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System 800xA Extended AutomationThe Power of Integration

Integrated Process and Power Automation. ABB reduces capital expenditure and lifecycle costs by bringing process control, process electrification, substation automation and power management together on a common System 800xA platform, eliminating the need for multiple systems for your plant. Also, in one powerful, integrated, plantwide system, operations and maintenance are unified, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. For more information visitwww.abb.com/controlsystems

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System 800xA Extended AutomationThe Power of Integration

Integrated Process and Power Automation. ABB reduces capital expenditure and lifecycle costs by bringing process control, process electrification, substation automation and power management together on a common System 800xA platform, eliminating the need for multiple systems for your plant. Also, in one powerful, integrated, plantwide system, operations and maintenance are unified, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. For more information visitwww.abb.com/controlsystems

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ENQUIRY NO. 138

ENQUIRY NO. 393

2 industrial automation asia | May 2012

PC-Based Control In Facility AutomationIAA spoke with David Chia, MD, Beckhoff Automation (SEA)

on the application of PC-based control in the facility automation sector. By Mark Johnston

Sensor: Breaking The Barriers Using the machine wall to close the light barrier loop, gives

a photo sensor the advantage of combining the benefits of both retro-reflective sensor and diffuse sensor mode. By Andy Wong, Baumer (Singapore)

Process Technology And FlowtechIAA spoke with Lim Chee Wan, manager at Flotech, a

company founded in 1981 in Singapore, on flow technology and the process industry. By Mark Johnston

Process MeasurementProcess and control systems exist in many application areas

including test labs, assembly and fabrication plants to military, medical and automotive. Acquiring data from sensors involves precision measurement and processing of analogue voltages and currents. Accuracy, precision, noise rejection and processing speeds are all important aspects of this process. By Augustine Quek

Chemical Reaction ControlThe safety of various chemical processes and the supply chain

can only be secured if they are kept under a controlled and modified gas atmosphere. By Dr Michael Markus and Gerd Kieper, Sick

Oil & Gas: Too Much Safety?Creating a safe work environment is vital in the oil and gas

industry. By Rajiv Kurup, Honeywell Process Solutions (India)

A New Era For FibreThe need for increased speed and reduced complexity is ever

increasing and is often a symbol of technology advancement. Recent developments in optical technology do just that, increase speed and reduce complexity. By Mathew Lee

The Evolution Of A Distributed Control SystemFor the past 35 years, developments of a Distributed

Control System (DCS) have been evolving to raise productivity and enhance plant operation. By Kouichi Ooya, marketing manager, Yokogawa Electric (Japan)

contentsmay 2012

ISSUES & INSIGHTS

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SoFTWArE & NETWorKS

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ENErGY

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siemens.com.sg/industry

Sustainability - balancing economical and ecological interestsPharmaceutical and Life Science Industries

Industry Service and Support Hotline

18008088888Call to find out more about our solutions.

In the pharmaceutical and life science industries, the goal is to improve the patients‘ health and well-being. So, inherently, pharmaceutical companies must seek to achieve the highest standards in terms of product quality and safeety as well as demonstrate their corporate respect for diverse cultures and the global environment. But getting there is not easy.

Achieving the goals of responsible care requires an

innovative approach that focuses on information, transparency and knowledge. This is where the industry needs a committed, knowledgeable partner like Siemens. We have a deep understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing and production processes and can offer the right products and systems. Siemens is here to help the pharmaceutical and life science industries in balancing economic, ecologic, and social interests and their responsibilities.

Answers for Industry.

ENQUIRY NO. 412


8 Industry News

20 Profibus

22 CAN in Automation

24 Fieldbus Foundation

26 EtherCAT Technology

68 Products & Services

71 Calendar of Events

72A Product Enquiry Card

Cover: TÜV SÜD

IMPORTANT NOTICEThe circulation of this magazine is audited by bpa world wide. The advertisers’ association recommend that advertisers should place their advertisements only in audited publications.

INdusTRIAl AuTOMATION AsIA (IAA) is published 8 issues per year by Eastern Trade Media Pte ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05 EPL Building Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805Website: www.iaasiaonline.com Email: [email protected]

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Propak show Asia 2012

Automotive Manufacturing 2012

Manufacturing show Expo 2012

Assembly Technology 2012

EVENTS

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may 2012

Robots: The drug Of Choice

An increasing number of pharmaceutical companies are turning towards robotics as they lead to greater time and cost efficiency. By Sherlyne Yong

SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

52

Odourisation Of Natural Gas

Natural gas is both colourless and odourless, in addition to being combustible. Injecting a odourant into natural gas prior to distribution is necessary to detect a possible leak. Companies have developed devices to maximise the effectiveness of the odourisation process. By James Doorhy, Siemens

When smart Plants Meet People

Smart plants offer improved reliability and decision-making built upon a foundation of increased measurements and complexity. By Chris Lyden, PAS

ENERGY

46

50

RegulaRs

contents

Cloudy Issues ExplainedAnubhav Saxena and Stanimira

Koleva dispel some misconceptions on cloud computing. By Joson Ng

IC design With dr surya bhattacharya

IAA spoke with Dr Surya Bhattacharya, director of industry development, IME, on 3D-IC design and future developments in the semiconductor industry. By Mark Johnston

Towards A smart FutureIAA spoke with Frederic Luu,

VP, sales and marketing (EMEA and Asia), Digi, where he discussed about Digi and the company's future growth. By Mark Johnston

Aerospace Technology leadership Forum 2012

The heavyweights of the aviation world descended on Singapore for a round of technical exchange and at the same time, explored business opportunities with local companies. By Joson Ng

FEATURES

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EDITOR’s PAGE

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Andy Wong, Kouichi Ooya, Augustine Quek,

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Jim Pinto Industry Analyst

Alastair Ross Director, Codexx Associates Ltd


Mark JohnstonAssistant Editor

Good design cannot be underestimated. Good design is not only how a device looks but also how it functions. In fact, it is good design that creates new markets and sells great products.

In the case of a consumer, good design will attract them to a product, and if the product functions well and is intuitive to use, then they will stay for longer.

There are many instances in the world of automation or technology development where design plays a major role. Whether it be the efficient running of an automation system, or the cost and efficiency savings in IC manufacturing.

But good design does not stop there, business practices are also affected by good design, in fact anywhere there is a system, whether technology or in business, design plays a major role.

It is also important to consider how good design improves safety and overall performance of a plant. A lot of plants make use of wireless networks to monitor and control the plants variables, and a well designed network has major implications for the overall success of any project.

The ultimate aim of running a company is to generate revenue for that company and its shareholders. A major part of this is to create a product or a solution that appeals to your customers or can attract new customers, all this is done with well thought out design.

In this issue of IAA we talk about the advantages of PC-based control over more conventional PLCs. We also look into Distributed Control Systems and their evolution and customer needs. Oil and gas is also discussed and how much is too much when it comes to safety in the oil and gas industry.

for

Good

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Profit

ENQUIRY NO. 264


Industry news

Singapore: Siemens PLM Software has announced a new product in the Teamcenter software portfolio called Active Workspace, an intuitive, visual, and personalised environment for instantly accessing intelligent 3D information and thereby enhancing the value of PLM systems.

Active Workspace is an important step towards realising Siemens PLM Software’s High Definition PLM (HD-PLM) vision, which was established to help decision makers make better informed decisions more efficiently and with a higher level of confidence.

Many companies have massive amounts of information generated throughout their product lifecycle processes, which currently lies dormant, often spread across many sites and several different unconnected databases. This information could potentially be used to enhance decision making. However, finding, understanding and acting on all of this information can be difficult, time consuming and ultimately

Singapore: Invensys Operations Management, a global provider of technology systems, software solutions and consulting services to the manufacturing and infrastructure operations industries, announced an alliance with Microsoft for migrating some Invensys applications to the Windows Azure cloud. By bringing together industrial thought and technology leaders, the alliance expands the company’s continuing relationship with Microsoft and will afford end users cloud-based offerings in the manufacturing and infrastructure operations space.

“Working with Microsoft reinforces the strategic alignment between our two companies, with a mutual goal of using Windows Azure technology to bring cloud solutions to the industrial market. By offering cloud-

Invensys Announces Alliance With Microsoft

Siemens PLM Software Enhances Decision Making With Active Workspace

expensive. Active Workspace, working in conjunction with other Siemens PLM Software’s technology, provides an efficient solution by bringing all of

based variants of our existing Historian and business process management solutions, we can help our customers lower costs, reduce systems complexity and cut hardware and software investments, while creating a high-performance environment for more agile operations management,” Ravi Gopinath, president, Invensys Operations Management.

Within the alliance, Microsoft will help Invensys accelerate the development of its Wonderware Historian and Workflow applications to enable them to run on the Windows Azure cloud. Initial development activities will extend existing Invensys solutions with managed history and reporting capabilities, as well as business process management on demand.

this information together in instantly available visual representations that enable informed decision-making to drive innovation.

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IAA is increasing sales for companies across the region, and product enquiries

are increasing with every issue. If your company’s management like to hear sales,

and enquiries, are on an upward trend, then please find our contact details below.

ContaCt:

Derick Chia (Senior Sales Manager)

+65 9190 [email protected] www.iaasiaonline.com

Results, Your

PriorityOur

Industry News


Metso Expands Valve Capabilities In IndiaIndia: Metso has opened a valve supply and service centre in Vadodara, India. This investment is in line with Metso's long-term strategy to develop and expand its valve offering, delivery and service capabilities for customers in oil and gas, power, pulp and paper industries. The company also aims to enhance its service capabilities in India for major petrochemical, energy, and oil and gas companies such as Reliance Industries, Indian Oil Corp, Technip, Praxair India and PRAJ Industries.

The valve supply centre is located in Vadodara city, 400 km north of Mumbai in the state of Gujarat, where the company's service centre has been in operation for more than two years. The state of Gujarat has the fastest growing economy in India, and is also

one of the most industrialised states, having GDP per capita that is almost twice of the national average.

The company’s offerings include control valves, automated on/off and emergency shut-down valves, as well as smart positioners and condition monitoring.

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ABB Wins US$14.64 Million Order In IndiaBangalore, India: ABB has won an order worth INR75 crore (US$14.64 million) from Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC), to provide power solutions for a planned metro rail network in Jaipur and the capital of Rajasthan, a state in northern India.

The Jaipur Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) expects to carry approximately 11,000 commuters per hour on each rail corridor when fully operational, in addition to reducing road traffic bottlenecks and lowering carbon emissions from cars.

The company will handle the design, supply, installation and commissioning of essential power infrastructure for stage one of the East-West Corridor of the Jaipur MRTS. This includes the electrification of overhead lines, provision of auxiliary substations and the

supply of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition solution (SCADA), which will enable the monitoring and control of field equipment and key components of the power distribution system.

The company will also deliver products such as the switchgear, dry type transformers and distribution equipment.

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Visit us on our website at www.iaasiaonline.com

Beijing, China: China-based IT services provider iSoftStone, has teamed with IBM, Jilin University, Datang Mobile, and the Liaoyuan government to build the IBM Northeastern Cloud Computing Centre of Excellence (CCoE) in Liaoyuan, China. The CCoE will provide smart city and cross-industry cloud computing services to clients in the Jilin province, Northeast China and Inner Mongolia.

Apart from participating in the building of the smart city cloud computing platform and the Liaoyuan enterprise cloud centre, iSoftStone will also be responsible for the CCoE’s future operations. The company also expects the collaboration with IBM, which includes two prior initiatives in addition to this project, to expedite the development and expansion of its smart city and cloud computing areas.

Cha i rman and CEO o f iSoftStone, Mr T W Liu said: " iSoftStone welcomes the opportunity to work with IBM and local governments to establish cloud computing centres of excellence across China. Our continuous investments in cloud computing and smart city technologies are helping to extend our market competitiveness and technology leadership that enables our clients to unleash the true economic and social power of cloud computing and smart city technologies."

iSoftStone, IBM To Build Cloud Computing Centre

Industry News

May 2012 | industrial automation asia 11

Kyoto, Japan: Kyocera Corp, IHI Corp and Mizuho Corporate Bank have agreed to build a 70 MW solar power plant in Kagoshima City, Japan, which will be the largest officially announced solar power plant in the country. The plant was built to help solve power issues faced in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as reduce carbon emissions.

This collaboration will tap on Kyocera’s experience in the solar business, IHI’s initiatives in increasing the use of renewable energy, and Mizuho CB’s financial expertise. As such, Kyocera will handle the full supplication of solar modules and a part of construction and maintenance, while IHI deals with the land lease and operations, and Mizuho with the financing plans.

A special purpose company will also be created to take care of the solar plant’s operations, with Kyocera planning to be the largest shareholder. Meanwhile, the plant will use exclusively, approximately 290,000 Kyocera multicrystalline solar modules. The total planned capacity of 70 MW of

Kyocera, IHI, Mizuho To Build Solar Power Plant In Japan

solar power will translate to about 79,000 MW/h of annual electricity, which will serve 22,000 average households and offset 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

With construction commencing in July, the plant will span 1.27 million sq m and cost approximately 25 billion yen (US$309 million). The amount of solar power generated by the plant will also be equivalent to 40 percent of the public/industrial-use solar power equipment shipped domestically in 2011.

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Seoul, South Korea: Honeywell has announced that Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding (STX) will use its Integrated Automation Systems (IAS) in five vessels commissioned by ship owners in Norway, Russia and the US.

In projects valued at more than US$8 million, DSME and STX will use IAS in vessels under construction for the transportation of liquid natural gas. DSME is building the industry’s largest advanced floating storage and regasification unit capable of delivering 20 million cubic metres per day of natural gas to southeastern Brazil.

The IAS solution will be used to

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Honeywell Chosen By Shipbuilders To Improve Safety And Business Performance

manage the machinery and cargo areas of the vessels, including the cargo emergency shutdown system. It also enables the project teams to better manage and control operations, and ensure that the vessels comply with strict global standards.

“These LNG vessels will be able to integrate production, processing, and transportation operations, and ensure strict compliance with security, safety, regulatory and environmental requirements,” says David Higgins, director - marine, Honeywell Process Solutions. In addition, the company is currently engineering the industry’s first LNG Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit.

Industry News


Minneapolis, US & Rehovot, Israel: Stratasys and privately held Objet announced that the boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which the companies would combine in an all-stock transaction with a combined equity value of approximately US$1.4 billion, based upon the closing price of Stratasys’ common stock on April 13, 2012. The transaction will position the combined company as a leader within the high-growth 3D printing and direct digital manufacturing industry.

The combined company, which will retain the Stratasys name and operate under the name Stratasys will have dual headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the locations of Stratasys’ and Objet’s current headquarters, respectively, and will be registered in Israel.

The merger of Stratasys and Objet is expected to create a world class company offering a portfolio of 3D printing and direct digital manufacturing solutions. The combined company should be well positioned to provide customers with the right solution by offering systems that produce parts with a wide range of capabilities and materials.

The combined marketing and sales capabilities will provide extensive geographic reach, which should help grow customer awareness of the many opportunities to employ 3D printing and rapid prototyping techniques. Existing customers will benefit from a broader range of products that offer complementary functionality, which will create opportunities to cross-sell the product lines into the combined company’s installed base. In addition, the combined company expects to expand its access to new customers across multiple industries. With a significant increase in scale, the new Stratasys will seek to grow efficiently and faster through its combined organisation.

Tokyo, Japan: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has increased its stake in MHI-VST Diesel Engines (MVDE), a small-size diesel engine manufacturing and marketing company jointly established with VST Tillers Tractors Ltd (VTTL), a power tiller and tractor manufacturer in India. In response to growing recognition of the MHI brand in the Indian market, MHI, by increasing its capital stake in MVDE, will ensure that the JV has sufficient financial strength both to accommodate large-scale business transactions and to further expand its product lineup. Through this initiative MHI aims to capture an increasingly larger share of the rapidly rising demand for small-size engines.

Going forward MHI will progressively expand MVDE's product portfolio to include large-size engines and generators incorporating those engines, and it will also strengthen the JV's functions to enable it to perform the full range of activities from development and design to marketing, procurement, manufacturing and servicing. Through these initiatives, MHI aims to develop MVDE into one of its core engine business bases, complementing established bases in Japan, Europe and China.

Paris, France: Total and the partners of the Bongkot Joint Venture announce the start of the production from the Greater Bongkot South (GBS) gas and condensate field in the Gulf of Thailand. The Joint Venture is operated by PTTEP (44.45 percent), alongside partners Total (33.33 percent) and BG Group (22.22 percent).

Jean-Marie Guillermou, senior VP for Total Exploration-Production mentioned: “I am delighted with the start-up of the Great Bongkot South field in line with the

Stratasys & Objet In A Merger MHI Increases Stake In Small-Size Diesel Engine JV In India

Total To Start-Up Production Of Offshore Field In Thailand

schedule and within the budget which will increase by 50 percent our production capacity in Thailand and will enable the Bongkot Joint Venture to further contribute to the growing gas demand in Thailand. After the recent successful start-up of Pazflor and Usan, in Angola and Nigeria respectively, this development is a new milestone in the implementation of Total’s growth strategy.”

