Integrated safety systems offer
one solution, but there’s no
one-size-fits-all fix.
ON THE WEB
Reviving Lincoln Paper
with Multivariable
Testing
M AY 2 0 1 3
What’s New in
PC-Based
Control
Motors and
Drives Grow Up
and Graduate
Killing Dead
Time
CT1305_01_CVR.indd 1
4/29/13 10:26 AM
THINK
TRICONEX
Thinking Safety? Think Triconex.
For 30 years, Triconex solutions have been helping organizations manage risks and
hazards, avoid unscheduled asset downtime and maximize process uptime. So when
you are thinking about safety AND maximum performance, THINK Triconex.
iom.invensys.com/thinktriconex
© Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Invensys, the Invensys logo, Foxboro and Triconex are trademarks of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries or affiliates.
All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 2
4/26/13 9:53 AM
1421_C
Process Measurement & Control
Starts at
$144
The iSeries PID Controllers, Panel Meters,
and Signal Conditioners can Monitor and
Control your Process and Connect to an
Ethernet Network for Live Monitoring
or Logging
Visit omega.com/iseries
© Natalia Bratslavsky_Dreamstime.com
Wall Mount PID Controller
with Universal Inputs, Bright
Programmable 3-Color
Changing Display and NEMA 4
(IP65) Enclosure
Web-Based Barometric
Pressure and Temperature
Monitoring/Recording
DP41-B Series
Starts at
$595
iBTX-SD
Series
Starts at
$405
CNI8C-EN
Series
Starts at
$535
Visit omega.com/cni8c-en
Visit omega.com/ibtx_ibthx
®
PX309 Series
Starts at
$175
Visit omega.com/dp41b
Visit omega.com/px309
omega.com
®
1421_Control_0513.indd 1
CT1305_full page ads.indd 3
⁄ DIN Ultra High Performance
Controller with Universal
Inputs and Ethernet Output
18
©COPYRIGHT 2013 OMEGA ENGINEERING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
4/15/13 9:31 AM
4/26/13 9:53 AM
ABB Safety Systems. Integrated or integrated?
Absolutely.
ABB provides the enabling technology to integrate safety into the core of your
operations. Regardless of your chosen approach, ABB has addressed the
fundamental design elements required to maintain independent protection
layers while fully integrating safety systems into our System 800xA DCS.
Our integration capabilities enable operators to access safety related data
seamlessly from a multitude of plant systems to perform their function, run the
plant safely and make timely decisions in the case of abnormal conditions. For
more information visit www.abb.com/highintegritysafety
ABB Process Automation Division
Visit us at our blog or on YouTube:
www.processautomationinsights.com
www.youtube.com/user/ABBProcessAutomation
Safety-Integrated.indd 1
CT1305_full page ads.indd 4
2/6/13 3:33 PM
4/26/13 9:53 AM
May 2013 • Volume XXVI • Number 5
f e at u r e s
C
o
v
e
r
S
t
o
r
y
M
o
t
o
r
S
&
d
r
i
v
e
S
38 / Solving the Process Safety
System Puzzle
49 / Motors and drives Grow
Up and Graduate
Integrated safety systems offer one solution, but no one-sizefits-all fix exists. by Nancy Bartels
Motors and drives have been moving up to variable-speed
control for better accuracy, but now they’re also increasing
power density and efficiency and even coordinating more
closely with PLCs and intelligent systems.
by Jim Montague
W E B
E X C L U S I V E S
Reviving Lincoln Paper. How multivariable testing
helped bring a struggling paper plant back to life.
www.controlglobal.com/052013-lincolnpaper.html
what’s New in PC-Based Control
www.controlglobal.com/052013-PCbasedcontrol.html
a d v a n C e d
P r o C e S S
C o n t r o l
53 / Killing dead time
Dead time compensation can improve PID controller
performance, but at the cost of robustness.
by F. Greg Shinskey
CONTROL (ISSN 1049-5541) is published monthly by PUTMAN Media COMPANY (also publishers of CONTROL DESIGN, CHEMICAL PROCESSING, FOOD PROCESSING, INDUSTRIAL NETwORkING,
PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING, and PLANT SERVICES ), 555 w. Pierce Rd., Ste. 301, Itasca, IL 60143. (Phone 630/467-1300; Fax 630/467-1124.) Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offices, same address. Periodicals Postage Paid at Itasca, IL, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States. ©Putman Media 2013. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without
consent of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTROL, P.O. Box 3428, Northbrook, IL 60065-3428. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified-reader subscriptions are accepted from Operating Management in the control
industry at no charge. To apply for qualified-reader subscription, fill in subscription form. To non-qualified subscribers in the Unites States and its possessions, subscriptions are $96.00 per year. Single copies are $15. International subscriptions are
accepted at $200 (Airmail only.) CONTROL assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items reported. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40028661. Canadian Mail Distributor Information:
Frontier/BwI,PO Box 1051,Fort Erie,Ontario, Canada, L2A 5N8.
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_05_07_TOC.indd 5
5
4/29/13 10:30 AM
Flowing with great possibilities.
Proline Promass 100
Compact without compromise
Proline
As a direct, digital Coriolis flowmeter, the Promass 100
opens entirely new perspectives for demanding applications
in life sciences, biotechnology, food and chemical industries
simply clever
• Compact design without limitation of functionality
• Ideal for skid-mounted process facilities
• Simultaneous measurement of mass or volume
flow, corrected volume, density, temperature and
viscosity (Promass I)
• Seamless integration into process control and asset
management systems via EtherNet/IP and Modbus RS485
(HART® and PROFIBUS DP currently in preparation)
• Modern webserver technology for fast onsite device
configuration without additional software
• Industry optimized sensors for each application
www.us.endress.com/promass-100
Endress+Hauser, Inc
2350 Endress Place
Greenwood, IN 46143
inquiry@us.endress.com
www.us.endress.com
CT1305_full page ads.indd 6
Sales:
888-ENDRESS
Service: 800-642-8737
Fax:
317-535-8498
4/26/13 9:54 AM
May 2013 • Volume XXVI • Number 5
On-site
On-line
Hands-on
or in the
Classroom
D E PA RT M E N T S
9 / Editor’s Page
An Orderly Strategic Advance to the Rear.
Cybersecurity is more than an exercise in
regulatory box-checking.
15 / On the Web
Assisted by Audio
don’t miss the Control/arC advisory
Group podcasts at ControlGlobal.com.
17 / Feedback
Was Fukushima the fault of the operators?
20 / Lessons Learned
More automation helps for Fukushima.
25 / On the Bus
Fieldbus is Dead! Long Live Fieldbus!
ethernet will replace fieldbus about the
same time John rezabek gets used to his
new washing machine.
26 / In Process
the Chinese embrace fieldbus, Balluff
breaks new ground and other process news.
34 / Without Wires
IEEE 802.11 Evolution Continues
ian Verhappen unpacks the newest wireless
standards.
59 / Technically Speaking
The Ethernet vs. Fieldbus Cage Match
dan Hebert handicaps the contest.
60 / Ask the Experts
relief valve blowdown rings; dP
installation and straight-run challenges.
62 / Roundup
Get the newest in level instrumentation.
64 / Products
otek’s new loop-powered display, plus
batch management software, switches, controllers and more new products.
67 / Control Talk
Dealing with Process Dynamics
McMillan and Weiner bring back James
Beall to talk about process dynamics.
69 / Ad Index
You choose.
A blended training
approach to help you keep
up with today’s challenges
Customize your training
experience through the unique
offerings provided to you through
our Process Training University.
Whether it be on-site, on-line
or in the classroom, choose
a training package that is
tailored to meet your needs.
and now a word from our sponsors.
70 / Control Report
Not Sorry Enough
Jim Montague says that “sorry” is the wrong
answer when talking about process safety.
36 / Resources
Find out more about
Endress+Hauser’s unique training:
online help with your fieldbus questions.
www.us.endress.com/training
CirCulation audited June 2012
Food & Kindred Products............................................ 11,430
Chemicals & Allied Products ...................................... 10,731
Systems Integrators & Engineering Design Firms ......... 9,277
Primary Metal Industries ............................................... 5,073
Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services .................................. 4,055
Pharmaceuticals ............................................................ 3,749
Paper & Allied Products ................................................ 3,623
CT1305_05_07_TOC.indd 7
Petroleum Refining & Related Industries ....................... 3,417
Rubber & Miscellaneous Plastic Products .................... 3,372
Miscellaneous Manufacturers ....................................... 2,141
Stone, Clay, Glass & Concrete Products ....................... 1,758
Textile Mill Products ..................................................... 1,248
Tobacco Products............................................................. 146
Total Circulation .......................................................... 60,000
4/29/13 10:31 AM
Get the PRO in
U
et
INTEGRATED I/O
e
rn
e
h
t
SB
Step 1
Easiest to configure system
you’ll ever meet
Use the technology built into the Productivity3000 controller
to make your job easier. Build systems with up to 115,000
possible I/O, then auto-configure it all with one click.
The FREE Productivity Suite software makes it all possible in just a few steps, you’re system is up and ready to program.
Fill I/O bases and connect with USB or Ethernet cables
Modules can go in any slot (except controller slot), there’s no power budget
to worry about, and bases are connected with industry-standard
communications cabling (local USB and remote Ethernet groups).
Step 2
Auto-discover the hardware
One click is all it takes to detect and auto-configure the hardware
connected to the system. This can save you literally hours of setup time.
Step 3
Integrating drives is just as easy
Drive-intensive applications are a snap - connect up to 64 AutomationDirect’s
GS series AC drives on the Ethernet remote I/O network (using GS-EDRV
option cards). Units are auto-discovered when configuration update is
requested - it’s that easy.
Watch the bar code scanner tutorial
and other
informative
Performance
videos to
+
Value
learn why ...
http://bit.ly/p3000
=
www.productivity3000.com
CT1305_full page ads.indd 8
4/26/13 9:54 AM
EDITOR’S PAGE
An orderly Strategic Advance to the rearward
Several times in the past few weeks I’ve seen articles in magazines and newspapers,
and online that state as a fact that the electric power utilities have taken the lead in protecting the country’s infrastructure from cyber attack. As we’ve shown repeatedly for
years, nothing could be further from the truth.
depends on how you count it. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), which
is both the trade association of electric utilities
and the federal government’s main regulator of
those utilities, simply made it possible to have
entire power plants and distribution facilities
declared to be “non-critical” cyber assets. Why?
Well, it seems they have excess generation capacity. What arrant nonsense!
The very fact that there is, at a given point in
time, excess generation capacity does not logically
lead to the notion that a cyber attack will only happen to one generation station at a time. In fact, it
is likely that such an attack will happen to all of
them. Not a critical cyber asset? Says who?
Says the lawyers, that’s who. The utility industries have been quick to treat cybersecurity
exactly as they have treated safety—as regulatory compliance exercises. They comply with
the regulations, no more and no less.
Why would the utilities not want to be measured on increasing security? It’s about liability. If you admit there’s a security problem, or
even a security metric, then you have admitted
liability—and when the power goes out and the
root cause is traced to a cyber attack, the large
users who have been inconvenienced will sue
to recover what production they lost and what
damages they suffered.
If the utilities treat the idea of cybersecurity
as a regulatory compliance issue, not only are
they not admitting that they might have liability, but also they can use the very fact of compliance as a defense against liability claims.
Meanwhile, what about making our power grid
more secure? Since NERC is the regulatory body,
as well as the trade association, it really doesn’t
have any reason to do that, and nobody to tell it to
do it either. Congress doesn’t look like it is going
to do anything anytime soon, so NERC is in the
clear until the lights go out.
Walt boyes
Editor in chiEf
wboyes@putman.net
How “cyber secure” each utility is
Joe Weiss, our “Unfettered” cybersecurity
blogger, said in a recent post that he believes
the way to increased security in the utility sector isn’t through NERC or government regulation, but through the insurance companies.
Joe wrote, “The insurance companies that
ensure industrial facilities are struggling to
understand the new cyber risk as it is different
from other risks already insured. When the insurance company ensures a company or a facility, they do not assume that key pieces of
equipment or key facilities will not have threats
addressed. Yet that is precisely what the NERC
CIPs do. They allow the utilities to exclude facilities, equipment, communications, etc. from
any cyber inspection.”
Once the insurance companies understand
this, they will push for real cybersecurity measured by increased security, rather than by regulatory compliance. When the lights go out,
the insurance companies are the ones that pay.
Currently, the penetration of cyber insurance in the private sector is very low (less than
20% of companies) and centered on enterprise
security, not industrial control systems. It’s even
lower in the public sector. What this means is
that the insurance companies don’t understand
the risks they are being asked to insure against.
When they do, regulatory compliance instead
of real security just won’t cut it.
I think Joe is right. It may be that the “free
market” will work better than any other way
to improve security in the power utility industries. I sure hope so. I also own a very large
generator.
Why would the
utilities not want to
be measured on
increasing
security?
Because of liability
issues.
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_09_Edit.indd 9
9
4/29/13 10:33 AM
800 453 6202
CT1305_full page ads.indd 10
4/26/13 9:54 AM
CD1305_Opto_Insert.indd 4
4/22/13 9:37 AM
CD1305_Opto_Insert.indd 3
4/18/13 12:47 PM
CD1305_Opto_Insert.indd 2
4/18/13 12:47 PM
CD1305_Opto_Insert.indd 1
4/22/13 9:36 AM
CONTROL ONLINE
Search this site | Tips
www.controlglobal.com/thismonth
Assisted by Audio
JIM MONTAGUE
E XECUTIVE EDITOR
jmontague@putman.net
If someone ever throws you a microphone, think twice before catching it—it could
stick to you. What started out as a fun little diversion from the usual reporting, editing and writing for print and online at Control has turned into a whole sideline
and accompanying library of audio and video recordings. You can check most of
them out in the Multimedia section at www.controlglobal.com. Lately, I’ve been
doing the ones with the experts at ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com), who
graciously answer and analyze a bunch of questions about each month’s Control
cover article and give each story some added analysis that really helps to flesh it out.
You do have to fill out a registration form, but based on the high-quality answers to
my questions, I’d say it’s worth it. The whole lineup is at www.controlglobal.com/
extras/ARC_Control_Podcasts.html.
My personal favorites in the Control/ARC Process
Automation Podcast Series include:
• Advanced Process Control, in which Peter Reynolds, senior consultant at ARC, talks about advanced process control, and how to make it simpler
to implement and maintain.
• Process Simulation, in which ARC’s Dick Slansky discusses process simulation and how simulations for design, configuration, training, optimization and other tasks are coming together in new ways.
• Staffing and Knowledge Management, in which ARC’s Dave Woll analyzes how the market for control engineers and related professionals is staying red hot, despite the economic doldrums in the U.S. and worldwide.
• Control Room of the Future, in which Reynolds examines whether
smart phones, tablets PCs, simulations and other hi-tech tools can help
turn control rooms into futuristic collaboration centers, and how some
common-sense design practices may also help reach that bright future.
• Process Security, in which Barry Young, ARC principal analyst, discusses the state of process security, how the U.S. government, standards
organizations and suppliers are responding, and what end users can do
to improve their own process security.
• Lifecycle Costs, in which Paula Hollywood, ARC senior analyst, evaluates how end users and systems integrators are becoming more aware of
how automation can help reduce expenses over the lifetime of their application and equipment and shows how others can do it too.
• Process Sustainability, in which ARC’s Wil Chin discusses how process sustainability is evolving and examines applications where it’s emerging.
Instrumentation for Produced Water
Produced water is brought to the surface during oil and gas production,
and Endress+Hauser’s whitepaper
explains the instrumentation needed
at every stage. www.controlglobal.
com/whitepapers/2013/130416-endresshauser-instrumentation-water.
html.
Choosing the Right Pressure Sensor
Honeywell Process Solutions’ white
paper shows how to select the right
sensor and attributes to match its job
and environment. www.controlglobal.
com/whitepapers/2013/130408-honeywell-choosing-pressure-sensors.html
Essentials of Level Instrumentation
w w w.controlglobal.com /wp_
downloads/130326-krohne-level-instrumentation.html
Highlights of ABB Automation & Power
World 2013
www.controlglobal.com/
w h i t e p a p e r s / 2 0 13 / 13 0 415 - a b b 2013-special-report.html
The Flow Forum Knowledge Center
www.controlglobal.com/knowledge_
centers/flow_forum/
Biodiesel Production Can Be Safe and
Efficient
www.controlglobal.com/voices/magazine_exclusives.html
ControlGlobal E-News
Multimedia Alerts
White Paper Alerts
Go to www.controlglobal.com and
follow instructions to register for our
free weekly e-newsletters.
Updated every business day, the Control Global online magazine is available at no charge.
Go to www.controlglobal.com and follow instructions to register for our free weekly e-newsletters.
M A Y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_15_WebTOC.indd 15
15
4/29/13 10:35 AM
Get
one
thing
straight
E3 Modulevel®
Torque Tube
Output Stability
• Torquetubetravelsonly0.63”intocontroller
andisnegativelyimpactedbyturbulenceand
vibration
Structural Integrity
• Rangespringnotsusceptibletofriction,
eliminatingwear
• Enclosingtubeis0.09”thick,forrobust,
corrosion-resistantpressureboundary
• Staticpressuresealpreventsfatiguefailure
• Knife-edgebearingscreatefrictionasthe
displacermoves,inducingwearandtear
• 0.01”thickenclosingtubepronetocorrosion
• Flexingtorquetubeservesasprocesspressure
seal,promotingfatiguefailure
Avoid the twists and turns of torque tube technology’s
performance, durability and maintenance. The E3
Modulevel’s LVDT range spring technology is the
straightforward choice for accurate, reliable liquid
level measurement and control.
Contact Magnetrol®, the level control experts, for
straight talk about E3 Modulevel displacer transmitters.
Ease of Use
• Compactverticaldesignandremovable/rotatable
headeasytoinstallandmaintain
www. Magnetrol.com
B
UE
L
IA
RUE
B ILIT
T
L
• Heavyassemblyandlargetube-armfootprint
difficulttohandle
Y
© 2013 Magnetrol International, Incorporated
• Rangespring’s1.25”rangeofmotionand
turbulence-andvibration-dampeningeffect
deliveroutputs4xmorestablethantorquetubes
Outstanding output stability, structural
integrity and ease of use make the E3
Modulevel® displacer transmitter a better
level control solution than torque tubes.
