IAA August 2013

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August 2013

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Safety Solutions | SCADA | Logistic Solutions | Modular System Architecture | Hydro Power

Oil & Gas:

Automating For Increased Safety

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The Future Of SCADA PG 35 Logistics: Boosting Space Efficiency PG 42 Automation Test Systems PG 48 COVER Aug2013 (eBook).indd 1

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System 800xA High Integrity. The gulf between SIL3 and safety leadership is bigger than you think.

Does your SIL3 safety supplier close that gap? Why settle for an out-of-date safety system architecture? Whether you want a segregated or fully integrated solution, ABB’s innovative architecture saves you money throughout the lifecycle of the system. Regardless of your needs, our 800xA High Integrity solution provides features that go far beyond your average safety system, providing both reliable safety and business value like only a leader can. We have been at the forefront of safety automation for more than 30 years. For more information, visit www.abb.com/controlsystems.

ENQUIRY NO. 601

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AC DRIVES | SERVO DRIVES | CONTROLLERS | ROBOTS | SYSTEM ENGINEERING

The concept of mechatronics, pioneered by YASKAWA in the late 1969s, aims to integrate our customers’ mechanical equipment with our electronics products to yield greater performance. Today, our mechatronics technology, which enables greater performance by applying electronics technology to machine control, is contributing greatly to automation, streamlining, and energy conservation in various industries.

Bettering Your Business Supporting Automation, Streamlining, and Energy-Saving with Our Motor Control Technology Servo motors and AC drives are critical for the smooth and precise operation of a machine.

YASKAWA products are used widely, in the manufacturing sites of every industry, in skycrapers and public facilities, and in transportation systems.

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Attend Singapore International Energy Week from October 28 to November 1, 2013 - See page 71 for details

ISSUES & INSIGHTS

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Electro-Sensitive Protective Devices For Safe Machines

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Case Study: Fully Automated ESD System Increases Safety

Safety is an important issues for many organisations, with many technologies now available for the implementation of protection measures.

By Otto Goernemann and Hans-Joerg Stubenrauch, Sick

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A Danish energy company employs a fully automated Emergency Shut Down (ESD) system to increase safety at the Nybro Gas Treatment Plant on the west coast of Jutland, Denmark. By Anders Boman and Ingemar Lidhamn, BU Control Technologies

Process CONTROL

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Building For Asia

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The Future Of SCADA

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SCADA Systems Automate Electrical Distribution

IAA attended the launch of Honeywell’s Experion LX product in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss the importance of mid-range products for the Asian market and their business strategy for the region. By Mark Johnston

IAA spoke with Ashish Bhat, senior VP, Industry Automation and Drive Technology, Siemens on the latest developments on SCADA. By Mark Johnston

PC-based Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems increase uptime, cut costs and improve utilisation. By Fabio Terezinho, InduSoft

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SOFTWARE & NETWORKS

42

Case Study: Boosting Space Efficiency

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The Placebo Effect

A British retailer employs a solution to increase efficiency of space and productivity. By Koh Seng Teck, Swisslog

Tablet computers may not be the best medicine for your warehouse. By Freddy Fam, Intermec Mobility (Asia Pacific)

INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT

48 42

Modular Instrumentation Architectures For Automation Test Systems

Modularity is a key component to easier expansion and customisation that can save on both cost and time. By Wu Rong, National Instruments (Southeast Asia)

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Connect with us at

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Staying Local In Asia

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PC-Based Control In Asia

IAA interviewed Andrew Finch who is the MD for Weidmuller in Singapore and Australia on the company’s expansion in Asia and the differences between the Asian and European markets. By Mark Johnston

IAA Interviewed Kai Ristau, head of international sales and business development, Beckhoff Automation, on the company’s expansion and the market for PC-based control. By Mark Johnston

energy

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Hydropower: Clean Energy Generation

Hydroelectric power plants are built to last, so it is important to have reliable equipment and sensors to help monitor and control operations in a robust way, maintaining precision throughout their operation. By Heiko Peters, ifm electronic

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

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Lighting Up Energy Supply

With an increasing amount of research focusing on climate change and alternative energy sources, a greater effort is being pushed by many governments and organisations to not just diversify energy supply but to increase its reach.

By James Kiley, Advantech

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FEATURES

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Ethernet Cable: A Guideline To Implementing Solid Or Stranded Cables

With businesses becoming increasingly more communication-centric, virtually every industry is now relying on industrial Ethernet technology to network critical devices and control systems as well as to enhance process automation and improve efficiency. By April Ankrum, Turck

EVENTS

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Calendar of Events

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EDITOR’S PAGE

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One of the concerns when operating in a manufacturing

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environment is safety. Each country has its own policies and

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culture around safety. Europe and the US typically are ahead when

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compared to policy and concrete implementation, though other

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regions are catching up. One of the those regions is Asia, where traditionally, safety policy has not been as stringent as what is

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considered the norm is developed ‘Western’ countries.

In regards to systems, such as SCADA, safety can also be an issue, especially in cybersecurity. In all, improvements need to be made, and new models need to be found to secure plants

CONTRIBUTORS

Otto Goernemann, Hans-Joerg Stubenrauch, Anders Boman, Ingemar Lidhamn, Fabio Terezinho, Koh Seng Teck, Freddy Fam, Wu Rong, Heiko Peters, James Kiley, April Ankrum EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS

and their employees from unplanned or dangerous breaches

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in safety.

Alastair Ross

Other solutions, like those found in logistics are no exception

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either. The monitoring and control of factory automation is important for not just safety, but also for efficiency and cost savings

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as well.

A breach in safety can, not just be dangerous, but it can also come at a high cost financially. For one, the company’s reputation can be damaged, especially if there is a failure in an organisation’s

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testing cycle.

These issues are discussed in this edition of IAA, as well as renewable sources of energy, such as, hydro and solar power, together with content on modular system architectures. As always, we welcome your feedback.

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Fuji Electric’s Asia Pacific Presence Established since 1923, Fuji Electric Group has made broad contributions to the world’s industrial and social infrastructure.

With its 90 years of accumulated technology and experience, Fuji Electric is capable of promptly responding to the needs of customers in Asia through support from different departments, such as, Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technical Support.

With strong connections and collaboration, Fuji Electric aims to meet the diverse needs of customers around the world.

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Industry News

Attend Singapore International Energy Week from October 28 to November 1, 2013 - See page 71 for details

Intermec Research Reveals New Technology Could Cut Pick-Up And Delivery Times By Almost A Third Singapore: According to a survey conducted by Intermec, transport and logistics companies around the world believe that arming their mobile workforce with new technology could cut both their pick-up times by 30 percent and delivery times by 29 percent. Such savings could be crucial in boosting operational efficiency levels and meeting customer demands.

These are the principal findings of the company’s survey, which surveyed managers of transport and logistics firms in six countries around the world during April 2013.

“Investing the time to review current processes may seem to be a daunting task, but the benefits show this is more than worthwhile,” said Jeff Sibio, industry marketing director for Transport and Logistics, Intermec The study finds that 38 percent of US organisations view operational efficiency as the area of most strategic

importance for their business. More than three quarters (77 percent) of organisations across UK, US, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand say their customers now demand same-day delivery services, and 92 percent of companies claim that meeting these expectations is placing significant challenges on their business to adjust.

Rodney Oldham, GM, Golden Messenger, an Australian courier company, constantly has to deal with increasing pressures to get deliveries from point A to point B with full visibility.

“As we start to target more work in time sensitive, time critical business, the technology is an important part of that to offer more security,” said Mr Rodney.

Most feel that customer demand can best be made through automating key processes in the pick-up and delivery areas, and adopting new technology

Transport and logistics mobile computing aims to improve productivity of operations.

for drivers such as GPS, mobile and broadband communications.

Companies anticipate that by adopting these technologies, the time taken for each pick-up and delivery can be cut by 2.68 and 2.41 minutes respectively, providing a boost to the efficiency of the mobile worker.

Veolia Receives Recognition For Its Biobed Advanced Technology Singapore: Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (Veolia) has received recognition for its Biobed Advanced technology. A global Food and Beverage (F&B) company selected the Biothane technology for its production facility in Thailand.

The main highlight of the Veolia solution that led to this win was Biobed Advanced’s suitability for highly concentrated effluents produced during the manufacturing processes.

This is a common occurrence within

the potato food processing industry.

In addition, the technology’s relatively low energy consumption appealed to the company that holds strong goals to reduce its impact on the environment.

And with the small footprint area of the Biobed Advanced solution, the company was able to save space for future expansion.

As part of this project, Veolia will design, install, test and commission a complete water and WasteWater Treatment Plant (WWTP). In the

pre-treatment stage, wastewater is screened and clarified in order to remove suspended solids, as well as fats, oils and greases.

Liquid subsequently undergoes anaerobic treatment in a Biobed Advanced reactor, in order to achieve effluent standards set by the industrial park. Any additional sludge is further processed within a centrifuge decanter. This complete WWTP will treat up to 840m3/day of wastewater.

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Industry News

Invensys Acquires SmartGlance Software Singapore: Invensys has acquired the SmartGlance mobile reporting product of Sarla Analytics, a privately held company headquartered in Barrington, Rhode Island, US. Founded in 2010, Sarla Analytics is part of The Sarla Group of software companies. The company’s mission is to leverage the power of enterprise mobility to increase productivity, reduce costs and streamline operations. SmartGlance, the industrial mobile reporting business app, delivers secure, ondemand access to graphical reports from any operations data source via

mobile devices, allowing industrial personnel to make smarter, faster decisions from anywhere, at any time and on any device.

“Acquiring this technology accelerates our delivery of solutions that leverage the power of mobile devices and managed systems via cloud and SaaS models,” said Rob McGreevy, VP of platform and applications software Solutions at Invensys.

SmartGlance provides connectors for accessing data from different manufacturing sources, including both Invensys and non-Invensys

systems. This offers the company’s customers real-time access to important business data alerts and notifications. It also allows them to view that information in a native mobile application optimised for any mobile device, such as smart phones and tablets. The software also supports quick and more accurate decisions, enabling the ability to take action, share data and collaborate with colleagues.

Additionally, it permits the ability to push data from virtually any data source, including popular process historians and any SQL database.

ABB Demonstrates Technology To Power Flash Charging Electric Bus In 15 Seconds Singapore: ABB has developed a technology that will help power the world's first high-capacity flash charging electric bus system.

The company announced at the 60th congress of the International Association of Public Transport (UTIP) in Geneva, Switzerland that it is working together with the city's public transport company (TGP), the Office for the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI) and the Geneva power utility SIG on the Trolleybus Optimisation Systeme Alimentation (TOSA) electric bus system pilot project.

The boost charging technology will be deployed for the first time on a large capacity electric bus, carrying as many as 135 passengers. The bus will be charged directly at selected stops with a 15-second energy boost while the passengers enter and leave the bus, based on a new type of automatic flash-charging mechanism. The pilot project runs between Geneva airport and the city's international exhibition centre, Palexpo.

"Through flash charging, we are able to pilot a new generation of electric

buses for urban mass transport that no longer relies on overhead lines," said Claes Rytoft, ABB's acting Chief Technology Officer. "This project will pave the way for switching to more flexible, cost-effective, public transport infrastructure while reducing pollution and noise," he added.

TOSA is a zero-carbon-emission solution as the electricity used comes entirely from clean hydro power. The charging time is quick so that it does not interfere with the bus schedule and improves the urban environment and landscape as it does not need overhead lines while providing greater route flexibility. The system uses a lasercontrolled moving arm, which connects to an overhead receptacle for charging at bus shelters, instead of the usual trolley poles to overhead lines.

The flash-charging technology and the onboard traction equipment used in this project were developed by the company and optimised for highfrequency bus routes in key urban areas, carrying large numbers of passengers at peak times.

Onboard batteries can be charged

Electric charging mechanism on the Geneva TOSA bus.

in 15 seconds with a 400 kilowatt boost at selected stops. At the end of the bus line a three to four minute boost enables the full recharge of the batteries.

Thanks to an electrical drive system, energy from the roof mounted charging equipment can be stored in compact batteries, along with the vehicle's braking energy, powering both the bus and its auxiliary services, such as interior lighting.

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Industry News

Thuraya Strengthens Partnership With Astrium Services end services and value to Thuraya’s end-users by receiving Thuraya’s 2013 award for ‘Most Customer Oriented Model’.

Astrium Services is connected to the Thuraya network infrastructure to provide its full range of valueadded services including messaging, prepaid cards and interconnection to corporate networks via the Thuraya satellite services.

Neil Gould, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Singapore: Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a Mobile Satellite Services operator has strengthened alliance with its global service partner, Astrium Services, a service provider for satellite based services.

The companies have been close partners for over 13 years, whereby Astrium Services was recognised for its contribution in delivering end-to-

Siemens Provides Intelligent Climate Control For River Safari’s Giant Panda Forest Singapore: Siemens has provided a climate control solution for River Safari to help the park monitor, control and maintain the environmental conditions for the comfort of giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia in the Giant Panda Forest.

With Singapore’s tropical climate, it is imperative that the environmental conditions within the Giant Panda Forest are monitored and controlled to maintain healthy living conditions for its flora and fauna. The Giant Panda Forest is a 1,500sqm biodome designed and landscaped to simulate the giant pandas' natural habitat in the rugged highlands of China. Siemens’ intelligent climate control solution will ensure that the exhibit is climate-controlled to a cool and comfortable 18 deg to 22 deg C. The solution includes the design and installation of the Siemens APOGEE building management system for climate control, chiller plant automation, electrical monitoring of the entire power distribution system.

“The Giant Panda Forest has been an ambitious project, because

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its success and longevity depends on how well it can simulate and sustain the temperate forests of China, in spite of Singapore’s tropical climate,” said Peter Halliday, head of building technologies division for Siemens. “Doing so requires an extremely intelligent and complex climate control solution, which can seamlessly monitor and control multiple systems operating under different climate set points, all while being energy-efficient. Siemens is proud to be able to provide this solution to River Safari, and become a technology partner in such a momentous project,” he added.

The three key elements that determine climate are temperature, humidity and ventilation, and the company’s climate control solution helps the exhibit to meet its respective environmental requirements, with no downtime. For the Giant Panda Forest, the company’s building management system controls the performance of the daytime chiller plant and nighttime refrigerant system, to maintain optimal temperature levels. To negate the risk

of a chiller plant failure, the company’s building management system will automatically switch to the back-up chiller so that comfort and climate conditions are not disrupted. At all times, the company’s climate control solution keeps the variance of the exhibit’s indoor temperature to a minimal +/- 1 deg C at most. The company will present this intelligent climate control solution as a form of sponsorship to River Safari Panda Chiller Plant System.

“River Safari is designed with utmost concern for the environment and brings together the best in state-ofthe-art exhibit artistry and technology.

Through this park, we aim to inspire visitors to appreciate and protect fragile freshwater ecosystems,” said Cham Tud Yin, director, Exhibit Design and Development, Wildlife Reserves Singapore. “With our shared vision on environmental protection, we are pleased to partner with Siemens and tap on their expertise in green innovations and environmental sustainability,” he added.

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Industry News

Singapore: Bosch closed its 2012 fiscal year at S$1.13 billion (US$890 million) in sales in Southeast Asia to realise an increase by almost 30 percent. Singapore was the top contributor in sales to the region, netting S$390 million to achieve a year-on-year increase of over 85 percent.

“Southeast Asia is currently the fastest growing region for Bosch, and we expect to maintain this growth momentum and achieve double-digit growth for 2013,” said Martin Hayes, president of Bosch in Southeast Asia.

Amidst growth within Southeast Asia, the company also saw an overall healthy increase of nine percent in manpower for the region,

and seven percent locally at the regional headquarters in Singapore.

This growth was amplified in the developing countries of Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, raising headcount by more than 35 percent per country, year-on-year.

The company further increased its footprint in Southeast Asia with the opening of a representative office in Yangon, Myanmar, earlier this year in April, and offices beyond the capital cities of Thailand and the Philippines into Chiang Mai and Cebu respectively in May 2013. In 2012, the company expanded into Da Nang, Vietnam, and Medan, Indonesia. In 2013, it broadened its presence in Indonesia into Balikpapan.

Meghan Anderson-Colangelo, Albuquerque, New Mexico, US

Bosch Increases Regional Momentum In Southeast Asia

“In 2012, we strengthened our agility to react quickly to market volatility and exploit cross-divisional potential. We are seeing the results of this approach here in Southeast Asia, and expect to continue this momentum in key growth markets in the region,” added Mr Hayes.

Swisslog Presents AutoStore System For Semiconductor Market

The Swisslog booth at the 2013 edition of Semicon Singapore.

Singapore: The growth of more sophisticated supply chains is driving a complete redesign of warehouse configuration and picking patterns.

Many warehouses now need to ship tens of thousands of individual items or small packets a day whereas, in the past, they would ship just a few hundred pallets. The potential to improve warehouse productivity is exciting for the industry which is continually asked by its customers to reduce costs, space and carbon footprint while increasing efficiency, accuracy and speed.

Swisslog, a supplier of intralogistic automation solutions for warehouses and distribution centres, has expanded its technology portfolio with solutions specifically designed to handle increased throughput and more complex material handling requirements.

The company showcased AutoStore, a complete system for the storage and order picking of single parts and small cases, at the 2013 edition of Semicon Singapore.

The technology is predominantly designed for highly dynamic light goods warehouses. AutoStore is a complete system for storage and order picking of small parts primarily for semiconductor/electronic components.

An important advantage of this solution is the ease of realisation in new as well as existing buildings.

Due to its flexibility, the available space is always used in an optimum way and uses available space up to 60 percent more efficiently than any other system.

The solution’s storage and picking operation is handled by robots travelling on an aluminium grid above the totes.

