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Posted by: Jim Russell, January 2012
Human Factors Engineering (HFE) in Projects - This excellent 84 page Recommended Practice (RP) is an essential design document for anyone involved in the design of facilities. Just have a look at the examples in it! It adopts a practical, cost-effective and balanced approach to applying HFE on oil & gas projects. It recognises that many HFE issues can be controlled simply by ensuring compliance with existing technical standards. However, there are times where there is a gap between what can be specified in technical standards and the design features needed to support efficient, reliable and safe human performance. This RP involves three elements for controlling HFE-related risk: (1) Compliance with relevant technical specifications (2) HFE specific design analysis and design validation and (3) Organisation and competence to deliver appropriate standards of HFE quality control. Compliance with this RP should normally satisfy requirements from national regulators for evidence that HFE has been adequately considered in design. The process allows projects to demonstrate that consideration has been given to reducing the HFE risks and the potential for human error to a level that can be shown to be As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) through engineering and design - from International Association of Oil & Gas Producers.
Making Safe Waves in Hazardous Areas! - John Hartley - As wireless devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers become more reliable and cost effective, there is growing interest amongst the process industry as to the benefits to be found from enabling such devices to be used in hazardous areas. However, unlike most industries this is not a simple task. Installing wireless networks in hazardous areas requires careful, expert planning and execution. John Hartley, Managing Director of Extronics, explains the hazards posed by radio frequency sources and the issues involved when installing wireless networks in hazardous areas, and how to minimise the potential risk.
Choice of Gas Chromatograph Ovens and Shelters Impacts Cost of Ownership - Michael Gaura - When industry professionals scope out a new capital analyzer project, they spend time and effort evaluating the equipment to be used. In the case of gas chromatographs (GC), key capital expenses – the oven associated with the GC and the shelter that houses it – may not be considered in the final decision, often because managers do not realize they have a choice. In fact, these decisions can have a huge impact on the cost of ownership of the analysis equipment, with the potential to significantly reduce costs at initial installation, in operation and maintenance and in the execution of change orders.
The Fundamentals Of Pipeline Gas Chromatographs - Shane Hale - Gas chromatographs (GCs) are installed all over natural gas pipeline networks, providing an analysis of the flowing gas and calculating the physical properties used for the flow calculations and for custody transfer. However, a clear understanding of just how the GC works and the considerations that need to be made for the installation and operation of the GC are often lacking in the industry. This article discusses the major components of the GC and provides an understanding of the theory and practice of gas chromatography in the pipeline industry.
Perfecting Liquefied Natural Gas Analysis Techniques and Methods - S.Hale - Following these procedures will improve measurement accuracy and reliability.
Analysis of Pipeline-Quality Gas using a C9: Application (Five-Minute Analysis) - On-line chromatographs provide custody-transfer measurement of energy content in natural gas. To determine this heating value component, first we must determine component concentrations. In a standard C6+ application, this analysis is performed using two valves in a single oven (12-minute analysis time) or three valves in a single oven (four-minute analysis time). To perform this analysis to C9+, five valves are used in two different ovens (five-minute analysis time). The results from both detectors are combined in post-analysis calculations and reported together.
Analysis of Pipeline-Quality Gas using a C6+ with Trace H2S Application -Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a component that is often present in natural gas. There are many reasons for wanting to measure it. One of the most important reasons is that H2S is a highly toxic gas that can be deadly if breathed into the lungs. This gas is also corrosive to the pipeline. H2S mixed with H2O forms hydrosulfuric acid, which can cause pipeline metals to become brittle. Contractual obligation may require scrubbing or limiting of the H2S in natural gas before it is sold. Each pipeline company has its own acceptable limits of how much H2S can be present.
New Tank Over Fill and Spill Protection Standard - As a direct result of the Buncefield explosion, the American Petroleum Institute's Recommended Practice 2350 is being revised and updated to help prevent future incidents. It should be noted that there are similar storage terminals spread across Canada and the world. Many are currently in the process of updating to these standards. Of particular interest, are storage facilities fed by a pipeline, or from a ship, as the potential spill risk is greater than those fed by truck or rail. The API 2350 4th edition will require most petroleum storage tanks over 5000 liters to have an independent level alarm for critical high level. Past practices of taking a high level or overfill alarm off the main tank level gauge (commonly a radar level device) are no longer allowed. A back up device is now required that can be a second transmitter (continuous level indication) or more cost effectively a point level switch. Depending on the overfill prevention category of the vessel, these switches may be mechanical or electronic. While there are several potential alarm points, here we are discussing the independent alarm required for the "High-High" alert - from Magnetrol
The following technical
papers are from oseco
Rupture
Disc Terminology and Concepts - A comprehensive list here.
A
Structured Method for Proper Selection of Rupture Disks for Safety Relief in
Ammonia Plants - Jeff Scoville and Alan Wilson - Proper selection of a
rupture disk is more than performing sizing calculations to make sure it is
adequatelysized for the emergency event. Criteria such as operating pressure
and temperature, material selection, gasor liquid service, etc. must be
evaluated to determine the best disk type for the application. The cost of
notevaluating such criteria can be significant to operations if the ammonia
plant has excessive “nuisance” failures of an improperly specified
rupture disk. This paper will present a structured step-by-step method for
determining the appropriate rupture disk type for an application - from
Oseco Inc.
The
Use of Certified KR for Rupture Disks - Jeff Scoville - The ASME Section
VIII, Division 1, 1998 code established a new code symbol stamp forrupture
disks in 1999 called “UD”. While the Code recognized rupture disks as
acceptable pressure relief devices prior to this revision, there was no
formal process for product certification. Very few manufacturers had
performed flow testing of their products, therefore the methodologies for
sizing relief systems reflected in the ASME Code and API Recommended
Practices (RP) were estimates at best. The new UD stamp now requires any
product carrying the stamp to be flow tested at an ASME PTC-25 accepted flow
laboratory in the presence of a representative from the National Board of
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. Results of the flow testing are
communicated directly to the user via the certified flow resistance factor
(KR) and minimum net flow area (MNFA) stamped on the disk tag. These values
are also published in the National Board Red Book, which also covers relief
valves.
Corrosion Data Tables - This is a good table detailing materials against media, concentration and temperature - from OSECO
Look for Signs of Failure to Protect Critical Assets - Deane Horn - Complete online monitoring of the plant’s most critical assets includes shutdown protection, predictive, and performance monitoring – all integrated with the process automation system. Rotating equipment seldom fails without providing hints well in advance. Machinery health warning signs come in the form of vibration changes, process parameter changes, and performance changes to name a few. So imagine a form of machinery protection that allows you to anticipate and recognise these warning signs. A complete protection strategy can then be formulated based on the use of early information gathered from a combination of vibration, performance, and process data. Shutdown protection would be relegated to the last line of defence, and costly outages could be eliminated. Advanced technologies, including online and wireless vibration monitoring and ASME calculations based equipment performance, can all be integrated with the process control system to nurture the health of machinery that is essential to maintaining uninterrupted production - from Emerson Process Management.
****
Centralised or Distributed Process Safety - Picking the Best Safety System Architecture cuts Risk and Cost while Simplifying Implementation and Maintenance - Dr. Angela Summers - Process plant safety systems can either be centralized, distributed, or a combination of both. Each approach has its advantages and challenges, with selection of the best option dependent on a variety of factors. This article will examine various safety system architectures and will show process plant users how to pick the best solution to fit their specific needs - from ISAand InTech
Posted by: Jim Russell, December 2011
A Culture of Safety - Industry Moves to Make Sure Accidents DON'T Happen - Amy W. Richardson - In response to some major disasters in the 1970s and ‘80s, in which control system failures were contributing factors, a new culture of industrial process automation safety was born. As part of this movement, end-users, industry associations, and equipment suppliers alike moved to more closely consider control and safety applications with the aim of minimizing common modes of failure. For decades, it was common to build certain protections into the Basic Process Control System (BPCS) to prevent failures. However, the new approach focused on separation between control and safety applications to reduce failures. In the ‘90s, the ISA-SP84 Committee settled on the term Safety Instrumented System (SIS) to describe an independent automated safety system. Today, if the layers of safety measures built into a modern process control systems were peeled back, one would likely find the SIS at the outermost level, providing the last preventive layer of protection against undetected and detected equipment failures that lead to unsafe process conditions - from www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
Remote Location Power Surge Protection - David Torres - Remote sites include locations such as telecommunications shelters, cellular towers, water/wastewater treatment plants, railroad bungalows, and HVAC systems. These installations can be challenging to protect from lightning, line surges originating from utility switching, damage to power utility lines, and power surges originating from area industrial equipment. Devices in remote locations are typically closer to the service entrance and lack other power paths for energy to flow. This makes them more susceptible to surge damage than other applications. When planning a remote installation, the design engineer or installer must consider proper grounding and bonding, the correct surge protection device (SPD) for the job, and proper installation. When installed correctly, it is possible to protect a remote site from lightning or other surge events - from ISA and InTech.
Control Valve Exit Noise and its use to Determine Minimum Acceptable Valve Size - Alan H. Glenn - This paper describes general aerodynamic noise generation and prediction and, in more detail, the IEC 60534-8-3 exit noise prediction. It will describe noise generation inside the valve and at its exit, its propagation down the pipeline, and its transmission through the pipe wall and into the outside environment. Several sample cases are included. A simple computer program that could be used to facilitate the calculation of the control valve exit noise for control valves is also briefly explained - from Flowserve and Valve World.
Control Valves for Pump Protection (Recirculation) Service - E.W.Singleton - This paper discusses the essential procedures involved in the application of control valves for the protection of pumps operating at low flow conditions. Automatic Recirculating Valves (ARC Valves), although they do not fall into the category of control valves, do play an important role in pump protection, so a reference to these is also included - from Koso Kent Introl and Valve World.
Cryogenic Valve Technology - The valve that came out of the cold - Do you get the shivers everytime you have to select a valve for cold box applications? Cool down... with SAMSON's Type 3248 Cryogenic Valve, temperatures down to -320 °F (-196 °C) will be covered. With an extended isolating section, the actuation and accessories are protected from catching a cold.
Control Valves for Critical Applications - Know the Causes of Cavitation and Flashing and How to Prevent Them - J. Kiesbauer - In refineries, the process media flowing through valves are primarily liquids. With liquids, critical operating conditions caused by cavitation or flashing may occur. Symptoms are, for instance, increased noise emission, valve and pipe component erosion or low-frequency mechanical vibration in the valve and the connected pipeline. Under these conditions, in particular, neglecting details can result in negative influences on plant performance and costs of ownership. Unfortunately, common practice today is to select control valves in a “quick and dirty” fashion, because the phases of planning, bidding and order processing are connected with significant pressures of cost and time. This article presents the basic principles underlying these problems and shows how to eliminate them based on practical examples from refineries. Moreover, a new throttling element is introduced, that is especially suited to reducing noise emission produced by cavitation. This new throttling element is being implemented in refineries with increasing success.
Fugitive Emissions and Control Valves - This paper describes the history of the development of the fugitive emissions requests, the standards committees and manufactures reactions to them. How do these standards differ? How do they compare? The paper also describes the approach and issues a control valves manufacturer has to deal with to meet the various requirements on fugitive emissions. It is recognised also that control valves by their function of continuous movement have more tendency to wear out than on/off valves and are therefore more easily subject to packing leakage - from www.valve-world.net
Fugitive Emissions Philosophies for Control Valves -Holger Siemers - It is interesting to compare the use of the bellows seal design versus low emission packing material. The bellows seal design seems to have been forgotten in international discussions and published papers, but it is still unbeatable as regards its life cycle and 'quality of tightness'. In the 'world of valves' under the requirements of fugitive emissions approximately 5% are control valves - thanks to SA Instrumentation and Control
Bellows Sealed Valve Technology - Maintenance-free, hysteresis-free bellows seals guarantee zero leakage over the entire service life of the control valve. With Samson's environmentally friendly bellows seals, you are always on the safe side and plant downtime required to replace the valve packing is a thing of the past.
Control
Valve Design Aspects for Critical Applications in Petrochemical Plants -
Holger Siemers - With three decades of experience in demanding applications,
Mr Siemers has a deep appreciation of developments and trends in sizing
control valves. In this paper, he reviews the past, present and future of
valve design and sizing, taking all-important issues such as increasing cost
pressure and time pressure into account. This paper is presented in two
parts: firstly, how to use manufacturer independent software to analyse
given or calculated plant parameters in more detail from an overall pointof
view with a complete power check and optimizing possibilities. Some case
studies are also discussed. The second section, scheduled for a future
issue, includes information on to design, size and use severe service
control valves with good performance for long maintenance intervals.
Different philosophies of valve design (plug design), pressure balance
systems, stem sealing, actuator sizing, cost philosophies for" high
end" applications are discussed. The paper covers:
Accurate sizing & software tools
Energy saving by plant and valve optimization
Debottlenecking: Can the old valve do the new job ?
Predictable troubles with control valve sizing in case of sub-critical flow
conditions and in case of flashing.
Control valve failures & troubleshooting.
The hidden valve enemy: Critical outlet velocities need to take priority.
Fugitive emissions philosophies for control valves.
Actuator sizing philosophies.
Control valve design and cost philosophies for "high end"
applications.
Improve Material Balance by Using Proper Flowmeter Corrections - S Peramanu and J. C Wah - Process plants frequently encounter mass imbalances. These can be attributed to various factors, but often they lead back to inappropriate measuring devices, improper calibration, incorrect installation or incorrect interpretation of the measured flows. There are well-established guidelines available to ensure appropriate flowmeter selection based on the process conditions and control requirements - from Hydrocarbon Processing.
Intelligent Control Room Management For Oil And Gas Pipeline Safety - Paul Thoman - This article discusses how intelligent control room management, based on a foundation of electronic standard operating procedures (eSOPs), can address the regulations, document the necessary actions for compliance validation, and drive operational excellence-from Automation.com.
Why is Good Control Important? - Dick Caro - It takes a lot of effort to attain “good control.” Certainly, loop tuning is taught at ISA, but few control/instrument engineers actually practice loop tuning. Most of the distributed control systems (DCSs) have some type of automated loop tuning, and suppliers provide loop tuning software that can be added to any system, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Some processes, however, make it almost impossible to achieve optimal loop tuning. Understanding ways to improve control makes engineers more valuable to their company and improves operations - from the ISA and InTech.
NEL have a Number of Useful papers on Wind Turbines - These include Wind turbine power performance measurements, Types of small and micro wind turbines and Conversion of wind energy into electrical energy - you will need to register to get these.
Effects of Complex Wind Regimes on Turbine Performance - Elisabeth Rareshide, Andrew Tindal1, Clint Johnson, AnneMarie Graves, Erin Simpson, James Bleeg, Tracey Harris and Danny Schoborg- Wind turbine power performance for the annual energy production calculations of wind farms has traditionally been modeled assuming a set of simple and average input meteorological conditions. Turbine power curve tests are also performed with this assumption, based on criteria defined in the IEC 61400-12-1 [1] standard. While this approach has proven to be adequate for the wind power industry for several years, the increasing size of wind turbines—coupled with an improved awareness of the wind flow variation throughout the boundary layer—has generated concern that the effects of complex meteorological conditions on turbine power performance are not well understood - from Garrad Hassan.
Guidance Note - Application of Ultrasonic Flow Meter Diagnostics - Improvements in digital signal processing techniques have enabled large amounts of data to be processed and stored in real time. Manufacturers of modern flow meter devices such as ultrasonic meters (USMs) have taken advantage of these improvements and are now using diagnostic parameters to perform a ‘health-check’ of the meter when in operation. This can help the diagnosis of potential problems with the measured fluid or the measurement system - from NEL.
Pharmaceutical Applications - There are reportedly over 22,000 pharmaceutical plants in the World producing a wide range of varied products. Pharmaceutical production, whether continuous or batch, uses a variety of toxic and combustible materials. Not all gases or solvents are used in each process, but the general categories include Amines, Ammonia, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, various Halogens, Chlorides, Hydrogen Peroxide, Hydrogen Sulphide, Hydrogen Cyanide, Phosgene and a variety of solvents. Local health and safety guidelines dictate safe working practices for personnel in connection with toxic substances. Failure to meet these minimum requirements exposes the operator to the risk of litigation. Emissions of solvents used within the production process must be minimised to meet latest international regulations on emissions. This requires significant investment in solvent reclamation equipment which must be protected. In addition, the use of continuous flammable gas monitoring will reduce insurance premiums further while ensuring safety levels are maintained.
The Danger of Confined Spaces - Areas with a volume of less than 100m³, where there is no natural ventilation or areas that measure less than 2 metres in diameter, length, width and depth are classed as confined and enclosed danger zones. Special attention needs to be drawn to the dangers posed by gases when space is restricted and typical examples of confined spaces within industry include: shafts, trenches, pits, boilers, tanks, pipelines and containers, as locations for emergency response units.
There are a swag of technical wireless papers on the WINA site.
Smart Wireless Network Monitors Eye wash and Safety Shower Stations -Automated monitoring delivers real-time data to plant operators with 60 percent installed cost savings compared to wired technology
Radio
in Industrial Environments - Part 1 and
Part 2 - Brian Cunningham - With increasing demands placed on plant
managers to reduce operating costs, wireless is presenting attractive
alternatives to buried cable and conduit runs. The issue at stake in
choosing this alternative is reliability. In industry, the requirements for
radio differ from those typically governing commercial or residential
applications. With cellular phones, for instance, the design requirement is
best effort in terms of coverage and reliability. With industrial
applications, the design requirement becomes must work 100%. Typical
industrial applications include extracting tank levels in storage
facilities, controlling pump stations in municipalities, and in general
replacing cable and conduit where the cost of materials and associated
installation exceed the cost of a radio system. However the question remains
when replacing a tried and true cable and conduit system with a new
technology: will it be as reliable?
Frequency Hopping and Unwanted Intruders - Randy Klassen & Åke Severinson - All types of data transfer offer the opportunity for both data interception and injection. In wired systems, it usually takes some direct physical connection to gain access, with tampering being possible anywhere along the transmission wires. Radio systems, on the other hand, take the potential for data interception or injection out of the realm of actual physical contact and force tampering to occur in the radio frequency (RF) realm. Further to this, various radio systems and technologies set up different types of "road blocks" that must be overcome by the wireless intruder - from OMNEX Control Systems Inc and Cooper Industries
Circles of Success - A Brief Tutorial - Randy Klassen - With spread spectrum radios moving into the industrial workplace and out among the pipes and tanks, making the decision to install, specify or manufacture a wireless product is one that cannot be made lightly. No one likes to be embarrassed by product that doesn't work, and in the wireless arena where more and more products are now popping up new rules and guidelines have to be established to ease the decision-making process. This tutorial will focus on a few of the rules that will help HopLink distributors and end-users make decisions about specifying and installing wireless products successfully. It is designed to give you a simple tool for evaluating a HopLink installation's probability for success in terms of: a) where the HopLink will operate reliably, b) how much support you will have to give the product, and c) how to build trust in the eyes of your customer or manager by not "overselling" the HopLink's capabilities and achieving a quick and reliable installation - from OMNEX Control Systems Inc and Cooper Industries
Antennas - A Brief Tutorial - Randy Klassen - Antennas are simply lengths of conductive metal that radiate radio signals into the air. Most common antennas are designed to be one-quarter, sometimes one-half, the wavelength of the radio signal they are to transmit/ receive - from OMNEX Control Systems Inc and Cooper Industries
Is the (Completely) Wireless Pharmaceutical Plant Only 10 Years Away? - It's possible, says Jane Lansing, VP of Marketing for Emerson Process Management. Sure, Emerson is heavily invested in enabling wireless in pharma, but the technology, standards and, yes, FDA support are all there to make the next decade the golden age in wireless for the pharmaceutical plant, Lansing says.
Extreme Wireless Applications - If your wireless application isn't clean and pretty, then check out Emerson's Smart Wireless networks!
Leading the Smart Wireless Transformation - With more than 580 million operating hours, spanning 6,100 wireless networks around the world, Emerson's Smart Wireless solutions are a proven way to monitor critical functions. Emerson experts have developed a range of wireless sensors that work in places where people can't go and where stringing wires isn't practical.
Extended Range Wireless Antenna - Plant Wireless - Emerson technology demo introducing an extended range wireless antenna for automation technologies in remote locations.
Wireless Proves Its Worth - Plants Early Experience Leads to High Value Applications - Tim Gerami and Jerry Moon
Leading the Smart Wireless Transformation - With more than 580 million operating hours, spanning 6,100 wireless networks around the world, Emerson's Smart Wireless solutions are a proven way to monitor critical functions. Emerson experts have developed a range of wireless sensors that work in places where people can't go and where stringing wires isn't practical.
IEC 62591 WirelessHART® System Engineering Guide - This updated excellent 83 page document has been created to support the developing needs of WirelessHART end users adopting self-organizing mesh networks within the process industry. It recognises that WirelessHART products are available from the HART COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION and many of its members, and thus is written in a ‘generic’ fashion which does not incorporate any ‘value added’ features available from any specific vendor. It is assumed that the reader is proficient with HART instrumentation, therefore the focus of this content will be on the unique aspects of deploying WirelessHart systems. Unless stated otherwise, the reader should assume the project steps are the same for HART and WirelessHART instrumentation. The document is intended to serve as the basis for advanced discussions on the implementation of WirelessHART systems.
Emerson Wireless Security - WirelessHART and Wi-Fi - This comprehensive paper demonstrates capabilities to deploy secure, reliable and robust wireless solutions for both field instruments and plant-wide applications.
Smart Wireless Field Network - Recommendations for Planning, Installation and Commissioning - A Smart Wireless Field Network from Emerson Process Management is easy to plan, install, and commission. Included in this paper are recommendations for ensuring proper network performance without the need for site surveys as required for point-to-point wireless technologies.
Smart Wireless Solutions - Intelligent Well Production Starts Here - The wellheads, flow lines, and separation areas in these fields have typically used wired approaches which involve significant commissioning time, and lengthy installation of wiring, trenching, conduit runs, and cable trays; or proprietary wireless networks which suffer from reliability issues. Emerson’s Smart Wireless technology overcomes these issues.
Improving Quality with Digital Plant Architecture - The major source of quality problems in plants, mills, and refineries is process variability. PlantWeb digital plant architecture’s predictive intelligence helps you detect and correct potential problems before they can increase variability. As a result, you can keep instruments and other equipment performing at their best, improve control, and sustain the resulting gains – so you can reduce variability and shift setpoints for higher-quality output.
The "Smart Refinery" - “Smart” technologies have been around the refining industry for a couple of decades. In fact, process automation, control and monitoring technologies get smarter every year. But are they actually improving your business? Are they helping you address the impending workforce crisis we are all facing? Are they helping provide you with the flexibility to change your production strategies to deal with varying crude states? Are they giving you the confidence to run your refinery at your rated capacities while ensuring safe operating conditions, which are non-negotiable? Emerson Process Management have combined their experience with leading refiners with the knowledge and perspective of their leading technology and applications specialists to stimulate insights and ideas for bringing predictability into your operation. These are not blue-sky ideas. They are down-to-earth and practical, yet advanced ideas for harnessing the power of technology to enable your staff to be their most effective and efficient. We call it the “Smart Refinery.” This brief guide aspires to provide insight into how you can harness these new technologies to gain value from improving your plant’s operation.
Enhanced Foundation Fieldbus Physical Layer Diagnostics with the DeltaV System - Of the issues preventing proper operation of FOUNDATION fieldbus (Ff) segments, the leading causes have consistently been related to the fieldbus physical layer. For instance, problems with the segment occur if one of the terminators is not installed, the voltage level on the segment is not correct, the cable is improperly wired, noise is introduced on the wires, and the list goes on. These physical layer problems often can be corrected with relatively little effort, once the root cause is determined. Without the availability of good tools for collecting and analyzing the Ff segment’s physical layer diagnostics, considerable time can be spent chasing the cause of the problem. However, end-users may perceive these potential network infrastructure problems and the need for a network diagnostic tool as complications of using fieldbus versus 4-20 mA signals. Therefore, any diagnostic tool must be easy to use and have the ability to eliminate the user’s concerns with physical layer installation and operation. Several 3rd-party manufacturers offer diagnostic tools for identifying problems with the FOUNDATION fieldbus physical layer. This whitepaper focuses on three such solutions from Pepperl+Fuchs, an Emerson Process Management Alliance Program member company.
Answers to your Questions about Implementing Fieldbus in DeltaV Systems - Questions often arise when implementing Fieldbus in DeltaV systems, such as “What is the meaning of a particular term”? “How does it apply to DeltaV systems”? “How do I calculate the Macrocycle”? and many more questions. This paper provides answers to common questions, using a question and answer format.
Posted by: Jim Russell, November 2011
Fieldbus Justification Goes Beyond Total Cost of Ownership - Larry O'Brien - Fieldbus, as a digital replacement for 4-20 mA analog communications, is a simple concept, but it is significantly changing the way that users look at their processes and is providing a flood of information from the field about both the devices and their associated processes. Users should approach the process of choosing, implementing and using fieldbus in a way that will achieve successful and superior performance, reduced costs and operational excellence in the context of the enterprise’s business goals.
Gas Detection in Air Intakes - When it comes to monitoring of ventilation air, at air intakes, in ventilation ducts or at ventilation outlets, the trend has been towards lower trip levels and/or faster response times. This product information discusses these issues in order to help choosing the right detector for the task - from Simrad Optronics and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec
Avoid Thermal 'short cuts' to Improve Protection Efficiency - Specifying an enclosure for field-based instrumentation is not a trivial task. If the enclosure is destined for an extreme environment - such as desert or Arctic regions - starting such a configuration process with one of the commonplace styles of metal enclosures used for electrical panel gear is usually not such a good solution, and can pose problems for the inexperienced - from Intertec.
