Top 5 Plant Engineering articles, April 13-19

Were you out last week? Miss something? Here are Plant Engineering’s five most-clicked articles from last week, April 13-19, including articles about the Zebra Technologies aquisition, natural gas for motor vehicles, Microsoft Windows XP support, electric motor power measurement, and artifical intelligence devices.

By Jessica DuBois-Maahs, CFE Media April 21, 2014
$3.45 billion cash deal merges two mobility, asset management companies
The options for vehicle refueling continue to expand. The near future promises even further broadening of NG fleet fueling options. Natural gas is growing in applications both as liquid natural gas (LNG) which is usually used for over-the-road tractors, and compressed natural gas (CNG), which is used in local-use heavy duty trucks, and in medium-and light-duty vehicles
3. What if some machines still use Microsoft Windows XP after support ends April 8?
Ask Control Engineering blog: After April 8, Microsoft support for Windows XP ends. If you’re still using it on April 9, there are extra precautions.
4. Electric motor power measurement and analysis
Energy is one of the highest cost items in a plant or facility, and motors often consume the lion’s share of plant power, so making sure motors are operating optimally is vital. Accurate power measurements can help to reduce energy consumption, as measurement is always the first step toward better performance and can also help extend the life of a motor. Small misalignment or other issues are often invisible to the naked eye, and the slightest wobble in a shaft can negatively affect productivity and quality, and even shorten the life of the motor.
Here are some new consumer artificial intelligence breakthroughs entering the robotics marketplace.
The list was developed using CFE Media’s web analytics for stories viewed on plantengineering.com, April 13-19, for articles published within the last two months.
– Jessica DuBois-Maahs, associate content manager, CFE Media, jdmaahs@cfemedia.com.