R
E
Magnetrol_Control_April2013.indd 1
CT1305_full page ads.indd 16
800-624-8765 • info@magnetrol.com
3/6/13 3:34 PM
4/26/13 9:55 AM
G N I K A E P S YL L A C I N H C E T
FEEDBACK
IN MEMORY OF JULIE CAPPELLETTI-LANGE,
VICE PRESIDENT 1984-2012
555 W. PIERCE RD., SUITE 301 • ITASCA, ILLINOIS 60143
President & CEO: JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI
CFO: JANE B. VOLLAND
VP, Circulation: JERRY CLARK
publishing team
Group Publisher/VP Content: KEITH LARSON
klarson@putman.net
Midwest/Southeast Regional Sales Manager: GREG ZAMIN
gzamin@putman.net
630/551-2500, Fax: 630/551-2600
Western Regional Sales Manager: LAURA MARTINEZ
310/607-0125, Fax: 310/607-0168
lmar tinez@putman.net
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager: DAVE FISHER
508/543-5172, Fax 508/543-3061
dfisher@putman.net
Inside Accounts Manager: POLLY DICKSON
pdickson@putman.net
Subscriptions/Circulation: JERRY CLARK, JACK JONES
888/64 4-1803
foster reprints
Corporate Account Executive: CLAUDIA STACHOWIAK
866-879-914 4 x 121, Fax 219-561-2019
claudias@fosterprinting.com
editorial team
Editor in Chief: WALT BOYES
wboyes@putman.net
Executive Editor: JIM MONTAGUE
jmontague@putman.net
Senior Managing Editor, Digital Media: KATHERINE BONFANTE
kbonfante@putman.net
Managing Editor: NANCY BARTELS
nbar tels@putman.net
Senior Technical Editor: DAN HEBERT
dheber t@putman.net
Contributing Editor: JOHN REZABEK
Columnists: BÉLA LIPTÁK, GREG MCMILLAN,
IAN VERHAPPEN, STAN WEINER
Editorial Assistant: LORI GOLDBERG
design & production team
VP, Creative Services: STEVE HERNER
sherner@putman.net
Associate Art Director: BRIAN HERTEL
bher tel@putman.net
Senior Production Manager: ANETTA GAUTHIER
agauthier@putman.net
FINALIST JESSE H. NEAL AWARD, 2013
JESSE H. NEAL AWARD WINNER
ELEVEN ASBPE EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
TWENTY-FIVE ASBPE EXCELLENCE IN GRAPHICS AWARDS
ASBPE 2009 MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR FINALIST
FOUR OZZIE AWARDS FOR GRAPHICS EXCELLENCE
Who’s the Boss?
Regarding your editorial, “Automation Experts: It’s About Being Your Authority,”
March 2013 (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2013/boyes-automation-experts-authority.html), Google doesn’t respect authority. Google search results are only a
reflection of the respect granted to a given
authority by a broad range of other content available on the Internet. I think that
reflects better on what you have accomplished at ControlGlobal.com than whatever an advertising company like Google
might think.
R ALPH MACKIEWICZ
SISCO INC.
ralph@sisconet.com
If the operators had filled the vessel as
soon as the earthquake was sensed (there
would be no reason to do this because at
that point emergency power was still available—and there was no reason to believe
the resulting wave would be higher than
design features), Fukushima still would
not have been saved. The inevitable result of not having
normal or emergency power sources
would still have Pumps Up
been the melting of
the fuel, and the hydrogen explosions—
perhaps
delayed
by several hours—
still would have occurred.
To suggest that the operators should
have vented the hydrogen as soon as the
core was uncovered assumes that there
would be significant amounts of hydrogen. BWRs by design can uncover some
fuel without the fuel significantly overheating and producing hydrogen. The information I saw indicated that the venting
was not so much the problem, but where
the hydrogen was vented to. If normal or
emergency power had been available the
core would have remained covered and
adequately cooled.
There are several detailed articles published by the NRC and the American Nuclear Society which, if referenced, would
have reduced the likelihood of publishing an article filled with technical errors,
and which proposes a solution that would
not have prevented or even mitigated the
events of this tragedy.
Wireless May Make Valve
Maintenance Easier
Long-Distance Calibration
Operator Performance
Prioritized data, simpler HMIs, alarm planning
and human-factor-designed equipment can
improve awareness and abilities. How much
do you need of each?
MARCH 2013
executive team
ON THE WEB
Reader Faves—
Automation Stories
You Liked the Most
CT1303_01_CVR.indd 1
Automation and Fukushima: Not So Fast
It was with a profound sadness that I read
this article, “Automation Could Have
Saved Fukushima, March 2013 (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2013/liptak-automation-fukushima.html), in Control.
It is full of technical inaccuracies. Operators, designers and instrumentation are
blamed for the events at this power station.
The opening paragraph states that “had
the level detectors operated correctly, and
if the operators had flooded the reactors as
soon as the earthquake was sensed, and if
they had started venting of the hydrogen
as soon as the rods were uncovered, the
hydrogen explosions would have been prevented.” This is just is not true.
We have no reason to suspect that the instruments did not operate correctly. The environment in which they operated during
the first stages of the accident (prior to the
hydrogen explosions) should not have been
significantly different from normal operating conditions. The operators would have
been able to track the decrease in water level,
and instrumentation signals to start emergency equipment should have been generated as designed.
Unfortunately, because of a tsunami that
was about 15 feet higher than the station was
designed to handle, normal and emergency
power supplies were flooded and not available; thus, the operators were unable at that
point to put water into the reactor vessel.
DAN DAIGLER
dad@svcable,net
Béla Lipták responds:
Fukushima was much better designed than
Chernobyl because the reactors had a negative void coefficient; they were protected
by primary containment vessels (PCV); the
PCVs were inerted and provided with wet
wells; and scramming of the reactors was
automatic. In contrast to Chernobyl, the
M A Y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_17_18_Feedback.indd 17
2/27/13 10:05 AM
17
4/29/13 10:37 AM
Courtesy of Ritsuo Yoshioka, President of Japan Functional Safety Laboratory.
TF E EC DH BN AI C AK L L Y S P E A K I N G
not enough automation?
The combined control room for Units 1 (left) and 2 (right) at Fukushima. Controls at the plant were mostly manual. Some of the valves
these manual switches operated were not even provided with position detectors to tell the operators if the valve responded, and the
control panel did not even have a graphic display to show which valve was open. When an annunciator window started flashing, the
operator only knew that something was wrong, but it did not say what to do about it, nor did it actuate an automatic interlock.
operators made few mistakes, but the designers provided them
with unreliable information (as I gave one example in connection with the useless level sensors) and, therefore, none of
that made any difference. This accident still became a level 7
nuclear disaster, the second one in history.
What the plant lacked was full automation that would have
taken full advantage of the time window between the occurrence of the earthquake and the arrival of the tsunami (~ 44
minutes later) or of the time window between the earthquake
and the starting of the meltdown (three to four hours).
The main and most important design deficiency (which
even today is common to most operating nuclear power
plants), was the inability of the plant to provide automatic and
safe shutdown when both the external and internal electric
power supplies simultaneously fail. In other words, the plant
was neither provided with elevated water storage tanks (to take
advantage of gravity to flood the reactors), nor with backup
cooling water pumps driven by steam turbines, as steam energy was available.
Mr. Daigler is wrong, not only because level measurement was lost due to reference leg boil off, but also because
the presence of hydrogen was not even measured. He is also
wrong about the pressure relief system because it took almost
a day for the operators to manually depressurize the PCV
18
because the block valves isolating the rupture disks could not
be opened. They had no hand-wheels nor local backup power
to operate their actuators, so they had to drag batteries and
portable air compressors into the area to open them.
In short, the operators were right not to trust the sensors.
Just imagine the panicked operators in the dark (the control
room did not even have its own battery backup) trying to figure out what to do. In short, I do not criticize the operators at
all. They did the best they could with what they had (a bunch
of manual switches and indicators without interlocks and not
even a graphic panel), but I do blame the semi-manual mode
of operation, unassisted by automatic safety controls, which
they had to work with.
When my book is published this summer, giving the detailed specifics of how automation would have prevented
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, I know that I
will receive some defensive letters like Mr. Daigler’s, but I also
know that the smart operators of the 438 nuclear power plants
around the world will go back to their plants and implement
the automatic safety systems I came up with to make those
plants safer in this age of cyber terrorism.
Bél a lipták
liptakbela@aol.com
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_17_18_Feedback.indd 18
4/29/13 10:37 AM
Super-E Motors
®
Drive Down Your Consumption
Since our beginning in 1920, Baldor
has led the industry in developing
industrial electric motors that
deliver greater performance and
reliability while using less electricity.
That commitment continued in
1983 with the introduction of
our Super-E line of motors. In
horsepower ratings from fractional
to 15,000, Baldor offers the
broadest choice of energy efficient
motors available in the world.
Every Super-E motor is designed
and built to meet or exceed the
efficiency levels defined by NEMA
in the USA, NRC in Canada and
IEC 60034-30 IE3 in Europe. Many
years ago, Baldor Super-E motors
were recognized by the Consortium
for Energy Efficiency as the first
premium efficiency motor line to
meet their stringent criteria. And,
every Super-E motor meets the
compliance standards for the
Energy Independence and Security
Act of 2007, which became law in
December 2010.
To achieve even greater energy
savings, adding an ABB or Baldor
industrial variable speed drive
can dramatically reduce the
motor’s energy consumption while
improving process control and
reliability for any application. On
centrifugal load applications like
pumps and fans, reducing the
motor speed with a variable speed
drive can save as much as 60% in
electricity costs!
Visit baldor.com and start
lowering your energy costs today.
Driven to Save You
Money
Replacing less efficient
motors with Super-E
premium efficient
motors will save you
money almost immediately.
Quality Is in the Details
s.
Super-E premium efficient motors
represent quality to the highest
degree. Look inside a Super-E and
you’ll find premium-grade copper
windings, annealed laminations
of superior-grade steel, premium
bearings and low-loss fans,
enabling Baldor’s Super-E motors
to run cooler, quieter and longer
with better reliability than any other
industrial motor.
Made in the USA
©2013 Baldor Electric Company
3:34 PM
CT1305_full page ads.indd 19
baldor.com
Scan the QR code with
your smartphone to
learn more
http://esp.to/wd6A3W
4/26/13 9:55 AM
LESSONS LEARNED
Automation Could Have Prevented Fukushima, 2
In the March issue (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2013/liptak-automation-fukushima.
html), I discussed some of the factors that lead to the Fukushima meltdown. Here I focus
only on the automatic vs. manual operation of the emergency cooling systems and the
BÉL A LIPTÁK
roles the bad designs of control and block valves played. The main emergency cooling
liptakbela@aol.com
The HPCI was the
systems that should have been fully automated were the high-pressure coolant injection
(HPCI), the reactor core isolation cooling system (RCIC) and the isolation condenser (IC).
As to the desirable features of valve designs,
the following were often neglected:
• All valves should have been provided with
position-detecting limit switches.
• All valves on cooling service should have
failed open.
• All valves between pressure relief devices
and the protected equipment should have
been sealed open.
• All valves should have been provided with
hand wheels and backup operating power.
• Pressure control valves should have been
first line of defense
to take over the
feeding of cooling
water into the
reactor pressure
vessel if the main
cooling water
pump failed.
Condensate
storage tank
Test bypass
valve
MO
MO
Main steam line
MO
MO
Test line
Reactor
pressure
vessel
MO
MO
HO
HO
Turbine
stop valve
Governor
valve
MO
Flow rate
control
MO
Primary
containment
vessel
Water
supply
system
Suppression
chamber
Steam line
Minimum flow rate
bypass valve
MO
Minimum flow line
MO
Water source
switching line
Injection line
AO
MO
THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
Figure 1: The HPCI system at Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS Unit 1 with motor-operated (MO)
valves, hand-operated (HO) valves and air-operated (AO) valves.
20
Courtesy of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)
FIC
Turbine
completely automated and manual operation inhibited.
The HPCI System
The HPCI was the first line of defense to take
over the feeding of cooling water into the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) if the main cooling
water pump failed. It had a pumping capacity
of 5000 gpm, but was a bit slow (took some 30
seconds to come on), so there was also a 600
-gpm system, called the RCIC, which operated
the same way, but activated faster.
The HPCI was a reliable system because it
did not need electricity for its operation, because
its pumps were operated by steam turbines,
and decay steam was available from the reactor
(Figure 1). The HPCI took its water supply from
storage tanks and from the wet well, which contained 3000 m3 of water. This amount of water would have been ample to keep the reactors
cool. The HPCI pumps were controlled on the
reactor level, stopping when the level was high,
and starting when low.
Reactor overpressure was to be relieved by
pressure safety valves, which were set to relieve
at about 75 atmospheres (PSV in Figure 2) and
discharged into the wet well, where the steam
should have condensed. This system would
have operated at Unit 1 if the reactor level was
correctly measured and the PSV automatically
opened at 75 and closed at 70 atmospheres.
In other words, depressurizing the RPV by
allowing the PSV to work, while adding sufficient coolant with the HPCI system, would
have been essential for avoiding a meltdown.
This is proven by the fact that there was no
meltdown at Units 2 and 3, where the operators
allowed the PSV to do its job.
Unfortunately, the system at Unit 1 was not
automatically controlled, and the level measurement was wrong. On top of that, the operators
www.controlglobal.com M A Y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_20_22_Lessons.indd 20
4/29/13 10:41 AM
Manually inputting
the control signal feels pretty primitive.
I need to get back in automatic mode
for better efficiency.
YOU CAN DO THAT
You can automate your control signal using the Fisher® Control-Disk™
valve from Emerson. Process control loops containing butterfly valves
are often placed in manual mode due to poor control performance. This results in operators
constantly monitoring and adjusting the control signal, significantly reducing efficiency.
With a control range comparable to a segmented ball valve, the Control-Disk valve enables
control closer to the target set point. This allows you to leave your control loop in automatic
mode, regardless of process disturbances. With low maintenance requirements and sizes up to
NPS 36, it’s time to put the Control-Disk valve in your loop. Visit www.Fisher.com/automatic
to watch an animation video or download a brochure.
The Emerson logo is a trademark and service mark of Emerson Electric Co. ©2013 Fisher Controls International LLC. D352200X012 MZ8
CT1305_full page ads.indd 21
4/26/13 9:55 AM
LESSONS LEARNED
Vent
TR
TR
LA
HL
Set @ 5.5 ATM.
Thin roof
and walls
RD
PI
∆PA
H
LI
Isolation
condenser
(500 tons
of water)
M
M
A
Reactor pressure
vessel (RPV)
A
A
A
M
PSV
Steam
@ 70 ATM.
M
Primary
containment
vessel (PCV) filled
with Nitrogen
RPV
M
∆PA
H
Nitrogen filled
dry well (PCV)
Reactor building (secondary containment)
filled with air under slight vacuum
FAILURE TO OPEN
Wet well
3,000 tons
water
TRUST GRAVITY
Figure 2: At Unit 1, the PSV was not used to relieve overpressure. The cracking of the primary containment vessel (PCV)
Figure 3: This IC system would have continued to operate by
could have been prevented if the rupture disk (RD) had
gravity, but was manually turned off. If the system was auto-
ruptured as soon as the pressure in the PCV reached 5.5 atmo-
mated, IC cooling would have not stopped.
spheres, but block valves (A and M) could not be opened.
used the isolation condenser (IC) system to control the reactor pressure instead of letting the PSV do it, and did it in on/
off manual fashion. This, in combination with the IC, caused
depressurizing, resulting in the swelling of the level, causing
HPCI to stop, which in turn caused the dropping of the reactor
level, so the fuel rods overheated and the meltdown followed.
Isolation Condenser (IC)
IC is a heat exchanger located above a containment pool.
This 500 tons of water pool was open to atmosphere (Figure
3). Under normal conditions, the top of the IC condenser
was connected to the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) through
an open valve, so the condenser filled with condensate,
which normally just stayed there. During an emergency, the
IC system automatically opened the motor-operated valves
at the bottom IC, which sent the condensate back into the
reactor by gravity and by condensing the steam and cooling
the reactor. This was a good system because, once activated,
it required no outside energy source; it worked on gravity.
22
At Unit 1 at Fukushima the sequence of events was:
• 2:46 a.m.—Earthquake detected and reactor scrammed.
• 2:52 a.m.—IC automatically started.
• 3:03 a.m.—IC closed manually by an operator (this on/
off control approach continued for a day!)
• 3:30 -3:35 a.m.—Tsunami arrived. IC would have continued to operate, if not turned off.
The reason why the isolation valves (M in Figure 3) were
provided was to allow the operators to control the rate of
pressure drop in the RPV because excessively fast pressure
reduction could have cracked the RPV walls. Naturally, in
a properly automated plant, this rate of pressure reduction
would have been automatically controlled.
In the next article of this series, I will explain how, even
after the meltdown at Unit 1, automatic safety controls could
have prevented the explosions and fire that caused the release of radioactivity.
Béla Lipták, PE, is a control consultant and author of “Automation Can Prevent
the Nex t Fukushima,“ to be published nex t June. He can be reached at liptak
bela@aol.com.
www.controlglobal.com M A Y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_20_22_Lessons.indd 22
4/29/13 10:41 AM
exida Certied
When Moore Industries—the #1 company in
Alarm Trips—needs SIL 2 or 3 Functional Safety
approval, we looked to the company that is the
leader in Industrial Safety Certifications—exida.
Our STA Safety Trip Alarm is your answer to back
up your PLC or DCS “soft” alarms with 40 years
of field proven “hard” alarm experience.
Confidently use the STA as a safety logic solver
to act on hazardous process conditions, provide
emergency shutdown and provide on/off control
in Safety Instrumented Systems.
• exida certified for Safety Instrumented
Systems to IEC 61508:2010 for systematic
integrity up to SIL 3 and for random integrity up
to SIL 2. This means that an STA is approved
for single use in Safety Instrumented Systems
(SIS) up to SIL 2 and in redundant architectures
(1oo2, 2oo3, etc.) up to SIL 3.
• The STA is provided with comprehensive
exida certified safety data to determine
its applicability to specific safety related
applications.
Get our NEW IEC 61508 White Paper
To view our
STA demo and
download our IEC 61508 White Paper, go to:
www.miinet.com/safetyseries
United States • info@miinet.com
Tel: (818) 894-7111 • FAX: (818) 891-2816
Australia • sales@mooreind.com.au
Tel: (02) 8536-7200 • FAX: (02) 9525-7296
CONTROLmag_MooreInd_STA_SIL_4-2012.indd 1
CT1305_full page ads.indd 23
Belgium • info@mooreind.be
Tel: 03/448.10.18 • FAX: 03/440.17.97
The Netherlands • sales@mooreind.nl
Tel: (0)344-617971 • FAX: (0)344-615920
China • sales@mooreind.sh.cn
Tel: 86-21-62491499 • FAX: 86-21-62490635
United Kingdom • sales@mooreind.com
Tel: 01293 514488 • FAX: 01293 536852
19-Apr-12 11:57:08 AM
4/26/13 9:55 AM
trusted
protection
Gaining trust comes With
consistency And proven reliability
As a market leader of solutions for hazardous areas,
Pepperl+Fuchs has built trust and confidence into every
element of our product portfolio. With over 60 years of
hazardous location and intrinsic safety protection experience,
we’ve established ourselves as a trusted partner in the
process industry.
Our versatile isolated barriers for DIN rail and termination
board applications together with our cost-effective zener
diode barriers have made us the world’s leading supplier of
intrinsic safety barriers.
