PACE - Process & Control Engineering - April 2013

PA0413_001.pdf

Page

1

22/03/13,

11:16:28

AM

AEDT

APRIL 2013 | VOL.66 NO.3

PACE Em marks 60 years For six decad decades now, PACE magazine has been an integral part of Australia’s process cont control and automation community. Tell us your story editor@pacet editor@pacetoday.com.au

Post Print Approved PP255003/00539

INSIDE PACE

MasterClass

High intensity grinding

Digital motors

How an accurate flow meter helps a sugar mill measure its steam consumption.

Declining ore grades set new challenges for grinding technology.

World’s smallest and fully integrated motor uses digital pulse technology.

AD_PACEBECAPR_13

-

2

2013-03-18T09:20:28+11:00

PA0413_003_rr.pdf

Page

3

25/03/13,

9:45:10

AM

AEDT

CONTENTS

Associate Publisher: Martin Sinclair Email: martin.sinclair@cirrusmedia.com.au Editor: Kevin Gomez Tel: (02) 9422 2976 Fax: (02) 9422 2722 Email: kevin.gomez@cirrusmedia.com.au Deputy Editor: Isaac Leung Tel: (02) 9422 2956 Email: isaac.leung@cirrusmedia.com.au

IN THIS ISSUE 33

Group Sales Manager: Tim Richards Tel: (02) 9422 2818 Mobile: 0420 550 799 Email: tim.richards@cirrusmedia.com.au QLD Sales Manager: Sharon R. Amos PO Box 3136, Bracken Ridge, QLD 4017 Tel: (07) 3261 8857 Fax: (07) 3261 8347 Mobile: 0417 072 625 Email: sharon.amos@cirrusmedia.com.au

25

Graphic Designer: Nicolle Lawson Email: nicolle.lawson@cirrusmedia.com.au Production Co-ordinator: Tracy Engle Tel: (02) 9422 2707 Fax: (02) 9422 2722 Email: tracy.engle@cirrusmedia.com.au

24

06 SUBSCRIPTION: $99 pa incl GST OVERSEAS SUBSCRIPTIONS: NZ: $A109 pa & OS: $A119 pa CUSTOMER SERVICE: 1300 360 126

Cirrus Media Tower 2, Level 3, 475 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Australia Locked Bag 4700 Chatswood Delivery Centre, NSW 2067, Australia Phone: 02 9422 2999 Fax: 02 9422 8657 ABN 80 132 719 861 www.cirrusmedia.com.au © Copyright Cirrus Media, 2013

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF:

Average Net Distribution Period ending September ‘12 6,599

News Update 6

Design 16

MasterClass 20

Network design At the Hirschmann seminar attendees had their choice of 15 technical sessions and five hands-on labs.

Deal with fatigue Every FRMS rule requires that you evaluate fatigue risk and take active steps to manage it.

V-Cone flow meter The meter maintains ±0.5 percent accuracy and ±0.1 percent repeatability over a 10 to 1 turndown.

Management 15

Food and pharma Checkweigher allows smaller operators to upgrade their production line to cater for increasing demand.

Manufacturing trends With the rise of new business models information-driven manufacturers utilise core solutions extensively.

Technology Update 18

IICA Corner 38

Spotlight on Perth A look at how the IICA is shaping the future of instrumentation and controls in Western Australia.

ON THE COVER

THE E5CC/E5EC series will save you time and effort in set-up and operation, while enabling faster and more accurate monitoring/ control of your process. The high-visibility display is extremely easy to read and virtually eliminates any possibility for human error.

Coupled with the auto-tuning algorithms, which greatly reduce set-up and commissioning time, Omron’s CX-Thermo support software has been specially developed for use with the E5CC/E5EC

series. This enables faster parameter setup, easier device adjustment and simpler maintenance.

Although intrinsic high sampling speed and high precision are built into the E5CC/E5EC series, Omron’s 2-PID control is a key factor behind the advantage. Using a powerful algorithm, it makes all the difference to control stability and thus the quality of your products.

Omron Electronics 1300 766 766 www.omron.com.au

The Next Generation of Micro PLC’s Introducing you to the Allen-Bradley® Micro800™ family of component-class controllers, offering convenience and connectivity, just the right size. www.rockwellautomation.com.au

Micro800_pace_stripad.indd 1

10/03/2011 3:41:47 PM

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 3

PA0413_004.pdf

Page

4

22/03/13,

10:29:42

AM

AEDT

COMMENT

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

WHAT’S ON

IICA Technology Expo 17 April 2013, Brisbane events@iica.org.au

Give engineers a voice in shaping our future

Certified PROFIBUS Training 29 April–10 May 2013, Perth profibusaustralia.com.au Invensys OpsManage 2013 5–8 May 2013, Fremantle, WA events.invensys.com/ opsmanage13ANZ

Kevin Gomez Editor

National Manufacturing Week (NMW) 2013 7-10 May 2013, Melbourne www.nationalmanufacturingweek. com.au

Next Issue

IChemE presents: LOPA 11-12 June 2013, Perth www.icheme.org/lopaperth

• Safety Systems • Connectivity and Networking • NMW 2013 Preview • PACE Zenith Awards 2013: Finalists

For daily updates visit www.pacetoday.com.au

AS I type this message, my email sets off periodic pings – it’s the PACE Zenith Awards entries flowing in as deadline approaches. A quick read through is enough conclude to that the judges have their work cut out for them.

We are fortunate to be blessed with some amazing engineering talent. Unfortunately political shortsightedness is holding us back. Would things change if our industrial strategy was written by industry and not by bureaucrats?

On way to accomplish this is for our industry associations to become more active in

shaping policy. They need to have a voice in all matters that impact industrial growth and development.

To be effective, associations must enhance the performance of their constituents through training, skills development, certification and boosting productivity. With credibility established and results to demonstrate, industry associations will have more leverage with their constituents and the powers-that-be.

We need to turn the current system on its head – allow business to advise the

government how it will grow and what it needs in terms of policy, to make that happen. Wishful thinking? Perhaps not.

It’s already being done in the UK with the setting up of 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships which are made up of leading figures in local business, local government and universities.

By all accounts it seems to be working. Could Australia learn something from the UK’s experience? kevin.gomez@cirrusmedia.com.au

Like us on Facebook and join the conversation facebook.com/PACEtoday

TECHNOLOGY

Automation suppliers: Nanotech markets should be in your plans

BY JIM PINTO A DECADE ago, Business Week named Nanotechnology one of the “Ten Technologies That Will Change Our Lives.� Today, it impacts almost every manufacturing segment – electronics, thin films, chemical synthesis, biotechnology, biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food production, publishing, advanced microlithography, plastics, and metals.

Nanotechnology is based upon the ability to systematically manipulate and organise matter on the nanometer

(less than 1 micrometer) scale. Nanomanufacturing is the production of materials and the manufacturing of parts from either the “bottom up� from nanoscaled materials or “top down� in nano steps for high precision.

Today’s nanotechnology-enabled products include catalysts for refining crude oil and ultra sensitive detection and identification of biological and chemical toxins. In the energy arena, nanotechnology enables high-efficiency, low-cost batteries and solar cells.

As more companies and institutions

establish nanotech programs, they will require the tools for R&D and manufacturing. The growth markets will be for improved equipment designed for nanomanufacturing processes.

The typical nanotech manufacturing products showcase includes various types of measurement and control systems; for example, positioning systems with travel ranges of a few millimeters up to a few hundred millimeters.

Nano-positioning systems are based on frictionless piezo actuators and flexures that can convert electrical energy

into mechanical energy with virtually unlimited resolution and accuracies down to the sub-nanometer level.

Nanomanufacturing is growing into a $1 trillion business. The National Science Foundation estimates that two million skilled workers will be needed worldwide by 2015.

Manufacturing companies: Make sure you’re not stuck in old manufacturing paradigms. Automation suppliers: Nanotech products and markets should be in your growth development plans.

Jim@JimPinto.com

*+0 #0#)'4 5 7.6+ '55+10 14' THINMANAGER.COM

ThinManager offers technology for IT professionals seeking better security and configuration of their thin client networks.

Our MultiSession core technology allows multiple sessions running anywhere on the ThinManager network to be viewed through one thin client.

ThinManager can “tile� these screen views based on your settings. You can dictate which tile shows which session. You can set it to run in screensaver mode so that certain “tiles� are constantly updated with different sessions. Multisession allows you to view displays from different applications on the same monitor.

#.. 10&'49#4' 7564#.+# 10 EGNN EGL LFI 14 8+5+6 174 9'$5+6' 999T910&'49#4'T%1/T#7 4 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

AD_PACEMET2APR_12.pdf

Page

1

20/03/12,

8:34

AM

• Get your artistic side that craves performance • Make engineering look easy • Become an engineering superstar

HMI and Beyond...

Call Wonderware Australia on 1300 138 825 or visit our website www.wonderware.com.au

PA0413_006.pdf

Page

6

21/03/13,

2:17:04

PM

AEDT

NEWS ANALYSIS

NETWORKS

Mission Critical Network Design

BY ISAAC LEUNG THE Hirschmann 2013 Mission Critical Network Design Seminar took place at Stamford Plaza Brisbane from 6 to 8 March 2013.

Combining lectures and hands-on labs, attendees had their choice of 15 technical sessions and five hands-on labs, covering a wide range of industrial automation and networking topics, with applications across the process sectors.

Seminar presenters included Hirschmann representatives from Australia, Germany and Singapore, experts with a combined experience of over 150 years. In attendance were network design engineers, OEMs, Hirschmann distributors and integrators, and others who were interested in learning more about how to effectively reduce costs, installation time and implement resilient networks.

Technical sessions covered network design, from the fundamentals to detailed network planning and specification; network security; hardware selection; troubleshooting; as well as information on deploying and optimising IEC 61850 networks.

The hands-on labs looked at wireless setups; network redundancy/ management; security, and routing.

6 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

According to Chua Tek-Guan, Asia Pacific Regional Sales Director, Industrial Solutions, the seminar was not positioned as a product- or Hirschmannoriented seminar, but rather, to focus on the solutions and technology. “[Attendees] realised that with the products and solutions, they can do a lot of other things which they might not have known about earlier.

There is also other knowledge that we share which they did not earlier realise existed,” Chua said.

The 2013 seminars were focused on a number of key areas: substation automation with IEC 61850, the move towards Ethernet for the plant floor, wider applications for the 0 ms recovery Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) found in their RSP switches, and security.

“PRP originated from substation automation. But after introducing the product, it opened a lot of other application possibilities for us,” Chua explained.

According to Justin Nga Senior Application Engineering Manager at Hirschmann, even though the company traditionally covers process automation, it is finding its scope expanding as it seeks to cater to newer trends and customer expectations.

TRAINING: The hands-on labs looked at wireless setups and network redundancy and management.

“We have customers asking if they can use PRP for wireless as well. There’s a lot of applications for that technology, so we are pushing for that, to show people those things are available for the market now,” Nga said.

According to Chua and Nga, even though Hirschmann traditionally covers process automation, the company is finding its scope expanding as it

seeks to cater to newer trends and customer expectations.

An example is the move towards Ethernet on the shop floor, which holds many implications in terms of both horizontal (application) and vertical (plant floor to board room) integration.

“We have branched out now to what we call critical infrastructure, with road and rail, CCTV, security, even

PA0413_007.pdf

Page

7

21/03/13,

2:17:53

PM

AEDT

NEWS ANALYSIS

with hospitals. The nurse-call buttons, for example, are now Ethernet-based and use PoE,” Nga explained. “We are finding new avenues now, because so many things are going to Ethernet.”

While the wide-spread use of Ethernet will enable even more applications to talk to each other, the Hirschmann team says customers need to be educated about the potential security and stability threats.

“The integration of everything, the plant floor, the critical infrastructure, everything is coming towards Ethernet,” said Nga. “But the vertical and horizontal integration is the dangerous bit. Once you are linked up to the enterprise side, the enterprise can start using software to scan the network, to do backups, or to push automatic updates to the Windows.”

This can then lead to stability issues for mission-critical equipment and networks, and also the risk of web-originating security breaches.

“The Ethernet we are providing people is actually enabling this risk. It comes as a trade-off when people want more standardisation,” Nga explained.

The high-profile Stuxnet case has made industrial networks, traditionally not connected to the Internet and thus non-secure, high profile soft targets, with new exploits for systems published on the web every week. The cat is out of the bag, and engineers need to adapt.

EDUCATION: Jurgen Schmid, Product Manager, Hirschmann, believes customers need to be educated about potential security and stability threats.

“At this seminar, we provide the education. We tell them they can’t solve everything by putting in a box.

The technology changes so quickly, so the applications pose different risks. Nowadays, you can see threat information on websites. The game has changed really fast,” said Nga. The seminars around security aim to educate engineers about security beyond simply slapping a firewall on the network and getting IT to configure it, which is risky, because IT technicians are not familiar with the operating rules of control networks.

“When we talk about security, many people immediately relate to the IT world – firewalls,” Chua told PACE. “In reality, security is more than just a firewall.”

To help boost engineers’ confidence when dealing with the security of their network, Hirschmann’s firewalls feature a learning mode which make it easy to create justified rules according to the true conditions on the network, minimising the complexity and risk of guessing rules.

According to Nga, many substations are now moving to newer technologies

and automation, making the IEC 61850 more relevant than ever. “[IEC 61850 has] been around for a fairly long time. It’s just taken a while for an industry which is doing the right thing – if it works and it provides stable power to the country, why change it?” he said.