The offshore GBS field is located in the Gulf of Thailand’s blocks B16 and B17, approximately 200 km East of Songkhla.

This new standalone development consists of a central processing platform, a living quarter platform and 13 wellhead platforms.

The processing platform has a capacity of 350 million cubic feet of gas per day and 15,000 barrels of condensate per day. Gas is exported via a new build spur line to the PTT grid while condensate is exported to the existing Floating, Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel at the Greater Bongkot North field, which is located 80 km to the north.

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Industry News


Lyon, France: Yole Développement announces its report ‘MEMS Packaging’. This report is featuring a full analysis of packaging, assembly & test requirements application by application as well as a focus on Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) package substrates.

The MEMS packaging market is growing two times faster than the IC packaging market. “The MEMS packaging market is growing two times faster (~ 20 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)) in terms of package unit shipments than what is predicted for the overall IC package market,” explains Jérôme Baron, business unit manager, Advanced Packaging at Yole Développement. WLP/TSV platform is set to grow the fastest while leadframe and organic laminate based packages are poised to grow at 16 percent CAGR over the next five years.

There are plenty of MEMS and sensors to be found in recent smartphone designs: MEMS accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, electronic compass magnetometers, multiple silicon MEMS microphones, FBAR / BAW filters & duplexers, RF switches and MEMS oscillators: there is no doubt that MEMS content is growing faster than standard IC content.

MEMS Packaging, Assembly, Test & Calibration Market Will Value At US$2.3 Billion By 2016

In terms of how the packaging is involved, it is all about orchestrating the assembly of MEMS sensors and their related ASIC inside a module. But this is costly: packaging, assembly, test and calibration steps account for nearly 35 percent to 60 percent of a total MEMS packaged module’s cost.

MEMS types of packaging are more complex than most standard IC packages because they require ‘System-in-Package’ type of assembly. Additionally, most MEMS packages are connecting sensors to their final environment, bringing very specific constraints at the module level such as building a cavity, a hole in the substrate or metal lead for pressure sensor and microphones, an optical window for optical MEMS, a full vacuum hermeticity at the die level.

While there are a lot of developments happening for high reliability, low cost MEMS packages in the automotive, medical and industrial application space, the number of MEMS and sensors going into mobile, consumer and gaming applications is expected to continue to grow, driving integration of a high number of MEMS and sensor devices. As a result, OSAT and wafer foundry players are getting more interested in MEMS module packaging, as volume

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and complexity of MEMS SiP modules is increasing.

System-level integration (including package co-design & software competencies, SiP module assembly, passive integration and 3D TSV / WLP capabilities) will be key to leverage a high added value solution to final OEM customers as well as an efficient infrastructure to support the high volume grow of consumer MEMS applications. “There are many different players with different designs, and it is not likely we will see one solution adopted by all the players. Expect to see a blooming of several ‘big niches’ standards in the future, driven by the biggest and most successful players,” says Laurent Robin, activity leader, Inertial MEMS Devices & Technologies at Yole Développement.

Alberta, Canada: Tervita Corp, a North American environmental and energy services company, has entered into an exclusive lease agreement with TTS Energy Canada for the first rack and pinion service rig on the continent.

This rig technology is safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional rigs, as it requires fewer workers to operate while keeping those employees at a safer distance from the operation. It also has the flexibility of being powered by diesel or electricity provided by one of the company's Steam

Tervita Signs Agreement For First Green Rig

Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) clients, who already generate power from onsite steam plants.

The patented rack and pinion technology allows the rig to push and pull. Typically a rig requires up to five workers onsite, but with the rig's automation technology, only three employees are needed to keep it in service.

TTS will begin manufacturing the SR-75-RP 75T rig, with service expected to commence by the end of 2012. The new technology will be pioneered for and first used in Fort McMurray.

Industry News


Wisconsin, US: Newpage Corp announced that it has been awarded the US (8,096,479) and Canadian (CA 2678556) patents for its PointTrac TT, a paper-based substrate for printed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels. The substrate offers RFID label manufacturers the ability to combine thermal transfer printed variable analogue information with advanced RFID chip technology, which facilitates the low-cost production of printed paper RFID labels when compared with traditional multi-layer plastic film substrates.

It also has a special dual functionality built in so that printed barcodes on the label face can be read with a line of sight optical device, or by using an out of sight electronic device.

"The Newpage PointTrac TT technology will allow RFID chips to become more widely used in shipping,

Newpage Awarded Patent For RFID Product

tracking and transactions by making conversion to this technology more affordable," said Jim Sheibley, director of Specialty Business and Product Development.

The substrate is available with third-party chain-of-custody certifications, which provides customers with RFID products, while maintaining a level of both sustainable and renewable attributes. It also joins the company’s broader range of specialty label papers used in supply chain and variable data end uses.

California, US: Autodesk has unveiled its new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, offering a set of integrated and interoperable suites and cloud services to simplify design, visualisation and simulation workflows from product development through delivery. The new Autodesk design suites are geared especially for manufacturers and include Autodesk Product Design Suite and Autodesk Factory Design Suite. The new suites provide a range of cloud services to help manufacturers more efficiently design, build and deliver better products faster and at reduced costs.

“Autodesk’s 2013 portfolio provides our customers with a faster path to ROI (Return-On-Investment) for product development and delivery,” said Robert Kross, senior VP of design, lifecycle and simulation, Autodesk. “Our 2013

Autodesk Unveils New Design Suites And Cloud Services For Manufacturers

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suites and scalable cloud services help manufacturers improve productivity and minimise upfront investment,” he added.

Pennsylvania, US: Air Products has completed the acquisition of Dupont’s stake in Dupont Air Products Nanomaterials (DA Nanomaterials), a joint venture that was shared equally by both companies.

Serving the global semi-conductor and wafer polishing industries, DA Nanomaterials manufactures Chemical Mechanical Planarisation (CMP) slurries, and has a portfolio of copper CMP, tungsten CMP, Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) CMP and wafer polishing applications. This acquisition expands Air Products’ offerings, and is in sync with the company’s line of post-CMP cleaning solutions, as well as its previous acquisition of Poly-Flow Engineering, a manufacturer of CMP delivery and blending equipment for semiconductor manufacturers.

As Wayne Mitchell, VP and GM of Electronics for Air Products said: “This acquisition helps broaden our strategy of delivering a portfolio of differentiated offerings to our semiconductor customers. We will continue to work with our customers to develop new materials and delivery systems for the semiconductor industry that enable next generation devices such as smart phones and tablets.”

Air Products Acquires Dupont’s Stake In Joint Venture

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Industry News


California, US: Lonmark International, a non-profit association for the certification, education and promotion of interoperability standards for control networking, has announced a strategic partnership with OpenADR Alliance, a nonprofit corporation created to foster the development, adoption and compliance of a smart grid standard known as Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR). Both organisations will be working together to enable interoperability between certified products that will better enable commercial buildings to manage their energy uses on the smart grid.

The ‘smart grid’ — digital networks connecting utilities, power-delivery systems and buildings — is designed to keep these buildings from overtaxing the

Collaboration Accelerates Smart Grid Adoption For Commercial Buildings

power grid or having to reduce power consumption. Today, more than one-third of US commercial buildings have some form of energy management and control systems installed, which makes them ideal candidates to participate in utility mandated demand response programs using standard interfaces such as OpenADR.

“In order for buildings to benefit from OpenADR they must have automated control systems that can be programmed to respond to price and DR signals without negatively impacting comfort or productivity,” said Girish Ghatikar, a member of the OpenADR Alliance board of directors. “Having access to energy management systems based on technology like Lonmark standards can help people better manage their

energy consumption.”The company allows buildings

connected to the smart grid to utilise granular automation and enhanced control strategies to better maximise energy efficiency, without impacting client comfort and productivity. Buildings participating in an OpenADR program can leverage on the existing building automation systems and protocols, through a standard interface that uses a common language over any existing IP-based communications network such as the internet. Through a pre-programmed set of events, the building automation system can reduce load according to the messages it receives. In addition, it may bring real-time energy consumption information back to the utility or service provider.

North Carolina, US: The International Society of Automation (ISA) has announced that process safety expert Paul Gruhn with ICS Triplex of Rockwell Automation, will deliver a keynote address at the 58th Annual International Instrumentation Symposium (IIS) on June 6, 2012, in La Jolla, California, US.

Mr Gruhn will address IIS attendees from around the world on lessons learned from process and aerospace accidents and, more importantly, how to avoid them. His presentation will explore and discuss the importance training, awareness and procedures play in minimising hazardous scenarios. Topics include:• whyeveryoneneedstraining• importanceofhavingpeoplefollowprocedures• recognisingthatsomepeopledonotknowwhatthey

do not know• impossible to foresee every possible hazardous

scenario• reusingofsoftwarehasnotalwaysbeensuccessful• nearmissesareoftennotfollowedup• thepastisoftenignored

58th Annual Instrumentation Symposium Hears Process Safety Expert

IIS, ISA’s longest running division symposium, will take place June 4-8, 2012, and will cover all aspects of instrumentation technologies and applications across the automation field. It offers three days of technical programming presented by industry experts, as well as a student paper competition, instrumentation exhibition, networking and more. In addition, instructor-led training courses will be held to complement the technical program. Topics covered at this symposium include process instrumentation, sensors technology, tip timing, measurement and virtual instrumentation to name a few.

Attendees will earn continuing education units for completing the training courses and professional development hours for attending the technical sessions.

IIS is sponsored by Honeywell, an ISA Corporate Partner, and by the following ISA divisions: Aerospace Industries, Test Measurement and Process Measurement and Control. Program development is also in collaboration with ISA’s Automatic Controls and Robotics Division and Chemical and Petroleum Industries Division, and the Propulsion Instrumentation Working Group.

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Industry News


Unified Communication Between Inteliquent And Cisco

Chicago, US: Inteliquent, a provider of global interconnect ion and interoperability solutions, has announced that the first cloud-based collaboration service in the US specifically developed to be resold by Cisco Value-Added Resellers (VAR) and System Integrators (SIs), is now in full production. The new cloud-based service is based on Cisco’s next-generation Unified Communications infrastructure, Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS), and leverages Inteliquent’s expertise in operating and managing IP networks.

The service, first announced and trialed by Inteliquent starting in November 2011 , enables VARs/SIs to deliver a full suite of unified communication and collaboration applications, including single number reach, integrated messaging and presence, video calling and WebEx integration. HCS provides support for single site, multi-site and hybrid premise-based implementations that give flexibility to business customers.

This solution also enables VARs/SIs to sell a monthly subscription-

based solution under their own brand. Additionally, VARs/SIs can provide customised solutions to their client base by integrating HCS with their own managed services. This will offer VARs/SIs the opportunity to differentiate themselves while growing their revenue predictably and without heavy front-end Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) costs for themselves or their customers. The HCS can also be bundled with Inteliquent’s EtherCloud service to create a wholesale solution, and additional value.

Inteliquent has signed agreements and is actively signing additional agreements to take the HCS service to market. “We are excited about the full-scale roll out of this new hosted offer together with Cisco. Adding a cloud-based service to our product portfolio is a natural extension of our network capabilities and leverages our experience in providing highly reliable voice and data services,” comments Surendra Saboo, president and COO, Inteliquent.

“Cisco has a range of go-to-market strategies to meet the growing demand

for cloud collaboration services and Inteliquent’s white label offering of HCS is one model that presents a significant business opportunity for channel partners,” adds Richard McLeod, senior director of worldwide partner collaboration sales and practice management, Cisco.

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North Carolina, US: The Automation Federation is listed among the recipients of the eighth annual Manufacturing Leadership (ML) 100 Awards.

The organisation is an association of member organisations that provides awareness, programs and services that continually advance all facets of the automation profession. It provides advocacy and industry-wide strategic analysis and coordination through its member organisations.

It was selected for the 2012 ML 100 New Workforce Award by manufacturing executive, the global community for manufacturing leadership and producer of the Manufacturing Leadership Summit and ML100 Awards program.

The federation is being recognised for its AutomationSTEM program and its related activities, initiatives and collaborations, including the Alliance with

The Automation Federation Wins Leadership Award

‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology’ (FIRST). AutomationSTEM is designed to make the future workforce aware of the importance of automation and engineering; the many career opportunities available in this broad profession; and the importance science, technology, engineering and math will play in those careers.

An independent judging panel chaired by David Brousell, VP and editorial director, and Jeff Moad, executive editor of manufacturing executive, reviewed project and individual achievement nominations, and the winners were decided by a panel of judges from various companies and organisations in the manufacturing sector.

The Automation Federation was honoured and presented with its 2012 ML100 New Workforce Award for the AutomationSTEM program at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit Awards Gala on May 2, 2012 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, US.

Industry News


Manufacturing Technology Orders Continue To Rise In 2012US: February US manufacturing technology orders totaled US$444.06 million according to AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 9.3 percent from January and up 35.2 percent when compared with the total of US$328.44 million reported for February 2011.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.

“Manufacturing technology orders are off to their best start since 1998,” said AMT president Douglas K Woods. “US manufacturers continue to seek increases in productivity through automation and innovative technologies to increase their global competitiveness.”

The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, compiled by the trade association representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national US orders data of domestic and imported machine

Delcam’s To Show Its CAM Developments At MetalTechBirmingham, UK: Delcam will demonstrate the versions of it range of CAM software at the MetalTech exhibition to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 15 – 19, 2012. The company employs the largest team of CAM developers of any supplier and the results of their work will be seen in new releases of PowerMill for high-speed and five-axis machining, FeatureCAM for feature-based programming, PartMaker for Swiss-type lathes and turn-mill equipment and the Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAM system.

tools and related equipment. Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.

New York, US: LTE smartphones will top 65 million units in 2012, led by the anticipated LTE-enabled iPhone 5 and Samsung’s LTE smartphones. “Mobile wireless royalties for GSM, WCDMA, and LTE smartphones were just under US$20 billion in 2011 but the increase to 65 million LTE smartphones will help push the 2012 royalty total higher,” states research director Philip Solis. “Even though LTE handsets will only total four percent of the total handsets shipped in 2012, total royalty rates will be 14 percent higher,” he added.

Although some 2G royalties are expiring, the growing base of 3G handsets and acceleration of LTE handsets – with combined, but not quite additive, royalties for 2G, 3G, and 4G patents – will keep total mobile wireless royalties growing. Over the last several years, annual handset shipments have gone from hundreds of millions to more than a billion, while the market has shifted toward

LTE Smartphones To Help Drive Up Total Device Intellectual Property Royalties

3G handsets. Companies like Motorola have been in a good position

in recent years with strong patent portfolios for GSM and WCDMA, but that power will shift over the next five years to those with strong 4G positions, including Samsung and Panasonic. “Samsung’s strength in LTE patents will suit it well as one of the strongest LTE handset vendors,” says Mr Solis. He continue: “Companies like Ericsson, Nokia, InterDigital, and Qualcomm will retain their patent position as the market shifts.”

The rising participation of Chinese companies in patent filing and participation in standardisation is also a notable trend. Huawei and ZTE, among other Chinese companies, are very cognizant of the importance of 4G patents. Chinese companies, as well Japanese and South Korean companies, will shift some of the patent power from Europe and the US to the Asia-Pacific.

Industry updates


Plant operators in the process industry demand a high level of reliability and profitability in production. Plants must function in a harsh industrial environment over many years without interruption. In so doing, the automatic interaction among different systems and components of various manufacturers must be ensured on a continuous basis. Communication systems provide the basis for this type of interaction.

Plant operators in the process industry demand industrial communication that is uniform and consistent over the entire production chain, including for continuous and batch processes, and in hazardous areas, has a high level of availability and reliability, is flexible when it comes to modifications and expansions, and is economical to use throughout all phases, from planning to operation.

The technologies of PI (Profibus & Profinet International) meet

these requirements. Specifics of the process industry sector are ideally covered by the PA Device application profile. For plants that use Ethernet, PI provides the Profinet solution, which, on the one hand, utilises existing protocols from the IT world such as TCP/IP or DHCP and, on the other hand, defines supplemental protocols in order to satisfy the more stringent requirements of industr ia l environments for availability, real-time capability, etc.

Against this backdrop it is evident that Profibus and Profinet are not competing solutions, but rather complementary solutions. Profibus is used in continuous processes and is ideally suited for use in hazardous areas. Profinet can also play out its strengths in batch processes and is of primary interest when requirements exist for integration all the way to the corporate management level and for remote maintenance and diagnostic capabilities via the Internet.