With a global sales and support organization, we are able to
provide any plant with an adaptable range of interface and
network products for advanced process control.
For intrinsically safe solutions, go to:
www.pepperl-fuchs.us
Pepperl+Fuchs, Inc.
Twinsburg, Ohio
330.486.0002
www.pepperl-fuchs.us
CT1305_full page ads.indd 24
4/26/13 9:56 AM
2013-0
ON THE BUS
Fieldbus is dead! Long Live Fieldbus!
My wife and I hate the new washing machine. Our 26-year-old Sears Kenmore had failed
in a way I wasn’t motivated to diagnose or repair. The new machine promised “low water usage” and other high-tech features. What I didn’t know was its safety interlocks lock
the lid and prevent almost all interaction with the load of laundry as it buzzed, clicked
and whirred mysteriously, never making the reassuring sounds of “clothes getting clean” like
the old Kenmore. The routine we’d practiced
for 25-plus years no longer applied.
It seems we aren’t predisposed to embrace
change. So it also has been with digital integration of field devices. I’ve heard numerous
stories of people and service providers trying
to practice the “old ways” with fieldbus devices
and meeting with frustration. It’s caused some
pain, and has created some push back to the
more widespread adoption of fieldbus in some
cultures. Some have started reverting to technology of the same vintage as the old washing
machine.
Then, last quarter, IMS Research released a
study forecasting the end of fieldbus (www.imsresearch.com/press-release/how_sustainable_
is_an_industrial_fieldbus_infrastructure).
Can’t say that I agree. As Fieldbus Foundation’s (www.fieldbus.org) Larry O’Brien
noted in his blog post of April 3 (http://foundationfieldbus.blogspot.com/2013/04/whatsin-node-putting-market-research.html), FF’s
technology and services have been sustaining
double-digit growth. Sure, there has been some
pushback, and some prominent players in the
supplier community have been peddling proprietary solutions in lieu of fieldbus. But especially in the developing economies of India,
China, Brazil and their peers, enthusiasm for
fieldbus applications remains steady.
You needn’t dig too far into the IMS Research
paper to surmise that its relevance to the process industry fieldbus market may be tangential
at best. It lumps the vast and diverse collection
of technologies—everything from AS-i to Bitbus to DeviceNet to Profibus—into its definition of fieldbus. The competing communications technology that presumably will replace
all these buses, including process fieldbuses, is
Ethernet. The study doesn’t seem to be aware
of the fact that technologies like FF and Profibus also run on Ethernet. As O’Brien observes,
even the predictions that foreshadow fieldbus’
demise only see its market share diminishing
from 75% (present day) to 69% in 2016—hardly
staggering to the retirement home.
Years ago, it was fashionable to think that
Ethernet had become so pervasive, so ubiquitous and consequently so cheap, that even
your toaster would have an RJ-45 jack on it. My
friend at a major instrument supplier would
ask me routinely, “How about a pressure transmitter with Ethernet!?” Aside from the wellknown obstacles of hazardous-area capability,
two-wire power, topology and distance, there’s
the issue of how boring a well-specified, correctly installed and maintained transmitter really is. You don’t run a 20-inch pipeline to the
road for your gas line, even if it’s cheaper than
2-in. galvanized. Delivering 31.25 kHz over a
(single) twisted pair of copper provides ample
bandwidth, power, flexible topology and up to
1900 meters of copper network with no powered repeaters, switches or media converters.
Even when I deploy advanced diagnostics like
statistical process monitoring solved at high
speed in the device, I do so with negligible impact on network performance.
Ethernet is ubiquitous, and industrial protocols like EtherCAT and EtherNet/IP are indeed supplanting proprietary buses in a host of
discrete parts manufacturing applications. The
process industries have differing requirements
and priorities, and the specifications on which
process fieldbuses are built were created with
considerable input from process industry end
users.
Not like my washing machine, which, incidentally, still lacks an RJ45 jack. Maybe if it had
one, we’d know what the heck it was doing!
john Rez abek
contributing Editor
Jrezabek@ashland.com
You don’t run a
20-inch pipeline to
the road for your
gas line, even if it’s
cheaper than 2-in.
galvanized.
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_25_OTB.indd 25
25
4/29/13 10:43 AM
In Process
Chinese Industry Reaping Fieldbus Benefits
Users and engineering firms share best practices at the Fieldbus Foundation’s General
Assembly in Shanghai.
China’s enormous investments in manufacturing and energy infrastructure
over the past 20 years have taught its
engineers some important lessons. Indeed, even as the construction of refineries, smelters, power plants and
petrochemical facilities continues at
a world-leading pace, a new focus on
resources and the environment has begun to shape the country’s manufacturing policies, according to keynote
speaker Lin Rong, vice chief engineer
for engineering firm Sinopec SEI.
An important contributor to new industrial facilities that are cleaner, safer
and more efficient is the use of digital communication technologies such
as Foundation fieldbus, Lin said in his
keynote address to the Fieldbus Foundation 2013 General Assembly, March
12-14, in Shanghai. “Foundation technology has changed the future of industrial automation, including the design
mode of control systems,” Lin said.
Foundation fieldbus fits well with
Sinopec’s philosophy of developing
and deploying increasingly intelligent
digital factories, Lin continued. He
recognized Foundation fieldbus for its
ability to save on installation materials, while streamlining construction
and commissioning efforts; to support
highly accurate and reliable operations; to enable functional decentralization (control-in-the-field); and to
enable advanced diagnostics and predictive maintenance with the overall
result of decreased maintenance and
lifecycle costs.
As evidence, Lin shared the results of a recent study Sinopec SEI
conducted to determine the project cost impact of Foundation fieldbus on several petrochemical projects. The study compared traditional
26
across installations in energy, chemical, petrochemical and metals production verticals. Visit http://tinyurl.com/
czuuepe for a slideshow of other presentation highlights.
—Keith Larson, vp of content, Putman
Media
Balluff Breaks Ground
on New Center in
Kentucky
fieldBus faN
Sinopec SEI’s Lin Rong spoke on the
project execution benefits of Foundation
fieldbus technology.
analog instrumentation approaches
with Foundation fieldbus. Assuming
an average of six devices per fieldbus
segment, the company was able to
shave 5% off the instrumentation and
controls portion of the typical project—a number that he believes can
be further improved by designing segments with more than six instruments,
and by using domestically developed
fieldbus cable in future projects.
But the big payoff for fieldbus occurs once the plant is up and running,
Lin contended. At a 3.5-year-old installation at the Fujian Refining and Ethylene Project (FREP), current maintenance needs are only 30% of what a
traditionally configured system would
entail, Lin said.
Sinopec SEI’s Lin was but one of
many Chinese process automation
professionals to share how Foundation
fieldbus is improving operations, maintenance and capital project execution
Balluff Inc. broke ground on its new
building in Florence, Ky., on April 11.
The governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear, attended the ceremonial event
along with other community and
company officials.
“Balluff has found a successful
home in northern Kentucky, with
steady growth here over the past 30
years,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’re
proud to have the company’s U.S.
headquarters in Kentucky, and especially happy to see the company continue to expand, adding 24 new jobs
and investing $6 million in the commonwealth.”
Balluff ’s new 48,000-square-foot
building is expected to be completed
in March 2014 and will be a state-ofthe-art, customer-support, training,
and sales and marketing center. The
facility will include green concepts
and worker-friendly features, such
as 100% employee access to daylight
from workspaces.
Balluff is expected to boost employment by adding approximately
60 to 100 jobs (local and across the
country) over the next five years.
“Balluff is working hard to help
keep jobs in America by offering our
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_26_32_InPro.indd 26
4/29/13 11:11 AM
ce,
f
AD51304
o
2013-04-1610 DPHarp Control AD51304.indd 1
CT1305_full page ads.indd 27
4/16/13 2:40 PM
4/26/13 9:56 AM
In Process
Siemens Believes in
the Manufacturing
Renaissance
digging in
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (right) and Balluff
President Kent Howard break ground on new facility.
customers technology and expertise
to increase their productivity, improve their quality, and reduce their
total cost of ownership, helping to
make U.S. manufacturing the most
productive in the world,” said Kent
Howard, president of Balluff.
A global automation supplier, Balluff specializes in products for industrial sensing, networking and identification for a wide range of applications
and industries. Balluff is the U.S. subsidiary of Balluff GmbH, based in
Neuhausen, Germany.
The company’s U.S. headquarters
currently employs more than 150 people, and has been located in Independence, Ky., since 1983, with expansions
in 1994 and 2001. The facility is the final assembly, distribution and training
site for Balluff in the United States.
28
Helmut Ludwig, CEO of Siemens Industry USA, took time after attending
the “America’s New Manufacturing”
conference, held April 23 at the offices
of the Washington Post and sponsored
by Siemens, to discuss what he felt the
strongest takeaways from the conference were.
He noted that in the keynote, Eric
Spiegel, CEO Siemens Corp., had
challenged American companies.
“America has a training gap,” Ludwig
quoted Spiegel. It isn’t a skills gap, it
is a training gap, and that is very important. “Until we put the burden on
those who train, rather than those who
need to be trained, we’ll never solve
the problem,” Spiegel said.
Ludwig added, “We have a quite intense dialog running right now about
the future of manufacturing in America. Some people talk about a manufacturing renaissance. Others talk
about advanced manufacturing. Some
even talk about a fourth industrial revolution. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel pronounced it Industry 4.0 because it is more of an evolution building on what has gone before.”
He added, “In May we will talk
about productivity, and in June we will
meet with our most important end users at Automation Summit in New
Orleans. This is a running dialog we
believe we have to keep up, especially
in this space, because there is still a
bumpy road ahead before we can really
see the manufacturing renaissance.”
Ludwig noted the presence of both
industry and government with speakers
such as U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown
(D-Ohio) and Amy Kobuchar (DMinn.); Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee; Allan McArtor, chairman, Airbus
Americas; Ron Bloom, former Obama
manufacturing policy leader and
now vice chairman, U.S. Investment
Banking at Lazard Frères; Bill Krueger,
senior vice president, manufacturing,
for Nissan; James Manyika of McKinsey Global Institute; and others. The list
of speakers can be found at www.washingtonpost.com/postlve/conferences/
manufacturing.
Four important themes ran
through the entire conference. First
was the connection of innovation
and manufacturing. Second was virtual innovation. Third was the human element. The fourth and last
was the training gap.
“This is not our father’s or our
grandfather’s manufacturing job,”
Ludwig proclaimed. “It is a highly
skilled job that is an interaction between human functions and automation. There will always be a place for
human interaction in manufacturing.
The lights-out factory is dead.
“Our U.S. manufacturing plants,
like the one in North Carolina that
makes gas turbines, can only work because we have the workforce that has
the skills and the training to make it
work.”
Ludwig added, “But, as Eric Spiegel said this morning, skills are the
responsibility of companies like Siemens. We need to know what the
needs of manufacturing today and tomorrow are, and then work with the
schools and train the people to handle those highly sophisticated jobs.
We have programs in North Carolina
running education in mechatronics,
and graduates come out of them to a
starting salary of over $50,000. Compare that to liberal arts graduates at
$43,000. And Siemens pays for the
training program, and the graduate
is completely free of debt. We need
to foster the same types of apprenticeship programs here as in Germany.
“We are generating critical mass, finally. This is a great movement of the
general public that is just taking off.
We need to explain to the next generation how attractive manufacturing
jobs are going to be.”
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_26_32_InPro.indd 28
4/29/13 11:11 AM
JAN13-SuppliersWeHave (CM)_Control 12/6/12 9:11 AM Page 1
Get It Faster
ED IN TH
CK
SH
IP
.S.
EU
STO
Don’t wait for these brands to be shipped from outside the U.S.
S TODAY
We stock these brands in our U.S. warehouse,
so you get the products you want when you
need them.
Order by 10 p.m. ET, it ships today!
1.800.433.5700
© Allied Electronics, Inc 2013. ‘Allied Electronics’ and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 29
An Electrocomponents Company.
4/26/13 9:56 AM
In Process
Phoenix Contact HQ
Gets Solar Carport
Phoenix Contact has unveiled its
new solar charging port for electric vehicles at its headquarters in
Middletown, Pa. The unveiling took
place as part of the company’s Earth
Day activities.
Almost entirely student-designed
and built, the charging port includes
12 south-facing solar panels, Apollo
Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings
WEG offers
Custom Panels
for any industrial application
Industry Applications:
Custom configured
to your Specification.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cement and Agregate
Food and Beverage
Textile
Mining
HVAC
Metals
Plastics
Pulp and Paper
Water and Waste Water
Irrigation
• NEMA 1, 12, 3R 4 and 4X cabinets
• Quick delivery on preconfigured drives and soft starters
• UL 508 certified
• Low and Medium Voltage (230-4160)
• Made in the USA
Transforming energy into solutions.
CustomPanel AD.indd 1
CT1305_26_32_InPro.indd 30
www.weg.net/us
©2013 WEG Electric Corp.
Solar inverter and Concorde AGM batteries that collect sunlight during the
day. The design of the control panel
cabinet, however, uses almost all Phoenix Contact products. The placement of
the solar panels allows for optimal light
collection, with an additional 4 kW of
battery reserve for the electric vehicle. The advantage of a solar-powered
charging station over conventional
charging stations is that it does not rely
on power from a utility company, and
therefore puts no additional demand
on the grid. The use of a solar-powered
charging station eliminates that longterm issue and saves the consumer
money over time.
“We’re excited about the innovation of our summer interns and
Phoenix Contact’s capabilities that
address a vital issue for the future of
e-mobility,” said Jack Nehlig, president of Phoenix Contact USA.
The complete charging station
takes up no more than a regular car
parking space. ASCO Numatics
Announces 2013
Engineering
Scholarships
ASCO Numatics, manufacturer of
comprehensive fluid automation, flow
control and pneumatics solutions, has
begun accepting applications for its
2013-14 ASCO Numatics Industrial
Automation Engineering Scholarship
program. Under the program, ASCO
Numatics will award two $5,000 scholarships to U.S. engineering students,
provide two $1,000 grants to the engineering departments of the colleges
at which the winners are enrolled, and
host the two winners as all-expensepaid guests at the Amazing Packaging
Race at Pack Expo International 2013
on Sept. 25, 2013, in Las Vegas.
The deadline to apply is May 24.
4/26/12 7:28 AM
4/29/13 11:12 AM
Integrate calibration
management with an
ERP/CMMS system
www.beamex.com
www
info@beamex.com
info@
Beamex CMX calibration software can be integrated with ERP/CMMS
systems like SAP PM, Infor EAM, IBM Maximo as well as with asset
management systems like Emerson AMS Suite Device Manager.
The new Beamex MC6
- more than a calibrator.
Touch-screen, 5.7” color-display. Light-weight, robust (IP65)
and long operating time. A meter, calibrator, data logger and full
multi-bus field communicator. Pressure, electrical, temperature
and frequency signals. HART, Profibus PA, Foundation Fieldbus H1.
Seamless communication with calibration software for paperless
calibration management.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 31
Beamex, Inc.
Phone:
(770) 951-1927
Toll free: (800) 888-9892
E-mail: beamex.inc@beamex.com
4/26/13 9:57 AM
IN PROCESS
Can I rely on
wireless to control
remote facilities?
Can I monitor temperatures at known
problem locations without wiring?
Can I collect remote tank-level data
without costly trenching and conduit?
Can I control remote well pumps
without line of sight?
In process and industrial automation,
you need accurate monitoring, consistent
uptime and real ROI. Be sure. With the
Banner SureCross Wireless Network. Visit
BannerEngineering.com/ProcessControl.
Or call (888) 373-6767.
Customers First
Integrity Always
45 Years of Excellence
New Solutions — Every Day
CT1305_26_32_InPro.indd 32
Details and forms are available at www.asconumatics.com/
scholarship.
ABB HVDC Named a Top 10
Technology by MIT Tech Review
The MIT Technology Review has recognized ABB for its hybrid high-voltage direct current (HVDC) breaker, which
places it among the 10 most important technology milestones of the past year. This is an annual list highlighting
the top 10 breakthrough technologies the editors believe
will have the greatest impact on the shape of innovation in
the years to come.
“Since 2001, our editors have carefully selected the
technologies poised to make the greatest impact on the
shape of innovation in the years to come and the organizations leading the charge in those fields,” said MIT
Technology Review’s editor in chief and publisher, Jason
Pontin. “ABB is helping to define the way we think about
creating practical, high-voltage direct current circuit
breakers.”
The hybrid HVDC breaker overcomes a 100-year-old
barrier to the development of interconnected HVDC
transmission grids, which can help improve grid reliability and enhance the capability of existing alternating current (AC) networks. It combines very fast mechanics with
power electronics, and will be capable of “interrupting”
power f lows equivalent to the output of a large power station within 5 milliseconds—that is 30 times faster than
the blink of a human eye. To learn more, go to http://
new.abb.com/about/hvdc-grid.
HVDC technology facilitates the long distance transfer of power from hydropower plants, the integration of
offshore wind power, the development of visionary solar
projects, and the interconnection of different power networks. Deployment of HVDC has led to an increasing
number of point-to-point connections in different parts
of the world. The logical next step is to connect the lines
and optimize the network.
Omega Upgrades Website
Measurement, control and technical supplies vendor
Omega Engineering is upgrading its global websites. The
new design offers the same functionality and service, but
with a more streamlined and cleaner layout and more consistent and clearer navigation. The U.S. redesigned site is
now available at www.omega.com. The other global sites
will be rolled out over the next few weeks. The complete
line of Omega handbooks and encyclopedias will also be
available at the new site.
4/29/13 11:12 AM
Fluke puts HART communication
in a precision loop calibrator.
Introducing the Fluke 709H:
The power of HART in the reach
of every technician.
The new Fluke 709H: two-in-one loop calibrator
and HART communication tool
• Read device parameters, perform mA trim,
and more
• Easy to use alternative to complicated
HART communicators
• Loop calibrator with best in class accuracy
• Saves time, makes testing simple
Fast. Easy. Within your reach.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N F O U N D AT I O N
Learn more: www.fluke.com/709H
©2013 Fluke Corporation.
AD 4287625A_EN
CT1305_full page ads.indd 33
4287625A_EN.indd 1
4/26/13 9:57 AM
4/17/13 7:19 AM
Without Wires
ieee 802.11 evolution continues
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (www.IEEE.org) released the next
generation of its 802.11 wireless standards, IEEE 802.11ad-2012, abbreviated as 802.11ad or
ian verhappen
Director,
inDustrial automation ne t works
iverhappen@industrialautomationnetworks.com
Support for
backhaul of high
data bursts as an
alternative to fiber
over short distances
for back-up of
controllers might
now be possible.
34
very high throughput (VHT) in late December 2012. The Technical Group that developed
this specifica tion worked in partnership with the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig, http:
//wirelessgigabitalliance.org), which, in cooperation with the WiFi Alliance, will test and certify compliance with the standards.
