that generate ever-changing, environmental influences, input conditions, calibration drifts and process attributes. There are four categories of such variables:
• Environmental influences include ambient heat losses due to weather or relative humidity in air intakes;
• Input conditions include the BTU content of a fuel, raw material composition or flow rates;
• Calibration drifts can be on any process measurement, and related to instrument warmup, instrument aging and sensor fouling, etc; and
• Process attributes, including distillation tray efficiency, orifice erosion, screen plugging, heat transfer area fouling and catalyst reactivity.
Though many control theories identify “a disturbance” as one additive bias to a process output, there are many disturbances that don’t act as a measurement bias to the simulator output. They should be modeled as process-input influences.
Certainly, it’s easy to have a computer make step or ramp changes in an input, and some influences do switch on and off. However, this is not commonly the way nature devises it. More consistent with reality, the input pattern should be characterized by a random walk about a mean value—a stochastic pattern. Let’s look at how to include disturbances as auto-regressive, moving- average (ARMA) simulator inputs.
To create a simulator, first define the equation or procedure to obtain y true, the truth about nature, from xdesired , the desired value of the influence:
ytrue = f (xdesired,pideal,eideal,cideal,inideal ) (1)
Though shown as an equation, the process simulator will likely be a complicated set of functions and subroutines. The xdesired represents controlled and other measured variables. The pideal represents ideal values of the process or equipment attributes (catalyst reactivity, tire air pressure, heat exchanger fouling, fluid flow pressure loss coefficient, etc). The eideal represents ideal values of the environmental influences (temperature, %RH, etc). The cideal represents the ideal values of the instrument calibrations (for instance, 4-20 mA generates 3 - 15 psia, which makes a valve stem range from 0 - 100% of stroke). The inideal represents the ideal values of the process inflows (temperature, raw material composition, etc).
Before using the model, first perturb each variable in each of the three categories with appropriate disturbances (drifts, d ), and, if sensible, add noise, n. Then use the model to calculate the true response. Finally, perturb the response with measurement drift and noise:
xactual = xdesired + d x + n x (2a)
pactual = pideal + d p + n p (2b)
eactual = eideal + d e + n e (2c)
cactual = cideal + d c + n c (2d)
inactual = inideal + din + nin (2e)
ymodel = f (xactual,pactual,eactual,cactual,inactual ) (2g)
ymeasured = ymodel + d y + n y (2g)
Although the disturbances, d, and noise, n, are added, it might be more appropriate to make them a multiplicative factor, when you anticipate that the noise level or perturbation magnitude scales with the input value. Although these drift and noise values change with each sampling, for clarity, the subscript counter, i, is not included.
Looking at measurement sequence or time, there are two basic concepts of variation. One is independent variation, in which sample-to-sample variation is uncorrelated. This is often termed noise.
With noise, what causes one perturbation from ideal doesn't persist, and the next perturbation is the result of independent causes. The other mechanism for variation reflects a cause that has persistence, in which sequential perturbations are correlated. The ever-changing disturbances, labeled as d in the previous equations, represent auto-correlated, time-dependent trends, or drifts, in an influence or model coefficient. The symbol n will represent uncorrelated and independent noise.
Many influences on experiments have persistence. For example, if a cloud covers the sun, the shadow persists for a while. If the blocked sunlight influences a temperature disturbance, then a negative d -value at one sampling (in the shadow of the cloud) generates a negative d -value at the subsequent sampling (as the shadow persists).
For dynamic, time-dependent simulators, a common method to simulate how disturbances (bias or systematic error in measurements, as well as uncontrolled influences on the process) change over time is to considering that they’re driven by random events that have persistence.
A drifting influence on the j -th variable with a first-order persistence driven by NID(0, ) noise is modeled as:
ddj (t ) + dj (t ) = n (t ) = d √(-2ln (r(1,i))) sin (2πr(2,i)) (3) dt
Again, the subscript i represents the sample number— the time interval. Expanding this differential with a forward-finite difference and rearranging leads to the ARMA model for dj (t ):
d(j,i) = (1 – ) d(j,i-1) + d √(-2ln (r(1,i))) sin (2πr(2,i)) (4)
Where,
= 1 – e(-∆t/ ) (5) and ∆t is the simulation time step. If ∆t < , which is usually the case in simulation, then the simplified approximation = ∆t / can be used.
When creating a simulation, the user chooses a timeconstant for the persistence that’s reasonable for the effects considered, and a -value that would make the disturbance have a reasonable variability. Since the firstorder persistence tempers the response to the random influences, the driver, d , must be greater than the desired variation on the disturbance.
When creating a simulation with a stochastic influence, the user chooses a time-constant for the persistence that’s reasonable for the effects considered, and a d -value that would make the disturbance have a reasonable variability. At each sampling, Equation 4 provides the perturbation value for the variables x , p, e , c or in that are used in all of Equation 2. In its first use, the values for dj in Equation 4 should be initialized with zero.
