Control System World

Rotork Schischek compact explosionproof valve actuators have been selected as the reliable solution for a critical petrochemical analysis process. Ecopetrol is the largest petroleum company in Colombia, engaged in oil and gas exploration, production and refining. The company uses Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) to perform quantitative sampling separation of hydrocarbons. The process separates the hydrocarbons into four chemical groups – alkanes, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes.

Central to the operation of the process, sets of small two and three-way fast acting ball valves are used to gather the samples for analysis and precisely maintain the pressure, flow and temperature through the spectrometer.

Swift valve operation (typically less than three seconds) is essential to maintain the characteristics of the media for accurate sampling. Additional application constraints involve restricted spaces around valves, the hazardous area classification and requirements for failsafe operation, end of travel indication and low power consumption.

After considering the other options, Ecopetrol concluded that the electric Schischek actuator could satisfy all these demands with a reduced maintenance requirement in the demanding operating environment. Almost 100 Schischek RedMax actuators with associated hardware have been installed; the actuators are certified for Zones 2 and 22 hazardous area operation, environmentally protected to IP66 and equipped with self-adaptable 24 – 240V AC/DC power supplies. RedMax actuators are one of a range of electrical products designed by Schischek for explosionproof and non-explosionproof applications in the worldwide industrial, HVAC and marine industries.

National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, announced today a collaboration with the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and industry leaders Bosch Rexroth, Cisco, Intel, KUKA, Schneider Electric and TTTech to develop the world’s first Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) testbed. These organizations aim to advance the network infrastructure to support the future of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0. To support new digital capabilities, connected manufacturing, designers and users need more reliable and secure access to smart edge devices. Standard network technologies must evolve to meet the demanding requirements of these next-generation industrial systems and improve the way we operate our machines, electrical grids and transportation systems.

The goal of this testbed is to display the value of new Ethernet IEEE 802 standards, referred to as TSN, in an ecosystem of manufacturing applications. TSN powers a standard, open network infrastructure supporting multivendor interoperability and integration with new guaranteed performance and delivery. The technology can support real-time control and synchronization, for example between motion applications and robots, over a single Ethernet network.

“Testbeds are a major focus and activity of the IIC and its members. Our testbeds are where the innovation and opportunities of the industrial Internet – new technologies, new applications, new products, new services and new processes – can be initiated, thought through and rigorously tested to ascertain their usefulness and viability before coming to market,” said Dr. Richard Soley, executive director of the IIC.

The testbed will:

• Combine different critical control traffic (such as OPC UA) and best-effort traffic flows on a single, resilient network based on IEEE 802.1 TSN standards
• Demonstrate TSN’s real-time capability and vendor interoperability using standard, converged Ethernet
• Assess the security value of TSN and provide feedback on the ability to secure initial TSN functions
• Show ability for the IIoT to incorporate high-performance and latency-sensitive applications
• Deliver integration points for smart real-time edge cloud control systems into IIoT infrastructure and application

exida invites you to attend a complimentary training on the exSILentia® Safety Lifecycle tool. Attendees will learn how to perform Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Selection and Verification using the advanced capabilities of exSILentia® . This will help users determine the required risk reduction for each hazard scenario and the achieved risk reduction for each identified Safety Instrumented Function (SIF). The class will also cover interfacing with Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) results, documentation of the Safety Requirements Specification (SRS), and operational aspects such as proof testing.
Skills You Will Learn:

• How to perform Safety Integrity Level (SIL) Selection and Verification using the advanced capabilities of exSILentia
• Determine the required risk reduction for each hazard scenario and the achieved risk reduction for each identified Safety Instrumented Function (SIF)
• Understand interfacing with Process Hazard Analysis results
• Understand the documentation of the Safety Requirements Specification (SRS)
• Understand operational aspects such as proof testing
• Understand the impact of SIL verification parameters on the detailed design, implementation, and operation of the SIF

The final 2-hours of the course will discuss the new exSILentia® v4, including integration with the exida Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) tool, LOPAx™, the Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) tool, PHAx™, CHAZOP, and hands-on demonstrations.

