www.controleng.

com
S
i
e
m
e
n
s

T
o
t
a
l
l
y

I
n
t
e
g
r
a
t
e
d

A
u
t
o
m
a
t
i
o
n

(
T
I
A
)

i
n
c
r
e
a
s
e
s

p
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
v
i
t
y
,

e
n
h
a
n
c
e
s
f
l
e
x
i
b
i
l
i
t
y
,

i
m
p
r
o
v
e
s

e
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y
,

a
n
d

r
e
d
u
c
e
s

c
o
s
t
s
.
.
S
e
e

p
a
g
e

2
1

f
o
r

d
e
t
a
i
l
s
input #1 at www.controleng.com/information
the #1 value in automation
Order Today, Ships Today!
* See our Web site for details and restrictions. Copyright 2014 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.
1-800-633-0405
C-more

around your plant!

Practical, Powerful and Priced Right
Check out the powerful yet easy-to-use conguration
software by downloading a demo version at:
http://support.automationdirect.com/demos.html
C-more

EA9 series
touch panel
family
6-inch TFT
EA9-T6CL-R
6-inch TFT
EA9-T6CL
8-inch TFT
EA9-T8CL
10-inch TFT
EA9-T10CL
12-inch TFT
EA9-T12CL
15-inch TFT
EA9-T15CL
$
499
(No Ethernet)
$
999
$
1,290
$
1,790
$
1,999
$
699
Research, price, buy at: www.automationdirect.com/c-more
All-new hardware at
lower prices!
ALL EA9 SERIES C-MORE PANELS INCLUDE:
Serial communications interface
One USB A-type and one USB B-type port
SD memory card slot for data logging
FULL-FEATURED MODELS ADD:
10/100Base-T Ethernet communications
Two additional serial ports
HDMI output port and additional SD memory card slot
on 12- and 15-inch models
REMOTE ACCESS AND CONTROL BUILT-IN
The C-more Remote Access feature resides in all panels
with Ethernet support, and requires no option modules.
Access real-time data or initiate an action on a control
system from anywhere, any time.
CONNECT TO CONTROLLERS WITH DRIVERS
FOR:
All AutomationDirect programmable controllers
Allen-Bradley - ControlLogix, CompactLogix,
MicroLogix Ethernet, SLC Series, FlexLogix,
SLC 5/05 Ethernet
Modbus RTU and TCP/IP Ethernet
GE SNPX
Omron Host Link Adapter (C200/C500),
FINS Serial and Ethernet
Selected Mitsubishi FX Series, Q Series
Siemens S7-200 PPI and S7-200/300
Ethernet (ISO over TCP/IP)
New C-more EA9 series touch panels in 6 to 15
screen sizes are a practical way to give plant
personnel easy access to controls and data.
Faster 800MHz processor
Increased project memory, up to 82MB
3 serial ports for more connectivity
Clear TFT 65K color LED displays
Our C-more remote HMI application, for iPad,
iPhone or iPod touch, is available on the App Store
for $4.99. It provides remote access and control to a
C-more panel for mobile users who have a wi- or
cellular connection.
3-pin RS485
Communications port
Built-in SD Card port
USB Port-B
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Serial Communication ports
Audio Line in
Audio Line out
USB Port-A
HDMI Video out
EA9-T12CL
panel shown
RJ12 RS232
Communications port
9
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
10
starting at:
EA9-T6CL-R
serial communications
$
499.
00
u.s.
6 TFT Touch Panel
the #1 value in automation
Order Today, Ships Today!
* See our Web site for details and restrictions. Copyright 2014 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.
1-800-633-0405
Research, price, buy at:
www.automationdirect.com
productivity3000
Productivity3000 programmable controller
Easy DAQ or SCADA with flexible
I/O and practical software
Use the technology built into the Productivity3000 programmable
controller to make your job easier. If you need data collection or
monitoring from the factory oor, lab, or eld - get your data the way
you need it. One program instruction in the controller connects
and passes data to all the common database formats - Microsoft
Access, ODBC, and SQL Server. The controller can retrieve, add,
delete and update data records in the remote database. Low-cost
server software (DataWorx P3K for PC sold separately, starting
at $595) makes the data readily available to your upstream
application.
For even simpler data logging, the CPU can write data to a
removable mass storage device (USB) on an event or time basis.
And for basic mobile monitoring, theres the new PACData app.
Choose one approach, or all - its that exible.
DATA EXCHANGE
Its easy to be a PRO at
MES
DAQ
SCADA
NEW!
REMOTE APP
Monitor data by type View Event and Error
Histories
Check out the new PACData app (free download on Apple App Store)
that gives you the capability to remotely monitor specied program tags
in the Productivity3000 from your phone or tablet (iOS only at this time). You
also gain access to error and event history as well as login capabilities to
the CPUs built-in Web server where you can view any of your data
log les. On any screen, zoom into specic values and save
a screen capture if needed.
input #2 at www.controleng.com/information
2 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
40
42
30

Vol. 61
Number 4
COVERI NG CONTROL, I NSTRUMENTATI ON, AND AUTOMATI ON SYSTEMS WORLDWI DE
30
Cover: Big plans for small
nuclear reactors
More effcient nuclear reactor designs have
simpler controls, safety and modularity; see
timelines for startup.
34
Smart manufacturing and
new automation improve lives
of engineers
Next-generation automation has a profound
impact on manufacturing business models and
quality of life for engineers.
36
Smart manufacturing
technologies, intelligent processes
Software enables predictive planning, performance
monitoring, big data analytics, virtual modeling,
and more informed decisions.
Features
APRIL 2014
Courtesy: NuScale Power LLC
CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 61, No. 4, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher
/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2014 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license.
Periodicals postage paid at Oak Brook, IL 60523 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. E-mail: customerservice@cfemedia.
com. Postmaster: send address changes to CONTROL ENGINEERING, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses
to: 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Email: [email protected]. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $150/yr; Canada/Mexico, $180/yr (includes 7% GST,
GST#123397457); International air delivery $325/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30.00 US and $35.00 foreign. Please address all subscription
mail to CONTROL ENGINEERING, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Printed in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or
damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.
38
8 ways the cloud is a no-brainer
A cloud solution can be the most economical
way to make things happen in a hurry.
40
Industrial cloud improves custody
transfer, remote monitoring for oil
applications
Trigg Technologies LLC uses a cloud-based
platform and remote monitoring to improve
custody transfer services.
42
Improve remote HMI and OIT access
Smartphones, tablets and industrial software give mobile
access to human machine interfaces (HMIs) and operator
interface terminals (OITs).
44
Convergence benefts
Technology convergence offers new opportunities.

input #3 at www.controleng.com/information
Get the unswerving performance you depend on, while maintaining
the safe and reliable systems you need. With Honeywells continuous
evolution approach and depth of expertise, you can modernize to the most
advanced functionality with minimal disruption to operations. No matter
what automation system you are running, by modernizing to Honeywells
technology, you can accelerate production capabilities and extend your
automation investment into the future.
Your roadmap to the future.
www.honeywellprocess.com
2013 Honeywell International, Inc. All rights reserved.
whats your roadmap?
Map a course for sustained performance.
input #4 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 5
8 Think Again
Software to go, wireless mobility
10 Apps for Engineers
File preview apps for iOS and
Android
12 Anniversary
Industrialization, lucrative controls,
e-commerce for manufacturing
14 Research
Cyber security report
16 International
Interconnecting devices
via Internet
17 IT & Engineering Insight
How to justify manufacturing IT
changes
18 Machine Safety
Merger: One global
machine safety standard
20 Integrator Update
6 reasons why system
integration is not a commodity
96 Back to Basics
Quality management ideas
departments
22 Goodbye MS Windows XP,
engineering train safety
23 Dual-arm concept robot
24 Motion control profle
expands, 10 changes to
material handling
25 Take risks as manufacturing
changes 8 ways, ODVA likes
Ethernet for process industries
news
93 Do Ethernet over A-B Remote
IO, Powerlink translation,
ground testers, CAN gate-
way IO module, cageless
high-peak torque motors
94 Integrated logic gate, power
supply for dc in plastic or
aluminum housing
products
Inside Machines
Sections after p. 46. If not, see www.controleng.com/archives for April.
M1

Packaging OEM offers multi-touch enabled machines
Edson Packaging puts an industrial spin on consumer electronics technology.
M6

PLCopen part 4 blurs the lines
The PLCopen working group for motion control has standardized machine
control programming: PLCs, robots, and motion control.
M11

Increase sampling time for motor control
Pulse width modulation (PWM) using opposite voltage vector can extend time
for analog dc (ADC) sampling in motor control applications.
Inside Energy Management
PRODUCTS
COVERI NG CONTROL, I NSTRUMENTATI ON, AND AUTOMATI ON SYSTEMS WORLDWI DE

APRIL 2014
IEM1

Introduction
New methods, high
performance
IEM2

New approaches
Manage assets; save energy.
IEM5

Remote machines
Improve operations with less energy.

IEM8 New solar fnancing
Decrease costs, grow faster.
Exclusive HART Supplement after p. 46
On-demand Videos
Upcoming and on-demand Webcasts
Online training center
Case studies130+ all in one place
on dozens of topics
Useful eGuides on many topics
Control Engineering research reports
Editorial research
Education and training
Services available
Control Engineering
digital edition extras
Now with each new issue, the digital
edition of Control Engineering features
extra content that isnt included
in the print issues.
See what youre missing at
www.controleng.com/digitaledition
Control Engineering conducts
quarterly editorial research studies on
various industry topics.
Access the following full reports at:
www.controleng.com/ce-research
Cyber security
System integration
Information integration
Events and awards
Visit our events and awards page to
learn about the latest Control Engineer-
ing events and awards programs.
Site search engine
Find content from Control Engineering
magazines from 1997 to the present.
Electronic newsletters
Keep current with the latest information
and news with electronic newsletters.
System Integrator Guide
Consult our listing of more than 2,300
automation system integrators. You can
fnd a specifc company or run a seven-
way multi-parameter search.
Fresh content daily: More learning, less surfng
Exclusive blogs at www.controleng.com/blogs
Real World Engineering: Emulating a third-party application in a DCS
Machine Safety: Safety system validation is needed to substantiate the
required safety function
Research analyst blogs: 6 billion Internet-enabled devices will be made in 2014
Ask Control Engineering: What if some of my machines still use MS Windows XP?
Join the discussions at www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1967039
What engineering mobile apps do you fnd most useful?
Are governments giving STEM enough support?
Is there a shortage of engineers going into automation-related professions?
Ask a question or start a discussion today.
Topical e-newsletters deliver timely intelligence
Start your subscriptions at www.controleng.com/newsletters
Weekly News: PMI Index increase part of the spring thaw
System Integration: Integrating and optimizing power and mechanical systems
Machine Control: PLC, robotic, and motion control programming
Process & Advanced Control: Create a safety culture, understand
model-based control
Trending New Products Control Systems Process Manufacturing Discrete Manufacturing System Integration Networking & Security Info Management Education & Training
www.controleng.com
Point, click, watch
VIDEO:
Robot picking and packing series
ABBs IRB 360-6 FlexPicker robot has a reach of 1600 mm
and a mid-range payload of 6 kg and is designed for harsh
washdown environments like meat and dairy applications.
Go to www.controleng.com/videos to see how it
works, along with other recent video clips, or scan
the code to the right.
6 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
APRIL
www.controleng.com
800 453 6202
>> Accelerate your productivity at ni.com/industrial-control-platform
2013 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments.
Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 12125
Lowering cost, increasing productivity, and shortening design times are just some
of the challenges industrial engineers face. The graphical system design approach
combines productive software and recongurable I/O (RIO) hardware to help you
meet these challenges. This off-the-shelf platform, customizable to solve any control
and monitoring application, integrates motion, vision, and I/O with a single software
development environment to build complex industrial systems faster.
NI LabVIEW system design
software offers ultimate
exibility through FPGA
programming, simplies
code reuse, and helps
you program the way you
thinkgraphically.
Unbeatable Control,
Precision, and Flexibility
input #5 at www.controleng.com/information
8 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
THINK AGAIN THINK AGAIN
editorial
1111 W. 22nd St. Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504
T
he number of mobility applications
has exploded, including many for
engineers use. I had heard some
suggest a while back that software
for automation, controls, and instrumen-
tation was too complex for smartphones
or tablets. A Control Engineering analysis
of 225 applications for engineers found
that thats certainly not the case. Of those
applications:
85 are Android (Google), 38%
141 are iOS (Apple), 62%.
These apps are developed by 115 compa-
nies; 61 for Android (53%), and 54 for iOS
(47%).
Among the application types:
58 are reference (26%)
46 calculator (20%)
35 productivity (16%)
28 utilities (12%)
20 business (9%)
13 instrumentation (6%)
10 catalog (4%)
8 tools (4%)
7 suite (3%).
The top five categories of applications
for each operating system (OS) ranked
equally, as shown above.
Among the categories of applications:
62 are general engineering (27%)
33 HVAC (15%)
32 electrical (14%)
23 control methods (10%)
14 file preview (6%)
13 business admin (6%)
11 education (5%)
9 mechanical (4%)
8 energy (4%)
8 motors and drives (4%)
7 vision (3%)
3 maintenance (1%)
2 codes and standards (1%).
Among these, 10 have to do with human
machine interface (HMI), supervisory con-
trol and data acquisition (SCADA), or
visualization, according to the application
descriptions.
General engineering is the most preva-
lent category for each OS; HVAC was more
numerous in iOS and electrical more for
Android. Control methods and file preview
rounded out the top 5 for each.
Paid versus free analysis
Among the 225 applications, 151 (67%)
are free. Among 74 apps with a fee:
43 are iOS (58%) and 31 are Android
$10.48 is the average cost
$4.99 is the median (and mode) cost
$ 149.99 is the highest one (a SCADA
and HMI application)
$0.99 is the lowest (5 apps)
$ 776 is the sum of the paid apps, and
80% of that is from iOS apps.
Think again if you consider automation
and control too complex for use on smart-
phones and tablets. The statistics shown
indicate otherwise.
Four mobile applications are highlighted
in each issue of Control Engineering. See
the online box below for more. ce
Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager
[email protected]
www.controleng.com/archives
April: This story has links to more information
about the applications themselves. Numbers here
originate from applications in CFE Medias Apps for
Engineers as of late March.
www.controleng.com/AppsForEngineers
... is where to peruse the apps or submit an app.
Go Online
Software to go,
wireless mobility
Mobile applications are allowing those in the
control engineering profession to take software
with them in smartphones and tablets. What
kinds of mobile apps are available?
Content Specialists/Editorial
Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2214, [email protected]
Peter Welander, Content Manager
[email protected]
Jordan Schultz, Associate Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2213, [email protected]
Amanda McLeman, Director of Research
630-571-4070, x2209, [email protected]
Chris Vavra, Content Specialist
[email protected]
Contributing Content Specialists
Frank J. Bartos, P.E.,
[email protected]
Jeanine Katzel, [email protected]
Vance VanDoren, Ph.D., P.E.,
[email protected]
Suzanne Gill, European Editor
[email protected]
Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia
[email protected]
Marek Kelman, Poland Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
Luk Smelk, Czech Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
Andy Zhu, Control Engineering China
[email protected]
Publication Services
Jim Langhenry, Co-Founder/Publisher, CFE Media
630-571-4070, x2203; [email protected]
Steve Rourke, Co-Founder, CFE Media
630-571-4070, x2204, [email protected]
Trudy Kelly, Executive Assistant,
630-571-4070, x2205, [email protected]
Elena Moeller-Younger, Marketing Manager
773-815-3795, [email protected]
Kristen Nimmo, Marketing Coordinator
630-571-4070, x2215, [email protected]
Brian Gross, Marketing Consultant
630-571-4070, x2217, [email protected]
Michael Smith, Creative Director
630-779-8910, [email protected]
Paul Brouch, Director of Operations
630-571-4070, x2208, [email protected]
Michael Rotz, Print Production Manager
717-766-0211 x4207, Fax: 717-506-7238
[email protected]
Maria Bartell, Account Director
Infogroup Targeting Solutions
847-378-2275, [email protected]
Rick Ellis, Audience Management Director
303-246-1250, [email protected]
Letters to the editor
Please e-mail us your opinions to
[email protected] or fax us at 630-214-4504.
Letters should include name, company, and address,
and may be edited for space and clarity.
Information
For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar,
email Trudy Kelly at [email protected].
Reprints
For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact:
Wrights Media Nick Iademarco
Phone: 877-652-5295 ext. 102
Email: [email protected]
Publication Sales
Patrick Lynch, AL, FL, GA, MI, TN
630-571-4070 x2210 [email protected]
Bailey Rice, AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, NE, ND, OK, OH, SD, TX, WI,
Central Canada
630-571-4070 x2206 [email protected]
Iris Seibert, AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY,
Western Canada
858-270-3753 [email protected]
Julie Timbol, CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NC, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV, DC,
Eastern Canada
978-929-9495 [email protected]
Diane Houghton, classified, product mart, media showcase
508-298-9021 [email protected]
Stuart Smith, International
Tel. +44 208 464 5577 [email protected]
input #6 at www.controleng.com/information
ENGINEERS ENGINEERS
apps for
10 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
File preview apps
for iOS and Android
Buzzsaw
Android 2.2+, iOS 4.2+
Cost: Free
Company: Autodesk Inc.
Website: www.autodesk.com
This app lets users securely access project designs and documents for
architecture, engineering, and construction from anywhere. Autodesk,
Revit, and Navisworks models, DWF, AutoCAD, DWG, DXF, PDFs, Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint are all compatible.
Tolomatic
iOS 5.1+
Cost: Free
Company: Tolomatic
Website: www.tolomatic.com
With this app, access Tolomatics company and product information.
Products include: right-angle gear boxes, cone clutches, pneumatic
cylinders, industrial caliper brakes, electric linear actuators, and motors
and control systems.
eDrawings
Android 4.0+, iOS 6.0+
Cost: $1.99
Company: SolidWorks Corp.
Website: www.solidworks.com
This app is a CAD viewer that allows users to view native eDrawings fles and
SolidWorks parts, assemblies, and drawings fles. The app integrates e-mail
functionality such that users can load and send fles.
Data Dashboard for LabVIEW
Android 4.0+, iOS 5.0+
Cost: Free
Company: National Instruments
Website: www.ni.com
This app allows NI LabVIEW users to create a custom dashboard that
they can use to remotely control and monitor running applications
in that program. Users can connect deployed NI shared variables or
LabVIEW web services with controls and indicators.
CFE Medias Apps for Engineers is an interactive
directory of more than 240 engineering-related
applications for Android and iOS, created by
various companies. Weve organized apps by
category, company, and type. This month, gain
access to our file preview apps.
www.controleng.com/appsforengineers
SIMATIC HMI WinCC in TIA Portal
Powerful
Efcient
Intuitive
What Customers Request
n Easy to use
n Communications options
n Reasonable prices
n Industrial quality
How SIMATIC Delivers
n Award winning software
n Communication with
many industrial products
n Competitively priced
n Robust industrial design
usa.siemens.com/hmi-ce
input #7 at www.controleng.com/information
ORDER TODAY
Allied Electronics, Inc 2014. Allied Electronics and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc. An Electrocomponents Company.
1.800.433.5700
* For Standard Control products. Source: Automation World Magazine 2011, 2012, 2013
Get the products you need from the brands you trust @ thinkallied.com
Trust Allied to bring you name brand suppliers for all your automation projects
Voted #1 by
Automation Professionals
*
input #8 at www.controleng.com/information
12 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
60th Anniversary
Happy 60th, Control Engineering! Help us celebrate by looking at
trends. Control Engineering magazine first published in September
1954. This monthly column in 2014 will review coverage in issues 60
(or 59), 30, and 15 years ago. Technologies have progressed since
then, topics remain relevant today (Southeast industrialization, the
lucrative industrial control field, and e-commerce).
See the Control Engineering
history page:
www.controleng.com/history
See additional historical links
online and more information
about each of these excerpts:
www.controleng.com/archives
Go Online
E-commerce is on the rise for manufacturing
E-commerce is emerging rapidly for factory automation and process control products. Internet
usage has risen astronomically over the past four years, and it is estimated that the number of
Internet users will reach one billion by the year 2005. Looking at current Internet trends, it makes
sense that more services are focusing on online consumers.
Until recently, it was difficult to sell goods or services over the Internet, but the boom in web
development tools, such as Java, server-side scripting, and secure servers has facilitated the
introduction of e-commerce onto the World Wide Web. Nowadays just about anything can be
bought via the Internet, including books, CDs, software, clothing, vitamins, airline tickets, and
now, automation and control products.
So far, only a few manufacturing companies have set up online stores, but new site announce-
ments keep coming in regularly as more companies sell their products online.
History 60 - 30 - 15 years ago
th
ANNIVERSARY
Controls pace southeast industrialization
In 15 years, Floridas manufacturing output has risen 500%. Nearly 44% of Georgians farmed
in 1940, but today only 28% do. These figures typify the pace of industrialization throughout
the Southeast. New and expanded factories have made the region a top market for instrument
and control makers. And competition among the myriad small plants is so keen that even some
relatively new ones remain steady customers. For example, the Macon Kraft Co., Georgia paper-
maker, now uses 50% more instrumentation than it did just seven years ago when the plant was
built. Southeastern industry is becoming increasingly control conscious. One power plant spent
$2.5 million to reduce operators from 26 to 6 men per shift. A modern hospital being built in
Atlanta has a boiler plant whose controls and instruments represented 50% of the boiler room
cost. About the region, these generalizations seem valid: More companies are hiring instrument
engineers; scanning techniques are becoming popular for assembling and collating the informa-
tion on instrument panels; process industries are building more central control rooms; and elec-
tronic control systems are interesting, but most plants are sticking to pneumatic systems.
Trends in control: The industrial control field, still lucrative
If current activities are any indication, the industrial control field has lost none of its glamour as a potentially
lucrative growth business. After lackluster performance in recent years, two of the well-known process control
suppliers changed owners, presumably switching to companies that will be better able to take advantage of
their inherent capabilities. Newly formed companies with a better technological idea continue to come out of
the woodwork, to be joined by major existing companies which in the past have had no interest in the indus-
trial control field but have suddenly decided they better get in on the action. Strange things happen as well: a
major supplier spins off a system integrating capability, which on the surface seemed crucial to accomplishing
its stated objectives.
Programmable controllers and distributed process control systems are still the most popular areas, both in
this country and overseas. Accompanying new basic PCs are an endless number of PC accessories, interface
devices, documentation and programming systems, service businesses, and control software houses. All of this
activity bodes well for the control engineering customer.
A
P
R
I
L

