Control System World

Aboitiz Power Corporation is a holding company that was set up by the Aboitiz Group to oversee its investments in power generation, distribution, retail, and services. The company owns and operates several hydroelectric and geothermal power plants as well as a number of non-renewable power facilities throughout the Philippines. It also owns distribution utilities that are centered in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Aboitiz Power envisions the harnessing of an array of renewable energy sources that have a lighter impact on the environment, and has established Cleanergy as the brand for its consumer power business. To carry out that vision, the company aims to leverage its expertise in fields such as hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and solar power.

Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power has two operating fields. The geothermal power generating complex in Makban has four 63 MW units at plants A and B, two 57 MW units at plant C, and four 20 MW units at plants D and E.  As the data acquisition systems (DAS) in units 7 and 8 at plant D were approaching their end of life and spare parts were increasingly expensive/difficult to procure, Aboitiz Power decided to replace its legacy PLCs with Yokogawa FA-M3V controllers.

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Palmer Wahl Instrumentation Group announces the addition of 316 Stainless Steel case, fitting, and stem options on its popular line of All-Star BiMetal thermometers. Now available on Palmer All-Star series BiMetal thermometers, 316 hermetically sealed case, fitting, and stem options are designed with deepwater drilling and off-shore oil rigs in mind. Models that include the 316SS case, fitting, and stem option are IP67 rated - dust tight and water tight up to 1 meter. Fahrenheit ranges from -100°F up to 1000°F and Celsius ranges from -50°C up to 500°C are available, with over-range protection of up to 50% of range and accuracy within 1% of full scale. Available with All Angle, Fixed Back Connected and Adjustable All Angle or Fixed Back connections have 7/8" Hex with 1/2" NPT Thread standard fitting. Optional adjustable union fitting adjusts the stem to the full depth of your thermowell for metal to metal contact and maximum exposure to your process for superior heat transfer, eliminating the need to stock several different stem lengths. Lens is instrument quality glass, with plexiglass or shatter proof safety glass optionally available.

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Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that in April it will begin offering new solutions for optimizing plant operations in the oil & gas, petrochemical, and other industries. These solutions will be provided as part of Yokogawa’s VigilantPlant Services® suite to support safe, stable, and highly efficient plant operations. The technology underlying these solutions is Yokogawa’s newly developed MIRROR PLANT online simulator.

The MIRROR PLANT simulator can visualize the internal state of a plant process and make near-term predictions on plant behavior. An industry first, this simulator operates in synchronization with the plant control system and features the good performance required in commercial plants.

Development Background:

In recent years, there has been increasing focus on improving plant safety and strengthening competitiveness by making plants more efficient. For example, in the chemical industry, plant operators need in real time to manage or adjust the state of catalysts and the composition of the reagents and product materials in a chemical reactor, to optimize both plant productivity and product quality. However, many of the process variables are difficult to measure or cannot be measured directly. Based on actual process information such as flow rate, temperature, and pressure, simulation technology can make predictions on items that cannot be measured in real time, for example the amount of each component in a product, and thus simulate the state of a plant. By means of high-speed calculations, the simulator can make near-term predictions on the state of a plant. Operators can then anticipate events and take action earlier to ensure safe operation.

Yokogawa and its subsidiary, Omega Simulation Co., Ltd., jointly developed the MIRROR PLANT online plant simulator. It operates in synchronization with the plant control system and constantly updates a process model. Based on this simulator, Yokogawa will offer support solutions that help its customers optimize their plant operations.

Technip has been awarded a substantial contract(1) by Dubai Petroleum Establishment (DPE). This covers the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the Jalilah B field development project, located nearly 90 kilometers offshore Dubai (United Arab Emirates, UAE), at water depth reaching 60 meters.

Technip’s scope of work consists of the construction and installation of the Jalilah B platform, a 900-ton deck, a 500-ton jacket, as well as 13 new risers(2) on existing platforms. It also includes the installation of 110 kilometers of pipelines ranging from 6 to 24 inches in diameter. This contract will use three of Technip’s specialized vessels, including the G1201, one of the Group’s flagship S-Lay installation vessel designed for work in both deep and shallow water.

Technip’s operating center in Abu Dhabi will execute this fast-track project, scheduled for completion in the second half of 2014.

With a nearly 30-year presence in the Middle-East, Technip combines together keen understanding of business needs, differentiating technology offer and strong execution capabilities. The Group is therefore well positioned to manage increasing complex projects of the oil and gas industry in the UAE.

Attend ODVA's 2014 Industry Conference!

March 11-13, 2014

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Resort

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• Choose from over 25 sessions on technical developments and strategic market initiatives
• Hear from developers, end users, and OEMs
• Collaborate in developer workshops
• Network with over 100 of your peers

Open to everyone, ODVA's Industry Conference is attended by leading automation suppliers, OEMs and end users who come to learn the latest business and technical trends in ODVA technologies.