Cooling System Options for Electronic Enclosure Cooling: Do Thermoelectric Air Conditioners Have the Advantage? - This white paper discusses four popular options for cooling electronic/electrical equipment housed in enclosures and cabinets. These options include thermoelectric air conditioners, compressor-based air conditioners, vortex coolers and air-to-air heat exchangers (heat pipes). Each cooling method is explained and the advantages of thermoelectric air conditioners are examined as compared to the other cooling methods - from EIC Solutions Inc.
A Systems Approach to Functional Terminal Block Design - Consider where signals are processed in measurement, conversion and regulation systems - Carsten Luckheide - Ideally, functional terminal blocks should be easy to use, provide secure connections and make it simple to bridge terminals, whether or not they are adjacent. By taking a systems approach to functional terminal block design, though, a single block can be adapted to different connection requirements - from plantservices.com
Corrosion Resistance of Electric Wire Terminals Used in Harsh Industrial Environments - Industry reports indicate that 50 to 60 percent of electrical downtime has been traced to open or intermittent connections.1 Harsh industrial environments increase the risk of corrosion and chemical attack on metals used in wire terminal connections, potentially affecting electrical reliability. Engineers designing industrial control products must apply sound judgment in material selection and wire clamp design along with rigorous test methods to ensure reliable long term performance under harsh field conditions. Accelerated corrosion testing is an important tool for use in product designs such as wire terminal systems. Test methods such as salt spray testing have traditionally been used to evaluate corrosion resistance but can seldom be correlated to actual field performance. Other methods using corrosive gas mixtures have been developed to better correlate with field conditions. This paper studies corrosion resistance of wire terminal connections made from a variety of materials and protective platings and coatings. Accelerated test methods using both salt spray and corrosive gas mixtures were applied. The results show that each base metal and protective coating has it's strengths and weaknesses. Steel with zinc-trivalent chromate protective coatings performed well but vary significantly depending on the thickness of zinc, type of chromate, and use of sealers. Nickel-plated brass performed well except in environments with high concentrations of ammonia. Stainless steel provided the best and most universal corrosion resistance. The information presented in this paper can be applied to make more knowledgeable product selection decisions that will help ensure long term reliability of electrical connections used in industrial control applications - From Rockwell.
MGD - The Electronic Nose - The MGD detector is an innovative technology offering unique solution for early fire detection in extremely harsh environments as storage silos, turbines, conveying systems and electrical rooms. The MGD detector contains extremely sensitive sensors that reacts fast on the gases released in a very early stage of a fire, even before the precense of visible smoke or flames. The detector is constantly comparing the actual gas pattern with different classified patterns of gas. Based on this the detector can differentiate the actual gas from a fire from other gases in the air coming from other disturbing elements - Thanks to FireFly and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec.
Water Mist for Fire Protection of Heritage - This is an excellent technical paper which provides a vast amount of information on water mist systems.Water mist application is the most subtle way of water extinguishing. It provides safe and practical environment for rescue work, it protects visitors and staff, it incur minimal secondary damage in valid or unintentional activations and substantially remove harmful particles from smoke. Apart from the above and general extinguishing capabilities of water, mist applications add several advantages over standard sprinkler systems, which often justifies a moderate extra cost. Mist systems discharge less water and use small-diameter pipes. Water supply may not run empty, as does limited gas supplies or other extinguishing media. Water mist may be turned off and on again. Water mist can be used where water was not previously considered practical. Water mist is used in hand held extinguishers, fire hose nozzles, small standalone units, object protection systems, room filling systems, hand held impact guns and large water mist impact monitors. Applications include museum vaults, heritage buildings, hotels, churches and art galleries - from heritagefire.net.
Ultrasonic (Acoustic) Gas Leak Detection Technology - Ultrasonic (acoustic) gas leak detection technology works by listening for ultrasound emitted from pressurised gas leaks. Instead of measuring a concentration level in LEL as traditional gas detectors (point and open path detectors) the ultrasonic gas leak detectors raise an instant on/off alarm if a leak is detected. The ultrasonic gas leak detectors do not have to wait until the gas concentration has accumulated to a potentially dangerous gas cloud, they react instantaneously. This means that unlike traditional gas detectors, ultrasonic detectors can detect gas leaks at the speed of sound without being affected by wind directions or gas dilution. Instead of measuring a concentration level in LEL, the ultrasonic (acoustic) gas leak detection method is based on the so-called leak rate. This makes detection more reliable and efficient as it is possible to verify the performance of the detection system - This link also includes a case history, detection coverage, installation practice, background noise, gas leak definition and frequently asked questions - from Gassonic.
Ultrasonic Leak Detection - The First Stage in Gas Detection - These sensors will detect gas at‘the speed of sound’ and do not need to be in the gas cloud to operate successfully. Ultrasonic gas detectors have been designed to detect pressure gas leaks from all gases, this includes the 35% of Hydrocarbon Leaks which go undetected in the North Sea (Source UK HSE) - thanks to Groveley Detection and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec
Valves/Actuator Combinations - Rens Wolters - In 2010 a new revision of the IEC 61508 was formally published. The previous version dated back to 1998 and since then it is used in the Oil and Gas industry for over-pressure protection systems. This paper focuses on the modifications in the IEC 61508 related to the final elements and as example an application in the Oil and Gas industry is used - from Mokveld.
Fire and Explosion Guidance - The primary objective of this document is to offer guidance on practices and methodologies which can lead to a reduction in risk to life, the environment and the integrity of offshore facilities exposed to fire and explosion hazards - from fabig and UKOOA.
Electrical, Instrumentation and Telecommunication Installation - This Offshore Petroleum NORSOK standard covers functional and technical requirement related to installation of electrical, instrumentation and telecommunication equipment. In addition the standard establish basis for engineering of typical areas like cable segregation, cable requirements, Ex-philosophies, equipment enclosures etc.
Technical safety - This NORSOK standard describes the principles and requirements for the development of the safety design of offshore installations for production of oil and gas. Where applicable, this NORSOK standard may also be used for mobile offshore drilling units. This NORSOK standard, together with ISO 13702, defines the required standard for implementation of technologies and emergency preparedness to establish and maintain an adequate level of safety for personnel, environment and material assets.
NFPA 329: Recommended Practice for Handling Releases of Flammable and Combustible Liquids and Gases, 2010 Edition - This recommended practice provides appropriate methods for responding to fire and explosion hazards resulting from the release of a flammable or combustible liquid, gas, or vapor that could migrate to a subsurface structure. This document is available free in a read only format after you register with the NFPA.
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) is a
not-for-profit trade association with the aim of promoting the professional
status of the UK fire safety industry. The FIA's main objective is to
promote the professional standards of the fire industry. They provide
technical knowledge and advice to anyone who needs it regarding fire safety
in the UK. This site is an excellent Fire Detection and Protection resource.
It provides;
- Technical
Updates - General technical information of interest. This includes
consultation requests from UK Government on new or proposed legislation,
public comment drafts of Standards, and comment drafts of FIA technical
documents as well as the notification of publication of new standards and
legislation.
- Fact
Files - Fact Files are a collation of technical, legislative or
procedural facts on a single subject or closely associated group.
- Guidance
Notes - These are recommendations and interpretations by the FIA
(written by Council, Committee, and Secretariat etc) to give help and
guidance to members and non-members on technical subjects, legislative
matters, FIA processes/procedures etc.
- Codes
of Practice - These are ‘how to’ documents that are drafted and
formatted in a similar fashion to a national standard by the FIA (written by
Council, Committee, and Secretariat etc) to give help and guidance to
members and non-members, primarily on technical subjects.
Using High Pressure Water Mist Fire Protection Systems for Offshore Oil Drilling and Producing Facilities - Larry W Owen - Almost every portion of the platform requires some form of fire protection. Many of the spaces found on offshore oil drilling and production facilities can be protected with water mist systems. Water mist systems have tremendous fire suppression and extinguishing capabilities whether the area protected contains flammable liquids or ordinary combustibles. System testing protocols developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have set the standard for water mist design requirements. Coupled with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 750 Standard on Water Mist Fire Protection, these global guidelines set the benchmark for fire protection engineering companies to use when designing water mist systems. Water mist systems provide suppression and extinguishment of fires through the use of three primary mechanisms, cooling, oxygen depletion (inerting) and radiant heat blocking - from touch briefings
Code of Practice for the Design and Installation of Commercial and Industrial Watermist Systems - This Code of Practice gives recommendations for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of watermist systems, and gives performance criteria for fixed watermist systems for specific commercial and industrial hazards. Annex A of this Code provides a template for the testing and validation of watermist system applications by qualified fire testing laboratories. The Code of Practice does not cover watermist systems on ships, in aircraft, on vehicles and mobile fire appliances or for below ground systems in the mining industry. It does not cover the use of watermist for explosion protection.
Guidance for Responsible Persons on False Alarm Management of Fire Detection and Alarm Systems - This is a generic guideline, for the end user or ‘Responsible Person’, to manage and ultimately reduce false alarms from a building’s fire detection and alarm system - from the FIA.
Chief Fire Officers Association Protocol for the Reduction of False Alarms & Unwanted Fire Signals - The Aims Of This Protocol are to; Provide a uniform process for those parties involved in managing the reduction of false alarms and UwFS, reduce the number of false alarms generated by fire detection and AFAS, reduce the numbers of UwFS sent to FRSs and provide the most appropriate response. - from the FIA
Code of Practice for Design, Installation, Commissioning & Maintenance of Aspirating Smoke Detector (ASD) Systems - The Code of practice provides recommendations for the planning, design, installation, commission and maintenance of aspirating smoke detection systems. It identifies categories of ASD systems and typical applications where such systems can be used. It also provides specific design rules on common applications and guidance on good practice.
Guidance on Video Smoke Detection Technology (VSD) - This FIA Guidance Document provides an overview of video smoke detection technology (VSD) based on the analysis of video signals from CCTV cameras and gives some basic guidelines as to its application in fire detection and alarm systems - from the FIA
Guidance on the Pressure Relief and Post Discharge Venting of Enclosures Protected by Gaseous Fire Fighting Systems - This document provides guidance on fulfilling the requirements contained in BS EN15004-1 and BS 5306-4, in respect to over and under pressurisation venting - clauses 7.4.1 and 10.3.3. respectively and post discharge extract - clauses 5.3 h) and 15.9 respectively. It considers the design, selection and installation of vents to safeguard the structural integrity of enclosures protected by fixed gaseous fire fighting systems and the post discharge venting provisions where used - from the FIA.
Application Guidelines for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fire Detectors - This FIA Fact File provides guidelines for the use of fire detectors utilizing carbon monoxide (CO) sensors based on electrochemical cell technology.
Application Guidelines for Thermally Enhanced Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fire Detectors - This FIA Fact File provides guidelines for the use of fire detectors utilizing carbon monoxide (CO) sensors based on electrochemical cell technology enhanced by one or more thermal sensors. It covers detectors where the thermal sensor(s) may also provide a response to fire independently. This Fact File does not give guidelines for detectors which incorporate additional or other sensing technologies. This Fact File does not give guidelines for CO gas detectors for environmental monitoring or toxic gas detection.
Guide to (Point) Detector Cleanliness - Some excellent tips of how to clean Fire Detectors - from the FIA
Smoke Detection in High Spaces using Aspirating Smoke Detectors - Reliable detection of smoke in high ceiling spaces has been considered a challenge for many years and most Design and Installation Codes (including BS5839-1) define limits on the ceiling height that may be protected by a particular technology. Most practitioners default to using detection technologies – such as Optical Beam Smoke Detectors (OBSD) or Aspirating Smoke Detectors (ASD) – which derive their smoke measurement over an area – not at a single location. Such "integrating" technologies are inherently more sensitive to smoke that is diluted or distributed as it rises to higher levels than point type detectors. BRE Global has recently completed a research project jointly funded by the BRE Trust and the FIA to review the recommendations provided for using OBSD and ASD in high ceiling spaces. The results of this research are published in a BRE Information Paper but are summarized in this Fact File along with news of how the results have influenced changes to the FIA Code of Practice for ASD Systems - From the Fire Industry Council.
Managing False Alarms - For users of Automatic Fire Detection and Alarm Systems - This guide has been produced to advise and give recommendations for all users of automatic fire detection and alarm systems ways in which to avoid unwanted alarms, be they malicious, accidental or arising from neglect of a system - From Chubb UK
Guide to Reducing False Alarms from Automatic Fire Detection Systems - About 90% of automatic fire-detection and fire-alarm systems do not cause regular false alarms. However, the remaining 10% are involved in most false alarms. Every false alarm causes disruption. This may affect your customer service, your productivity or the general routine of your organisation The cost of false alarms in the UK is estimated to be about £1 billion a year. If you assessed the cost to your company, you would probably be surprised. One medium-sized company found that the average false alarm at one of their sites cost them £1,200, and at another site costs amounted to around £126,000 in one year alone. However false alarms affect you, they could also be a risk to the lives of others - From Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Visual Alarm Devices - Visual alarm devices are the strobes and beacons used as part of a fire detection and fire alarm system that warns the deaf, hard-of-hearing and people working in noisy conditions of a fire. EN 54-23:2010 is the standard to which all visual alarm devices must be approved by March 2013, and the LPCB Code of Practice (CoP 4001) provides recommendations on their effective use. Fire alarm systems often include some form of visual element, such as a flashing light, to reinforce the audible warning from a bell, siren or voice alarm. But where building occupants include deaf or hard-of-hearing people or where there are high levels of ambient noise, the visual element must be just as effective as the audio warning in alerting people to danger. The need for visual alarm devices (VADs) will be identified as part of a business and building’s fire risk assessment and VADs that produce sufficiently intense light to give an effective warning must be fitted. The question is, what level of performance is required to ensure that a VAD provides suitable warning? - from BRE and www.means-of-escape.com
About Oil Mist Detection - How to overcome the problems associated with oil mist measurement - - from Micropack.
Flare Radiation -Not So Friendly Fire - Ian Davidson - Most hydrocarbon and chemical process plants provide a relief flare or vent to assist in handling process upsets. A typical relief flare operating at, say 0.1kg/sec under normal conditions and 10kg/sec under relief conditions will provide flame energies in the order of 2 MW and 100MW respectively. Where a cold vent (rather than a flare) is provided, lightening strikes are surprisingly common and there are many reported instances of an unintentional ’hot’ vent. In addition to the local relief flare, the possibility of a system being activated by an adjacent unit’s or site’s flare cannot be ignored. This latter case can result in a ‘domino’ effect that has provoked a number of unscheduled relief (and vent-snuffing!) system tests over the years. Clearly the fires associated with a flare are several orders of magnitude greater than the target fire size and exhibit precisely the infrared radiation signature required by an IR3 detector - from Micropack.
Posted by: Jim Russell, October 2011
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Laser Level Measurement - David W. Spitzer - The basics, a short description - Part 1 and Part 2 - from appliedmc.com.
Demystifying Non-contact Gauge Performance Statements -David W. Spitzer - Currently, there are at least 30 different methods for stating the performance of noncontact gauges, making it nearly impossible for users to compare and contrast level measurement devices against each other. Level measurement systems perform a relatively basic function — they determine the inventory of a contained material. But selecting a level measurement instrument is far from simple, especially when one considers the wide variety of performance statement methodologies users must decipher when evaluating noncontact level gauges. While there are many level measurement systems that can gauge the inventory of liquid in a vessel, the number of viable solutions decreases significantly when the vessel is agitated and/or operates at high temperatures. Further, foaming and the effects of filling and emptying the vessel can result in added complication. Therefore, level measurement applications require careful engineering, which demands that users have a clear understanding of the actual meaning of different supplier performance specifications - from Flow Control.
Non-Contact Radar Level Measurement - David W. Spitzer - Some basic technical information.
Enhanced Performance of an Integrated Gas Chromatograph for Online Gas Analysis - The physical properties of the gas, the composition of the gas during upset, and the operation of the gas in hazardous locations can affect the analytical method development and the hardware design. The gas chromatograph must be compatible with the physical properties (e.g., the physical state) of the sample. The sample must be introduced to the gas chromatograph as a single phase. Since on-line gas chromatographs are installed at the pipeline to analyse sample continuously, the system must be designed for fast analyses and low maintenance - from Emerson Process Management.
BTU Analysis Using a Gas Chromatograph - This paper describes the basics of how a BTU analyzer works. In a typical natural gas application the gas is separated into eleven different components. Hexanes and heavier components such as heptane, octane, and nonane are combined together to form a single peak known as C6+. Because we separate up to these components, we call this a C6+ application - from Emerson Process Management.
Energy Measurement using Ultrasonic Flow Measurement and Chromatography - Gas volume and energy metering stations using gas chromatography and ultrasonic metering are becoming a mainstream field operation and a new challenge to metering personnel. They are easy to adapt to while adding a new dimension of value to the field professional. Technicians will invariably be the link to the success of any changing technology that would survive and thrive in the real pipeline environment. Meter stations must be maintainable and provable. The system and requirements will be examined from that perspective - from Emerson Process Management.
Optimizing the Operation of Legacy Online Gas Chromatographs by Retrofitting Controllers - Gas chromatographs (GCs) are frequently used in pipelines for custody transfer measurement of the energy content in natural gas. Accuracy is determined by calibration-gas quality and how well the technician is able to diagnose and troubleshoot the operation of the GC over long periods of time. A general trend in industry away from specialization has made it difficult for technicians to reach a high competency level in any one area. Chromatography is a difficult field to master on a part-time basis. Advanced software tools are available to assist and train the technician in how to look beyond the basic functions and fully optimize GC operations. Training is enhanced and accuracy can be improved substantially on legacy-model gas chromatographs. Properly utilized, the potential exists to improve accuracy and extend equipment life - from Emerson Process Management.
The Integrity And Reliability Of On Line Process Analyzers is Crucially Related To The Design Of The Supporting Sample Handling System - Ronald A. Downie - Although a considerable amount of attention is normally given to the selection of the most suitable type of analyzer to perform the desired analytical task, a similar amount of attention is all too often not extended to the sample conditioning system. This may be due to a lack of understanding of the importance of this part of the complete system. A well-designed, properly applied measuring system can do no better than give a correct analysis of the sample being supplied to it. If the sample is not representative of the process, there is nothing an analyzer can do to correct the situation, and the analytical data can not be used for control purposes. The results of poorly designed sample conditioning vary from the analyzer not operating at all to an analyzer operating only with extremely high maintenance requirements and/or giving erroneous or poor data - from Teledyne Analytical Instruments.
Replacing Aging Process Automation Systems - Finding the best option - Today, for a variety of reasons, tremendous pressures are building that will require plant managers to update their aging automation systems during the next decade. Defining the need for and exploring alternative approaches to this modernization of manufacturing systems is the subject of this report - from Invensys
Redundancy in EtherNet/IP systems - Alain Grenier - As with any Ethernet-based industrial protocol, in EtherNet/IP, redundancy—the repetition or duplication of messages to circumvent transmission errors—is required to maintain maximum uptime while still enabling the system to deal with minor outages and potential failures to the environment. Redundancy plays a critical role in determining the reliability of the entire system, from the very edge devices, through the network core, to the plant backbone - from ISA.
Control Loop Optimisation: Theory Versus Practice - Michael Brown - Virtually all feedback control courses worldwide are presented theoretically. This is understandable, feedback control theory was largely developed back in the early 1900s by some of the world’s leading mathematicians, including Bode, Nyquist and the father of PID, Nichols. However, mostly mathematicians do not come from planet Earth but from the extraordinary planet Mathematica where the denizens speak the strange language of Mathematics, extremely difficult for ordinary mortals to understand. The result is that the vast majority of control people arrive in a plant after graduating to find that apart from a few very individuals, no one involved in practical control uses any mathematics. This is because there are no practical mathematical models of the process transfer functions that take real-world imperfections into account. So, people cannot use the things they have learnt at school and they resort to learning to ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ and follow the path of PID ‘knob twiddling’ in the hope that this will solve the control problems - from SA Instrumentation & Control.
Automatic Shutdown Industry Example Systems & Methodology - David Ransome - Covers the Safety Lifecycle, Hazard and Risk assessment, Safety Instrumented Functions & Safety Requirements Specifications, Safety Integrity Levels, Safety Instrumented Function, Design of Safety Instrumented System, Sensors, Logic Solvers, Final Elements along with applications for Rail Tanker, Ship Offloading, Pipeline Transfer and Jetty Transfer Systems, This presentation is reasonably useful, it is a shame that it does not come with the audio as well though - from eemua
HART — the Premier Tool for Asset Management - Cut downtime and improve profits with the tools you already have - Do more with less. That’s the mantra of many industries today in North America or anywhere else around the globe. Companies no longer have employees that aren’t fully utilized—nobody has a couple of hours to grab a clipboard and some test equipment and go out in the plant to check the condition of field devices and final control elements. Besides, plants require hot work permits, safety information, workarounds and other time-consumers, making it highly unproductive to grab that clipboard and go. Companies around the world have begun formal programs to use the diagnostic data in their HART-smart instruments and control valve actuators and positioners by directly connecting them to the asset management systems in the maintenance department.
Bursting Disc Technology - Some useful information from Marston Technologies.
Getting the Most Out of Your Rupture Disc - For Optimum Rupture Disc Performance, Pay Attention to Installation, Operation and Maintenance - Dean Miller - Rupture disc devices provide overpressure protection for a variety of storage and process vessels and equipment. The objective of the rupture disc is to maintain a leak tight seal and be a passive bystander until called upon to relieve excess pressure. While this is generally the case, there are times when rupture disc performance can be adversely affected through various installation, operation and maintenance practices. This article reviews some of these practices, real-life observed consequences, and corrective or preventative measures that can improve rupture disc performance - from Fike Corporation.
Remote Emergency Shutdown Device Improves Safety and Performance at Oil Production Platform - Jim McConahay and Richard Conway -When Italian multinational oil and gas company ENI Petroleum needed help designing a real-time communications link to its Devil’s Tower oil well platform off the coast of Louisiana, they turned to Moore Industries for help. By integrating our NCS NET Concentrator System® into their communications system, ENI Petroleum has developed a reliable method for dealing with potential emergency situations that meets new federal regulations and reduces the possibility of false shutdowns - from Moore Industries.
An Introduction to Rupture Disc Technology - from BS&B
ASCO Introduces Stainless Steel Pilot Valves for Offshore Applications - The series’ unique design eliminates the dormancy or “sticking” problems that can occur in control valves installed in the pneumatic logic panels that control monitoring safety systems in offshore oil and gas production facilities.
Fluid Automation:The Unsung Contributor to Plant Economic Performance - A Management Brief From ASCO Numatics - Wherever goods and materials are manufactured, processed, or packaged, the process often depends on fluid automation components. These include fluid control products such as solenoid pilot valves, angle body piston valves, linear valve position indicators, redundant control systems, and pressure sensors. They also comprise fluid power products, which provide pneumatic and motion control. Examples: valve manifolds; filters, regulators, lubricators (FRLs); actuators or cylinders; grippers; slides; and gantries. New technologies and forward-thinking business developments have made these offerings faster and more reliable than ever before. Managers across the spectrum, from OEMs to end users, have begun to appreciate how often these fluid automation components play quiet but critical roles in total plant economic performance. Making even small changes in their performance can change the whole rhythm of the operation. So you prevent losses and drive gains throughout the business.
Current Concerns How Some Supervisory and Leakage Currents Can Affect Today’s Low-Power Solenoid Valves - Manny Arceo and Jack Haller - As fluid automation users embrace the advantages of new devices that draw unprecedentedly low levels of power, a few users are experiencing application issues that don’t occur with older, higher-power-consumption equipment. These issues center around supervisory and leakage currents generated by input/output (I/O) control systems. Such currents can cause problems when interacting with new low-power components such as solenoid valves and sensors. This paper will review concerns that can arise when applying low-power and electronically enhanced solenoid valves within certain control systems. It will outline the limited set of cases where problems can exist, and explain how to identify such cases. Finally, it will provide tips and suggestions for possible workarounds or solutions that users might consider after consulting I/O system manufacturers or their manuals.
The Insider’s Guide To Applying Miniature Solenoid Valves - Equipment designers frequently must incorporate miniature solenoid valves into their pneumatic designs. These valves are important components of medical devices and instrumentation as well as environmental, analytical, and similar product applications. However, all too often, designers find themselves frustrated. They face compromise after compromise. Pressure for increasingly miniaturized devices complicates every step of the design and valve selection process. And missteps can wreak havoc. How do designers balance the needs for reliability, extended service life, and standards compliance against often-contradictory performance requirements such as light weight, high flow, and optimum power use? This report consolidates the expert views of designers and manufacturers with wide experience applying miniature solenoid valves for myriad uses across multiple industries. It presents a true insider’s guide to which requirements are critical for common applications. It also highlights new valve technologies that may lessen or eliminate those troubling compromises.
Taking Safety Valve Testing to the Next Level - Juha Kivelä - Today’s safety engineers face increasing challenges every day. Safety requirements are becoming more and more demanding, while the global market situation is simultaneously creating constant pressure to reduce costs. The IEC61511 safety standard requirements state that industrial processing plants must determine the Safety Integrity Level (SIL) for all the different areas of the plant. Based on the area SIL classifications, the plants must then be able to dispatch quantifiable proof of compliance with the requirements.
