What’s New in Process Technology March 2014 by Westwick-Farrow Media

0314

ON THE COVER

WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

CONTENTS

Being a field calibration technician in the processing industry is a tough job: you are under constant pressure to be more effec-

The Ethernet evolution in industry

tive, you need to have many skills and carry

Hot Products online

can be challenging and constantly changing,

New Products

difficult in the field.

multiple devices, environmental conditions and documentation of data takes time and is Having the right gear makes the work much

easier and also more efficient, so Beamex is focusing on making the work of a field cali-

Industrial ethernet products

bration technician easier and more efficient by launching a global â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ready for the field?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

I mproving alarm management with ISA-18.2

campaign.

Part 2

less equipment in the field, and reduce the

Most field technicians would like to carry time needed to generate documentation

As I see it isky business: operating in a tough R environment

accurately. Equipment with automated and guided procedures is one solution to this challenge. Furthermore, several individual applications may be possible to perform with just one multifunctional measurement device, which means that less equipment needs to be purchased, maintained and, ultimately, carried in the field. Ease of use is also important. If the environment is, for instance, dirty, wet, dusty or even potentially explosive, the required classification for the equipment also needs to be considered. The microsite beamex.com/readyforthefield explores the challenges related to the work of a field calibration technician and how the right gear and equipment make the work much easier and also more efficient.

NOW in DIGITAL! Your copy of What's New in Process Technology is now available as an online eMag.

http://www.processonline.com.au/latest_issues

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration Pty Ltd www.ams-ic.com.au beamex.com/readyforthefield

THE ETHERNET EVOLUTION IN INDUSTRY Shaun Loesch, PAC Solution Manager, Industry Business, Schneider Electric

4 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

www.ProcessOnline.com.au

In our day-to-day office and personal environments, we’ve become accustomed to a wealth of benefits delivered by internet-based technologies. As we move further and further towards a common IP highway, we consider the significant benefits that could be delivered by Ethernet backbones in industrial processes.

ill Ethernet bridge the divide between business and production environments or are we already there? The simple answer to the above question is that Ethernet technology has evolved to meet the needs of the industrial automation market and its capabilities provide significant advantages compared to the older proprietary networks. Some of these advantages include: • High-speed communications, 10 Mbit, 100 Mbit and 1 Gbit options. • Large data packet size coupled with higher speeds improves communications to large I/O drops and intelligent field devices. • M ore predictable communications with the introduction of Ethernet I/O scanning in automation systems. • No need to specially train personnel on proprietary networks as Ethernet is taught in universities and understood by personnel in other industries. • S implified configuration and troubleshooting allows management of the entire network from one central location and access to a wide range of existing Ethernet diagnostic tools. Yet despite such advantages, some organisations continue to express concerns regarding the use of Ethernet at the plant level. These concerns have chiefly focused on nervousness regarding its real-time capabilities and the robustness needed to operate in the harsh environment of a plant floor. While some of these concerns may have been valid previously, developments in Ethernet technology mean they should no longer be an issue. Today’s Ethernet solutions directly address the previous limitations expressed by end users.

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Ethernet development to suit industrial processes In the 1990s, vendors recognised that the inherent advantages of Ethernet would make it an attractive fieldbus network and began to build open application protocols based on Ethernet. The protocols used Layers 1 and 2 of the Ethernet stack and a new application layer optimised for automation applications. The resulting protocols needed to have the flexibility to meet a range of industrial requirements while being easy to use for non-IT personnel within the plant. An additional requirement was for these open protocols to use standard Ethernet hardware technology so users could utilise common off-the-shelf network components. Now large device catalogues allow customers to pick best-in-class devices for their system, and be assured that these devices will work together.

The move to Ethernetenabled PACs With many businesses currently focusing on maximising output from existing installations, one key means of achieving this improved performance and overcoming some of their challenges is by making better use of the vast amounts of information which exist within their operations. The move towards the connected enterprise requires a technology architecture that is capable of moving large volumes of data and information from the many connected devices found across the operation. This data is moved to the higher level applications and systems used for visualisation and analysis. At

MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 5

Industrial Ethernet

WITH MANY BUSINESSES CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON MAXIMISING OUTPUT FROM EXISTING INSTALL ATIONS, ONE KEY MEANS OF ACHIEVING THIS IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND OVERCOMING SOME OF THEIR CHALLENGES IS BY MAKING BETTER USE OF THE VAST AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION WHICH EXIST WITHIN THEIR OPERATIONS.

the centre of this technology architecture is the programmable automation controller (PAC). The traditional role of the PAC and its predecessor, the PLC, has been to monitor and control the devices, equipment, applications and processes found within the industrial operation. The new generation of PAC implements functions and services which support: • secure and efficient process automation • Ethernet transparency, distributed intelligence • links with business applications • web integration • interoperability • device communication using Ethernet and web standards The new generation PAC with Ethernet at its core not only ensures that its performance exceeds the demands placed on it, both now and in the future, but that it achieves this while maintaining high levels of security. Cybersecurity threats from external or internal sources are issues confronting all manufacturing companies today, and deliberate or accidental breaches to system integrity have the potential to impact not only profits but also people and the environment.

PACs, big data analysis and energy management With a global focus on sustainability, we now find energy measurement information available from a large number of sources. Power meters, smart devices and process instruments are the most common ones. All of these sources of information need to be brought together and combined with process data in order to achieve effective energy management. The highest quality of this data is obtained from smart devices and instrumentation, so the control system needs to provide open interfaces to each of these different devices and have the ability to time stamp (to milliseconds) the data which they are collecting (both electrical and process data). The combination of high-quality process and energy information

shifts the data value from energy dashboard variables to being an information source which can indicate faults within the process that cannot otherwise be detected. Current levels of energy management are mostly focused on energy consumption and looking at peak demand or power factor. These measures are the ones which need to be used in order to have the most direct impact on the processes to control our energy consumption. Beyond this, there is more analysis which can be based on energy data that provides predictive rather than reactive information about the process. To complete this analysis there needs to be increased access to more information that is available within the smarter drives and power meters that are available today. The information available in smart devices and meters is growing, but they are typically located on proprietary networks or on open networks dedicated for PAC controls. These networks ensure that appropriate priority is given to the control messages that enable great process automation. But they force engineers to select a subset of the data which is required for energy management and copy it into the PACs in order to transfer a set of data to energy management and other systems. This replicated data is limited in its scope because of the need for the PAC, rather than acting as a mailbox. To unlock all this automation and energy management data for big data analysis, without compromising the control focus required, there needs to be open access from remote systems to this wealth of data. Any transfer solution places unnecessary load on the controller or reduces the data available. The best solution is to allow direct Ethernet connection between analysis applications and the smart devices. To obtain the various multidisciplinary functionalities needed to run a plant, process end users in industries such as water and wastewater, food and beverage, hydropower, metals and mining, as well as

6 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

in the cement and glass industries, require secure, reliable interoperability among their automation products. As a hub for both real-time control and information, PACs can benefit from being designed with an open Ethernet backbone to optimise connectivity and communications, increase bandwidth and provide a high level of security. PACs typically provide complete automation, real-time information and motion control functionality using a single programming and engineering tool and a single programming language. PACs also provide transparent access across all parameters and functions, along with easy integration to the enterprise though the use of internet and other IT standards. As the needs of process end users continue to evolve to meet their ever-increasing challenges for productivity, flexibility, efficiency and profitability, the designs of PACs have also evolved. PACs must leverage the latest and most powerful silicon offerings in hardware to increase robustness and the reliability of the memory. PACs must also provide a high memory capacity to avoid creating bottlenecks.

Evolution from the PAC to the ePAC With today’s process plants requiring more rapid changeover capabilities, it is critical to be able to change automation configurations and architectures on the fly, without stopping the process. PACs must also have an architecture geared for maximising production flexibility, data and information transparency, and openness for diagnostics performed both locally and remotely. This has led to the next evolution of the PAC, known as the ePAC. Harnessing the best parts of Ethernet and PAC technologies, the ePAC offers users an even more adaptable platform to integrate with their existing hardware. Companies no longer have to take a costly rip-and-replace approach to deploying new solutions and now have an easier way of

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Industrial Ethernet

migrating operations to the platform. The end result allows companies to pick and choose the right services for them from multiple vendors, instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. ARC has observed a major trend for process end users to employ open networking technologies, such as EtherNet/IP, and to be able to take advantage of an open integration environment, higher information bandwidth, standardisation, cost savings, the flexibility to physically move portions of their processing and increased data visibility at all levels. The increasing need for distributed intelligence makes networking critically important. This market driver is leading to increased adoption of ePACs with built-in Ethernet backbones, especially for connectivity to either on-premise or cloud-based enterprise applications, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution systems (MES), enterprise asset management (EAM) and supply chain management (SCM). Today’s connected applications demand tighter integration and more information, with a higher expectation that the control system will initiate communication, update the controller at the device level in real time and serve up potentially massive quantities of information. Automation platforms with a built-in Ethernet backbone help meet these requirements in a highly flexible manner because they can support instant access, regardless of hierarchy, and avoid the limitations of proprietary software interfaces and protocols.

Network-centric ePACs with a built-in Ethernet backbone are accelerating the trend towards distributed I/O, providing process end users with significant cabling cost savings and reductions in installation, start-up and commissioning costs. Using Ethernet cables to replace I/O extension cables and fieldbus cables can result in significant cabling cost savings. Ethernet cables are also much less expensive than even standard coaxial cables. In addition, the use of single optical fibres to connect long-distance remote drops and devices can also result in significant cabling cost savings. ePACs create new opportunities for both traditional in-rack applications as well as for distributed I/O. At the control level, process end users seek an increasingly more flexible, expandable, interchangeable and reliable control platform that ideally covers the widest range of required applications. They’re looking for the ability to easily interface their control platforms with both fixed/wired and mobile/wireless HMIs, serial devices, motors, thermocouples, analog and digital I/Os, and other equipment and devices. With control room and rack space at a premium, they want automation platforms with the smallest practical footprint. And since power consumption affects both electricity and air-conditioning costs, they’re looking for more energy-efficient solutions.

increasingly move to automate and analyse big data. Several years ago, ARC estimated that worldwide, installed process automation systems worth about $65 billion are reaching the end of their useful life, with most over 20 years of age. When evaluating automation system modernisation projects, end users should seek solutions that minimise downtime and risk, while providing a tangible business value proposition that will have a real economic impact on their business. In many instances, ePACs will represent a viable, easily cost-justifiable modernisation solution. ARC recommends process end users follow a stepwise approach that allows them to evolve the components of their legacy systems that have the greatest impact on their processing operations, while preserving the components that have not yet outlived their useful life. Process end users require an approach that leverages automated tools and a range of services targeted at reducing or even eliminating the downtime required to complete a modernisation project. When modernising from PAC to ePAC, end users should consider the benefits of selecting an ePAC that embeds all legacy technology in its microprocessor to help ensure compliance with older technology.

Taking the journey

Schneider Electric Industry Business

System modernisation issues are becoming more important than ever as industries

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W338

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 7

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PORTABLE VIBRATION CALIBRATOR The TMS 9110D portable vibration calibrator is a selfcontained unit suitable for electromechanical testing over a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes.

