There`s a lot more to truly going green than efficiency.

Transcription

There’s a lot more to truly going green than effi ciency.
Here’s how some experienced end users and
their applications are mastering process sustainability
WHERE THE MONEY IS—
CONTROL’S 2011 SALARY SURVEY
WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER
THE I.S. ALTERNATIVE FOR SAFETY
MORE EXTRAORDINARY PID INNOVATIONS
EXCLUSIVE TO THE WEB
THE CERN LARGE HADRON
COLLIDER’S SCADA SYSTEM
STUXNET AND THE PARADIGM SHIFT
IN CYBER WARFARE
JUNE 2011
HOW CARDINAL ETHANOL
OPTIMIZES PRODUCTION
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CONTRL_IFC_0611_Control Design 5/19/11 2:25 PM Page 1
CONTR
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5/25/11 3:44 PM
System 800xA Extended Automation
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Profitable collaboration. Operational excellence can only be achieved through collaboration
between people and systems. ABB’s System 800xA Extended Automation platform provides
the collaborative environment necessary for various organizations and departments to work as
one. Utilizing System 800xA’s patented Aspect Object Technology, information is integrated
from various plant systems, applications, and devices and presented as one plant-wide view
enabling informed, real-time decision making. That’s the power of integration.
For more information visit www.abb.com/controlsystems
US_Adv_800xA.indd
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2010-09-21
5/25/11 13.39
3:44 PM
June 2011 • Volume XXIV • Number 6
f e at u r e s
C
o
v
e
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S
t
o
r
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32 / Serious Sustainability
There’s a lot more to truly going green than efficiency.
Here’s how some experienced end users and their applications are mastering process sustainability.
by Jim Montague
S
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43 / Half Full or Half Empty?
In spite of relatively steady conditions, respondents to our
2011 salary survey don’t feel the love, and they’re grumpy
about it. by Nancy Bartels
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50 / The I.S. Alternative
The first reason to install an intrinsic safety system is to
reduce the overall risk of explosion through human error. by Ian Verhappen
W E B
E X C L U S I V E S
How Cardinal Ethanol Optimizes Production
www.controlglobal.com/1106_Cardinal.html
Stuxnet and the New Cyber Warfare Paradigm
www.controlglobal.com/1006_Cyberwar.html
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider’s SCADA System
www.controlglobal.com/1106_CERN.html
European Report
www.controlglobal.com/IAI
CONTROL (ISSN 1049-5541) is published monthly by PUTMAN Media COMPANY (also publishers of CONTROL DESIGN, CHEMICAL PROCESSING, FOOD PROCESSING, Industrial Networking,
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, and PLANT SERVICES ), 555 W. Pierce Rd., Ste. 301, Itasca, IL 60143. (Phone 630/467-1300; Fax 630/467-1124.) Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offices, same address. Periodicals Postage Paid at Itasca, IL, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States. ©Putman Media 2010. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without
consent of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTROL, P.O. Box 3428, Northbrook, IL 60065-3428. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified-reader subscriptions are accepted from Operating Management in the control
industry at no charge. To apply for qualified-reader subscription, fill in subscription form. To non-qualified subscribers in the U.S. and its possessions, subscriptions are $70.00 per year. Single copies are $15.00 domestic, $17.00 foreign. Subscriptions
for Canada and Mexico are $112.00. Foreign subscriptions outside of Canada and Mexico accepted at $125.00 per year for surface and $210.00 for airmail. CONTROL assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items reported. Canada
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June 2011 • Volume XXIV • Number 6
Calibration “A core competence”
D E PA RT M E N T S
9 / Editor’s Page
Leadership Is Not a Dirty Word
Leaders, not managers, are the ones who
keep a company on the path to good corporate citizenship.
31 / Resources
What you need to know about loop controllers now.
53 / Ask the Experts
Our experts discuss control valves that also
measure flow.
11 / On the Web
Seen in the Boarding Lounge
ControlGlobal.com is the gateway to
the best process automation information
around.
13 / Feedback
Apps for Control, gaming systems and
more on steam quality
16 / Security Spotlight
The first of three excerpts from Joe Weiss’
book, Protecting Industrial Control Systems
from Electronic Threats.
21 / On the Bus
Siemens—Not Just for Profibus Anymore
John Rezabek goes to India to discover Siemens’ support for Foundation fieldbus.
22 / In Process
The revamped WBF, the state of the process automation market, Rockwell acquires Lektronix and more industry news.
55 / Roundup
Get your pressure measurement technology
here.
58 / Product Bonanza
Exclusive new products from Festo and Invensys, plus pages of process automation
goodies.
63 / Control Talk
McMillan and Weiner discuss more creative ways to use PID controllers for process
improvement.
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The program almost writes itself!
Use the technology built into the Productivity3000 programmable
controller to make your job easier. The FREE Productivity Suite
programming software offers time-saving instructions whose
“fill-in-the-blank” style makes it easy to configure even more complex
tasks. Here’s just a few:
• MATH uses calculator style to build complex equations with a mix of
constant values, tag names and mathematical functions.
• ALARM lets you specify multiple alarm thresholds on a single variable
and assign to various tags.
• SCALE (linear and non-linear) - The simple linear SCALE accepts
minimum and maximum engineering units and user units for scaling.
The non-linear SCALE instruction converts a variable with user-supplied
data points on a curve (i.e. scaling a liquid tank level to volume)
• Use PID for as many loops as your process needs (restricted only by
memory); single or cascaded loops and full auto tuning built-in.
• CUSTOM PROTOCOL creates a communications link to a custom
device - no complicated co-processor required.
• SEND EMAIL is a simple method of sending email notifications to
a mail server.
5/25/11 3:45 PM
EDITOR’S PAGE
Leadership Is Not a Dirty Word
When we think of the “modern” theories of working together, we think of coaching,
managing, teams and cooperation. We don’t often think of the good, old-fashioned
word “leadership.” But, as was pointed out in this spring’s PlantSuccess meeting in
Houston, it is leadership that defines the culture of a company and keeps the company
from ignoring its better nature.
We legally regard corporations as actual persons. This legal fiction is both good and not so
good. The not-so-good part is that corporations
have no moral or ethical sense. It is up to the
officers and directors of the corporation to provide that sense of right and wrong all the way
down the management chain, so the corporation will be a good “person” and a good corporate citizen.
This type of leadership has everything to do
with safety, security and the management of
risk.
If management is clearly devoted to the concept that safety is free and that high reliability, safety and security equals increased profit,
companies will behave in a safe, secure way. If
the leadership of a company believes that the
most important thing is to squeeze every dollar out of the process plants, it will behave in
a way that is certain to include directives to
cut corners, defer maintenance and keep running with band-aids, string, chewing gum and
duct tape. And, sooner or later, something has
to blow.
We’ve been seeing this now for almost 100
years.
The attendees at the recent PlantSuccess
Plant Management Forum were united in their
belief that it is individual leadership at the
highest management levels that gives managers
and supervisors the guidance they need to act
safely, securely and manage risk appropriately.
One of the participants insisted that leaders
are force multipliers. Another said that leaders are like a good point guard on a basketball
team. Leadership, they said, is bold. Managers
don’t take risks. Leaders do. Leaders are willing
to quit and work somewhere else if they don’t
believe in the values being practiced by their
company.
Leaders, in my opinion, are not born. They
are made in a nurturing environment, first in
school, then in the companies they work for.
Companies that reward leadership have higher
profits than companies that reward keeping
your head down and doing what the boss says.
But, like a good point guard, good leaders
know that leadership isn’t about giving orders.
It is about being an exemplar—living what you
believe in, and showing how to behave in a safe
and secure way.
Many companies do not reward that kind of
leadership. Managers displaying it are labeled
“rogues” and “troublemakers.” Well, it’s time
for this to change.
If we expect to revitalize manufacturing,
we’re going to have to start at the top. Top leadership—note I did not say “management”—
must be personally and individually dedicated
to the proposition that the company they lead
will always act in a moral and ethical manner. Why? Because this changes the way they,
as leaders, behave. If they are constrained by
their own moral compass to act in certain ways,
they will only act in those ways. If their focus is
on the safety and security of the enterprise all
the way down to the person in the gatehouse at
the the plant entrance, the decisions they make
will be colored by that focus. And, of course, if
they aren’t—not so much.
Does your company raise, train and nurture
leaders? If not, maybe you should consider going to one that does.
Remember, as one of the PlantSuccess participants said, “It all comes back to the fact that
we want everyone to go home safe.”
Walt boyes
Editor in chief
[email protected]
It all comes back
to the fact that we
want everyone to
go home safe.
CT1106_09_Edit.indd 9
9
5/26/11 2:56 PM
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Barrett_107B.indd 1
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5/25/11 3:45 PM
CONTROL ONLINE
www.controlglobal.com/thismonth
NANCY BARTELS
MANAGING EDITOR
nbar [email protected]
The ControlGlobal
Boarding Lounge–The
World at Your Fingertips
Last weekend I was wandering around Concourse A in the international terminal at Heathrow, London, waiting for the airport gods to declare which gate my
plane for Chicago was going to board from. Whatever its failings, there are few
places better suited to people watching. Heathrow handles more international
passengers than any other airport in the world, so it seems as if everybody from
everywhere eventually ends up in Concourse A.
Now ControlGlobal.com might not be the gateway to quite as many exotic
sights, but there’s a world of process control information available at the click
of a mouse, much of it unavailable elsewhere. For example, in “The Nuclear
Mess,” (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/the-nuclear-mess.html), editor-in-chief Walt Boyes tackles some of the long-term
consequences of the Fukushima disaster, and shares
his conversation with Ed Halpin, president and CEO
of the South Texas Project, about the future of nuclear
power. This is “don’t-miss” reading. If nuclear is still
on your mind, another must read is Béla Lipták’s, “The
Fukushima Nuclear Accident, Part 1” (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/FukushimaNuclear1105.html), which presents a lucid analysis of what went wrong when the waters swamped the reactor.
Similarly, our SoundOff! blog, (http://community.controlglobal.com/
soundoff/index.html), written mostly by Boyes, is a kind of Heathrow Concourse A for process control. He either knows, or knows somebody who
knows, the people at the top of the A, B and C lists in process control—and
talks to them often. Just in the last week, Boyes brought news of dubious new
smart grid initiatives, reviews of the latest books on process control issues,
interviews with new companies offering interesting services, and a fascinating explanation of the name change from Ferraz Shawmut to Merson. If you
haven’t bookmarked SoundOff!, you should.
Just like a 21st-century airport, we offer some of the latest technology,
in this case, multimedia. Check out our latest podcast with ARC Advisory
Group on distributed safety (www.controlglobal.com/multimedia/2011/distributed-safety-podcast.html). If YouTube is more to your liking, watch the
video about the DCS upgrade at the Golden Triangle Energy cooperative
in Craig. Mo. (www.controlglobal.com/multimedia/2011/Golden-TriangleEnergy-DCS-PlantPAx.html)
ControlGlobal may not have a duty-free shop, but we can give you access
and be the jumping-off point to a world of process automation information.
Industrial Information System Security
This three-part tutorial explains security objectives, attack types and
countermeasures, best practices and
emerging standards for automation
system security. www.controlglobal.
com/wp_downloads/090126_OPC_
BridgingTransferDataSystems.html.
Calibration for Hazardous Locations
Learn about calibrators that are designed to operate safely in rugged
environments and hazardous locations. to www.controlglobal.com/wp_
downloads/110504-Calibration-Solutions-Hazardous-Locations.html.
Temperature Instrument Market Report
This market intelligence report compares the temperature instrumentation
market in 2009 with this year. See the
changes two years can make. www.
controlglobal.com/multimedia/2011/
MIR-temperature-pressure-instrumentations.html
The Future of Process Management
Emerson Process Management’s former VP, Dave Beckmann, says that to
thrive in the current environment, we
need to change the way we think and
the systems we use to manage our
companies. Are you ready for a new
way of doing things? www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/FutureProcessManagement1103.html
ControlGlobal E-News
Multimedia Alerts
White Paper Alerts
Go to www.controlglobal.com and
follow instructions to register for our
free weekly e-newsletters.
Updated every business day, the Control Global online magazine is available at no charge.
Go to www.controlglobal.com and follow instructions to register for our free weekly e-newsletters.
J U N E / 2 0 1 1 www.controlglobal.com
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Columnists: BÉLA LIPTÁK, GREG MCMILLAN, STAN WEINER
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I am the recent owner of an iPad, and I am
sending this message as advice for you and
your magazine.
I am an avid reader of technical and
trade magazines. These things help keep
me abreast of trends in technology in order
to keep my company focused in the right
direction. At 55 years old, it did not occur
to me that I would ever give up my printed
magazines for electronic versions, but it
happened.
One of the first things I did with the
new iPad was download Zinio, an electronic reader program. I now find it impossible to justify carrying printed magazines
while I travel, which can be extensive at
times. I read all my magazines, if they are
available, on my iPad.
This allows me to keep many magazines with me at all times and past issues
of those magazines for reference. I keep 20
or 30 magazines available, all in a package
the size of one.
My disappointment is that not enough
of my favorite technical magazines are
available electronically. Please consider
adopting this new technology for distributing Control magazine.
cal physics engine, plus a 2D Erector set
that lets you create all sorts of simulated
mechanical contraptions. Though it is
aimed at older kids, my six-year-old absolutely loves this thing because to him, he
is “making” something. The common refrain now after dinner is “Dad can I make
something on your iPad?”
Autodesk has also
created a short presentation and series of videos to be
Distributed
Safety Arrives
used at middle and
high school career
days. The main purpose is to show all of
the amazing things
people do with Autodesk software (from video games to process plants), and that it is all based on science, math and engineering. Apparently,
the number of kids who “would consider
careers in science and engineering” typically starts in the 10% or under range, but
then moves to the over 50% range after the
presentation.
safety is comin
l, distributed
uted contro
e your own.
Just like distrib
you, mayb
ss plant near
to a proce
MEDITATING ON DISTURBANCE DYNAMICS
WHAT WENT WRONG AT FUKUSHIMA
EXCLUSIVE TO THE WEB
NEWS FROM EUROPE AND THE REST
OF THE WORLD
WALT BOYES GOES NUCLEAR
MOTOR AND DRIVES GRAB BAG
CT1105_01_CVR.indd 3
4/25/11 4:17 PM
ROBERT SHE AR
BUSINESS LINE DIRECTOR, AUTODESK PL ANT SOLUTIONS
Missing the Point on Steam
RICK CALDWELL
PRESIDENT, SCADAWARE
[email protected]
[Editor’s note: We always strive to deliver
content in the most convenient way possible. We are researching this new technology now. To read the magazine online, visit
www.controlglobal.com to view all articles
or download PDFs to your iPad’s library.]
Gaming Systems
It’s very interesting what Siemens is trying to do with Plantville (see Walt Boyes’
SoundOff! blog post, http://tinyurl.
com/4yu2fzw). It is a very tough balance to
strike between engaging and real. Personally, as soon as I heard “KPI,” I was done.
Autodesk recently launched an iPad
app aimed at middle and high school students with the goal of introducing them
to engineering and physics (see http://tinkerboxnews.com/). It is basically a graphi-
In the April 2011 “Ask the Experts” column,
(www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/IndustrialMesurements1104.html), there is
a question regarding steam quality. Unless I’m missing something, there appears
to be a disconnect between the question
asked and the answer provided. The question seems to be related to steam quality in
the classic thermodynamic sense, i.e. the
ratio of the mass of vapor to the total mass
at saturation temperature; hence, the mention of a throttling calorimeter. When the
term “quality” is used in this sense, it only
has meaning when saturated conditions
exist. Yet the answer provided speaks of superheated steam and seems to be related to
steam purity, i.e. measurement of impurities in the steam.