Bringing Intelligence to On-Off valves and Simplifying On-Off Valve Instrumentation - Juha Kivelä - Traditionally, on-off valves have been instrumented by at least a separate solenoid valve and limit switches. Quite often the desired functionality cannot be achieved by using only a solenoid valve and limit switches, which means that additional pneumatic accessories are needed. For example, if the process requires precise valve opening or closing stroke times, these cannot be guaranteed by using only a solenoid valve; but there is also a need for some extra accessories such as throttle valves.
Onshore Condition Monitoring of Offshore Valve Assemblies - Niklas Lindfors and Jarkko Räty - Especially in the offshore sector, there is strong emphasis on minimizing the number of staff working in hazardous offshore environments, without impacting on reliability. At the same time, it is expected that the availability of production and the life cycle costs of process equipment should be optimised. These requirements create the need to improve the capability to analyse control-valve data from offshore applications - to focus and plan service actions well in advance. In other words, to enhance the utilization of existing technologies and increase the use of specialist know-how in order to enable offshore personnel to carry out the required tasks effectively, safely and with minimal labour and disturbance to the process itself. (Go to page 4 to access this information)
The True Cost of UPS and Batteries - A Tutorial - This is a brief discussion of the present day state of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) under 10kVA, the largest UPS market segment, and their battery technology. They make up the bulk of the UPS units installed worldwide for business, industrial, scientific, IT and home applications. Since the UPS market is very large the UPS business has become very competitive, with a large number of domestic and international UPS manufacturers to choose from. Unfortunately, the selection is so large that consumers off all types, from a scientific laboratory to automated production, are often mislead into buying a UPS on price alone, without fully understanding what they are buying or available options. For home users this is typically not a problem, as they simply want to backup their home computer long enough to allow the operating system to perform an orderly shutdown. For the other applications referenced, users face a costly learning experience if they buy a UPS on cost alone.
Posted by: Jim Russell, August 2011
Mission Possible - Analog-to-Digital Valve Upgrades - Sandro Esposito - A transformation is underway in process control, as a wide variety of new digital devices have been introduced in recent years, and a growing number of facilities have installed them. The transition is still a work in progress, however. Some process control facilities have simply been a bit slower to adopt digital valve positioners, for example, as they seek to become more comfortable with this unfamiliar technology. Others have made the switch to digital devices, but have maintained an “analog mindset” and use the digital positioners as they did their analog predecessors. The status quo is maintained and technologies that could help plant operators save time, money and frustration while potentially improving product quality and enhancing safety, are either not adopted or are underutilized. The first step in making the transition to digital valve positioners is understanding how they can be easily and cost-effectively implemented in a facility. This article will begin to bridge that gap by reviewing the various technologies available and highlighting the steps that should be taken to help ensure a successful transition. In addition, it will explain how plant operators can achieve what many consider to be a “mission impossible” – i.e., “hot cutover,” or switching to a digital valve positioner while the process workflow continues uninterrupted - from Kentrol and Flow Control.
Pilot Operated Relief Valves - It is a common question asked amongst process engineers on why use a pilot valve for a particular application ? The following article answers this question and provide some insights into the different types of pilot valves available on the market today and their many features and benefits - thanks to ICEweb Sponsor Austral-Powerflo Solutions.
Overcoming Barriers to Wireless Adoption - Is wireless better or worse than a wired network? The answer is no; it’s different. A plethora of wireless technologies exist to suit a variety of users. Is it for every application? No. But for many, wireless can be more flexible, versatile and cost effective than wired networks. Yet, questions regarding security, reliability and capacity of wireless continue to prevent conservative end users from reaping its benefits. Can these be overcome? - from ProSoft.
Pump Health Monitoring - Protecting Your Pumps, Production, and People - With More Than 2⁄3 of Your Pumps Unmonitored, Which One Might Threaten Production Today? - What if you had a cost effective, easy to apply solution for monitoring these pumps 24/7? Being able to detect changes in process variables and equipment condition are the keys to avoiding pump damage, environmental incidents and negative business impact. But not all pumps traditionally met the cost threshold for investing in these kinds of monitoring systems. Now, thanks to Emerson’s Smart Wireless technologies and integrated approach to equipment protection, the engineering requirement and cost of applying predictive technologies is no longer an obstacle. Without wires, trenching or complex engineering diagrams, having the protection you need is now affordable for nearly all of your pumps.
Antenna & Feedline Selection - This white paper gives the reader an understanding of issues affecting the selection of antennas and feedline. It describes the complete signal path from transmitter to receiver and includes hardware specifications, required calculations and path-loss issues. Through an improved understanding of the subject, the reader will more effectively and confidently be able to design, install and maintain a reliable wireless communication system - frpm Control Microsystems.
Optimizing a Wireless Ethernet Radio Network - When deciding which wireless Ethernet radios to buy, it’s tempting to focus on a few key specifications – such as operating distance or data-throughput rate – provided on the product datasheets. However, several factors contribute to overall network performance for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) – and some of those factors work against one another. The following discussion helps separate perception from reality, detailing the difference between specified over-the-air speeds and actual data throughput in a SCADA application. Suggested steps for optimizing wireless Ethernet radio networks are also presented, along with several real-world examples. Note: This paper assumes the reader has basic knowledge of radio networks - from Schneider Electric
Integrating a Network of Wireless Sensors with Standard Control Systems - Nowadays, wireless sensors are a viable solution for a broad spectrum of projects. The first and main advantage of using wireless sensors is substantial savings in installation costs of cables. Consider a simple warehouse environmental monitoring system where multiple temperature and relative humidity points are monitored. Using wireless nodes that include both types of sensors there is no need to install cables in roofs, ducts or ceilings - from Process Online.
Changing Role of Wireless - Ray Rogowski - When industrial wireless technology emerged on the scene a few years ago, manufacturers typically fell into one of three camps: early adopters who wasted no time immersing themselves in the new networks, users who wanted to wait until the technologies matured, and others who wanted nothing to do with the advancements. Fast forward to today, and both the role of wireless within plants, and the alignment of those respective camps have shifted dramatically. For starters, wireless is no longer “new.” It’s here, and it’s established – and the question isn’t “if” but, rather, “how” day-to-day operations will be impacted - from Honeywell and Automation.com.
Posted by: Jim Russell, July 2011
Sound Pressure Level - Sound is defined as any pressure variation that can be heard by the human ear. This means an average range of frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz.In terms of sound pressure level, audible sounds range from the threshold of hearing at 0 dB to the threshold of pain which can be over 130 dB - from e2S.
Beacons as used in Fire, Gas and Evacuation Alarm Systems - Covers Luminous sources, Effectiveness & range, Siting of a beacon and IEC 73 - A visual signal (also known as beacon, flash-alarm or strobe) is a luminous source within a coloured transparent enclosure and is used in many applications not least as a reinforcement to an audible signal in the event of danger, warning or machine / system process - from e2S.
Audible warning devices and Designing them Effectively in to Fire and Evacuation Alarm Systems - All emergency systems contain audible and visual signals to alert people of danger once a hazard has been detected.It is now accepted that in most systems a form of electronic sounder is initiated via a control panel in order to evacuate or alert people. Many countries have a national ‘evacuate tone’, i.e. Germany, France, Holland, Australia etc. The UK does not. BS5839 Part 1 merely states that the evacuate tone should contain frequencies within the range of 500Hz to 1000Hz. Fire alarm system designers are in the main very comfortable with designing sounders into normal environments such as offices, hotels etc. as they have a relatively low ambient background noise, most areas are fairly small and may be covered with a sounder(s) of approx. 100dB(A) at 1 metre or a 6” bell. The locations of these sounders are usually based on experience of previous systems or applications and common sense - from e2S.
Redundant OPC Connections to your Triconex System - Triconex Safety PLCs are known for their redundancy. Maintaining that level of redundancy when connecting to the process control layer can be a challenge. MatrikonOPC’s Server for Triconex enables you to maintain redundancy even at the OPC level. Not only can the OPC Server for Triconex handle redundant NCM connections, it is also the world’s only Achilles Certified OPC Server (cyber-security tested by Wurldtech). The MatrikonOPC Server for Triconex provides high-speed read and write access to the Triconex Tricon and Trident. The server supports all available point types, full communication redundancy and fail-over when a connection goes down. The server can communicate via the new TCM (Triconex Communications Module), and the NCM (Network Communications Module), with no DCOM issues.
Get Connected to the Benefits of HART 7 - Suzanne Gill - Charles Larson was quoted in the HARTline Newsletter in In this story discussing the benefits of HART 7 it is highlighted that the introduction of HART 7 has “improved the ability of additional data and diagnostic information from devices” along with increasing “the awareness of users to the wealth of information in HART devices that can be used in plant efficiency.” From our valued sponsor Moore Industries-Pacific, Inc.
When
SIL Suitability is Required for Final Control Elements- Riyaz Ali -
Final control elements (control valves or safety shut down valves) are the
key components of any closed loop control system, whether used for a basic
process control system (BPCS) or for a safety instrumented system (SIS).
Financial constraints derive different constructions of valves suitable for
throttling vs. on-off applications. However, due to past accidents,
reliability has become a key criterion for valve selection process. Many of
process industries based on their plant specific experience are tempted to
use control valves for safety shut down applications, specifically smaller
size valves, which may not be cost-prohibitive. This article provides
clarity on when to assign the SIL suitability for valves used in different
scenarios (process control vs. safety shut down) and establish criterion to
assign safety integrity level (SIL) applicability for “final element”.
******
Switching to Wireless - Now you can detect level without incurring the cost and complexity of laying cables, says Jonas Berge - A level switch can be used in applications with liquids and slurries, including coating and aerated liquids. Sensing is virtually unaffected by flow, turbulence, bubbles, foam, vibration, solid particles, build-up, or fluid properties. Applications include high and low level detection in liquid tanks as a backup to a continuous level transmitter, activating a pump based on level, and starting or stopping a mixer based on level around the blades. Now, new developments in wireless communications are enabling an easy and cost-effective solution for level monitoring without laying cable or associated risk of damaging the existing installation, and enable configuration and troubleshooting from a central location.
Thanks to our sponsor Invensys
Triconex ICEweb's Burner
Management page has been extensively upgraded with the addition of many
new technical papers - so if you need more information on SIS just go to
this page as a first "port of call"! Papers include:
- A new section on Burner Management System Standards.
- A new section on Burner Management Systems Definitions, Abbreviations and
Acronyms.
- SIL
Application in Burner Management Systems - A Case Study -Thermal Burner-
Jorge Sanchez - Boiler, furnaces and other burning equipments are considered
as high-risk areas within the Process Industry. This is due to extreme
operating conditions and processing of hazardous materials resulting in wide
safeguarding measures being applied to prevent accidents. One of the best
known and widely accepted technical solutions concerns the use of
safety-related systems implemented through PES technology. New risk-based
standards published in recent years control the design of these technical
solutions. They include technology-oriented requirements with their
‘adequate’ implementation and the ‘fit-to-purpose’ tailoring of the
equipment. However, to obtain functional safety this approach demands more
management, competency and planning than the prescriptive requirements of
original codes. This paper presents a case study about the identification of
safety functions. It includes lifecycle activities carried out to achieve
functional safety requirements and comply with the original approach for
Burner Management Systems - thanks to IDC
- Burner
Management – A Straightforward Approach for Typical Systems - David
Sheppard - This powerpoint presentation covers the Purpose of a BMS,
Why one should implement BMS in a SIS, State Transition Approach to BMS
Design and reviews an example Design of a typical BMS System - From Emerson
Process Management
- Selecting
Safety System Designs - Charles M. Fialkowski - It would be pretty easy
to understand how process facilities operate at many different levels of
risk depending on how and what they’re processing. In addition, there are
also many different methods for designing safety instrumented systems to
address this risk. Questions regarding which technology should be used –
hard-wired relay, pneumatic or programmable; what level of redundancy is
appropriate – single, dual or triple; and how often should the system be
tested – monthly, quarterly, yearly or once per shutdown – are being
asked by users and engineering firms alike. Debate continues as to how one
even makes these choices (past experience, qualitative judgment,
quantitative analysis, etc.) - from Seimens
- Flame
Safety - Christopher Filoon - Whether your plant has a heater, thermal
oxidiser, sulphur recovery unit, incinerator, cracking furnace, waste gas
boiler or any other type of combustor, one question remains: how well are
your investments protected? The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Standard 86 and similar international standards partially address this
concern by requiring flame scanning on burners and start-up burners for
combustors firing up to 1,400°F (760°C)1 to help protect plant equipment
and personnel. Flame scanners detect the presence or absence of a burner’s
flame in order to provide an input for a burner management system to
determine the state of the burner’s fuel valve – but how safe are the
flame scanners supervising the burner’s combustion? - from Coen Company,
Inc.
- Flame
Safety - Many Industries burn large qualtities of hydrocarbon fuels to
heat a wide range of materials. the most important consideration in the
operation of combustors is safety - from Coen Company, Inc.
- Safety
Controls and Burner Management Systems (BMS) on Direct-Fired Multiple Burner
Heaters - Safety controls on direct-fired heaters have continuously
evolved over the recent past, and the evolution has accelerated over the
last five years. This has been due to the introduction of government
legislation which actively enforces the application of existing codes.
Although some detailed and prescriptive guidelines have been around for many
years, the rate and degree of adoption varies significantly within the
industry. Most operating companies have their own “standard”, which may
still vary from facility to facility. In addition to this, for each
installation, it is not unusual for adjacent heaters built two years apart
to have a different BMS design, simply because different engineering
contractors built them. With increasing government legislation and
regulations as well as mounting lawsuits for accidents in which applicable
codes and guidelines have not been adhered to, it is important to review the
BMS requirements for both existing and new heater installations - from Born
Heaters Canada Ltd.
- Microprocessor
Based Burner Management Systems (BMS) - The National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) publishes national standards for safety systems. For
boiler burner management systems, the applicable standard is NFPA 85:
"Boiler and Combustion System Hazards Code". This document details
specific requirements for devices used in burner management system logic.
These requirements are addressed in this data sheet - from Micromod.
Thanks to our sponsor Invensys
Triconex ICEweb's Safety
Instrumented Systems page has been extensively upgraded with the
addition of many new technical papers - so if you need more information on
SIS just go to this page as a first "port of call"! Papers
include:
- A
Field-Proven Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) Digital System for Turbine
Control and Safety Application in Nuclear Power Plants - Naresh Desai -
The Triconex® Tricon™ is a Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) digital system
for turbine control and safety application in nuclear power plants (NPPs).
The steam turbine is a critical element in the continuous operation of NPPs.
When a turbine goes offline, the entire plant goes down. Poor reliability of
the existing obsolete control system is one of the major causes of turbine
trips. A single component failure can result in a turbine shutdown, causing
unscheduled plant outages that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per day
in maintenance costs and lost revenue. The Tricon is a high reliability and
high availability (99.99%) turbine control system with no single point of
failure. It provides an economical solution to the obsolescence, reliability
and availability problems, while improving the operational efficiency of
NPPs.
- Qualified
Safety Parameter Display System (QSPDS) in Nuclear Power Plants - Naresh
Desai - The Triconex® Tricon™ is a Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) digital
system for Qualified Safety Parameter Display System (QSPDS) applications in
nuclear power plants (NPPs). QSPDS is a safety related class 1E system that
must have high reliability and availability (99.99%). The system must
operate before, during and after a plant event (such as a loss of coolant
accident or a plant station blackout event). Poor reliability of an existing
QSPDS is one of the major maintenance issues of NPPs. The Tricon is a high
reliability and high availability (99.99%) digital system with no single
point of failure. It provides an economical solution to the obsolescence,
reliability and availability problems of NPPs, and improves the operational
efficiency of the NPP. The Tricon is certified by TÜV (a world recognized,
independent safety agency) at International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL) to be used for safety and critical control
applications in process control and other industries. The Tricon is also
certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to be used for safety
(1E) and critical control applications in NPPs.
- Safety
Considerations Guide - This guide provides information about
safety concepts and standards that apply to the version 2.x Triconex®
General Purpose System however there is some really useful information
contained in Chapters 1 and 2.
- Basic
Fundamentals Of Safety Instrumented Systems - This section
of a training course explains the basic concepts, definitions and commonly
used terms in Safety Instrumented Systems and provide a basic understanding
of SIS related concepts.
- Consistent
Consequence Severity Estimation - Angela Summers, PhD, PE William
Vogtmann and Steven Smolen - Most risk analysis methods rely on a
qualitative judgment of consequence severity, regardless of the analysis
rigor applied to the estimation of hazardous event frequency. Since the risk
analysis is dependent on the estimated frequency and consequence severity of
the hazardous event, the error associated with the consequence severity
estimate directly impacts the estimated risk and ultimately the risk
reduction requirements. Overstatement of the consequence severity creates
excessive risk reduction requirements. Understatement results in inadequate
risk reduction. Consistency in the Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) can
be substantially improved by implementing consequence estimation tools that
assist team members in understanding theflammability, explosivity, or
toxicity of process chemical releases. This paper provides justification for
developing semi-quantitative look-up tables to support the team assessment
of consequence severity. Just as the frequency and risk reduction tables
have greatly improved consistency in the estimate of the hazardous event
frequency, consequence severity tables can significantly increase confidence
in the severity estimate.
- The
Interrelationship of Risk Criteria and Conditional Modifiers - Angela E.
Summers, Ph.D. PE and William H. Hearn, PE - This paper begins with a brief
introduction to risk analysis concepts to provide a foundation for a
discussion of the typical analysis boundaries and associated risk criteria.
Then, it discusses how the analysis boundary and risk criteria affect the
consideration of protection layers, enabling conditions, and conditional
modifiers.
- Three
Important Factors in Evaluating your SIL Certified Device - William A.
Schwartz and Monica L. Hochleitner - A device’s Architectural Constraints
determine immediately which level of Redundancy (HFT) is appropriate for use
in a Safety Function with a given SIL requirement. The interpretation of a
device’s PFDavg is more complex. It does not determine the product’s
Safety Integrity Level (SIL). It determines the device’s contribution to
the PFDavg of the Safety Function. As such, the device’s PFDavg must be
considered together with the PFDavg’s of other devices with which it will
be used, to determine the SIL of the Safety Function. This article addresses
these two characteristics separately.
- A
Brief Discussion over Safety Costs in New Enterprises - Alejandro
Esparza and Monica Levy Hochleitner - The starting point of a new industrial
plant concerning the levels of reliability required to keep the process
under a defined tolerable risk is a challenge most contractors company face.
During the embryonic phases, in the bidding process and for budget purposes,
a pre-defined Safety Instrumented System (SIS) design must be provided to
the contractor, sometimes even before the process conceptual design is well
defined. The consequences of such situation, in which no risk analysis have
been considered, not only disregards the Safety Lifecycle template suggested
by the recent versions of the functional safety standards applied to the
process industry, IEC 61511 [1] and ANSI/ISA 84.01 [2] but also implies in
unpredictable outcomes. By means of actual examples, where the customers
names will be suppressed for confidentiality matters, this paper will
present and briefly discuss the pros and cons of some actual applications,
the achieved safety of the resulting design and the impact of investments
during implementation and operation phases of the enterprise.
- Accurate
Modeling of Shared Components in High Reliability Applications - This
paper addresses how to model and evaluate the Risk Reduction Factor (RRF) of
Safety Instrumented Systems when one or more of the components in the SIS
can cause the dangerous condition or hazard that the SIS is designed to
protect against
- Field
Failure Data – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly - This paper presents
some common field failure analysis techniques, shows some of the limitations
of the methods and describes important attributes of a good field failure
data collection system
- Functional
Safety in the Life Science Industries - David Hatch, Iwan van Beurden
and Eric W Scharpf - This article presents an overview of functional safety
within the life science industry based on international standards.
- Position
Paper on IEC61508 2010 - Definitions regarding minimum hardware fault
tolerance / Architectural Constraints.
- Setting
the Standard - How Process Plants can benefit through Proper and Careful
Adoption of the IEC 61511 Safety Standard - Dr Peter Clarke -
Process industry safety standard IEC 61511 and its parent, functional safety
standard IEC 61508, have been in existence for several years now, and have
enjoyed widespread acceptance as an effective method for managing high
levels of industrial risk. Despite this success, some may view these
standards as another complex, onerous burden imposed by regulators, with
little tangible benefit to the end user. However, as we will explore in this
article, the reality is far different.
- You
Asked: Alarm Management - Setting a new Standard for Performance,
Safety, and Reliability with ISA-18.2 - Alarm Management affects both the
bottom line and plant safety. A well functioning alarm system can help a
process run closer to its ideal operating point – leading to higher
yields, reduced production costs, increased throughput, and higher quality,
all of which add up to higher profi ts. Poor alarm management, on the other
hand, is one of the leading causes of unplanned downtime and has been a
major contributor to some of the worst industrial safety accidents on
record.
- Saved
by the Bell: Using Alarm Management to make Your Plant Safer - Recent
industrial accidents at Texas City, Buncefield (UK) and Institute, WV have
highlighted the connection between poor alarm management and process safety
incidents. At Texas City key level alarms failed to notify the operator of
the unsafe and abnormal conditions that existed within the tower and
blowdown drum. The resulting explosion and fire killed 15 people and injured
180 more. The tank overflow and resultant fire at the Buncefield Oil Depot
resulted in a £1 billion (1.6 billion USD) loss. It could have been
prevented if the tank’s high level safety switch, per design, had notified
the operator of the high level condition or had automatically shut off the
incoming flow. At the Bayer facility (Institute, WV) improper procedures,
worker fatigue, and lack of operator training on a new control system caused
the residue treater to be overcharged with Methomyl - leading to an
explosion and chemical release. Accidents like these demonstrate what can
happen when an alarm system and operator response fail as a layer of
protection in a hazardous process. They also provided the motivation for the
new ISA-18.2 standard "Management of Alarm Systems for the Process
Industries", which provides a framework for the successful design,
implementation, operation and management of alarm systems in a process
plant. It offers guidance on how alarm management can be used to help a
plant operate more safely. ISA-18.2 can also be used to bring together the
disciplines of alarm management and safety system design, which must work
more closely to prevent future accidents.
- Alarm
Management and ISA 18 - A Journey, not a Destination - Todd
Stauffer,Nicholas P. Sands and Donald G. Dunn - Poor alarm management is one
of the leading causes of unplanned downtime, contributing to over $20B in
lost production every year, and of major industrial incidents such as the
one in Texas City. Developing good alarm management practices is not a
discrete activity, but more of a continuous process (i.e., it is more of a
journey than a destination). This paper will describe the new ISA-18.2
standard -"Management of Alarm Systems for the Process
Industries"[1]. This standard provides a framework and methodology for
the successful design, implementation, operation and management of alarm
systems and will allow end-users to address one of the fundamental
conclusions of Bransby and Jenkinson that "Poor performance costs money
in lost production and plant damage and weakens a very important line of
defense against hazards to people." [3] Following a lifecycle model
will help users systematically address all phases of the journey to good
alarm management. This paper will provide an overview of the new standard
and the key activities that are contained in each step of the lifecycle.
- Get
a life(cycle)! Connecting Alarm Management and Safety Instrumented Systems -
Todd Stauffer, Nicholas P. Sands and Donald G. Dunn - Alarms and operator
response are one of the first layers of defense in preventing a plant upset
from escalating into an abnormal situation. The new ISA 18.2 standard [1] on
alarm management recommends following a lifecycle approach similar to the
existing ISA84/IEC 61511 standard on functional safety. This paper will
highlight where these lifecycles interact and overlap, as well as how to
address them holistically. Specific examples within ISA 18 will illustrate
where the output of one lifecycle is used as input to the other, such as
when alarms identified as a safeguards during a process hazards analysis (PHA)
are used as an input to alarm identification and rationalization. The paper
will also provide recommendations on how to integrate the safety and alarm
management lifecycles.
Posted by: Jim Russell, June 2011
Hazards Equal Trips or Alarms or Both - C.R. Timms - This paper details various methods of criticality assessment which have been successfully applied to set the appropriate priority, identify the critical alarms that need to be upgraded to trips and to rationalise those of no value. It will also cover the use of software tools which can significantly reduce the effort involved in this process.
Find out what any Acronym, Abbreviation, or Initialism stands for. With more than 1,000,000 human-edited definitions, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Combined with the Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more than 5 million acronyms and abbreviations.
Pipe Flow Rate Calculation Calculate Pipe Pressure Drop - This excellent Pipe flow calculation web site offers fluid flow calculators for pressure drop calculation, pipe diameter calculation, control valves sizing, air flow calculation, Venturi tube and orifice flow, Reynolds number calculation, pressure drop in natural gas line, lpg pipe sizing calculator, Prandtl probe, thermal energy calculator and more... - from Pipeflow Calculations.
E-learning
Course on HAZOP (Hazard and Operability Study)
-A HAZOP study is a well known hazard analysis tool used for process
safety management and HSE risk assessment of plants and facilities.
However, there are very few training courses out there that teach the
HAZOP study technique thoroughly well, in a structured manner. Ditto for
books-many of them are outdated and not as relevant as they once were.
Hence Abhisam Software created this e-learning course, so that you need
not refer to boring, outdated and irrelevant books to learn HAZOP. What
you need is a practical, "why-we-do-it and how-to-do-it"
training course and this is it! This e-learning course covers HAZOP in
detail, that will make you a pro in hazard and risk analysis, HSE risk
assessment and related areas of process safety management. It has plenty
of graphics and interactive animations that make learning so much more
easier and fun! You can even download a free trial here!