Positioning Of Profibus And ProfinetProfibus and Profinet are the only communications systems to fully cover the automation engineering requirements for both production and process automation. This technology development paves the way for developing cost-optimised automation solutions and is especially important for meeting the demand for investment protection, both for existing plants and expansions to existing plants. Process automation applications, in particular, can benefit from both communication systems.

Profibus is optimally equipped for use in process automation. With its integrated Profibus DP communication profi le , intrinsically safe energy supply of devices via the bus, network components customised for the specific application, standardised and as such interchangeable dev ices based on the PA Profile, comprehensive range of diagnostics for devices and bus, and many other features, Profibus is the most powerful solution for process-related applications in the process industry sector. This solution includes complete integration of centralised process-related operations of a plant with upstream and downstream applications involving mostly discrete processes, such as filling and packaging (hybrid automation).

With advances in development, increased use of Ethernet systems in process automation is right around the corner. The range of uses extends from the corporate management level and the process control level all the way down to the field level. The exception to this are continuous processes, which

Profibus and Profinet are the only communications systems to fully cover the automation engineering requirements for both production and process automation. By Dr Peter Wenzel, executive director, PI Germany

EquippedFor TheFuture


often require intrinsic safety. Since there is currently no serviceable intrinsically-safe Ethernet solution available, this will continue to fall under the domain of Profibus PA.

Profinet is already being used successfully as a communication s t a n d a r d i n p r o d u c t i o n automation. It satisfies a wide range of requirements with its in tegrated Ethernet -based communication, ranging from data-intensive parameter assignment up to extremely fast I/O signal transmission. Communication takes place over the same cable in all applications from simple control tasks to highly demanding motion control applications.

Innovation Of Profinet For Process AutomationFor optimal use of Profinet in all sectors of process automation,

PI has created a requirements catalogue in col laborat ion with users. Focus was given to investment protection for the end user because, as mentioned previously, instrumentation in a process control system typically has a life cycle of several decades. In this manner, it is ensured that plant operators can already rely on a future-proof system based on Profibus and can change to Profinet at any time.

The requirements mainly include the functions for cyclic and acyclic data exchange, in tegrat ion o f f i e ldbuses , integration and parameterisation of devices including Configuration in Run (CiR), diagnostics and maintenance, redundancy, and time stamping.

The energy-limited bus feed of devices in hazardous areas on

Ethernet has not been formulated as a requirement, since Profibus PA already provides an ideal, proven solution for this. In addition, proven, field-tested Ethernet solutions currently do not exist for this.

Integration Of Fieldbus Systems Alongside the technical advantages that Profinet offers to users in the process automation sector exists the intrinsic demand to protect current and future investments in f ieldbus technology and instrumentation.

To meet this demand, the Profinet proxy concept has been developed to serve as a fieldbus integration solution. This concept enables integration of the three communication systems encountered in process industries – Profibus PA, HART, and Foundation Fieldbus.

Diagnostics And MaintenanceFieldbus systems are characterised by comprehensive diagnostic capabilities, which explains why corresponding requirements have been placed on Profinet as well. These include, for example, requirements for providing and transmitting Identification and Maintenance (I&M) data, as is familiar from Profibus applications, or for communication of events and transmission of device status, as standardised in Namur Recommendation 107.

Changes that are made manually on the device itself or by means of external parameterisation tools are signaled via Profinet to the control system as parameter change events.

Fieldbus Integration with Proxy technology ENQUIRY NO. 3101

Newsdesk


Newsdesk


For many years there has been a rumour of an improved CAN protocol. At the 13th international CAN Conference (iCC) organised by the CAN in Automation (CiA) nonprofit association, Bosch introduced the CAN-FD (Flexible Data-rate) protocol. It is backwards compatible to the CAN data link layer protocol as standardised in ISO 11898-1. It allows higher transmission speeds in part of the data frame: Bosch and Vector demonstrated a 15 Mbit/s CAN-FD network prototype using off-the-shelf transceiver chips compliant with ISO 11898-2.

Besides the increase of throughput, the introduced protocol supports larger payloads.

11898-6. These chips will enable partial networking; this means the user will be able to switch single devices on and off, in order to reduce energy consumption.

A l l p re s e n t a t i o n s w e re technical in nature, with nearly no product placements. A good example was a paper about new strategies to detect CAN nodes in a network, which are configured wrongly regarding the bit-timing. The authors presented interesting solutions: They measure the individual ‘fingerprint’ of the CAN node by means of an oscilloscope.

Another speaker reported in detail about challenges during the design of one of the largest CAN networks. This system with more than 1,500 CAN nodes was used to illuminate the Olympic Rings in Vancouver (Canada).

T h e c o n f e r e n c e w a s accompanied by a tabletop exhibition. Several companies showed their latest products. In addition, CiA celebrated its 20th anniversary at the conference. The international users’ and manufacturers’ group organises, since 1994, the iCC, and develops the CANopen specifications. The CiA international headquarters i n N u r e m b e rg , G e r m a n y, organises also CAN seminars for beginners as well as for dedicated applications.

ENQUIRY NO. 3102

Up to 64 bytes are transmitted in a single data-frame. This avoids in many cases a segmentation of data. Several car makers (eg: General Motors and Renault) were interested in the new protocol. For the automotive industry it is very important that the CAN cabling and the other physical layer components including transceiver chips can be reused.

Other industries are also interested in the CAN-FD protocol. One paper focused on how to map the CANopen application layer to CAN-FD. Most important is the prolongation of Process Data Objects (PDOs). PDOs with up to a 64 byte payload wi l l a l low transmission of different 64-bit commands in one message, which overcomes data consistency problems.

“In particular, the drive and motion control industry will appreciate this feature,” said Heinz-Juergen Oertel, former technical director, CiA.

The iCC took place in Germany and was participated by more than 130 experts from all over the world, including India and Malaysia. The speakers covered several topics such as Linux software drivers, CAN applications, and usage of CAN-related tools. At the conference some silicon vendors launched their CAN transceivers supporting selective wake-up functionality as standardised in ISO

13th International

Holger Zeltwanger, MD, CiA, opened the iCC with a keynote paper about CAN-based higher-layer protocols.

CAN Conference

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T h e F i e l d b u s F o u n d a t i o n joined the FDT Group, HART Communication Foundation, P I (Prof ibus and Prof ibus International) and the OPC Foundation, to host the second co-sponsored Field Communication Lounge in Hall 9, Booth D05, at this year’s Hannover Fair, Germany.

With its theme, “Bringing Field Communications together for YOU,” the aim of the Field Communication Lounge is to create a single area for visitors to see and experience the latest in field communication technologies and discuss how these technologies work together to deliver powerful results to improve plant operations, performance and a company’s profitability.

The LoungeThe Lounge’s combined exhibit concept better aligns with the way in which users often integrate field communication technologies at their own facilities. Visitors to

the fair will have a central location to discuss and compare the leading automation communication protocols — their advantages, their applications, their integration, and how they can work together.

One key feature of the 570sqm Field Communication Lounge is the common display area in which the organisations will exhibit their individual process and factory automation communication technolog ies in dedicated technology kiosks.

Technology DemonstrationsThe Fieldbus Foundation will use its technology kiosk to conduct live technology demonstrations using its multi-vendor systems to show the key benefits of Foundation fieldbus including process integrity, business intelligence and open, scalable integration. The demonstration systems consist of several live Foundation fieldbus segments, featuring three Distributed Control System (DCS) systems and numerous field devices and physical layer components. The fully functional set-up allows the demonstration of all situations which may occur during the installation, commissioning and operation of a real process plant.

Diagnostics according to Namur recommendation NE107; Control in the Field (CIF), and performance under extreme conditions will be simulated; and the new DesignMate software planning and implementation tool will be utilised.

In add i t ion to the f i ve technology displays, member companies of each association have the opportunity to be fea tured on purpose -bu i l t company kiosks to present practical field communications solutions including field devices, configuration, control and asset management app l ica t ions , wireless technology, integration products, and other solutions that deliver value and benefits to the enterprise today and in the future.

Technology PresentationsThe F ie ld Communicat ion L o u n g e a l s o f e a t u r e s a common presentation forum in which experts from the five organisations will present the latest field device communication technology solutions during a series of 30-minute technical and educational presentations to be held daily.

Thomas Kasten, chairman, Fieldbus Foundation German Marketing Committee, said: “This collaborative concept by leading technology organisations was first introduced at the 2011 Hannover Fair. We received so much positive feedback from show visitors that it was clear that we would adopt the Field Communication Lounge concept again for the major shows in Germany during 2012 — and this year we welcome the addition of OPC Foundation to the group.”

Visitors To The Fair Will Have A Central Location To Discuss And Compare The Leading Automation Communication Protocols.


ENQUIRY NO. 3103

Fieldbus Foundation At Hannover Fair 2012

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ENQUIRY NO. 3104

Inter mittent bit errors are relatively simple to detect, eg: the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) mechanisms of the protocol frames have a high success rate of finding them. However, such bit errors are very difficult to localise: where in the network is the electromagnetic noise issue, the faulty shielding or the damaged transceiver?

Most classical fieldbus systems are party-line technologies. All nodes are connected, directly or via drop lines, to the same physical line. If bit errors occur, a common strategy is to separate the network in two parts and watch in which part the errors

disappear. However, this does not really work, since changing the network length changes the entire electrical characteristics of the system.

EtherCAT Not A Party-Line TechnologyEtherCAT is not a party-line technology. The nodes are daisy chained, with the physical signal being generated from every node. This means that there is no such thing as a traveling disturbance, resulting in a bit error on the far side of the network. The physical layer is therefore robust by design. Also, every node is constantly monitoring every frame for possible bit errors. If the EtherCAT slave controller detects a bit error, it flags it to the downstream nodes and increments a local error counter.

The EtherCAT bi t error diagnosis therefore goes much further than the usual error detect ion mechanisms: bit errors are not only detected, but localised to the section between two nodes and can therefore be fixed very quickly. This feature, which EtherCAT provides due to its functional principle of processing on the fly, results in reduced plant downtime.

In ConclusionEven though with EtherCAT most protocol errors and interoperabi l i ty issues are captured at the compulsory conformance test, it is reassuring to know that such cases can be diagnosed within EtherCAT networks relatively simply. Unlike all switch or hub based Industrial Ethernet technologies,

with EtherCAT at any point in the network the entire protocol can be captured and analysed. This includes reliable timing information, as this has not been distorted by the cascaded switches. This type of diagnosis is not required for users or system integrators, but the device vendors nevertheless are very grateful for this possibility.

Besides good performance, the low costs and the flexible topology, the simple diagnosis certainly has become a key factor for the EtherCAT success. It contributes to ‘ease of use’, for which EtherCAT is known for as well.

EtherCAT topology is based on daisy chaining: the physical signal generated from scratch in each node, which makes the network very robust.

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issues & insights

IAA: What does PC-based control offer Facility Automation?David Chia (DC): In PC-based control we offer a universal and scalable solution, which is PC-based but also Ethernet-based architecture. IO systems driven by dedicated software are some of the key features of PC-based control.

IAA: What is unique about the Beckhoff solution and why is PC-based control better with Beckhoff?DC: We started of with PC-based control 26 years ago. We were one of the first companies to develop the idea that all these controls could be done on a single PC platform.

Being a pioneer also means we spent a lot of effort over the past 26 years making sure that the platform works. So, for us in essence we consolidated and said, the basis for PC-based control, the Beckhoff concept, is a very powerful industrial PC, where the key is powerful are industrial. The second thing is a very fast fieldbus network, and the third one is a very flexible software system. To ensure that we have all this under control, ie: the software

components and all the hardware components, all the industrial PCs, IO systems are developed and manufactured in-house, down to the PCBs, so we have absolute control over the products that we use.

IAA: What trends are Beckhoff Automation following in terms of facility automation and PC-based control?DC: Facility automation takes care of the HVAC, the lightings, the energy monitoring, the room automation and so on. So, we have separate production automation systems with subsystems that are not integrated. PC-based control is better suited to manage such systems.

We are looking at all these systems coming under one roof, not that they are all running from one controller but that controllers are all based on the same scalable platform.

IAA: What are the challenges for this?DC: The challenges are the market understanding of what is PC-based. I think that there is a misconception that PC-based means I have to program it like

Facility AutomationPC-Based Control In

IAA spoke with David Chia, MD, Beckhoff Automation (SEA) on the application of PC-based control in the facility automation sector. By Mark Johnston

it is a PC, I have to use C, I have to use C++, or VB. It could be very difficult to maintain, like my laptop, two years down the road it could be obsolete, and of course a worry over whether Microsoft Windows will crash.

IAA: How do you see such trends as multicore computing, cloud computing, and developments in network architecture affecting PC-based and facility automation control in the next five to ten years?DC: It is giving us, Beckhoff, a very good way to move, eg: multicore computing, this is a feature that we put in TwinCAT III, which is to be launched in September 2012. A processor with four cores, for example, we can now dedicate each core down to a specific function, a PLC function, an HMI function, that is not possible with a normal PLC or a normal PC.

We a l s o s e e n e t w o r k architectures, there are a lot of fieldbuses in the market, for example, Ethernet IP and Profibus. We see that in the future all these should be moving towards Ethernet based, where a single super highway, based on TCP/IP, whether you are using a different,

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METALTECH_di-soric_2012_final.indd 2 10.04.12 11:51May 2012 | industrial automation asia 29

region, and every country is at a different state of development. Singapore is differently ahead of the pack in terms of technology awareness followed by Malaysia and Thailand.

When it comes to adopting PC-based control, I think Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia should be at a higher level of acceptance, but I do not dismiss countries like Indonesia or Vietnam, not leap frogging the rest, and going from a more conventional to a PLC, and eventually PC-based control , I see them adopting the latest technology, similar to what we are seeing in China.

IAA: To summarise, what are the advantages of PC-based control over more traditional ENQUIRY NO. 3201

let us say, MODBUS TCP or Ethernet IP, or EtherCAT, all of these are going onto the same physical architecture.

We are also looking at how to make use of cloud computing. Of course, not to do the actual controls, the actuals controls still has to sit within an physical controller in the facilities, but the programming part, the version controls, the collaboration between engineers, all this can definitely can be stored in the cloud.

IAA: What is unique about the Southeast Asian region, regarding PC-based control?DC: Southeast Asia is seen as a collection of countries with very unique characteristics. there are 10 countries within the ASEAN

PLC methods of control?DC: In PC-based control, or rather the concepts we push through in facility automation, it is PC-based and Ethernet based, we see the advantages as being able to provide scalable and universal solutions based on the transparent automation system, a system that is open and transparent.

Besides that, we want to really take care that modification and extension of the system is possible throughout the entire lifecycle of the facility, and in five years a company is still free to change and upgrade. To the designer we see one big advantage, being Ethernet based, you really have a free choice of network topology.

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Using the machine wall to close the light barrier loop, gives a photo sensor the advantage of combining the benefits of both retro-reflective sensor and diffuse sensor mode. By Andy Wong, product marketing manager, Baumer (Singapore)

Sensor:


issues & insights

A Retro-reflective photo sensor is widely used in automation machiner y a nd robot ic

assemblies as a cost effective solution for detection applications. Retro-reflective sensing is based on a beam-break mode. As such, it is generally independent from the reflectivity of the object to be detected. For this reason, it is a relatively reliable sensing mode.

Sensor LimitationsThe reflectors, however, are always portrayed as a weakest link in a machine build, due to its construction. This is especially true when there is a need for hygienic installation, where mechanical work is added to comply with hygienic conditions. Areas such as direct high-pressure washdown, and chemical wash, makes it more challenging for users to replace the reflector, which would have to be changed as part of the maintenance.

Due to this, a lot of machine makers use diffuse photo sensor, which is limited by the type of objects to be detected. For example, the diffuse sensor would fail to

detect highly reflective objects that are capable of diverting light source to other angles and absorption materials.

Through beam mode consist of much more wiring, and its installation is challenging compared to both the diffuse and retro-reflective mode. As such, an alternative solution was introduced.

Best Of Both WorldsThe SmartReflect photo sensor uses the machine wall to close the light barrier loop, giving the advantage of combining the benefits of both retro-reflective sensor and diffuse sensor mode, minus the weaknesses of both modes.

The principle drive behind the sensor uses Triangular Technology to mark/memorise the distance of the reference wall, any object that goes in between. Loss or differences in reflecting light source index will trigger the sensor. As such, the technology gives a more stable and secure detection than traditional light barrier technology. ENQUIRY NO. 3202

The photo sensor technology offers a number of advantages. It has no functional impairment due to contamination on the sensor or the reflecting reference point. Transparent objects can also be detected, and it eliminates the plastic reflector with a replacement of the machine wall to close the light barrier loop.

With these advantages, users can benefit with higher process reliability, since the reflector is eliminated as a weak spot. Installation time is also cut down, as no separate reflector/receiver is necessary, therefore, cleaning of the reflector is also superfluous after batch production.

