Control System World

Kepware Technologies, a software development company focused on communications for automation, announced today that it has established a partnership with Houston, Texas-based EnerSys Corporation (EnerSys). Under the agreement, EnerSys is approved to promote, distribute, and sell licenses for Kepware's flagship product KEPServerEX® v5 Communications Platform, including all Electronic Flow Measurement (EFM) related products, as well as its LinkMaster and RedundancyMaster® solutions.

"EnerSys has deep domain expertise in the Oil and Gas sector, particularly in pipeline management, making them an ideal partner for us as we continue to develop products for this key market," said Tony Paine, president and CEO of Kepware Technologies. "In field operations, custody transfer management, supervisory control and data acquisition, information systems, and systems development, EnerSys has a record of innovation and success that makes them a go-to source for Energy companies."

Kepware established the partnership with EnerSys to better meet the growing demand for enterprise platform solutions for industrial automation applications in the Oil and Gas industry. With its proven record of helping energy companies establish centralized communications to connect disparate assets and devices, EnerSys is a logical choice to help Kepware meet this need.

"By focusing on specific business operations, we understand the unique requirements of major energy companies and can determine and implement the best possible solutions for their operations," said Russel Treat, president of EnerSys. "Kepware offers flexible, scalable, and reliable connectivity solutions to help companies achieve greater efficiencies and profitability. Partnering with a technology leader like Kepware adds significant capability for EnerSys as we continue to serve our customers."

KBR and Yokogawa Electric Corporation today announced the formation of a new alliance in which KBR will supply a fertilizer automation package as part of its ammonia process technology solutions to customers worldwide. This solution complements KBR’s industry leading ammonia portfolio of process licenses, basic engineering design package, proprietary equipment and catalyst supply.

The fertilizer automation package will couple KBR’s ammonia process technology expertise with Yokogawa’s know-how of process control systems to streamline the work process, develop standard configurations and simplify interfaces between various suppliers. Yokogawa will supply the CENTUM integrated production control system, the ProSafe-RS safety instrumented system and selected solution-based software. KBR will provide “know-how” in the form of enhanced distributed control system configuration and advanced applications, such as operations management, performance monitoring, advanced process control, operator training simulator and dynamic simulation studies for fertilizer plants.

The Siemens Industry Automation Division has expanded its portfolio for RNA (Redundant Network Access) components with a communications processor which facilitates high-availability connection of the Simatic S7-400 controller to networks. Simatic CP 443-1 RNA utilizes the Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) in accordance with the IEC 62439-3 standard. The communications processor features two RJ45 ports for connecting two parallel Industrial Ethernet networks. The CP 443-1 RNA doubles the frame and feeds it into the two connected networks. The network access point on the receiver side relays the first incoming frame to the addressees and discards the later frame.

Simatic CP 443-1 RNA is designed among other things for use in process industry plants and power generation and distribution applications. The new communications processor supports open communication via TCP/IP, UDP and the ISO transport protocol as well as S7, PG/OP and S7 H communication for S7-400 H systems. Data can be transmitted in full or half-duplex mode in bandwidths of 10 or 100 Mbit/s. The user can view diagnostics information via SNMP, STEP 7 or the Web server of the communications processor.

More information on the topic of redundant network structures can be found at www.siemens.com/rna

The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) announced it will display a live demonstration at the upcoming Hannover Messe Industrial Fair 2013, (8-12 April), Hannover, Germany. Users will learn about the technical excellence built into the ISA100 Wireless standard, the increased capability that multi-vendor interoperability provides, and how an international design and development from customers and experts alike can lead to a global, stable and sustainable standard – all of which ultimately benefit end users.

The demonstration is located in the Wireless Pavilion, Hall 8, Booth C30.

“With tens of thousands of wireless devices already installed in growing markets, users are realizing the advantages that wireless technology brings for increased efficiencies and improved ROI,” said Andre Ristaino, managing director of the ISA100 WCI. “The ISA100 wireless standard provides significant and unique benefits not supported by other alternatives including -- a universal, scalable, non-proprietary, multi-functional, and IP-based network.”

The ISA100 WCI recently added new leading suppliers such as Control Data Systems, Pepperl+Fuchs and Scott Safety Systems to its list of supporting suppliers.