1
9
5
5
A
P
R
I
L

1
9
8
4
A
P
R
I
L

1
9
9
9
-Jordan M. Schultz, associate content manager, CFE Media, edited the excerpts to fit this page.
Easy Call. Big Payoff.
Motor-driven equipment accounts for 63% of your
plants electricity consumption every minute of
every day. Your choices are to let your electricity
bills continue to grow or call in Baldors Installed
Base Evaluation Team to identify improvements
you can start making today.
The Baldor IBE Team uses advanced data
collection equipment and software to work with
your plant maintenance personnel to take an
accurate account of your motors, drives and
mechanical power transmission products, both in
operation and from spares inventory. The IBE Team
will produce a comprehensive report and plan,
2012 Baldor Electric Company
targeting inefficient motors and mechanical drives
as well as identifying systems where adjustable
speed drives could be added to save even more
energy. This report will provide recommendations for
immediate action along with long term strategies
all positively affecting your bottom line.
If youre ready to do something about your growing
electricity consumption, email the Baldor IBE
specialists at [email protected] or call
(864) 281-2100 to receive case studies with real-
world savings. Its an easy call with a big payoff.
baldor.com
Save Energy. Save Money.
input #9 at www.controleng.com/information
14 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Control system cyber security
threat levels
Severe
High
Moderate
Low
6%
20%
45%
29%
Within past
6 months
Within past
year
Within past
18 months
Within
past
2 years
Never
Most recent vulnerability
assessment
33%
29% 5%
10%
24%
I
n February 2014, Control Engineering sur-
veyed members of its audience who are direct-
ly involved in aspects of control system cyber
security within their organizations. The study
asked key questions on cyber security practices,
including perceived threat levels, system vulner-
ability, and recent cyber-related incidents.
In general, nearly half of respondents perceive
the control system threat
within their organizations to
be at a moderate level, but
one in four cite a high or
severe threat level in their
systems (see Figure 1).
Malware from a ran-
dom source with no specific
connection to respondents
respective companies or
industries was cited as the
most threatening type of
cyber-related incident that
a control system could
experience.
The top three system
components respondents are
most concerned about are:
1. Computer assets that
are running commer-
cial operating systems
2. Connections to other
internal systems
3. Network devices.
On the other hand,
cyber threats dont seem to
be much of a concern on
embedded controllers and
connections to the field
SCADA network.
Systems vulnerability
When asked about the
last time their organiza-
tion performed any type of
vulnerability assessment,
one-third of respondents said an evaluation
was performed within the past six months,
29% said within the past 12 months, 15% said
within the past 18 to 24 months, and an alarm-
ing 24% said never.
Of the respondents who indicated that their
organization has never performed a vulnerability
assessment, 33% have been aware of between 1
and 5 malicious cyber incidents in their control
system networks and/or control system cyber
assets in the last 24 months. One-third of these
incidents were declared as accidental infections,
while 20% were targeted in nature, and 47%
were a combination of targeted and accidental.
Only 25% of all respondents indicated
that their organizations computer emergency
response team appears well trained and capable
to detect and respond to cyber-related incidents.
Nearly half said either such a team does not
exist at their organization, or the existing team
is not properly trained to identify and react to
these attacks.
Here is where the problem may lie: 71% of
organizations are teaching their employees about
who to contact in the event of a cyber incident or
attack, but not how to properly respond in such
a scenario.
Forty-one percent of respondents agreed that
having industry-required standards without gov-
ernment involvement would improve or enable
their efforts to implement proper control system
cyber security controls, while 21% said that no
outside involvement would help at all.
Access the Control Engineering 2014 Cyber
Security report with more findings and insights
at www.controleng.com/14CyberSecurity. ce
- Amanda McLeman is director of research,
Control Engineering, [email protected].
Control Engineering
2014 Cyber Security study
Cyber threats to control systems are high, frequencies of vulnerability assessments
are low, and many organizations are lacking a capable cyber incident response team.
Are your systems at risk?
RESEARCH RESEARCH
cyber security
View other research studies from Control Engineering at
www.controleng.com/media-library/research.
Go Online Figure 2: Thirty-three percent of respondents
cited that their organization performed its
most recent vulnerability assessment within
the past six months.
Figure 1: More than one-quarter of respon-
dents perceive their organizations control
system cyber security threat level to be
high or severe. Graphics courtesy: Control
Engineering 2014 Cyber Security study
What was less surprising was the fact that the IceStation - along with the computer and monitor inside it
remained completely unharmed. All ITSENCLOSURES are constructed out of 14-gauge steel and built to last
forever and a day. Should one of our enclosures ever actually fail due to manufacturer defect, we will replace it!
As fast as humanly possible so your business does not skip a beat. Built to meet NEMA 12 standards, IceStation
TITAN protects computer systems from harmful dust, dirt, and splashing fluids. With a large viewing window
designed to accommodate up to 24 wide screen monitors, a retractable keyboard drawer, oversized work
surface, and a track record of 29 years of experience protecting electronics, ITSENCLOSURES is the one name
you can trust. To learn more about IceStation TITAN, call 1.800.423.9911 or visit ITSENCLOSURES.com.
When an overhead crane accidentally dropped a
steel pipe 15 feet onto an IceStation, workers were
relieved to nd the pipe had not been damaged.
25
input #10 at www.controleng.com/information
16 MONTH 2013 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more Q&A under the
headline for this article addressing
related network connectivity. See
other international coverage at
www.controleng.com/international
www.ewon.us
Go Online
16 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
T
he eWon Talk2M concept is well known
among eWon followers in the Czech
Republic, proven during the vote tally for
Control Engineering Czech best products
of the year. Yvan Rudzinski, a representative of the
Belgium eWon Group, answered questions about
interconnecting devices on the Internet.
Q: Could you describe eWon Talk2M?
A: Talk2M cloud-based connectivity services
connect automation engineers to machines via
the Internet, using secure virtual private network
(VPN) tunnels. On the user side, the software
eCatcher establishes, on demand, a communica-
tion link between the PC and Talk2M, through
the Internet. On the machine side, we install an
eWon industrial router connected to a PLC or any
automated device and reaching Talk2M using out-
bound connections. TalK2M is a cloud structure
made of several servers that relay the communica-
tions originated by the users to machines.
Q: Do you provide other solutions?
A: Talk2M is for remote access to pro-
grammable logic controllers (PLCs) for
machine builders and system integrators.
Our second market is remote data online,
especially in infrastructure and utilities (such
as water, wastewater, and energy). eWons
VPN hardware appliance is eFive, a central-
ized remote management solution, compat-
ible with industrial
PLCs and SCADA.
eWon provides
a large range of
industrial routers
used at remote sites.
Local connection is
ensured through an
Ethernet four-port
switch or a serial
link. Wide area network (WAN) connection is pro-
vided by an Ethernet Interface or built-in modem.
Q: What security allows access anywhere?
A: At any given time, several thousand engi-
neers from around the world are connected to
machines via eWon servers in Europe, America,
and Asia to reduce latency between IP packets.
Several levels of security are involved. Talk2M
VPN protocols are based on Open SSL and Open
VPN Version 2. The VPN security model is based
on using SSL/TLS for session authentication and
the IPSec ESP protocol for secure tunnel trans-
port over UDP. It supports the X509 PKI (public
key infrastructure) for session authentication, the
TLS protocol for key exchange, the cipher-inde-
pendent EVP (DES, 3DES, AES, BF) interface
for encrypting tunnel data, and the HMAC-SHA1
algorithm for authenticating tunnel data. ce
- Luk Smelk is content manager for Control
Engineering Czech.
Interconnecting devices
Our mission is
interconnecting
devices through-
out the Inter-
net, announced
eWon, a Belgium
company, in
an interview by
Control Engi-
neering Czech.
INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL

Yvan Rudzinski is a rep-

resentative of the Belgium
eWon Group. Courtesy: Con-
trol Engineering Czech
SENSORS
|
NETWORKS
|
RFI D
|
CONNECTI VI TY
|
I NTRI NSI C SAFETY
Learn more at
www.turck.us
input #11 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 17
INSIGHT INSIGHT
IT & engineering
J
ustifying changes can be difficult, espe-
cially for projects using information
technology in manufacturing. Many
benefits from applying IT solutions into
manufacturing operations are indirect and hard to
accurately estimate or measure. The the RAVE
approach to justifying new investments describes
four main reasons for changes: R for a revo-
lutionary benefit, A for an avoidance ben-
efit, V for a visionary benefit, and E for an
enhancement benefit. The explanations appear in
order of commonality.
1. Avoidance benefits
One of the most common reasons for imple-
menting IT in manufacturing is avoidance of
costs or defects. Avoidance occurs when there
are activities that you currently do, that you do
not want to do, and new technology can let you
avoid them. Avoidance benefits are often the
easiest to estimate, easiest to quickly measure,
and the easiest to justify. When using avoid-
ance as the reason for a project, it is important
to actually measure the costs before and after the
implementation. Many IT projects have been jus-
tified using avoidance, but when the true cost of
implementation and potential increased support
is added, the avoidance benefits disappear.
2. Enhancement benefits
Enhancement benefits come when a changed
system provides the ability to do things you cur-
rently do and want to continue to do, more effi-
ciently or effectively. Enhancement projects
that increase safety or reduce unexpected shut-
downs can provide measurable benefits, but
other enhancement projects can be hard to justify
because the value gained can be difficult to mea-
sure. What is the value of enhanced visibility into
the process that prevents a shutdown or accident?
That value is difficult measure, so enhancement
projects may go to the bottom of the list.
3. Visionary benefits
Visionary benefits come from changes that
deliver the ability to do something you currently
do not do, know that you could do, and that you
want to do. Visionary changes often occur when
you look at other companies in your industry and
other industries, and see them doing things with
IT that you dont do today. They had a vision to
use IT and have proven that implementations can
bring benefits. Benefits from visionary changes
can often be estimated using benchmarks and
comparisons to other companies. Visionary ben-
efits are usually easier to justify than enhance-
ments, because you can reference advantages that
your competitors have using new technologies.
4. Revolutionary change
A final reason for making a change can be the
extraordinary benefits derived from a revolution-
ary change, which occurs when there are activi-
ties you currently dont do, you want to do, and
you were not aware were possible. Revolution-
ary change requires expanded thinking beyond
incremental improvements and examination of
the production chain (all activities performed to
produce a product, including all primary and sec-
ondary activities, testing activities, quality assur-
ance activities, packaging activities, inventory
movement activities, and maintenance activities).
Revolutionary changes occur when entire links in
the production chain can be removed. They are
the hardest changes to justify because they break
with tradition and may force changes on groups
unwilling to change. Revolutionary changes can
also have the greatest benefit.
When considering a new manufacturing IT
project, look for benefits in more than one area;
remember the RAVE acronym: revolutionary
benefits, avoidance benefits, visionary benefits,
and enhancement benefits. List expected benefits
to help determine if change is worth the cost. ce
- Dennis Brandl is president of
BR&L Consulting in Cary, N.C.
His firm focuses on manufactur-
ing IT. Comment on the bottom
of this article online or e-mail
[email protected].
Justify manufacturing IT changes
using the RAVE approach

Revolutionary
changes are
the hardest to
justify because
they break with
tradition and may
force changes on
groups unwilling
to change. These
also can have
the greatest
benefit.