How should one choose values for and d ? First, consider the time-constant, , in Equation 3. It represents the time-constant of the persistence of a particular influence. It's roughly ≈ 1/3 of the lifetime of a persisting event because the solution to the first-order differential equation indicates that, after three time-constants, dj finished 95% of its change toward the final value. If you consider that the shadow of a cloud persists for six minutes, then the timeconstant value is about two minutes. Or you could use ≈ 1/4 of the persistence period representing 98% of the time to change. Once you choose a -value that matches your experience with nature and decided on a time interval for the numerical simulation, ∆t, calculate from Equation 5.
To determine the value for d , propagate variance in Equation 4. You don’t have to do it. The result is Equation 6. Use your choice of z (and , which is dependent on your choices for ∆t and ) to determine the value for d . The subscript z represents any of the variables x , p, e , c or in :.
d = z √((2 – ) / ) (6)
To choose a value for z , the resulting variability on the z -variable, consider a fluctuation range for the disturbance. You must have a feel for what’s reasonable to expect for the situation that you’re simulating. For instance, if it’s barometric pressure, the normal local range of low-to-high
might be 29 - 31 inches of mercury (inHg). If it’s outside temperature in the summer, it might be 70 - 95 oF. If it’s catalyst activity coeffi cient, it might be from 0.50 to 0.85. The disturbance value is expected to wander within those extremes. Using the range, R , as:
R = HIGH – LOW (7)
And the standard deviation, , as approximately one-fifth of the range, then:
d = (R /5) √((2- ) / ) (8)
To generate stochastic inputs for dynamic simulators, choose a timeconstant for persistence of events and a range of the disturbance variable. Use Equation 5 to calculate , then Equations 6 and 8 to calculate d . At each simulation time interval, use Equation 4 to determine the perturbation to a variable.
Figure 1 is an illustration of one 400-minute realization of a stochastic variable calculated as above. The time-constant is 40 minutes, the nominal input value is 20, and the range is three units. In this illustration, notice that the variable averages about its nominal value of 20, and that the difference between the high and low values is nearly three. During a period between 150 and 275 minutes, the value is below the average, indicating a persistence of 275 - 150 = 125 minutes, which is about three times the 40-minute time-constant. Some persistence values are shorter, while some are longer.
This approach modeled a drifting influence as a fi rst-order response to a Gaussian distributed driver. You can certainly can model drifts as higher-order or driven by alternate, forcing-function distributions. However, my view is that this adequately mimics how I consider randomly driven drifts in natural disturbances to respond, and it provides a
relatively simple method to execute and parameterize.
Simulating stiction
Stiction is a slip-stick phenomenon common to pneumatically activated fl ow-control valves. The valve stem must slide through the valve body to open and close the inner valve. This hole in the body permits process material to leak out, so there’s packing material between the stem and body. If the packing is too loose, process material can slip out. But if it’s too tight, the packing can grab and hold the valve stem.
Normally, when the controller wants to open the a valve, the air pressure on the actuator changes, and the force imbalance between the actuator and the spring permits the stem to move to a position that makes the forces balance. But, if the packing grabs the stem, the stem will not move until the force imbalance overcomes the static friction. Then, the valve stem starts moving. And, since sliding friction is less than static friction, the stem jumps to a new position, stopping at a random position between the current location and the ideal target, where the static friction again overcomes the actuator-tospring force imbalance.
A convenient way to simulate stiction is to separately model the target
stem position (that desired by the controller), xtarget , and the actual stem position, xactual . If the difference between the target and actual is less than a threshold difference, then the actual position doesn't change. However, if the difference exceeds the threshold, ∆, then the actual jumps to a random spot near to the target:.
IF (| xtarget – xactual | < ∆ ) THEN (xactual : = xactual ) (9)
IF (|
In Equation 10, the target and actual subscripts are replaced with “t” and “a.” The r represents a uniformly distributed random number in the 0 to 1 interval. The (1 + r ) / 2 functionality in this model permits the valve stem to jump at least halfway to the target prior to stopping, randomly. The := notation indicates a computer code assignment statement, in which the “prior” and “new” subscripts are unnecessary.
The user specifi es the threshold, ∆. Certainly, the user can make the ∆-value dependent on the stem position (modeling the local impact of defects) or the jump-to range larger or smaller.
Ideally, in a single-input, singleoutput (SISO) application, stiction is
Figure 1: Illustration of generating a stochastic influence for a process
shown by a square wave (alternating steps) in the CV and a corresponding sawtooth wave (alternating ramps) in the MV. The pattern might not be exactly regular, and may be shifted by a delay or tempered by a filter. The evidence may be more complicated in a multivariable process and with continually drifting disturbance effects.
Simulating lost motion
Lost motion happens when there’s play in mechanical linkages, which can be on a rotary or butterfly valve in the process industry, or in positioning devices in mechanical or robotic devices. With play or slop in linkage, the final element follows the target position—always behind by a small value. When the target position reverses, the final element doesn't change until the linkage slop is
removed, and the final element can begin to move. Often, this is termed “deadband,” but lost motion is more appropriate because the term deadband normally refers to the band around a setpoint used to trigger on/ off control action.