Each robot is equipped with a lifting device for picking up, carrying and delivering totes to ports manned by operators. These ports can be located on all sides of the grid or underneath it, if the grid is on numerous levels. Totes are delivered back-to-back, allowing the operator to carry out their picking tasks swiftly.

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Industry News

ExxonMobil Launches Signum Laboratory In Asia Pacific Shanghai, China: ExxonMobil opened an Asia Pacific Signum Laboratory at the ExxonMobil Shanghai Technology Centre. The laboratory in China is the company’s first in the Asia Pacific region and provides customers direct access to high quality oil analysis to help improve their equipment performance.

Signum, the company’s oil analysis program is designed specifically to help evaluate the condition of in-service lubricants. It is a quick and non-invasive way to gauge the health of a machine and help achieve optimum performance.

“The new Signum Laboratory at the Shanghai Technology Centre extends ExxonMobil’s technology footprint in China and the Asia Pacific region and enables us to

Darrin Talley, VP, marketing, ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company

better support customers in the region,” said Darrin Talley, VP, marketing, ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company.

“With the Mobil branded lubricant business is growing steadily in China and the Asia Pacific region, more and more customers are requesting superior oil analysis to improve productivity and reduce downtime. The laboratory will help meet customers’ requests quickly through technical application expertise,” he added.

The laboratory is designed to exacting laboratory standards and complies with stringent quality requirements. the company has full control of the laboratory operations, quality assurance, data integrity, equipment reliability, and safety standards. The laboratory provides access to the company’s centralised database of oil analysis results and is capable of handling several hundred analyses a day.

The laboratory then generates an analysis report for most client applications in 24 to 48 hours after sample reception.

Hollysys Automation Technologies To Reduce Energy Consumption And Waste Emission Beijing, China: Hollysys Automation Technologies, has signed a series of contracts to provide its Energy Management System (EMS) to a few domestic chemical enterprises including COFCO Biochemical (Zhaodong) Energy Company, Henan Jinkai Group Yanhua Chemical Company, Junma Chemical Company, Jiheng Group and Henan Tianguan Biological Engineering Company.

EMS is an energy management software system used to monitor, record, analyse, and optimise the energy consumption in the process industries.

It is estimated that the EMS can reduce the whole plant's energy cost by one to three percent for the same manufacturing equipments.

Mission Critical Design Network Seminar 2013 Hanoi, Vietnam: The Hirschmann Mission Critical Design Network Seminar, organised by Belden, will be holding its 2013 edition from August 28-30, 2013 at the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi (Vietnam). The seminar has been running in the Asia Pacific region since 2011 and includes experts from Germany and Asia.

The seminar is a combination of lectures with hands on labs to reinforce lecture topics. Attendees can customise their schedule by selecting from 14 different technical sessions and four hands-on labs. It is suited for anyone involved with the design, implementation and maintenance of mission critical Ethernet networks.

For further details, and registration, please refer to our calendar of events on page 71.

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Industry News

Fuji Electric Strengthens Sales And Marketing Activities In Asia Tokyo, Japan: Fuji Electric has announced that it is establishing business offices in Vietnam and Cambodia and will strengthen the company’s sales and marketing activities in Asia by stepping up the functions of its sales companies.

Future market growth is anticipated in Asia through infrastructure investment and development, and as foreign companies continue to expand their operations in the region,

the company has positioned it as a focus market.

It will target corporate capital expenditure and demand for the upgrading of existing facilities and equipment as it aims to expand sales, primarily in the business areas of industrial infrastructure and power electronics.

The company has already established sales companies in Singapore, Thailand, India, and

Indonesia, and, with the aim of strengthening sales and marketing activities in Asia, it is now setting up a new sales subsidiary in Vietnam, where further expansion by foreign companies, including Japanese enterprises, is expected. It will also establish a representative office in Cambodia, where future growth is anticipated. In addition, it plans to establish a representative office in Myanmar this fiscal year.

National Instruments To Enhance Engineering Education Ecosystem In Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: National Instruments (NI) and Arizona State University Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (ASU) are to enter a strategic collaboration to transform the standards of engineering education in Vietnam by using hands-on and experimental tools for research and teaching.

NI joins the Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP) and as part of this partnership, it will invest by providing increased access to software, hardware and training for the eight engineering universities and technical vocational institutions in the alliance. The commitment through the NI graphical design system platform, which includes training and certification courses in NI LabVIEW is valued at US$7 million.

The collaborative efforts between NI and HEEAP will enable teachers, students and researchers to accelerate learning and innovation in all aspects of engineering from undergraduate curriculum to post-graduate research, design & development; and ultimately expand the talent pool of highly skilled technical workforce and aid the growth of the high tech sector in Vietnam.

HEEAP is administered by ASU in partnership by the government of Vietnam, the US Agency for

International Development (USAID), the Intel Corporation, Siemens, Cadence, Danaher Corporation and other industry partners.

“We are very excited NI is joining HEEAP and our efforts to support Vietnam’s 2020 Higher Education Strategic Plan, says Jeffrey Goss, director of HEEAP and Associate Vice Provost for Vietnam/SE Asia Programs at ASU. “NI is a very scientific and research oriented company and this corporate DNA will help bring value at many levels to the Vietnamese engineering program transformation.”

Since it opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011, the company has increased its support for Vietnam’s academic and research community towards advancing capabilities in engineering.

“Nurturing and enabling the next generation of innovative engineers and scientists is an integral component of our long term growth strategy in Vietnam. We are delighted to work with HEEAP to provide leading edge technology tools to transform classroom theories into experimental learning,” says Victor Mieres, VP of Emerging Markets for Asia/Rest of the World, National Instruments.

Vietnam is a key market for

(L-R) Victor Mieres, VP for Emerging Markets, National Instruments and Jeffrey Gross, director for HEEAP and associate vice provost for Vietnam/Southeast Asia program at ASU entering into a collaboration to transform the standards of engineering education in Vietnam.

the company in Southeast Asia. In addition to academic institutions, the company has been supporting local and multinational companies in the automotive, oil & gas, manufacturing, building & infrastructure industries.

“Vietnam has set a target for its electronics exports to reach US$40 billion by 2017; and this goal will definitely require international support in human capital development and cooperation in the global value chain.

As the leader in automation, test and measurement industry, we want to invest and strengthen the local engineering ecosystem in Vietnam to help build a strong and sustainable nation of innovators,” added Mr Mieres.

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Industry News

Datamax-O’Neil Acquires Source Technologies’ Thermal Printer Business Florida, US: Datamax-O’Neil, a provider of label and receipt printing solutions, has acquired the thermal printer assets of Source Technologies, a provider in specialised printing solutions based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Established in 1986, Source Technologies has specialised in secure MICR printing solutions, and will remain in this market under new ownership.

“The addition of these new products into our already strong stationary printer portfolio positions us and our channel partners around the world to be more competitive and achieve greater market share,” said Paul Sindoni, president of Datamax-O’Neil.

Source Technologies thermal printer assets will be fully integrated into Datamax-O’Neil over a two-month period, and the printers will be marketed under the Datamax-O’Neil brand. Source Technologies’ Florida-based engineering team will be transferred to Datamax-O’Neil’s Orlando, Florida operations.

The printers represent over three years of research and development with company investment and resulted in 12 provisional patents. All ST Performance series printers are designed to use PCL5e, an industry standard printer language, which alleviates integration difficulties often caused by proprietary languages.

DuPont Building Innovations Joins The Power Matters Alliance Delaware, US: DuPont Building Innovations has joined the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and is working with other PMA members on wireless charging solutions for smartphones and tablets that can be effectively integrated into worktops made with DuPont Corian solid surface.

"The next phase in wireless power is seeing it embedded into surfaces used for furnishing solutions," said Ron Resnick, president of PMA. PMA was founded by Powermat Technologies and Procter & Gamble in 2012 and its board also includes representatives of AT&T, Duracell, Starbucks and the US Government's Energy Star (non-voting).

A rendering of the PMA compatible Duracell Powermat wireless charger for the iPhone 5 being charged on a DuPont Corian kitchen countertop.

"We are excited to join the PMA and demonstrate once again the endless evolution capabilities of DuPont Corian solid surface for creating the furnishing solutions of tomorrow," said Ruslan Yusupov, global marketing director of DuPont Building Innovations.

Demand For Greater Energy Efficiency Drives Building Automation Systems Market London, UK: The building sector is one of the primary consumers of energy in Europe, accounting for 40 percent of energy demand and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This has underlined the need for improved energy efficiency in both existing and new buildings. Initiatives supporting energy efficiency, reinforced by EU legislation, are providing a fillip to the Building Automation Systems (BAS) market.

Analysis from Frost & Sullivan, European Building Automation Systems Market, finds that the market earned revenues of US$1,800 million in 2012 and estimates to reach US$2,140.8 million in 2017. The research covers nonresidential building segments including offices, educational, hospitals, wholesale and retail trade, industrial and others (hotels and restaurants, sports facilities, and public buildings).

The drive toward greater energy efficiency has meant greater cost savings for building owners and end-

users. This too has encouraged the move toward automation.

"In the past 20 years, electricity consumption of non-residential buildings has increased by 74 percent," explained Mr Sagar. "Complete automation of buildings can conserve up to 50 percent of this energy and, hence, reduce carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission."

Another trend is the increasing integration of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting and blinding in the BAS to optimise energy consumption by buildings.

As a result, companies that offer complete systems and solutions with integration capabilities, rather than individual products, are gaining the competitive edge.

However, amid ongoing economic volatility, there has been a drop in public and private building activity.

This, together with low end-user awareness about the energy saving benefits of BAS, has slowed the rate of market growth.

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INDUSTRY UPDATES

Malaysia Seminar THE Profibus/Profinet Association South East Asia has conducted the organisation’s next Profibus/ Profinet seminar of 2013. The seminar was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the Eastin Hotel on July 2, 2013 and a total of 120 people from various industries and universities attended.

The seminar was supported

by ABB, Belden, Leoni Kerpen, Pepperl + Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Posital Fraba, Siemens and Turck. These companies provided live demonstrations of their products and solutions at a microfair, this gave seminar participants the chance to speak face to face with experts.

The Profinet multivendor demo was introduced, that showed the wireless integration of Profibus-DP/PA into Profinet, also the integration of different products and protocols. The live engineering of an IO-System was demonstrated along with Profinet’s web diagnostic functions and remote services.

Areas Of Interest The seminar had three parts: News and market updates on Profibus/ Profinet; a Profibus block, with presentations on installations and best practices; and a Profinet block with presentations on innovative Industrial Ethernet solutions as well as the new features available.

Bernd Lieberth, president of the regional Profibus/Profinet Association, presented the association’s news, including the world sales figures. Profibus increased its installed base by 3.5 million nodes in 2013, which 16

2013

High interest at the Malaysia seminar.

means the total installed base is now in excess of 43.6 million nodes. Profinet also grew, from 4.3 million nodes last year in 2012 to 5.8 million nodes in 2013. He also introduced the Profienergy p ro f i l e , w h i c h i s t h e f i r s t networking standard for energy management and energy saving.

Teo Puay Yong (Pepper + Fuchs) presented best practice and regulations for setting up a Profibus network based on his experience with real installations; followed by a presentation of process safety and safety systems

by Stanley Joseph (Siemens).

Ending Of The Event The day ended with presentations on Profinet from Mr Lieberth and Rockel Babagay (Phoenix Contact).

With Profinet, Profibus & Profinet International (PI) has developed an Industrial Ethernet networking standard from the experience gained from Profibus. The result is open and manufacturer neutral. The standard meets all of the requirements for using Ethernet at all levels, and in all automation applications. It is

Multivendor demo with wireless integration of Profibus into a Profinet system.

flexible, reliable and robust in any industrial environment. It offers new possibilities too, such as redundancy, shared device, intelligent devices, wireless connectivity and more.

The seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is part of a continuing seminar series in ASEAN countries.

Mr Lieberth said: “We achieved a high participation rate thanks to the support of our members. We will continue our seminar series in 2013, with Vietnam on the schedule.

We are also happy to welcome Red Lion from Singapore and East Sea Technology Engineering from Vietnam, two new members into our PI-Southeast Asia Family.”

ENQUIRY NO. 5101

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‘Project Gemstone’ To Make Fieldbus Experience Easier The Fieldbus Foundation has a new technology development initiative — Project Gemstone — intended to make the digital fieldbus automation experience easier than conventional analogue control systems. This includes from device setup to device replacement and daily maintenance practices.

Encompassing a wide range of development efforts, this project covers many of the initiatives the organisation is already working on. This includes Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM), Field Device Integration (FDI) Cooperation, and ISA108 intelligent device management.

“Many of the recent advancements we have made in our specification are geared not just toward the user. They allow process automation suppliers to create more effective applications as well.” - Rich Timoney, president and CEO, Fieldbus Foundation Foundation Focus Foundation for ROM technology allows users to integrate their WirelessHART, wired HART, ISA 100.11a devices, remote I/O, and Modbus communication into the Foundation fieldbus managed infrastructure. FDI is working towards a single device integration

package that will provide all the benefits of Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and FDT/DTM technology. The ISA108 standards effort is defining recommended work processes for intelligent device management, regardless of communication protocol. The foundation’s new usability team is also focusing on how to make fieldbus devices easier to specify, setup, configure and maintain.

Rich Timoney, president and CEO, Fieldbus Foundation commented: “Our goal at the Fieldbus Foundation has always been to listen to the industrial marketplace and provide a managed infrastructure for process automation that allows end users to focus on their processes and their plants, not the technology tying everything together behind the scenes. For this reason, we have undertaken a number of key projects centered on making fieldbus automation solutions more user-friendly and compatible with other technologies.”

Easy To Use & Interoperable According to Mr Timoney, today’s control technology should be easy to use and interoperable, and allow results to be achieved quickly, but end users need the right work processes to guide them in its successful application.

For example, plant engineers want to be able to combine devices from different networks and manage them effectively, with minimal effort.

“Experienced automation professionals in the process industries have taught us a lot about the implementation of fieldbus and how to make it better,” said Mr Timoney. “As an end-user-driven organisation, we are taking all of this feedback from our dedicated end user customers, suppliers and engineering partners and driving it into a continuous improvement process to make the technology easier to use in a wide range of applications.”

He added: “Many of the recent advancements we have made in our specification are geared not just toward the user. They allow process automation suppliers to create more effective applications as well. If you are a small supplier just starting out today, you can really use the Foundation fieldbus specification to create an entire control system offering.”

In Conclusion Project Gemstone will drive an innovation strategy enabling plant owners to focus more on what technology can do for them and their business, versus how they manage the technology itself. The project’s focus on standards-based solutions will also make it easier for automation suppliers to develop new fieldbus-based products and applications. In addition, the testing and registration process is designed to ensure devices, systems and components all work together as they should.

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Newsdesk Newsdesk

Curtains Up:

CANopen Stage Drives THE works of Beckett and Brecht, Mozart and Wagner, and of course Goethe and Shakespeare are all performed on the stage of Theater Duisburg, Germany. After decades or even centuries, these plays, concerts, and operas continue to fascinate the audience.

The drive technology for the stage, however, had seen better days. Therefore, the theater had installed new electrical equipment for backstage technology Hoists, rods, and other proven mechanical components. Most existing geared motors continue to perform their duties, but they are now controlled by a system from Unican, a specialist in equipping theaters.

The high-availability stage automation system is a solution that fulfills the requirements of SIL 3 according to IEC 61508. It includes HMI consoles, software, and application tailored enclosures with axis controllers

by Nord Drivesystems that are connected to dozens of drive units via frequency inverters.

Hand-operated spotlights, curtains, and stage elements are no longer common in opera houses and theaters. Today, complex automation technology and many drive units ensure that heavy scenery objects are

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After modernisation, stage technology at Theater Duisburg is now mainly operated by means of fixed OpenCue consoles with two 22-inch touchscreens.

moved to change sets at the right time during a show. Spotlights are repositioned again and again, and sound and video systems are operated synchronously.

Unican is one of the few manufacturers of automationbased operating and control solutions for all types of theater stages. The OpenCue software solution provides opera houses, theaters, congress centres, and similar facilities with a modern system featuring fixed or mobile operating consoles.

The HMI units and their graphical interfaces allow for easy access, continuous monitoring,

and versatile show programming of up to 240 drives in the upper and lower machinery area of stages. In opera houses and theaters, operating many hoists and other machiner y in the vicinity of artists, technical staff or even the audience is practically unavoidable.

This often involves the lifting or moving of heavy loads, which further increases the risk potential.

Safety measures to prevent serious accidents are therefore mandatory.

In most cases, the safety-relevant electrical components must ensure safety integrity level SIL 3 according to IEC 61508.

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The safe control solution includes customised enclosures for each of the more than 100 drives in the upper and lower machinery.

Each enclosure contains one ICU computer

by Unican and an SK 535 frequency inverter

by Nord.

The Installation This safety requirement also applied to the new systems for the Theater Duisburg. All in all, 74 drives in the so-called upper machinery (that is, drives used to move rope and chain hoists above the stage area) and 39 drives on six podiums and slopes in the lower machinery were modernised.

For the control solution, the company installed three operating consoles: two with double 22-inch screens and one with a single 19inch screen. The screens can be operated in an upright position or lying on the console.

Input options are the touchscreen display and the keyboard integrated into the aluminum console, which features various backlit special keys, two joysticks, and a trackball. In addition to these fixed stations, the system house also delivered a handheld HMI with a 12-inch touchscreen.

The largest part of the system installation, however, was taken up by customised enclosures for the more than one hundred drives, each of which is equipped with a host-computer from the ICU series by the organisation.

These electronic units operate regardless of the type of connected drives and can therefore be used to control hydraulic and pneumatic solutions as well as electric ones.

