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Welcome to the August 2009 issue of ICEnews, the Instrumentation, and Control Engineering news source.  ICEnews is a compendium of useful information which we endeavour to issue quarterly.

We want to make this newsletter a source of information that YOU can use in YOUR job, while also keeping you informed on what is happening in our industry both directly and indirectly.  We welcome your Press Releases, information, AND any technical articles you may have that could be appropriate for this newsletter or our web site. If you have something you would like to contribute, please send it to ICEnews.

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Editorial

Update those Codes of Practices and Specifications!

How up to date are your companies Instrumentation, Fire and Gas, Control, Electrical and other codes of practice and standards? All too often these important documents are left in "limbo" for years and this may result in your plant not taking advantage of the CAPEX and OPEX benefits that new technologies offer. Lets face it if you are buying a new vehicle you expect and check that it has all the latest features in your price range. The same rules should apply for equipment that your company purchases. For instance I recently was discussing a code of practice for Wellhead Control Panels with a hydraulic engineer and he advised me that his company still regularly receives specifications for this equipment which is based on pneumatic over hydraulic technology rather than Electro-Hydraulic technology based on the IEC16508 safety instrumented systems standards. It is pretty obvious that the use of out of date standards have the potential to have knock on effects which will reflect in increased costs, potential integrity improvements and loss of profit.

Interestingly in the latest news release from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority here in Australia states " The three most common root causes of incidents are: preventive maintenance requiring improvement; procedures not used or followed; and design specifications needing improvement". 

Why have I raised this point, well in these "tough times", every opportunity should be taken to be optimise company performance, thus if your standards have not been updated in the past 3 years it may be worth reviewing those codes and specifications which could provide a good business case. Also rather than lay off staff why not invest for the future and ensure that new and updated key purchase documents are going to provide your organisation with the optimisation benefits that new technology offers.

A key component however is the competency of the engineers or consultants undertaking this work and this should be carefully analysed to ensure that an old standard is not going to come out of the cupboard and be dusted off, or just re-badged without reflecting technological advances. Thus it is worthwhile having a "technology champion" in an organisation who is tasked with keeping up with new developments and ensuring that any updates to company standards reflect the latest concepts which will improve "bottom line". 

Of course what must be remembered  is that company codes of practice and specifications are an important asset which like anything require maintenance on an ongoing basis, whilst they physically do not "break", legacy technology has the potential to break an organisation in terms of profit maximisation. 

Jim Russell

ICEart - Technical articles related to instrumentation and control (Just "click" on the Hyperlink for the full article or paper)

As from early August 2009, it will be possible to order more than 8 000 replaced or withdrawn IEC Publications directly from the IEC Webstore. In fact, these publications have always been available but only via the IEC Central Office Customer Service Centre, and not through the new user-friendly Webstore. Obsolete IEC Publications are clearly indicated in order to avoid any confusion with current editions To avoid any confusion with current editions these publications will show up in the search results in a dedicated section "Replaced / Withdrawn standard" and will carry a reference number starting with "P-". They will also display a watermark clearly indicating that they are obsolete. Users may need to purchase obsolete publications for many reasons, such as legacy and legal purposes and comparisons with the current edition. Thanks to years of in-depth research, the IEC Central Office has been able to build an extensive electronic library of nearly all IEC Publications issued since the IEC's creation more than 100 years ago.

The future of 3D home viewing is in the hands of the industry players - Whilst not really in the ICE domain this article is interesting in terms of just where home entertainment can go in the future.

Ever heard of The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers (WCSIM)? - This organisation is a new one for me after some 44 years in the industry!...Ed. The WCSIM promotes the craft of scientific instrument making and the exchange of ideas and information by members and guests through meetings, visits, lectures and social events. The members, "Liverymen", are all linked with scientific instruments in some way. The Company advances the craft through traditional apprenticeships supervised by Liverymen, and through its educational trust fund supports technology in schools, provides undergraduate scholarships and research fellowships. The Guild was formed in October 1955 by members of the Industry and with the support of the Clockmakers and the Spectacle Makers Companies, to foster scientific instrument making and to promote goodwill in the science and craft of measurement and instrumentation. One of the founder firms at that time was known to date back to 1640. Grant of Arms was achieved in 1956 and the Letters Patent as a Livery Company of City of London were granted in 1963.