CARL FORESTI
ANALYZER RELIABILIT Y ENGINEER
CONOCOPHILLIPS BAY WAY REFINERY
[email protected]
J U N E / 2 0 1 1 www.controlglobal.com
CT1106_13_14_Feedback.indd 13
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VP, Circulation: JERRY CLARK
13
5/26/11 3:00 PM
TF E EC DH BN AI C AK L L Y S P E A K I N G
Béla Lipták’s Team of Experts Replies
I agree with Carl Foresti. “Steam quality” refers to the mass of water vapor at a
given temperature compared to the total
mass at saturation temperature.
When we talk about steam composition, the words “steam chemistry,” and
“impurities or contaminants in steam”
should be used, especially in steam
quality control programs (which actually means steam chemistry, not steam
quality).
The following are quotes from “Interim Consensus Guidelines on Fossil
Plant Cycle Chemistry,” EPRI CS-4629,
Project 2712-1, Final Report, June 1986,
Sargent & Lundy, Chicago, Illinois:
• P. S-1, “The Interim Consensus
Guidelines contained herein are
primarily based on current industry experience and well-established
thermodynamic data that pertain to
water and steam chemistry.”
• P. S-1, “These Interim Guidelines
reflect a consensus of current
state-of-art knowledge of International experience with cycle, water and steam chemistry control
practices necessary to improve
unit availability.”
• P. 3-21, “The target values for steam
were derived based on turbine
steam purity considerations and the
solubility of major impurities in superheated steam near saturation.”
Ger ald Liu, P.Eng.
Calgar y, Alber ta, Canada
I used to teach Mollier Diagrams in
thermodynamics. We would show an
adiabatic process from a steam line with
saturated steam that dropped the pressure (through a throttling calorimeter)
at constant enthalpy to a superheated
state. We located the exit state and
traced at constant enthalpy back to the
pressure in the saturated region to get
the quality. Thus, the responder is sort
of correct.
When you use a throttling calorimeter to get the quality of saturated steam,
14
you will exit the calorimeter with superheated steam at a lower pressure.
Constant enthalpy is achieved by
having just an insulated line, a valve
and thermometer well. The entropy
of the steam increased because it is a
highly irreversible process. You know
the pressure (ambient) and temperature
at the exit. You trace back on a diagram
or with steam table software to the same
enthalpy and pressure in the line. The
saturated steam tables will then have
the quality, or you can calculate it from
properties such as specific volume actual and the reference specific volumes
of the saturated liquid and vapor phases.
Morton Reed
[email protected]
[Editor’s note: The following letter came
to our sister site, SustainablePlant.com,
which linked to Béla Lipták’s “Lessons
Learned” column for May 2011 on the
Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.]
Fukushima: What Went Wrong?
Thank you for the coverage of the nuclear plants in Japan. Because I live in
Hawaii, I’ve been watching the stories
on TV and reading news coverage. As
a chief engineer and thinking from an
operations design perspective, it brings
back some heated meetings in which we
asked for items about which the design
engineers fought us tooth and nail.
Their argument was that these things
weren’t necessary for normal operation,
and we were asking for things that just
cost more money and were not needed. I remember one event with GE, where
they did not even come close to what we
had asked for, and this came to a point
where we wanted to drop them as noncompliant. It had nothing to do with
anything but cost, and they were right
that the design would work in normal
operation, but it had almost none of the
redundant designs that we’d asked for.
Béla Lipták, PE, wrote some of the
best articles I’ve ever seen about the conditions and points that could have helped
at Fukushima (www.controlglobal.com/
articles/2011/FukushimaNuclear1105.
html.) As someone who lived through
concept, design, construction, commissioning and operations, I can see exactly
what he’s saying. I too thought of many
things that an outsider can see that
would have prevented or controlled the
events. I agree up to a point that no one
could have envisioned all the events—or
could they?
I have seen or read nothing of any
meeting about preparing for such
events, even though we know about
earthquakes and tsunamis, and have
known for years. Why wasn’t a team of
plant engineers, operators and designers
of modern power plants put together to
address the already known design questions? Even if there were, there should
have been a report of design ideas made
public, so people living around the
plants could feel more comfortable that
something like this would not happen. I
know hindsight is always better, but here
is a case where people like myself could
provide input to help and be a part of a
team. No one set of eyes can see it all,
but most of the time, it just comes down
to dollars.
What came to mind was our company’s jumbo ferry project. Because it was
for a passenger vessel, and a situation
you never want is the ship in the dark or
dead in the water, we named things that
we wanted the ship run without—rather
that just what the regulations said we
had to do. Maybe it is time for a similar
group for nuclear power plants.
Cl ark Dodge
Owner /President, CED Consulting LLC
[email protected]
Clarification
In our May cover story, (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/Distributedsafety-arrives.html), the number of
installed DeltaV SIS systems was misstated. The online version has been corrected. There are over 700 systems, of
which 170 are distributed. We regret our
lack of clarity.
www.controlglobal.com J u n e / 2 0 1 1
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4/12/11 3:45
9:53PM
AM
5/25/11
security spotlight
Protecting ICSs from Electronic Threats, Part 1
The following is the first section of a three-part “Security Spotlight” series, which consists of portions of Joe Weiss’ Protecting Industrial Control Systems from Electronic
Threats , Momentum Press, 2010. Parts 2 and 3 will run in the August and October issues
of Control .
Joe Weiss, PE, CISM
Applied control solutions
[email protected]
ICSs are brittle and
attacking them isn’t
rocket science, but
it can be rocket
science to protect
them and maintain
their missions at
the same time.
16
The fundamental reason for securing industrial control systems (ICSs) is to maintain the
mission of their overall production systems,
whether they generate or deliver power, produce or distribute oil and gasoline, provide
clean water or operate any other process application or facility.
I don’t believe it’s possible to fully electronically secure ICSs. However, we can make them
more secure and also minimize the possibilities of unintentional incidents that have already
cost hundreds of millions of dollars and a number of lives.
From a cybersecurity perspective, ICSs are
very brittle and attacking them isn’t rocket science. On the other hand, it can be rocket science to protect them and maintain their missions at the same time.
Unfortunately, while the first two legs of the
three-legged security stool—physical and IT security—are well understood, the third leg, ICS
security, is much less understood, has few experts and is often not considered critical. Those
working in this area are generally from the IT
security community and have little knowledge
of ICSs, or are ICS experts who know operations, but not security. Operations alone can’t
secure ICSs. It takes a team of experts in IT security, telecom, networking, ICS and IT vendor support, and senior management, most of
all.
Presently, many issues are coming together
that are making ICS electronic security of
paramount importance. These include growing smart grids for electricity distribution and
generation, government stimulus money, cybersecurity funding, terrorism threats, chronically sick economies and emerging green ones
and the need to reduce carbon footprints. All
of these can be impacted by ICSs’ electronic
security or lack of it.
Definitions, Descriptions and Differences
From an ICS perspective, it’s very important
to understand what could compromise a control system. The National Institute of Standards
and Technology (www.NIST.gov) defines a cyber incident is “an occurrence that actually or
potentially can jeopardize the confidentiality,
integrity or availability (CIA) of an information
system or the data it processes, stores or transmits, or that constitutes a violation or imminent
threat of violation of security policies, security
procedures or acceptable use policies.” What’s
important about this definition is that cyber incidents can be intentional or unintentional.
For the ICS community, there’s a need for
additional definitions of cybersecurity and cyber incidents. So, the following terms for compromised ICS modes are suggested:
• Loss of view (LOV), which consists of incidents that blind operators and put them at risk
of taking harmful actions due to inaccurate
knowledge of ICS status.
• Manipulation of view (MOV), which is intentionally manipulating HMIs by changing
displayed states on intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), so an operator will unwittingly
perform potentially dangerous actions.
• Denial of control (DOC), which prevents
operators from interacting with process control
points. These include operator accidents, hardware failures, network failures or improper network capacity.
• Loss of control (LOC) is a sustained event
or the creation of unstable conditions in which
operators can’t take alternate action before a
potentially catastrophic condition occurs.
Fortunately, while ICS networks and HMIs
are similar to IT systems and may be subject
to their usual vulnerabilities and threats, ICSs
can benefit from using IT security technologies
too.
CT1106_16_18_SecuritySpotlight.indd 16
5/26/11 3:01 PM
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security spotlight
Similarly, enhanced SCADA protocols, namely IEC
61850 and Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3), are being
modified to run over TCP/IP, Ethernet and possibly other
protocols. These improvements make them more vulnerable to security risks because they’re running on utility networks and not on isolated, dedicated circuits, but they could
be further enhanced to use security countermeasures developed for these networks.
In addition, there’s been a blurring of the differences and
similarities between ICSs and IT. For example, some of the
functions of routers in IT and remote terminal units (RTUs)
in ICSs have migrated toward a common area occupied by
SCADA servers. This has big implications for security, as IT
personnel may attempt to use inappropriate policies, technologies or testing of these systems that appear to be IT.
The use of mainstream operating system environments,
such as Windows, UNIX and Linux for running ICS applications can leave them just as vulnerable as IT systems.
At the same time, the application of mainstream IT security solutions and methods will help to secure more modern
ICS host computers and operator consoles, also known as
PCs. IT technologies use virtual private networks (VPNs)
to secure communications to and from ICS networks. IT security focuses on the strength of the encryption algorithm,
while IC security focuses on what goes into the VPN.
For example, one of the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National
Laboratories showed how a hacker can manipulate widely
used “middleware” software running on current mainstream computer systems without much difficulty. In this
sobering demonstration, vulnerabilities in OPC code were
used to make it appear that the system was functioning properly, even though it was not, because it displayed incorrect
information or withheld correct information from system
operator consoles.
General and Administrative Security Recommendations
Based on the experiences of myself and others, I provide the
following general recommendations:
• Develop a clear understanding of ICS cybersecurity, including associated impacts on system reliability and safety
for industry, government and private citizens.
• Define cyber threats in the broadest possible terms, including intentional, unintentional, natural and other electronic threats, such as electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and
electronic warfare against wireless devices. ICS cyber security threats are more than malware and botnets.
• Change the culture around critical infrastructure so security is considered in the same context as performance and
safety.
• Get operations and IT to work together.
• Establish a means for vetting ICS experts, rather than
using traditional security clearances or IT certifications.
18
Next, on the administrative and procedural side:
• Get senior management support because improving
ICS cybersecurity will fail without it. Then identify division
of responsibilities and reporting structure all the way to the
board of directors because cybersecurity is a corporate risk.
• Identify all affected stakeholders and their applications,
including those beyond operations and the organization,
such as contractors, vendors, regulators, first responders and
even the public.
• Mandate effective cybersecurity requirements so this is
not simply a compliance exercise.
• Determine what you really have and what you have
done because the hardware, software and firmware that affect cybersecurity are often not identified in any formal system diagrams or vendor documentation. Establish a living
configuration management or configuration control program that includes the ICS as well as cybersecurity-specific
software, hardware and firmware.
• Learn what you really need from the ICSs in terms of
functions, features and communications by obtaining input
from throughout your organization because cybersecurity
will affect any new systems.
• Decide what you want to do—and do it, which is not as
easy as it sounds. This requires an understanding of what
features are needed, what features can be cyber-vulnerable,
and which of these need to have security enabled.
• Determine what risks are present and modify risk assessments that address probability and consequence. Probability
should be listed as #1 (it will happen), and consequences
should be based on “design basis threat,” which is the worst
case the facility was designed to safely handle. Because risk
assessments require a cost-benefit tradeoff between performance and safety versus security, this involves assessing the
risk of security and performance features.
• Develop ICS-specific policies and procedures. Recognize that complexity adds security overhead and potential
performance and safety impacts. Work with IT to make sure
that the ICS policies and procedures are consistent. But first,
develop them for the specific equipment to be secured and
how it’s expected to be operated.
• Make equipment suppliers and contractors your partners in securing your systems. Require documentation of
what’s been provided and how it’s been tested and secured.
• Consider lifecycle issues because ICSs can be cybervulnerable from initial design until they’re retired.
• Consider system recovery issues after an incident.
Next time: Part 2 will feature more on threats, myths, personnel status, information sharing, cybersecurity risk assessments
and technical recommendations.
Joe Weiss, PE, CISM, of Applied Control Solutions (www.realtimeacs.com) is
author of Control’s Unfet tered blog (communit y.controlglobal.com/unfet tered).
CT1106_16_18_SecuritySpotlight.indd 18
5/26/11 3:01 PM
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ON THE BUS
Siemens–Not Just for Profibus Anymore
Some of us came to know Siemens as a process instrument manufacturer many years
ago through its excellent line of continuous analyzers, for example, the “Ultramat” and
“Oxymat” NDIR and paramagnetic O2 instruments. Through North American acquisitions like Milltronics, Moore Products and Applied Automation, Siemens’ logo has been
showing up on an increasing number and variety of process plant devices. However, Siemens
PCS 7 (http://tinyurl.com/3n9elu2)—the powerful host system that aims to compete with
DCS offerings from process-industry leaders
such as Invensys, Emerson, ABB, Honeywell
and Yokogawa—remains a little mysterious in
the United States. There’s a system inside the
fence line where I work, controlling a Linde
Hydrogen plant for a neighboring refinery. And
there are Siemens systems all over the western
hemisphere, some packaged with other Siemens offerings, some replacing aging APACS
or Texas Instruments 500-series PLCs, and, of
course, Siemens systems are abundant in the
discrete manufacturing sector. But, for all Siemens’ apparent ubiquity, I had to go to India to
discover a pretty exciting new feature—support
for Foundation fieldbus (FF).
Siemens was present in force at the Fieldbus
Foundation’s General Assembly in March 2011
with one of the largest booths, chock-a-block
full of PCS 7 and fieldbus hardware. The PCS
7 platform has had some support for FF for
awhile, but the current solution was introduced
and marketed beginning in 2010. The foundation’s website (www.fieldbus.org) says PCS 7 is
a “registered host,” passing all the requirements
for a class 61a “integrated host”—the same as
ABB, Honeywell, Invensys and Yokogawa.
One of Siemens’ unique offerings is a redundant “ring” topology for H1 (the twisted-pair,
basic physical layer of fieldbus), a feature originally developed for Profibus PA. The Siemens
physical layer hardware is engineered to allow
“live” expansion of the H1 segment with autotermination. Similar to physical layer hardware
offered by Moore-Hawke (www.miinet.com/
products/sg_fieldbus.shtml), the need for a terminator is electronically sensed and added to
the network where it’s needed.
While “redundant ring” at the H1 segment
level is not widely used in the large process
industries, it’s potentially groundbreaking for
SIL-rated safety applications. In PCS 7, we may
have the first SIL-capable logic solver with native support for Foundation fieldbus. While not
the FF-SIF “black channel” support required
for the highest safety-integrity levels, how much
of a leap can it be to add this capability? PCS 7
has supported the “Profisafe” protocol for many
years, but there have been few PA field devices
introduced with the same capability, so applications have been scarce. FF’s process-industryladen end-user community has been clamoring
for FF-SIF for some time, with “alpha” demonstration projects in labs at Shell, BP, Chevron
and two at Saudi Aramco. Could Siemens be
the power that finally vanquishes the chickenand-egg syndrome that’s slowed the introduction of FF-SIF products?
Aside from the analyzers with which I’ve
been familiar for years, Siemens offers a fairly
comprehensive repertoire of field devices,
many of which are available as certified/“check
marked” FF versions. Quite a few are manufactured in North America, and the line includes
a positioner that’s said to be one of the most
popular in the world, the SIPART PS2. A zerobleed design, it’s the only intelligent positioner
I’ve seen that offers diagnostics for plug and
seat wear, deposits and clogging of the physical valve itself. The more common diagnostics
for friction/“stiction” are included, as well as
built-in partial-stroke testing for on-off applications. Also, thanks to its Milltronics heritage,
Siemens offers some of the most advanced and
capable ultrasonic and radar level instruments.