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VIBRATING FORK LEVEL SWITCHES The Sitron V-Tork family of vibrating fork level switches offers a large range of configuration options including customised insertion length; and threaded, flanged or sanitary fittings. Control Components Pty Ltd

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8 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NARROW-SPACE POWER SUPPLIES The Wieland Electric Wipos PB1 power supply series is designed for low installation heights and narrow installation spaces that are common for small distribution boards, shunting distributors and control cabinet applications. For some buildings, electrical installations are often laid in suspended ceilings, in intermediate floors or in the trunking, therefore the switching power supplies are designed for 0.42 to 4.2 A and are mounted on DIN rails with screw connection also possible from 2.5 A upwards. The compact AC/DC power supply units supply 100% output at ambient temperatures of up to 60°C and can be used in a wide temperature range between -25 and 70°C, as well as in outside areas. Other features of the series include long holdup times of >60 ms, compensation of voltage drops through adjustable output voltage as well as a broad-range voltage input for worldwide use. The LED diagnosis enables easy commissioning and the power supply series is said to meet all-important standards and is approved for UL and CE-required installations.

COMPRESSOR LUBRICANT To enhance operational efficiency and reduce maintenance requirements, Ingersoll Rand has developed the Ultra EL (extended life) rotary compressor lubricant. This next-generation synthetic lubricant is formulated to perform up to 16,000 h to maximise uptime and reduce life cycle costs. Ultra EL high-performance lubricant is claimed to allow air compressors to run cooler and more efficiently, even in high ambient temperature environments. Ultra EL’s composition protects critical components, significantly reducing wear and increasing component longevity while enhancing overall compressor performance. Ultra EL is best suited to high-demand, multishift applications. When used in demanding environments, Ultra EL halves change-out frequency, minimising downtime and reducing maintenance requirements, disposal costs and environmental impact. Unlike conventional or generic lubricants, Ultra EL will not leave deposits that can clog compressors or break down into harmful acids or alcohols that can varnish equipment. Ultra EL also features good water separation, which ensures continued lubricant performance and thus protection of the compressor. In addition

Treotham Automation Pty Ltd

to saving time and money, Ultra EL has a higher flash point (272°C) than

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most synthetic lubricants. CAPS Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W334

DC-UPS BATTERY Weidmüller has added a 1.3 Ah battery to its range of DC-UPS batteries. With the addition of the 1.3 Ah battery, the DC-UPS family now provides backup power from minutes to hours for automation components. The range includes batteries from 1.3 up to 17 Ah. The 1.3 Ah model delivers 10 min of power backup at 3 A or 40 min at 1 A, ensuring a 24 VDC power supply is available for automation. This allows users to avoid machinery and system downtime during a mains failure for a specified time. Plus, the battery keeps safety functions, process controls and communication active for a defined time period. Made from a Panasonic AGM lead-acid battery, the 1.3 Ah DC-UPS model together with the UPS controller backs up mains failure safely and reliably. The 1.3 Ah model also has a temperaturecompensated charging feature which measures the battery temperature and automatically sets charging voltage according to the temperature-compensated charging recognition, maximising the life of the battery. Depending on usage, users can receive a battery life of up to 9 years. The 1.3 Ah battery is also very compact - at 52 mm wide - and can be DIN rail or cold-plate mounted. The battery is also easy and quick to install due to its pluggable connectors. The battery’s DC-UPS control unit operates to 70°C and comes with four status signals for easy user notification. In addition, the three status signals - alarm/buffers/charge - can be transmitted using voltage-free relay contacts and additional transistor outputs. Weidmuller Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W220

10 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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OPTIMISING YOUR INDUSTRY 9-10 APRIL 2014 | MELBOURNE PARK FUNCTION CENTRE, MELBOURNE OLYMPIC PARK

OPTIMISING YOUR INDUSTRY ACI Connect is Australia’s new conference and exhibition focused on automation, control and instrumentation technology, advances and applications. Presentations, workshops and panels on industry hot buttons such as Industry 4.0, cybersecurity, ethernet in industry, machine safety, future manufacturing and skills shortages make this a must-attend event. CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS: Greybeards & ‘playstationers’ — addressing the skills shortage Bruce Kendall — RMIT Industry 4.0 — what is it and what does it mean for our industry? Chris Vains — Siemens Engineering and manufacturing – where to now? Alex Baitch — Engineers Australia Cybersecurity — myth or reality? Panel chaired by What’s New in Process Technology editor, Glenn Johnson Pervasive sensing — changing the fundamentals of automation Jesse Dodge — Emerson Process Management

INDUSTRY TRAINING WORKSHOPS: • Safety in Machinery AS 4024-1.1-2006 • Troubleshoot a Modbus and TCP/IP industrial network using four simple program utilities • Industrial data communications in hazardous areas • Variable speed drives (VSDs) — testing and troubleshooting • Best practice in ARC flash protection in Australian conditions — what it is and how to deal with it

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NEW PRODUCTS

HELICAL BEVEL DRIVE The latest and largest HDO helical bevel drives from Bonfiglioli are particularly suited for compact, heavy-duty and low-maintenance installation on major resources plant such as conveyors and feeders. The HDO 180 - which tops the HD range with outputs of 194 kNm torque - is used for major installations requiring high performance combined with flexible mounting options to meet specific application requirements. The foot, flange or shaft-mounted HDO 180 complements Bonfiglioli Transmission’s broader HDO and HDP parallel shaft drive range in sizes from HDO 100-160 which are assembled in Australia. Larger sizes can also be custom engineered for Australasian applications, including the HDO 180. HDO 180 drives are available with the HDO range of input options, including solid shaft, lantern housing and flexible coupling input shaft (pony drive). Outputs can be solid, with or without keyway (with single and double extensions), keyed hollow or shrink disc. Durability and versatility is further enhanced by options such as fan cooling, coil cooling, independent cooling systems and optional features such as non-contacting seals, forced lubrication, temperature and oil level sensors and drywell for vertical shaft installations. When combined with the company’s 300 series Trasmital planetary, they can be used in many slow-moving applications where high output torque is required. Bonfiglioli Transmission Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V359

TERMINAL OPERATIONS SYSTEM Honeywell Enraf has announced Terminal Manager R260, a web-based solution for managing the entire operation in bulk terminals. Built on Windows, it is used to monitor and control all critical processes from receipt to dispatch. Interfacing with enterprise resource planning (ERP), access control, loading and unloading, workflow management, inventory management, product reconciliation and documentation systems, it improves control in real time. Built on Honeywell’s Experion platform, it also offers full integration of fire and gas, closed circuit television (CCTV), access control, Digital Video Manager and En-

ROBOTIC PARTS TRANSFER FOR HIGH-SPEED PRESSES

terprise Building Integrator systems.

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easily program the robots without having to master the programming language. ABB Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W140

12 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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CASE STUDY

ABB putting its own technology to work In a good example of an automation co m p a n y t a k i n g a d v a n t a g e o f i t s ow n t e c h n o l og y, A B B h a s implemented its own robots to streamline the designing, developing and manufacturing of low-voltage circuit-breakers at ABB SACE’s Frosinone plant in Italy. This is not a new development, but a progressive deployment over a number of years that has enabled the manufacturer to gradually reduce costs and increase efficiency dramatically. The Frosinone facility, 90 minutes south of Rome, has been producing core components and performing final assembly of electronic and thermomagnetic low-voltage circuit-breakers since 1988. In 1993, two ABB robots joined the production line to handle soldering tasks, but it was not until 2000 that Frosinone decided to more aggressively take advantage of robotic capabilities. Two SACE Division engineers - Savina Fardelli, Production Engineering Manager, low-voltage breakers, and Marco Dolce, Process Engineering Manager - decided to rethink the entire system of production, using robots to make it more efficient with lower costs and improved quality. “We can reconfigure the shapes and sizes of our products very easily because of the flexibility of the robots,” Fardelli says. “We can also introduce new lines quickly and at a lower cost by retraining our existing workers.” It was in 2000 that an IRB 140 robot arrived at the plant to be put to work on the packaging line. Fardelli and Dolce decided that the robot (and all the others to follow) should be painted white rather than the traditional ABB orange. “We wanted to communicate a sense of cleanliness, luminosity and surgical precision,” says Fardelli of the decision. In 2006, more robots were added to handle soldering, packaging and assembly tasks. Four years later other welding robots arrived. By the end of 2012, more than 40 ABB robots were working in Frosinone. Half of them perform welding and assembly functions, and the rest work in a variety of roles including quality control, testing, packaging and pick-and-place applications. Since the robots were installed, cost benefits have been clearly evident. As of 2000, production at Frosinone has more than doubled without an increase in the number of employees.

14 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

That year the plant produced around one million low-voltage case circuit-breakers. Today, it produces 2.5 million moulded case circuit-breakers plus another 75,000 air circuitbreakers. Over the same period, there have also been no lay-offs. Workers who formerly handled simple tasks now have more sophisticated assignments, and training is an on-going process. Additionally, because robots make less noise than non-robot automated systems, the overall sound level is more manageable for the humans who work alongside them. And the advantages go beyond increased output, maximised manpower and decreased noise; there are time benefits as well. As Dolce points out, the design of an automated non-robot system may require three engineers and considerable time to construct the necessary equipment. A robot line requires one programmer and, at maximum, a few days to develop the appropriate production-line structure. Lowering the number of product rejects is another of the engineers’ main cost-saving goals. In fact, their aim is to reduce rejections from three per cent to zero through an increased use of robots. “Our main focus is to lower the cost of our product without sacrificing quality,” says Dolce. The robots are also compact, saving valuable space and energy on the factory floor. For example, after introducing an IRB 120 robot, space requirements on the floor shrank from 200 to 50 square metres. And, because of its efficiency, a roboticbased production line consumes 30% less energy. Speed, a valued feature of the robots, is not as important for circuit-breaker production as it is for, say, high-volume consumer products. The robots at Frosinone are not used at their full speed because precision and accuracy are emphasised, and flexibility is paramount in the cost-saving equation. In an ongoing effort to keep product quality up and lower costs, Dolce and Fardelli are currently working on a new assembly line featuring robots that will be up and running in early 2014.

