www.pacetoday.com.au
PACE PROCESS & CONTROL ENGINEERING
NSW plant sets standard Open standard AS-interface sets water treatment plant on a higher plane. Feature 18
Process visibility Advanced Diagnostics is helping a chemical plant keep on top of its game. Process Control 20
PSN merges with Wood Group Zenith Awards update The sponsors of the 2011 Zenith Awards offer insights into the year ahead. Feature 16 FEBRUARY 2011
VOL.64 NO.1
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Opinion 11
Energy harvesting Powering wireless sensors via energy harvesting is a potential game changer. Automation 12
Improved performance An upgrade to a municipal water plant required replacement of RTUs. Measurement 23
Cost of air leaks The value of compressed air as an energy source is higher than electricity. Simulation 24
Design plants and processes It may not be obvious but simulation can realise immense savings. Water Taster 27
Post Print Approved PP255003/00539
Sensor in water line Fast-acting bio-sensor could set off alarms if there is a danger.
PSN has entered into an agreement to merge the company with Wood Group’s Production Facilities business. In a deal valued at $963 million, this merger will create a global brownfield services provider with annual revenues of around $3 billion. The new company, to be named Wood Group PSN, will have an internationally diverse workforce of 22,000 people operating in more than 30 countries. PSN’s Australian operations form the company’s largest international business unit. In Australia, PSN provides engineering, construction, operations and maintenance services to the upstream and downstream oil, gas, water and refining industries. With more than 1,000 personnel, PSN is now the largest contractor servicing the hydrocarbon market on the Australian east coast. PSN’s directors will join the new merged business with Bob Keiller as CEO and Duncan Skinner as chief financial officer. The management team for the new company will be made up of PSN management teams and Wood Group’s Production Facilities’ management team. Speaking about the merger, Bob Keiller CEO of PSN said: “I believe that by uniting PSN with Wood Group we have a unique opportunity to grow our business to benefit our customers and our people. Since the management buyout in 2006, we have achieved significant success and expansion. “This transaction positions us for the next stage of PSN’s development, enabling us to strengthen our service capability to existing and new customers whilst providing enhanced career prospects for our people. The combined
BOB KEILLER: Merger positions company for next stage of PSN’s development.
new Production Facilities business will retain our clear commitment to safety, excellence in service delivery, innovation and continuous improvement, allowing us to continue to build lasting and strong relationships with clients.” Allister Langlands, chief executive of Wood Group, added: “We are excited about combining the strengths of two extremely successful companies. The Acquisition advances our strategy of achieving long term sustainable growth by adding value to our customers’ global
operations. We are confident that this will enhance our position as the leading production services business for our clients and our people, with a continued rigorous focus on safety.” The transaction is subject to relevant merger approvals, including the Office of Fair Trading in the UK, and completion is expected in Q2 of 2011. Until then, PSN and Wood Group will continue to operate as separate and independent production services businesses. www.psnworld.com
NEWS
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
PACE
Counting the cost
PROCESS & CONTROL ENGINEERING
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Next Issue Instrumentation PLCs & Soft Control ● Asset Management ● Process Control in Mining ● ●
THE impact of the Queensland floods will be felt for years to come as the country battles to get people and key industries back on their feet. The loss of lives and the devastation is indeed tragic but, politics aside, I’m sure the nation will pull together and work through this difficult period. Queensland’s desal plants received mixed reactions when they were announced, built and commissioned. But the state has been able to augment its drinking water supplies that were muddied by the floods. Coal mining has been impacted quite severely and, at the time of going to press, the full extent of damage to the automation and process control instrumentation at these sites is unclear. Most of the affected mines have invoked force majeure which releases them from supply obligations. Australia had been pinning a lot of hope on coal seam gas; unfortunately activities in this industry sector have been affected with drilling halted in the Surat Basin. There’s been an overabundance of water in some parts of the country but this issue of PACE looks internationally and locally at
some challenging aspects of managing this often, precious resource. A German research institute has developed a novel process to ensure the safety of a region’s drinking water supplies by using red fluorescent bacteria in the glass tube that change colour whenever the microorganisms come into contact with toxic substances. Closer to home, a facility on NSW’s Central Coast, has set up a water treatment plant that starts and stops based on the level in the treated water reservoir. This could well be a model for other water authorities. We also check out how New York treats its wastewater. One facility modernised its control system and reduced wiring costs for field instrumentation while improving operational readiness and reliability. The sponsors for the PACE Zenith Awards get special mention in this issue. These leading companies take the opportunity to offer some insight into their products, technologies and activities in the year ahead. Kevin.Gomez@reedbusiness.com.au
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ABB acquires Baldor Electric in $4.36 billion deal ABB will acquire Baldor Electric Company in a transaction valued at approximately $4.36 billion, including $1.14 billion of net debt. The Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice cleared the acquisition in January this year. The transaction closes a gap in ABB’s automation portfolio by adding Baldor’s NEMA motors product line and positions the company as a market leader for industrial motors, including high-efficiency motors. Baldor also adds a growing and profitable mechanical power transmission business to ABB’s portfolio.
Baldor offers a range of mechanical power transmission products such as mounted bearings, enclosed gearing and couplings – used primarily in process industries – as well as drives and generators. The Baldor drives business will be combined with the larger ABB drives business to achieve further penetration of this product line. The transaction will open opportunities for ABB’s wider portfolio including energy efficient drives and complementary motors. This move comes at a time when regulatory changes will accelerate demand for energy efficient industrial motion products.
“Baldor is a great company with an extremely strong brand in the world’s largest industrial market,” said Joe Hogan, ABB’s CEO. “Baldor’s product range and regional scope are highly complementary to ours and give both companies significant opportunities to deliver greater value to our customers.” Baldor employs approximately 7,000 people and reported an operating profit of $191 million on revenue of $1.34 billion in first nine months of 2010. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011. www.abbaustralia.com.au
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NEWS
FROM THE WEB
FLUOR WINS GLADSTONE LNG Fluor's EPC contract includes upstream facilities associated with the 7.8 million tonne-per-year LNG project that will extract and liquefy gas from coal deposits for eventual export to Asia and other global markets.
HSE-RIO PRELIMINARY SPEC The Fieldbus Foundation’s High Speed Ethernet Remote I/O preliminary specification is available to its membership for review. Part of the foundation’s Wireless and Remote I/O initiative, this specification defines the first in a series of interoperable gateways (a smart RTU) to bring control I/O (both analogue and discrete) back to plant automation systems over an international standard, high-speed network.
DESIGN
Fieldbus Foundation releases DesignMate THE Fieldbus Foundation has release of DesignMate, a software tool for planning, validation and documentation of Foundation fieldbus H1 segments. DesignMate automatically audits segment layouts for conformance with the Foundation physical layer specification, which is based on the international IEC 61158-2 (Type 1) standard. This assures end users their fieldbus infrastructure will work with desired parameters such as cable length, number and type of installed devices, and selected power supplies. “With the DesignMate software, end users can simplify the implementation of Foundation technology,” said Fieldbus Foundation manager – fieldbus products, Stephen Mitschke. “This tool verifies that a fieldbus physical layer conforms to accepted industry standards and is designed for optimal performance and reliability. It is ideally suited for engineering firms or system integrators designing new or expanded process plants, as well as plant control engineers or technicians adding new devices to existing fieldbus segments.” DesignMate is available for free download on the Fieldbus Foundation’s website.
DESAL PLANTS TURNED ON Queensland’s Tugun desalination plant was running at 66 per cent capacity while mud stirred up by the flood resulted in dirty water in the Brisbane River. The Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme has also been turned-up as part of the emergency response to the floods. It continues to supply water to industrial customers.
RECYCLED WATER NETWORK A consortium has been selected by the City of Sydney to develop a decentralised water master plan for the Local Government Area which would include Australia's first city-wide recycled water network and reduce demands on drinking water supplies.
AKER TRANSFERS TO JACOBS Aker Solutions has signed an agreement to transfer ownership of a number of its operations within its Process and Construction business area to Jacobs Engineering Group. Included in the transaction is Aker Solutions Australia, which has operations in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. These Australian operations provide engineering, procurement, construction and consultancy services to the mining and metals, and onshore oil, gas and process industries.
For daily updates visit www.pacetoday.com.au 4 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
www.fieldbus.org
INTUITIVE: DesignMate enables fieldbus segment design on the fly with drag and drop capabilities.
SUPPORT
Turck offers Bihl+Wiedemann in Australia TURCK Australia has set up a new direct sales structure, adopted to meet the demand for more comprehensive technical service and support requirements for the country’s growing factory and process automation industry. The new sales structure will provide locally stocked inventory and immediate service with a more aggressive pricing arrangement for the company’s sensing, connectivity and network I/O solutions. “Our new direct sales structure greatly enhances our ability to provide the very best global technical support at an affordable price, while improving local customer service and off-theshelf product availability,” said Cameron Dwyer, managing director of Turck Australia. Also, Turck Australia will now serve as the authorised distributor of the Bihl+Wiedemann interface products in Australia. Turck already distributes German Bihl+Wiedemann products in the US. “By establishing this business relationship, we are providing Australian customers with a single supplier capable of meeting the most diverse industrial equipment needs,” said Dwyer. “Our combined product offering includes highest-quality automation technology and interface products
DISTRIBUTION: Bihl+Wiedemann will add safety interface products to Turck Australia’s range. for industrial networks.” Turck’s expertise in industrial automation spans sensors, connectivity, instrumentation, and network and interface products. Bihl+Wiedemann will add safety interface products such as ASInterface gateways and speed monitors to this selection, along with interface technology to suit most fieldbus communication protocols. www.turck.com.au
Clarification The December 2010 issue of PACE magazine included a feature titled "Automated baking system gets boost" on pages 12 and 13. Auto Bake no longer uses Wonderware touch-screens, and accordingly, the information contained in the article was obsolete at the time of going to print. – Editor
Total process optimisation from your plant to your business
Siemens SIMATIC WinCC V7 SIMATIC WinCC V7 SCADA is a scalable process visualisation system that is user-friendly, innovative and high performing. It offers complete operation and monitoring functionality under Windows XP and VISTA for all industries. This covers simple single-station systems right up to distributed multi-station systems with redundant servers and cross-site web connections. The built-in SQL-based historian creates maximum transparency for efficient company-wide process optimisation enabling intelligent data, online analysis and real-time key performance indicators. For more information, please email industry.sales.au@siemens.com or phone 131 773. www.siemens.com.au/wincc
Innovation for generations.
NEWS
CONSERVATION
One Water makes a splash WATER conservation technology developed in Australia is set to make a splash during the NSW Innovation Showcase in the US, where many states are facing severe water shortages. One Water Naturally developed the WiWo to manage water when more than one source is used, such as a rainwater tank with a back-up mains water supply. The WiWo (“water in, water out”) switching device was developed to handle much higher water pressures and flows than standard water switching devices. The WiWo also has a special communications port so users can plug-in other devices such as a wireless pump control, irrigation system management or selfpurging filter systems. “We’re using a industrial PLC technology which we started developing with Omron, and are applying this to a consumer level device,” Jamie Dixon, One Water’s business and product development manager, told PACE. “Typical devices such as these are not scalable. By using a PLC, we have been able to give platform scalability to the device.” One Water Naturally marketing manager Gary Rollans said the company is eager to show the WiWo
6 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
CONNECTED: The WiWo has a special communications port so users can plug-in other devices.
to potential distributors, investors, and trade buyers at the NSW Innovation Showcase during G’day USA: Australia Week. “After decades of droughts and water restrictions, Australia has developed some of the leading water conservation technology in the world,” Rollans said.