The sensor can be mounted in a top down position using the running conveyor as a reflection reference point to detect the presence of objects. It can also be deployed on a highly hygienic area, for the food and beverage industry, eliminating the deployment of plastic reflectors.

Additionally, the sensor can recognise transparent objects.


In recent years, the advanced functionality embedded in field instruments and the evolution of the field network require DCS controllers (Figure

1) to have the capability to process a wide variety of information at higher speeds. As field instruments advance, there is a need to exchange large amount of process data and parameters among various diagnostic devices for stability of plant operation. The modern Field Control Station (FCS) is expected to have quicker processing speed to handle the increasing amounts of data from the field.

Processing Method Of Process DataLet us take a closer look at the architecture of a newly developed FCS that enhances the processing performance of process data and field instrument data.

Asynchronous Parallel Access MethodThe Asynchronous Parallel Access method was adopted in older generation of DCS. As shown in Figure 2, FCS has an I/O communication module separately from a CPU module. The I/O communication module inputs and outputs process data at its own periodic intervals, and maps the data in the memory storage, which can be accessed from the CPU module.

The main processor of the CPU module accesses the I/O data mapped on the memory to update the I/O data for control computation, giving this method an advantage of reducing the load of the main processor for I/O access. However, since the I/O access cycle of the I/O communication processor is not synchronised with the control scan of the main processor, the reaction time tends to be longer: the time from the detection of a process data value by sensor devices to its use in the main processor for control computation.

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For the past 35 years, developments of a Distributed Control System (DCS) have been evolving to raise productivity and enhance plant operation. By Kouichi Ooya, marketing manager, Yokogawa Electric (Japan)

Figure1: Flow of data processed by FCS

DistributedControl

process control

process control


Direct Access MethodResearchers later introduced the Direct Access Data Processing Method as shown in Figure 3. The main processor of the CPU module directly communicates with I/O Modules (IOMs) to exchange process data with IOMs.

Since the main processor can directly access the data in the IOMs, the reaction time can be much shorter and the controllability is better than those when the Asynchronous Parallel Access method is adopted. However, the load of the main processor becomes higher because the main processor must wait to receive the data from IOMs.

Particularly when IOMs are distributed in wide area network via optical fibre, the required I/O access time for the main processor to communicate with IOMs becomes longer, creating non-negligible load for the main processor as well.

Latest Synchronous Parallel Access MethodThe latest Synchronous Parallel Access method combines the advantage of the Asynchronous Parallel Access method and that of the Direct Access method. As shown in Figure 4, it shortens the reaction time and provides excellent controllability as well as keeps the load of the main processor low.

In order to synchronise the control scan of the main processor with the I/O access, both the I/O

communication processor and main processor are mounted on the CPU module.

In the case of the synchronous Parallel Access method, the I/O communication processor completes the collection of process data just before the start of the control scan cycle in the main processor. In order to achieve this, the mechanism that periodic interrupt events along with assumed I/O processing time based on the amount of input process data that is sent to the I/O communication processor has been developed.

The main processor clocks the time based on periodic interrupt events, and the time for starting the control scan cycle is determined by these periodic events. As such, the I/O communication processor starts inputting process data at the timing ahead of the I/O processing time by counting backward from the periodic interrupt event at which the next control scan cycle starts. Therefore, the collection of process data can be completed just before the main processor starts the control scan cycle.

Improvement In Processing Performance The use of the Synchronous Parallel Access method has improved the processing performance of not only process data for control loops, but also field instrument data.

Current ConcernsAs mentioned earlier, FCS is required to process a large amount of various types of process data from field instruments. In the case of the Direct Access method, the main processor accesses device diagnosis parameters and then sends them to the plant asset management software as shown in Figure 6.

The main processor needs to perform control computation using process data and to execute processing related to the device diagnosis parameters, which is required for the plant asset management. For

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Figure 2: Asynchronous parallel access method

Figure 3: Direct access method

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Increase inI/O access load

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Figure 4: Synchronous parallel access method


ENQUIRY NO. 3301

this reason, in the case of the Direct Access method, the amount of control computation needs to be limited to preserve sufficient processor power to handle device diagnosis parameters as well.

I/O Communication Processor SolutionSince device diagnosis parameters are not needed for control computation, the main processor does not handle those parameters. In terms of improving performance of control computation as mentioned in the earlier section, it is desirable to process massive device diagnosis parameters without increasing the load of the main processor.

In the new mechanism, the I/O communication processor performs both the sending and receiving of field instrument data, including communication with IOMs and the plant asset management software, which the main processor used to be performing.

Consequently, this mechanism provides parallel processing as shown in Figure 7: control computation performed by the main processor and communication of device diagnosis parameters performed by the I/O communication processor, efficiently obtaining a larger amount of field instrument data.

When adopting this new mechanism, instead of the main processor, the I/O communication processor needs to generate the communication frames to be sent to IOMs. In order to ensure the same level of reliability as before, a new mechanism to collate the frames repeatedly by hardware and software has been adopted.

By adopting the Synchronous Parallel Access method in which the I/O communication processor is equipped in the CPU module, the FCS is capable of improving processing performance of process data and processing performance of device diagnosis parameters.

Since this architecture achieves field instrument data processing without any increase in the load of the

main processor that performs control computation, it provides an easy functional improvement environment for the larger amount of field instrument data.

For example, if some of the functions performed in the asset management software are executed in the I/O communication processor in the FCS, responsive usability of the field instrument data will be improved. Future functional enhancement and increased field instrument data processing speed are expected owing to this architecture.

Figure 6: Flow of device diagnosis parameters (previous method)

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Main processor

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Figure 7: Improving efficiency of field instrument data communications processing

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versatile installationE2/000

24h*... always in stock.igus® Singapore Pte Ltd15 Shaw Road, #03-02 Singapore 367953

TEL: +65 6487 1411 FAX: +65 6487 1511 Email: [email protected]

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software & Networks

The fibre optic cable has been around for decades and has come a long way in its development.The technology has become

ever more pervasive and goes hand in hand with high speed data transfer. This used to be the realm of wide bandwidth internet access, currently being rolled out to many people across the globe. However, in late 2009 something else happened with an announcement from Intel.

The TechnologyThe announcement was a technology, codenamed ‘Light Peak’, which was a multi-protocol optical cable interconnect.

The technology delivers high bandwidth using optical technology starting at 10 Gb/s, reaching a possible 100 Gb/s by 2020. Consider that USB 3.0 achieves a maximum data tranfer speed of 5 Gb/s, this puts the implications of ‘Light Peak’ into perpective.

‘Light Peak’ or Thunderbolt as it is now called, is already being fitted to an increasing number of computers as an additional port. With a data transfer speed of 10 Gb/s, it would be possible to tranfer a full-length 1,080p movie in less than 30 seconds.

The technology allows for smaller connectors and longer, thinner, and more flexible cables than currently possible. And as said previously, it also supports multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable. This would allow multiple devices to be connected using the same cable, instead of having a seperate cable for monitors, peripherals, etc.

Reason For DevelopmentWith an increasing need for higher bandwidth, ‘Light Peak’ seemed like a obvious development. But the advantages are not just in data transfer speed, but in the technologies acceptance of multiple protocols, simplfing the complexity of multiple cables for multiple purposes. Now, all that is required is one cable with one interconnect for a range of multiple devices, including monitors, disk drives, cameras, and other peripherals devices. To sum up, speed and complexity savings are problems that this technology can solve with great effect.

The amount of media consumed will only increase, and the need for such a cabling solution will also increase with this need.

Multiple Protocol SupportOne of the main elements of ‘Light Peak’ is its controller chip. This chip enables protocol switching and supports multiple protocols over a single cable.

In the case of attaching a monitor to a PC, a display cable needs to be plugged into a display connector, but with ‘Light Peak’, the controller chip simply switches to a different protocol enabling multiple devices to be connected to the same port.

Overcoming LimitationsExisting electrical cable technology has certain limitations attributed to its electrical characteristics that do not, in the same way, effect optical technology that uses light as its data tranfer mode.

One of the initial design goals for ‘Light Peak’ was low cost. A first step was to design the optical modules to be manufactured passively as prior to this, many optical modules used active assembly. This means that the module is turned on during assembly to make criticial alignments. The thought was for the technology to ultimately be used in many computers and peripheral devices. This would enable cost savings to increase proportionally to devices being sold than optical cabling, for example, those used in data centres.

Another point worth mentioning is that the technologies for optical modules were designed with PC requirements in mind, and not the much stricter requirements of the telecom industry. This, in itself, would allow many of the optical specifications, such as, operating lifetime, temperature ranges, etc, to be relaxed. The relaxation of many of these requirements means that the return on investment for many of the components used, goes up, as what is required from them is relaxed.

The need for increased speed and reduced complexity is ever increasing and is often a symbol of technology advancement. Recent developments in optical technology do just that, increase speed and reduce complexity. By Mathew Lee

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AFor Fibre


instrumentation & measurement

IAA: Tell me about your company’s history?Lim Chee Wan (LCW): We started in 1981. At that time we functioned as a reseller, but over time we realised we cannot just be a reseller, and so over the years we built up our knowledge and got into system integration. We used our background in process measurement and instrumentation to provide a total solution for our customers.

IAA: How has the process industry changed over the years?LCW: Initially you might have just needed a simple analogue output, but since then the equipment has advanced for new plants, which now incorporate things like Modbus, Profibus, instead of hardwiring.

IAA: Are you solely involved in the water industry?LCW: Although we have a number of divisions within the company, I am with the water division. We have another group that is doing marine, then there is another group that is doing electrical system covering, semiconductors, petrochemicals and oil refineries. We have our own proprietary brand of instruments, known as iSolv.

IAA: Can you tell me more about iSolv?LCW: We found that over the years not having our own brand put us at a disadvantage, so

Singaporethe management decided the company should create its own brand. As a result, we created iSolv based on our many years of experience.

IAA: What is unique about the company’s iSolv brand?LCW: What it means is that because it is branded under iSolv, we have full control over certain things, like technical and marketing.

IAA: What exhibitions do you participate in?LCW: Singapore International Water Week is one, we have also exhibited at some regional exhibitions like Propak Asia. We also exhibited at the China International Beverage Industry Exhibition on Science & Technology (CBST) in Shanghai, China.

IAA: What new products are you working on?LCW: For the past few years a lot of emphasis and resources have been channeled into new product development. The new product development includes projects like an alternative way of treating cooling tower water.

IAA: What is the alternative way of treating cooling tower water?LCW: It is a green system to take over the chemical being used to treat the cooling tower. By using our system the customer does not need to add any extra chemicals into our system.

IAA: How much investment do you give to developing new technology and products?LCW: I would say in terms of capital investment costs for the development of new products, it would be a range of five to seven percent of the company turnover.

IAA: How has the company changed over the years?LCW: When I first joined the company it was sti l l quite product-based, meaning selling instruments. Over the past few years, we have been deploying a lot of our resources mainly in system sales. We aim to increase our revenue in system sales.

IAA: Why are you focusing more on system sales?LCW: Because you have to value add. There is no way you can charge customers a premium without putting everything together and giving the customer a total solution from end to end.

Individual instruments are all commodities, you can also get a similar one at a much cheaper price elsewhere, but to put them together you need the right background and industrial knowledge and experience.

Flow TechnologyIn

ENQUIRY NO. 3501

IAA spoke with Lim Chee Wan, manager at Flotech, a company founded in 1981 in Singapore. By Mark Johnston


instrumentation & measurement

Ea r l y i n s t r u m e n t s f o r measurement began with simple balances for measuring

weights of products, and water clocks for measuring time. In 1663 Christopher Wren presented the Royal Society with a design for a ‘weather clock’ that would record temperature, humidity, rainfall and barometric pressure.

The device features a moving graph recording the various parameters through meteorological sensors moving pens over paper driven by clockwork. This concept has remained virtually unchanged until the advent of pneumatic chart recorders, where a pressurised bellow displaces a pen.

It was not until the industrial revolution that sensors, displays, recorders and controls started to

Process and control systems exist in many application areas including test labs, assembly and fabrication plants to military, medical and automotive. Acquiring data from sensors involves precision measurement and processing of analogue voltages and currents. Accuracy, precision, noise rejection and processing speeds are all important aspects of this process. By Augustine Quek

MeasurementProcess

be integrated.The commercialisation of the

transistor in the 1950s allowed electronic measurements to be used in virtually every industrial setting. In the 1970s, the 4-20mA range used in electronic instrument signals for transmitters and valves was standardised as ANSI/ISA S50, ‘Compatibility of Analog Signals for Electronic Industrial Process Instruments’.

Common process variables that are measured include temperature, pressure, flow rate and dimension (length, thickness etc) . For parameters such as temperature, pressure and flow rates, the process usually involves a fluid (liquid or gas), while dimensional accuracy is important for solid parts.

Temperature, Pressure And FlowMany methods have been d e v e l o p e d f o r m e a s u r i n g temperature. Most of these rely on measuring some physical property of a working material that varies with temperature.

A c o m m o n d e v i c e f o r temperature measurement is the thermocouple. The device consisting of two dif ferent conductors (usual ly metal alloys) that produce a voltage, proportional to a temperature difference, between either end of the two conductors.

Pressure is the force exerted per unit area and is usually measured by gauges or diaphragms either in static or differential mode. Almost all temperature and

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pressure sensors now come with its own display unit for direct, on-the-spot reading.

Flow measurement is the quantification of bulk fluid flow and can be measured in a variety of ways: mechanically, pressure, optically, electromagnetic, and vortex, for example. Displacement flow meters accumulate a fixed volume of fluid and then count the number of times the volume is filled to measure flow.

Other flow measurement methods rely on forces produced by the flowing stream as it overcomes a known constriction, to indirectly calculate flow. Flow may be measured by measuring the velocity of fluid over a known area.

One potential problem with most flow measurements is the expansion and contraction of pipes due to temperature between day and night and between seasons. In some cases, high temperatures may even vaporise the liquid causing the flowmeters to stop operating.

DimensionsSimilar to flow measurements, a range of sensor technologies exist for dimensional accuracy dur ing the manufactur ing process. These can be contact (touch probes) or noncontact (eg: laser, and electrical) . Numerous touch and noncontact probes and probe software that increase machine tool automation, improve process control and allow advanced on-machine part verification are used on automation lines.

The eddy current sensor measures the distance to the spray mould, while the optoNCDT laser sensor measures the distance to the sprayed component. The eddy currents pass through the sprayed skin to the nickel-coated spray mould, while the laser sensor supplies

the reference distance to the skin surface. These processed signals are then subtracted from one another to provide an accurate measurement of the thickness of the applied paint skin.

Therefore, a large variety of process measurements exist and many of the technologies

have been in use for decades. Latest innovations involving a c o m b i n a t i o n s e n s o r system continues to provide measurement so lut ions to problems that was thought impossible only years ago.

ENQUIRY NO. 3502

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energy

To avoid any explosion, the operator of a process plant has the chance to eliminate at least one of the three basic properties belonging to the so-

called ignition triangle. These are basically a fuel, an ignition source and an oxidiser. An explosion can only occur when all three items are coming together at the same time.

What can be done to avoid this occurrence? Very often, chemical substances to be stored or transported for later use in a downstream process must be regarded as fuels. Ignition sources for example, an electrical spark introduced by a current source or a hot surface in the surrounding area cannot be easily eliminated without some effort and additional costs.

Furthermore, the absence of any ignition source at any time is hard to maintain across the whole

production area and its supply chain. The easiest way to reduce the risk of an explosion is through the reduction of the presence of any substance in the environment which can act as an oxidiser like the oxygen molecules in the ambient air. This can be achieved for example, by introducing a non-reactive gas, a so-called inert gas, to replace the air. Suitable inert gases are nitrogen, carbon dioxide, flue gases, and all noble gases. Consequently, the process to replace a potential oxidising atmosphere by a non-reactive gas is called inertisation.

Inertisation ProcessesThe inertisation of storage tanks, pipelines and/or process devices is not only used for preventing fire and explosions. It can also be applied to avoid unwanted chemical reactions, like product degradation,

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The safety of various chemical processes and the supply chain can only be secured if they are kept under a controlled and modified gas atmosphere. By Dr Michael Markus, division manager, and Gerd Kieper, product manager, Sick


discolouration and undesired secondary reactions. As such, the general target of inertisation is either to eliminate oxygen in the environment or at least to reduce its concentration to an acceptable and safe limit. The safe area which needs to be established at any time to prevent a hazardous situation is defined as the Lower Explosion Limit (LEL) and the Upper Explosion Limit (UEL) of the fuel to be considered.

LEL and UEL are the lower and upper limits of the fuel concentration range, which would allow flame propagation in the presence of air. A flame propagation cannot take place below or above LEL and UEL, respectively. In practical terms, a fuel mixture below the LEL is too lean to ignite or explode, whereas a mixture above the UEL will be too rich. The required limits are typically given in percentage range of volume or in g/m³ units.