ABB Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W282

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NEW PRODUCTS

INDUSTRIAL VIDEOSCOPES Olympus has introduced the IPLEX RX and IPLEX RT industrial videoscopes. The PulsarPic image processor greatly enhances image quality and increases the efficiency of detecting tiny defects. It reduces noise and sharpens images to produce exceptionally high-resolution images in low-light conditions. An LED illumination system is nearly twice as bright as conventional videoscopes and dynamically adjusts light output to reduce halation from reflective surfaces. The IPLEX RX also offers WiDER (wide dynamic extended range) image processing capability. WiDER enhances detail in shadowed and highlighted areas to produce bright, contrast-balanced images across the entire depth of field. The user-selectable colour and sharpness settings allow images to be customised to suit any application. The RX and RT models provide rugged durability in harsh environments. They have a protection rating of IP55 and comply with US military standards for dust and rain resistance, as well as drop testing. Ergonomic, lightweight handsets feature quick-access buttons for most operations as well as the company’s power-assist TrueFeel scope articulation control. An intuitive, icon-based menu system allows quick and accurate selection of the right menu option. Post-inspection tasks and data transfer are also simplified. The latest IPLEX models feature high-quality JPEG images and AVI movies that record directly to a removable USB flash drive. Images can be saved or retrieved with a single button press, and the thumbnail view allows instant review of inspection results. The instruments’ standard InHelp inspection-assist software streamlines data and organises stored images to further improve workflow. Olympus Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W029

LIQUID FLOW SENSOR The Ahlborn FVA 645 GVx is a stainless steel flow sensor for liquids. The design incorporates no moving parts and has integrated temperature measurement. The flow sensor is built to optimise durability - the measuring section uses a robust, industry-quality stainless steel that increases the strength of the flow sensor. The device is designed without any moving parts, meaning the chance of wear and tear to the flow sensor is greatly reduced. The flow sensor also offers a low pressure loss, increasing the accuracy of measurement. The accuracy is also bolstered by the flow sensor’s fast reaction time. The device is optimised for measuring heat output in heating systems and cooling plants. Using the Karman vortex street measuring principle, the flow sensor supports several measuring ranges from 1-12 up to 10-200 L/min (other ranges also available) and has an error ±1 K at a temperature range of 25-80°C and ±2 K at a temperature range of 0-100°C. Bestech Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W145

ULTRASONIC LEVEL SENSOR The Model ULSS ultrasonic level sensor provides non-contact, continuous ultrasonic level measurement of fluids for short-range applications. Ultrasonic technology paired with automatic temperature compensation provides accurate and reliable measurements in almost all conditions. The Model ULSS has failsafe logic that is easily configured to custom applications via free software, removing the need for target calibration. Using the free software, the Model ULSS can be programmed to transmit an output signal as well as set the four relays for control applications. This rugged design comes with a NEMA 6P submersible enclosure rating to ensure a long-lasting unit. This level sensor has a narrow beam width and a short, selectable dead band. It is suitable for use with dirty, corrosive or sticky fluids, as well as in bulk containers, small tanks and sumps. Dwyer Instruments (Aust) Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W059

16 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NEW PRODUCTS

GAS-OVER-OIL VALVE ACTUATORS The Rotork GO range of pipeline actuators are designed to use the pipeline gas as the motive power source. The gas is delivered to the oil tanks that convert the gas into hydraulic pressure. This pressurised hydraulic oil is used to drive Rotorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scotch yoke quarter-turn or linear actuators. Using pressurised oil as the driving fluid provides powerful and smooth actuator control and isolates the cylinder from pipeline gas. This prevents contaminants from entering the hydraulic cylinder, eliminating corrosion and seal deterioration, and extending actuator life. The compact, modular gas control manifolds employ poppet-style control valves - a reliable design trusted throughout the industry - and are available in failsafe versions. The standard gas control systems are complemented with a variety of Rotork Fluid Systems-designed optional equipment and functions including line break, low-pressure close and high differential inhibit. Operation is simple and intuitive. The GO range is available for up to 600,000 Nm quarter-turn or 5,000,000 Nm for a linear application. This ensures that there will be a size and specification of unit for all applications. Rotork Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W035

SATELLITE LEVEL TRACKING The Bintech Sensor Drive Satellite unit provides a versatile, self-contained, reliable solution for remote tank level measurement. The SDS 6100 range is based on high-end, highly reliable and accurate sensors coupled with a satellite communication module. To reduce even further reliance on local infrastructure, a solar-powered version is available in addition to standard 24 VDC and 240 VAC models. To transfer level measurement or switching alarms from remote locations, the SDS range comes with a satellite transceiver, used to log data and reports via satellite and provide a reliable solution for longdistance links in remote locations.

INTERACTIVE PNEUMATICS CATALOGUE To provide customers with a convenient and user-friendly method to browse and select products, CAPS Australia has published a comprehensive product catalogue showcasing approximately 2500 products. The catalogue includes more than 120 models of air compressors and 600 varieties of tools, available from CAPSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nationwide network of 11 office and service centres. The catalogue is available in print as well as an online version in a dynamic FlipBook format which transforms the traditional PDF into an interactive experience for the reader. The catalogue features links to video content, detailed product descriptions and technical specifications, application information and product brochures. With thousands of products in its range, CAPS has provided a convenient and accessible avenue for clients to browse and select products. The CAPS catalogue can be accessed online at: http://www.capsaust.com.au/docs/pdf/product-catalogue. CAPS Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W126

18 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

The satellite host allows the user to retrieve data using a web browser. The satellite unit also provides the GPS coordinates of the current location of the sensor. This functionality is a key asset for the management of a fleet of tanks, such as mobile tanks used for fuel delivery. The Sensor Drive Satellite can be fitted with a simple and highly reliable magnetic float switch. The sensor is a contact level switch, offering up to four switching points with different switching actions to choose from. Ultrasonic level transmitters from Pulsar are also available and provide the full range of functions used in continuous level measurement. The satellite communication module establishes a permanent communication link with the level transmitter and provides almost real-time level measurement, level alarms and instant access to measurement history. Bintech Systems Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V188

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ACI CONNECT 2014 CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION, 9-10 APRIL 2014

Don’t miss the strong line-up of speakers and exhibitors at Australia’s newest conference and exhibition focused on automation, control and instrumentation technology, efficiencies and applications.

CI Connect - Australia’s newest conference and exhibition focused on automation, control and instrumentation technology, efficiencies and applications - is only weeks away. The conference and exhibition will run over two days, 9-10 April, at the Melbourne Park Function Centre. If you are an automation, control or instrumentation professional looking to enhance your knowledge base, network with industry leaders, engage in practical workshops, hear local case studies and see the latest products and technologies, then you need to be in Melbourne on April 9-10 at this exciting new event. ACI Connect is brought to you by Westwick-Farrow Media, publisher of What's New in Process Technology and ProcessOnline. com.au, with the backing and support of industry bodies IICA and Engineers Australia. Members of Engineers Australia can earn up to 10.5 CPD hours for conference attendance.

Streams The ACI Connect conference theme is ‘Optimising Your Industry’ and will feature three dedicated streams. • Technology@Work - local case studies and technical solution papers from a variety of leading ACI specialists.

20 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

• Industry Workshops - presented by technical experts Frank Schrever (machine safety) and Steve McKay (instrumentation/ electrical). • Business & Engineering Connect - panels and papers on cybersecurity, Ethernet in industry, skills shortage, Industry 4.0 and more.

Speakers - Conference day 1 After the opening address by Richard Wawrzon of the IICA on the state of the industry, the first day will kick off with a special keynote address given by Alex Baitch of Engineers Australia on the topic: Engineering and manufacturing – where to now? Also of particular note will be a keynote address by Bruce Kendall, Manager - Business Implementation, RMIT. His address, Grey beards and ‘playstationers’ - how to address the skills shortage, will explore the history and status quo of education in the ACI industry and look at solutions that are available to remedy the bleak ACI skills situation. The day’s panel discussion in the afternoon will discuss Ethernet in industrial environments and will be chaired by John Immelman of the IICA.

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Where: Melbourne Park Function Centre, Melbourne Park When: Conference and Exhibition, 9-10 April 2014 Conference times: Wednesday 9 April 2014 – 8.30am-6.00pm, Thursday 10 April 2014 – 8.30am-4.45pm Exhibition Times: Wednesday 9 April 2014, 10.00am-6.00pm, Thursday 10 April 2014 – 10.00am-4.00pm Register: Early bird rate closes 14 March Web: aciconnect.com.au

Rob Gillespie (East Coast, I&E Systems) will discuss system information modelling as an asset management tool and describe the adoption of such a system by Fortescue Metals on its Solomon Iron Ore Project. Sven Grove (Invensys) will be discussing functional safety in the morning’s Technology@Work session Functional safety - Who’s safe? George Bongiovanni of Fluke Australia will speak on preventative maintenance for improving the bottom line and Jesse Dodge (Emerson Process Management) will discuss the topic of ‘pervasive sensing’ - new sensing solutions that allow plants to manage previously unmonitored systems and processes. Reijwan Ali (National Instruments) will discuss the use of data mining for asset management analytics and there will be a presentation on the next generation of VSDs.

Speakers - Conference day 2 Day two will begin with a keynote address by Chris Vains, Business Unit Manager - Automation Systems, Siemens, on Industry 4.0 what it is and what it means for industry. Later in the morning there will be a plenary session Cybersecurity in a nuclear context presented by by Michael Hewes and Nick Howarth of ANSTO,

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followed by a panel discussion on the topic Cybersecurity - fact or fiction?, which will also feature Dr Chris Beggs, who holds a PhD in cyberterrorism and SCADA security. Armin Fahnle (Applied Automation) will discuss S88 Batch Control in the first of the technical sessions for the day, while Rafael Koenig (Profibus Association of Australia) will discuss Profibus and Profinet and their support for Industry 4.0. Lena Kimenkowski (Jumbo Vision International) will discuss using CAD to design control rooms and Mike Farkas (AMS Instrumentation & Calibration) will hold a workshop on managing the calibration process in the Technology@Work stream. MES and operational intelligence will be the subject of a presentation by Nevena Andric (GE Intelligent Platforms) in the afternoon, along with a case study presentation on the milk powder drying process at Murray-Goulburn, presented by Andrew Allen (NHP). The day will close off with presentations by Chris Hoey (Bürkert) on cloud-based monitoring for predictive maintenance and by Tim Seymour (Sick) on using machine vision applications to improve quality and profit.

Industry workshops The two industry workshops - Safety of Machinery and IDC Technologies Electrical/Instrumentation - will run concurrently with the two main conference streams, and delegates have a choice of either stream.

Safety of Machinery AS 4024-1.1-2006 The Safety of Machinery workshop will be held over two sessions and be presented by Frank Schrever, Managing Director, Machine Safety by Design. The first session will examine legal obligations, and the matching requirements in AS 4024, as well as exploring risk assessment and safety design. The second session will follow on from the first, moving into physical guarding principles, interlocking and emergency stop requirements and design issues. Both sessions will include carefully designed exercises for attendees to illustrate the key principles.

MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 21

IDC Technologies Electrical/Instrumentation This workshop stream will be held over four sessions and will be presented by Steve Mackay, Technical Director, IDC Technologies. Session one will be focused on the Modbus suite of protocols and their associated standards, including TCP/IP, and aims to provide tools and skills for troubleshooting Modbus and TCP/IP industrial networks. The second session on industrial data communications in hazardous areas aims to provide the knowledge and tools to identify and fix problems in these critical areas, providing tips and tricks learnt with the benefit of many years of experience. The third session will focus on the testing and troubleshooting of variable speed drives - including typical faults and how they can be repaired - and is aimed at anyone working in system design as well as site commissioning, maintenance and troubleshooting. Session four will cover best practice in arc flash protection in Australian conditions, detailing IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E, and the advances that have been made in the protection of electrical workers from injury. *At the time of writing, some program items are still to be confirmed and so some changes should be expected. For the current program content and information about presenters, please visit http://aciconnect.com.au/pages/conference-program.