Founded in 1995, ODVA is a global association whose members are comprised of the world’s leading automation companies. ODVA’s mission is to advance open, interoperable information and communication technologies in industrial automation. ODVA recognizes its media independent network protocol, the Common Industrial Protocol or “CIP” – and the network adaptations of CIP – EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet and ControlNet – as its core technology and the primary common interest of its membership. ODVA’s vision is to contribute to the sustainability and prosperity of the global community by transforming the model for information and communication technology in the industrial ecosystem.

Registration closes on February 7, 2014, and space is limited.

Review the full Conference Prospectus and register today!

The use of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as a cheaper and less polluting alternative to diesel for generators providing the power to remote sites is becoming increasingly widespread. With many thousands of sites throughout the world, oil and gas drilling industry companies are among the operators who have introduced the technique, which involves the use of specialised trailer-based plant to deliver, store and process the gas prior to combustion.

LNG is transported to site in specially designed tankers which also store the liquid gas at the cryogenic temperature of -162º Celsius. A separate trailer, housing the re-gasification system, normally sits between the tanker and the generator. The main component of the re-gasification system is the vaporiser, which converts the LNG from liquid to gas and feeds it to the point of use. This system, together with auxiliary processes including pressure building in the tanker to improve flow, utilises scores of valves which are typically small, cryogenic and tightly arranged within a compact installation.

Those valves that are automated therefore require a particularly compact and fast acting actuator, capable of providing powerful rotary or linear drive, for isolating and modulating duties in a hazardous environment. This is a scenario that is proving to be ideal for the Rotork Schischek range of electric actuators, due to their small size, flexible power supply range, failsafe capabilities and explosionproof approvals. An increasing number of ExMax (quarter-turn) and ExRun (linear) actuators are being supplied to OEMs and fabricators in these areas and in other process applications handling LNG in cryogenic environments.

The Schischek self-adaptive universal power supply has a range of 24 to 230V, ac or dc. Explosionproof certification for Schischek actuators encompasses UL, CSA, ATEX, IECEx, GOST/RTN, INMETRO and KOSHA international standards, with safety integrity levels up to SIL3 also available with failsafe products.

Valve stroke times are suitable for fast operation and selectable at speeds between one and 120 seconds, depending on actuator model. All models are fitted as standard with internal heaters enabling cryogenic operation at ambient temperatures down to -40C Celsius.

The Fieldbus Foundation has announced that its 2014 General Assembly would be held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on March 25-28. This annual event is open to Fieldbus Foundation members and non-members, and will be attended by leading FOUNDATION™ fieldbus suppliers, end users and other industry participants from around the world.

This year's General Assembly will be hosted by STC-Group, a leading provider of educational services to the shipping, transport and process industries worldwide, and a partner in the Fieldbus Foundation's FOUNDATION Certified Training Program (FCTP). STC-Group's Brielle facility was one of the first educational institutions worldwide to offer fieldbus training courses certified under FCTP. This program establishes uniform standards for fieldbus educational curriculum around the globe, and defines acceptable levels of learning for students of the technology.

The General Assembly will offer an overview of Fieldbus Foundation developments across the globe. It will include updates by leading fieldbus experts on the latest advancements in FOUNDATION technology, as well as presentations by major end users who have installed FOUNDATION fieldbus in their industrial operations.

"FOUNDATION fieldbus is a technology that’s driving efficiency in the delivery of the world’s energy resources, so it only makes sense that our 2014 General Assembly would be held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands – one of the key centers of the global oil & gas and petrochemical industries," said Rich Timoney, Fieldbus Foundation president and CEO. "The Port of Rotterdam is home to more than 45 chemical companies and five refineries, and our annual meeting will attract a wide spectrum of the fieldbus community throughout the region. We strongly encourage all end users of FOUNDATION technology, and those looking to become users, to actively participate in this event."

Note by Editor: Please see another news Fieldbus Foundation 2014 General Assembly Postponed

MatrikonOPC has announced the release of MatrikonOPC Tunneller 5.0, which includes key system health monitoring and diagnostics tags capabilities.

OPC Tunneller from MatrikonOPC is used to establish and maintain secure, reliable OPC communications in today’s complex network environments. It does this by facilitating OPC connectivity accross domains and workgroups, firewall compatibility, bandwidth optimization, timeout and disconnection recovery, and data encryption.

Version 5.0 adds key system health monitoring and diagnostics tags to enable users to easily track the status of their connections, license information, and performance metrics. In addition, OPC Tunneller version 5.0 also adds 64 bit support for both Client and Server side connections.

Other key features of MatrikonOPC Tunneller Version 5.0 include:

• Enhanced user experience for configuration import and export, logging and etc. ;

• Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008;

• Alarms and Events features.

“OPC Tunneller from MatrikonOPC is the utility of choice for data connectivity professionals to resolve DCOM related OPC headaches. MatrikonOPC has now made it even easier for users to more quickly set up, configure, and monitor the performance of their OPC communications,” said Darek Kominek, marketing manager at MatrikonOPC. “MatrikonOPC is committed to responding to industry needs and providing its customers with the highest value possible through each of its products. ”

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