One Water Naturally has been installing rainwater tanks for 15 years. While these could be easily connected to toilets and laundries in the home, Rollans said standard water-switching devices could not cope with the higher volumes needed in schools, clubs, pubs, public parks, golf courses and air conditioning cooling towers. “In a school, all the kids come out for a break at the same time, so you need to be able to fill six toilets at once. The WiWo can do the job and deliver 120 litres a minute, compared to the usual 50 or 60 litres a minute,” Rollans said. The WiWo’s industrial microprocessor can be programmed. For example, if the water in the rainwater tank falls below a certain level, the system can be configured to reserve the remaining water for toilets, reducing the amount used to water the garden. The system can also be expanded for additional capability. “We’re working on a multiple tank sensor as well as an in-office monitor which allows users to monitor and manage multiple water sources from inside a building,” added Dixon. www.onewater.com.au
NEWS
Investing in desalination in Australia THE National Centre of Excellence in Desalination has awarded nearly $3 million in funding to research projects investigating ways to advance desalination technology. The 12 projects include research into improving membrane performance, new types of desalination for remote areas, forward osmosis for simultaneous production of water and fertiliser, and solar powered desalination for rural communities. The Centre’s investment of nearly $3 million in funding for the 12 projects is expected to generate significant in-kind and industry contributions toward ongoing research activity. The Australian Government has committed $20 million in funding over five years to the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination, through the Water for the Future initiative. Chair of the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination, Graeme
Beamex® FB Field Temperature Block Beamex® MB Metrology Temperature Block
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Rowley, said “the Centre represents an excellent opportunity for Australia to be a world leader in commercial and technical development of desalination resulting in the provision of clean water to a thirsty world.” The projects receiving funding are: • Development of Cleaning Guidelines for Desalination Membrane Users • Non-Brittle Ceramic Hollow Fibre Membranes • Mitigation of Membrane Biofouling Using Natural Polysaccharide Surface Coating • Development of Universally Applicable Coatings and Additives for State-of-the-Art Reverse Osmosis and Pre-treatment Membranes: NonLeaching, Antimicrobial, Low Biofouling, Chlorine Resistant and Improved Compaction Properties • Real Time Detection and Management of Biofouling Conditioning Films in Seawater
Reverse Osmosis • Fertilisers as Draw Solutes for Forward Osmosis Desalination: A Novel Approach for Fertigation • Optimising Low-Pressure Membrane Pre-treatment for Desalination • Silica Removal from Groundwater for Reverse Osmosis Water Recovery Enhancement and Waste Brine Volume Reduction • Application of Capacitive Deionisation in Inland Brackish Water Desalination • Control of Organic Membrane Fouling Through Limitation and Control of Extracellular Microbial Products • Tjuntjunjarra Remote Inland Indigenous Community Solar/Waste Energy Groundwater Desalination • Assessing and Mitigating Environmental Impacts of SWRO Outfalls on Key Benthic Marine Organisms
Introducing a smarter way to calibrate temperature Beamex introduces a smarter, more efficient and accurate solution for calibrating temperature. Beamex® has two different dry block series: the Beamex® FB Series Field Temperature Blocks and the Beamex® MB Series Temperature Metrology Blocks. The dry blocks in the FB Series are lightweight, high-accuracy temperature dry blocks for industrial field use. The dry blocks in the MB Series deliver bath-level accuracy for industrial applications. Portable calibrators Workstations Calibration software Professional services Industry solutions
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FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 7
NEWS
This is your opportunity to have a job that matters.
VIRTUAL REALITY
Electronics Design Engineers and Electronics Technicians
Augmented reality
Technicians – $62,755 – $86,791 (plus superannuation Engineers – $58,968 – $86,791 (plus superannuation)
As an engineer you will be responsible for the design, development and delivery of strategic technical capabilities. As a technician you will be required to support and respond, at times under pressure, to pressing and changing operational demands utilising your design and technical expertise. VISUALISE: Tyson Stolarski uses MVX to bring together diverse data sources.
Network Engineers Salary range: $58,968 to $86,791 (plus superannuation)
As a Network Engineer within our Telecommunications Interception area, you will be an integral member of our small team assisting in the delivery of interception capabilities to support ASIO’s operations. On a daily basis you will install, maintain and manage networking systems, ensuring security is maintained at all times.
Software Development Engineers Salary Range: $58,968 to 107,563 (plus superannuation)
As a Software Development Engineer working within either our Technical Development area or our Telecommunications Interception area, you will develop and support both off the shelf and custom built applications to enable new operational capabilities. Our environment is unique and as a result you will work on projects you may not encounter elsewhere.
Please visit ASIO.gov.au for closing dates and further information on these and other roles we currently have available.
There’s T The h re’ re’s some ssomething ome methi thing thi ng g more more to to th tthese hese jobs. j IIs s there something more to you?
ASIO.GOV.AU
8 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
A TECHNOLOGY project in WA has demonstrated the ability to combine video, virtual reality and real-time data to deliver enhanced information for process control. This is the result of months of work done in collaboration between software company Sentient Computing and Torq Software employee Tyson Stolarski as part of his CEED (Co-operative Education for Enterprise Development) project. Stolarski’s augmented reality concept treats video feed information in a similar manner to industrial SCADA type data – the video is just another source of information. To bring together such diverse data sources, Stolarski used MVX, a 3D visualisation/HMI package developed by Sentient Computing. MVX allowed him to develop and augment reality scenes involving video, 3D models, real time data and historical data. Using a 3D model of his office, he was able to synchronise historical realtime data with stored video files. He switched seamlessly between looking at values in 3D and at the video feed with the augmented data displayed. “The most challenging aspect was to get the camera calibrated and merge the 3D virtual scene with the video data to get realistic rendering,” Dr Du Huynh told PACE. Dr Huynh is Associate Professor, School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, The University of Western Australia and guided Stolarski in this project. In the final result, Stolarski’s video feed showed activities in the office being augmented with information and data overlaid on the positions of the devices. In the field, this technology is able to deliver enhanced information using the increasing number of cameras already monitoring
industrial automation processes, such as ship loading. MVX makes use of the same server infrastructure and integrates into the same MVX visualisation engine for seamless switching between ‘virtual’ and ‘augmented reality’ views. The MVX object server is the existing server backend system for MVX. Traditionally SCADA systems organise their data via a tag-based structure where every discrete real-time value point is identified via a unique name but the MVX object server groups and organises all of its data and then exposes this data to connected clients via a tree of objects that can be explored via the relationships between the objects. The data requirements for an augmented reality server consist of the following: video feeds, the location of the field of view of each camera, relevant data and location of data points. The MVX augmented reality client handles the information and calculates the coordinate transformation to change from server-defined coordinate to 3D scene coordinates. The client also synchronises the 3D engine’s camera to the same characteristics as the real-world camera used for the video feed and correctly places the computer-generated imagery in their respective 3D engine scene. The team is currently developing support for smart phones and other hand held devices with camera/GPS/compass for mobile augmented reality around the plant. “Commercial applications for this project could be control engineering, augmented reality visualisation and processes that one would want to visualise,” says Dr Huynh. www.sencom.com.au
NEWS
MODELLING
Parasolid V23 promises increased productivity SIEMENS PLM Software has released Parasolid software, its 3D geometric modelling component. Parasolid Version 23.0 (V23) has extended its support for multi-core processor hardware to enable applications based on Parasolid to take advantage of their performance advantage over single-core processors. Parasolid V23 is now thread-safe, enabling applications to have several threads running on different processors, with each calling any Parasolid function simultaneously. This is possible due to optimised thread, session and memory management as well as error reporting capabilities in Parasolid V23 that free the application developer from the need to coordinate the multi-thread function calls. As a result, applications based on Parasolid can benefit from multi-core processing speed with less time spent in application development. A new face deformation operation enables sophisticated shape changes to
FACE DEFORMATION: In a single operation the middle section are deformed, leaving the near section unchanged and translating the far section vertically to match the middle section.