The demand for speed and bandwidth, including backhaul (e.g. xDSL, fiber, speed) and
emergence of new applications such as high-definition (HD) content streaming and instant file
transfers, are the drivers for the new standards.
Use cases, including multi-media mesh, pointto-point backhaul, public safety mesh, video
demos and factory floor automation, are potentially relevant in the industrial sector.
Support for backhaul of high data bursts as an
alternative to fiber over short distances for backup of controllers or associated databases might
now be possible. Other possibilities include addressing the need to capture streaming video
data in response to an incident, or to observe
reactions in controlled settings without exposure of personnel, or connecting assembly lines
with video placement rather than a wire harness,
or…? Added implementations are limited only
by your creativity now that you’re no longer tethered to a cable.
IEEE 802.11ad and soon-to-be released
IEEE 802.11ac amendments build off IEEE
802.11n, modifying both the physical layers
(PHY) and the 802.11 medium-access control
layer (MAC) to enable operation in the 60GHz frequency band. This will enable a maximum throughput of at least 1 Gbps and up to 7
Gbps, as measured at the MAC data service access point. The VHT versions of 802.11 are positioned as successors to high-throughput (HT)
802.11n, and are designed to be fully backwards
compatible with previous versions.
IEEE introduced multiple-input, multipleoutput (MIMO) to 802.11n, and IEEE 802.11ac
will expand this capability to support up eight
spatial streams and multi-user MIMO (MUMIMO). MU-MIMO allows a terminal to
transmit/receive signals to/from multiple users
in the same frequency band simultaneously,
while single-user MIMO can only take advantage of MIMO to increase throughput.
Also, multiple-antenna configurations using beam-steering are an optional feature of the
IEEE 802.11ad specification. Beam-steering can
be employed to circumnavigate minor obstacles
such as people moving around a room or a piece
of furniture blocking line-of-sight transmission,
but longer free-space distances (e.g. > 10m) and
more substantial obstructions (e.g., walls, doors,
etc.) will prevent transmission.
Another feature added to the VHT protocols
is “fast session transfer,” which enables wireless
devices to seamlessly transition between the
ISM 60-GHz frequency band and the legacy 2.4GHz and 5-GHz bands. Being able to move between the bands ensures that computing devices
are always “best connected,” enabling them to
operate with optimal performance and range
criteria. Because range is inversely proportional
to frequency, 802.11ad has a relatively small radius, so “band hopping” will be important. As
a result of the need to “band hop,” devices are
likely to have three radios: 2.4-GHz for general
use, which may suffer from interference; 5-GHz
for more robust and higher speed applications;
and 60-GHz for ultra-high-speed in a room.
VHT expands the capability of wireless and
opens up new opportunities within the industrial and office environment, but there are
trade-offs and it’s our job as engineers to understand them, so that we can use technology
in the appropriate way. For now, it appears that
VHT also means “very close device” (VCD)
or, once we figure out how to effectively use it,
“very handy tool.”
The standard can be purchased as a PDF
at www.techstreet.com/ieee/products/vendor_
id/4527.
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_34_Wireless.indd 34
4/29/13 11:13 AM
Using wireless here and there is one thing.
But using it across my entire operation?
There’s no one I could trust to do that.
See more, do more and be more profitable with the most trusted partner in wireless — Emerson.
Emerson is your proven partner with Smart Wireless in more customer sites and with more operating
hours than anyone else in the process industry. Smart Wireless has the widest range of technologies
to expand your vision into more places across your operations. And its self-organizing mesh network
delivers the highest reliability available. It is simply the most intelligent, secure and cost-effective
operation-wide wireless option available. See how Smart Wireless can empower your bottom line
at EmersonProcess.com/SmartWireless
The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2012 Emerson Electric Co.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 35
4/26/13 9:57 AM
RESOURCES
What You Need to Know about Fieldbus Now
Control’s Monthly Resource Guide
Every month, Control’s editors take a specific product area, collect all the latest, significant tools we can find,
and present them here to make your job easier. If you know of any tools and resources we didn’t include, send
them to wboyes@putman.net, and we’ll add them to the website.
FIELDBUS 101
Many automation engineers are coming face to face with real fieldbus applications for the first time. Fieldbus
(the use of digital communications networks for distributed instrumentation
and control) is a wonderful technology
with many benefits, but its installation
requires some additional considerations
over and above normal 4-20mA projects. This white paper discusses some
of these issues, including choosing a
fieldbus, power supplies, segment calculations, terminators, fieldbus cable
and wiring, redundant operations, fieldbus in hazardous areas and intrinsically
safe systems. The paper is free, but registration is required. The direct link is at
http://tinyurl.com/bt6smhl.
MooreHaWKe
818-894-7111; www.miinet.com/moorehawke
FOUNDATION FIELDBUS IN 12 PARTS
Terry Blevins, Tom Kinney and Marcos Peluso have prepared this 12-part
introduction to Foundation fieldbus.
The subjects covered include an overview and basic concepts, justifying
fieldbus use, the physical layer, fieldbus
standards, the communications stack,
function blocks, diagnostics, EDDL,
high-speed Ethernet, advanced functionality and commissioning. The link
to the blog post with links to all 12
parts is at http://tinyurl.com/cec5j7z.
ModeliNg aNd CoNtrol
www.modelingandcontrol.com
FIELDBUS WIRING GUIDE
This guide provides information about
the fieldbus network, so that its wiring
system can be designed and installed
for cost-effective and reliable operation.
36
There are many uses for fieldbus and
many ways it can be configured. It’s not
possible to give simple wiring rules that
cover all cases. Therefore, this guides
explain how fieldbus works, so the wiring system can be designed to achieve
the best performance and most reliable
operation with the lowest cost. It covers
configuration, cabling, signals, connections, power, reliability, fieldbus limitations and more. This is a free download.
The direct link is at http://tinyurl.com/
cwbsnqj.
relCoM
800-382-3765; www.relcominc.com
SPECIFYING FIELDBUS NETWORKS
An important trend in factory automation is the continual increase in
networked interconnection between
sensors, controls, actuators and other
system components. Automation designers face many challenges and tradeoffs in the development of a successful
network solution. This paper discusses
the necessary choices in selecting a network technology appropriate for various
specific applications, the technical constraints of several common fieldbuses,
and guidelines for selecting media and
protocols. This free download is found
at http://tinyurl.com/c4um3lr.
te x as iNstruMeNts
www.ti.com
FIELDBUS VIDEOS
Any fieldbus expert will tell you that
the vast majority of problems experienced with a fieldbus installation are
related to the physical layer. Things
like wiring, connectors, terminators,
power conditioners, and device couplers can be a smoothly running parts
of your installation or a problem. This
series of videos by Talon Petty of the
Fieldbus Foundation covers best practices in fieldbus wiring. One of the topics is armor-plated wiring, which offers
an extra hardened solution for environments that require it. If you work in a
plant near the ocean, for example, you
are quite familiar with the corrosive effects of salt air and storm-related flooding. Sometimes, opting for cable with
a little extra protection is the right way
to go, but there are a few things to keep
in mind if you want to make it easy to
deal with the armor jacketing. Check
out these videos for some good pointers.
The videos are free. Go to http://tinyurl.
com/dyxhybc to download the video.
Fieldbus FouNdatioN
www.fieldbus.org
TUTORIALS AND COMPARISON CHARTS
This site contains a brief basic tutorial
on fieldbus and two free, downloadable PDF comparison charts of some
of the major fieldbus systems; Foundation fieldbus, Profibus, DeviceNet,
AS-I, FMS, Modbus and HART. Go
to www.pacontrol.com/Fieldbus.html
for all three.
PaCoNtrol.CoM
www.PaControl.com
EAAL PROFIBUS TUTORIAL
This brief overview of Profibus helps users understand the interfacing of fieldbus
I/O to the Cimetrix Open Development
Environment’s (CODE) control processes by using a device driver for a Profibus-DP I/O interface card. The direct
link is at http://tinyurl.com/7cl3f57.
e a al
ht tp://eaal.groups.et.byu.net
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_36_Resources.indd 36
4/29/13 11:16 AM
What’s your
LEVEL
Featuring
w i d e i n d i c a to r
of confidence?
patent pending
#1 Magnetic Level Indicator
#1 Magnetostrictive Level Transmitter
EXPERIENCE MATTERS. With thousands of installations across the globe in some of the world’s toughest
conditions and applications, Orion Instruments® proves daily that we are the leading supplier of magnetic
level indication. Contact us today to find out how we can apply ORION INSTRUMENTS technology to help
solve your level applications.
• Oil & Gas Exploration & Production
• Power
• Chemical
• Refining
• Military
• Pulp & Paper
• Wastewater
Magnetostrictive Level
Transmitter
Schedule
a visit to
our manuf
acturing fa
cility
www.orioninstruments.com • 2105 Oak Villa Boulevard • Baton Rouge, Louisiana • 70815 • 866-55-ORION • 225-906-2343 • f: 225-906-2344
Orion Instruments, Magnetrol, Aurora, and Jupiter are registered trademarks of Magnetrol International. Atlas and Reveal are trademarks of Magnetrol International.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 37
Basic, high-performance
MLI suitable for a variety
of applications.
Advanced MLI with
integrated Guided Wave
Radar level transmitter.
ISO 9001
4/26/13 9:58 AM
PROCESS SAFETY
Integrated safety systems offer one
solution, but no one-size-fi ts-all fix exists.
by Nancy Bartels
The ruins are still smoldering in West, Texas, as I write this.
Two days ago the West Fertilizer Co. plant exploded killing
14, injuring 200, and destroying 50 homes, an apartment
complex, a school and a nursing home. Much more is still
unknown than known about the cause of the blast, but one
thing is painfully clear: Another process operation has tragically and catastrophically failed.
As the days and weeks go on, answers will emerge
about this specific accident, but the biggest question
will, I suspect, remain unanswered: Why is process
safety so hard?
It’s not for want of trying. Every time an accident like this
occurs, there are detailed post mortems. The PDF of the
Baker report on the 2005 Texas City accident alone runs
38
to 300+ pages. The costs are also well-known. In the 2011
Deepwater Horizon accident, the numbers run to the billions. But still the accidents happen.
One reason is because process safety is complicated. It’s
about managing risk. It’s about safety. But it’s also about
efficiency. Downtime from unnecessary shutdowns wastes
both time and money—lots of it. But it’s hard to estimate
the cost of an accident that doesn’t happen. It’s about compliance and regulation. It’s about corporate culture and basic human behavior. Oh, yes, and these days it’s about security—both physical and cyber.
Getting all the pieces of the safety puzzle to come together efficiently, effectively and without breaking the bank
is an ongoing struggle.
www.controlglobal.com M A Y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 38
4/29/13 1:08 PM
process safety
Is the struggle Worth It?
But it’s a struggle that can’t be avoided. Even putting aside
any moral issues, economically it’s making less and less
sense to not take process safety seriously.
“People are realizing good safety leads to both top and bottom line improvements,” says Steve Elliott, product director
for Invensys Operations Management’s (http://iom.invensys.
com) Triconex safety family. Good safety systems generate
a +5% improvement in the top line. Bottom line improvements are around cost reductions that can be quantified up
to a point. You can reduce production costs by around 3%,
capital costs by around 1% and maintenance around 5%.”
The real eye-opener is the possible 20% reduction in insurance costs, according to Elliott. “You can have a real conversation with the insurance companies, and use this [potential reduction] to promote safety management,” he says.
And it is possible to begin to arrive at an estimate of the
cost of the accident that doesn’t happen, says Elliott. “The
machinery industry uses the overall equipment effectiveness
(OEE) metric. That approach is coming into the safety environment. [We’re looking at] reduction in downtime, maintenance. It’s the same kind of measurement. It’s now possible,
up to a point, to evaluate the costs related to accidents that
don’t happen. We’re now seeing a move to use information
from layers of protection analyses (LOPAs) to make evaluations of potential costs. That can be used to break through
the barriers.”
the Great Disconnect
It’s not that companies don’t think that safety is important.
In a recent survey sponsored jointly by Control and ABB
(www.abb.com), respondents were pretty clear that safety is
no trivial thing. A full 78% of respondents said that one of
the key drivers that influenced their safety and safety instrumented systems (SIS) practices was safety incidents and injury prevention, and 65% said standards and regulatory compliance were a big motivation.
But it is, alas, still too common for safety to be given a
wink and a nod at many operations. In the same survey, 16%
of respondents said their plant’s safety systems were not compliant with IEC 615I1/ISA 84 safety instrumented systems
standards, and another third were unsure. Only 37% of those
in non-compliance said they had an established roadmap
and timeframe for becoming compliant, and 27% said they
had no plans to do so. Another 36% said compliance was
“on their to-do list,” and we all know what happens to many
items on such a list.
Barry Young, an analyst with ARC Advisory Group (www.
arcweb.com), observes, “There are still some very old systems out there that haven’t been replaced. Why? It’s my personal belief that end users kind of wink at you. You have a
manager responsible for a unit. The guy wants to move up
[in the organization]. He’s got a couple of million dollars to
spend. If he spends them on improving the unit, he’s going
to get more props for that than for improving safety. He’s going to risk that the unit isn’t going to blow up. It’s tough to
have a five-year plan when you’re a quarterly company.”
Chris O’Brien, partner at safety and security consultancy
exida (www.exida.com), also points to corporate culture as a
big issue in process safety, and warns of the danger of looking at compliance as the total answer to safety or developing
a “check-the-box” mentality. He cites the case of a facility
where the feeling was “If we just use the TÜV data, we can
get away with it.”
O’Brien adds, “I was shocked. Just having the certificate
is not enough. If the data isn’t realistic, no matter what the
certificate says, it’s not right. That’s not exercising engineering. They’re not thinking it through.”
The attitude that process industries are dangerous and accidents happen, so deal with it, also is finding less and less
toleration.
Johan School, a product manager for Honeywell Safety
Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com) points out. “In
North America and Europe, there’s a lot of regulation, and
everyone needs to comply. There’s a lot of incentive to enforce a safety culture. In those countries where there’s regulation, there’s a sense of not going around the system.”
But perhaps as big a driver as legal liability is a shift in the
outside culture.
“People are increasingly intolerant of industries that have
accidents, especially if those accidents appear to be due
to poor management of the associated risks,” said Ben van
Bourdon, executive vice president of Shell Chemicals Ltd.,
at the launch event for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (www.oecd.org) Corporate
Governance for Process Safety Initiative in Paris last June.
“Companies are ready to move on from the cost versus
risk thing,” adds O’Brien. “We don’t want to be the guy who
polluted the Gulf of Mexico. It comes down to awareness
and internalization.”
ARC’s Young sees this shift in thinking in the market
numbers. “What we’re seeing is that the process safety system market is growing faster than the DCS replacement
market. It’s because of high-profile accidents. The C-suite is
now paying attention and instituting corporate-wide safety
initiatives. Safety has to start at the top.”
the role of Integrated systems
For at least two decades, the major process automation vendors
have been integrating parts of their safety systems with the rest
of operations. This trend toward integration is increasing.
“There’s a continued move toward greater integration
with the control system,” says Young. “The systems are integrated, but separate. There’s a separate DCS controller and
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 39
39
4/29/13 1:08 PM
process safety
a separate safety system controller, but a common operator
terminal and maintenance terminal for both. There are substantial savings from this approach, right from upfront engineering to end of system life.”
Among the advantages of an integrated safety system are
the cost reductions that come from not needing two completely separate systems; a reduction in the number of PCs
necessary in a control room; visibility into what’s happening
on the safety side on the same HMI the operator is using for
control; and easier installation and training.
Blue skies for Bluewater
Bluewater Energy Services B.V. (www.bluewater.com) of Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, learned of the advantages of this kind of
integration when it upgraded the integrated control and safety
system (ICSS) on a floating production, storage and off-loading
(FPSO) ship named the Glas Dowr (Figure 1). Bluewater was
refurbishing the Glas Dowr for work in the Kitan oilfield about
500 km off the coast of Australia in the Timor Sea.
The new ICSS system involved the upgrade and replacement of all obsolete control and safety systems on the Glas
Dowr, including hardware and application migration. Invensys provided project management, detailed system engineering and design, supervision of installation, FAT and SAT
testing, commissioning and training. The fully integrated
solution included a Foxboro DCS, Trident and Tricon safety
systems, Foxboro instrumentation, including level, pressure,
flow and temperature sensors, and a Wonderware historian.
The communication infrastructure was replaced with a
new one based on a redundant, fault-tolerant switched fiberoptic network to help ensure high system reliability.
The existing emergency shutdown and existing Triconex
Tricon fire and gas system were upgraded with new I/O firmware to comply with IEC 61508 regulations. The Tricon system also got new main processors, cards and communication modules. The existing addressable fire detection system
was replaced with a new central fire system and detectors,
new Tricon fault-tolerant safety controllers and Trident triple modular redundant safety controllers.
That was a massive job, but getting it done on time, no
matter the complexity, was absolutely essential. Crucial to
the success of Bluewater’s business of off-shore drilling is
achieving “First Oil.” Any delays around that deadline can
result in costly penalties and lost production.
“To Bluewater, achieving First Oil on time is critical because income starts being generated for us at this time. Any
delays here will have a direct effect on our income,” says Ernest Hofstee, senior project manager at Bluewater.
Invensys finished the project in 11 months, so the Glas
Dowr was ready to leave the Sembawang shipyard in Singapore in June 2011, arriving at the Kitan Field in early July.
First Oil was achieved on Oct. 14 of the same year.
40
Hofstee observes that part of the success was attributable
to having the same people work on the entire system. “In my
experience project delays often happen when work is handed
over from one party to another. This didn’t happen on the Glas
Dowr Kitan project. All the work was carried out by the same
people, which minimized project delays and disruption.”
Not so fast
There was a time, not so long ago, when SIS and control systems were completely separate, and best practice was to keep
them that way from the time of their design until the end of
their useful lives. Many companies still follow that practice.
“Safety has been more or less controlled by people of our
generation, meaning older,” says Dave Huffman, Oil, Gas
and Petrochemical Business Development, Chemicals, for
ABB. “We expect the safety system to be completely different technology from the regular controller system. Years ago,
you didn’t have the integration mechanisms you have today.
As standards developed in the late 80s and early 90s, wording
implied that safety systems have to be diverse, and one way to
interpret diversity is to have the control system and the safety
system from two different companies. This is the way it’s been
done, and there hasn’t been a willingness to change.”
It’s also important to remember that the push to integrated systems is “vendor-driven,” says Triconex’ Elliott. “It
does lead to a reduction of overall costs. It gives the ability
to see all information from one source, however, when you
solve one problem, you may create another one.”
An integrated system may create security problems, he
says. “Cyber threats make the landscape more complicated.
Anything with an Internet connection makes for more vulnerability. Are the safety systems more exposed? What do we
do in terms of protection?”
Brand new systems
Figure 1. The Glas Dowr FPSO got an upgraded ICSS from Invensys to
be ready for a new project in the Timor Sea.
