Intro4u2u

INDUSTRIAL Conveying Australia has added decentralised control technology to its turnkey materials handling solutions.
According to the company, decentralised control means combining electrical design with the mechanical design and manufacturing process. It can be used to improve on materials handling in a range of industries from food production, freight handling, and manufacturing to general processing.
Decentralised control, the manufacturer claims, allows for faster development and deployment of turnkey projects. Execution is achieved through various fieldbus networks and vendor-specific solutions.
The solution provider claims the modularity allowed by decentralised control means add-on equipment can be installed at a later date, and field items such as safety features, can be integrated into the machinery.
By using a decentralised design approach, modules and completed projects can be workshop tested with the client’s control elements at the manufacturer’s site.
Decentralised fieldbus installations are also said to reduce field cabling needs.

Animatics Corporation, through OEM Dynamics Linear Division, has expanded its product line into the Linear Actuator market with the release of the Harmonic Linear Drive Series.

The Harmonic Linear Drive(TM) (HLD) is an innovative linear belt drive solution providing high accuracy and low cost without the need for a gearhead or brake! Instead of using a fixed belt to move the load, the HLD uses a recirculating belt, folded back upon itself and routed over subtly different diameter pulleys yielding gear reduction by way of the Harmonic Drive Principle, without the cost or backlash of a separate gearhead (see animation at www.oemdynamics.com). This technique is so revolutionary, it has patents applied for in more than 30 countries.

The system has a low price to performance ratio. It is priced to attract large quantity OEM buyers as well as the smaller cost conscious System Integrators and stands to be the most cost effective alternative to mid to long stroke ball screw actuators available.

The HLD is available in standard stroke lengths from 100mm to 3200mm and equivalent pitch ratios from 2.5mm/rev to 12.5mm/rev. Custom strokes are available. These fully integrated units are shipped with the patented Animatics SmartMotor technology to provide an all-in-one Closed-Loop Brushless Servo Motor, Drive Amplifier, Optical Encoder, I/O, Field bus option, belt actuator and bearing support.

The HLD60 produces standard thrust up to 450 Newtons, with an average moment loading of up to 150Nm. Each unit provides a near Zero Backlash solution with bidirectional repeatability approaching 60µm and unidirectional repeatability of less than 20µm.

OEM Dynamics Linear Systems are manufactured, tested and shipped in one integrated assembly. They are available in several bearing load configurations including Internal Roller, and single or twin external profile rails. Fieldbus Options include Profibus, DeviceNet, CANopen, and Ethernet.

Now that the industrial controls industry has gotten the Ethernet bug, the rush is on to devise a range of systems designed to integrate that shop floor with the office LAN.

Industrial automation systems have been pushing the limits of traditional fieldbus technology for some time. Ethernet provides the means to improve control networks for large manufacturing systems and to exchange production and manufacturing information with centralized business intelligence systems in the enterprise.

But to do that most effectively, industrial systems need to embrace more than simple Ethernet protocols and delve further into extension technologies and higher-level communications mechanisms, such as PCIe.

ABB seems to have recognized this need and has updated its line of industrial networking solutions to meet it. The new IndustrialIT Enterprise Connectivity Solution (ECS) offers a single-point interface for connecting industrial systems, like ABB’s IndustrialIT 800xA, with SAP, Oracle and Microsoft enterprise tools, such as databases, OPC-compliant systems and Web services. The new version offers greater online redundancy and an improved GUI.

A Maryland firm called Patton has developed an Ethernet extender system that utilizes twisted copper infrastructures to tie industrial equipment to business machines. The 2172R extender is a 50 Mbps device that can send Ethernet signals up to 3,000 feet over TTL, RS-232 or RS422/485 serial circuits, bridging the office/floor divide without having to run specialized fiber or CAT 5 lines. The device provides six user-selectable symmetrical and asymmetrical line rates and features a rugged casing suitable for -10 to +70 degrees C.

In Europe, work is progressing on defining a new CompactPCI format that will allow industrial backplane systems to better communicate with serial busses like PCI Express, Ethernet, SATA/SAS and USB. The PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) aims to define a new peripheral slot that supports these common enterprise standards at a minimum data rate of 10 Gbps. The group stops short of defining an interface for full switched fabrics.