Emerson Process Management have announced an extension of the monitoring capabilities of its CSI 9210 Machinery Health® Transmitter. The CSI 9210, which monitors vibration, temperature, and speed on machine trains, can now be applied to all types of plant and mill rotating machinery, including motors, fans, cooling tower fans, pumps, and compressors.

The Automation Federation reports that the automation profession has been recognized by two groups within the United States government. Firstly the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations included an item  in their 2010 Congressional budget report that recognizes the importance of automation for the future of manufacturing in the United States. The second recognition by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) revised the 2010 Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)—the accepted U.S. federal government statistical standard on instructional program)—to include new codes for Automation Engineer Technology/Technician  and Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering. More here.

Standards Australia distributor SAI Global have discontinued their free "Standards Watch" service which automatically advises when a standard has been superseded, revised or new standards have been issued in certain categories. It is now a subscription service. 

ICEbooks – Useful books, software and new releases related to Instrumentation and Control.

Need some technical “know-how”? ICEweb has a page which details a selection of excellent Instrumentation, Automation, Control, Electrical, Electronic and Information Technology books from IDC Technologies. These can be purchased from ICEweb . Also detailed are other links to more useful references. 

IDC produces five brilliant comprehensive Engineer's pocket guides which are now available for you to download. Subjects include: Instrumentation/ Communications/Electrical/ Electronics/Conversion & Engineering formulas, you have to register but it is worth the effort! 

IDC Technologies have introduced their ebook library.   The ebook is designed to make life easier by providing the comprehensive information found in their manuals in a portable, compact solution. Their manuals can stay on your computer for a lifetime without the coffee stains and pen marks.  Titles include: – Hazardous Waste Management, Best Practice in Sewage, Transportation Planning and Management, Practical Data Communications and Networking, Practical Industrial Networking, Practical Radio Telemetry Systems for Industry, Practical HV Cable Jointing and Terminations, Practical Electrical Substation Safety, Practical Power Distribution, Practical Earthing of Utility and Industrial Distribution Systems, SNMP Network Management, Practical HAZOPs, Practical SCADA and Telemetry Systems for Industry, Practical Boiler Plant Operation and Management, Rigid and Flexible Hose Connections, Leading your Engineering Team to Top Performance & much more….Now you can take the books everywhere with you! All ebooks are available at 75% of the cost of their manuals – at that price what are you waiting for? Try an ebook today! Contact IDC to register your interest.

What’s in your pocket? Why not fill your pocket with an IDC pocket guide. Their six Engineering Pocket Guides are bursting with over 500 pages of valuable information.  The six titles include: Instrumentation, Electrical Engineering, Data Communications, Formulae and Conversions, Electronic Engineering and Industrial Automation. Whether you are interested in just the one title or if you need the whole set send an email to books@idc-online.com .

Automation Made Easy: Everything You Wanted to Know about Automation-and Need to Ask Peter G. Martin, Gregory Hale - After a quick glance at the plant floor, it is very easy to see the industrial automation industry interoperates with other functions within the enterprise. Trying to keep up with changing technologies, however, is never easy and the industrial automation environment is no exception. Whether you are a student just starting out or are a top-level executive or manager well-versed in one domain, but have limited knowledge of the industrial automation industry, it’s easy to find yourself adrift in this evolving industry. That is where this easy-to-read book comes in; it provides a basic functional understanding in the field of industrial automation.

Basic Math for Process Control - Bob Connell - A practical tutorial on the mathematics essential to the process control field, written by an experienced process control engineer for practicing engineers and students. A quick-and-easy review of the mathematics common to the field, including chapters on frequency response analysis, transfer functions and block diagrams, and the Z-N approximation. A handy desk reference for process control engineers - a helpful aid to students in mathematics courses.

NACE Corrosion Engineer's Reference Book, Third Edition - R. Baboian - Key features of the book include classification of a variety of metallic and nonmetallic (primarily polymers) systems with their commercial name and physical properties, and their corrosion behavior in different conditions; corrosion as a result of chemicals and different acids in the process and industrial environments; corrosion evaluation techniques; details on cathodic protection; protective coatings; and NACE and worldwide standards.