digital models based on either design requirements or simulations of shape changes that occur due to real-world situations such as deflection under load or distortion during temperature cycles. Any set of faces in a model can be selected for deformation as defined by a mathematical function provided by the
application. This new capability is powerful because the deformation preserves and adjusts existing features, such as offsets and blends, and the deformation may also be applied simultaneously with other model edits. In response to the needs of product designers who need to create and modify
complex geometry with maximum productivity and flexibility, Parasolid V23 introduces more sophisticated blending techniques and controls. New options provide more refined control over the shape of chord width blends – blends that create a uniform, aesthetically pleasing shape and are particularly useful when working with high-quality curved surfaces. Edge Blends can now be defined to be trimmed at a specific edge or face, providing more immediate, localised and robust control of complex blend interactions. Parasolid V23 includes several new functions to enhance data import and repair. A new function enables Parasolid to analyse the topological structure of a model and repair ambiguities, thereby producing data that often meets the rigorous requirements of a fully consistent b-rep model, while maintaining the intent of the original data. www.siemens.com/plm
Advan-Touch: Out Of The Box, Install And Connect! Wonderware and Advantech are combining their leading products InTouch visualization and Windows XP Touch Panel Computers to provide the most cost effective SCADA/HMI TPC offering. This unique offering delivers pre-installed Operator Interface units that benefit users as follows: • • • • • •
Fully operational TPC options that are ready to be used Ranging from 64,128,256,500 & 1k Tags Avoid lengthy installation time and compatibility challenges Windows XP OS with full InTouch HMI functionality One development environment without any need for compilation or costly conversions Ideal add-on to existing SCADA or to replace old and antiquated hardware
Call FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 9
CONVERSATION
SPOTLIGHT
A decade of memories Endress+Hauser’s John Immelman looks back at his time in the industry. By Kevin Gomez. JOHN Immelman started as sales manager with Endress+Hauser in South Africa in 1993 and eventually became the managing director of the business. When he left, the 17 year-old business had grown to become the country’s major process instrumentation vendor. In 2001, he was offered the opportunity to set up the Endress+Hauser Australia business. Their products were then distributed by GE Alstom. Endress+Hauser Australia started in 2001 with 14 people and a turnover of just over $6 million. Now, 10 years later, the company has 64 staff, seven branch offices and a turnover in excess of $30 million. What are some highlights of your time with the industry in Australia? For one, our company was resilient enough to hardly feel the global financial crisis. There was a small little panicdriven dip when the price of resources dropped, but it recovered quickly. The other highlight is to have seen the first apprentices go through our company over the last two years. We have worked to build a close relationship with training institutions, both at university and at TAFE level and we’ve been successful at both. Up until two years ago we hadn’t seen any fruits of that labour. Recently we have the first of our two apprentices go through, one is now an employee and the other one is still completing the course. Other highlights are not directly related to Endress+Hauser. Along with a fairly active committee, we’ve been able to turn the IICA NSW branch around. When I started with the Institute about eight years ago, it was just about to fold. But we’ve now turned this branch into the strongest one in the country. The other highlight for me has been the development of the Profibus Association of Australia which I started in 2005. I had also started the one in South Africa. Again with a fairly solid committee, we’ve been able to grow the association, but more importantly, grow the technology. One of my personal interests is marketing and I have really enjoyed 10 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
observing how the Endress+Hauser brand continues to grow in Australia. The days of “Endress and who” are over. We now have a brand with a very good reputation at all levels. And what would you say have been the low points? In 10 years of being in Australia, the lows have generally not been in Endress+Hauser. We got through the GFC relatively unscathed but it stunted our growth. But some of my real disappointments have more to do with our industry in Australia. To the best of my knowledge we are the only first-world country that has no vendor association. It is really difficult to operate in a market when you don’t know the market size or your market share. So you don’t know if the market’s growing; you don’t know if you’re growing. Without a vendor association we lose out in other ways too. We miss out on the opportunity to develop our industry from a technical and commercial aspect. I’m talking about influencing TAFEs and universities to offer courses for people required in our industry. Additionally, we are unable to publicise the positive aspects of our industry – the fact that we work on capital projects, the excitement and the earning potential. Consequently, none of the youngsters want to enter our industry and the TAFEs do not want to run the courses. The disappointment for me is that we don’t have a joint marketing strategy as an industry. We should, as a vendor association, be out there promoting the industry, promoting the career opportunities and promoting new technologies that are available in our industry together, at exhibitions, at seminars and at any other venues that we can agree on. In 10 years, I haven’t been able to get that association off the ground despite many attempts. Why hasn’t the association taken off? The management of the leading vendors in this country are nervous about the term collusion. That’s the reason the
The disappointment for me is that we don’t have a joint marketing strategy as an industry. vendor association disbanded 11 years ago – because there was word that one of the vendors was involved in collusion somewhere else in the world. What are some of the biggest opportunities facing the industry? The biggest opportunity exists in just exploiting the natural resources this country can offer. The second opportunity has arisen due to increasing global security concerns and the need to more carefully audit pharmaceuticals and foodstuff production. We need to ensure there’s an audit trail and this requires measurement and management. Another opportunity arises with the influx of foreign capital. I see two positives: one is foreign investment and the other is the resulting technology upgrades. It’s good because, in many cases, the local industry has not invested enough, not in technology and not in new markets. We will also see the spread of global plant asset management (PAM) which will enable holding companies to assess the health, condition and efficiency of their plants worldwide, from anywhere, using new technologies like Ethernet, fieldbuses, gateways and proxy servers. The final opportunity has to do with OH&S. Some older plants will need to upgrade to comply with current OH&S regulations, whether they like it or not. You can’t take an old instrument and suddenly make it a safe one. What are some challenges facing our industry? I’m a little concerned by the lack of clarity of our political system. We are such a fragmented market that it is very
difficult for us to operate nationally. For example, OH&S regulations, nuclear power and uranium mining policies are different in every state. Another major threat is the ongoing skills shortage which just forces up salaries in two growth areas of the country and feeds inflation. What words of advice will you give your successor, Chris Gailer? I’m fortunate that the new MD is in fact our agent in New Zealand [EMC Industrial Group]. He has worked with Endress+Hauser products and solutions for 20 years. Endress+Hauser have two areas for improvement. We recently did a nationwide customer retention survey a couple of months ago and it will be useful for Chris to spend some time analysing and acting on the results. One aspect to emerge from the survey is how we manage customers expectations. Chris will need to start an internal program to focus on customer expectation management. Not customer focused, but customer expectation focused. This is different and is really – ‘what would delight the customer’? Also, we need to improve our logistics chain – reliability of delivery, length of delivery, being informed about late delivery. All these are not handled very well despite the fact that we’ve got SAP, the system and tools to do it. What are your plans for the future? My wife and I intend to take an extended break from work, travel locally and abroad. On returning, we will review our options – it could be anything from full retirement to setting up a one-man consultancy specialising in strategic business planning, or marketing communication strategy development. I say Auf Wiedersehen to everyone who has touched my life over the years, and hope our paths will cross again. Endress+Hauser Australia 02 8877 7000 www.au.endress.com
OPINION
WIRELESS SENSORS
Energy harvesting No single energy harvesting technology can serve all applications, writes Harry Forbes.
M
ANY industrial end users will continue to resist adopting wireless sensing as long as these sensors require batteries, which must be replaced. While suppliers have made improvements in battery life, powering wireless sensors via energy harvesting is a potential game changer in both industrial and building automation. Harvesting is not one technology, but several, and the newest energy harvesting technology – thermoelectric generation – made significant progress toward commercialisation in 2010. The use of batteries in wireless sensors has always been a barrier to wider end user acceptance of the technology in both building and process automation. Wireless process measurement products have achieved significant reductions in power consumption, and hence longer battery life. Industrial standards now dictate monitoring of battery health. Suppliers have also made systemlevel improvements. But despite improvements, users have been slow to deploy batterypowered field sensors widely, seeing large numbers of field-mounted batteries as a source of maintenance cost and operational risk. Can getting rid of batteries drive wider acceptance for wireless measurements? Suppliers and venture-stage firms
The prospect of batteryfree wireless sensing is so attractive that suppliers are investing in this area.
alike now seek to develop devices with integral power supplies that have the same life expectancy as the devices themselves. Rather than batteries, the ideal power supply would be capable of “energy harvesting” to provide energy over an indefinite period. The challenging aspect of this for suppliers is that, currently, no single energy harvesting technology dominates. Rather, suppliers must wrestle with several types of energy harvesting, most which are very new. Three energyharvesting technologies now lead the industrial space: photo-voltaic, vibration and thermoelectric. The most established and widely deployed technology has been photovoltaic (PV). However, PV solutions tend not to power individual devices but rather, recharge larger batteries that support small field systems in re-mote locations. In the earliest days of wireless field devices, suppliers showed (but did not commercialise) conceptual designs of
field transmitters incorporating PV. Embedding PV at the device level reduces device ruggedness, since the PV components can be destroyed or damaged during installation or operation. Another liability of device-integrated PV is that measurement locations vary widely in the amount of ambient light avail-able and not all have enough to support a device indefinitely. So while widely deployed, PV is used as a separate sub-system rather than an integral part of field measurement devices. A second source of ambient energy for harvesting is vibration. Vibrations can be converted into electric power by either piezoelectric or permanent magnet generators (PMG). Piezoelectric has been used in building automation applications, but under continuous vibration/deflection, long operating life has been a challenge. PMGs, on the other hand, have been commercialised (not surprisingly) in vibrationsensing applications. PMGs offer the advantages of indefinite life and scalability to provide dedicated sensor power. However, the units are relatively heavy and bulky. This is not an issue in most equipment condition monitoring applications, especially when compared with the cost of new field sensor wiring. The sensors can operate with PMGs paired with “supercap” capacitors for a measurement that is
entirely free of batteries. This aspect proved attractive to Shell, an end user that had shown strong resistance to large-scale battery deployment. The third and newest energy harvesting technology is thermoelectric generation. In theory, a thermoelectric could power a wireless temperature sensor in-definitely as long as there was a sufficient temperature difference between the measurement point and the ambient temperature. In practice, there are challenges. The device requires a significant heat sink to maintain the thermal gradient. The thermo generator must be packaged in an industrial device without compromising the ruggedness of the device. Energy harvesters powering wireless field measurement is a compelling vision. But no magic bullet is in sight. No single energy harvesting technology can serve all industrial applications. Rather, each seems to work well within a certain application domain. It also seems that incorporating energy harvesting with sensing adds another dimension to the challenges of device design. However, the prospect of battery-free wireless sensing is so attractive that suppliers are investing and making progress in this area. [Harry Forbes (HForbes@ARCweb.com) is Senior Analyst, ARC Advisory Group.]
Now direct to you. Faster and smarter. Over 15,000 sensing, connectivity, interface and communications solutions are now available locally and direct from TURCK Australia. 1300-132-566 turck.com.au
©2011 TURCK, Inc.
SENSORS | NETWORKS/FIELDBUS | RFID | CONNECTIVITY | INTRINSIC SAFETY
FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 11
BEHIND THE SCENES
Improve performance of WTP A major upgrade to a municipal water plant called for the replacement of outdated remote terminal units with an intelligent distributed I/O system, write Jim McConahay and Geoffrey G Miller.
R
ECENT upgrades at a municipal water plant in Central New York State have provided the means for operators to enhance their process for meeting the water quality needs of customers. As part of the upgrades, the facility modernised its control system utilising a Distributed I/O and Remote I/O solution. This technology reduced wiring costs for field instrumentation while improving operational readiness and reliability. The Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) supplies water from Otisco Lake and Lake Ontario to more than 345,000 retail and wholesale customers via 91,000 metered connections located in suburban Onondaga County and parts of Madison, Oneida, and Oswego counties. A treatment plant owned and operated by OCWA, which treats water from Otisco Lake, supplies approximately half of OCWA’s water. Located in the Town of Marcellus, New York, the facility has undergone infrastructure improvements designed to enhance its overall performance. OCWA recently rehabilitated four existing filter units and added two new filters to improve the plant’s water quality, increase its reliability, and comply with state and federal regulations governing municipal drinking water plants.
Process description OCWA has two intake pipes located in Otisco Lake. The water entering these pipes is immediately chlorinated to provide disinfection and to discourage the growth of zebra mussels. The water then travels, by gravity, approximately five miles to OCWA’s water treatment plant in Marcellus. Water first enters the Rapid Mix tank where a coagulant (polyaluminium chloride) and a taste and odour control chemical (powdered activated carbon) are added. After 30 seconds of mixing, the water enters the Contact Basins where calm conditions allow the coagulant to 12 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
FILTRATION: As part of the treatment process, filters containing granular activated carbon and sand are used to remove particles from the water.
make small particles adhere together to form larger particles. Some of these particles settle and are cleaned out later. The contact time in the basins also allows the powdered activated carbon (used during times of high algae growth in the lake) to absorb organic taste and odour causing chemicals. After approximately one hour of contact time, the water enters the filters. Particles are removed as the water passes through one of the six filters. These filters contain granular activated carbon and sand. The filters are washed periodically and the water used to do this is collected in lagoons and allowed to settle. It is then recycled back to the start of the treatment plant to be treated again. After filtration, the water is once more disinfected with chlorine and fluoride is added. The water is stored in large tanks located at the treatment plant to provide adequate contact time for the chlorine to work. Once the water leaves the tanks, orthophosphate is added to
The upgrade would do away with hundreds of previously installed twisted pairs, cable trays, complex wiring diagrams and associated maintenance. provide a coating for pipes in the distribution system, which is done in order to prevent the leaching of lead and copper from the pipes.
Operational challenges Operational reliability is critical to the effectiveness of any water treatment facility. If automation systems and the processes they control are not dependable, the plant faces the risk of non-compliance with local, state or federal water quality guidelines.
