Control System World

Since the ’80s Sierra has been among leaders in designing and manufacturing electromagnetic control valves used in our flagship SmartTrak mass flow controllers and legacy 800 series. The catch is that in the past customers had to buy the mass flow controller to capitalize on our precision control valve. Now, after 30 years of field-proven technology, customers can purchase the SmartVO, our stand along precision gas control valves at a lower price point and smaller footprint than our SmartTrak line.

In many analytical and laboratory applications, our customers require 5 mass flow controllers in a cabinet and 50 gas control valves. Now customers can get the complete turnkey solution for precision gas flow control from Sierra which saves customers time in installation, usability, and integration.

Control Valve Advantages:

SmartVO Control ValvesMass flow control is only as accurate as the valve controlling the flow of the gas stream being measured. SmartVO gas flow control valves:

Offer precision control over a wide range of flow rates from 0 to 50 sccm up to 1000 slpm

Control gas mass flow rates with pressures up to 5000 psig (345 barg) with ValFlex™ high-pressure valve seat

Operate over a wide pressure differential range from 0 to 5000 psig (345 barg)

Control all clean gases, including corrosives and toxics

Feature bubble-tight shutoff for no virtual leaks

Available in a wide range of fitting and elastomer configurations

Include aluminum, 316L and 416 stainless-steel construction

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Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it will release an enhanced version of the STARDOM™ network-based control system on June 3. The new STARDOM version features enhancements that reduce communication costs and ensure highly reliable monitoring and control. These enhancements meet a variety of needs in upstream oil and gas development and production, which Yokogawa is targeting based on its Transformation 2017 mid-term business plan.

STARDOM network-based control systems consist of FCN/FCJ autonomous controllers and either a VDS or FAST/TOOLS SCADA server. FCN/FCJ controllers are ideal for the monitoring of oil and gas field installations, pipelines, and other widely distributed facilities that rely on satellites and other types of communications platforms for the transmission of data. In addition to eliminating communications delays and achieving high quality communications, the companies that operate such facilities are seeking to reduce communications costs by limiting the volume of data that needs to be transmitted.

Product Features:

• Unsolicited response support
• Expanded support of standards for gas well applications
• Strengthened security measures

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Moxa is pleased to release the WDR-3124A, the company’s first wireless router that combines both WLAN and WWAN connectivity to ensure that your wireless devices are connected anywhere, anytime. The WDR-3124A’s innovative auto-switch failover function enables automatic switchovers between 802.11n and HSPA standards, ensuring wireless availability for your mission-critical systems.

Many industrial applications rely on moving equipment during operation, such as tramways in transportation or tank trucks in oil and gas applications. When operators need to remotely access critical data onboard, there are two ways to build a wireless network. One way is to deploy a wireless client onboard to communicate with APs at each station. Another way is to deploy a cellular device onboard and communicate with the control center directly. However, neither solution alone is ideal. According to Moxa Product Manager Sean Lin, “Long-distance transmission between remote stations is subject to Wi-Fi access failures and cellular communication can be expensive. The WDR-3124A combines both 802.11n and HSPA connectivity for seamless auto-switch failovers so operators can set Wi-Fi as the primary connection and automatically switch over to cellular if the Wi-Fi link goes down. This not only ensures seamless connections, but also reduces costs for cellular airtime since the cellular connection is only used when the Wi-Fi network is inaccessible.”

To ensure reliable wireless LAN and WAN connections, the WDR-3124A also supports Moxa’s Turbo Roaming technology* for seamless Wi-Fi roaming within milliseconds. For cellular transmission, dual SIM card slots with GuaranLink technology ensures reliable cellular transmissions, making the WDR-3124A the most ideal wireless router for your wireless applications that require both LAN and WAN connectivity.

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The expansion of the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and convergence of operations technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems into The Connected Enterprise raises questions of who within industrial organizations should design and oversee unified network infrastructures. Rockwell Automation, in collaboration with its Strategic Alliance partner Cisco, is helping address this workforce challenge with the new training and certification offerings.

Last year, the companies jointly rolled out the Managing Industrial Networks with Cisco Networking Technologies (IMINS) training course and Cisco Industrial Networking Specialist certification. This first-of-its-kind course provided foundational skills needed to manage and administer networked, industrial control systems.

This year, Rockwell Automation and Cisco are unveiling the five-day, hands-on Managing Industrial Networks for Manufacturing with Cisco Technologies (IMINS2) course and CCNA Industrial certification exam. The course offers deeper analysis of EtherNet/IP architectures with industrial protocols, wireless and security technologies implementation, and advanced troubleshooting. The CCNA Industrial certification ensures that OT and IT professionals have the skillset needed to design, manage and operate converged industrial networks.

“Organizations are still determining how to best reshape their workforces to take advantage of new, unified network architectures designed to improve business performance,” said Gary Pearsons, vice president and general manager, Customer Support and Maintenance Business, Rockwell Automation. “Rockwell Automation and Cisco continue to collaborate in addressing this challenge. We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our current portfolio of training courses and certification programs designed to prepare our customers’ employees to make this transition to the new IT/OT convergent environment.”