A Design Guide for the Electrical Safety of Instruments, Instrument/Control Panels and Control Systems - Incidents of electrical shock, burns and arcing continue to occur during the installation, commissioning, routine maintenance and testing of instruments, instrument/control panels and control systems. This publication from EEMUA gives a description of those electrical safety aspects which should be considered, in a straightforward non-technical language, for use by technicians and engineers alike.

ICEbus - Information on any of the 26 different bus systems in use in the area of Instrumentation and Control.

FISCO Intrinsically Safe Fieldbus Systems - This application note is a practical guide to the selection, installation and maintenance of equipment complying with the Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept (FISCO). The document begins with a discussion of the origins of FISCO and an introduction to the main elements that should be considered when assembling FISCO systems. Later sections then develop each subject in more detail, with the intention of providing clear guidance to new and experienced Fieldbus users. 

Common Solution for Field Device Integration - The Steering Committee of the Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) Cooperation Team (ECT) have announced that their technical team has achieved important milestones in its effort to develop a common solution for field device integration (FDI). The FDI Project Team has successfully worked over the past 18 months to identify use cases encompassing all facets of plant operations: from start up and commissioning; to ongoing maintenance activities and plant operations. It has also drafted an architecture concept migrating participating technologies to a common device integration standard.

Foundation fieldbus Positioner Transducer Block Final Specification - The Fieldbus Foundation has announced that its Foundation fieldbus Positioner Transducer Block final specification is now available. The new specification release supports the implementation of advanced field diagnostics capabilities benefiting end-users of Foundation fieldbus technology.

MTL have announced that their Fieldbus Calculator now includes Redundant FISCO power supply....More.

MTL has launched the FBT-6-PA, the first Intrinsically Safe (IS) certified Profibus PA Diagnostics Monitor. The handheld device monitors a live Profibus PA network in both safe and hazardous areas without interfering with its operation.

FDT Technology Achieves IEC Global Standard Approval - As recently reported by the FDT Group in May 2009, FDT Technology known as IEC 62453 has gained international standard approval by the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC). The FDT specification unanimously passed the vote of the international standardization community represented by 26 national committees with the addition of eight more countries voluntarily approving all parts of the FDT specification.

FDT Frame Applications Standardize Smart Device Integration and Management - Over the years end users have requested a single technology that provides one software tool to integrate device assets over the life cycle of the plant. Today, businesses are frugal with expense budgets, but still driven to embrace technology advancements that result in increased plant performance with sustainable operating cost savings. FDT Technology and its intuitive Frame Application help realize cost reductions often associated with a facility start-up, from engineering through the maintenance stages, for automation devices connected to the automation system.

FDT Technology—What Are DTMs? - It has been recognized time again that the ability to have open access to device intelligence is essential to enhanced reliability and reduced start-up times. In the area of industrial automation, FDT Technology provides this “open access” with a device type manager (DTM). With DTMs, users can configure device parameters, operate devices via a graphical interface and access advanced diagnostic information from any location.

ICEed - Educational links associated with Instrumentation, Control and Fire & Gas.

Call for Papers - If you have an upcoming conference and are calling for papers please contact us.

E-Learning 

IDC have scheduled the following E-Learning courses;

Certificate in Mechanical Engineering - Commences 24th August 2009

Certificate in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) & SCADA Systems - Commences 1st September 2009

Advanced Diploma in Data Communications, Networking & IT - Commences 19th October 2009

Training and Workshop Schedules

IDC 2009 schedule of workshops.

Able Instruments 2009 Instrumentation Training Schedule.

Canadian company ACM  2009 Training Schedule which covers SIS, SIL, HAZOP, P&ID and more.

The Australian PROFIBUS Association 2009 Training schedule.

PROFIBUS Ireland through its Competency Centre in Limerick offers a number of  Certified and Non-Certified courses. 

CEESI have scheduled a number of Gas and Flow Measurement training courses. 

ICEfolks - News about promotions and changes for people in the Instrumentation and Control Engineering World.

Please let us know of any personnel or other job changes in your organisation.

The FDT Group Board of Directors has announced that Flavio Tolfo, the Managing Director of the group for the last three years will take his retirement as of July 1, 2009. The new managing Director will be Glenn Schulz...More.

The highest honor bestowed by the International Society of Automation (ISA), Honorary Member, has been given to Moore Industries’ founder and President Leonard W. Moore

Emerson Process Management has appointed Mark Dutton as Vice President & General Manager, Daniel® Measurement and Control, Europe.