There are a lot of capable factory people on
our side of the Atlantic, but the Siemens web
site might need a tune-up to help me find my
local rep!
john Rez abek
contributing Editor
[email protected]
In PCS 7 we may
have the first
SIL-capable logic
solver with native
support for
Foundation
fieldbus.
CT1106_21_OTB.indd 21
21
5/26/11 3:04 PM
IN PROCESS
Not Your Daddy’s WBF: The Organization
for Production Technology
Revamped organization widens focus from batch to larger enterprise at 2011 meeting.
WBF is no longer “World Batch Forum.” This shows in the tagline on the
logo, “the organization for production
technology” and in the types of presentations at the last two conferences.
WBF is no longer talking about how
to do batch. Now, at the 2011 North
American Conference, May 23-25 at
the University of Delaware campus,
presenters talked about adapting the
experience of the past dozen years with
ISA88 and ISA95 for non-traditional
applications. They discussed ISA106—
the procedure-based automation standard. This is a real sea change.
Retired Emerson Process Management chairman John Berra was the keynote speaker on the first day, and retired
DuPont chief engineer Jim Porter keynoted the second day. On the first day
of the meeting, there were presentations
on procedural automation in packaging
and filling by Dennis Brandl of BR&L
Consulting and co-author of the WBF
XML Schema, and on user interface
design for batch applications—widely
applicable to non-batch procedural applications—by Bruce Kane and Wayne
Gaafar of Honeywell.
David Goodman, of Avid Solutions,
talked about a plantwide MES implementation in a parenteral pharma plant
that used the benefits of both batch and
procedure-controlled automation. Yokogawa’s Marcus Tennant presented a
group of application case studies that
showed that the nascent ISA106 standard will have a huge effect on plant
operation, work practices and workflow, and how it is possible to increase
throughput, speed of response, MOC
and safety.
Hans Konig-Bastiaan, formerly with
Genentech, presented “The Chang22
Process automation hall of fame inductees
Two of the newest members of the Process Automation Hall of Fame with
Control’s editor in chief, Walt Boyes, center. Left, John Berra; right, Maurice
Wilkins.
ing World of the Process Control Engineer.” Baha Korkmaz discussed how
risk-based methodology led to a successful MES implementation. David
Chappell, formerly of Procter & Gamble, talked about using standards-based
methodology to do automation project
development and delivery.
On the second day, Jesper Ravn of
NNE Pharmaplan discussed applying batch procedures to a continuous
process. There were other papers on
ISA88-inspired methodologies.
The conference concluded with
Lynn W. Craig, one of the founders of
WBF, musing about “The Nature of
Procedure.”
At the first-night dinner, Control’s
editor-in-chief, Walt Boyes, introduced
two of the three latest members of the
Process Automation Hall of Fame:
John Berra, retired CEO of Emerson
Process Management, and Dr. Maurice Wilkins, vice president of global
marketing services for Yokogawa Electric Corp. The third inductee, Dr. Sigurd Skogestad, from Norway, was unable to be present.
The thread that is common to both
Berra and Wilkins is significant involvement in standards development,
both for ISA and others. Berra is responsible for donating the HART intellectual property to an independent
foundation, and then he did the same
thing for fieldbus.
Wilkins has been developing modular procedural automation and batch
systems. He also served as Chair of
WBF for five years.
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IN PROCESS
Process Automation
Market Recovery in
2011 and Beyond
Promising signs continue to point toward
a sustained process automation market recovery to continue through 2011
according to analysts at ARC Advisory
Group (www.arcweb.com). During 2010,
the automation market was at the point
where suppliers serving the installed
base with MRO activities fared better
than those relying heavily on project
business. Suppliers ate through a huge
chunk of their project backlog and finished product inventory while new projects were postponed or canceled during
the recession. Also, shipments for many
new project orders received during 2010
were delayed until 2011.
ARC expects the tepid growth seen
during 2010 to accelerate in 2011, but
remains skeptical about the process automation market reaching pre-recession
growth levels. Historically, the process
automation market has been characterized by slow yet steady growth, and
analysts expect the market will return
to this pattern with an overall CAGR
of roughly 6% over the five-year period
of 2009-2014. “Suppliers with quick access to raw materials and components
and an efficient supply chain to enable
quick ramp-up of production and inventory will be in the best position to
participate in the increase in demand,”
according to senior analyst David Clayton, principle author of ARC’s “Automation Expenditures for Process Industries
Worldwide Outlook.”
Purchasing managers’ indexes
(PMIs) provide a good barometer of
overall health in the manufactur-
ing and automation markets. PMIs
typically include data, such as production level, new orders, supplier
deliveries, inventories and employment level. A PMI reading below 50
indicates a general contraction in the
manufacturing economy being measured, while any reading over 50 indicates expansion. The J.P. Morgan
global manufacturing PMI edged up
to 57.8 from 57.1 in January, marking
the second-fastest reading ever in the
global gauge, which is based on other
surveys covering over 7500 purchasing managers in nearly 30 countries.
Output and new order components
accelerated, and the input price
gauge rose to 76.7 from 73.3 in January. The U.S. ISM represents 28.6%
of the gauge, followed by Japan at
12.3%, China at 7.4%, Germany at
5% and the U.K. at 4.2%.
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© Allied Electronics, Inc 2011. ‘Allied Electronics’ and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc.
An Electrocomponents Company.
5/25/11 3:46 PM
IN PROCESS
TiPs Awarded Patent
for Alarm Calculation
TiPS Inc., developer of LogMate
alarm management software, has announced patent approval of its alarm
activation point calculation. Together with Dr. Doug Rothenberg,
founder and president of D-RoTH
Inc., an alarm management consultancy, TiPS developed this exclusive
method of providing a time-to-manage calculation for a user to respond
to an abnormal device, and prevent
or reduce unwanted consequences of
the situation.
ANSI/ISA 18.2, the alarm management standard, requires documentation, prioritization and alarm
limit calculations. LogMate is the
only alarm management software
that features an alarm limit calculation. LogMate houses this information in its Alarm Knowledge Base,
fulfilling visibility and accountability best practices.
“This tool streamlines the documentation and rationalization process by recommending the setting for
the alarm activation point, which is a
foundational requirement of a properly configured alarm,” said Rothenberg. “All current standards and
guidelines call for the value to allow
enough time for proper handling of
the abnormal condition. While this is
straightforward in concept, the actual
setting is more involved. LogMate includes a tool that will calculate a recommended alarm activation point
value directly, saving time and removing bias from the process.” The alarm
limit calculation tool is included in
the latest releases of LogMate, ver
sions 7.20 and higher.
BLH-Nobel’s G4 Family
Receives FM Approval
Vishay Precision Group has announced
that its VPG Process Weighing division’s
BLH-Nobel Weighing Systems G4 family of multichannel weight/force indicators has received certification from FM
Approvals. The G4 family is approved
as complying with standards 3600, 3611,
3810, and ANSI/NEMA 250 for electrical equipment for use in hazardous locations and electronic test, measuring and
process control equipment.
FM Approvals offers worldwide certification and testing services of industrial
and commercial loss-prevention products. Recognized and respected across
the globe, FM Approvals certification as-
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WINSTED CORPORATION | WEB: WINSTED.COM | TEL: 800.447.2257 | FAX: 800.421.3839
5/26/11 3:03 PM
Robust Instrumentation for
Level & Pressure Measurement
VEGA Americas Inc., formerly Ohmart/VEGA, is a leader
in level and pressure measurement technology. The
VEGAFLEX guided microwave sensor is ideally suited for the
measurement of solids and liquids using either a rod or cable
type probe. The VEGABAR 52 pressure transmitter offers an
abrasion resistant, front-flush measuring cell that is resistant
to foreign objects.
The VEGAFLEX and VEGABAR measurement sensors provide the
following benefits:
▪ Highly sensitive electronics provide accurate measurement results
▪ Small sensor dimensions and easy retrofitting provide
mounting flexibility
▪ Local display for easy calibration and adjustment
www.vega-americas.com
[email protected]
1-800-FOR-LEVEL
5/25/11 3:46 PM
IN PROCESS
sures customers that a product or service has been objectively
tested and conforms to the highest national and international
standards.
VPG’s G4 instruments offer high speed and performance
for industrial applications, such as process weighing and control, force measurement, web tension measurement and control, automation, force-vector calculations, high dynamic force
measurement and high-speed batching/blending systems. The
units are certified to link to a wide variety of communication interfaces, including Profibus, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, Modbus/
RTU, USB, RS485, RS232, and Modbus TCP/IP.
Siemens’ Plantville Attracts 12,000
Gamers from 139 Countries
Siemens Industry Inc. reports that Plantville, its new online gaming platform that simulates the experience of being a plant manager, has reached more than 57,000 visitors
and boasts nearly 12,000 players in more than 130 countries
since its launch on March 24.
Plantville is an innovative, educational and fun way for
Siemens to engage customers, employees, prospects, students and the general public, while driving awareness of Siemens technologies and brand.
The game has successfully engaged 500+ universities
and schools, 57,300 unique visitors to Plantville.com, 11,800
players and 8,600 companies in 139 countries.
Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO of Siemens Industry,
says he is extremely pleased with the way that Plantville is
demonstrating how Siemens’ expertise can make industry
and infrastructure more competitive by increasing sustainability, energy efficiency and productivity in a fun and educational way. “The feedback we’re receiving from employees, customers and potential employees is overwhelmingly
positive,” said Dulaney.
ABB Invests in Energy Efficiency
ABB has purchased a controlling interest in U.S.-based Validus DC Systems, a provider of direct current (DC) power
infrastructure equipment for energy-intensive data centers.
DC technology is substantially more energy efficient than
traditional alternating current (AC) technology for electrical distribution. DC systems are also less complex, requiring
less space and equipment, resulting in considerable additional savings in real estate and capital expenditure. The investment in Brookfield, Conn.-based Validus complements
ABB’s strong technology platform to bolster its entry into the
$24-billion market for telecommunications and data center
power infrastructure.
“DC systems provide data centers with a game-changing
28
advantages in both operational and capital cost savings, and
we believe they’ll be widely adopted in this energy-intensive industry,“ said Tarak Mehta, head of ABB’s Low-Voltage
Products division.
Data centers can use 100 times more electricity than a
similar-size office building. DC technology can improve
their energy efficiency by 10% to 20% compared with AC
systems by trimming power conversion losses. It also reduces
power equipment, installation, real estate and maintenance
costs, resulting in a saving on total facility costs of up to 30%.
The investment in Validus DC Systems was made
through ABB Technology Ventures, the company’s venture capital arm, which invests in strategically interesting
early- and growth-stage companies. ABB has also made VC
investments in firms working in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, smart grid communications, wave power generation, cybersecurity for utilities and wind farm efficiency.
Both parties agreed not to disclose financial details of the
transaction, which includes an option for ABB to fully acquire Validus.
Rockwell Acquires Lektronix
Rockwell Automation Inc. announced in May that it has purchased Lektronix, a leading independent industrial automation repair and service provider in Europe and Asia, headquartered in Cannock, Staffordshire, U.K.
“Adding Lektronix’s broad-based repair capabilities to the
Rockwell Automation plant services business creates an appealing value proposition for our customers to enter into
maintenance and technical service contracts with Rockwell
Automation,” said Blake Moret, senior vice president, Control Products & Solutions, Rockwell Automation.
Lektronix provides automation repairs, spares and other
maintenance services for most industrial automation products, including PLCs, electric motor drives, industrial computers and CNC equipment. Customers include manufacturers from food and beverage to heavy process industries.
Lektronix’s management team will join the Rockwell Automation Control Products & Solutions operating segment.
“This acquisition accelerates the growth of the Rockwell
Automation service business in Europe and further expands
our customer presence in emerging economies,” said Hedwig
Maes, president of Rockwell Automation’s Europe, Middle
East and Africa region.
“Lektronix customers will continue to receive the high level
of technical excellence and customer support they currently
enjoy, and gain significant advantages using the global network
of Rockwell Automation products, services and solutions,”
added Tony Jones, Lektronix’s managing director and CEO.
Lektronix has about 290 employees at 11 facilities and eight
repair centers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
5/26/11 3:03 PM
5/25/11 3:46 PM
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5/25/11 3:46 PM
INV_InF
RESOURCES
All About Loop Controllers
Control’s Monthly Resource Guide
Every month, Control’s editors take a specific product area, collect all the latest, significant tools we can find,
and present them here to make your job easier. If you know of any tools and resources we didn’t include, send
them to [email protected], and we’ll add them to the website.
POCKET LOOP-TUNING GUIDE
4 40-4 43-3000
Control Sof t
www.controlsof tinc.com
This downloadable PDF from ControlSoft Inc. contains Version 4 of the
company’s popular “Pocket Loop-Tuning Guide.” The 12-page booklet contains basic loop-tuning information,
including definitions and descriptions,
a reference list of common controllers available on the market, cascade,
closed-loop and open-loop tuning and
more. It’s free, but registration is required. The direct link is at www.controlsoftinc.com/pocketguide.shtml.
PID WITHOUT THE MATH
888/826-6342
oMEGA eNGINEERING
www.omega.com
This book, Controller Tuning and
Control Loop Performance, 2nd Edition, has sold over 25,000 copies since
it was first published in 1990. It treats
the subject in a non-mathematical way,
but gives math for those interested in
pursuing the subject further. Chapter
linearities, and Potpourri. Price is $25.
It is available directly through Omega
at www.omega.com/bobi/productpage.
asp?id=GE-2117.
SIMPLE VELOCITY CONTROL ALGORITHM
controlglobal.com
www.controlglobal.com
This paper presents a simple velocity
control algorithm with output modification that has equivalent PI controller
dynamic performance. The controller
features a single control setting. The
controller can be easily configured
in most distributed control systems,
DCSs and PLCs. It describes the controller structure and behavior, as well
as a control discussion on how to calculate the gain setting to determine
the control period. The direct link is
at
www.controlglobal.com/whitepapers/2010/014.html.
Meditating
on Disturbance
Dynamics
CONTROL LOOPS AND DYNAMICS
800/ 575-0394
CONTROL MAGA ZINE
www.controlglobal.com.
This article, “Meditating on Disturbance Dynamics,” appeared in the
May issue of Control. Written by process automation guru, F. Greg Shinskey, it explores the complex relationships between setpoint, load path and
noise, and shows how managing them
spir a x sarco
www.spiraxsarco.com
Free online tutorial includes explanations of each component of a control
system, including valves, actuators,
sensors and controllers. It also has an
introduction to methods of control and
system dynamics, including simple
control loops and feedback systems.
Topics include open- and closed-loop
systems, disturbances, feedback and
feed-forward control, single and multiloop control, cascade control, process
dynamics and reactions. A direct link
is found at http://tinyurl.com/2ecsfct.
CONTROL BLOG
13/459-6291
MANAGING CONTROL LOOPS
titles include Getting Started, Tuning Rules and Procedures, Tuning
Objectives and Expected Loop Performances, Lags and Gains, Examples
of Actual Lags, Cascade Control, Derivative Action, Interactions and Non-
makes for better loop control. The
complete article, including equations
and drawings is available at www.controlglobal.com/articles/2011/Meditating-on-disturbance-dynamics.html.
OPTICONTROLS.INC
www.opticontrols.com
This blog, “Control Notes—Reflections of a Process Control Practitioner,”
is written by Jacques F. Smuts, president and founder of the process control consulting firm, OptiControls Inc.
