Control System World

Saudi Aramco has begun construction of a gas plant in an industrial region of northern Saudi Arabia to handle production from Midyan gas-condensate field under development in the Red Sea.

The company let a contract for engineering, procurement, and construction to Larsen & Toubro Arabia, Dammam, for a plant able to produce and process 75 MMcfd of nonassociated gas and 4,500 b/d of condensate. The plant will be about 195 km west of Tabuk and 135 km north of Duba.

Two 98-km pipelines will deliver sales gas and stabilized hydrocarbon liquids to a power plant near Duba.  Earlier, Saudi Aramco has drilled seven delineation and development wells in shallow and deep water in a first phase. Bathymetric readings indicate that water in the area, south of the Gulf of Aqaba, is as deep as 1,200 m. A late 2012 discovery well in the Red Sea 26 km northwest of Duba flowed gas at the rate of 10 MMcfd at a depth of 17,700 ft, the Saudi press quoted Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi as saying.

June 9-14, 2013, Manchester Grand Hyatt, SanDiego, California USA

RSTechED is a week-long software training event for end-users, systems integrators, distributors, partners, machine builders, and Rockwell Automation technical and sales personnel. Each year, attendees from around the globe gather to learn how their peers tackle day-to-day challenges.

With the latest Rockwell Automation products and technology solutions available in a classroom environment, participants gain an in-depth understanding of how the Integrated Architecture system is enabling companies across the globe to be the best they can be.

What is the objective of RSTechED?

With over a hundred unique sessions offered during the week, the goal of RSTechED is to provide each attendee the opportunity to get a hands-on experience of Rockwell Automation solutions — from beginner level overviews to in-depth, advanced hands-on labs — all while networking with peers throughout the industry.

Mark your calendar for the ultimate training experience. RSTechED provides over 130+ hands-on labs, technical sessions and discussion forums. Only RSTechED gives you so many ways to learn.

See the latest automation strategies in classes led by application experts. Network and exchange ideas with industry peers from around the world. Hear the real-world stories directly from companies implementing a variety of automation strategies. Gain the insights and inspiration to optimize your operation.

Top Five Reasons to Attend:

150+ technical sessions, labs and workshops- that’s 750 total hours of training in one week

Network with peers from around the world, including representatives from Cisco, Microsoft, VMWare and MESA

Learn step-by-step instructions for migrating systems to world-class performance

Work on the latest technology for improving manufacturing and production and get Professional Development Hours for the effort

Pick from two-dozen interactive discussions led by representatives from companies who have implemented leading edge solutions

Petrofac Ltd., an international service provider to the oil and gas production and processing industry, said Tuesday Petrofac Emirates , its joint venture with Mubadala Petroleum, has been awarded a $500 million onshore engineering, procurement and construction contract by Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations for expansion of compression facilities at the Bab Field, 150 km south-west of Abu Dhabi city.

MAIN FACTS:

- Petrofac Emirates will undertake modifications to three of the existing compressor stations and install a new fourth facility.

-Scope of work also includes 27 well head facilities, associated gas pipelines, direct gathering manifold and modifications to remote manifold stations.

-Project will be completed in a phased manner in 30 months whereupon commissioning will start.

More than 200 plant and refinery professionals responsible for maintaining leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs and complying with government regulations to reduce air emissions attended ISA’s 13th annual Fugitive Emissions-LDAR Symposium held 21-23 May 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Attendees gathered to meet with and learn from leading air emission experts and government regulators in the LDAR field so they could take proactive steps in preventing leaks from occurring--not just improve leak detection and repair—and fully comply with all government mandates.

A highlight of the event was an interactive discussion--involving a panel of LDAR experts, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials, and audience participants—on applying best-practice methodologies, optimizing use of training, in-house and contract resources, and avoiding common mistakes and problems that can lead to major equipment failure.

“The ISA meeting for LDAR professions is my annual must-attend event,” states Frankie Wood-Black, Ph.D., REM, MBA, of Trihydro Corporation. “It helps to keep LDAR coordinators current on the changes in the regulations, and focused on the most critical issues. It provides strategies that allow an LDAR program to work for you rather than you working for it."

In all, 17 technical sessions were conducted on critical industry issues, such as LDAR design and validation, consent decree updates, MACT Cooling Tower Rule, low-leak technologies and long-term seal ability. More than 30 vendors and equipment manufacturers displayed their latest products and services, such as sealing materials and assembly devices and techniques.

Key presentations were delivered by Tanya Jackson of Avanti Environmental (“LDAR Programs with Low-Leak Standard: No Big Deal”), and Brian K. Whitley of EMSI (“Thinking Outside the Junction Box”).

“ISA’s LDAR Symposium was highly informative and valuable for our company,” says Kevin Moses, director of Operations at LDARtools. “The premier leaders in LDAR hardware and software were present, and the schedule was packed with relevant presentations by industry experts. I look forward to attending next year!”

Technip has been awarded by Oil Projects Company – SCOP(1) a significant contract(2) for project management consultancy (PMC) services for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase of the Karbala refinery, Iraq. This award follows the front-end engineering design executed by Technip in 2010.

The scope of work will cover two phases:

phase 1: issue of enquiries for the EPC contract, bids clarification, evaluation and contracts finalisation with the EPC contractors,

phase 2: overall management of the EPC contract execution.

Technip’s operating center in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom will execute phase 1 of the project, which is scheduled to be completed in the second semester of 2013.