“They are slowly coming to the stage where the assets are reaching the end of their lifecycle, and they are thinking about redoing it. They are looking ahead, at what is becoming obsolete, and planning the next substation revamps.”

Mick Di Bari, engineer and owner of Orthicon, told PACE he was at the seminar to develop the skills needed to maintain a client’s Hirschmann- based network.

“I am interested in the management side of things, network architecture, and the routing hands-on lab as well,” he added. He was also hoping to ask the Hirschmann team to clarify a few points, such as broadcast limiting for the switches, and Industrial HiVision pricing.

“The sessions have been excellent.

They’re really good. It’s stuff I can take on-site and use,” said Di Bari. “It’s very handy, there’s stuff I wasn’t aware of until I came here.”

[PACE Deputy Editor, Isaac Leung, attended the Hirschmann 2013 Mission Critical Network Design Seminar in Brisbane.] www.belden.com

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 7

PA0413_008.pdf

Page

8

21/03/13,

4:38:55

PM

AEDT

NEWS

Unbeatable Control, Precision, and Flexibility

For daily updates visit www.pacetoday.com.au PACE ZENITH AWARDS

Deadline extended for PACE Zenith Awards ALL the best to those who have already entered their projects and people into the 10th Annual PACE Zenith Awards. The good news for those who are running late is that PACE will now be accepting nominations until Friday 19 April – so be quick!.

This is special year for PACE and we invite you to be apart of the celebrations. 2013 marks the tenth PACE Zenith Awards; it is also PACE magazine’s 60th year. The Awards Gala Dinner will take place on Thursday 13 June in Sydney.

This year sees a new PACE Zenith Award – Best Fieldbus Implementation – which highlights innovation and creativity in the Australian integrator market. “Every day we are impressed by the visionary fieldbus installations, that seamlessly integrate multiple vendor and fieldbus technologies,” says Steven Sischy, Managing Director, BECKHOFF Automation. “As Fieldbus products are a large part of BECKHOFF’s

core business, we see this Award as a great way to recognise quality in design and delivery.”

The recipient of the 2013 award shows an overall understanding of the customers’ needs, their challenges and the ability to offer the best fieldbus solution. With the popularity of real-time Ethernet technologies, new standards in performance and flexibility are being set where previous fieldbus systems would be limited.

Real-time Ethernet offers performance, flexible topology, simple configuration and almost unlimited network size from a standard Ethernet interface, without the need for a special master or scanner card. www.pacetoday.com.au/awards

INVENSYS OPSMANAGE 2013

Engage:Envision:Empower NI LabVIEW system design software and reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware lower cost and shorten design time by integrating motion, vision, and I/O within a single software development environment.

Accelerate your productivity at ni.com/ industrial-control-platform Australia: 1800 300 800 New Zealand: 0800 553 322

©2013 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. xxxxx

HAVING traditionally been held on the eastern seaboard, this will be the first time Invensys will be hosting the OpsManage Conference in the west. The event runs from May 5 to 8 in Fremantle, WA. “Whether you are an existing Invensys client, or involved in using, optimising, specifying or applying automation and operations management technology the Invensys OpsManage conference will have something for you,” says Keith Marriner, Managing Director, Invensys Australia and New Zealand.

The Conference has developed over more than 10 years from a simple user event to a significant conference that embraces Invensys customers old, new and prospective, identifies industry trends, showcases

best practices, creates a networking environment and profiles the latest solutions in the automation and industrial IT arena.

This year’s conference features two days of interactive sessions, half a day of workshops, case studies, Demo Alley area showcasing the latest technologies, and networking events.

The activities cover four different streams: Safety and Critical Control; Control Systems; SCADA; Wonderware Business Intelligence.

There will be sessions covering: ❏ Functional and operational safety ❏ The changing face of mining ❏ How the process industry is changing and why you need to start planning for Gen Y ❏ Safety View – the world’s first and only TUV Certified HMI for critical alarm and bypass management ❏ Cyber security for your safety system – latest developments and threat mitigation solutions ❏ Latest updates to process safety standards and regulations – how will they affect you and your process? ❏ How the latest integration of safety systems and information management systems is driving the intelligent operations environment of the future. events.invensys.com/opsmanage13ANZ

8 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

AD_PACEREAMAR_13.pdf

Page

1

12/02/13,

4:58

PM

Making Manufacturing

Imagine sourcing all your manufacturing needs at one time?

• Discover the latest in manufacturing innovation • Enhance efficiency and boost productivity • Exchange ideas on critical industry issues • Network and do business face-to-face with over 300 suppliers 12 dedicated Product Zones including...

A definitive showcase for sourcing analysers & analytical equipment, process & control systems, sensors & instrumentation equipment, test & measurement tools, temperature & pressure equipment, flow measurement… and much more

7–10 MAY 2013 MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE

PA0413_010.pdf

Page

10

21/03/13,

5:15:50

PM

AEDT

OPINION

MANAGEMENT

Check before signing an EPC There are five areas to look out for in energy management contracts, writes Melissa Kirby.

E

NERGY. Rising energy costs and increasing environmental awareness and regulation mean that both government and industry are looking for ways to produce more energy for less, and supply less energy to more users.

Traditionally, demand management relied on installing metering devices, switchgear and fine tuning the building management system. But more sophisticated solutions are now producing greater amounts and depths of data. As a result, customers expect significant returns on their capital investments. Any plant or building that requires a demand management solution will be complex. So how do you manage the complexity of a demand management solution with the expectations enshrined in an energy performance contract (EPC), particularly one that requires you to give a performance guarantee?

There are five key areas to watch on when signing up to an EPC: drawing a baseline, installation and commissioning, the performance guarantee, maintenance and disputes.

Drawing the Baseline.

Determining the baseline for existing energy usage is the first thing that any sensible solutions provider should do before signing anything. In some cases, the customer may already have a detailed feasibility study (DFS) done by a consultant.

Consultants can be good advisers, but promising- and even guaranteeing – energy savings based on a third party report is probably the easiest way to run into pitfalls quickly. Simple differences in interpreting metering data and measurement and verification methodologies can translate to large financial consequences.

If you must rely on a consultants’ report, check it thoroughly (including testing all assumptions and calculations), demand to be named on the consultants’ insurance policy, ensure the policy is large enough to cover the entire 10 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

performance guarantee, and write into the EPC that you are relying on the consultant’s report.

Carrying out a DFS is a costly and resource-intensive exercise. These days, a visual walk through of the facility and a review of the energy bills is not enough. You will often need to extract and interpret large quantities of realtime data. This can turn up surprises: in a sports stadium, one solutions provider found that the refrigerators used to store beers were the biggest consumer of energy! But more often, HVAC, servers and lighting systems will be the culprits.

It’s important to ensure that you have a way to get paid for the DFS. Some companies structure their energy management services so that the DFS is provided free if the customer decides to proceed with installation of the solution. This is not a problem, but if this does not happen, there needs to be a way to recover the DFS cost. Have a binding agreement in place rather than a simple MOU or LOI will ensure you are covered.

Performance Guarantee.

The idea of a performance guarantee is simple: if the solution does not achieve the savings predicted, you pay the customer. Don’t forget to negotiate that if you achieve more than the savings, that you share some of the bounty.

The performance guarantee is probably the most negotiated part of any EPC. The first thing for a solutions provider to do is to check the term of the customer’s current energy contract and their procurement processes.

Procuring energy is not always simple. If done without attention to detail, there can be exposure to volatile spot market rates over lengthy periods of time, “hidden” fees or unnecessarily high rates.

Setting out the baseline utility rates used is also a good idea. EPCs often have a payback of many years. People will change over the lifecycle of the EPC. Critically, the measurement and verification process (M&VP) must be agreed with clarity, based on a detailed

INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING

The DFS has been done and the customer tells you to proceed with installing the solution. Your EPC should include provisions to ensure that: ❏ You have reasonable access during business hours to carry out a thorough site inspection (in case you did not carry out the DFS); ❏ You have workable extension of time and variation rights if the site conditions change or there are latent conditions which were undiscoverable at the beginning; ❏ If you install devices such as a co- or tri-generation plant that requires connection to the distribution network, that any costs that the distributor charges are accounted for. A number of distribution networks, particularly in urban areas, have suffered from underinvestment. Distributors often have to pay compensation if the network goes down, so they will require connections to the network to be very safe. This usually requires additional equipment.

These negotiations can significantly delay the timing of the project; ❏ Once equipment is installed on the site, that the responsibility for it is clear. While you do not want to hand over title to the equipment until the customer has paid for it (and you may want to consider registration under the Personal Property Security Register), it’s important to be clear who is responsible for the equipment at what stage.

understanding of the use of the facility and what affects energy usage. Often the M&VP will be detailed in the schedules and be written by the technical team.

If the commercial team do not understand the M&VP, there is a risk that the terms in the schedule and in the body of the EPC are not aligned. You

might think that this is nothing more than stylistic difference, but the use of a capitalised term and a non-capitalised term can change the interpretation of an obligation completely. And this can mean the difference between you bearing a cost that you didn’t budget for - or not.

Maintenance.

Other than the performance guarantee, maintenance is often hotly contested.

Who is going to do it? How will it be done? If done incorrectly, does the performance guarantee still hold? In an ideal situation, you should have a maintenance agreement to follow the EPC. If you cannot achieve this, then at least ensure that you have the right to carry out a thorough inspection of any and all maintenance carried out, and that the M&VP provides for missed or poorly-executed maintenance.

Disputes.

Is the DFS correct? Which consultant got it wrong? Who is responsible for the equipment? Is the customer entitled to a payment this year? Was the maintenance done correctly? These are just some of the questions that can arise. In our experience, it is unwise specify that all disputes be resolved in court. Court lists are often many months long, not to mention the costs involved. EPCs are sensitive matters, as some customers may advertise the achievement of a certain energy rating once the EPC is in place.

If disputes go to court, the dispute and all the underlying evidence becomes public knowledge. This can have a significant impact on reputations.

Instead, a stepped approach using a mix of expert determination, senior level negotiations and mediation can work better and quicker to resolve differences.

[Melissa Kirby (melissa.kirby@ sharpeandabel.com) is Legal Director and Strategist at Sharpe & Abel, a law and strategy firm serving the manufacturing, engineering, infrastructure and technical professions.] www.sharpeandabel.com

AD_PACESCHAPR_13.pdf

Page

1

11/03/13,

9:41:32

AM

AEDT

Everything you need to order your FREE 2013 Schneider Electric Catalogue.

Australian Catalogue

13/14 Helping you make the most of your energy Electrical distribution Automation & control Services & support

Simply visit www.schneider-electric.com.au/catalogue and register to receive your printed copy.

Š 2013 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric and Make the most of your energy are trademarks owned by 3CHNEIDER %LECTRIC )NDUSTRIES 3!3 OR ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES s WWW SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC COM AU CLIPCOM25793

PA0413_012.pdf

Page

12

21/03/13,

5:13:39

PM

AEDT

CONVERSATION

SOFTWARE

Building an online M2M portal Maxon Software Architect Paul Lourenco who designed maXconnect speaks with Kevin Gomez.

Maxon has traditionally been in the design and manufacturing of industrial modems. The company recently launched maXconnect – a cloud-based M2M management portal which allows users to access, monitor and control their modems securely. PACE speaks with Maxon’s Paul Lourenco, the software architect who designed maXconnect.

What is your vision for maXconnect?

I came on board to bring to fruition, Maxon’s vision of having a software service as a product that they could offer customers who use our industrial modems. maXconnect is basically a web based service that allows users to access a portal from any PC or mobile unit and then monitor their devices.

They are able to monitor, control, analyse and troubleshoot their industrial modems out in the field.

Previously, a customer would have to individually log onto each device to capture data and then upload it as a file.

With this solution they can do that with a click of a button for hundreds or thousands of devices.

Our modems attach themselves to various assets. So our solution can be applied to a variety of industries and be monitored from a central location.

Maxon set out to develop a carrier and device agnostic M2M online management portal with API functionality that is flexible, expandable and future proof.

We have developed APIs that allow users to interconnect existing applications like SIM card provisioning and billing engines and develop their own proprietary applications specifically for their business to integrate with maXconnect.

How does maXconnect differ from other systems in the market?

That was part of our analysis in the 12 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

early phases. There are off-the-shelf solutions that do this, however we found them to be very expensive – even to trial. These solutions are not exactly what our customers want and are too big, very complex.

We wanted to meet the market need, so we decided to make our own solution from the ground up. maXconnect is developed in Australia.

We did not wish to start with something big and perhaps overwhelm our customers with a product most would probably not need straight away.

Moreover, a complex product would have been very expensive for us to maintain and licence.

Do you see a big uptake in SCADA applications?

We are not aiming to be a fully fledged SCADA solution; it’s more a monitoring service for our customers. Usually applications which require SCADA already have fully rolled out SCADA solutions to provide total control. maXconnect is more of a solution in between fully fledged SCADA and no SCADA whatsoever.

Also, SCADA forms part of the broader M2M world.

The uptake of M2M is increasing as we implement more automation technologies driven by the need to increase efficiency and manage operating costs.

Tell us about the heart of the system.

We had to find a way to communicate with devices in remote areas, that have dynamic IP addressing – every time they come online they get a different IP address from the carrier.

We needed to get a system that would still be able to connect even though the IP address changed.

We found the MQTT protocol was our best fit because it’s used extensively by instant messaging.

