Control System World

WATERLOO - Terepac Corp., a pioneer in the world's tiniest digital electronics, and Rockwell Automation have engaged so Terepac can produce large volumes of its micro circuits for the "Internet of Things" -- uniquely identifiable objects and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure that requires radio frequency identification (RFID) as a prerequisite.

Based on the agreement, Rockwell Automation will support the infrastructure that Terepac uses for its proprietary process, enabling it to miniaturize significantly more circuits than its current capability.

"Advanced manufacturing technology is rapidly transforming the global competitive landscape, and Terepac is using its unique technology to produce very small circuits," said Sujeet Chand, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Rockwell Automation. "We have a unique opportunity to help Terepac scale its breakthrough technology and advance microelectronics to the next level."

"We're pleased to work with Rockwell Automation's highly qualified team because they're a world leader in the delivery of industrial automation solutions," said Terepac CEO Ric Asselstine. "They share our goal to create extraordinary technology to give people everywhere more useful information about the world around them."

Rockwell Automation has added new tools to its Pavilion8 model predictive control software, giving users the ability to create simple to complex process models on their own. Leveraging a powerful modeling engine, Pavilion8 software version 4.0 gathers all data from within a facility – including equations, empirical data and heuristics – to help users develop a robust model of the process. The software continuously assesses current and predicted operational data, compares it to desired results, and computes new control targets to reduce in-process variability and improve process performance.

“Our customers are constantly being asked to do more with less,” said Ric Snyder, senior product manager for advanced process control, Rockwell Automation. “Pavilion8 version 4.0 includes new tools that enable users to build, maintain and adjust many models on their own – without the need for outside support. This helps companies squeeze every ounce of production out of existing lines.”

Through integration with the PlantPAx process automation system, Pavilion8 users can build models leveraging a common design and execution environment to reduce overall commissioning time. The latest version of Pavilion8 software includes three key enhancements to simplify model predictive control and further reduce total cost of ownership – solution builder tools, Web-based dashboards and automatic step testing.

SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) is pleased to announce that it has acquired DBA Engineering, an Ontario-based engineering firm specializing in materials and pavement engineering, and geotechnical and geo-environmental studies.

Founded in 1991, DBA Engineering has grown steadily by adopting and developing value-added technologies and maintaining a client-focused approach. Today, DBA has approximately 100 employees at offices in Toronto, Kingston, Cambridge and Trenton, and provides services to both public and private sector clients.

“The expertise of DBA Engineering in materials and geotechnical engineering will reinforce the market footprint and technical capabilities of SNC-Lavalin by integrating with that of our subsidiary, Groupe Qualitas,” said Charles Chebl, Executive Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. “DBA will also provide an additional source of expertise and enhance our service offering for major projects that we are carrying out or are targeting across Ontario.”

“SNC-Lavalin and DBA share the same philosophy in terms of client satisfaction, technical advancement, cooperation and trustworthiness,” said Param Dhillon, President, DBA Engineering. “We are delighted with this union because it provides our company with a platform to grow technically and geographically in Ontario, and gives our exceptional employees a chance to advance professionally and personally.”

Atlanta, Georgia – WINDPOWER 2012 – June 3-6, 2012 – ICONICS, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner of the Year and provider of Web-enabled, Plant Historian and industrial visualization software for Microsoft Windows® operating systems, announced the release of Hyper Historian™ V10.7. Hyper Historian is a very high speed, reliable and robust industrial plant historian solution designed for mission critical applications.

ICONICS Hyper Historian provides the high resolution and continuous condition and output monitoring needed to assure sustained performance of utilities’ most critical assets. Taking full advantage of the latest 64-bit, .NET-based computing technologies and numerous performance features including full utilization of multi-core hardware. Hyper Historian is the first plant historian to be compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Certified for Microsoft Windows Server 2008, and integrates with SQL Server 2012. The software also fully leverages OPC-UA communication standards, as well as a wide variety of other protocols for connecting to your users existing infrastructure.

Technip, in a consortium with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Co. Ltd., the Technip-Daewoo Consortium (TDC), has been awarded by Petronas Floating LNG 1 (Labuan) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) a services contract for engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning for floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility of 1.2 million ton per year maximun capacity. The 300 meter-long and 60 meter-wide FLNG facility will be located offshore Malaysia. The contract is an Alliance between TDC, led by Technip, and Petronas. Technip’s portion is composed of project management services and lump sum for engineering.

The detailed design of the topsides(1) will be executed by Technip’s operating centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Paris, France. Engineering of the hull and building of the FLNG facility will take place at Daewoo’s shipyard in Okpo, South Korea. This contract follows the successful completion of the front-end engineering design phase awarded to TDC in December 2010.

Thierry Pilenko, Chairman and CEO of Technip, declared: “This new contract, led by our Kuala Lumpur operating center, confirms Technip leadership in the very promising market of offshore natural gas liquefaction. The award combines several technologies and know-how from Technip: natural gas liquefaction, offshore floating facilities and subsea infrastructures. Together with the expertise of DSME and our long standing relationship with Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil company, we are confident in the success of this strategic project.”

To address the requirements of semi-outdoor and outdoor applications the Industrial Automation Group of Advantech has launched a new range of devices that are specifically designed to be visible in bright sunlight.

To allow for outdoor reading, each of the devices is manufactured with a1000nit (cd/m2) display - up from the average of 300-400 nits (cd/m2) - and has been optically bonded with material that fills the gap between the glass cover and the LCD panel providing a reflection rate of <0.2%.

Three models, TPC-1251SR, TPC-1551SR and FPM-3151SR, have been designed to work in harsh environments with extremes of temperature ranging from -20oC to 60oC. The 12” and 15” TPC’s have SVGA and XGA displays with Intel Atom processors, whilst the 15” FPM has a resistive touchscreen, direct-VGA and DVI ports.

ICA Fluor, the industrial construction joint venture of Empresas ICA, S.A. B de C.V. (BMV and NYSE: ICA) and Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR), announced the signing of a contract with Pemex Exploration and Production for the construction of an offshore production platform for the Ku-Maloob-Zaap field in the Gulf of Mexico with a total contract value of $95 million. Fluor’s share of the contract, $47.5 million, will be booked in the second quarter.

ICA Fluor and its subsidiary Industria del Hierro will be responsible for the procurement, construction, testing, and load out of the Ayatsil-C platform. Weighing 11,832 tons and reaching 132 meters deep, Ayatsil-C the first structure of this size to be installed by Pemex. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

In modern society, water supply plants play an important role in providing daily and clean water to citizens. Essentially, a water-supply system can be divided into three sections: purification, transmission and consumption. The purification of untreated water ensures the water is safe for a variety of purposes. Distribution reservoirs, often built on top of mountains or in the woods, supplement the water transmission system during peak demands and last are the pipes which deliver the water.

Based on this architecture, the traditional operation of a water supply plant consumed a lot of manpower and resources, because the water treatment process needs an extremely accurate dosing control and the outside apparatuses have to be constantly monitored. Therefore, a total solution with advanced technology and robust equipment to control the treatment process and remotely monitor the situations of devices has become an essential measure of water plant management.

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