One of the main stumbling blocks for Ethernet-based control systems is that Ethernet is a much more complicated environment than traditional industrial fieldbus technology. But a firm called Pilz Automation Technology is working on that problem through its SafetyNETp protocol. The company claims it provides all the advantages of Ethernet while maintaining the ease of installation of a standard fieldbus. It supports both the RTFL format for fast communications in changing environments and the RTFN format for communication over any Ethernet network.

Increased network integration can only be an unqualified good. Whether it’s the server farm, the storage array or the shop floor, the more systems and software can communicate directly, the more efficiency and productivity will be enhanced.

Switch on any modern projector (beamer) and the keystone correction automatically squares the image on the screen. Modern process instruments incorporate a fair degree of intelligence used to optimise process variable accuracy and reliability, and can even undertake predictive maintenance. But they fail miserably in one critical aspect even when compared with the humble projector. And that is self adjustment and self-healing.

From the modern digital camera that automatically adjusts focus and exposure for maximum reproduction to engine management systems in automobiles, the self adjustment concept has well and truly taken hold.

BMW’s intelligent drive system is a case in point as the car adjusts the gear selection to better suit a person’s driving style. The variable timing of the intake valves and the engine fuel injection are optimised within tolerable limits, improving fuel consumption, and these critical variables even auto-adjust between services.

If the world of process instruments had evolved in similar fashion, self-adjusting flowmeters in which the diameter would vary according to the flowrate to produce the most accurate and reliable flow measurements would have been a reality. Level measuring devices that utilise the time-of-flight principle, such as ultrasonic and radar, would self-adjust according to the properties of the air through which the measurements are made.

A majority of process instrumentation still use the 4-20mA signal transmission (as opposed to digital field bus technology), and therefore every device has to be ranged during the initial commissioning. However, smart sensors and pressure transmitters would self adjust to increase their accuracy within the operating range. And this would be of good benefit to the users.

If for example, a pressure transmitter operates between 0 and 100 bar with an accuracy of 0.01 per cent, one can determine the inaccuracy at any point in the total range. However, if the pressure being measured varies only between 50 and 60 bar, a clever instrument would self adjust and scale itself to operate between 40 and 70 bar. The result would be a far more accurate instrument.

There are other benefits as well. A typical 0 to 100 bar pressure transmitter may be set to alarm if the reading drops below 10 bar or exceeds 90 bars. However, if the process normally operates between 50 and 60 bars, a process malfunction that causes a pressure spike of 70 bars will pass unnoticed. A self adjusting instrument could pick this up right away.

In new plants, this issue is all the more obvious and the ramifications are manifold. In such cases, each new instrument in the plant is calibrated and the measurement range set to improve accuracy. As the process settles down, the optimised bandwidth for every instrument continues to shift.

This requires further calibration and recommissioning of the instruments to maintain optimal accuracy. This is a laborious, time-consuming process and it could take years for the plant to stabilise. But it does not have to be this way. Imagine if the instruments had the ability to store data, analyse it periodically, register the low and high points over a period of time and self adjust to operate in the optimum range.

This will also eliminate the need to shut down plants in order to optimise the instrumentation. The resultant savings in time, human resource and money as well as the impact on product quality and batch consistency would be high.

Let’s consider self-adjusting processes. With the recent acceptance by process industries of field bus technology, both Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus, it is possible to extract more data from the processes than previously. For example, a differential pressure transmitter can provide the dip measurement for level or flow, as well as the process pressure and temperature.

Using this additional information plantwide it should be possible for the control system to process the data and make the necessary process changes, reducing energy costs, saving processing time, without sacrificing quality – why add too much flocculant, only to have to recover it later, why cool pipework only to heat it again for hygienic cleaning (CIP), why keep filling a tank that never empties below half full?

Till now, instruments have been designed around the reactive or planned reactive philosophy. Now there is a technology to move them up to the next level and make them proactive without any major impact on their cost. And after we cross the self-adjusting hurdle, the next issue is self–healing. Car makers are developing tyre systems that can self check and self inflate in the event of minor leaks.