A device can send a message to another without the latter being online; once that device comes online it would receive the message, much like instant

chat. It’s also very lightweight.

The first step was to see how we could send MQTT messaging from the devices to a central server. The central server was then built to receive and store in the database, the messages coming from all devices in a scalable way.

The third layer on top of that was a graphical interface to view the information in as simplistic a way as possible.

The ability to manage separate and disparate devices across multiple carriers is a breakthrough that has not been replicated.

Do you make any allowances for poor line quality?

Absolutely. A device can move out into a remote area on the fringe of cellular service where there’s very low signal strength. maXconnect displays signal strength to the user, identifies dropout times and duration so the technician can troubleshoot the installation, or look for alternative locations or antenna types.

How do you see this system evolving?

Flexibility was our priority so that we met the needs of clients who require customisation or development.

Those customers can engage Maxon to carry out this customisation or they can contract their own developer to utilise the API connectivity to expand

the features and functionality. maXconnect is the foundation that can integrate with other systems giving the user one single view of all operations.

Our customers are predominantly integrators who distribute our modems and routers.

The flexibility to white label maXconnect is a significant feature allowing our customers to on-sell this service to the end user.

Another significant breakthrough was allowing other modem and router manufacturers to connect their products to the portal rather than being manufacturer-specific.

A firmware agent developed

by Maxon allows for this to happen quite efficiently.

The open API makes maXconnect an expanding platform for SCADA and M2M operators.

The system is flexible giving our integrators and users reduced cost of ownership compared with larger and more complex systems that have more advanced functionality which they

may never utilise. Maxon has now successfully built a software service, where as we’ve traditionally been a hardware business.

This is our foothold into new product and service offerings as well as new engineering capabilities. www.maxon.com.au

PA0413_013.pdf

Page

13

21/03/13,

4:32:57

PM

AEDT

OPINION

WIRELESS

9 best practices for BYOD Mobility is driving much of the network design, writes Ilan Rubin.

B

ring Your Own Device is growing. Here are nine best practices for managing and securing BYOD. 1. Provision user-owned wireless devices without jeopardising network security The optimal solution is a selfprovisioning application requiring little or no intervention from IT. Any person attempting to access the network must be identified and authenticated against a trusted network source.

2. Limit access to network resources based on the class of user/device pair A user may be granted access to a defined set of network resources and services. Each user may have unique access service and resource rights on the

same network. This can be based on a user “class” or on individual permissions and device class.

3. Manage corporate-owned devices and user-owned devices The system must have the ability to identify the device of the authenticated user. Identifying what is corporate owned and what is user owned may dictate the network services available.

4. Scale without compromising the network bandwidth A sophisticated BYOD solution will also provide methods for traffic load partitioning in order to maximise resources with minimal user impact.

5. Keep track of devices and their use The system must produce network-level

transaction and client state reports for troubleshooting. The infrastructure itself must support the capability for real-time and after-the-fact reporting.

6. Manage a single user with multiple wireless devices It is important to support a single user who is logged into the network from two devices concurrently. Full logging and tracking of these devices must be provided, along with the ability to generate summary reports by user.

7. Manage a consistent set of applications across a varying set of mobile devices To manage assets or applications, a BYOD solution must be able to associate a user/device pair to a specific “class” of application and restrict access

to other resources.

8. Manage corporate data written to a mobile device In an ideal deployment, a BYOD solution does not permit corporate data to be written to mobile device storage.

To achieve this level of control a true Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) should be implemented.

9. Assign specific bandwidth allocations to specific users or devices Load balancing and applying “fairness” rules to application-specific traffic is important to ensure the best experience for all network users.

[Ilan Rubin is MD, Wavelink.] www.wavelink.com.au

[Read the full article at www.pacetoday.com.au]

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 13

AD_PACEKELAPR_13.pdf

GSM-2

Page

1

9/01/13,

9:56

AM

D. ME D. OR F EE N NT SI A Y A R LW UA ,A .G TS ED L S L O TA RC INS OU Y 1x S CE DU RE

Picture: GSM-2 system for water level measurements

MEASURING DATA BY E-MAIL VIA GSM NETWORK The days when you had to run from measuring station to measuring station every day in all kinds of weather to read off the last water level or installed data logger are definitively a thing of the past.

GSM-2, which is quick and easy to install, now transmits the measuring data straight to your office by e-mail (via a GPRS Internet connection) or SMS. The heart of the measuring system is the GSM-2 DataManager software. The measuring data that is transmitted by the measuring stations is continuously read in, stored and displayed by the DataManager, so that you can permanently monitor your equipment.

Performance features of the GSM-2 measuring system:

Level Sensor

- Battery-operated (low power consumption; service life of up to 10 years) - Less than 2” in diameter (fits into your standpipe; vandal-proof) - Battery and antenna integrated in the housing - Various sensor interfaces, built-in air pressure sensor - Remote device configuration (by e-mail) - Free PC software available - Automatic further processing of measuring data - Applications: water level/filling level measurements, pressure monitoring in general…

More info:

www.keller-druck.com  Products

KELLER

pressure metrology at its finest…

Pressure Sensors

Pressure Transmitters

Pressure Calibrators

Pressure Switches

 Data Loggers

Digital Manometers

PA0413_015.pdf

Page

15

21/03/13,

2:20:15

PM

AEDT

OPINION

MANUFACTURING

Information-driven manufacturing Information-driven manufacturers utilise core solutions extensively, writes Greg Gorbach.

N

EW information technologies such as cloud computing, mobility, social, Internet of Things (IoT), big data/analytics, and 3D visualisation have been getting a lot of attention in the industrial community.

The reason is that each of these technologies has the potential to disrupt and radically change the way manufacturers do business. Still, manufacturers tend to be conservative and slow to embrace new information technologies. When they do, they often demand concrete references from industry pioneers, together with hard ROI business cases, before considering any information technology investment.

However, this go-slow strategy can be far riskier than anticipated. New information technologies may disrupt not only what happens within the four walls of a plant, but entire business processes throughout the supply chain and across the value network, and do so in fairly short order. The manufacturing environment is increasingly dynamic and volatile.

New business models such as “Industry 4.0”, “Industrial Internet”, “Connected Manufacturing,” and “Collaborative Value Networks” are emerging. In addition to a host of potentially disruptive technologies entering the marketplace, companies must also face rapid changes in government regulations, energy and raw materials availability, markets, and competition. By deploying leading edge information technologies, today’s companies can thrive.

New competitors in new markets, unencumbered by legacy systems, may leapfrog to the latest technologies and, based on the new capabilities provided, serve their markets in completely new ways. Existing competitors may seek to leverage technologies to attract your customers with better products and services. Customers will soon expect products themselves to be more intelligent and accompanied by a portfolio of software and services from

manufacturers. Those that choose to stay at the back of the information technology pack will find it increasingly difficult to reverse that decision. Not only is technology changing at an everfaster pace, but the resulting hurdles that must be jumped to catch up will become ever higher. Those with better skills in software will be better positioned to succeed. Those who tend to run the latest software revs will be able to react more quickly when things change. What strategies can manufacturers adopt to help position them to take advantage of the latest round of technology changes?

On the whole, manufacturers have a reputation for being conservative, especially when it comes to new information technologies. Manufacturers in developed economies often have a 20th Century mindset of “run it forever,” especially when it comes to the plant floor. This mindset avoids the cost of technology additions and represented a winning strategy when things were fairly static and the environment didn’t change very much or very quickly.

In the past, this approach often paid off. With a “go-slow” approach to technology adoption, manufacturers could still obtain significant benefits, while avoiding the risk of reaching too far with technology and failing. But in the last decade or so, that has begun to change, with leading companies adopting a “fast follower” strategy to stay abreast of technology changes and help ensure that they don’t get blindsided by competitors who discover a way to use a new technology to their advantage.

Today, changes come at an accelerating pace. Technology is not only flattening, but also shrinking the world; engendering more and better competitors, more volatility, and faster innovation. We are seeing increasing governmental regulations, unpredictable energy costs, and scarce raw materials drive up costs. In addition, the rapid rate of introduction of new information technologies – such as cloud, mobile, big data/analytics, IoT, and 3D visualisation – promises to enable dramatic, yet

difficult-to-discern disruptions to the business processes, value networks, and people of industrial companies.

While the 20th Century mantra was “It’s risky to go too fast with technology,” the new reality dictates that, “It’s risky to go too slow with technology.” Of course, this does not apply immediately and equally across all industries and all industrial companies.

But the trend is clear. It’s equally clear that all manufacturers should, at minimum, review and evaluate their technology adoption strategies to ensure that they are appropriate at this point in time, and for the foreseeable future.

Information-driven manufacturers utilise core solutions extensively.

They actively seek opportunities to leverage disruptive technologies to their competitive advantage. Informationdriven manufacturers have a bias toward using the latest technology and implementing the latest software updates and therefore they tend to avoid building their own custom systems.

Instead, they work in close partnership with core solution providers, tend to use much of the latest available technology from those providers, and actively drive the providers to introduce new technologies to solve specific problems.

[Greg Gorbach (ggorbach@arcweb. com) is VP, ARC Advisory Group.] www.ARCweb.com

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 15

PA0413_016.pdf

Page

16

21/03/13,

4:17:25

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

Mitigate the risk of shift work The incidence of fatigue is underestimated in virtually every industry because it is hard to quantify and measure.

Recognising that fatigue management requires major changes in both organizational culture and operator behaviour, writes Stephen Maddox.

F

ATIGUE is not just feeling physically drained or tired; it’s also a state of impaired alertness, attentiveness, affecting your mental and physical performance.

Being fatigued also includes having reduced motor coordination, and slower reaction time.

When we are fatigued, there is a loss of environmental awareness, impairment of cognitive/ logical reasoning skills, poor judgment and diminished ability to communicate and/or process communications and information.

In fact, there is now scientific evidence that suggests when we’re tired (or mentally fatigued) our ability to perform the simplest of tasks is impaired to the same level as if we were legally intoxicated.

Human error and industrial accidents are on the increase, and regulators are looking to industry to respond and implement a Fatigue Risk Management System. If you don’t know where to start and would like to know how to calculate a Fatigue Risk Index, read on.

Mental decrements Operator fatigue is a critical safety issue that is putting 24/7 operations at risk in our industry.

Every day, operators and managers 16 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

must cope with unusual and difficult work schedules and the reality of operator fatigue.

Fatigue may produce physical and mental decrements in alertness, vigilance, and decision-making that can increase the risk of human error and result in fatalities and injuries.

However, the incidence of fatigue is underestimated in virtually every industry because it is hard to quantify and measure. Recognising that fatigue management requires major changes in both organizational culture and operator behaviour, we must face these challenges.

Companies such as ours, bring together the expertise of government, industry, and labour to create solutions to aid in understanding and managing shift worker fatigue.

Many factors have to be considered, when you’re looking for the best candidate to work overtime or cover a shift and the risk factor can be hard to calculate with so many

MANAGEMENT

WORKER

Duration of Working Time • Time off between shifts • Time off between blocks of work days • Long breaks before returning to work • Duration of shifts • Fixed or rotating shifts • Speed and direction of rotation • Start and end of shifts

Duration of sleep time • Time awake since last sleep • Length of last sleep • Circadian (biological clock) time of day • Cumulative sleep debt – prior week • Quality of sleep • Genetics (inter-individual differences) • Shift travel time

The first and most important step is to recognise the cause and the huge costs of fatigue and make a corporate commitment to eliminate them.

factors to consider: Risk factor is very important when creating schedules. As responsible managers and operators, we strive to keep our equipment well oiled and well maintained.

We ensure that it is operated in full accordance with the manufacturers design specifications, in terms of temperatures, pressures, flow rates, etc.

To do otherwise would ensure premature failure, costly downtime, high maintenance, and lost productivity/ capacity. It would thus

PA0413_017.pdf

Page

17

21/03/13,

4:17:50

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

seem to make sense to keep what we all tout as our “most important asset” – our people – equally well maintained and operated.

Yet, ironically, our people are being asked to operate outside their design specs every day to support our continuous production requirements.

Premature failure The net result, as you might surmise, has been premature failure (in terms of sickness and injury), costly downtime (in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism), high maintenance (in terms of health and wellness costs), and lost productivity due to human error. Continuing to neglect our most important asset will perpetuate this cycle of high cost and catastrophic risk.

It is time to understand that these costs, risks and liabilities no longer have to be accepted and financed as part of doing business.

With today’s knowledge base, technology, and available fatigue/ shiftwork interventions, they can be converted into a new source of operating profit and reliability that we never knew or believed existed.

Moreover, they can be systematically addressed through a collaborative, human involvement process between labour and management to achieve substantial win-win benefits.

As a result the 2005 BP Texas City incident, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recommends that you develop a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) that, at a minimum, reduces the risk of fatigue related incidents and contains a methodology for your shift work schedules.

Eliminate fatigue So how as a company, or as operating mangers, can we objectively, systematically, and measurably eliminate fatigue from our operations, thereby reducing our costs, risks and liabilities?

And is it really possible to increase operational efficiency, while at the same time improving employee health, safety and quality of life to create a win-win proposition?

Perhaps this sounds farfetched, but it’s already being done. With the knowledge and experience base that exists today, dramatic improvements

are being achieved in the way people live and work, to the betterment of both the employees and the business.

The first, and most important step, is to recognise the cause and the huge costs of fatigue, and make a corporate commitment to eliminate them.

Too many companies are losing money and risking the safety of their employees by not recognising the importance and the urgency of fatigue management.

