DCS, SCADA, Controllers

Figure 1: FreeWave’s ZumLink IQ integrated with Inductive Automation’s Ignition Edge MQTT installed at one of Sylvan Lake’s field stations. Courtesy: Freewave

Remote Monitoring January 12, 2020

Real-time monitoring and control for a water, wastewater operation

Water and wastewater operations improved with an industrial radio with messaging queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) for faster communication and new supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software. A system integrator used the wireless system to help improve reliability and reporting and reduce risk.

By Crayton White

Figure 3: Realizing the benefit of providing an easy upgrade path, Emerson designed the latest RX3i platform to have the same footprint as existing 90-30 systems and accept both legacy and new I/O modules. Courtesy: Emerson

PLCs, PACs January 7, 2020

Modern controllers ease upgrades

Legacy industrial automation systems must eventually be ripped and replaced or upgraded. See four challenges and five benefits of upgrades using modern controllers.

By Vibhoosh Gupta

Nano PLCs with expandable designs allow up to 11 add-on modules for up to 188 I/O points to cover a wide variety of applications. Courtesy: Eaton

PLCs, PACs January 3, 2020

Answers on factory controller upgrades

Nano programmable logic controllers (PLCs) can replace the function of existing equipment and provide Ethernet communication, remote monitoring, e-mail alerts, and integration with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and other systems.

By Adam Bainbridge

Figure 3: The control and operator interface components found on OEM equipment may vary from the overall plant’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system yet must be closely integrated. Courtesy: Tesco Controls Inc.

System Integrators December 23, 2019

Strategies for integrating OEM equipment in water/wastewater projects

System integrators face common challenges with incorporating original equipment manufacturers (OEM) equipment into automation projects, but there are some proven strategies to drive success.

By Stephen Goldsworth

Figure 3: The new control center was created quickly. Courtesy: Inductive Automation

System Integrators December 17, 2019

Short timeline for automation infrastructure

System integrator assembled a diverse collection of technologies to meet an aggressive schedule.

By Jim Meyers

Figure 1: Data acquisition network connections. Courtesy: Maverick Technologies

Data Acquisition, DAQ November 26, 2019

Eight data acquisition best practices

To discover which real-time data adds value to improve operational efficiencies and increase competitive edge in the marketplace, first understand data acquisition systems and consider the eight essential best practices for data acquisition success

By Brian E. Bolton

FacilityConneX simplifies and speeds up the manual data entry process, making it possible to add and integrate these data points via mobile devices. Courtesy: FacilityConneX

Process Safety November 5, 2019

Intelligent alarms create actions from noise

Inside process: Alarm management software can decipher raw data, identify critical alarms, locate alarm sources, and provide role-based intelligence for faster resolution.

By Jennifer Grimley

Figure 2: Real-time dashboards provide the information required for each level of the plant’s organization. Courtesy: Yokogawa Electric Corp.

Process Manufacturing November 4, 2019

Profit-driven operations require IT/OT integration

Maximizing process plant profits requires close integration across all levels of an organization.

By Yasunori Kobayashi

Better control means getting useful information when needed to the right people, for smarter decisions. Intuitive dashboards showing plant parameters provide faster understanding, as shown at the 2019 Honeywell Users Group Americas meeting in June. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology

Process Manufacturing October 31, 2019

Opening your options: Control system migration

Inside Process: Aging process control systems (PCSs) create nine major problems. There are three good reasons to migrate distributed control systems before obsolescence.

By Satnam Bhogal

Maintenance October 17, 2019

Predicting the end of unplanned downtime

Any unscheduled downtime will cause a major headache for engineers in the food and beverage manufacturing sector, but predictive maintenance can be a remedy.

By John Rowley