ACI Connect 2014 sponsors and exhibitors Platinum sponsor • Siemens

Gold and Silver Sponsors • AMS Instrumentation & Calibration Pty Ltd, • Emerson Process Management • Endress+Hauser • Pilz Australia • Weidmüller Pty Ltd

Exhibitors • ADM Instrument Engineering • Bosch - Manufacturing Solution • Control Logic Pty Ltd • DAANET • DAD - System Information Modelling • Fluke Australia Pty Ltd • GE Intelligent Platforms • Group Instrumentation • Haldatec • ifm efector • IICA • maxon motor Australia • Motordrives Australia • National Instruments • Sick Pty Ltd • Treotham Automation Pty Ltd • TURCK Australia • What’s New in Process Technology

For more information on the exhibitors, visit http://aciconnect.com. au/pages/meet-the-exhibitors. www.ACIconnect.com.au

22 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NEW PRODUCTS

RUGGED COMPUTER SYSTEMS GE Intelligent Platforms has announced two further additions to its family of COTS rugged systems (CRS) that are designed to minimise program risk, cost and time to market. Available as preconfigured, ready-to-run systems, and bringing the total number of standard CRS solutions offered by the company to ten, they are available on very short lead times for users looking to make an immediate start on systems development. Both new systems are intended for deployment in demanding, harsh environments. The first system, the CRS-D4I-3VB1, is a conduction, cold-plate cooled, 3U VPX application-ready computer; housed in a 4-slot chassis using a single board computer featuring Intel Core i7 processor technology. The second, the CRS-D8I-3VF1, is also a 3U VPX platform centred on an Intel Core i7 processor, but it is housed in a ½ ATR rugged conduction, forced-air-cooled chassis, and affords additional flexibility/expandability through the provision of eight slots. Both systems offer significant I/O capability including MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, serial, discrete, USB, audio, gigabit ethernet, VGA, DVI and HD-SDI. Both solutions are powered by a 28 VDC power supply that meets MIL-STD-704F. The ½ ATR solution also has the option to support a 115 VAC, 400 Hz single-phase power supply. The solutions are designed to withstand the most demanding environments in accordance with MIL-STD-810. GE Intelligent Platforms Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V881

END CAP BALL BEARINGS Maintenance-free dry run tribologically optimised polymer xirodur B180 polymer ball bearings are said to guarantee low friction values for the inner and outer bearing ring, and the plastic ball bearing allows high rotational speeds with a limit speed of 1800 rpm. The xiros end cap ball bearing can be equipped optionally with glass, plastic or stainless steel balls. The balls are housed in a polyamide cage, which guarantees high strength and ductility. The tribo-polymer xirodur-B180 also makes the end cap ball bearing resistant to chemicals and corrosion, meaning temperatures of between -40 and +80°C can be managed without any malfunctions, even over long periods. The low weight of between 32.5-25.9 g permits installation even under very low weight requirements, and the axial load-bearing capacity is 245 N in static use and 294 N in dynamic applications. The end cap ball bearing can be used for a range of applications such as roller conveyors and, since no lubrication is required, unnecessary soiling and the risky use of solvents can be avoided. The ball bearings can be cleaned with water, thus meeting many hygienic and ecological standards. This is important where soiling is not tolerated at all, such as the food or packaging industries. Treotham Automation Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W028

PRESSURE COMPARATOR The GaugeCalHP from Crystal Engineering (Ametek) is suitable for test and calibration use with water or oil, either in the field or the laboratory. Key features include a fine adjust that is easy to use at 15,000 psi and a connection fitting with quick-alignment swivel capability. A pivoting manifold rotates to fit large-sized gauges. To increase stability, the device’s reservoir can quickly add a small amount of pressure to bleed air out of the weep hole. A drip tray captures excess fluid. The Crystal Pressure Fittings (CPF) add O-ring sealing for leak-free connections without tools. The self-venting weep hole alerts users before they disconnect from a pressurised system. CPF fittings and hoses come with an industry first 4:1 safety factor. Transtek Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W123

24 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NEW PRODUCTS

ELECTRIC ACTUATORS Tolomatic’s ERD electric cylinders are now available in six body sizes, expanding the force range from 2.22 to 20.03 kN. The actuators are suitable for a variety of motion control applications, including washdown environments, product changeovers, diverting/sorting, pressing and heat-staking/sonic welding. The ERD25 and ERD30 hygienic designs are USDA certified for meat (livestock), poultry and dairy processing applications. The ERD electric cylinder family is available in stroke lengths up to 1.016 m, speeds up to 1.46 m/s, and forces up to 20.03 kN, depending on the size and screw choice. They are available

ACTUATOR WITH 75 MM FRAME Exlar Corporation has expanded its Tritex II integrated linear actuator family with a 75 mm frame size. With forces to 4.6 kN continuous and 9.25 kN peak, the AC-powered 75 mm linear actuator with its 1.5 kW servo amplifier delivers both power and speed in a small package. Exlar’s Tritex II Series Integrated Actuators combine a brushless servo motor with an AC or DC powered servo drive, digital position controller, and linear or rotary actuator. All elements are assembled into a single, compact, waterproof housing. Tritex actuators with their built-in mechanical converters eliminate the need for traditional ball screw or gear reducer mechanisms providing a complete system solution. Incorporating all the required position control and power electronics into the actuator also eliminates the external servo amplifier and

with ball screws, roller screws and acme screws for a variety of cost, force, speed and life options to fit most applications. The ERD is also compatible with most third-party servo and stepper motors (NEMA and metric). All six sizes of the ERD are available in 300 series stainless steel and with IP67 or IP69k options. The rear head of the actuator features an oversized main bearing to accommodate high thrust loads and provide long life. The main tube and thrust tube are made of stainless steel for high rigidity and corrosion resistance, while the metric-threaded nose mount accepts a jam nut that provides convenient mounting for many applications. Mounting options include a rear clevis, rear trunnion mount, foot mounts or a front flange mount. The ERD actuators can accommodate six different sensing or switching choices: reed, solid state PNP (sourcing) or solid state NPN (sinking), normally open, flying leads or quick disconnect. Pneumatic Products Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V620

the cables associated with a typical servo system. Multiple feedback types, including absolute feedback, allow the user to select the system best suited to the application. Digital and analog I/O plus popular communication networks allow the Tritex II to become an integral part of a control

INTRINSICALLY SAFE TEST GAUGE

architecture or machine control processes.

Crystal Engineering’s rug-

such as Modbus TCP, Ethernet/IP, Profinet and CANopen

Tritex II linear actuators provide the same form factor as

ged, intrinsically safe XP2i

hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, and provide for simple

pressure gauge is available

and clean all-electric retrofits in what were formerly fluid

for pressures up to 15,000

power applications.

psi. Key features include

Applied Automation

an IP67-rated, marine-grade

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W072

enclosure (submersible up to 1 m), a fast pressure safety valve (PSV) mode and a leak-free Crystal Pressure Fitting connection. Active digital temperature compensation assures 0.1% of reading accuracy from -10 to 50°C. The dual display version adds additional features, including leak rate, tare mode and differential pressure (when connected to a second XP2i). The optional DataLoggerXP upgrade lets users record up to 32,000 data points and export the data into Excel. The XP2i is suitable for use in oil and gas production distribution and transmission, as well as in water and wastewater treatment, and the food processing, power-generation and pharmaceuticals industries. Transtek Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W125

26 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NEW PRODUCTS

EXPLOSIONPROOF ACTUATOR Auma has announced the availability of its SQEx .2 partturn actuator. The product is the explosion-proof version of the company’s SQ actuator. The SQEx .2 meets the European ATEX and International IECEx standards and will be submitted for certification in additional countries including the Russian Federation, the United States, Japan and Canada. An explosion-proof SQREx version for modulating duty is also available from the company, providing enhanced positioning accuracy and an increased number of permissible starts per hour.

For some buildings, electrical installations are often laid in suspended ceilings, in intermediate floors or in the trunking, therefore the switching power supplies are designed for 0.42 to 4.2 A and are mounted on DIN rails with screw connection also possible from 2.5 A upwards. The compact AC/DC power supply units supply 100% output at ambient temperatures of up to 60°C and can be used in a wide temperature range between -25 and 70°C, as well as in outside areas. Other features of the series include long hold-up times of >60 ms, compensation of voltage drops through adjustable output voltage as well as a broad-range voltage input for worldwide use.

Designed for butterfly and ball valve automation, the SQ and SQEx ranges replace the company’s established SG and SGExC part-turn actuator ranges. Compared with the predecessor product, the SQ series offers a significantly wider torque range, covering 50 to 2400 Nm. Further enhancements include sophisticated diagnostics and asset management functionality. Commissioning and operation of SQEx actuators are identical to the company’s SAEx multi-turn actuator line. Both ranges are available with simple AMExC or micro-controller operated ACExC integral controls - controls are therefore interchangeable and, at plants where both product series are installed, on-site device management is simplified. Barron GJM Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W283

The LED diagnosis enables easy commissioning and the power supply series is said to meet allimportant standards and is approved for UL and CE-required installations.

QUARTER-TURN VALVE ACTUATOR The 242 Series manual quarter-turn gear operators from Rotork

Treotham Automation Pty Ltd

Gears division benefit from the latest design technologies

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V926

to provide optimum robustness and durability with minimal non-structural mass and reduced overall size. Suitable for the operation of ball, butterfly and plug valves or other quarter-turn devices in most general industrial applications, all 242 Series manual gear operators feature a sturdy cas-iron IP67 watertight enclosure, a ductile iron wormwheel, PTFE thrust washers and adjustable end stop screws. A range of five sizes is available to accept valve stem diameters of up to 70 mm (or 58 mm square section) and deliver an output torque range of up to 2100 Nm. Built with standard ISO base dimensions between F05 and F25, simple and rugged 242 Series gear operators are suitable for lowtorque manual applications. Options include stainless steel input shafts and fasteners, Namur and Westlock mountings, an IP68 temporarily submersible enclosure and a padlock kit. Rotork Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V927

28 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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WE KNOW WE CARE WE CUSTOMISE FOR YOUâ&#x20AC;Ś

E LE DRIV CTRIC MO ES T CONT & SOFT S ORS ROL & TA AUTO RTERS MATIO N

TOSHIBA INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION PTY LTD NSW Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd 2 Morton Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 Tel: (02) 9768 6600 Fax: (02) 9890 7546

QUEENSLAND Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd UNIT 4 / 20 Smallwood Place, Murarrie QLD 4172 Tel: (07) 3902 7888 Fax: (07) 3902 7878

VICTORIA Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd 411 Fern Tree Gully Road, Mt Waverley VIC 3149 Tel: (03) 8541 7960 Fax: (03) 8541 7970

NEWCASTLE Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd UNIT 1 / 18 Kinta Drive, Beresfield NSW 2322 Tel: (02) 4966 8124 Fax: (02) 4966 8147

MACKAY Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd 1st Floor 41 Wood St, Mackay QLD 4740 Tel: (07) 4953 4184 Fax: (07) 4951 4203

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd 10 Anderson Pl, Perth International Airport WA 6105 Tel: (08) 6272 5600 Fax: (08) 6272 5601

Reliable products from reliable people!