He describes the blog as “a collection
of articles, information, discussions,
ideas, tips and tricks, and anything else
of interest to process control practitioners.” It covers numerous process control subjects, including Effective Loop
Control Optimization, PID Controllers Explained, Feed-Forward Control
Tutorial, Tuning Tips, and Why Tuning Rules Don’t Always Work.
CT1106_31_Resources.indd 31
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5/26/11 3:05 PM
P r o c e s s S u s ta i n a b i l i t y
There’s a lot more to truly going green than efficiency.
Here’s how some experienced end users and their
applications are mastering process sustainability.
by Jim Montague
Are you light, superficial green? Or are you dark, committed
green? For instance, anyone can put a variable-speed drive
(VSD) on pumps, fans and other rotating equipment—and
almost everyone should, but that’s only a good beginning.
Certainly, $4 to $5 per gallon gas and other skyrocketing energy costs are gouging consumers, businesses and
manufacturers alike, so many are undertaking efficiency
projects to meet public, investor and government demands. Some programs include the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Energy Star program (www.energystar.gov), sustainability scorecards from Walmart (www.
walmart.com) and P&G (www.pg.com) and the Dow
Jones Sustainability Indexes (www.sustainability-index.
com). However, some individuals and organizations are
32
also asking if they can alter process applications and even
questioning whether they need to run some processes at
all. These pioneers are trying to take sustainability beyond its initial focus to include making products that are
themselves greener and allow users to operate and live
more sustainably. In short, sustainability is longer-term
and focuses on a widening circle of processes, material
producers, users and consumers, while efficiency concentrates on traditional, here-and-now improvements in one
or a few devices or operations.
Low-Hanging Efficiency Fruit
Still, despite its narrower focus, basic efficiency can improve
operations in huge numbers of equipment and applications,
CT1106_32_40_CoverStory.indd 32
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P r o c e s s S u s t a i na b i l i t y
produce massive savings and lay the groundwork that leads
to future sustainability.
For instance, China National Petroleum Corp. (www.
CNPC.com) recently implemented Invensys Operations
Management’s (ion.invensys.com) SimSci-Esscor ROMeo
process optimization software and services at its Jilin Petrochemical Co., which is reported to be northeast China’s
largest integrated refining and petrochemical production
facility (Figure 1). CNPC is using ROMeo to formulate
real-time responses to changes in utilities prices, feedstock
variation and process conditions to achieve sustainable energy savings. CNPS reports that the software’s off-line operational analysis and on-line plant modeling for ethylene
production also lets it study and validate the feasibility of
various energy-saving strategies and parameters affecting
energy saving before implementation. ROMeo was applied
to Jilin’s entire ethylene complex, including 10 cracking furnaces and quenching, compression, cracking and separation
equipment across its 700,000 tons-per-year ethylene production unit, and helped reduce the refinery’s energy consumption by 5% overall.
“CNPC is devoted to reducing our worldwide carbon
emissions, and one of the best approaches is to invest in
technology that can maximize our energy efficiency,” said
Liu Hongji, deputy factory director at CNPC Jilin. “ROMeo
software helps us save energy, improve visibility into our operations and drive productivity. It also reduced the energy
consumption of our ethylene production unit and improved
the whole plant’s effectiveness.”
Similarly, to reduce its huge gas, electric and water bills
and comply with national energy use and emissions regulations, Lian Yuan Steel (www.lysteel.com) in Loudi City,
central Hunan province, China, had already upgraded its
equipment and processes, but recently decided to seek further gains by consolidating the plant’s comprehensive energy data and analyzing it for improved scheduling and
management decisions. The 1200-square-meter plant and
its 15,000 employees coke, smelt, sinter and roll more than
6.5 million tonnes of sheet, rebar and other steel per year
and earn more than $3 billion (Figure 2).
As a result, LY Steel’s engineers worked with Schneider
Electric’s (www.schneider-electric.com) energy management solutions (EMS) division to implement its Citectbased SCADA and historian software, as well as six SCADA
I/O servers with 30,000 variables, 5000 alarms, 3000 trends,
one historian server and two SQL servers—all with less then
one-second observed response time. This SCADA solution
communicates with many different hardware systems used
at LY Steel, including Siemens and the former GE Fanuc
PLCs and electric meters that use special protocols, such as
IEC-60870-104 or DNP#3.
Shortly after implementing Schneider Electric’s EMS tools,
LY Steel reports that it achieved a dramatic 50% improvement
in its energy efficiency, 70% reduction in maintenance costs
and a comprehensive savings of $3 million per year.
In addition, the historian helped bridge the intelligence
gap between the plant floor and management, and provides an accurate, long-term data management and reporting system to enable better decisions. LY Steel’s project
manager, Wenyi Wang, adds that one of the EMS’ most
important benefits is that it enabled a change in the plant’s
management concept from decentralized to a leaner structure. “This automation technology facilitates energy management across our enterprise and gave us a professional
and efficient diagnostic tool that helps us optimize our energy efficiency,” says Wang.
Similarly, to help users gather the data needed to improve
their efficiency and sustainability, Iconics (www.iconics.
com) is launching its Energy Analytics software to aggregate
and organize information from many process equipment
sources and its Facility Analytics software to predict where
possible energy offenders will arise in a given application.
Likewise, Parsec Automation Corp.’s (www.parseccorp.com) TrakSys software also enables users to collect
and organize large amounts of diverse process performance data to monitor and improve their energy productivity per item produced.
APC’s New Role
Luckily, another of the best bridges between efficiency and
sustainability is well-known in many process industries—
advanced process control (APC). Though historically used
mostly in big-ticket processes, APC is finding wider acceptance as its costs decline and as green efforts ramp up because
its sophisticated data analysis and modeling methods can help
extend efficiency into the wider sustainability world.
For example, Canadian fertilizer manufacturer Yara Belle
Plaine Inc. (www.yaracanada.ca) of Belle Plaine, Saskatch-
33
5/27/11 10:27 AM
ewan, recently sought to improve its new nitric acid plant’s
energy efficiency by implementing advanced process control (APC) to maintain consistent, stable, high levels of production, while simultaneously achieving tighter control of
its greenhouse gas emissions. Yara is one of the largest producers of granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia in North America (Figure 3).
Specifically, Yara’s engineers wanted to control the
amount of NOx leaving their catalytic combustor, while
minimizing fuel gas consumption. “We needed to maintain NOx emissions below 200 ppm while minimizing the
use of fuel gas. We also needed to maintain the combustor
temperature within an appropriate range—hot enough to
power the expander, but not hot enough to damage it or the
platinum gauze in the combustor,” says Mark Sax, Yara’s
controls engineer. “We also saw the combustor as a potential bottleneck to increasing nitric acid production.”
Fortunately, Yara had just upgraded its control system
to Honeywell Process Solution’s (www.honeywell.com/ps)
Experion PKS, and now wanted to apply APC to it. The
plant’s engineers had also recently replaced their old NOx
analyzer with a more reliable and accurate one. They esti-
Real-Time Data = Efficient Responses
Figure 1: China National Petroleum uses Invensys’ SimSciEsscor ROMeo process optimization software on 10
cracking furnaces and quenching, compression, cracking and separation equipment at Jilin Petrochemical’s
700,000-tons-per-year ethylene unit to make real-time
responses to changes in feedstock variation, process
conditions and utilities prices, and reduce its energy
consumption by 5%.
ABB Lifecycle Services.
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CT1106_32_40_CoverStory.indd
34
2/22/11 10:38 AM
5/27/11
10:28 AM
!
WARNING
THIS SITE CONTAINS GRAPHIC
DEPICTIONS OF PERFORmANCE
Join the journey
InFusionJourney.com
May be suitable for audiences unaccustomed to high performance.
Avantis
Eurotherm
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IMServ
InFusion
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Real Collaboration. Real-Time Results.
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© Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Invensys, the Invensys logo, Avantis, Eurotherm, Foxboro, IMServ, InFusion, Skelta, SimSci-Esscor, Triconex and Wonderware are trademarks of Invensys plc, its subsidiaries or affiliates. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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mated they could use Honeywell’s Profit Controller application in an Experion Application Server (EAS) node that
covers the whole nitric acid plant, and they implemented it
over three months.
Conservatively, Yara estimates its APC project increased
its nitric acid production by 3%, while tighter control of the
combustor’s outlet NOx permits a higher average combustor
temperature, which allowed it to reduce methane emissions
by 25%. Despite these gains, Sax says the project’s biggest
impact is that it makes Yara’s operations much more stable
and consistent and reduces plant upsets.
“When the operators run the plant in manual they can
push the unit pretty well to its limits, but sometimes they
end up swinging the unit,” explains Sax. “With the new controller, the plant runs in nice flat lines, so we can achieve
higher sustained production levels because it is so stable.
Operator focus on the nitric acid unit has been considerably
reduced, allowing them to be able to focus more closely on
the urea plant that they also operate.”
Similarly, Tom Kinney, Invensys’ solutions developer, reports that his firm has worked with Abu Dhabi Gas Liquification Co. (ADGAS, www.adnoc.com) at Das Island in the
Persian Gulf to minimize traditionally variable and inconsistent fuel gas system flaring levels. ADGAS and Invensys
first installed ExperTune’s PlantTriage (www.expertune.
com) to identify valves that needed to be fixed and loops
that needed to be tuned, and then implemented an APC approach using quadratic calculations to better match gas supply with demand from the application’s boilers.
PlantTriage helped ADGAS reduce its former gas flare
burn-off rate of 5.5-6 million cubic feet per day by half, and
the APC solution cut it in half again for a total reduction of
about 84%, which was worth about $3 million per year. “My
advice is to do both, because PlantTriage can help other
tools provide additional benefits,” adds Kinney. “These two
technologies gave us more benefits than either could have
done alone.”
Conserving Resources and Future Green
As process users and their applications migrate from basic
efficiency to adding sustainability, most go from just saving energy to also conserving raw materials and other resources. And, once they catch the sustainability bug, they
find more ways to go green. In fact, once efficiencies have
Think Environmental Protection.
Think Cashco Vapor Control.
The full line of Vapor Control System from Valve
Concepts has established the industry standard for
engineered quality and in-field adaptability. The
engineered modular design enables us to reduce
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Our vents are engineered to be fully modular in design
so they can be converted in design and function in the
field. Any one of our vents can be changed to a pipe
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CAS-190B.indd 1
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C1D2-intech825x10875.pdf
1
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M
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CM
MY
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CMY
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been secured and resources conserved,
it becomes apparent that sustainability
and its supporters can return the favor
to efficiency by developing some new
versions of traditional applications and
industries, and then eventually creating new ones.
For example, since Jeff Lebesch began making his Fat Tire Amber Ale in
1991, his New Belgium Brewing Co.
(www.newbelgium.com) has grown to
occupy a 50-acre campus in Fort Collins, Colo., with multiple brewing processes, water processing systems and
building and facility management systems, which are monitored and controlled by more than 10,000 digital
and analog I/O points that are organized into eight control zones. Seven
of these zones, including the brewhouse, filtering, malting, yeasting, cellaring and other complicated brewing
processes, are controlled by Opto 22’s
(www.opto22.com) SNAP programmable automation controllers (PACs),
which monitor and regulate oven temperatures for drying and roasting the
grains, machines that crush and mash
them, and water and resting brew mixture temperatures. To help power all its
brewing and support operations, New
Belgium has used a series of wind turbines for more than 10 years.
Using control strategies designed
and programmed by New Belgium’s
own automation team, Opto 22’s hardware also handles all other processes
relating to brewing, such as boiling,
blending, temperature and pressure
regulation, and complex cascading
proportional integral derivative (PID)
control loops, where the output of one
PID loop calculation is used as a process variable input for calculations in a
second PID loop.
In fact, Igor Valuyev, New Belgium’s
chief electrical and automation engineer, has programmed Opto 22’s
Closing the Intelligence Gap
Figure 2: To pay its energy bills and follow China’s usage and emissions rules, LY
Steel implemented Schneider Electric’s
SCADA and historian software and I/O
components, improved energy efficiency
by 50%, reduced maintenance costs by
70% and saved $3 million per year.
5/27/11 10:29 AM
311A/321A-EX Ad.qxp:Layout 1
4/19/11
BetaGauge
A Few Green Resources
321A-EX
Even though every industry, region
and manufacturing supplier seems
to have its own sustainability program, there are still some common
resources that may be useful to process controls engineers and users
in their efforts to go green:
Less Emissions, More Product
Figure 3: Fertilizer manufacturer Yara Belle
Plaine increased nitric acid production by
3% and reduced NOx and methane emissions at the same time by installing a new
analyzer and by adding Honeywell’s Profit
Controller application to its Experion Application Server.
SNAP PACs to operate New Belgium’s
fermentation systems differently based
on the type of beer being brewed. The
SNAP PACs at New Belgium can perform up to 96 PID loops, which more
than meets its needs.
“We have many different malt recipes.
To ensure that each comes out perfect,
the Opto 22 systems must perform to
very specific operational standards,”
says Valuyev. “Mashers, mixers, milling systems, chilling systems, filtration
systems and our other equipment must
all be made to work together.”
More recently, the brewery redoubled
its commitment to sustainability by installing its own water-treatment facility,
which transfers wastewater from New
Belgium into a series of large ponds, and
treats it with bacteria that feed on and
break down organic waste. As with the
brewing processes, SNAP PACs monitor and control the treatment plant’s
aerobic and anaerobic water treatment,
including pH stabilization, sludge
dewatering and auxiliary processes. The
byproduct of this pathogen purification
treatment process is methane gas, which
collects in a huge balloon-like container,
is piped back to the brewery and fuels a
combined heat and power engine that
produces electrical and thermal energy.
In fact, 10-15% of the brewery’s power
Dual Sensor
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA)
www.epa.gov/sustainability
EPA’s Energy Star program
www.energystar.gov
National Institute of Standards and
Technology’s (NIST) Green Manufacturing Portal
www.nist.gov/green-manufacturingportal.cfm
NIST’s Manufacturing Extension
Partnerships
www.nist.gov/mep/sustainability.cfm
Federal Trade Commission’s Green
Guides for the Use of Environmental
Marketing Claims
ht tp://f tc.gov/ bcp/grnrule/
guides980427.htm
Carbon Disclosure Project and
Leadership Index
www.cdproject.net
P&G
www.pg.com
www.futurefriendly.com
Intrinsically
Safe for Use
in Hazardous Areas
Accuracy to ±0.025%
ClearBrite™ LCD Display
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Likewise, Granger Electric (www.
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from decomposing organic waste in
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its largest projects, Conestoga Landfill Gas Recovery near Lancaster,
Pa., supplies a large food ingredient
supplier located 13 miles away with
enough methane to power its boilers and keep the whole plant operating. Because this biogas substitute
costs about half as much as natural
gas and required only the resizing of
a few pipes, the food company was
able to dramatically cut its power
bill. “It was just another supply link
that had to be put in and retrofitted
into the user’s existing scheme, but
the cost was quickly recouped by the
savings received from our program,”
says Joe DiFerdinando, Granger’s
electrical engineer.
To monitor gas-flow variables and
usage, Granger outfitted the food
plant’s buildings with Rockwell Automation’s
(www.rockwellautomation.com) CompactLogix Ethernetcapable PACs, and then linked them
to the PACs via ProSoft Technology’s
(www.prosoft-technology.com) waterand dust-tight, 802.11abg Industrial
Hotspot radios (RLX-IHW-66).
