Thousands of innovations showcased
Elsag Bailey Process Automation (Wickliffe, O.) launched its new Bailey Hartman&Braun Symphony Solo compact control system, which provides a migration path from compact control applications to enterprise management. Symphony Solo combines Elsag Bailey’s Freelance 2000 control system architecture with the Maestro/Conductor NT Human Interface System of the Symphony Enterprise Management and Control System. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
As part of its Uniformance software suite, Honeywell Industrial Automation and Control (Phoenix, Ariz.) introduced its Batch Information Manager, which is integrated with its Total Plant Batch solution.The company also debuted OpenField, its FOUNDATION Fieldbus solution that is integrated with Total Plant. To provide an open environment for achieving fieldbus benefits with minimal effort, Open Field includes open control platforms, OpenField transmitters and field devices, control solutions, Honeywell’s @sset.Max solutions, and other services. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Fisher-Rosemount Systems (Austin, Tex.) released Version 3 of DeltaV, the scalable batch portion of its PlantWeb architecture. Besides enhancing Delta V’s scalability and easing integration, Version 3 increases the size and scope of projects Delta V can address. New features include 50 times greater database size (up to 5,000 I/O channels for control with another 20,000 I/O channels for monitor applications) and redundant controller functionality. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
To keep its I/A Series system current, Foxboro (Foxboro, Mass.) featured new processors based on UltraSparc technology from Sun Microsystems and Pentium IIs from Intel. Since both processors can be configured to offer similar performance, choosing Unix or Microsoft Windows NT as an automation platform becomes a matter of customer preference. The processors also support mixed Unix/Windows NT environments. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
To increase data throughput, improve expansion capabilities, and provide higher-speed media redundancy, Siemens Energy&Automation (Alpharetta, Ga.) unveiled two new fiber-optic modules for networking. Optical Switch Module (OSM) and Optical Redundancy Manager (ORM) are used to design switched Industrial Ethernet (IE) networks over a 100 Mbit/sec fiber-optic backbone with high-speed redundance. Terminal devices or IE network segments are connected to the OSM via switched 10 Mbit/sec industrial twisted pair ports. The benefits of fiber-optic transmission include galvanic isolation, electromagnetic noise immunity, bridging up to 3,300 yds, and no lightning protection requirements. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
As part of its newly formed Process Business Unit, Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, Wis.) unveiled its new ProcessPak product family, which combines its batch, programming, HMI, and communications software into one scalable solution for process control applications. Besides its ProcessPak for Batch version, which leverages Rockwell Software ‘s (West Allis, Wis.) RSBatch software, Rockwell Automation will also offer a version for continuous applications. ProcessPak’s release will coincide with Rockwell’s introduction of application-specific templates optimized for specific industries. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Yokogawa Marex Technology Inc. (Cowes, Isle of Wight, U.K.) introduced Promace Quantum, the latest release of its Promace plant information management system. Able to handle applications of unlimited size and complexity, Promace Quantum features access to Windows NT, object-oriented functionality, an infinite number of process control system points, as well as a Windows-based Promace Quantum/Explorer analysis and reporting module, and a simple user interface.Meanwhile, Yokogawa Industrial Automation (Newnan, Ga.) showed its new Centum CS 1000 mid-sized DCS, which is also Windows NT-based and delivers migration and compatibility with earlier systems. The company also featured its new Darwin programmable interface node with Modbus RTU or Allen-Bradley PLC interface, as well as its Darwin data acquisition device, the DT300-41 Ethernet communications module. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Developed expressly for vital processes, Moore Process Automation ‘s (Spring House, Pa.) XTC critical pressure transmitter features redundancy from sensors through electronics and software. Installed as a single transmitter, XTC is approved for TÜV AK4 (ISA S84.01 SIL 2). When two transmitters are installed in tandem, the XTC is approved to TÜV AK6 (ISA S84.01 SIL 3). TÜV is a German safety certification organization. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Micro Motion (Boulder, Colo.) plans to design, manufacture, and market a lower-priced version of its Elite Coriolis meter, with decreased accuracy and abilities, for a far wider range of applications. The “R Series” Coriolis flowmeter will sell at a slight price premium over mechanical meter alternatives, but Micro Motion expects to sell three times as many R Series flowmeters as the feature-laden Elite Coriolis meters, for applications including oil field custody transfer, chemical, and food and beverage. Sales start mid-1999 for the easy-to-configure R Series, with three sizes, 1/4 to 1 in. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Fisher-Rosemount , Gensym , Honeywell , Intellution , Object Automation , Rockwell Software , Sequencia , USDATA , and Wonderware announced a partnership with Marathon Technologies to try make the Endurance 4000 the de facto standard for assured availability of mission critical applications using Microsoft Windows NT. Partner representatives stated Endurance 4000 uses array technology to provide a “load and go” application platform that delivers nonstop processing, continuous data access, uninterrupted connectivity, and disaster tolerance. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
GE Fanuc Automation ‘s (Charlottesville, Va.) new Operator Control Station (OCS) stresses integration, for example, with GE Fanuc’s Cimplicity HMI software and Series 90-30 PLCs, and includes network connections. OCS controls up to 64 I/O points.
GE Fanuc and Sequencia Corp. (formerly PID Inc., Phoenix, Ariz.) also announced that GE Fanuc will offer Sequencia’s OpenBatch software as an integrated solution with GE Fanuc’s Cimplicity HMI software for Windows NT. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Schneider Automation ‘s (North Andover, Mass.) main theme was “Transparent Factory,” a strategy integrating diverse plant or enterprise levels, allowing data sharing among control systems and business applications. Transparent Factory relies on Internet technologies, and can place an Internet web page inside a PLC. This provides direct access to the PLC via standard browsers—without the need for special interfaces or SCADA software. Schneider’s new Momentum line of distributed I/O and intelligent control modules was also displayed. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
Intergraph Corp. (Huntsville, Ala.) and its partner, Aspen Technology Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.), demonstrated front-end engineering and design (FEED) benefits of integrating their process plant life cycle software. Intergraph also released SmartPlant Explorer 2.0, a web-enabled plant data access solution, and previewed its upcoming SmartPlant P&ID and Imagineer Technical 3.0 products. For more information, visit www.controleng.com/info .
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