A convenient way to simulate this is to separately model the target, final-element position (that desired by the controller), x target , and the actual position, x actual . If the difference between the target and actual is less than a threshold difference, then the actual position doesn’t change. However, if the difference exceeds the threshold, ∆, then the actual follows the target with a difference of ∆:
Don’t learn by memorizing these messages. Learn by implementing the techniques in a simulator and exploring their impacts.
Russ Rhinehart started his career in the process industry. After 13 years and rising to engineering supervision, he transferred to a 31-year academic career, serving as the chemical engineering head at Oklahoma State University for 13 years. He is a fellow of AIChE and ISA. Now retired, he enjoys coaching professionals through books, articles, short courses and postings on his website at www. r3eda.com.
Ethernet and fieldbus work the networks
Control ’s monthly resources guide
INCREASE COMPREHENSION
This online book, “A comprehensible guide to industrial Ethernet” by Wilfried Voss, explains the basics of various protocols, such as Ethernet/ IP, Modbus/TCP, EtherCAT, Ethernet Powerlink, ProfiNet and Sercos III. It covers challenges and motivation for industrial Ethernet, basics and advantages of fieldbus systems, OSI reference model, Ethernet TCP/IP basics and real-time control. It’s at copperhilltech.com/a-comprehensible-guideto-industrial-ethernet
COPPERHILL TECHNOLOGIES www.copperhilltech.com
TWO VIDEOS+LINKS TO MORE
This eight-minute video, “What is Ethernet?,” covers the IEEE 802.3 standard, local-area networking (LAN), physical layer, twistedpair cabling, RJ-45 connectors and other essential aspects of Ethernet. It’s located at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HLziLmaYsO0. It's also linked to several other videos, including, “What is fieldbus?,” which covers its group of communication protocols. It’s at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ndc6at_d7uQ&t=8s. In addition, there are also links to videos about Modbus, DeviceNet, Profibus/ Profinet, EtherCAT, AS-Interface, IO Link and others.
REALPARS www.realpars.com
FIELDBUSES IN A NUTSHELL
This 3.5-minute video, “Basics of a fieldbus control network,” covers sensor, device and control bus networks, and how they interact with programmable logic controllers (PLC), human-machine interfaces (HMI), smart instruments and enterprise bus
networks. It’s located at www.youtube. com/watch?v=qAxAIoVvth8 MEAD O’BRIEN www.meadobrien.com
GET INDUSTRIAL ON THE PLANT-FLOOR
This online article, “Industrial Ethernet explained,” covers many strategies for hardening and protecting Ethernet for use on plant-floors and other harsh environments, such as deploying M-12 cables and connectors, and using Power over Ethernet (PoE), Profinet and several other communication protocols. It’s located at tinyurl. com/4rsvdrp9
EATON www.eaton.com
ALL ABOUT PROFIBUS AND PROFINET
This 222-page book, “Catching the process fieldbus” by James Powell and Henry Vandelinde, provides a comprehensive look at bus networks, Profibus and Profinet protocols, physical layers and network components, installation design, commissioning, asset management and network health. It’s at tinyurl.com/mrvjsmh2 SIEMENS www.siemens.com
TALKING TO VARIABLESPEED DRIVES
This 51-minute video, “Weg webinar—fieldbus communication for variable-speed drives,” covers controls, physical layers and protocols, RS-485, Modbus and Modbus TCP/ IP, and CANopen and BACnet protocols. It’s at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6XzXDmo1qDU
WEG INDUSTRIES S.A. www.weg.net
FOUNDATIONS OF FOUNDATION FIELDBUS
This 44-page paper, “Foundation fieldbus,” is relatively dated, but it still provides a good introduction to the protocol’s history, organization, device approval, performance features, physical layer, communications, application layer and other concepts. It’s located at www.samsongroup.com/document/ l454en.pdf
SAMSON www.samsongroup.com
SIX REASONS FOR PROTOCOLS
This blog post, “Six reasons to consider EtherNet/IP and Profinet for your process” by Steve Kannengieszer, examines the two protocols, presents a chart comparing the capabilities of eight of the primary Ethernet and fieldbus protocols, and also provides a short video about deploying EtherNet/IP or Profinet in a thermal mass flowmeter. It’s located at www.brooksinstrument.com/en/blog/6-reasonsto-consider-ethernetip-and-profinetfor-your-process
BROOKS INSTRUMENT www.brooksinstrument.com
BEST OF BEFORE–AND (ORGANIZATIONS
The previous incarnation of this column, “Fieldbus, Ethernet networks explained,” contains the usual resources, but it also includes links to most of the fieldbus organizations, such as EtherCAT, PI North America, FieldComm Group and ODVA. They’re located at www.controlglobal.com/network/ industrial-networks/article/11307953/ resource-guide-fieldbus-ethernet-networks-explained CONTROL www.controlglobal.com
Fixing flow measurement errors
High-accuracy Coriolis flowmeters measure fuel-gas consumption
Q: A fuel gas package (FG1) was going to supply four turbines through an orifice flow transmitter (FT100). Another fuel gas package (FG2) supplied two turbines across a vortex flow transmitter (FT200). Total fuel gas consumed is the addition of individual fuel package (FG1 and FG2) consumption. Then, if all flow is across (FG2), I have less total fuel gas consumption. Why is flow through only FG2 not the same as the total fuel gas consumption compared with FG1?