ICEJobs – Vacancies and Wanted

Are YOU looking for good people? With ICEweb’s 140,000 page views a month plus ICEnews getting out to 7500 quality contacts a quarter and very competitive rates we are a very cost effective method of advertising, contact ICEweb for further details.

Looking for a job? As a service to the ICE community ICEweb and ICEnews will post your details for Free !  

Job Hunting in a Tough Economy - This article from Control Global gives some good tips in these tough economic times.

ICElinks - Electronic newsletters and links of potential interest to our readers.

A really great website for the latest news is the Read-Out Instrumentation Signpost.

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Are you into Hydraulics? Brendon Casey's Inside Hydraulics Newsletter contains loads of technical tips and money saving techniques.

Light my Pump is a comprehensive site covering pumps and pump systems. It includes calculations, trouble-shooting, videos of interesting experiments with fluids, tutorials and more!

ICEmerge — Mergers, acquisitions and news from the Instrumentation Control Engineering community.

The KOBOLD Group has acquired instrument manufacturer Heinrichs Messtechnik GmbH of Cologne, Germany.  Heinrichs Messtechnik is known for manufacturing high accuracy and custom Coriolis, variable area and magnetic flowmeters as well as density and level measuring instruments. 

Brooks Instrument, a world-leading provider of flow measurement and control devices and level gauges, has announced that it has acquired certain assets of Celerity’s Instrumentation division, a technology leader in precision instruments and advanced gas and liquid delivery solutions for the global semiconductor, solar, and electronics industries... More.

Emerson Process Management has announced it has acquired the online wet chemistry analyzers product line of Hawthorne, NY based SI Industrial Instruments, Inc. (dba Scientific Instruments) for use in the power and water treatment markets. The Scientific Instruments product line becomes part of Emerson Process Management, expanding its Rosemount Analytical solutions with reliable, low maintenance measuring systems used extensively in the power and steam generation industry... More. 

CSA Group has officially announced that they have acquired SIRA Test and Certification Limited, a world leader in the conformity assessment solutions field which specializes in the testing of safety equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres, and three affiliated companies. 

Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC has acquired CS Innovations, LLC, a leading Instrumentation and Control (I&C) nuclear product supplier to the digital I&C safety system upgrade market.

Honeywell has announced it has signed a definitive agreement valued at approximately $400 million USD to acquire the RMG GROUP (RMG Regel + Messtechnik GmbH and all of its subsidiaries, together RMG) a Kassel, Germany-based global leader in natural gas measuring and control products, services and integrated solutions. RMG will be integrated into Honeywell Process Solutions, which is part of Honeywell’s Automation and Control Solutions business group. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

ICEnew — Great new Technical Links posted on ICEweb.

Just click on the title header to go to ICEweb's super pages on each of the following subjects.

Analysers - ICEwebs Analyser pages cover many types of analysers plus their associated sample systems.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced their ARL 3460 Advantage metals analyser. An extension of the their optical emission spectrometers portfolio, this unit features four configurations specifically designed for the analysis of cast iron, steel and aluminum samples, addressing the analytical requirements of foundries and metals processing companies. Calibrated in the factory, the analyzer provides an immediate, accurate, cost-effective and high-performance turn-key solution, which is ready to analyze samples from installation.

The Analyzer Technician Opportunities Project (ATOP) has announced the completion of the Analyzer Technician Competency Model, a formal document defining the skills and competencies needed for analyzer technicians working in the field.

Cut out the waiting with the MDM300 Advanced Dew-point Hygrometer - Michell Instruments advise that their dew-point hygrometer can save engineers weeks of waiting time each year. Recent research into the operation of Michell Instruments' ceramic sensor technology has helped the MDM300 provide faster measurements. Dew points as low as -70°C can now be measured accurately in less than 10 minutes - faster in many cases. This super-fast response does not rely on the sensor being dried by a desiccant, which means that every measurement is fast - not just the first of the day - allowing for many more measurements to be taken each day.