CASE STUDY

Griffith seed company contains dust with equipment from Flexicon South Pacific Seeds (SPS) ranks as one of the world’s largest vegetable seed companies. In the 2011-2012 crop year the company produced 2930 tonnes of seeds from its facilities in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and the US. The seeds include lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, carrots, parsley, onions, cucumbers, beets and other vegetables. Processing the seeds generated atmospheric dust at the beginning of the process, where gypsum powder is combined with a glue binder to pelletise seeds for packaging and sale. The powder is extremely freeflowing, with a bulk density of 400 g/L. Bulk bags of gypsum were cut open and emptied into a V-shaped bin feeding an auger that transported the material to a rotary treater. Here, the gypsum is mixed with the seeds and pellets are formed by the rotating action. The machine also adds colour coatings, pesticides and fungicides to the seeds. SPS solved the dust problem at its Griffith NSW treatment plant by installing a Flexicon bulk bag discharger. Gypsum flows from the bulk bag into a floor hopper, from which the material is transported to the rotary machine by two flexible screw conveyors. The enclosed process has essentially eradicated the dust problem, says Peter Pearson, operations manager. The Griffith plant receives gypsum powder in bulk bags of approximately 350 kg. Each bag is loaded by a forklift into the bulk bag discharger frame, where it is suspended by four loops and unloaded into a 140 L, V-shaped floor hopper. The bag is opened, the inner liner is cut and the powder is discharged through an iris valve. Bag discharge is aided by Flexicon’s Flow-Flexer bag agitation device - two pneumatically driven plates that raise and lower opposing edges of the bag to direct material to the outlet. As the bag empties, the stroke of the plates increases, forming the bag into a V shape and promoting total evacuation. The iris valve essentially eliminates dust, says Pearson. Nevertheless, the company also uses Flexicon’s Bag-Vac dust containment system, which is attached to the discharger frame and removes any residual dust. “The powder is particularly dusty and for operational health and safety considerations we automatically added this (dust collection) option,” he says. “As a result we have a clean and tidy working environment that is safe for the operator.” Material is removed from the bottom of the hopper by a flexible screw conveyor. An agitator and vibrator in the bottom of the hopper help to move and direct the powder to the conveyor inlet. The flexible screw conveyor contains a rotating, stainless steel centreless screw, housed in a durable polymer tube. It measures approximately 6 m long by 80 mm OD and is powered by a 2.2 kW, 3-phase motor that is located just beyond the discharge point, eliminating material contact with bearings or seals.

30 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

From the hopper, the conveyor moves the material at a 45° incline to one side of the rotary treater. At that point the powder is discharged through a small transition hopper into a second, identical flexible screw conveyor that carries it horizontally to an inlet cone on the side of the rotary treater. The combination of the bulk bag discharger with the flexible screw conveyors assures that the delivery of powder to the rotary treater is consistent and uniform, says Pearson. Also, the screw conveyors solved “a big constraint, which was the amount of floor space we had to work in. The rotary machine is positioned in a tight corner and so to have a delivery system that would fit in was fantastic.” He adds that the arrangement of the conveyors provides free access for the forklift. Seeds are received in plastic or cardboard bins of approximately 750 L capacity, or in 25 kg plastic bags. In the case of bins, the lids are removed and they are emptied by means of a special bin tipper. Bags are cut open. The seeds are cleaned up, sorted and separated by weight. Following clean-up, the seeds are dried to less than 7% moisture content in drying bins, and then delivered to the pelletiser by a V-bin. The pelletiser mixes seeds with gypsum-based powder and a glue binder, forming pellets, which are easier to plant than single seeds. The machine can also coat the seed with a film containing colourant, fertiliser, fungicide or a pesticide, says Pearson. Seeds are weighed and then discharged into the rotary treater, while gypsum powder is delivered by the flexible screw conveyors at a rate of 3.5 kg/min. Following the rotary treatment, seeds are dried and graded, then packaged for sale in woven polypropylene bags, plastic pails, cans and foil packages. Flexicon Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W281

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INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET PRODUCTS

INDUSTRIAL SECURITY ROUTER The Belden Hirschmann Eagle One security router builds on the technology of the company’s existing Eagle family and offers an expanded combination of features to advance data security in

REMOTE ACCESS GATEWAY

industrial automation. It helps harden industrial systems against network incidents and cyber attacks, improving operational security, reliability and performance.

MS Industrial Networks has introduced the Netbiter EC350 communication gateway, designed to make it easier to monitor and control industrial equipment remotely. The gateway comes with enhanced performance and connectivity, making it suitable for remote management and configuration of power generators, cooling systems, UPSs, wind turbines or other industrial machinery. The Netbiter EC350 is the first in a new generation of Netbiter gateways. It connects to industrial machinery via Modbus (serial or ethernet), SNMP, EtherNet/IP or I/O and sends data to the cloud-based Netbiter Argos server via Ethernet or cellular communications. The Netbiter EC350 has been enhanced to communicate over 3G networks in addition to GSM/GPRS, and supports five different 3G bands. The EC350 also supports remote access functionality. Remote access provides a secure data tunnel to the re-

The device is designed to withstand harsh industrial conditions - especially areas dealing with explosive and hazardous materials, such as oil and gas, power transmission and distribution, and transportation companies. It has an operating temperature range of -40 to +70°C. It also complies with global standards and certifications, including the United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s Class I, Division 2 hazardous location conditions, Europe’s ATEX directives and the Germanischer Lloyd classifications. It also offers ease of integration through a ‘firewall learning mode’ that reduces traditional installation risks, such as network interruptions or configuration errors. Advanced redundancy features are said to further improve security, including Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions that ensure switchover to a standby device in the event of a fault or failure.

motely located equipment, so for example, with a Netbiter

Belden Australia Pty Ltd

connected to a PLC, it is possible to perform remote

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W070

debugging or programming of the PLC using the same PLC configuration software as usual. The gateway is claimed to have 20 times more processing power than previous models and an extended memory capacity supporting up to 512 MB Flash and 1024 MB

19″ RACK SWITCHES

RAM. Two fully separated Ethernet interfaces (WAN and LAN) make it possible to provide secure communication

Phoenix Contact has available rugged managed switches for de-

to the field installation. A built-in GPS receiver makes it

ployment in 19″ racks as used in control centres and data centres.

suitable for mobile fleet management applications and the

In the past, these types of systems frequently relied on devices

increased number of analog and digital I/Os allow signals

designed for office environments, which made them of limited use

and sensors to be directly connected to the Netbiter gate-

in industrial applications.

way. Six status LEDs also provide detailed diagnostics.

The switches offer all the advantages of industrial ethernet in a suitable 19″ rack format. They are designed for extreme elec-

Global Automation Asia-Pacific

tromechanical and climatic conditions and fully comply with the

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W063

IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 requirements for deployment in energy systems. The switches provide fanless operation and can handle a wide temperature range extending from -40 to +70°C. This ensures ongoing availability even when the heating or air-conditioning system fails. Redundant power supplies offer additional system stability and permit maintenance and replacement during live operation. Despite a high port count of 28 ethernet ports, the units only take up one rack unit in the switching cabinet. Depending on requirements, the switches are available with copper or fibre-optic ports. Phoenix Contact Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V830

32 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET PRODUCTS

FIREWALL WITH ETHERNET/IP DEEP PACKET INSPECTION Schneider Electric has expanded its ConneXium network and security product with the addition of EtherNet/IP Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to the ConneXium Tofino Firewall. The addition of DPI for the popular EtherNet/IP protocol allows the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers to further harden their industrial control systems against network incidents and cyberattacks. It also allows easier enforcement of company policies for network and device access. The result is improved operational security, reliability and performance. The ConneXium Tofino Firewall inspects and secures network traffic to and from Schneider Electric automation devices, providing protection from traffic storms, malformed messages and deliberate hacking attempts. In addition, the technology can be used to enforce plant procedure. For example, it can be used to block inappropriate modification or programming of critical devices and controllers, preventing costly mistakes and improving overall network uptime and reliability. The central functionality of the ConneXium Tofino Firewall is a security appliance/firewall that inspects each network message that passes through it, ensuring that only the right network messages from the right computers can be sent to critical controllers. Hacking attempts, deliberately corrupted messages and even network traffic storms are effectively prevented. Deploying and configuring the product is made easy for engineers who are not generally security experts through the use of Tofino Securityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patented Plug-n-Protect technologies. This includes expert technology that looks for common mistakes in firewall programming and corrects them with a single mouse click. Specific Schneider Electric product know-how is also built in, with preconfigured firewall templates for their major automation products. Schneider Electric Industry Business Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W221

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 33

INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET PRODUCTS

AUTOMATION PROTOCOL GATEWAY IEC 61850 ETHERNET SWITCH

The Red Lion enhanced ZR Series of the Data Station Plus is designed to act as the key connection point for industrial data collection and management. The series offers protocol conversion, data logging and remote machine access at processing speeds six times faster than previous versions.

The Moxa PowerTrans PT-7528 series is claimed to be the

The series simplifies complex

industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first series of ethernet switches designed to fulfil

plant-floor environments by allow-

IEC 61850-90-4 requirements and equipped with built-in MMS servers.

ing disparate devices to communicate

The series is designed for power substation automation ap-

seamlessly using a 10/100base-TX ethernet

plications in extremely harsh environments. Taking advantage

port that supports up to ten protocols simultaneously. In

of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Noise Guard technology, the series is not

addition, the ethernet port and three built-in serial ports

only compliant with IEC 61850 standards but also has an EMC

leverage more than 250 communication drivers to convert

immunity that exceeds IEEE 1613 Class 2 standards to ensure

numerous protocols simultaneously and connect and col-

zero packet loss while transmitting at wire speed. The series also

lect data from virtually any PLC, drive or barcode scanner.

features critical packet prioritisation (GOOSE, SMVs and PTP), a

A built-in data logger logs tags at user-programmable

built-in MMS server and a configuration wizard designed specifi-

rates before automatically time stamping each tag. The

cally for substation automation. With gigabit ethernet, redundant

information can then be stored in an open CSV file for-

ring and 110/220 VDC/VAC isolated redundant power supplies,

mat, allowing easy access from virtually any application.

the series further increases the reliability of communications and

The series can also synchronise log files with any FTP or

saves wiring costs.

Microsoft SQL server for further analysis. In addition, USB

The series includes a wide range of models to provide multi-

host capabilities allow thumb drives for programming and

type port configurations. The modular design of the series also

log file storage as well as other USB devices to be used.

makes network planning easy, and allows greater flexibility by

To extend production monitoring to remote personnel, the

letting users install up to four modular fibre ports and 24 fixed

series also provides text message and email alerts. The

10/100BaseT(X) RJ45 ports. Along with the optional front or rear

improved extra-large XGA size, built-in web server enables

wiring, these features together make the series suitable for a

global access to data logs and allows information to be

variety of industrial applications.

monitored using a smartphone or internet-connected PC.

Madison Technologies

Control Logic Pty Ltd

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W026

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W332

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INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET PRODUCTS

ETHERNET PAC Schneider Electric has launched its Modicon M580 ePAC automation controller which is the key component of PlantStruxure, the company’s integrated automation architecture. The company says the M580 is the world’s first ePAC - a next-generation PAC (programmable automation Controller) which is based entirely on Ethernet. The Modicon M580 is based on the SPEAr (Structured Processor Enhanced Architecture) microprocessor that embeds inside standard unmodified deterministic Ethernet inside the controller and applies it to all communications, including all the way to the hardware connection on the backplane. This offers improved levels of transparency and performance, without any need for manual configuration of each connected device. The SPEAr technology applies Ethernet communications to the field bus, control bus and internal backplane bus, and, consequently, to all the connected equipment and modules. Ethernet is also automatically applied to every device in the network, such as electrical distribution, low-voltage boards and energy management functions to form a complete and open system. The M580’s processor is a 600 MHz ARM dual-core processor to deliver a higher level of computing power, enabling safety features to be built in and enhance its resistance to cyber threats. In addition, with integrated Change Configuration on the fly, users no longer need to stop their process to add a drop or module, change architecture or modify the application. M580 also offers Xbus communication with Modicon Premium, so that depending on the current system needs, users can easily switch between the different controller sizes in the Modicon range without changing I/O racks and cabling. Schneider Electric Industry Business Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W383

Control Techniques Australia Pty Ltd Sydney phone: (02) 9838 7222 Melbourne phone: (03) 9738 1777

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 35

IMPROVING ALARM MANAGEMENT WITH ISA-18.2 PART 2

Poor alarm management is one of the leading causes of unplanned downtime and has been a major contributor to some of the worst industrial accidents on record. In Part 1 of this article we discussed the release of the ISA-18.2 standard, which provides a blueprint for creating a safer and more productive plant. In this part we look more at how it can be implemented.

s explained in Part 1, in June of 2009 the standard ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009, ‘Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries’, was released. We examined its philosophy, the structure it provides around the alarm management life cycle and the detailed design of an alarm management system. Alarm management is not a ‘do once’ activity - rather it is a process that requires continuous attention. Consequently, the basis of the standard is to follow a life-cycle approach as shown in Figure 1.