• FG1 orifice flowmeter: 0-150 ksm3/d
• Pressure upstream: 29.5 bar
• Pressure downstream: 20 bar
• FG2 vortex flow transmitter: 0-9,000 kg/hr
• Pressure upstream: 29.5 bar
• Pressure downstream: 21 bar
FEMI ALABI engineer
femi.alabi@totalenergies.com
A1: In my handbook, when you look at a chapter dealing with a unit operation (reactors, distillation, boilers, etc), it always starts with a detailed description of that system. In this question, one can’t be sure of the piping/ valving configuration of the discussed system, so we must make assumptions. I assume your
installation involves measuring fuel gas flow to four turbines, and Figures 1 and 2 describe their configuration and control.
I assume the load on each of the four turbines is determined by the gearbox speed controller, which positions the throttle valve in the fuel gas supply lines of each of the four turbines (Figure 1).
Figure 2 shows the assumed piping/valving configuration of the two gas flowmeters, which measure total gas flows to the four turbines in one of two ways. I say assumed because the wording of the question doesn’t describe it.
The assumed Configuration 1 (C1) is obtained, when the total gas flow to the four turbine throttle valves is measured by the vortex flowmeter (FT-200) in Figure 2. This configuration is obtained when valve (V1) is closed and valve (V2) is open. Configuration 2 (C2) is obtained when V1 is open and V2 is closed.
First, I’ll discuss how this strange piping/ valving configuration could have evolved. It’s possible the initial installation included no vortex flowmeter (FT200), no valves (V1 and V2), and the orifice meter measured the total flow to all turbines. Next, as is often the case, the demand for total flow increased, and the 3:1 rangeability of the conventional
This column is moderated by Béla Lipták, who also edits the Instrument and Automation Engineers’ Handbook, 5th edition , and authored the recently published textbook, Controlling the Future , which focuses on controlling AI and climate processes. If you have a question about measurement, control, optimization or automation, please send it to liptakbela@aol.com
When you send a question, please include your full name, job title and company or organization affiliation.
Figure 1: Assumed control of all four turbines
orifice type measurement became insufficient. At that point, instead of replacing the orifice with a larger one or replacing the conventional DP cell with a higher rangeability smart transmitter, the users kept using the existing orifice, and added this strange bypass shown in Figure 2, consisting of a vortex meter and valves V1 and V2.
Today, these users probably have an installation that can measure total flow in one of two ways. In C1, it measures the total gas flow only with a vortex flowmeter (FT200) with 20:1 rangeability and 1-1.5% of actual flowrate accuracy, if the Reynolds number exceeds 30,000. In C2, the conventional and probably uncalibrated and worn orifice (FT100) measures about half the total flow, while the other half is detected by the vortex meter. The problems with this arrangement are:
• Both the orifice and vortex flowmeters detect volumetric flow, while the flow of interest to the turbines is mass flow;
• The readout range of the two flowmeters isn’t the same because the vortex is in kg/hr and the orifice is in m3/day; and
• The flow measured by the vortex meter is about half as much when the system is in C2 than in C1, so it’s possible that in C2, the Reynolds number drops below the required 30,000 limit, increasing the measurement error.
The bottom line is: what you have is no good, and should be replaced with a single, high-rangeability, mass flowmeter, such as a Coriolis meter.
BÉLA LIPTÁK liptakbela@aol.com
A2: In general, I expect the orifice flow measurement to have a greater chance of error than the vortex flow measurement. This is more likely with older flowmeter installations due to errors accruing from wear of the orifice (loss of the sharp edge in the orifice),
at 29.5
the error resulting from the sensing of downstream pressure not being at the vena contracta, or the location downstream of the orifice, which is the lowest pressure. The location of the vena contracta varies with flow rate. Orifice taps are most likely to have the most vena contracta error.
In my process control classes, I tell my students that using orifice meters for flow control is the most economical measurement technology because, for control purposes, vena contracta error makes no difference. However, don’t use these measurements for material or energy balances because they can be in error by as much as 4%.
Vortex-shedding flowmeters are, in general, more accurate since they have no elements that wear with flow. However, even vortex meters shouldn’t be used for material and energy balances because they’re only 1-2% accurate. Only Coriolis, turbine or positive displacement flowmeters are accurate enough for material and energy-balance purposes.
This application seems to be related to accuracy of measurement. In that case, none of the flowmeters you’re using can provide accurate data.