Justify investing in and applying new technology by explaining four main benefits: R is
for revolutionary benefit, A for avoidance, V for visionary, and E for enhancement
(RAVE). Listing all expected benefits will help determine if the change is worth the cost.
At www.controleng.com/archives
in April, find more details under this headline.
At www.controleng.com, search related topics.
Go Online
Dennis Brandl
President of BR&L
Consulting
18 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
A
joint working group is looking at global functional safety
standard unification. At present, there are two predomi-
nantly accepted functional safety standards for machin-
ery in the world:
IEC 62061, Safety of machinery: Functional safety of elec-
trical, electronic and programmable electronic control sys-
tems, and
ISO 13849-1, Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of
control systems - Part 1: General principles for design.
These two standards are often used together by machine
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to design and build
the safety-related parts of the machine control system. Safety
experts generally feel that, for a machines safety system, 62061
handles the more com-
plex components best
and that 13849-1 han-
dles the less complex
components and field
devices best for a total
solution. They have
been in use together
for the past eight years
and were needed in part
because technology
advancements required
more guidance for their proper application to achieve intended
safety functions reliably.
A joint working group has been formed and is working on
this project. The new combined functional safety standard has
been designated IEC/ISO 17305 and is tentatively scheduled for
release in 2016 with a two-year transition period.
In my opinion, for 17305 to be successful it should: 1) Make
life simpler for users 2) Resolve some existing issues and 3)
capitalize on the best achievements of each standard.
It seems this direction has commitment from standards bod-
ies because maintenance work on 62061 and 13849-1 has virtu-
ally stopped. It also seems that the existing updated standards
are improving levels of safety because they are requiring design-
ers to incorporate all aspects relative to the life cycle reliability
of components used in safety circuits. Safety rated components
are recommended while allowing standard components. Reli-
ability data is required by the calculations for all safety rated or
standard components engineered into a safety circuit.
While many countries have national (or domestic) safety
standards, global trade is increasing, which increases the need
for global standards. As the merging process continues, newer,
more complex requirements are not expected to be added. The
bottom line is that it appears global industry is driving to achieve
clarification and simplification for one standard, helping OEMs
to provide safer and fewer designs more competitively. ce
- J.B. Titus, Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE),
writes the Control Engineering Machine Safety Blog. Edited by
Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, [email protected].
SAFETY SAFETY
Might there be global harmony in func-
tional safety standards for machinery?
Theres a working group for that. Cour-
tesy: Control Engineering Machine Safety
Blog, JB Titus and Associates
machine
Merger: One global
machine safety standard
In a few years, we could have just one functional safety standard.
Today the world has two predominantly accepted functional safety
standards for machinery: IEC 62061 and ISO 13849-1.
www.controleng.com/blogs
See this post, link to more about machine safety, and add your thoughts
about machine safety standard unification.
Go Online
sealevel.com 864.843.4343 [email protected]
The Relio R3 solid-state 3U
rackmount industrial
computer uses COM Express
architecture for easy
scalability and long
product lifecycle.
Relio R3 systems offer:
Choice of Intel Dual-Core i7, i3
or Atom Processor
Dual Gigabit Ethernet
2 RS-232, 1 RS-485 and 4 USB Ports
18 Expansion Slots for Analog,
Digital, and Serial I/O
1 PCIe Bus Expansion Slot
7 Touchscreen LCD Operator Interface on Front Panel
Visit www.sealevel.com/cce044/r3 or or scan the QR code to the below.
input #12 at www.controleng.com/information
ABBs flagship safety system has now been released for use in standalone
applications. This means that the same great proven and TUV certified safety
system that is integrated with ABBs System 800xA DCS can now be interfaced
with any ABB process control system such as Freelance or Symphony Plus
(Harmony and Melody) or our heritage technologies (Advant, MOD 300) as well
as 3rd party control systems, PLCs or simple HMIs. Independent High Integrity is
the perfect SIL3 certified safety system; when you need safety independent of the
control system technology or vendor on your site.
www.abb.com/highintegritysafety
Independent High Integrity safety.
When safety is all you need.
ABB Process Automation Division
Visit us at our blog or on YouTube:
www.processautomationinsights.com
www.youtube.com/user/ProcessAutomation
input #13 at www.controleng.com/information
20 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
R
educe risk and improve results by
not treating automation and control
system integration as a commodity.
Control system integrators use engi-
neering, technical, and business skills to help
manufacturers and others automate industrial
equipment and systems; six reasons follow
explaining why system integration shouldnt
be treated as a commodity, according to
the Control System Integrators Association
(CSIA), a trade association which helps system
integrators be more effective.
1. While commodities
are shipped with little
risk, that isnt so with
high-tech solutions.
A rock is a rock. Oil
is oil. A fuse is a fuse.
An intelligent, high-tech
automation solution is a
risk. Will it solve your prob-
lem when installed and tested, or
wont it? There is a lot of room for error
and many risks must be managed.
2. System integration does not come out
of a box.
Though not always apparent, a control or
information system is mostly the result of
brain power from the system integrator, not
the hardware and software platform on which
it runs. The hardware and software are the
vehicles that carry the intellectual capabilities
of the integrator.
3. Not all system integrators are created
equal.
Being a successful system integration com-
pany requires more than being able to engi-
neer, design, and program. A
successful system integration
company, one that delivers
consistently good results to
clients, must also have good
business practices to comple-
ment the technical skills.
Unfortunately, not all system integrators have
good business practices. End-user clients
should look for the CSIA Certification mark,
which ensures good business practices are in
place.
4. Specifying a commodity is easy. Speci-
fying a system integration solution is hard.
Have you ever read or written a user
requirements specification? Thats what a
system integrator needs to provide a solution.
It must include scope of work,
project overview, safety and
environmental requirements,
performance criteria, terms and
conditions, and other details.
5. The dollar value of ser-
vices rendered can vary great-
ly between system integrators.
For instance, two system integrators
could both be paid $250,000 for the
same project. One integrator might
take one approach with its team and
provide the client with, say, $500,000
in economic value, while the second integrator
might take a different approach and provide $2
million in value. If system integration were a
commodity, you would expect the same invest-
ment of $250,000 to yield the same econom-
ic benefit, but that is not the case in system
integration.
6. No system integration company can do
it all, or is suited for all.
System integration solutions to automation
problems come in all sizes and shapes. A small
system integration company may be the most
effective solution to a $50,000 project but may
not be able to manage a $1 million project.
Likewise, a large integration company may
over-engineer a small project. ce
- Robert Lowe is CSIA executive direc-
tor. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content man-
ager, CFE Media, Control Engineering,
[email protected].
UPDATE UPDATE
integrator
6 reasons why system
integration is not a commodity
Reduce risk and improve results by not treating automation and control system
integration as a commodity; six reasons follow explaining why system integration
shouldnt be treated as a commodity.
www.controleng.com/archives
April has related links. Watch for CE coverage
of the CSIA Executive Conference, April 23-26.
www.controlsys.org
Go Online
Robert Lowe is execu-
tive director of the Con-
trol System Integrators
Association (CSIA),
a not-for-profit, global
trade association that
seeks to advance the
industry of control sys-
tem integration. Cour-
tesy: CSIA
Answers for industry.
Efficient automation starts
with efficient engineering
Totally Integrated Automation: Efficiency driving productivity.
Totally Integrated Automation
Efficient interoperability of all
automation components
Efficient engineering is the first step
towards better production: faster, more
flexible, and more intelligent. Totally
Integrated Automation (TIA) saves
time in engineering as a result of the
efficient interoperability of PLCs, HMIs,
safety, and drives.
The result:
Lower cost in design, commissioning
and maintenance
Reduced downtime
Faster time-to-market
Greater flexibility
An extensive infrastructure of local
expertise and global support ensures
you benefit fully from Totally
Integrated Automation along the
entire production process.
Take a Test Drive!
Request a trial copy of TIA Portal
software and experience first-hand a
single engineering framework that
allows you to combine all automation
tasks in one engineering environment.
usa.siemens.com/tia

2
0
1
4

S
i
e
m
e
n
s

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y
,

I
n
c
.

Scan to
request
a trial
license CD
usa.siemens.com/tia-ce
input #14 at www.controleng.com/information
NEWS NEWS
industry
Microsoft Windows XP support ends
April 8. What happens April 9? Good-
bye Windows XP, you have had your
time. You are now obsolete at the ripe
old age of 13. It doesnt matter that
there are tens of millions, even hun-
dreds of millions, of you still out there.
It doesnt matter that you are running
ATMs and point-of-sale terminals, and
are in thousands of production facili-
ties. It doesnt matter that you are run-
ning in critical infrastructure and mis-
sion critical systems. It doesnt matter
that these systems are keeping our
water, food, and medicine safe, and
keeping our water, natural gas, and
gasoline flowing. Your time
had passed on April 14, 2009,
at the ripe old age of 8, but
you have been on extend-
ed life support since them.
None of these things mat-
ter; your final time has now
passed, and on April 8, 2014,
you will no longer be a support-
ed product.
Because Windows XP was the first
truly reliable commercial multi-win-
dowed system, it became the go-to
standard for control, human machine
interface (HMI), and instrumentation
systems. Companies have invested bil-
lions of dollars in these systems and
expected them to have the same multi-
decade lifetime of other industrial sys-
tems. Lifetimes of 15 to 30 years are
common in industrial systems.
Microsoft should outsource Win-
dows XP support to an independent
third party, to provide Lifetime Sup-
port XP (lsXP). That organization could
then provide critical and important
security patches on a subscription basis.
It could quickly respond to zero day
attacks, and help protect the millions of
XP systems in critical infrastructure or
mission critical systems.
If lsXP doesnt develop, then
remember to protect, protect, and pro-
tect. With zero day attacks continually
being discovered, many that affect
operating systems and services,
there will be an ongoing need
to protect XP systems from
infection. This means stron-
ger firewall rules, stronger
password rules, severely
limited outside access, white
listing tools, root kit inspections,
tightly constrained external device
(USB, CD) connections, and additional
security training for system users.
This is a wakeup call for end users
to demand software that lasts as long as
the hardware.
- Dennis Brandl, president of BR&L
Consulting, in Cary, N.C., writes
Engineering and IT Insight for Con-
trol Engineering. His firm focuses on
manufacturing IT.
Goodbye Windows XP
22 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Are control engineers missing opportunities to more effectively lower risk for
train engineers and their passengers? It seems that easier, less expensive retro-
fit applications of automation technology to trains could drastically lower risk of
multiple accidents related to apparent errors by train engineers. In Chicago on
March 24, a commuter train crashed past a station bumper and went up an esca-
lator, resulting in multiple injuries. In New York, a February 2013 crash killed four
and injured more than 60. In Spain, July 2013, 80 people died and many more
were injured when a train failed to slow for a curve. Manufacturing machines can
stop automatically to reduce risk. Automobiles can stop automatically to reduce
risk. Some railroads have installed positive train control (PTC) systems. The U.S.
National Transportation Safety Board has recommended PTC for years, said a
2007 post on the NTSB site. Current systems, some say, are costly and com-
plex. Developments to watch: Smarter, less expensive, easier-to-install machine
vision, sensors, and fail-safe controllers to slow or stop trains based on obsta-
cles or conditions. Online, see more information and links.
- Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, [email protected].
Developments to watch:
Engineering can save train engineers
At www.controleng.com, find more...
Imagine the Possibilities
BOA products are highly integrated
vision systems in a tiny smart camera
package specifcally designed for
industrial use. BOA offers a robust
and fexible automation inspection
system for easy integration and
deployment on the factory foor.
Download the brochure
www.teledynedalsa.com/a/ce2014
BOA
TM
input #15 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 23
To meet the agile production scenarios frequently found
in the consumer electronics industry and increasingly in
other market sectors, the proposed concept includes a
flexible gripper, camera-based part location, plus all the
features that are well known from ABBs state-of-the-art
robot controller, the IRC5. The compact robot is intended
to fit into spaces ergonomically designed for human
workers. The robot could be interchanged with a human
coworker when the pro-
duction order changes or
a new layout is required.
Portable dual-arm units
come with a controller
that is integrated into the
torso. They can be car-
ried around easily and
mounted into workstations
with minimum installa-
tion requirements. Due to
the intrinsic safety of the
proposed robot solution,
the requirements for per-
forming a safety assess-
ment of the installation are
minimized. Normally, no
safeguarding or enclosing
of any kind is required, which allows for very fast installa-
tion, commissioning, and relocation.
ABB Robotics showed the DACR at its annual Technol-
ogy Days event March 13 and 14 at its North American
headquarters and training center in Auburn Hills, Mich.
The event had more than 80 product demonstrations and
free technical seminars covering general and application-
specific information designed to benefit both those con-
sidering an initial foray into robotic automation, and those
looking to upgrade or expand their existing robotic lines.
Key technology features of DACR:
Harmless robotic coworker for industrial assembly
Human-like arms and body with integrated IRC5
controller
Complements human labor with scalable automation
Padded dual arms ensure safe productivity and
flexibility
Lightweight and easy to mount for fast deployment
Agile motion based on industry-leading ABB robot
technology.
The concept robot was created after requests from ABB
Robotics existing customer base to develop robotic solu-
tions for manufacturing environments in which humans
and robots would be able to work together. This 14-axis,
dual-arm robot resulted from ABB Corporate Researchs
initiative for industries requiring new solutions for small
part assembly operations.
www.controleng.com/videos has a CE video clip.
www.abb.com/robotics
- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control
Engineering, [email protected].
Dual-arm concept robot
makes North American debut
The ABB Dual Arm Con-
cept Robot (DACR) was
introduced to North America
at the ABB Robotics Technol-
ogy Days, March 13 and 14.
Though still in the concept
stages, and not scheduled for
release until 2015, the DACR
simulated the assembly of a
small electronics part.
Courtesy: ABB Robotics
...under every headline; digital edition links directly.
Automation
Products for Smart
Manufacturing
COPYRIGHT 2011 OMEGAENGINEERING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
omega.com

COPYRIGHT 2014 OMEGA ENGINEERING, INC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