Riccardo Moizo, Technip’s Senior Vice President for PMC, stated: “We are delighted to have been awarded this project by SCOP and to participate in developing and enhancing Iraq’s refinery capabilities. This is a significant contract for Technip’s newly created PMC business unit and we believe it will open up opportunities in the near future.”

If you are an Executive, Manager, Design Consultant, OEM, Systems Integrator or Distributor ready to build game changing industrial and energy automation solutions this is the event you do not want to miss! At the ICONICS 2013 Worldwide Customer Summit, experience the latest breakthroughs in software technologies. Partner and customer applications that leverage the latest ICONICS and Microsoft® technologies will be showcased.

Visualize

Experience 2D and stunning 3D real-time graphics and KPI dashboards. View advanced natural user interfaces that bring new ways of integrating Esri® GIS data, Microsoft Bing, Google Maps and weather service information.

Analyze

Learn how ICONICS AnalytiX® solutions use advanced Fault Detection technology to enable productivity and energy smart applications, improving overall operational efficiency.

Mobilize

Discover the power of mobile solutions and how the latest smart phones and tablets including the Microsoft Windows 8 Surface, Android and Apple iPad devices are reshaping manufacturing and building automation today.

Sessions

Breakout sessions will deliver insight into improving efficiency, productivity, quality and sustainability in the industries represented by ICONICS customers. Session topics will include the following solutions for your industry:

• HMI / SCADA Solutions
• Plant Data Historians
• Web and MobileHMI Smart Solutions
• OPC UA and BACnet Certified Solutions
• Energy and Sustainability Solutions
• Fault Detection and Diagnostics
• Manufacturing Intelligence
• SPC/SQC and Production Analytics

Register

Many process facilities have an outdated Distributed Control System (DCS) currently in place. As a DCS reaches the end of its useful life, migration to a new automation system is required. Three new white papers from Rockwell Automation, “Justification for Migration,” “DCS Migration Strategy and Implementation,” and “Automation System Optimization,” examine the different financial, strategic and optimization advantages associated with migration, and address valuable plant inquiries that usually accompany the topic. The three papers focus on different steps within the migration process and give detailed insights into migration.

Justification for Migration – This paper examines how to accurately analyze the total cost of ownership for continued operation on an outdated DCS and how to justify the benefits of replacing it.

DCS Migration Strategy and Implementation – This paper shares strategies for upgrading an existing legacy DCS to a new automation system, and focuses on how to implement the chosen strategies while maximizing uptime, and minimizing cost and risk.

Automation System Optimization – This paper examines the specific ways in which a new automation system can deliver superior performance as compared to a typical legacy DCS.

“Many companies may not realize that the very same DCS system installed years ago to improve productivity and reduce costs, is actually negatively affecting productivity and the bottom line today,” says Mike Vernak, DCS marketing manager, Rockwell Automation. “Much of the expense is due to the difficulty in maintaining technical expertise and finding spare parts for the 25- to 30-year-old legacy systems.”

The white papers, “Justification for Migration,” “DCS Migration Strategy and Implementation,” and “Automation System Optimization,”. Rockwell Automation has conducted three webinars on DCS migration to accompany the white papers.

Acromag’s new TT339 frequency transmitter converts the rate of pulsed, sinusoidal and other periodic waveform input signals to a proportional 0-20mA, 0-10V, or ±10V DC output. This versatile signal conditioner accepts unipolar and bipolar input signals with amplitudes up to 120Vrms (±170V DC) and frequencies up to 100KHz. Setting your input/output ranges and other operating parameters is extremely easy using a PC with free configuration software and a convenient USB connection to the transmitter. Common uses involve monitoring power line frequency, flow rates, rotational speed, and periodic events. A flexible power requirement (12-32V DC), wide temperature range (-40 to 80°C), and rugged design make the TT339 ideal for many applications, even in hazardous locations (Class 1, Div 2, Zone 2). Single quantity list price starts at $275 USD.

“The TT339 is very easily tailored to satisfy your unique requirements for frequency monitoring with precise software control over input/output scaling, thresholds, sample averaging, update rates as fast as 10ms, and other settings,” asserts Don Lupo, Acromag’s sales and marketing director for process products. “By simplifying entry of your desired values, Acromag can deliver greater flexibility and better performance than competitors with limited DIP-switch settings or burdensome zero/span pots.”

Supported input types include power mains, magnetic pickups, rotary encoders, flow meters, TTL logic, NPN/PNP transistors, proximity switches, and dry contact closures. Software speeds selection of operating parameters. Picklists help choose bipolar (zero-crossing) or unipolar threshold with hysteresis levels, enable pull-ups, and activate sensor excitation. A 0Hz cutoff field sets the lowest input frequency that will produce a non-0Hz measurement. User-defined sample averaging can compensate for uneven frequencies. Output range options are ±20mA, 0-20mA, 4-20mA, ±10V, 0-10V, ±5V, and 0-5V with approximately 5% over/under-range capability built-in. For precise I/O scaling, you can directly enter min/max input frequencies for the zero and full-scale output signal levels, as well as the update rate.

Installation of this DC-powered 4-wire transmitter is fast and simple with front-facing removable terminal blocks. The slim design fits in tight spaces and enables high-density mounting. Units attach quickly to a DIN rail with a spring clip. An integrated rail power bus connector supports primary or redundant power from a shared supply across multiple units. Transmitters snap together side-by-side connecting the power bus to save time and minimize wiring.

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