RICHARD H. CARO process control consultant Richard@Caro.us
Figure 2: Assumed piping configuration of the two total fuel gas supply flowmeters
Figure 3: Coriolis flowmeter error as a function of 0% to 100% of flow range
Wide-ranging temperatures and pressures
Sensors, transmitters and accessories extend their ranges, configurability, housings and networking
MEASURE UP TO 5,000 PSIG
PRECONFIGURABLE RTD TRANSMITTER
AchieVe LPPT pressure transmitters provide value to general industrial applications by featuring rugged, compact stainless-steel construction. They’re also affordable and ideal for space-limited applications. AchieVe offers a male, ¼-in., NPT process connection, measuring ranges up to 5,000 psig, and a 4-20 mA analog output. These pressure transmitters are also ULrecognized, CE-marked, have a high IP67 environmental protection rating, and come with a three-year warranty.
AUTOMATIONDIRECT www.automationdirect.com/pressure-transmitters
TWO-METER THERMOCOUPLE RESISTS HAZARDS
Type-K, Class 1, 2-meter thermocouple provides accurate, cost-effective temperature measurements. Type-K also features a welded, exposed junction and a single flat pair of 0.5 mm, Teflon-insu lated conductors. Its green (+) and white (-) cores and green jacket align with IEC-5843, while its insulation is rated for -75 °C to 260 °C. RS 866-433-5722; us.rs-online.com/product/rs-pro/1365890/71083684
REMOTE PROGRAMMING FOR SAFETY
Sitrans P320/420 are reported to be the first pressure trans mitters with remote, safe han dling. They let users program devices from their control rooms, instead of programming each individual transmitter onsite. This shortens commissioning, espe cially in applications that require functional safety. Sitrans P320/420 also provides a test period of up to 15 years, instead of the usual two years, which ensures lower maintenance costs.
iTemp TMT31 RTD-head, tempera ture transmitters with Pt100/ Pt1000 sensors for analog, 4-20 mA signals are available with push-in or screw terminals. For faster commissioning, users can receive TMT31 preconfigured, or apply custom parameterization onsite with free configuration software. TMT31 is approved for safe operation in Zone 2 / Div. 2 hazardous areas (non-sparking) in accordance with ATEX and CSA C/US standards, along with their Pt100 and Pt1000 sensors.
ENDRESS+HAUSER eh.digital/tmt31_us
DIGITAL PROCESS AND TEMPERATURE METER
330R2 1/8 DIN process and temperature panel meter is enclosed in a 1/8 DIN casing with a NEMA 4X and IP65 front panel. Its UV-resistant, sunlightreadable, four-digit display and -40 °C to 65 °C range make it suitable for outdoors. 330R2 accepts many analog inputs including process voltage (0-5V, 1-5V, 0-10V, ±10V) and current (020mA, 4-20mA, ±20mA) inputs, as well as 100 Ohm RTDs, and the four most common thermocouples.
MOORE INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. mimpage.miinet.com/330r2-process-temperature-meter
RTD SENSOR HAS -50 °C TO 250 °C RANGE
MPFA000024 is a head-type RTD sensor from Multicomp Pro that’s designed for Class A accurate measurements over a -50 °C to 250 °C range. It runs at 100 ohms, is RoHS compliant, and its construction makes it suitable for air conditioning, refrigeration, chemical and food applications. MPFA000024's ceramic terminal block with three terminals facilitates secure, stable connections for consistent performance.
SIEMENS PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION & ANALYTICS 800-365-8766; www.usa.siemens.com/pressure
NEWARK www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mpfa000024/rtd-sensor-100ohm-50-to-250deg/dp/86AK7512
PRESSURE SENSORS WITH DISPLAY
BSP pressure sensors with display from Balluff offer configurable out puts, such as analog, digital and IOLink. These sensors provide flex ibility in monitoring and controlling gases and fluids. They withstand harsh environments with the high est IP ratings (IP67 and optional IP69K), and operate from -40 °C to 125 °C. Diagnostic features include run-hour tracking and pressure peak detection.
GALCO
www.galco.com
PURGE AND PRESSURIZE FOR SAFETY
STAINLESS-STEEL RTD SENSORS
PRS Series RTD sensors have a -58 °F to 392 °F range, and are designed for sanitary or clean-in-place (CIP) applications. They’re manufactured with 316L stainless-steel housings to meet 3-A requirements. Sensor output is a four-wire, Pt 100 Class A RTD. PRS comes in standard 3 in. to 6 in. lengths with special-order lengths available. They also come in ¼ in. or 3/16 in. diameters for faster response times.
DWYER OMEGA
800-872-9141; tinyurl.com/PRSSeriesRTDs
RECHARGEABLE THERMAL IMAGER WITH WI-FI
Purge-and-pressurization products separate devices from surrounding, hazardous atmospheres by placing them inside lightweight enclosures, purging their spaces with air or inert gas, and maintaining a pressure higher than those external atmospheres. They monitor conditions in their enclosures for leakage compensation and temperature control, make automatic adjustments, and provide output alarms for reliable protection.