The maximum oxygen concentration which can be regarded as safe is the so called Limiting Oxygen Concentration (LOC). Therefore, the LOL value defines the maximum allowed oxygen level inside a mixture of a flammable gas, air and any inert gas constituents in which an explosion will not occur. The inert gas

is either used to purge a vessel before filling it with the fuel or will be filled in as a safety or protective atmosphere above the product. Such a vessel can be a storage tank or a degassing silo, but also a chemical or pharmaceutical reactor, a centrifuge, a dryer, a mixer, a mill or any other equipment containing flammable material. Inertisation In PracticeThere are different ways to achieve a safe atmosphere or an inertisation inside a vessel.

Vacuum Inerting: This is a common method for the inertisation of vessels meant for vacuum operation. This procedure is normally not suitable for large storage tanks because they are usually not designed for vacuum conditions and can only withstand a negative differential pressure of a few mbar. The single operating steps include:

• Create a vacuum in the vessel until a desired residual pressure is reached

• Re-pressurise the vessel to atmospheric pressure with an inert gas, such as nitrogen

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ad4_april2012.indd 1 16/04/2012 12:19:40


energy

The steps are repeated until the desired oxygen concentration is reached.

Pressure Iner ting: Vessels may be pressurised by adding inert gas, followed by venting to the ambient environment. More than one pressurisation cycle might be necessary to reduce the oxygen content to the desired concentration. An advantage over vacuum purging i s that the pressur isat ion process is much faster. The disadvantage is that the process consumes more inert gas.

Flow Through Inerting: In the flow-through purging process, a purge gas is introduced to a vessel at one inlet, and flushes the mixed gas inside the vessel at another outlet. This purging process is commonly used when the vessels or equipment are not rated for over- or under-pressure. The purge gas is added and vented at atmospheric pressure. The process can be expensive for purging large storage tanks as it consumes a large quantity of inert gas.

Continuous inert ing methods are used permanently or on demand, respectively. Fixed-rate inertisation requires a continuous feeding of the inert gas into the enclosure at a constant rate and results in a corresponding release of a mixture of inert gas and flammable gas from the vessel’s head space. To ensure that the vessel is completely protected, the flow rate of the inert must be sufficient to satisfy even peak-demand requirements.

Siphon Inerting: The siphon purging process starts with filling the vessel (eg: a large storage tank) with a liquid, such as water or any other non-flammable liquid compatible with the product. The purge gas is subsequently added to the head space of the vessel and drains the liquid from the vessel. When using the siphon purging process, it may be desirable to fill the vessel with the liquid first and then use the flow-through purge process to remove any oxygen from the residual head space.

Displacement Inerting: A method based on density differences between the inert gas and the gas which has to be replaced. Ideal replacement happens when a stable horizontal interface exists between the lighter gas entering at the top of the tank and the heavier gas at its bottom through some suitable piping arrangement. As it is important to achieve the required degree of gas replacement throughout the full tank cross section this method

requires a relatively low entry velocity of the gases and more than one complete volume change to ensure the inertisation.

Inertisation SurveillanceSeveral methods exist to control these different inerting methods in a reliable way, including pressure, flow and oxygen monitoring. In the flow monitoring mode, the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the vessel is regulated whereas in pressure monitoring mode the

vessel pressure is controlled. Decreasing vessel pressure will be compensated by increasing the amount of inert gas, whereas a pressure rise inside the vessel might result in venting inert gas from the vessel into the ambient.

Oxygen monitoring is the only method of all the ones mentioned, where the gas composition of the inert atmosphere is controlled in a proper way. With the help of oxygen monitoring, the accurate adjustment of the allowable oxygen concentration can be made to the required level within the fuel-gas-mixture. Therefore, oxygen monitoring provides a dynamic and flexible control of every inertisation process. Oxygen transmitters can be installed either directly into the inert gas generating system, eg: nitrogen generators, into the inert gas supply stream or directly into a vessel or pipeline, on the spot where undesirable reactions should be prevented.

Because the integrity of the intertisation must be secured along the whole process the use of oxygen transmitters at any of these locations is recommended. This results in a cost efficient control of the inerting process and speeds up the reaction time in case of any unforeseen changes or malfunctions of a process device. The task for an oxygen measurement in the context of intertisation applications might be also the safety of the staff, operating these processes. Potential leakages of the inert gas generator, pipeline, or vessel during operation or maintenance could result in an oxygen deficiency in the surrounding atmosphere and can in the worst case lead to suffocation. As such, it is worth considering oxygen monitoring also in the environment around the intertisation processes.

How To Find The Right Oxygen SensorSeveral oxygen sensor technologies are available in the market promising a reliable and safe solution for the applications mentioned above. In general, if they are chosen with care all of them could be used at some of the measurement points along the described inertisation processes and in their periphery. Here,

Ignition Source

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the user’s expectations in terms of performance, reliability and lifetime cost of the sensor equipment will make the difference. All types of oxygen sensors have their advantages and disadvantages. Limitations for the individual sensor technology are shown as follows:

Oxygen analysers based on electrochemical sensors are the most known technology to measure oxygen in the ambient or in process gases. The sensor resembles an electric battery and consists of a cathode and anode with an electrolyte (mostly acetic acid) in between. A red-ox reaction, initiated by the presence of oxygen ions, results in an electric current which is measured to determine the oxygen concentration in the surrounding gas.

The big advantage of this measuring method is the wide range of concentrations which can be measured. It is found very often in small portable analysers used for operator protection. The disadvantage of this measurement method is the finite lifetime of the sensor which can vary between six months and three years depending on the actual measured oxygen levels. These sensors tend to drift heavily.

A frequent calibration — at least once a month — is needed to compensate these drifts. Additionally, electrochemical sensors have only a very limited tolerance to harsh chemical environments.

Tuneable Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLS) often used for oxygen detection is well known for its selectivity and stability but also for its high cost. Until now, oxygen analysers based on TDLS are mostly used for rather difficult process measurements in the chemical and petrochemical industry or for combustion control of incinerators. Typical installations include two flange-mounted units, one acting as a receiver and the other as the transmitter. Therefore, beam alignment is often required as well as inert gases eg: nitrogen to purge the dead volume close to the mounting flanges. A big advantage of the TDLS technology is the ability to measure under hard environmental conditions, eg: high temperatures, corrosive gases, etc. TDLS technology would be the optimum for all measurements, but have often been disregarded as not affordable for standard applications.

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energy

Due to the high-risk work environment nature of the industry, it no surprise that

the oil and gas industry is one of the most tightly regulated industries in the world when it comes to safety.

As such, a big challenge energy companies face is the implementation and up keeping of effective safety management systems. This is critical to help protect their workers, the public and the environment.

Today, in the wake of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — thought to be the worst US environmental disaster to date — and the growing proliferation of social media, the oil

and gas industry has come under more scrutiny than ever before.

With watchful eyes closely monitoring every move, energy companies have to continuously up their game to evaluate and improve their safety programs and prevent accidents.

Delving deeper into why safety is critical to energy companies, an expert paper published in the UK stated that there ‘are three commonly accepted reasons for reducing accidents at work ie: legislation, humanistic and moral considerations, and economic considerations. Ver y often though the last one, economic considerations, tends to be

Creating a safe work environment is vital in the oil and gas industry. By Rajiv Kurup, Safety & Security Consultant, Honeywell Process Solutions, India

Too Much Safety?

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, UK

energy

Oil & Gas:

forgotten.’ The author also pointed out

that in the industry, however, ‘it is accepted that good safety is good business.’

His viewpoints are echoed in the hard facts. According to the American Petroleum Institute and the American Chemistry Council, the largest accidents in chemical and hydrocarbon processing facilities have severely injured or killed hundreds of people, and contaminated the environment — resulting in greater than US$8 billion in property damage losses.

The actual cost of these accidents are much higher if associated business interruption


This goes right back to the heart of the question, ‘Are we safe enough?’

Plant safety today requires a comprehensive approach including managing operator effectiveness, constant monitoring of distress indicators, personnel tracking and mustering applications, and ongoing asset monitoring and maintenance for asset health.

This integrated approach demands not only understanding safety’s relationship to human error, but a lso the inter -relationships among root causes and interventions by plant systems and plant personnel. We advocate an integrated approach to plant safety to help customers improve their business performance and peace of mind.

T h i s s o l u t i o n i n c l u d e s

costs, cleanup costs, legal fees, fines and losses of market share are also considered. So, improving safety is an essential part of protecting personnel, assets, the environment, and profitability.

An Integrated Approach To SafetyEnsuring safety means reducing the risk of incidents, faults and failures that cost money. This effort goes far beyond simply installing fail-safe controllers or a safety instrumented system.

In fact, to mitigate the risk of serious incidents that can cause injury to personnel, equipment, and the environment, as well as disruption of production capability, it is important to consider safety from all aspects of a plant’s operation.

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independent yet interrelated layers of protection to deter, prevent, detect, and mitigate potential threats. Woven throughout these layers are features that offer ongoing assessment, as well as design, implementation, and assessment plans that directly improve work, people, and technology processes.

Layers Of ProtectionThere are many factors to take into account when designing process safety. It starts with putting in place a basic process control system. Monitoring systems need to be in order, and an operator has to be on alert and supervising the system at all times.

While a solid process control system may help to minimise risks and contain damages, it is also


energy

important to remember prevention and mitigation.

To prevent accidents, a mechanical protection system, process alarms and operation system should be in place. Safety Instrumented Prevention and Mitigation Systems need to be layered on top of the Basic Process Control System to bolster the entire safety process.

Bearing in mind that accidents and incidents may not always be prevented or mitigated, it is essential to have a robust plant emergency response and a wider community emergency response ready to go.

One of the key aspects of achieving plant safety is to recognise the importance of different layers of protection, as shown in Figure 1.

In order to maximise plant ef fectiveness, a systematic approach to safety is required. This approach must minimise risks to safety and security, and it requires independent but interrelated layers of protection to be in place across an organisation. The concept of layers of protection is widely recognised by the

process industry, and the term is clearly defined in industry safety standards such as IEC 61508 and IEC 61511.

As shown in figure 1, at the core of the layered architecture is a well-designed and implemented process design that is the embodiment of the business, safety, and production considerations necessary for effective operations. The process must be controlled by a secure process control network that extends across the entire plant and business networks.

As one moves through the layers of protection further away from the core of process design, mitigating risk due to human error is key to ensuring safety. Implementing tools and procedures such as boundary and alarm management and early event detection reduces incidents and prevents escalation.

Working across the various layers of protection, a plant or facility must operate in a secure and protected atmosphere, including protection of the perimeter, facility, people, and assets. With the correct work practices and technology in place, in the event that an abnormal situation occurs, an emergency response plan can be executed, controlled and monitored to minimise the impact of the incident.

Safety Related Systems, c o m p r i s i n g o f e m e rg e n c y shutdown systems and the fire and gas systems, have received a lot of attention in the recent past across the process industry. There are various safety standards that

specify the basic requirements and functionalities to be met by these systems. With the emergence of latest International Safety Standard - IEC 61508/61511, the focus on functional safety has taken precedence for achieving total plant safety.

These standards help to quantify the safety requirement in terms of safety integrity level and probability of failure on demand. Table 1 shows the relationship between these parameters.

Safety Integrity Level: These are discrete level for specifying the safety integrity requirements of the safety functions to be allocated to the safety-related systems, where safety integrity level 4 (SIL-4) has the highest level of safety integrity and safety integrity level 1 (SIL-1) has the lowest.

Probability of Failure on Demand (Risk Reduction): This is a statistical measurement of how likely it is that a process, system, or device will operate and be ready to serve the function for which it is intended. Among other things, it is influenced by the reliability of the process, system, or device, the interval at which it is tested, as well as how often it is required to function.

Management of Functional Safety: This is to specify the management and technical activities during the overall hardware and software safety l i fecycle phases which are necessary for the achievement of the required functional safety. It specifies the responsibilities of the persons, departments

DEMAND MODE OF OPERATION

Safety IntegrityLevel (SIL)

Average Probability of Failure on Demand

Risk Reduction

4 ≥ 10-5 to < 10-4 > 10,000 to ≤ 100,000

3 ≥ 10-4 to < 10-3 > 1000 to ≤ 10,000

2 ≥ 10-3 to < 10-2 > 100 to ≤ 1000

1 ≥ 10-2 to < 10-1 > 10 to ≤ 100

Table 1: Relationship between SIL, PFD & Risk Reduction.

Safety Layer(s)

Mitigation:e.g. Fire and Gas Safety system

Prevention:e.g. ESD Safety system

Process Design

Basic Process Control SystemsMonitoring Systems (process alarms)

Operator Supervision

PREVENTIONMechanical Mitigation Systems

Process AlarmsOperator Supervision

Safety Instrumented Control SystemsSafety Instrumented Prevention Systems

MITIGATIONMechanical Mitigation Systems

Safety Instrumented Control SystemsSafety Instrumented Mitigation Systems

PLANT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Figure 1: Layers of protection


ENQUIRY NO. 3602

and organisations responsible for each overall, hardware and software safety lifecycle phase or for activities within each phase.

To this effect, TÜV certifies organisations based on the work processes followed at various stages of the safety system implementation for compliance to IEC 61508. Honeywell is one such organisation certified by TÜV as a safety system integrator in India.

People Competency: It is vital to have competent people managing activities involving safety related systems like design, engineering, testing and maintenance.

The Automation, Software and Information technology (ASI) wing of TÜV offers a functional safety training program that supports persons in the functional safety business to deepen their expertise in the area.

In the revised edition of IEC 61508 (April 2010), competency of people involved in safety projects is now Normative (Informative in Previous edition of IEC 61508).

Safety PLC Vs General Purpose PLCThere are cer tainly many similarities between a safety Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a general purpose PLC. However the PLC was not originally designed to be fault tolerant and fail-safe. This is the fundamental difference. Safety PLCs are special purpose machines that are used to provide critical control and safety applications for automation users. These controllers are an integral part of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) which are used to detect and manage dangerous process situations.

In a safety PLC many special design considerations are taken into account. It emphasises on internal diagnostics, a combination of hardware and software that allows the machine to detect EN

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improper operation within itself. It is also designed to ensure software reliability, redundancy to maintain operation even when parts fail and extra security on any reading and writing via a digital communications port.

ConclusionResearch has shown that abnormal

situations cost many millions of dollars. Manufacturers pay dearly for these catastrophes. This indicates the need for focusing on layers of protection to provide a safer work environment, while at the same time increasing process availability and reducing total cost.

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As demand for a cleaner-burning source of energy continues to increase exponentially, so too

does the popularity of natural gas. This valuable fossil fuel offers a wealth of economic and environmental benefits, including being readily available throughout many regions of the world. Natural gas also emits lower levels of harmful pollutants than any other fossil fuel, resulting in reduced smog formation and improved air quality. Additionally, as it produces significantly less carbon dioxide during combustion than oil or coal, natural gas helps to mitigate the effects of global warming.

While the benefits of natural gas cannot be overstated, the fact that it now accounts for a considerable share of world energy consumption invokes

a crucial question: Can we feel confident that natural gas is being delivered to homes, businesses and industrial sites as safely as possible? After all, natural gas is colourless and nearly odourless in addition to being combustible – a potentially fatal combination. This is the reason why a number of countries now stipulate that a chemical odorant be injected into natural gas prior to distribution, providing the population with sufficient warning of a leak.

To maximise the effectiveness of the odourisation process while reducing the potential monetary losses that can stem from excessive dosing, it is vital for every gas transmission and distribution company to have an accurate and efficient odourisation system in place. While such

Natural GasNatural gas is both colourless and odourless, in addition to being combustible. Injecting an odourant into natural gas prior to distribution is necessary to detect a possible leak. Companies have developed devices to maximise the effectiveness of the odourisation process. By James Doorhy, product manager, Siemens

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systems vary in design and are capable of introducing odorant into the gas stream in different ways, our focus will be on the method of flow-based odourisation, and the important role clamp-on ultrasonic flow technology can play in its success.

Odourisation: How Did We Get Here?The practice of adding ethyl mercaptan to natural gas for odourisation purposes can be traced back to the late 1880s, but not until well into the 20th century did the need for regulation mandating this practice become clear to the world.

As a result of a disaster in 1937, Texas and other US states adopted laws to standardise odourisation of natural gas for consumer


pipelines. Synthetic odourants used throughout the 1950s gave way to mercaptans, alkyl sulfides and cyclic sulfides by the early 1960s. In 1970, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation passed the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) Title 49, Part 192.625, which remains in place to this day. Many countries outside the US recognised the importance of such regulation and began to legislate gas odourisation as well (eg: Code of Practice G 280-1 from the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water), although standards vary from country to country.