The controllers feature a double CAN interface supporting CANopen, and are equipped with two inputs for SSI encoders and an integrated emergency stop relay. The host controllers are available as dual channel versions for SIL-3 applications.

Frequency Inverters At Theater Duisburg, the host computers control the electric motors. For that purpose, each of the more than 100 customised enclosures is equipped with

an CANopen-connected SK 535 frequency inverter from Nord Drivesystems. The stage drives required reliable power electronics that could fit into the safety concept.

All inverters feature integrated brake management, a brake chopper and a line filter as well as sensorless current vector control.

Even the basic model which is equipped with five configurable control inputs, two analogue inputs, one analogue output, and two relay outputs, provides a wide range of connection options.

For Theater Duisburg, SK 535E models in sizes five and six with an 11-kW and 22-kW performance were chosen from the SK 500E series, which is currently available with rated motor outputs up to 90 kW. In addition to the basic features described above, these models also feature two digital input and two output channels and a TTL input for speed and torque control. Moreover, they feature a ‘Safe Stop’ function in compliance with EN 954-1 and EN 13849-1 (up to safety category 4, stop category 0 and 1) and come with an on-board CANopen interface.

A Posicon module that provides positioning control functions is also included in delivery. Furthermore, the controller card of the drive can be powered from a separate 24-V supply, allowing access to parameter data and the bus interface even if the mains power is switched off. This enables specific applications such as elevator evacuation and increases online availability.

ENQUIRY NO. 5103

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Device Standard For The Semiconductor Industry With the device standard ETG.50031 and its corresponding nine specific device profiles, the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) now provides a starting point for a new generation of tools in the semiconductor industry, breaking ground for new developments within the industry as a result.

The release of the device profiles ensures that EtherCAT will no longer only be used for motion control, I/O, sensors and gateways in semiconductor manufacturing machines. From now on industry specific devices such as mass flow controllers or vacuum valves can be implemented directly into the EtherCAT system.

The Developments On the technical side of this process, Florian Häfele supervises the ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group and explains: “Since the release of the

device profiles developed in 2012, we responded to machine builders’ demands to establish EtherCAT in the semiconductor industry as well to facilitate the creation of new industry-specific devices. We expect that EtherCAT will be found in nearly all tools, at the very latest when the 450 millimetre wafer diameter standard has been adopted for all semiconductor manufacturing machines.”

The ETG.5003-1 — Common Device Profile (CDP) — describes the general re q u i re m e n t s f o r d e v i c e s t h a t a re published within the specification series ETG.5003. At the moment this concerns nine different device types which are defined in the so-called Specific Device Profiles (SDP). Together with the CDP they provide the starting point for a new generation of devices with which more advanced machines of the future will be designed.

The Benefits From the view of EtherCAT, even devices from different manufacturers are now equal regarding their data structures and synchronisation modes. This makes replacement and handling easier and more understandable for tool manufacturers.

Additionally, the industry-specific devices as such will get a more unique look and feel.

That the profiles were finished in a relatively short amount of time is not least the result of the strong commitment within the semiconductor industry: companies like Applied Materials, Lam Research and Tokyo Electron not only participated actively in the specification process, but also encouraged their device suppliers to take part in the ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group.

ENQUIRY NO. 5104

The ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group, during a meeting in Santa Clara, California, US, specified 10 new device profiles for the semiconductor industry.

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ETG Member Meetings 2013 hardware group in the common platform project department at Tokyo Electron (TEL), the largest provider of semiconductor production equipment in Asia.

Mr Yamauchi explained that TEL’s former control architecture was based on decentralised, distributed controls. The performance of EtherCAT in combination with the processing power of PC-based

More than 250 ETG members attended this year’s member meetings of the organisation in Asia.

With more than 250 participants in Seoul, South Korea and Yokohama, Japan the 2013 member meetings of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) on the Asian continent were a success. During the regional meetings the participating ETG members received information about the latest developments of EtherCAT and ETG’s activities around the world, as well as local EtherCAT applications.

ETG Update After welcoming the 100th South Korean member to the organisation recently, ETG had exactly 111 member companies from South Korea at the time of the fourth member meeting in Seoul.

Martin Rostan, executive director of the ETG, spoke of the latest developments of EtherCAT technology within his presentation in front of over 100 attendees.

Additionally, he gave an update on various activities of the organisation as well as recent EtherCAT applications. Several

ETG member companies contributed to the event with exciting application presentations including Daincube, Higen Motors, Keti Korea Electronics Technology Institute, and LS Mecapion.

The Highlights

controls now enables the shortest cycle times with centralised control architecture which is easier to handle and more cost effective. This is the reason why TEL has decided on EtherCAT for new controls in most of its business lines.

He emphasised the impact of the new EtherCAT device profiles on the semiconductor industry and underlined that thanks to EtherCAT’s open character, as well as the multitude of suppliers, the ‘make or buy’ decision would always be possible.

TEL supported ETG’s efforts to guarantee conformance and interoperability as the main challenges of open control and communication technology.

ENQUIRY NO. 5105

The highlights of the 7th Japanese member meeting in Yokohama, Japan with around 140 participants were the presentations

by Akio Namiki, associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Chiba University, who introduced some new service robot applications, and Toru Yamauchi, senior engineer system Toru Yamauchi, senior engineer system hardware group in the common platform project department at Tokyo Electron, emphasised the advantages of EtherCAT for the semiconductor industry.

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issues & insights

Safety is an important issues for many organisations, with many technologies now available for the implementation of protection measures.

By Otto Goernemann, manager machine safety & regulations, and Hans-Joerg Stubenrauch, manager safety marketing & documentation, Sick

Electro-Sensitive Protective Devices For Safe Machines

W

ith Electro-Sensitive Protective Devices (ESPEs) — in contrast to ‘physical guards’ — protection is not based on the physical separation of persons at risk from the risk itself. Protection is achieved through temporal separation. As long as there is somebody in a defined area, no hazardous machine functions are initiated, and such functions are stopped if already underway.

A certain amount of time, the so-called stopping/run-down time,

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is required to stop these functions.

The ESPE must detect the approach of a person to the hazardous area in a timely manner and depending on the application, the presence of the person in the hazardous area.

The safety requirements for ESPEs independent of their technology or principle of operations are stated in the International Standard EN 61496-1.

Benefits Of ESPE If an operator frequently or regularly has to access a machine

and therefore, he is exposed to a hazard, the use of an ESPE instead of (mechanical) physical guards (covers, safety fencing, and so on) is advantageous thanks to: • Reduced access time (operator does not have to wait for the protective device to open) • Increased productivity (time savings when loading the machine) • Improved workplace ergonomics (operator does not have to operate a physical guard)

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Hazardous Challenges Since ESPE does not provide any physical barrier, they are not able to protect against emissions, such as ejected machine parts, work pieces or metal shavings, ionising radiation, heat (thermal radiation), noise, sprayed coolants, cutting oils, lubricants, and so on. The use of an ESPE is also not possible on machines with lengthy stopping/ run-down times, which require unrealisable minimum distances.

In such cases, physical guards must be used.

Technologies For Implementation ESPE can implement detection of persons through various principles: optical, capacitive, ultrasonic, microwaves and passive infrared detection. Due to inadequate accuracy, capacitive and ultrasonic systems have proven inadequate.

Passive infrared detection offers no certainty of distinction and microwave systems have not yet been adequately tested.

In practice, opto-electronic protective devices have been proven over many years and in large numbers.

Opto-Electronic Protective Devices The most common ESPE are optoelectronic devices such as: • A c t i v e O p t o e l e c t r o n i c Protective Device (AOPD) — examples are safety light curtains and photoelectric switches.

• A c t i v e O p t o e l e c t r o n i c Protective Device responsive to Diffuse Reflection (AOPDDR) — such as, safety laser scanners.

• Vision Based Protective Device (VBPD) - such as, camera-based protective devices.

Figure 2: Hazardous point protection using a safety light curtain.

Opto-electronic protective devices can be used for numerous safety applications.

Safety Light Curtains & Photoelectric Switches AOPDs are protective devices that use opto-electronic emitting a n d re c e i v i n g e l e m e n t s t o detect persons in a defined twodimensional area. A series of parallel light beams (normally infrared) transmitted from the sender to the receiver form a protective field that safeguards the hazardous area.

Detection occurs when an

Figure 1: Access protection using a multiple light beam safety device.

Figure 3: Typical structure of a safety light curtain with sender and receiver.

opaque object fully interrupts one or more beams. The receiver signals the beam interruption by a signal change (Off state) to its Output Signal Switching Devices (OSSDs). The signals of the OSSDs are used to stop the hazardous machine functions.

The international standard IEC 61496-2 includes the safety requirements for AOPDs. Ty p i c a l A O P D s i n c l u d e single-beam photoelectric safety switches, multiple light beam safety devices and safety light curtains. Multiple light beam safety devices are the AOPDs with a detection capability of more than 40 mm. They are used to protect access to hazardous areas (Figure 1). AOPDs with a detection capability of 40 mm or less are called safety light grids or safety light curtains and are used to protect hazardous points directly (Figure 2).

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issues & insights

Figure 4: Stationary hazardous area protection with a safety laser scanner.

Figure 5: Mobile hazardous area protection with a safety laser scanner.

not all light beams are generally activated at the same time, but switched on and off one after the other in rapid succession.

This improves resistance to interference from other sources of light and increases the reliability accordingly. For state-of-theart AOPDs, sender and receiver a u t o m a t i c a l l y s y n c h ro n i s e through an optical link (Figure 3).

By using microprocessors, the beams can be evaluated individually. This ensures that besides the pure protective function, there are also additional functionalities.

Safety Laser Scanners AOPDDRs are protective devices that use opto-electronic transmission and reception elements to detect the reflection of the optical radiation generated by the protective device. The

reflection is generated by an object in a defined two-dimensional area.

Detection is signaled by a signal change (Off state) to its OSSDs. These signals of the OSSDs are used to stop the hazardous machine functions (Figures 4 and 5).

Safety laser scanners are mainly used for stationary and mobile hazardous area protection.

The safety laser scanner is an optical sensor that scans the surroundings with infrared laser beams in two dimensions and monitors a hazardous area near a machine or vehicle. It operates on the principle of time-of-flight measurement. The scanner transmits very short light pulses (S) while an ‘electronic stopwatch’ runs simultaneously. If the light strikes an object, it is reflected and received by the scanner (R).

The scanner calculates the distance to the object based on the time difference between the sender and receiver (Δt). A uniformly rotating mirror (M) in the scanner deflects the light pulses so that a section of a circle is covered. The scanner determines the exact position of the object from the measured distance and the angle of rotation of the mirror.

The user can program the area in which object detection trips the ESPE (protective field).

Simultaneous monitoring of several areas is allowed or switching of these areas during operation. For example, this can be used for adjustment of the monitored area to the speed of the vehicle or a graduated response (warning field — protective field) to prevent unnecessary interruptions in operations.

Safety laser scanners use individual pulses of light in precise directions and do not continuously cover the area to be monitored. Resolutions (detection capabilities) between 30 mm and 150 mm are achieved through

this operating principle. With the active scanning principle, safety laser scanners do not need external receivers or reflectors.

Safety laser scanners have to be able to reliably detect objects with low reflectivity (eg: black work clothing). The international standard IEC 61496-3 states the safety requirements for AOPDDRs.

Camera-Based Protective Devices VBPDs are camera-based protective devices and use image capturing and processing technologies for safety detection of persons. Special light senders are currently used as light sources.

VBPDs that use the ambient light are also possible.

Various principles can be used to detect persons, including: • Interruption of the light reflected back from a retro reflector.

• Time-of-flight measurement of the light reflected by an object.

• Size and distance measurement of an object.

• Monitoring of changes from background patterns.

• Detection of persons based on human characteristics.

Detection Capability (Resolution) Of OptoElectronic Protective Devices The detection capability is defined as the limit for the sensor parameter that causes the ESPE to trigger. In practice, this is the size of the smallest object detected by the ESPE within the defined monitored area (protective field).

The detection capability is specified by the manufacturer. In general, the detection capability is determined by the sum of the beam separation and effective beam diameter. This ensures that an object of this size always interrupts a light beam and is

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therefore detected regardless of its position in the protective field. For safety laser scanners, the detection capability is independent of the distance to the object, the angle between the individual beams of light (pulses) and the shape and size of the transmitted beam.

The reliability of the detection capability is determined by the type classification in the standard series EN 61496. For AOPDDR the Type 3 is defined. For AODP are defined Type 2 and Type 4.

Requirements regarding optical sources of interference (sunlight, different lamp types, devices of the same design, and so on), reflective surfaces, misalignment during normal operation and the diffuse reflection of safety laser scanners play an important role.

same applies to the aperture angle of the receiver.

Nevertheless, also for smaller aperture angles, there is the possibility for light beams from the sender to be deflected and as such, a failure to detect an object. Therefore, all reflective surfaces and objects (eg: material

containers, reflective floors) have to maintain a minimum distance to the protective field of the system. This minimum distance depends on the distance D between sender and receiver (protective field width). It must be maintained on all sides of the protective field.

Factors That Influence ESPE Protection There is always a stopping/ run-down time after the signal is given to cease the hazardous machine functions. The time of the entire system (the entire control chain) is contained in this so called overall stopping time.

This time determines the required minimum distance of the protective device to the hazardous area.

The required minimum distance is calculated according to the standard EN ISO 13855.

The consideration of the minimum distance applies to ESPEs with two-dimensional protective fields, eg: light curtains (AOPD), laser scanners (AOPDDR) or two-dimensional camera systems.

For AOPD’s, the light beam is focused from the sender. The aperture angle of the lens is reduced as far as possible such that an operation free of false trips can be ensured even in the event of small alignment errors. The

ENQUIRY NO. 598

Preventing Reflections From AOPDs

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issues & insights

Figure 6: By mutual interference the ESPE protection is rendered inoperative.

Prevention Of Mutual Interferences Between AOPDs If several AOPDs are operated in close proximity to each other, the sender beams from one system (S1) can affect the receiver of the other system (R2). This is the risk that the affected AOPD provides no protection (Figure 6). Installation situations of this kind must be avoided or suitable measures must be taken, eg: mounting of opaque partitions or reversing the direction of transmission of a system.

Type 4 AOPDs either have to have suitable extraneous sender detection and change to a safe state (outputs in Off state) when affected or have technical means to prevent the interference. Beam coding is normally used, so that the receiver only responds to light beams from the assigned sender (coded the same) (Figure 7 and 8).

Automatically Ignoring Material Passing Through ESPEs The following safety functions can be supported through the logic unit or directly through a suitable ESPE.

Temporary Deactivation Of The Protective Function (Muting) The muting function allows temporary deactivation of the protective function of a protective device. This is necessary when material must be moved through the protective field of the protective device without stopping the machine operation routine (hazardous state of the machine).

It can also be used effectively to optimise the machine operation

Figure 7 and 8: There is no mutual interference between protective devices. The person is detected reliably by encoding the beams or by arranging the protective adequately.

routine (eg: muting a safety light curtain during the safe run-up of the die in a power press, making it easier for the operator to remove work pieces).

Muting is only allowed when access to the hazardous point is blocked by the material passing through or — in case if it is not possible to trespass the protective device — when no hazardous machine functions are present.

This condition is assessed by muting sensors and muting signals.

Safety Light Curtains With Entry/Exit Function Another possibility to transport material in a protected area is through active differentiation between man and material (entry/ exit function) using AOPDs. For this application, horizontally arranged safety light curtains (AOPDs) are used. The possibility of evaluating each light beam is used to differentiate the interruption pattern of the material or material carrier (eg: pallet) from a person.

By using self-teaching dynamic blanking, as well as other differentiation criteria such as direction of movement, speed, entry and exit position in the protective field, and so on, a safetyrelevant distinction can be made.

That way, undetected entry into the hazardous area by persons can be reliably prevented.

Safety Laser Scanners With Protective Field Switching An additional possibility to transport material through a

protected area is via switching the protective fields. For this application, safety laser scanners are normally used with vertical (and slightly angled) protective fields.

The appropriate protective field is activated from a series of preprogrammed protective fields, by adequately positioned sensors and appropriate signals from the machine controller. The contour of the protective field is preprogrammed so that passage of the material does not cause the protective device to activate, but unmonitored areas are small enough to prevent undetected entry into the hazardous area by anyone.

Conclusion Due to their mode of action, their functional flexibility and the various application possibilities to safeguard machines, ESPE have many advantages. Special optoelectronic protective devices have been established in the automation world for many years.

While their design requirements are defined in product standards, their application is stated in different machinery-specific, C-Type standards.

Due to the optical principle, the design engineer has to take special care when planning application of AOPDs to a machine. The support of unhindered workflow and their positive impact on productivity are important arguments for using opto-electronic protective devices.

ENQUIRY NO. 5201

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ENQUIRY NO. 581

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issues & insights

Case Study:

Fully Automated ESD System Increases Safety D

anish energy company Dong Energy uses ABB’s System 800xA High Integrity to protect critical gas treatment plant. Safety is all important at the Nybro Gas Treatment Plant on the west coast of Jutland, Denmark.

Between 16 to 25 million cubic metres of natural gas is handled every day at the plant, which is situated only a few hundred metres from an important road

leading to the summer house areas along the North Sea coast.

When the natural gas arrives from the fields in the North Sea through the several hundred kilometres of pipelines it proceeds directly to Denmark’s only natural gas refinery. This is the company’s gas treatment plant in Nybro, which was started up in 1984. The facility has since been continuously expanded

A Danish energy company employs a fully automated Emergency Shut Down (ESD) system to increase safety at the Nybro Gas Treatment Plant on the west coast of Jutland, Denmark. By Anders Boman, marketing communications manager and Ingemar Lidhamn, marketing specialist, BU Control Technologies

in order to keep pace with the increasing amounts of gas that are being extracted from deep below the seabed.

