ProcessOnline Feature Articles

MES: take the time upfront

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:23:01 +0000

Businesses have been touting the financial benefits of manufacturing execution systems (MES) software ever since it became available in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, MES has followed a path similar to that of enterprise resource planning (ERP), meaning that many early implementations did not reach their promised goals.

Model-based design for wireless sensor networks

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:57:52 +0000

While model-based design is becoming quite standard for several domains that have similar constraints as wireless sensor networks, there is a lack of tools for this purpose in the WSN world.

What a mesh!
The ins and outs of mesh networking — Part 1

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Over the past few years, mesh networks have become more popular, following the trend to create more wireless things. As with other technology trends, as mesh networking has developed, so has a plethora of different mesh networking technologies and architectures.

Interview: Twain Drewett, Rockwell Automation

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:39:28 +0000

Recently I was given the opportunity to interview Twain Drewett, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand for Rockwell Automation. I asked him some questions about how he sees the automation sector has been faring of late, and about Rockwell’s views in relation to integrated security and wireless networks.

Creating an effective plant lubrication program

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:17:38 +0000

The goal of every lubrication program should be to ensure that all equipment receives and maintains the proper levels of lubrication such that no equipment fails due to inadequate or improper lubrication.

Uptime and the new age of safety control

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:10:56 +0000

Unleashed by new safety standards that embrace the latest microprocessor technologies, modern safety control systems are now intricately tied to how the plant operates — not only optimising worker safety, but improving productivity and uptime.

The predictive maintenance 'crystal ball'

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:37:15 +0000

Predictive maintenance programs provide miners with valuable insight into the condition of their in-service equipment, and are crucial in keeping mining and mineral processing applications online, streamlining maintenance schedules and minimising repair expenses.

The secret behind wide-temperature embedded computers

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:04:58 +0000

Industrial applications are often associated with harsh, demanding environments. Facilities and key computing equipment may be located at remote sites where there is little or no protection from severe weather conditions or in industrial environments near sources of heat. Computers that are not designed to tolerate harsh conditions face significant limitations in how they can be used in industrial applications.

Save energy and achieve greater control with variable speed drives

Sun, 17 May 2009 05:55:22 +0000

In today’s climate of rising energy costs and carbon trading schemes, any technology which helps plants use energy more efficiently should be adopted. Variable speed drives offer the ability to control the speed and torque of motors in many applications while providing significant energy savings — but only if implemented correctly in the right application.

How to choose a ball valve to curb fugitive emissions

Tue, 12 May 2009 07:13:27 +0000

In developed countries worldwide, more and more attention is being focused on fugitive emissions — equipment leaks, as opposed to point-source emissions from reactor vents or boiler exhaust stacks. Governments worldwide are focusing on fugitive emissions and legislating to force utilities and plant operators to curtail them.

Machine vision for factory automation

Wed, 06 May 2009 03:44:08 +0000

Many key tasks in the manufacture of products, including inspection, orientation, identification and assembly, require the use of visual techniques. Human vision and response, however, can be slow and tend to be error-prone either due to boredom or fatigue. Replacing human inspection with machine vision can go far in automating factory operation, but implementers need to carefully match machine vision options with application requirements.

Why use software for calibration management?

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:12:09 +0000

Every plant has some sort of system in place for managing calibration operations and data, but the different methods for doing it vary greatly in terms of cost, quality, efficiency and accuracy of data.

Installing fieldbus — Part 2

Wed, 20 May 2009 03:24:02 +0000

Fieldbus is a wonderful technology with many benefits, but fieldbus installation requires some additional considerations over and above normal 4–20 mA projects, not the least of which is how to prepare for fault conditions.

With a human touch — how robots have learned to polish

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:30:20 +0000

An apparently simple operation to polish a work piece is in fact highly complex. A skilled person with a long experience in this process can do it very well and most of the handling is based on ‘feeling’.

Radiometric measurement — at home in extreme process conditions

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:23:03 +0000

Radiometric measurement, also known as nuclear- or gamma-based measurement, is an extremely reliable and safe, non-invasive solution that is suitable for level limit detection, continuous level measurement, and density and interface layer measurement.

Installing fieldbus — Part 1

Wed, 20 May 2009 01:52:56 +0000

Fieldbus (the use of digital communications networks for distributed instrumentation and control) is a wonderful technology with many benefits, but fieldbus installation requires some additional considerations over and above normal 4–20 mA projects.

Interface level detection — what to consider

Tue, 19 May 2009 04:42:35 +0000

Compared to standard level measurements in liquids, the detection and measurement of interfaces has its own particular challenges, leaving many interface applications without reliable level measurement. Most popular today are the electronic or non-mechanical solutions with no moving mechanical parts which offer much higher long-term stability and low-maintenance operation.

Passive sonar flowmeter technology — operating principles

Mon, 18 May 2009 06:35:44 +0000

Flow measurements in the mineral processing and mining industry suffer from the limitations placed by previously available flowmeters including the commonly used instruments such as ultrasonic meters, magmeters, turbine meters, orifice plate meters, vortex meters, Coriolis meters and Venturi meters. The desire or requirement to make a non-contact measurement that is accurate and robust, and can be performed on practically any type of fluid within practically any type of pipe, has driven the creation of a new class of flowmeters.

Component object-based supervisory systems — the benefits over traditional HMI development

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:18:44 +0000

There are several fundamental differences between component object-based and traditional tag-based human machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) products. This article explains the differences between the two methodologies and shows that significant savings in development can be achieved with a component object-based SCADA product, and explains how to calculate the savings.

WirelessHART: the right standard at the right time

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:46:13 +0000

The WirelessHART standard provides a robust wireless protocol for the full range of process measurement, control and asset management applications.