Heated Tubing: Prefabricated or Field Trace & Insulate? - Peter R. Baen and Rory R. Johnson - Heated instrument tubing is common throughout industry and is most often used for winterization. It is also common for tubing to be maintained at high temperatures for viscous processes or to keep gas samples above dew point and prevent condensation. In many cases the tubing is field routed, electrical heat tracing is then installed, followed by the insulation and weather barrier. Alternatively, pre-insulated and heat traced "tube bundles" are designed to expedite installation, minimize total installed cost, and ensure predictable and reliable operation. This paper addresses the advantages and limitations of both approaches. See more information on ICEweb's Heat Tracing and Tube Bundles page.

Control Global have an excellent Process Analyser Systems page which provide an excellent Guide to several Process Analyzer Technology (PAT) System reference articles. These include;
- Process Analyzer Resources
- When is it Time to Retire your PAT System?
- PAT System Reliability
- What keeps Process Analyzer Engineers up at Night?
- Process Analyzer Reliability, Maintenance & Service
- Process Analyzer System Safety and Ergonomics Part II
- Process Analyzer System Safety and Ergonomics Part I
- More About Cost Estimating Process Analyzer Projects
- Cost Estimating for Process Analyzer Projects
- Project Roadmaps Get You There
- Accurately Scoping Process Analyzer Projects
- How to Launch an Analyzer System Lifecycle Reliability Program

Cables - Check out ICEweb's new Cable Pages. We are looking for more technical papers on these and other Electrical subjects. 

Protection or Degradation - Separate the ‘quiet’ cables such as analog I/O lines, digital I/O lines, or LAN connections - Motors starting, stopping, switches on and off, controls blinking in and out … it is a cacophony of electrical clatter. In today’s industrial environments, electronic devices, signal and power wiring, and other electrical plant/process equipment often interact to create “noise” or electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems, which can degrade critical measurement and control signals.  Proper grounding and shielding techniques can help reduce or eliminate these problems and maintain signal integrity. From InTech.

Control Valves - A Control Valve Repository which just has heaps of great useful technical information.

Rethink your Control Valve Maintenance - Neal Rinehart - Learn how new diagnostic tools can help make predictive maintenance a reality - Far too little has been done over the years to sustain the performance of control valves once they go into operation, despite widespread agreement on the impact that valves have on process efficiency. Rather than considering control valves as assets to be preserved, too many plants treat them as liabilities — frequently replacing critical valves during shutdown for no reason other than length of service. As a result, millions of dollars have been wasted and perfectly good control valves often have been discarded.

How to achieve optimal Control Valve Performance - Shawn Anderson and Neal Rinehart - Leaders in the process industries realise that good process control performance is an essential element in achieving world-class reliability as well as optimizing overall process efficiency. Since control valves are the only devices in the process loop that actually “move” to adjust the process, their performance is critical. The best way to achieve excellent performance is to initially select the most appropriate final control valve for the application and then to maintain its performance over time.

Improving Valve Life and Operating Efficiency The Easy Way - John C. Robertson - Valves are, unquestionably, the most important part of any piping and pumping system because they direct the flow of fluids and regulate temperatures. Properly used and maintained, they can improve process efficiency and lower costs. It is wise to apply the basics of proper valve maintenance in ways that improve their life cycle and operating efficiency. Here are eight often-overlooked valve maintenance basics that can help you do just that.

The Plant Maintenance Resource Center has some very useful links on Control Valves.

Control Systems - Covering vast array of technical subjects on Control Systems such as Advanced Process Control, Alarm Management, Batch Control, Cascade Control, Compressor Surge Control, Control Room Design, Control Forums, Fuzzy Logic, Decentralised Control,  Pneumatic Controllers,  Process Sequence Control Documentation Standards, Programmable Automation Controllers, Loop Tuning and much more.

This GREAT page which gets over 330 page views per month (this is control people actually looking at the content rather than hits) is available for sponsorship, for details please contact ICEnews 

ICEweb's Control page has added a whole heap of information on OPC. 

A major new standard on the development, installation, and management of alarm systems in the process industries has reached a significant milestone. ISA-18.2, "Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries," has been approved by the ISA Standards & Practices Board and, following final approval by the American National Standards Institute, is expected to be published in July.

GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced that it has released the latest version of its process control system: Proficy® Process Systems – Version 1.6. Proficy Process Systems is a fully-integrated process control system that, based on its flexible configuration, architecture and choice of controller platforms, can provide customers in different industries with an advanced DCS or hybrid process control system to meet their specific needs. These systems will improve operational performance and productivity and provide customers with a sustainable advantage for their business.