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 40
4/29/13 1:08 PM
NEW!
VEGAFLEX 80 Series: Continuous
Level Measurement for Bulk Solids
As a leader in solids level measurement, VEGA provides
the VEGAFLEX 82 for continuous level measurement. Its
self-learning signal analysis automatically detects dust or
product buildup.
The new VEGAFLEX 82 provides the following benefits:
▪ After the probe is exchanged or shortened, the electronics determines
its new length at the press of a button
▪ Guided setup procedure makes commissioning simple and safe
▪ Modbus, Profibus PA, Foundation Fieldbus, and a second
4…20 mA/HART output available
www.vega-americas.com
americas@vega.com
1-800-FOR-LEVEL
CT1305_full page ads.indd 41
4/26/13 9:58 AM
PROCESS SAFETY
“People are increasingly intolerant of industries that have accidents,
especially if they appear to be due to poor risk management.”
Cybersecurity issues aside, there are other good reasons why
end users are often reluctant to integrate these two systems.
Answers to a question about separate or integrated safety systems posed in the LinkedIn Automation and Control discussion
group are instructive about the complications of using an integrated system. But they also suggest that the choice of a separate
or integrated system is not always and either/or proposition.
One respondent, a certified automation professional (CAP),
says, “Risk or the potential for hazard is the main consideration.
SIL [safety integrity level] is the measure of reliability of your
risk-reduction system. These are two separate things for measurement, though it’s obvious the higher risk figure has to be
covered by a more reliable system. The automation choices finally depend on the SIL level determined. The most important
figure is the PFDavg [probability of failure on demand, average],
or the probability that the system will reliably fail in a safe mode
when called upon to do so. The event requiring SIS [safety instrumented system] action could be a high/low probability,
and thus has a high or low ‘demand.’ If without the use of an
independent SIS, the required SIL level is attained, then you
are spared the cost. However, if the risk prevails, you have to improve the SIL level by investing in an independent SIS, which
will be one additional layer of protection and improve the reliability by a factor of 10.”
In the same discussion, another commenter said, “An ICSS
[integrated control and safety system] solution is a good feature,
but it is necessary to clarify where it is clever to use it first.”
He goes on to list some of the factors that need to be taken
into account: whether the project is for a new plant or an upgrade, the size of the plant, the development and engineering
issues, the impact on operations, maintenance and the lifecycle of the system, and the end user’s standards, to name a few.
He also suggests that maintenance is easier with separate
systems. “Two people can work on troubleshooting hardware/circuits issues at the same time because of separated
cabinets, preventing human mistakes in case any work on
the DCS leads to a trip from the ESDS [emergency shutdown system]. If there is hardware in common cabinets,
© 2013 by AMETEK. All rights reserved.
AMETEK 12407-half Page_AMETEK 12407-Unv-IV 3/12/13 2:16 PM Page 1
DREXELBROOK’S UNIVERSAL IV™ CUT MONITOR
Water-cut measurement
so accurate, no other
monitor makes the cut.
Reliable performance. Easy installation.
Available
for quick
delivery.
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 42
First, we bent the rules to enter the oil stream through the elbow. Then we
designed a sampling probe that extends well into the line, averaging all
readings along its length for superior accuracy — down to 0.03% water.
The probe senses changes in capacitance. The relationship between
capacitance and water cut, known as BS&W (basic sediment and water) is
computed by the unit’s electronics. And, because the Universal IV features
RF admittance technology, it ignores buildup and its rugged sensor won’t
wear out.
Pre-calibrated to your light or heavy oil needs, it meets worldwide approvals
(FM, FMc, ATEX and IECEx) and works in pressures to 1,500 PSI and temperatures to 450°F. Why not sample our new Universal IV cut monitor for
yourself? Visit drexelbrook.com/cutmonitor to download our white paper
or call 800-553-9092.
4/29/13 1:08 PM
456 Signal
Combinations...
CT1305_full page ads.indd 43
4/26/13 9:58 AM
process safety
• Durable Construction
• Easy to Use Software
• 100+ PLCs Supported
• Free Tech Support
• Best Value in HMIs!
Scan Here to
Visit Us Online
Visit our website or call
maplesystems.com
there is higher probability this can
happen.”
Chris O’Brien, a partner at safety
and security consultancy exida (www.
exida.com) says, “Even with integrated
systems, you have separate controllers. [The separation] sends the message, ‘Thou shalt not touch.’ If you
start blending the systems, people are
not going to remember that they can’t
make changes. You want to keep the
safety system separate, so that even
mentally operators don’t think they
can get in and make changes to it.”
Triconex’ Elliott says, “Objections
tend to be driven by application. If it’s
an upstream application, the last thing
you want is an unsafe asset. Security
is one of the things you have to think
about. The threat is no longer just
solely in the process.” He adds, “People
saw integration as allowing operations
to see all the information in one place.
OPC UA can integrate data and still be
secure. I can have all the information I
need and still keep a separate system.”
Building a safety culture
The fact is, no matter where you come
down on the separate/integrated issue,
no safety system will be any good if the
corporate culture doesn’t take safety seriously. The money spent on a good system
of whatever kind has to be authorized
by the folks on the C-team. If they don’t
believe that safety is important enough to
spend money on, it won’t get spent.
And companies that take safety seriously go well beyond installing automated systems, separate or integrated.
In the aftermath of the 1989 Valdez accident, ExxonMobil launched a
full-scale, top-to-bottom review of operations and implemented far-reaching
actions that today guide every operating decision made on a daily basis, says
Patricia Sparrell, Automation, optimization and global support manager, at
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. (www.exxonmobil.com). The
vision was to reorient the company to
put the safety of people, facilities and
the environment at the heart of everything the company does.” ExxonMobil
created what the company calls its Operations Integrity Management System
(OIMS)—a rigorous 11-point set of elements designed to identify hazards and
manage safety, security, health and environmental risks.
But people are at the heart of the system. “Even the best safety systems are
ineffective unless they exist as part of a
broader culture of safety,” says Sparrell.
“OIMS is enabled by the belief that leadership influences culture, and culture
drives behavior. Therefore, leaders have
to set expectations, build structures that
support safety efforts, and teach others to
do the same.”
The Several DegreeS of InTegraTIon
Integrating your safety system is not an all-or-nothing proposition. One option is to have
completely separate basic process control systems (BPCS) and safety systems from the
same supplier, but with a common HMI. The engineering tools are also likely to remain
separate.
Some companies use a single supplier and similar systems that are interfaced with
one another. In this architecture, the two systems are deployed separately. The upside
of such an approach is that the similar engineering tools and operational displays make
it easier for the operators and reduce training costs. At the same time, the two systems
will still need to be separately maintained and managed.
The deepest integration comes with a totally integrated system. The BPCS and the
safety system are designed from the ground up to satisfy the requirements of both. This
approach is based on common hardware and software, using diverse technology and
implemented as one system. The argument in its favor is that it can leverage all the commonalities between the two systems. This architecture enables information, asset and
production management to be operated across the entire automation platform.
425-745-3229
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 44
4/29/13 1:09 PM
Tank overfill.
In the best case, you have to clean up.
In the worst case, you end up in court.
Want to sleep well at night?
You CAN Do THAT
Driving overfill prevention technology forward.
Emerson’s new Rosemount Raptor tank gauging system lets you comply with the reworked
overfill protection standard API 2350 (4th edition) for every type of storage tank. The Raptor system includes safety
features like SIL certification and a unique radar with two independent gauges (level and overfill) in one housing.
Learn more about Raptor and get the latest API 2350 overfill prevention guidance at www.api-2350.com
The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2012 Emerson Electric Co.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 45
4/26/13 9:59 AM
PROCESS SAFETY
She continues, “OIMS is not just
window dressing, but rather integrated
into day-to-day operations. The standard 11 elements and 65 expectations
included in OIMS are the same for all
employees, no matter where they are
in the organization. From there, each
business supplements the framework
by establishing and maintaining guidelines relevant to its specific activities.
Finally, local management systems
provide additional guidance, including processes and procedures, responsible and accountable resources, and
feedback mechanisms for continuous
improvement. There is clear accountability from top to bottom.”
One Series
Transmitter-Switch
for the Power Industry
•
•
•
•
•
Monitors pressure or temperature
Provides analog 4-20 mA signal
Programmable switching capability
Smart self-diagnostics
SIL 2 suitable
For more information on
the One Series,
call United Electric at
617-923-6977
or visit us at
www.ueonline.com
United Electric Controls
180 Dexter Avenue
Watertown, MA 02471-9143
CT1305_38_46_CoverStory.indd 46
Teaching Safety
At the Hungary-based MOL Group
(www.mol.hu/en/), one of the largest
energy companies in central Europe,
executives were not happy with the
safety performance of the company and
wanted to bring it up to a favorable comparison with its peers. In 2003, MOL had
recorded 55 lost time injuries (LTI) and
a lost time injury frequency (LTIF) rate
of 2.6, an indicator measuring LTI cases
against one million hours worked. The
International Association of Oil and Gas
Producers in its 2003 safety performance
report recorded an average rate less than
half that of MOL—1.16 LTIF—among
its 36 member companies.
MOL decided to approach the safety
issues in two phases: laying the foundations for an overall shift in mindset and
attitude to safety and then building on
the continuous cultural change.
MOL brought in safety consultants
from DuPont (www.dupont.com) to
help. Working together, they developed
the Safe Workplaces Project that involved MOL’s 14,000 employees. The
project covers everything from more
training for employees to redesigning
helmets and safety glasses to work together better to conducting audits of behavior—on everyone from the youngest
operators to the top management.
The audits focus on a dialog with
employees about safety, acknowledging
positive behavior and convincing them
that unsafe behaviors make for unnecessary risks. The next step is to jointly
develop a safer approach to the work.
Kornélia Procházková, project manager at MOL Group, says, “Even executives conduct behavioral audits, and
when they come to visit a plant, operatives can see that they now wear safety
helmets, safety glasses and safety shoes;
in other words, the same equipment
the operatives themselves have to wear.
That sends an important and positive
message.”
The result of the audits and subsequent HSE action plans was that the
number of LTIs dropped from nine in
2005 to three in 2008, and the LTIF
rate dropped from 1.53 to 0.6.
But MOL went even farther. It
brought in a dedicated DuPont consultant to work onsite to help develop
training programs, KPIs for evaluating
success, workshops to train MOL employees to be safety experts and make
the entire program self-sustaining.
To ensure that everyone in the
group knows what is expected of them,
all process safety management requirements have now been set out in the
new MOL Group PSM Global Operative Regulation. Process safety management has been made mandatory for
all hazardous operations, and contractors are given a set of standard requirements they have to abide by if they
want to work for MOL Group.
Obviously, implementing such a system takes time, effort, commitment
and reinforcement. Good automated
systems can help by reinforcing safe
procedures and making sure employees can’t work around them, but systems can only go so far. At some point,
beginning with top management, the
decision has to be made that shortcuts
are not acceptable, and that taking the
time and spending the money to operate safely is mandatory.
Nancy Bar tels is Control’s managing editor.
4/29/13 1:09 PM
CT1305_full page ads.indd 47
4/26/13 9:59 AM
PAI-47
WHAT VIBRATION PENS
WANT TO BE WHEN THEY
GROW UP.
The new Fluke 805 Vibration Meter is more
than a pen. It’s a Fluke meter that gives
you results you can trust, time after time.
• Checks overall vibration, bearings
and temperature
• Ability to export and trend data
• Four-level scale quickly assesses
problem severity
• Unique sensor design ensures accurate
and repeatable measurements
Forget the pens. Think METER: fluke.com/VibrationMeter
©2012 Fluke Corporation
AD 4151036A_EN
CT1305_full page ads.indd 48
4/27/12 9:59
1:43 AM
PM
4/26/13
DRIVES AND MOTORS
Motors and
Drives Grow Up
and Graduate
Motors and drives have been moving up to
variable-speed control for better accuracy, but now
they’re also increasing power density and effi ciency
and even coordinating more closely
with PLCs and intelligent systems.
by Jim Montague
Entirely new inventions may be dramatic, but they’re rare.
Reinventions or ongoing refinements of already familiar
technologies aren’t as exciting, but they’re far more frequent,
so they likely result in greater total gains in performance and
production. Likewise, while motors and drives may be everywhere in process applications and elsewhere, the fact that
they’re so long established shouldn’t be an obstacle to improving them and their applications. They may be ubiquitous, but
aided by variable-speed and variable-frequency drives (VSDs
and VFDs) and other recent innovations, motors can instead
be opportunities to achieve gains in many settings.
stress on their motors, gearboxes and other mechanical components, which reduces downtime and maintenance.
Likewise, Mine Los Colorados iron ore mine in Chile recently added an ACS 1000 medium-voltage VSD from ABB
(www.abb.com) to increase speed by 25%, and bring its conveyor up to nominal throughput without replacing its existing gearbox and 400-kW motor. The mine is operated by
CAP Mineria-Compañia Minera del Pacifico S.A. (CMP,
www.cap.cl/eng/) in Santiago, Chile.
Speed Control Aids Quality
For instance, the PPC Jupiter plant of Pretoria Portland Cement Co., Ltd. (www.ppc.co.za) recently improved the consistency and quality of its products by using VSDs and more
accurate controls on the bucket elevators feeding and receiving new and recycled cement at its mills (Figure 1). PPC is
the South Africa’s leading cement supplier with eight plants
and three mills in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
The elevators use four Control Techniques’ (www.controltechniques.com) Unidrive SP AC drives, two at 37 kW
and two at 55 kW, to start up with an acceleration and deceleration of 10-second and 100-Hz, and then run at a stable speed of 45-Hz until they reach their offload point. The
drive runs at a preset speed control and can jog at 10-Hz
minimum for maintenance purposes. PPC Jupiter reports
that the four drives allow the buckets to achieve 0.1-Hz speed
accuracy, deliver more precisely controlled loads of each key
ingredient, and stop at preferred points with less tension and
SMOOTHER MOVES, BETTER CEMENT
Figure 1: PPC’s Jupiter plant in South Africa improved the consistency and quality of its cement products by implementing four
Unidrive SP AC variable-speed drives from Control Techniques,
which enable its bucket elevators to perform more accurate
offloading and reduce stress, wear and downtime.
M A Y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_49_50_Feature2.indd 49
49
4/29/13 1:22 PM
DRIVES AnD MOTORS
The conveyor lifts material
and a few other motor manufrom the mine’s stockpile to a
facturers have yielded higher
train platform, but the existing
efficiencies than mandated by
gearbox and motor weren’t runthe present EISA.”
ning at the required speed above
Steve Evon, engineering man50 Hz. The ACS 1000 enabled
ager for variable-speed and custhe motor and gearbox to soft
tom medium-AC motors at Balstart, ramp up smoothly, and run
dor Electric Co. (www.baldor.
at 63 Hz. The drive’s sinusoidal
com), a member of ABB Group,
output voltage also allowed the
reports that DoE is working on
Explosion-proof puMping, Cooling
motor to be used without derata follow-up to EISA that will reing, so the more than 100-meter Figure 2: Petrobras is deploying 11 three-phase, explosionquire even more efficient mocable length between the drive proof induction motors on its centrifugal KSB pumps feedtors, perhaps by 2015, and add
and motors was not a problem. ing water to the cooling towers at its Abreu e Lima refinery.
frame sizes beyond the 200-hp
Finally, the VSD meant the conand less motors it covers now, reveyor’s hydraulic coupling was no longer needed, which simpli- quiring builders to further optimize motor redesigns with finite
fied its layout and improved availability and efficiency.
analysis tools and better models to identify power losses more
easily. “We’re still using aluminum rotors with copper windings,
but now we’re using punched lamination stacks, such as our
Serving Specialized Settings
Perhaps the main benefit of advances in motor and drive tech- RPM AC line, which are thinner and easier to cool, and don’t
nologies is that they can be deployed in settings where they need the usual cast iron frame, so they allow more room for achaven’t ventured before, or be more effective in applications tive components,” says Evon. “We’ve really reached the physical
limit of how much wire we can get into our winding slots, which
where they’ve been hard to apply.
For example, Petrobras’ Abreu e Lima refinery in Ipojuca, is why PM and synchronous reluctance motors are so popular.
Pernambuco, Brazil, just installed 11 three-phase induction The key to the future is finding lower-cost magnetic materials.”
motors from WEG (www.weg.net/us) suitable for explosive atmospheres to drive the centrifugal pumps from KSB (www.ksb. Cooperating with Upper Levels
com) feeding water into the cooling towers associated with the Drives and motors are also learning to communicate and betrefinery’s main steam turbines (Figure 2). The pumps will pro- ter coordinate efforts with related programmable logic convide water for circulation and cooling the plant’s equipment, trollers (PLCs) and other supervisory systems. For instance,
which is critically important in the refining process.
to provide balanced dewatering and remote monitoring and
“These KSB pumps and equipment require motors that control in natural gas production, system integrator and maoffer a high degree of reliability,” says Marcelo Vedana, chine designer Atfab LLC (www.atfab.org) in West Branch,
WEG’s engineer. “To enhance their reliability, the motors Tenn., recently worked with Schneider Electric (www.schneiare designed to be robust, and use the best quality bear- der-electric.com) to construct an automated, condition-based
ings and ancillary components. The windings are precision pump jack that combines Schneider’s Altivar 312 VFD, Twido
made and balanced, while advanced thermal management PLC and Megelis HMIs. Atfab and Schneider also developed
ensures cool running.”
software that calculates how long the pump jack should run
based on site conditions, and shuts it down, instead of running
for a set time that isn’t always optimal.
Standards + Power Density = Efficiency
“Some wells showed more than a 50% energy savings
Beyond improved control from VFDs and VSDs, motors
are also being pushed by government standards and user from not having to run in a time mode,” explains Jeff
demands to achieve greater power density and efficiency, Thornburg, Atfab’s operations manager. “We also engiwhich is often achieved by integrating permanent magnets neered this solution to allow the pump jacks to operate
using three-phase motors instead of a single-phase mode,
(PMs) made from rare earth materials.
“Increases in motor efficiency are driven mostly by gov- which garnered added energy savings and maintenance
ernment efficiency regulations, such as the Energy Policy costs by eliminating the capacitive starts. The best part
Act (EPAct) and the Energy Independence and Security Act is that an algorithm in the PLC allows the pump jack
(EISA), and by end-user demands for reduced total cost of to learn from itself, and make adjustments based on the
ownership,” says Sam Harris, business manager for large drive unique characteristics of the well it’s controlling.”
technologies at Siemens Industry (www.usa.siemens.com).
Jim Montague is Control’s executive editor
“The recent introduction of die-cast copper rotors by Siemens
50
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_49_50_Feature2.indd 50
4/29/13 1:23 PM
PAI-47_7.875x10.5_Control_PAI-47_7.875x10.5_Control 11/14/12 4:12 PM Page 1
UV/Vis and
NIR
SPECTROP
HOTOMET
ERS
WANTED F
OR
PROCESS
ENGINEER
ING.