“We are excited to join the ranks of leading suppliers to promote the benefits of ISA100 Wireless worldwide,” said Ovidiu Ratiu, general manager, Control Data Systems. “Based in Romania, we specialize in the custom development of software and hardware supporting wireless communications and we are an active promoter of open standards in the wireless communications arena such as ISA100 Wireless. We are able to design and integrate all the elements of a wireless system from sensors to communication devices and to cloud-based control centers, as well as provide customers with the ability to do their own integration.”

Technip was awarded by Total E&P Congo a major(1) lump-sum contract for the engineering, procurement, supply, construction, installation (EPSCI) and pre-commissioning for the Moho Nord development project. This project is located approximately 75 kilometers off the coast of the Republic of the Congo, at water depths ranging from 650 to 1,100 meters.

This project consists of two developments, the Moho Phase 1bis and Moho Nord, with first oils being respectively expected in 2015 and 2016. The Moho Nord development, which will be tied back to a new floating production unit (FPU) and a newbuild tension-leg platform (TLP), includes an oil export line to the Djeno onshore terminal and will also be tied back to the shallow-water N’Kossa platform for gas exchange. The Moho Phase 1Bis development consists of tie-backs to the existing deepwater Alima FPU.

This contract covers the project management, engineering, supply, fabrication and installation of:

• 230 kilometers of rigid pipelines,
• 23 kilometers of flexible pipes,
• 50 kilometers of umbilicals(2)
• 50 subsea structures as well as various other structures and rigid jumpers(3).

It also includes the installation of client-supplied manifolds(4) and pumps, control system components and multiphase jumpers.

The offshore campaign will be spread over 2014, 2015 and 2016, with the primary installation vessels being the G1200 (Technip BV), a rigid pipe S-lay and heavy-lift construction vessel, and the Deep Pioneer (Technip UK), a multipurpose deepwater vessel. Technip’s operating center in Paris, France will carry out the overall project management and engineering of this fast-track and multi-disciplinary subsea project. The flexible pipes will be fabricated at Flexi France, Technip’s manufacturing plant in Le Trait, France and the umbilicals will be fabricated at the Group’s new manufacturing unit in Newcastle, United Kingdom. As part of the project, Technip will engage with Pointe-Noire-based contractors to fabricate various steel structures in Congo.

Advantech has introduced a new Hybrid APAX Controller with integrated Controller & Communication capabilities. In order to reduce the amount of integration effort between devices, the industrial automation group of Advantech has launched the APAX-6572 with a combined APAX Data Acquisition and Control (DA&C) technology and Embedded Automation Controller. This device is best suited for factory-wide DA&C applications and as an auxiliary control for unit operations.

The automation controller contains an Intel Atom D510 1.66GHz, 2GB RAM controller with three GbE LAN, two COM ports, one VGA and four USB 2.0 ports. The APAX controller comes with fours slots for expansion. Using this method, customers can install four APAX-5090P modules to provide a maximum of 18 COM ports; four APAX-5095P CAN port cards for a maximum of eight CAN ports, or a combination of the two. A maximum of 32 APAX DA&C I/O modules can also be applied to the this system providing a maximum of 768 Digital I/O and 192 Analogue I/O points.

The APAX-6572 integrates the three main elements of automation, Computing, Control and Communication, into an open system architecture with a small footprint, thereby providing users with an easier and friendlier environment to deploy the control logics. The APAX-6572 supports the IEC-61161-3 standard for LD, FBD, IL, SFC, C, C++ and C# as well as .NET class libraries, thereby providing an open and flexible programming environment so programmers can concentrate on one controller and don’t need to switch languages between controllers.

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SNC-Lavalin is pleased to announce that its jointly-owned Saudi registered engineering company, SNC-Lavalin Fayez Engineering, has been awarded a General Engineering Services (GES) contract by Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refinery (YASREF), a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Sinopec. The two-year contract will see SNC-Lavalin Fayez Engineering carry out a range of engineering services for a new refining and petrochemical facility in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

“We’re very pleased to secure this contract, which further extends our hydrocarbon footprint in Saudi Arabia outside the Saudi Aramco GES+ contract that we were awarded recently,” said Neil Bruce, President, Resources & Environment, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. “Our international presence and experience in the oil and gas sector was a key reason for this success.”

Yokogawa Team identifies a method to lay out ISA100.11a field wireless devices, which is applicable to any field. With this method, optimal wireless communication can be achieved. We call this simple method, the “Sky Mesh” method. This paper explains how to arrange field wireless devices in accordance with the Sky Mesh method and describes the result of an actual installation in a plant.

Download the White Paper 'A Method to Lay Out ISA100.11a Field Wireless Devices'