Honeywell and Palo Alto Networks® are collaborating to boost the cyber security capabilities of control systems used by industrial facilities and critical infrastructure. Honeywell's Industrial Cyber Security business is now offering the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform to industrial customers. The collaboration enables customers to better prevent cyber attacks against their Process Control Networks (PCN) and Operational Technology (OT) environments in order to protect their assets and maximize production uptime and safety.

The joint solution offers unrivaled process network traffic monitoring and advanced threat prevention across the automation environment. It combines Palo Alto Networks' advanced and natively integrated security platform with Honeywell's unique process control domain expertise to provide a cyber security solution tailored for industrial customers. This next-generation offering enhances Honeywell's comprehensive portfolio of cyber security solutions, including its Industrial Cyber Security Risk Manager platform.

Jeff Zindel, vice president and general manager, cyber security, Honeywell Process Solutions said, "The collaboration with Palo Alto Networks expands our ability to provide proactive intrusion prevention resulting in more robust protection for our customers. It is an example of Honeywell's unique multi-vendor approach that integrates state-of-the-art technology with proven expertise so that customers can confidently rely on our cyber security capabilities, quickly and effectively prevent threats, and focus on their daily operations."

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the release of version R3.30 of its Plant Resource Manager (PRM®) software tool for the centralized management of large amounts of data from plant monitoring and control devices and manufacturing equipment. PRM R3.30 is an upgrade to R3.20 and includes an improved management function for HART®* and enhancements to the navigation function. With this new PRM version, Yokogawa aims to capture a larger share of the plant maintenance market.

Manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve maintenance efficiency by using software tools like PRM that can centrally manage large amounts of maintenance and other types of data from plant monitoring and control devices and manufacturing equipment. Maintenance personnel use such data to reduce plant downtime and enhance safety by proactively spotting and responding to device failures.

To optimize plant operations, it is essential not only to keep devices in good working order but also to have up-to-date information on device status and maintain records on all maintenance work that is performed. Such information is most useful if operators of control and safety instrumented systems can view it on screen at their human interface stations (HIS).

With such needs in mind, Yokogawa has developed new functions for its PRM tool that facilitate the collection of information from field devices for use in optimizing device maintenance and plant operations.

Enhancements:
1. Quick access to HART device status information
2. Intuitive display of device information
3. Targeted issuance of alarms

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Advantech (2395.TW), a leading provider of embedded computing solutions, today unveils its full range of embedded computing platforms with the Intel Pentium/Celeron Processor N3000 Family (formerly Braswell). These platforms comprise of Computer On Modules SOM-3568, SOM-6868 and SOM-7568, Embedded Single Board Computers PCM-9310 and MIO-2030, and an Industrial Motherboard AIMB-216; as well as a Fanless Embedded Box PC ARK-3405. With the Intel Pentium/Celeron Processor N3000 series and Advantech’s exclusive IoT remote management software WISE-PaaS/RMM, these Advantech Embedded products bring value, efficiency and connectivity to embedded computing with essential features that balance cost, performance, and power, making it ideal for IoT, retail, medical, digital signage, factory automation applications.
manufacturing process, the latest Intel® Celeron® and Pentium® processor SoCs bring Intel’s latest innovations and processor efficiencies to embedded computing systems. Enhancements include up to twice the graphics performance, and up to 9% longer battery life.

Advantech designed its latest series of industrial-grade embedded boards and systems in a wide range of form factors, including the Qseven SOM-3568, the COM Express Compact Module SOM-6868, and the COM Express Mini Module SOM-7568. Other form factors include the 2.5” Pico-ITX SBC MIO-2030, the 3.5” SBC PCM-9310 , the Mini-ITX Motherboard AIMB-216, and the Fanless Embedded Box PC ARK-3405. Powered by the latest Intel® Celeron® and Pentium® processors, each of these devices delivers better, more responsive performance, stunning visuals, and longer battery life – a great leap forward for entry-level platforms.

Moxa has announced a new data acquisition solution that brings greater versatility for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The new ioLogik™ 2542-WL1 and ioLogik 2512-WL1 both feature 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, which will serve the growing number of devices and M2M applications that require wireless communication. The ioLogik 2542-WL1 supports analog I/O connections over Wi-Fi, whereas the ioLogik 2512-WL1 supports digital I/O connections over Wi-Fi.