36 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

Following the ISA-18.2 standard implementation Having completed phases A through D of the alarm management life cycle (philosophy, identification, rationalisation and detailed design), we are ready to proceed to Phase E and implement the rationalised alarm system design.

Implementation (Phase E) During the implementation phase, the alarms in the control system are put into operation. Testing is a key activity, particularly as new

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Alarm management

TO HELP OPERATORS KNOW WHICH ALARMS ARE MOST IMPORTANT SO THEY CAN RESPOND CORRECTLY, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT NO MORE THAN 5% OF THE ALARMS BE CONFIGURED AS HIGH PRIORITY.

instrumentation (and alarms) is added to the system over time or process designs changes are made. Equally important during this phase is the training of the operators of the system, so they are comfortable with it and so they trust it to help them do their job. Training the operators with process simulation tools can create a ‘drilled response’ where corrective action is so well reinforced that it is automatic.

Operation and maintenance (Phases F and G) The standard defines the recommended tools for handling of alarms during operation. One of the most important is called ‘alarm shelving’, which is a tool for the operator to temporarily suppress an alarm, thus removing it from view. Shelving is critical for helping an operator respond effectively during a plant upset by manually hiding less important alarms. Alarms that are shelved will reappear after a preset time period so that they are not forgotten. When shelved, an alarm should be removed from the active list and the

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indication should be cleared from the HMI graphics and faceplates. Systems that support shelving must provide a display which lists all shelved alarms. The standard also documents what should be included in an alarm response procedure. The information fleshed out during rationalisation, such as an alarm’s cause, potential consequence, corrective action and the time to respond, should be made available to the operator. Ideally, this information should be displayed online rather than in written form. Effective transfer of alarm status information between shifts is important in many facilities. If the operator coming on shift is only provided with a three-line entry in an operator logbook, he may be ill prepared to address any situation leading up to an incident. To improve shift transition, the system should allow operators to record comments for each alarm. Maintenance is the stage where an alarm is taken out of service for repair, replacement or testing. The standard describes the procedures that must be followed, including documenting why an alarm was removed from service, the details concerning interim alarms, special handling procedures, as well as what testing is required before it is put back into service. The standard requires that the system be able to show a complete list of alarms that are currently out of service. As a safety precaution, this list should be reviewed before putting a piece of equipment back into operation to ensure that all of the necessary alarms are operational. The standard describes three possible methods for alarm suppression, which is any mechanism used to prevent the indication of the alarm to the operator when the base alarm condition is present. All three methods have a place in helping to optimise performance.

Monitoring and assessment (Phase H) The monitoring and assessment section of the standard describes how to analyse the performance of the alarm system against recommended key performance indicators (Table 5). One of the key metrics is the number of alarms that are presented to the operator. In order to provide adequate time to respond effectively, an operator should be presented with no more than one to two alarms every 10 minutes. In many control rooms, operators are inundated with an average of one alarm every minute, which makes it challenging to respond correctly to each alarm. A related metric is the percentage of 10-minute intervals in which the operator received more than 10 alarms, which indicates the presence of an alarm flood. ISA-18.2 recommends using no more than three or four different alarm priorities in the system. To help operators know which

MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 37

Alarm management

Suppression method per ISA-18.2

Figure 1: The alarm management life cycle 1.

Definition

Relevant phase

Shelving

A mechanism, typically initiated by the operator, to temporarily suppress an alarm.

Operations

Suppressed by design

Any mechanism within the alarm system that prevents the transmission of the alarm indication to the operator based on plant state or other conditions

Advanced alarm design

Out of service

The state of an alarm during which the alarm indication is suppressed, typically manually, for reasons such as maintenance.

Maintenance

Table 1: Methods of alarm suppression from ISA-18.2.

alarms are most important so they can respond correctly, it is recommended that no more than 5% of the alarms be configured as high priority. The system should make it easy to review the configured alarm priority distribution, for example, by exporting alarm information to a CSV file for analysis in MS Excel. Analysis should also include identifying nuisance alarms, which are alarms that annunciate excessively, unnecessarily or do not return to normal after the correct response is taken (eg, chattering, fleeting or stale alarms). The system should have the capability of calculating and displaying statistics, such as alarm frequency, average time in alarm, time between alarms and time before acknowledgement. It is not uncommon for the majority of alarms (up to 80%) to originate from a small number of tags (10-20). This frequency analysis makes it easy to identify these ‘bad actors’ and fix them. The ‘average time in alarm’ metric can help identify chattering alarms, which are alarms that repeatedly transition between the alarm state and the normal state in a short period of time. Another key objective of the monitoring and assessment phase is to identify stale alarms, which are those alarms that remain in the alarm state for an extended period of time (more than 24 hours). The system should allow the alarm display to be filtered, based on time-in-alarm, in order to create a stale alarm list. Alarm display filters should be able to be saved and re-used so that on-demand reports can be easily created.

Management of change (Phase I) Even the most well-designed alarm system may not prevent problems if there is not strict control over access to configuration changes. Management of change entails the use of tools and procedures to ensure that modifications to the alarm system (such as changing an alarm’s limit) get reviewed and approved prior to implementation. Once the change is approved, the master alarm database should be updated to keep it current. All changes made through the HMI should be automatically recorded with the timestamp, ‘from’ and ‘to’ values, along with who made the change. The system should provide the capability to set up access privileges (such as who can acknowledge alarms, modify limits or disable alarms) on an individual and a group basis. It is also important to prevent unauthorised configuration changes from the engineering station. It is good practice to periodically compare the actual running alarm system configuration to the master alarm database to ensure that no unauthorised configuration changes have been made. The system should provide tools to facilitate this comparison in

38 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

NO MATTER WHETHER YOU ARE WORKING WITH AN INSTALLED SYSTEM, ARE LOOKING TO MIGRATE OR ARE PUTTING IN A NEW SYSTEM, THE ISA-18.2 STANDARD PROVIDES A USEFUL FRAMEWORK FOR IMPROVING YOUR ALARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.

order to make it easy to discover differences (eg, alarm limit has been changed from 10.0 to 99.99). These differences can then be corrected to ensure consistency and traceability.

Audit (Phase J) The last phase in the alarm management lifecycle is the audit phase. During this phase, periodic reviews are conducted of the alarm management processes that are used in the plant. The operation and performance of the system is compared against the principles and benchmarks documented in the alarm philosophy. The goal is to maintain the integrity of the alarm system and to identify areas of improvement. The alarm philosophy document is modified to reflect any changes resulting from the audit process.

Getting started No matter whether you are working with an installed system, are looking to migrate or are putting in a new system, the ISA18.2 standard provides a useful framework for improving your alarm management practices. There is no right or wrong place to start; however, your system will likely dictate which phase of the alarm management life cycle to focus on first. Alarm philosophy is a good place to start for a new system, while monitoring and assessment can be ideal for an existing system. Here are some of the key actions on which to concentrate when starting to adopt ISA-18.2: 1. Develop an alarm philosophy document to establish the standards for how your organisation will do alarm management. 2. Rationalise the alarms in the system to ensure that every alarm is necessary, has a purpose and follows the cardinal rule - that it requires an operator response. 3. Analyse and benchmark the performance of the system and compare it to the recommended metrics in ISA-18.2. Start by identifying nuisance alarms, which can be addressed quickly and easily - this rapid return on investment may

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Alarm management

Alarm performance metrics based on at least 30 days of data Metric

Target value

Annunciated alarms per time

Target value: Very likely to be acceptable

Target value: Maximum manageable

Annunciated alarms per day per operating position

150 alarms per day

300 alarms per day

Annunciated alarms per hour per operating position

6 (average)

12 (average)

Annunciated alarms per 10 min per operating position

1 (average)w

2 (average)

Metric

Target value

Percentage of hours with >30 alarms

<1%

Percentage of 10-min periods with >10 alarms

<1%

Maximum number of alarms in a 10-min period

â&#x2030;¤10

Percentage of time the system is in a flood condition

<1%

Percentage contribution of the top 10 most frequent alarms to the overall alarm load

<1% to 5% maximum, with action plan to address deficiencies

Quantity of chattering and fleeting alarms

Zero, develop action plans to correct any that occur

Stale alarms

<5 per day, with action plan to address

Annunciated priority distribution

If using three priorities: 80% low, 15% medium, 5% high If using four priorities: 80% low, 15% medium, 5% high, <1% â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;highestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Other special-purpose priorities are excluded from the calculation

Unauthorised alarm suppression

Zero alarms suppressed outside of controlled or approved methodologies

Unauthorised alarm attribute changes

Zero alarm attribute changes outside of approved methodologies or management of change (MOC)

Table 2: ISA-18.2 Alarm performance metrics(1).

help justify additional investment in other alarm management activities. 4. Implement management of change. Review access privileges and install tools to facilitate periodic comparisons of the actual configuration compared with the master alarm database. 5. Audit the performance of the alarm system. Talk with the operators about how well the system supports them. Do they know what to do in the event of an alarm? Are they able to quickly diagnose the problem and determine the corrective action? Also, analyse their ability to detect, diagnose and respond correctly and in time. 6. Perform a gap analysis on your legacy control system. Identify gaps compared to the standard (eg, lack of analysis tools) and opportunities for improvement. Consider the cost versus benefit of upgrading your system to improve its performance and for compliance with ISA-18.2. In many cases, a modern HMI can be added on top of a legacy control system to provide enhanced alarm management capability without replacing the controller and I/O.

Conclusion Following the ISA-18.2 standard will become increasingly important as it is adopted by industry, insurance and regulatory bodies. The standard includes recommendations and requirements that can stop poor alarm management, which acts as a barrier to operational excellence. Look for a system that provides a comprehensive set

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of tools that can help you to follow the alarm management life cycle and address the most common alarm issues - leading to a safer and more efficient plant. Depending on the capabilities of the native control system, additional third-party tools may be required to deliver the benefits of ISA-18.2. Finding a control system which provides, out of the box, the capabilities demanded by the standard can reduce life-cycle costs and make it easier for personnel to support and maintain. More information can be found at the ISA website www. isa.org, and copies of the standard are free to all ISA members.

