Control System World

Process Safety Management Conference will be held from 22nd-24th October at London for Chemicals & Petrochemicals Inndustries. This insightful conference will offer you best practice case studies covering real-life experiences and lessons learned, delivered by Europe’s leading chemical and petrochemical producers. Discover how they have driven process safety culture into the heart of their organisations, executed robust leadership programmes and benchmark best practice approaches that you can incorporate into your own organisational process safety management framework.

Agenda Highlights

• Executing process safety leadership from the boardroom to the floor - driving process safety culture into the core of an organisation
• Understanding, applying and aligning human factors with an integrated process safety management system
• Embedding robust process safety KPI’s to allow you to effectively measure and monitor safety performance
• Mapping the journey from a localised process safety management programme to a global corporate framework
• Defining safety parameters for ageing assets and establishing necessary guidelines and asset integrity principles
• Implementing a safety performance model to reduce risk and improve standards across chemical industrial parks

Austin, Texas, The Fieldbus Foundation has announced registration of the first isolated device couplers based on its FOUNDATION™ H1 (31.25 kbit/s) device coupler test specification. Devices from MTL and R. Stahl successfully completed the foundation's rigorous registration process.

As part of a FOUNDATION fieldbus infrastructure, isolated device couplers are installed where the fieldbus trunk (i.e., home run cable) is connected to the various device spurs. Isolated device couplers are specifically designed to allow automation end users to connect more devices per coupler while permitting live segment work in hazardous plant areas. These couplers provide isolated, conditioned power to multiple fieldbus devices and protect against short circuits caused by excess current in a spur. By enabling more devices per segment, they also help reduce controller input/output (I/O) points and associated installation costs.

MTL's 9370-FB Series Fieldbus Barrier provides a range of complete integrated enclosure systems, instead of stand-alone barrier modules. All internal components are live pluggable, meaning that field maintenance can be carried out quickly and safely. Surge protection devices for the trunk and spurs can be easily fitted without requiring product re-design. The product series includes 6- and 12-spur versions in stainless steel or GRP enclosures, as well as a redundant option enabling improved system availability in critical fieldbus networks.

R. Stahl's Series 9411/21 and 9411/24 isolated device couplers are suitable for use in Zone 1, Zone 2 and U.S. Division 2, and are available with plastic or stainless steel housings that can be tailored to fit customer requirements. The series also includes a unique power management feature: during the start-up of a fieldbus segment, the spurs energize one after the other. This reduces the inrush current on a segment by up to 50 percent, requiring less spare energy and making longer segment lengths possible.

The Fieldbus Foundation's Stephen Mitschke, director-fieldbus products, commented, "The device coupler test specification provides a high level of robustness in fieldbus systems. And recent enhancements to the FOUNDATION fieldbus physical layer specifications provide end users with greater confidence that registered fieldbus equipment can be employed in a tightly integrated, interoperable control system architecture that is well suited to the most demanding industrial environments." Mitschke continued, "We look forward to seeing additional device coupler offerings joining R. Stahl and MTL on our registered products list."

HMS Industrial Networks now releases a series of Anybus CompactCom modules equipped with M12 connectors. This enables network connectivity for machinery which operates in wet, dusty, or otherwise demanding industrial environments.  Networks are initially PROFIBUS, PROFINET, DeviceNet, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP and EtherCAT.

Enabling IP ratings up to IP67

Just as the standard CompactCom modules, the new M12 versions will be available with and without housing. The M12 version without housing makes it possible to achieve a protection rating of IP67 (IP = Ingress Protection). This means that the product is completely sealed from dust and can resist water.

The CompactCom M12 versions with housing are IP20 rated, just as the standard CompactCom modules with the default fieldbus connectors.

“We see companies standardizing on M12 connectors for various reasons,” says Stefan Källström, Product Manager, Embedded Solutions at HMS. “Some use it because they provide a sturdy and secured wire connection, while others need to reach higher IP rating since their machines operate in wet or in dusty environments. With the new M12 connectors, we enable device manufacturers and end users to get access to the most common fieldbus and industrial Ethernet networks and still maintain a high IP rating“.

The Anybus CompactCom modules with M12 connectors offer the same functionality as standard CompactCom modules, including complete interchangeability between modules. This means that once the Anybus CompactCom concept is implemented into a product, it is possible to just plug in any CompactCom module to get access to the targeted network.

Anybus CompactCom with M12 connectors for harsh environments network access

Moore Industries has released the SRM Safety Relay Module, a versatile relay repeater module that has been certified by exida for single use in Safety Instrumented Systems up to SIL 2. The SRM is part of the Moore Industries’ FS FUNCTIONAL SAFETY SERIES and accepts single contact closure inputs from logic solver trip outputs including Moore Industries’ STA Safety Trip Alarm and the SPA2 Programmable Limit Alarm Trip. With three contacts per alarm input, the SRM allows for the addition of alarm contacts to safety processes without special installation or configuration.

Unlike many other interposing relays, the SRM is a Force Guided Relay, avoiding the possibility of having contacts become stuck in both Normally Open (NO) and Normally Closed (NC) positions at the same time and avoids potential problems caused by issues such as welded contacts. The SRM is built using a safety-related relay with forcibly-guided contacts, which are monitored and mechanically linked to the same armature as the output contacts.