In the US, 49 CFR §192.625 states that ‘A combustible gas in a distribution line must contain a natural odourant or be odourised so that at a concentration in air of one-fifth of the lower explosive limit, the gas is readily detectable by a person with a normal sense of smell.’ As the lower explosive limit of gas when mixed with air is approximately five percent, 49 CFR §192.625 requires that natural gas must contain odourant of proper chemistry and quantity to be detectable by humans when it reaches a total concentration in air of one percent. The code does not dictate specific rules for odourant content; rather, each distributor must determine what is most appropriate for their particular system. In general, most odourants today contain a blend of several organic sulfur compounds, including mercaptans, sulfides and thiophane (THT).

Where Flowmeters Fit InHistory clearly demonstrates that natural gas can prove harmful or deadly if not infused with sufficient odorant to provide it with a characteristic and detectable odor. However, over-odourisation can have serious consequences as well, including:

• Added expense. Odourant is an expensive product to produce. Over-odourising a natural gas stream can prove a costly mistake for any company.

• Misappropriated employee time and damage to company reputat ion. Natural gas containing excessive amounts of odourant can result in a deluge of false leak reports to a company’s customer service department as well as negative publicity for the company.

• Property damage. Because of its chemical makeup, odourant can act as a reduction agent in steel pipes. Exposure of a pipe to elevated levels of odourant over a long period of time can lead to major damage.

For all of these reasons, it is imperative that gas transmission and distribution companies employ accurate, efficient and reliable odourisation technology. As previously mentioned, there are a variety of odourisation systems available for use, but most fall into one of two categories: time-based or flow-based. In time-based systems, a set amount of odourant is constantly absorbed by the natural gas stream. Time-based systems are generally a less expensive option for smaller and/or low-flow applications, but they do present a downside: because these systems operate independent of the flow rate, it is difficult to control the ratio of natural gas to odourant, resulting in an increased risk of under- or over-odourisation.

In contrast, flow-based systems inject odourant into natural gas on an as-needed basis. Such systems introduce differing amounts of odourant into the natural gas stream depending on the current rate of flow — a number that can vary widely depending on EN

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the industrial load or season. Flow-based systems generally consist of:

• A flowmeter to measure the flow of natural gas

• An odourant meter to measure the volume and temperature of odourant being injected

• An injection rate controller to compute the appropriate injection frequency based on input from the flowmeter and odourant meter

• An injection pump to distribute the odourant based on feedback from the injection rate controller

• A recording device to archive all performance data for evaluation and planning purposes

Flowmeters play an integral and fundamental role in flow-based odourisation; without an accurate way to measure flow rate, an odourisation system cannot properly determine the quantity or frequency of odorant that should be injected into the stream of natural gas. So which flow measurement technology is most appropriate for natural gas odourisation?

While several different types of flowmeters can be incorporated effectively into a flow-based system, one technology that warrants close attention is clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement. As a major gas distribution company in Argentina recently discovered, clamp-on flowmeters offer a number of benefits that make them ideal for natural gas odourisation.

Application Example: Camuzzi GasTogether, Camuzzi Gas del Sur and Camuzzi Gas Pampeana form one of the four main natural gas distribution companies in Argentina. Camuzzi distributes gas to more than 1.5 million households and industrial users dispersed across the central and southern (Patagonian) regions of Argentina, an area covering approximately 1.2 million sq km. The company recently began looking for flow measurement technology to incorporate into a number of their new and existing odorant systems, which are responsible for dosing incoming gas lines with 10-20 mg (0.00035-0.00071 oz) of odourant per 1 cu m. ENQUIRY NO. 3603

energy

A Natural Gas leak can be very dangerous, as the gas is both odourless and colourless, in addition to being highly combustible.

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s The company first considered inline ultrasonic flowmeters, which demonstrate a turndown ratio high enough to detect small volumes of gas in large pipelines. However, it would have taken at least three months to install this type of meter on the necessary gas lines, and the expenditure associated with cutting the lines to insert the measurement equipment was prohibitively high.

Camuzzi soon concluded that non-intrusive clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement was a much better solution. Because these meters feature external sensors that can be mounted on the outside of the pipe and do not interrupt the flow of gas, installation could be completed in only one hour and would cost the company 600 percent less.

Reaping The BenefitsIn mid-2010, Camuzzi acquired nine ‘Sitrans Fug1010’ clamp-on ultrasonic gas flowmeters from Siemens. These particular meters measure flow with WideBeam transit-time technology, which utilises the pipe as a waveguide to produce a particularly strong and coherent signal.

As a result, the flowmeter demonstrated a consistent accuracy of 0.5 percent, although the flowmeters were installed on pipes ranging in diameter from 3”-16” with pressures from 25-70 bar. “One of the ways we verify gas flowmeter performance is by using the AGA-10 calculation method to establish the speed of sound in a gas through chromatographic analysis,” said Agustín Zabaljauregui, an engineer and head of the Department of Measurements at Camuzzi. “By using AGA-10, we verified that the flow velocity initially calculated by the Sitrans Fug1010 for our natural gas lines was correct,” he added.

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PeopleSmart plants offer improved reliability and decision-making built upon a foundation of increased measurements and complexity. By Chris Lyden, president, PAS

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When Smart PlantsMeet


Smart Plants have emerged from the diversity of possibilities enabled by the fast-changing

pace of modern technology, and as such their definition is fluid as emerging technologies continuously develop. Having more, and richer data at their fingertips offers refineries and petrochemical plants a real-time snapshot with which to optimise profitability and plan maintenance.

Smart Maintenance And ReliabilityIntelligent I/O and wireless sensors are abundant in ‘smart plants’. Their ever-decreasing cost enables broader proliferation, but also creates mountains of additional data. This data in turn requires a multitude of new applications to convert it into information consumable by humans. And so, in ‘smart plants’, there is a symbiotic relationship between sensors and applications, where each drives the growth of the other.

An important characteristic of smart plants is their increasingly self-diagnosing nature. Many of the sensors mentioned above are embedded within plant equipment to provide monitoring of reliability measurements. The data from monitoring sensors is converted to

useful reliability information, which in turn facilitates maintenance scheduling and spare parts management, making ‘smart plants’ more reliable.

This reliability information is also available to plant operations teams, and so equipment failures can be better anticipated, further driving productivity and safety. Time-sensitive business decisions, such as running a plant beyond a planned turnaround to take advantage of a temporary market opportunity are facilitated by availability of this type of reliability information.

At their core, smart plants are both sensor and automation intensive, and so a primary requirement for these plants is a modern automation system with smart I/O and the ability to integrate the varieties of smart measurement devices and networks available in the market, including wireless. These systems must necessarily have an open architecture, so that best-in-class subsystems and applications from multiple vendors may be easily integrated and maintained. They must also be interoperable with other plant systems such as historians, safety instrumented systems, and condition monitoring systems so

that vital information from these disparate systems may be viewed together and used in context with operational information.

Smart Alarm ManagementThe increase in measurements inherent in smart plants has a corresponding effect on alarms. Not only must ‘smart plant’ alarm systems handle a much larger volume of alarms, but they must also modify alarm settings dynamically to correspond with changing process conditions and operating modes.

Therefore an essential element of a ‘smart plant’ is comprehensive alarm management software that analyses, documents, rationalises, and dynamically adjusts alarm systems.

Context-Driven Operator InterfacesBringing essential information to plant personnel to facilitate decision-making is a crucial capability of a ‘smart plant’. The plant is enabled by applications that both inform plant personnel of the estimated operating state of the plant, as well as provide practical information in context with current operating conditions. The information housed in multiple disparate databases becomes searchable as if it were in a single database, and the search is filtered so as to be relevant to the task currently being performed.

The technology that enables this capability is a context-based process knowledge and decision-support system. This technology derives context using an ISA-95 compliant plant asset hierarchy, and collects data from throughout the various plant automation systems to link disparate information and serve it in context to plant personnel as they carry out their work.

Managing ComplexityIn a ‘smart plant’, the very large

energy


number of measurements and affiliated applications, along with the interoperability of plant systems creates an automation environment that is untenable for plant personnel to manage without assistance. The nature of automation systems is that they continually undergo change in service of continuous plant improvement.

A smart plant’s increase in measurements and interoperable systems drives a correspondingly greater amount of change, making robust change management and supervising the status of the disparate automation systems much more difficult. Add the threat of cyber attacks like those originating from Stuxnet to the mix, and the magnitude of the problem becomes huge.

The Makings Of A Smart PlantA ‘smart plant’ is not created in a single transaction, unless it is a grassroots facility designed from the ground up to incorporate smart technologies, and even then, it will quickly become obsolete without continual investment. Rather, becoming smart is a journey comprising incremental investments in emerging technologies made over a period of years. Each plant begins this journey from a unique starting point, and so the cost will vary dramatically depending on the state of the systems already installed. Since the definition of a ‘smart plant’ evolves as new technologies emerge, the cost of remaining smart is also variable.

While many refining and petrochemical plants are equipped with modern automation and IT infrastructure built on network-based instrumentation, using modern asset management and alarm management systems, very few have deployed dynamic alarming which automatically adjusts a larm sett ings to

ENQUIRY NO. 3604

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Water Expo (2 – 4 July)

Water Expo is one of the world’s most comprehensive water trade shows on innovation, products and services, drawing strong participation from more than 650 participating companies. The USA Department of Commerce has endorsed the Water Expo and SIWW as one of the global events for US companies looking to venture into the Asia Pacific region. This reinforces Singapore and SIWW’s position as the platform for business opportunities. The strong US presence at the Water Expo is underscored by the presence of leading US companies, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Pavilion and the State of Illinois Pavilion. In 2012, Water Expo’s exhibit portfolio in 2012 has expanded to include Trenchless Asia 2012, bringing innovations on trenchless technologies to the current mix of water-focused solutions.

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correspond to different operating modes. Only a small minority of plants has installed automation conf igurat ion management systems, and context-based process knowledge systems are completely new to most of the industry.

Another significant concern is the justification of ‘smart plant’ technologies. When technologies

are well understood, their value and hence the ability to justify the investment in them is also well understood. However, the smartest plants will likely be early adopters of emerging technologies, and the value of those technologies is more challenging to prove.


sector spotlight

As the pharmaceutical industry enters a ‘patent cliff’, drug companies are looking for alternative ways to up their profits as their patents expire.

Automation poses a potential solution in the form of robots, which have a higher rate of productivity and accuracy than humans.

Robots can speed up production times for existing lines and increase output by multiple folds. In addition, the use of robots helps facilitate clinical trials for new drugs, as they provide higher rates of precision and quality control. At the same time, robots can handle procedures that are unsafe for humans. These factors hasten the process of drug discovery and production, which translates into fewer opportunity costs.

“Robotics will make the research more precise and open up the opportunity to conduct experiments that were previously neglected or declined, perhaps due to the amount of time needed, or the lack of research assistants to carry out experiments,” says Lars Skovsgaard, MD of robotics distributor Zacobria.

Aiding ResearchPharmaceutical companies are collaborating with biotech firms to come up with new products, which makes use of biological components and are essentially ‘live’. This could involve dealing with genes, DNA, or bacteria. As one can imagine, it is tricky dealing with living cells, as stringent processes need to be in place.

Researchers have to be extremely careful when dealing with these compounds, especially when they are only in the experimental phase and may be unstable. This is where robots come in, by serving as a much safer alternative that minimises the risk of human exposure to toxic compounds.

In addition, robots have an advantage over humans in terms of the reliability of trials. Trials conducted by robots have a higher reproducibility rate as they follow fixed sequences each time. Fewer variables are involved in the process and robots are impervious to distractions, unlike their human counterparts.

“A robot can continue for a very long time without human needs like personal breaks, or considerations for working hours. It can continue throughout the day into the wee hours and beyond – which is a positive benefit for experiments that cannot accommodate human needs for breaks and an adherence to normal working hours or off time,” Mr Skovsgaard adds.

Drug companies are facing higher costs and lower successes as the easier drugs have been discovered and produced. In drug discovery, a large bulk of initial trials eventually dies off, with only a select few progressing into leads. Robots are employed in the early phases of drug trials to create a high

Choice

Robots:

An increasing number of pharmaceutical companies are turning towards robotics as they lead to greater time and cost efficiency, especially in the area of drug discovery. By Sherlyne Yong

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ENQUIRY NO. 422

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sector spotlight

ENQUIRY NO. 3701

throughput screening, which creates better hit-to-lead ratios. Simultaneously, companies can also better allocate their skilled personnel to focus their time on developing leads.

High Throughput ScreeningRobot ics and automat ion have offered pharmaceutical companies an alternative to traditional lab-based assay testing, which is often slow and laborious. Not only is time saved, but with high throughput screening, robots can sieve through more assays as well.

As Mr Skovsgaard commented: “A bigger scope of discovery process and data collection will mean an opportunity for better productivity.”

While assay throughputs used to be 20 to 50 compounds per week, it can now go up to 50,000 compounds a day. Ultra high throughput s c re e n i n g a l s o re f e r s t o t h e s c re e n i n g of more than 100,000 compounds a day. In fact, the entire screening process can be automated with analysis of the compounds being managed by software, eliminating the need for an actual human presence.

It is now common to see microtiter plates in laboratories, as they have greatly reduced the hit-to-lead time by testing thousands of compounds in one seating, as opposed to tens and hundreds of samples. The number of wells in a plate can now number from 96, 384, and even to 1,536. Advances in laboratory equipment have also demanded the same developments in robotics, which can be seen in liquid dispensing robots used to fill the plates.

Liquid dispensing equipment, such as pipetting robots, come in different sizes and cater to different workloads. They come in a variety of tips, and range from simple syringe systems to more complex benchtop systems with enabled motion in the x, y and z directions. A high level of precision is required for these robots due to the small size of the plates. Any minor offset in movements could affect surrounding wells on the microtiter plate, rendering the screening unreliable.

Safety & EfficiencyContamination is one of the biggest taboos in this industry, which is also why pharmaceutical companies place a strong focus on sterilisation.

According to Mr Skovsgaard, robots provide “less risk of contaminating or exposing the researchers/staff, and less risk of contaminating the experiment.”

Robots are capable of enhancing a sterile environment while also creating a healthier working environment for lab personnel. At the same time, they streamline the entire drug manufacturing process, from discovery to production, through material reduction and faster delivery times.

Many have opted to adopt robots for certain processes, such as tissue culturing, instead of humans as there is a much higher

chance of contamination involved. Conversely, robots also provide lab personnel with a safe environment to work with. Some chemicals or compounds may be toxic, or they could be new substances with unknown side effects, and human handling is discouraged. Even when working with non-toxic compounds, the robot creates a safer environment by relieving its human equivalent of engaging in repetitive and mundane tasks, as people are more prone to mistakes when dealing in repetitive tasks over a long period of time.

With decontamination in mind, manufacturers have developed cleanroom robots for use in such environments. These robots feature easy to clean surfaces, and may be unpainted or have special seals, so as to lessen particle generation. Similarly, automated aseptic filling processes have been employed for drug and vaccine productions, in which the filling process is important, as the liquid cannot be sterilised once they are in the container.

Technological advancements in robotics have also made miniaturisation possible. With the increasing costs of raw materials, companies are producing smaller assays with only the bare minimum required, especially as they are getting fewer hits despite conducting the same amount of, or more, tests. While research expenditure has been steadily increasing over the years, the rate of drug discovery has been falling. Pipetting robots can now dispense amounts of 1 to 100 micro litres of liquid, as opposed to older ranges of 0.1 to 1 ml of material. Companies have also developed robots such as plate handlers due to the increasing use of microtiter plates.

In the face of increasing challenges, the pharmaceutical industry has turned to robotics to streamline its drug discovery and production process. Apart from mitigating issues of contamination and consistency, robots have driven and enabled trends such as miniaturisation, which have ultimately led to immeasurable cost and time savings for pharmaceutical companies.

Robots aid the efficient manufacture and sorting of drugs in the Pharmaceutical industry

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features

Cloudy Issues Explained

IAA: HCL and Cisco have launched a joint Customer Experience Management (CEM) Lab. Tell us how the venture came about?Stanimira Koleva (SK) MD, partner business group, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco Systems: We have partnered with HCL for 16 years, so we see this as a new chapter in our partnership. If you look at us, we are a technology vendor that has been supplying network infrastructures and servers in the horizontal market. But now with IT increasingly running businesses, we have to be much more business-relevant. I need to have a way to stay in touch with the business process. Being an infrastructure provider, you do not have many options to do that unless you go into much tighter integration with applications with a player who has knowledge of that vertical domain.

Anubhav Saxena (AS) VP and global head, Marketing and Alliance, HCL Technologies: We are getting more proactive. Instead of waiting for the customers, we are proactively identifying the need for changes that are happening in the market, ie: pre-integrating of solutions (eg: routers, smart grids and switches). We go to customers who are going through changes and ask if they want solutions from us. We are pre-integrating solutions in our labs so that the customers do not have to go through the pain of the integration happening over on their side.

Once you set this solution up, you have a reference architecture that works. As a result, you can replicate it, and you can become more successful as partners in the industry.