This is evident by the fact that over 90 percent of shiftworkers receive no training on how to manage their schedules and shiftwork lifestyles.

Social challenges We see many shiftworkers who are well trained and skilled at their jobs, but who have never been taught how to deal with fatigue, better manage their sleep or adapt to the inherent physical and social challenges of shiftwork.

As a consequence, they develop bad habits and/ or become victims of common shiftwork pitfalls that compromise their ability to perform to their fullest capabilities.

This is just one of the many reasons that shiftworking employees

Many shiftworkers are well trained at their jobs but have never been taught how to deal with fatigue or adapt to the inherent physical and social challenges of shiftwork.

conservatively cost companies $8,600 per person per year in excess costs over and above their daytime counterparts.

Once company management has made a corporate commitment to reduce fatigue and optimise the productivity and safety of their workforce, they need to develop a comprehensive, science based, Fatigue Risk Management Plan.

It’s not just a way to be safer, every FRMS rule or standard requires that you evaluate fatigue risk and take active steps to, track fatigue, manage it, and reduce incidents and errors caused by employee fatigue.

To do this efficiently and effectively requires specially-designed, scientifically-validated, software tool that not only test for work-rest rule compliance but also assess work schedule fatigue risk, and evaluates fatigue as a potential cause in incidents and accidents.

[Stephen Maddox (smaddox@ mycontrolroom.com) is Sales Director, User Centered Design Services; a company that provides solutions to improve operator effectiveness in the control room.] www.mycontrolroom.com +1 512 868 6798 APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 17

PA0413_018.pdf

Page

18

21/03/13,

2:26:37

PM

AEDT

BEHIND THE SCENES

Fast-track to accurate checkweighing A new checkweigher from A&D Australasia will allow smaller operators to upgrade their production line to cater for increasing demand, writes Isaac Leung.

W

ITH consumers increasingly focused on organic and fresh foods and exotic ingredients, supermarkets are turning to small to medium sized Australian food producers for their products.

While these contracts are lucrative, they also increase the demands on the manufacturers’ processes, necessitating faster production while still maintaining accurate portioning.

Accurate weighing of products is critical: it ensures manufacturers are not giving away too much of their product, and at the same time, are not shortchanging their customers, which can

lead to loss of contracts and fines.

According to Tom Armstrong, Managing Director of A&D Australasia, many smaller players in the industry tend to start by having operators manually sort product into packaging, and using static scales to weigh units individually.

Fast and accurate However, this labour-intensive process can be costly, and slow. The obvious next step when scaling up operations would be to transition to an automatic process line and checkweigher system.

Checkweighers weigh products that are moving on a conveyor belt at very

The electronics within the unit can see the process in slow motion successfully isolating the actual weight of the package in under a third of a second.

high speeds. For example, A&D’s latest checkweigher can weigh up to two hundred 0.5 kg products per minute at a 0.1g resolution. The model will be launched at AusPack Plus which is being held in Sydney on 7-10 May 2013.

Alternative approach With the speed of the checkweighers comes noise and vibration. This can obscure the actual weight of the package. “As the package goes across the checkweighers, all sorts of variables are fed back to the indicator: the belt moving, the shaking, wind, etc,�

Armstrong explained.

While competing checkweighers on

Compact, precise and safe: GEMĂœ 660

! !

" # #

Components and system solutions for complex processes and procedures.

GEMĂœ is a leading producer of valves, measurement units and control systems. GEMĂœ currently

6 production sites, 20 subsidiaries and a dense

GEMĂœ

covering every continent. The range comprises 400,000 product versions.

GEMĂœ 660

" "

% " ! #

& " " % % '# ""#

Further advantages of GEMĂœ 660:

gemu-group.com 18 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

$ CIP and SIP functionality $ Fast cycle duties

$ Reduced control air consumption $ Mounting for electrical position indicators

PA0413_019.pdf

Page

19

21/03/13,

2:28:35

PM

AEDT

BEHIND THE SCENES

the market tend towards preventing these variables by engineering very rigid and expensive mechanical structures, and dampening the loadcell, A&D’s approach uses the Japanese company’s expertise in analogue to digital conversion and digital signal processing (DSP) to quickly and accurately filter out the variables.

“For the last ten years, A&D have focused on digital signal processing, which is essentially looking at the variables coming from something under test, monitoring and measuring and simulating scenarios based on that information,” Armstrong said.

Previously, this DSP capability was used for testing and simulating automotive engines in Japan, but its application to the checkweigher means the electronics within the unit can “see” the process in slow motion, successfully isolating the actual weight of the package in under a third of a second, as it speeds through on a conveyor belt at 120m a minute.

Flat pack advantage Armstrong says the relaxed mechanical requirements of the A&D checkweigher poses many advantages to food manufacturers.

With an entry level price, small to medium sized food manufacturers can quickly upgrade to an automated production line without a massive initial outlay, but Armstrong says the specifications of the product will appeal to larger manufacturers as well.

Delivery, installation and maintenance is also made easier and cheaper.

“With conventional, rigid checkweighers, they come in big crates, and expensive technicians are needed for installation,” Armstrong said. “Our technology allows A&D to deliver it flatpacked, to be assembled on site.”

“It’s all about reducing costs to the customer. Rather than have to have specialists travel out, with a big crate, this checkweigher can go in the back of someone’s car, and one of our retail partners can go out and do the installation.”

According to A&D Australasia, its sister company A&D TechEng can also help during installation if integration of the checkweigher with a PLC/SCADA system is needed. A&D TechEng is an approved Siemens

ACCURATE: Checkweighers weigh products that are moving on a conveyor belt at very high speeds.

Solution Partner and Rockwell Recognised System Integrator.

The checkweigher is designed to require minimal maintenance, and can be serviced by local weighing service companies without requiring special service tools or equipment, making it cost effective to run in the long term.

Australia will be the first country to get the new A&D checkweigher, when it is launched at AusPack Plus 2013.

A&D Australasia 1800 241 434 www.andaustralasia.com.au AUSPACK PLUS 2013 02 9556 7972 www.auspackplus.com.au

MEASUREMENT: Accurate weighing of products ensures manufacturers are not giving away too much of their product and at the same time are not shortchanging their customers.

A&D Techeng 03 9371 1500 www.techeng.com.au APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 19

PA0413_020.pdf

Page

20

21/03/13,

4:18:50

PM

AEDT

MASTERCLASS

An accurate flow meter helps a sugar mill measure steam consumption The no moving parts V-Cone flow meter measures abrasive fluids over a range of Reynolds numbers without wear or clogging concerns resulting in a standard 25-year operating life, writes Nick Voss.

W

ITH demand for sugar products growing worldwide, production is rising at many mills including one that relies on steam heat as part of its process that converts raw sugar cane into molasses, sugar and related products.

The mill’s production team was tasked recently with transferring excess steam from its production system to a nearby bio-ethanol plant operated by the same parent company.

A typical sugar mill first extracts raw sugar from the cane, and then processes it further for a variety of consumer and commercial uses. The mill cleans, cuts, chops and shreds the cane and then adds water before heavy rollers crush out the sucrose juice.

The liquid is then mixed with other substances prior to further refinement in several complex steps that eventually create granulated sugar or other products.

The left-over pulverised sugar cane material is burned to fuel the mill’s process steam boilers, which send steam to large turbines that create co-generation electric power.

The co-gen electric power is then used in the plant and/or exported to the power grid for use by others. Surplus plant material also can be incorporated in feed for livestock and paper product production as well.

The challenge The process engineers at the sugar mill in Latin America needed a new flow meter for steam custody transfer purposes. They were required to measure the steam transferred via a 40.6 cm (16-inch) line from the sugar mill to its sister company bio-ethanol plant for cost accounting purposes.

The mill’s process engineers were looking for a reliable and accurate steam flow measurement solution without 20 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

serious safety hazard if a piece should break off during operation and pass through the line into other equipment.

Variable line pressures occur when the steam flow is irregular due to seasonal high/low climate temperatures or changes in steam production relating to a drop or increase in feedstock.

The result can be depressurisation or a pressure spike that causes stress to the mechanical parts. These types of conditions eventually require costly maintenance and recalibration with some flow sensing technologies.

FIGURE 1: The V-Cone flow meter’s centrally located cone.

The solution

routine maintenance requirements for operation in a high-heat, high-humidity dirty plant environment.

Choosing a new flow meter can be a complex and time-consuming process. There are numerous flow meter measurement technologies, and not all of them are equally suitable for measuring all fluids: steam, gas or liquids.

A review of the plant’s process requirements, however, will generally narrow the field of candidates if the following criteria are reviewed: ❏ Fluid to be measured: steam at the sugar mill ❏ Accuracy requirement: custody transfer for plant-to-plant co-generation ❏ Reliability or repeatability: potentially hazardous environment ❏ Environment: high pressure, high temperature, high humidity ❏ Installation Ease: straightrun requirements for accurate measurement ❏ Maintenance: no cleaning or recalibration ❏ Long Life: 25+ years ❏ Price: low life-cycle cost

After the process engineers at the sugar mill reviewed a number of flow sensor technologies, they contacted the flow measurement applications team at McCrometer. The company has been supplying flow meters that rely on differential pressure, electromagnetic and propeller technologies for over 55 years in the process and other industries.

The team at McCrometer quickly recognised the harsh operating environment and low maintenance requirements, which led them to suggest the V-Cone Flow Meter for this application.

The V-Cone Flow Meter developed

by McCrometer not only provides precision flow measurement in steam, liquid, or gas, but requires virtually no maintenance in demanding processes where high pressure conditions exist.

It is ideal for use in a wide range of industries from food/beverage, pharmaceutical, pulp/paper, oil/gas, water and wastewater treatment.

McCrometer’s V-Cone Flow Meter is based on advanced differential pressure technology requiring no moving parts that may fail due to high pressure and has no spaces that may clog during use.

Built-in flow conditioning allows the V-Cone to achieve accuracy of

LEARN MORE

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration is the exclusive representative for McCrometer products in Australia.

AMS has been in existence for more than 38 years supplying calibration equipment and industrial instrumentation to all industries.

The company has offices in Vic, NSW, WA, Qld and SA and supplies several of its product ranges into New Zealand and the Pacific region.

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration 1800 804 516 03 9017 8225 sales@ams-ic.com.au www.ams-ic.com.au

In this particular application, the sugar mill’s high pressure operating environment was a cause for concern with some flow sensing technologies.

Those technologies that rely on moving turbines or plates can be problematic in high pressure (steam) applications. They can even pose a

PA0413_021.pdf

Page

21

22/03/13,

10:22:47

AM

AEDT

PRESENTED BY

FIGURE 2: The V-Cone redirecting fluid around the cone. ±0.5% and repeatability of ±0.1% (high reliability) with straight pipe runs of only 0-3 pipe diameters upstream and 0-1 pipe diameters downstream.

The V-Cone flow meter utilises a centrally located intrusion that redirects the flow to the outside of the pipe and conditions the flow by reshaping the velocity profile, all but eliminating the need for straight pipe runs. The V-Cone flow meter requires straight pipe runs of only 0 to 3 pipe diameters upstream and 0 to 1 pipe diameters downstream.

The V-Cone flow meter’s smaller footprint requires up to 70 percent less straight pipe without being affected by flow disturbing equipment up or down stream.

Its self-conditioning design allows the sugar mill process team to place the flow meter exactly where it’s needed without the costly addition of extra pipe, external flow conditioners or complicated space-consuming layouts.

The V-Cone flow meter measures fluid flow by utilising the conservation of energy theory, which basically states that in a closed system, energy can be neither gained nor lost.

According to the PV=nRT equation, pressure multiplied by volume equals temperature while “n” and “R” are constants. Imposing a volume change within the pipe line, therefore, results in a differential pressure drop that can be measured directly.

McCrometer’s V-Cone flow meter places a “V-shaped” conical intrusion centrally in the line, redirecting the fluid to the outside of the pipe and around the cone.

One pressure sensing tap located upstream from the Cone measures static pressure while another pressure sensing tap measures the low pressure created by the cone on the downstream face of the cone itself.

This pressure difference is incorporated into a derivation of the Bernoulli equation to determine fluid flow. As the fluid moves past the cone, very short vortices are formed that result in a low-amplitude, highfrequency signal optimal for excellent signal stability. The V-Cone flow meter maintains ±0.5 percent accuracy and ±0.1 percent repeatability over a 10 to 1 turndown, and the cone conditions the fluid such that there is relatively low permanent head loss.

The low permanent head-loss achieved by the V-Cone flow meter results from the shape of the cone itself.

The shape of the cone minimises energy losses commonly caused by areas of low flow, cavitation and erratic flows.

Each V-Cone flow meter is sized to meet desired application requirements and may be specifically designed to have high or low head loss. Regardless, the overall energy consumed by the V-Cone flow meter is minimised because of its inherent characteristics.

The rugged, no moving parts V-Cone flow meter measures clean, abrasive, dirty, and particle-laden fluids over a wide range of Reynolds numbers without wear or clogging concerns, resulting in an unprecedented standard 25-year operating life with generally no need for maintenance. Reynolds numbers are a measure of whether flow is laminar or turbulent.

The turbulent vortices produced by the V-Cone flow meter condition the fluid flow to be homogeneously distributed and extremely stable. It is this turbulent flow that actually protects the cone as well as the surrounding pipe.

The turbulent flow forms a boundary layer against the pipe wall and cone protecting it from particle impingement, which can cause deterioration or buildup on the surfaces.

