Control System World

Report by ARC: Pressure transmitter shipments, after returning to pre-recession levels in 2010, saw strong growth in 2011, even besting 2010’s growth by several percentage points. Despite the return to positive growth, risks remain, such as continued economic uncertainty in the US and Europe, and slowing growth in Asia.

“Although the economy is sending mixed signals, the pressure transmitter market will likely continue to see positive growth. Ongoing demand for energy will require more oil and gas, driving up demand and long-term energy prices. Finding new oil deposits is becoming more difficult and those that are found tend to be more challenging to develop and refine, creating significant opportunities for pressure transmitter suppliers,” according to Senior Analyst Allen Avery (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), the principal author of ARC’s “Pressure Transmitter Worldwide Outlook”.

Click 'Energy Demand to Fuel Global Pressure Transmitter Market' to continue reading.

As existing fossil fuel reserves have become unviable or unreliable, the challenge of providing a secure energy supply for power generation within the UK has increased significantly in terms of both financial and environmental cost. At the same time, landfills lack the capacity to handle the increasing amount of household and municipal waste. While efforts to reduce, re-use, or recycle waste have made some headway, other options have had to be explored. One such effort underway that is making a valuable contribution toward providing a balanced and secure energy portfolio for the UK involves the extraction of energy from residual (non-recyclable) waste.

Lakeside EFW Ltd. operates an EFW (energy from waste) facility near London that is staffed by experts in energy recovery technologies who are working hard to ensure the plant remains efficient, technologically up to date, and above all, safe. The plant has the capacity to consume 410,000 tons of household and municipal waste per year and exports at least 34 MW per hour to the country’s National Grid. This process diverts the majority (over 97%) of waste from landfill.

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The new ICP DAS TPD-430 and VPD-130 series of compact Touch Screen HMI Controllers specifically designed for factory and building automation applications are the latest additions to the Amplicon Industrial HMI range.

The TPD and VPD series are equipped with TFT full colour displays and have versatile communication methods, with built-in communication ports such as Ethernet, RS-232/RS-485 and USB; engineers can seamlessly monitor and control I/O modules and other serial devices remotely with a simple touch of a button.

These series come with HMIWorks - a free programming development environment that allows users to program in either C language or Ladder Logic, there are also many demo programs available to help with development and cut down on time to market.

Amplicon Website

Yokogawa Electric Corporation recently announced that its subsidiary, Yokogawa Electric Korea Co., Ltd., has won an order from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. to supply a control system for an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant. This is the first IGCC plant in South Korea and it is being constructed in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, by Korea Western Power Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

This IGCC power plant will have a total output of 300 MW. Following a commissioning period that will commence in December 2015, the plant will begin commercial operation. This order is for the CENTUM® VP integrated production control system, which will control the gasification section, a core plant facility. This order also includes the ProSafe-RS® safety instrumented system, which will be used to shut down the gasification section safely in the event of an emergency. Both systems will be delivered in December 2013.

IGCC is a promising next-generation power technology that relies on high temperature and pressure to convert coal to synthesis gas (syngas) for use in gas turbine generators. The exhaust from the turbines is sent to boilers to generate steam, and additional power is generated by steam turbines. This type of plant is thus more efficient than a conventional coal-fired power plant.

Amplicon has announced the release of a new industrial grade router, the EDR-G902. This router is designed to establish a secure high-speed connection to remote systems with enhanced security functions, an easy configuration interface, with a rugged design.

The EDR-G902 can function as a LAN-to-LAN router/firewall, a LAN-to-LAN bridge firewall and a LAN-to-WAN router/firewall with NAT and VPN functionality. This flexibility means that the EDR-G902 can fortify specific areas of your automation network, such as WAN security to protect your network from external attacks, internal LAN protection by isolating and safeguarding your critical assets from internal network threats while also providing remote VPN secure access.