ISA88 Batch Standards and User Resources, 3rd Edition - With a wealth of information on a single CD-ROM, the ISA88 Batch Standards and User Resources is now in its Third Edition and compiles the essential ISA batch systems standards, technical publications, and other important information for the industrial automation and control systems professional. The CD includes the following:
Standards
• ISA-88.01-1995 (R2006), Batch Control Part 1: Models and Terminology
• ANSI/ISA-88.00.04-2006, Batch Control Part 4: Batch Production Records
• ANSI/ISA-88.00.03-2003, Batch Control Part 3: General and Site Recipe Models and Representation
• ANSI/ISA-88.00.02-2001, Batch Control Part 2: Data Structures and Guidelines for Languages
• ISA-TR88.0.03-1996, Possible Recipe Procedure Presentation Formats

Corrosion - Need to know about a corrosion issue? You are likely to find an answer in these pages.

Forms of Corrosion - This article from cheresources covers Uniform Attack, Galvanic, Crevice, Pitting, Intergranular, Selective Leaching, Erosion, and Stress Corrosion.

Condition Monitoring - ICEweb has added a new page on this subject and we are looking for more technical articles or papers - please send them to ICEnews.

Condition Monitoring Software made Easy -  Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE in Kaiserslautern, Germany, have developed a condition monitoring system for Lösi GmbH, which can adapt to various facilities without the need for manual programming. From ISA.

Machine Condition Monitoring Technical Library - Machine Condition Monitoring is the process of monitoring the condition of a machine. Vibration, noise, and temperature measurements are often used as key indicators of the state of the machine. Trends in the data provide health information about the machine and help detect machine faults early, which prevents unexpected failure and costly repair. This link from National Instruments has some good condition monitoring articles.

Analyse This - Todd Reeves - Many production problems can be averted with better information regarding the condition of pumping equipment. Route-based vibration monitoring systems contribute useful data, but they do not provide frequent enough coverage of critical motor-pump trains and other machines. However, a technology now exists to continuously monitor such equipment and identify process-induced machine anomalies before harm is done.

Optimising Process Equipment Performance - Todd Reeves -  Advances in transmitters and related systems can maximise rotating equipment and pump reliability at minimum cost. These advances involve integration of online equipment monitoring with process control systems. From Emerson Process Management.

The Case for Condition Monitoring -  What exactly is condition monitoring? How does it differ from other maintenance philosophies? And in what way does it impact the discipline of control engineering in the typical plant? Steve Sabin provides some answers. Thanks to Control Engineering Asia.

Selecting & Installing Accelerometers - Over the past decade, trending vibration parameters has become the most widely-used technology for monitoring machinery health. Industrial accelerometers have become the workhorse in the Predictive Maintenance market. These sensors are extremely rugged, provide a wide dynamic range, and are available in a variety of configurations to meet individual installation requirements.Confusion often arises when selecting the proper accelerometer for a given application. There are many good general purpose accelerometers that may address 80% of the applications. It is the other 20% that require special vibration sensors. These applications may include very high frequency monitoring, very low frequency measurements, very low amplitude, high temperature installations, and many others. This paper/presentation outlines the basic design characteristics of accelerometers. Special attention will be given to describing the criteria that makes up specialty sensors such as a low frequency accelerometer. Application guidance will be given regarding installing accelerometers, mounting techniques, and cabling. From Davidson.

Accelerometer Selection Considerations - Jim Lally - This paper reviews sensor selection considerations involving two general types of piezoelectric sensors. High impedance, charge mode (PE) type and Integral Electronic Piezo Electric (referred to as IEPE) with a characteristic low impedance output. In addition to sensor electrical and physical characteristics, several factors play a role in the selection of an accelerometer for a specific application. These factors include environmental, operational, channel count and system compatibility considerations.From Davidson.

Condition Monitoring in the 21st Century - Sandy Dunn - This paper outlines some of the key business opportunities and issues which are driving change in the industry, summarise some of the resulting trends and then draws some conclusions regarding the implications of these trends for Condition Monitoring equipment manufacturers and suppliers, Condition Monitoring contractors, and organisations employing Condition Monitoring techniques.The focus of this paper is on Vibration Monitoring technologies, but many of the issues, opportunities, trends and implications are similar across the other areas of Condition Monitoring technology. Thanks to plant-maintenance.com.

