Automation

Happy Birthday, IoT: The Internet of Things recently turned 20

Whether E-Health, Smart-Home, Smart-Car, Smart City or Smart Production – all these areas, which have emerged more and more in the recent past, are typical examples of the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT) or in German: the “Internet of Things”. The British technologist Kevin Ashton is responsible for the fact that this long-established term was able to celebrate recently its 20th birthday, more precisely on 21 February (already). The 50 year old Briton used the abbreviation “IoT” for the first time in 1999.

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Panta Rhei – everything flows

The world is changing and new trends, technologies and business models will always prevail. Or as Heraclitus said about 2500 years ago: “Panta Rhei – everything flows”. This statement is based on his recognition of the natural process of constant becoming and change. Now this phenomenon has also reached process automation. This has always been known as conservative and also as sluggish. At least as far as the fact of adapting new technologies is concerned. The process industry is also constantly confronted with new challenges and must exploit the opportunities provided by digitization. The process automation community is quite proud of clear structures that guarantee high availability and functional security. This refers to the automation pyramid (photo: NAMUR), which, despite all its advantages, is unfortunately the brake pad for the digital transformation of the process industry. Everything within the pyramid is structured. NAMUR’s proposal is now on the table with an open architecture that combines the availability and safety of the automation pyramid with the advantages of digital transformation. In short: the NAMUR open architecture (Photo: NAMUR), abbreviated NOA.

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PAT-Demonstrator – NOA is the ideal partner

Where NOA comes into play: If process analysis technology delivers more and more complex data and experience sometimes requires changes, then we need an additional piece of intelligence. This is not properly stored in the analyzer. Because the type of intelligence is also determined by the process. In the control system, the additional data becomes tight; changes are possible there, but not necessarily popular. A separate software, for example in the form of an app, frees us from these restrictions and gives us the necessary flexibility for specific adaptations.

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Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor”

Can you do that? Is there? Surely both production managers and plant operators have already asked themselves these questions. To become more concrete: You, as a production manager, have experienced plant operators and you know that you have taken good care of your control and alarm strategy. Functional safety is also up to date. You won’t burn anything. Nevertheless, something is bothering you: No matter how stable and safe your system is, you don’t really know how efficiently it drives. Isn’t there the famous “grain” left in it?
Or let’s put ourselves in your place as a plant operator: you have been operating your plant for years and know it well. From time to time she does her “talking tricks” and you don’t know why. Although you keep to the allowed temperature step in the reactor, it is about to go through or it is going through. Such an “early warning system” would be very practical. This runs in real time and warns you in advance that something is going to go wrong. Then you still have enough time to react accordingly. Something like a “process crystal ball” would be good. But is there such a thing?

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor” Read More »

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor”

Can you do that? Is there? Surely both production managers and plant operators have already asked themselves these questions. To become more concrete: You, as a production manager, have experienced plant operators and you know that you have taken good care of your control and alarm strategy. Functional safety is also up to date. You won’t burn anything. Nevertheless, something is bothering you: No matter how stable and safe your system is, you don’t really know how efficiently it drives. Isn’t there the famous “grain” left in it?
Or let’s put ourselves in your place as a plant operator: you have been operating your plant for years and know it well. From time to time she does her “talking tricks” and you don’t know why. Although you keep to the allowed temperature step in the reactor, it is about to go through or it is going through. Such an “early warning system” would be very practical. This runs in real time and warns you in advance that something is going to go wrong. Then you still have enough time to react accordingly. Something like a “process crystal ball” would be good. But is there such a thing?

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor” Read More »

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor”

Can you do that? Is there? Surely both production managers and plant operators have already asked themselves these questions. To become more concrete: You, as a production manager, have experienced plant operators and you know that you have taken good care of your control and alarm strategy. Functional safety is also up to date. You won’t burn anything. Nevertheless, something is bothering you: No matter how stable and safe your system is, you don’t really know how efficiently it drives. Isn’t there the famous “grain” left in it?
Or let’s put ourselves in your place as a plant operator: you have been operating your plant for years and know it well. From time to time she does her “talking tricks” and you don’t know why. Although you keep to the allowed temperature step in the reactor, it is about to go through or it is going through. Such an “early warning system” would be very practical. This runs in real time and warns you in advance that something is going to go wrong. Then you still have enough time to react accordingly. Something like a “process crystal ball” would be good. But is there such a thing?

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor” Read More »

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor”

Can you do that? Is there? Surely both production managers and plant operators have already asked themselves these questions. To become more concrete: You, as a production manager, have experienced plant operators and you know that you have taken good care of your control and alarm strategy. Functional safety is also up to date. You won’t burn anything. Nevertheless, something is bothering you: No matter how stable and safe your system is, you don’t really know how efficiently it drives. Isn’t there the famous “grain” left in it?
Or let’s put ourselves in your place as a plant operator: you have been operating your plant for years and know it well. From time to time she does her “talking tricks” and you don’t know why. Although you keep to the allowed temperature step in the reactor, it is about to go through or it is going through. Such an “early warning system” would be very practical. This runs in real time and warns you in advance that something is going to go wrong. Then you still have enough time to react accordingly. Something like a “process crystal ball” would be good. But is there such a thing?

Assistance systems 3 – The “signpost” & the “predictor” Read More »

Assistance systems – 2. Electronic stability control

It’s desperate. The level in the column sump is simply unstable and fluctuates like a drunken sailor. The process control system (PCS) and the plant operator are constantly occupied with keeping these fluctuations under control to such an extent that the plant is at least running and no permanent alarm is triggered. And what have we not already tried everything. Tuning the control loops in the PLS, improving the instrumentation, looking for process or control connections that cause these problems and so on.

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