“We use Cat-5 cable and power
over Ethernet (PoE) for power supply
to the radio and communication between the radio and the PACs. PoE
allows us to plug the radios right
into our PACs, plus the casing allows
them to be mounted outside without
weather concerns,” adds DiFerdinando. “Landfill-gas-to-energy is not
just environmentally responsible, it
makes sense financially. The savings
we offer our customers can be enough
to help companies stay in the United
States. Another one of our customers
is one of the largest manufacturers of
disposable dishware, and they were
able to save enough using our natural gas substitute to add a third shift
during the week and schedule weekends into production, and those extra shifts mean extra jobs. It’s a nice
feeling.”
Jim Montague is Control’s executive editor
5/27/11 10:30 AM
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5/27/11 11:38 AM
2011 Salary Survey
By Nancy Bartels
This year is the twenty-first time we’ve
surveyed our readers about their salary,
benefits, working conditions and the
state of the process automation industry as they see it. In many respects, the
responses are remarkably similar from
year to year. In spite of economic turbulence, salary numbers, bonuses paid,
hours worked and general conditions
have remained steady or slightly improved. Even many of the complaints
seem the same from year to year.
How Big a Piece of the Pie?
In spite of economic anxiety and some
frustration, process automation is still,
comparatively speaking, a well-paying
gig. Seventy-six percent of our respondents have a gross annual salary of more
than $60,000 a year, about the same as
last year. A little more than half of those
(35%) earn more than $100,000. That’s
up 8% over last year (Figure 1). This
seeming anomaly may be explained by
the fact that every year, the age of our
respondents goes up, meaning they get
higher on the seniority level. This year,
60% of our respondents were over 45.
Last year, only 53% were there.
Raises—or lack thereof—are a pain
point for many of our respondents. A
whopping 83% reported a raise of $4000
or less this year, and 36% said they got
less than $1000—if they got a raise at all.
That’s better than last year, when 88%
reported small raises, 54% of them less
than $1000. On the other hand, a fortunate few took home raises of anywhere
from $11,000 to $25,000 (Figure 2).
Who’s getting all the benjamins?
$91K to $100K
(10%)
$61K to $70K
(9%)
Under $30K
(8%)
$51K to 60K
(7%)
$71K to $80K
(11%)
$81K to $90K
$91K to $100K
(11%)
(10%)
$71K to $80K
(11%)
More than $100K
(35%)
$30K to $40K
$61K to $70K
(5%)
(9%)
$41K to $50K
Under $30K
(4%)
(8%)
$51K to 60K
(7%)
$30K to $40K
$81K to $90K
(5%)
(11%) percent of those surveyed are making more than $100,000
Figure 1. Thirty-five
$41K toseniority—
$50K
up 8% from last year, reflecting the continuing aging—and growing
(4%)
of the process automation talent pool.
$0K to
$1K
(36%)
More than $100K
(35%)
$5K to $7K
(9%)
$2K to $4K
(47%)
a little more in the wallet—but not a lot
$0K to $1K
(36%)$8K to $10K
(5%)
$2K to $4K
(47%)
Under 2%
(22%)
$5K to $7K
Other
(9%)
(3%)
$8K to $10K
(5%)
More than 15%
Other
(18%)
(3%)
6% to 10%
Figure 2.(23%)
Raises were little more generous this year. Only 36% reported a
raise of less than $1000 this year, down from 54% last year, but 83% still re11% to 15%
Under
2% than $4000.
ported raises
of less
More than 15%
(13%)
(22%)
(18%)
2% to 5%
(24%)
J u n e / 2 0 1 1 www.controlglobal.com 43
6% to 10%
(23%)
CT1106_39_43_Feat2.indd 43
11% to 15%
(13%)
5/27/11 10:31 AM
(36%)
$61K to $70K
(9%)
$5K to $7K
Under $30K (9%)
(8%)
$51K to 60K
(7%)
$8K to $10K
$30K (5%)
to $40K
(5%)
Other to $50K
$41K
(3%)
(4%)
$91K to $100K
(10%)
$71K to
$80K
$2K
to $4K
(11%)
(47%)
$81K to $90K
(11%)
BONUS
BABIES
More than $100K
So What’s the Problem?
(35%)
Under 2%
(22%)
More than 15%
(18%)
$0K to $1K
(36%)
6% to 10%
(23%)
$5K to $7K
(9%)
11% to 15%
(13%)
$2K to $4K
(47%)
2% to 5%
(24%)
$8K to $10K
(5%)
Other
Figure 3. Sixty-six percent of respondents got a bonus this year, up 9% from
(3%)
last year. They ranged from less than 2% to more than 15% of base salary.
100
say they get medical benefits; last year
90% said they did. Dental insurance is
actually up to More
73% this
thanyear,
15%from 71%
(18%)
last year. Company-provided
life insurance coverage remains at 75%, and
both disability insurance and pension
plans are a little better; the number
receiving a pension plan is up to 48%
11% to
this year compared
to 15%
last (44%), and
(13%)insurance also inthose with disability
creased four percentage points from
58% last year to 62% this year.
If the improving economy is ending up in our responders’ paychecks
Underit’s
2%in a bonus. Sixty-six
anywhere,
80
(22%)
percent got bonuses in addition to
salary (up from 57% last year), ranging from under 2% of their salary
60
6%
to 10%
(24%)
to the lucky 18% who got more
(23%)
than 15% of their salary as an extra
check (Figure 3).
40
The type of benefits offered remains
to 5%unchanged (Figure 4).
pretty2%much
(24%)
Eighty-nine percent of our respondents
20
Things are looking a bit better than
last year on the overall compensation
front—or at least no worse. So what’s
the problem? A recurring complaint is
that pension and 401K plans aren’t providing the kind of long-term security
people would like, and that health care
is costing individuals more and providing less in return. As of last year, many
complain that increasing costs eat up
any raises they may have earned. As one
of our respondents said, “There seems
to be downward pressure on wages, and
benefits are costing more and/or decreasing. Despite a 6% raise last year,
my medical insurance costs increased
4%, and the coverage was not as good.”
There’s also the sense that, even as
the economy is improving, none of
that improvement is showing up in respondents’ paychecks. As one respondent says, “Employers seemed to take
advantage of the recession to lower
their bottom lines. Now that jobs and
profits are coming back, the wages
and benefits aren’t.”
The lack of pension plans or 401K
co-contributions is a sore point on its
BASIC BENEFITS
0
100
Medical
Life
Insurance
Dental
Disability
401k
Pension
80
Tuition
Flex
Figure
4. The basic
benefitsProfit
profile
Reimbursement
time
Sharing
remains largely unchanged,
but
respondents report paying more
for less coverage.
Stock
Options
60
40
20
0
Medical
44
Life
Insurance
Dental
Disability
401k
Pension
Tuition
Reimbursement
Flex
time
Profit
Sharing
Stock
Options
www.controlglobal.com J U N E / 2 0 1 1
CT1106_39_43_Feat2.indd 44
5/27/11 10:31 AM
2011 SALARY SURVEY
PLAY TIME
3 weeks
(24%)
4 weeks
(30%)
2 weeks
(9%)
More than 4
weeks (33%)
None
(3%)
Other
(1%)
The strain of longer hours and less
overtime is telling as well. Threefourths (73%) of our respondents do not
get overtime in spite of working more
than 40 hours a week. That’s down a
little from last year, when 75% reported
that they got no overtime. On the other
hand, 63% got four weeks or more of
vacation each year. Fully one-third got
more than four weeks, and another 30%
had a month off. What we didn’t ask,
however, is how many of them feel free
to take all that time away (Figure 5).
Tired of It All
Figure 5. Sixty-three percent of our respondents get a month or more of vacation every year, another reflection of their growing seniority.
own, but it’s
exacerbated
by a general
36 to
45
(27%)
anxiety about
any alternative safety
net. One of our respondents put it this
way: “I don’t like loosing my pension
More than 55
contribution from
the company. With
(24%)
the government failure in Social Security, I am depending on company reto 35
tirement and 401K 26
more.”
(12%)
Make no mistake, the last three years
have been tough, and it’s starting to
wear on our respondents. It’s the optional comments that tell the story the
numbers alone mask. Our respondents
are tired—tired of being asked to do
more with less; of living with frozen
46 to 55
(37%)
18 to 25
(1%)
Sort of...
I could be happier.
(21%)
Yes
(74%)
No
(5%)
Appreciation
(15%)
Salary/benefits
(20%)
Job security
(12%)
Opportunity for
advancement
(10%)
Challenging
work (42%)
CT1106_39_43_Feat2.indd 45
Other
(1%)
5/27/11 10:32 AM
Keep
Your
Process
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salaries while taking pension and benefit cuts; and of having overtime cut. They’re frustrated by returning company
profits that never seem to trickle down into either their paychecks or spending on improvements that would ultimately
make them more efficient or improve the bottom line.
One of our readers summed it up this way: “The past
couple years have been quite profitable for my employer.
Yet they continue to increase employee workloads, rather
than hire additional resources, citing economic uncertainty as the reason.”
A number of respondents complain of not having had a
raise in three years—despite continuously hearing the order
to “do more with less.”
Another respondent put it this way: “During the downturn of 2009, many of the plant staff was downsized, and
those that were left inherited all the tasks of those individuals. With the upturn in business, none of the staff members are keeping up with everything they now have to do.
Many important tasks are falling through the cracks, and
corporate management seams oblivious to what the consequences of this can be. Upper management appears unwilling to add staff, causing severe enough stress that some of
the staff have thrown in the towel and left the company for
other opportunities. They, in turn, are not being replaced,
adding even more tasks to those who are left. Upper management seams to have the delusion that LSS [Lean Six
Sigma] activities will solve all of the problems and, through
some miracle, make the remaining staff so efficient that
they do not have to add staff. These extra activities only add
to the overloading. It is a vicious circle right now.”
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CT1106_39_43_Feat2.indd 46
We reported last year that 53% of respondents were over 45
and 20% were over 55. This year the numbers are 60% and
23% respectively. Only 13% of those surveyed fall in the 18to-35 age bracket. Last year, 20% were under 35. (Figure 6)
This is another source of frustration for those surveyed.
Says one of our respondents, “As professionals age, companies seem to drag their heels about replacement planning.
While the older workforce is in place, companies should be
thinking about passing on that knowledge base. Companies
are overly concerned about their bottom line based on quarter-to-quarter earnings and profits. Anything longer than two
years is considered too long-term.”
Adds another, “We still have a general lack of new hires.
Most all professionals are in their late 30s or older.”
This worry about who’s stepping up to do the work longterm shows up in comments reflecting concern about training, as well as the perennial lament that the young ’uns
just aren’t up to snuff. While nearly three-quarters of those
surveyed say they’re happy with their basic skill level, only
41% say they’re doing any basic training now. The others
5/27/11 10:32 AM
(30%)
More than 4
weeks (33%)
2 weeks
(9%)
2 0 1 1 S a l a rNone
y Survey
(3%)
Other
(1%)
the graybeards rule
36 to 45
(27%)
More than 55
(24%)
26 to 35
(12%)
46 to 55
(37%)
18 to 25
(1%)
Figure 6. The number of those surveyed older than 55 is 60%, up another 7%
from last year. Only 13% are younger than 35.
indicate training on a catch-as-catchcan basis. Twenty-six percent train by
“reading up on it”; 14% by learning on
the job from peers; some 3% saying
they lack either the time or the money,
and 15.5% do no training at all. FiftyYes
one percent(74%)
rely on “self-study” for
their training.
“Technical tradesmen are becoming
harder to find, especially in industrial
maintenance. The level of knowledge
of technical persons hired in the past
seven years has been subpar,” observes
one respondent.
One manager remarks, “As one who
has had several hundred indirect employees
at one time, I find that many
Salary/benefits
(20%) the field seem not
engineers entering
to have as much understanding of it as
those in past decades.”
Finally, one frustrated respondent
says his biggest challenge is “Finding
Challenging
qualified employees who do not feel so
work (42%)
entitled and that actually try to earn
their respect by performing and doing
what they are supposed to do.”
Is Everybody Unhappy?
To suggest that process automation is
filled with overworked, disgruntled,
frustrated and generally unhappy folks
simply wouldn’t be true.
The improving economy and, possibly, the upside of that demographic
CT1106_39_43_Feat2.indd 47
Sort of...
bomb is that the number of responI could be happier.
dents worried(21%)
about losing their jobs
has flipped from last year. This year,
53% say they’re not worried. Last year,
53% were concerned about job security.
More telling is the job satisfaction
number. Seventy-six percent of those
surveyed said they
No were happy in the
automation profession,
up 2% from
(5%)
last year. Another 22% said they were
happy “some of the time.” That makes
98% of process automation professionals happy in their work. Seventy-one
percent would encourage their children to follow in their footsteps. How
Appreciation
many other professions
can say that?
(15%)
Why, in spite of all the frustrations,
are they happy? Well,
42% of responJob security
(12%)
dents, “challenging
work” is the most
important reason, followed by salary/
benefits for 20%, “appreciation”
Opportunity forfor 15%
(Figure 7).
advancement
(10%)
Our reader comments
suggest a
slightly more complicated—and perOther
haps hopeful—picture.
(1%)
“[This] has been a great career
which has allowed me to live and work
all over the world. Not wealthy, but certainly comfortable. Always a challenge,
never boring,” says one happy automation professional.
“My company gives me flexible work
hours, opportunities to work on interesting and challenging projects, and I
5/27/11 10:32 AM
Yes
(74%)
No
(5%)
2011 SALARY SURVEY
work with teams of engineers in various
disciplines to design small to large water/wastewater projects,” says another.
“The I&C group also does SCADA system programming for larger projects,
giving us a chance to be on a project
from the beginning through start-up,
which enhances the pleasure derived
from the job.”
Then there’s the happy soul who
confesses, “I love my job and the type
of work I do.”
If you’re a corporate executive or HR
manager reading this, you might take
the following observation to heart when
addressing the question of how to keep
your good process automation people
from moving elsewhere: “Job satisfaction is a result of a number of factors including, challenging work, expectation
of constant change, appreciation of your
efforts, sufficient training to handle curBiker_HalfPage_052311.pdf
1
5/24/11
WHERE WE’RE GETTING SATISFACTION
Appreciation
(15%)
Salary/benefits
(20%)
Job security
(12%)
Opportunity for
advancement
(10%)
Challenging
work (42%)
Other
(1%)
Figure 7. “Challenging work” is the big draw in process automation for 42% of
our respondents. Salary/benefits is a distant second at 20%.
rent work, as well as future challenges,
pleasant work environment, respectful
worker interaction, constant objective
feedback, wages high enough to not
worry about meeting financial obliga-
tions, trust and respect between management and employees.”
Sounds like a good plan.
Nancy Bar tels is Contol’s managing editor.
11:08 AM
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Intrinsic Safety
Gas/Equipment Temperature Compatibility
Gas ignition temperature °C
Ammonia 630
Methane 595
Hydrogen 560
700
Apparatus
temperature
classification
600
500
Propane 470
Ethylene 425
T1
400
Butane 365
300
T2
200
T3
Cyclohexane 259
Diethyl Ether 170
Carbon Disulphide 100
100
T4
T6
T5
DETERMINING T-RATINGS
Figure 2. The type of gas present determines the T-rating.
that neither store nor generate energy. Sensors that use catalytic reaction or other electro-chemical mechanisms are not
normally simple apparatus.
2. Stored energy sources consisting of single components
in simple circuits with well-defined parameters; for example,
capacitors or inductors, whose energy storing values should
be considered when determining the overall safety of the
system.
3. Generated energy sources; that is, thermocouples and
photocells, which do not generate more than 1,5 V, 100 mA
and 25 mW.
In addition to the above, the following (taken from the
ISA standard) also applies to simple apparatus installations:
• Simple apparatus shall not achieve safety by the inclusion of voltage and/or current-limiting and/or suppression
devices.