Marie Digby has been called the girl next door with a guitar. Most of her fans also know that she has a computer.

Unsure of what was happening with her record-label relationship, Digby broke onto the national stage in 2007 using YouTube, where she posted homemade videos of herself covering major pop hits by Rihanna, Britney Spears and even Linkin Park. To date, her YouTube videos, largely made in her parents’ living room, have generated more than 22 million views.

“Yeah, and sometimes they were in my bathroom,” she says.

Her debut album, Unfold, hit shelves last month, and it’s filled with original pop songs built around Digby’s guitar riffs. She spoke with Scott Simon about the unfolding of Unfold — starting with her do-it-yourself acoustic covers.

“It just has to have a great melody,” she says. “Doesn’t matter what genre it is — it could be opera, it could be rap, it could be country. Whatever it is, as long as it has a beautiful melody, I can break it down on guitar and make it sound good.”

Marie Digby had a surprise Internet hit with her acoustic rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which broke through on YouTube. In April the California native delivered a winning debut record, “Unfold,” which showcased her literate, well-crafted tunes and a lovely, winsome voice. It’s indeed folky pop for the Starbucks set, but without the insipid obviousness that often mars the genre.

Her recent performance at L.A.’s famed Troubadour club proved that she’s a skillful and playful performer. She can cover everyone from Britney Spears to Linkin Park, and she still does Rihanna proud as she moves from piano to guitar with her band. Definitely a star on the rise, she’ll appear Thursday at Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St., Boston.

MARIE Digby (pic) is one of those new emerging stars that you just can’t afford to ignore. Marie (apparently pronounce Ma-ree-AY)’s acoustic version of Rihanna’s Umbrella shot her to You-Tube fame. Her YouTube channel has collectively been viewed more than 12 million times! And since then there’s been no stopping her.

The pretty young thing – of Japanese and Irish American parentage – is now in town to promote her debut album and meet her fans! Head on down to the Marié Digby Acoustic Showcase today at 8pm at the Ground Floor Highstreet, 1 Utama New Wing, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, And don’t forget to get an autograph at the Gap outlet at 9pm. Best of all, admission is free!

With new fieldbus adapters, ABB drives customers are free to choose, and connect with virtually any automation architecture. Greg Semrow, product manager, ABB Low Voltage Drives says “Your PLC does not dictate the rest of your automation equipment. Instead, a wide array of fieldbus adapters makes it easy to integrate ABB drives and power devices to the architecture you have – or choose!”

The RETA-02 Ethernet Adapter module is an optional device mounted under the cover of ABB drives. These RETA-02 PROFINET IO and Modbus/TCP Adapter modules, makes it possible to:

– Send control commands to the drive (Start, Stop, Run enable, etc.);
– Send motor speed or torque reference to the drive;
– Send a process actual value or a process reference to the PID controller of the drive;
– Read status information and actual values from the drive;
– Change drive parameter values; and
– Reset a drive fault.

The fieldbus adapter snaps into a drive in seconds, and can be ordered installed on new drives, or the module can be retrofitted to ABB’s existing drives.

The RETA-02 module already is available for ABB’s line of ACS drives for industrial markets and application; in early June, it also will be available for ABB’s drives for the HVAC/commercial market.

ABB’s new RETA-02 PROFINET IO and Modbus/TCP adapter enables fast and simple connectivity of ABB drives to a PROFINET IO or Modbus/TCP network, and users are free to choose, and integrate, their power devices to virtually any automation architecture.

The RETA-02 Ethernet Adapter module, like other fieldbus modules the company offers, is an optional device mounted under the cover of ABB drives.  The RETA-02 PROFINET IO and Modbus/TCP Adapter modules, makes it possible to:

• Send control commands to the drive (Start, Stop, Run enable, etc.);
• Send motor speed or torque reference to the drive;
• Send a process actual value or a process reference to the PID controller of the drive;
• Read status information and actual values from the drive;
• Change drive parameter values; and
• Reset a drive fault.

The fieldbus adapter snaps into a drive in seconds, and can be ordered installed on new drives, or the module can be retrofitted to ABB’s existing drives.