Normal surface deterioration in flow

meters, piping and other equipment occurs as a result of fluid sheer stress.

Shear stress creates a problem where there is a solid boundary layer in direct contact with the walls of the pipe. Shear stress occurs in laminar and unstable turbulent flows.

The V-Cone flow meter’s very stable turbulent flow all but eliminates this shear stress and consequently results in no surface deterioration.

Additionally, due to the shape of the cone, there is little chance of cavitation on the backside of the cone to erode the surface.

Each meter is calibrated during the manufacturing process and because the design is so robust, there is never a need for regular maintenance or recalibration after installation.

Conclusion The first V-Cone was installed in a sixteen-inch line and has been operating successfully since 2005.

The owners of the sugar mill plant are expanding the distillery plant where they will have the same application for a larger thirty-inch (762 mm) line.

Since the plant found the original V-Cone flow meter reliable, repeatable, and accurate with no need for recalibration or adjustments for maximum uptime, purchasing a new thirty-inch V-Cone was an easy choice.

[Nick Voss is V-Cone Product Manager, McCrometer.]

MCCROMETER

FOCUS ON FLOW McCrometer is a leading global flow instrumentation specialist.

The company specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and testing of flow metering solutions.

McCrometer has a single focus: flow instrumentation.

They provide some of the industry’s most trusted flow monitoring and flow sensing solutions in the world. McCrometer’s flow meters are used in many liquid, gas and steam fluid processes in challenging industries: chemical, electric power, facilities, food, HVAC, irrigation, oil/ gas, municipal water and municipal waste water.

The company was founded by engineers committed to developing real-world flow metering solutions.

Unable to find the right flow meter for their irrigation system, the original engineers designed their own, and formed McCrometer, based in California. Over 55 years later, this solutions-oriented approach still guides the company.

Each flowmeter is individually wet calibrated in one of their two NIST traceable calibration facilities and delivered with a Certificate of Calibration. www.mccrometer.com

FIGURE 3: The V-Cone flow meter.

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 21

AM3160_ASC_2013.pdf

Page

1

22/03/13,

8:30

AM

THE ESSENTIAL

CONFERENCE

FOR MINE SITE SAFETY OFFICERS AND

MANAGERS

REGISTRATIONS

CLOSE SOON! Ensuring safe working conditions is the most critical factor in mining.

WEDNESDAY 1 MAY 2013 | STAMFORD PLAZA, BRISBANE Australian Mining has pulled together key industry experts to bring you a not to be missed full day safety conference. With a key emphasis on safety; experts and delegates are set to discuss the latest developments, government regulations, new technology, and practises that will ensure a safer future for all.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Hon. Andrew Cripps MP QLD Mining Minister Welcome and Keynote Address Paul Medcraft MineARC Systems Underground Mining Safety Dr Jennifer Bowers Australian Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Mental Health

Stewart Bell QLD Commissioner for Mine Safety and Health Fatigue: The Recently Introduced Guidelines Jock Cunningham Mine Automation Expert, CSIRO Technology Developments in Mine Safety

Don’t miss your opportunity to partake in the future of safety in Australia’s mining industry.

Jeff Samuels, Managing Director, QMW Personal Protection – Vehicle/Machinery Safety Helen Wood, Managing Director, TMS Consulting Maintaining Safety in FIFO and DIDO Environments

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Book your seats today For more information or to register

please visit www.miningaustralia.com.au/conference or Contact us on 02 9422 2896

PA0413_023.pdf

Page

23

22/03/13,

9:58:14

AM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

Panels come with multi-touch People prefer to work with their hands rather than type with their fingers, writes Max Scholz.

T

HE potential for designing HMI with GUI and SCADA terminals in factories has evolved significantly in the past few years.

This potential is being driven by the increasing availability of multi-touch displays suitable for industrial use, as used in tablet PCs, for example.

Completely new forms of user interaction have emerged, like turning screen content using two fingers, zooming into content by spreading fingers or scrolling by simply swiping.

It is even possible to implement two hand operation in order to facilitate switching motors on or off, and even the mechanical dead man’s switch could be replaced.

But whatever concrete solution needs to be created, the most convincing form of operation is one which is simply carried out by hands. It is only natural for people to want to work with their hands rather than type with their fingers. But even typing is simpler with multi-touch displays. In comparison to one-finger operation the shift-key can be activated.

The 16:9 format provides more room for gesture control or for virtualisations.

If the display is used in portrait mode, a complete keyboard can be blended in on the lower part of the screen which does away with the need for a physical keyboard, both space- and cost-saving.

SENSITIVE: Panel-PCs with capacitive multi-touch panels offer an industrialpurpose range of interfaces.

Which touch technology is the right one though? If thick work gloves do not have to be worn, the projective-capacitive version of the glass touch surface is the most comfortable choice for the operator.

It is touch-sensitive thus achieving a high level of operation precision.

A further practical feature is that the field which is projected on the glass surface can already perceive the proximity of the hand, so that it is only necessary to lightly glide over the glass surface. The operating haptics are consequently completely different from resistive touch, which requires physical

pressure on the screen.

But resistive touch has its advantages too. It is recommended for those applications in which thick gloves have to be worn. For industrial applications the 5-wire technology is appealing. It can be operated by every type of glove and offers – in comparison to the 4-wire version - a much higher level of precision. Compared to the 8-wire technology it comes at a much lower price and offers a longer lifecycle, which reduces the total-cost-of-ownership.

Improved ease-of-use though is not the only aspect why HMIs should get a

new look and feel. Glass touch displays are also setting a new design trend which optically excels with its smooth and seamless glass surfaces.

At the same time though this is where the challenge begins: Where robust designs are concerned, the glass panel cannot just be stuck on the back with an assembly kit, like, for example, is the case with ceramic cooking areas, in order to create a shock- and vibration-proof hold.

Especially not when the opening of the housing on the machine or equipment has to offer comprehensive protection against dust and spray water.

A way to solve this is to embed the glass display of the touch panel into an aluminium shell, which at the same time protects the edges of the glass displays from knocks and bumps. In this way, mounting equipment can be integrated into the shell, which fixates the Panel-PC in the case front with the appropriate sealing. This results in an industrialpurpose product solution featuring a completely flat glass surface on the front.

Kontron has introduced two such Panel-PC families which target this application area. The Micro Client 3 family has been designed for surveillance and control of individual production lines and the new OmniClient family for managing production lines.

[Max Scholz is Product Manager HMI at Kontron.] au.kontron.com

Essential process safety training from IChemE Introduction to Process Safety 14–15 May, Brisbane www.icheme.org/itps

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) 11–12 June, Perth www.icheme.org/lopaperth

HAZOP Study for Team Leaders and Team Members 18–20 June, Melbourne www.icheme.org/hazopmel To register and to find out how these courses can be run in-house, email austcourses@icheme.org or call 03 9642 4494 C0089_13

ADVANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLDWIDE

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 23

PA0413_024.pdf

Page

24

22/03/13,

9:23:01

AM

AEDT

NMW PREVIEW

NMW 2013: Product showcase The focus of National Manufacturing Week in May this year is ‘doing more with less’.

NMW 2013 is co-located with Austech and takes place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 7-10. This year’s event focuses on strategies for boosting performance and productivity in the manufacturing sector.

One of the strong trends emerging for National Manufacturing Week (May 7 – 10, Melbourne) is a greater number of solutions – including process control platforms and products – relevant to the food industry and pharmaceutical sector.

Event organiser, Reed Exhibitions comments that this concentration reflects the enormous importance of these sectors to Australian industry.

Paul Baker, Exhibition Director for NMW said, “The food industry is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, generating more than $108 billion in revenue – while pharmaceutical manufacturing generates more than $9 billion in revenue each year.”

“Both industries are also changing in response to new market conditions – creating a climate of opportunity for suppliers who can help food and pharmaceutical companies optimise their processes, adapt and grow,” Baker said.

will be displaying new solutions and capabilities at NMW. It’s going to be a great exhibition for organisations – from all sectors – seeking new ideas and technologies,” Baker said.

On the floor Here are some of the other companies displaying new products at NMW. 1. Adept Turnkey. They offer machine vision for manufacturing operations.

The company will showcase its range of machine vision components and

properties and thermal analysis. The company also carries a range of technical trainers and programmes for electrical and mechanical engineering training.

4. CGB Precision Products. In 2013, CGB Precision Products marks 40 years servicing Australian industry. The company is a supplier of super precision ball bearings and related components.

They supply products for wire and paper manufacturing, printing, automotive applications, medical and dental equipment. The range includes brands

Food and pharma These are some of the exhibitors showing platforms with food and pharmaceutical applications: Omron Electronics offers one of industry’s most complete ranges of sensors and programmable controllers to advanced automation systems, with specialist solutions for food and medical applications Treotham Automation provides solutions and technical support in a range of industries including food processing and packaging.

UV Pacific provides solutions that boost productivity in manufacturing and assembly. The company is introducing new solutions at the show, including the Honle Bluepoint LED UV spot lamps for bonding, fixing or encapsulating in clean room, biological and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.

“These companies are just some of the more than 300 suppliers who 24 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

machine vision systems. Adept’s products include smart cameras, 3D cameras, compact vision appliances, machine vision lighting, optics, grabbers, software and accessories.

2. ADM Instrument Engineering. At NMW the company is launching the Energy Safe approved Meanwell PCD Series of constant current LED drivers with 1.8m cable and mains AU plug.

The company is the Australian agent for Burster, Unimeasure, Midori Precisions, Lutron Enterprise, among others.

3. Bestech Australia. Bestech Australia was founded in 2002 claims to be one of the fastest growing companies in Australia and New Zealand. They distribute and manufacture sensors, transducers, signal conditioners and test systems for measurement of physical parameters like leak, displacement, tilt, pressure, temperature, strain, force, torque, vibration, viscosity, level, flow, material

APPROVED: ADM is launching the Meanwell PCD Series of constant current LED drivers. such as Barden, FAG, Kaydon & Gamet, Kamatics, GRW, Heim, FLURO, PIC Design and Greene Tweed.

5. Daanet. The company will be demonstrating recent advances in safety, communications and control technologies from Europe. Daanet featured products from Hirschmann, B&R Automation, Idem, Secomea and Auer include: Remote device access (M2M) system for plant automation with end-to-end security; Network redundancy with zero time or data Loss for safety, motion and mission

critical applications; Mobile automation which includes a suite of control and I/O products for remote and harsh conditions; Industrial PCs and controllers based on 3rd generation Intel Core i-series processors; Multi-touch panels.

6. Dotech. This Korea-based company manufactures controllers for temperature, humidity, differential pressure and CO2 sensors. They will showcase controllers for air compressor units including: Controller for screw type air compressor; Controller for scroll oil free type compressor; Controller for multi compressor; Controller for screw oil free type compressor; Compact size controllers.

7. Global Automation. Imports and distributes factory automation products for panel builders, machine builders, industrial users, OEMs and contractors and distributes HMI products from Beijer Electronics. Beijer Electronics and Global Automation will use NMW to officially launch the next generation of “iX” HMI panels to the local market.

8. Treotham Automation. The company will introduce a number of safety products, including: Mosaic programmable controller with bus modules; Wipos power supplies from Wieland; Three phase and Single phase surge arrestors for lightning protection Type 1, 2 and 3; Flare range of multi-function timers, multi-function monitoring and switching relays; Mechanical and non-contact interlocks from Wieland; EOS range (IP 69K) light curtains.

9. Vision Systems Engineering. The company offers automatic product inspection for quality and control and will be running two automatic inspection systems at NMW this year.

They will have examples of production line product measurement, sorting, defect detection, code reading using compact and computer based inspection systems. A range of LED machine vision light sources from Smart Vision Lighting will also be on show.

Attendance to NMW 2013 is free to the trade. Visitors may register on the website. nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au

PA0413_025.pdf

Page

25

21/03/13,

4:22:47

PM

AEDT

BEHIND THE SCENES

Synchronising crane drives Modular Cranes sought to expand but their existing matched overhead cranes were no longer available.

They needed an alternative that could be installed and synchronised to match the existing cranes.

M

ELBOURNE-based overhead crane manufacturer Modular Cranes, were presented with an unusual problem. One of their customers, a heavy truck trailer manufacturer, already had two 22-metrewide overhead cranes installed in their factory which ran on the same set of rails.

These cranes were rated at 12.5 tonnes each, and had given reliable service for many years. They were identical in their specification and were synchronised with both their slow and fast speeds, as well as the elapsed distance they travel to slow down and stop.

The customer’s new production process now required that a third crane be included on the same set of rails so that very long and heavy trailers could be moved along the factory with the load shared between two of the cranes at any one time. A wireless handheld remote control would actuate the pair of cranes simultaneously as required.

The new crane could be synchronised with the existing cranes without the requirement of rotary encoders.

The problem facing the team at Modular Cranes was that the existing overhead cranes were no longer available to be sourced.

They needed to look at an alternative that could be installed and synchronised to match the existing cranes.

Importantly, Modular Cranes were looking for a solution that also needed to be economically viable for their customer. Modular Cranes sought the

EXPANSION: The three 22-metre-wide overhead cranes share the common rails. All three overhead cranes are synchronised with the slow and fast speeds and also the elapsed distance they travel to stop.

ECONOMY: High up on each end of the new overhead crane were the travel drive Helical geared motors.

expertise of NORD Drivesystems for the two travel drive helical geared brake motors on the new crane.

To solve the synchronisation problem, NORD Drivesystems’ decentralised frequency inverter technology was also employed.