With the addition of these two models, Moxa now offers a range of flexible data acquisition solutions for wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 2G GPRS, and 3G HSPA networks. “We want to make it as easy as possible for industrial users to collect and share sensor data in different environments and circumstances,” said Wenyuan Niu, Product Marketing Manager. “Wi-Fi is becoming a useful and popular mode of communication both on the factory floor and in remote locations. Our new wireless models will help users leverage Wi-Fi for their data acquisition requirements.”

Both ioLogik units feature automatic tag generation and reporting for connected sensors and devices. This function enables operators to monitor a large number of field devices with great efficiency, and also works in conjunction with Moxa’s MX-AOPC UA Server on the cloud to minimize network bandwidth and latency. Data communication is protected with the highest commercially available security (WPA2/802.11i), which features advanced encryption and authentication.

In addition to Wi-Fi, the ioLogik™ 2542-WL1 and 2512-WL1 both feature a 4-port unmanaged Ethernet switch and two serial ports for a seamless connection to a variety of field devices. The serial ports support data polling from devices using the Modbus RTU protocol. This data can be converted into Modbus TCP or AOPC tag format before sending it out over the Ethernet network. The units also support communication with multiple remote I/O devices under a single IP address. The slave Ethernet port can link up to 8 daisy-chained ioLogik E1200 expansion modules and convert more than 100 channels to one IP address. The other three Ethernet ports can connect to any Ethernet-driven field device.

ioLogik™ 2542-WL1 Features:

• Supports Ethernet, serial,and WLAN communication interfaces
• Click&Go Plus logic provides powerful front-end intelligence
• 4-port unmanaged switch built in for linking to Ethernet devices
• I/O expansion port for daisy chaining up to 8 ioLogik E1200 units
• 2 serial ports (RS-232/422/485) for connecting field devices
• Built-in datalogger supports an FTP server and microSD™ card with up to a 32 GB
• Transforms Modbus RTU into Modbus TCP or Active Tags
• Active communication with patented MX-AOPC UA Server
• Smart alarm management: Email, SNMP traps, TCP, UDP
• Wide operating temperature: -30 to 70°C (-22 to 158°F)

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it has concluded an agreement with Statoil ASA, a Norwegian energy company, to jointly develop a field wireless system. Under this agreement, Statoil and Yokogawa will draw on their respective strengths in plant operations and ISA100 Wireless™*1 field wireless technology to develop a system that can map noise levels in real time at Statoil's plants and upstream (exploration and production) facilities, as part of this company's Wireless Noise Surveillance Project (WiNoS). By introducing this system, Statoil will be able to obtain real-time noise information during work in noisy areas, and utilize the data for better risk control of noise exposure of personnel.
Background of the Agreement:

In plants, there are many different noise sources, and the noise that is produced can have a harmful effect on workers, impairing their hearing. As noise levels often vary considerably, periodic monitoring with sensors must be done in real time and at multiple locations so that plans can be drawn up for protective measures such as restricting the amount of time workers spend in noisy work environments and requiring that they wear hearing protection.

In a wide range of industries such as energy and materials, there is a growing emphasis on health, safety, and the environment (HSE). Data acquisition systems at production sites must be able to measure and collect not only flow rate, pressure, temperature, and other kinds of production data, but also environmental data such as the concentration of a gas. Wireless technology is well suited for use with such systems. Yokogawa has a wealth of experience in developing ISA100 Wireless-based wireless communications technologies and instruments, and has provided a variety of wireless field devices as well as adapters that can transform a conventional wired instrument into a wireless device, for use in oil and gas upstream production facilities. A number of Yokogawa field wireless systems are already in use at various Statoil facilities.

Based on this agreement, Yokogawa will provide its technology and products to build the ISA100 Wireless communication system, and Statoil will utilize its expertise to determine the overall system specifications and conduct field tests. Technologies contributed by other Norwegian companies and research institutes will be used to develop the sensors and data visualization graphics.

Under this agreement, Statoil and Yokogawa will conduct field tests of this system at a Statoil offshore platform in the North Sea to confirm its viability as an HSE solution.