IAA: Cloud computing — some might say the name is quite superficial. What is your opinion on this and how would you define cloud computing in your organisation?

SK: Cloud is a combination of existing technologies, not necessarily a new technology. Cloud computing became possible because of advancements in the telecommunications sector allowing customers to consume services remotely in a virtualised manner, and with much more flexibility.

To that end, we view cloud computing more as a new business model rather than a new technology. However, there are new capabilities we need to build within the technology in line with that model of delivery.

Now there is a business model on how IT gets consumed. Therefore, it starts presenting a completely different set of problems on the consumer side, to the extent that instead of integrating technologies, customers are looking at how to integrate services that are delivered through various vendors or from cloud to private, hybrid cloud. It is really how we are changing

Anubhav Saxena and Stanimira Koleva dispel some misconceptions on cloud computing. By Joson Ng

Stanimira KolevaAnubhav Saxena


the way we deliver technologies and services in line with the evolution of the business model, and the evolution of the process the customers are going through.

There is a lot of attractiveness in cloud. There is the availability and the flexibility. It is a great environment for us to make solutions widely available. We hope this is an environment that is going to underpin greater business efficiency.

AS: It is a new service delivery model. It impacts business services and SLAs (Service Level Agreements). Cloud computing on its own would not be the answer to CIOs (Chief Information Officers), but only a part of the answer.

I think the adoption of cloud will come in waves. The first wave will include the infrastructure applications, eg: e-mail, DNS (Domain Name System) and active directories. The reason why it (cloud) is cost competitive is because it leverages heavily on shared services; the basic foundation is that it can be shared across users, and has got all levels of security built in.

The second wave will be brought on by applications like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for example. Salesforce (a global enterprise software company) is doing well in this respect compared to its competitors because it has got cloud and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for easy integration.

However, there are some systems that would not work in a cloud. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is one example because of the level of customisation required. The level of localisation and centralisation is also very different. So if someone tries to make ERP available as a service on a cloud platform, they would not be able to make it cost competitive. The level of customisation would not allow the sharing to take place.

IAA: One of the advantages of cloud computing is widely believed to be cost savings. However, the skeptics are saying no, citing expensive monthly subscription fees. What are your thoughts on this?SK: One of the characteristics of cloud is its economy of scale. You can see for example customers who are more cost-conscious adopting cloud services more readily. SMEs kicked off that trend three to four years ago and you can see the market penetration today.

With the larger organisation, the picture is not so straightforward in terms of cost implications because what you need to keep in mind is the risk to the business, various regulations and governance that come into play. So it is probably dependent on each individual case, on how the services got implemented.

Also, the savings stem from the fact that you are minimising and managing the risk to the business in terms of much more availability during disaster recovery. Another point is the security you get around the data. All these have to be taken into account.

AS: Ultimately, it comes down to the ability to put cash on the table. Would you want to build a data centre, or would you want to use existing technologies? This has become more of a financial decision today. The kind of rate of return you can get, based on other investments, versus putting the money into a data centre, will kill the business case of the data centre completely.

ENQUIRY NO. 3801

ENQUIRY NO. 3802

The CIO Show took place between March 20 – 21, 2012 in Singapore where CIOs from various industries came for a session of knowledge exchange and information sharing.

The show focused on:• DisruptiveandNewTechnologies• ITandnetworksecurity• Businessprocessmanagement• Businesscontinuity

Grand Copthorne WaterfrontSingaporeMarch 20 – 21, 2012

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CIO Show

IC DesignDr Surya Bhattacharya

With

IAA spoke with Dr Surya Bhattacharya, director of industry development, IME, on 3D-IC design and future developments in the semiconductor industry. By Mark Johnston


features

ENQUIRY NO. 3803

D r S u r y a B h a t t a c h a r y a is director of industr y d e v e l o p m e n t f o r I M E .

Dr Bhattacharya joined IME in mid 2011, before which he was Qualcomm’s director of foundry engineering, based in San Diego, US, where his role was to take care of manufacturing around the world.

Dr Bhattacharya discusses the latest packaging technologies for IC design, and how a better business model will be needed going forward.

IAA: Could you give us an update on new technologies in the packaging industry?Dr Surya Bhattacharya (SB): One of the things you will see in

packaging are 3D-ICs. In addition, there is the fabrication of silicon interposers. Manufacturing silicon interposers and assembling them into what are called 2 ½D ICs is one of the critical things that is happening in the packaging industry today.

If we take a step back to conventional packaging we see embedded wafer level packaging essentially involves higher IO count devices using wafer level composition moulding processes to make higher fan-out devices.

IAA: Where are 3D-ICs being commercialised today?SB: One area where 3D-ICs are starting to be used a lot is memory. Many memory manufacturers have wafer plants and assembly. If you look at Samsung and Micron, they have announced 3D memories. Memories are one area where 3D-ICs are immediately going to happen and that is what the industry recognises.

IAA: 3D-ICs are very important in reducing power consumption, and therefore essential in mobile computing, is this correct?SB: Yes, this is correct. If you look at 3D-ICs, the interconnect between chips goes down significantly to just a few microns. It could be a few microns away from the

next chip underneath and a few microns away from the chip on top. If you look at conventional configurations, chips would be side by side.

Three-dimensional-ICs, the way it is today, gives a much higher level of performance. The interconnects are much shorter, they are finer, which essentially means higher performance and lower power.

IAA: What is the next stage in IC design beyond 3D?SB: In 3D, a lot of good work has happened, the next step for 3D is maturing the technology, followed by the development of a business model. This is essential because the business model of memory chips is managed by the memory company. But if you step out of the memory world and into the world of logic and digital chips and heterogeneous integration, you get a chip from one company and another chip from another company and now you have to stack them all up.

How you manage the business of manufacturing it, that is where a lot of the challenges are, and people refer to it as ‘the business model and integration of the supply chain’. I think that itself is going to take a few years.

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205mm (width) x 275mm (height)3mm (bleed)


features


ENQUIRY NO. 3804

Digi is a US based company f o u n d e d i n 1 9 9 5 . T h e company is head-quartered

in Minneapolis, US. Its business revolves around commericial grade device networking and is a creator of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device networking products.

IAA: Where do you manufacture your products?FL: We manufacture on three continents: The Americas, Europe, and with our partners in Asia. In Asia, one of the locations is Thailand.

IAA: How did the flood in Thailand affect your operations?FL: There is some effect on revenue,

especially the quarter the floods took place. However, over the course of the whole year, it was not that impactful for the company.

This is something which we were not expecting or hoping for, but because the company is distributed, as a strategy, with our partners and our presence on the different continents, we are able to produce in the US while our partner is recovering from the flooding in Thailand.

IAA: Do you do a lot of your own research and development?FL: Yes, our company has a lot of IP. If you look at our main core competencies, there are around five main core competencies in the embedded technologies and designs. We create complete connectivity solutions with a strong security architecture. We have our own design house and division, and we have our own web based cloud platform.

R&D is not only present in the US, but also in Europe where we have an engineering arm in the

UK, Germany, and Spain. In addition, we have an

engineering hub in India that is developing p r o d u c t s f o r certain areas of the company. This allows us to develop

products that would meet the needs of customers in this part of the world.

IAA: What trends are you seeing in the smart grid sector?FL: We see that there are a lot of applications and companies that are offering smart grid. There are several key driving factors that we see for deployments and more for investment.

First, there needs to be a specific mandate. In countries where there is a specific mandate for a certain technology or behaviour, deployment can be driven. The second is the fact that the technology is becoming more available now.

The third thing is the mentality of the government and the citizens that are changing towards being more environmentally friendly, and being conscious of CO2 emissions. When you have those three factors at the same time, then you will see some deployments occur. So that is the difference between when it stays at the level of the pilot versus when it becomes a real deployment. As such, there are some applications that are more critical than others.

Where we see the most traction right now is at the utility level. Many utilities already have an energy infrastructure, but not all of them have an information technology infrastructure, and so there is the challenge for many utilities to merge the energy infrastructure and also the information technology infrastructure.

Another area we see traction in is around renewable energy and in particular solar, where the usage of solar energy by residential and commercial customers is becoming popular around the globe. At the same time, because there is this creation of new energy, there is a need also to help this energy that is being created and incorporate it into the rest of the grid.

Towards ASmart FutureIAA spoke with Frederic Luu, VP, sales and marketing (EMEA and Asia), Digi, where he shared more about the company and its future growth. By Mark Johnston


A*STAR held its leadership forum on aerospace technology on February 13, 2012 at Marina

Mandarin Singapore. Guest of honour Lim Chuan Poh said in his opening address that the aerospace industry would continue to be a “high-growth” market despite uncertainties in the global economy and he forecasted revenue growth in commercial aerospace to be 20 percent with deliveries of over 1,100 aircraft.

New MembersThe organiser also announced the inception of new members to A*STAR’s aerospace program consortium. The group attracted E m b r a e r, S T A e r o s p a c e , Honeywell, GE, Safran and DSTA as its membership grew to 18.

The consortium underpins Singapore’s vision to enhance the value add to the aerospace business through innovation and talent. Since 1990, the country’s aerospace industry has grown at an annual rate of more than 10 percent CAGR. In 2010, the industry achieved S$7 billion (US$5.6 billion) in revenue.

Partnership With MNCsBoeing has agreed to transfer 10 A*STAR-developed technologies from research areas such as non-destructive testing, materials, and coatings that will contribute towards enhancing a ir l ine value and improving factory operations.

In 2009, SIMTech and Rolls-Royce set up a joint surface f i n i s h i n g l a b t o e n h a n c e productivity in manufacturing production. Together, they have over 75 collaborative projects including those on manufacturing process development for the aerospace and marine sectors.

Technical Presentations The forum also included a series of talks tackling aircraft and propulsion-related issues. One of them was given by Prof Ric Parker, director, research and technology, Rolls-Royce Group.

He spoke about aviation’s climate impact and the ongoing efforts by his company to mitigate it. Some of the ways include technologies to improve the engine’s propulsive efficiency, thermal efficiency and combustion process.

ENQUIRY NO. 3805

Leadership Forum 2012The heavyweights of the aviation world descended on Singapore for a round of technical exchange and at the same time, explored business opportunities with local companies. By Joson Ng

Although he said countries like China and India are to be the main growth markets and with Indonesia and Vietnam also looking at fast growth, Singapore would continue to play a leading role in the support of regional aerospace activities. As part of enhancing R&D capabilities, he said the Singapore government has injected S$16.1 billion (US$12.8 billion) into a five year Research, Innovation and Enterprise plan (RIE 2015).

AerospaceTechnology


EVENT PREVIEW

ENQUIRY NO. 3901

Propak Asia 2012

P roPak Asia 2012, celebrates its 20th installation from June 13 to 16, at BITEC,

Bangkok, Thailand. O rg a n i s e d b y B a n g k o k

Exhibition Services, the show serves as a platform within the region that presents buying and selling opportunities for industry stakeholders . As Thai land rebounds from floods last year, the country’s domestic and exports consumption surges. Preparations are also being made for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015, and Myanmar opens up and the region continues on its strong growth curve.

The international regional trade exhibition for the food, drink and pharmaceutical processing and packaging industries has also confirmed the participation of nine national pavilions, with 27 country/

regional groups. The groups are China, France, Germany, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, UK and US. Last year, the event attracted 1,272 participants from 40 different countries and 33,376 trade visitors from 61 different countries.

F i v e d e d i c a t e d z o n e s , representing the different areas of the industry will be represented by DrinkTech Asia, PharmaTech Asia, Lab & Test Asia, PlasTech Asia, and a new addition this year, PrintTech Asia.

Taking place alongside the exhibition are industry related conferences, seminars and events, including:

• TISTR Conference 2012, organised by Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR)

• Food Innovation Contest 2012 organised by the Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT)

• Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan) Conference 2012

• PharmaTech Seminar 2012 organised by the Pharmaceutical Industry Association Thailand (PIAT)

• The Thai Star and Asia Star Packaging Award organised by the Department of Industrial Promotion

• The FoSTAT-Nestle Bowl Quiz organised by the Food Science and Tecnology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT)

BITECBangkok, ThailandJune 13-16, 2012

Preview:

will be launched this year due to great interest from the industry for printing, label l ing, coding, scanning and marking products and services.

New Beginnings

IAA: What are your thoughts on being at the helm of ProPak Asia?JP: Delighted. This year marks our 20th edition, a significant milestone and another successful step in the show’s success story. ProPak Asia 2012 has increased from four to five halls of BITEC, now occupying halls 101 to 105, and over 30,000 sq m.

IAA: What is your management philosophy/style?JP: Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES) has an excellent team and my management style is to work with my team and take responsibility for all aspects of our work, whether it is big or small.

I always ask myself and encourage my team to ask questions such as, ‘Why are we doing this? How can we improve?’, then set clear objectives and stay focused on achieving these.

IAA: What do you like best about your job?JP: The many different challenges it presents and the opportunity to work with and learn from many different people, from

different nationalities, cultures, backgrounds and experience.

IAA: What are the challenges that you face in your current role?JP: I wish I had more hours in the day and days in the week. There is always a challenge on my desk, and a new one just around the corner.

IAA: How do you plan to overcome them?JP: Work hard, involve my team, ask questions, listen, set objectives and stay focused.

IAA: What are your plans in taking the ProPak Asia Show forward?JP: ProPak Asia is an excellent show. It is the region’s leading show. I want to make ProPak Asia the very best it can be each and every year. And to do this I will be listening very closely to the industry.

For 2012, ProPak Asia is launching a new zone called PrintTech Asia – The International Printing for Processing and Packaging Technology Exhibition. The zone

Managing one of the regions’ biggest trade shows, Justin Pau, MD of Bangkok Exhibition Services, shares with IAA his thoughts on his current role and plans for ProPak Asia. By Tjut Rostina

ENQUIRY NO. 3902


EVENT PREVIEW

Automotive Manufacturing 2012, part of Manufacturing Expo 2012, will be held at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand, from June 21 to 24, 2012. Exhibitors will be from 22 countries and number 350, with 60,000 regional industrialists to spark business deals and relations with.

The show aims to be the most effective marketing platform for manufacturing where networks will be extended and business deals will be done. Also, the show has been certified by UFI, as an UFI Approved Event. UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is the association of trade show organisers, fairground owners, national and international associations of the exhibition industry, and its partners. As of 2011, it has more than 581 members from 84 countries.

2012 will be an excellent year for the automotive industry, according to Piangjai Kaewsuwan, president, Thai Automotive Industry Association (TAIA). She revealed that there are

three major factors that make the Thai automotive industry a promising industry in 2012. First, automotive manufacturers have fully recovered and are back to normal operations after the flood crisis, with clear plans to launch new models, especially for eco cars. Second, Japanese investors have been interested to invest in Thailand to avoid the risk of internal problems, regarding tsunami and the rising Yen.

F ina l ly, the demands of domestic and global markets remain high since the end of 2011. In addition, Ms Kaewsuwan said: “It is expected that the Thai automotive industry this year will reach a production figure of two million units, which is more than 1.49 million units in 2011.”

Added OpportunitiesThe show will have a number of concurrent events, offering bu sine ss a nd e duc at iona l opportunities, namely:• Manufacturing Gallery• Engineer Master Class

• Automotive Summit• Business Matching Program• Coating and Surface Forum

Co-located EventsAutomotive Manufacturing 2012 is a part of Manufacturing Expo 2012, which incorporates three other trade shows for specific industrial sectors, including InterPlas Thailand 2012 (for plastics and rubber manufacturing), InterMold Thailand 2012 (for mould and die making) and Assembly Technology 2012 (on industrial automation and assembly technology).

Other co - located events include Industrial Components & Subcontracting (sourcing hub for industrial parts), Electronics Assembly (for electronic parts and components manufacturing), a nd G F T (mac h i ne r y a nd technologies for garment and textile manufacturing).

June 21-24, 2012BITECBangkok, Thailand

ENQUIRY NO. 3903

AutomotivemAnufActuring 2012

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EVENT PREVIEW

The Manufacturing Expo 2012 will take place from June 21 to 24, 2012 at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand. The event will incorporate four main shows which are ‘InterPlas Thailand’ for pastics and rubber manufactur ing , ‘ In terMold Thailand’ for mould and die manufacturing, and ‘Assembly Technology’ for industr ia l automat ion and assembly technologies.

The Tha i land Board o f Investment (BOI) has reported that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in January 2012 was 25,027 million Baht (US$812 million), a 63.58 percent increase from the same period in 2011. The key industries most foreign investors have submitted their requests for subsidies include metalworking, machinery, electronics and electric, and plastics industry.

Co-Located ShowsThere will be three co-located shows, namely: ‘ Industr ia l Components & Subcontracting’ — a sourcing hub for industrial parts, ‘Electronics Assembly’ for technologies for electronics manufacturing, and ‘GTF’ for the textile and garment industries.