Principles of Odorization - Paul Minier - A discussion of odorant, odorizers, and odorization - Monitoring is accomplished with on line analyzers, such as, titrators, analyzers, and chromatographs. Each type of instrument gives real-time information of total sulphur, or in some cases, individual mercaptan component levels. Several manufacturers use electrochemical sensors or cells while others use GC columns for detection or lead acetate tape technology. Regardless of the manufacturer, your technician must be trained on its calibration and operation. Although these instruments do not meet the Title 49 192.625 for reporting, they can play an important part of your total Odorization program. These instruments can give you real time information at the central office and in some cases, correct the odorizer levels before an incident occurs.
Diesel Fuel Flow Measurement – Avoiding Common Pitfalls - As the price of fuel increases and environmental regulations tighten, it is more important than ever to measure the amount of fuel used by diesel engines and standby power generation systems. However, accurate monitoring of diesel fuel consumption presents a significant challenge for end users in various industries. The following white paper addresses a number of common pitfalls to help ensure the best flow measurement solution for diesel fuel applications - from Flow Technology.
Expanded coverage for thermowell geometry;
Natural frequency correction factors for mounting compliance, added fluid mass, and sensor mass;
Consideration for partial shielding from flow;
Intrinsic thermowell damping;
Steady state and dynamic stress evaluations;
Improved allowable fatigue limit definition
PTC 19.3 has been the standard used by piping
designers since it’s release and has been highly successful in the
industry. The new, expanded PTC 19.3 TW edition—developed by end
users and manufacturers—builds on decades of industry and research
data to make it the new worldwide authority for thermowell design
safety. Intended for piping designers, instrument engineers,
instrument designers and plant I/C engineers/designers, plant engineers,
plant safety engineers, process engineers, thermowell manufacturers,
instrument manufacturers, anyone who assembles thermowell bids or design
specifications, and regulatory agencies.
- Thermowell
Calculations - A white paper from Emerson Process Management - Dirk
Bauschke, David Wiklund. Andrew Dierker and Alex Cecchini -
Thermowells are essentially a circular cylinder installed like a cantilever
into the process piping. They allow a temperature sensor to be located
within a process flow while providing a process seal and protecting the
sensor from the process fluid. As a process fluid passes around the
thermowell, low pressure vortices are created on the downstream side in both
laminar and turbulent flow. The combination of stresses, generated by the
static in-line drag forces from fluid flow and the dynamic transverse lift
forces caused by the alternating vortex shedding, create the potential for
fatigue-induced mechanical failures of the thermowell. Until recently ASME
PTC 19.3-1974 has been the standard by which most thermowells are designed.
For the most part, though, ASME PTC 19.3-1974 was used successfully in both
steam and non-steam applications. Several key factors caused ASME to re-form
the committee in 1999 to completely rewrite the standard; advances in the
knowledge of thermowell behavior, a number of catastrophic failures (Monju
among them) and the increased use of Finite Element Analysis for stress modelling.
When combined, these factors caused many in the industry to move away from
the rudimentary methods and simplified tables laid out in ASME PTC 19.3-1974
in favor of more advanced methods for predicting the thermowell natural
frequency and calculating the forced frequency. Rather than simply update
the existing version of ASME PTC 19.3-1974, the committee decided to release
a new standard due to the significant changes associated with the effort.
The thermowell calculation portion of ASME PTC 19.3-1974 was 4 pages. By
comparison, the new standard, known as ASME PTC 19.3TW-2010 (“TW” for
thermowell), is over 40 pages due to the explanations of theory and the
sheer complexity of the process. By February 2010, ASME PTC 19.3TW-2010 was
approved through all applicable committees and it was finally released in
July 2010.
- Thermowell
Design Standard ASME PTC 19.3 TW-2010 - An explanatory video - from
Emerson Process Management
- Typical
Thermowell Calculations Report per ASME PTC 19.3TW-2010 - From
Emerson Process Management
- Velocity
Collars: No Longer Best Engineering Practice - A velocity collar is
a metal ring machined into the shank of a thermowell and installed tightly
in to the standoff of a pipe. Due to the nature of thermowell
vibration behavior, installation practices, and ASME’s position, Emerson
does not recommend velocity collars as a best practice for means of reducing
vibration-related failure. Emerson also feels that other installation
methods that attempt to reduce unsupported length in a similar fashion to
velocity collars, such as DIN Weld-in style thermowells, are not a best
practice.
There are some great engineering articles contained in IDCs Steve Mackays "Little Red" book which is not so little at 160 pages! There are some really useful tips to be found here. This pdf is worth putting on your computer for reading on those long trips. You can get it for free here.
Posted by: Jim Russell, April/May 2011
A Technical article on General Humidity - Humidity Definitions, Details on Relative or Absolute Humidity, Practical Requirements of Humidy Measurement, State of the Technology and functional principles - from Vereta
Travel Tools - The following travel tools are
from timeanddate.com
International
Dialing Codes - If you need to make a phone call to someone in another
country and you are not quite sure how to dial the number, then this service
should hopefully help you.
Distance
Calculator - This distance calculator can find distance between any two
cities or locations available in The World Clock.
The distance is calculated in kilometers, miles and nautical miles, and the
initial compass bearing/heading from the origin to the destination. It will
also display local time in each of the locations.
Travel Time
Calculator - Ever wonder what time it will be in New York when you
arrive in Hong Kong? Or how much longer your trip will be with a stop-over
in London? This service calculates the total traveling time for a round trip
or a multi-city trip (up to 8 cities) between cities or locations available
in our World Clock, as well as display the local
time for the selected cities, time zone information, and a map showing the
path of the journey.
Human Factors - Planning and Designing a Control Room - The emergence of new technologies, new ergonomic standards, and increased public awareness of workplace health issues have combined to inspire a dramatic shift in console design. Today’s control workstations are smaller, more functional, and more aesthetically appealing than earlier generations. The ergonomic approach to designing consoles into the layout of a control room should contribute to achieving the performance objectives established for the space in question, while ensuring that every aspect of interaction between human, machine, and the environment - from raised flooring to acoustical concerns, from indirect lighting to the overall well-being, health, and safety of each operator - is taken into account - from Winstead.
Power Factor Correction & Energy Savings - Harmonics - a misunderstood phenomenon - Jean-Guy Boudrias & Jeff Barnnard - Harmonics in electrical distribution systems are created from a number of sources and produce a variety of undesirable side effects, therefore it is important to understand all solutions that are available. Phase shifting will be reviewed as one concept for solving certain types of problems related to power quality . Both theoretical concepts and a case study are presented - from United Wire & Cables.
Decommissioning Chemical Plants- A Proven Roadmap - The current economic and socio-political environment has made product lifecycles of chemicals much shorter. Also cost pressures, regulatory pressures, influence of non-state actors and changing market geographies, mean that manufacturing plants (examples are chemical process plants, Oil & Gas facilities, hydrocarbon processing plants and similar) need to be shuffled around, shut down or shifted at a much higher frequency than in earlier years. This article is a primer on how company managements can handle this without getting overwhelmed by the complexities of these projects. This can happen because quite a few company managements may be very skilled and versatile when setting up new plants, but may be inexperienced while doing the reverse - from ICEweb sponsor Abhisam Software.
Process ESD Systems - This power point presentation is a large 9.48 Mb download but contains some really useful information on ESD systems and ESD Valves - from ICEweb sponsor Emerson Process Management and Centralian Controls.
Embedded Motor Condition Monitoring, Diagnostics - Embedded condition monitoring and remote diagnostics prevent equipment failure, reduce energy consumption, improve reliability - Only a very small percentage of critical motors and motor loads in the U.S. actually are equipped with any sort of condition monitoring. This lack of adoption largely stems from the costs and complexity of conventional condition monitoring equipment. Industry-leading solid-state, motor control technology provides customers with the ability to monitor parameters, albeit not the exact same parameters, to gain a more precise and real-time perspective on performance, far more simply than traditional condition monitoring methods - from ISA and InTech.
ICEweb has added numerous papers and articles to our Comprehensive Data Logger page thanks to our valued sponsor HINCO. Because the number of new links are too numerous to detail here, you will need to go to the ICEweb Data Logger page to access them.
Real-Time Corrosion Monitoring - Integrating Corrosion Data with other Process Variables - Russell Kane and Keith Briegel - Existing programs on the control system can assess, identify key plant relationships - The petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors spend $2.5 billion annually to combat corrosion. Worldwide, the cost of corrosion in the process industries appears to be about $50 billion per year and will probably climb higher over the next five years. Many operators currently see corrosion on a “straight-line basis” in terms of repair, maintenance, and replacement during fixed interval turnaround inspections. New technology, however, is available that assesses corrosion deterioration in real time using the plant control and automation system. This makes linking corrosion to process conditions more direct and immediate. It also allows the assessment of corrosion in much shorter time intervals with the ability to control and mitigate the rate of damage and more accurately factor in its true economic impact on plant operations - from ISA and InTech.
Reducing Ex Risk in Hospitals- When asked to name hazardous or explosive areas, most people will mention the oil and gas industry, mining and fuelling stations as obvious cases of high explosion risks. There are many more. Sugar refineries, flour mills, grain silos and the paper and textile sectors also belong in this category…as do hospitals. IECEx complements health-care certification programmes When asked to name hazardous or explosive areas, most people will mention the oil and gas industry, mining and fuelling stations as obvious cases of high explosion risks. There are many more. Sugar refineries, flour mills, grain silos and the paper and textile sectors also belong in this category…as do hospitals. High-risk areas in hospitals include storage rooms that contain flammable gas tanks and operating rooms and anterooms. Risks of fire and explosion are high in these areas because flammable gases are in abundant supply due to anaesthesia requirements. Operating rooms also have flammable materials that can fuel a fire, such as drapes, sponges and packaging. The main ignition sources are electrosurgical or laser equipment. Ignition of anaesthetic vapours can occur as a result of a spark due to unsuspected static electrification of the equipment. The use of oxygen, while a non-flammable gas, is an accelerant in fires and at high pressure poses similar risks.
A Beginner’s Guide to Measurement - This 30 page Beginner’s Guide from the National Physical Laboratory explains the fundamental concepts and basic facts about measurement, and in particular accurate measurement. It includes brief accounts of the role of measurement in modern and historical societies and explains the SI system, its base units and their relation to other units. The various organisations involved in measurement are introduced and their roles in linking all measurements to the SI base units through traceability chains explained. It includes general guidance about practical issues that affect the making of measurements, gives the meanings of key measurement terms, and explains the significance of such fundamental concepts as measurement traceability and calibration.
Webcast: Functional Safety - What It Is, Why It's Important, and How to Comply - In this 1 hour presentation industry experts Kevin Connelly and Thomas Maier from Underwriters Laboratories define functional safety, why it is important, and the common functional safety standards you need to know. For functional safety compliance, manufacturers must consider their systems as a whole, and the environment with which they interact. A functional safety assessment determines whether your systems meet the standards and requirements created to protect against potential risks. You will have to register to view this webcast.
A Map to the Latest Safety Standards - James R. Koelsch - Safety standards and their terminology continue to multiply and evolve, generating a confusing sea of letters and numerals that few can navigate. This guide should help novices to chart a course - from Automation World.
Troubleshooting the Workhorse of Engineering Industry – the PLC - Steve Mackay -One of the workhorses in industry – no matter whether you are in industrial automation, electrical or mechanical engineering, you are likely to be confronted with one of these little fellahs - a Programmable Logic Controller or PLC (or indeed, Programmable Automation Controller – PAC). A critical cheap building block for all automated systems. Effectively, an industrially hardened digital electronic device in which a sequence of instructions are stored, which enable the PLC to replace hard wired relay logic and perform counting, sequencing and timing. As well, as reading analog inputs (e.g. from a flow meter) and outputting analog output control signals to valves and other control devices. A few tips on troubleshooting these devices are detailed in this blog (yes – the veterans amongst you will sigh, when you know your enormous depth of experience built up to do this – as against my short note below). I have presumed in the suggestions on troubleshooting, that your PLC has been operating correctly and there are no recent program changes.
DART
Fieldbus: Intrinsic Safety Now Available without Power Limits - The New
DART System from Pepperl+Fuchs enables process users to take full advantage
of the benefits of fieldbus technology in intrinsic safety environments
Working with Legacy Hardware: Tips and Tricks - Danny Budzinski - For a DMC engineer it is not atypical to be faced with outdated, legacy technology. Maybe a customer has come to us to upgrade a system that an intern did in the 90's; maybe a company's engineers have built up a system over the past decade and need help configuring or adding more pieces to it; or maybe a factory has used a controller that was made when you were in middle school and all of a sudden that controller breaks down and needs to be replicated and replaced. Regardless of the situation, DMC engineers need to be able to find the tools to connect to, read from, write to, and add on to whatever equipment someone may have. Finding information on old industrial hardware, unfortunately, isn't as easy as looking up technical support on your new Dell computer. Chances are that if you are looking at something really old, it will fall into 1 of the 4 oldest manufacturers (in order with oldest first): Modicon, Allen Bradley, General Electric, and Omron. All of these manufacturers are still around today, in addition to many others, and make a wide array of products from basic relays to PLC's and HMI's to other various controllers. It is important to remember though that product lines can and have shifted owners many times through acquisitions and takeovers. This means even if something is labeled as a "Modicon" you might actually have to go somewhere completely different to find the support you need.
A Common Regulatory Framework for Equipment Used in Environments with an Explosive Atmosphere - This is a publication that helps address the hazards in environments with a high risk of explosion such as mines, refineries, chemical plants and mills. The booklet can be used by countries that lack regulation in this sector as a blueprint for their legislation, and also for aligning existing national regulations with internationally harmonized best practice.
Developing Functional Safety Systems with TÜV-Qualified FPGAs - This white paper discusses how market trends, the need for increased productivity, and new legislation have accelerated the use of safety systems in industrial machinery. This TÜV-qualified FPGA design methodology is changing the paradigms of safety designs and will greatly reduce development effort, system complexity, and time to market. This allows FPGA users to design their own customized safety controllers and provides a significant competitive advantage over traditional microcontroller or ASIC-based designs - from Altera
pH Measurement - A sample chapter from the title Practical Analytical Instrumentation in On-Line Applications - This chapter shows the need for pH measurement, Describes the properties of water, Defines pH, Demonstrates the principle of both the measuring and reference electrodes and their relationship to each other, Explains the Nernst equation and its dependence on temperature, Lists the various sources of error in the measurement of pH and shows how calibration is carried out - Thanks to IDC
Thanks to our sponsor Zedflo
Australia ICEweb's Laser
Instrumentation page has been extensively upgraded. New links include;
- Space-Qualified
Lidar Systems for Robotic and Human Space Exploration
- Space
Laser Applications - Rendezvous and docking, Hazard avoidance and
precision landing, Planetary and small body mapping, Surface operations and
science
- Space
Laser Features - Autonomously dock a spacecraft with the International
Space Station, Measure the chemical composition and concentration of a
planetary atmosphere, Create 3D maps of asteroids and small moons, Safely
land on the Moon by avoiding unknown hazards such as rocks and slopes,
Measure the speed and rotation of other satellites and small bodies.
- Airborne Lasers
- ALTM
Technical Overview - Multipulse is a revolutionary approach to
overcoming altitude constraints as a function of the timing limit associated
with time-of-flight laser measurements. The timing limit refers to the time
it takes for a pulse of light to travel from the laser transmitter, to the
target, and back to the receiver. Traditionally, lidar sensors wait for the
transmitted pulse to return to the receiver before emitting the next pulse.
Consequently, the laser pulse rate directly limits the system operating
altitude. CMP™ technology enables two or more pulses to be emitted and
tracked, significantly increasing survey coverage rates, without the hassle
of planning around the data “blind zones” common to other multipulse
technologies.
- Airborne
Laser Applications - Includes Wide Area Mapping, Corridor Mapping, Urban
Mapping and Vegetative Mapping
- Corridor
Mapping and Power Line Asset Management - Electric utility companies
continually face the challenge of providing an adequate energy supply to
markets with ever-growing demands. To keep up with these demands, utility
companies have to plan new power lines (transmission and distribution) and
maintain existing power line corridors. Both efforts require comprehensive
surveying based on accurate georeferenced measurements.
Thanks to our sponsor Zedflo
Australia ICEweb's Ultrasonic
Flowmetering page has been extensively upgraded. New links include;
- Controlotron
Non-Intrusive Ultrasonic Flowmeters - Controlotron products share many
common technological advances. They use Controlotron’s exclusive WideBeam®
Transducers, which……
(a) Ensure accurate flow measurement regardless of the liquid type or
temperature.
(b) Enable operation with up to 50% aeration, and indicate its presence.Are
resistant to Aberrated Flow Profile and Crossflow errors.
(c)Provide continuous Automatic Zero Adjustment to prevent Zero Drift.
(d) Are fully maintainable without need to open pipeline or stop flow.
(e) Provide sonic identification of product type and quality.
(f) Provide all conventional digital and analog data outputs.
- Leak
Detection & Pipeline Management Solutions - SCADA based leak
detection systems depend on data from existing Turbine or PD Flowmeters, and
pressure and temperature instruments originally installed by others. These
instruments were not originally specified to provide the extraordinarily
high accuracy and calibration stability needed for leak detection.
Therefore, system performance cannot be assured by the SCADA system
supplier. No single party can be held responsible for SCADA based leak
detection system performance. All elements of the LD system are provided by
Controlotron to assure the specified leak detection accuracy. Controlotron
takes responsibility for system installation, start-up, optimization and
maintenance. In addition, the LD system’s compensated volume balance
principle provides continuous leak detection, not the “one shot” leak
detection provided by pressure based SCADA systems.
- Clamp-On
Ultrasonic Meter Applications - William E. Frasier -
- Fundamental
Principles of Clamp-on Ultrasonic Flow Meters - Overview of selection,
Installation, Operation and maintenance of clamp-on meters - William E.
Frasier Jr - This paper is aimed at ultrasonic natural gas meters that
use transit time across the gas pipe as the measurement variable. Custody
transfer meters using sensors wetted with gas are the more familiar meter
format. Clamp-on meters are quite similar - from the American School of Gas
Measurement Technology
- Clamp-on
Ultrasonic Flowmeter Improvements - Ultrasonic flow measurement
technology offers a low-cost method to measure flow. The advantage of
clamp-on ultrasonic flow sensors is installation without stopping a process
to put a hole in a pipe to insert a conventional sensor. From InTech and the
ISA.
- A
Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flowmeter for Gases - Michael J. Scelzo - Despite
the industrial success of clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters for liquid
measurement, it has long been accepted as if it were a fundamental limit
imposed by nature, that this technology could not be used to measure the
flow of gases in metal pipes. The incorrect conclusion, that clamp-on gas
flow metering is impossible, developed because the acoustic impedance of
gases, even at pressure, is much less than the acoustic impedance of metals
- from GE Measurement & Control Systems.
- Full
Steam Ahead - Clamp-on Flow Measurement no Longer just for Liquids -
Daryl Belock - When plant engineers look for a non-intrusive flow
measurement solution, clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters are typically the first
technology considered. Users traditionally have considered clamp-on
technology only for liquid applications. For years flowmeter manufacturers
have been asked,“Do you have a clamp-on solution for steam?” Until
recently the answer has been no, but new technology now makes clamp-on steam
flow measurement a reality for many common types of steam flows - from GE
Measurement & Control Systems.
- Water
System Standardises on Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flowmeters - Daryl Belock
& Phil McDonald - from GE Measurement & Control Systems.
- The following papers are from the American School of Gas Measurement
Technology
Fundamentals
of Multipath Ultrasonic Flow Meters for Gas Measurement - Eric
Thompson - This paper outlines the operating principles and application of
ultrasonic gas flow metering for custody transfer. Basic principles and
underlying equations are discussed, as are considerations for applying
ultrasonic flow meter technology to station design, installation, and
operation - from the American School of Gas Measurement Technology.
Ultrasonic
Meter Flow Calibrations - Considerations and Benefits - Joel Clancy -
The primary method for custody transfer measurement has traditionally been
orifice metering. While this method has been a good form of measurement,
technology has driven the demand for a new, more effective form of fiscal
measurement. Ultrasonic flowmeters have gained popularity in recent years
and have become the standard for large volume custody transfer applications
for a variety of reasons - - from the American School of Gas Measurement
Technology.
Ultrasonic
Gas Flow Meters For Custody Transfer Measurement - Jim Micklos - This
paper outlines the operating principals and application of ultrasonic gas
flow metering for custody transfer. Basic principles and underlying
equations are discussed, as are considerations for applying ultrasonic flow
meter technology to station design, installation, and operation.
Ultrasonic
Flow Meter Calibration Considerations And Benefits
- How
much Do You Flare? - How to Measure Flare Flow Rates Reliably and Accurately
- Ultrasonic Flowmeters help compliance with Environmental Emission
Requirements, reduce Leaks and Understand their Process Losses - from
GE Measurement & Control Systems.
- The following papers are from the American School of Gas Measurement
Technology;
Principles
Of Operation For Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meters - John Lansing - This paper
discusses fundamental issues relative to ultrasonic gas flow meters used for
measurement of natural gas. A basic review of an ultrasonic meter’s
operation is presented to understand the typical operation of today’s
Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter (USM). The USM’s diagnostic data, in conjunction
with gas composition, pressure and temperature, will be reviewed to show how
this technology provides diagnostic benefits beyond that of other primary
measurement devices. The basic requirements for obtaining good meter
performance, when installed in the field, will be discussed with test
results. Finally, recommendations for installation will be provided,
including an example of a good piping design.
Ultrasonic
Meters for Residential and Commercial Applications - Paul Honchar - An
ultrasonic meter falls into the classification of inferential meters. Unlike
positive displacement meters that capture volume to totalize volume,
inferential meters measure flowing gas velocity to totalize volume. Orifice
meters use pressure drop to measure velocity to infer volume and turbine
meters use the speed of the rotor to measure velocity to infer volume, while
ultrasonic meters use sound waves to measure flowing gas velocity to infer
volume. Ultrasonic meters have been around for many years in primarily
liquid measurement. However, their application in the measurement of natural
gas is relatively new, and has become more commercialized over the last
decade - from the American School of Gas Measurement Technology.
Continuous
Monitoring of Ultrasonic Meters - Randy Miller - Utilizing electronic
flow computers and SCADA systems to collect and analyze ultrasonic meter
data can provide many benefits for a Natural Gas Pipeline Company. The
Natural Gas Pipeline industry has seen tremendous changes in the past 20
years including a smaller multi skilled workforce. In fact, a Measurement
Technician on a facility may be responsible for a wide range of tasks and
skills necessary for operating and maintaining a pipeline. Much of their
measurement work is performed with less frequency, and on more complex
equipment than ever before. Gaining the proficiency needed to recognise and
troubleshoot ultrasonic meter problems, let alone subtle changes that can
provide an eye into potential measurement inaccuracies, requires time and
experience to learn. By bringing the meters diagnostic data in via SCADA, we
can provide alarms and trending capabilities that are not dependent on the
frequency at which a Technician can visit a measurement facility. It is also
not dependent on whether a Technician has necessary expertise to recognise
potential meter problems - from the American School of Gas Measurement
Technology.
Thanks to our sponsor Zedflo
Australia ICEweb's Test
and Calibration Instruments page has been extensively upgraded. New
links include;
- “How
to” Choose the Right batteries for your Calibrator - Most of our
calibrators are designed to use standard replaceable Alkaline batteries. You
know, the ones you can buy at the corner store. That’s a good choice
because of the relatively high power density and mostly flat discharge curve
of these cells. They start out with a high terminal voltage (1.5 V or
more). A really strong point for these batteries is the long shelf life. If
you don’t use your calibrator much, that would be a good reason to use
Alkalines. New ones typically have a shelf life of 3 years or more.
- Is
It a Calibrator? - People actually in the calibration industry often
hear things being called calibrators that obviously aren’t. The defining
points for a calibrator are detailed here.
- Guide To Low Resistance Testing
- Getting
Down to Earth - A Practical Guide to Earth Resistance Testing - Earth
resistance is measured in two ways for two important fields of use:
- Determining effectiveness of “ground” grids and connections that are
used with electrical systems to protect personnel and equipment.
- Prospecting for good (low resistance) “ground” locations, or obtaining
measured resistance values that can give specific information about what
lies some distance below the earth’s surface (such as depth to bed rock).
It is not the intent of this manual to go too deeply into the theory and
mathematics of the subject. As noted in the references at the end, there are
many excellent books and papers that cover these. Rather, the information
herein is in simple language for easy understanding by the user in industry
- from Megger and Weschler Instruments
The
Isotech Journal of Thermometry - This brilliant five part journal is an
excellent collection of technical articles dedicated specifically to thermometry.
It includes articles related to temperature scales, different methods to
realize them and practicle techniques used to calibrate interpolation
devices such as SPRTs, IPRTs, Thermocouples, Thermistors and Pyrometers. It
includes;.
