By the Numbers – 2009-12-02

Green technologies, automation software connector, tutorials on sensors and PID are among a dozen recent news items at www.controleng.com.

December 2, 2009

The dozen summaries on this page have been posted at Control Engineering online in mid-to-late November 2009. Search any of the key words atop www.controleng.com to learn more.

>1/4 of Siemens total expected sales are related to green technologies, according to The Wall Street Journal.

1 new OPC Foundation Express Interface, OPC Xi, is based on Microsoft .NET Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) technology. It is designed for secure reliable access to real-time, historical and alarm and event-based information, and is intended provide a .NET-based migration path from OPC Classic. OPC Xi also may be used as a standard .NET WCF interface for newly developed OPC servers.

1st products from the Hirschmann and Byres Security partnership were released at SPS/IPC/Drives Electric Automation Exhibitions and Conference in Germany. Belden‘s Hirschmann Automation division’s Eagle 20 Tofino products combine a security appliance with a collection of software modules to provide practical and effective industrial network security. They are suitable for use with process control and SCADA systems.

2 tutorial videos from Control Engineering on proximity sensors cover trends in photoelectric and fixed-frame proximity sensors and inductive and capacitive proximity sensors.

4 accelerometer input channels, 24 bit each, independently sample at up to 52.7 kHz per channel or 210 kHz total throughput, for sound and vibration measurement applications. The Data Translation device helps TCP/IP Ethernet users by eliminating ground loops and noise sources. Up to 16 instrument modules may be stacked for parallel operation of 64 IEPE accelerometer or voltage inputs.

4x increase in battery life can be achieved using the Energy Micro EFM32 Gecko microcontroller, which the company calls the world’s most energy efficient microcontroller.

12-page loop tuning guide from ControlSoft is the fourth edition. It has tuning instructions for cascade loops and an expanded reference section on common controllers and can easily fit into a jacket or jeans pocket for handy on-the-job access.

17 years of experience benchmarking the hydrocarbons industries has shown that "process safety is key to achieving success as a superior performer," says David Bohmbach, president and CEO of Houston-based Phillip Townsend and Associates (PTAI). The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), a technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), has announced a partnership with PTAI to establish a program of formal benchmarking in process safety in the chemical, energy, and pharmaceutical industries.

18-acre solar garden at the Mars Chocolate renovated headquarters provides 20% of plant’s peak energy consumption. More than 28,000 ground-mounted solar panels will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,000 metric tons, equivalent to removing 190 vehicles from the road each year. A long-term partnership between Mars Chocolate North America and PSEG Solar Source has been established to ensure the solar garden’s success.

36 I/O points can be added to the Allen-Bradley DataSite rugged Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) controller using the FreeWave Technologies new IO Expansion Module. Up to 16 modules can be stacked on the radio or base module.

60 frames per second is the speed of software providing a virtual walkthrough, significantly faster than what can be achieved by traditional, non real-time rendering. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will use this EyeSim technology from Invensys Operations Management as the centerpiece of a new state-of-the-art training center to assist in the development of new generation zero-emission integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants with carbon capture. Wearing a stereoscopic headset, trainees enter the immersive environment and move freely throughout the facility, seeing exactly what they would see if they were in an actual plant.

3,756 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, or 4.52%, is the Autodesk 2010 target reduction compared to FY09. Part of the plan allows individual business units to make decisions and commit to targets; adapts to short-term deviations from the target trajectory; and provides predictable forecasting for incorporation into business planning and optimization of cost-savings. Between FY08 and FY09, Autodesk’s total GHG footprint increased by 1%.