All Gas Passes Through Nybro The current capacity at Nybro Gas Treatment Plant is up to 25 million cubic metres per 24 hours.

The plant is part of the company’s upstream transportation system for natural gas, and all Danish

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produced natural gas passes from the North Sea through this plant.

It is responsible for, reducing the pressure, controlling the quality and measuring the gas. If necessary, Nybro can also process the gas in order to remove liquids, sulphur and other contaminants.

The plant also houses the company’s Gas Control Centre (GCC). GCC is manned 24 hours a day and is responsible for monitoring both the company’s distribution network and the associated metering — and regulation station, Nybro Gas Treatment Plant itself, Stenlille Gas Storage as well as the crude oil infrastructure from the North Sea to the oil terminal in Fredericia.

Plant Safety Is Critical It goes without saying that a plant which handles the Danish and most of the Swedish consumption of natural gas requires a very high level of security. That is also the reason why the plant right from the outset was equipped with an ESD system, to make it possible to shut off the supply of gas and vacate the gas from the

plant in case of an emergency situation. The old system was based on relays, which the operators were supposed to operate via pushbuttons, should an emergency situation occur.

Prior to the decision to install a new and automated ESD system the company performed a safety analysis of the whole facility. This demonstrated that a number of actions were needed to bring the existing relay based and fully mechanical safety system up to date. In part because there was a need for a new and modern system, in part because they wanted to eliminate ‘the human factor’ which is always a p o t e n t i a l s o u rc e o f e r ro r, especially in a stressful and chaotic emergency situation.

The operators had to make the difficult decision about what to do in an emergency situation and whether the plant was shut down or not depended on this decision.

“In addition to the huge amounts of gas we handle here, another risk factor is that the plant is very close to a busy road, which serves as a main traffic artery to

The Dong Nybro plant receives and handles 16 to 25 million cubic metres of natural gas every day from the fields in the North Sea. The gas treatment plant contains about 100 km of pipe.

and from the popular beach and summer house areas along the West coast of Jutland,” says Erik Delf, technical coordinator, Nybro Gas Treatment Plant. — “And it is easy to imagine what that could mean, if we were to have a large gas explosion or an uncontrollable fire,” he added.

Reliability Is Paramount

Safety is of critical importance in a gas plant given the volatility of the gas.

Logically, an ESD system is something the user would, hopefully, never want to use.

Nevertheless, the surrounding community and employees at the plant must be able to trust that it will in fact work as expected, if one day the need should become reality.

This was a deciding factor for the choice of ABB’s solution, which could also provide the best price and a reliability and availability as close to 100 percent as possible.

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Slawomir Rodak, Kartuzy, Pomorskie, Poland

issues & insights

Safety is essential in gas plants, as such, being able to shut down operations quickly in case of an emergency is important to safe guard personnel and plant integrity.

There are four different safety classes, the so-called SIL (Safety Integrity Level) classes, where SIL1 is the lowest level and SIL4 the highest. The plant is classified as SIL2 and SIL3. The company supplied a System 800xA based on AC 800M HI controllers, which fulfill the requirements of these classifications.

Integration And Extended Coverage “The implementation of the new system also gave us the opportunity to include various sub-systems such as the UV detectors we previously used to detect heat, flames, gas and smoke, but which were not integrated into the old ESD system,” explains Jens Wedege Petersen, system operator, Dong Energy’s Gas Control Centre.

“Today we employ IR detectors which are far more reliable and also faster, and which have now been integrated into the ESD system,” he added.

“It was a logical requirement from the client that the new ESD system should be able to integrate seamlessly with the existing process control system

from Honeywell, to allow it to be monitored from the central control system without any need for separate monitors and user interfaces,” explains Tom Guldbrandsen, product specialist, ABB (Denmark).

“This facilitates the work for the operators when they, as a part of their daily routines, monitor that valves and other equipment connected to the ESD system are positioned as they should, as well as monitoring the frequent partial tests and the annual full scale test that is performed on the system,” he added.

“In addition we have the option to manually open and close the different valves e.g. in cases where we need to isolate sections in connection with repair work or simply to close down sub-plants or sectors,” explains Mr Delf.

Smooth Transition It was impor tant for Dong Energy that their clients, private and industrial gas consumers all over Denmark, would not experience any inconveniences or interruption of the gas supply during the implementation of the ESD system. It was initially

decided that the exchange of the old system and installation of the new one should be carried out without the need to shutdown the plant.

During the implementation phase it became clear, however, that the plant could be shut down during one hour — sufficient time to perform the shift-over itself — without causing any problems for the facility or its customers. The shutdown was preceded by an increase of the pressure in the distribution lines so that sufficient amounts of gas were available in the lines and the decentralised gas storage facilities that form part of the natural gas network.

“The implementation of the system went completely smooth and according to schedule and the real shut down was minimised to 45 minutes. The original schedule was respected in spite of the difficult working conditions, caused by the concurrent upgrading of our overall control system,” says Mr Delf.

Mr Petersen commented: “We were happy with the collaboration with ABBs experts. They proved to be good at understanding our situation and our frustrations, when at times we did not really understand how to tackle all of the challenges of this project.”

Depressurisation Of The Plant The natural gas that comes in from the North Sea arrives at a pressure of up to 135 bar, which is reduced to 80 bars — the pressure used in the Danish onshore transmission system.

It is easy to understand that a gas leakage or a fire could quickly escalate with devastating consequences. It is therefore very important that the ESD system is capable of ensuring both that faulty sub-sections of the facility can be quickly isolated from the

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rest of the plant and that the faulty section or the complete plant can be depressurised as quickly as possible.

Specifically, subsections of the plant can be depressurised in just 15 minutes while it takes approximately three quarters of an hour to depressurise the complete plant. This is achieved by burning off the gas on the flare and serves as an important safety valve.

Protecting The Process The company’s ESD system consists of eight controllers placed in various locations in the facility. All communications are conducted via a double, redundant fibre optic ring. This means that a breach in one place of the ring will have no

consequences for communication — the signal will simply find another way around the ring.

If just one of the eight stations breaks down, the emergency system is activated, and the whole plant is closed down.

The actual brains of the system are the likewise redundant servers, which for security reasons are placed on different locations. Additionally, there are two separate control rooms, in the unlikely event that the main control room should be rendered unusable. Finally, the ESD system is hooked up to a UPS system, so that should the power fail, its functionality will not be interrupted in case of a power failure.

Facts: Natural Gas • Under normal atmospheric pressure natural gas is gaseous.

• The chemical composition is just under 90 percent methane, more than five percent ethane, almost three percent other hydrocarbons, one percent carbon dioxide and less than half a percent nitrogen.

• One cubic metre of natural gas weighs about 850 grams. One cubic metre of air weighs about 1,250 grams.

• The energy in 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas corresponds to the energy in 1,100 litres of heating oil (or six months consumption in a normal household).

ENQUIRY NO. 5203

ENQUIRY NO. 5202

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The CERTUS range offers versatile safety logic and more flexibility than standard safety modules, and is able to be connected to the most common industrial Fieldbus system for diagnostic and data communication. It provides up to 128 inputs and 16 pairs of programmable solid state outputs.

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• Intuitive Configuration Software • Max 14 expansion modules to 1 Master Module • Optional Memory Card • Easy to set-up tamper-proof safety system • Safety levels SIL +, SILCL 3, PL e, Cat. 4

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PROCESS CONTROL

IAA attended the launch of Honeywell’s Experion LX product in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss the importance of mid-range products for the Asian market and their business strategy for the region. By Mark Johnston

Building For Asia T

he impor tance of Asia cannot be underestimated.

Year-on-year its stature is growing, with more companies opening plants in the region, or to explore a diverse range of business opportunities.

Industries, such as, the specialty chemicals, biofuels, industrial and mid-size power, m e t a l s , w a t e r, a n d f o o d & beverage are continually looking to reduce costs while meeting more stringent regulations and increased sustainability objectives. A possible solution for many of these industries is to employ the use of a Distributed 32

Control System (DCS). Such systems are designed to control and automate a plant while, at the same time, providing systemwide reliability and improved flexibility over more traditional PLCs. However, many DCSs are not suitable for smaller midsized manufacturing operations as they are either too big or no cost-effective enough.

On May 21, 2013, Honeywell hosted an event at the JW Marriott in Jakarta, Indonesia. In many ways, this event represented the growing influence of Asia on the world stage. The company choose Indonesia as

its global launch platform for a new product, the Experion LX, a purpose-built Distributed Control System (DCS) for small to mid-size operations with continuous and batch process control applications.

This DCS is designed specifically for smaller plants, typically with less than 5,000 I/O points, one engineering server and up to 15 operator stations.

Designed to be easy to use while robust enough to handle today’s complex processes.

Making use of technology a l re a d y d e v e l o p e d f o r t h e company’s Experion Process

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Knowledge System (PKS), the DCS provides improvements in reliability, safety and efficiency, in a compact platform.

Other benefits include quick implementation and a reduction in total lifecycle costs.

Plant Integration A typical mid-sized power plant has three different main areas: boiler, turbines, and balanceof-plant. The tight integration of these three areas is crucial, especially as each has its specific c o n t ro l re q u i re m e n t s . F o r example, a boiler requires very precise PID control, whereas in the balance-of-plant area, control depends on the correct handling of discrete inputs/outputs.

The first requirement is therefore to establish an integrated control solution for the power plant that encompasses all areas — from high-performance PID control for boiler applications to the discrete input/outputs of the balance of plant area — while improving the overall productivity of the power plant.

Another aspect of importance in a power plant is how well

Honeywell hosted the global launch of a purpose-built DCS for mid-size continuous and batch process control applications in Indonesia.

the control system integrates with the electrical area, which can consist of a whole range of equipment such as smart relays, smart drives and smart switchgear. This is vital, to allow an operator to control the entire power plant from a single system in the control room.

“One of the things that is very important for our customers is that they are able to run and operate their plants reliably and safely, which has already been built into the foundation of our product,” remarked Bill Stevens, global product manager – Modular Systems, Honeywell Process Solutions.

The Delivery Model The company chose to deliver this product exclusively through its channel par tners in all worldwide markets, rather than deliver it directly itself. The advantages of this method of delivery include being able to offer fast local configuration and support and being able to deal with a single supplier for field instrumentation.

The company has built up strong relationships with two Indonesian partners, namely PT Zug Industry and PT Hanang Gema Instrument, which will be offering this system to Indonesian customers.

“Experion LX provides a scalable solution for our industrial process and power users. Customers can simply decide the level of automation that makes the most sense for their business today — it gives the ability to expand as their business grows,” said Henkie Leo, president and director of PT Zug Industries.

For end-users with batch processes, the batch execution software operates in a redundant controller instead of a higherlevel PC, eliminating the need for

extra hardware and reducing the communication load and time for executing each batch phase.

Don Maness, VP of Honeywell Process Solutions, said: “Just like large refining plants, smaller industrial enterprises need to manage their processes safely and efficiently,” adding that “It is also easy to implement and use, which allows our customers to go to market faster and to be more agile in responding to product changes.”

The Architecture The platform comprises different integrated hardware and software solutions depending upon the needs of the application. The architecture is designed to be scalable and not all nodes are necessary or required.

It has also been designed to connect different platforms together in a unified and seamlessly integrated way, to form a single homogenous control system that is specifically for mid-power applications.

“One of our key interests is taking and improving our current technology and re-applying it here, and that is what we have done with Experion LX. We are replying it from our experience in the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS). We have thousands of installations in large process chemical plants that run 24/7,” said Mr Stevens.

The Controller The C300 Controller stands at the the heart of the whole system. It is a node in the company’s deterministic Control Execution Environment (CEE) core software, which provides a control execution and scheduling environment. Control strategies for each controller node are configured and loaded through an engineering tool called Control Builder.

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workspace for event handling, alarm acknowledgement, alarm silencing, display manipulation and other functions.

Fault Tolerant Ethernet

Executives from Honeywell Process Solutions at the launch event in Jakarta, Indonesia: (L-R) Bharat Sharma, APAC leader – Modular Systems & Process Instruments; Matthew Smith, global channel director – Field Products; Bill Stevens, global product manager – Modular Systems; Bryan Sim, regional sales manager – Field Products.

Features of Control Builder include: • Flexible configuration environment.

• Control loop configuration, to modify the control loop online.

• Graphical modular configuration, real-time monitoring and debugging environment.

• S88 modular batch automation.

• Hierarchical classification management.

• Builds common global database for all system nodes (controller and HMI).

In addition to a standard and robust library of pre-built function blocks and algorithms, the controller also supports Custom Algorithm Blocks (CABs).

These are similar in purpose and structure to the standard function blocks that are distributed with Control Builder. However, CABs have user-defined algorithms and data structures, allowing tailored strategies to be developed to specific requirements.

The controller also supports the series 8 I/O and industry standard protocols for smart device integration such as Profibus, Modbus, and HART.

Direct Station The Direct Station is the HumanMachine Interface (HMI) that can be used for different functions around the power plant, including operations, monitoring, maintenance and engineering.

The Direct Station is connected to the C300 controller, from which it directly accesses process data, alarms, and messages. There is no loss of view of critical data and alarms if the server fails and therefore, an operator can still control and monitor the process.

This is particularly helpful in an environment where continuity of view is paramount and where it is important to minimise the impact of a server being unavailable. The Direct Station is connected to the Experion LX Engineering Station for communication to SCADA and Distributed System Architecture (DSA) point sources, system history, the system event journal, and the system configuration file server.

It also supports the implementation of a ‘logical console’, allowing operators to fully respond to all alarms/events within their scope of responsibility regardless of operator actions on other stations. In doing so, it provides the operator a single

Fault Tolerant Ethernet (FTE) is the control network for the Experion family. FTE provides multiple communication paths between nodes, enabling an FTE network to tolerate all single faults and many multiple faults.

FTE is not a general purpose Information Technology (IT) network due to its control mission; it leverages commercial Ethernet technology to lower the costs of the FTE network Infrastructure, connections to IT networks, connections to third-party Ethernet devices, and ongoing maintenance and support.

An FTE network is implemented through FTE nodes and appropriately configured switches.

Normal Ethernet nodes can also connect to an FTE network, and benefit from its available communications environment.

Conclusion Asia is a growing market for many companies, with an increasing amount of investment being seen in countries throughout the region, especially Indonesia, as seen by Honeywell’s global launch of its latest DCS. A DCS that is designed for mid-sized power plants, which has proven popular in Indonesia through a combination of cost savings compared to larger plants and practicality for much of the Indonesian market.

What is required from the DCS, however, is good performance as well as tight integration. The company’s solution aims to provide the right technology and integration of its varied components and provide value to the customer.

ENQUIRY NO. 5301

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The Future Of

SCADA

IAA spoke with Ashish Bhat, senior VP, Industry Automation and Drive Technology, Siemens, on the latest developments on SCADA.

By Mark Johnston

S

upervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is now a mature technology and an integral part of many companies’ control strategy for the process industr y. The developments f o r t h i s t e c h n o l o g y, b e i t developments in the controller or in software, are pushing ahead at an ever increasing pace.

IAA: What is the cur rent technology in the world of SCADA and how do you see it evolving in the next 5-10 years?

Ashish Bhat (AB): The current technology for SCADA includes data transparency from production right through to management.

It also includes engineering that is fast, simple, flexible and safe.

Finally, investment protection for plant expansion, new legal prototype and a high availability of support for international standards (simple integration into plants and systems) is current as well.

In the next 5-10 years, the SCADA technology will probably f o c u s m o re o n : i n c re a s i n g productivity, greater efficiency in engineering and operations, and maximum flexibility.

In terms of what we are doing at Siemens, we have expanded our Simatic WinCC SCADA software into a plant-wide information system. Our WinCC Version 7.2 now offers information server options and simplifies complex production operations with multitouch operator inputs.

The Simatic Process Historian and Simatic Information Server options offer scalable long-term process data archiving and Webbased analysis and reporting tools.

Both options include plant-wide analysis and reports to optimise production processes.

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creates weekly, monthly and annual records. Process, consumption counter and manual entry values can be recorded, analysed and archived. It also supports the Unicode data format and multiple languages for global applications.

IAA: What are some of the challenges in deploying a SCADA solution and how do you solve them?

AB: One of the greatest challenges is to ensure SCADA system security, as there is a need to integrate the plant floor and office world for production data transparency. It is critical to protect the security of SCADA networks and process management systems for utility organisations.

Industrial IT security is a topic that is more important than ever. Open technologies and the advancing networking of different sectors in the industry are increasing the risk of cyber attacks, while companies are also under an obligation to comply with numerous IT security regulations (eg: KRITIS = critical infrastructures) and standards (eg: ISA-99/IEC 62443). With Industrial Security Ser vices,

J K, UK

SCADA is used extensively throughout the oil and gas industry.

support is given to industrial clients wishing to implement maximum IT security for their plants. The services range from risk analysis and consulting, to the implementation of security solutions.

The threats are many and varied and the attack scenarios are diverse. To be prepared for as many different cyber hazards as possible, the Industrial Security Services are based on a defense-in-depth strategy, that is, defense with a graded security architecture. The basic idea is that a series of hurdles makes it as difficult as possible for assailants to break into an IT system, rather like a fortress with multiple rings of defense.

The first hurdle is not so much concerned with computer technology than with physical security. The focus is on access control, especially to critical components such as ser ver rooms. The second barrier is clear instructions and guidelines on IT security. After all, security solutions can only work if employee awareness is raised and training given. Not every attack comes from outside. Employees can unintentionally introduce

viruses or Trojans into the system, through infected USB sticks, for example.

To repulse attacks from outside at an early stage, the experts deploy two measures. First, the automation system is divided into autonomous security cells.