Welcome
to the Isotech Journal Of thermometry - Fundamentals of Thermometry, Part 1:
Temperature Scales - Practical Calibration of Thermometers on the ITS-90 -
Platinum Resistance Thermometers as Interpolation Standards for the ITS-90
Fundamentals
of Thermometry, Part 2: Fixed Points - Standard Platinum Resistance
Thermometer calibrations on the ITS-90, How to specify & order -
International Equivalence of thermometer calibration, testing &
certification - Improvements in Metrological Apparatus - Evaluation of the
Gallium melting Point by a two cell comparison - An MS-DOS computer program
for the interpolation of ITS-90
Fundamentals
of Thermometry, Part 3: Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometers - The
Platinum Resistance Thermometers of C.H. Meyers (Historic
Reprint) - Coiled Filament Platinum Resistance Thermometers - Open
Cell, Sealed Cells, & Slim Cells - The Heat Pipe and its use in
Thermometer Calibration - Isothermal Heat Pipes and Press Controlled
Furnaces
Fundamentals
of Thermometry, Part 4: Standard Thermometers, Bridges &
Measurements - Cost of Calibration to ITS-90 at various institutions -
Uncertainties in Temperature Measurement - The Gallium Watchdog (in quality
assurance of measurement) - New Developments & Discoveries - High
Temperature Platinum Resistance Thermometers - Review: About Words -
available metrology vocabularies
Fundamentals
of Thermometry, Part 5: Industrial Platinum Resistance Thermometers -
Common Errors in Industrial Temperature Measurement - I Blame the
Mother-in-law (Evolution of a Fluid Bed Calibration Bath) - The Water Triple
Point and Gallium Point in Secondary Laboratories in Germany - Comparison
Calibration at the Boiling Point of Nitrogen or Argon - A Caution from Phil
Metz - News of a new Metrology Society (Slovak Metrological Society) -
Melting Point and Triple Point Measurements of Gallium on the IPTS-68 (Historic
Reprint)
Posted by: Jim Russell, March 2011
Five Critical Factors for Selecting Fieldbus Valve Manifolds - Enrico De Carolis - In today’s highly automated machines, fieldbus valve manifolds are replacing conventional hardwired solutions. They more easily perform vital functions by integrating communication interfaces to pneumatic valve manifolds with input/output (I/O) capabilities. This allows programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to more efficiently turn valves on and off and to channel I/O data from sensors, lights, relays, individual valves, or other I/O devices via various industrial networks. The resulting integrated control packages can also be optimized to allow diagnostic benefits not previously available. This paper presents controls engineers, specifiers, and buyers with new insights into five crucial factors they must consider before selecting pneumatic fieldbus valve manifolds — commissioning, distribution, modularity, diagnostics, and recovery — while also outlining some shortcomings of conventional approaches. Finally, it highlights new designs that offer substantial improvements in the application, performance, and maintenance of these valve manifolds from the end users’ and OEMs’ points of view - from Numatics, Inc.
Copper Tube Bending - A video of how to bend copper tube.
Thanks to our sponsor Prochem
Pipeline Products and Circor
Instrumentation Technologies our Instrument
Fittings page has been extensively updated with new links, these
include;
- Video
1 of Assembly and Verification Process of PYPLOK fittings
- Video
2 of Assembly and Verification Process of PYPLOK fittings
- Video
- PYPLOK fittings installed in a BOP (Blowout preventer) installed in the
Gulf of Mexico at a depth of 2.400 m
- Video
- PYPLOK fittings - Assembly Using a Hose Crimper - Pyplok
fittings can be also crimped with a hose crimper, allowing companies the use
of the fittings without having to buy a portable unit. The time and cost
savings compared to welding, cutting ring or flaring are huge.
- Video
- PYPLOK fittings for Water Mist Piping - PYPLOK fittings are the
perfect choice for high pressure water mist piping systems. They are very
fast to install, more economical than classical systems and totally
reliable.
Thanks to our sponsor Austral-Powerflo
Solutions ICEweb's Specialist
Power Plant Valve page has been completely reworked and the following
links have been added;
- Forget
Your Problems - This Power Technology Bulletin describes the advantages
of the Hora Solution and how problems can be solved by these specialist
Power Plant Valves.
- Power
Plant Valve Applications.
Thanks to our sponsor Austral-Powerflo
Solutions ICEweb's Composite
Valve page has been completely reworked and the following links have
been added;
- Composite
Valves can Solve your Internal and External Corrosion Problems - Valves
are exposed to corrosive environments both internally (media) and externally
(ambient conditions). Since either source of attack can ruin a metal valve
or a plastic valve, such as PVC,
each deserves serious attention.
- Nil-Cor®
Valve Seminar - Wiliam Simendinger - This comprehensive composite valve
seminar whilst being a huge download at over 20 Megs is well worth taking a
look at, it covers the Basics about Composites, Composite Processing
Methods, Composite Valve Design and Advantages, Composite Valve Applications
and More.
- Typical
Composite Control Ball Valve Specification
- Typical
Composite Ceramic - Lined Ball Valve Specification
- Typical
Composite Butterfly Control Valve Specification
- Fiberglass
Ideal For Dry Deluge System Applications - Around 1982, offshore
platforms began using dry deluge systems, where the ring main is kept full
of seawater but the downstream piping is dry. The dry piping is separated
from the ring main by deluge valves, which automatically open and distribute
water through the dry pipe to spray nozzles during a fire. This practice
saves weight and minimizes corrosion-induced that the deluge piping is
typically routed to avoid hazardous areas on the platform means that
conductivity is not a requirement, but fire resistance is essential.
- Composites
World - Composites World is a useful website which is focused on
composites.
Thanks to our sponsor Austral-Powerflo
Solutions ICEweb's Level
page has been completely reworked and the following links have been
added
- Comprehensive Interactive
List of Level Solutions by Industry.
- Selecting
the Right Magnetic Level Indicator - Companies in the process
industry need the ability to visually monitor liquid levels in vessels
(boilers, storage tanks, processing units, etc.). Traditionally, armored
glass sight gauges have been used. However, many companies want an
alternative to sight gauges to avoid problems such as breakage, leaks, or
bursting at high pressures and extreme temperatures. In addition, the
visibility of the sight glass can be poor and often affected by moisture,
corrosion, or oxidation.Magnetic level indicators (MLIs) do not have the
shortcomings of glass sight gauges and are suitable for a wide variety of
installations.
- Guided
Wave Radar vs. Differential Pressure Transmitters for Liquid Level
Measurement - Over the years, however, newer level measurement devices
have emerged and are consistently capturing market share from older
technologies which utilize mechanical and pressure-based
measurement-including DP transmitters. Technologies such as Non-Contact
Radar, RF Capacitance, Ultrasonic, Magnetostrictive, and GuidedWave Radar
employ the latest microprocessor-based digital electronics. By incorporating
internal diagnostics, these devices have improved the control, analysis,
communication, and overall reliability of fluid level management systems -
from www.controlglobal.com
- Technical
Handbook from Magnetrol - This comprehensive publication provides
important conversions, chemical properties, equivalents and pipe data -
thanks to ISA.
- The
Boiler Drum Level Measurement Guide - Engineers must be ever vigilant to
insure the integrity of the equipment and designs they employ when dealing
with critical process applications. Some processes have been studied
quite thoroughly and necessary control requirements are already well
defined. Hundreds of thousands of boilers have been placed in service and
the elements needed for proper drum level measurement are well understood.
Years of experience have gone into determining satisfactory designs.
Unfortunately, a failure to compile and distribute this information has
resulted in many engineers going “back to the drawing board” for every
new project. Isn’t this wealth of experience available somewhere. New
products and methods are being constantly introduced. But how do these new
products combine with existing equipment? Are there regulations which these
new methods must meet? Is this really a new product, or a research
experiment? This excellent 28 page guide is intended to help in the
engineering effort. A sampling of “Tried and True” designs enhanced with
the latest developments in equipment and methodology are presented.
Hopefully it will provide safer operation of the boiler, save time for the
design engineer, and simplify the selection of components that are required
to efficiently and safely monitor and control the boiler drum level -
Thanks to The Clark-Reliance Corporation.
- Boiler
Drum Level Measurement - The primary function of a utility boiler is to
convert water into steam which is used to turn a steam turbine thus,
generating electricity. A steam/water interface exists within the boiler
drum. An objective for safe and efficient boiler operation is to maintain a
constant level in the boiler drum. This can be accomplished by maintaining a
balance between the amounts of steam leaving and water entering the boiler
drum. Unfortunately, boiler drum level control is complicated by changes in
electrical load requirements or variations in the fuel and air supply - from
Yokogawa.
- Boiler
Drum Level Control - Drum level control is critical to good boiler
operation, as well as safe boiler operation - Jerry Gilman -The drum level
must be controlled to the limits specified by the boiler manufacturer. If
the drum level does not stay within these limits, there may be water
carryover. If the level exceeds the limits, boiler water carryover into the
superheater or the turbine may cause damage resulting in extensive
maintenance costs or outages of either the turbine or the boiler. If the
level is low, overheating of the water wall tubes may cause tube ruptures
and serious accidents, resulting in expensive repairs, downtime, and injury
or death to personnel. A rupture or crack most commonly occurs where the
tubes connect to the drum. Damage may be a result of numerous or repeated
low drum level conditions where the water level is below the tube entry into
the drum - from ISA and InTech.
- Boiler
Drum Level Measurement and Control - David C. Farthing - Improved
efficiency can have many connotations everything from fuel savings, improved
equipment operation and useful life span, to labour and manpower savings.
This paper will focus on the effects of boiler drum level and feedwater
control as a means of energy savings by thermal/mass balancing the boiler.
This paper will also discuss the effects of steam drum pressure and
feedwater temperature on the overall efficiency of the boiler - from Federal
Corporation.
- Cascade,
Feed Forward and Boiler Level Control - Allen D. Houtz - One
common application of cascade control combined with feed forward control is
in level control systems for boiler steam drums. The control strategies now
used in modern industrial boiler systems had their beginnings on shipboard
steam propulsion boilers. When boilers operated at low pressure, it was
reasonably inexpensive to make the steam drum large. In a large drum, liquid
level moves relatively slowly in response to disturbances (it has a long
time constant). Therefore, manual or automatic adjustment of the feedwater
valve in response to liquid level variations was an effective control
strategy. However as boiler operating pressures have increased over the
years, the cost of building and installing large steam drums forced the
reduction of the drum size for a given steam production capacity. The
consequence of smaller drum size is an attendant reduction in process time
constants, or the speed with which important process variables can change.
Smaller time constants mean upsets must be addressed more quickly, and this
has led to the development of increasingly sophisticated control strategies
- from the controlguru
- Bubble-Tube
Level System - In a Bubble-Tube Liquid Level System, the level is
measured in a vented vessel by measuring the pressure required to force a
gas into the liquid at a point beneath the surface. This method allows for
level measurement without liquid entering the piping or the instrument. A
pressure regulator and constant-flow regulator combine to establish a
consistent flow of clean air or gas to a bubble pipe immersed a fixed
distance in the tank. The flow is regulated to a very low level, building up
pressure in the end of the bubble pipe. Thereafter, pressure is kept at this
value by the escape of air bubbles through the liquid. Changes in the
measured level cause the gas pressure to build or drop - from ControlAir Inc
V-Cone Installation Guide #1 - Upstream and Downstream Minimum Straight Pipe Run Requirements for Liquid Metering and Gases at a Reynolds Number (Re) Value Less Than or Equal To 200,000
Proven Flow Measurement Solutions for the Oil and Gas Industry - The V-Cone® flow meter is an advanced technology that takes differential pressure flow measurement to a new level. The V-Cone flow meter has proven its performance in the oil and gas industry in some of the harshest operating conditions and for the widest variety of fluid types. In these applications, the V-Cone flow meter consistently outperforms traditional dP devices and other major flow technologies.
V-Cone Installation Guide #2 - Upstream and Downstream Minimum Straight Pipe Run Requirements for Gas Metering at a Reynolds Number (Re) Value > 200,000
Subsea Flow Measurement - 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. Flow meters monitor critical processes and directly measure gases and liquids including crude, gas condensate, water, chemicals such as MEG (methyl ethyl glycol), gas for gas injection and gas lift, and many others. Subsea oil and gas production requires highly specialized and reliable precision equipment and instrumentation.
V-Cone Flow Meters Solves Nuclear Lab Underwater Measurement Problem - Willem Smith - NRG Lab faced a problem when the old vortex flow meter was wearing out and they found that model was no longer in production. The Lab plant managers needed a new flow metering solution with specific capabilities, including, electronics with a long life, low maintenance costs and a technology that performs well underwater and can withstand the effects of nuclear radiation
Posted by: Jim Russell, January 2011
The
September 2010 and October
2010 CAS newsletters have some Excellent Modbus Information
- Included in these two parts is;
MODBUS
- Introduction, 4
types of data, There
are (were) a Max of
9999 points of each data type, 5
Digit vs 6 Digit Addressing, What
about Scaling In Modbus, Floating
Point Numbers In Modbus, Byte/Word
Order – An ambiguous
nightmare, Bit
Order - Sometimes it’s a problem too, Modbus
and Gateways, What
about errors / exceptions, There
can only be one master on a
How Real and 32-bit Data is Encoded in Modbus RTU - This article discusses some of the typical difficulties encountered when handling 32-bit data types via Modbus RTU and offers practical help for solving these problems - from chipkin.com.
Power Over Ethernet - POE is a technology that provides electrical power to a Powered Device using conductors in a CAT5 cable. Power is delivered by means of a DC voltage and maximum current rating. Typical Power Sourcing Equipment devices are network switches. Even though there is a standard (IEEE 802.3af) there are a number of factors you should watch for as this technology emerges and evolves because as usual the devil is in the detail - from chipkin.com
Ethernet Cables - This article from chipkin.com covers; Cat5 and Cat5e - Where do the terms Cat5 and Cat5e come from and what is the difference and Ethernet Colour Coding.
Power Meter- Get to know your Power Meter - What is Real, Apparent and Reactive Power - This useful article from chipkin.com discusses some of the traps to avoid.
RS485 on a Scope Using an Oscilloscope on a RS485 Network - For reference purposes here are some scope captures of a typical RS485 line - from chipkin.com
Resistors - Beer and Vodka can help you Select a Terminating Resistor - Covers Resistor Colour Codes, How to buy resistors, How to make a resistance value even if you don't have the correct resistor in your toolbox and Resistor colour codes for 4 and 5 band resistors - from chipkin.com
SI Unit Converter - Have you ever need to convert millimeters in to inches, or Miles in to Kilometers then this utility is for you. It can convert just about anything to anything else. More then 50 different units in 20 categories - this useful utility resides on your computer - from chipkin.com
The Following have been added to ICEweb's Fire and Gas
page
Safety
for your Production - Bob Barnum - Spark Detection and Extinguishment
systems eliminate personnel injuries, equipment damage and loss of
production from fires and explosions. In any type of production facility,
fire control encompasses a wide range of equipment or systems from building
sprinklers to plant site fire departments. A spark detection and
extinguishing system must be thought of as part of a plant’s overall
security and safety network. Just as a residential alarm system provides
protection to a homeowner, a spark detection system provides preventive
protection against potential loss of human life, production facilities,
equipment and costly downtime - from GreCon
Spark
Detection Systems-Podcast - John
Astad - Spark detection system manufacturers discuss important
aspects of spark detection engineering controls in lessening the probability
and reducing the severity of combustible dust related fires and explosions
at facilities - Combustible Dust Policy Institute
Ask
Joe! Spark Detection & Extinguishment Systems - Sparks
are a very common danger. Although they may not be readily apparent, this
does not mean that they do not exist. In most cases, close attention is
focused on this problem only after it is too late, namely when there has
been an explosion or fire - from www.powderandbulk.com
The following technical articles are from the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Hazard
Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts-
Hazard Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts is a new guidance
document recently published by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) that assists chemical manufacturers and importers in
recognizing the potential for dust explosions, identifying appropriate
protective measures and the requirements for disseminating this information
on material safety data sheets and labels. The document addresses the
combustible dust hazards in relation to the Hazard Communication Standard,
which is designed to ensure that chemical hazards are evaluated and the
information concerning them is transmitted to employers and workers - from
OSHA
Combustable
Dust Materials List - Does your company or
firm process any of these products or materials in powdered form? If your
company or firm processes any of these products or materials, there is
potential for a “Combustible Dust” explosion - from OSHA.
OSHA
- Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program - This
instruction contains policies and procedures for inspecting workplaces that
create or handle combustible dusts. In some circumstances these dusts may
cause a deflagration, other fires, or an explosion. These dusts include, but
are not limited to: • Metal dust such as aluminum and magnesium. • Wood
dust • Coal and other carbon dusts. • Plastic dust and additives •
Biosolids • Other organic dust such as sugar, flour, paper, soap, and
dried blood. • Certain textile materials
Combustible
Dust in Industry: Preventing and Mitigating the Effects of Fire and
Explosions - This Safety and Health Information
Bulletin (SHIB) highlights: Hazards associated with
combustible dusts; • Work practices and guidelines that reduce the
potential for a combustible dust explosion, • or that reduce the danger to
employees if such an explosion occurs; and, • Training to protect
employees from these hazards.
NFPA
654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the
Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids,
2006 Edition - This standard applies to all phases of the manufacture,
processing, blending, pneumatic conveying, repackaging, and handling of
combustible particulate solids or hybrid mixtures, regardless of
concentration or particle size, where the materials present a fire or
explosion hazard. It also applies to systems that convey combustible
particulate solids that are produced as a result of a principal or
incidental activity, regardless of concentration or particle size, where the
materials present a fire or explosion hazard.
Combustible
Dust Policy Institute Blog - The goal of Combustible Dust Policy
Institute Group is to minimize the severity and reduce the occurrence of
combustible dust related fires and explosions in the global
workplace.Through ongoing exchange of best practices and lessons learned of
combustible dust related incidents, which identifies and evaluates risk, the
group shares risk assessment information that a diverse spectrum of members
utilize in effectively controlling combustible dust hazards. There are many
useful links here.
Excuse
the Dust - "When shredding electronics, hard
drives and some products sparks can be created. If the spark reaches the
dust collector, it could ignite a fire or cause an explosion,"
Dietterich says. "The dust generated from shredding these items has
different explosive characteristics than paper dust as measured by the Kst
factor of the dust." He adds, "... The conveyance ducting should
be equipped with a flame and spark detection and extinguishing system that
will detect and extinguish the flame or spark while moving through the
ductwork prior to entering the dust collector". - from Recycling
Today
Combustible
Dust: An Insidious Hazard - Dust from industrial
processes can become the fuel for devastating explosions. Investigation
Details: Imperial Sugar Company Dust Explosion and Fire Hayes Lemmerz Dust
Explosions and Fire CTA Acoustics Dust Explosion and Fire West
Pharmaceutical Services Dust Explosion and Fire - from U.S. Chemical Safety
Board
The
Danger of Combustible Dust - Scott Pelley reports
on the deaths and property damage caused by dust explosions at American
factories, a problem critics say the government needs to do more to prevent
- from CBS news
Combustible
Dust Dangers: Too Dangerous for a 'Wait and See' Approach -
The list goes on, involving a wide range of industries and
types of combustible dust. This is a list your organization never wants to
be on, yet OSHA estimates 30,000 U.S. facilities may be at risk for
combustible dust incidents. This article provides background on combustible
dust issues to help you evaluate whether your organization is doing
everything it can to minimize that risk - from ohsonline.com
Dust
-When a Nuisance Becomes Deadly -
Many people never knew sugar could explode until February 7, 2008,
when an explosion rocked the Imperial Sugar Company in Port Wentworth,
Georgia, killing 13 people and injuring 40. Located just outside Savannah,
this 91-year-old facility processed granulated and powdered sugar - from
NFPA Journal
Combustible
Dust Becomes National Target - Combustible dust, a
hazard that has historically received little attention from employers and
government agencies alike, is a hidden danger that every company operating a
saw should address. Sawdust often goes unnoticed in all manners of nooks and
crannies although it poses a major hazard if a secondary explosion occurs -
from palletenterprise.com
Reduce
Your Risk of Dust Fires and Explosions -
Spark and ember generation is a constant danger in production
facilities where combustible materials are being worked, processed,
transported, dried, filtered or exhausted. Insurance companies’ statistics
point out that silos, dust filters, bins, and even complete production lines
are the areas of greatest risk - from bulk-online.com
Ask
Dr. Knowledge - What Exactly is a Dust Explosion, and Should I Worry about
House Dust? - An explosion is really a kind of
build-up of pressure (that's the "bang") and to get that, you
usually need a combination of quick burning and something to contain the hot
gases released to build up pressure. You might do without the container if
the burning is fast enough, but we needn't worry about that for the question
you're asking - from www.boston.com
This
demonstration illustrates the principle behind a grain elevator explosion.
- Grain dust, like lycopodium powder, is not especially
flammable, but when grain is dumped into a grain silo, some of the finer
dust particles can remain suspended in air surrounded by oxygen. This
mixture can be ignited by a spark, resulting in an explosion - from jchemed.chem.wisc.edu
Reduce
Dust Explosions the Inherently Safer Way - Inherent
safety is a proactive approach for hazard and risk management during process
plant design and operation. Although it offers an attractive and
cost-effective methodology for risk reduction, inherent safety has not been
used as widely as engineered (add-on) and procedural (administrative)
measures. This article is aimed at the development of a framework for dust
explosion prevention and mitigation that explicitly incorporates the
principles of inherent safety - from www.aiche.org
Change Units - Convert Units Your Way - Easily convert any units.
The Unit Converter Add-in for Excel® - Download the Unit Converter Add-in for Excel for free and start using it right now. Change between thousands of different units in more than sixty different physical properties. The add-in's functions are intuitive to use and dimensionally aware. Common abbreviations and conventions are followed throughout, and the functions will check that the units are compatible before converting. Engineers, contractors, and chemists will find the number of dimensions and units available invaluable. From the very smallest units to the largest, this converter can handle them all. Compound dimensions without common standard units are not a problem. The add-in comes with complete documentation, examples, a quick start, and installation help. The Unit Converter Add-in for Excel requires you to have Excel, the Microsoft® spreadsheet application which is more than likely already installed on your computer. For more help and examples, please see the Documentation section - from tenderwire.
ANSI/ISA-TR96.05.01,
Partial Stroke Testing of Automated Block Valves - The technical report
provides guidance on various criteria to consider when determining whether
partial stroke testing would be beneficial and on the different methods
used. Use of this technical report involves familiarity with the operation
of automated block valves and with the quantitative analysis of its average
probability of failure on demand (PFDAVG).
Users of ANSI/ISA-TR96.05.01 will include:
- owner/operators who use automated block valves in operating environments
requiring partial stroke testing;
- designers who identify automated block valve applications where it is
apparent more frequent and stringent proof testing is required;
- operations and maintenance personnel who need to understand the process
and results of partial stroke testing.
Specifying High-Performance Cables - The Devil Is In The Detail - Still, cables fail and systems go down. Why? Many of the problems that surround cable failure, especially in extreme and harsh operating environments could have been avoided by selecting the correct cable from the outset. "But specifying cable is easy," you say. Well, yes and no. Sure, it's easy to match temperature ranges and then count on a PVC jacket for protection. But there's a lot more to it than that. Understanding how the cable will work when exposed to extreme temperatures; quantifying the type of chemical, oil, fuel or solvent the cable will be exposed to; understanding the difference between flexible and flexing, considering the level of mechanical abuse, UV exposure and EMI/RFI interference concerns are just a few of the details that engineers need to consider before "fully" specifying an appropriate "hazard-matched" cable - from Alpha Wire.
Heat-Shrink Tubing: The Versatile Tools for Maintenance and Repair - Think of heat-shrink tubing as the duct tape for electrical wiring on the factory floor. Heat-shrink tubing is versatile, easy to use, and finds wide applicability in maintenance and repair. Heat-shrink tubing can be used for preventive maintenance to avoid problems, and it is a wonderful tool for making minor repairs to cables and connectors - from Alpha Wire.
How to Stop the Noise with Shielded Cable - The Importance of Being Properly Shielded - Electrical Interference or noise is the bane of all complex (and high speed) industrial electronics system and product designers. And why not? In Industrial controls systems, for example, it's estimated that well over 50 percent of all system hardware failures are caused in part by electrical noise. This is not just an issue for microprocessor based systems. With today's infinitely more complex communications and control systems that incorporate higher transmission and switching speeds, the implications of noise related failures are increasing exponentially. There is growing industry concern as well as increasingly more rigid regulations related to electrically radiated emissions, and EMC (electromagnetic compatibility). How to shield power and signal cables has never been a bigger issue. Based on the ever increasing distances that signal and control communications are required to travel, cables are the system components most highly exposed to interference. In fact, EMC and effective shielding have become just as critical as any other design concern, particularly in mission critical applications such as: medical, defense, industrial machinery, sensing and control, and communication - from Alpha Wire.
Picking the Right VFD Cable - Reduce Problems and Increase Reliability -Variable-frequency drives (VFD) allow sophisticated control by AC motors by allowing their speed and torque to be precisely adjusted. Control is achieved by varying the frequency to the motor. It does not, however, send a pure sine-wave frequency to the motor. Rather it sends a series of pulses, whose width varies, to the motor. This technique—pulse-width modulation— supplies the drive with the same power profile as a sine-wave frequency. PWM also allows the effective voltage to the motor to be varied. While PWM provides an excellent way to control a motor’s speed and torque, it creates several phenomena that can affect the power, create noise, reduce the life of the cable, and disrupt operation of the drive system. Understanding these phenomena explains why selecting the proper VFD cable is important to maintaining reliable, long-term operation - from Alpha Wire.