The SRM has been developed following the IEC 61508 standard and offers a high level of availability for safety-critical applications and for use as a component part of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS). While most safety relays are in a plastic case, the SRM in housed in a durable and rugged “universal” aluminum DIN case that can be mounted on either a 32mm G-type or 35mm Top-Hat DIN-rail.

A major design consideration of the SRM is its ease of use. It features a front-panel visual diagnostics, with three LED indicator lights reflecting the current Input, Output and Power status. It can also be installed in an SIS with minimal wiring.

'Moore's SRM Safety Relay Module for Safety Processes '

HIMA, one of the world’s leading specialist for safety-related automation solutions, announced that in the first six months of 2012, safety expert HIMA increased order intake by 25% compared to the previous year, achieving a record number of new orders and exceeding its targets. Approximately 26% of orders came from Germany, 26% from the rest of Europe and 48% from outside Europe.

This result reflects a growing awareness of safety worldwide and the increasing importance of safety-related automation solutions. It also demonstrates that the international expansion of HIMA's sales, engineering and lifecycle services has kept the family-owned and operated company on the path to growth

Over the past 18 months, HIMA established new group companies in Brazil, Columbia, Singapore, Oman and Turkey. New representatives were added in Angola, Iraq, Nigeria and Poland. Currently, the company is working toward adding group companies and representatives in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. HIMA safety systems will continue to be manufactured and tested in Germany at the company’s headquarters location in Brühl, near Mannheim.

Within the scope of succession regulations, new employees were hired in the past year and are contributing to HIMA’s international success. In late 2011, Friedhelm Best was hired as Sales Director Western Europe & Africa. Since then, Hartmut Leistner assumed responsibility for process industry sales in Austria and Switzerland, in addition to Germany. Additionally, David Tomblin was appointed CEO of HIMA Middle East, while Roger van Nuis became CEO of HIMA Americas.

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 27, 2012 — Machine builders can reduce control-system enclosure size, cut wiring time and simplify cabling when using the new Allen-Bradley Kinetix 6000M integrated drive-motor system from Rockwell Automation. The Kinetix 6000M drive-motor combines the high-performance Allen-Bradley MP-Series food-grade servo motor and Kinetix 6000 multi-axis servo drive technologies into a single, compact, on-machine package.

“Machine builders face a variety of challenges,” said Paul Sipe, marketing manager, Motion Business, Rockwell Automation. “They need to balance the goals of increasing machine flexibility by using more servo axes, while reducing machine size and assembly labor costs. Now, integrated drive-motor technology can help them achieve these goals.”

Moving servo drives out of the control enclosure and onto the machine delivers significant space savings, while reducing cabling. For example, replacing panel-mounted drives with the Kinetix 6000M integrated drive-motor system can reduce panel space required by up to 60 percent for a typical eight-axis system. Additionally, the number of cables exiting the control enclosure is reduced by as much as 75 percent because a hybrid/network cable daisy chain replaces the individual power and feedback cables needed for panel-mounted servo drives. Fewer cables help to reduce assembly time, the potential for wiring errors, and the time it takes to troubleshoot and repair a machine.Terminating servo motor power and feedback cables at panel-mounted servo drives can take about 20 minutes per axis. The Kinetix 6000M integrated drive-motor system allows machine builders to do this in approximately 30 seconds, helping to dramatically reduce installation time.

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Tyco Flow Control, a unit of Tyco International (NYSE: TYC), recently announced that it has been selected to provide pressure relief valves and after-market services to Shell globally. The five-year Enterprise Framework Agreement (EFA) covers Crosby and Anderson Greenwood direct acting and pilot-operated pressure relief valves, line block relief valves and supporting services for all of Shell's operations worldwide.

With some of the industry's most recognized brands and extensive range of technology, Tyco Flow Control's products are applied in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas. The Anderson Greenwood and Crosby brands are renowned for their high quality and reliable performance in a broad range of applications.

"We are pleased that Shell has selected Tyco to supply these critical valves and services," said Emmanuelle Dubu, managing director of Tyco Flow Control's pressure management product unit. "Through this agreement, we are committed to drawing on our deep product expertise and keen focus on quality to provide Shell with high-performing, dependable products."

With a worldwide footprint comprising more than 300 locations, Tyco Flow Control has the global capability, expertise and engineering knowledge required to fulfill the enterprise framework agreement to add value to Shell's global operations across 80+ countries.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that its subsidiary, Yokogawa Electric Korea Co., Ltd., has won an order from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. in South Korea to supply control systems for the Mong Duong 2 coal-fired power plant, which is being constructed in Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam.

The Mong Duong 2 coal-fired power plant, one of the largest power plants in Vietnam with a total output of 1,200 MW (two 600 MW units), is being constructed by AES-VCM Mong Duong Power Company Limited*, and its first unit is scheduled to start operation in August 2014. This order includes the CENTUM® VP integrated production control system for the power plant's boilers, turbines, and auxiliary facilities, and the ProSafe®-RS safety instrumented system for safely shutting down the plant if any abnormal conditions occur. The systems for the first and second units are scheduled to be delivered in January and July 2013, respectively. Yokogawa was able to win this order because of the high reliability of its control systems, Yokogawa Electric Korea's excellent engineering capabilities and Yokogawa's solid track record in the Vietnamese power plant sector.