Amplicon Website

Built with the best of Rockwell Automation and Cisco technology, the highly scalable, compact-sized Allen-Bradley Stratix 5700 layer 2 managed industrial Ethernet switch meets a broad range of switching capabilities – from entry-level, machine-builder applications through converged or IT-ready integrated user solutions. Using the world's leading network infrastructure software – Cisco IOS – the Stratix 5700 switch delivers secure integration of business-critical services and support from the plant floor to the enterprise. The Stratix 5700 managed switch also simplifies the design and development of machine-level networks through configuration and monitoring tools. These tools help enable easy setup and diagnostics from within the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system – bridging the gap between IT and the automation engineer.

“In the past, users and machine builders alike have been challenged getting information to the right person at the right time. But the advanced feature set of the Stratix 5700 switch, including simplified configuration and integration of the IT and manufacturing networks, helps ease these challenges so that our customers can make better, more informed business decisions,” said Mark Devonshire, product manager for Stratix switches, Rockwell Automation. “Through our relationship with Cisco, our goal is to develop tools and products that simplify network design and communications, to help increase productivity and profitability.”

The introduction of the Stratix 5700 switch adds to the broad family of Allen-Bradley switches, which includes the Stratix 2000 unmanaged switch, the Stratix 6000 fixed managed switch, the Stratix 8000 modular managed switch, and the Stratix 8300 layer 3 modular managed switch. Like the Stratix 8000 family of switches, the Stratix 5700 switch also utilizes Cisco IOS technology. The portfolio contains many popular features that are in use today by IT and controls organizations that deploy standard, unmodified Ethernet, with settings optimized for use in EtherNet/IP applications.

“The ‘Internet of Things’ is transforming the manufacturing industry, where the physical manufacturing line is accessed and monitored though an intelligent network to help manufacturers better manage production quality and costs. Using the latest industrial switching technology from Cisco, the Stratix 5700 switch from Rockwell Automation offers high availability, Quality of Service (QoS), remote-access security, and automated monitoring to provide the best factory network capability,” said Yuta Endo, product manager, Connected Industries business unit, Cisco. Rockwell Automation and Cisco are committed to being the most valuable resource in the industry for helping manufacturers improve business performance by bridging the technical and cultural gaps between the plant floor and higher-level information systems using EtherNet/IP – the world’s leading open industrial Ethernet network.

Starting in 1941, when NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as “Nippon Shokubai”) pioneered the commercial production of phthalic anhydride in Japan, the company has independently developed a wealth of catalytic technologies for the efficient production of chemicals and has advanced and expanded its business globally. Their products are used in a wide range of applications, such as superabsorbent polymers, which can absorb up to 1,000 times their weight in water, and acrylates, which are used in paints, adhesives, and printing ink. They are the world’s largest producer of superabsorbent polymers, which is used mainly in disposable diapers but also has applications in fields such as anti-desertification and afforestation. Its technological innovations for the production of acrylic acid have been adopted by chemical companies worldwide.

Click 'FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus introduced to realize Predictive & Preventive Maintenance' to continue reading.

Zurich, Switzerland, Sept.3, 2012 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $35 million to provide a turnkey electrical and automation solution for the 290 megawatt (MW) Yunus Emre thermal power plant near Eskişehir in northwestern Turkey, comprising two 145 MW units. The plant will comply with the latest European Union emission standards for coal-fired power plants.

The order was awarded by Vitkovice Power Engineering, the Czech-based engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project. The plant is owned by Adularya Energy, a member of Naksan Holding.

“ABB’s ability to provide an integrated electrical, control and instrumentation package combined with our project management experience will facilitate the efficient execution of the project,” said Franz-Josef Mengede, head of ABB’s Power Generation business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. “We will deploy the latest technologies, including our Symphony Plus automation and control platform, to maximize plant efficiency and reliability while minimizing environmental impact.”

ABB’s turnkey solution includes design, engineering, installation and commissioning. It comprises the complete electrical balance of plant and power outlet, including the high voltage switchyard. Key product supplies include power and auxiliary transformers, generator circuit breakers, medium and low voltage switchgear, protection systems, 380 kV air insulated switchgear, and control and protection systems for the grid connection.