Fieldbus Foundation Safety System Demo at Shell Global Solutions Amsterdam is a Success

The introduction of a fieldbus-based safety system, otherwise known as Foundation Fieldbus Safety Instrumented Functions (FF-SIF), was one of the most anticipated events in the world of process automation this year.  ARC was fortunate enough to be able to attend the successful first demonstration of the system at Shell Global Solutions in Amsterdam on May 20th.  It was obvious from the beginning of the event that FF-SIF is going to have a tremendous amount of end user support.  Aside from the Shell representatives, there were several users from companies, such as Chevron, Saudi Aramco, BP, Exxon Mobil, and many others.

It is very clear that the end users want this technology and are striving to include FF-SIS systems in their project specifications.  Peter Eigenraam from Shell stated that they would probably be specifying FF-SIF systems for their new projects starting in 2011.  According to Peter, “FF-SIF is a logical extension and a follow-up to fieldbus for process applications”.  In addition to the demo in Amsterdam that served as the primary media event, other FF-SIF systems were being tested simultaneously at Chevron in Houston, Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, and BP in Germany.

A Multivendor System

The demo system itself was comprised of products from several vendors.  The actual safety system was provided by HIMA, while Yokogawa provided the basic process control system and plant asset management software.  Field instrumentation was provided by ABB, Endress+Hauser, Magnetrol, Siemens, and Smar.  Valves were provided by Emerson, Metso Automation, and Westlock.  Other suppliers included, RuggedCom and Softing.  The demos running at Aramco, Chevron, and BP included other systems and products from all of the major process automation suppliers.  Other supplier representatives on hand at the demo included people from Honeywell, Invensys, Moore Hawk, Biffi, MTL, Topworx, Azbil (Yamatake), Dresser Industries, MTL, Pepperl + Fuchs, and Risknowlogy.

Demo Highlights the Value of Predictive Diagnostics in SIS

The demonstration of the system itself provided a glimpse into the primary value proposition of FF-SIS – the advanced diagnostics functions.  There was some palpable tension in the air as the system itself was demonstrated live, but everything was executed flawlessly.  Functions demonstrated included high and low level trips, partial stroke testing of valves, and a partial stroke test that was interrupted by the ESD.  The last example showed that even in the middle of a partial stroke test the ESD could successfully take over and shut down the system during an abnormal situation.  Two out of three (2oo3) voting was demonstrated using Yokogawa, Smar, and E+H devices.  The system also reacted successfully to a loss of temperature probe, and the system reacted successfully to a measurement validation alarm and a diagnostic alarm generated from a dry probe on a Magnetrol level device.

Rich Timoney, President of Fieldbus Foundation, put it nicely when he stated that the difference between an FF-SIF system and a conventional emergency shutdown system is the same as doing a forensic analysis on a patient after he is dead versus performing proactive diagnosis to address problems before death occurs.  Advanced diagnostics ensure that many issues can be addressed proactively before the ESD needs to step in and do its job.

A Standards-Based Solution

Foundation Fieldbus has always adhered to the international standard, and the SIF is no exception.  The FF SIS protocol meets the IEC 61508 standard for functional safety systems up to SIL 3, and allows users to build safety systems that adhere to the IEC 61511 standard for functional safety in the process industries.  The protocol has already received TÜV approval, and suppliers are going to start submitting their products for TÜV approval over the next year.  This means that we should see actual products that are certified by TÜV available commercially some time in 2010, with implementation on large projects probably in 2011, as Shell indicated.

Moving Ahead

Aside from product development and approval, future developments from the Fieldbus Foundation and member companies include developing best practices and guidelines for FF-SIF implementation, quantifying the reduction in total cost of ownership, and quantifying reduced installation costs associated with the technology.  The Fieldbus Foundation also has to go through the process of testing devices from suppliers when they are available to ensure that they meet FF specifications (the Foundation “check mark” that everyone is familiar with).

ARC expects that adoption and implementation of FF-SIF systems should be accelerated by the fact that many end users are specifying FF-based systems and devices for their large grassroots projects today, so we will not have the same gradual bell curve of acceptance that we saw in the early days of fieldbus.  Many systems integrators have also shied away from implementing fieldbus systems, because safety systems account for a large portion of the I/O on major projects.  With an FF-SIS system available, it will be increasingly difficult to make that argument.