1-888-826-6342
Visit
omega.com/
g3_hmi310
Visit
omega.com/au-ptv
Visit
omega.com/e2e-2dc
G3 Series HMI
Starts at
$
1945
AU-PTV Series
Starts at
$
3199
E2E-2DC Series
Starts at
$
81
10" and 15" Web-Enabled Graphic
LCD Operator Interface Terminals
2-Wire DC Inductive
Proximity Sensor
Sensing Distance Range
2 to 20 mm (0.08 to 0.79")
Shielded and Unshielded Models
High Visibility Indicator
Prewired 2 m (6.6') PVC Cable
with Stripped Leads or
M12 Connector
Web Enabled
Controllers
ProducTVity
Station
TM
input #16 at www.controleng.com/information
The internationally standardized CiA
402 motion control and drives profile is
among the most-used network profiles for
electrical motors. Courtesy: CiA
NEWS NEWS
industry
24 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING
The CAN in Automation (CiA) 402
motion control and drives profile origi-
nally developed for CANopen systems
will be extended for functional safety.
In addition, a new process data object
(PDO) service mapping was intro-
duced, to control asynchronous and
synchronous motors with one device.
CiA 402 motion control and drives pro-
file (IEC 61800-7-201/301) is one of
the most-used network profiles for elec-
tric motors, CiA said. Originally used
by CANopen, the standard also speci-
fies adaptions for CC-Link IE, EPA,
EtherCAT, and Powerlink. Safetynet
and Varan, two other industrial Ethernet
protocols use CANopen-similar appli-
cation layers. In CiA 402-4, mapping of
the bus-independent functional safety for
motion control developed by the Ether-
CAT Technology Group was specified.
CiA 402-5 specifies an added PDO map-
ping for asynchronous and synchronous
motors. Schneider Electric will introduce
drives supporting the CiA 402-5 PDO
mapping in mid-2014. (See also p. M6.)
- Holger Zeltwanger is CiA manag-
ing director, CAN in Automation Interna-
tional Users and Manufacturers Group,
Erlangen, Germany.
www.can-cia.org
Motion control and
drives profile expanded
10 ways material
handing is changing
MHI is leading a coalition of lead-
ers to look at the expanding and
accelerating supply chain. The
Material Handling and Logistics
U.S. Roadmap was unveiled at the
MODEX Show in Atlanta (sponsored
by MHI, the Association of Material
Handling and Logistics Profession-
als). In the next decade, the industry
should study:
1. The growth of e-commerce
2. Relentless competition
3. Mass personalization
4. Urbanization
5. Mobile and wearable computing
6. Robotics and automation
7. Sensors and Internet of things
8. Big Data and predictive analytics
9. The changing workforce
10. Sustainability
- Bob Vavra is content manager, Plant
Engineering, [email protected].
Signal Integrity, Compact Design
2 Software Packages for DAQ or T&M
$17 per Channel Possible
Lowest Cost in Industry
Up to 384 Channels in 19
Instrumentation Rack
Application Software from $250
0.035% Accuracy
1500Vrms Channel-to-Bus
Isolation
PID Software Control
- Up to 32 Loops with ReDAQ

Shape
- Unlimited Loops with IPEmotion
40C to +85C Operating
Temperature
Rugged Precision
The MAQ

20 Industrial
Data Acquisition & Control System
Instrument Class

Signal Solutions
dataforth.com 800-444-7644
input #17 at www.controleng.com/information
The pace of manufacturing change
is accelerating. Jump on the trends and
take risks, advised futurist Jack Uldrich
at the opening ses-
sion of the MFG
Meeting in Phoenix
on March 6.
To more than 600
manufacturing leaders,
Uldrich said: If we
want to future-proof
ourselves, were going
to have to become
aware of how little
were seeing of the
world around us.
The MFG Meet-
ing assembles indus-
try leaders from the
Association for Man-
ufacturing Technolo-
gy (AMT), the Preci-
sion Metalforming Association (PMA),
and the National Tooling and Machin-
ing Association (NTMA).
Uldrich, whose title in his consul-
Take risks as manufacturing changes 8 ways
ODVA: EtherNet/IP for process industries
ODVA, the industry organization for the EtherNet/IP (EIP) Ethernet protocol,
DeviceNet, and other network technologies, suggested that manufacturers
define future network architecture and plan for efficient integration of plant net-
work infrastructure into existing business applications. Doing so maintains cost-
effective, sustainable production capacity.
ODVA discussed EIP for process industries in a white paper, Optimization of
Process Integration, and at the ODVAs 2014 Industry Conference, in February.
Katherine Voss, ODVA president and executive director, said EIP will help
facilitate system integration as an ideal technology to provide process indus-
tries with a unified communication solution from the field to the enterprise.
Jack Uldrich,
whose title in his
consultancy is
Founder and Chief
Unlearning Officer,
spoke at te MFG
Meeting in March.
Courtesy: MFG
tancy is Founder and Chief Unlearning
Officer, cited eight areas where manu-
facturings future already has arrived:
1. Wearable technology, for connect-
ing users to information and transmit-
ting information globally
2. 3D manufacturing
3. Nanotechnology
4. Robotics
5. Sensors everywhere
6. Computers, faster and more of them
7. Big data to improve services to
customers and manufacturing
8. Collaborative consumption: Does
everybody need one of everything?
You have to give yourself permis-
sion to read, to think about how world
is changing. If you dont pick up on
these changes, youre going to be
locked up.
- Bob Vavra is content manager, Plant
Engineering, [email protected].
At www.controleng.com, find more under every headline; digital edition links directly.
www. an t ai r a. c o m
GigE Vison Machine
DATA TRANSMISSION
Features
Rugged IP-30 Housing Design
IEEE 802.3at compliant up to 30W/port
8-port 10/100/1000BTx w/ PoE+
Gigabit Jumbo Frame Support
Dual Power Input 12 ~ 36VDC
DIN-Rail and Wall Mounting Enabled
Wide Operating Temperature -40C ~ 70C
5-Year Warranty
Industrial PoE+ Switch
12/24/36VDC
Power Input
input #18 at www.controleng.com/information
Tuning Control Loops
with the IMC Tuning Method
Lee Payne | CEO, Dataforth
When PI and PID controllers frst came to market in the
1930s, there were no clear instructions on how to tune
them. Since then, well over 100 controller tuning meth-
ods have been developed.
The Internal Model Control (IMC) tuning method, also
called Lambda tuning, is an excellent choice when control
loop stability is essential. It ofers a stable and robust
alternative to other tuning techniques, which often aim
for speed at the expense of stability.
This Application
Note describes
how to tune
control loops
using IMC rules.
The IMC tuning
method was
developed for
use on self-regulating processes (e.g., fow, temperature,
pressure) which most control loops contain.
A self-regulating process always stabilizes at some point
of equilibrium, which depends on the process design and
the controller output. If the controller output is set to a
diferent value, the process will respond and stabilize at a
new point of equilibrium.
The target controller algorithm for IMC tuning rules is
noninteractive. Dataforths MAQ20 data acquisition
and control system supports the most common
noninteractive algorithm, which makes the system
extremely powerful and adaptable for wide ranging
process control
applications.
To apply IMC rules
to a self-regulating
process, the frst step
is to time-trend the
process variable and
controller output so that measurements
can be taken from them. The procedure is then: 1) do a
step test, 2) determine process characteristics, 3) repeat
steps 1 and 2 three times to obtain average values for the
process characteristics, 4) choose a desired loop response
time for the control loop, 5) calculate controller settings
(for PI control: Controller Gain, Kc = / ( gp [cl + td] ),
Integral Time, Ti = , Derivative Time, Td = 0), 6) enter the
values into the controller, ensure the algorithm is set to
noninteractive, and put the controller in automatic
mode, 7) change the set point to test the new values,
8) fne-tune if necessary.
Established in 1984, Dataforth is the world leader in data
acquisition and control, signal conditioning, and data
communication products for industrial applications. All
products are manufactured in the USA. The Dataforth
Quality Management System is ISO9001:2008 registered.

Dataforth Corporation
Email: [email protected] | www.dataforth.com
Download this paper at:
http://www.dataforth.com/catalog/pdf/an124_Tuning_Control_Loops_with_the_IMC_Tuning_Method.pdf
input #19 at www.controleng.com/information
Logic Solvers in Overpressure
Protection Systems
Tina Lockhart | Director of Engineering, Moore Industries
An overpressure protection system is a critical Safety
Instrumented System (SIS) that provides automated
overpressure control during the transfer of dangerous
substances. If the pressure rises above set limits, it
automatically shuts of the input feed by isolating the
pump and closing the input valve.
This SIS is made up of multiple components which all
must function in order for the control loop to work.
One of the key instruments in the loop is the logic
solver, which acts as the decision maker and decides
when to initiate the fnal element to make the process
safe if the need arises.
Many people believe
that the logic solver in
an overpressure
protection system
must be part of a safety
PLC. In many cases, a
discrete logic device for
each loop is sufcient.

A single-loop logic
solver avoids the
complications and
expense of a programmable solution while achieving
a key objective of functional safety by minimizing the
complexity of safety-related functionality.
Reducing the complexity of the architecture also
reduces the cost of hardware and software while
making the entire functional safety system easier to
manage without the need for dedicated specialists.

This white paper
addresses the
possibilities
available to the
SIS designer of
an overpressure
protection system
when using a single-loop logic solver. It features
examples of straightforward system topologies
and their associated Safety Integrity Level (SIL)
calculations along with step-by-step procedures
to help defne and evaluate an SIS for a
specifc application.

By reading this white paper youll have a better
understanding of when and why a single-loop
logic solver is the right choice for your
overpressure protection system.
Download a copy of the Logic Solver for
Overpressure Protection White Paper:
www.controleng.com/index.php?id=10865
Email: [email protected]
www.miinet.com
input #20 at www.controleng.com/information
PC-Based Automation Systems
Empower the All IP-based Factory
Joe Lin | General Manager, NEXCOM Industrial Computing Solutions Business
With the advent of Industry 4.0 the push to drive a fourth
industrial revolution based on the intelligent factory
PC-based automation systems are a critical piece for
enabling all IP-based Factory-of-Things. However,
building PC-based automation systems requires computers
with high reliability, as well as communication and
computing capabilities specifcally designed for factory
automation applications.
For example, process automation in industries such as
petrochemical require a PC-based automation that can
remotely collect data from diferent-branded feld
devices across a single or multiple petrochemical plants,
withstand harsh temperatures of the petrochemical
environment, and reliably execute control schemes. Batch
manufacturing processes on the other hand, require open
architecture PC-based automation systems that can fexibly
adapt to customized orders with high feature mix.
To this end, NEXCOM ofers a unique solution, the NISE 105
fanless computer based on the Intel Atom processor
E3800 product family with integrated Intel Gen 7 Graphics.
Designed to empower the all IP-based factory and help
manufacturers realize the vision of smart production,
green production and urban production, the NISE 105
encompasses feldbus
control and internet
connectivity, comput-
ing and graphical
capabilities, small form
factor and low power
design, as well as rich
I/O connectivity.
These capabilities enable NISE 105 to provide feldbus
control of widely-used protocols and wide-temperature
operation; ofer AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) and
eSOP (Electronic Standard Operating Procedures) systems
the performance to process camera images and 2D/3D
animated instructions at a faster rate. While the multitude
of I/O connectivity built into the NISE 105 allows support
for the peripherals and equipment used for product
traceability. Furthermore, the processors power efciency
enables the small footprint and fanless design of NISE 105,
allowing it to achieve high reliability in harsh factory a
utomation environments.

In this white paper, NEXCOM will explain how the NISE 105
compact fanless can help streamline factory data
collection and management, and facilitate production
processes, manufacturing operations, and quality control.

Register to download the paper at:
www.controleng.com/index.php?id=10871
Email: [email protected] | www.nexcom.com
input #21 at www.controleng.com/information
30 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
M
ore efficient nuclear power
plants, small modular reactors,
safety, timeline for next new
nuclear power plants, and nucle-
ar power were among topics
discussed at a recent American Nuclear Society
(ANS) meeting. A simpler controls strategy is part
of the small modular reactor (SMR) design.
Nuclear energy in the U.S. continues to prog-
ress with a mix of positive and some negative
developments. An update on recent progress with
a summary of current issues related to the U.S.
Dept. of Energys (DOE) nuclear energy pro-
grams, was presented on Feb. 6 by Dr. Peter B.
Lyons, DOEs assistant secretary for nuclear ener-
gy. The American Nuclear Society (ANS) pre-
sented Dr. Peter B. Lyons as the speaker for a
February 2014 meeting of its Chicago Section.
In Current Issues: DOEs Nuclear Energy Pro-
grams, Lyons noted that the federal Omnibus
Budget (FY14) has treated nuclear energy quite
well, to the tune of $888 million. Dr. Lyons is
DOE assistant secretary for nuclear energy and a
former commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regula-
tory Commission (NRC).
DOE has a multitask mission to develop tech-
nologies for current and new nuclear reactors. Pro-
grams to improve reliability, sustain safety, and
extend useful life apply to current reactorswhile
work to develop improvements in affordabil-
ity targets new reactor technology. Other related
DOE activities noted by Lyons include reducing
regulatory and technology risks, managing nucle-
ar waste, and understanding and minimizing risks
of nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Several areas
of nuclear energy received substantial increases in
the latest federal budget funding. One example was
advanced nuclear fuelsan initiative that plans
to develop meltdown-resistant fuels, Lyons noted.
Driven by the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant inci-
dent, the accident-tolerant fuels program seeks to
reduce hydrogen generation and mitigate hydrogen
explosions. This longer range program, still at a
research and development stage, includes methods
to improve cladding properties of fuel rods.
Advanced reactor technologies, such as high-
temperature reactors, represent another area of
increased funding, including gas- and sodium-
cooled reactor designs. Another research area is
how to make aging nuclear power plant compo-
nents last longer. Its difficult to replace concrete
structures, cables, and pressure vessels in aging
plants; some soon will be more than 60 years old,
Lyons said. However, U.S. nuclear power plant
designs have allowed license extensions and safe
operation beyond original design life.
Thermal cycles, computational tools
Current nuclear reactors operate on the Rankine
cycle, which provides about 33% thermal efficien-
cy. Work is ongoing to develop reactors that will
operate using supercritical thermodynamics based
on the Brayton cycle, allowing greater than 40%
efficiency. Dramatic turbine size reduction and
more efficient thermal conversion are obtainable
with Brayton cycle power plants, Lyons said.
High-performance computing and advanced
modeling and simulation play a crucial role
in managing the complex physics and control
requirements of nuclear energy. Initiatives are
being pursued to advance existing and new reac-
tor designs. New computational tools will allow
researchers to focus on details that could advance
many areas ranging from nuclear fuels to the oper-
ation of complete nuclear power plants, DOE said.
SMR technologies
SMRstypically under 300 megawatt elec-
tric (MWe) outputrepresent a relatively new
approach for nuclear energy. Industry experts con-
for small nuclear reactors
Big plans
U.S. nuclear power plant outlook: more efficient new designs, safety, plant openings are in
the nuclear energy spotlight in 2014, according to a American Nuclear Society meeting.
cover story
Key
concepts
U.S. Dept. of Energy has
a mission to develop tech-
nologies for current and
new nuclear reactors.
New technologies aim at
improving efficiencies and
safety.
Five nuclear power reac-
tors are under construc-
tion in the U.S.
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 31
NuScale Powers 45 MWe small
modular reactors will be trans-
portable by barge, truck, or train.
An 80-ft high x 15-ft dia (24.4 x
4.57 m) containment vessel hous-
es the reactor pressure vessel
and steam generator. Courtesy:
NuScale Power LLC
Control aspects
of small modular
reactors
R
educed physical size allows imple-
menting simpler instrumentation and
control (I&C) systems for small modular
reactors (SMRs) compared to large light-
water reactors. Simplicity includes use of
natural circulation through the reactor
eliminating the need for pumps in some
designsas is the case for NuScale
Powers development. Reactor safety
remains the paramount consideration.
SMR plant I&C architecture is com-
posed of two main system types: one
for safety-related functions and one for
non-safety-related functions. Safety-
related I&C architecture will be a new
hardware logic based system, incorporat-
ing multiple layers of diversity to enable
simplicity of the overall plant protection
system architecture, according to NuS-
cale Power. Choice of the non-safety
I&C system platform will be left to a site
license applicant and will not be specified
for design certification.
I&C system functions and process
variables to be monitored will be similar
to those for a typical pressurized water
reactorfor example, pressure, tem-
perature, flow, level, and neutron flux.
Number of sensors per reactor module is
yet to be determined, but will be propor-
tionally less than the number for a typical
large light-water reactor, NuScale noted.
As for I&C system communications
and/or bus networks, a custom and
proprietary design will be used for safety-
related functions; for non-safety-related
functions this area will not be specified
for SMR design certification.
LEGEND
1. Steam line (to turbine section of plant)
2. Reactor containment (below ground
and submersed in water pool)
3. Reactor pressure vessel
4. Pressurizer
5. Steam generator
6. Control rods (drives are at top
of reactor pressure vessel)
7. Fuel rods
8. Nuclear core
9. Pool floor
cover story
sider such smaller reactor designs as a key ele-
ment for the resurgence of U.S. nuclear energy.
Lyons listed several benefits of SMRs.
Factory-built SMR units can be transported
intact to the plant site. Capital costs can be lower,
and small reactors could be a more economically
feasible investment for more power companies.
Modularity allows bite-sized additionsas deter-
mined by power demand. SMRs also pose poten-
tially less strain on the grid. Small modular reactors
could more easily live up to construction schedules,
fit into smaller electricity grids of many countries,
and can be air cooled, said Lyons.
Overall, small modular reactors could repre-
sent a new paradigm for nuclear energy, Lyons
said. Cost per kilowatt will be key. DOE has
entered into cost sharing agreements with indus-
try to develop SMRs. One recent agree-
ment, awarded to mPower Americaa
partnership of Babcock & Wilcox Co.,
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and
Bechtelhas the goal to support com-
mercial operation of a 180-MWe reac-
tor by 2022 for TVAs Clinch River site
in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Lyons said mPow-
ers reactor is designed for a 60-year
life and 4-year refueling cycle. The rail-
shippable integral pressurized water reactor module
design has passive safety systems. mPower Ameri-
ca developed a plan that expects to achieve a com-
mercial operation in Oct. 2021, said DOE. A second
SMR initiative announced in December 2013 was
with NuScale Power LLC. DOE said it offers a mix
of safety, scalability, transportability, economics,
and advanced state of design maturity. This coop-
erative agreement with DOE is forecast to achieve
commercial operation in the 2025 timeframe.
The U.S. still has the largest number of nucle-
ar reactors operating (99), but as a result of recent
closings, nationwide electric power generation
from nuclear sources has dropped to 18%down
from just above 20% where it stood for decades.
One possible scenario under DOE review is the
potential closure of one-third of the U.S. reactors
by 2035 due to end of design life. Without suf-
ficient replacements, such a development would
pose serious concerns. Worldwide, 70 nuclear
units are under construction, with China, South
Korea, and Russia among participants. Lyons said
the U.S. will need far more nuclear power in the
future for which we have to be ready. ce
- Frank J. Bartos, P.E., is a Control Engineer-
ing contributing content specialist. Reach him at
[email protected].
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more SMR details, a state of the
industry, references, and more links.
www.ans.org
www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy
www.nrc.gov
www.nuscalepower.com
Go Online
Consider this...
Without expansion of U.S.
nuclear development, a
baseload power shortage
seems likely as the last-
generation of power plants
retire.
EnclosureHub
ENCLOSURES ON DEMAND
www.enclosurehub.com
INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICAL
ENCLOSURES & ACCESSORIES
ORDER BY PHONE, FAX, OR ONLINE TODAY!
Cleveland, Ohio