References 7. ANSI/ISA-18.2-2009, Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries, www.isa.org 8. Zapata R and Andow P, Reducing the Severity of Alarm Floods, www.controlglobal.com 9. EEMUA 191 (2007), Alarm Systems: A Guide to Design, Management and Procurement Edition 2, The Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association, www.eemua.co.uk 10. Abnormal Situation Management Consortium, www.asmconsortium.net 11. NAMUR (Interessengemeinschaft Automatisierungstechnik der Prozessindustrie), www.namur.de Siemens Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W153

MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 39

Ari control vAlves… •regulating •open-close •3 way

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ROBOT TACTILE FEEDBACK ABB has introduced Integrated Force Control, designed to make robots more intelligent and able to handle variations in the process with real-time external inputs - much like a human would when handling a delicate item or precise dimensions. From machining to small

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parts assembly, dexterous handling of work piece and tools is of the utmost concern. Conventional robotic solutions are controlled by predefined paths and speeds. However, with Integrated Force Control, the robot reacts to its surrounding and can deviate from its programmed path or speed based on feedback from the force sensor. It is possible to automate complex tasks which previously required skilled personnel and advanced fixed automation. With the Integrated Force Control feature it is possible to assemble parts with tolerances that are within the range of the robot’s highly precise repeatability without requiring highly accurate and expensive fixtures. In addition, a force-controlled robot can be programmed to mimic the movements of a human arm, applying search patterns to find the correct position to assemble a given part. Integrated Force Control also enables a new dimension of robot intelligence in machining applications such as grinding, polishing, deburring and deflashing. One of the packages’ features allows a robot to grind, polish or buff parts while maintaining a constant force between the tool and the work piece. Another feature enables a robot to deburr or deflash partlines and surfaces of parts at a controlled speed, thereby slowing down when encountering excessive burrs or casting flash. ABB Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V874

DIGITAL COMPOUND GAUGE The Noshok 1000 Series digital gauge allows local digital indication of pressure in place of mechanical gauges, and

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mobile test equipment. Standard pressure ranges are available from 0-30 psig, to as high as 0-10,000 psig. Compound ranges are also available from 30/30 psig through 30/600 psig. The display on the gauge has an integrated bar graph with a trailing indicating pointer to show the trends in a working pressure system, and an additional display provides a direct readout of the peak value, tare and other functions. An optional internal light ensures the display is optimally lit for a clear readout in all lighting conditions, while buttons on the front of the display allow easy adjustment of the programmable functions. The gauge meets all electromagnetic compatibility requirements (EMC) to EN 61326 and is CE compliant to suppress RFI, EMI and ESD. Optional features include tare function, password protection, min/max memory, internal

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lighting, 300° rotatable base and a rubber case protector. AMS Instrumentation & Calibration Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W013

40 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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NEW PRODUCTS

PREDICTION AND PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR HYDROELECTRIC TURBINES Emerson Process Management has introduced an integrated predictive diagnostics and protection system that offers real-time monitoring to improve reliability for all major types of hydro turbines. The predictive diagnostics help maximise availability and reduce maintenance costs and the protection system helps hydro power plants avoid catastrophic failure and comply with safety, health and environment regulations. Building on its experience in effective predictive monitoring technologies for steam and gas turbines, Emerson developed low-frequency sensors with built-in signal filtering and conditioning for use with its CSI 6500 Machinery Health Monitor. By accurately monitoring measurements such as vibration, temperature and eccentricity, the CSI 6500 captures meaningful data for every aspect of hydro machinery operation. The CSI 6500 and machinery health sensors provide continuous monitoring on hydro turbines and give instant notification of vibration alerts. When a preset trip level is exceeded, the protection system shuts down the turbine automatically, ensuring improved safety of plant personnel and preventing catastrophic machine damage. Just as importantly, predictive diagnostics from the monitor enable plant personnel to identify potential issues in the turbines such as cavitations or rotor imbalance and plan repairs before the protection system is ever engaged. For facilities that require additional protection parameters, the CSI 6300 SIS Digital Overspeed Protection system protects equipment and personnel from damage caused by overspeed events. Emerson Process Management Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W036

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 41

NEW PRODUCTS

DISCHARGER DUST HOOD Flexicon has released a dust hood for its bulk bag dischargers, designed to contain spillage and dust that can escape through seams in the bag and folds in the spout. The six-sided enclosure seats against the rim of a hopper or flange of downstream equipment and is equipped with an exhaust port for dust collection and a hinged door with inspection window. The top of the enclosure contains a circular opening that allows passage of the bag spout to the equipment connection point. The flat bottom of the enclosure supports a Tele-Tube telescoping tube that pneumatically raises a Spout-Lock clamp ring which connects the clean side of the spout to the clean side of the equipment. Allowing the telescoping tube to descend under its own weight maintains constant downward tension on the spout as the bag empties and elongates, as Flow-Flexer bag activators raise and lower opposite bottom edges of the bag at timed intervals to loosen compacted materials, promoting material flow and complete discharge from the bag. Dust is vented through the sidewall-mounted port to an optional Bag-Vac dust collector or plant bag house, preventing contamination of the environment. Constructed of stainless steel finished to food, pharmaceutical and industrial standards, the dust hood is offered on all Flexicon dischargers including models requiring forklift loading of bulk bags, models that load bags using an electric hoist and trolley, half-frame dischargers that require a forklift or plant hoist, and split-frame dischargers for forklift loading of bags in low headroom areas. Flexicon Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V842

EROSION-RESISTANT VALVES The Metso Neles E-series range of ceramic control valves, recognised for being extremely erosion resistant, has been expanded to NPS 08â&#x20AC;ł (DN 200) in pressure Class 300 (PN40). The E-series valve is a suitable solution in many energy and hydrocarbon processes, as well as in mining and minerals processing processes, where metallic materials and coatings fail due to high erosion. Catalyst handling can be a challenging application. It is claimed that with the E-series control valve, plant runtime can be extended and life-cycle costs minimised. The Neles ceramic control valve series E2/E6 uses a field-proven design with solid ceramic trim components to cover the whole wetted flow passage. Metso Automation (ANZ) Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W284

42 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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PORTABLE HYDROCARBON ANALYSER Available to rent, the PetroSense PHA-100 portable hydrocarbon analyser benefits timeconscious individuals involved in environmental monitoring and testing. It allows for real-time measurement of petrochemical contamination in water or vapour. Sending away samples to a laboratory for gas chromatography or infrared analysis is not necessary. The intrinsically safe analyser uses a fibre-optic chemical sensor (FOCS), with an operating range of 0 to 20,000 ppm of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) with a lower limit of detection <10 ppm as xylene, in vapour, and an accuracy of ±15% of reading; or a range of 0 to 2000 ppm as TPH with a lower limit of detection 0.1 ppm as xylene, in water, with an accuracy of ±10% of reading. The analyser is suitable for a number of applications, including: remediation monitoring; site assessment; well plume monitoring; storm/wastewater monitoring; hydrocarbon breakthrough; and leak detection. It features serial output to laptop or printer, with logging of up to 1000 samples. The response time is less than 5 s, and it is certified to EPA Method 8020. TechRentals Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W012

CERTIFIED MACHINE SAFETY TRAINING In addition to its MachineSAFE training course, Pilz now offers the internationally recognised Certified Machinery Safety Expert (CMSE) course. Introduced to Australia in 2013, the four-day course is a collaboration between Pilz and TÜV Nord and has set new standards for certified training in the field of machinery safety.

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workshops, the course covers the key fundamentals of this field. Pilz has also updated its MachineSAFE courses and these now include more international content as well as being structured so that the Advanced course now picks up from where Introduction course finishes. Four new CMSE courses will be held across Australasia in 2014 with the first courses taking place in March in Brisbane and Auckland. Courses in Melbourne and

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©2013 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 10713

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19â&#x20AC;ł RACK PC Featuring Intel Core microprocessors with Turbo Boost 2.0. EM64T, VT-x/-d, Intel Active Management Technology 9.0 (iAMT) and Intel HD Graphics 4600/4400 capability integrated in the processor, the Simatic IPC 547E offers maximum processor performance (without throttling) up to 40Â°C ambient temperature with full configuration. Dust protection is achieved by controller overpressure ventilation. Shock (up to 1g) and vibration loads (up to 0.2g) are tolerated during operation, making this computer industrially robust. Main memory is expandable up to 32 GB DDR3 (four slots) with dual-channel support. A serial ATA (SATA) solid-state drive (SSD) of 240 GB and a SATA hard disk drive (HDD) up to 1 TB are available. Future expansion is also possible with seven free slots for PCI/PCIExpress expansion. Redundancy in network connectivity via the ethernet interface is possible with two Intel gigabit ethernet ports with teaming ability. Seven USB 2.0 ports, with one port located inside, are available, as well as four SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports with two ports front-side mounting. The IPC 547E includes monitoring functions for temperature, fan, program execution (watchdog) and battery. With a RAID controller onboard, up to RAID 5 is possible including striping with parity on three SATA hard disks for increased memory capacity in a hot-swap frame, optionally with an additional hot spare hard disk. Also featured is quick identification and replacement of the hard disk in the case of a fault with HDD alarm LEDs for RAID configurations and unambiguous numbering. Siemens Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W074

LMT point level sensors with extended probe length, for hygienic applications. The new LMT point level sensors with extended probe length (up to 250mm) and G1/2 fittings have now become available. These already proven devices are perfect for detecting the levels of virtually any liquid, viscous medium or bulk material in storage tanks. Additionally, the sensors can also detect the absence of product. The sensors are resistant to build up due to a high 200Mhz Capacitive Field Technology that reliably detects the true level, even in the case of high build up on the probe. The sensors are also programmable via I/O Link software. This enables two switching outputs that can be set independently of each other so it is possible to differentiate between two different media. The sensors are housed in high-grade stainless steel with a high protection rating IP 68/IP 69K. The robust LMT sensors meet all the requirements for hygienic areas.

fluid sensors and diagnostic systems position sensors and object recognition

bus, identification and control systems

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 45

CASE STUDY

Production-line security for Industry 4.0 In the future, production to fit the customer’s specific facilities will be able to requirements,” Filipovic communicate and interact with points out. one another, and machinery The process takes around will often be remote serviced. four weeks to complete. But no company boss wants The researchers integrate to run the risk of opening the simple systems at the same door to industrial espionage time, such as sensors in the and sabotage with unsecured pharmaceuticals industry that networks. report filling levels or mixing According to research ratios - these, too, should not giant Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft forward their information to it will soon become a reality in unauthorised parties. manufacturing that products On the one hand, the system along the production line protects companies from will know where they are, spies trying to hack their way which steps they have already into the network from off-site completed, and what they still locations. On the other hand, need to become a finished it also outwits data thieves product. Production facilities trying to coax secrets out of will be able to coordinate routers and circuit boards their work steps and exchange on location. A special film information with one another, affixed to security-relevant and there will be no need for casings immediately reports technicians to set foot in the any attempts to unscrew production halls for servicing, the protective covering to with machinery inspections access security-relevant data. carried out remotely instead. Developed at AISEC, the film In a word: products and plants is affixed to the router casing, will be intelligent. This is or directly onto the circuit also referred to as ‘Industry boards - the board containing 4.0’ - meaning industry of the key control elements such Secure access that keeps industrial pirates and saboteurs out is fourth generation, following as microcontrollers, chips indispensable for Industry 4.0. ©Fraunhofer IPA mechanisation, electrification and other security-critical and digitisation. processing units - and sealed For this to be possible though, facilities will use a data shut at multiple points. If the router is switched off, all of the network to communicate with one another, and even the products software it contains is stored in encrypted form. If it is in operation, themselves will have to ‘log in’. Human beings will use this network though, it needs the decrypted program code. Each decryption key connection to control and monitor production too - to keep an eye is a function of the properties of the protective film. And if these on plant operation even if they don’t happen to be in the production properties are changed - by tearing open or drilling into the film to hall. On top of this, there will be remote maintenance and remote reach the circuit boards, for instance - the film detects the attack software updates. So for all these functions to work, one thing in a few milliseconds and responds immediately: it deletes all of is indispensable: secure access that keeps industrial pirates and its unencrypted, security-relevant data. saboteurs out. Unauthorised intruders cannot get to the software. Data Certainly, businesses can use a normal internet connection for deletion is no problem for the business, however: all a company this form of data traffic, securing it through a VPN. “But there’s has to do is reinstall the software and affix a new protective film. something many people don’t know: there are VPNs and there “Combining software and film gives us an ideal security level,” are VPNs - and not every VPN access is secure,” explains Bartol Filipovic says, “and the events of 2013 very clearly taught us just Filipovic, division director at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied how important that can be.” Secure communication software and and Integrated Security (AISEC) in Garching, Germany. hardware are fundamental to the evolution of production toward That is why researchers have come up with a router that offers digitisation and Industry 4.0; and protection against espionage, secure VPN access. Authorisation and firewall functionalities sabotage and product piracy is crucial to innovation and a strong provide additional access protection. The necessary security competitive position. protocols can also be integrated directly in the industrial customer’s plants and machinery. “The system is a software kit. We’ve Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft already developed the basic components, and we can tailor them www.fraunhofer.de