At the Marcellus water treatment plant, OCWA undertook an ambitious project to update its processes and technology to meet new and proposed state health department and EPA regulations. This effort involved expansion of the facility from four to six filter beds, as well as the modernisation of various mechanical systems and chemical processes. The plant also upgraded its overall control and instrumentation system in order to enhance automation performance, improve reliability, provide for simple and cost-effective expansion, and reduce operating and maintenance costs. As part of the control system modernisation, OCWA decided to upgrade its legacy Bristol-Babcock 3335 Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) with Emerson’s ControlWave Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs). Plant management sought to improve the performance of control room operators by transitioning from manual analogue control to a fully automated SCADA
• • • • • • • •
BEHIND THE SCENES
The use of a field concentrator makes it easy to connect both existing and new process control signals and sensors to the control strategy. system utilising Ethernet and Modbus network communications. In addition, OCWA wanted to reduce wiring and instrument maintenance costs at its water treatment facility. This would require the elimination of multiple long cable runs between sensors, actuators and controls, and a solution for collecting multiple sensor/control pairs near their point of installation. Such an approach would do away with hundreds of previously installed twisted pairs, cable trays, complex wiring diagrams and associated maintenance.
New technology In October 2008, the Marcellus facility began the task of replacing outdated analogue control equipment with the latest technology, and moving all process automation functions to an online SCADA system. The project called for replacing existing RTUs to provide a scalable platform suitable for a variety of small applications, as well as control strategies spanning the entire plant; and gaining the ability to leverage modern digital signal transmission. Key to the control system upgrade was the implementation of Distributed I/O and Remote I/O – specifically a solution employing isolated I/O modules to eliminate signal loop interference on the Ethernet control network. This would stop ground loops and signal aberrations at any location from affecting other measurements in the facility. Digital communications, in place of analogue signals, also eliminates sensor and control signal degradation (and associated calibrations) and cross communication (noise) commonly associated with
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AUTOMATION: As part of the improvements, automated valves were installed and connected to the instrumentation network.
“analogue-only” communications. Various automation equipment suppliers now offer modular I/O systems that can be used as a relatively low-cost method of bringing field devices from the plant floor into a SCADA or control system using Ethernet. These systems can communicate with each other and other computers over standard Ethernet using off-the-shelf Ethernet hubs, switches and/or routers, and viewed from a wireless laptop, web browser, spreadsheet or third-party HMI.
Cable concentrating After considering alternative vendor offerings, OCWA’s project team decided upon the NET Concentrator System (NCS) from Moore Industries. This smart I/O system takes advantage of “cable-concentrating” technology, which eliminates point-to-point cable, conduit and wire trays by sending process monitoring and control signals between the field and control room on a single digital communication link. The system provides true signal isolation, with isolated modules for both analogue and digital I/O. All discrete and analogue signals are digitised, packetised and communicated via Ethernet communications using standard Ethernet cables, LAN switches and routine Ethernet hardware. The Distributed I/O and Remote I/O System functions as a universal signal gateway that interfaces with OPCcompatible DCSs or PLCs, and works
The ability to closely monitor filter beds and other processes with realtime field data has reduced operator reaction time and improved plant efficiency. over 10/100Base-T Ethernet (Modbus/TCP) and Modbus RTU networks. The system includes a communications module plus multiple I/O modules. Each I/O module supports multiple analogue or discrete channels that interface to remote sensors, switches, actuators and displays. Each analogue input channel incorporates its own 20-bit A/D input. This guarantees that no resolution from the existing analogue transmitters will be lost when the signal is transmitted over the Ethernet network to the host system. At the Marcellus water treatment plant, the Distributed I/O and Remote I/O communication module digitally communicates signals to a network concentrator in a peer-to-host network. The use of digital communication with error correction and high-speed Ethernet LAN cable assures signal integrity and minimises signal degradation that could otherwise exist with traditional homerun analogue signals.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Control architecture For OCWA engineering and operations personnel, the peer-to-host Distributed I/O system provides a reliable method of transferring monitoring and control signals to and from the PLC-based control system. In this configuration, five remote I/O stations are situated along the Ethernet network in different areas of the plant. Each station contains 10-15 I/O modules. For monitoring applications, the system collects signals from analogue transmitters or discrete devices. It concentrates the signals and, when polled by the network master, sends them over the Ethernet network directly to the main PLC control panel. For control, process commands from the host are transmitted over the network and converted to analogue or discrete form to control valves, pumps, motors and other types of proportional and on/off control elements. Once field device data is delivered to the computer-based host, SCADA software provides a user interface supporting data acquisition, alarm management, data logging and reporting, historical data collection and trending, and supervisory control functions.
Control strategy The use of a field concentrator makes it easy to connect both existing and new process control signals and sensors to the control strategy. Such an approach
COMPLEX: In a peer-tohost system, multiple field concentrators network to handle signal inputs and outputs.
expands control schemes by concentrating I/O remotely – and significantly reduces wiring costs. The use of analogue input modules with a built-in 24V power supply per input eliminates the need to run wiring from the modules to another terminal or auxiliary 24V power supply, thus helping to make remote control panels smaller. With the Distributed I/O and Remote I/O system, operators can now view I/O within the plant directly from a local HMI or wireless laptop. This allows the operator to monitor and make adjustments to the facility operations from anywhere in the plant. The I/O signals remain fully accessible, even in the event of a main control system failure. In addition, there is a less frequent
need for technicians to go into the field to troubleshoot flow meters, pressure transmitters, valves and other devices.
Project results The new PLC, SCADA, and Distributed I/O and Remote I/O systems at the Marcellus water treatment plant have extended process automation and enabled operators to manage potential problems safely and swiftly. They have also helped to reduce hard-wiring costs and maintenance requirements. Most importantly, the new equipment has proven to be very reliable, which was one of OCWA’s criteria for technology investments. Thanks to improved data acquisition and control capabilities, OCWA personnel are better equipped to handle issues that arise at the plant. Managers,
operators and technicians can view the water treatment processes from any one of the onsite HMIs or computers. What’s more, they can monitor and control the company’s water distribution operations without ever leaving the Marcellus site. The ability to closely monitor filter beds and other processes with real-time field data has reduced operator reaction time, and ultimately improved plant efficiency. It has also increased security and allowed for more accurate reporting of water quality. From an engineering and maintenance perspective, the recent technology upgrades provided additional troubleshooting tools in a convenient package, which is independent from the control system. All I/O is visible though the plant’s Ethernet network – even in the event of a complete PLC shutdown. OCWA can now maintain a consistent, high quality water treatment operation without unexpected downtime and costly repairs. And plant operators have gained the necessary means for real-time monitoring of plant processes to ensure the quality of water meets all applicable requirements. [Jim McConahay is senior field applications engineer, Moore Industries and Geoffrey G. Miller is executive engineer, Onondaga County Water Authority.] Moore Industries 02 8536 7200 www.miinet.com/au
FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 15
PACE ZENITH AWARDS 2011 SPONSORS
Introducing our 2011 sponsors… Automotive & Manufacturing
Mining, Minerals & Exploration
ifm efector is a strong and efficient partner, with 7,844 products for all areas of automation, states Dave Delaney, Sales Director. From inductive and flow sensors to pressure and temperature sensors, from an individual sensor to a complete system solution, you will find sensor and control products to suit your requirements. We are a German-based manufacturer of high quality and innovative sensors for industrial automation, providing the right combination of German engineering and local service and support. We understand that meeting your deadlines are of critical importance, and are one of the few suppliers to industry that hold extensive stocks. Our products can be delivered to you overnight throughout Australia and New Zealand in over 97% of instances. Our customers have continuously trusted us to reliably supply product on time, when they need it most. The quality standard of our products is an integral part of our company philosophy. We do this using our own production technology – ifm film technology, and use of extensive quality assurance measures such as 100% final testing. For forty years the company has been researching, developing and producing products and technology with the aim of optimizing technical processes. As a company focused on innovation and increasing the efficiency of your applications, we are constantly releasing new products to market and 2011 is no exception. The new LMT level sensor features factory settings for different media types, making adjustment unnecessary, even for viscous and sticky products such as ketchup. The sensor also ignores foam and build-up. The sensor, with complementary output features a maintenance free sealing concept and stainless steel housing. Thanks to its orientation-independent installation it is easy to mount. It safely monitors the level in storage tanks or protects pumps from running dry. Its compact sensor tip allows integration even in small DN25 pipes. The food-grade sensor with its high-quality housing materials such as high-grade stainless steel (316L / 1.4404) and PEEK meets all requirements for hygienic areas. A laser type label provides durable legibility. With the highest protection rating IP 68 / IP 69K, the LMT sensor is suitable for CIP wash down environments.
Schneider Electric’s role is to support organisations address the multiple and complex issues surrounding the ‘energy challenge’. “We place a large emphasis on energy efficiency as a key business issue and help organisations make the most of their energy,” says Scott Wooldridge, Industry Business, Vice President. As energy costs continue to increase, industry has a commercial incentive to save energy through efficient installation, optimising devices, automation, monitoring and rigorous maintenance which can deliver significant energy reductions, in the order of 30%. Schneider Electric believes it also has a key role to play in making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive, green. In doing so, we can help businesses achieve significant energy savings through the use of passive and active energy efficiency strategies. A key priority for Schneider Electric in 2011 is to provide its customers with integrated
ifm efector 1300 365 088 www.ifm.com/au
16 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
automation systems which help them to manage their energy efficiently. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ approach connects five areas of world class expertise: power, data centres, process and machines, building control and physical security – within an open and flexible technology architecture that delivers significant savings in energy efficiency. EcoStruxure™ is not a product, but rather an approach to creating intelligent energy management systems. These systems save money across project operation and production and most importantly, reduce waste. This is achieved through monitoring energy use, whitespace, process and machines, building control and security from a single platform. EcoStruxure™ provides real-time visibility of business performance and brings users together through compatible product designs and open-platform software. Schneider Electric 1300 369 233 www.schneider-electric.com.au
Young Achiever of the Year Award With over four decades of electrical and engineering industry excellence, and driven by a team of over 850 quality personnel, NHP Electrical Engineering Products Pty Ltd is a revered market leader where the aim is simple – to provide ‘what you want, when, where and how you want it’. NHP’s ability to adapt with the ever changing face of our industry is strongly built upon the dedicated and highly skilled people that work there and this is why, as proud sponsors of the inaugural Zenith ‘Young Achiever of the Year Award’, NHP feel privileged in investing in, and nurturing the future lifeblood of our industry. As a market leader in the Australasian electrical industry, NHP take great pride in being a part of the PACE Zenith Awards program – one in which encourages personal development by recognising excellence, and importantly rewarding effort. “We have a rich history in supporting the youth of our industry,” says Lloyd Thomas, Managing Director
and CEO. “NHP have been long time sponsors of the NECA Industrial Apprentice of the Year Award as well as the Engineers Australia Graduate Electrical Power Engineer of the Year Award which we jointly sponsor with Engineers Australia and the Electrical Energy Society Australia, and we look forward to continuing to cultivate young talent through the Zenith Young Achiever of the Year Award”. “By highlighting the success and excellence of the young people currently working in our industry, at NHP, we understand that this will breed and develop and increasingly highly skilled industry that is beneficial to all involved,” Lloyd Thomas continued. NHP looks forward to growing their relationship with the PACE Zenith Awards, and in doing so, equip the future leaders of the electrical industry with the skills and abilities to compete within a rapidly changing global marketplace. NHP Electrical Engineering Products 03 9429 2999 nhp.com.au
PACE ZENITH AWARDS 2011 SPONSORS
The Zenith Awards recognise technical excellence and leadership in engineering across eight industries. This year sees the addition of the Young Achiever’s Award. PACE magazine thanks the sponsors for supporting this premier event.