T: 1.800.325.4935

F: 216.267.5392

www.enclosurehub.com
SAVE 10%
THE LOWEST PRICES ONLINE!
TYPE 4X
POLYCARBONATE
ENCLOSURES
Better Material. Better Boxes.
on a purchase of $500 or more
ONLINE CODE: CE0410
input #22 at www.controleng.com/information
input #23 at www.controleng.com/information
34 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
I
mpact of remote access to a production line
can be dramatic for some. One usually dour,
Scottish engineer had a huge smile on his
facethe capability to monitor and adjust
line and machine controllers from anywhere
meant that on-site night shifts had been replaced
by stay-at-home work, with standby shifts
(sleep until youre called) planned for the future.
Domestic bliss had been restored.
That was about 10 years ago. The
advance of smart manufacturing
technology has driven the continu-
ing transformation of production
environments. More automa-
tion and better development tools
enable improvements at almost
every level of a manufacturing
system. New concepts, new opti-
mum distributions of function,
and refinement, improve efficien-
cy, quality, and cycle times.
Machine monitoring
Technology creates opportuni-
ties for new business models, and
new market entrants. For exam-
ple, remote access was disrup-
tive to the provision of machine
monitoring and service. Histori-
cally, service was performed by the owner. This
involved asset management systems, scheduled
service, and repair by in-house engineers who
probably maintained their own stocks of
spare parts. Management initiatives to
outsource and focus on core competence
tended to hold back in-house service
groups, and boost third-party providers.
Remote access enabled continuous mon-
itoring from service centers, one way
that machine builders and their partners
could compete for service revenues.
The continuing growth of instru-
mentation means feedback is for operation and
control and for product development planning.
Design engineers are in the loop and can use
actual sensor measurements to calibrate and
drive machine simulations, and improve their
understanding of machine performance. Simu-
lations provide data about symptoms that lead
to the failure modes that have been studied. The
owners of this information have a strong
position when it comes to preven-
tive maintenance; they know exactly
which combinations of temperature,
pressure, vibration, and other mea-
surements trigger a maintenance
call, and which need adjustment.
Intelligent controllers
The intelligent controllers that
are enabling this improved level
of instrumentation and monitoring
also are allowing functions to be
moved from hardware to software.
It will be possible to build more
machines from standard material
handling and other subsystems,
assembled onto a common plat-
form. The machines will be dif-
ferentiated by the software that
controls and integrates the stan-
dard units. Even now, higher processor speeds
in motion control systems offer designers more
choicelower cost sensors and actuators may be
able to deliver the same performance if driven
by better algorithms, or even the same algorithm
executed at a higher frequency.
Planning and installation tools also are chang-
ing, reducing production downtime needed for
refurbishment and upgrade projects. ce
- Peter Thorne is director, Cambashi
Ltd. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content man-
ager, CFE Media, Control Engineering,
[email protected].
Smart manufacturing
and new automation
improve lives of engineers
Next-generation automation has a profound impact on manufacturing business
models and quality of life for engineers.
smarter manufacturing
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more details and links.
www.cambashi.com
Go Online
Key
concepts
Advance of smart
manufacturing technology
has driven the continuing
transformation of produc-
tion environments.
Intelligent controllers
are enabling this improved
level of instrumentation
and monitoring.
Planning and installation
tools are changing, reduc-
ing production downtime
needed for refurbishment
and upgrade projects.
Consider this...
How could smarter applications of
technology make your life easier?
Design engineers
are in the loop
and can use actual
sensor measure-
ments to calibrate
and drive machine
simulations.
input #24 at www.controleng.com/information
36 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
I
n the manufacturing industry, necessity is
driving a new wave of manufacturing soft-
ware innovation and creative problem solv-
ing, building on the saying, Necessity is
the mother of invention. A need for prod-
uct differentiation is compelling manufacturers
to speed product introductions and design releas-
es. This demand, plus current market pressures,
requires looking more closely at the internal pro-
cesses that are the backbone of modern manu-
facturings return to profitability. Here, ingenuity
reigns.
Manufacturers face more economic, compet-
itive, regulatory, and technological challenges
than ever. Only companies leveraging technol-
ogy tools gain the intelligence quotient to sur-
vive. Software solutions provide the insight
that fuels smarter decisions, smarter strategies,
smarter processes, and smarter design of facto-
ry floors.
Today the process is as important as the end
product when shaving cents or seconds off the
cycle time means added revenue, happy cus-
tomers, and increased market share. Optimiz-
ing performance is critical to profitability. This
includes every step along the product design,
development, production, and distribution sup-
ply chain. No depart-
ment or function is
exempt from scrutiny
and refinement.
Process design
begins with a symbi-
otic balance of product
lifecycle management
(PLM) functionality to
manage product releas-
es and intelligent design
of the shop floor to sup-
port the necessary work
flows, quality control,
and management of spe-
cific configurations
which may change for
each customer.
Modern end-to-
end enterprise resource
planning (ERP) solutions provide the real-time
visibility required to monitor processes with ana-
lytical precisiondown to the second, not just
an hour or day. Data can be collected around key
functions, with added attention on the typical
roadblocks or stumbling points.
Business intelligence tools are more verti-
cal-specific, are easier to use, and can be role-
tailored. These applications provide highly
consumable insights into decision-making. Con-
textual, relevant data is pushed to the user to
facilitate decisions, rather than the user having to
hunt for information. This impacts behavior and
guides the thought process. Users are led through
the decision process, based on predefined best
practices and parameters set by management.
Dashboards, KPIs, other tools
For the user, procedures clearly define near-
ly any incident that may occur. Role-based dash-
boards show key performance indicators (KPIs)
that require continuous monitoring, Automatic
alerts signal when an incident or level is outside
of parameters. For managers, there is confidence
that the workforce is alert and highly respon-
sive, and that systems organization-wide are
monitored for noncompliance. Personnel and
equipment perform at their best, with automatic
escalation alerts signaling early of any potential
obstacles.
Mobility, 3D modeling, industrial Internet of
things, big data anlytics, predictive intelligence
all enhance manufacturing decisions and produc-
tivity. The future of manufacturing is exciting,
and it starts now. ce
- Mark Humphlett is industry and solution
strategy director, Infor. Edited by Mark T. Hoske,
content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineer-
ing, [email protected].
Smart manufacturing technologies,
intelligent processes
Software enables predictive planning, performance monitoring, big data analytics,
virtual modeling, and more informed-decision making.
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more information and links.
Go Online
Specialized software tools can manage operations in
an integrated, closed loop system; provide complete
visibility, unified communication; accommodate future
growth and complexity; quickly attain improvement with
fast, easy implementation; streamline operations to
maximize productivity, savings; and increase accuracy,
timeliness, customer satisfaction. Courtesy: Infor
www.infor.com/industries/manufacturing/
Key
concepts
Virtual modeling helps
managers spot roadblocks
in efficiencies, and helps
operators predict capacity
and make accurate projec-
tions to customers for as-
promised delivery.
Software improves
predictive planning, moni-
toring of performance, big
data analytics, and virtual
modeling.
Exciting future of manu-
facturing starts now.
Consider this...
What software tools are helping to accelerate manufac-
turing efficiency?
smarter manufacturing
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE
digital edition
Benefits of the
Control Engineering
Digital Edition include:
Go to www.controleng.com/digitaledition today!
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 37
Industrial Energy Management section
cover image
The cover to the Industrial Energy Management section of articles explains that
manufacturers need to see energy in a different light. The cover for this section,
only in the digital edition, appears prior to the introduction and three articles and
links to each one.
Prototyping peer-to-peer applications
for the industrial Internet of things
Programming peer-to-peer (machine-to-machine) architecture is challenging for the broad application
space of the industrial Internet of things. A unified programming environment provides an intuitive
method for publishing and subscribing to data of interest over the network. Four diagrams illustrate.
Link to the longer version online with more explanations, additional programming examples, and a link
to download free software.
www.controleng.com/digitaledition
Headlines link to the longer version posted online, providing more information,
live links to related articles, and, often, more graphics or images
Live links to more information where a URL is provided anywhere in the issue
Exclusive content in every issue.
IEM-1
DE-1
T
he industrial Internet of things, IIoT,
is a very broad application space.
The envisioned applications can be
divided into three main architectures:
A client/server architecture where a human,
acting through a device (such as a mobile
phone), interacts with the Internet, a machine-
to-machine (M2M) client/server architecture
where remote devices feed data to enterprise
systems for analysis and decision support (such
as a vehicle tracking system), and a peer-to-peer
(machines-to-machines) architecture where the
devices autonomously cooperate and make
local decisions (only on exception or periodi-
cally connecting to an enterprise system to post
alarms or significant data). These peer-to-peer
applications often perform local control of a
machine or process in response to local data.
This programmatically challeng-
ing class of applications can be
difficult to prototype.
The various protocols that
make up the suite of Internet pro-
tocols are well suited to the cli-
ent/server architectures, as nearly
all Internet traffic today follows
this architectural model. An
area of our interest is applying a
peer-to-peer architecture and its
required services above the UDP
transport layer of the Internet
Protocol (IP). The Python envi-
ronment has an easy and intuitive
method for expressing distributed
functions that publish data and
subscribe to data of interest over
the network. The environment
hides the aspect of communica-
tion from the applicationmak-
ing the peer-to-peer, distributed
nature of the application implicit.
The application program only
needs be concerned with the data
DE-1 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Prototyping peer-to-peer
applications for the
industrial Internet of things
Programming peer-to-peer (machine-to-machine) architecture is challenging for
the broad application space of the industrial Internet of things. A unified programming
environment provides an intuitive method for publishing and subscribing to data of
interest over the network.
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE
digital edition
Figure 1: This chart shows a
network data flow and data con-
ditioning.
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 DE-2
it manipulatesmuch as a noncommunicating
application. Diverse applications that are com-
pliant to this architecture can be prototyped in
very little time.
I. Python environment
A simple library of classes turns a Python
script into an IIoT device, and elevates a locally
operating control application to a networked, IP-
based solution. The library is designed for ease
of use, centered on a single, main class. This
application class and its subclasses are generally
self-provisioning by computing useful default
settings at initialization time. Application pro-
gramming interfaces (APIs) are available to
fine-tune the provisioning parameters to meet a
specific applications demands where necessary.
The design cycle is Python-centric and does not
generally require any other expert tool.
Information between the nodes on the net-
work is exchanged via a publisher/subscriber
data model where the unit of exchange is a data-
point. Datapoints are values with semantics.
(See more details below.)
The Python script defines datapoints to inter-
face to the network: Input datapoints obtain data
received from the network, such as a tempera-
ture setpoint. Output datapoints communicate
data to the network, such as the current ther-
mostat position. Input and output datapoints
implement datapoint types, supporting different
physical or abstract data, such as temperature
values or alarm conditions.
Additional provisioning data is provided
with properties. A property is implemented as
an input datapoint with persistent value stor-
age. Properties expand on simple datapoints
to include specific semantics: the upper alarm
temperature threshold, the temperature alarm
hysteresis, or similar descriptions.
Input and output datapoints and properties
are generally grouped into profiles. Profiles
are a collection of datapoints that form the net-
work visible interface for a service, combined
with well-defined behavior. In the example dis-
cussed, the service is a carbon dioxide sensor.
The role of the service is to publish the amount
of carbon dioxide present in the air. The fre-
quency of this publication is determined by the
properties embedded within the profile. The
Python library allows implementation of a com-
plete profile, including all related datapoints
and properties, through a block object within
one simple line of code:
co2Sensor= application.block(co2Sensor())
Definitions of datapoint, property and pro-
file can support and promote solutions featuring
devices supplied by multiple vendors. Building
on existing standards and a rich collection of
type and profile definitions, compatible devices
can recognize each other and exchange data
across different suppliers or hardware solutions.
II. A generic data model
Peer-to-peer control networks must handle
data that arrives in a nondeterministic schedule,
representing a diversity of physical, logical, or
abstract entities. For example, one data item
might represent a temperature value in Cel-
sius, encoded in an IEEE 754 double-precision
floating point value in big-endian byte order.
Another data item might represent the number
of beans in a bag using a natural number rang-
ing 0 to 999, encoded in an unsigned 16-bit
little-endian scalar, while other data might rep-
resent the complex definition of a lighting scene
through a suitable structure of data, or a postal
address in human-readable alphanumeric form
using an UTF-16 unicode.
Within data representing a known entity,
such as a temperature value, and using a known
encoding, such as an IEEE 754 double-precision
floating point value in big-endian format, con-
trol networks must also recognize semantics: a
room temperature setpoint might have a valid
value range between 15 and 28 C, and is applied
to a control algorithm that drives a thermostatic
radiator valve, while another temperature value,
encoded in the same manner, might represent
Figure 2: A simple control network shows low-level addressing details need-
ed for contracts. All diagrams courtesy: Echelon Corp.
Key
concepts
Industrial Internet of
things has a broad appli-
cation space.
Peer-to-peer (machine-
to-machine or M2M) archi-
tecture is a challenging
class of applications to
program.
A unified programming
environment provides
an intuitive method for
expressing distributed
functions that publish data
and subscribe to data of
interest over the network.
a fire detectors hysteresis, or define the lower
valid value for the room temperature setpoint.
Data must then be conditioned such that the
local application can operate with the data. For
example, the application may need to rotate the
byte order of the 8-byte floating point value
upon receipt and interpret the result as a double
float value.
When the algorithm produces output data,
this data also may need conditioning. For
example, a current temperature value might
be reported. This might be exchanged over the
network as a big-endian 16-bit unsigned inte-
ger value, implementing a fixed-point variable
ranging from 0 to 655.35 with a resolution of
0.01 C. This programming model conditions
this data such that the application is presented
with data in its natural form; a floating-point
value in this example. Range and resolution
limitations are automatically applied by this
model, and transcoding between the application
presentation and the network presentation of
this data is handled transparently.
Peers in the control network must agree
on the entity described by each data item, its
encoding, and its semantics. Additional aspects
(such as explicit range limitations, well-defined
default values, or fallback behavior in the event
of a fault) are also commonly agreed upon
between peers.
To reach such an agreement, peers in a con-
trol network either carry all metadata required
to enable receivers to fully understand any data
they might encounter, or ensure that data only
reaches receivers with a previously established
contract and level of trust.
This poses a significant difficulty to the
device developer and the person integrating
multiple control devices into one distributed,
peer-to-peer control network. The device devel-
oper generally needs in-depth knowledge in the
processes, protocols, and procedures involved
to write code that correctly conditions output
data, and correctly identifies, classifies, and
interprets incoming data. The person integrating
multiple devices into one such network needs to
understand each devices attributes and capabil-
ities to combine only those devices that speak
the same language. For example, a generic
switch may be able to control a generic lamp,
but an industrial washing machine may require
a more complex on/off signal than what the
generic switch can provide.
This programming model includes methods
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE
digital edition
DE-3 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Figure 3: This chart shows visualization of resource types.
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 DE-4
and services that automatically evaluate and
apply metadata to data interpretation and data
conditioning processes, interfacing the applica-
tion with appropriately conditioned data only.
These methods greatly improve on existing
technology by providing a transparent compre-
hensive data conditioning service.
Figure 1 illustrates the data conditioning ser-
vices and network data flow provided by this
programming model.
III. Data addressing
A peer-to-peer network consists of a num-
ber of independently operating devices, gener-
ally sharing data on a need-to-know basis. For
example, a thermostatic radiator valve may
need to receive the current room temperature
setpoint from some other device. The same ther-
mostatic radiator may not need to know when or
why the setpoint changed, and it will not nor-
mally need to know about any control operation
on the ceiling lights or the garden sprinkler.
That is, a new temperature setpoint value
might be communicated from an input device
to all thermostatic radiator valves in the same
room. At the same time, other rooms thermo-
static radiator valves may receive other setpoint
values from other sources, while the garden
sprinkler is controlled as a logically separate
unit on the same network.
To facilitate peer-to-peer communication
in this manner, devices transmitting data (data
publishers) need to know how to reach the
applicable targets (data subscribers), and may
need to know whether and how to accept or
reject incoming data. This mutual knowledge
includes knowledge of source and/or destina-
tion addresses, information to select the correct
datapoint from multiple datapoints defined on
the receiver node, routing details, and trans-
port properties (such as service types, the time
allowed to detect an outage or enable retrans-
mission, and similar control data).
This programming model includes abstract
services to facilitate contract offers and accep-
tances in the terms of the application script,
concealing the required low-level details
within the implementation of this model. This
simplifies development of distributed control
applications. By supporting intrinsic contract
management services, this programming model
also greatly reduces the need for, and in many
cases eliminates the need for, dedicated integra-
tion steps when forming a network from distrib-
uted applications.
Figure 2 shows a simple control network fea-
turing four distinct devices, each contributing
one application. The figure illustrates the set of
low-level addressing details required to estab-
lish and maintain such a contract, and the realm
of application expertise.
IV. Device addressing
Peer-to-peer control networks implement
distributed algorithms based on contracts and
established trust regarding the data and its
semantics, and the addressing and transport
properties so that peer A can reach peer B over
the network.
However, each participating device must
also obtain its own unique identity: the physi-
cal device A must assume the logical identity A,
and the physical device B must assume the logi-
cal identity B, to enable data flow from A to B.
In some systems, the logical identity is the
same as the physical identity: devices address
each other through unique physical aspects
such as unique MAC-ID addresses. In most
networks, the abstraction of logical addressing
is preferred, as it allows for device replace-
ment without informing the other nodes of the
replacement physical address, is more efficient,
and supports network topology composed of
multiple links.
Systems using logical addressing must
obtain and apply a suitable and unambiguous
logical address to each device. In either system,
methods are required for devices to address
each other using the chosen form of addressing.
This programming model includes services
for automatic acquisition and maintenance of
unambiguous logical device address data, gen-
erally not requiring a dedicated central machine
or human involvement. This simplifies instal-
lation of devices; the integration of these ser-
vices with this programming model enables the
creation of such devices with little effort by the
developer.
V. Programming model
The Python programming language provides
a rapid development environment, supporting
object-oriented development in an interpreted
language with integrated bytecode compilation
and optional compilation to native binary code.
Use of Python for creation of applications
for distributed peer-to-peer control networks
enables the use of popular and very fast-to-mar-
ket application development for an application
domain, currently dominated by traditional pro-
gramming languages and strategies, which as a
consequence, generally requires much longer
development cycles.
The programming model requires only the
Python programming language, as the need for
proprietary tools and languages is eliminated,
while providing a method, through standard
Python language features, to continue to use