• Simple apparatus shall not contain any means of increasing the available voltage or current, for example DCDC converters.
• Simple apparatus located in the explosive gas atmosphere shall be temperature-classified.
• Where simple apparatus forms part of an apparatus containing other electrical circuits, the whole shall be assessed
according to the requirements of ISA–60079-11 (12.02.01)–
2009.
Because with entity systems, you need to understand interaction between each component on a loop, I/O card, barrier or field device, the entity concept works well for loops
with one I/O card and one field device. However, if you have
multiple devices on a wire pair, as with fieldbus systems, the
number of combinations that need to be verified quickly
grows exponentially. This is one of the reasons most process fieldbus systems use FISCO as described in the June
2010 issue of Control (www.controlglobal.com/articles/2010/
FISCO1006.html).
Furthermore, intrinsically safe (IS) circuits need to be
kept separate from non-IS circuits with the following minimum requirements:
• All terminals for intrinsically safe circuits shall be separated from terminals for non-intrinsically safe circuits where
intrinsic safety can be impaired by external wiring which, if
disconnected from the terminal, can come into contact with
conductors or components by distance or terminal location.
• When separation is accomplished by distance, the clearance between bare conducting parts of terminals shall be at
least 50 mm, including insuring that contact between circuits is unlikely if a wire becomes dislodged.
• When separation is accomplished by locating terminals
for intrinsically safe and non-intrinsically safe circuits in
separate enclosures, or by use of either an insulating partition or an earthed metal partition between terminals with a
common cover, the following applies:
• Partitions used to separate terminals shall extend to
within 1,5 mm of the enclosure walls or, alternatively, shall
provide a minimum distance of 50 mm between the bare
conducting parts of terminals when measured in any direction around the partition.
• Metal partitions shall be earthed/grounded and shall
have sufficient strength and rigidity to ensure that they are
not likely to be damaged during field wiring.
The final critical element in any IS circuit is the imporInstrument Earthing (Grounding) Scheme
Field mounted
instrument Interface cubicle
X1
Instrument system
L
N
E
Armor
if used
X
Plant bond (through structural earthing routes)
Neutral
Mains
Instrument panel
Barrier cubicle
Ex i
Plant bond
Isolated
internal
circuits
TYPICAL CONTROL ROOM GROUNDING PLAN
Figure 3. The function of the IS ground is to provide a secure, highintegrity, low-impedance path through which fault currents will flow
while minimizing voltages seen in the hazardous area.
CT1106_50_52_Feature3.indd 51
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5/27/11 10:35 AM
Intrinsic Safety
Barrier Scematic
Unregulated
supply
Hazardous area
Safe area
CLR: Current
limiting resistor
(restricts current)
Fuse
(restricts
power)
TX
Protect
regulate
300R
Floating
supply
28V
250R
load
4-20mA
Zener diode
(restricts voltage)
0V
IS Earth
Isolator Scematic
Hazardous
area circuit
SAFETY SEGREGATION
Energy-limiting
Hazardous
area
connection
Certified
component
Safe area
circuit
Safe area
connection
Certified
transformer
Power
COMPARISON OF BARRIER AND ISOLATOR SCHEMATICS
Barriers
Isolators
Simple and reliable
More complex, statistically
lower MTBF than barrier
Extremely accurate in many
applications
Active devices: power and heat
High-integrity bond required
Flexibility in bonding practice
Predictable response to earth
faults
Flexible response to earth faults
Inexpensive
Generally more expensive
Applications are defined in
terms of voltage and resistance
‘Application-specific.’ Each barrier is defined in terms of function
that is designed to perform.
Encapsulated design necessary
Tight power supply limits (except ‘protected’/fused barriers
Replaceable supply fuse
common
Easier to fault find (earth
reference)
Wide power supply tolerance
tant issue of what to do with any “extra”energy that might
result in the event of a fault in the loop, such as a short circuit. Normally the answer is to run this current to ground or
earth. Figure 3 shows a typical control room/interface room
earthing/ground scheme.
The function of the IS ground is to provide a secure, highintegrity, low-impedance path through which fault currents
52
will flow, while minimizing voltages seen in the hazardous
area. The most likely source of high-voltage invasion is from
the local distribution transformer feeding the control system
and, practically speaking, the IS ground is there to shunt
fault current from such an invasion back to the neutral of
this transformer. It, therefore, has to be of low impedance to
be the preferred path for the fault current (while the barrier
fuse blows).
Why Use IS?
Now that we know the basics of the various components of
an IS circuit and the associated restrictions regarding its installation, what are some of the arguments for using intrinsic
safety that explain why it is so widely used in other parts of
the world?
• Cost—IS systems do not require lockable fused isolators, protected cable, special glands or explosion-proof enclosures. These lead to not only higher initial costs, but also
require additional time whenever the junction box or the
device needs to be opened or closed.
• Use of unarmoured cable—The system is electrically,
not mechanically protected, though mechanical protection
may be desired for other reasons, such as crush resistance.
• Fault-tolerance—IS is the only technique that remains
safe after faults develop in cables and fallible components.
• Live maintenance—IS is the only technique that permits live working without gas clearance certificates for all
area classifications.
• Personnel safety—Extra-low voltages and currents mean
there is minimal risk of injury in the event of contact with
bare wires.
IS “works” by reducing the power going to the field. The
simpler alternative which uses diodes/resistors, is called a
passive zener barrier. If a barrier introduces too much voltage drop due to too high a resistance being added to the network by the barrier, resulting in insufficient power to drive
the output full scale, then you may need to use an isolator.
Since isolators are separately powered, they do not present as
large a load to the loop.
This happens on occasion for analog-output devices such
as valves. The figure on the left shows the differences between these two alternatives.
Is intrinsic safety part of your future? Only you can decide. However, as you can see, there are a number of reasons
that you should consider it when designing a new installation. With our increasing focus on safety, intrinsic safety installations reduce the overall risk of explosion through human error.
Ian Verhappen P.Eng. is an ISA Fellow, ISA Cer tified Automation Professional
and a recognized authorit y on Foundation fieldbus and industrial communications technologies.Verhappen leads global consultancy Industrial
Automation Net works Inc.
CT1106_50_52_Feature3.indd 52
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ask the expertS
Flow-Measuring Control Valves
“Ask the Experts” is moderated by Béla Lipták, process control consultant and editor of the Instrument Engineer’s Handbook
(IEH). If you would like to contribute to the 5th edition, currently in preparation, by updating an existing or by preparing a new
chapter or if you have questions for our team of “experts,” please write to me: at [email protected].
Q
Is there an intelligent control valve that can measure
its own flow on the basis of its own pressure drop and
opening? Did anybody evaluate/determine the accuracy/
rangeability of such a “flowmeter”? Do you know any suppliers?
Harry Crowne y
[email protected]
A
Years ago, I experimented with measuring the ΔP
across regular control valves, and at the same time detecting the position of the plugs, and, based on these
inputs, calculating the approximate flow. Theoretically, this
is feasible because this configuration is the same as that
of a variable orifice meter—one that is badly installed (not
provided with sufficient straight runs up and downstream).
I made such installations only when I did not need good
accuracy, only good repeatability and rengeability at a low
cost. I recall that most of these installations met these goals.
I also know that both Valtek and Singer markets such valves,
but I have no experience with them, so I have no knowledge of
their performance.
Similar to using control valves to indirectly measure flow, I
also used pump and compressor curves to approximate gas and
liquid flows at different discharge pressures without spending
the money to buy regular flowmeters. These systems also gave
self-measuring control valves
Figure 1. The hydraulically operated Singer electronic flow
control and metering system.
reasonable repeatability and rangeability. As to accuracy, they
too were inaccurate, and their performance much depended on
the precision of the characteristic curves and the reliability of
the manufacturer’s testing.
Bél a Lipták
[email protected]
A
Valtek (Flowserve) sells a “StarPac” package that is both a
positioner and a flow controller. The flow is available as a
4-20mA output, and you send the valve a setpoint. I don’t
represent the product or have any ties to the organization, but I
do have a client up in Connecticut that was having problems
getting a good steam flow signal to their batch reactor, and the
Starpac valve seemed to work well for them. I don’t know what
kind of accuracy they claim, but it was repeatable enough for
this client’s application.
Here’s a link to their website. www.flowserve.com/Products/
Automation/Positioners-Digital/StarPac-3,en_US.
P. Hunter Vegas
[email protected]
A
I will share with you our experience in this regard. Our
company manufactures large valves that bypass the flow of
turbines to the condensers or steam to the process. In this
application, water is injected into a de-superheater at the valve
outlet to cool the steam prior to admission into the condenser
or exporting the steam to the process. The required water flow
rate is determined from the heat balance and the continuity
equation. The steam flow rate must be measured or estimated
in order to determine the correct water flow rate. It is quite common to use the bypass valve position to establish the steam flow
rate. The valve supplier provides a flow versus stroke curve or an
equation for calculating that relationship to the controls engineer, who uses this to program the spray water algorithm.
If the control valve is used as a flow measurement device,
than it is a good idea to have the valve supplier conduct flow
tests to establish accuracy of the flow vs. stroke curve. I believe
that ISA S75.11 specifies a tolerance at approximately ±10%. I
know from experience that a precision of ±5% is feasible if some
additional care is taken in the design and manufacture of the
valve. It is normal practice in nuclear plants to use the feedwaJ u n e / 2 0 1 1 www.controlglobal.com
CT1106_53_54_ATE.indd 53
53
5/26/11 3:06 PM
ask the expertS
ter control valve opening as an indication of plant load, and to
specify ±5% accuracy for the valve trim characteristics. This accuracy is achieved by testing, modification and retesting of the
control valve trim.
A
I recently run across this very thing. It is a Singer Valve
accessory (www.singervalve.com/Products/Electron
icControl/1062scmv2062scmv.html). I don’t see any
specifications on accuracy, though I suspect it is only as
good as an orifice plate flowmeter.
Stephen Freitas
[email protected]
Curt Wendt
[email protected]
A
Flowserve have had such a device for a decade; the
current StarPac 3 claims ±2% of full scale over approx. 30:1 turndown of the valve. See www.flowserve.
com/files/Files/Literature/ProductLiterature/FlowControl/
Valtek/VLENBR0066.pdf .
Ian H. Gibson
[email protected]
A
At least 10 years ago, Valtek was selling such a valve. I
have never used one, nor have I ever talked to a user
who had them installed, so I can’t offer an opinion on
them—but the theory is sound.
Walt Boyes
[email protected]
A
There is one, the Valtek StarPac II Intelligent Control
System. It has a limited capability to measure flow inside the valve body. I would not expect such as system
to be as accurate as a separate flow measurement, however.
For reference, see www.flowserve.com/files/Files/Literature/Products/Flowcontrol/Valtek/vlatb042.pdf.
A
I used temperature and pressure data at two different
times to measure hydrogen leaks in a closed generator
system in power plants. When there was no leak, the ratios of (P/T) should be the same at two different times, where
both P and T are in absolute values, and the time duration is
on the order of 10 hours. When there was a leak, the leak rate
was calculated to be (V/R) [(P1/T1) – (P2/T2)] / (t2 – t1) in
moles per hour, where (t2 – t1) is the elapsed time, since the
volume, V, of the system is constant and the gas constant R, is
also constant. For generators, hydrogen leaks are normal, so
long as the expression [(P1/T1) – (P2/T2)] / (t2 – t1) is consistent after the casing is put back on each time.
Valtek StarPac control valve has a temperature and a pressure sensor in it, but has no flow sensor. Such a valve has been
successfully applied in severe service applications for monitoring both the temperature and the pressure of the process fluid
where conventional temperature and pressure tapping points
failed.
Ger ald Liu, P.Eng.
[email protected]
Dick Caro
[email protected]
A
Valtek (now Flowserve) started making a “smart valve”
20 years ago. The current generation of the system has
embedded pressure and temperature sensors that allow
it to internally calculate flow rates.
Ken Be at t y
KBeat t y@flowser ve.com
A
Flowserve’s patented “StarPac-3” intelligent control
valve is capable of flow measurement, PID control and
diagnostic functionality. You may paste the following
link into your browser to download literature for more information: www.flowserve.com/files/Files/Literature/ProductLiterature/FlowControl/Valtek/VLENBR0066.pdf.
Fred Cain
fcain@flowser ve.com
54
an alternative
Figure 2. FlowServe’s StarPac 3 Intelligent Control System
is another solution to the problem.
CT1106_53_54_ATE.indd 54
5/26/11 3:06 PM
ROUNDUP
The Pressure’s On
Products for all your pressure measurement and control needs.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE, DIRECT-MOUNT PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS
ELECTRONIC PRESSURE TRANSMITTER
The EJX610A high-performance absolute pressure
transmitter and the EJX630A
high-performance
gauge
pressure transmitter are available for delivery now. They
feature ±0.04% of span accuracy (optional ±0.025% of
span on the EJA630A), measurement spans of up to 10,150
psi, long-term stability of 0.1% of URL for 10 years (EJX630A)
and 200:1 rangeability.
Yokogawa
800/888-6400; www.yokogawa.com/us
The Model 266 series electronic pressure transmitter
offers a base accuracy from
±0.025% to ±0.06% and a
draft range providing a minimum span of 0.2 in. H2O
with a 4 in. H2O upper range
limit. It also has through-theglass technology that provides configuration without opening the cover, even in hazardous areas, and plugged-impulse
line detection on HART and Foundation fieldbus.
ABB
215/674-6480; www.abb.com/instrumentation
SMART PRESSURE TRANSMITTER
HANDHELD PRESSURE CALIBRATORS
TX200H is a HART smart
pressure transmitter that
uses the HART 7 specification, and has a flexible 10:1
turndown on pressure ranges
from 0 to 15 psi (0 to 1 bar) up
to 0 to 25,000 psi (0 to 1724
bar). It meets enclosure type
4X and IP66 requirements, and is certified for cULus for
Class 1, Div. 1 & 2, Zone 1 and ATEX Ex d and Ex tD hazardous areas and is CE-compliant.
United Electric Controls
617/926-1000; www.ueonline.com
The new Jofra HPC550/HPC552Ex family of handheld
pressure calibrators offer
deadweight accuracy. They
are rated intrinsically safe
for potentially hazardous locations. Each device has 16
pressure ranges from 25 mbar
(0.35psi) to 700 bar (10,000 psi) with F.S. absolute, differential and gauge sensors, Each is also accurate to ±0.025% of
reading at 0.01% F.S.
Ametek Calibration Instruments
800/527-9999; www.ametekcalibration.com
PRESSURE SENSORS FOR HYDRAULIC APPLICATIONS
ULTRA-HIGH-PURITY PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS
PS300 series pressure sensors
for hydraulic applications feature a rugged, IP69K-rated
design. They provide a wide
measuring range, from 3 to
400 bar. Signals are directly
processed on the PS300’s
newly developed pressure
measuring cell, and digitally transferred to the sensor’s fully
potted, self-contained display. They are available in male or
female, 1/4-in. NPT, or G 1/4-in. thread versions.
Turck
www.turck.us
SS2 pressure transducers are
designed for stable, accurate
and reliable pressure monitoring in ultra-high purity
applications. The ultra-stable, micro-machined silicon
strain gauges are matched
and fused at high temperature to the metal diaphragm to relieve manufacturinginduced stress. The SS2’s mechanical design eliminates
torque effects during installation.
Brooks Instrument
888/554-FLOW; www.brooksinstrument.com
CT1106_55_57_Roundup.indd 55
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5/27/11 10:48 AM
ROUNDUP
56
REMOTE PRESSURE SENSOR
DOME-LOADED PRESSURE REGULATORS
The Rosemount 3051S electronic remote sensor system
is a two-wire, 4-20 mA HART
technology that calculates
differential pressure (DP)
electronically using two pressure sensors that are linked
together electronically with
a non-proprietary electrical wire. Ideal applications include
tall vessels, distillation towers and other installations that require excessive lengths of impulse piping or capillary.