Food & Beverage
Water & Wastewater
Technologies from Siemens are instrumental in the areas of water, energy, environment, healthcare, productivity, mobility, safety and security. “Our business is entrenched with engineering excellence, but it is the clever and innovative application of these technologies that provide opportunities to tackle our most challenging issues,” said David Keenan, Vice President of Siemens Industry. “Our solutions span across many areas and benefit all levels of society, even though this may not be publicly-recognised.” Keenan says Siemens is committed to supporting the Zenith Awards to help reward talented companies and individuals that show leadership in engineering and technological excellence. “Through our sponsorship of the Zenith Awards, we are committed to recognising the efforts of the engineering community and embracing innovation in order to create a positive world for future generations,” he said.
2011 presents exciting growth prospects as Australia shakes off the last of the effects of the GFC, and prepares to have its human resources tested and stretched again. Suppliers and endusers alike will tussle to acquire and maintain the skills required to meet the demands of the growth. For Endress+Hauser, and all providers of products and services, the ability to adequately meet the requirements for consultation and engineering services will be one of the biggest opportunities and challenges for 2011, according to Chris Gailer, Managing Director. Whilst the austerity of Australia’s environmental policies do not match that of the rest of the world, the conscience of Australian companies and communities will deepen in favour of more care of the way our businesses impact on the environment. In particular we see this in the areas of fresh water supply, energy efficiency and the treatment of both industrial and domestic effluent. Our product range includes switch point detection and continuous measurement of level, flow, pressure, temperature and liquid analysis, as well as data recorders, displays, power supplies and fieldbus technologies. Service and sales offices are based in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, with additional sales offices in Adelaide, Gladstone and Newcastle.
Siemens Ltd 137 222 (Australia)/+64 9 580 5500 (New Zealand) www.siemens.com.au
Endress+Hauser 02 8877 7000 www.au.endress.com
Power and Energy Management Transport, Power & Infrastructure
Oil, Gas & Hydrocarbons
Rockwell Automation is proud to sponsor the ‘Power and Energy Management’ and ‘Transport, Power & Infrastructure’ categories of the 2011 PACE Zenith Awards. With energy costs increasing and energy conservation legislation on the rise, industry is under mounting pressure to optimise its environmental performance, while at the same time maintaining profitability. Here, industrial power and energy management solutions – devised to meet global environmental concerns – present the key to a ‘green’ and profitable future. Rockwell Automation is a leader in the power and energy management sector and encourages initiatives designed to reduce industrial power consumption and associated carbon footprint. Rockwell Automation aims to help industry succeed and grow, with a suite of industrial automation control and information solutions designed to give its customers a competitive advantage. From stand-alone, industrial components to enterprise-wide integrated systems, Rockwell Automation solutions have proven themselves across a wide range of industries and in some of the most demanding manufacturing environments. Around the world, Rockwell Automation is committed to putting its customers' needs first. Backed by extensive global resources extending across 80 countries, Rockwell Automation continues to acquire expertise and invest in the aggressive research and development that fuels innovation.
AMS sees many key challenges for 2011, according to Dirk Kuiper, General Manager. With several major projects planned through the various regions in Australia, the supply and delivery of equipment will be a challenge and could be a hurdle for on-time, on-spec deliveries. Many of the projects are planned to run concurrently or within a short timeframe of each other. Competition will be fierce among the various companies, but with the AMS niche product range, we are up to the challenge and are hopeful of seeing an increased market share in 2011. Also, the general economy is expected to grow at a good rate, thus putting additional pressure on suppliers to deliver the equipment. AMS intends to further its brand recognition and its suppliers and to ensure further growth either through increased market penetration or acquisitions. Some major product releases are planned for 2011 from several of our suppliers making it a great year. In my view, there will be significant growth in the coming two to three years in the instrumentation, control and automation industry due to the large projects being planned for Queensland and Western Australia and to a lesser degree South Australia in the mining and oil & gas industries. This opens up great opportunities for AMS due to its niche product range.
Rockwell Automation 03 9896 0300 www.rockwellautomation.com.au
AMS Instrumentation & Calibration 03 9017 8225 www.ams-ic.com.au
FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 17
BEHIND THE SCENES
Networked plant sets standard The open standard AS-interface sets the treatment plant at Bootawa Dam in New South Wales on a higher plane, writes Hartley Henderson.
O
N THE Central Coast of NSW, a 60ML per day state-of-the-art water treatment plant has been constructed for MidCoast Water to serve major populations in the greater Taree and Great Lakes areas. Raw water enters the plant from the Bootawa Dam or is pumped direct from the Manning River. In the flash mixing tank the water is dosed with aluminium chlorohydrate to facilitate coagulation of suspended matter before proceeding to the flocculation tank to allow time for the suspended particles to form flocs, which are then filtered by four micro filtration cells. The filtered water is then pumped to the clear water tank and then to an ozone contact tank to break down odour causing compounds in the water. Ozonised water then flows to biologically activated carbon filters to remove organics, and then to a chlorine contact tank to disinfect the water. The chlorinated water passes over a weir at the outlet of the tank where it is dosed with soda ash to correct the pH and also dosed with fluoride. Following this process, the water flows via an underground pipeline to an 8.5ML treated water reservoir and is then pumped to the distribution network utilising the newly built pump station next to the treatment plant. The water treatment plant starts and stops based on the level in the treated water reservoir, but there is also a capability to adjust the plant production flow set-point to give greater continuity of operation.
Process design UGL Infrastructure’s senior control and instrumentation engineer, Arjan Koolhaas, says the company was responsible for process design of the plant, development of P&IDs, mechanical and electrical design and installation, control system design and installation, control philosophy design, software programming and testing (FAT and SAT), and 18 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
CONNECTED: The membrane filters pipework.
commissioning of the plant. “The entire water treatment plant is automatically controlled using a redundant ControlLogix PLC, and the Citect SCADA system provides an operator interface, data recording (trends/historical data) and reporting. The MCW communications infrastructure allows remote access to the control system (SCADA and PLC) via Internet,” Koolhaas explained. “The PLC is configured as a redundant main rack, with CPU, Ethernet,
ControlNet and Redundancy Modules, and two remote racks with ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus and Ethernet Modules, while the control system consists of a fibre optic ring network (multimode 62.5um) around the plant with communication breakout boxes (CBBs) in strategic locations.”
Protocols Koolhaas says that in relation to network protocols used, each CBB contains an Ethernet switch and is configured to
support three Virtual LANs as follows: • VLAN 1: Data transfer between the PLC and the SCADA; • VLAN 2: Data transfer between AS-i master modules and the PLC; • VLAN 3: A general purpose Ethernet network which could be used to connect to the office network from different locations on the plant. “Most of the analogue instruments and all control valves are connected to Profibus. Where an instrument would not be available for Profibus (DP or PA),
BEHIND THE SCENES
SECURE: The lime system communication breakout box.
the central cabinet. “With AS-i there are no limits to the structure, which is a benefit specific to AS-i compared to other field bus systems.” Buzatu points out that the clients’ preference was to use Allen Bradley PLCs so that they didn’t have to learn a new program, and that due to its compatibility, AS-i was a good solution, with use of the Ethernet IP gateway. “Ethernet enabled AS-i to be run over long distances to isolate parts of the plant by creating ‘islands’, so that the plant has a series of separate but linked systems. “Unscreened two-wire cable has been utilised for data and entry, sensors and actuators connected to AS-i nodes do not have to be any specialised instrument, and no specialist software or hardware was required.”
SNAPSHOT
SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS Technology used for the Botawa treatment plant: • AS-i controllers and modules: ifm • PLC: Allen Bradley ControlLogix • Ethernet managed switches: Hirschmann • Profibus master modules: SST Woodhead • VSDs: ABB ACS550 • Smart motor starters: ABB UMC22 on DeviceNet • MCCs: ABB • Profibus DP and PA instrumentation: Endress+Hauser • DeviceNet digital input modules: Beckhoff • SCADA: Citect version 7.2 • Reporting system: MS Access 2007
Ongoing support 4-20 mA AS-i units have been used. There are three Profibus networks on site and where required, a communication breakout box has a fibre optic to copper converter. The Profibus masters reside in the extension racks of the PLC, and where necessary, Profibus DP/PA converters have been installed,” he said. “All digital signals from level switches, flow switches, and process valves etc are connected to several AS-i networks. “The ControlNet network is used for communications between the main PLC rack and the remote racks (two off) between the main PLC rack and remote ControlNet to DeviceNet converters, and between the main PLC and the PLC in pump station PS2B. “Several DeviceNet networks are installed around the plant, mainly for communication between the main PLC and smart motor starters (for DOL motors) in each MCC room, VSDs in each MCC room, local MCCs for fan control, and IO over DeviceNet.”
can ‘mix and match’. “With traditional wiring methods (parallel wiring), there are many connections, junction boxes, and input cards, which means long installation time, complex fault finding, lots of documentation and longer time to commission. AS-i enables fewer connections, there are no input/output cards, installation is quicker, diagnostics are clearer, planning is easy, there is less chance of errors, and commissioning time is shorter,” Buzatu said. “Installation and wiring of AS-i is where the main cost savings occur due primarily to fewer connections required and less cabling. “Another advantage of the AS-i system provided by ifm is that local diagnosis in the field is enabled using our AS-i nodes, rather than just in
Koolhaas emphasises the strong support provided by ifm efector throughout the project, from pre-sales to after-sales. In particular, during the development of the PLC configuration, UGL found that the AS-i modules and the Ethernet card in the ControLogix system were not communicating. “In a non-redundant PLC configuration, the AS-i modules are communicating through the Ethernet processor in the primary PLC rack. “Because of the redundancy, this method could not be used and communications to the AS-i modules had to be configured for CIP messaging using a separate Ethernet processor in one of the remote PLC racks,” he said. “Even in this mode, the modules wouldn’t communicate. ifm provided technical support to UGL, and after
Benefits of AS-interface The AS-interface for the water treatment plant, provided by ifm efector, is an open standard patented protocol design optimised for digital signals. According to the company’s network and controls manager, Dan Buzatu, a key advantage with AS-i is that you are not restricted to using one product/brand – you
going through several test configurations with UGL with no result, ifm took the matter to its head office in Germany. “The ifm engineers analysed the configuration and discovered that the AS-i modules are configured for sending/receiving 512 bytes in every communications cycle. “The Rockwell Ethernet processors are configured for a maximum of 450 bytes, so ifm provided a new version of the system software which utilises the AS-i modules for sending/receiving 450 bytes instead of the original 512 bytes. “After downloading the software to the AS-i modules, the communication between PLC and AS-i modules worked perfectly.” Project manager at MidCoast Water, Matthew Koller, notes that the new plant is delivering water of world class standard and that customer feedback has been very positive. “The approach taken to this project has provided a simplified solution to complex requirements, and delivered time and money savings. A water treatment plant has been produced that could be a model for other water authorities,” he said. ifm efector 1300 365 088 www.ifm.com
WIRED: The lime system AS-i installation.
UGL Infrastructure 03 9239 4100 www.ugllimited.com FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 19
BEHIND THE SCENES
Diagnostics increase process visibility Emerson’s Advanced Diagnostics is helping a chemical plant keep on top of its game, with its team actively finding new ways of using the technology, writes Isaac Leung.