Embedded Motor Condition Monitoring, Diagnostics - Adam Krug - Embedded condition monitoring and remote diagnostics prevent equipment failure, reduce energy consumption, improve reliability. Only a very small percentage of critical motors and motor loads in the U.S. actually are equipped with any sort of condition monitoring. This lack of adoption largely stems from the costs and complexity of conventional condition monitoring equipment. Industry-leading solid-state, motor control technology provides customers with the ability to monitor parameters, albeit not the exact same parameters, to gain a more precise and real-time perspective on performance, far more simply than traditional condition monitoring methods - from ISA
Combustible Gas Detector Sensor Drift: Catalytic vs Infrared - Kelly Rollick, Allan Roczko, and Leslie Mitchell - Catalytic bead combustible sensor technology, used for decades to measure combustible gas concentrations, dates back to the 1830s. The infrared spectrum was discovered in 1800. The 1950s saw a surge in infrared spectrum use for many technological applications, including gas detection. These distinct gas detection technologies offer advantages and disadvantages, with conditions determining the better choice for specific applications - from ISA.
ICEweb's
Manufacturing and Automation Safety Page has been extensively reworked
thanks to our sponsor Pilz. The Following links have been added.
Playing
it Safe - Comply with all the Standards when Interlinking Machinery - Many
budgets do not provide for the purchase of new
machinery in difficult economic times.
That’s why the option to upgrade existing plant
and machinery is a practicable and significant
alternative to buying new. However, in the process,
operators often overlook the
fact that a machine’s existing declaration of
conformity is rendered invalid if it undergoes
a significant change.
All
in Line - Connecting Safety Gates Safely in Series - A typical task in the
machinery safety sector is safety gate monitoring. If a safety gate is opened
during operation, the machine must stop immediately; while the safety gate is
open, it must not be possible for the machine to start up. A safety switch
monitors the position of the safety gate. As machines are often fitted with
several safety gates, it seems obvious to switch or wire these in series. See
Page 5.
Secure
Pillar for Manufacturing
- Safe
Camera System Improves the Ergonomics of a Robot Welding Station - Wherever
robots perform manufacturing tasks, human operators
are usually not too far away. To ensure that both
can work safely “hand in hand”, danger
zones must be monitored reliably, without causing
an unnecessary obstruction to the
production process. High quality standards in the
automotive industry mean that
precision robot welding is often required. At the
same time, the operator must be
able to access the manufacturing cell quickly at
any time, without putting himself
at risk. That’s a job in which the safe camera
system SafetyEYE can really show its strengths.
Don’t
Open the Door to Risk
- Clever Gate Management offers Safety and Productivity - Provided
an operator does not have to set foot in an
installation, his safety can be easily guaranteed
using simple means. Gates, flaps or covers provide
mechanical protection. However, maintenance,
cleaning or set-up require direct access.
This must be risk-free, as far as possible, and
must not obstruct the production process.
In
Control - Safety relay PNOZsigma can now Monitor Standstill, Speed and Direction
of Rotation - Pilz is expanding its range of PNOZsigma safety relays: the
new PNOZ s30 monitors safe standstill, speed and direction of rotation. Safe
working practices with the safety gate open, reduced setup times and rapid
access to the machine once standstill is initiated - these are the key benefits
for users. Application of the new speed monitor also allows you to meet the
Machinery Directive's requirement for safe speed monitoring.
Flexibility
Counts - Modern Safety Concept for Packaging Machines
- What do chocolates, CDs or books have in common?
Their film packaging. Fully automatic packaging
machines take care of the shrink wrapping. The
aim is the highest possible fl exibility plus a
high output, without cutting back on
the safety of man and machine. A co-ordinated
solution comprising sensor and safety
relay not only meets current requirements for
functional safety but also simplifies engineering
and handling.
Well
Recycled - A Safe Recycling Process with Pilz Control Technology - Jute bag
or plastic? Until recently, you had to decide whether you wanted your packaging
to be environmentally aware or economical. Latest developments will practically
make this decision redundant: now even plastic bags are recyclable. Prior to the
actual recycling process, sorting plants guarantee that the input of material is
as homogeneous as possible, without contaminants. Safe, flexible control
technology ensures that sorting processes run at optimum level.
Efficiency
Classification
- Standards
and Laws for Electric motors are Intended to Increase Energy Efficiency -
The efficiency of motors has recently
been classified with a new
international system, the IE-Code.
This replaces the previous effi
ciency classes. European legislators
are also using the system as the basis
for a new regulation, which describes the statutory
minimum requirements for the
efficiency of motors and the use of electronic
variable speed drives.
There
are Two Sides to Everything - Convert to EN ISO 13849-1 Early and Exploit the
Opportunities - At the end of 2009 the EU Commission applied the brake to
the standards: By extending the transition period for EN 954-1 until 31.12.2011,
it initially halted the sole application of EN ISO 13849-1. Machine
manufacturers and operators now have two more years in which to convert to the
new standard. Only time will tell if they really know how to take advantage of
this deferral. Many are only counting the additional cost. The fact that the new
standard also offers benefits is often overlooked. See Page 4.
New
GL Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines - This guideline calls
for measures on wind turbines to reduce risk through
control functions. Their purpose will be to keep
the plant within its design specifi cations under
all expected infl uences and fault conditions. The
design of safety-related control functions in accordance
with EN ISO 13849-1 is named as an appropriate
measure. This applies not only when the wind
turbine is in automatic mode but also for the
period in which service personnel are working on
the turbine during regular maintenance, for example
(DIN EN 50308).
Safe
Designs for Safe Workplaces - New Guide to Applying ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061
- One of the big challenges facing machine builders has been choosing between
ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061. The IEC published a new guide at the end of July,
2010 called Technical Report IEC/TR 62061-1 ed1.0 Guidance on the application of
ISO 13849-1 and IEC 62061 in the design of safety-related control systems for
machinery. The new 38-page guide is available as a hard copy or a PDF file.
Written jointly by Technical Committee IEC/TC 44, Safety of machinery –
Electrotechnical aspects and Technical Committee ISO/TC 199, Safety of
machinery. The Technical Report was published in parallel by ISO as ISO/TR
23849.Technical Reports don’t have the same status as International Standards,
but provide the TC’s with a means to provide guidance and explanation to
help users implement the standard.
Guide:
Common Machine Safety Standards, Terms, Violations: Terms you need to know -
Understanding machine safety standards and terms remains a challenging first
step to spotting and reducing risks and increasing profitability. Sources for
help are many. Standards organizations covering machine safety include American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA), Robotics Industries Association (RIA), and U.S. Occupational Safety
& Health Administration (OSHA), among others. Requirements are numerous;
some are more obvious than others. From automationworld.com and Siemens.
Impact
of the New International Safety Standards - A presentation full of
Information - from NHP
No
more Cable Chaos
- Connect
Decentralised Sensor Technology Quickly and Easily - When you need to
connect field-based sensor technology to
the evaluation device in the control cabinet,
it’s not always necessary to use a fieldbus.
Used in conjunction with an evaluation system,
the new digital IP67 modules provide
the perfect alternative between individual wiring
and a fieldbus system. They make installation
simple, save time and money and at the same time
provide the highest level of safety.
Non-Stop
Safety-
One-Stop
Technology and Expertise - High demands are placed on power
stations these days: not only should they be safe,
they also have to handle the planet’s
resources efficiently. Modern safety technology
contributes greatly in this respect,
enabling all control processes to be designed to be
safer and more efficient.
Cross
Without Danger - Automation Solutions make Level Crossings Safe - Whether
you’re going by road, rail or on foot, unsecured
level crossings present a high risk
to all travellers. Safeguards are an absolute
necessity. Building contractors are
increasingly turning to modern, safe automation
technology. That’s because safety control
systems – like those used for decades in
mechanical engineering – not only increase
safety but also save costs
UK Health
and Safety Law - What You Need to Know - All workers have a right to work in
places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health
and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or ill through work. Your
employer is responsible for health and safety, but you must help - from HSE.
Guidelines
for Safe Machinery – Six Steps to a Safe Machine - This 118
page document contains an extensive set of guidelines about the safety of
machinery and the selection and usage of protective devices. It shows various
ways in which you can protect machinery and people against accidents - from SICK
Posted by: Jim Russell, December 2010
Global Enclosure Standards within the Electrical Industry - Industry standards for electrical enclosures exist to promote safety, encourage design efficiency and define minimum levels of product performance. In the European and North American electrical industries, several standards are enforced for these reasons. Across the global marketplace, these or other standards may be followed or there may be no standards at all, which can lead to wide variations in product performance and price. In many cases, the end customer is not aware of the standards or does not clearly understand them and, therefore, does not insist that suppliers provide products that meet the standards. Focusing solely on low price without fully understanding or requiring industry standards can yield a low initial product cost, but could ultimately lead to high maintenance expenses, component failure and in the worst case, worker safety issues. The purpose of this paper is to: (a) Clearly define the industry standards that exist for electrical enclosures (b) Compare the most commonly used standards so enclosure users can understand the key differences (c) Equip decision makers with the knowledge needed to select an electrical enclosure that has the appropriate rating and price to value relationship for its intended application - from Hoffman
The Can of Worms Is Open-Now What? - John Cusimano and Eric Byres - The recent Stuxnet worm that targeted Siemens HMI and PLC systems highlights the fact that designing a good cyber defense for your SCADA or process control system is no longer an option. While the motivations of the worm's designers are still not clear, the undisputable fact is that this worm was designed to let an outsider gain unauthorized access to control systems using the most widely deployed brand of PLC and SCADA products in the world. To their credit, Siemens and Microsoft responded rapidly to the Stuxnet threat, and provided a patch to address the vulnerability and a utility to detect and remove the virus. But everyone knows it's always better to prevent a threat than to react to one. So, how can you protect yourself from the next Stuxnet? From www.controlglobal.com
The Fieldbus Reference List by Rob Hulsebos is an extensive listing of links to would you believe 362 systems.
Industrial Ethernet - The use of Ethernet as an industrial network is a subject for which still very little documentation is available. This publication focuses entirely on this type of usage of Ethernet, and how this relates to the operation of Ethernet. A difference between an office-user of Ethernet and an industrial user of Ethernet is that the former is not interested in (seemingly trivial) details of internal Ethernet operation, while the latter must sometimes know all the details in order to assure that the network operates correctly under all circumstances. Despite many publications in the trade press about industrial Ethernet, it is difficult to find relevant technical information void of marketing hype and commercial interests. This excellent 100 page publication addresses this - thanks to Rob Hulsebos
Selecting Fluid System Components for use in Sour Oilfields - The conditions under which oil and gas are brought from their reservoirs to the surface can be outright hostile to many common materials used in fluid system components employed in industry. Potentially dangerous mechanisms include localised corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and sulphide stress cracking (SSC). SSC has become increasingly common as more sour reservoirs are being developed - for example, those in the northern part of the Caspian Sea that contain up to 20% hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Ageing reservoirs can also turn sour as abiotic and biotic reactions take place. This article describes how to select the optimal materials of construction for components that need to perform reliably for many years in the demanding sour environments of oil and gas exploration and production - from Process Online and Swagelok.
ATEX and Explosive Atmospheres - Explosive atmospheres in the workplace can be caused by flammable gases, mists or vapours or by combustible dusts. Explosions can cause loss of life and serious injuries as well as significant damage. These pages from the UK HSE will tell you more about explosive atmospheres and ATEX.
Thanks
to ICEweb sponsor Honeywell Analytics the following Technical Information
has been added to or Gas Detector Page.
- Plant
Safety Engineers take aim at a Wireless Future - Dr.Patrick Hogan -
Equipping the mobile worker with a personal gas monitor that not only can
monitor a range of hazardous gases, but also report the worker’s exact
location, continuously, in real time—over a wireless communications
grid—represents one small step forward for today’s control room
operator, yet one giant leap forward for plant safety - thanks to Honeywell
Analytics and HazardEx.
- Ask
the Experts - Although certain principles of gas detection require less
maintenance than others, the calibration and servicing frequency of gas
detection equipment is largely dependent on the environment and application
where it is being used. Weather conditions, dust, dirt, water and even the
types of compounds being used nearby can have an effect on the performance
of equipment and influence the frequency of maintenance activities.
- Gas
Leak Detection for Boiler Rooms in Commercial and Industrial Property -
Natural gas is one of the most widely used fuels for heating commercial and
industrial property. In the event of an undetected leak it can present an
explosive risk leading to structural damage, the loss of life or an
expensive waste of fuel. Most boiler plant rooms are visited infrequently
and therefore any leak will go undetected. An automatic gas detection system
will provide early warning of a gas release during unmanned periods.
- The
Danger of Confined Spaces - Areas with a volume of less than 100m³,
where there is no natural ventilation or areas that measure less than 2
metres in diameter, length, width and depth are classed as confined and
enclosed danger zones. Special attention needs to be drawn to the dangers
posed by gases when space is restricted and typical examples of confined
spaces within industry include: shafts, trenches, pits, boilers, tanks,
pipelines and containers, as locations for emergency response units.
- Why
is Hydrogen Leak Detection Important? - Hydrogen is one of the three
most dangerous combustible gases; the other two are Acetylene and Carbon
Disulphide. These gases are particularly dangerous as they need very small
ignition energy to ignite them (the minimum ignition energy of Hydrogen is
just 40uJ) and for this reason have a separate gas group IIC as per the
European standard.
Detecting Hydrogen Fires -Hydrogen fires emit large amounts of UV and IR radiation and almost no visible light radiation. Detecting a hydrogen fire is difficult due to mostly an invisible flame. The Kennedy Space Center uses flame detectors designed to detect hydrogen fires during launch operations. The flame detectors are used on the cross-country fuel lines, launch pad service structures, and Mobile Launcher Platforms (MLP) - from General Monitors.
How to Select a Flame Detector - Process and plant engineers in the oil and gas industry and a wide range of other hazardous process and manufacturing industries require continuous flame monitoring equipment to prevent catastrophic fires. In order to select such detection equipment, users should understand the principles of flame detection and review the types of detectors available today. Armed with this knowledge they will be better able to match the appropriate flame detector to process and site performance requirements and to the type of hazard whose consequences the instrument is designed to mitigate - from General Monitors.
Detecting Combustible and Toxic Gases in HVAC Ducts - Air handling systems are used throughout industry to provide comfort and health in manned areas. Nevertheless, if unprotected, facility ventilation systems can transport combustible and toxic gases from a source area to other parts of the building, bringing the dangerous substances into non-hazardous areas, like control rooms, living quarters, electrical switch rooms, and equipment rooms. Because of the potential for the inadvertent transport of dangerous substances, government agencies, industry groups and many leading companies have established procedures for exhaust/ventilation system safety. One important element in the protection of these systems is gas detection.
Detecting Combustible Gas Leaks in Compressor Stations -In gas compressor stations, there is a high risk of fire and explosion due to a combination of intense heat, pressure and vibration. Gas detection solutions help to maintain safety in gas compressor stations. Ultrasonic, Infrared and Catalytic Bead gas detectors can be used alone or in integrated systems to help stabilize hazardous environments.
How to Select a Flame Detector - Process and plant engineers in the oil and gas industry and a wide range of other hazardous process and manufacturing industries require continuous flame monitoring equipment to prevent catastrophic fires. In order to select such detection equipment, users should understand the principles of flame detection and review the types of detectors available today. Armed with this knowledge they will be better able to match the appropriate flame detector to process and site performance requirements and to the type of hazard whose consequences the instrument is designed to mitigate - from General Monitors.
Detecting
Hydrogen Fires -Hydrogen fires emit large amounts of UV and IR radiation
and almost no visible light radiation. Detecting a hydrogen fire is
difficult due to mostly an invisible flame. The Kennedy Space Center uses
flame detectors designed to detect hydrogen fires during launch operations.
The flame detectors are used on the cross-country fuel lines, launch pad
service structures, and Mobile Launcher Platforms (MLP) - from General
Monitors.
Maintaining
Catalytic Combustible Gas Detectors - Even the best of safety monitoring
equipment requires periodic inspection. There must be a maintenance plan in
place with documented procedures, a regular schedule of inspections, repair
or replacement activity as necessary, problem reporting, etc. It is
important to train employees to know when inspection is necessary and what
type of maintenance procedures must be performed on a specific type or model
of gas detector.
ICEweb's Wireless
Instrumentation and Technologies Page has been completely remodelled and
lots of new links included, thanks to our sponsor Emerson
Process Management. Included are the following Super Wireless
Instrumentation Technical links;
The
Virtual Wireless Plant Tour - This
highlights areas of Emerson's Virtual Wireless Plant Tour - a web-based,
interactive tool that shows how wireless technologies can solve
operational challenges today.
Smart
Wireless Solutions for Field Network Applications - This
comprehensive brochure highlights the depth of Emerson's expertise and
breadth of offering for wireless solutions in the field. It's full of use
cases and actual applications where Smart Wireless has delivered customer
value.
Smart
Wireless Solutions for Plant Operations
- This
comprehensive brochure highlights Emerson's Smart Wireless capabilities for
plant-wide applications including Control Network bridging, Field Data
Backhaul, Safety Mustering, Video Monitoring, and more.
Wireless
Now - Think Beyond the Wire' (Issue #1) - A
16-page supplement discusses how to apply wireless - includes customer
applications and easy-to-understand benefits.
Wireless
Now - How Wireless Speeds Innovation at BP' (Issue #2) - This
16-page supplement explains how Emerson Smart Wireless is enabling BP to
speed innovation, as well as practical information on how to get
started.
Wireless
Now - Who Says You Can't Take It With You?' (Issue #3) - This
supplement explains how Emerson Smart Wireless solution for Plant-wide
operations can unleash a new era of worker productivity. It also contains
articles on wireless in capital projects, and proven wireless applications
from multiple industries.
Wireless
Now - Wireless Comes of Age' (Issue #4) - This
brochure explains how wireless has come of age - taken mainstream and ready
for control applications. Includes articles on the impact of wireless on
work practices and capital projects.
WirelessHART -
Simple, Reliable, Secure - This brochure explains how
WirelessHART is the first Simple, Reliable and Secure wireless standard for
process monitoring and control.
EC
62591 WirelessHART System Engineering Guide - This
comprehensive 82-page document provides guidelines for implementing
WirelessHART systems in the project process, and helps to address key
project questions.
Putting
Wireless to Work in Process Operations - Wireless technologies
offer process operations new opportunities for improvement. With a wireless
strategy and architecture that align with your business needs, you can begin
gaining the benefits today while facilitating additional applications in the
future.
Can
Multiple Wireless Technologies (like field and plant networks) Co-exist
without Harmful Interferance - Rajiv Singhal and Eric Rotvold -
Some process operations may have been hesitant to adopt in-plant wireless
applications because of concerns that radio frequency interference between
wireless solutions could affect the reliability of essential communications.
An open, standards-based wireless architecture from Emerson Process
Management and Cisco Systems addresses these concerns by using mesh network
technology and other methods to provide high levels of communication
reliability at both the field-network and plant-network levels. Coexistence
tests of real-world applications using this architecture demonstrated no
noticeable impact on network reliability.
Videos ![]()
BP
Refinery of the Future: Using wireless for business value
Wireless
Case Study on an Offshore Platform
Putting
Wireless to Work at PPG Industries' Chemical Division plant
Putting
Wireless to Work at BP's Cherry Point refinery
Go
to Emerson's Video Central - over 15 Wireless Videos to choose from
Other Links
Remote
Safety Shower Monitoring Using Wireless Transmitters - A chemical
manufacturing and refining plant needed to upgrade remote safety shower
monitoring systems to comply with regulations. Though the existing shower
facilities fall under a grandfather clause and are not subject to more
stringent regulations, the customer wanted to ensure personnel safety while
reducing the potential for issues that could occur with on the- job
accidents - from Honeywell and www.wina.org.
Cost
Effective Leak Detection and Repair Monitoring of Fugitive Emissions - Finding
hazardous leaks and fugitive emissions in a refinery or chemical plant is a
huge but critical job to ensure regulatory
compliance, safety, and to prevent costly fines. Each plant can have over
35,000 valves and as many as 200,000 monitoring
points. Both refineries and chemical plants have seen the cost of their lead
detection and repair (LDAR) programs skyrocket
as the number of monitoring points has increased - from Honeywell and
www.wina.org.
Utilising
Wireless Instrumentation in Well Automation - Denis Rutherford - The use
of wireless instrumentation in well automation and production optimization
has just started gaining momentum in the marketplace. Driven by cost-cutting
measures and the need to gain more operational visibility (to meet
regulatory requirements), wireless instrumentation eliminates expensive
trenching and cabling while providing access to hard-to-reach areas using
self-contained, battery-powered instruments - from Control Microsystems and
the American School of Gas Measurement Technology.
ICEweb's Fieldbus
Page has been completely remodelled and lots of new links included,
thanks to our sponsor Emerson
Process Management. Included are the following;
Justifying
Fieldbus - This slideshow covers the benefits of fieldbus including
Fieldbus Savings from Physical Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance.
It also includes Multisensor Transmitters, Reduced CAPEX , Engineering and
Installation costs, Maintenance Benefits, Ease of Troubleshooting, Increased
Plant Availability along with examples. It is a super resource for an
engineer looking to justify a fieldbus project to their Management.
Talk about a "Picture says a Thousand Words" Foundation fieldbus
Videos - These videos are really useful real examples of FF Technology.
Rosemount
3095 multivariable Fieldbus Transmitter - This video shows a
Rosemount model 3095MV ("multivariable") transmitter having the
capability to measure differential pressure, gauge (static) pressure, and
process temperature all in one unit. Furthermore, being a FOUNDATION
Fieldbus device, it can execute function blocks useful in performing control
tasks. This makes the instrument capable of measuring mass flow rate as well
as executing control functions, passing an "output" signal to some
other Fieldbus device such as a valve positioner to control flow without
need of an external control system.
Foundation
Fieldbus Robustness - A DeltaV product demonstration showing how
Foundation fieldbus device-based control loops remain operational even when
redundant control cards are disabled.
I/O
on Demand—Foundation Fieldbus - A demonstration showing how the
DeltaV S-series Foundation fieldbus cards integrate power and diagnostics to
eliminate complexity and reduce engineering work.
I/O
on Demand—Electronic Marshalling - Whilst not Fieldbus related this
demonstration shows how DeltaV S-series electronic marshalling dramatically
reduces installation and maintenance costs while increasing engineering and
start-up flexibility.
Fieldbus
Interoperability - An overview of how DeltaV can talk to other
suppliers' field devices.
Foundation
Fieldbus - DeltaV FOUNDATION fieldbus demonstration
Fieldbus
and DeltaV - Machinery Health - A demonstration showing how the DeltaV
system uses smart field device information to avoid abnormal situations
caused by equipment issues
Fieldbus
and DeltaV: Instrument Air Leak Example - A demonstration showing
how information from smart field devices combined with the DeltaV system's
control strategies helps avoid process upset conditions.
Fieldbus
and DeltaV - Advanced Control Field Device Failure - A demonstration
showing how DeltaV system control strategies can incorporate information
from smart field devices to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Redundant
Fieldbus Interface - A short demonstration of the world's first host
implementation of FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 interface redundancy in the DeltaV
system
Foundation
Fieldbus Function Block Modes - Showing how we may view and change the
operating modes of Fieldbus function blocks on the screen of an Emerson
DeltaV DCS.
Foundation
Fieldbus Function Block Signal Status - Showing how we may view the
status of Fieldbus instrument signals on the screen of an Emerson DeltaV DCS.
Working
with Multiple Fieldbus Networks -Russ Muller and James Powell discuss an
application involving multiple fieldbus protocols.
Fieldbus
Transmitter on DeltaV - This short video shows how a Fieldbus instrument
appears on the display of DeltaV Explorer software. You can see all the
available function blocks within this particular device (a Rosemount 3095 MV
mass flow transmitter).
Fieldbus
Network Voltage Measurements - Showing how to measure DC Volts and a
simple check of Data flow using a multimeter.
Fieldbus
Network
Voltage
Measurements
2
-
More useful simple checks.
Fieldbus
Device Commissioning Label - A excellent video detailing the information
on rosemount fieldbus device commissioning labels.
Fieldbus
Network Voltage Oscilloscope Display - How to use an Oscilloscope in a
fieldbus network.
Fieldbus
pH Transmitter Calibration - Calibrating a Mettler-Toledo pH transmitter
that is FOUNDATION Fieldbus instead of 4-20 mA. First, the calibration
points were set using Emerson AMS software to access the digital parameters
inside the transmitter. Then, the transmitter was standardized using two pH
buffer solutions: 7pH and 4pH.
Back-up
LAS - A DeltaV product demonstration of backup communications in
interoperable fieldbus devices.
Fieldbus
Coupling "brick" with Short-Circuit Protection - A
demonstration of the short circuit protection and detection and how the
segment is protected.
From Relcom
The Testing
Fieldbus Wiring with an FBT-6 and FBT-5 application note provides
information about using these two instruments together to test fieldbus
wiring.
Non-Incendive
Fieldbus for Simplified Maintenance is a paper that discusses the
benefits of High Powered Trunk and Energy Limited Spurs for a Class I
Division 2 or Zone 2 installation of Fieldbus systems.
From the Fieldbus Foundation
Foundation
fieldbus has improved Safety and Availability of Chemical Additives Plant
for over 10 years - This article describes how FOUNDATION fieldbus based
control system was used to automate a chemical additives plant operated by
Wuhan Youji Industries Co., Ltd. in the People's Republic of China. The
process involves the production of sodium benzoate, a food and beverage
preservative, from toluene or methylbenzene. In particular, the article
discusses how a new, FOUNDATION fieldbus-based control system met the need
for improved safety and fault tolerance at the plant, and provided a
solution for increased availability and reduced losses of raw materials and
finished products.