To enhance the requirement for economy, NORD Drivesytems proposed a conventional four-pole electric motor with a 10Nm electromagnetic brake mounted to each of the NORDBloc.1 series inline Helical geared brake motors.

The NORD SK205E series decentralised frequency inverter was also included, complete with internal 24 Volt power supply cartridge, and an external brake resister to accommodate the re-generative current produced by the cranes’ weight when slowing to stop.

The high precision accuracy of the NORD Helical gear set and the flexibility of the decentralised frequency inverter software permitted this new crane to synchronised with the existing cranes without the requirement of rotary encoders.

Further, utilising the two decentralised frequency inverters eliminated the need or any shielded cable in this installation.

NORD Drivesystems 03 9394 0500 www.nord.com.au APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 25

PA0413_026.pdf

Page

26

22/03/13,

10:25:55

AM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

High intensity grinding Declining ore grades require a finer grind size for maximum mineral recovery and are setting new challenges for grinding technology, write Mattias Ă…stholm, Andres Paz and Eddie Jamieson.

G

LOBAL ore grades are declining while commodity demands continue to rise. These ore bodies are increasingly complex, requiring a finer grind size for maximum mineral recovery and grade and are setting new challenges, particularly for grinding technology.

Energy efficiency is a major driving force and another challenge to address.

The High Intensity Grinding (HIG) mill has been designed specifically to manage these types of complex, fine grained ore-bodies that are rapidly becoming more economically viable.

While this technology has been utilised and proven for more than 30 years, further development, backed by intensive testwork, has resulted in the HIG mill now being available in the minerals processing industry.

The adaptability of the mill means it is suitable for a wide variety of processes. This offers other benefits such as minimised energy usage of up to 40-50% compared with traditional ball mills (see graph alongside).

In a typical application, the HIG process begins with the circuit feed being pumped to a scalping cyclone upstream of the mill.

The process is typically a single pass with no external classification necessary. With the grinding media evenly distributed, the ore particles remain in constant contact, significantly increasing grinding efficiency.

Gravity keeps the media compact during operation, ensuring high intensity, inter-bead contact and efficient, even-energy transfer throughout the volume.

The disc configuration and the whole chamber geometry have been optimised for efficient energy transfer to the bead mass, internal circulation and classification.

ECONOMICAL: The mill minimises energy usage by up to 40-50 percent compared with traditional ball mills.

Grinding chamber The defined underflow is then mixed with water to optimal grinding density and pumped into the mill at base level.

The slurry enters a grinding chamber containing grinding media and rotating discs which provide momentum to stir the charge against a series of static discs.

As the flow transfers upwards, the ore slurry passes through the rotating discs and the free space between the static counter discs lining the wall (see figure alongside).

Due to the vertical arrangement of the mill, classification is conducted simultaneously throughout the grinding process with larger particles remaining longer at the peripheral, while smaller particles move upwards.

26 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

PASSAGE: As the flow transfers upwards the ore slurry passes through the rotating discs and the free space between the static counter discs lining the wall.

VERSATILE: The adaptability of the HIGmill means it is suitable for a wide variety of processes.

Largest units With installed power up to 5,000 kW, the mill is the largest fine grinding unit in the market place to date.

This technology comes in various drum diameters and the mill heights can be varied to optimise the media load and power input for specific applications.

Chamber volumes range from 400 to 27,500 litres with corresponding drives from 132 to 5,000 kW. It is the only ultrafine grinding technology in commercial use that has the capability to use small size high density grinding media in mill sizes above 3,000 kW. Over 260 mills have been commissioned and proven in the marketplace. Online particle size optimisation to maximise process The HIGmill is able to optimise product fineness on-line. The energy efficiency remains constant through a wide shaft speed range.

The figure depicts three different flow rates with specific grinding energy (SGE) versus product fineness. Each SGE point has been generated by varying the shaft speed.

A feedback control principle is to measure the particle size distribution by an Outotec PSI on-line particle analyser and the shaft speed adjusted to maintain constant product size.

In addition to feed back control

PA0413_027.pdf

Page

27

22/03/13,

10:26:49

AM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

feed forward control could be used to measure scalping cyclone feed quantity and adjust the mill shaft speed to reach target energy per total feed flow.

The benefit of high power intensity and vertical installation is a very small footprint. The head room over the mill is small and the flanged, split shell construction reduces the space needed for maintenance. The top-supported hanging arrangement keeps the floor and sides clear, simplifying maintenance and emptying the beads.

Gravity, together with an internal hydroclassifier, prevents the grinding media from escaping the mill by pushing the grinding beads back down into the milling process, letting through only the fine ground slurry.

Fluctuating conditions A wide range of grinding applications can be addressed due to the excellent flexibility the mill has in adapting to fluctuating process conditions.

Typical application for the mill is the regrinding of concentrates (e.g.

Gravity keeps the media compact during operation, ensuring high intensity interbead contact and efficient even-energy transfer throughout the volume.

COMPARE: This graph depicts three different flow rates with specific grinding energy (SGE) versus product fineness. Each SGE point has been generated by varying the shaft speed.

magnetic, flotation). The flows from these types of upstream processes can vary considerably due to fluctuations in ore grade and quality, as can the target fineness due to variations in the ore mineralogy.

Flow fluctuations in the mill can be dampened by maintaining the net energy constant via control of the mill shaft speed.

Product fineness is also controlled by adjusting the shaft speed and thus >

APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 27

PA0413_028.pdf

Page

28

22/03/13,

10:27:19

AM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

+HOSLQJ WR SXW \RX LQ &RQWURO

&KDQQHO 0RGE &K O GE EXV 7HPS 6HQVRU 6 $FFHSWV XS WR '6 6 6 '6 % WHPS VHQ HQVRUV 6RODU 5DGLDWLRQ VHQVRU $QHPRP HWHU $OO UHDGLQJV V DUH VWRUHG LQ 0RGEXV 578 KRO ROGLQJ UHJLVWHUV VR WKH\ DUH PD DGH DYDLODEOH IRU 6&$'$ 3/& 3& 3& PRQLWRULQJ 86% 56 LQWHUIDFHV WR 9'& SRZ HUHG 2SWLRQD QDO [ /&' 6.8 .7$

3ULFH HDFK *67

[ P$ LQ P$ RXW PHWHU GLJLW GLLVSOD\ SURFHVV PHWHU FD DQ SHUIRUP RQH RI IRXU EDV VLF PDWK IXQFWLRQV RI WKH [ P$ VLJQDOV LQ DQG WUD DQVPLW WKH UHVXOW DV D P$ RXW 'XDO LQSXW PDWK IXQFWLRQV $ % $ % $ % $ % )RXU DODUP P IXQFWLRQV $FFXUDF\ )6 “ 6.8 8 $;, 3ULF FH HDFK *67

7HP PS 7UDQVPLWWHU 7[,VR3DFN 86% 3UR RJUDPPDEOH E\ 86% WKLV LV D IXOOO\ LVRODWHG P$ ZLUH ORRS SR RZHUHG WHPS KHDG WUDQVPLWWHU 3UR URJUDPPDEOH LQSXW WKHUPRFRX SOH HV RU ZLUH 3W 57'V DQ QG WR P9 PP GLDPHWHU [ PP KHLJKW WR 9'& SR RZHUHG 6 6.8 6,* 3 3ULFH HDFK *67

/ /RDG &HOO ,VRODWHG 7UDQVPLWWHU 8OWUD 6OLP WUDQVPLWWHU ZLWK P9 9 8 LQ QSXW DQG VHOHFWDEOH FXUUHQW YROW D DJH RXWSXWV )XOO VFDOH DFFX

UDF\ 9 H[FLWDWLRQ 7KUHH ZD\ N N: LVRODWLRQ 3RZHU 6XSSO\ UDQJH

WR 9'& 6 6.8 $;% 3 3ULFH HDFK *67

,6 6(( 0RGEXV7&3 VRIWZDUH 0R RQLWRU WUHQG DQG ORJ \RXU 0R RGEXV GHYLFHV 6XSSRUWV 0R RGEXV 7&3 0RGEXV 578 DQ QG $6&,, SURWRFRO 8S WR

WDJV DODUPV /RJV WR G GDLO\ ZHHNO\ DQG PRQWK O\ Âż ÂżOHV 5HFRUGV PD[LPXP DQG G PLQLPXP YDOXHV 6.8 8 2&6 3ULF FH HDFK *67

)ORZ Z &RQWUROOHU 0HWHU

3DGGOOH ZKHHO ÀRZ VHQVRU ZLWK WR P$ $ RXWSXW DODUP UHOD\V DQG D SURJ JUDPPDEOH /(' GLVSOD\ $FFX UDF\“ RI IXOO VFDOH WR 9'& SR RZHUHG 'LVSOD\ ÀRZ XQLWV /LWUH *D *DO &XE PHWUH 6.8 $; ;6 3ULFH HDFK *67

SRUW 0 0RGEXV *DWHZD\

0% & S SURYLGHV DQ LQWHUIDFH EHWZHHQ 0R RGEXV VHULDO VODYH GHYLFHV DQG KRVWV UXQQLQJ 0RG EXV 7&3 RQ ( (WKHUQHW QHWZRUNV 6XSSRUWV 56 56 56 LQWHUID DFHV 0ESV IDVW HWKHUQHW IXOO GXSOH[ DXWR R QHJRWLDWLRQ 6.8 $72

3ULFH H HDFK *67

)RU 2(0 :KROHVDOH SULFHV &RQWDFW 2FHDQ &RQWUROV 3K

ZZZ RFHDQFRQWUROV FRP DX

28 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

CONTROL: A feedback control principle is to measure the particle size distribution by an on-line particle analyser and the shaft speed adjusted to maintain constant product size.

power input. If the conditions permanently change so that the current operational range is no longer optimal, the range can be optimised by changing volumetric media filling, bead size and/or bead material.

Both ceramic and steel beads can be used. In ultrafine grinding the typical bead diameter is 1-3 mm and in coarser grinding 3-6 mm.

The drum segments and wear components have been specifically designed to make maintenance simple and quick. The casing is flanged vertically so that it can be split down the centre into two halves that can be moved apart on a railing system.

After exposing the internals, changing individual discs and liner segments can be performed by two skilled mechanical trade personnel.

Wear of the discs is even around the circumference. The wear is faster in the bottom part of the mill and typically the lowest discs have to be replaced a few times before the total set is changed.

For a complete change, a spare shaft ready for installation is an option available. Wear components can be lined with polyurethane, metal hard facing or natural rubber depending on application.

HIGmill delivery The Mills are available with or without a mounting frame. Mills in brown field projects are typically supplied with a frame, while mills in green field projects are integrated into the concentrator building.

Typical delivery includes: Scalping cyclone with feed pump Feed, mixing and storage tanks Feed pump Media addition systems for grinding media Motor and drive components Gearbox and oil supply system All instrumentation, controls and the motor control centre â?? PLC control with human machine interface â?? Vertical process package engineering and plant model â?? â?? â?? â?? â?? â?? â??

Summary This grinding technology provides energy efficient fine and ultra-fine grinding – particularly important for today’s more challenging ore bodies.

Suitable in either green or brownfield applications with its small footprint and high adaptability to process variations, HIG technology, at up to 5,000 kW, delivers the highest installed power in the market place to date.

[Mattias Åstholm is Outotec’s Technology Manager (HIGmills). Andres Paz is Process Engineer (Comminution) for Outotec’s Grinding Mill product line. Eddie Jamieson is Principal Metallurgist (Comminution) for the Grinding Mill product line.]

Outotec (Australia) 02 9984 2500 www.outotec.com

PA0413_029.pdf

Page

29

21/03/13,

5:01:38

PM

AEDT

NEW PRODUCTS

Intelligent vibration monitoring sensor

Magnetic thickness gauge The Magna-Mike 8600 Hall Effect Thickness Gauge from Olympus NDT enables accurate measurement of the thickness of thin-walled items such as blow-moulded plastic bottles. This instrument is a portable thickness gauge that utilises a magnetic method to make reliable thickness measurements on non-ferrous materials. The tool can be used in a wide range of applications including measurements of thermo-formed plastic trays, extruded tubing, and automotive tear seams. The Magna-Mike 8600 can also be used on glass and composites, as well as any non-ferrous metals, such as aluminium, brass, copper and titanium, with a thickness range from 0.001mm to 25.4mm. The Magna-Mike 8600 features both straight and angled magnetic probes with replaceable wear caps to increase durability.

The vibration sensor from ifm efector monitors, displays and records vibration values. A display with colour change in traffic light colours shows machine conditions at a glance.

The VNB001 is the first member of a new series of vibration sensors. The compact sensor monitors online the overall vibration condition of machines and plants according to ISO 10816 and features an on-board time-stamped history function as well as data logging and trending – directly on the machine. The sensing principle is based on the efector octavis technology, which can also be used reliably in mobile applications. Critical machine conditions can be signalled using two switching outputs or one switching output and one analogue input. ifm efector sales.au@ifm.com 1300 365 088

Olympus NDT 03 9265 5467 IBDinfo@olympus.com.au

Visual infrared thermometer is a camera The VT02 Visual IR Thermometer is a troubleshooting camera with an infrared heat map. Until now, electricians and industrial, HVAC and automotive technicians have had to choose between single-point infrared thermometers and high-resolution thermal imagers. The Fluke VT02 Visual IR Thermometer fills the gap, for times when a single-spot temperature reading isn’t enough and a high-resolution thermal image is more than users need. One tool combines the visual insight of a thermal imager, the visual images of a digital camera, and the point-and-shoot convenience of an IR thermometer. Conducting inspections for electrical, industrial, HVAC/R and automotive applications is faster with the VT02 than an infrared thermometer. The focus-free VT02 detects problems using blended thermal and digital imagery. Markers pinpoint hot and cold spots. A temperature reading is provided at the centre point. Images are saved to the micro-SD card.