Condition Monitoring: Misused and Misunderstood - Mark Liebler - Condition  monitoring is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood of all industrial plant improvement programs. It is typically defined as a means of preventing catastrophic failure in critical rotating machinery - such as power generation plant, larger pumps and main arterial conveying systems - and providing the data needed to accurately determine the optimal schedule for maintenance activities on this plant. It is largely viewed as a “maintenance tool”, with little relevance to plant management and operations. In truth, condition monitoring can and should play a much broader role in the modern industrial operations: it is a tool that helps effectively manage site plant assets, logistics and labour requirements. Thanks to ferret.com.au.

Data Loggers

DataTaker have a range of online training options  including; 
- DataTaker Online Training Workshop - The complete set of presentation slides developed for the 3 day dataTaker Training Workshop. Designed to be used on your own, at your own pace. The presentation focuses on understanding the fundamentals of data acquisition and data logging. Including detailed programming examples, covering basic to advanced users of data loggers. Used in conjunction with the self paced worked example exercises within a hands on environment.
- Online Video Tutorials 
- Online Workshop Exercises 
- Need to program a DataTaker? - The datataker WIKI is a really great site specific to datataker programming

Dynamic Process Simulators and Training Systems - Plenty of information on this subject.

3 new papers have been added to ICEweb's Dynamic Process Simulators and Training Systems page.

Electrical - Many pages on the various Electrical subjects

The new IE3 Minimum Efficiency Standard for New Electric Motors that will become part of Europe's mandatory requirements starting in 2015 is already available in Baldor's range. IE3 is effectively the same as the USA's NEMA Premium standard, and over the last few years Baldor has developed a very broad range of super-efficient IEC frame types alongside its NEMA Premium motors for domestic American markets. With efficiencies up to 96%-plus, upgrading to one of these IE3 motors now could repay a motor's capital investment cost several times over by 2015, as well as generate substantial ongoing energy cost savings for users.

Enclosures - We have added additional technical references to our Enclosures page, thanks to our sponsor Weidmuller Australia .

Weidmüller has enhanced its Klippon® STB series of enclosures: stainless-steel series for use in standard industrial and harsh environments.The Klippon® STB (Small Terminal Box) range has been technically improved to be in line with the latest standards relating to hazardous area equipment (IEC / EN 60079, ATEX) and DIN 62208 which covers the empty enclosures.

Shutdown and Blowdown ESD Valves

Assessment of Valve Failures in the Offshore Oil & Gas Sector - John Peters -  This comprehensive report describes the findings of an assessment study of data-set information regarding valve problems in the UK Offshore Oil & Gas Industry. It was undertaken by the National Engineering Laboratory, on behalf of the Offshore Division of Health & Safety Executive, as part of a wider initiative to reduce hydrocarbon releases. From the UK HSE.

Emergency Shutdown Valve Study - Industry Operating Experiences and Views; The Way Forward- John Peters - An older study but still very relevant. From the UK HSE.

Flow - These pages cover; Coriolis, Metering,  Multiphase, Orifice Plates, Ultrasonic, Thermal, V-Cone, Vortex and more!

Focus on Liquid Flow Measurement -  Controlling the flow rate of liquids is a key control mechanism for any chemical plant.  There are many different types of devices available to measure flow. This article from cheresources covers some of the basics.

Wafer-Cone Flow Meter Offers High Accuracy For Natural Gas Small Line Wellhead Measurement - Engineers in search of a reliable solution for wellhead gas flow measurement will find that the flexible Wafer-Cone® Flow Meter from McCrometer provides good accuracy, versatility and low maintenance in the smaller line sizes utilized for natural gas wells.

Subsea Flow Measurement - Marcus Davis -  Flow measurement in subsea production systems, modules and templates is a challenge for flow meters. The complexity of subsea production systems ranges from simple satellite wells with one line to complex multiple well sites with a network of lines. Several pipe lines join together below the surface and will eventually extend to a fixed platform, Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO), or perhaps a pipeline running to a land-based operation. Flow measurement is required in all phases of these operations, especially at well heads and where lines merge.

Fire and Gas - Technical Papers covering many aspects of fire and gas engineering.