P
ROCESSES are increasing in complexity, while lead times continue to be cut. Plant operators, challenged to reduce maintenance costs, increase uptime and improve product quality, are finding diagnostics to be a critical part of the solution. Emerson Process Management and customers like Mitsubishi Chemical therefore, continue to extend the applications of the Rosemount 3051S Series Scalable Pressure Transmitter’s Advanced Diagnostics capabilities. According to Bill Zhou, senior product marketing engineer with Emerson Process Management’s Rosemount Division, the Advanced Diagnostics technology takes advantage of the HART digital protocol’s ability to carry diagnostic information in addition to the regular pressure value. Advanced Diagnostics uses this capability to provide information like standard deviation, coefficient of variation and other background noise values. Advanced Diagnostics consists of two parts: Statistical Process Monitoring (SPM) and Power Advisory Diagnostics.
Useful information SPM consists of a module built into the 3051S which learns and checks the process signal automatically, turning process noise and variation signatures into useful information about the dynamic process. Changes in these signatures indicate a significant change in the process, equipment, or transmitter installation will occur or has occurred. “Traditional transmitters have certain types of diagnostics that tell you when the device has failed or certain electronics have gone bad,” said Zhou who is based in China. “SPM provides additional capabilities that we have added to the transmitter which allows it to look at issues that may be happening outside of the transmitter and in the process.” Software plays a key part in SPM, by correlating changes in process noise as a way to detect process abnormalities. The software also filters the data to separate 20 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
ACHIEVEMENT: The HART Communications Foundation awarded the Mitsubishi Chemical plant the 2009 HART Plant of the Year Award.
slow changes in the process from the process noise or variations of interest. Meanwhile, Power Advisory Diagnostics detects and diagnoses electrical loop issues from the pressure transmitter back to the control system. “Power Advisory looks at the integrity of the electrical loop, checking from the terminal connection all the way back to the digital control system, or whatever is powering the trans-
mitter,” explained Zhou. Traditional pressure transmitters send outputs blindly, with no guarantee of the signal’s integrity as it travels through the wiring of the plant. Common issues include corrosion build-up and water in housing from leaky conduits, both of which can skew the signal on the line. “There are cases where the transmitter is sending out 4 mA, but the
DCS is reading 12 mA, because analogue signals can be affected by physical changes in the environment,” Zhou told PACE magazine. “Power Advisory looks for these changes on the loop.” Power Advisory Diagnostics works via a learning module within the transmitter. When first installed, the module learns the baseline value of the electrical loop by recording the terminal voltage when the output is at 4mA and 20mA.
BEHIND THE SCENES
By drawing a linear relationship from 4 mA to 20 mA outputs, the module calculates the loop resistance, the power supply value, and the amount of power being received by the transmitter. During operations, the transmitter detects deviations of the terminal voltage from the linear relationship, indicating changes in resistance or the power supply value, which are possible symptoms for physical issues in the line, or a malfunctioning power supply. The information provided by both parts of the Rosemount 3051S Advanced Diagnostics allow for increased visibility into processes and loops, opening the way for more advanced analysis and detection methods.
Advantages Advanced Diagnostics is based on high speed sensing hardware such as the 3051S pressure transmitter, combined with software. According to Mitsubishi Chemicals, the Rosemount 3051S updates 22 times per second, so SPM
Trending data provided by the 3051S SPM allowed detection of the sticky valve 19 minutes in advance of the traditional method in the DCS.
INSIGHT: The 3051S allowed early detection of the sticky valve.
provides high resolution process profiles. Distributed control systems only update two times per second. The proximity of the pressure transmitters to the process allow them to quickly sense variations and events as they happen, allowing process engineers to have additional insight into real changing process conditions.
Power Advisory naturally offers the advantage of providing an integrity check on the signal from the transmitter. Zhou says any HART system can use Advanced Diagnostics, including systems with HART cards, or systems with analogue I/O. The data can be pulled in as alerts or as SPM variables. There are also possibilities for using Advanced Diagnostics with the WirelessHART protocol. Users can use the Smart Wireless THUM adapter on powered devices in order to transmit HART data. According to Zhou, this means a lot of existing installations can apply Advanced Diagnostics.
Extending applications According to Zhou, Mitsubishi Chemical has been particularly innovative in its use of the Advanced Diagnostics system. “They extracted the data that we provide as another HART output variable, put it into their own historian, and set their own limits.” The system allowed the team at the Mitsubishi Chemical First Ethylene Plant, based in Kashima, Japan, to determine root cause in dP flow inaccuracies, verify if a pump issue was fixed, detect entrained air of pump inlet suction line, detect the partial blockage of two impulse lines, and sense strong winds. At the 2010 Emerson User Exchange, Zhou and Takayuki Aoyama, instrument group leader at Mitsubishi Chemical, presented a session titled “How Process Insight Leads to Actionable Information at Mitsubishi Chemical”. In the presentation, Aoyama highlighted how Mitsubishi Chemical found new uses for the Rosemount 3051S Advanced Diagnostics functions. In a part of the refinery process at >
FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 21
BEHIND THE SCENES
the plant, a coke separator and filter is used for sludge removal. The nature of the task causes sediment to build up on remote seals with time, resulting in plugging at the multiple measurement points and making it hard to monitor the process. Constant and frequent maintenance was needed, but the technicians lacked the insight into when such actions would be needed. Aoyama says Mitsubishi Chemical places a lot of focus on diagnostics and maintenance, as the plant does not often build new processes. They decided to take advantage of Advanced Diagnostics during system upgrades. The team replaced the classic 4~20 mA capillary type transmitter being used in the sludge-removal process with the 3051S Advanced Diagnostics, gaining better insight into the process. “When we installed the new technology, we didn’t want to use just critical analogue transmitters because they have less diagnostics than the HART protocol. The new diagnostics helped our facility reduce maintenance costs, and also we can prevent problems with the diagnostics functions,” Aoyama told PACE magazine.
Appropriate actions The Standard Deviation graph generated by the 3051S SPM allowed operators to pinpoint the occurrence of a plug and take the appropriate actions to alleviate the condition. 3051S SPM was also used to detect the occurrence of a sticky valve in a heavy duty high pressure process. A recurring sticky valve on a reboiler made it difficult to control the temperature of a distillation column. According to Aoyama, trending data provided by the 3051S SPM allowed detection of the sticky valve as early as 19 minutes in advance of the traditional method in the DCS. Mitsubishi Chemical also ran a field trial on Power Advisory. Aging equipment in the plant means some junction boxes in the field can be flooded, or be subject to moisture, resulting in corrosion. The 3051S was able to send an alert when the linear relationship between the terminal voltage and output current exceeded the threshold, or on detection of an abnormal situation. Tests by interns found the transmitter could detect problems in the loops before the output is affected, allowing corrections to be made quickly. 22 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
DIAGNOSTICS: The Rosemount 3051S gives plant personnel additional insight into their facilities which they can use to make informed decisions.
Evolution Emerson Process Management says it has been listening very closely to its customers for the Advanced Diagnostics functions, working with end users who are early adopters of technology. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from Mitsubishi Chemical that has helped us to open our eyes to different applications with SPM,” Zhou said. At the beginning of November 2010, Emerson Process Management announced an expanded Advanced HART Diagnostics Suite for the Rosemount 3051S Series of Instrumentation. Dave Wehrs, vice president of pressure design and engineering for the Rosemount Division of Emerson Process Management, said, “The expanded capabilities of Advanced Diagnostics on the Rosemount 3051S gives plant personnel additional insight into their facilities, which they can use to make informed decisions.” Aoyama says the experience of Mitsubishi Chemical holds many possibilities for plant operators. “Some (plant problems) can be detected online with
Frequent maintenance was required but the technicians lacked the insight into when such actions would be needed. these diagnostic functions before malfunction occurs. It is possible to reduce maintenance costs and the number of problems,” said Aoyama. At the Emerson Users Exchange, Aoyama also urged users to help improve the diagnostic functions, by sharing their experiences with vendors and other users. [PACE magazine’s Isaac Leung attended the 2010 Emerson Global Users Exchange in San Antonio, Texas.] Emerson Process Management www.emersonprocess.com/australia/ Enquiries@AP.EmersonProcess.com Mitsubishi Chemical www.m-kagaku.co.jp/english/ aoyama.takayuki@mg.m-kagaku.co.jp
SNAPSHOT
AWARD WINNER When Stistical Process Monitoring (SPM) was first developed, it was primarily used to detect plugged impulse lines. This was especially effective since plugging disconnects the transmitter from the process, changing the noise pattern received by the transmitter. Its capabilities have since been expanded, utilising the same technology to detect distillation column flooding, furnace flame instability, and air entrainment in (differential pressure) dP flow. Mitsubishi Chemical extended the diagnostics program beyond pressure transmitters to other devices like valve positioners, vortex and Coriolis flow meters. In recognition of this innovation, the HART Communications Foundation awarded the Mitsubishi Chemical First Ethylene Plant, based in Kashima, Japan, the 2009 HART Plant of the Year Award.
IN FOCUS
Understand the true cost of air leaks The value of compressed air as an energy source is several times higher than that of electricity so even small leaks add cost over time, writes Lars Akerlund.
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OMPRESSED air is often taken for granted in most manufacturing facilities. Yet the cost of this source of energy is easily overlooked or underestimated. In fact, the value of compressed air as an energy source is several times higher than that of electricity. So, even small leaks add cost over time. In addition to finding and plugging the leaks, it is important to have a regular maintenance schedule, as well as ensure ongoing awareness. It’s the old saying “If you can measure it – you can improve it”. Large air leaks are rarely difficult to identify, but once the obvious leaks have been eliminated, finding the smaller ones is not always as simple. The sounds generated by smaller air leaks are often not detectable by the human ear, especially in a noisy factory environment. So a more effective and practical approach is to use a hand-held ultrasonic leak detector with goodquality earphones. Such devices are available with extension kits to reach around corners or fitted with parabolic antennas to detect leaks further away. In terms of keeping track of, and trending the flow of air, there are several methods and instruments available. However, one very important aspect is to ensure that the readings provide meaningful information. The volume of air is sometimes referred to as actual volume. Since air expands and contracts with changes in pressure and temperature, measuring just the volumetric air flow provides only part of the picture. The term standard or normal volume is a more useful parameter as it provides a reference measurement. For example, 1 normal cubic metre (Nm3) of air is generally defined as 1 actual m3 of air at a pressure of 1013.25 mBar (a) and at a temperature of 0°C. So, measuring and logging air consumption in Nm3 provides an easy way to, as they say, compare apples with apples. One interesting aspect of the term normal volume which is often over-
EFFECTIVE: Ultrasonic leak detector in action. Sounds generated by small air leaks are not detectable by the human ear.
