Control System World

The biogas market is booming. No wonder, as the gas can be used in a variety of beneficial ways – including fueling vehicles or generating heat and electricity in combined heat and power plants.

The gas is obtained from

• Fermentation of energy

• Organic waste

• Liquid manure

• Sewage sludge

• Leftover plant materials

For biogas plants to work properly,various process parameters have to be monitored around the clock: gas composition, pressure, temperature, and above all the produced gas quan­tity. Prosonic Flow B 200 is an industry-optimized ultrasonic flowmeter that measures the volume flow of biogas, landfill or digester gas reliably and with high accuracy, even under greatly fluctuating operating conditions.

Ultrasonic measurement has numerous benefits compared to conventional methods:

• Reliable measurement – high accuracy (±1.5%) and a high operable flow range (30:1)

• Energy saving – no pressure losses

• Maintenance-free – no moving parts

• Space-saving – short inlet and outlet runs

• Wide range of uses – independent of the composition and the moisture of a gas

• Measurement possible even with minimum operating pressure

"Fieldbus Report" is the industry's leading periodical devoted to the fast growing fieldbus marketplace. Each issue contains technology information, application studies, products news, and more. Current and recent issues of this publication are available for download.

Click 'Foundation Fieldbus Report Fall 2011' to download Report.

Vipond Controls has developed a fully web-based HMI and SCADA solution for the Oil and Gas industry.

Background

In the Oil and Gas industry, it’s especially important to stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology. The market is particularly sensitive to cost efficiency in production, and it’s important to produce energy with a minimum of investment, and a maximum return. The demand for SCADA systems and HMIs that offer real-time data over the cloud from any internet connection has created a valuable new technology within the SCADA solution industry; SCADA as a Service.

To fully read this Case Sudy by InduSoft please click 'Vipond Control's iSCADA Takes Oil and Gas Monitoring Into the Cloud'

IEC 61850 communication technology appears as a very promising technology, able to reach both a high level of performance and a high level of interoperability. However considering the real maturity of this technology (from its current level of definition, down to its implementation) and the height of the breakthrough this may represent for the user, a recommendation would lead to a reasonable step-wise deployment.

A first level 1 (Level 1) focused on Monitoring and Control part of the EMCS can already bring many benefits to the user, while offering a high level of multi-vendor interoperability.

A second Level (Level 2) based on a limited single vendor deployment of the GOOSE peer-to-peer capability would offer a cost-effective mean for reducing wiring on site and increase the installation agility.

To further read this White paper by Schneider Electric please click 'Is there a value in deploying IEC 61850 communication into oil & gas EMCS'

A Technical paper from Foundation Fieldbus. Introduction and basics about PROFIBUS PA and FOUNDQATION FIELDBUS F1 and how it works.

Please click here to download the paper 'An Introduction to Fieldbus'

Moore Industries: Designed specifically for demanding industrial applications the Net Concentrator System (NCS) proides a real-time signal gateway between between the factor floor and your control strategy. NCS can  be used when you need when you need to network new and legacy network censors, instrument and final control elements. It is modular and can be programmed to various configurations.

For further info on this product please click 'NCS NET Concentrator System: Eliminate expensive point-to-point wires'

OPC is open connectivity via open standards. They fill a need in automation like printer drivers did for Windows. See the summary of current and emerging OPC Specifications and OPC Certification.

OPC is all about Open Productivity & Connectivity in industrial automation and the enterprise systems that support industry. Interoperability is assured through the creation and maintenance of open standards specifications. There are currently seven standards specifications completed or in development.

Based on fundamental standards and technology of the general computing market, the OPC Foundation adapts and creates specifications that fill industry-specific needs. OPC will continue to create new standards as needs arise and to adapt existing standards to utilize new technology.

To completely read about OPC please click 'What is OPC?'

Presenting the Sixteenth Annual ARC World Industry Forum

Transforming Industry through New Processes and Technologies

February 6-9, 2012 - Orlando, Florida

ARC Advisory Group, the leading global research and advisory firm for manufacturing, industry, and infrastructure, announces that ARC’s Sixteenth Annual World Industry Forum (February 6-9, 2012) at the beautiful Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld hotel in Florida is just one month away.

This annual forum, an industry-leading networking and learning event, attracts executive attendees from both the automation supplier and end user communities. Forum programs cover a wide range of timely manufacturing and industrial automation and IT-related issues, including:

- Analytics for Industry

- Asset Information and Lifecycle Management

- Asset Performance Management

- Cloud Computing

- Collaboration and Social Media Solutions

- Innovations in Virtual Production

- Operational Excellence for Power Generation

- Security Solutions for Plants and Infrastructure

- Supply Chain Integrity and Brand Protection

- Sustainable Operational Excellence Solutions

- Enterprise Mobility

The automation technologies represented and discussed include sensors, PLCs, and DCS control systems.  Software technologies include HMI/SCADA, historian, simulation, MES, ERP, and asset management.  The ARC forum addresses both process and discrete marketplaces.

For further information on this forum please click 'ARC World Industry Forum'