Second, a perimeter network or demilitarised zone, is set up to prevent direct access to the system from the outside. Firewalls and secure connections with VPN tunnels ensure safe communication to the outside and between the individual security cells.

Every interface is a potential access route for hackers. The company’s experts therefore deactivate any unused ports or drives and eliminate unnecessary software in a process known as system hardening. A further lever for more IT security is rigorous user administration. User accounts and user rights must be regularly reviewed and updated.

This is intended to ensure that users only have access to the information and applications they really need. It is also essential to incorporate the latest security patches and system updates.

The innermost ring of defense is the ‘host intrusion detection system’; it identifies malware using a blacklist or only permits communication with approved programs contained in a white list.

Finally, security mechanisms are integrated into the automation components themselves. For example, the new generation of Simatic S7-1500 controllers provides security features: the Security Integrated concept ranges from block protection to communication integrity and supports users with backing up their applications. Integral functions for safeguarding knowhow, so as to prevent the copying of machines, for example, help protect against unauthorised access and modification. On the

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maintenance and repairs.

Furthermore, the SCADA system is becoming a more open architecture, which allows users to combine products from different vendors to develop suitable solutions. Energy management is a good example of this.

Software is used to control and configure SCADA for better optimisation and productivity.

Simatic Memory Card, individual blocks are linked to the serial numbers of the original memory card to provide copy protection. It is also possible to achieve access protection by assigning separate rights via authorisation levels to different user groups.

From analysis to whitelisting, Industrial Security Services is based on the defense-in-depth concept. The starting point is usually security audits, in which the company’s experts analyse plant security and make initial recommendations. The security assessments offered as part of this process can be performed for complete plants or for certain sections only, for example, for the PCS 7 process control system and the WinCC visualisation system. Whether it is setting up a firewall, system hardening, or whitelisting, companies can reduce identified threats with standardised security packages.

Moreover, industrial customers c a n o rd e r c o m p re h e n s i v e , tailored solutions with so-called Security Managed Ser vices to minimise security risks in their plants.

Whatever solution is chosen, it must always be remembered that industrial security is not a finished product, but a process that must be actively practiced throughout all phases of the lifecycle of machines and plants, and by employees at every level.

IAA: Has the use cases of SCADA systems increased over the past 5-10 years? If so, how and in what manner?

AB: Users require more control and monitoring functions from a central station. These are functions on system and process diagnostic and remote services that are reliable and secure.

The SCADA system functionalities continue to increase as the development of communication devices, such as cellular, satellite and Industrial Ethernet progresses. These improve the ability and capability of the SCADA system to collect data from more geographically dispersed devices. With these data, plant intelligence is realised, making it possible to measure production efficiency, machine downtimes, and schedule

IAA: What do you consider to be the most exciting or ambitious project and/or technology that Siemens is working on or plans to work on, particularly in Asia, and why?

AB: We have invested a lot on R&D, and have just launched the Simatic S7-1500, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), together with the engineering platform, ‘TIA portal V12’ in January 2013. The TIA Portal provides integrated services and functions that are applicable to all automation tasks, enabling consistent system operation.

The PLC has an industrial Ethernet-based Profinet as a standard on-board interface as well as integrated web server functions. It reduces machine cycle times with shorter system response times, so businesses can increase productivity and yield a faster return on investment.

The controller integrates drives through motion control functions and PROFIdrive. In addition, it offers a higher level of security, protecting algorithms against unauthorised access and modifications and preventing p ro g r a m re p ro d u c t i o n a n d manipulation from happening in the first place. The controller can be installed, connected, and tested more easily and quickly than old models.

At the moment, the rollout of the TIA-Portal V12 and the S7-1500 for ASEAN is ongoing. The offices in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia had several launch events for end-customers and partners.

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process control

SCADA Systems Automate Electrical Distribution

PC-based Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems increase uptime, cut costs and improve utilisation. By Fabio Terezinho, VP of consulting services and product manager, InduSoft

tburgey, Germany

E

lectric utilities must meet increasing demand for reliable power distribution while coping with decreasing tolerance for disruptions and outages. More than ever, utilities are squeezed to do more with less, and recognise the need to improve the efficiency of their power generation and distribution systems.

Fortunately, many areas of the existing electrical distribution system can be improved through automation. Furthermore, by automating the distribution system now, utilities will be ready to meet the challenges of integrating intermittent supply sources like solar, wind and other Distributed Energy Resources (DERs).

Automating electrical distributions systems by implementing a SCADA system is the one of the most cost-effective solutions for improving reliability, increasing utilisation and cutting costs (Figure 1).

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How SCADA Works In Power Distribution A SCADA system for a power distribution application is typically a PC-based software package. Data is collected from the electrical distribution system, with most of the data originating at substations.

Depending on its size and complexity, a substation will have a varying number of controllers and operator interface points.

In a typical configuration, a substation is controlled and monitored in real time by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and by certain specialised devices such as circuit breakers and power monitors. Data from the PLC and the devices is then transmitted to a PC-based SCADA node located at the substation.

One or more PCs are located at various centralised control and monitoring points. The links between the substation PCs and the central station PCs are generally Ethernet-based and are implemented via the Internet, an intranet and/or some version of cloud computing.

In addition to data collection, SCADA systems typically allow commands to be issued from central control and monitoring points to substations. If desired and as circumstances allow, these commands can enable full remote control.

Increase Uptime, Cut Costs Many utilities still rely on manual labour to perform electrical distribution tasks that can be easily automated with SCADA systems. In addition to cutting labour costs, automation facilitates smoother operations while minimising disruptions. Modern SCADA systems feature built-in redundancy and backup systems to provide sufficient reliability, and can be much faster-acting and consistent than manual processes.

SCADA systems, however, do more than simply collect data.

They also deliver automated control that benefits utilities.

Their alarms detect problems in the system, and analysis of these problems enables adjustments and corrections, often preventing an outage.

In the event of an outage caused by an unforeseen event like a storm, a SCADA system’s data collection capabilities help field workers quickly identify the exact location of the outage without having to wait for customer calls.

Moreover, a SCADA system can increase the speed of power restoration following an outage.

SCADA-enabled switches and line reclosers can help operators isolate the outage and open adjacent automatic switches to reroute power quickly to unaffected sections. This happens all without the need for a line worker to visit the site to perform a lengthy visual inspection, often followed by an educated guess as to the exact nature and location of the problem.

Improved Operations Meet Demands Modern SCADA systems provide powerful tools that give operators a real-time view into operations in order to optimise the power distribution system for maximum efficiency. Trending tools arrange data in various ways, and graphical interfaces simplify analysis.

Historians store data from past events, facilitating comparisons among various operating scenarios. For example, excess capacity can be identified more easily, so power can be rerouted from areas approaching overload.

Analysing trends and historical data also helps maintain desired power factors, voltage levels and other distribution system parameters at desired levels.

Figure 1: A utility power transmission and distribution system must collect and distribute power from a variety of generation sources, many of them intermittent, creating a need for automated monitoring and control.

These parameters are becoming more difficult to maintain because power supplied to the distribution system now comes from multiple sources in addition to large baseload power stations.

These new sources are primarily DERs, small scale decentralised power storage and generation sites, typically 15 MW or less per unit or site. DERs usually are not owned by the local utility, but by end users. Power from DERs is used to meet local on-site end user needs, and excess power is sold back to the utility via the local power distribution grid.

Types of DERs include but are not limited to gas turbines, diesel engines, micro turbines, flywheel energy storage systems, fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors.

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process control

to the intermittent nature and the quality of the supplied power.

On the demand side, DERs also have a significant impact because they can cause power needs at a site to go from full load to negative as local generation sources are star ted up to supply power back to the grid.

Automating DER monitoring in real-time with a SCADA system enables operators to make more informed adjustments faster, and to uncover trends and address issues before they occur.

Implementation Considerations While a modern SCADA system provides multiple benefits in a cost-effective manner, there are factors to consider. At the substation level and at DER connection points, data must be collected and made available to the SCADA system.

Figure 2: Much of the data needed to effectively monitor and control a power distribution system is found at substations, but collecting this data can be challenging.

Figure 3: Trend screens allow operators and engineers to view data in a variety of configurable formats, speeding analysis and detection of problems before they occur.

This is typically done by bringing all desired data points into a local controller such as a PLC. This may necessitate replacing manual monitoring devices such as gauges and meters with new power monitoring hardware compatible with the PLC. In other cases, automated devices may communicate via protocols not recognised by the PLC. For example, if a power monitoring device has a Modbus port and the PLC does not, some type of hardware protocol translation device might need to be purchased, configured and installed. However, some SCADA software packages offer the required DNP3 and IEC-60870-5104 protocols, eliminating the need for a hardware device by using the SCADA software as the protocol translator.

In large substations, it might be necessary to convert all digital data protocols to Ethernet, and to install Ethernet switches and routers. The router would then be typically connected back to the central SCADA stations.

Once data is collected and delivered to the central station — action is often needed at the substation, the DER connection point or some intermediate switching device.

This often requires replacing manual switches with automatic switches, which can be costly and can require particular line segments to be de-energised for installation (Figure 2).

Connections among substations, DER connection points and intermediate devices must also be installed and maintained. As noted, Ethernet is typically the network of choice; usually implemented via some combination of the Internet, corporate intranets and cloud computing.

Better Data Presentation For Improved Analysis SCADA systems provide many advantages including increased reliability, reduced costs, improved worker safety, greater customer s a t i s f a c t i o n a n d i m p ro v e d utilisation. Their alarms and realtime views into operations can prevent small problems from becoming big ones, and can also speed restoration time.

Standard protocols specifically designed for the industry such as DNP3 and IEC-60870-5-104 enable the SCADA system to collect information with the precision and accuracy required to diagnose shutdown causes and minimise downtime. This cuts time wasted

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on field visits, and also improves worker safety during outages and power restoration.

Modern SCADA systems provide dynamic dashboards, consolidating historical information with online data in order to provide meaningful information to decision makers (Figure 3). These capabilities help existing operations uncover waste, and are vital for measuring and maintaining power system parameters as DERs are incorporated into the power generation mix.

Integration with ERP systems via SQL relational databases allows the SCADA system to compare goals with the real-time actual performance, while making this information constantly available

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SCADA Systems: Benefits For Electrical Distribution • Increases reliability through automation • Eliminates the need for manual data collection • Alarms and system-wide monitoring enable operators to quickly spot and address problems • Automation protects workers by enabling problem areas to be detected and addressed automatically • Operators can use powerful trending capabilities to detect future problems, provide better routine maintenance of equipment and spot areas for improvement • Historians provide the ability to view data in various ways to improve efficiency ENQUIRY NO. 5304

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software & Networks

Case Study:

Boosting Space Efficiency

A British retailer employs a solution to increase efficiency of space and productivity. By Koh Seng Teck, head of Southeast Asia, Swisslog

M

ost of the Asda stores are open 24 hours a day, and even in the small hours customers expect to find what they are looking for. The company believes that technology in the warehouse and out on the road helps them meet this roundthe-clock challenge and keep shelves stocked 24/7.

With over 550 stores across the UK, selling more than 75,000 products including groceries, clothing, household goods and electronics, the retail chain is a proponent of warehousing developments.

The business is constantly looking at ways to improve the use of space within its existing distribution centres.

The Lutterworth IDC was no exception, already one of the most complex depots in the logistics network.

The company selected Swisslog‘s AutoStore solution to handle a range of its products in a more space efficient and productive way. An intelligent storage and retrieval system for small case lines, the solution provides it with flexibility for its future expansion.

The system being employed by this British retailer has a weight capacity of 1.3 million kilograms, the equivalent of 179 African Savannah Elephants.

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Products are scanned before being stored away.

Within its compact grid of 48.8m x 29m x 6.8m, the solution stores enough bins to fill three football pitches.

The Solution Both companies worked together at each phase of the project from the initial design to the installation and ongoing support.

Work started on-site in 2012.

Before installation of the system could commence, a robust mezzanine level was built on which the solution would be constructed. Once the preparation work was completed, installation and commissioning took place in a matter of months, as the rest of the IDC was in full operation.

The Decant Pallet loads of inbound goods are conveyed automatically to one of six ergonomic decant stations.

A colleague, of the retail chain, working at each station transfers products from a pallet into AutoStore bins, while lift tables eliminate the need for bending, thereby making the whole process ergonomic. Each station also has a chute for colleagues to dispose of waste.

stations. Bins containing faster moving items are positioned at the top of the grid whilst slower moving items are stored in the lower sections.

The Picking The robots always work ahead of colleagues to ensure a constant stream of bins are presented at the

picking port. Reaching required bins usually involves a digging process, which temporarily stores those above the required bin on top of nearby stacks.

The solution includes carousel picking ports, designed for high throughput operations.

These ports have three rotating arms which are able to carry three bins simultaneously in o rd e r t o p ro v i d e s e a m l e s s delivery to colleagues.

With 10 ergonomic picking stations, where orders are collated for store delivery, the site is able to process a large quantity of orders. They are also aided by the robots delivering the bins in sequence. Each colleague has a touch-screen computer instructing on how many of each product line to pick for particular

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In the storage area, robots place the bins directly on top of one another in a self supporting aluminium grid. The grid is not only used to guide the bins but also serves as a track for the robots to travel along. A wireless system controls the batter y operated robots and manoeuvres the bins within the grid and to and from both the decant and picking

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software & Networks

“The IDC is already one of the depots in our distribution network. The ability to reengineer our facility and build a space-efficient and ergonomic materials handling application that can integrate with our existing operation and systems was therefore a key selection factor.“ - Ant Everett, head of capacity & engineering, Asda Logistics Services

Founded in the 1960s, Asda is a British retailer with over 180,000 staff serving 18 million customers. The supermarket chain holds around 18 percent market share in the UK, and is part of the Wal-Mart group, the world‘s largest retail chain.

o rd e r s , m o v i n g t h e m f ro m the captive bin into the store consolidation tote. Once all items for a store are picked, colleagues push the tote onto the conveyor for shipping.

The Benefits From the outset, the system enables the retail company to manage several thousand different product lines, whilst allowing further phased investments to accommodate more bins. This is in line with the retailer’s developing requirements.

The system’s key benefit is that of space efficiency, allowing for maximum utilisation of the area, in this case bolstered by its installation on a mezzanine level. This leaves the ground level available for other operations.

Such benefits are clearly of interest to those in the retail sector where warehouse efficiencies can have a real impact on the bottom line. Yet this system is also geared for future growth and offers flexibility for retailers that continue to grow their online and high street operations.

The retail company was able to implement the whole system without any disruption to the current set up. Having an ergonomic goods-to-person solution also maintains colleague wellbeing in what can be a demanding environment.

The Autostore solution at the Lutterworth IDC aims to handle a range of products in a more space efficient and productive way.

ENQUIRY NO. 5401

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ENQUIRY NO. 577

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SOFTWARE & NETWORKS

Tablet computers may not be the best medicine for your warehouse.

By Freddy Fam, product manager, Intermec Mobility (Asia Pacific)

The

Placebo Effect B

ecause of the growing popularity of tablet devices, the warehouse sector is seeing an unprecedented increase in supply chain professionals looking at ways to employ these devices in warehousing environments. Unfortunately for these professionals, tablet devices typically are not designed to withstand the rigours common in warehouse environments and can substantially decrease forklift up-time.

As is the case for many warehouses, the purchase of a forklift (or eet of forklifts) represents one of the largest investments in a supply chain that the organisation will make. Therefore, the time these assets, or their operators, are unable to operate as efficiently as possible will represent a sizeable cost to the organisation.

The forklift terminal is the primary point of contact for drivers with their peripheral forklift technologies.

These peripheral technologies can include scanners, printers or terminals — and need to be specially designed to cope with warehouse conditions — or risk costing your organisation time and money.

It is little wonder that warehouse managers often mistake consumer-grade tablet computers as comparable with forklift mounted terminals.

46

Equipped with large-screens and the ability to run a Windows based operating system, tablet computers do look quite similar in design to many widely used forklift mounted computers. While these solutions may aesthetically look quite similar, there are a number of important differences between the two.

Ruggedised Equipment Whilst there are ergonomic and functionality advantages for consumer grade tablets, the lifespan of these devices is typically measured in months, not years. As a logistics solutions provider, we believe that customers are entitled to expect years of use and availability out of their capital investment in new hardware. Therefore, the key differentiator for specialty solution providers is to develop ruggedised, tailor-made equipment that provides a greater Return On Investment (ROI) over the life of the devices.

Purpose-built forklift terminals, as opposed to their tablet counterparts, have been designed endto-end, to work with forklift processes, in industrial environments. Because of their open-topped design and the environment in which they operate, there are a number of factors that need to be addressed in the design of equipment used in concert with

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forklift processes. These variables include: extreme temperatures, the chance of dropping the device from a significant height, intense vibrations and environmental interference (such as rain or dust).

Each of these scenarios can easily ruin a tablet computer, as opposed to their rugged counterparts, undermining any capital investment in the aforementioned devices.

Equipment Mounting While there are a number of ways to mount a tablet computer onto a forklift, such as utilising generic vehicle mounts, which are not designed specifically for forklifts, these solutions are far from ideal. A key distinction between the tablets and purpose-built forklift terminals, emphasised by the lack of appropriate mounts, is how they both withstand vibration.

Computer terminals mounted to forklifts experience substantial levels of vibration which can wear down internal components if the mounting does not properly protect the computer. While these devices meet standards tested in a laboratory, they do not necessarily predict how the device will perform when mounted to a forklift. In most situations, forklift-mounted computers are exposed to stronger vibration than is required for compliance with industry standard compliance tests.