First measure the normal air flow on a day or at a time when the compressor is running but with no factory production. looked is that, despite the terminology, it is in fact not a unit of volume but a unit of mass. Consider the example of a balloon which holds 1m3. If the pressure inside the balloon is 1025 mBar (a) and the temperature is 0°C, then you have 1 Nm3. Squeezing the balloon will increase
pressure and make it smaller, but the content (mass) inside the balloon will remain the same. As normal volume is a unit of mass, consequently measuring the mass flow of air provides a practical method of determining the flow in Nm3 without the need for pressure or temperature compensation, or the associated cost of installation and upkeep of such gauges. There are several types of mass flow meters on the market. One example is the insertion mass flow meter which can be fitted and removed from the pipe work under pressure using a simple ballvalve assembly. This simplifies regular testing as the same sensor can easily be moved between different testing points, providing a stream of valuable data
logging with timestamps and flow rates directly in normal volume. Kits with a GSM modem are available to upload the data directly to a website. One starting point when deciding to evaluate air losses is to first measure the normal air flow on a day or at a time when the compressor is running, but with no factory production. The results can be surprising. Regular measurements, as the leaks are gradually identified and plugged, will provide a quantifiable measurement of cost savings to the bottom line and to the environment. [Lars Akerlund is managing director of Pricam Automation.] Pricam Automation 03 9532 2235 www.pricam.com FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 23
IN FOCUS
Making a case for simulation It may not be intuitively obvious but simulation can potentially help realise immense savings in designing plants and processes, writes Pankaj Rai Mehta.
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T ITS core, simulation it is a mathematical model of a real world entity – a plant or process, for our purpose. The entity is thought of as a system, characterised by inputs, output and states (see Fig 1). Consider for example a dosing system, variations of which are frequently used in the process industry. At its core, a dosing system might have a volumetric pump which is driven by a variable speed motor. The mechanical power provided by the variable speed drive is an input to the pump. The flow of the dosed fluid is the output. The state of the pump would be one of the following: operating, stopped or failed. Systems also have feedback loops that are essential to maintaining a required state. Once a plant or process is conceptualised as a system it becomes easier to replace it by a set of equations, applying the principles of mass and energy conservation. In case of our dosing system, if the pump characteristics are known then the amount being dosed can be expressed as a function of the speed at which it is being driven. If the dosing system is, for example, a dye pump that is being used to impart a certain colour shade to a mix then the ratio of the added amount of dye and the mass of the mix will provide an estimate of the change in colour. In real life, the change in colour will not be instantaneous and there might be latency arising out of the time that the intermixing of molecules will take.
Simulation model Should these process time constants be accounted for? The answer is: it depends. It depends on the purpose of the simulation. If the simulation model is being created to accurately predict the timing of colour change then yes. However, if the purpose is to determine the range of variation of colour, then no. That is, the modelling has to be fit for purpose. It can and should be kept as simple as possible and there is no 24 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
harm in using approximations. Not every state has to be considered and only those that are relevant to the purpose should be modelled. Real life plants and processes are anything but simple. They are far more complex than the dosing pump but it is so because they are a combination of a large number of simple subsystems. It is possible to visualise a system as one made up of a large number of subsystems – even if they are physically
not (see Fig 2). Mathematical formulae, specific to a subsystem will describe the input, outputs and states of each subsystem. A calculation run for a subsystem will provide the values of its outputs, some of which would be inputs for the formulae describing another system. Thus, a hierarchy of formulae is sufficient to describe a complex system. Simulation, as a technique, has an impressive history of use. The early
adopters of this technology were refineries and power plants. These installations require heavy capital investment and are high risk operations. By building simulation models, these operations were able to provide training tools that helped with safe and efficient operation of the plant.
Viability of operations The concerns of the early adopters remain the concerns of any Board of
IN FOCUS
Once a plant or process is conceptualised as a system it becomes easier to replace it by a set of equations applying the principles of mass and energy conservation. Directors that is going to commit a substantial amount of capital to the installation or upgrade of a process plant. The concerns go the heart of viability and sustainability of the proposed operations and can be expressed as the following questions: • Is the capacity of the plant adequate? • What will be the cost of production? • Would the plant run safely without accidents? • How can human error be minimised? • Would the production conform to specifications? • Is the plant scalable to adjust to increases in demand? • Is the operating strategy optimum?
Minimise risk These questions arise out of the desire to manage and minimise risk. The issues relate to the bottom line performance of the organisation. If the plant were to suffer catastrophic failures under unforeseen operating conditions then the very viability of the operation would be threatened. Community concerns may prevent restarting of the plant and the whole investment would get written off. Should the performance not be optimum and in line with budget then the production cost would be high and the profitability of the organisation would be negatively impacted. If the quality is below par or variable then there would be difficulties experienced in selling the product and revenue would be below budget. Poor process and plant performance clearly results in poor economic performance and will not bode well for the future of the organisation.
Plant design It follows that if effort were to be expended at the right time to check and double check the design of the plant and
tools provided to learn how to operate the plant safely and efficiently then not only would the viability of the plant be assured but also there would be increased confidence that the plant will perform in a predictable manner. There would be cost savings and prevention of losses and there would be a healthy bottom line. Simulation is the tool that can make all of this happen. What happens in simulation is that the plant is converted into a series of mathematical expressions that describe the inputs, outputs and states of the system (see Fig 3). These are generally coded in an appropriate computer language and are constantly recalculated in an adjustable cycle. The results are made available to the user in a variety of forms – pictures, symbols, texts, charts. Each cycle represents a real time interval. If the cycle time is one second but each run is deemed to be equal to five seconds, then the simulation will run at five times the speed. What transpires in real life over a period of one hour happens in simulated world in 12 minutes. In this regard process and plant simulation differs from gaming software where the emphasis is on getting as close to real time as possible. Just as in gaming software, the user’s inputs change the position or state of screen objects, so also in process simulation, the user’s inputs alter the process variables. Say, the users want to test the capacity of the plant. They can do so by operating the simulated plant at an accelerated rate and watch the quantity and quality of outputs. They can manipulate inputs like raw material input or heat transfer, and observe the effect on the states of the plant and the finished material output. A stage will be reached when inputs can no longer be increased. The output corresponding to that stage will equate to the maximum possible output. Engineers design plants keeping in mind worst case conditions and it may well be that the results of the simulation do no more than validate the engineer’s calculations.
FIGURE 1: The entity is thought of as a system, characterised by inputs, output and states.
Validate or negate This is exactly what simulation was designed to do – to validate or to negate, and to do so in a manner that can be > easily understood by even nonFEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 25
IN FOCUS
FIGURE 2: It is possible to visualise a system as one made up of a large number of subsystems.
engineers. That is why results of the simulation are presented in a form that users would expect to see in real life. Moreover, simulation can be carried out in a very wide range of simulated conditions – ambient temperature can be changed, raw material quality can be altered so that the observed output is not just under ideal, design conditions but under extreme conditions as well. If an error is found or if the simulation shows that the capacity is not adequate, then the engineers can go back to the drawing board and make changes. Those changes, at the initial design stage will be far less expensive than those that may have to be incurred post-commissioning. With a simulated plant, risks can be taken. It can be taken into unsafe operating states to observe what might happen. A blow up of a simulated plant at worst might be mildly embarrassing but a failure of a real plant would be a catastrophe. Operators can be trained, using the simulator to gain skills in guiding the plant from abnormal states to normal
conditions. Such training cannot safely be provided on a real plant. With constant practice in starting up, shutting down, emergency response, economic operations, plant operating personnel will gain expertise even before the real plant is commissioned. Simulated production reports provide an accurate estimate of operating costs and provide the basis for costing and budgeting.
Minimise risks Random events occur in plants: parts and subsystems breakdown, human errors, power failures. Engineers design a process to be as robust and tolerant as possible, but it is often a strange combination of random events that results in an accident. Simulation allows for random events to be generated and by watching accelerated simulation for an equivalent long period of real time, dangerous combinations of events can be detected and design changes made to cope with those combinations. Risks are therefore averted or minimised.
FIGURE 3: The plant is converted into a series of mathematical expressions that describe the inputs, outputs and states of the system. 26 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
By watching accelerated simulation for an equivalent long period of real time dangerous combinations of events can be detected and design changes made. If simulation saves, why is it not in widespread use in industry? It is probably due to a few misconceptions. It is wrongly assumed simulation is too expensive. If the modelling is appropriate to the purpose for which it is being designed then costs can be kept low.
Added benefit Simulation is also thought to be time consuming. Well, it can be, if a lot of time is spent on unnecessary animation and graphics. But if a fit-for-purpose approach is taken, then time wastage would be avoided. Simulation does not necessarily require expensive hardware and software to run; desktop computers with ubiquitous software packages will suffice for most purposes. As an added benefit, the effort that goes into understanding the process and plant to translate it into a simulation model will pay off in many ways during the life of the plant. [Pankaj Rai Mehta (p.mehta@ieee.org) is a Chartered Professional Engineer, Senior Member of IEEE and Fellow of Engineers Australia and is Director of Metamagix.]
BEHIND THE SCENES
The taster in your water line A fast-acting bio-sensor based warning system for toxins and other substances in water hazardous to health could set off alarms if there is a danger, write Iris Trick and Thomas Bernard.
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LTHOUGH drinking water is monitored more strictly than almost anything, water supply networks are not immune to accidents, wear and tear or targeted attacks. A one-minute warning system for toxins and other substances in water hazardous to health could set off alarms in future if there is a danger. It is supposed to be cool, colourless, tasteless and odourless. It may not have any pathogens or impair your health. This is the reason why drinking water is put to a whole series of screenings at regular intervals. In Germany, the AquaBioTox project will be added to create a system for constant real-time drinking water monitoring. At present, the tests required by the German Drinking Water Ordinance are limited to random samples that often only provide findings after hours and are always attuned to specific substances. In contrast, the heart of the AquaBioTox system is a biosensor that reacts to a wide range of potentially hazardous substances after just a couple of minutes. It works on the taster principle.
Red fluorescence Some drinking water is diverted from the main line through the sensor in a branching descending line and it contains two different strains of bacteria and mammalian cells. These microscopically small bacteria have a large surface that guarantees quick material turnover and reacts to toxic substances within minutes. The mammalian cells are favoured because of their close relationship to the human organism. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart, Germany tested various classes of substances that might occur in water – even though they shouldn’t – and to date their sensor has reacted to each of these substances. The micro-organisms in the sensor were modified so that they produce a protein that has a red fluorescence. The fluorescence changes if it comes into contact with toxic substances. A highly sensitive camera system developed by the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB has an analysis unit that registers even the most minute changes in fluorescence and then analyses them automatically.
Classical poisons The monitoring unit has a machine-learning process for learning from historical data which fluctuations in the physical, chemical and biological parameters are normal. It sets off an alarm if an unusual pattern
MONITORING: The red fluorescent bacteria in the glass tube change their colour whenever the microorganisms in the bio-sensor come into contact with toxic substances. The measuring probe shows the intensity of fluorescence. (Image courtesy Fraunhofer IGB.)
Classical poisons such as cyanide or ricin as well as plant protectives or toxic metabolic products from bacteria can be fatal even in concentrations of nanograms per litre. shows up in the signals. The bio-sensor reacts to the smallest quantities of hazardous substances. This sensor can document even very slight concentrations. Classical poisons such as cyanide or ricin as well as plant protectives or toxic metabolic products from bacteria can be fatal even in concentrations of nanograms per litre. They have to guarantee optimum life conditions for the microorganisms to operate the bio-sensor on a permanent basis. Hence, the researchers at the IOSB have come up with a system that automatically monitors and regulates important parameters such as
temperature and inflow of nutrients. Another component of the Aqua-BioTox system is a daphnia toximeter of their Kiel, Germany-based project partner bbe Moldaenke, who noticed that water fleas react particularly sensitively to nerve poisons. They are testing this monitoring system in a closed setup on the grounds of Berlin’s water company, another partner in this project. The idea behind it is making the system as small and cost-effective as possible so that a network of sensor units communicating with one another could be installed at sensitive points in the drinking water network. [Dr Iris Trick is with the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology. Dr Thomas Bernard is group manager with the Fraunhofer-Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation. Fraunhofer is the largest organisation for applied research in Europe.] Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft www.igb.fraunhofer.del www.iosb.fraunhofer.de FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 27
SPOTLIGHT
7best of the
PACE showcase of the best engineering technology releases of the month.