Emerson Process Management
800/999/9307; www.emersonprocess.com/rosemount
RHPS series domeloaded
pressure regulators permit
high flows, and exhibit less
droop than spring-loaded designs in controlling the pressure of liquids and gases. Inlet
pressures range to 5800 psig
(400 bar). Regulated pressures
span 1.4 to 29 psig (0.10 to 2.0 bar), 0 to 1000 psig (0 to 70 bar),
0 to 2900 psig (0 to 200 bar), and 0 to 5800 psig (0 to 400 bar).
They are available for pipe sizes from ¼-in. to 4-in.
Swagelok
www.swagelok.com
GUARANTEED PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS
DIGITAL PRESSURE GAGES
Keller America helps users
survive the weather and the
economy with pressure transmitters featuring guaranteed
lightning protection at no
additional cost. This feature
protects transmitters from
voltage surges and provides
a lifetime warranty against electrical damage. Keller offers
a wide variety of instruments designed to provide the best
price, performance and value.
Keller America
877-2keller; www.kelleramerica.com
The DPG409 series of highaccuracy digital pressure
gages features a large backlit display that’s readable
from over 10.7 m (35 ft). The
stainless steel enclosure is
designed for sanitary, washdown and marine applications. Ranges from vacuum to 5000 psi are available, and
all units included set-up software that allows fast installation
and calibration via a USB connection.
Omega Engineering
203/359-1660; www.omega.com
EASY FIELD CALIBRATION/DATA LOGGING
HAZARDOUS-AREA PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS
The M4 Series handheld precision calibrator/data logger
includes one pressure sensor
and one mA/V instrument.
Choose from differential,
gauge, compound or absolute
pressure types, and ranges
from 10-in. H2O to 3000
PSIG full scale. Accuracy is ±0.025% of reading from 10%
to 100% of range, and ±0.002% of full scale below 10% of
range. Accuracy is -20 ºC to +50 ºC (-4 ºF to +122 ºF).
Meriam Process Technologies
www.meriam.com
The M Class Deltabar M
PMD55 transmitter and its
Cerabar line of pressure
transmitters have ATEX,
FM, CSA, NEPSI and IEC
Ex certifications. The Deltabar M PMD55 differential
pressure transmitter can be
used for flow measurement of gases, vapors and liquids. It
works over measuring ranges of 0.15 to 600 psi with a maximum recommended turndown of 100:1.
Endress+Hauser
888/ENDRESS; www.us.endress.com
5/27/11 10:48 AM
ROUNDUP
INTRINSICALLY SAFE PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS
DIGITAL PRESSURE GAUGE
The IS-20 series of intrinsically safe pressure transmitters is designed for industrial
applications in hazardous areas. It has multiple intrinsically safe approvals including
ATEX, FM and CSA. It features an all-welded measuring cell for improved media compatibility. It includes transmitters with flush diaphragms and integral junction boxes.
Suitable for oil and gas and chemical and food industries.
WIKA
678/739-2571; www.wika.com
The IP65-rated indoor/outdoor PG10 digital pressure
gauge features a 5.5-in. display casing, full five-digit
display, and a 270° digital
“dial” or radial bar graph that
shows a user-selectable pressure range from 0 to 100%. It
has four large set-up buttons and has at-a-glance readability.
Standard features include tare, peak hold, max-min readings
and user-selectable units of measure.
Automation Products Group
888/525-7300; www.apgsensors.com.
PRECISION LEVEL TRANSDUCER
PROCESS PRESSURE CALIBRATOR
TruBlue 575 Baro transducer
measures and logs barometric pressure and temperature
with extreme accuracy. The
new absolute, non-submersible 575 Baro has an 8 MB internal memory and stores up
to 550,000 data points. Its internal 3.6 V lithium battery has a lifespan of five years, making it ideal for groundwater and surface water data collection
and monitoring applications.
Pressure Systems
800/328-3665; http://trubluemonitor.com
P100 gauge and handheld
pumps offer pressure calibration in an easy-to-use design
with ranges up to 600 PSI (40
Bar). They combine pressure
generation into one unit that
is able to display engineering units in bar, mpa, kpa, psi
and mbar. The P100 offers accuracy to ±0.20% of full scale
or ±0.05% of full scale and pneumatic ranges from vacuum
up to 40 bar.
E Instruments International
215-750-1212; www.E-Inst.com
SILICON GLASS-FUSED PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS
MINI DP TRANSMITTERS
P611 and P621 pressure
transmitters feature a singlepiece, 316L stainless steel
sensing element with a highoutput, silicon glass-fused
strain gauge, coupled with
a thick diaphragm to maximize cycle life even in the
presence of pressure spikes, vibration and aggressive fluid
media. The 316L sensor is welded to a 316 stainless steel
body and has no O-rings or seals for leak-proof reliability.
Tel-Tru Manufacturing
800/232-5335: www.teltru.com
These new miniature differential pressure transmitters
are low-cost choices for many
applications. Both models offer current or voltage output
rated at 4-20 mA or 0-5 V and
accuracy of 10% (5% repeatability). Model 1002 has a DP
range of 0-4 to 0-75 psid and a maximum line pressure rating
of 3000 psig. Model 1020 has a DP range of 0-25” water to
0-10 psid and a maximum line pressure rating of 1000 psig.
Orange Research
800/989-5657; www.orangeresearch.com
57
5/27/11 10:49 AM
Control Exclusive
High-Precision Linear Actuator Provides Better Control
There are many applications in wastewater, electric power generation, bulk solids handling and other industry verticals where more precise control can mean better product quality or less energy usage. Many of these
applications were originally installed with manual knife valves, gate valves and shut-off valves that could benefit from automatic control. Others were installed with electrical positioners or pneumatic positioners that
require replacement and constant maintenance. With the
increased interest in sustainability providing the impetus,
many companies are in search of newer, simpler designs that
cost less and require less maintenance.
Festo Corporation is well known for both high-precision
motion control systems and truly inventive mechatronic research and development projects such as the robotic bird
that flew at Hannover Messe earlier this year. It’s also known
for its lines of actuators used in process control applications.
Now the company has released a pneumatic linear actuator, the DFPI, which is designed for exactly those applications. According to Festo, its all-in-one design and patented
technology make it ideal for controlling knife gate valves
and shut-off valves with varying strokes.
The company notes that the device has been designed to
be considerably simpler than an electrical actuator, and to
provide higher forces than an equivalent electrical actuator
Actuate!
Festo’s new DFPI pneumatic actuator is designed for
rugged service
at what the company say is a fraction of the price of alternative solutions.
Festo says that inlet gates to sewage plants, contact chamber flow control gate valves, penstock shut-off and flow control valves, knife gates for bulk solids silos, and other linear
process valves are the applications the positioner was designed to serve.
The device has an integrated displacement encoder and
a linear potentiometric displacement sensor, valve manifold and positioner, and is designed for rough, outdoor, allweather service with an extremely sturdy electrical connection and built-in heating element. The DFPI is offered with
protection classes IP65, IP67 and IP69k. Explosion protection is per ATEX in accordance with EC directive 94/9/EC.
The housing also has high corrosion resistance.
The device is offered with a built-in, self-initialization
routine, which the company says makes commissioning
quick and easy for integration in existing control architectures with a setpoint signal of 4-20 mA.
The device can be supplied with piston diameters from
100 mm (4 ins.) to 320 mm (13 ins.), and operates
on filtered compressed air at 6 bar (90 psi). X
lengths are standard up to 39 ins.; special designs above 39-in. stroke are available on
request. The safety setting is “piston rod
extending” or “retracting.”
Festo says that because of the integral
flow control functions, the back-andforth movement speeds of the piston rod
can be set separately or independently of
each other, and sensing of the intermediate
positions is optionally possible using exteriormounted Festo position sensors.
The operating ambient temperature range is -5 °C to
+50 °C (+23 °F to +122 °F), and its operating voltage is 24
VDC.
The company states that the accuracy of the linear actuator is ±2%.
For more information on this product visit www.festo.com
or call +1-631-435-0800.
58
CT1106_58_59_Exclusive.indd 58
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Control Exclusive
Enterprise Control System–It’s a New Thing, Again!
In 2006, Invensys Process Systems launched what Invensys vice president Dr. Peter Martin called an enterprise
control system. Company marketers called it InFusion, and they had great difficulty explaining what it was. It
wasn’t an MES system; it wasn’t a DCS or a SCADA system, although it could be used with and interface with
those systems. It was, according to Invensys, something entirely new.
Now, Invensys Operations Management has re-launched
InFusion and the concept of an enterprise control system.
After morphing Invensys Process Systems, Wonderware,
Eurotherm and IMServe into Invensys Operations Management, and significantly re-architecting the company’s
portfolio of offerings, it has become clear what an enterprise control system is, not just what it isn’t.
First, the company has articulated what enterprise control is. In the simplest terms, according to Dr. Martin, it’s
the synchronization of business strategy with production execution—in real time. This means that plant and enterprise
management can apply the principles of optimization to a
business, while operating within a set of interrelated constraints. Enterprise control weaves the fabric for this synchronization, Martin says, by supporting the alignment of
all of the operational excellence areas—environment and
safety, people, assets and control—with a strong emphasis
on empowering the enterprise’s most critical asset—people.
An enterprise control system integrates systems and
processes throughout an enterprise, creating a “business
control loop” to provide situational awareness to people
throughout the enterprise, providing real-time decision
support with both context and perspective.
“In principle,” says ARC vice president Dave Woll, “the
capabilities of the InFusion enterprise control system align
with ARC’s Collaborative Process Automation System
(CPAS) model, and do so with a single integration software
platform (ArchestrA).”
InFusion is Invensys’ enterprise control system offering. It
consists of the hardware and software components that the
company states are necessary to rapidly create a sustainable,
integrated enterprise control solution. According to the company, InFusion embraces and extends a client’s unique combination of existing automation and information investments.
InFusion components may be provided by Invensys or by
third parties. For example, components might include a process control system (DCS or SCADA), a historian, a workflow
system, a CMMS system and others. Any of these components may be from any vendor. The company claims this capability provides the ability to supply best-in-class systems and
construct an individualized enterprise control system based
Infusion: Key Functions
InFusion synchronizes business strategy with production
execution in real time.
on each customer’s unique requirements.
ArchestrA is the open software integration and workflow
technology that is the backbone of an InFusion enterprise
control system. Jointly developed with significant investment from Microsoft, the technology has been proven over
the past nine years with over 250,000 licenses in the field.
ArchestrA provides industrial software services on top
of the Microsoft .NET framework, creating what Invensys
claims is the first industrial services-oriented architecture.
Among other key industrial services, ArchestrA technology
includes both development and runtime functions, which
are linked via a common integrated development environment (IDE) to provide a component object-based application environment capable of application development and
deployment over an entire industrial enterprise.
Any third-party or Invensys product that communicates
with the open ArchestrA System Platform is an InFusion
Component. The company claims the platform provides a
comprehensive engineering environment and a powerful
toolkit for application development and integration of Invensys and third-party applications and systems, along with
a complete library of reusable objects.
For more information, visit www.infusionjourney.com.
CT1106_58_59_Exclusive.indd 59
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5/26/11 3:08 PM
Product introductions
60
WEB-BASED SCADA
HIGH-PERFORMANCE POWER SUPPLY
Version R9.04 of the Fast/
Tools web-based SCADA
system has a number of new
functions, including the ability to record HMI displays in
real time, alarm notification
via email, advanced trending
capabilities and a Foundation fieldbus faceplate library. Fast/Tools is ideal for remote
process monitoring, asset management, data collection and
storage in widely distributed applications in numerous process industries.
Yokogawa Corp. of America
www.yokogawa.com/us
The FieldConnex Compact Power Hub is a highperformance power supply
for larger process automation
projects. It delivers eight segments of redundant power in
less cabinet space than any
other comparable power supply. It supports intrinsically safe fieldbus segments according to Entity Ex ic or Ex nL classification, and the HighPower Trunk concept. These power modules are available
for 21...23 V / 500 mA or 28...30 V / 500 mA operation.
Pepperl+Fuchs
330/486.0002; www.pepperl-fuchs.us
RAPID-DEPLOYMENT VIDEO
ETHERNET/IP AND MODBUS TCP
The RD-MZ-3630-01 is a
rapid-deploy, wireless video
solution with an internal
wireless radio and a highdefinition color camera. The
camera is capable of transmitting over 30 frames per
second of video in 1280 x
1024 resolution. It comes equipped with an IR illuminator,
allowing for clear, high-resolution images from over 200 feet
in complete darkness. It can be placed anywhere for security surveillance purposes, to monitor a process system, or to
watch over a machine, remote pumping station or pipeline.
Industrial Video and Control
617/467-3059; www.ivcco.com
BL20 Economy gateways for
EtherNet/IP and Modbus
TCP/IP provide a flexible,
in-cabinet system for distributed I/O. These economical
gateways accommodate up to
32 I/O modules, resulting in
a system that may contain up
to 512 digital I/O points or 128 analog I/O points, as well as
a combination of digital and analog points, on one gateway.
They’re available with an integrated power supply, eliminating the need for an added power module to feed the I/O bus.
Turck
800/544-7769; www.turck.us
OUT-OF-THE-BOX LEVEL MEASUREMENT
SMALL PC, BIG TEMP RANGE
The new Level Mate III provides the most versatile and
complete level measurement
system for water and wastewater applications. It consists of
a rugged stainless steel submersible Ametek hydrostatic
sensor with cable and a fully
calibrated microprocessor-controlled digital meter within a
rugged NEMA 4X enclosure. All programming is done at
the factory, so users only need to supply AC power to the unit
and place the sensor in water.
Ametek PMT Products
215/355-6900; www.ametekusg.com
The VL BPC Mini, a miniature embedded box PC, has
a wide-temperature range
between -40 ºC and +65 ºC
(-40 ºF to 149 ºF). It employs
a fanless design in a compact,
DIN rail-mountable package.
The line is based on specially
selected Intel Atom CPUs that consume less energy and
produce less heat. The VL BPC MINI uses the Intel Atom
Z510PT processor (1.1 GHz). Interfaces include six USB 2.0
ports, one VGA port and one RS-232/422/485 port.
Phoenix Contact
800/322-3225; www.phonenixcontact.com
CT1106_60_62_Products.indd 60
5/26/11 3:09 PM
CRIMSON SYNCHS TO SQL
HIGH-POWER, LOW-PRICED FLOWMETER
SQL Sync, a new feature of
Crimson 3.0 software, allows
customers to synchronize
logged data from their G3
HMIs directly with Microsoft’s SQL Server, eliminating the need for third-party
software or a custom script.
Once synched with the database, logged data can be used
to improve inventory control, production scheduling and
quality-improvement initiatives. SQL Sync is available on
the 8-in., 10-in. and 15-in. G3 Series HMIs.
Red Lion Controls
717/767-6511; www.redlion.net
Innova-Sonic 210i features
a high-powered ultrasonic
pulse with improved digital
signal processing, enabling
the unit to use just one set of
transducers over a wide range
of pipe sizes. It has a fieldconfigurable 4-20mA current
loop analog output, 2GB SD memory card for data logging,
and a suite of powerful programming menus. Temperature
range is -40 °F to 176 °F (-40 °C to 80 °C)—all at a price significantly below competitive meters.