"The number of smart devices and objects that make up the Internet of Everything will double to about 50 billion in the next five years, according to Cisco studies,” said Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, vice president and general manager, Cisco. “Manufacturers who want to be at the forefront of this revolution must empower their employees today with the skillsets they’ll need. Working with Rockwell Automation to expand this education portfolio brings together our organizations’ leading-edge expertise in IT and OT to help industrial companies accomplish this.”

KBR Inc. has announced today it has been awarded a near-shore floating LNG Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contract by Lloyds Energy Ltd.  Under this contract, KBR will provide integrated topsides and hull engineering design services for a nominal 2.5 million TPA floating natural gas liquefaction plant (FLNG). Start-up of the project facilities is expected to take place in 2019.

All LNG processing facilities, together with the associated utilities and power generation, will be located on the FLNG barges, which will be moored at the end of a new single jetty, about 3.5km in length. LNG storage will be in the barge hulls and loading will be via a separate LNG carrier berth at the end of the jetty.

"This is a significant milestone in KBR's FLNG industry strategy, and our relationship with Lloyds Energy complements our existing FEED experience for the Coral South FLNG project in Mozambique," said Jan Egil Braendeland, KBR President, Engineering & Construction for the Europe, Eurasia & Africa (EEA) region. "We look forward to working with Lloyds Energy so that together we may achieve their goal of developing strategically important near-shore FLNG projects across a range of locations."

Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO said, "Because of KBR's strong position within the LNG market, the company can satisfy the needs of our LNG customers, regardless of the phase of the project. KBR designs and manages projects, from concept through to construction and commissioning. This expertise underpins why KBR is responsible for one third of the world's operating LNG capacity, across a range of locations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Australia."

"The ultimate objective is to establish a program of multiple near-shore FLNG projects, based on one single and original design", said Konstantinos Mitropoulos, Lloyds Energy CEO.

"Our vision at Lloyds Energy is to successfully deliver, through near-shore FLNG technology, a viable alternative to traditional and capital intensive onshore LNG developments," Mitropoulos said. "Lloyds Energy is extremely pleased to be working with KBR on this exciting project. Both companies have experienced FLNG teams with full asset-cycle exposure, from concept development through to long term asset management. We are confident that we have chosen the best contractors in the industry to support this project."

The contract value was not disclosed. Expected revenue from the contract will be included in KBR's second quarter 2015 backlog of unfilled orders for its Engineering and Construction business lines. Work has already commenced and is expected to be completed in the first half of the first quarter 2016.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the release on this date of the SensTation pH/ORP measurement system, a scalable and integrated solution that combines the unique capabilities of the SENCOM pH/ORP sensors and the SMARTDAC+ data acquisition and control system. This solution eliminates the need for a pH/ORP transmitter and allows users the choice of any of the paperless recorders in the SMARTDAC+ series, each of which can connect to up to 16 sensors. In addition to supporting a wide range of analytical and data control applications, this solution improves maintenance efficiency.

Liquid analyzers are used in the oil, petrochemical, iron and steel, electric power, water supply, wastewater treatment, and many other industries. These analyzers are necessary to control the quality of raw materials and products, monitor reactions, and manage water treatment. Conventional liquid analyzers are composed of a sensor and a transmitter that converts the sensor's analog signals into digital signals for transmission over communications networks and the real-time display of data.

Data acquisition systems are often used in plants to collect and log data from liquid analyzers. In 2013, Yokogawa released the SENCOM series of pH/ORP sensors, which are able to process digital signals and store calibration data and other types of information in digital form. This eliminates the need for a transmitter and allows direct connections with PCs and other digital devices. SENCOM sensors come with a communication interface and custom-made pH/ORP display templates for use with the SMARTDAC+ recorders.

Key Benefits:

• Easy to maintain
• Easy navigation and high flexibility and expandability

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Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has announced that it has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract from Celanese Corporation for the construction of a vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions production plant at Jurong Island, Singapore.

Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is responsible for the detailed engineering and design of the project; plus procurement of major equipment and management of construction services.  Company officials did not disclose the contract value.

With a VAE plant in Singapore, Celanese will broaden its network to better serve customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in the higher-end applications of architectural coatings, building and construction, carpets, and paper industries.

Construction is expected to begin by mid-2015, and the unit is expected to begin production by second half of 2016. Upon making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Kevin McMahon said, “We have an existing relationship with Celanese Corporation in the U.S., and we are delighted to expand this relationship into the Asia region. We look forward to leveraging our globally recognized EPCM experience to oversee this strategically important plant construction.”

Dwyer MBLT Miniature Submersible Level Transmitter is only 0.63" in diameter making it ideal for level monitoring in well and borehole applications. Constructed for years of trouble free service, the MBLT has a welded 316 SS body and 316 SS nose cap. Body top is also 316 SS and tapered to prevent damage or snares when pulling the unit out of the installation. Featured in the MBLT is a precision ±0.10% or ±0.25% of full scale accuracy output, better than BFSL or BSL rated outputs used by most competitors. Lightning and surge protection (not guaranteed or covered by standard warranty) is included standard to stand up in harsh applications. MBLT comes with a choice of polyether polyurethane or ETFE cable materials and all are vented for barometric pressure compensation. Vent is covered with a maintenance-free filter preventing particulate or water droplets from entering the transmitter.

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