Plant/proc
ess engine
er
seeks high
-performan
ce
spectropho
tometer fo
r
long-term
employme
nt.
Must be co
mpact, rug
ge
and measu
re multiple d
componen
ts simultan
eously.
Put AMETEK’s new IPS-4 on the job.
High performance, low maintenance
and now available in Infrared!
Put next-generation technology to work to verify the quality of your
feedstocks, intermediates, final products and more. The new IPS-4
spectrophotometer detects and quantifies thousands of chemical species
— up to eight at once. With an IP-65-compliant housing and a 2-year-life
lamp, the IPS-4 needs no annual maintenance. So it’s perfect for outdoors,
next to inaccessible areas along your process.
Just 31 inches wide, the IPS-4 is packed with features including 22-key keypad, analog
signal output, 3 digital signal ports, high-speed Ethernet port, plug-and-play/web-based
queries, alarm contacts, RS232 and RS485 ports. Plus, its multilingual interface includes
English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. The IPS-4 is available in UV/Vis and NIR
versions with fully integrated sampling systems.
AMETEK’s entire family of spectrophotometer-based analyzers is proven in applications
from chemicals and petrochemicals to pharmaceuticals, food and metals processing.
To learn more call 412-828-9040 or visit our web site.
www.ametekpi.com
© 2012 AMETEK, Inc. All rights reserved.
1:43 PM
CT1305_full page ads.indd 51
4/26/13 10:00 AM
Byte me!
Go ahead...talk nerdy to us. We’ll byte
back. That’s because our option cards and
gateways can speak your fieldbus. They
can also eliminate all of your C++ or C#
programming! At SEW-EURODRIVE, we
understand the investment you have in your
PLC and control system. So, keep your bus
and leave the driving to us. Finally - you can
easily and dramatically reduce the startup
time for gantries, cranes, hoists, conveyors,
turntables, and storage retrieval systems.
seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537
CT1305_full page ads.indd 52
4/26/13 10:00 AM
AdvAnced control
Killing
DeaD
Time
Dead time compensation
can improve PID controller
performance, but at the cost
of robustness.
by F. Greg Shinskey
Model-based control was introduced
as a method of achieving a setpoint
response that emulated open-loop
response, thereby eliminating the
overshoot and cycling commonly experienced under PID control. It is
also ideal for dead-time-dominant
processes such as paper machines. If
there is no exponential lag in the path
of the load disturbance, it also provides satisfactory load regulation.
Its limitation is that the lag-dominant processes commonly encountered
in fluid processing have the same dominant exponential lag in the path of the
load disturbance as in the path of the
controller output. This results in a slow
exponential recovery following a step
load change. The limitation imposed
by these “disturbance dynamics” was
previously explained by the author
in some detail in Control (May 2011,
www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/
Meditating-on-disturbance-dynamics.
html).
The reason for the slow exponential
recovery is the use of the model to estimate the load change and match it
with an identical change in controller
output. The appearance of open-loop
control predominates in load response,
just as it does in response to setpoint
changes. Much faster load response is
achievable if the manipulated variable
is made to overshoot the load change.
The amount of overshoot that produces
the best response varies with the ratio
of dead time to the exponential lag.
Here we define the best load response (regulation) for a first-orderplus-dead-time process, and examine
the possibility of approaching it. While
real fluid processes are more complex, the behavior of this fundamental model is very easy to visualize and
forms a basis for understanding what is
possible using real controllers on real
processes.
dead-time dominance
This pure dead-time process is easy
enough to understand. A step in load
produces a step in the controlled variable one dead time later. A modelbased controller will respond by stepping its output an amount equal to
the load step as estimated through the
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_53_57_Feature3.indd 53
53
4/29/13 2:52 PM
advanced control
Pure dead time
Control var.
NSR
Set
Control out
Load
0
1
2
3
4
dead-time and integrating processes
Figure 1. Best step-load responses for a dead-time and an integrating
(NSR) process.
Control var.
Set
non-Self-regulating (nSr) Processes
+2
Control out
Load
0
1
2
3
4
stable and unstable processes
Figure 2. The best step-load response for stable and unstable processes.
Control var.
Set
+2
Control out
Load
0
1
2
3
4
runaway
Figure 3. The unstable process will run away without MV overshoot.
model. If the two changes are indeed matched, the controlled variable will return to setpoint following the next
dead time. Figure 1 shows the best response to a step load
change for the pure dead-time process having a steady-state
gain of 2.0 (in blue)—a load step of 10% produces a deviation of 20%, which the controller converts to an output step
of 10% to eliminate the deviation one dead time later.
54
The limitation encountered here is model mismatch,
which has two dimensions: gain and time. If the model gain
is too low, the loop gain is < 1, and return to setpoint will
follow a series of decaying exponential steps; if too high, recovery will follow a cycle having a period of two dead times,
damped if the loop gain is < 2. A dynamic mismatch is more
serious, producing harmonic vibrations. To increase robustness and dampen any harmonics, filtering or sampling are
generally applied, both of which reduce performance, as
they effectively add to the loop dead time.
Pure dead-time fluid processes are uncommon, but static
mixers can be dead-time-dominant. Their lags filter out potential harmonics, but also make control more difficult. Of
more consequence here is the pursuit of best regulation for
lag-dominant processes.
Integrating processes such as liquid level do not self-regulate.
Level is the integral of the difference between vessel inflow
and outflow. A level controller left in manual will eventually
result in overflow or emptying of the vessel. Flow in and out
must be perfectly matched to hold level constant, and changing level will not affect either inflow or outflow, absent controller action. Model-based controllers are not suitable here,
because there is no steady-state relationship between the level
and the manipulated flow. If the level changes, the model
can’t predict a flow change that will restore it to setpoint.
Following a step change in load (inflow for example), the
level will ramp during the following dead time, as shown
in the red trace of Figure 1. Control action can’t begin until the level starts to change, and it can have no effect until
another dead time elapses. The best regulator for a non-selfregulating (NSR) process would step its output as soon as
the controlled variable deviates from setpoint. But, stepping
it an amount equal to the estimated load step would leave
the level offset by the amount it changed during the deadtime interval between the two steps. To eliminate any offset,
the step in controller output must overshoot the load step.
Figure 1 shows the best response, attained by the controller
output doubling the load step, followed by a matching of the
load at the end of the next dead time.
This best response curve is identified by two characteristics: its peak deviation, eb (reached after one dead time), and
Integrated Error, IEb. Both have economic consequences:
Peak deviation determines how closely the setpoint can be
positioned to operating constraints such as trip points, and
IE is a measure of excess energy use or product giveaway.
Both should be minimized, and they are related. For the
NSR process:
eb = ∆qτd/τ
IEb = ebτd = ∆qτd2/τ
(1)
(2)
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_53_57_Feature3.indd 54
4/29/13 2:52 PM
ADVANCED CONTROL
where ∆q is the size of the load change; τd is the loop dead
time; and τ is the integrating time constant of the process.
(In Figure 1, the controlled variable changed twice as much
as the load during the dead time, so the integrating time of
this process is one-half the dead time.) Note that IEb varies with the square of the dead time. With a real controller,
peak deviation will be larger and occur later, with a resulting
much higher IE.
Manipulated-variable overshoot is essential in achieving
a prompt and complete return to setpoint. However, the approach to this best load regulation is hindered in two ways.
The output step must be initiated at the earliest detection
of a deviation to achieve earliest recovery, and information
obtained at that time is least accurate in estimating the required size of the output step. Based on the ramp rate of the
level, the step size can be more accurately estimated with
time. Then, when the direction of the level finally changes,
the overshoot must be promptly removed, with a similar demand on accuracy.
No controller has the accuracy required to do this. Secondly, the derivative action needed to determine ramp rate
can’t be applied to level measurements due to its sensitivity
to noise. So we’re limited to PI control of liquid level (with
feed-forward as necessary with boiler-drum applications).
But the tuning of the PI controller should reflect the output
motion that resembles the best, 100% output overshoot being an essential feature.
Self-Regulating Processes
Most processes are self-regulating, having a proportional
relationship between the controlled and manipulated variables. Model-based controllers relate the two to predict the
result of output moves, but typically provide no output overshoot for prompt recovery from load changes. Only pure
dead-time processes require no output overshoot for best
response. For all others, the size of the output step in relation to the load step follows the equation below (derived in
Reference 2 in my book, Process Control Systems, 4th ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, p. 35):
∆m/∆q = 1+ε-τ /τ
d
1
(3)
805QS
Pressure Switch-Transmitter
Try this NEW compact
switch-transmitter
• Low cost
• Explosion proof
• 5 ms response time
• Discrete and continuous output
(4-20mA or 1-5VDC)
• Well suited for hazardous locations
Engineered to Order with Off-the-Shelf Speed
sorinc.com
PROTECT PUMPS
DRY RUNNING • CAVITATION • BEARING FAILURE • OVERLOAD
MONITOR PUMP POWER
• Best Sensitivity
• Digital Display
TWO ADJUSTABLE SET POINTS
• Relay Outputs
• Adjustable Delay Timers
4-20 MILLIAMP ANALOG OUTPUT
COMPACT EASY MOUNTING
Only 3.25” x 6.25” x 2”
• Starter Door • Panel
• Raceway
• Wall
UNIQUE RANGE FINDER SENSOR
• Works on Wide-range of Motors
• Simplifies Installation
where ∆m and ∆q are the changes in manipulated variable
and load respectively; τd is dead time in the loop; τ1 is the
time lag in the load path; and ε is 2.718, the base of natural
logarithms. At the end of the following dead time, m and q
would be set equal.
Figure 2 shows best load responses for two lag-dominant
processes: a self-regulating process in blue, and an unstable
process in red, to be described later. Their required output
overshoots both follow the above equation.
Peak deviation for the stable (self-regulating) process is
WWW.LOADCONTROLS.COM
CT1305_53_57_Feature3.indd 55
CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE
30-DAY TRIAL 888-600-3247
4/29/13 2:52 PM
AdvAnCed ContRol
Control var.
Set
Control out
Load
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
tuning for overshoot
Figure 4. Minimum-IAE tuning of the PIDτ controller gives the requisite MV
overshoot.
Control var.
Set
Control out
Load
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A more robust model
Figure 5. Minimum-IAE tuning of the non-interacting PID controller on the
unstable process.
εb = ∆qKp(1-e-τ /τ )
d
1
(4)
where Kp is the process steady-state gain, having a value of
2.0 in this example; and τ1 is its exponential lag time. The
departure and recovery curves are complementary, so that
IEb = ebτd as before. In Figure 2, τ1 is twice τd, requiring a
peak output/load ratio of 1.607, or 60.7% overshoot. Most
lag-dominant processes feature a τd/τ1 ratio of around 1/7,
requiring an output/load ratio of 1.867 or 86.7% overshoot,
approaching the 100% for NSR processes.
Unstable Processes
An unstable process is one that runs away from setpoint,
given the slightest disturbance. Exothermic reactors are
typical of this class. Any increase in temperature will cause
the heat produced by the reaction to increase more than the
heat transferred to the cooling medium, which accelerates
the departure from equilibrium. Given enough heat-transfer surface, an exothermic reactor can be stable, but they
are known to become unstable when that surface becomes
sufficiently fouled (See my article, “Exothermic Reactors:
The Stable, the Unstable, the Uncontrollable,” Chem. Eng.,
March 2004).
56
An unstable process is simulated using a negative time
constant and gain. Figure 2 shows the best step-load response
for an unstable process having a time constant twice its dead
time and a gain of -2.0. (This is a reasonable simulation of an
unstable exothermic reactor because as dead time approaches
its time constant, the process becomes uncontrollable.) The
increasing heat load requires a lower coolant temperature,
representing the variable manipulated by the controller output. Observe how the controlled variable follows a divergent
trajectory, in contrast to the self-regulating process, where, absent control, it would approach a new steady state.
The manipulated-variable overshoot required for best
load response follows Equation 3, as for the self-regulating process, but with the time constant being negative,
the overshoot exceeds 100%, or 165% in this example.
Figure 3 compares the load responses for the same two
processes where no manipulated-variable (MV) overshoot
is applied—typical of model-based control. The self-regulating process recovers in a long exponential curve, reflecting the time lag in the load path. In this example, its value
is only two dead times, but it’s more commonly around
seven dead times, resulting in poor load regulation indeed.
But the absence of MV overshoot with the unstable process is catastrophic—temperature runaway! A familiar analog of an unstable process is the inverted pendulum—any
disturbance will cause it to accelerate away from the vertical position. Attempting to balance an inverted pendulum
on the hand will only be successful if the hand moves farther in correcting a deviation of the tip of the pendulum
than the size of that deviation: Over 100% MV overshoot
is essential in stabilizing an unstable process. But effective
control is possible, as any trained seal can demonstrate.
This limitation is not inconsequential. Writing on the
control of unstable petroleum hydrocracking reactors in
“Update Hydrocracking Reactor Controls for Improved
Reliability,” Hydrocarbon Processing, October 2012, noted
expert Allan Kern reports: “MPC [model-predictive control] is often considered a comprehensive solution for the
type of control concerns raised here. However, none of
the critical excursion control, depressure prevention or
auto-quench functions are of the type provided by MPC.”
Grading Real Controllers
The unstable process is especially demanding of regulators.
Just as liquid-level loops can develop cycles when the controller’s proportional band is too wide as well as too narrow,
the unstable process can as well (See Process Control Systems, p. 320). If the dead time is sufficiently short relative to
the lag time, an unstable process like a stirred-tank reactor
can be regulated under proportional + integral (PI) control,
but not the example considered here. No combinations of
settings will be successful; derivative action (D) is essential.
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_53_57_Feature3.indd 56
4/29/13 2:53 PM
AdvAnced control
Two candidates are now proposed for the unstable process
described in Figures 2 and 3. The first to be considered adds
dead-time compensation to the reset-feedback loop of a series-connected PID (interacting) controller, creating a PIDτ
controller. Figure 4 describes its step-load response when
tuned to minimize integrated absolute error (IAE). Its output cannot reproduce the step in load, but does overshoot it
by 256% (compared to the best at 165%). The resulting peak
deviation is only 1.14eb, reached 0.3 dead times later than
the best. The IE of the response curve is about 18% higher
than the best.
Along with its high performance comes limited robustness—the loop can destabilize if the process gain or dead
time change in either direction. Yet the controller was successfully applied to a steam superheater in a 500-MW power
boiler by gain-scheduling all four tuning parameters as a
function of measured steam flow (See my “PID-Dead Time
Control of Distributed Processes,” Control Eng. Practice,
9(2001), 1177-1183).
Figure 4 also reveals a ripple in the controller output, which
appears to decay—evidence of a “hot” controller. Secondary
lags common to real processes will probably filter those out.
The more familiar alternative would be the ISA standard
(non-interacting) PID controller (Figure 5). Its MV overshoot is 190%, causing deviation to peak at 1.25eb, reached
0.56 dead times later than the best. The IE of the response
curve is also about 56% higher than IEb. While its performance is lower than the dead-time compensated PID, its
robustness is higher by a factor of nearly three.
conclusions
There are reasons why the PID controller continues to
dominate the process-control field. It is not archaic or obsolete or simply a mathematical construct soon to be replaced by model-based control. Adding dead-time compensation improves its performance in the same way as it
contributes to model-based control—and diminishes robustness for the same reasons, too. The success of highlevel control loops for product quality and economic efficiency depends on a foundation of well-performing
regulatory loops.
F Greg Shinskey is a process control exper t and a member of
the Process Automation Hall of Fame.
Get Up
to Speed
Quickly
With the Control Essentials Series
Written by the editors of CONTROL, our
new Control Essentials series is designed to
provide process industry professionals with an
up-to-date, top-level understanding of a range of
key process automation topics. Our intent is to present essential
engineering concepts in a practical, non-commercial fashion,
together with a review of the latest technology and marketplace
drivers—all in a form factor well suited for onscreen consumption.
Get in and get out quickly with just the information you need.
To download your complementary copy,
visit ControlGlobal.com/Essentials
CT1305_ABB_Essentials_Half.indd 1
CT1305_53_57_Feature3.indd 57
Essentials of
Instrinsic Safety
Made possible by
Essentials of
Level
Instrumentation
Made possible by
Essentials of
Machine HMI
Made possible by
Now available at
ControlGlobal.com/Essentials
4/25/13 3:22 PM
4/29/13 2:53 PM
Mighty Mini
Analog!
The unbeatable, spacesaving, time-reducing
analog signal conditioner
from Phoenix Contact
around the world, control
engineers and electrical
engineers count on Mighty
Mini’s strong features to ensure
their project’s success:
• Super slim design – only 6.2 mm wide
• Jaw-dropping energy efficiency –
consuming as little as 25 mA
• Fast implementation – with T-bus power
bridging system
• Reduced wiring time and errors – thanks
to the easy-to-use V8 adapter
When you’re confronted by enemies of
quality, let Mighty Mini’s built-in powers
save the day by isolating, converting and
conditioning distorted analog signals. this
reliable little super-performer isn’t even
afraid of hazardous duty – fearlessly going
to work in CiD2 areas.
Learn more, call 1-800-322-3225 or visit
www.phoenixcontact.com/mightymini
© 2012 Phoenix ContaCt
CT1305_full page ads.indd 58
4/26/13 10:00 AM
T E C H N I C A L LY S P E A K I N G
The ethernet vs. Fieldbus cage Match
There’s a battle raging in the process automaton networking arena, and this time it’s
between fieldbus networks and Ethernet-based systems. On the fieldbus side, the main
players are Foundation H1 (www.fieldbus.org), HART (www.hartcomm.org) and Profi-
(www.odva.org), Foundation HSE and Profinet
(http://us.profinet.com).
Larry O’Brien, global marketing manager
at Fieldbus Foundation, doesn’t see Ethernet
encroaching on process automation networks
at the fieldbus level. “Process field devices require power, and Foundation H1 provides digital communications and power over standard
twisted-pair wiring. Ethernet does support
power over Ethernet (PoE), but the primary use
of PoE is for phones, panels, access points and
cameras—not field instrumentation.”
Process industries have other requirements,
such as operation in hazardous areas, that are
not met by simply implementing Ethernet at
the physical layer. “Foundation H1 is a twowire, twisted-pair, field-device-level network
that can safely be installed in a hazardous area.
It uses simple screw terminations, which are
comfortable to a device installer,” O’Brien says.
Diagnostics specific to process automation
and control in the field are other key advantages of fieldbus networks. “Foundation H1
provides sophisticated diagnostic data management capabilities and a block structure that allows end users to implement function blocks in
control valves or field devices for the purpose of
implementing control in the field,” he explains.
“There is evidence that control in the field has
an 80% increase in mean time between failures
compared to traditional DCS control.”
The 100-meter distance limitation of Ethernet-based systems is also a factor. With Ethernet, says O’Brien, “distances are significantly
shorter, it has no multi-drop capabilities, and
it’s more susceptible to noise. You can use fiberoptic cable with Ethernet, but that’s even more
challenging to install.”