Forklift-mounted computers must not only be fit for the physical environment, but also be adequately equipped to support specialised devices common to the industrial IT environment. Forklift drivers must be able to use their forklift-mounted computers to access the warehouse management system, capture data through barcode scanning, operate voice and RFID processes and cope with specialised device management and wireless communication needs and print labels. The end-to-end design of specialised forklift terminals ensures these needs are a top priority for warehouse applications, unlike consumer-grade tablet computers.

For many forklift operators, the ability to interact with a range of periphery technologies is crucial to effectively carrying out their day-to-day tasks.

You can see this difference contextualised by how these devices are controlled by the operator. Tablet computers are primarily designed for touchscreen input. Purpose-built forklift-mounted while, also typically capable of supporting a touch interface, are also adept at a range of other input methods.

Peripheral Technologies As barcode readers are the most widely used input device for forklifts, for example, purpose-built forkliftmounted computers are specially designed with this in mind. Further to barcode support, purpose-built terminals are also able to support applications that link keyboards, RFID, voice and WMS systems together to preserve best-practice and productive warehouse work processes.

Even for tablets that can support some of the specialised warehouse IT peripherals, such as voice or RFID, tablet computers will not always be readily able to access legacy applications and data storage.

This situation frequently arises in warehouse and industrial operations, where terminal emulation is used to give Windows-based wireless computers access to proprietary applications and inventory data held in old mainframe systems. As consumergrade tablets will typically operate using the latest versions of the relevant operating system that will be incompatible with a specially designed emulator, it can be difficult for warehouses to access this data stored on legacy systems.

In Conclusion

While the rise in popularity and convenience of tablet computers will ensure that there is a place for them in the warehouse, for a number of reasons, their viability as an alternative for purpose-built forklift terminals is not evident. The conditions that a forklift will typically operate within ensure that any support or integrated equipment, such as the terminal and mount, need to be purpose-built to withstand the associated hazards.

As one of the most substantial investments a warehouse can make, the choice of equipment to enhance their operation is paramount. Managers who carefully evaluate their choices will enjoy increased up-time, efficiency and productivity from their devices.

For many forklift operators, the ability to interact with a range of periphery technologies is crucial to effectively carrying out their day-to-day tasks.

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INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT

Modular Instrumentation Architectures Modularity is a key component to easier expansion and customisation that can save on both cost and time. Contributed by Wu Rong, marketing engineer, National Instruments (Southeast Asia)

E

ngineers and scientists need to measure, record, and analyse the world around them.

Their tasks range from analysing the analogue and digital signals of a circuit to measuring the vibration of an airplane’s engine. Over the past several decades, the approach to meeting these application challenges has evolved from the use of primitive instrumentation, such as analogue meters and simple transducers, to the sophisticated architecture of today’s instruments. Almost all modern instruments used for automated test systems can be categorised as either a modular instrument or a traditional instrument.

Modular Approach To Instrumentation Modular instrumentation approach (Figure 1) relies on PC technology to provide the common components of the instruments. A modular instrument contains only the measurement hardware needed to acquire or generate the raw data.

These instruments are peripheral devices that connect to a central PC through standard interfaces such as the PCI bus or a USB port to build an automated test system. Adding more measurements simply requires adding another peripheral device to the system as oppose to buying a new system that includes a new display, processor, and other common components, which is required for traditional instruments. Because of this, modular instrumentation can better address the needs of large, complex automated test systems.

Figure 2 illustrates a typical test and measurement system with just two traditional instruments connected through a standard peripheral bus.

Notice that many of the common components, such 48

as the interface, power supply, and CPU, are found in both traditional instruments. This means that each instrument replicates the cost of these common components and must be built large enough to accommodate all of the pieces. These instruments are typically designed for quick measurements in a laboratory or design workbench environment.

The term ‘virtual instrumentation’ refers to an automated test or measurement system that uses software on a PC-based host system to control the hardware, such as the modular instruments in an automated test system. In a virtual instrument, the hardware control, data analysis, and data presentation are handled entirely by user-defined applications. These applications can be written in a standard application development environment, such as NI LabVIEW, C/C++, or .NET, on the host system. Data is passed from the instrument to the

Figure 1: Modular instrumentation approach.

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host system through standard I/O buses, such as PCI or PCI Express.

In general, the modular and traditional instrumentation approaches have four main components that must be understood when comparing one instrument to another: • • • •

Measurement hardware User interface Software Connectivity

Measurement Hardware The measurement hardware of an instrument is responsible for performing the generation or acquisition of a specific signal. For example, the most common instrument in use today is an oscilloscope, whose measurement hardware includes an analogue front end to receive, filter, and attenuate a signal and an Analogue-to-Digital Converter (ADC) to convert the signal into bits. A processor then interprets and analyses these raw bits.

Both modular and traditional oscilloscopes contain the same type of measurement hardware.

This hardware dictates the key properties of an instrument, such as which measurements are performed and how accurate those measurements are. While both instrumentation approaches may include the same measurement hardware, relying on a PC-based host system to provide the other common components reduces the cost and complexity of these instruments.

As shown in Figure 2, a traditional instrument’s architecture tightly integrates the measurement circuitry with the other components. The integrated components result in a fixed design that is often difficult, if not impossible, to update or repair. It is not possible to replace the measurement hardware

of a traditional instrument if a new measurement is needed or higher performance is required.

Engineers are forced to purchase a new instrument even if the existing processor, software, memory, connectivity, and interface are adequate for the new measurement.

Measurement hardware found on both instruments often provides similar functionality. The main difference is that traditional instruments dictate how an engineer can use the measurement hardware found on a device while a modular instrumentation approach relies on software and user-defined applications to control how the raw data from the measurement hardware is analysed and used.

User Interface The user interface of an instrument provides the means by which the user controls the instrument and views the current state of the measurement and analysis. For example, with the controls on an acquisition device, a user can adjust the sampling rate, specify the number of channels, and control the analysis performed on the acquired data. How the user interacts with the interface is very different between the traditional and modular instrumentation approaches. Figure 3 shows examples of the two interfaces: a traditional instrument user interface and a software-defined, virtual instrument interface.

Because a modular instrument only contains the measurement hardware, the host computer provides the interface, often referred to as a Graphical User Interface (GUI). As shown in Figure 2, the modular instrument communicates with the host system through high-speed buses, such as a PCI bus or USB. The host system treats this instrument like a peripheral device, such as a sound card or Ethernet card, which means standard software can control, configure, and analyse data from the instrument.

Figure 2: Test system composed of two traditional instruments connected through a standard peripheral bus.

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INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT

Figure 3: User Interfaces of a Traditional Instrument (Left) and a Virtual Instrument (Right).

as LabVIEW and C/C++. These d e v e l o p m e n t e n v i ro n m e n t s include virtual knobs, buttons, and indicators that can be arranged to mimic the look and feel of a traditional instrument or be designed to best meet the needs of the end user.

One application can have a simple interface for a technician while another application can leverage the same measurement h a rd w a re a n d t e s t s y s t e m but provide detailed debug information and specific controls for an engineer. A keyboard, mouse, or touch screen are used to configure the instrument while a standard monitor displays the current state of the instrument on indicators, which can include anything from text boxes to 3D graphs.

The Software The role of software in instrumentation is to provide a layer of abstraction to the user that makes it easier to analyse the raw bit stream from hardware and to Figure 4: Software layers in a modular instrumentation system. store instrument specific settings into the device’s registers. Along with configuring the hardware, software plays a critical role in defining what measurements the device is capable of performing and how the results of those measurements are presented.

The main difference between the software on a traditional instrument and modular instrument is where the software is located and whether it is vendor-defined or user-defined.

Tr a d i t i o n a l i n s t r u m e n t s provide predefined software that is usually embedded in Figure 5: A hybrid system combines numerous instruments across a wide range of buses. the firmware of the instrument.

Historically, very few traditional instruments allowed the user to manipulate or change this firmware. If additional Unlike stand-alone instrument where the user analysis capabilities were necessary, then the user interface is fixed and cannot be customised. often had to purchase new software or rely on the The user of a modular instrument can create vendor to develop additional functions. one or multiple user interfaces using standard application development environments, such A modular instrument system relies on user50

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Connectivity Between Instruments An I/O bus is necessary to share data between instruments as well as with any host PC. A connection between instruments is also needed to share triggers and timing and synchronisation signals. Most test systems today have numerous measurement needs, which make it necessary to incorporate many different instruments into a signal system. The connectivity between these instruments affects the test system’s accuracy, complexity, and development time.

When evaluating the I/O bus used by an instrument to transfer data, bandwidth and latency are two of the most important bus characteristics.

Bandwidth measures the rate at which data is sent across the bus, while latency measures the inherent delay in data transmission across the bus. These two characteristics affect whether data can be sent as fast as it is acquired and how much onboard memory an instrument needs. Latency, while less observable, has a direct impact on applications such as Digital MultiMeter (DMM) measurements, switching, and instrument configuration because it affects how quickly a command sent from one node on the bus, such as the PC controller, arrives at and is processed at another node, such as the instrument.

Because every bus has strengths and weaknesses, no single bus is right for every application. However, for automated test applications, modular instruments based on standard PC I/O buses, such as PCI or PCI Express, provide the highest performance. Some systems, termed ‘hybrid systems’, also integrate multiple bus technologies together as shown in Figure 5.

PCI Express, the next evolution of the PCI bus, is the highest-bandwidth — up to 4 GB/s — and lowest-latency bus available. For example, PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation), an industry standard defining a rugged, high-performance test platform, uses PCI and PCI Express to provide the bus connectivity between the modular hardware and the PC.

Conclusion When designing a test system, it is important to understand how the architecture of traditional and modular instruments compares. Both instruments rely on similar measurement hardware to perform the A/D and D/A operations required for most measurements; however, how that measurement hardware is packaged greatly separates these two approaches.

While traditional instruments provide users with a stand-alone solution for quick, benchtop measurements, most of today’s automated test systems require the flexible, user-defined benefits of a modular instrumentation approach. In an ATE system, the measurements from the different instruments must be accurately correlated and synchronised together, which is enabled by the buses used in a modular instrumentation system.

Along with the bus, the low-cost approach to modular instrumentation helps reduce test system costs and increase flexibility, which has become critical for today’s test systems that must interface with a wide mix of devices that are growing in complexity.

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defined software to control the hardware. Userdefined software refers to custom applications that can be created in standard development environments, such as NI LabVIEW or C/C++. The software of a virtual instrument usually consists of multiple layers as illustrated in Figure 4. The software dictates the measurements performed in the automated system by converting the raw bitstream of data into meaningful information, such as a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) or histogram plot.

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instrumentation & Measurement

Staying Local In Asia

IAA interviewed Andrew Finch who is the MD for Weidmuller in Singapore and Australia on the company’s expansion in Asia and the differences between the Asian and European markets. By Mark Johnston

W

eidmüller has a policy of local for local, in order to adapt its products and solutions to the local culture and unique environment, like temperature and humidity. Mr Finch explains his company’s plans for Asia and its local for local approach.

IAA: How many people do you have working under you?

Andrew Finch (AF): Between Singapore and Australia, I have about 90 people working for me and we are expanding that over the coming two years to probably another 20 people in total.

IAA: Where are your offices in SEA? AF: Our main South East Asia (SEA) HQ is based in Singapore, and we have a representative office in Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand. During this year

we have started the process of establishing a third representative office in Jakarta, Indonesia.

IAA: How long have your Vietnam and Thailand offices been open?

AF: Our Vietnam office has been open now for just over a year and our Thailand office around six months. We will probably open our Indonesian office in the last quarter of 2013.

IAA: Is there a reason why you are going through this expansion now?

AF: It is about being close to our customers and supporting our distribution network. We have distributors for SEA in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Vietnam. That distributor has been long established. There is a greater need for looking at long term business and nurturing

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those relationships and working on those with our distributors. It is what we call a local for local approach. As such, rather than sending people from our head office in Singapore, our idea is to have local people that understand the local cultures, languages, and the political system. People who can navigate and support our distributors to build business.

There is a lot of additional training that we need to do with customers as well. Our products are getting more complex as technology changes and therefore there is a greater need to spend time with customers and distributors during training. Our approach is to try and do it locally rather than from some central office.

This way we are there all the time. So we try and be closer to our customers and the distributors needs.

IAA: Are you expanding your product portfolio?

AF: Yes, we are expanding our product portfolio.

In particular, our electronics products is an area where there is a lot of investment being made into new ways of doing things like surge protection, industrial ethernet, and signal conditioning. We are also developing remote IO products and interface modules for DCSs. We have an R&D centre which has just been established in Singapore. It is a global satellite R&D centre and this has been set up to have the capability to make use of the local gene pool. We have very European thinking engineers so we wanted to set up this centre to give our products a greater Asian flavour.

The needs are different between Asia-Pacific and Europe and the US. We plan to have 20 people working in this R&D centre by 2015. Designing products with more of an Asian influence.

IAA: What specific needs are there in Asia compared to the rest of the world?

AF: Things like temperature requirements, which is quite a significant thing. When you design a product for the European market the temperature range is not

David Ritter, Phoenix, Arizona, US

The company is expanding across SEA, opening local offices in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.

needed. There is more cold than there is heat. This is something that needs to be thought about.

If you were designing for the Asian market you would think about the temperature range straight away because there is higher temperatures on a more constant basis, particularly through SEA and Australia because they are nearer to the equator.

The second thing is humidity. This will affect how circuit boards are developed because of the higher humidity compared to what there would be in the European countries.

These are a couple of the differences we would see compared to Europe. Typically those are the design parameters that are considered, because you are trying to sell products across the world, rather than design for Europe and try to market it outside of Europe. We are taking a much bigger approach to make sure our products fit the entire world.

IAA: In terms of doing business in Asia, how does that compare to other regions?

AF: From the point of view of the customer there is not a great deal of difference except that the customers in that region, particularly in SEA, have some needs for high temperature products and high humidity products. In dealing with them, the processes are pretty much the same. I think there are cultural themes that we need to understand about various countries, in SEA, which are markedly different to what you would see in Europe or the US. I think that is very important, and that is why I am pushing this local for local approach to make sure that we do become part of each of these countries as opposed to focusing too much on Singapore as a hub, with engineers visiting regional countries every now and then. I think it is really important that we become part of the culture and we understand their needs. If you take a place like Indonesia, which has a very large population, there are different industry trends that are happening in those places compared to Europe.

With Indonesia, and its large population, water treatment is a growing issue in that country. Whereas water treatment in Europe is pretty well established, so they have new and upcoming needs that are what you would consider in Europe to be well established processes. If you look at Vietnam, for instance, they are starting now to talk about mass rapid transport systems, because the roads cannot take the amount of traffic.

What we want to do is be part of that development.

The only way you can do that is to have local people supporting you from distribution and from a technical training point of view.

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instrumentation & Measurement

IAA interviewed Kai Ristau, head of international sales and business development, Beckhoff Automation, on the company’s expansion and the market for PC-based control. By Mark Johnston

PC-Based Control In Asia P

C-based control has been around for over 30 years, and has been growing steadily since.

Although the company dominates in Germany, it is making efforts to expand and push into Asia, creating opportunities and partnerships to expand its reach and brand.

IAA: Are you opening new offices in Asia?

Kai Ristau (KR): The company already has a good footprint in Asia. We have a subsidiary in Japan and China, and a strong presence in South Korea and Thailand. There is an office in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand. South East Asia (SEA) is becoming more important for us. Besides Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia is a country that we are examing more closely. In anwser to your question, yes, we will be expanding in SEA, with a specific focus

on Indonesia. There is a partnership in Thailand, and Vietnam and the Philippines are countries where we are considering a larger presence.

IAA: What is your fastest growing market in SEA? KR: We are growing in all the markets in SEA. It is difficult to say which market is growing faster as this would imply that the other markets are not growing for us. Thailand is a good market, and also Malaysia. In Singapore, I think it is known that there is a certain trend where the manufacturing industry is moving out of the country and into Malaysia, China, and Thailand, for example. Singapore is more of a technology hub than a manufacturing base.

IAA: How is your business growing in China?

KR: China is a huge market by absolute numbers. It

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has picked up in the last 5 to 10 years with double digit growth. The wind industry is successful for us in China, and we have an optimistic view of the country as well as the whole of Asia in 2013.

IAA: What do you think are the key challenges for growing in China?

KR: There are obviously several challenges in China.

One of those challenges is finding the right engineers, essentially to find the right people to work for the company. The situation in China can be unstable.

The way we are addressing it is to create a good environment that is very people oriented, which is oriented towards growth and giving people the chance to develop together with the company. As such, making it unnecessary for them to jump into other companies for a better career.

We have currently 150 people in China and we expect to add another 30 people this year.

The company is constantly opening new offices and growing departments so new positions are becoming available. Everybody who joins us as a junior or even as a mid-junior has the chance to grow within our organisation.

IAA: Do you think PC-based control is not as known in Asia as it is elsewhere, and how are you expanding your brand in the region?

KR: No, not really. We have been in the market for many years and PC-based control is not that new.

Asians are picking up the idea of PC-based control pretty fast so they are very open to new technologies.

Also, a new generation of decision makers are coming through, who have been using PC-based control from their school education, making it easier for us to get our message across.

Of course, there is still a tendency to use more traditional control systems, but it is not an obstacle, it is more of an advantage for us, because it means there is still a big market that remains untouched.

IAA: Are you investing in education, for example, supplying equipment and resources to universities?

KR: This is one of the things we are doing to support universities, and technical colleges too. We will be doing this even more going forward, and we are always open for discussion with universities who would like to use our technology to train their

Visit us on our website at

“Machine building would be our main industry, with roughly two thirds of our systems and products being sold into the machine making industry.” - Kai Ristau students. The beauty of PC-based control is that you do not need a big amount of hardware. You could use a standard PC in the laboratory of a university/college, and just install our software on it. With our TwinCAT III, which is free-of-charge for the engineering version. Each university could, with zero cost, use the software on the existing hardware and have a running control system. I think this is unique, I do not think that there are other suppliers that have by default a software control system — with of course, a certain limitation — available at no cost.