46 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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PRECISION TEMPERATURE CALIBRATOR The 1586A Super-DAQ Precision Temperature Scanner from Fluke Calibration offers up to 40 analog input channels and scan rates as fast as 10 channels per second, making it suitable for applications such as thermal mapping, process sensor calibration, quality control testing, lifecycle testing, process monitoring and environmental testing common in various industries including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food processing, aerospace and automotive. With the flexibility of both internal and external input modules, the device is designed for use on the factory floor where channel count and scan speeds are important and in the calibration laboratory where accuracy and quick input connections are required. The scanner can measure thermocouples, platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs), thermistors, DC current, DC voltage and resistance. It is said to offer best-in-class temperature measurement accuracy of ±0.005°C for PRTs, 0.5°C for thermocouples and 0.002°C for thermistors. The device has a colour display with channel indicators that can chart up to four channels simultaneously. It features four modes of operation (scan, monitor, measure and digital multimeter) and alarms that indicate when a channel measurement exceeds an assigned high or low limit. It has 20 MB of onboard memory for storing data and configuration files, a USB port to collect and store files directly to a USB drive and a LAN interface for easy connection to PCs and networks. It also includes a dedicated RS232 interface to control Fluke Calibration drywells or temperature baths for automated tests. Fluke Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V880

NEW ProBus RS 485 Modbus I/O Modules • Ideal for data acquisition and remote I/O. • Manufactured in Australia • Multi-channel analog and digital I/O modules. • Modbus RTU communications. • Ethernet Modbus TCP and Profibus gateways. • Compact DIN-Rail packaging with integrated Bus connector.

Tel 02 9624 8376 Fax 02 9620 8709 Email proconel@proconel.com

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 47

NEW PRODUCTS

PACKAGED PRODUCT-RECOVERY SYSTEMS National Bulk Equipment has introduced the ProductSaver line of packaged product recovery systems for the efficient recovery of packaged product and packaging that may be off-spec, mislabelled, overruns, unsafe or for other reasons unsaleable. The systems provide automated removal of packaged dry contents from the content’s packaging. This separation process enables controlled recovery of the contents for beneficial residual resale, re-use or efficient disposal; and recovery of the packaging material for recycling or disposal. The system integrates package infeed, package opening and contents and package separation processes into a singlestream product-recovery sequence. Infeed is handled by one operator; whether pallet loads, cases or single packs, no break-pack or razor-knife steps are necessary; improving total process efficiency and protecting personnel from knives and repetitive-motion injury. Package opening occurs within the cutting head enclosure where high-speed blades, configured to ensure maximum material release without shredding the package, prepare the package for the separation operation. Automated package opening enables safe, high-volume processing and eliminates dusting that is common with manual methods. The integrated rotary separator uses a screen drum with angled flights to complete the separation of contents from the packaging. Inline aspiration removes residual contents from the packaging providing up to 99.95% of content recovery. Recovered contents are reclaimed into bulk containers for convenient handling. The recovered packaging material is collected and prepared for recycling or disposal. ProductSaver packaged product recovery systems are designed and built to the particular requirements of each application, regardless of package shape. Mercer Stainless Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W121

QUICK-CONNECT DEW POINT TRANSMITTER Michell Instruments has added a new fast-connection option to its Easidew PRO I.S. dew-point transmitter to make commissioning and maintenance in locations that are difficult to access as simple as possible. The option was added to the range after the company had worked with a customer in the Middle East to provide a solution where the device had to be fitted in an inaccessible, dark location. Under these circumstances, the standard conduit connection would have been difficult to work with. The solution – to adapt the standard Easidew PRO I.S. to include a fast connection – enabled the company to quickly and easily fit the dew-point transmitter in the required location, saving time and money on the commissioning and future maintenance of the system. Because it is so easy to work with, the fast connection also improves on safety when working in locations that are difficult to access. The connector is IP65 rated and suitable for installation in hazardous process locations. The device provides fast, accurate dew point measurements from -100 to +20°C dew point, and is capable of measuring moisture in hydrocarbon liquids as well as in gases. It is certified by ATEX for use in hazardous area zone 0, as well as for use with galvanic isolators. AMS Instrumentation & Calibration Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W206

48 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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PROCESS MODELLING SOFTWARE Aspen Technology has available the V8.4 release of aspenONE software. The unified engineering environment features Activated Exchanger Design and Rating (EDR) and updates to Activated Energy and Activated Economics in Aspen HYSYS and Aspen Plus. In addition, the new software adds crude assay data and new reactor models for refinery modelling with Aspen HYSYS and expands solids models for chemicals in Aspen Plus. Updated Activation capabilities in V8.4 software include Activated EDR - an all-new Activation capability to optimise heat exchanger design and operation. From within the Aspen Plus and Aspen HYSYS engineering environment, users can do rigorous heat exchanger design and view heat exchanger status to quickly perform revamp studies and debottlenecking. Another capability is Activated Energy, which automates pinch analysis for non-experts and adds the ability to group process units in a flow diagram and optimise energy across the grouping. Activated Energy also identifies optimum design modifications for energy savings and automatically recommends lower cost utilities that are available. Activated Economics, powered by AspenTech’s proprietary costing engine and cost estimation software, now adds cost overlays. Additionally, V8.4 includes expanded conceptual solids models, which bridge process engineering and particle science and extends solids modelling to non-experts. Using AspenTech’s solids models, including two new operating units - spray dryers and fluidised bed reactors - both process engineers and particle scientists are able to build designs in parallel using a common frame of reference for faster and more efficient process design. Aspen Technology Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/W333

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MARCH 2014 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY 49

AS I SEE IT A.B.N. 22 152 305 336 Head Office Cnr. Fox Valley Road & Kiogle Street, (Locked Bag 1289)

RISKY BUSINESS: OPERATING IN A TOUGH ENVIRONMENT

Wahroonga NSW 2076 AUSTRALIA ph: +61 2 9487 2700 fx: +61 2 9489 1265 www.westwick-farrow.com.au ph: +61 3 9381 2952 Editor Glenn Johnson wnipt@westwick-farrow.com.au

he plight of many manufacturing companies has been well reported in recent years. Gone are the heady days of the 1960s when manufacturing was contributing over 25% of Australia’s GDP, with that figure now at below 10%. Some of the country’s largest manufacturers, including the three largest car companies, have moved operations offshore, with many claiming the cost of doing business in Australia is too high. What this environment has caused is a strong focus from businesses on optimising operational costs, with a decline in investment in capital expenditure. More manufacturers are trying to do more with less and make better use of their current resources - a strategy which is easier said than done. However, companies who can successfully manage their OPEX create a strong competitive advantage over rivals. The key to achieving this operational excellence is visibility to company information. In order to make timely and informed decisions, manufacturers must have a holistic view of the entire organisation at their fingertips and break down any information silos created by a rigid departmental structure. Decision-makers must be able to analyse data and be able to confidently identify areas of underperformance, production or supply chain bottlenecks, or low-selling product lines. However, there’s more to business intelligence than performance statistics used by upper management. Today, information needs to be presented in a manner that helps people at every operational level of the organisation make the best possible decisions. Users should have one place to go for information that is gathered from internal and external sources, and that is presented to them in a context that’s relevant to what they are currently working on. This is done by enabling the flow of information from department to department, or person to person, using intelligent work-

Chief Editor

flows and alerts that are based on a set of predefined business conditions. It’s about being notified to changes in customer orders, delays in raw material delivery or changes to the scheduled completion of production. It’s about creating a holistic decision-making environment that increases your company’s agility and automates processes to improve your company’s productivity. To achieve this, however, the right company software systems become vital. The businesses that are achieving the most success are those looking beyond the traditional ERP systems. IDC Manufacturing Insights identified four major forces enabling change in business IT - cloud computing, social business, mobility and big data analytics. Together, these forces can revolutionise businesses, disrupt old business models and create new leaders. With all parts of the software system working together like clockwork, improvements in efficiencies inevitably follow. More and more businesses are looking to these next-generation ERP systems to help achieve the desired operational outcomes. While the manufacturing industry may not return to the booming days of the 1960s anytime soon, manufacturers can certainly look to software solutions as a way to offset the costs of operating in a tough environment.

Janette Woodhouse Publisher Geoff Hird Art Director/Production Manager Julie Wright Art/Production Tanya Scarselletti, Odette Boulton, Colleen Sam Circulation Manager Sue Lavery circulation@westwick-farrow.com.au Copy Control Mitchie Mullins Advertising Sales National Sales Manager/NSW/QLD Nicola Fender-Fox ph: 0414 703 780 nfender-fox@westwick-farrow.com.au VIC/SA/WA - Lachlan Rainey ph: 0402 157 167 lrainey@westwick-farrow.com.au NZ - Gemma Burr ph: 0800 44 2529 gburr@westwick-farrow.com.au Asia - Lachlan Rainey ph: +61 (0) 402 157 167 lrainey@westwick-farrow.com.au Subscriptions For unregistered readers price on application. If you have any queries regarding our privacy policy please email privacy@westwick-farrow.com.au

September 2013 total CAB audited circulation (Aust + NZ) 6,781 readers (80% personally requested)

Jo-Anne Ruhl is the Managing Director of Infor Pacific where she is responsible for the oversight of Infor’s sales teams in Australia and New Zealand. A 15-year industry veteran, Ruhl has also held various leadership roles across project management, consulting and sales.

50 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2014

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Printed and bound by Webstar +61 2 9748 0020 Print Post Approved PP100007403 ISSN No. 0819-5447 All material published in this magazine is published in good faith and every care is taken to accurately relay information provided to us. Readers are advised by the publishers to ensure that all necessary safety devices and precautions are installed and safe working procedures adopted before the use of any equipment found or purchased through the information we provide. Further, all performance criteria was provided by the representative company concerned and any dispute should be referred to them. Information indicating that products are made in Australia or New Zealand is supplied by the source company. Westwick Farrow P/L does not quantify the amount of local content or the accuracy of the statement made by the source.

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