Sierra Instruments
800/866-0200; www.sierrainstruments.com
HAZARDOUS-DUTY LIGHTING
SENSOR BASICS
Designed to provide a mobile, secure, convenient
method to deploy lighting,
this Class 1, Division 2-approved EPL-LM-36-4-MH
4000-Watt, Hazardous Location Light Tower allows operators to illuminate large areas
with 440,000 lumens of high-intensity light. Fitted with four
1000-watt metal halide lamps and UL-approved for wet locations and marine-area use, these telescoping light towers are
designed to provide powerful hazardous location illumination without compromising safety and effectiveness.
Larson Electronics
800/369-6671; www.magnalight.com
FB series M18 plastic DC
high-performance, low-cost,
18mm photoelectric sensors
are available in diffuse, polarized reflective and throughbeam models with sensing
distances ranging from 70
mm to eight meters. All models feature M12 quick-disconnects. The PB series inductive
DC proximity sensors come in 12-mm, 18-mm and 30-mm
sizes, with shielded and unshielded housings and sensing
ranges of 2 mm to 15 mm. They also are IP67-rated.
Automation Direct
www.automationdirect.com/sensors
“LISTEN” TO YOUR PROBLEMS
BETTER FIELD COMMUNICATION
The Spectroline Marksman
ultrasonic diagnostic tool is
a highly accurate instrument
that converts and amplifies
inaudible ultrasonic sound
into audible “natural” sound.
Now service technicians can
easily hear sounds that signify problems such as compressed air leaks, electrical discharge, as well as vacuum, natural gas, propane, refrigerant,
seal and gasket leaks. The MDE-1000 Marksman Master
Kit comes with a receiver, full-sized headphones, two probes
and an ultrasonic emitter.
Spectronics
800/274-8888; www.spectroline.com
The 475 Field Communicator’s new interface features graphical menus that
are easy to use and device
dashboards that provide a
clear view of a device’s operating health. The 475 also
includes the ValveLink Mobile software application, which delivers advanced control valve diagnostics in the field for Fisher Fieldvue instruments. The icon-based interface functions like popular
consumer products with a touchscreen for one-finger selection of tasks.
Emerson Process Management
www.fieldcommunicator.com
61
5/26/11 3:09 PM
62
PIEZOELECTRIC SIGNAL CONDITIONER
SCADA CYBERSECURITY
The Endevco model 133
three-channel, general purpose piezoelectric signal conditioner has a bandwidth of
100 KHz (-3 dB corner) and
is designed to condition accelerometer output signals.
It has a RS232 serial interface and supports both Isotron (IEPE) and charge output
piezoelectric accelerometers with computer-programmable
or manual configurations. It has an LED-illuminated front
panel with adjustable gain range of 0 to 1000.
Meggitt Sensing Systems
www.meggittsensingsystems.com
The zONeGuard is a security solution for industrial
communication
networks
that ensures data encryption and authentication. The
patent-pending system consists of a single host and multiple remote devices. The
host interfaces with both current and legacy DAQ systems
via WANs or LANs, and may be used with existing VPNs.
The remote devices extend cybersecurity capabilities to current field equipment .
Elecsys Corporation
913/647-0158; www.elecsyscorp.com
SMALL BUT MIGHTY PC
SIX CALIBRATORS IN ONE
LPC-670 LittlePC offers
tremendous power in a tiny
package that is 6.5 in. x 6 in.
and less than 2 in. in height.
The diminutive machine is
about the size of a hard-cover
novel yet surpasses performance of computers many
times its physical size. It features a multitude of I/O connectivity such as Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 802.11g, 4 USB 2.0, serial, DVI-I, audio and HDMI ports. It supports up to 8GB in
DDR3 memory and has a built-in 2.5-in. mobile hard drive
with up to 750GBs of storage space for archived data.
Stealth.com
www.stealth.com
The Piecal 8320 pocket calibrator performs six functions
with one handheld tool. It
checks milliamps, voltage,
frequency, thermocouples,
RTDs and continuity. The
EZ-Dial double-click menu
makes it easier to set up than
other multifunction calibrators. Calibrate directly in temperature. Check flow and vibration systems. Troubleshoot
loop and wiring problems. Measure temperature sensors,
frequency pickups, loop currents and voltage levels.
Practical Instrument Electronics
585/872-9350; www.piecal.com
PRECISE DISPENSING
SEALS FOR AGITATOR SERVICE
The RA33 batch controller
provides precise sensing and
dispensing of liquids in food,
chemical, pharmaceutical,
oil and gas, and other process industry applications. It
monitors flow, temperature
and density; controls valves
and pumps; and dispenses the exact amount requested by
the programmed recipe. The controller can work with a single valve and pump in automatic or manual mode, or with
two valves for two-stage batching. Two can work together for
batch mixing of two ingredients.
Endress + Hauser
888/ENDRESS; www.us.endress.com
The ChemSeal line of mechanical seals is designed
specifically for agitator service and features high runout, reverse rotation and reverse pressure capability. It
features both single and double cartridge configurations
designed for easy installation and maintenance. Available in
2-in, 2.5-in., 3-in. and 3.5-in sizes, temperatures to 356 °F
(180 °C) and pressures to 300 psi. Optional throttle bushing
or debris well designs are available.
Chemineer
800/643-0641 www.chemineer.com
5/26/11 3:09 PM
C O N T R O L TA L K
More Extraordinary PID Innovations
Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner bring their wits and more than 66 years of process control experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems.
Write to them at [email protected].
This month we talk more with Mark Congiundi, engineering associate in process control
at Sasol, about the creative use of PID controllers for process improvement.
Stan: Analyzers can take optimization to a
higher level by providing the knowledge for
achieving an optimum composition and quality. How do you help the PID use the discontinuous, stepped response of a nonlinear process
analyzer with a large cycle time?
Mark: The conventional approach for creating
a linear loop with a nonlinear measurement is
to linearize the setpoint and the process variable. For analyzers, I have developed a method
to transform just the process variable using a
setpoint-based, power-factor model. This model
imparts a curve to the raw reading, creating a
transformed reading that always coincides with
the setpoint when the raw reading equals the
setpoint. The transformed reading increases
proportionally less above setpoint than below
it, thus de-emphasizing elevated readings compared to depressed readings. This is consistent
with the behavior of the readings in a relatively
high-purity composition control application.
The changes from measurement updates also
are ramped over a long enough time to prevent
spikes in the output due to proportional and,
particularly, rate action. The ramping of a new
value takes place over a defined time period.
Operators only see the raw signal and enter a
setpoint in terms of it, avoiding confusion for
both operations and maintenance.
and de-inventory the line downstream of the
valve including, in some cases, the dip tube.
Mark: The solution is akin to filling a bucket.
When you decide to turn off the hose, it takes
time to react and close the valve. Additionally,
there is some flow into the bucket even after the
valve is closed. The total flow after the decision
can be classified as leakage. To incorporate intelligence to compensate for leakage, a model
is developed for the external reset feedback of
a zero-gain PID controller. The PID setpoint
and process variable are the desired and actual
flow totals. As soon as the setpoint becomes
higher than the process variable, the automatic
filling process starts. The PID output is 100%
multiplied by the “goal remaining” divided by
the “ramp horizon” (quantity remaining when
the valve begins to close) and finally biased
by a “valve shift” (valve opening when goal is
achieved). The “goal remaining” is the “quan-
Greg Mcmill an
Stan weiner, pe
[email protected]
Greg: Exactly achieving desired changes critical for product quality requires some anticipation because a command to stop feed does not
instantaneously result in the complete stop of
the feed into the equipment. The flow continues during the time needed to close the valve
CT1106_63_64_ControlTalk.indd 63
63
5/26/11 3:10 PM
C O N T R O L TA L K
tity goal” (batch charge) minus the “flow total” (current totalized flow) and minus the “goal shift” (leakage) to provide
the necessary anticipation. By calculating the “goal remaining,” we can use the term as a trip value when it becomes
negative. This model effectively trips the valve when the anticipated goal is achieved, regardless of the controller output
prior to that time.
Stan: Temperature loops have some of the tightest control requirements. To make sure the sensor accuracy as a
percent of span is well within the required control band,
a narrow range temperature transmitter is used for normal operation. For the operator and the control loop to see
the entire temperature range during start-up, a wide-range
temperature transmitter is used until the temperature is
within the normal operating range. Often a single PID for
normal control released from output tracking when the
temperature is within the narrow range for control is used.
What do you have as a more integrated general solution for
eliminating the discontinuity of switching between transmitters with different ranges?
Mark: A calculation of the PV provides a smooth transition. The calculation is always watching to see if the PV is
within the narrow range transmitter, and filters the transition by using a fraction of one transmitter output versus
the other. A factor of 0.3 often provides a reasonable transition time. The span of the PID is constant, so a decrease in
PID gain is not required when the PID is using the narrow
range transmitter.
Greg: A measurement is not always available for a PID. The
PV may not be representative of the process due to interferences, start-up conditions and insufficient sensitivity, the PV
being internal to the equipment or missing online analyzers. Distillation columns may start up on ratio control until
the mixture is boiling, and the temperature is representative
of composition. Key internal operating conditions, such as
internal reflux in the column, can be regulated by calculations based on external measurements. Also, the calculation
and control of heat duty from multiple measurements is a
powerful technique for regulating the energy balance and
separation for distillation columns. These calculations can
be viewed as feed-forward signals. Any feed-forward calculation should use the setpoint and not the actual PV of the
secondary loop manipulated to avoid positive feedback and
instability. What do you do when a direct measurement for
feedback correction is missing in action?
Mark: I employ a zero-gain PID and the inverse of the
model of the missing PV as an external reset feedback for
the feed-forward signal. A zero gain ensures that there is
64
no feedback from the PID PV, leaving the PID free to follow the external reset feedback signal. The PID reset tuning value decides how quickly the PID output follows this
signal. The time constant is the reset setting in time units
or the inverse of a reset setting in repeats per minute. Normally, the PID output goes to a secondary flow controller.
Flow measurements are used to update the model, which
becomes the PV of the zero-gain PID. The operator thus has
a PV and a corresponding setpoint to manipulate. The secondary flow is used in the model for the PV, but the setpoint,
not the PV, must be used in the model whose inverse is this
zero-gain PID output.
Consider flow ratio control with no ratio feedback correction. The PV is the ratio of the secondary flow to independent flow. The zero-gain PID output is the feed-forward for
the required secondary flow computed as the ratio setpoint
multiplied by the independent flow. This feed-forward-only
ratio controller is used when there is no online composition
measurement available for feedback correction. The secondary flow measurement is used in the ratio measurement
that is the PV for ratio control. The ratio control setpoint is
used in the inverse of the model that is the ratio controller
output. The responsibility for the secondary flow PID to follow its setpoint is solely the responsibility of the secondary
flow PID. The performance of the secondary flow loop is ignored by the PID for ratio control.
A feed-forward-only controller is also used to regulate
internal reflux within a distillation column. The model for
the internal reflux PID PV is the measured external reflux
flow corrected by the heat capacity of this external stream
and the latent heat of vaporization of the vapor stream
within the column. The tower overhead vapor temperature
and the external reflux temperature are used in the calculation. The inverse of the model is used to set the secondary loop for external reflux flow. Again, for stability, the
setpoint rather than the PV of this feed-forward-only controller must be used in the model whose inverse is the internal reflux controller output.
The heat transfer to the reboiler can be controlled instead
of just the heating stream flow. The model for the heat duty
is simply the heating stream flow multiplied by the stream
heat capacity and the difference between the inlet and outlet temperatures (hot oil supply and return temperatures).
This powerful concept can be used for any model-based
control, no matter how complex, as long as it can be algebraically inverted. I have used it in inferential control where the
model came from statistical regression, and I have used it in
dynamic model control, such as a Smith predictor, where
the inputs are reconciled with the outputs dynamically.
[Editor’s Note: More of Greg’s “Believe It or Don’t” is found at
www.controlglobal.com/1106_ControlTalk.html.]
CT1106_63_64_ControlTalk.indd 64
5/26/11 3:10 PM
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CONTROL REPORT
Don’t Forget Object Lessons
I and many other people, engineers and parents I know are so busy with present tasks
that months and years go by before we notice some things are missing—and its not just
Jim Montague
e xecutive Editor
[email protected]
Can you become
a prisoner of your
Lego-like software
modules?
66
gloves, umbrellas and our youth. For example, just as email replaced paper mail, it and
other kinds of electronic texting also appear to be eliminating telephone calls.
Being an annoying reporter and editor, I don’t
get many calls or callbacks anyway, but recently
those few jingles surprisingly dwindled down to
almost nothing.
Likewise, similarly to the sudden appearance
of skin on top of my head, I was recently startled
to realize that I haven’t run across object-oriented programming (OOP) software and architectures for a long time. Now, other industries
and publications deal with software more often
and deeply than Control, but I used to cover
OOP regularly. Just a few years ago, there was
a steady stream of innovations and announcements from companies constructing and organizing programming code into various blocks
and objects that could be stored in libraries. As
I remember it, the main thrill was that numerous lines of code could be grouped into a more
graphical form, linked to perform functions,
and then copied and reused as needed—saving
substantial programming time and labor. However, this apparent growth industry seemed to
fade over time, until some of us were left wondering what happened to it.
The funny thing is that I still run across lots of
similar software blocks in countless on-screen,
drag-and-drop, flowchart-based programs everywhere. So OOP or its twins seem to be alive
and well, even though they’re not as explicitly
mentioned as they were in the past. Probably
the most famous of these is Microsoft’s Object
Linking and Embedding (OLE) specification,
which was used to develop the process control industry’s OLE for Process Control (OPC)
standard that is still on a roll today.
Still, the lack of hoopla about OOP is pretty
deafening. I think what happened is that so
many software objects got written, and so many
libraries of them got filled that the need for new
objects slackened and slowed down, even as use
of existing objects swelled. If you can reuse a
block, why build a new one? So OOP put itself out of business, while its descendants succeeded and became all-pervasive.
However, I have to wonder if something isn’t
lost along with OOP’s ability to serve up uniform pieces of code. What of you need a new
and different object that isn’t in the libraries?
Sure, you can call on one of the many small
companies that write software objects to create
a new one for you. However, what if you and
the programmer have been using pre-formed,
pre-digested software blocks for so long that it’s
hard to remember how to match the new function or operation you need with the underlying code? Can you become a prisoner of your
Lego-like software modules?
Not if you make an effort to remember how
OOP originated and preserve the basic programming skills it requires. There are lots of
disciplines like this. For example, I thought
old-time, handbill-type printing was dead until
I saw an exhibit at the Nashville airport about
how many of today’s alternative rock groups are
clamoring for retro-style concert posters that
used to be made for artists performing at the
Grand Old Opry. This has pleasantly revived
the fortunes of the printer that still makes these
posters. Many artisanal disciplines from bookbinding to cheesemaking are experiencing similar revivals. OOP can certainly do the same.
No, I’m not getting overly nostalgic. I’ve just
done too many stories where old-fashioned values and methods were used solve some intractable 21st century problem. Personally, I’d bet the
Inca stonemasons who shaped the tight-fitting
blocks at Machu Pichu without steel or wheels
would have plenty to teach today’s engineers.
So hang onto and don’t lose useful skills and
past lessons you may need later. And keep on
pushing kids to learn mathematical concepts
before allowing them to use calculators.
CT1106_66_ControlReport.indd 66
5/26/11 3:11 PM
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©2011 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, APC, Make the most of your energy, Modicon and Unity Pro are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. • 8001 Knightdale Blvd, Knightdale, NC 27545 (Schneider Electric Automation and Control Center of Excellence) • Tel. +1-919-266-3671 • 998-3497
5/25/11 3:48 PM
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5/25/11 3:48 PM

There`s a lot more to truly going green than efficiency.

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