Control System World

SAN RAMON, Calif., January 17, 2012 – Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) said that an extensive search and rescue effort continues for two contractors who remain missing after yesterday's fire aboard the K.S. Endeavor, a drilling rig offshore Nigeria operated by FODE Drilling Nigeria Limited. While Chevron's highest priority remains the rescue of the missing contractors, the company continues to devote the necessary resources to resolve the rig incident in a responsible and timely manner.

As previously reported, the K.S. Endeavor was drilling a natural gas exploration well for Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL). The well is located in the Funiwa Field approximately six miles (10 kilometers) offshore and in approximately 40 feet (12 meters) of water.

Chevron reports that 152 workers on the rig and an associated barge were safely evacuated. They are now onshore and have been given medical examinations. Two remain hospitalized due to minor burns, while others are being held for further observation.

While a full investigation is still under way, Chevron said initial indications point to the possible failure of surface equipment during drilling operations that led to a loss of well control. The well continues to burn and the rig has partially collapsed. At this time, the company cannot estimate how long the fire will continue.

National Instruments: When you have hundreds of different data acquisition (DAQ) devices to choose from on a wide variety of buses, it can be difficult to select the right bus for your application needs. Each bus has different advantages and is optimized for throughput, latency, portability, or distance from a host. This white paper examines the most common PC bus options and outlines the technical considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right bus for your measurement application.

To further read this article please click 'How to Choose the Right Bus for Your Measurement System'

A recent trial has proven that Endress+Hauser temperature probes with thermowells made from a new alloy can withstand extreme temperatures up to 1000ºC that are typically found in the furnace of an energy-from-waste facility.

Temperature: a critical measurement in a harsh environment

In energy-from-waste plants furnace temperature is a critical measurement. By burning the waste at an optimum temperature the release of harmful emissions is avoided. In order to accurately record the temperature in the furnace, three or more temperature thermowells are inserted into the furnace directly above the flame. Due to the incredibly harsh conditions in the furnace, conventional probes made from Incoly 800HT alloy will typically fail after three or four months of service. As the probes are sited in an elevated position, changing them can be difficult. In addition, each time the furnace is opened there is the possibility that cooler air will enter or that hot gases will escape, both of which can decrease the efficiency of the process and cause health and safety concerns.

A Technical guide on SCADA Security considerations. Please cLick 'Scada security presentation by InduSoft' to see the presentation.

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (17 January 2012) – The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (ISA100 WCI) today announced that TLV, a world leader in steam engineering products and services, has joined ISA100 WCI as a supplier member.

“Our company name TLV CO., LTD, comes from the word ‘Trouble Less Valve’ and our founding mission was to develop a world class steam trap that guarantees a long life with no troubles. We are forging ahead to become the ‘world’s No.1 steam specialist’ and have grown our company into a leading steam solution focused on energy savings and environmental countermeasures,” said Yoshiyasu Fujiwara, president, TLV. “We look forward to integrating the benefits of the ISA100.11a wireless into our products and helping in the global adoption of ISA100.”

Chiyoda Corporation, JGC Corporation, and KBR jointly announced that INPEX Corporation and Total S.A., joint venture of Ichthys LNG project Australia, has approved award of the EPC Contract to the joint venture of formed by the JGC, KBR and Chiyoda for the construction of the downstream LNG facilities for the Ichthys LNG project Australia. The overall EPC Contract price for the project is expected to be US$ 15 Billion. The EPC Contract is the mix of Lump Sum Turn Key, Reimbursable and Remeasureable Contract scheme.

For further details on this project please click 'Ichthys LNG Project Approves JGC/KBR/Chiyoda Joint Venture for EPC Contract'

(ARC Advisory Group) The Automation Expenditures for Discrete Industries market rebounded in 2010 after recovering from a deep global downturn in 2009. 2010 started out with sluggish order activity, which later escalated, resulting in a recovery in 2010 that was more robust than expected earlier in the year. Emerging economies, including the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries, drove growth for the Automation Expenditure for Discrete Industries market in 2010, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.

The second largest economy in the world, China, continues to be a growth driver for the overall automation business. Current activities reflect that China and India are still investing in automation. “Domestic demand will remain strong in emerging and developing economies. Consequently, the global automation systems market for discrete industries will experience moderate growth during the five year forecast period,” according to Senior Analyst Himanshu Shah, the principal author of ARC’s “Automation Expenditures for Discrete Industries Worldwide Outlook”.

The RadioLinx Industrial Frequency Hopping 900 MHz Ethernet provides powerful and secure wireless Ethernet communications and is well suited for demanding, long-range (up to 30+ miles) SCADA and other Ethernet applications in tough environments. Operating in the license-free 900 MHz band, the RadioLinx Industrial Frequency Hopping 900 MHz Ethernet penetrates foliage and walls / ceilings better than higher frequency radios. The RLX-IFH9E is user configurable as a master, repeater and remote radio and employs the 128 bit AES encryption algorithm approved by the United States government for top secret information.

RadioLinx Industrial Frequency Hopping 900 MHz Ethernet radios are quickly and easily configured using the included, graphical ControlScape software. An OPC server software is also included and allows users to monitor radio network health with any OPC client based HMI software.

The RadioLinx ControlScape FH application provides a graphical representation of your RadioLinx Frequency Hopping radio network, allowing you to easily configure the radios and monitor their performance. ControlScape can be used to support configuration and installation as well as provide long-term monitoring of system performance.

For further details on this product please click 'RadioLinx Industrial Frequency Hopping 900 MHz Ethernet'