ARC also sees a lot of potential for FF-SIF in existing facilities.  There are a number of older safety systems installed in plants today that will require upgrading, just as there are a large number of ageing basic process control systems.  Availability of FF-SIF and its promise of reduced spurious trips, advanced diagnostics, reduced lifecycle and operational costs, and compatibility with existing hardware infrastructures, could provide many end users with the impetus to convert to these systems more rapidly.  The large amount of end user support around the Amsterdam demo is a strong indicator that FF-SIS has a strong future.

Pepperl+Fuchs introduces the FieldConnex™ Fieldbus Power Hub (FPH), the latest component-level solution to their popular FieldConnex™ Fieldbus Installation System. This modular power supply system for FOUNDATION Fieldbus (FF-H1) provides multiple power supplies for Fieldbus devices via digital data lines.

The Fieldbus Power Hub consists of a motherboard with single or redundant plug-on modules. Multiple plug-on modules are available, including:

• Isolated power module with 30V and 500mA - designed for high power in the field, especially if used with Segment Protectors or FieldBarriers.

• Isolated FNICO power module with 17V and 500mA - dedicated for FNICO installation if used in conjunction with segment protectors.

• Non-isolated module with Host Spur Protection – designed for use with both Segment Protector and FieldBarrier, while providing additional network segment protection in conjunction with the redundant Host cards. If one card short circuits, the other card and the Fieldbus segment itself will still continue to operate.

The FPH is designed for installation on DIN-rails, and integrates Fieldbus segment connections, their appropriate terminators, as well as Host-specific system plug connectors. The FPH follows the passive design of powering the Fieldbus network, while providing redundant galvanic isolation and Host Spur Protection respectively. New cross-talk resonance suppression technology ensures proper communication, which is particularly helpful in the event of wiring and ground faults.

Pepperl+Fuchs is a world leader in the design, manufacture and application of high quality process automation products and services. Pepperl+Fuchs is the number one provider of hazardous area technology from intrinsic safety to purge and pressurization, on-line corrosion monitoring and Fieldbus.

“Fast Switch” is an IS protection technique that can allow higher powers than are usual in IS circuits: this has been patented and is now launched for sale by MTL for use with an IS Ethernet

MTL Instruments, a part of Cooper Crouse-Hinds, are pleased to announce the launch of the first in a series of products that makes use of innovative technologies in industrial network applications These include the technique known as “Fast Switch”, which is patented by
The introduction of these technologies removes a number of limitations and provides additional benefits to end-users.

It should also be highlighted that these products can be certified within existing explosion protection standards, which are universally understood and accepted for Hazardous area applications.

“Fast Switch” is an IS protection technique that can allow higher powers than are usual in IS circuits.

When a break occurs in a field circuit, or a module is unplugged ‘live’, a voltage appears across the break or the contacts.

This voltage can give rise to a potentially incendive spark if it is allowed to develop above a certain level.

But as the voltage builds up to form a spark, the voltage at the load falls.

“Fast Switch” circuitry detects this falling voltage and disconnects the load, so preventing the spark from developing to a point at which it could cause an ignition.

The “Fast Switch” protection circuitry is simple and effective.

It conforms to the principles of intrinsic safety and has been proven using the standard spark test apparatus according to international standards.

One of the major demands by users has been the ability to maintain electronic apparatus in hazardous areas while under power.

This has been provided by the implementation of “Fast Switch” technology in the PoEx Intrinsic Safety Ethernet range, which is the subject of a major product launch at Interkama.

Secondly the ability to run fieldbus networks over a longer distance whilst maintaining the ability to live work is solved by the use of certified switching components that permit the safe interruption of non-intrinsically safe circuits.

This, together with the launch at Interkama of redundant power for FISCO (Fieldbus Intrinsically Safe Concept) networks, allows users of the MTL range of fieldbus products to enjoy the highest availability on the market, while retaining the ability to live work in applications requiring long cable lengths.