Raptor tank gauging system Emerson Process Management’s Raptor tank gauging system is based on open technology and is fully scalable. The unique 2-in-1 functionality features two independent gauges in one single enclosure, providing SIL 3 safety for overfill prevention. There are also a number of other dual redundant configurations available to suit individual tank safety requirements. Raptor is built around a new line of 0.5 mm precision radar level gauges, plus ultra stable temperature transmitters with 3- or 4-wire multiple spot sensors. The result is the highest available precision in net volume calculations for custody transfer and inventory management. Equipment such as pressure and water bottom measurement sensors can also be added as well as operator interface software. Having access to reliable and accurate tank content information in real time is key to high plant efficiency, as the operators can handle even more tanks, fill the tanks higher and better utilise the storage capacity. Raptor reduces installation costs. The bus-powered 2wire Tankbus is based on self-configuring Foundation fieldbus, allowing easy start-up and integration of all system units. The tank units are intrinsically safe which means no expensive cable conduits are required. Communication to the control room can be made using Modbus over most existing cabling, or using other fieldbus standards. Emerson Process Management 03 9721 0200 www.emersonprocess.com.au
Differential Pressure Switch Dwyer Instruments has released the DX Differential Pressure Switch series. Wetted materials of brass and flouroelastomer are suitable for use with most gases and water based solutions. The switch can be used for low differential pressure indication with set point on a decrease of pressure as low as 0.07 bar. Differential set point ranges are available from 0.17 to 5.17 bar on increasing differential pressure and 0.07 to 4.62 bar on decreasing differential pressure. Unit features a high static pressure rating of 13.8 bar for higher static pressure appli-
cations. Standard is a weatherproof, UL type 4X, enclosure for dust laden, outdoor, or wash-down installations. Series DX incorporates an externally adjustable set point, integral mounting flange and a removable electrical terminal block. The DX uses opposing diaphragms to sense the high and low pressure with a pivot mechanism that transfers the difference of the two pressures to the SPDT switch. Dwyer Instruments 02 4272 2055 www.dwyer-inst.com.au
Flexible connectors take new approach In creating their new har-flex range, Harting have taken an entirely different approach to device connectors, which they have consistently viewed from the perspective of the printed circuit board. The result is a flexible and compact solution executed in surface-mount technology (SMT) serving a range of different board-to-board and board-to-cable applications that cater to the ever advancing miniaturisation trends. As the name indicates, flexibility is one of the key strengths – har-flex stands 28 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
for: 48 different lengths, 4 different stacking heights and executions from 6 up to 100 pins provide printed circuit board designers with scope for flexibility. The choice of the exact number of poles required enables optimal utilisation of available space. Due to its to high contact density, har-flex is suitable where space is at a premium. Harting 03 9466 7088 www.harting.com.au
Email your product news to pace@reedbusiness.com.au
ZigBee to Modbus gateway Analysis solution GE Intelligent Platforms has released the latest version of Proficy Troubleshooter and Proficy Cause Version 5.0. The solution enables an intelligent form of causal analysis, proactive alarming and decision support so users can react faster and/or correct issues before a problem occurs. Troubleshooter and Cause deliver analytical abilities to transform data into actionable information resulting in reduced downtime, waste, and re-work as well as improved OEE, quality, throughput and visibility into operations. The Proficy Troubleshooter/Cause solution is a value-added product to Proficy Historian that enables the user to use multivariate analysis on historical data. It enables companies to look at historical data, determine causes of variation, put active intelligent monitoring in place and, now with v5.0, trigger operational workflows based on intelligent data based rules. The solution can be combined with HMI/SCADA systems by providing likely causes for problems in real time and notifying floor personnel of impending process issues.
Conlab has released a ZigBee wireless network to Modbus gateway. It is a member of the ZigSense line of products that is developed and manufactured in Australia. Model ZS24-CGU-001 is the network coordinator of a ZigBee based wireless network that enables Modbus interface to external control systems, PLC, data loggers and SCADA station. The gateway contains three communications ports: a ZigBee wireless port; a USB port for local monitoring; an RS232/RS485 serial port for Modbus interface. In addition, the gateway includes a local LCD HMI for operator interfaces. Conlab 03 9842 7711 www.conlab.com.au
Deadweight tester The DH-Budenburg 583 series of dead-weight testers are primary pressure standards, with metrology class pistons, giving an uncertainty of better than 0.005% with DH-Budenberg effective area and mass certification. The 583 series is now available in a range of pressures from 200 bar up to 5,000 bar. The 583 series feature a new hydraulic base which will offer easy priming and high-pressure generation, from the integral dual area screw-press. A range of optional features will be available, including: piston motor drive, digital display of piston position and temperature, computer interface, fine increment mass sets, allowing customers to specify their own model requirements, to match performance and features to individual needs. DH Budenberg offers a three-year guarantee on the deadweight testers range. DH-Budenberg 08 9562 7150 www.dh-budenberg.com.au
Metromatics 07 3868 4255 www.metromatics.com.au
Strain gauge converter designed in Australia Weidmuller’s CT20P Bridge is a strain gauge converter for industrial applications. Designed and developed in Australia, it is also manufactured locally It has a width of just 22.5mm and weighs 150 grams. Via a 10-60Vdc power supply, the ACT20P Bridge powers the strain gauge using selectable 5V or 10V excitation supply. The device converts the mV signal to an industry standard of 0-(4)-20mA, or 0-10V signal with an accuracy better than 0.05% within an operating temperature range of -40 to 70°C. It has a push button calibration feature with the ability to skip previous calibrated points. All calibration
points are stored in non-volatile memory ensuring secure long life retention. It also features a zero offset function, which can be activated from the front panel or by external contact closure. The ACT20P Bridge protects against transients and common mode voltages. The high isolation voltage of 5.7kV between input, output and power supply provides protection. It is housed in a double insulated, TS35 DIN rail mount with removable coded terminals. Weidmuller 1800 739 988 www.weidmuller.com.au FEBRUARY 2011 www.pacetoday.com.au 29
EVENTS & EDUCATION
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Practical Power Distribution Workshop 14-15 February 2011, Sydney 17-18 February 2011, Brisbane idc@idc-online.com Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference 23-25 February 2011, Perth www.aogexpo.com.au Subsea Auustralasia Conference 23-25 February 2011, Perth www.aogexpo.com.au National SCADA Conference 2011 1-2 March, Sydney www.scada-conference.com.au Coal Processing Optimisation 2011 29-30 March, Brisbane www.iqpc.com.au Safety In Action 5-7 April 2011, Melbourne www.thesafetyshow.com.au
Practical Aspects of Ore Treatment and Mineral Recovery Wills' Mineral Processing Technology, 7th Edition Barry Wills and Tim Napier-Munn $120.00 This 456-page book provides practising engineers and students of mineral processing, metallurgy and mining with a review of all of the common ore-processing techniques utilised in modern processing installations. Now in its Seventh Edition, this is a standard reference for the mineral processing industry. Chapters deal with each of the major processing techniques, and coverage includes the latest technical develop-
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AWAY
ments in the processing of increasingly complex refractory ores, new equipment and process routes. This new edition has been prepared by the prestigious J K Minerals Research Centre of Australia.
Biomass Gasification and Pyrolysis Prabir Basu $200.00 Modernised biomass gasification for power generation has attracted increasing interests as an attempt to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel. In fact, over the past couple of years, a lot of R&D has gone into overcoming the technical hurdles of biomass gasification mainly producing clean gas which is free of particulates and tars bed agglomeration and biomass feeding/ handling. This book offers engineers and scientist a hands-on reference for under
standing and overcoming these hurdles. Readers find a versatile resource that not only explains the basic principles of energy conversion and biomass conversion systems but also provides valuable insight into the design of biomass gasifiers.
You could win one of these engineering textbooks by answering the following simple question: On which page of this magazine will you find “CT20P Bridge”? Email your answer to kevin.gomez@reedbusiness.com.au
Both books are available direct from Elsevier Australia Customer Service, 1800 263 951 or customerserviceau@elsevier.com
IICA NEWS & VIEWS
IICA appoints Four Fellows The Application and Selection processes are now working well, writes Dirk Kuiper. IICA Federal Council approved the renewal of an updated Fellow Membership category for the Institute late in 2009. New criteria were drawn up and approved by Council and a Fellow Review Committee, comprising existing Fellow Members Ian Gibson, John Dusting, John Bergin and Gavin Willox, was set up. To ensure that the criteria for assessing an applicant’s suitability for elevation to this prestigious member category were up to the mark, the Review Committee resolved to test its viability. A trial application procedure was commenced with a number of potential candidates who looked as though they might meet the criteria. After what turned out to be a rather lengthy process, including the need for some relatively minor, but necessary adjust30 www.pacetoday.com.au FEBRUARY 2011
ments to the criteria, the Fellow Review Committee was satisfied that both the Application and the Selection processes are now working well. The upshot of this rigorous process has been that the following four Fellows have been appointed under the new criteria. They are Kevin Barnes from Perth Branch and Phillip Ring, Geoff Rogers and Bob Weiss from Melbourne Branch. Congratulations to each of the inaugural new Fellow Members! For information and application forms for Fellow Membership please contact Cathie Tynan, Federal Secretary on 03 9772 0944 or admin@iica.org.au [Dirk Kuiper is IICA Federal President.] IICA 1300 781 715 www.iica.org.au
NOMINATE NOW
FOR 2011 8TH ANNUAL PACE
ZENITH AWARDS The Process, Automation, Control and Engineering night of nights! The PACE Zenith Awards is the prestigious industry awards program that recognises and rewards companies that show leadership in engineering projects, and technological excellence and innovation.
CATEGORIES:
Automotive and Manufacturing Food and Beverage Metal Products Manufacturing Mining, Minerals and Exploration Oil, Gas and Hydrocarbons Power and Energy Management Transport, Power and Infrastructure Water and Wastewater Young Achiever Award (NEW!)
For a nomination kit or criteria, please go to www.pacetoday.com.au/Awards or contact Kevin Gomez at kevin.gomez@reedbusiness.com.au or by phone 02 9422 2976 For sponsorship opportunities please contact Tim Richards at tim.richards@reedbusiness.com.au or by phone 02 9422 2818
SPONSORED BY:
© 2009 Swagelok Company
In addition to tube fittings, we also make valves, regulators, filters, and happier customers.
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Contrary to what you may think, we’re much more than a tube fitting company. And we have our obsession with Customer Focus to thank for that. Yes, we’re known throughout the world for our tube fittings. And yes, we’ve been at it for over 60 years. But when companies are looking harder than ever for greater value, it’s our broad range of products, including orbital welders, modular systems, and a complete line of hose, that helps us offer more than you expect. See for yourself at swagelok.com/moreproducts.
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