Selecting
the Right Cable for FOUNDATIONTM fieldbus Control Networks – What you need
to Know - Sandy Fulton - FF-844 is the new Fieldbus Foundation cable
compliance specification. FF-844 includes the electrical requirements of ISA
50.02 and IEC 61158, but it also contains some additional requirements which
help you know your cable is the right cable for use in FOUNDATION fieldbus
control networks.
The
World’s Largest Installation of Foundation Fieldbus at China’s Largest
Petrochemical Complex - Mike Spear - Across the 10 plants and utilities
there are over 48 000 control loops, with about 166 000 I/O tags and around
25 000 points hardwired to the automation system. There are 40 000
instruments and some 13 000 intelligent devices networked in the world’s
largest Foundation Fieldbus installation. In total there are 2500 FF
segments. Adrian Howell, SECCO’s process control manager, says that
‘while we knew that a fieldbus approach would save considerable amounts of
cabling, a conservative approach was taken to the number of devices
connected on each segment. Designs were limited to no more than 12 devices,
and the average ended up as five devices per segment, where each segment
varies between two to 11 devices.
From EDDL
The
Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) - Electronic Device
Description Language (EDDL) technology is used by major manufacturers to
describe the information that is accessible in digital devices. Electronic
device descriptions are available for over 15 million devices that are
currently installed in the process industry. The technology is used by the
major process control systems and maintenance tool suppliers to support
device diagnostics and calibration. Just "heaps" of information
here on the EDDL site!
EDDL
Makes Device Setup Easy - Device setup (aka configuration or
parameterization) can be carried out using a handheld communicator in the
field, a laptop in the workshop, or from intelligent device management
software as part of asset management solution. Electronic Device Description
Language (EDDL) is the technology used by device manufacturers to define how
the system shall display the device setup parameters to the technician. EDDL
makes setup of intelligent devices easier thanks to user guidance such as
wizards, illustrative images, and help text, and provides unparalleled
consistency of use.
Device
Revision and Lifecycle Management Guide - How to keep systems up to date
and compatible with new devices using EDDL - DDL (IEC 61804-3) is a device
integration technology created as a solution to the device revision problem.
EDDL makes managing devices of different types and versions easier. EDDL2 is
a file that is loaded onto the computer or handheld field communicator.
There is no EDDL inside the device3 itself. Thus there is no such thing as
an "EDDL device" or a "non-EDDL device". Devices are
HART, FOUNDATION fieldbus, PROFIBUS, and WirelessHART devices, and these
protocols support EDDL.
EDDL
Makes Device Diagnostics Easy - Device diagnostics can be carried out
using a handheld communicator in the field, a laptop in the workshop, or
from intelligent device management software as part of asset management
solution, either from a dedicated maintenance console or integrated in the
operator console (see separate white paper on integrated operation).
Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) is the technology used by
device manufacturers to control how the device diagnostics is displayed to
the technician. EDDL makes diagnostics of smart transmitters and other
intelligent devices easier thanks to user guidance such as wizards and help,
and provides unparalleled consistency of use.
EDDL
Makes Calibration Easy - Calibration can be carried out using a handheld
communicator in the field, a laptop in the workshop, or from intelligent
device management software as part of asset management solution, either in a
dedicated maintenance console or integrated in the operator console (see
separate white paper on integrated operation). Electronic Device Description
Language (EDDL) is the technology used by device manufacturers to control
how the device diagnostics is displayed to the technician. EDDL makes
calibration of intelligent devices easier thanks to user guidance such as
wizards and help, and unparalleled consistency of use.
Commentary
on FDT/DTM vs. EDDL - This commentary is highlighting some observations
in the WIB test report T 2768 X 07 "FDT/DTM or EDDL for asset
management using FF technology" dated November 2007, usually left out
when referenced by the FDT Group. It also explains some misconceptions,
probably due to only one device having been verified.
EDDL
makes Working in the Field Easy - Field communicators have existed for
as long as intelligent devices. The early problem of plants having to
grapple with many different communicators was solved already in the mid
nineties by standard protocols like HART and Foundation fieldbus together
with the Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL, formerly just known
as DDL), an integral part of both technologies. A single universal field
communicator supports all instruments, an arsenal of many communicators is
no longer required.
Consistent
Look & Feel - EDDL makes Intelligent Device Management Software Humane
- When devices from multiple vendors were first integrated using bus
technologies there were difficulties accessing all device features and there
were difficulties to make full use of the features that could be accessed.
Many plants were not able to use the device management software part of
their asset management solutions to its full potential. A new concept was
required to achieve even greater results with digital bus technologies. The
new innovative solution to the problem was enhancements to an old technology
that has been an unnoticed part of leading digital bus technologies for over
fifteen years. This international standard, called EDDL (IEC 61804-3), with
enhancements, makes bus technologies come alive and easy to use in exactly
the same way the World Wide Web made the old Internet come alive and so easy
that anyone could use it. Systems based on EDDL with enhancements now make
maintaining intelligent devices very much easier for technicians and enable
digital bus technologies to be fully utilized to derive greater result for
the plant and there are no other means to achieve the same result. This
article will explain how consistent look & feel is achieved in spite of
each device manufacturer independently deciding display content any way they
like.
EDDL
Questions Answered - 20 FAQ questions about EDDL answered.
Keeping
Systems and Communicators Up-to-date using EDDL - Technical Paper -
Christian Diedrich, Jonas Berge, Ludwig Winkel and Terry Blevins -
Modern control systems as well as Device Management software and field
communicators use electronic device descriptions, EDD, to define the
interface and supported interactions with field devices for configuration,
diagnostics and calibration. Over the long life of plants, new device types
and versions keep getting added as part of replacements and modifications.
Thus, these systems and maintenance tools must accommodate many new types,
each generation also providing new features. For example, more than 1000
EDD’s are currently available from 85 different vendors. Also, many
manufacturers are currently updating their device descriptions to take
advantage of the visual enhancements recently introduced into the IEC61804-3
standard, Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL). Therefore, to
achieve the best results, the latest electronic device descriptions should
be used with your HART devices and Profibus and Foundation fieldbus devices.
From the FDT Group
ISA103
Field Device Tool Interface - The FDT Group is dedicated to providing
Open Access to Device Intelligence for the automation industry. Like other
information technologies, the FDT Group is looking forward to the evolution
of the FDT specification in response to the feedback from end users. The
ISA103 Field Device Tool Interface Committee was formed in 2006 to consider
the adoption of IEC 62453 Standard as an ISA Standard. In May 2009, the FDT
Group achieved a significant milestone when the IEC 62453 Standard was
unanimously accepted by the international standardization community.
Which
is Better? - Currently, two technologies are available for doing so: DD
(Device Descriptions) and its enhanced form eEDDL (enhanced Electronic
Device Description Language), and FDT (Field Device Tool). In order to
assess which approach delivers the best results, it was necessary to test
and compare their performance in practice.
Value
Proposition for FDT Technology Continues to Increase - Wil Chin and Paul
Miller - Even after achieving a significant milestone in 2009, IEC
62453 approval, the FDT Group’s efforts continues. Under its new
leadership, the FDT Group continues to move forward at an increasingly
faster pace as more suppliers and users alike embrace the technology.
FDT
Technology—What Are DTMs? - Annie Sisson - 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 - thanks to Control Global
Flowmeter Selection Strategies for Gas Measurement Applications - In this second installment of a two-part article, we address the topics typically covered in a comprehensive gas flow measurement course. The following describes common types of gas flowmeters and provides guidelines for their selection and usage. It also discusses the influence of basic gas properties on meter performance and examines methods and equipment for accurate calibration - from www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
Flowmeter Selection Strategies for Liquid Measurements - How to Choose the Right Technology for Liquid Measurements - John Frederick - With so many different flow measurement technologies available, optimal flowmeter selection can be difficult and confusing. In an effort to provide some valuable strategies to simplify the flowmeter selection process, here we provide the first installment of a two-part article addressing flow measurement. The article describes common types of liquid flowmeters and provides guidelines for their selection and usage. It also discusses the influence of fluid properties and installation effects on meter performance, and examines methods and equipment for accurate calibration - from www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
Justifying Fieldbus - This slideshow covers the benefits of fieldbus including Fieldbus Savings from Physical Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance. It also includes Multisensor Transmitters, Reduced CAPEX , Engineering and Installation costs, Maintenance Benefits, Ease of Troubleshooting, Increased Plant Availability along with examples. It is a super resource for an engineer looking to justify a fieldbus project to their Management.
Posted by: Jim Russell, November 2010
Typical Instrument and Electrical Enclosure Specification Index - Although you will need to "fill in" all the technical details, this typical index does make sure that most requirements are covered.
Know your Instrument and Electrical Enclosure - This document details some pertinent design requirements for Instrument and Electrical Enclosures.
ICEweb's Electrical and Instrumentation
Terminals pages have been upgraded thanks to our sponsor Weidmüller
and the following links added;
- Certification
of Termination Tools- Regular quality checks of Weidmüller processing
tools and the assemblies made with them guarantee optimum safety. In order
to keep it that way and to prevent possible machine stoppages during
production, regular maintenance and precise tool calibration is simply
indispensable. In order to receive a certified tool, customers have the
option of either returning an existing Weidmüller tool for
re-certification, or of purchasing a certified Weidmüller tool on
submitting a new order.
- Cutting
Tools - A large number of cables and conductors in many different types
and designs are used to connect electrical and electronic components. The
cables and wires must be accurately prepared for the various types of
connection. The quality of the cutting process is therefore of critical
importance. Mechanical efficiency together with the special cutting pattern
reduces the manual force required to a minimum.
- Stripping
Tools - After a conductor has been cut it is then prepared for the next
step or for crimping. For this purpose, a specific length of the conductor
insulation has to be removed, while preventing damage to the conductor. The
length of the conductor insulation to be removed depends on the terminal
clamping point or the crimp to be processed. Professional stripping tools
guarantee perfect results due to precise adjustment of the tool to the
corresponding insulation and the conductor cross-section. Precision tools by
Weidmüller guarantee that the user will always obtain consistent, reliable
stripping results. “Stripping” means the cutting and removal of the
insulation. The methods required to perform this task correctly are detailed
in this download.
- Crimping
Tools - After stripping, appropriate contacts or wire end
ferrules can be crimped to the cable end. Crimping produces a reliable
connection between conductor and contact, and has more or less completely
replaced soldering. Crimping describes the production of a uniform,
nondetachable connection between conductor and connecting element. This
should be achieved exclusively by the use of a high-quality precision tool.
The result is a safe, reliable connection in both electrical and mechanical
terms.
- Technical Appendix - Includes Connection systems, Definitions of the
various types, Materials – Insulating materials, Materials –
Metals, Standards, directives, terminology, General technical
information, Electrical data, Installation instructions, ATEX Modular
terminals for explosive conditions, ATEX directives, codes and
cross-connection instructions.
- Weidmüller FieldPower
Solution - Animation of Weidmüller FieldPower
Solution for Power Distribution along conveyor belts.
- Connection
Technologies for the World of Automation - In
today’s tough markets, cost-cutting has long since ceased to be a sufficient
means of remaining competitive. Developing ever
more compact components has become a crucial factor
for concepts to succeed. Weidmüller can help you to master this tricky task while
developing and producing automation systems by supplying
optimum solutions.
Q&A: Corrosion Monitoring & Control - Michael I. McElroy - This is a useful question and answer article - From www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
Plant Safety Engineers take aim at a Wireless Future - Dr.Patrick Hogan - Equipping the mobile worker with a personal gas monitor that not only can monitor a range of hazardous gases, but also report the worker’s exact location, continuously, in real time—over a wireless communications grid—represents one small step forward for today’s control room operator, yet one giant leap forward for plant safety - thanks to Honeywell Analytics and HazardEx.
Extinguishing
is as Important as Detection - - Thanks to FireFly and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec,
this technical bulletin covers;
- Water Extinguishing - Different applications and problems of fire
require totally different types of water extinguishing methods. Large water
droplets with powerful full cone water spray is needed to penetrate material
flows in chutes or pneumatic conveying systems. For extinguishing of flames
in enclosed volumes or open areas, smaller droplet sizes are an advantage
due to their high evaporation rate, efficient heat absorption and its
ability to displace oxygen. Designing a superior extinguishing system is a
well-defined science.
- Isolation and Inerting - In some processes, gas may be more
suitable as an extinguishing agent. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are
excellent extinguishing agents provided that the affected section of the
process can be isolated. This requires extremely fast acting valves.
- Diverting - Another extinguishing method used in the Firefly system
is mechanical diverting. When an ignition source has been detected, a divert
valve is opened which redirects the material flow out of the process line.
The process itself need not even be stopped.
- Steam Extinquishing - The choice of extinguishing agent is
generally determined by the products handled in the process. Another factor
is the availability of an extinguishing agent.
Detection Down to the Right Temperature - The detector is of vital importance in a preventative protection system. Firefly has a unique position in the market for detecting ignition sources in different applications. The Firefly technology detects dangerous particles, flames and are designed to minimise the risk of false alarms. All fires and dust explosions have an ignition sequence. An effective means of protection is to neutralize the small amounts of energy (ignition sources) before they manage to ignite the fine particles - Thanks to FireFly and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec.
How to Protect Industrial Processes from Fire and Dust Explosions - Anything that has been transformed into fine particles can explode. Unfortunately, all too often it does. - Every year, many serious fires and explosions occur in industrial plants as a result of dust. Yes, dust. Fine inflammable material is explosive! The statistics speak for themselves. Dust explosions lead to considerable material damage and long production shutdowns. Every year there are also accidents with fatal consequences - Thanks to FireFly and ICEweb sponsor PROdetec.
How to Ask for a Salary Increase - Steve Mackay - IDC Technologies -One thing that we as engineering professionals tend to shy away from, is asking for a raise or an increase in fees for services we deliver to clients. Engineers and technicians tend to enjoy and focus on the engineering and technical issues and generally get short changed on their fees and salaries. We get enormous satisfaction from doing technical things but contemplating our fee or hourly rate is often considered demeaning and unprofessional (and indeed for most of us, it can be somewhat boring). However, there does come a time when you need to consider the fact that you may be underpaid. Even in tough times, you may be making an incredible contribution to your company’s success or providing a client with some incredible value in terms of service.
Posted by: Jim Russell, October 2010
Fieldbus: Commissioning with Advanced Diagnostic Tools - Modern day fieldbus diagnostic tools – such as the Advanced Diagnostic Module for the FieldConnex® Power Hub – bring transparency to the fieldbus physical layer and communication. The module performs measurements such as supply voltage, load current, signal level, line noise or jitter. The module listens to the communication and distinguishes between segment and device information. Clear and concise displays within the Diagnostic Manager show readouts to the user – this brings transparency to a plant condition that seems ambiguous.
Monitoring the Fieldbus Physical Layer - Commissioning the fieldbus with advanced diagnostic tools - What was unthinkable for point-to-point wiring, is affordable for the fieldbus: the new Advanced Diagnostic Module from Pepperl+Fuchs offers the measurement and monitoring of the physical fieldbus structure from the control station. Designed as a plug-in card for the modular power supply system Power Hub, the module gathers all the measurements of the fieldbus physical layer for all fieldbus segments and combines them at a single maintenance workstation online and in realtime. The fieldbus diagnosis provides transparency, and the measurability of the actually transferred signals gives installers and operators of process systems a more complete picture of the behavior of the fieldbus. This allows for otherwise often inexplicable behavior to be analyzed with precision. You can also measure and verify the reserve power available on the fieldbus.
Do You Design Fieldbus Networks? This Software
Tool from Pepperl+Fuchs Helps You To:
-Check
operational parameters to validate fieldbus segment architecture
- Evaluate
potential problems with a fieldbus segment configuration
- Design
your FOUNDATION® fieldbus H1 and
PROFIBUS PA networks
- Display,
archive and print your entire design
- Import
field devices from a library or create new ones with the device editor
Liquid Level/Interface Monitoring in Flocculant/Sludge Control - Steven Craig - Precisely measuring and controlling the mixture of wastewater effluent, flocculants and sludge is essential to efficient water treatment. The level/interface instruments that support the process liquid measurements must be capable of distinguishing between liquids with varying properties in order to detect the levels where the different liquids interface in the pond or tank - from Fluid Components International (FCI).
Radar Level Measurement Best Practice - Sarah Parker, Applications Manager, Emerson Process Management, Rosemount division - The emergence of radar has been an important advance in the level measurement field. Radar represents a cost effective, accurate solution that is immune to density and other process fluid changes as well as most vapour space conditions - from Emerson Process Management and the Read-Out Instrumentation Signpost.
Pressure Gauge Selection Strategy - 7 Key Considerations to Ensure Application Success - Chikezie Nwaoha - In order to maintain the efficiency of pressure gauges in general (bourdon tube, bellows, helix, etc.), a thorough selection strategy should be employed. As such, end-users would be wise to carefully consider pressure gauge selection, as failure to select the correct pressure gauge for an application can result in significant plant downtime. Further, in a worst-case scenario, an improperly specified pressure gauge can fail to measure pressure during an overpressure event, compromising plant safety and potentially resulting in costly damages. In order to improve pressure gauge operating efficiency and service life, there are seven basic selection criteria end-users should consider. Thanks to www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
The following analyser sample system articles
are from www.chemicalprocessing.com
NeSSI’s
Success should be a Lock - Mark Rosenzweig - The New Sampling/Sensor
Initiative or NeSSI that replaces tubing, fittings and other hardware in a
sampling system with miniature modular components makes sense. Enhancements
now in the works should assure its success.
Intrinsically
Safe NeSSI Nears - An emerging bus standard promises to spur
application in hazardous environments - Rick Ales - The New Sampling/Sensor
Initiative (NeSSI) has provided the basis for modular miniaturized process
sampling systems that offer ease of assembly and flexibility while cutting
cost of ownership. Not surprisingly, plant acceptance of such NeSSI systems
is growing. A group of analyzer specialists now is working to enable NeSSI
to be used in hazardous environments. They envision an analytical system
with smart transducers that would be capable of being field mounted at the
sample point in a potentially explosive atmosphere and would be easily
integrated into the analyzer control system.
Smaller,
Smarter Systems Streamline Sampling - Mike Spear - An emerging
miniaturized, modular approach for sampling systems provides substantial
savings in both capital and operating costs - Faced with ever increasing
competition on price for their products, chemical companies are constantly
searching for ways to cut costs across their operations. This, in turn, puts
persistent pressure on engineers to reduce both capital and operating
expenditures — without compromising their plants’ reliability and
performance in any way. Easier said than done, perhaps, but this is
precisely what a new approach to the task of delivering process samples to
analyzers actually delivers, claim its proponents.
Since coming into being some five years ago, the New Sampling/Sensor
Initiative (NeSSI) has become the driving force behind the move to
modularize and miniaturize process sampling systems. Now operating under the
sponsorship and umbrella of the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry (CPAC)
at the University of Washington, Seattle, NeSSI first surfaced as an ad hoc
group of people drawn both from equipment manufacturers, keen to adopt the
modular approach, and operating companies prepared to put the vendors’
prototype products to the test on their plants.
Posted by: Jim Russell, September 2010
Foundation Fieldbus Parameter Search (βeta) - "Taking the Frustration out of Foundation" - As a systems engineer working primarily with Foundation Fieldbus devices, it was evident that there was a lack of information available describing the numerous parameters and functionality. ffsearch.org is a solution to this. Starting out as a repository for all parameters, ffsearch enables the searching of any parameter displaying manufacture provided information.
Circle Seal Controls Corrosion Resistance Guide - This is a very useful tool.
Engineering Data pertinent to Instrument Fittings and Valves - A very useful document which Includes Definitions, Liquid Flow Cv Equation, Gas Flow Cv Equation - Subsonic Flow, Chemical Resistance Chart, Industrial - Aerospace and Military Fluids, Technical and Special Properties of commonly used 'O' Rings, Conversions, Comparison of Leakage Rates in Various Units, Typical Specific Gravities and Specific Inherent Hazards on Oxygen Service - from Circle Seal.
Video - Approved Methods for Gyrolok Initial Assembly and Remake - This excellent Gyrolok Installation Training video is a "must view" prior to attempting to install or remake Gyrolok Instrument Fittings.
Accurate Liquid Phase Density on Aerated Liquid - Dan Gysling and Doug Loose - Density is one of the most widely used composition-based measurements in industrial process control. However, it is well recognized that the presence of small, but unknown levels of entrained gases can mask the density of the non-aerated component of a process mixture, resulting in an inaccurate determination of process fluid density - from Sonartrac
Road Tanker Earthing - The loading and unloading of road tankers with flammable and combustible products, presents one of the most serious fire and explosion risks for site operations within the hazardous process industries. A study conducted by the API in 1967 identified static discharges as being responsible for over 60 incidents in road tanker loading operations and demonstrates just how long this potential threat has been acknowledged. The natural presence of static electricity in product transfer operations, combined with its associated ignition hazards, ensures that regulators take static control precautions for road tankers very seriously - from Newson Gale.
Don't Gamble with Control Safety and Reliability - Understand the benefits and limitations of safety instrumented systems - Arthur Zatarain - As a wise singer once crooned, you have to “know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.” But Kenny “The Gambler” Rogers merely had to beat long-shot odds to win at his game. Outside the casino, designers of industrial control systems don’t have the luxury of being right only 51% of the time. For many manufacturing and process systems, a control system failure — even for a second — simply isn’t an option. Hence, it’s important that control systems deliver safe and reliable performance, even when things go wrong - from PlantServices.com.
ICEweb's HART page has been reworked to include numerous new technical links.
Reading HART Data into Non-HART Systems - Many HART products are able to perform more than one measurement or output function (e.g., make multiple process measurements, calculate process information, and provide positioner feedback information). All of this information can be easily accessed digitally. However, existing controllers or interface equipment may not have the ability to read digital HART data. Products are available that can read HART digital signals and convert them to analog (4-20mA) and alarm trip (contact closure) information, which enables any traditional analog control system to take full advantage of the benefits of HART- communicating devices. From our valued sponsor Moore Industries-Pacific, Inc.
OPC UA Compliance Test Tool (UACTT) - Learn how to very quickly setup and configure the OPC UACTT to connect to an OPC UA Server or OPC UA Client for compliance testing.
Entrained Gas Handling in Micro Motion® Coriolis Flowmeters - Tim Patten - This white paper discusses the measurement problems caused by process fluids that contain bubbles of air or other gas, and describes how Micro Motion® sensor and transmitter technology can be used to overcome those problems. It also presents suggestions for minimising measurement problems by improving application design - From Emerson Process Management
How New Low-Power Solenoid Valve Technology Changes The Game - Fabio Okada, Jack Haller, and Manny Arceo - Process plants worldwide often place considerable reliance on low-power solenoid valves. They are used as pilot valves to open and close larger ball or butterfly valves, or on control valves (installed between positioner and actuator) for fail-safe air release if there’s a loss of power. They work by pressurizing or depressurizing associated actuators. A new generation of even lower-power valves is now changing the rules of the power consumption game. These products are of interest to designers working for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and valve assemblers, as well as for end-user engineers anyone who specifies solenoid valves for projects in refining, upstream oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, food and beverage, and power. This report taps the expertise of manufacturers at the forefront of low-power solenoid valve technology. It shows how innovation is offering new possibilities — and challenges — via topics such as integrated solutions, clogging and other reliability issues, usefulness in point to point and bus networks, other cost savings, remote applications, and relevant industry standards. Finally, it suggests which characteristics buyers should seek out in selecting the newest — and most consistently dependable — low-power valve technologies
How New Lead-Free Regulations Will Impact Your Selection Of Potable Water Valves - Paola Gutierrez - Recent legislation in several states has tightened regulation of lead content in the components of potable (drinkable) water treatment systems. Other states may well be considering similar moves. This pace of regulation seems unlikely to slacken. The message from regulators is clear: Get the lead out. However, what options are open to construction end users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of these systems? Construction managers don’t make the equipment they install. And OEMs often assemble most of their systems from already manufactured components. Of compliant components they can specify, which currently meet their requirements for price, reliability, and performance? This report examines the choices facing specifiers and purchasers of small solenoid valves for potable water systems. It weighs the advantage and disadvantages of brass, plastic, and stainless steel designs. Finally, it suggests the solutions that smart planners should consider for current and future use.
Functional Safety Solutions for the Process Control Industry - ASCO solenoid pilot valves are an integral part of the final control element for any safety instrumented system (SIS) or critical application. ASCO offers 3 solenoid pilot valve solutions that are widely used in the process control industry; individual 3-way pilot valves, manual reset valves, and redundant pilot valve systems. Each of these solutions are proven in use as a pilot valve in critical applications and in safety instrumented systems. Certified pilot valves per IEC 61508 Parts 1 and 2 are rated SIL3 capable for domestic and international markets (ATEX). ASCO understands the need to keep your process running, but also understands that the process must shut down when commanded.
Signal Isolators, Converters and Interfaces: The “Ins” and “Outs” - whether you call them signal isolators, signal converters or signal interfaces, these useful process instruments solve important ground loop and signal conversion challenges everyday. Just as important, they are called upon to do a whole lot more. They can be used to share, split, boost, protect, step down, linearize and even digitize process signals. This guide will tell you many of the important ways signal isolators, converters and interfaces can be used, and what to look for when specifying one - from our sponsor Moore Industries
Immersive Virtual Reality Plant - A Comprehensive Plant-Crew Training Solution Improves Process Reliability and Safety - Capital-intensive industries face the challenge of replacing an aging workforce with a computer-savvy, gaming generation over the next five years. Industries such as oil and gas, refining and power companies must institutionalize their workforce knowledge in efficient and effective ways. Leveraging virtual reality (VR) models to improve time-to-competency in critical areas such as safety and environment protection systems, knowledge and performance training, and reliability provides a vehicle to rapidly train this new workforce in ways that align with their interests and skills. Today, with continuing advances in hardware and software techniques, VR is viewed as the best aid to improving multimedia training, process design, maintenance and safety, which are currently based around conventional 2-dimensional (2-D) equipment views - from Invensys.