Also, there will be two featured pavilions, namely: ‘Industrial Energy Efficiency’ — energy efficient management technologies for the manufacturing industry, and ‘Composites Thailand’ for composite-product manufacturing. In addition, there will be activities to enable participants to extend their business network with a large number of machinery and

technology profiles being covered at the event, such as ‘Material Handling’, a product, services, and technologies showcase for material handling.

Seal Of ApprovalThe show aims to be the most effective marketing platform for manufacturing where networks will be extended and business deals done. Also, the four main shows of the Manufacturing Expo have been certified UFI, as an UFI

Approved Event. UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is the association of trade show organisers, fairground owners, national and international associations of the exhibition industry, and its partners. As of 2011, it has more than 581 members from 84 countries.

June 21-24, 2012BITECBangkok, Thailand

ENQUIRY NO. 3904

2012Manufacturing Expo


Assembly Technology 2012 will take place at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand, from June 21 to 24, 2012. The show aims to attract 45,000 buyers from across Thailand who are eager to source new automation and industrial robots. A range of equipment and accessories for factories, especially hydraulic, pneumatic, logistics and handling solutions, will be located under one roof from a broad range of companies, 350 exhibitors in total, from 25 countries.

New OpportunitiesBesides industrial automation and assembly technologies, the show will add a featured pavilion ca l led ‘Mater ia l Ha ndl ing ’ to offer an opportunity for industrialists to discover the l a te s t m a te r i a l h a n d l i n g t e c h n o l o g i e s , e q u i p m e n t and accessories to make their operations leaner and more productive. With experts to answer questions in detail, this feature will showcase products ranging from lifting gear, cranes

and conveyors to forklifts and warehousing system along with out-of-box activities including:

• Fork l i f t Test Dr ive/Dem-onstration Zone: An outdoor feature where buyers would be offered a chance to experience a test drive and observe the demonstration of a variety of forklifts and accessories

• Material Handling Showroom: a showcase to display the latest technology available from the material handling equipments. It is designed to be a showcase targeted at industrialists looking for the efficient material handling systems to better execute their production lines.

The Bigger PictureThe show will be co-located with three specialised international e x h ib i t ion s on mach iner y a nd technolog ie s for four manufacturing sectors, namely: InterPlas Thailand, for plastics and rubber; InterMold Thailand,

for mould and die; and Automotive Manufacturing, for automotive parts manufacturing. All shows will be part of the Manufacturing Expo 2012.

A feature of these shows wil l be the co - locat ion of additional platforms for visitors and exhibitors to interact, including: Industrial Components & Subcontracting, a sourcing platform for industrial parts and subcontracting service; Electronics Assembly, for electronic parts and components manufacturing; and GFT 2012, for garment and textile manufacturing.

In addition to material handling, two other featured pavilions will be held, namely: Industrial Energy Efficiency, energy efficiency management technologies for the manufacturing industry; and Composite Thailand, a showcase of composite manufacturers.

June 21 - 24, 2012BITECBangkok, Thailand

ENQUIRY NO. 3905

Assembly Technology 2012


products & services

Enquiry no. 3909

Enquiry no. 3908

Enquiry no. 3907

Enquiry no. 3906

products & services

Banner Engineering: Fibre Amplifier

Baumer’s multi-purpose LBFS level switch is now available in three different ATEX configurations which enable safe level detection in explosive gaseous and dusty atmospheres.

Some of the features include, no additional Zener barrier required thanks to ready-for-use isolation module PROFSI3 LS, Approval covers all ATEX zones with both gas and dust, compact design boasts high reliability, and suitable for petrochemical industry and power plants

The intrinsically safe PROFSI3 LS interface shields the safe area from the hazardous area through galvanic isolation. The level detected within the hazardous area is transmitted to the safe area through a single-pole double-throw relay.

ExxonMobil Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties Company, a division of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has expanded its line of ‘energy-efficient’ industrial lubricants with the introduction of two Mobil SHC high-performance synthetic oils.

These new Mobil SHC lubricants include an upgraded Mobil SHC 600 Series and the Mobil SHC Gear Series. The new Mobil SNC oils will place the company’s proprietary ‘Energy Efficiency’ logo on product packaging.

Besides the energy efficiency benefits, these new Mobil SHC lubricants offer a service life up to as much as six times longer than competitive mineral oil based gear lubricants.

Banner Engineering has introduced the DF-G1 Expert Dual Display Fibre Amplifier, designed to deliver stable sensing performance with easy set-up and configuration. The product series features a thermally stable electronic design with a dual display, two bright, digital readouts and an improved fibre clamp.

The product is powered by a 32-bit microprocessor with a 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter, and provides versatile response speeds of 200 µs to meet high-speed requirements and 500 µs for standard speed. Additionally, the amplifier is capable of long range (2 ms) and extra-long range (5 ms) detection, allowing operators to optimise the sensing range for long-distance applications, such as part in place verification.

Baumer: Level Switch

Agilent Technologies: Modular Solar Array Simulator

ExxonMobil: Industrial Lubricants

Solar panels consist of multiple solar cells to provide power to satellites and homes. A specialised power supply is used to make accurate tests to verify the satellites’ unique I-V characteristics and the efficiency and reliability of the microinverters that convert the DC solar panel output into AC for use in homes.

Agilent’s E4360 Modular Solar Array Simulator is a dual output programmable DC power source that simulates the output characteristics of a solar array. Primarily a current source with very low output capacitance, it is able to quickly simulate the I-V curve of different arrays under different conditions and provides up to two outputs and 1,200 W in a small 2U-high mainframe.


products & servicesproducts & services

Enquiry no. 3913

Enquiry no. 3912

Enquiry no. 3911

Enquiry no. 3910

products & services

Mitsubishi Electric has released the EcoWebServer III, an energy data collection server developed to support visible management.

Functions for sending and displaying energy data on the web browser are bundled in the unit, making it plug and play with minimal engineering start-up time. The HTTP server function incorporated allows the collected data via power meters to be uploaded to the internet/intranet via the Ethernet, thereby realising remote energy consumption updates in real time.

Hioki E E Corporation has developed a IEC61000-4-30 Edition 2 Class A Power Quality Analyser PW3198. The product is able to record time plots, events and waveforms simultaneously for up to 55 weeks within a single unit.

The product is able to measure up to 6,000 Volts transient voltage at a 2 MHz sampling rate and can measure high-order harmonics of up to 80 kHz. In the event of a power failure, the equipment’s auto recovery function restarts measurement automatically when power is restored. Remote measurement and control of the product’s settings can also be performed using a HTTP Server function.

Proface has released a new series of HMI touchscreens that support features which makes end-user maintenance job much easier. Integrator development time is much shorter and with better viewing display quality.

Some of the features include an alarm analysis function, a convenient means to troubleshoot problems with a timing chart display, an enhanced recipe formulation, fast to setup and maintain recipe system on the HMI, an LED display lasting 60,000 hours of use, an auto dimming functions to further extend the life of the screen, 66 percent lower power consumption compared to predecessors, and it supports SD Cards and USB External Storage.

Hioki: Power Quality Analyser

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of its Telemetry and Remote SCADA Solution (TRSS), targeted at critical infrastructure and remote asset management in the water & wastewater, oil & gas and renewable energy sectors.

The company’s TRSS offer includes the SCADAPack Smart RTU; an Accutech line of self-contained, battery powered wireless instruments; and the ‘Trio’ industrial wireless offering. At the enterprise level, the company’s ClearSCADA software features an object oriented database and scalable client/server architecture.

Schneider Electric: SCADA Solution

Proface: HMI Touchscreen

Mitsubishi Electric: Energy Data Collection Server


products & services

Semaphore has announced that the T-BOX LT RTU product line for remote monitoring and SCADA system applications has passed operations testing at -40 degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. The extended temperature range furthers T-BOX LT applications in outdoor installations.

The product is a compact, rugged platform with up to 32 I/O points. Integral communications include Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485 two-wire, and a choice of PSTN modem, GSM/GPRS modem, GSM 3G modem, spread spectrum radio, or RS-232 with full modem control.

T-Box employs a decentralised architecture that enables the complete integration of programmable automation, alarm management, data logging, and IP telemetry in a single package.

Enquiry no. 3917

Enquiry no. 3916

Enquiry no. 3915

Enquiry no. 3914

Uson has developed the Optima vT Leak and Flow Tester. The company’s Optima vT includes one or two test channels with four sensors each, totally customisable pneumatics, multiple built-in automated calculators, myriad data handling and storage options.

The product includes capabilities for vacuum decay tests, pressure decay leak testing, differential pressure decay leak tests, mass flow leak detection (including back pressure and differential), upstream and downstream cracking pressure, pressure rise tests, burst tests, laminar flow tests, force decay testing, and occlusion testing.

Uson:Leak Detector

Turck has announced a long-range inductive proximity sensor using FDA rated materials for wash down applications. The Q42, available in a top-facing model and front-facing model, is an addition to the uprox+ family of factor one sensors that require no correction factor to detect any metal type. This product is designed for applications that require frequent cleaning with chemicals found in food and beverage applications or where the sensor is exposed to wet environments, such as car washes or outdoor applications.

Turck: Inductive Sensor

STMicroelectronics: Motor Drivers

STMicroelectronics has added two, STGIPN3H60 and STGIPN3H60A, miniature motor drivers to its range of Small Low-Loss Intelligent Molded Modules (SLLIMM), which will enable domestic appliances to offer better energy ratings.

The STGIPN3H60A provides basic motor-drive capabilities for price-sensitive applications. Extra features in the STGIPN3H60 include an uncommitted op-amp, which engineers can use to feed back the sensed motor current to the microcontroller in a closed-loop, Field-Oriented Control (FOC) system. There is also a comparator for use in over-temperature or over-current shutdown. The STGIPN3H60 also has a smart shutdown function capable of generating a simple fault indication or shutting the driver down safely within 200ns in an emergency.

Semaphore: Remote Terminal Unit

Calendar Of EventsCalendar Of Events 2012September

5 – 7 Semicon Taiwan 2012Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition HallTaiwanTaiwan External Trade Development Council,TAITRAEmail: [email protected]: http://www.semicontaiwan.org/en/

26 – 28 Thailand Lab 2012BITECBangkok, ThailandN.C.C. Exhibition Organizer Co., LtdEmail: www.thailandlab.comWeb: [email protected]

OctOber

3 – 5 Power Gen Asia 2012Impact Exhibition and Convention CentreBangkok, ThailandPennWell Conferences & ExhibitionsEmail: [email protected]: http://www.powergenasia.com/index.html

4 - 6 Metalex Vietnam 2012Saigon Exhibiton and Convention CenterHo Chi Minh City, VietnamReed TradexWeb: http://www.metalexvietnam.com/

10 – 13 IGEM 2012Kuala Lumpur Convention CentreMalaysiaExpomal International Sdn BhdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.igem.com.my/2012/index.html

22 – 25 Singapore International Energy WeekSingaporeMarina Bay SandsEnergy Market AuthorityEmail: [email protected]: http://www.siew.sg/

NOvember

27 – 29 SPS/IPC/DRIVESGermany Messezentrum,NurembergMesago Messemanagement GmbHWeb: http://www.mesago.de/en/SPS

July

1 – 5 Singapore International Water WeekMarina Bay SandsSingaporeSingapore International Water Week Pte LtdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.siww.com.sg/

3 – 6 MTA VietnamSaigon Exhibition & Convention CentreHo Chi Minh CitySingapore Exhibiton Services Pte LtdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.mtavietnam.com/

10 - 12 July 2012 Robotics Asia 2012Putra World Trade CentreKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaEmail: [email protected]: www.roboticsasia.org

11 – 13 Indo Renergy 2012Grand City Convex SurabayaSurabaya, IndonesiaPT. Napindo Media AshatamaEmail: [email protected]: http://www.indorenergy.merebo.com/English/

18 – 20 Propak China 2012Shanghai New International Expo CentreShanghai, ChinaChina International Exhibitions Email: [email protected]: http://www.propakchina.com/en/index.asp

10 – 12 Robotics Asia 2012Putra World Trade CentreKuala Lumpur,MalaysiaProtemp Exhibition Sdn BhdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.roboticsasia.org/2012/

AuguSt

29 – 1 Sep Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition 2012

Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition HallTaiwanChan Chao International CO., LTD.Email: [email protected]: http://www.chanchao.com.tw/automation/en/index.asp

mAy

9 - 11 China Epower 2012Shanghai New International Expo CentreShanghai, ChinaMP International Private LimitedEmail: [email protected]: http://www.epower-china.cn

15 - 19 AutomexPutraWorld Trade CentreKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaEmail: [email protected]: www.tradelink.com.my

17 – 20 IA Robotics 2012Bangkok International Trade & Exhibiton Centre Bangkok, ThailandUBM Asia (Thailand) Co LtdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.intermachshow.com/

22 - 24 Industrial Automation Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC)Facon Exhibitions Sdn BhdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.tradeshowz.net/trade-event-detail/industrial-automation-kuala-lumpur.html

JuNe

06 – 09 Renewable Energy Thailand 2012Bangkok International Trade & Exhibiton Centre SingaporeBangkok, Thailand UBM Asia (Thailand) Co LtdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.renewableenergy-asia.com/

12 – 14 Green Energy Asia 2012Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC)AMB Exhibitions Sdn BhdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.biztradeshows.com/trade-events/green-energy-asia.html

13 – 16 Propak Asia 2012Bangkok International Trade & Exhibiton Centre SingaporeBangkok, Thailand Bangkok Exhibition Services LtdEmail: [email protected]: http://www.propakasia.com/

21 - 24 InterMold Thailand 2012BITEC, BangkokThailandReed TradexEmail: [email protected]: http://www.intermoldthailand.com/

To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to:

The Editor IAAEastern Trade Media Pte Ltd.1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building, #02-05, Singapore 169206Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 • Email: [email protected]

2012

64 Advertising Index | IndustrialAutomationAsia

ADVERTISINGI N D E X

ADVERTISER PAGE NO ENQ NO

ABB Pte Ltd IFC 138

Adder teChnoLogy (AsIA PACIFIC) Pte Ltd 39 424

AdvAnteCh Co. sIngAPore Pte Ltd 41 411

AgILent teChnoLogIes sIngAPore (sALes) Pte Ltd 43 425

BeCkhoFF AutomAtIon Pte Ltd IBC 403

Cognex sIngAPore InC 37 407

dI-sorIC Pte Ltd 29 417

emerson ProCess mAnAgement AsIA PACIFIC Pte Ltd 25 404

ePson sIngAPore Pte Ltd 53 422

exxon moBIL 27 414

FLIr systems Co., Ltd 5 409

FLuke south eAst AsIA Pte Ltd 45 410

FujI eLeCtrIC AsIA PACIFIC Pte Ltd 7 264

hIokI sIngAPore Pte Ltd 17 421

ICP dAs Co, Ltd. 47 413

Igus sIngAPore Pte Ltd 33/57 405/406

IngersoLL-rAnd south eAst AsIA (Pte) Ltd 23 426

mItsuBIshI eLeCtrIC AsIA Pte Ltd oBC 415

PAnduIt 15 420

ProtemP exhIBItIons sdn. Bhd. 59 423

reed trAdex ComPAny 49 416

roCkweLL AutomAtIon south eAst AsIA Ltd 1 393

sIemens Pte Ltd 3 412

sIngAPore exhIBItIon servICes Pte Ltd 55 419

sIngAPore InternAtIonAL wAter week 51 418

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Modular automation components for all building functions. Building Automation from Beckhoff.

Modular control system from the Industrial PC as main building computer to the Ethernet controller

High-Density Bus Terminals with 16 connection points in 12 mm

Beckhoff Bus Terminal for all major sensors and

actuators

Integration of DMX, LON, MP-Bus, M-Bus, DALI and RS232/RS485 Universal dimmer

Direct current and voltage measurement

Integrated safety functions according to SIL3

Manual operation for changing process data

Consumption data acquisition

EnOcean radio technology

I/O

Automation

IPC

| BA1

1-11

E |

Digital and analog standard signals

Beckhoff Automation Pte. Ltd.Phone: + 65 6635 [email protected]

Beckhoff Automation Sdn. Bhd. (889044-H).Phone: + 60 (3) 7731 [email protected]

www.beckhoff.com.sg/buildingPC- and Ethernet-based control technology from Beckhoff offers software-based solutions for all building functions. The universal automation concept with hardware and software components for all building services offers maximum fl exibility with low engineering costs. The TwinCAT automation software platform includes all key building functions and offers standardised system integration via Ethernet, BACnet/IP, OPC UA or Modbus TCP. The Beckhoff Building Automation components meet the requirements for building automation according to energy effi ciency class A.

ENQUIRY NO. 403

ENQU

IRY

NO.

415

iaa may 2012

Documents

process control

power automation

process electrification

process industry

control systems

integrationgreater control

substation automation

power management