PEPPERL+FUCHS
www.pepperl-fuchs.com
The First Process Industry Ethernet-APL Field Switch
The Ethernet-APL rail field switch is the world’s first to bring Ethernet into the field of process plants. The rail field switch transmits power and data on an Ethernet wire into hazardous areas. Mounting of the APL rail field switch via DIN rail makes migration from fieldbus to Ethernet extremely cost-effective. In addition, the rail field switch is perfectly suited for compact plant layouts.
TI270 high-resolution, Wi-Fi enabled, USB-rechargeable, thermal imager from Klein Tools has a large LCD that displays unseen hot and cold spots for instant troubleshooting. It provides greater than 10,000-pixel resolution and three color palettes. TI270 also features high- and low-temperature points, crosshairs to pinpoint specific temperatures, and options for temperature alarms. A free software app is available.
DIGIKEY www.digikey.com
Pepperl+Fuchs https://www.pepperl-fuchs.com/usa/en/classid_9826.htm
The
Updated TCS Temperature Concentrator System
Introducing high-density temperature monitoring over Ethernet with the TCS using the HES HART-to-Ethernet Gateway System. The TCS with the HES enables 16-128 temperature signals to be transmitted to a MODBUS/TCP host over one Ethernet link. Enhance versatility and reduce costs in your temperature monitoring system with the TCS.
Moore Industries www.miinet.com/TCS
MICRO-CAPACITANCE SENSOR FOR RELIABILITY
FCX electronic pressure trans mitters have a heritage of reli able performance with more than 1 million sold worldwide. Their key component for performance and reliability is a micro-capacitance, sili con sensor that’s produced with micro-machining. A range of models are available for gauge or differential pressure and flow with competitive, low-cost options. FCX is used in industrial, high-static and nuclear applications.
FUJI ELECTRIC
americas.fujielectric.com/products/instrumentation/pressure
TRANSMITTERS COMPLY WITH ATEX, IECEX, CSA
1800 Series conventional pressure transmitters provide a safe, reliable, rugged solution for pressure, level and flow applications. With ATEX, IECEx, and CSA approvals, they're suitable for hazardous envi ronments. Users have evaluated 1800 series, and reportedly found they meet or exceed the performance of legacy brands.
SOR INC.
www.sorinc.com
PROBE-STYLE TEMPERATURE SENSORS
TS+ probe-style, programmable, fluidtemperature sensors have a rotating dis play for orientation adjustments. Their stainless-steel, IP6K9K-rated housing is sealed against dust and high-pressure washing. TS+ is available with direct- and remote-mounts, and a variety of temperature probes, thermowells and accessories. They also have IO-Link, analog and switching that provides early warnings, and allows real-time measurements.
TURCK
www.turck.com
United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only)
1. Publication Title: CONTROL
2. Publication Number: 004-853
3. Filing Date: 09/30/2024
4. Issue of Frequency: Monthly, exept combined Jan/Feb & Nov/Dec
5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 10
6. Annual Subscription Price: Free
7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not Printer): Endeavor Business Media, LLC, 201 N Main Street, Ste. 5, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538, Contact Person: Anna Hicks, Telephone: (205) 276-0875
8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not Printer): Endeavor Business Media, LLC,30 Burton Hills Blvd., Ste. 185., Nashville, TN 37215
9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing EditorPublisher: Keith Larson, 1501 E Woodfield Rd., Ste.. 400 N, Schaumburg, IL 60173; Editor: Len Vermillion, 1501 E Woodfield Rd., Ste.. 400 N, Schaumburg, IL 60173; Managing Editor: Jim Montague, 1501 E Woodfield Rd., Ste.. 400 N, Schaumburg, IL 60173
10. Owner - Full name and complete mailing address: Endeavor Media Holdings I, LLC, 905 Tower Place, Nashville, TN 37204; Endeavor Media Holdings II, LLC, 905 Tower Place, Nashville, TN 37204;Resolute Capital partners Fund IV, LP, 20 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 430, Nashville, TN 37215;RCP Endeavor, Inc, 20 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 430, ,Nashville, TN 37215;Northcreek Mezzanine Fund II, LP,312 Walnut Street, Suite 2310,Cincinnati, OH 45202;Invegarry Holdings, LP,44235 Hillsboro Pike,Nashville, TN 37215;Everside Fund II, LP,155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central,New York, NY 10017Everside Endeavor F1 Blocker, LLC, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, New York, NY 10017;Everside Endeavor International Blocker, LLC, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, New York, NY 10017;Everside Founders Fund, LP, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, ,New York, NY 10017;Suncap Endeavor Blocker, LLC,155 East 44th St, Suite 210110 Grand Central,New York, NY 10017
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None
12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one). The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: N/A
13. Publication Title: CONTROL
14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September 2024
15. Extent and Nature of Circulation
a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)
Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date
b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies.)