Securing Your OPC Classic Control System - Thomas Burke and Eric J. Byres - OPC Classic is a software interface technology used to facilitate the transfer of data between different industrial control systems. It is widely used to interconnect Human Machine Interface (HMI) workstations, data historians and other hosts on the control network with enterprise databases, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and other business-oriented software. Unfortunately, securely deploying OPC Classic has proven to be a challenge. This white paper describes two independent techniques for ensuring strong security in systems using OPC Classic technology. This first creates zone-based defenses using OPC-aware firewalls. The second takes advantages of improvement in the Windows operating system to managing OPC accounts and permissions. Both security techniques are available and proven for use in today’s control systems.
ICEweb's Emergency
Shutdown and Blowdown ESD Valve page has been extensively upgraded
thanks to our sponsor Metso
Automation. New technical links include;
- Atmospheric
Distillation ESD Valves - Atmospheric distillation is the first major
process in a refinery. All crude oil entering the refinery, after desalting,
passes through the atmospheric distillation column on it’s way to further
processing in down stream process units. If there is a shut down of the
atmospheric distillation column it means that the entire rerfinery is
essentially shut down. The ESD valves are located at the bottom of the
atmospheric distillation column and are typically arranged as two valves in
parallel piping. The fluid passing through the valves is refered to as heavy
bottoms. This fluid is the heaviest cut of a hydrocarbon attainable by
atmospheric distillation. The heavy bottoms pass through the ESD valves on
their way to the vacuum distillation column for further processing. The ESD
valves are used in the normally open condition and are expected to function
reliably throughout long process runs, typically four (4) to five (5) years
between shut downs.
- Oil
Refinery and Other Units Processing Hydrocarbons - ESD valves with High
Integrity Level - There are fire and explosion risks in the units
processing flammable hydrocarbons in case the fluid comes in contact with
the atmosphere. If there are high- and low-pressure sections in the plants
like e.g. in refinery HDS (hydro desulphurisation) units, the low-pressure
side has to be protected against high pressure in case of control failure.
Traditionally the number of emergency shut-off valves (ESD) in the process
lines in a refinery is not very high. With Neles ValvGuard’s partial
stroke testing functionality the ESD valves are automatically diagnosed for
their operability while the plant is in operation. With this technology
general plant safety can be improved in a cost effective way.
- Reliable
ESD Valves in Tower Bottom Lines in Heavy Oil Units - Besides
fired heaters, the distillation tower bottom areas are the most fire-risky
places in a refinery. When the question is of residual oils, high oil
temperature, coke formation, sulphur corrosion and possible particles in the
oil make the conditions even more severe. Neles metal-seated ball valve with
its constructional features and the Neles ValvGuard, partial stroke testing
system, used to keep the valves under continuous watch are helping to
minimize the fire risks in these areas.
- What
You Need To Know About Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) and Partial-Stroke
Testing of ESD Valves - A useful document providing an overview of SIS
and Partial stroke testing.
- The
Value of Safety Valves - Juha Yli -Petä ys - Safety valves are the most
important components in the safety loop (sensor, safety logic and final
element), because most of the problems that occur are related to the
functionality of the final element. It is important to remember that these
elements are moving mechanical devices, which operate in very difficult
environmental conditions. This makes the need for regular valve testing and
for testing while the process is running absolutely essential.
- Increased
Reliability and Safety at Czech Refinery through Partnership in Valve
Maintenance - Karel Dvorak and Niko Aunio- In the past, Česká
Rafinérská’s strategy has been to carry out turnarounds every four
years. This was the first time that the interval was extended to 5 years.
After 9 years of operation, some problems were expected, however, on this
occasion Česká Rafinérská’s approach was different from that
adopted for the previous turnaround. The control valve scope was reduced and
the on/off valve scope increased to include overhaul testing based on the
SIL classifications. The Metso field survey and Neles ND9000 diagnostics
formed the basis for the valve turnaround planning.
Control Valve Experience with FF Technology - at major Chinese petrochemical plant CSPC, a joint venture between the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Shell, is one of the largest petrochemical projects launched in the world in recent years. When production started in Nanhai early in 2006, the project was the biggest installation utilizing Foundation Fieldbus (FF) technology in process control and field instrumentation. The main reason for FF technology to be selected for the CSPC Nanhai project was its ability to provide a proactive approach to instrument maintenance. This is due to the fact that FF allows much more data to be transferred between field instruments and the host system compared with HART technology, for example. FF devices transmit information about an instrument’s condition before it actually needs maintenance or, obviously, when an instrument has an actual problem, as well as providing detailed diagnostic information about the nature of the problem. CSPC’s petrochemical plant is an early and successful example of adaptation to a new technology. CSPC uses diagnostic information from the intelligent FF valve controllers daily.
The controlguru Doug Cooper has created an Excellent
Practical Process Control e-Textbook which covers a swag of control related
subjects including;-
Fundamental Principles of Process Control - Motivation and Terminology of
Automatic Process Control - The components of a Control Loop, Process Data -
Dynamic Modeling and a Recipe for Profitable Control and Sample Time Impacts
Controller Performance.
PID Controller Design and Tuning
- Process
Control Preliminaries - Design and Tuning Recipe Must Consider Nonlinear Process
Behaviour - A Controller’s “Process” Goes From Wire Out to Wire In - The
Normal or Standard PID Algorithm - Proportional Control - The
Simplest PID Controller - Caution: Pay Attention to Units and
Scaling - Controller Gain is Dimensionless in Commercial Systems - Integral
Action and PI Control - The challenge of Interacting Tuning Parameters, Integral
(Reset) Windup, Jacketing Logic and the Velocity PI Form - Derivative Action and
PID Control - PID Control and Derivative on Measurement - The Chaos of
Commercial PID Control - Measurement Noise Degrades Derivative Action
- Signal Filters and the
PID with Controller Output Filter Algorithm - Using Signal Filters In
Our PID Loop -PID with Controller Output
(CO) Filter
Additional PID Design and Tuning Concepts -
Exploring Deeper: Sample Time, Parameter Scheduling, Plant-Wide Control - Sample
Time is a Fundamental Design and Tuning Specification, Parameter Scheduling and
Adaptive Control of Nonlinear Processes and Plant-Wide Control requires a strong
PID Foundation - Controller Tuning Using Closed-Loop (Automatic Mode) Data -
Ziegler-Nichols Closed-Loop Method a Poor Choice for Production Processes,
Controller Tuning Using Set Point Driven Data, and Do Not Use Disturbance
Driven Data for Controller Tuning
- Evaluating Controller Performance - Comparing Controller Performance Using
Response Plot Data
Control of Integrating Processes (by Doug Cooper
& Bob Rice) - Integrating (Non-Self Regulating) Processes -
Recognising Integrating (Non-Self Regulating) Process Behaviour, A Design and
Tuning Recipe for Integrating Processes, Analysing Pumped Tank Dynamics with a
FOPDT Integrating Model and PI Control of the Integrating Pumped Tank Process.
Advanced Classical Control Architectures (by Doug Cooper & Allen
Houtz) - Cascade Control For Improved Disturbance Rejection - The Cascade
Control Architecture, An Implementation Recipe for Cascade Control
- Feed Forward with Feedback Trim For Improved Disturbance Rejection - The
Feed Forward Controller - Feed Forward Uses Models Within the Controller
Architecture,- Static Feed Forward and Disturbance Rejection in the Jacketed
Reactor
- Ratio, Override and Cross-Limiting Control -The Ratio Control
Architecture, Ratio Control and Metered-Air Combustion Processes, Override
(Select) Elements and their use in Ratio Control and Ratio with Cross-Limiting
Override Control of a Combustion Process
- Cascade, Feed Forward and Three-Element Control - Cascade, Feed Forward and
Steam Boiler Level Control, Dynamic Shrink/Swell and Steam Boiler Level Control
Process Applications in Control - Distillation Column Control (by
Jim Riggs) - Introduction to Distillation Column Control, Major
Disturbances & First-Level Distillation Column Control, Inferential
Temperature & Single-Ended Column Control, Dual Composition Control and
Constraint Distillation Column Control
- Discrete Time Modeling of Dynamic Systems (by Peter Nachtwey) -
A Discrete Time Linear Model of the Heat Exchanger
- Fuzzy Logic and Process Control (by Fred Thomassom) - Envelope
Optimization and Control Using Fuzzy Logic
Fuzzy Control System - Fuzzy logic is widely used in machine control. The term itself inspires a certain skepticism, sounding equivalent to "half-baked logic" or "bogus logic", but the "fuzzy" part does not refer to a lack of rigour in the method, rather to the fact that the logic involved can deal with fuzzy concepts—concepts that cannot be expressed as "true" or "false" but rather as "partially true". Although genetic algorithms and neural networks can perform just as well as fuzzy logic in many cases , fuzzy logic has the advantage that the solution to the problem can be cast in terms that human operators can understand, so that their experience can be used in the design of the controller. This makes it easier to mechanize tasks that are already successfully performed by humans - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Posted by: Jim Russell, August 2010
Primer on Programmable Controllers - Thomas A. Hughes - A useful introduction to PLCs which details basic components, I/O System & Structure along with Input & Output Types - from ISA and InTech.
Communicate: Avoid Assumptions like the Plague - Michael Whitt - There are certain design tasks and group interactions key to the development of a computerized process control system. Systems integration (SI) represents a vast category in that development, and it includes software development, data communications, and operability issues - from ISA and InTech.
No Contact Means Ultra Level Measurement - In level-measuring applications where it’s undesirable to have contact of the measuring instrument with the liquid in the process, a sonic or ultrasonic device may be an option. These types of level-measurement instruments really measure the distance from one point in the vessel (usually a reference point) to the level interface with another fluid. The general operating principle of both sonic and ultrasonic devices is similar - from ISA and InTech
Walking the Fine Line - Scott Sommer and Christopher Russell - Systems integration is tough work. Often we implement someone else’s design to the complete satisfaction of the owner. Every project produces a list of lessons; the challenge after completing the project is to learn from those lessons and avoid repeating the same mistakes. We have compiled 25 lessons in hopes that systems integrators, end users, and managers alike will not only gain respect for the role of systems integration in industrial project execution, but also avoid pitfalls and errors that keep a good project from becoming an excellent one - from ISA and InTech
The DCS as Enabling Platform -Andy M Smith and Martin Davis - Justifying the decision to invest in a new or upgraded control system is always going to be difficult. This paper explains how a more compelling business case can be made by regarding the modern Distributed Control System (DCS) as an enabling platform with a proven ability to reduce the cost of future projects by orders of magnitude. Also detailed is a replacement project that used such a benefit case, of the inherent capability of a modern DCS, to gain a business sanction - From our sponsor Emerson Process Management
Performance Monitoring of an Offshore Gas Compressor - Lauren Neal - Offshore equipment is monitored to prevent any unnecessary downtime but unfortunately for some, such as compressors, there is a lack of effective monitoring. This is critical because, along with the gas turbine, it is the highest cost offshore item in terms of capital and operational expenditure but is the least technically and operationally understood. Monitoring an important item of equipment such as a compressor is essential as it can be difficult to obtain replacement parts or units if a failure was to occur. Adopting a preventative maintenance strategy with regard to compressor monitoring can prevent downtime costs from arising before failures occur or shutdown is mandatory. A common cause of compressor downtime is a fault with the bearings. This initiated an investigation to analyse the bearings of an offshore gas compressor, using statistical modelling techniques, with the view of predicting failures and therefore reducing unplanned downtime - from Matrikon
Enhancing Oilfield Operations through Wireless Technology -Ed Morrison - Advancement in directional drilling technology has changed the way oil and gas production companies design and manage well locations and associated well site automation. Multiple wells require multiple production tanks. Environmental concerns and increasing regulation over hydrocarbon fluids stored in remote tanks require production companies to redefine or find new ways of automating wellhead control to prevent tank spills. The next generation of wireless monitoring and control products provide sophisticated monitoring capabilities and fail safe networks to address these needs. Whether automating field locations with a single well, multiple wells or remote facilities, wireless monitoring and control systems offer many advantages over hard wired systems - from O&G and OleumTech Corporation.
Replacement of SIS Logic Solvers Whilst the Process Remains Operational - Clive Timms - With increasing global demand for oil and gas driving prices higher and higher, the focus of oil and gas producers is to maintain and maximise production from every available facility. Older unreliable facilities are being upgraded and this often includes the replacement of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) such as emergency shutdown (ESD) systems, process shutdown (PSD) systems, Emergency Depressurisation (EDP) systems and fire and gas (F&G) systems due to obsolescence or reliability issues. Traditionally, the replacement of such safety critical systems is undertaken during a plant shutdown opportunity to ensure that process integrity was maintained and the replacement systems could be fully commissioned and validated without the presence of the process hazards. However, in this era of high oil and gas demand we are now seeing more and more SIS replacement projects being undertaken whilst the process is still fully operational, and thiscan lead to potential compromises during commissioning and validation of functionality - from C&C Technical Support Services and silsupport.com.
IEC 61511 – An Aid to COMAH and Safety Case Regulations Compliance - CliveTimms - The paper focuses on the relationship between hazards and Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) that automatically shut down processes operations, when an abnormal situation is encountered, to prevent a hazardous event or mitigate the consequences of a hazardous event if it occurs (see section - Safety Instrumented Systems). Thus a SIS will represent an integral part of an SMS to reduce the risk of major accident hazards or mitigate the consequences - from Asset Integrity Management Ltd.
The ABB Guide to Fast pH Measurement - Used for a host of applications across a variety of industries, getting the best from pH equipment requires consideration of a range of factors to achieve optimum efficiency and cost effectiveness.
Choosing the Right Temperature Sensor - Mick Carolan - Temperature sensors are an effective way to measure temperature, but which should you use, and for which application? Thanks to www.pacetoday.com.au
Warning on Air Receivers - WorkSafe Victoria has released new guidance focussing on the safety risks associated with air receivers - a type of pressure vessel used to store compressed air for large demands greater than a compressor's capacity. WorkSafe director Ross Pilkington says air receivers have the potential to seriously hurt people and damage property if they were not properly installed or maintained. There have been serious incidents involving air receivers exploding in Victorian workplaces - and it has only been good luck that no one was working near them at the time. Employers with air receivers must ensure they are properly maintained to reduce the risk of explosion or fire. The handbook 'Working safely with air receivers' is aimed at improving awareness of the risks associated with air receivers, and explaining ways to eliminate and reduce those risks.
Guide to Low Resistance Measurement - The measurement of very large or very small quantities is always difficult, and resistance measurement is no exception. Values above 1GΩ and values below 1Ω both present measurement problems. Cropico is a world leader in low resistance measurement; we produce a comprehensive range of low resistance ohmmeters and accessories which cover most measurement applications. This handbook gives an overview of low resistance measurement techniques, explains common causes of errors and how to avoid them. Also included are useful tables of wire and cable characteristics, temperature coefficients and various formulas to ensure you make the best possible choice when selecting your measuring instrument and measurement technique - from Cropico
Oxygen Measurement for Combustion Optimisation - Combustion optimisation for boilers and other combustion processes has long been an important issue with increasing fuel prices. There are many end users in Australia with fuel bills in excess of one million dollars. With typical costs of combustion optimisation systems, and possible fuel savings in excess of 5%, pay-back periods can be very short. This economy is based primarily on the measurement of oxygen in the flue gas - from www.processonline.com.au
Where Did All the People Go? The New Case for Condition Monitoring - Not so long ago the main reason companies monitored equipment condition was to reduce direct maintenance expenses. Condition Monitoring (CM) and its logical extension, Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), served them well by identifying impending failures early enough to avoid costly repairs and reducing downtime by only performing maintenance when required - from www.automation.com
Integrating Control and Safety – Where to Draw the Line? - Robin McCrea-Steele - New digital technology now makes it feasible to integrate process control and safety instrumented functions within a common automation infrastructure. While this can provide productivity and asset management benefits, if not done correctly, it can also compromise the safety and security of an industrial operation. Cyber-security and sabotage vulnerability further accentuate the need for securing the Safety Instrumented System (SIS) - From the Safety Users Group.
Selecting Transmitters for Safety Instrumented Systems - Stephen R. Brown and Mark Menezes - Users design safety systems to mitigate the risk of identified process hazards within tolerable levels, using application-specific risk models, defined user inspection schedules, and safety data for the devices under consideration. Some suppliers provide safety data for their devices. However, supplier data, even when validated by a third party, reflects laboratory results, and can be an order of magnitude too aggressive for field devices. “Proven-in-use” data includes real-world failure causes; however it tends to be conservative, since it must cover the whole range of the category, from 20-year-old pneumatics to the latest smart technology. Moreover, proven-in-use data is often aggregated for a given technology: for example, “pressure transmitter = dangerous failure rate of once in 50 years”. This aggregate data often does not isolate failure causes, so it does not allow users to take credit for improvements in technology or user practices intended to minimize the impact of specific failures. The net result to the user can be over design, over-testing, increased spurious trips and needless capital expenditures - from IDC
Mounting Evidence that Carbon Nanotubes May be the New Asbestos - Carbon nanotubes – thin, hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms – look very much like asbestos. In 2004, the United Kingdom’s Royal Society and risk specialists at the world’s second largest reinsurance agent Swiss Re warned that once in our lungs, nanotubes may also behave like asbestos. Since then, a series of experiments have demonstrated that when introduced into the lungs of rodents, carbon nanotubes cause inflammation, granuloma development, fibrosis, artery ‘plaque’ responsible for heart attacks and DNA damage. Two independent studies have shown that carbon nanotubes can also cause the onset of mesothelioma – cancer previously thought to be only associated with asbestos exposure. Unfortunately, despite mounting evidence of the asbestos-like dangers of carbon nanotubes, their commercial use is also growing rapidly – in sports goods, car and aeroplane parts, reinforced plastics and electronics- from Friends of the Earth Australia.
Understanding Steam Flow Meters - Steam flow measurement is important in this context because steam is widely used as a source of power in the production of electricity. As the costs of energy rise, many companies are looking to increase efficiencies in their energy and power generation. As a result, more attention is being paid to steam flow measurement - Thanks to Chemical Professionals.
Using Meters to Measure Steam Flow - Jesse Yoder - When people hear about fluid measurement, they usually think of checking either liquid or gas flow. This belief is natural, since about 90% of fluid measurements are for these two applications. In a worldwide survey of flowmeter users, 68% measured liquids, 22% gas, and only 10% steam. While 10% may not seem like a large percentage, it represents a significant number of measurements. Many companies measure steam for purposes of internal custody transfer and for utility applications in power generation and chemical plants - from www.flowresearch.com and Automation Research Corp
Behind the Scenes of Steam Flow Measurement - Jesse Yoder - Steam, or vaporized water, is an important part of our daily lives. It is easy enough to experience steam; simply boiling water will produce it. But steam has equally important uses as a source of power for ships, in paper production, and for cooling and heating buildings. Probably the most important use of steam is as a source of power in electricity production. Steam is difficult to measure accurately, mainly because of its sensitivity to changes in temperature and pressure. Steam is often classified into three types, which reflect the different pressure and temperature conditions that steam is subject to - from ISA and InTech
Equipment, Don't Fail Me Now - Calculating failure probabilities works better with systematic approach - Peter Morgan - Specialists in control and instrumentation were once confident to rely on their own experience and good design practice to design protection systems. Now they must adhere to a quantitative approach to designing systems deemed safety systems. Even the ubiquitous burner management system (BMS) is by virtue of its function, a safety instrumented system (SIS), and you should design it according to ISA 84.01 as well as the applicable National Fire Protection Agency standard. One step in this approach is calculating the target probability of failure on demand (PFD) for the system - From ISA and InTech
The Drive for Harmonic Balance - Peter Tomazic - The presence of harmonics can drastically alter the quality of the power provided to electrical systems and may affect equipment on that supply. this paper explains how harmonics are generated, why they are a problem and discusses various engineered solutions that can mitigate their effects - Thanks also to www.processonline.com.au
Ceramic Sensors Perform well in Tough Applications - John Van Nostrand and Ravi Jethra - The purpose of this paper is to: facilitate the advantages of selecting ceramic pressure measuring cells in applications where plant operations and maintenance personnel may realize optimum process performance and stability through the use of ceramic pressure sensors. Identify and demonstrate the inherent problems of using metal diaphragm pressure cells particularly in vacuum and chemical service. Bring awareness of enhanced performance and stability in pressure measurement to plant maintenance, quality assurance and operations personnel in order to improve their operation and the bottom line - from Endress+Hauser
Temperature Measurement and Calibration: what every Instrument Technician should know - Temperature may be the most commonly measured physical parameter. Yet there have never been so many ways to measure it as there are today. With so many options it’s natural to have a few questions. How do I measure temperature? How accurate is my measurement? What temperature range is required? What type of device best measures temperature? These are very common questions when confronted with the need to measure temperature. A variety of measurement devices may be used for temperature: liquid in glass thermometers (LIG), thermocouples (TCs), thermistors, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs) and standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs) - Thanks to Fluke and www.processonline.com.au
Continuous Emission Monitoring - C B Daw - The requirements for continuous emission monitors has changed significantly over the last ten years. This has been brought about by the increase in use of flue gas treatment systems, reducing the levels of pollutant to be monitored, and Environmental Agencies worldwide requiring smaller processes to be monitored. The Environmental Agencies have insisted that continuous emission monitors meet more stringent specifications, including repeatability and the capability to be fully challenged to demonstrate compliance. In addition, reporting regimes necessitate maximum availability. Pressure from the market place also requires the modern CEM system to have a low cost of ownership, which, in effect, means that high reliability must be a design criteria. There are many applications for continuous emission monitors, covering a variety of industries.The specification of the CEM system will depend on, not only the type of process, but also the pollutant gases that are required to be measured. The choice of the CEM system will depend on many factors, including the monitoring and reporting requirements of the local Environmental Authority - from Group Instrumentation
WirelessHart Signals a Change at Plants - Gareth Johnston and Alan Munns - Wireless technology is so much a part of our lives that we use words like "Blue Tooth" and "WiFi" systems with confidence and familiarity. So why has it taken so long for industry to take adavantage of the benefits a wireless connection can offer? - from ABB
Online Moisture Analysis in Materials Handling - Graeme McGown - Moisture analysis during materials handling and processing presents a number of challenges that can be solved with appropriate use of online techniques - from Intalysis and www.processonline.com.au
Power over Ethernet Switches for Industrial Networking - Alvis Chen - This white paper introduces the basics of PoE technology and the new 802.3at standard, followed by a discussion on the required functions and benefits of adopting PoE switches for industrial networking - from Moxa and Leadwise
Open Asset Management with FDT: the Core of a ‘Smart’ Process Plant - Field Device Type (FDT) technology remains one of the automation industry’s best-kept secrets. In spite of this, it is rapidly gaining market acceptance by simplifying the digital communication between a plant’s field devices and its control environment. It is at the heart of a ‘smart’ plant’s IT infrastructure and can deliver major cost savings to the plant’s operations - from www.processonline.com.au
Using HART To Improve Safe Failure Fraction in Protective Measures - Peter Russell - Evaluation International (EI) is a technology club for large scale users of instruments for measurement and control, their Members wished to show, by the use of simulation testing (and other reliability data not part of this testing), that the combination of a Moore Industries HIM converter, a Moore Industries STA trip-amplifier and a Yokogawa EJX110A pressure transmitter would be suitable for use up to Safety Integrity Level 2 (SIL2). The key to this is the use of diagnostics via HART.
The Technology behind the ISA100.11a Standard - The ISA100.11a standard was architected based on end user’s requirements and feedback. This presentation offers insights into how these requirements are implemented in the underlying technology foundations - from ISA100Wireless.
ISA100 – THE Standard for Wireless Systems for Industrial Automation - Wayne W. Manges - The ISA100 committee arose from an uproar from end users who had tried various wireless offerings available and found them all to be lacking in some important aspect. The conclusion was that a standards organization was needed to wade through the hype and arrive at a viable approach to successfully deploying wireless in the harsh environments familiar to the ISA member community. The first ISA members to come to the table were from the process industries (petrochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical, water, wastewater, etc.) so the first activity to emerge became focused on that marketand is now known as ISA100.11a. This paper looks at the reasons that the community demanded the development of the standard, what attributes were important to those early voices, and what early outcomes are emerging from the committee established. The concepts established early in the formation of the ISA100 (formerly SP100) committee still ring true and carry the group forward in producing the group’s “work products” including technical reports, normative standards, and guidance documents. The committee established early goals related to universality, transparency, and “future-proofing”. Today’s committee carries forward with over 500 members, greater than 10 sub-groups, and many weekly telephone-enabled conferences - from IDC
Industrial Wireless Ethernet Systems: Implications & Applications for the Smart Grid - Peter L. Fuhr, Ph.D. - Electrical systems worldwide are being upgraded and/or expanded by the introduction of demand-response systems, alternative energy sources (wind, solar, etc), and home metering. The net result is a wide cross-sections of technologies that are intertwined into what is being called the Smart Grid. Potential applications for industrial wireless ethernet systems in this arena abound - and will be reviewed - from IDC