Industry News
Mipac optimizes plant processes using service platform
Process Advantage program promises to release your plant’s hidden potential.
Near infrared analyzer platform helps optimize process
Food and beverage manufacturing system from system integrator helps improve quality, reduce waste.
Alstom launches new Alspa Series 6 control system offering
Platform designed for power plant automation covers the full plant-wide operational range.
GE Fanuc adds new controller to its Proficy family
PAC8000 controllers provide DCS functionality, add flexibility to larger Proficy Process Systems control software family.
Commentary: Wireless for process moves beyond instrumentation
Systems for process plants are evolving to include more bidirectional functionality.
Honeywell to acquire RMG Regel+Messtechnik with its natural gas measurement and control technology
$400 million purchase aims at expanding Honeywell’s solution portfolio and market penetration in clean-energy industries.
PAC8000, high-availability PACSystems RX3i controllers available from GE Fanuc
Latest additions to GE Fanuc controller families deliver improved performance in DCS process applications, and reflective memory technology for high-speed data transfer.
Drug safety regulations increase need for industry resources and expertise
Safety requirements for drug manufacturers now extends through drug lifecycle, requiring more resources to track safety post-sale as well as building it in during design and manufacturing.
Portable ultrasonic flowmeter
New portable Fluxus F601 ultrasonic flowmeter from Flexim is fast and reliable.
Honeywell extends wireless platform with discrete input transmitters
XYR 6000 discrete-input transmitters send data from contact-closure and thermocouple devices.
Turbine flowmeter offers low-cost solution
Series 380 and 735 flowmeters from Badger for metal and plastic-pipe applications.
Level sensors monitor fuel consumption in specialized auto race
MTS supplies liquid level transmitters for the IMSA-sanctioned American Le Mans Series' Michelin Green X Challenge. MTS System Sensors Division sensors provide real-time measurement data for each team's fuel usage, which is transmitted to a control room and used to calculate each team's fuel efficiency.
Optical dissolved oxygen sensor for breweries
Mettler Toledo InPro 6970i dissolved oxygen sensor helps brewing applications to improve beer taste: Careful control of oxygen content keeps beer flavor consistent and improves shelf life.
Technology update: Alternative power sources for instrumentation
Energy scavenging or harvesting methods are becoming more mainstream for low-power instrumentation. Can you use them? At Sensors Expo 2009, energy harvesting took the limelight, using vibration, light, heat, or even radio frequency. Batteries and power management remain important.
Tutorial: Why batch, recipe philosophies matter, 7 day series
ISA88 is undergoing Part 1 revision, and there's major discussion underway about batch- and recipe-related philosophies. The Control Engineering blog called, Standard profits: Make2Pack and ISA88, provides an extended tutorial on batch control and recipes, challenging industry leaders to explain why they think the way they do.
Honeywell Process Solutions: 34th Americas User Group, 6 areas of change in next 10 years
Many new attendees converge on Honeywell user conference in spite of wide travel restrictions, finding advice on wireless instrumentation and process optimization advice. See six major areas of process control change by 2020.
Flowmeter for diesel fuel consumption
Devices must be able to withstand extreme temperature swings in the installation environment, as end users employ them in automotive, marine, aerospace, and power generation applications.
Programmable controller fundamentals book
Applications-based book written by Thomas A. Hughes has been used as a textbook for programmable logic controller (PLC) courses.
Endress+Hauser expands U.S. production, with flowmeter manufacturing, testing
State-of-the-art flowmeter manufacturing and testing facility in Indiana was inaugurated by Endress+Hauser. E+H invested more than $18 million in new production and calibration facilities for production of primarily magnetic and Coriolis flowmeter designs. See photos.
Waste-to-energy process control gets boost from new agreement
Waste Management joins with Inentec to develop and deploy plasma gasification facilities. Refuse is superheated to as high as 20,000 °F, rearranging the molecular structure, making ultra-clean, synthesis gas (syngas) from carbon-based materials. Link to process video.