This programming
model includes
services for
automatic
acquisition and
maintenance of
unambiguous
logical device
address data to
simplify installation
of devices with
little effort by the
developer.

DE-5 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

existing code.
VI. Contract fulfillment
Implementing an application for an open,
multi-vendor peer-to-peer control network
requires the declaration of the applications
interface, and the integration of the applica-
tions central control algorithms with this
interface.
The interface defines how a given applica-
tion communicates with its peers on the net-
work. Such an interface generally consists
of one or more implementations of profile(s),
chosen from a library of profiles defined in an
open, industry standard.
In traditional technologies, implementing
interfaces consists of a largely manual and
knowledge-intensive process of providing the
correct definitions using an interface definition
tool and language.
Below, the example continues, looking at the
definition and implementation of a hypothetical
applications interface of the simple standard
carbon dioxide sensor profile. This simple stan-
dard profile combines one output datapoint for
the current level of carbon dioxide with three
mandatory datapoints for provisioning the fre-
quency and the conditions by which the carbon
dioxide level is sent to the subscriber nodes.
Figure 4 illustrates how a particular profile
is implemented based on the classes outlined in
Figure 3, using the standard carbon dioxide sen-
sor profile SFPTco2Sensor as an example.
The Python programming model includes all
standard profiles, datapoint and property types,
known collectively as resources. In all, over 800
standard, predefined, resources are available to
the Python application. Additional, application-
specific resources can be defined within the
same Python programming model. Applications
import those Python resources when necessary
to keep resource consumption by unnecessarily
loaded resources at a minimum.
Figure 3 visualizes an example of several
resource types which an application using this
framework can instantiate. Typical applica-
tions use the Application class block() factory
method to implement the desired object. The
Application class is a singleton class provided
by this framework, which provides all top-level
functions and services.
The following eight lines of Python code
implement a complete and fully functioning
application, including one correct implementa-
tion of the standard carbon dioxide sensor pro-
file. Not included is the application algorithm,
which would sample a physical CO
2
sensor
device through peripheral inputs and report the
current values through the output datapoint(s),
subject to thresholds and timing constraints
expressed in the configured property values.
The programmed attribute defined in this code
example defines a mandatory key for the appli-
cation, which is used to identify the application
in a network.
from izot.device.application import Application
from izot.resources.profiles.co2Sensor import co2Sensor
app = Application()
app.programId = 9F:FF:FF:00:00:00:01
co2Sensor = app.block(co2Sensor())
app.start()
while True:
app.service()
Figure 4 also illustrates the operation of the
block factory, using the example of the same stan-
dard carbon dioxide sensor profile. Because the
protocol stacks API is single-threaded, the Appli-
cation object allows asynchronous threads to sig-
nal events or request activity in several ways:
The control network protocol stack signals
the availability of events through an asynchro-
nous event that the Application class captures
and transforms into a service signal. This allows
the synchronous processing of events raised by
the protocol stack. These events include notifi-
cation of newly arrived network data, or notifi-
cation of completion events (failure or success
of transactions initiated earlier).
In applications that use concurrent process-
ing, one main processing context (such as a
thread) instantiates the Application class pro-
vided with this model. Other processing threads
of the same application may call essentially
single-threaded API. In this case, the API call
along with all its arguments is entered into a
protected function queue by the thread which
made this API call, and the service signal is
raised. Enqueuing of API calls in this manner is
handled automatically by the Application classs
methods and is transparent to the application
and application developer.
When the stack indicates the availability of
new data for a given datapoint, this raw applica-
tion data is collected from the stack, formatted,
and forwarded to the application in the manner
outlined in Figure 1.
Completion event notifications trigger cor-
responding events.
The service method empties the function
queue by executing all enqueued API calls in
the main processing thread.
This programming model supports applica-
tions with concurrent processing in different
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE
digital edition

The example
shows the
definition and
implementation
of a hypothetical
applications
interface of the
simple standard
carbon dioxide
sensor profile.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 DE-6

threads for interaction with datapoint objects
and their values. Each datapoint object sup-
ports the standard Python with statement. While
code executes within a datapoint objects with
statement, the object is locked against access by
other threads. When the with clause terminates,
the object is unlocked and added to a protected
to-do queue. The service signal also is raised at
this time.
The service method processes this to-do
list by applying the appropriate action to each
enqueued datapoint object, unless the object
is locked. Worker threads can explicitly lock
a datapoint object beyond the with clause,
although this is not generally recommended to
prevent the risk of deadlock situations.
In another step executed by the service
method, the interoperable self-installation pro-
tocol (ISI), used to organize and maintain the
network, is serviced when necessary.
The service routine also refreshes selected
dynamic datapoint properties on a time-guarded
round-robin basis. The time-guarded round-
robin algorithm processes one datapoint after
another in the order in which they were created,
but does not spend longer than a configurable,
typically small, amount of time doing so in each
service call. When the next service call occurs,
this processing continues where the previous
cycle left off. When all datapoints have been
processed in this manner, processing continues
with the first datapoint.
Some attributes associated with datapoints
may change as a result of contract establish-
ment or maintenance, or other network manage-
ment operations performed by another party.
For example, a network management tool may
connect one input datapoint and one output
datapoint. This procedure manages a number of
low-level attributes (some shown in Figure 2).
The local application may not be aware of these
changes. The local application does not gener-
ally require knowledge of these changes, but
some aspects are frequently inspected by some
applications.
To report whether a datapoint is connected,
or bound, to at least one other, this service
relays the current state of the is_bound data-
Figure 4: The block fac-
tory, walks through steps
in flowchart format.
DE-7 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
point property from the stack to the correspond-
ing datapoint object, which exposes it through
its Boolean is_bound property. For example,
an application may use this to enable a timer
to monitor the timely arrival of updated input
data, and may disable this timer for an input
datapoint that is not currently connected.
VII. Data interpretation
and conditioning
For transport across the network, data is gen-
erally presented in a form suitable for a given
technology. For example, XML-based solutions
exchange data as human-readable textual infor-
mation using a suitable encoding, such as UTF-
8. Other systems support binary data exchange
for efficiency, where data is
formatted according to rules
defined by the network tech-
nology. For example, one net-
work technology may require
that all numeric data consist-
ing of more than one byte be
exchanged using little-endian
byte ordering.
Specific data types often
stipulate additional rules. For
example, one network data type
may be defined as a tempera-
ture value in units of 0.01 C, or
as a duration, in units of 0.1 s,
both delivered using an unsigned 16-bit integer
quantity.
Once a receiver has applied the network-
specific rules, such as byte and bit ordering,
the resulting raw application data is subject to
those additional rules, which are generally sup-
plied as part of metadata, or with the contract,
which governs reception of this particular data
item. Other types implement superficial value
range limitations to ensure a match between the
network data and the associated physical entity.
For example, a temperature value represented
by an IEEE 754 double-precision floating point
value may be restricted such that the tempera-
ture value cannot fall below 0 K.
Using traditional methods, the burden of
transforming raw application data into algebraic
data useful in computation and other algorithms
through application of scaling factors, offsets,
and range limitations, and its reversal, is left to
the developer.
The Python programming model for distrib-
uted peer-to-peer control has built-in access
to such metadata, and automatically applies
the required transformations when presenting
incoming data to the application, and when con-
ditioning outgoing data for transmission onto
the network.
Figure 1 illustrates how this programming
framework provides such services as a fully
transparent service to the application.
In this Python programming model, the
application developer does not need to be con-
cerned with data conditioning duties, as the
programming model automatically applies the
appropriate rules. This makes the technology
easier to learn and more approachable, com-
pared to traditional methods, and significantly
reduces development time, time invested in
staff training, and risk of error in an application.
VIII. Device addressing
Most control networks support an exter-
nal entity to allocate and assign unique logical
device addresses. This model optionally sup-
ports such a central arbitrator, but defaults to an
implementation of the interoperable self-instal-
lation protocol.
The ISI protocol, and the support for it built
into this programming model, automatically
assigns and maintains unique device addresses
to each participating device.
Traditional programming models require
substantial code to take advantage of the servic-
es offered by a central arbitrator. One example
is code that implements a client to the Dynamic
Host Configuration protocol (DHCP).
In this programming model, no code is
required to accomplish the same. The core ISI
services are automatically and fully transpar-
ently handled by the Application class and its
underlying service providers. Those include
starting, stopping, and periodically servicing
the ISI engine; reliable maintenance of persis-
tent data storage for nonvolatile, modifiable
data required by the ISI implementation; and
abstraction of low-level protocol details into the
realm of application expertise (Figure 2).
See the online version of this article for more
about programming, including more examples,
contract establishment, and explanation of how
this environment goes beyond a polymorphic
API, and download information. ce
- Robert A. Dolin is Echelons chief technology
officer and system architect. Bernd Gauweiler is a
senior software engineer at Echelon Corp. Edited
by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media,
Control Engineering, [email protected].
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE
digital edition

The application developer

does not need to be
concerned with data
conditioning duties, as
the programming model
automatically applies the
appropriate rules.

www.controleng.com/archives
April has a longer version of this article with additional
programming examples, attributed references, more
about the authors, and a free download link.
Go Online
Consider this...
How much more could
industrial Internet of things
applications developers
accomplish with a library
that allows implementa-
tion of a complete profile
with one line of code?
Want to receive your
Control Engineering magazine
as a digital publication?
Update your subscription,
and get our digital edition,
on a more interactive and
user-friendly platform,
in your email in-box.
Update now at:
www.controleng.com
38 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
S
ome people still debate the merits of
using cloud computing in manufac-
turing, but there are specific cases
when a cloud solution is the obvious
choice. Many controversies about
using the cloud come from outdated information
about cost. But in the last few years, leading ven-
dors have dramatically dropped the cost of run-
ning cloud-based solutions. Those economies add
to the savings you gain from not having to build
and support data centers and IT staff. Certain situ-
ations make cloud-based solutions the only ratio-
nal option, including these eight situations.
1. Mergers and acquisitions
Pressure for top-line revenue growth makes
any number of merger and acquisition (M&A)
based strategies inevitable for many manufactur-
ers. A successful M&A growth strategy depends
on smooth, quick integration.
2. Divestitures
Spinoffs have the opposite problem of M&As.
When the IT resources of the old parent organi-
zation are no longer available, the spinoff needs a
quick way to replace IT capabilities without add-
ing new cost burdens and without the distractions
of building an IT organization from scratch.
3. Offshoring, near-shoring, reshoring
The economic pressures that drive decisions
to move production offshore change frequently.
Cloud computing allows manufacturers to put
computing resources where needed quickly and
economically to meet the needs of each location.
4. Two-tier company structures
Many manufacturing companies are owned
by larger parent organizations whose core trans-
actions systems, including enterprise resource
planning (ERP) and financial management appli-
cations, are built to serve the financial function.
Expensive customization would be required to
address the demands of manufacturing.
5. Strategic alliances, partnership
Going it alone isnt necessary in indus-
tries that need to rapidly satisfy new customer
requirements or keep up with rapid innovation.
Companies that establish strategic alliances or
partnerships with companies in other industries
often prefer to keep joint operations independent.
6. Special projects, fast turnaround
In a world of compulsive early adopters, viral
business phenomena, and instant communica-
tions, its not unknown for a company to need to
turn rapid response into a competitive differenti-
ator. Cloud technologies roll out rapidly.
7. Test environments
Testing, essential for any technology rollout,
can create redundant hardware, facilities, and
support. Many business software solutions can
be implemented either as cloud solutions or on-
premise solutions.
8. Expansion, new geographies
To reduce shipping costs and meet consumers
increasing demand for speed, many companies
build plants close to areas of maximum demand.
New facilities need to get online quickly.
Manufacturers have to be ready to change
strategies and adopt new tactics faster than ever;
cloud computing is the quickest, most economi-
cal way to make things happen in a hurry. ce
- Mark Humphlett is industry and solution
strategy director, Infor.
Some people still debate the merits of using cloud computing in manufacturing,
but there are specific cases when a cloud solution is the quickest, most economical
way to make things happen in a hurry.
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more details and
links, including Advanced
process control in the cloud.
www.infor.com/cloud
Go Online
Key
concepts
Eight ways show when
cloud computing is the
obvious choice.
Cloud computing is the
quickest, most economical
way to make things hap-
pen in a hurry.
Other reasons include:
Mergers, acquisitions,
divestitures, alliances,
special projects.
Consider this...
How can cloud computing
improve your agility and
asset management?
cloud computing
8 ways
the cloud is a no-brainer for
manufacturers
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 39
MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS
Input #100 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Input #103 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Input #101 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Input #104 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Input #102 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Input #105 at plantengineering.hotims.com
Your place for new products, literature, Apps, Videos, Case Studies and White Papers.
Earn continuing
education credits
by attending
our 1-hour-long
webcasts.
Register and view
today at
www.controleng.com/
webcasts
ce201311_onDemWebcast_6th.indd 1 11/14/2013 10:16:45 AM
Process and Advanced Control
Machine Control
System Integration
Information Control
Energy Automation
Process Instrumentation
and Sensors
Safety and Security
Weekly News
Product and Media Showcase
Whitepaper Connection
Control Engineering covers
relevant topical articles in a variety
of e-Newsletters every month:

Subscribe today by visiting
www.controleng.com/
newsletters
ce_enwslttrs_6th.indd 1 2/24/2014 10:45:38 AM
Want to receive your
Control Engineering
magazine as a

digital publication?
Update your subscription,
and get our digital edition,
on a more interactive and
user-friendly platform,
in your email in-box.
Update now at:
www.controleng.com
ce2014_digitlEditn_6th.indd 1 2/24/2014 11:44:33 AM
meltric.com
800.433.7642
Line of Sight
Disconnect Switch
Meets NEC
requirements
Up to 200A
600V, 60hp
OFF
Button
FREE SAMPLES
& DISCONNECT SWITCH
PLUG/RECEPTACLE
2 IN1
40 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
C
loud-based computing applications
are integrated into a Lease Auto-
matic Custody Transfer (L.A.C.T.)
unit from Trigg Technologies LLC
to accurately measure, sample, and
transfer hydrocarbons between buyers and sell-
ers. The skid-based unit can be placed at a cus-
tody transfer area for oil production facilities,
trucks, railcars, pipelines, storage tanks, barges,
and tankers.
Flowmeters on the skid transfer information
to an enclosure, feed data into the cloud, and the
custody transfer is verified in real time. Manu-
al paper-based systems pose challenges when
discrepancies are found, technology provider
Rockwell Automation suggested. Mass flow-
meters compensate for errors based on temper-
ature. Crude oil expands or contracts at 2% per
40 F temperature change, something typical tank
gauges dont catch; even a 1% error, with $100/
bbl oil at 3000 bbl/day means $1 million of lost
revenue per year, Trigg Technologies suggested.
Local, remote access
Information about the custody transfer and
system health can be seen at the enclosure (see
photo) human machine interface (HMI) and on
enabled and secure laptops, mobile phones, and
tablets, as well as by remote monitoring and sup-
port personnel tracking real-time system alarms,
event faults, and notifications, offering predictive
and preventive maintenance to maximize reliabil-
ity. The cloud platform also provides secure data
storage, workflow assistance, and a cross-plat-
form dashboard with reports.
Cloud technology provides a vehicle to
manipulate and manage data. Purchasing software
as a service enables an organization to move faster
into the realm of operational excellence through
better utilization of existing data. Purchasing oper-
ations management tools as a service avoids using
capital budgets and ... circumvents issues of fund-
ing across assets. Services are paid for as they are
used with operating budgets. Using cloud com-
puting to share operating conditional data creates
an environment for operational improvement,
said a Rockwell Automation white paper, Help-
ing Oil and Gas Companies Achieve Operational
Excellence.
Ted Hutto, owner of Panhandle Meter LLC and
president and co-owner of Trigg Technologies, was
a panelist at Rockwell Automations Automation
Fair in November 2013, in Houston. ce
- Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engi-
neering, [email protected], with information
from Trigg Technologies and Rockwell Automation.
Trigg Technologies LLC uses a cloud-based platform and remote monitoring to improve
custody transfer services accuracy and reliability for crude oil and petroleum products.
www.triggtechnologies.com
www.rockwellautomation.com
Search on cloud platform.
Go Online
cloud computing
Figure 2: Opening the Trigg
Technologies enclosure shows
the back of a flat panel operator
interface, logic, input/output (I/O)
modules, and other Allen-Bradley electrical and
control components from Rockwell Automation,
as shown at Automation Fair 2013.
Figure 1: A Panhandle
Meter custody transfer
skid was displayed at
Rockwell Automations
Automation Fair in
November 2013.
Ted Hutto, owner of
Panhandle Meter LLC and
president and co-owner of
Trigg Technologies, was
a panelist at a conference
session there. All images
courtesy: CFE Media,
Mark T. Hoske
improves custody transfer,
remote monitoring for
oil applications
Industrial cloud
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
NORTH AMERICA
AT IMTS 2014
International Trade Show for
Process, Production and
Industrial Building Automation
September 8-13, 2014
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois
For More Information, go to
www.ia-na.com or call
+1 (773) 796- 4250
2014
Global Automation
& Manufacturing
Summit
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
Control Engineering and Plant Engineering,
in partnership with Hannover Fairs USA,
will present the 2014 Global Automation &
Manufacturing Summit on Wednesday,
September 10, 2014, at the Industrial
Automation North America Show, part of
IMTS 2014 in Chicago.
2014 Global Automation &
Manufacturing Summit Agenda:

8:15 a.m.-9 a.m. Breakfast Keynote:Karen Kurek, McGladrey
9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. 30 years of excellence in process
manufacturing maintenance
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Building connectivity on your plant oor
12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Luncheon Keynote: Mick Wilz,
Sur-Seal, Cincinnati
2 p.m.-3 p.m. Using mobility to crease productivity
3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m. Integrating logistics and MES
5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Networking event
42 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
M
anufacturers and process indus-
try companies expect human
machine interface (HMI) soft-
ware and operator interface ter-
minal (OIT) hardware to deliver
remote access to devices, including desktop PCs,
laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices.
Internet connectivity and mobility can improve
overall operations, and HMI and OIT solutions
can deliver the functionality and features they
need. The growth of the Internet and its connected
devices has changed how we live and do business.
Activities once deemed far-fetched or prohibi-
tively expensive, such as conducting a video call
among participants from different continents, are
now part of everyday life. Todays smartphones
and tablets have more computing power than
the mainframes that filled entire rooms a couple
decades ago. As a result of these advances, busi-
ness is becoming increasingly mobile.
This paradigm shift is occurring in the auto-
mation world as well. Todays manufacturers face
the same challenge as other businesses: how to do
more with less. Some of these changes are attrib-
uted to a fundamental shift in how manufacturers
have done business over the last 10 to 15 years.
From Lean manufacturing to Six Sigma, most of
todays plants have implemented some type of
continuous improvement initiative to cut ineffi-
ciencies, improve quality, and reduce energy use.
This focus on operations is also gaining
momentum because more businesses face bud-
get restraints and shortages of trained personnel.
Many companies cant afford to hire more work-
ers, while others are trying to cope with the
retirement of experienced staff.
Todays markets demand that businesses
must operate and execute in real time. To meet
this goal, manufacturers must be able to retrieve
and act upon data from anywhere in the plant
or outside it to remain competitive. The growth
in dependable remote access to human machine
interfaces (HMIs) and operator interface terminals
(OITs) is one of the methods being used by com-
panies to reduce costs and improve operations.
HMIs, OITs, Web browsers
The introduction of PC-based HMIs and
the migration from proprietary systems to ones
based on a standardized platform (Microsoft
Windows) could be considered the first step
toward remote access. Standard network proto-
cols in PC-based solutions facilitated commu-
nication among diverse equipment and systems,
ending the isolation of automation processes.
Following closely were OITs based on
embedded Microsoft Windows operating sys-
tems. OITs were less capable than PC-based
Improve remote
HMI and OIT access
Smartphones and tablets combined with industrial software can improve remote
access to human machine interfaces (HMIs) and operator interface terminals (OITs).
Mobile workers demand remote access solutions optimized for smartphones and
tablets. Fortunately, there are apps for that.
mobile HMI
Figure 1: Apps developed by HMI software and OIT
hardware providers provide users with a superior remote
access experience as compared to browser-based access.
Courtesy: Indusoft, Invensys, and AutomationDirect
Key
concepts
Human machine inter-
face (HMI) software and
operator interface terminal
(OIT) hardware deliver
remote access.
Smartphones, tablets,
and other devices benefit
from applications opti-
mized beyond a browser.
Internet connectivity
and mobility can improve
overall operations.
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 43
HMIs and less expensive to purchase, install, and
maintain. This made them a better fit than PC-
based HMIs for many lower-end and embedded
applications, such as providing the operator inter-
face for a simple machine.
Users were initially content with simply view-
ing information from multiple machines or pro-
cesses on PCs with HMI software in the control
room. Each PC was loaded with its own HMI
client software, which often required separate,
expensive licensing. The PCs were typically con-
nected to plant floor or field-mounted PC-based
HMIs and OITs by hardwired Ethernet links.
PC-based HMIs proved to be a good method
for monitoring and controlling plants from the
control room and remain the dominant paradigm,
but users soon began to demand remote access
from areas outside the control room. Installing
and maintaining software on PCs located in offic-
es and homes initially accomplished this; howev-
er, this became burdensome and expensive.
The next step in remote access solved that
problem by using Web browsers to access data
from PC-based HMIs and from OITs. This was
a huge improvement over older methods; soft-
ware didnt have to be installed and maintained at
each remote access device. It also opened remote
access to devices with browsers and Internet, such
as smartphones and tablets. Users were happy
with browser-based access until they used a well-
designed app, typically for an everyday task like
making a restaurant reservation. Then they saw
the superior power, speed, and ease-of-use of an
app (compared to browsers) and sought apps for
remote access to machines and processes.
Apps arrive and expand
User demands for apps instead of browser-
based access led some HMI and OIT suppliers to
develop free or very low-cost apps for custom-
ers. These apps provided quick and easy two-way
access to screens and data, a big improvement
over slow and cumbersome browser-based access
(Figure 1). Most apps were initially limited to one
or two device types, typically iPhones and iPads.
Apples handheld products all use the same oper-
ating system, which made app development, test-
ing, and deployment manageable for suppliers.
Other smartphones and tablets, however, have
a multitude of different operating systems and
screen sizes, which made creating apps for them
prohibitively time consuming and expensive. The
much larger universe of competing smartphones
and tablets based on Google Android and other
operating systems was thus largely excluded.
For example, a company first builds a remote
access app for iPhones and iPads. If it wants to
include other smartphones and tablets, it must
write an app for every brands operating system
and screen size, typically using a different pro-
gramming language for each. To port an applica-
tion from one operating system to another can take
developers months, and it is often just not done.
The HTML5 standard offers a solution.
Standards to the rescue, advantages
Searching for a way to speed and standardize
app development, HMI software and OIT hard-
ware suppliers turned to HTML5. With HTML5,
mobile applications can be as functionally rich
and user friendly as the traditional native applica-
tions built using Java or C++.
Moreover, HTML5 eliminates the need to cre-
ate numerous apps because it renders the same
user interface correctly sized across multiple for-
mats and operating systems. All users therefore
see a similar screen regardless of the device. Bet-
ter yet from the supplier point of view, HTML5
enables developers to write an application once,
then instantly deploy it everywhere. This allows
suppliers to quickly deploy new and improved
apps to virtually all smartphones and tablets,
delivering numerous benefits.
Mobile HMI applications can offer enhanced
functionality, ability to easily and quickly retrieve
and interact with data, device independence, similar
screen experience in multiple platforms, and easy
navigation methods via multi-touch technology.
Some HMI software and OIT hardware suppliers
offer products built from the ground up, under-
standing that the number of remote access users
with smartphones and tablets will rise exponential-
ly. Remote access capabilities created for handheld
devices, often via apps, often have superior func-
tionality compared to browser-based access. ce
- Marcia Gadbois is vice president of InduSoft,
Invensys, and Jeff Payne is AutomationDirect auto-
mation group product manager. Edited by Mark T.
Hoske, Control Engineering, [email protected].
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more on bring your
own device (BYOD), small
screen productivity, multi-
touch, and industrial mobile
access, with links to related
articles.
www.indusoft.com
www.automationdirect.com
Go Online

The
expanded
capabilities
of handheld
devices have
changed how
automation
users retrieve
and interact
with plant
data.

Figure 2: Using familiar multi-touch technology, operators can troubleshoot

and execute commands as much as three times faster than with a single-
touch interface. Courtesy: Indusoft, Invensys
Consider this...
Could the right information
to the right people at the
right time improve your
productivity and competi-
tiveness?
44 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
T
he convergence buzzword can be
used to describe one of the most
important ongoing trends in the
world of industrial control. It is not
a particular type of new technolo-
gy or recently found in this market; indeed, peo-
ple have been talking about it for more than a
decade. But why is this trend getting more atten-
tion now? How does it specifically affect the
market for industrial controls?
The trend toward convergence began to take
hold early in this century, in the discussion of the
role of PC-based control in discrete automation,
which was once the sole domain of programma-
ble logic controllers (PLCs); and with the role
of PLCs in process automation, which had been
the sole domain of the distributed control system
(DCS). The convergent technology of these prod-
ucts has blurred the boundaries of applications.
The debate over PLC versus PC-based control
and over DCS versus PLC control still rumbles
on, but it reflects only part of the way industrial
control is changing. With the merging of automa-
tion technologies, new products have been intro-
duced to the controller markets in recent years,
enriching convergence in one way or another.
When talking about convergence, people with
different backgrounds might have different view-
points and understanding of the term.
Control layers
Convergence is taking place in all control lay-
ers, mainly from the following three perspec-
tives: 1) Convergence of the physical world
(industrial systems) and the digital world (cyber-
space) 2) Convergence of information technol-
ogy, manufacturing and automation technology
and software 3) Convergence of industrial devic-
es and industrial control hardware.
All these convergence trends have some direct
or indirect impact on the industrial control market.
Some have been taking place for years; some are
on the way. In the past 10 years, technology con-
vergence for industrial controllers generally has
been limited to hardware convergence, the base
layer in the evolution of the technology. The dis-
cussion is about the advantages and disadvantages
of each controller type, and how they are differ-
entiated. The main drivers of this convergence are
probably largely the controller vendors, seeking
to gain more market share by enhancing the func-
tionality and performance of the control hardware.
Technological convergence is the process by
which existing technologies merge into new forms
that merge different types of products and applica-
tions. With the development of industrial software
and industrial networking, the focus of technologi-
cal convergence for industrial controllers is shift-
ing and will change in a more dynamic way.
Mobile phone analogy
This is similar to the evolution of the mobile
phone, which has much in common with indus-
trial control. When the mobile phone was invent-
ed, its purpose was to make phone (voice) calls.
For a long period, the evolution of the mobile
phone was largely the result of work by engi-
neers and scientists to push the limits of physical
and material science and was very hardware-
focused; though the role of the mobile phone
did not change. Only by taking one step fur-
ther (especially through technological conver-
gence with multi-level media and networking)
can the mobile phone interact with a wider array
of media types. As the technology advances, new
models increasingly include more features, like
the ability to interface with more devices or play
other types of media; now its a mobile device.
Convergence brings
new benefits to the
industrial controls world
Previously separate technologies, such as controllers, sensors, operator terminals,
motion controls, software, networking, and services, share resources and act in synergy.
Technology convergence offers new opportunities spanning firms and economies.