IAA: Would Germany be your strongest market?

KR: Yes, Germany is of course the number one, followed by China, and then the US. IAA: What are the company’s top three industries within Germany?

KR: Machine building would be our main industry, with roughly two thirds of our systems and products being sold into the machine making industry. One third is distributed amongst the energy sector, such as wind turbine generation, the solar industry, infrastructure, building automation, and the process industry. In terms of Asia, this would be similar if we look at the region as a whole.

IAA: What trends are you noticing in Asia in relation to your industry?

KR: A strong trend is real-time Ethernet based fieldbus systems. One of the most known Ethernet based systems is EtherCAT, a development from Beckhoff Automation that is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year (2013), which we introduced at Hannover Messe. There are now 2,300 companies supporting the EtherCAT network.

ENQUIRY NO. 5503

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ENERGY

Hydroelectric power plants are built to last, so it is important to have reliable equipment and sensors to help monitor and control operations in a robust way, maintaining precision throughout their operation. By Heiko Peters, technical editor, ifm electronic

Hydropower:

Clean Energy Generation H

ydroelectric power plants depend on high investments and become profitable only after decades.

As such, it is understandable that these types of power plants are planned and built for a long lifetime. Only high-quality and reliable machine par ts and sensors are used.

A distinction is made between running water, storage power and pump storage power plants. The differences in height between the upper and lower reservoir, as well as the volumetric flow quantities in the turbine are decisive for the electricity output.

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With the hydrostatic submersible pressure transmitter, suitable prerequisites are available for water level measurement with stability.

Types Of Turbines

What type of turbine is selected depends on local factors such as water quantity and height of fall. The Kaplan turbine is used for great heights of fall and volumetric flow quantities, the Francis turbine for average heights of fall and volumetric flow quantities, and the Pelton turbine for great heights of fall and small volumetric flow quantities.

The mechanical energy of the turbines is transferred to the generator by means of a shaft. Slide bearings ensure that there is almost no rotational loss. Temperature sensors are used to monitor the temperature of the bearings to ensure ‘friction-free’ and therefore low-loss transmission of energy.

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energy

The mechanical energy of the turbines is transferred to the generator by means of a shaft.

Slide bearings ensure that there is almost no rotational loss.

This is where the temperature sensors come in. The temperature of the bearings is an important sign of a ‘friction-free’ and therefore low-loss transmission of energy.

The slide bearings are supplied by a central lubrication block.

T h e t e m p e r a t u re o f t h e bearings and coolants is recorded via the temperature control monitor as well as the temperature sensors and is provided to the PLC as a scaled 4 - 20mA analogue signal. This way, viscosity and lubricity of the coolant can be monitored.

Monitoring & Control

In automation and process technology, monitoring and control of temperatures is one of the most important measuring tasks. The correct temperature often influences the quality and efficiency of the corresponding processes. Critical states are to be prevented. This is achieved by

compact temperature switches and transmitters as well as by cable and probe sensors, which are connected to an external control monitor.

Apart from measuring the temperature, it is of course necessar y to continuously monitor the level in the supply tank of the central lubrication block in order to avoid insufficient lubrication. In addition to the central lubrication block, the hydraulic power pack plays an important role. It is used for ser vo-hydraulic adjustment of the guide vane apparatus, eg: in Francis turbines. Here as well, continuous availability of sufficient hydraulic fluid quantities must be ensured.

For continuous level measurement, the level is detected continuously, converted into an electrical signal and indicated.

Depending on the type, the units have freely programmable switching outputs or an analogue output for further processing.

For capacitive measurement, the tank and the material form an electrical capacitor. The capacity

changes with the level and is converted into a level measurement by a microprocessor.

This is widely used with a variety of aggregates in different application areas, for example in the machine tool industry.

The electronic sensors of ifm do not require any mechanical components and are as such robust, reliable and have long term stability. Unlike with mechanical components, deposits or ‘wear and tear’ do not lead to error messages. Regular maintenance and cleaning are not necessary. Even critical process conditions such as emptying a hydraulic tank or the unintentional overspill of a tank are monitored by level sensors.

Apart from slide bearings, depending on the type of g e n e r a t o r, ro l l i n g e l e m e n t bearings are used. This is where the modern rolling element bearing diagnosis with vibration sensors helps to establish a condition-based maintenance.

The diagnostic system octavis offers a way of diagnosing early wear and tear of the bearings as well as the damage progress.

When bearings are subject to wear and tear and damage is caused, the friction increases.

Heat loss occurs and the bearing damage — depending on how far advanced it is — can lead to a blockage of the shaft. In turn, this can immediately lead to a destruction of the entire peripher y and as such to increased repair costs.

Conclusion

Vibration sensors help to establish a condition-based maintenance

By means of the diagnostic electronics, it is possible to continuously and simultaneously analyse and evaluate the measured signals of up to four measurement points and two more process quantities. Pre-alarm and alarm are signalled via switching outputs. The trend is stored in the unit with a time stamp.

Reliable sensors and evaluation systems ensure a minimisation of down-times — as such, investments pay off quickly and hydroelectric power plants can produce clean energy on a longterm basis.

ENQUIRY NO. 5601

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ASIA 2013

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SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

Lighting Up Energy Supply

Market Trends In the second quarter of 2010 global demand for solar panels increased to over 3.8 gigawatts (GW) according to international solar energy market research and consulting company, Solarbuzz. The results translate to a 54 percent growth quarter-on-quarter and were only two percent under the global market’s previous record of 3.92 GW in the last quarter of 2009.

Debbie Mous, Den Bosch, Brabant, Netherlands

With an increasing amount of research focusing on climate change and alternative energy sources, a greater effort is being pushed by many governments and organisations to not just diversify energy supply but to increase its reach. By James Kiley, Industrial Automation Group, Advantech

T

oday’s renewable energy solutions are focused in four areas: harnessing the power of the sun, the wind, moving water, and plant materials.

Solar energy is the energy derived from the sun through the form of solar radiation. Solar powered electrical generation relies on photovoltaics (PV) and heat engines.

The potential uses and applications of solar energy include solar panel designs for residential, commercial and industrial buildings to minimise thermal energy consumed. This includes the energy that is consumed by the occupants, as well as that which is embedded in the construction of the building.

Solar water heating for domestic, recreational, institutional and industrial use is also quite useful, with broader applications for solar space heating as well. The most popular use though is undoubtedly for generating electricity (PV and solar thermal), ranging from small to medium- scale stand-alone applications to large-scale grid-connected applications.

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Total industry revenues were approximately US$17.2 billion in during the second quarter, compared to US$12 billion during the first quarter of 2011 and US$6.2 billion in 2009’s second quarter.

Renewable energy can be generated centrally and distributed for use near its point of production.

Providing energy at (or near) the point of use reduces the infrastructure required for energy distribution and energy delivery losses, as well as increasing energy efficiency. Accelerated implementation of technologies in the private, commercial and industrial sector, such as passive solar design technologies and solar water heating systems, should also impact positively on energy demandside management and as such defer the need for additional power plant capacity.

From the end of 2004 to the end of 2008, solar PV capacity increased sixfold to more than 16 GW, wind power capacity increased 250 percent to 121 GW, and total power capacity from new renewables increased 75 percent to 280 GW. During the same period, solar heating capacity doubled to 145 gigawatts-thermal (GWth), while biodiesel production increased sixfold to 12 billion litres per year and ethanol production doubled to 67 billion litres per year.

An implementation of a thermoelectric control system.

the host computer. Moreover, these PLCs are far away from the central control room. Therefore, a ratio of 1 Wireless AP for every 10 PLCs was recommended to guarantee reliable wireless network transmissions.

The Wireless APs apply wireless distribution system technology allowing them to be bridged flexibly; making it easy to transmit data to all of the 100 PLCs through 100 EKI-1351’s and they upload all relevant information to the central control room.

ENQUIRY NO. 5701

Thermoelectric Control System

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The sun is a huge source of abundant power, sending nearly 10,550 EJ of energy to the Earth every day. This is more energy in one hour than all the combined cities of the world use in one year. To try and harness this power, many countries have been investing in solar technologies for over 30 years.

Today’s solar thermoelectric systems include reflectors, mirrors, heat insulating absorbers and advanced motion control technology. Advantech has its own Industrial Wireless Ethernet products, which are suited for many such applications.

Wireless communications are a complement to industrial wired solutions. In a typical solar thermoelectric control system, a combination of wired and wireless communications can effectively solve problems related to data transmission and field application issues. Two connection modes are supported: Infrastructure and Ad-hoc.

When in Ad-hoc mode, the wireless network card does not require a huge network structure and a high-speed; a simple network can be built without a lot of end-user effort. In this solar thermoelectric control system, a client of Advantech’s required the implementation of a wireless network.

The solution adopted the company’s Wireless AP EKI-6311G and Wireless EKI-1351 Serial Device Server.

In the field, 100 PLCs were deployed, and each PLC adopted a Wireless mode to transmit information to

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features

With businesses becoming increasingly more communication-centric, virtually every industry is now relying on industrial Ethernet technology to network critical devices and control systems as well as to enhance process automation and improve efficiency.

By April Ankrum, senior product manager, Turck

Ethernet Cable:

A Guideline To

A

s one of the most widely used networking technologies, Ethernet connects more than 85 percent of LAN connected PCs and workstations, providing a flexible solution that delivers real-time data and status updates to ensure constant information accessibility and instantaneous data transfer.

In order to utilise these communication capabilities, Ethernet cables are required to provide the necessary connectivity. These cables are used to connect devices, such as PC, switches and routers, to transmit and receive data. To ensure proper cabling installation, organisations such as the American National Standards Institute, Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronic Industries Association provide clear, concise instructions and standards that assist users in setting up reliable Ethernet connections.

Along with understanding the correct regulations, selecting the appropriate cable for an application

Effen Nel, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Implementing Solid Or Stranded Cables is equally important. Identifying the various cable categories, classes and types and their distinctions is critical, as cables are separated into distinct categories, such as 5, 5e and 6, classes like C, D, E and F and are defined as solid or stranded. By recognising these classifications, as well as the uses and purposes for stranded and solid cables, users can select the ideal cable to meet their application requirements.

Cable Standards The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and Electronic Industries Association (EIA) were developed to describe uniform wiring system requirements. These standards provide useful guidelines for implementing cabling systems in networking applications. Outlining how to design, build and manage cabling systems, these standards are designed to direct users through creating a uniform cabling system. By providing user-friendly

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Performance Testing In order to ensure cable connections are properly made, ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-C.2 provides performance testing guidelines that must be done on cables prior to use to ensure the cabling system will operate as expected. Generally, testing is a two-phase process, consisting of an opens test and a shorts test. In the first phase (opens test), a cable tester is used to verify all the intended connections exist and are good. The second phase (shorts test) is performed in order to ensure there are no unintended connections.

Unintended connections can either indicate a short circuit, which is when the connection is short, or signify miswiring, which occurs when a connection goes to the wrong place.

According to the ANSI/TIA/EIA standard for category 5e copper cable, the maximum length for a cable segment is 100 metres (or 328 feet). Category 5e cable is capable of transmitting data at speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps (1 Gigabit per second). The specifications for 10BASE-T networking specify a 100-metre length between active devices. This allows for 90 metres of fixed cabling, two connectors and two patch leads of five metres, one at each end.

Category 6 cable was designed to perform at frequencies of up to 250 MHz and offers higher performance for better transmission of data at speeds up to 1,000 Mbps, with fewer errors for 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T applications. For additional data transfer requirements, some Category 6 cables can support 10 Gigabit speeds, however, they may suffer length limitations. Category 6 cabling, with its larger conductors, internal dividers, and tighter twist lengths would be analogous to a high-end model, delivering better performance and more capacity.

Solid Vs Stranded Cabling Solid and stranded cables each have their individual purposes and benefits, and knowing when and where they should be used will improve networking performance and efficiency. Though they feature

Bend Radius Cabling standards also outline the appropriate bend radius for each cable. Bend radius is the minimum extent a cable can be bent without kinking, suffering damaging or shortening the cable’s life span. The minimum bend radius is five times the cable diameter for stationary cables and 10 times for moving/ flex cables. When cabling is bent beyond this predetermined minimum bend radius, it can cause transmission failures. All pathways must maintain the minimum bend radius wherever the cable makes a bend.

Cables Categories Common cabling types used for Ethernet connections are twisted-pair cables, which can improve the signal quality and cable flexibility. There are several different categories and classes of cable to indicate their specific performance parameters. These include Category 5, 5e, 6 and 7, and each encompasses a different type of twisted pair cable that has unique properties which define how much signal it can carry and transmission limitations.

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ENQUIRY NO. 608

instruction, as well as topology, connection points, termination points and media definitions, users can wire a building without prior knowledge or special skill.

ANSI/TIA-568, a family of telecommunication standards, provide the requirements for twisted-pair, optical fibre and coaxial cabling, with the purpose of establishing performance and technical criteria for cabling system configurations to access and connect components. To attain this goal and aid users in creating reliable networking connections, these standards define transmission and mechanical requirements, electromagnetic compatibility for cabling, installation procedures, connector termination techniques and field testing.

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features

The minimum bend radius is five times the cable diameter for stationary cables and 10 times for moving/flex cables.

Solid Ethernet cables are made up of a single, solid conducting wire. Featuring larger wires, they are physically stronger and easier to work with.

similar capabilities, each serves a distinct function and offers specific advantages.

Solid Solid Ethernet cables are made up of a single, solid conducting wire. Featuring larger wires, solid cables are physically stronger and easier to work with.

Further, the larger wires provide superior electrical characteristics capable of remaining stable over a wider range of frequencies. This makes solid cables better suited to new and emerging high-speed Ethernet applications.

Due to their large copper diameter, solid conductor cables have a lower DC resistance and a lower susceptibility to high frequency effects. Solid cables are able to support longer transmission, receiving longer runs and higher data rates than stranded cables. However, while solid cables have a ‘larger’ core, they are also more vulnerable to breakage. This limits their flexibility, as they cannot be repeatedly flexed or bent without breaking or causing performance inefficiencies. This inherent stiffness makes solid cables the ideal solution for horizontal cabling within a system infrastructure.

For example, solid Cat5e cables are well-suited for networking applications such as running from room to room in an office building, due to the higher distance needed. For runs over 100 feet (30.48 metres), solid cables will perform better and more reliably than stranded cables.

Stranded With stranded cabling, the inside features twisted pairs of a stranded cable, with each individual conductor made up of a bundle of smaller-gauge wire strands. Stranded cable is arranged in a way that several wires surround a single wire in the bundle’s centre. For Category cables, the number of surrounding strands is six, with one in the middle.

The inside of stranded cables features twisted pairs of a stranded cable, with each individual conductor made up of a bundle of smaller-gauge wire strands.

This stranded arrangement forms a conductor that ends up with a diameter similar to a solid cable.

However, the conducting area of a stranded cable is smaller than that of a solid cable due to the smaller diameters of each individual wire strand. Stranded cables are a type of cable that users often have more familiarity with and handle directly.

The stranding of the wire conductor not only protects the cable, but it also enhances its flexibility.

The longer the cable is, the more times each strand is twisted around the centre. As a result, when a stranded cable is bent, each strand bends as though it is independent of the entire strand. This construction enables these cables to move easily and frequently without harm or risk of performance failure.

While they are not as reliable as solid cables for long distance runs, their flexibility makes stranded Cat 5 cables ideal for short distances. Since they are pliable by nature, stranded cables deliver the mobility necessary to perform well in applications such as patch cabling, as they will be constantly plugged, unplugged, bent or installed. A patch is used to provide connectivity between any two RJ45 jacks.

Common patch cabling applications are connecting patch panel ports to other patch panel ports or to switch ports, and for connecting the work area outlet (jack) to the computer or other networked device.

Conclusion As networking continues to be a necessary component of businesses in virtually any industry, understanding the types, standards and purposes of various Ethernet cable options is crucial to ensuring reliable network performance and continuous access to important data. By using ASNI/TIA/EIA-568 as a guideline, users can install, test and maintain the cabling required for their networking applications.

ENQUIRY NO. 5801

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eBOOK EXCLUSIVE

Smarter Living

FSG777, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Responsible energy usage represents a challenge for organisations, governments, and the individual. With high energy prices and a growing concern over global warming and pollution, the efficiency and responsible use of energy is of increasing importance. By Andrew Leong

G

reater focus is being placed on energy, its source and the technology used to filter or transform it into light, heat, power, and so on. In order to understand how to better utilise energy, it should be first understood, how organisations, and for that matter population settlements, are structured. As more people are now moving to, or are currently living in cities, this will have an impact on how energy technology is distributed and implemented. industrial automation asia | Feb/Mar 2013

This is in fact the current trend, where an increasing number of people are moving from more rural living conditions to cities. This is partly because of government policy to build up cities, as such population densities are easier to manage than more dispersed populations.

More recently, this balance between rural and urban has now tipped in favour of cities at the expense of rural populations.

Currently, approximately one in two people live in cities, but it is

estimated that by 2050, two out of three will. Of course, as more people migrate to population centres, there will be an increasing strain on infrastructure.

High Expectations There is also an increasing expectation from what urban centres can offer its residents, be it a higher quality of life or better services and career prospects.

This higher expectation extends to the cities’ transport infrastructure and energy systems, which are expected to be not just available and running, but efficient and sustainable.

In today’s economic climate, w h e re s o m e n a t i o n s h a v e introduced austerity measures to reduce debt and avoid bankruptcy, investing in new infrastructure is a difficult task and one that may not be high on a country’s priority list. However, in our globalised economy, cities are competing for talented citizens, which in turn will boost growth and inspire creative measures to stem the flow of bad debt, creating jobs and improving economic conditions. Heads of nations need to attract these people; they must build cities that can compete with other globalised cities and they must compete for talent.