Nevertheless, O’Brien sees the value of
Ethernet in process automation. “Running at
100 Mbit/s, Foundation HSE is designed for
DAN Hebert
Senior Technical ediTor
dheber t@putman.net
bus PA (www.profibus.org). The primary leaders on the Ethernet front are EtherNet/IP
device, subsystem and enterprise integration,”
he explains. “It supports the entire range of
fieldbus capabilities, including standard function blocks and device descriptions, and application-specific flexible function blocks for
advanced process and discrete/hybrid/batch
applications.”
The Profibus organization sees things a bit
differently. “If devices are available with industrial Ethernet connections, use them,” says Carl
Henning, deputy director of PI North America.
“Industrial Ethernet is faster, can use standard
wireless and has more topology options. Compared to fieldbus, it also has greater bandwidth,
unlimited node counts, improved diagnostics,
easier upward integration and additional capabilities such as energy management.
“We actually spend some time in both our
Profibus and Profinet one-day training classes
on the advantages of Profinet over Profibus,
while acknowledging that Profibus continues
to grow. If someone is adding devices to an existing line with Profibus, keep using it. If adding a line, use Profinet. If additional capabilities are needed in an existing Profibus line, add
Profinet, as existing Profibus segments can be
connected to Profinet using proxies.”
Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com) is one of the leading proponents of
EtherNet/IP. “EtherNet/IP is designed to connect across applications from the instrumentation level all the way up to the end customer’s
IT infrastructure, offering the best pathway to
a single network architecture,” observes Mike
Hannah, the product business manager for networks at Rockwell Automation. “The future
will be based on standard, unmodified IP technologies such as EtherNet/IP. As the cost to deploy devices on Ethernet continues to go down,
the value of having a device on Ethernet will
outweigh the cost of integrating the device.”
Industrial Ethernet
is faster, can use
standard
wireless and has
more topology
options.
M A y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_59_TechSpeak.indd 59
59
4/29/13 1:01 PM
ask the experts
Relief Valve Blowdown Rings; D/P and Straight Runs
This column is moderated by Béla Lipták (http://belaliptakpe.com/), automation and safety consultant, who is also the editor of
the Instrument and Automation Engineers’ Handbook (IAEH). If you would like to become a contributing author of the 5th edition or if you have an automation related question for this column, write to liptakbela@aol.com
Q
I would like to learn when we have to use two blowdown rings and when only a single blowdown ring in
safety relief valves and which is superior?
Pressure Relief Valve Set
Pressure in PSIG
Maximum Blowdown
Recommended
<67
4 PSI
<67 to <250
6% (of set pressure)
>250 to <375
15 PSI
M. Ul aganathan
vgnathan2009@gmail.com
A
Let me first explain the role of blowdown in regular pressure relief valves (PRV). When the PRV is closed, the system is a static one with no kinetic effects. Therefore, the
pressure at the point of spring balance is equal to that in the protected tank. When the PRV is open, its inlet pressure is less than
the pressure in the protected vessel because of the inlet pressure
drop. This discrepancy between relieving and static conditions
requires the allowance for blowdown, which is the amount of
pressure by which the protected tank’s pressure has to drop below the PRV’s set pressure for the valve to reseat. The normal
blowdown of a PRV is between 2% and 7% of set pressure. Pilotoperated PRVs can reduce the blowdown to about 2%. Industrial practice is about 7%, which means that the normal operating pressure must be under 93% of set pressure, and fired boilers
require that the PRVs reach their full lift at a pressure not greater
than 3% over their setpoint and reclose within the maximum
blowdown values given in Table 1.
The position of the adjustable ring on the PRV nozzle controls the blowdown by establishing a secondary orifice area as
BlowDown ReCoMMenDAtionS
Table 1: ASME’s Blowdown Recommendations for Fired Boilers
and Associated Tanks Operating at up to 375 PSIG.
the valve opens and closes. Blowdown is set by first bringing
this ring all the way up to the disc (this corresponds to the maximum blowdown position) and then lowering it. If blowdown is
an important consideration, field tests usually must be made
after the PRV is installed. Pilot-operated valves can usually be
set for smaller blowdowns. Three percent is fairly standard for
a POPRV, and as little as 1% can be achieved in some cases.
In order to make fine adjustments, double blowdown
rings are used (Figure 1). The upper blowdown ring is usually factory-set. The lower blowdown ring is also factoryset to achieve the appropriate code performance requirements, but it can be altered. In its top position, the valve
will pop rapidly, minimizing the overpressure value, but
correspondingly requiring a greater blowdown before the
valve re-seats. When the lower blowdown ring is adjusted
to its lower position, there is minimal restriction in the
huddling chamber, and a greater overpressure will be required before the valve is fully open, but the blowdown
value will be reduced.
Bél a lipták
liptakbela@aol.com
Upper
adjusting
pin
Upper
adjusting
pin
Lower
adjusting
pin
Lower
adjusting
pin
A
I can do no better than to refer you to a comprehensive discussion of safety valves: www.spiraxsarco.com/
resources/steam-engineering-tutorials/safety-valves/introduction-to-safety-valves.asp.
RichaRd h. caRo, cEo, cMc associatEs
RCaro@CMC.us
DouBle BlowDown
Figure 1. The double blowdown rings on an ASME-type safety
valve. (Courtesy of Spirax-Sarco Limited)
60
A
The blowdown ring on a relief valve is adjusted to
set the reseat pressure of the valve. (The spring determines the pressure at which the PSV will lift, and
the blowdown ring determines when it will reseat.) A two-
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_60_61_ATE.indd 60
4/29/13 12:59 PM
ask the experts
A
blowdown ring design provides the
ability to adjust this reset pressure
very accurately, which is required
for most ASME Section 1 application (boilers). Therefore, you will
typically see the two-ring design for
boiler relief valves. However, most
applications don’t require so fine a
blowdown setting, so they use the
single-ring design.
Short answer, the two-ring design
is better and allows tighter control
of the blowdown setting, but unless you are dealing with a boiler,
ASME Section 1-type valve, you
usually don’t need that kind of very
fine adjustment.
Use the Darcy Equation (an approximation only, because velocity immediately at the outlet of
the orifice is unknown). Normal calculation of outlet velocity is based on
mature velocity profile, such as at 10D
downstream of orifice:
[(2.gc.144.ΔP) / ρ] = 1.5 v2
Where:
v is the inlet velocity in feet/second
P is pressure in psi
ΔP is pressure drop in psi
P is density in lbm/ft3
gc is universal gravitational constant, 32.2 (lbm ft)/(lbf.s2)
1.5 is the loss coefficient of the
Hunter Vegas
Four-PiPe Solution
hvegas@avidsolutionsinc.com
orifice plate with four holes (Figure 2).
Figure 2. This Rosemount 3051SFC orifice
(Reference to Crane Technical
We have a pipe which runs 30 flowmeter needs only four pipe diameters
Publication 410: Inlet loss coefficm above ground with an ori- upstream and downstream.
cient of sudden contraction is 0.5;
fice plate in it, and we want to
install the dp transmitter in it, which normally should outlet loss coefficient of sudden expansion is 1).
These four holes are in parallel; therefore, their effecbe below the pipe, the elevation of which we can not
change. Can we install the transmitter above the pipe tive loss coefficient equals that of one orifice of equivalent hydraulic radius. The line loss coefficient is usually
taps?
Secondly, we do not have the ISO 5167 straight-run re- negligible compared to the loss coefficient of the orifice.
quirements up and downstream. Is there any f lowmeter The orifice plate with four holes was not in any approved
standard. I hope to see experiments showing 4D is all
which will work without that?
Lastly, Rosemount has an new model orifice plate (Fig- that is required for establishing mature velocity profile
ure 2) that needs only four pipe diameters upstream and for the orifice plate with four holes.
downstream, but I can’t find information about its presger ald lIu, P. eng.
gerald.liu@shaw.ca
sure drop? Is there a way I calculate its pressure drop?
Q
Hassan MoMMadz adeH
mohammadzadeh@gmail.com
A
A horizontal takeoff from one side will work adequately—a slight slope (1:10) up to the tapping points
will ensure any air bubbles can be displaced.
The Rosemount conditioning plates do work, and I have
had several installations immediately downstream from
pump/checkvalve assemblies (6D, 2D), which checked
well against a turbine meter—minimum-flow installation
within a piping layout that forgot the meter runs!
Permanent loss is close to that of a single orifice with
the same nominal beta and dp. The sizing equation gives
this.
Ian H. gIbson
gibs0108@optusnet.com.au
A
To connect the DP transmitter to the orifice plate
for all liquids, the connection must be under the
midpoint of the pipe to avoid air/gas entrapment in
the sensing line (Figure 2).
The orifice arrangement by Emerson/Rosemount has
a f low conditioner in the orifice plate holder, the accuracy of which will be dependent on the stability of the
f low and the process variables. The conditioner compensates for upstream and downstream lengths. The conditioning element will make the system more expensive,
but with your constraints, it might be worth it.
ale jandro Varga
vargaalex@yahoo.com
[Editor’s note: For more answers go to www.controlglobal.
com/1305ATE.html.]
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_60_61_ATE.indd 61
61
4/29/13 12:59 PM
ROUNDUP
The Latest in Level
Level sensors, transmitters, switches and more.
62
WATER CUT MONITOR
LEVEL SWITCH FOR SIS
The Universal IVCM Model
water cut monitor offers superior water cut measurement
accuracy in the low ranges (01%, 0-5% and 0-10% water).
Accuracy is 0.03% water, and
measurement resolution is
down to 0.0002% water. The
monitor’s electronics are designed to ignore paraffin buildup
on the pipe and probe. The probes are designed to handle
pressures up to 1500 psi and temperatures up to 450 ºF.
Ametek Drexelbrook
215-674-1234; www.drexelbrook.com
The 2130 series of Rosemount vibrating short fork
level switches is now certified
for SIL 2 safety instrumented
systems. It features built-in
fault monitoring/self-checking diagnostics, and is ideal
for high- and low-level alarms
in critical applications. It features a new 8/16 mA output option which unlocks the full diagnostics capabilities of the
2130 series.
Emerson Rosemount
www.EmersonProcess.com/Rosemount
NON-INVASIVE LIQUID LEVEL SENSOR
VIBRATION LIMIT SWITCH
The levelprox is a non-invasive, ultrasonic sensing solution that provides accurate
point-level detection of liquids through metal container
walls. It’s ideal for high-pressure, hazardous or sterile applications. The levelprox uses
a simple teach button to program empty and full conditions
for reliable detection of liquids through a container. It is
available either stainless steel or chrome-plated brass.
Turck
800-544-7769; www.turck.com
LVL-B Series vibration limit
switches are insensitive to
material build-up, external
vibration and flow noise, and
have no mechanical moving
parts for reliable level sensing
of bulk solids. They’re FMand CSA-certified as dust ignition-proof (DIP) for Class II and Class III, Divisions 1 and
2, and Groups E-G. They come with a 250-mm (10-in.) vibrating rod and a choice of extension pipes.
Pepperl+Fuchs
330-486-0002; www.pepperl-fuchs.us
FAIL-SAFE POINT LEVEL SWITCH
ULTRASONIC LIQUID LEVEL MEASUREMENT
Liquiphant FailSafe FTL8x
point level switches have two
relay outputs, a 4-20mA output that connects to a failsafe switching unit with a
two-channel output, safety
contacts and a safety locking
function. The 4-20mA output can be connected directly to a safety PLC or similar system for MIN and MAX safety applications. It meets IED,
ISA, DIN EN ISO requirements for SIL 3.
Endress+Hauser
888-ENDRESS; www.us.endress.com
Flowline EchoPod and EchoSonic II ultrasonic liquid
level sensors and transmitters
are ideal for chemical, water
and wastewater applications.
They’re available with singleand multi-function capabilities. EchoPod DS14 sensor
features continuous level detection up to 4.1 feet. EchoPod
DX10 transmitter provides continuous level measurement
up to 4.1 feet.
Automation Direct
800-633-0405; www.automationdirect.com
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_62_63_Roundup.indd 62
4/29/13 12:50 PM
ROUNDUP
NEW GWR TRANSMITTER
ULTRASONIC CONTROLLER FOR LEVEL MEASUREMENT
Eclipse Model 706 guided
wave radar (GWR) transmitter offers enhanced signal
performance, with a signalto-noise ratio nearly three
times higher than the competition. It measures true level
to within specification all the
way up to the process flange, and its advanced LCD diagnostics convey critical real-time waveform and trend data with
outstanding ease of use.
Magnetrol
800/624-8765; www.eclipse.magnetrol.com
Sitrans LUT400 ultrasonic
controllers have 1-millimeter
measuring accuracy. They’re
available in three models, including the Sitrans LUT420
level controller, the Sitrans
LUT430 level, pump and
flow controller, and the Sitrans LUT440 high-accuracy open channel monitor, which
also provides a full suite of advanced level, volume and
pump controls.
Siemens
www.industry.usa.siemens.com
PLUG-AND-PLAY LEVEL SWITCHES
NON-CONTACT RADAR LEVEL METER
SOR ultrasonic level switches
are a cost-effective solution
for many applications, including seal pots. They do
not have to be calibrated, and
SOR ultrasonic gap switches
have multiple agency listings.
Preventive maintenance is a
breeze, requiring only an annual visual inspection because
it has no moving parts. A technician with basic electrical
skills (wiring) can service the instrument.
SOR
800-676-6794; www.sorinc.com
SmartLine non-contact radar level meters measure
distance, level, volume and
mass. Based on frequencymodulated continuous wave
(FMCW) technology, this
level meter is immune to
changes in conductivity, density, pressure and temperature. It gives reliable measurements in agitated process conditions. The level meter can
be used in a wider application range than PTOF radar.
Honeywell Process Solutions
www.honeywellprocess.com
MEASURE YOUR SLUDGE BED
TDR LEVEL GUAGE
Hawk’s Sultan Sonar Sludge
Bed level transmitter is ideal
for providing reliable measurement of the compact
bed level in clarifiers. Using
a proven acoustic sonar technology with advanced signal
processing, Sultan Sonar can
not only automate the bed-level measurement, but also provide indication and control of an upset condition before the
bed level flows over the clarifier launders.
Hawk Measurement
888-429-5538; www.hawkmeasure.com
Optiflex 2200 has the most
modular design available
with a feature set that includes tank top or remote
display (100 m/328 ft), horizontal or vertical housing
assembly with choice of display orientation, flanged or
threaded connections (1/2 in. NPT to 6 in. 600 ANSI), tank
heights to 130 ft (40 m), process temperatures to 5700 °F
(3000 °C), and SIL 2-compliance according to IEC 61508.
Krohne
800-FLOWING; www.us.krohne.com
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_62_63_Roundup.indd 63
63
4/29/13 12:50 PM
Control ExClusivE
The Power of the Loop
You can make a case that there’s not much difference in the science behind a loop-powered display today
compared with the device invented by Sir Edward Weston in 1893. Just like Weston’s devices, a contemporary
version uses minute amounts of energy in a current loop for power.
product enhancements over the years that will cause one
brand to differentiate itself from others.
Otek says its been doing that all along, and its latest example is the new LPD Series loop-powered display, built—
as the latest successor to the original analog voltmeter—to
brightly and consistently illuminate its 51 automatic tricolor
(R/G/Y) bargraph and four digits.
“But that’s not all,” says Dr. Otto Fest, founder and president of Otek, which has been designing and building these
devices since 1974. “The LPD is 100% DCS/SCADA/Ethernet-compatible with its serial I/O capabilities, all of it looppowered. In addition, it tells the operator if and when the
loop fails by flashing its display message ‘Loop Fail,’ and
transmits the distress message via serial with ID, date and
time stamp for about 20 seconds before going dark.”
Fest says these features eliminate the need for finger tapping on that analog meter to decide whether that meter
needle is dead (stuck) or that the signal is absent. “Now the
operators can’t ignore the meter, as probably happened in
Fukushima, Chernobyl or Three Mile Island,” Fest says. “Or
as a cause in the Carnival Triumph cruise ship fiasco or in
so many airplane accidents that have been blamed on operator error.”
How does it work? The LPD uses less than 12 mW@4
mA (<60 mW@20 mA) to run its ASIC processor and highefficiency bicolor display and isolated serial interface, Fest
says, adding that it requires only about 3 V burden on the
loop, compared to about 1 V of the analog counterpart.
“The alarm ‘after the fact,’ or the dead loop, is handled by a
unique energy storage technique used by the PLD to store
power when the loop is operating normally, which is after
about 30 seconds. And, if and when the loop fails shorted
or open, that energy is used to flash its display, and transmit
the distress message to supervisory equipment for about 20
seconds before going dark.”
Otek is also expanding the LPD series with the addition of
the loop-powered controller (LPC) series of bargraphs, and
will include isolated retransmission (4-20 mA out), isolated
alarms (four), relays and PoE. “While the LPC will require
external power for the outputs, it will maintain the looppowered features of the LPD,” Fest explains.
64
While the science is the same, it’s the
Power To The LooP
Figure 1. Otek’s new LPD series loop-powered display is 100%
DCS/SCADA/Ethernet-compatible.
Fest also stresses that no rewiring is required. “This is considered a very important feature by control room managers,”
he explains. “Since the new technology is a 100% drop-in
replacement for analog meters (only two wires), there is no
need to reengineer power or signal lines, as is required by
conventional digital meters. And, if you want to integrate
the LPD with DCS/SCADA, the serial I/O is already there.
Just connect the LPD in parallel with the analog meter and
disconnect the old.”
Otek owns several patents on powerless technology. “The
next variation to be released will be the SPD/SPC Series
of signal-powered display/controllers,” Fest says. “This series
will use less than 50 mW of an ac signal to power the display,
rather than use the loop power.”
For more information call 520-748-7900, email otto@otekcorp.
com or browse to www.otekcorp.com.
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_64_Exclusive.indd 64
4/29/13 3:05 PM
Product introductions
FEAturEd Product
nEW s88 sYstEM rEducEs BAtcH dEVicE tAsK dEVELoPMEnt BY 90%
S88 Builder is the first control system to enable users to pre-configure process devices
such as valves, pumps, variable drives or tanks. It then configures these devices into
specific operating tasks such as mixing, flow control, heating, cleaning, etc. It’s proven
to reduce project development by up to 90% compared to custom programming. The
system is based on the ISA-S88 standard. S88 Builder includes a Studio that contains
various modules to configure devices and tasks on a PC, and then loads those profiles
onto a PLC/PAC. For easy-to-use operation, S88 Builder incorporates Faceplates and
Objects tools installed in an HMI to provide operator interface capabilities, including
task status, alarms and task management. The system is compatible with Rockwell Automation PLCs/PACs, HMIs and batch management and visualization software. Additional brands of hardware and
software are under development.