Fluke Australia 02 8850 3333 sales@fluke.com.au

BL Compact in stainless steel The BL Compact is now available in a stainless steel model. Stainless steel replaces the exposed metal on BL Compact components, including the receptacle housing, ground plate and window screw. Providing greater resistance to corrosion and other environmental contaminants than standard nickel-brass variations, stainless steel enhances operation and extends product longevity. The Turck BL Compact system collects a variety of signals in a single, rugged node on a network. Rather than routing all signals through a control cabinet, this device makes it possible to obtain analogue, digital, thermocouple, RTD, serial, RFID or a mixture of signal types in a compact, on-the-machine device over Ethernet IP, DeviceNet, CANopen and PROFIBUS-DP. Up to two signal types can be combined in any combination in the BL Compact system, including RFID and analogue, digital and serial.

To extend application flexibility, up to 16 devices may be added to an existing network.

TURCK Australia 1300 132 566 www.turck.com.au

SIL 3 certified compact flame monitor The Durag D-LX 200 compact flame monitor allows selective and failsafe continuous flame monitoring for various applications including power stations, heating plants, rotary kilns/cement plants, refineries, process incineration plants, thermal exhaust gas incineration plants and sulphur recovery units. The system reliably detects flames from all fuels, particularly gas, oil, coal and wood with precise distinguishing between two kinds of flames, which has always been a challenge for

conventional flame monitors. The large sensitivity and temperature range provided enables the monitor to be used in diverse environments. The dual channel D-LX 200 with SIL3 delivers failsafe, self-monitoring flame detection. The monitor becomes more versatile with its special software enabling control and monitoring of settings via wireless communication through your PC. SAACKE Australia 02 8863 2000 www.saacke.com.au APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 29

PA0413_030.pdf

Page

30

21/03/13,

4:24:07

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

Wireless in industrial networks Process instruments are getting smarter every year over year but their capabilities are often under-utilised.

Important data that could help save costs remains unused.

FIGURE 1: Purdue Model of Process Control mapped into a functional network diagram.

I

NTELLIGENT devices, whether they are valve positioners, temperature devices, flow meters, or level meters, supply additional data such as secondary process variables or device diagnostics that can be used to obtain a better insight into the process.

This data can be made accessible using a HART data transfer protocol.

Although new control systems are HART enabled, the many legacy control systems in the field frequently lack the ability to collect HART data. The WirelessHART standard can be used in both retrofit and greenfield installations, providing distinct advantages for each.

The time to engineer and develop the expansion or construction of a process unit can be drastically reduced

30 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

by installing wireless systems to replace both infrastructure and signal cabling.

Moreover, investment costs as well as the costs associated with obtaining the necessary approvals are reduced.

A signal that previously took days to bring online using traditional wiring can now be commissioned within just a few hours using WirelessHART. Less time and higher flexibility allows maintenance crews to deploy wireless nodes for temporary troubleshooting or adding “stranded” measurement points to increase safety or improve efficiency.

By utilising previously unused HART diagnostic data, a maintenance department can detect issues, for example plugged lines or worn valve seals. Leaks and contamination may

also be detected before they ever cause a problem to other instruments or the complete process.

What’s more, plant personnel are protected against safety risks. A logistics department can better plan when to turn assets on and off. What also should not be forgotten is that the efficiency of critical parts of plants and systems can be monitored from remote locations using WirelessHART.

Network interaction It is important for users considering utilising a communication solution based on WirelessHART to understand its optimal position in the process and industrial network structures prior to installation. By doing so, it is possible

to simplify the network architecture and system management, resulting in better connectivity along with both capital and operational cost savings. The “Purdue Model of Process Control” explains how components in modern industrial networks collaborate.

It distinguishes between five levels in the hierarchical structure of a network of control systems. With this model, users obtain a common model as well as standard terminology so that networks in all industrial application areas can be identically structured.

Each level has specified functions and actions for which it is responsible. These responsibilities range from creating preventive maintenance schedules and equipment renovation cycles in level >

AD_PACEBESAPR_13.pdf

Page

1

22/03/13,

10:17:05

AM

AEDT

Instrumenta on for Precision Measurement Universal Colour Sensors with Op cal Fibers

Colour Sensors with Fixed Lenses for Special Surfaces

All Sensors & Instrumenta on for x Displacement / Posi on x Angle / Tilt / Rotary x Strain Gauges x Force / Load & Torque x Pressure / Level x Accelera on & Vibra on x Iner al Naviga on x Temperature x Thermal Analysis x Colour x Leak Tes ng x Signal Condi oner x Indicator / Display x Data Acquisi on x Water Tes ng x Geotechnical x Material Tes ng x Build test systems x Training systems x Wireless

Online High Speed Colour Measurement System

Sensor Systems for LED Tests of Func on, Colour and Intensity

PH: (03) 9540 5100 Email: enquiry@bestech.com.au www.bestech.com.au

PA0413_032.pdf

Page

32

21/03/13,

4:25:02

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

4, to different types of local instrument control found in levels 0, 1, and 2.

Levels 0, 1, and 2 are directly connected to level 3. This involves manufacturing operations and control, which is directly responsible for establishing immediate production schedules and maintenance routines. Having a better insight into the diagnostics data of the instruments installed in the plant or system makes it possible at level 3 to schedule maintenance routines more efficiently than in the past. Level 3 can be considered a plant network, as it acts as a master of operations to the lower instrument control levels (Fig. 1).

Simple coupling A process plant network is fairly complex, as different applications, such as visualisation, asset management, and data historians require access to measurement and control data from the field. Wireless HART facilitates flexible integration of diagnostics data using a WirelessHART adapter – or from process measurements via WirelessHART instruments. A WirelessHART gateway is used to simply establish a connection to the network.

In the simplest case, the WirelessHART gateway is directly connected to the control system (Fig. 3). In this case, the wireless standard represents an alternative to the 4-20 mA wiring to transfer the process variables from the field instruments.

The simplicity of the system is derived from the interface between the control system and the gateway, for instance, Modbus or Profibus. The HART commands are mapped to the I/O register format of the interface protocol. The control system can then use the measured data for simple closed loop functions or various calculations (Fig. 2).

Alternatively, the user can connect the WirelessHART gateway directly to the control network level (Fig. 3), allowing the distributed control system (DCS) to directly accesses the gateway data. To achieve this, a commonly used communication protocol is used, such as Modbus.

By integrating the WirelessHART gateway directly into the control network, additional controls are not required at the lower levels and new measurement points can be set up faster.

Directly connecting the WirelessHART gateway with the plant 32 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

FIGURE 2: The gateway has an integrated WLAN interface to connect with a wireless network and to enable TCP mapping from Hart to Modbus.

FIGURE 3: The gateway can be installed in the network in various ways.

network has proven to be advantageous.

This is because the DCS as well as other higher functioning plant tools, such as the asset management system (AMS), HMI screens, or a data historian, can access process and diagnostics data.

Generally, the gateway interface is based on a protocol such as HART IP or FDT/DTM, which is suitable for calibrating, configuring, and transferring measurement data. This means that communication with the field devices is realised without converting or mapping to another protocol.

It is thus possible to provide more efficient maintenance schedules so that it is no longer necessary to shut the plant down at regular intervals, but rather only when devices need maintenance.

Further, safety of operating personnel is increased as devices can be wirelessly calibrated. Personnel no longer have to venture into hazardous areas. Further, it is guaranteed that device calibrations are up-to-date, which in turn ensures improved accuracy in the process.

Expanding plant networks using the WirelessHART standard offers numerous advantages. As a consequence, field devices and instruments that are difficult to access can be directly coupled to the higher-level control system of the plant.

Personnel can thus obtain wider access to a more comprehensive database. www.phoenixcontact.com.au

PA0413_033.pdf

Page

33

21/03/13,

4:29:45

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

Power comes in small packages The digital motor which drives Dyson’s newest products packs impressive specs within a small and tightly integrated unit. Isaac Leung looks at the development work behind the technology.

D

YSON’S latest generation of products consist of three new Airblade hand dryer variants, all of which are powered by a new power-dense brushless DC motor.

The Airblade hand dryer emits sheets of high-velocity HEPA filtered and unheated air through tiny apertures, which “scrape” water from hands quickly. The latest products integrate the technology into a tap, a smaller V-form factor hand dryer for designconscious premises, and a mk2 standard hand dryer which weighs 1.1 kg less than the original and has a smaller carbon footprint.

The core enabler of these redesigns is the Dyson V4 Digital Motor, whose housing is just 85 mm wide, but is able to accelerate from 0 to 90,000 rpm in less than 0.7 seconds.

PACE talked to Tom Bennett, Dyson Design Engineer, about the development and production process of the motor.

Sheer power The V4 is the world’s smallest and fully integrated 1600 W motor. It is able to quickly accelerate due to the use of digital pulse technology, and at those speeds, generates 30 litres of airflow per second, which is in turn sent through laser-cut slots at 430 miles per hour (192 meters/sec)for fast hand-drying.

While conventional motors use carbon brushes, relying on a closed electrical circuit to a commutator in order to spin, the Dyson Digital Motor uses a strong magnetic field whose polarity is controlled by a microprocessor.

With no contact between the stator and the rotor, and fully digital switching controls, the motor itself does not emit carbon particle emissions from the brushes, and is also mechanically simple. The microprocessor can also optimise polarity switching, allowing the fast acceleration.

According to Dyson engineers, the

AUTOMATED: The Dyson facility relies on finely-programmed robots to achieve the desired levels of accuracy. faster the motor spins, the more energy efficient it becomes, since the power to weight ratio is increased. As a result, the motor can be smaller and lighter, without compromising its output power .

Smaller is better

While the latest motor has the same power use and overall specifications as the original Dyson digital motor, the team of over 100 engineers focused on condensing the unit into a more compact form in order to fit the new products. For example, the original motor had the electronics connected to it as a separate module; this is now integrated into a singular unit.

To squeeze an already-optimised design into an even-smaller space means pushing tolerances to their limits, and leveraging the latest production and

Engineers opted for adhesive technology to join the parts of the motor together thus reducing the space taken up by fixings and bolts.

material technologies to do so. Overall, the motor development effort for the V4 took 10 years, and US$40.9 million. “[The engineering team] did complex computational fluid dynamics analysis and looked at the precise shapes of the impeller blades, the speed at which it needed to run, the tolerances of every single part inside that,” explained Bennett.

Adhesive joints Hundreds of prototypes were built using Accura BlueStone Stereolithography resin, a 3D printing material which is highly accurate, making it perfect for representing finished parts in prototype within the tight tolerances demanded of the parts.

Dyson engineers also opted for adhesive technology to join the parts of > APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 33

AD_PACESEWAPR_13.pdf

Page

1

11/03/13,

9:37:50

AM

AEDT

Gearmotors \ Industrial Gear Units \ Drive Electronics \ Decentralised Technology \ Drive Automation \ Services

Strength of a global brand?

Or convenience of local assembly?

Why not both?

Opposites brought together: Discover why you no longer have to choose between one thing and another when you choose drive solutions from SEW-EURODRIVE. For over eighty years SEW has been delivering quality German engineered drive technology worldwide. Driving Australian industry for over 30 years, SEW-EURODRIVE supplies a range of products including gearmotors, frequency inverters, servo technology, decentralised systems and heavy industrial gear units. All engineered in Germany to provide our trademark quality stamp. All assembled locally to provide our trademark timeliness. Thirty years of drive technology – a lifetime of experience.

1300 SEW AUS Melbourne (HQ) I Sydney I Adelaide I Perth I Brisbane I Townsville

sew pace 4.13 fap 4xindustrial scenes.indd 1

www.sew-eurodrive.com.au

1/03/13 3:22 PM

PA0413_035.pdf

Page

35

21/03/13,

4:30:18

PM

AEDT

IN FOCUS

The faster the motor spins the more energy efficient it becomes since the power to weight ratio is increased

the development effort went into the engineering of the production line, based in Singapore.

Unlike previous approaches where Dyson worked in partnership with a local manufacturer, the new facility is owned by the company, and provides double the capacity of their previous arrangement, as well as increased control over the IP. “The production line is fully automated. A human is not capable of doing these tasks at this level of accuracy, and it also needs to be a clean room, dust-free. You can only rely on finely-programmed robots to do this task,” Bennet told PACE. With the use of automation, the facility produces 50,000 motors a week.

ENVIRONMENT: The fully automated production line is built in a dust-free clean room.

An enabling technology

the motor together, thus reducing the space taken up by screws, fixings and bolts. In all, there are over 37 adhesive joints within the motor.

Within the motor sits a compression bonded neodymium magnet, encased in a carbon fibre sleeve. This magnet fits the right tolerances, and also provides the high magnetic strength required by the motor.

The engineers designed the impeller to be made from PEEK, a material made with carbon fibre reinforcement and normally used in aerospace engineering.

The plastic can be moulded into various guises but in each case, it is lightweight yet strong and able to deal with the heat and high speeds generated when the motor spins.