25,445 (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies.) 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS® 54 0 (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®) 0
c. Total Paid and/or Requested Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4))
d. Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources) 19,501 14,936 (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources) 0
(3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, Nonrequestor Copies mailed in excess of 10% Limit mailed at Standard Mail® or Package Services Rates)
(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms and Other Sources)
e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4))
Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)
Copies not Distributed
Total (Sum of 15f and g)
i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)
16. Electronic Copy Circulation
a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies
b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c)+ Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)
c. Total Requested Copy Distribution Distribution(Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)
d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies)
(16b divided by 16c x 100) I certify that 50% of all my distribution copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies:
17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the issue of this publication. Oct-24
18. Anna Hicks, Associate Director of Audience Development Date: 9/26/24
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).
PS Form 3526-R, July 2014
GREG MCMILLAN
Gregory K. McMillan captures the wisdom of talented leaders in process control, and adds his perspective based on more than 50 years of experience, cartoons by Ted Williams, and (web-only)
Top 10 lists. Find more of Greg's conceptual and principle-based knowledge in his Control Talk blog. Greg welcomes comments and column suggestions at ControlTalk@ endeavorb2b.com
Simulation lifecycle management, part 2
Despite their value, there's still a challenge to maintaining simulations
GREG: In September, I talked with Marsha Wisely, president of PlantWise Industrial Consulting, about some of the value of process simulation (Sept. ’24, p. 40, ControlGlobal.com/ ControlTalk0924). In that article, we explained that you don't always have to go with a complex or high-fidelity model to get value. However, your process simulator must match production, so any testing, training and optimization of the system is relevant to your current production.
Throughout my career, I adopted and advocated for process simulation, authored books, and improved many industries by deploying process simulation. Yet, despite the value that the automation industry has seen for years, it’s challenging to maintain simulations.
This month, Marsha and I explore dynamic process simulation system maintenance. Her experience spans more than a decade working as a process simulation engineer, automation engineer and consultant on process simulation projects. Her leadership at PlantWise gives her unique insight that we’ll tap into this month.
Maintenance is often seen as one of the key barriers to adopting process simulations. With all the innovation and transformational technology today, why don’t simulation systems automatically sync with production?
MARSHA: Fair question. New tools are starting to be developed to identify discrepancies between simulation and production, which is great. But these tools compare the emulated control system to the production control system. They don’t look at the process model.
GREG: So, it’s getting easier, but it’s not perfect.
MARSHA: Before we give up, let’s remind ourselves why we might want to deploy a process simulation in the first place. The value of process simulation is it’s a virtual replica of a control system connected to a virtual process. With this combination, we have a sandbox that
lets users perform automation testing, training and optimization in a safe, offline environment, reducing the risk to production when changes are made. To realize this value though, you have to change the offline environment first.
GREG: If this isn’t what process and automation teams have been doing, they may not think to use process simulation.
MARSHA: Exactly. If you deploy a process simulation but don’t change your workflow, you’ll still make changes to production, and then force the simulator to match. With this legacy workflow, you don’t see any value from the simulation, and it would seem like a burden. But really, you havn’t fully adopted it yet. Greg, you were a process control engineer, who had great success using process models. Can you describe your workflow, and how using process simulation enhanced your projects?
GREG: I first developed and ran the model with all the process and instrumentation dynamics and advanced regulatory control strategy on my computer, which nowadays is a digital twin. I found and verified process control improvements. They were incorporated into the plant dynamic simulation that was used, not only for training operators, but also for educating process, automation and maintenance engineers. If the digital twin and actual control system had the same setpoints and tuning, model fidelity was seen in how well the manipulated variables in the digital twin matched those in the actual plant. Process model parameters were adjusted to improve the match.
MARSHA: That’s a great example of getting the full value of process simulation. By embedding process simulation into your workflow, your testing was enhanced, and you reduced the risk to production when deploying your optimization project.
GREG: These systems still fall out of sync. Why is that?
MARSHA: Depending on staffing at a facility, it may be difficult to justify spending time learning a new workflow, when the old workflow seems so much faster. This is why I advocate right-sizing simulation for where you are in your digital transformation journey. It’s much easier to make small adjustments than big adjustments. Simpler, lower-fidelity, process-simulation systems are easier to learn.
GREG: You start by adopting lower levels of stimulation, adding to them, and enhancing where you find you’ll see the most value. This lets teams adapt their change-management process with a simulation that’s easier to maintain. It also forms good testing habits in the process-simulation environment. Once you have that workflow ingrained in your organization, teams can evaluate where to get the most value for higher fidelities in the relationship, and strategically expand the scope.
MARSHA: The change in workflow isn’t complicated. It’s just a change that needs to be fully adopted. The end users I work with in the pharmaceutical industry, where qualification and validation are already a part of their process, see tremendous risk reduction from enhancing their testing protocols. You must be consistent though, including when you hire contract engineers to perform work in your facility. I’ve seen contractors remove simulation from scope to keep their bid lower than the competition. If they don’t update your simulation as part of the automation project, you end up having to reconcile as a separate project later.