ECS Solutions
(812) 479-5170; www.ecssolutions.com
siMuLAtE Your HMi
AtEX-cErtiFiEd tEMPErAturE trAnsMittErs
Create and simulate a
graphical user interface
with iX2.0 software. Simply select your controller,
change the properties of the
graphic objects, simulate
your application, and then
download to your HMI terminal. Available on Beijer’s 4.3-in. to 21-in. display operator panels, iX software includes more than 100 drivers
to communicate with most PLCs and other automation
equipment.
Beijer Electronics
801-466-8770; www.beijerelectronicsinc.com
Acromag’s ST130 Series temperature transmitters are
ATEX-certified, Ex II 3 G, Ex
nA IIC T4 Gc, -40 °C ≤ Ta ≤
+80 °C (explosion-protected
for Category 3G, Group II,
Zone 2 gas atmospheres;
non-incendive) for use in explosive atmospheres. These thermocouple and RTD transmitters are USB-configured, loop-powered and provide a
proportional 4-20mA output. They also carry CE and UL/
cUL Class 1 Division 2 Zone 2 approvals.
Acromag
248-295-0880; www.acromag.com
MAnAGEd GiGABit EtHErnEt sWitcH
MEdiA rEdundAncY controLLEr
With up to 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a flexible
modular format for different configuration options,
NT24k switches are designed
to handle the most challenging industrial environments
with high reliability and
wire-speed performance. Available in rack-mount and DINrail models. Features include web browser management,
SNMP, jumbo frame support, port trunking, port mirroring,
DHCP client, 802.1Q VLAN, 802.1p QoS and more.
Red Lion Controls
717-767-6511; www.redlion.net/NT24k
The Ethernet 2.0 750-885
PLC features two redundant
networks backed by dual, independent Ethernet interfaces and 1 MB of data memory. The SD card provides
up to 32GB of extra memory
for back-up-and-restore, file
transfer and time-stamping/data-logging. The 750-885’s two
Ethernet ports permit operation over independent networks
and paths accessible via different IP addresses and MAC
IDs.
Wago
800-DIN-RAIL; www.wago.us
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_65_66_Products.indd 65
65
4/29/13 12:22 PM
Product introductions
66
soLEnoid VALVE For WAtEr, Air And MorE
MEAsurE, Monitor, AnALYZE
Festo’s new solenoid valve,
VZWP, features a piston
seal instead of a diaphragm
seal, and a maximum operating pressure of 40 bar. It’s an
ideal universal process valve
for water, air and neutral media. The VZWP is used for
gaseous and liquid material flows up to a maximum viscosity of 22 mm²/s in factory and process automation. It comes
with either NPT or G threads, and in sizes from 1/2 in. to
1 in.
Festo
800-993-3786; www.festo.com/us
EMpro measuring devices
detect, monitor and analyze electrical characteristics, such as voltage, current,
power, consumption, harmonics and network asymmetries, of machines and
systems. They work as standalone units, or they can be integrated into an energy management system with plug-in expansion modules. Network
communication interfaces include Ethernet, RS-485 and
Profibus DP.
Phoenix Contact
800-322-3225; www.phoenixcontact.com
oiL-FrEE diFFErEntiAL PrEssurE
uniVErsAL trAnsMittEr
AST5300 wet/wet differential
pressure transducer for use
in explosion-proof and nonincendive areas is suitable for
liquids and gases requiring
high line pressure (1500 psi)
and low differential pressure
(10 psid) measurements. It
uses no oil-filled capsules, eliminating potential risk of leaks
of silicone oil into the process fluid or gas. It has Class I, II
and III explosion-proof (AST53ED) and Class I Division 2
non-incendive (AST53EN) approvals.
American Sensor Technologies.
973-448-1901; www.astsensors.com
The Model T80 universal
transmitter provides an easyto-use, economical solution
for all liquid analytical measurements. It’s designed for
continuous measurement of
multiple parameters, such as
pH, ORP, pION, dissolved
oxygen, turbidity, conductivity or resistivity. It communicates with any ECD Model S80 intelligent sensor and automatically configures the transmitter’s menus and display
screens to the measured parameter.
Electro-Chemical Devices
800-729-1333; www.ecdi.com
WEB studio V7.1 uPGrAdE
MAnAGE coMPLEX BAtcHEs
Web Studio v7.1, service pack
1, is available free of charge
for InduSoft’s Web Studio
v7.1 users. It adds multi-touch
development capabilities for
touchscreen-enabled devices.
Multi-touch technology provides much faster execution
of commands and safer operation. InduSoft Web Studio v7.1
also offers an enhanced mobile access client and new language interfaces, including Spanish, for the development
environment.
InduSoft
877-INDUSOFT; www.indusoft.com
InBatch 2012 R2 batch management software is integrated with Wonderware’s
ArchestrA System platform
software to provide a unified
application and information
environment. Its capabilities
include recipe management,
batch execution management, equipment history, material
genealogy, stringent security, web-based reporting, and the
ability to facilitate the design and implementation of systems
that are compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 regulations.
Invensys Operations Management
iom.invensys.com
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_65_66_Products.indd 66
4/29/13 12:23 PM
C O N T R O L TA L K
Dealing with Process Dynamics
Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems. Write to them at
controltalk@putman.net.
Stan: A process control specialist may be expected to walk into a control room, and within
a few hours develop wondrous solutions to a
problem whose real cause is not apparent. I had
to do this repeatedly in my career on start-ups
when time was precious and patience was slim.
Greg: Process control improvement comes down
to putting process knowledge in the control system. How you get this information from the plant
documentation and operations, process engineering and research is a problem it itself. Documentation is more focused on details to build and operate the plant than how to control it. Research
reports may stay in the research department.
Chemists, operators and chemical engineers
don’t generally understand dynamics or the basics of process control. What they can offer is very
important in terms of what does and doesn’t work
and process relationships. I’ve found the “Tip #51
Seek Conversations with Knowledgeable People”
(http://automation.isa.org/2012/07/tip-51-seekconversations-with-knowledgeable-people/) post
on the ISA Interchange site to be essential for
success. To get another perspective, we asked
James Beall, our guide in our recent December
(www.controlglobal.com/articles/2012/mcmillanweiner-diagnosing-control-elements.html) and
January (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2013/
mcmillan-weiner-meet-process-objectives.html)
columns, how he approaches the challenge of intertwined problems that have evaded solution.
(PFD). Every week I asked more questions and
used the answers to improve the sketch.
Greg: There is a non-self-regulating effect of
recycle streams where impurities and inerts
can accumulate. A solution often needs to address the short-term effects by feedback control,
and rely on optimization levels to find the best
recycle flow. A paper, “Model Predictive Control for Process Improvement,” by ISA Mentor
Program protégé Flavio Briguente in the OSU
Automation Society Newsletter, Spring 2013,
(www.emersonprocessxperts.com/2013/03/
sharing-process-control-expertise-with-nextgen-automation-professionals/) showed how
an innovative application of advanced process
control greatly reduced the pH variability in a
reactor with a recycle stream.
GreG McMill an
Stan weiner, pe
controltalk@putman.net
Stan: James, what do you think will be the key
to a solution for your complex recycle system?
James: I have had to tackle a double-effect
evaporator system with downstream centrifuges and a lab analysis just once a day, over
20 pieces of equipment, multiple sources and
destinations, and a recycle stream of unknown
composition. I drew a process sketch that combined the automation system components from
the piping and instrument diagram (P&ID)
and key streams from the process flow diagram
M a y / 2 0 1 3 www.controlglobal.com
CT1305_67_68_ControlTalk.indd 67
67
4/29/13 11:57 AM
C O N T R O L TA L K
James: I will determine basic models of the process responses to better understand process relationships
and operation. I did some initial step
tests, and found that steady state was
reached in the composition response
within two to three hours, instead of
the 24 hours expected. The temperatures were also lining out in the same
time frame. Part of the misunderstanding may be caused by the onceper-day sample analysis. During the
tests, we took extra samples. Process
engineers are not particularly in tune
with dynamics. Operations may have
a more realistic view.
Stan: Since operators spend 12 hours
with the process, whereas process engineers an occasional few hours with it, I
would expect the operators would have
a better sense of time. However, people
in general have problems with anticipating the effect of dead time.
Greg: Operator graphics put too much
focus on digital numbers and are obsessed with values after the decimal
place that have no meaningful value.
Operator displays showing the future
trajectories of the controlled and manipulated variables are one of the advantages of model predictive control.
All process variables should have an intelligent trend chart time span to show
the trajectory of the past and into the
future as noted in the two Control Talk
blog posts, “Checklist for Loop Analysis by Trend Charts,” (http://community.controlglobal.com/content/checklist-loop-analysis-trend-charts)
and
“Future PV Values are the Future,”
(http://community.controlglobal.com/
content/future-pv-values-are-future).
Stan: James, how do you intend to use
the knowledge of dynamics gained?
operators to view and confirm the desired response from the MPC control
scheme.
Greg: I think there is a great opportunity for step response models gained
from auto tuner and adaptive tuner
software to provide models. You can
save a lot of test time by using a nearintegrator approximation for slow continuous processes. You get the dead
time and an integrating process gain,
which is the maximum ramp rate divided by the change in the manipulated variable. The integrating process
gain can in turn be converted to a time
constant. The steady-state gain can be
approximated as the difference in controlled variable divided by the difference in manipulated variable for two
different operating points. The time
constant is then this steady-state gain
divided by the integrating process gain.
You may even want to use a near-integrator approximation for a true integrator to prevent a model from ramping
to a limit before all of the controls are
nailed down. All calculations are done
in percent of scale of the controlled
and manipulated variables.
Stan: I can’t overemphasize the importance of including the total loop
dead time besides the process time
constant. Tieback models that focus
on a steady-state gain do not give any
sense of dynamics. The controller gain
depends on all three terms.
Greg: Without dead time, I would be
out of job. The controller could immediately see and correct for any change
whether a load or a setpoint within the
limits of noise. Of course, just the act
of putting the controller and a model
in a virtual plant creates dead time
from the controller, model and interface execution times.
James: I plan to use the step response
models in a simulator to help develop
and test my new MPC control scheme.
This will allow process engineers and
68
Stan: Often the models need to be
sped up for analysis and operator training. In this case, both the dead time
and time constant should be shortened
by the same factor, so the controller
gain is the same. The reset time should
be shortened by the same factor as well
since the reset time is proportional to
the time constant for the Lambda selfregulating process, and is proportional
to the dead time for the Lambda integrating process tuning method.
Greg: If the process time constant is
greater than four times the dead time,
the process should be treated as nearintegrating, and Lambda integrating
process tuning rules should be used as
noted in my Control Talk blog series,
“Processes with No Steady-State in
PID Time Frame” (http://community.
controlglobal.com/content/processesno-steady-state-pid-time-frame-tipspart-1). A question remains before you
can do the tests: What is the best guess
for step-response model dynamics? For
new plants, the steady-state gain can
be found from process flow diagrams,
instrument scale ranges, and valve and
pump sizing. Some rules of thumb can
get you started for the dead time and
time constant. An adaptive controller
readily can be set up to adjust the dynamics of the step response model online to better match the operating conditions of the plant. After a setpoint or
manual output change, the adaptive
controller can adjust the integrating
process gain to make the ramp rate of
the model PV match the ramp rate of
the process PV. For self-regulating processes, the adaptive controller can adjust the model steady-state gain to get
the model PV to match the actual PV.
For near-integrating processes, the process time constant can be estimated
from the steady-state and integrating
process gains.
Also, check this column online
(www.controlglobal.com/CT1305_
ControlTalk.html) for the lyrics to a
rap song, “P.I. Diddy,” by Ken Lane
while attending my short course, “Effective Use of PID Controllers,” for the
ISA New Orleans Section.
www.controlglobal.com M a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_67_68_ControlTalk.indd 68
4/29/13 11:57 AM
CLASSIFIEDS
AD INDEX
ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE NO.
ABB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Allied Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Ametek Drexelbrook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS
Ametek Process & Analytical Instrument. . . 51
AutomationDirect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
We Love to Buy
Baldor Electric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
PLC/DCS
Sensors/Drives
Motor Control
Banner Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Beamex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
from Allen Bradley to Xycom
Emerson Process Mgt/Fisher . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Industrial Automation
Emerson Process Mgt/Saab . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
www.santaclarasystems.com
Emerson Process Mgt/Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Emerson Process Mgt/Wireless . . . . . . . . . . 35
Endress + Hauser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 7
Fluke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 48
Invensys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
LOOKING to
Contact Seth Kostek at
888.450.0301 x215
buyer@santaclarasystems.com
ADVERTISE?
Contact: Polly Dickson, pdickson@putman.net, 630-467-1300 ext.396
Load Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Magnetrol International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
SCS_1111_Classified.indd 1
Maple Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Moore Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
National Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Omega Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Opto22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11--14
Orion Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Otek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Pepperl+Fuchs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Phoenix Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
SEW-Eurodrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
SOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
United Electric Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Vega Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Wago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
WEG Electric Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Yaskawa America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
11/11/11 9:53 AM
LOOKING to
ADVERTISE?
Custom REPRINts
Contact: Polly Dickson, pdickson@putman.net, 630-467-1300 ext.396
RepRints aRe ideal foR:
n New Product Announcements
n Sales Aid For Your Field Force
n PR Materials & Media Kits
n Direct Mail Enclosures
n Customer & Prospect
LOOKING
to
Communications/Presentations
ADVERTISE?
n Trade Shows/Promotional Events
n Conferences & Speaking Engagements
n Recruitment & Training Packages
For additional information, please contact
Foster Printing Service, the official reprint
provider
Control.
Contact:
Polly for
Dickson
pdickson@putman.net
Call 866.879.9144
630-467-1300
ext.396 or
sales@fosterprinting.com
Yokogawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
CT1305_69_Classifieds.indd 69
4/29/13 1:24 PM
CONTROL REPORT
Not Sorry enough
When my three daughters were little and running around spilling everything from orange juice to oatmeal, I sometimes caught myself saying things my parents used to say
Jim montague
e xecutive editor
jmontague@putman.net
We can’t see most
tragedies coming,
but there must be
dozens of people
who could have
seen the West
Fertilizer disaster
coming.
70
to me. One of them was, “Sorry is not good enough!” I like to think that I rolled out this
mind-bender after my girls learned the basics of good manners, but then began to toss
out “sorry” as catch-all responses to accidents
that clearly resulted from willful carelessness.
Maybe I was just jealous that they learned to
manipulate their apologies so early, but I also
wanted them look where they were going and
avoid accidents and injuries in the future.
Except for a few stunted individuals and U.S.
presidential administrations, most people find
it fairly easy to say they’re sorry. I’m practically
a professional at it, but I’ve learned the real
trick is to not overuse it and to be sincere.
So, I was momentarily surprised when I got
an April 19 email with a press release from
Donald Adair, owner of Adair Grain Co. and
West Fertilizer Co., which caught fire and exploded two days earlier in West, Texas, killing
14 people, mostly volunteer firefighters, injuring a couple hundred other folks, and destroying the plant and several blocks of homes.
Adair stated, “I want to take this opportunity
to express my heartfelt sympathy for those affected and my appreciation for those who responded.” He added, “We pledge to do everything we can to understand what happened to
ensure nothing like this ever happens again in
any community.”
Adair’s statement was well written and very
sincere. Sadly, the downside is it may also be an
attempt at damage control by an organization
covering its rear in preparation for the coming
storm of investigations and litigation.
Sorry to be cynical, but this uneasy feeling
was only reinforced when I read news accounts
on April 20 that West Fertilizer was storing 270
tons of ammonium nitrate, which was more
than 1300 times the amount at which it was
supposed to notify the U.S. Dept. of Homeland
Security—though the agency’s purview is potential bomb-making, not industrial accidents.
We can’t see most tragedies, such as the Boston Marathon bombers, 9/11 or all our recent
shootings coming, but there must be dozens of
people who could have seen the West Fertilizer disaster coming. Unfortunately, while local, state and federal agencies reportedly had
contact with the West plant over the years, they
were all looking at different requirements from
different regulatory jurisdictions—apparently
none focused sufficiently on preventing potential explosions near populated areas. Talk about
disorganized, if not misplaced, priorities.
It’s laughably late to say at this point, but
self-reporting, self-regulating and enforcement
after-the-fact just aren’t getting the job done.
Likewise, the old rationalization that these potentially dangerous applications don’t pose a
threat because they’re so remote doesn’t wash
anymore because many residences are often
right nearby, so first responders like West’s volunteer firefighters have to handle them.
Most demands for deregulation have to be
recognized for what they are. “Freedom from
big-government regulation” just sounds better
than saying: “I’m just too lazy,” or “Don’t get
in the way of my greed for short-term, shortsighted profits, even if I continue to injure and
kill my employees and neighbors.” Yes, definitely not the same nice ring to it.
By comparison, “sorry” is good enough for
careless little kids, but it’s not good enough for
adults and process industry professionals, who
are running critical applications that demand
proactive safety and disaster planning.
C’mon, Texas. If northeastern pantywaists
like Massachusetts can quickly hunt down the
Boston Marathon bombers in a couple of days,
surely you can coordinate agencies and technical jurisdictions, and enforce some effective
public safety laws for process operations that
have been in plain sight for decades, right?
So, are we sorry enough to change habits, or
are we just saying sorry to avoid acting?
www.controlglobal.com m a y / 2 0 1 3
CT1305_70_ControlReport.indd 70
4/29/13 11:17 AM
WHAT YOU
ALWAYS WANTED
-
er
e
wer
nks
f
rs
d
his
n
ing
Our customers tell us that quality means no product hardware failures. Now, that’s a gift that keeps
on giving.
When you take Yaskawa drives out of the box, you can count on them to work. In fact, Yaskawa
products have a meantime-between-failure rate (MTBF) of up to 28 years. That means your engineers
can spec Yaskawa and never have to worry. Just program, plug and play.
Get what you want, every time. Call Yaskawa.
visit
ni
YA S K A W A A M E R I C A , I N C .
DRIVES & MOTION DIVISION
1 - 8 0 0 - YA S K A W A
YA S K A W A . C O M
Follow us:
CT1305_full page ads.indd 71
View Video:
http://Ez.com/yai459
©2013 Yaskawa America Inc.
4/26/13 10:00 AM
Another I/O change? Great.
So another wiring schedule.
Another marshalling design.
And another cabinet...
Just make it all go away!
YOU CAN DO THAT
Electronic marshalling eliminates the rework, the redesign and the headaches.
With DeltaV Electronic Marshalling, Emerson lets you make I/O changes where and when you need
them without costly engineering and schedule delays. Our new DeltaV CHARacterization Module
(CHARM) completely eliminates the cross-wiring from the marshalling panel to the I/O card–regardless of signal
type–so you’re no longer held to predefined specifications. All those wires, gone. All that time and engineering, gone.
See how easy it can be by scanning the code below or by visiting IOonDemandCalculator.com
The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2012 Emerson Electric Co.
CT1305_full page ads.indd 72
4/26/13 10:00 AM