Precision production Given focus on compactness, the design tolerances and clearances are imperceptibly small: the clearance between the bearing and its housing is just 0.45 microns.

With such small margins of error, a fully automated production process is the only answer. As such, US$30 million, and a large part of

SPEED: The microprocessor optimises polarity switching allowing fast acceleration for the motor.

Dyson is continuing to invest over US$15 million a year into motor R&D, and also actively protects its IP – the motor itself is covered by over 100 patents and patents pending, and the company is notoriously mum about new developments.

A big opportunity for the company is in finding new applications for the V4 motor, which it sees as an enabling technology. Product development ideas within the organisation are being pushed further thanks to the power and compact form factor of the motor.

With its Singaporean factory continuing to churn out the motors, Dyson’s digital motor technology certainly has a lot of potential applications, even within its existing product lines, like vacuum cleaners and fans. It may also be possible for Dyson to leverage this technology to move into new areas, such as power tools.

“The motor is exciting because of all the other opportunities which it presents to us,” Bennet said. “We’ve got bigger plans for it; we don’t know what the other products will be yet, but there’s lots of exciting things that we know that we can do with this technology.” www.dysonairblade.com.au APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 35

PA0413_036.pdf

Page

36

21/03/13,

3:51:06

PM

AEDT

SPOTLIGHT

7best of the

PACE showcase of the best engineering technology releases of the month.

Sixnet RAM routers support DNP3 The Sixnet RAM DNP slave driver enables data exchange with all types of I/O units. The DNP v3.00 driver implements a slave device function that is fully compliant with DNP v3.00 Subset Definition Level 2 and contains many Subset Level 3 features as well as some functionality beyond Subset Level 3. Users can utilise the RAM web GUI for easy configuration of the following capabilities: I/O to DNP objects mapping for any I/O type; Event generation and attributes (Class) for every mapped DNP object; Run time DNP protocol behaviour at all DNP protocol layers (Physical, Link, Application); DNP over serial port; DNP over LAN/WAN (UDP, TCP server and client); Unsolicited message generation for event reporting (configurable); Time synchronisation (configurable); Full Sixnet I/O to DNP object mapping; Event generation (minimum scan time 20ms) and time stamping at 1ms resolution. DNP3 has become one of the industry standards for electric utility and water treatment applications that require time stamped event data. In addition, time stamping event capabilities are also appropriate for oil & gas equipment monitoring applications.

Control Logic 1800 557 705 sales@control-logic.com.au www.control-logic.com.au

COMbricks RS485-IS Repeater module In partnership with PROCENTEC, I S Systems has released the RS485-IS Repeater module as an addition to the COMbricks family. The COMbricks RS 485 Intrinsic Safety barrier can create segments for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. It complies with specs for PROFIBUS DP in IS segments and drives 31 RS 485-IS PROFIBUS DP devices. ProfiTrace and an oscilloscope are integrated and suitable for Intrinsic Safety. The RS 485-IS barrier is the only available product for remotely monitoring IS segments over Ethernet. The user does not have to touch the installation because of the permanent mounting of the barrier. As an alternative, it can also be used as a permanent busmonitor on existing IS segments created by third

party barriers.

Via the free CommDTM for COMbricks, FDT based Asset Management systems can be used to remotely access devices in the hazardous area. The IS barrier can be mixed on the backplane with other COMbricks modules like PROFIBUS PA, Fiber Optic and DP Repeater modules. COMbricks is said to be the first PROFIBUS and PROFINET based automation system that unites network components, permanent monitoring and remote I/O. I S Systems 02 4964 8548 sales@issystems.com.au

Corrosion-proof sensors and transmitters Titanium is chemically and biologically neutral due to a permanent layer of oxide on its surface. Components made of titanium will not corrode even in salt water or chlorinated water, unlike high-grade steels. Titanium is more frequently chosen for process measurement technology applications involving wastewater that may be contaminated with unknown corrosive substances. A titanium housing makes it possible to carry out hydrostatic level measurements effectively in brackish water, or even in iron chloride. The development of an implantable 9mm diameter sensor made of titanium has attracted attention. If such a sensor is made of steel, it can 36 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

only be exposed to temperatures up to a maximum of 60째C. At higher temperatures, the heat-induced expansion of the oil causes so much deformation of the steel diaphragm that it no longer returns to its original position. By contrast, the titanium diaphragm shows no deformation up to 120째C, which also makes stability errors much less likely than products with steel diaphragms. This is because the modulus of elasticity is only half as high.

Keller info@keller-druck.co www.keller-druck.com

PA0413_037.pdf

Page

37

21/03/13,

3:52:14

PM

AEDT

Email your product news to editor@pacetoday.com.au

High efficiency DRC electronic motors Integrated multi-port valve systems Multi-port valve blocks made of stainless steel combine various functions for the control of liquids and gases in the smallest possible space. GEMÜ has mastered the production of these complex components using CNC machining centres. For customised block designs the company integrates a wide range of functions: blending, splitting, diverting, draining, feeding or cleaning.

Double shut-offs, cross connections, safety and control functions as well as the integration of sensors, filters and check valves are also possible. GEMÜ can integrate tanks, process containers and plant housing walls as well as mounting points. Application oriented tasks are assigned to these individual functions, such as distributing media, sampling, sterile steam or connecting cleaning media. Alternatively, they can be used to implement process engineering solutions, such as a minimum flow rate or a block and bleed safety function. Block solutions provide a simplified alternative to complex pipework with valves, fittings and sensors. The block assembly already houses all the required pipework, fittings and connections. In addition to valves, GEMÜ offers a range of accessories including controllers, flow meters, stroke limiters and customised sensors which can be integrated into the multi-port valve block.

GEMÜ Australia 02 4323 4493 www.gemu.com.au

SEW-EuroDrive has released a permanent magnet synchronous electronic motor to complement its range of mechatronic drive systems. The DRC electronic motor can be directly coupled with SEW’s gear unit range. The DRC series consists of a permanent-field synchronous motor and matching integrated drive electronics. The motor is also available as brake-motor making it suitable for hoists and inclined conveyors. A bevel, helical or parallel-shaft gear unit can be mounted directly via the flange and output shaft. Together with a gear unit from SEW’s modular range, manufacturers can get a flexible mechatronic drive system. The motor efficiency of the DRC surpasses the requirements of the highest effi-

ciency class IE4 (Super Premium Efficiency), making it possible to save up to 50% of the energy costs compared to conventional electric drive technology.

The Single Network Installation (SNI) technology requires only one 4-wire cable for power supply and communication. This reduces the amount of cabling efforts significantly; up to 60% of installation costs can be saved. The DRC electronic motor series is available in two distinct frame sizes covering a power range up to 1.5 kW with a further 250% overload capacity.

SEW-EURODRIVE 1300 739 287 enquiries@sew-eurodrive.com.au

Insertion electromagnetic flow sensor Dwyer Instruments has released its Series IEFS Insertion Electromagnetic Flow Sensor.

The Sensor comes in brass or stainless steel allowing it to handle a wide range of pressures and temperatures as well as a variety of available saddle fittings to fit pipe sizes 3” to 24”. The IEFS-3X and IEFS-4X have isolation valves which allow hot-tap installation and optional stainless steel construction. Additional options for this flow meter include adapter fittings and a reverse flow output. The series IEFS is suitable for dirty water applications or any application where moving parts may be an issue.

Dwyer Instruments 02 4272 2055 info@dwyer-inst.com.au www.dwyer-inst.com.au

High-precision pressure sensors Bestech Australia is introducing the high precision pressure sensors AHLBORN FDAD33 and FDAD 35M. Integrated with A/D converter and signal conditioner, this piezoresistive transducer features a high level of accuracy, a wide temperature range (-40 to +120 ) and digital outputs of measured values. It measures 1 to 1000 bar full scale and appears to maintain 0.05%FS error band between -10 and 40°C. Temperature-dependence and non-linearity are eliminated by means of mathematical compensation; thus ensuring a high level of accuracy. To acquire transitory pressure fluctuations and pressure peaks the maximum value, minimum value, and average value are calculated from the current values in the ALMEMO D6 plug and output in three function channels. All calculated values outputs can be transferred onto a PC via USB adapter cable or data can be logged in an ALMEMO data logger.

Bestech Australia 03 9540 5100 www.bestech.com.au APRIL 2013 www.pacetoday.com.au 37

PA0413_038.pdf

Page

38

21/03/13,

5:11:57

PM

AEDT

CONNECTIONS

5

minutes with...

A voice recognition system for my car or phone that would understand my accent would be useful.

Stephane Marouani, Country Manager, MathWorks Australia How did you come to be in this industry?

While studying Math and Physics as an undergrad student and not being sure where to go from there, I discovered that I was pretty good with computers and software development.

Even better if I could travel the world and have fun at the same time.

What’s the best business idea you have that you will never use?

I often come up with brilliant business ideas while sleeping. Unfortunately I don’t remember them when I wake up.

Also, a voice recognition system for my car or phone that would understand my accent would be useful these days.

What do you see are the biggest opportunities for our industry?

Australia is not able to compete on

cheap manufacturing, especially within the region.

But thanks to a great pool of engineering talent sourced from our education system or attracted from overseas, we have the opportunity to become a smart manufacturing leader and provide advanced solutions to the rest of the world.

At MathWorks one of our core aims is to familiarise these budding engineers with globally-used platforms like MATLAB so they can quickly get to building their expertise and track records.

What’s the greatest challenge in your job?

This business requires a special breed of engineers who have a very deep technical expertise to be able to engage with our community.

While lots of engineers are fluent with

platforms like MATLAB and Simulink, it’s important for our staff to be able to convert technical solutions into benefits for our customers’ bottom line.

Finding those people is not easy, and I’m glad I have the best ones in my Australian team.

If you could be anything else, what would it be and why?

Growing up in the south of France, I had the chance to practice a lot of sports from skiing to windsurfing but never pursued one seriously.

At this stage the one hobby that I could still pursue perhaps, is to be a race car driver to fuel my passion for engineering and cars. stephane.marouani@mathworks.com.au 02 8669 4720 www.mathworks.com.au

IICA CORNER

Case study of IICA Perth Branch How the IICA is shaping the future of instrumentation in WA, as reported by Cathie Tynan.

THIS case study of the Perth Branch of the IICA (one of seven across the country) illustrates the kinds of activities in which the IICA is engaged.

Significant success with the Tech Expo in October 2012 has set the scene for a more exciting year. A different approach to Technical Evenings also paid off with some very well attended sessions recently. The last Technical presentation on 28 Feb 2013 was a sell-out, with 98 registrations.

Determining what the instrumentation and controls community wants to see and hear about is definitely paying off.

The future direction of the IICA in WA is to be supportive and inclusive.

Supporting Members is foremost on the Branch Committee’s agenda. The mining, oil and gas booms may not be as strong as we have seen over the past 38 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL 2013

years. However, there is also a realisation that there are many valuable assets and plants that are in need of rejuvenation.

The IICA’s proactive engagement, through involvement with suppliers, plays a facilitation role and allows the Institute to be positioned to serve these needs through its increasing network and Members. Providing workshops and seminars that address critical aspects of technology decisions is the aim of the IICA Perth Branch’s technical program for the next few years.

Individual Members of the IICA benefit with their opportunities for Continued Professional Development.

The recently conducted Branch Member Survey seeking input about specific topics WA Members wish to see being offered in coming years, has paid off hugely, increasing interest in our

Technical presentations.

Networking is another key focus.

Having developed a close relationship with those in the WA Division of Engineers Australia (EA) that may have an interest in IICA activities continues to prove invaluable. EA member participation in Perth IICA events has increased our reach and has definitely also raised awareness and interest in the IICA nationwide, adding another dimension to networking.

The future requires us in the IICA Perth Committee to maintain our focus on all of our Membership categories’ needs and requirements. The value of the Technology Expo and other innovative means of supporting the instrumentation community is and will continue to be at the forefront of our direction and vision.

The next generation of professionals is another key area of focus for us. An effective Education Committee will support school leavers in their decisions for career choices. Making use of next generation communications methods like podcasts, webinars and blog entries will allow us to reach the iPad generation directly.

Together with more traditional information methods of providing printed materials, talking directly to students in high school as well as university and holding information evenings, Perth Branch raises the awareness of career choices available.

[The information in this column was provided to IICA Federal Secretary, Cathie Tynan by Ernst Krauss, IICA Perth Branch Chairperson.] admin@iica.org.au www.iica.org.au

PA3047_ZA_update.pdf

Page

1

21/03/13,

3:24:30

PM

AEDT

NOMINATIONS EXTENDED 1 9

A P R I L

2 0 1 3

The 10th annual PACE Zenith Awards will be held in Sydney on Thursday 13 June 2013. Nominations close 5 April 2013.

A total of 12 awards will be up for grabs on the night. Each award will celebrate the achievements of the people behind some of the country’s most innovative engineering projects.

• Automotive & Manufacturing • Food & Beverage • Machine Builder • Mining, Minerals & Exploration

• Oil & Gas • Power & Energy Management • Lifetime Achievement Award • Transport, Power & Infrastructure

• Water & Wastewater • Young Achiever • Project of the Year • Best Fieldbus Implementation

All finalists will be profiled in PACE magazine and on the website. They will also be given two free tickets to the gala dinner where the winners will be announced.

For more information please visit www.pacetoday.com.au/awards PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

A to high

AD_PACESCHAPR_13_r.pdf

Page

2

22/03/13,

3:13:08

Simply visit www.tesensors.com/au

PM

AEDT