GREG: As an automation and simulation engineer, who has worked with contractors, I wanted to rigorously test someone else’s work against my simulation to ensure it meets the specs. It
helps keep everything in sync, and I gained confidence in their deliverables.
MARSHA: Greg, as a successful process simulation adopter and longtime advocate, I’m curious what skills you think someone needs to be able to own and manage a dynamic process simulation system.
GREG: Think through the components. You have an emulated version of the control system that’s connected to the process simulation. The control system is identical to the production system, so making changes needed in the control system requires knowledge of it. If you model your process so it reflects production by using a first-principles model, with all the thermodynamic calculations and material balances and energy balances and reaction kinetics, then updating that process model requires deep process knowledge.
MARSHA: I agree, and that may mean you need collaboration between process and control to update the dynamic process simulation system at your facility. This again shows why it's so important to have a workflow that supports
the maintenance and use of your process simulation. You must work across teams to ensure everything is up to date, unless you have a Greg McMillan on staff, who has both skill sets and is a process control specialist.
GREG: Well, I’m certainly not alone. There are consulting companies, who have the combined skillset to participate in your capital and maintenance projects, and manage the process simulator scope, so you can use it for testing and training prior to changing production.
MARSHA: By having an external contractor own maintenance, your process simulator isn’t competing for time with production. Process and automation engineers can focus on day-to-day operations, and contractors can be integral to onsite change-management.
GREG: Of course, hiring a contractor has costs associated with it. However, having a few hours on each project and getting maximum value out of this tool you’ve invested in will ensure your simulation is always ready for the next project, and you’re maximizing its return on that investment.
Get outgoing
It
never hurts to ask a few specific questions
JIM MONTAGUE Executive Editor
jmontague@endeavorb2b.com
“Saying everything is rigged sounds better than admitting we’re too lazy to participate.”
EVER heard of “revenge tourism”? It’s the idea that, “The pandemic is over, and I want to visit the Parthenon or Italy or someplace else.” One corollary I’ve noticed is “revenge conferences and trade shows” because, where we usually travel to a couple of fall events, lately it’s been seven or eight in the space of a couple of months.
Despite the usual headaches of air travel and the cost of cat-sitting, I try to attend as many events as I can because going out, meeting people, and taking the initiative find stories and original content is still light years more productive than hoping for substantive answers and input to emerge organically.
Granted, most potential sources are unwilling or too timid to speak up in the first place, and I don’t blame anyone for not having the time or simply preferring not to be interviewed. However, most of those who are willing usually seem to be stuck in a brokenrecord/TikTok loop of advertising-speak and self-promotion. Unfortunately, most sources, like most people, seem to be hopelessly focused on the basic tasks and goals they and their organizations are trying to accomplish, which sadly distracts them from being aware of and responding to the perspectives and priorities of the very same customers, clients and partners they most want to engage with.
For instance, almost every time I receive written responses to my questions for articles, they consist of vague talk about trends and someone-should-do suggestions, rather than the specific experiences, lessons learned, best practices and advice that Control ’s readers have always indicated they prefer.
These nebulous responses are like the unrelated, party-line responses that politicians spout during debates, rather than the straight-up answers, they should provide. This is the reason I try to secure in-person, on-thephone or video-streaming interviews because I can immediately point out, “You’re not really
answering the question,” or ask, “Do you have specific examples of what we’re talking about and how others can do the same?”
I don’t actually tackle sources by their ankles, but I come pretty close. I was told early on that it never hurts to ask. Since then, I’ve concluded it’s OK to be aggressive in pursuing information, as long as I’m polite—and willing to take no for an answer, which I often do.
Beyond reporting, I believe this procedure is equally beneficial in many professional and personal situations. The odds of finding helpful people and useful information are far better if you go look for them, and gather their experiences and advice, instead of waiting for input that’s unlikely to show up independently.
The same goes for our local organizations and communities—and even our companies and families, which can be even harder to approach. Voting is always crucial, of course, but it only happens once or twice a year at most, while the terms of elected officials are typically a couple of years or longer. However, their regular administrative and budget-related meetings usually occur every few weeks, and it’s always useful to show up, listen closely, and ask a few civil questions.
At the very least, all of the elected officials and their legal and administrative staffs sit up straighter, follow procedure more closely, and are more careful about with expenditures. I know because I’ve seen it happen at every municipal, county, school district, library, zoning and other meeting I ever covered.
However, the benefits are even greater for the audience because they learn their government is really theirs, and isn’t some outside entity doing things to them. Showing up, asking specific questions, and maybe even volunteering or serving at some point resolves the traditional us-vs-them mentality of those who stay at home and bellyache. Of course, saying everything is rigged sounds better than admitting we’re too lazy to participate.
Go Beyond.
Emerson’s DeltaV™ Automation Platform provides contextualized data and unique, actionable insights so you can improve production and embrace the future of innovation—with certainty. Venture beyond. Visit Emerson.com/DeltaV