Attracting talent and creating conditions for starting or growing a business will eventually create more economic opportunity for its citizens, who are looking for cities that do not just operate efficiently, but also purposefully.

Creating Intelligence With technology advances, cities today can achieve a level of understanding that would have been the stuff of science fiction yesterday. Processing, collecting, and distributing information is now faster, more efficient, and more secure that it has ever been previously. However, it is

these levels of knowledge, they can also predict changes later on, while also working to improve education, healthcare and social services.

In today’s age, implementing such systems in urban centres is of great importance for staying competitive and attracting global talent to live, work, and play. Giving the right people the right information at the right time is what intelligent urban settlements aim to do. To stay competitive in a globalised e c o n o m y, t h i s i s n o t j u s t desirable, but necessary.

Svilen Milev, Bulgaria

the intelligence of cities that is of the greatest significance.

This intelligence is derived from knowledge acquired from sensors and complex data processing algorithms.

A city that knows an individual’s public interactions, likes and dislikes, friends, business interests and colleagues can deliver a tailored experience, and as such, increases not just efficiency but also engagement.

Intelligent cities can understand how transportation, water and energy systems interact, and optimise their operations, individually or collectively. With

As cities become more intelligent, they are increasingly centred around the individual, increasing the cities’ knowledge and efficiency even further.

Smart City Technologies To Exceed US$39 Billion By 2016 Many municipalities around the world are exploring the Smart City concept as a way to make themselves better places to live, work, and grow. The market for technologies that feed into and support Smart City programs and projects will grow on a global basis from US$8 billion in 2010 to exceed US$39 billion in 2016, accounting for US$116 billion in cumulative spending during that period.

How will that money be spent?

These cities may be installing municipal wireless networks, implementing e-government initiatives by providing access to city departments and initiatives through websites, integrating public transportation with intelligent transportation systems, or developing ways to cut their carbon footprints and reduce the amount of recyclables consigned to the trash heap.

Larry Fisher, practice director, ABI Research, says: “Certain technologies are in use in most Smart City projects and programs. These include communication-based technologies, such as broadband, Wi-Fi, and RFID, while others target improved energy efficiency through the incorporation of smart meters and the smart grid. Some

municipalities decide to utilise elements of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Transportation Information Systems, to maximise transportation efficiency and reduce traffic delays, cutting fuel waste and carbon emissions.”

Smart City projects frequently share some of the following characteristics: • A networked infrastructure; • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to increase prosperity and competitiveness ­— for citizens and local businesses alike; • Collective community intelligence based on effective planning for urban and regional development, and innovation management; and • A focus on social and environmental sustainability through the participation of citizens in city processes, with the aim of balancing growth initiatives with the protection of valuable natural resources.

Mr Fisher concludes: “Due to cityby-city project differences, a one-sizefits-all approach cannot be applied to Smart Cities. In the long term, the adoption of open standards will be of

paramount importance as the basis for technology choices underpinning any Smart City development.”

On China For the first time, the People’s Republic of China became a mostly urban society in 2012 with an urban population of 712 million or 52.6 percent of the total.

To efficiently absorb the new citizens, it must adapt the existing cities and build new ones capable of managing resources and people’s needs in more efficient ways.

China already has several cities with over 10 million people — Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Tianjin — and is building several more. The existing megacities will need ‘retrofitting’ to become more efficient from a natural resources and energy management perspective, and also smart solutions that apply holistic approaches to planning and building.

With an economic growth rate of 7.8 percent and an investment of nine percent of its GDP in infrastructure in 2012, the country’s latest Five-Year Plan focuses on sustainability and the improvement of people’s lives.

Feb/Mar 2013 | industrial automation asia

EVENT REVIEW

CommunicAsia 2013 A Platform For Knowledge Sharing

Full house at CommunicAsia 2013 Summit.

Visitors at the SatComm cluster at CommunicAsia 2013.

CommunicAsia 2013, EnterpriseIT 2013 and BroadcastAsia 2013 was a four-day event, held from June 18 - 21, 2013 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore.

The event saw more than 51,000 attendees from 100 countries/ regions attend the exhibition halls and conference suites.

“By holding all the shows under one roof, we could leverage the increasing convergence of t e c h n o l o g i e s a c ro s s b o t h sectors, and still have each show maintain its own appeal,” said Stephen Tan, chief executive of Singapore Exhibition Services, the organiser of CommunicAsia 2013, EnterpriseIT 2013 and BroadcastAsia 2013.

Show Highlights Companies showcased the latest technologies and solutions for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and digital media industries. Visitors were treated to first views of the Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1, a 7-inch Android rugged tablet designed for Asian customers. Huawei, one of the show’s largest exhibitors, unveiled its P6 Ascend, the world’s slimmest smartphone just a few hours after its global launch in London.

Thuraya unveiled a phone sleeve, which converts an ordinary iPhone

into a satellite phone for mobile communications almost anywhere in the world, by connecting the phone to Thuraya’s satellites.

The event also brought together 130 satellite communications companies, with live ultra highdefinition content was streamed to an Ultra HD TV screen over MEASAT’s satellite network, using Ericsson’s compression technology.

F o r t r a d e v i s i t o r I re n e Mayarani, business & risk analysis manager, PT. Ketrosden Triasmitra of Indonesia, the trade shows offered networking opportunities to enhance business, as well as source for technological solutions that meet their requirements.

“There is a good representation of international exhibitors at CommunicAsia 2013 and I am impressed with the show. In particular, the solutions provided by the exhibitors from China attracted my attention because of their competitive pricing. I am here to find suppliers for fibre optic deployment and I have found useful contacts for future partnerships. This is my second time at the show and I will be back again for the next show,” affirms Ms Mayarani.

The shows’ first ever joint visionary address drew packed audiences to its three-part session. Steve Leonard, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s recently appointed deputy chairman, shared his vision for Singapore as a world leading, fully-integrated smart nation.

Delegates found the CommunicAsia 2013 Summit sessions informative, as they o f f e re d g o o d c o v e r a g e o n industry’s most talked about topics such as CDN, BYOD, m-commerce, mobile broadband and LTE. They were also able to broaden their horizons after hearing experts share their views on upcoming trends and best practices.

CommunicAsia, EnterpriseIT and BroadcastAsia will return to the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from June 17-20, 2014.

June 18 - 21, 2013 Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Centre Singapore ENQUIRY NO. 5901

Stephen Tan, chief executive, Singapore Exhibition Services delivering his speech at the Opening Ceremony.

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products & Services ABB: Automation

Fluke Networks:

An engineering development tool-suite, from ABB, for industrial automation projects, Automation Builder provides an integrated development environment for control and motion systems based on PLCs, safety PLCs, robotics, motion control and related automation components — reducing software complexity, and cutting time to market and cost of ownership.

Combining all of the tools required for configuring, programming, debugging and maintaining automation projects from a common intuitive interface, the software addresses the largest single cost element of most of today’s industrial automation projects: software.

The Versiv Cable Certification Te s t e r s , f r o m F l u k e Networks, are designed to help data communications installers more quickly, accurately and profitably to achieve system acceptance for copper and fibre jobs.

Versiv is a platform offering interchangeable modules for copper, fibre and optical time domain reflectometer testing, as well as new software innovations that speed test time and accuracy, and simplify testing setup, planning and reporting.

An intuitive and instructive touch screen interface is also featured that elevates the capabilities of the less experienced installers, and increases the speed of testing and global ISO Level V testing compliance.

Development Software

Enquiry no. 5902

Certification Tools

Enquiry no. 5904

Endress+Hauser: Level Switch

Harting: Industrial Connector

The Liquipoint FTW33 point level switch for liquids by Endress+Hauser is designed for hygienic processes. It meets FDA requirements as well as 3A Sanitary Standard Number 74. It can be used in pipes; and in storage, mixing and process vessels, with or without an agitator.

The conductivity sensor is built for tough applications in the food and beverage market.

It measures the presence of conductive liquids with an electrical conductivity greater than 1 µS/cm. It also has an optional build-up compensation feature that allows it to switch reliably in heavy build-up and viscous products like tomato paste, honey, molasses, and peanut butter.

The Han HMC connector series from the Harting Technology Group is the first to combine the properties of more than 10,000 mating cycles and protection against harsh environmental conditions in one complete connector.

The connector is suited for devices and machines that are employed in different locations and that often are connected several times a day, eg: in the medical sector and the laboratory and test engineering sector.

The increasing modularisation in machine construction and automation is furthermore leading to a rising demand for connectors that have been developed for a large number of mating cycles. These connectors are also suited for use in tool and other interchangeable systems.

Enquiry no. 5903

Enquiry no. 5905

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products & Services

Honeywell: ISA100-

Igus: Heavy Duty Bearings

The OneWireless Terminal Solution, from Honeywell, enables operators of oil and gas terminals to increase their productivity while also complying with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) regulations, all at lower cost than wired technology.

The solution includes ISA100-compatible Enraf SmartRadar FlexLine. Requiring no external wireless module, the devices integrated radio sends tank level measurements securely and wirelessly to the central control room. The device is also used as a data concentrator, collecting data from local tank instruments and sending the data wirelessly through the same ISA100 network.

Bearings are subject to a lot of wear, particularly in heavy-duty slewing applications in construction or agricultural machinery.

Tests by Igus confirm a low wear rate for the Iglidur Q2 plain bearings in combination with hard chrome-plated shafts from Ovako.

Plastic plain bearings from the company are made of self-lubricating plastics. They are suitable for high bearing forces and are as such amongst the most important lubricantand maintenance-free plain bearings.

Its areas of application are mainly agricultural engineering, commercial vehicles, construction machinery, jig construction or in general mechanical engineering applications.

Compatible Radar

Enquiry no. 5906

ifm electronic: Power Supplies

A range of short circuit & overload protected, higher efficiency Power supplies from ifm electronic are important components in machine automation technology. Their effect on current quality is very often underestimated, which can result in unplanned machine faults.

These switched-mode power supplies feature either plastic or metal housings, and slim-line DIN rail mounted designs.

They also feature power LEDs, wide-range input and the cULus approval for use worldwide. They are suitable for motors and DC/DC converters. Further versions are designed for the fieldbus system AS-Interface.

Enquiry no. 5907

Enquiry no. 5908

Moxa: Serial Data

Acquisition Device

The ioLogik R1200 series, from Moxa, a line of smart RS485 serial interface remote I/O devices with features, such as communication configuration by software, uploading configuration or firmware by USB, dual RS-485 ports, and built-in repeater.

The devices are suited for establishing a cost-effective, dependable, and easy-tomaintain process control remote I/O system. Serial remote I/O products offer process engineers the benefit of simple wiring, as they only require two wires to communicate with the controller and other RS-485 devices while adopting the EIA/ TIA RS-485 communication protocol to transmit and receive data at high speed over long distances.

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products & Services

Panasonic: Enterprise-

Sick: Safety Light Curtain

Panasonic has expanded its Toughpad line of enterprise-grade tablets with the introduction of the Toughpad JT-B1, which is a 7” Android-powered unit that follows the previous release of the 10” Toughpad FZ-A1 (Android), and the 10” Toughpad FZ-G1 (Windows 8 Pro). Toughpad tablets are designed for mission critical and mobile workers in the logistics, utilities, telecommunications, construction, healthcare, and the military, among others.

The mac4, from Sick, is designed to make safety modular. With a housing concept featuring basic and extension modules. The device is also adjustable for the best fit, and is designed to be something that can be worn by almost any size.

The device is designed to give straightforward functionality and protection, and to be an economical solution to make small assembly stations safe. Available in two resolutions, with a protective field height of up to 1 metre and a field width of up to 3.20 metres.

Grade Tablet

Enquiry no. 5910

Rockwell Automation:

Enquiry no. 5912

Siemens: Data Centre

Compact Drives

Infrastructure Management

Rockwell Automation has launched its Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 525 AC drive to help machine builders and end users simplify equipment design and operation, along with speed installation and configuration.

Representing the first in the company’s next generation of compact drives, the drive features a modular design in power ranges from 0.5 to 30 horsepower or 0.4 to 22 kW at 100 to 600 volt input. Its embedded EtherNet/IP, safety, USB programming, energy savings and a variety of motor-control options are suited for machine-level and stand-alone applications or simple system integration.

Suitable for a range of applications, including conveyors, material handling, compressors, fans and pumps, the drive provides a variety of motor-control options to accommodate open and closed-loop applications.

A Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Solution, from Siemens, the Datacenter Clarity LC which bridges the gap between IT and facility management, allowing for smarter decision making and optimised efficiencies using proven technologies.

This solution is the company’s first offering in the DCIM space and a milestone for its increased focus into the broader data centre arena. The growing need to efficiently house data in a secure, reliable and resilient environment leverages the company’s core areas of expertise.

Enquiry no. 5911

Enquiry no. 5913

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Calendar Of Events 2013

17 – 19 Oil & Gas Thailand BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Fireworks Media (Thailand) Email: thai@asiafireworks.com Web: http://www.oilgasthai.com/

25 – 27 Clean Energy Expo Asia 2013 Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre Bangkok, Thailand Koelnmesse Email: j.liong@koelnmesse.com.sg Web: http://www.cleanenergyexpoasia.com/

nov 5 – 9 China International Industry Fair 2013 Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China Shanghai World Expo (Group) Co Ltd Email: ciif@shanghaiexpogroup.com Web: www.ciif-expo.com

5 – 9 Industrial Automation Show 2013

aug

oct 2 – 4 Power Gen Asia 2013

28 – 30 Thailand Lab 2013 BITEC Bangkok, Thailand VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Email: thailandlab@vnuexhibitionsap.com Web: http://www.thailandlab.com/

28 – 30 Electronics Assembly and Packaging Technology Expo 2013 Shenzhen International Convention & Exhibition Center Shenzhen, China Reed Exhibitions Email: vera.ng@reedexpo.com.hk Web: http://www.atexpochina.com/en/

28 – 30 Mission Critical Design Network Seminar 2013 Sofitel Plaza Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam Belden Email: Michelle.Eng@belden.com

28 – 31 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition 2013 Taipei World Trade Centre Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan Chan Chao International Co Ltd Email: automation@chanchao.com.tw Web: http://www.autotaiwan.com.tw/en/

sep 4 – 6 Semicon Taiwan 2013 TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall Taiwan Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) Email: staiwan1@semi.org Web: http://www.semicontaiwan.org/en/

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IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre Bangkok, Thailand PennWell Conferences & Exhibitions Email: exhibitpga@pennwell.com Web: www.powergenasia.com

9 – 10 MITF 2013 Putra World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Expo Works Email: info@expoworks.com.my Web: http://www.manufacturing-expo.com.my

10 – 12 Metalex Vietnam 2013 Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Reed Tradex Email: rtdx@reedtradex.co.th Web: www.metalexvietnam.com

10 – 13 IGEM 2013 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Expomal International Sdn Bhd Email: igem@expomal.com Web: www.igem.com.my/2013

28 – 1 Nov Singapore International Energy Week Marina Bay Sands Singapore Energy Market Authority Email: ema_siew@ema.gov.sg Web: www.siew.sg

Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd Email: ias@hmf-china.com Web: www.industrial-automation-show.com

13 – 15 Oil & Gas Indonesia 2013 Jakarta International Expo Jakarta, Indonesia PT Pamerindo Indonesia Web: http://www.pamerindo.com/events/6

dec 4 – 6 Oil & Gas Vietnam 2013 Indoor Sports Complex Vung Tau City, Vietnam Fireworks Vietnam Email: viet@asiafireworks.com Email: http://www.oilgasvietnam.com/

4 – 6 Semicon Japan 2013 Makuhari Messe Chiba, Japan Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) Email: jeventinfo@semi.org Web: http://www.semiconjapan.org/

4 – 7 Manufacturing Indonesia 2013 Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran Jakarta, Indonesia PT Pamerindo Indonesia Email: info@pamerindo.com Web: www.pamerindo.com

30 – Nov 1 EP Shanghai/Electrical Shanghai 2013 Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center Shanghai, PR China China Electrical Council Email: power@adsale.com.hk Web: www.epchinashow.com

To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to: The Editor IAA Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd. 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building, #02-05, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Email: iaa@epl.com.sg

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energy guide Supplement

A PREMIUM PRODUCT OF INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION ASIA

Take aim and hit your target market in energy: Tailored for energy producers, distributors, and consumers.

The Energy Guide

Photos courtesy of: ABB, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, AspenTech

EDITORIAL FOCUS Power Generation Here we bring the different sources of energy together and discuss the technology and process of power generation.

Renewable Energy Renewable Energy is exploding throughout Asia with solar energy and wind energy being the most desirable depending on location.

Smart grids are also taking off, inducing new ways to orchestrate energy management across conventional sources and renewable sources.

Energy Efficiency Energy policy plays an influential role in improving energy efficiency with the region’s energy authorities in introducing mandatory energy management requirements to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Oil & Gas The Oil & Gas sector is growing in Southeast Asia, especially the LNG market with strong demand seen across the region. This section can discuss such trends and the technologies required to get the most out of this industry.

Email : salesiaa@epl.com.sg Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2805

The age of energy renewal is upon us, as the number of companies embracing the technology of energy efficiency is increasing and more organisations are aligning themselves with government policy to reduce CO2 emissions.

Improving efficiency, taking advantage of renewable sources of energy, and improving on your green credentials is no longer an option, it’s essential.

This guide is aimed towards energy producers, distributors, and consumers, as we understand the essential need to benefit the broad energy market through these three categories. connect with us

www.iaasiaonline.com IHA energy supplement(1).indd 1

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ENQUIRY NO. 607

607 Mitsubishi.indd 1

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