Software,
information,
and
communication
technology
will have a
larger share in
the evolution
of industrial
controls.

control convergence
Key
concepts
Convergence benefits
the world of industrial
controls
Convergence includes
hardware, software, net-
working
Convergence allows
focus on resolving the
challenge, instead of
battles among vendors
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 45
Industrial control hardware was used to
accomplish some basic control tasks. Software
and networking also are changing the pattern of
the industrial control world.
Industrial software convergence
Although the sales revenues of industrial con-
trol systems still come mainly from control hard-
ware, the development of software and its role in
manufacturing has become increasingly impor-
tant. The software portfolio will expand much
more, from product design, planning, engineer-
ing, and execution to plant and enterprise man-
agement and product lifecycle management,
covering the whole production lifecycle and
enterprise value chain. Convergence of industrial
control hardware and software is the fundamental
step for software development.
The proportion of software in the cost of a
control system will increase, as it becomes more
important. Because software integrates automa-
tion technology with other elements of man-
ufacturing [for example, PLC software with
manufacturing execution systems (MES) and
enterprise resource planning (ERP) software], it
will improve the functionality of control systems,
and move the manufacturing process from being
driven by electronics to being driven by software
and, finally, by data.
Industrial network convergence
If we consider the trends discussed in indus-
trial automation, such as Industry 4.0, the Inter-
net of things (IoT), industrial Internet, smart
factories, big data, and so on, none of them
would be realized or even exist without the sup-
port from industrial networks. Information and
communication technology is the fundamental
key to drive the industry revolution into a new
era and, naturally, will have a profound impact
on industrial controls.
Industrial networking opens the door for
industrial controllers to play a more vital role in
the whole process. The primary role of industri-
al controls always has been to control machin-
ery and automated process lines. However, as
they become more intelligent and the devices
they control become smart (with perception,
decision-making, and executive functionality),
wherever the convergence of industrial control-
lers and networking takes place, controllers have
the possibility to be transformed from brick to
brain. That happens horizontally, to integrate
all intelligent devices, and vertically, by commu-
nicating production information to higher level
management systems and by processing instruc-
tions and data sent.
Returning to the original questions: Why
is the technology convergence trend getting
increasing attention now? And, what is its impact
on the market for industrial controls? Conver-
gence weakens the independent existence of
industrial controllers. The product type and per-
formance parameters that used to be the selling
point of a certain industrial controller model will
gradually be less important to customers. Cus-
tomers will be more excited about the solutions
that the whole control platform or system can
provide, the problems it can solve, and how it
can increase productivity and efficiency. Wheth-
er the controller is a PLC, a PLC with PC-based
technology, or a DCS will be of little concern.
Software, information, and communication tech-
nology will have a larger share in the evolution
of industrial controls.
Opportunities from convergence
This turning point represents a great oppor-
tunity for original controller vendors and other
automation vendors seeking growth. With con-
vergence, lines are blurred as companies diver-
sify from their original markets. The industrial
controls world is only vendors of PLCs, indus-
trial PCs (IPCs), programmable automation
controllers (PACs), motion controllers, embed-
ded controls, and DCSs, but a multidimension-
al arena in which competition and cooperation
often occur simultaneously. Previously separate
technologies, such as controllers, sensors, oper-
ator terminals, motion controls, software, net-
working, and services, now share resources and
act in synergy. Control technology convergence
offers new opportunities spanning firms and
economies. ce
- Jan Zhang is the IHS associate director in
the Shanghai, China, office.
www.controleng.com/archives
April has related articles and
information relating to con-
vergence trends linked to this
article online.
www.ihs.com
Go Online
The diagram illustrates which kind of convergence trend will affect indus-
trial control systems, when they are likely to be realized in the real world of
manufacturing, and the impact on controllers. Courtesy: IHS Convergence
Trends Affecting Industrial Controls 2014 report
Consider this...
Convergence versus diver-
gence: If automation ven-
dors spent more time in the
last 20 years focusing on
customer needs, and less
time carving up proprietary
market niches, would end-
user processes be more
efficient today?
Process and
Advanced Control
Machine Control
System Integration
Information Control
Energy Automation
Process Instrumentation
and Sensors
Safety and Security
Weekly News
Product and
Media Showcase
Whitepaper Connection
Control Engineering covers
relevant topical articles in a
variety of e-Newsletters
each and every month:
Subscribe today by visiting
www.controleng.com/newsletters
A supplement to PLANT ENGINEERING
and Control Engineering magazines
Wireless Mesh Network.
Wired Reliability.
Info & Starter Kits
The Dust Networks LTC

5800 and LTP

5900 product families from Linear Technology are embedded wireless sensor
networks (WSN) that deliver unmatched ultralow power operation and superior reliability. This ensures flexibility in
placing sensors exactly where needed, with low cost peel and stick installations. The highly integrated SmartMesh

LTC5800 (system-on-chip) and LTP5900 (PCB module) families are the industrys lowest power IEEE 802.15.4e compliant
wireless sensor networking products.
www.linear.com/dust
1-800-4-LINEAR
Features
Every Node Can Run on Batteries for >10 Years at >99.999% Reliability
, LT, LTC, LTM, LTP, Linear Technology, the Linear logo, the
Dust Networks logo and SmartMesh are registered trademarks of
Linear Technology Corporation. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
www.linear.com/starterkits
Routing Nodes Consume <50A
Average Current
>99.999% Reliability Even in the
Most Challenging RF Environments
Complete Wireless Mesh Solution No
Network Stack Development Required
Network Management and NIST-
Certified Security Capabilities
Two Standards-Compliant Families:
SmartMesh IP (6LoWPAN) and
SmartMesh WirelessHART (IEC62591)
Flash
512KB
SRAM
72KB
AES
Crypto
MAC
Engine
CLI
UART
(2-pin)
API
UART
(6-pin)
Temp
Sensor
Analog
Inputs
Digital
I/O
802.15.4e
Transceiver
TX
ICX
SmartMesh
Networking
Software
ARM
Cortex-M3
LTP5900/1/2
(PCB)
LTC5800
20MHz 32kHz
PA
Highly Integrated LTC5800 and
LTP5900 Families
H4 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
KI CKER
HART Communication:
The next 20 years and beyond
I
n 2013, the HART Communication Foundation celebrated
20 years serving the process automation industry, an era
in which the HART Protocol became the recognized global
standard for field communications in the process industry.
Whats next?
Innovation
The sound technology principals of the protocols design
have enabled users to Get Connected to valuable process
and device data within the plantin a cost-effective way with
minimal disruption of the operation. Leveraging HART data in
real-time delivers a compelling financial value proposition to
improve plant performance from asset
intelligence derived from the data. New
ways to connect and capture this value
will drive the need for more products
and solutions and become the basis for
our strategy for the next 20 years.
For example, rapid global accep-
tance of the WirelessHART standard
enhances the technologys functionality
and preserves its viability indefinitely.
In addition, the need to connect large
amounts of data to enterprise and asset
management systems for decision sup-
port has resulted in the latest HART
capability, HART-IP. HART over Ethernet provides a high band-
width connection between host systems, HART-enabled I/O,
gateways and devices using standard networking infrastructure.
Global growth
HART technology has a rapidly growing global footprint with
over 40 million HART-based devices in use in the majority of
industrialized countries of the world. Today high user demand
has resulted in suppliers shipping HART-based products in record
numbers according to recent ARC Advisory Group research,
nearly 80% of process measurement and control devices deliv-
ered each year use HART.
This growth is further evidenced by the now more than 300
Foundation member companies world wide. The Foundation
continues to partner with the top innovative manufacturers of
process automation solutions to expand these global markets as
they expand their use of the HART Protocol.
In addition to our main office in Austin, Texas, Foundation offic-
es in Europe, China, and Japan provide strong technical support
and leadership in these world areas with local language technical
training, seminars, workshops, trade shows and conferences.
We will continue to drive the support and infrastructure for
all of these world areas enabling them to enjoy the benefits
of HART technology. In addition, we will continue to work
with other leading standards organizations to deliver valuable
solutions to industry users.
Standardization
The HART Communication Foundation is committed to
having our standards approved by all leading standards orga-
nizations around the world. The HART Protocol has recently
been approved as a China GB/T National Standard; and recent
enhancements comply with NAMUR NE107 to standardize
device display and alert information. For the global user com-
munity, international standardization
reinforces their confidence in the reli-
ability and interoperability of this valu-
able technology.
Efficient and economically viable
device integration with hosts requires
multiprotocol standardized technology
that makes device information available
across systems and applications from
different manufacturers. The HCF joined
the other major protocol foundations,
FDT Group, Fieldbus Foundation, PI,
and OPC Foundation, to establish a
common technology for device informa-
tion management. A single scalable solution for field device inte-
gration, FDI simplifies and standardizes device and host integra-
tion to address end user requirements in all areas of the plant.
Business value
For us, the next 20 years will be about continuing to deliver
bottom-line business benefits to process manufacturers.
New offerings from industry suppliers to the HART eco-
system are making it easier than ever for users to adopt the
proactive and predictive maintenance strategies that full-time
HART communication makes possible. Connectivity to the
enterprise for visualization, analytics and integration into other
systems will multiply the value that real-time HART communi-
cation can bring to a business.
We are excited to work with our members and users to
forge the future strategy of HART Communication and lever-
age new technologies to help users Get Connected in real-
time to the valuable information in their HART devices. Users
who plan to upgrade or expand an existing plant, or build a
new plant for sustainable and globally competitive operation,
will reap the benefits when they Get Connected using
HART communication for the next 20 years and beyond.

We will continue to drive

support and infrastructure for
all world areas enabling them
to enjoy the benefits of HART
technology. We will continue
to work with other standards
organizations to deliver valuable
solutions to industry users.

N
o
w
a
v
a
ila
b
le
!
The VisiPro DO Ex is the only optical dissolved
oxygen sensor for use in explosive environment.
Hamilton Company
4970 Energy Way
Reno, NV 89502 U.S.A.
Toll-Free: 1 (800) 648-5950
Tel: +1-775-858-3000
Fax: +1-775-856-7259
[email protected]
www.hamiltoncompany.com
H6 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
H4 HART Communication: The
next 20 years and beyond
In 2013, the HART Communication Foundation cel-
ebrated 20 years serving the process automation
industry, an era in which the HART Protocol became
the recognized global standard for field communica-
tions in the process industry. Whats next?
H8 HART Communication adapts
for the Internet world
A closer look at the benefits offered by HART-
IP, which is the latest enhancement to the HART
Protocol Specification.
H10 Building a maintenance
management program
for valves
Diagnostics from smart valve actuators using HART
communication can save maintenance costs and
improve plant reliability when used in a comprehen-
sive maintenance management program. This is
often the first big victory of a program.
H16 Three wishes for
an easier life with HART
At Hannover Messe 2013, Michael Pelz, head of
process optimization and automation for Clariant
Pigments Business Unit, spoke about his experi-
ences with HART technology, while expressing his
hopes for future developments to make the technol-
ogy even easier to work with.
H18 Integrating HART data
from smart devices
HART calling! Your field devices and actuators want
to tell you more of what is happening in the plant,
all you have to do is listen.
Contents
HART,

WirelessHART,

and HART-IP are trademarks

of the HART Communication Foundation.
ABB Measurement Products
www.abb.com/flow
CoriolisMaster. Measurement made easy.
The new CoriolisMaster from ABB is one of the most compact coriolis mass
flowmeters on the market. With no up or downstream piping requirements it
can be installed in the tightest spaces, enabling applications not possible before.
Its smaller size and simplicity saves you precious time in installation, set up and
maintenance. Enjoy!
Learn more and download a FREE flow handbook.
www.abb.com/flow
H8 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
HART Communication adapts
for the Internet world
A closer look at the benefits offered by HART-IP, which is the latest enhancement
to the HART Protocol specification.
T
o address growing industry demand for accessing
data over the Ethernet, the HART Communication
Foundation added a new capability to the HART
Protocol Specification, HART-IP. HART-IP takes
HART technology as it exists today and adapts it
for the world of the Internet, allowing the exact
same HART protocol to run over an IP-based connection deliv-
ering valuable HART data at the speed of Ethernet.
This means that the standard Ethernet infrastructure that
is used today in most control systems is now able to run the
HART application layer and protocol over the same Ethernet
and TCP/IP layer. A HART-IP backhaul network enables soft-
ware to gain direct access to information in WirelessHART
devices for example, without having to perform any data map-
ping through intermediate Modbus or OPC.
Offering comment on HART-IP, Harry Forbes, senior
analyst at ARC Advisory Group, said: The introduction
of an IP backhaul will undoubtedly increase the use of
WirelessHART. Frank Fengler, of ABB agrees, saying:
The greater use of HART-IP will lead the way to larger
WirelessHART networks because it will be easier to gain
access to the intelligent information in HART devices. HART-
IP is already being used in many products that have connect-
ing devices such as gateways, remote I/O and multiplexers
so just with the addition of a communication driver, users
can gain access to HART-IP.
In reality, because most WirelessHART networks contain
less than 100 devices, multiple networks are created, Forbes
went on to explain. This can present an integration manage-
ment problem as the number of networks grows, because
there will be many different gateways that all need to be
integrated. Having an IP backhaul, therefore, makes a huge
amount of sense, connecting measurements to the Internet.
This will enable users to integrate whatever applications they
are using for measurements, over a much larger scale.
It will also make it possible to centralise the manage-
ment of multiple networks. Applications consisting of, for
example, up to 200 or more wellheads distributed over wide
distances, would be able to manage all of the gateways
from a single point, connecting to all the measurements,
said Forbes. Once the HART-IP-enabled devices are plugged
into the corporate network, the information can travel liter-
ally anywhere in the world over the corporate VPN allowing
remote access of process measurements and device and/or
process diagnostics.
Increasing uptake
With more vendors using HART-IP within their product
offerings, Eric Rotvold, distinguished technologist, Emerson
Process Management, says that there are now implemen-
tations of HART-IP in the real world, and WirelessHART is
also being adopted more aggressively by industry. Many
gateways already support HART-IP so its increasing use is
a natural progression. There are also devices such as COM
DTMs under the FDT umbrella, being developed to talk to
these HART-IP gateways and instrumentation, for asset man-
agement purposes. Likewise, many HART-enabled device
configuration and asset management applications are already
HART-IP enabled.
A big benefit of HART-IP is the ability to gain high-speed
access to the standard HART diagnostic information and pro-
cess data using the plants installed networking infrastructure.
Rotvold said: Although this information has been available for
a long time, , up until this point there has not been a great
way to get a lot of data out of HART devices and into asset
management or enterprise level systems. Multiplexers suffer
from data aggregation and with WirelessHART gateways you
still need a way to ship all the data up to the host system as
quickly as possible. HART-IP provides this capability, allowing
for the effective management of many gateways and many
thousands of WirelessHART devices.
Why HART-IP?
HART-IP offers the most straightforward way to access all
the standard HART information available in a HART device. It
allows the information from these devices to be brought up to
the Ethernet level easily, without the need to go through any
translation processes and with no loss of information.
According to Rotvold, the main barrier to greater imple-
mentation of HART-IP is now the system vendors. He said:
If system vendors make HART-IP available in the same way
that they do with Modbus TCP, I believe that there would be a
dramatic uptake in the use of HART-IP which would result in
an even greater uptake of WirelessHART. Emersons system
CONTROL ENGINEERING www.hartcomm.org H9
controllers already support HART-IP and can talk directly to
the Emerson gateway via HART-IP. The HART-IP specification
was released in 2012 so I expect that we should start to see
introductions from other vendors within the next two years.
John Yingst, product manager at Honeywell, believes that
HART-IP is an essential tool to increase the distance between
the source of HART data (the devices themselves and the
control systems they are connected to) and the application
user of that data (typically some kind of configuration tool or
instrument asset management system). Traditionally, HART
multiplexers have used RS485 networks to link these togeth-
er, which required set-up and configuration of several param-
eters (baud rates, adapters, wiring polarity, address switch
settings, etc.) and posed some distance limitations. HART-IP
significantly simplifies the connection configuration and basi-
cally eliminates the distance limitations.
Yingst said: Several emerging Honeywell products will
take advantage of HART-IP. For example, the Wireless Device
Manager (WDM), a key part of the OneWireless Network
solution, offers HART-IP in Release 220. The WDM serves
as the gateway for Honeywells wireless product offering.
From its initial release, the WDM had the ability to represent
wireless sensor data as HART, OPC, Modbus and Honeywell
(Experion PKS) CDA data, allowing applications to transpar-
ently use this device data. Extending the HART capability in
the WDM to support HART-IP is a natural evolution.
Another development that takes advantage of HART-IP is
Honeywells RTU2020, aimed at the wellhead control and
monitoring market. This RTU features a HART-IP server which
gives the ability to remotely maintain and diagnose connected
HART valves and transmitters. A maintenance engineer in
such applications might be 1,000 km away from the HART
device and the closest maintenance camp might be 200 km
away. Having HART-IP will allow better decisions to be made
about the health of the remote asset, possibly negating the
need for an expensive site visit, said Yingst.
Implementation issues?
Implementing HART-IP is really just about organizing the
communication path, explained Gerrit Lohmann, manager
product group remote systems at Pepperl+Fuchs. It is noth-
ing new or complex. End users need to do nothing because
the HART integration mechanism does not care how the
HART message went into the system. It is possible to reuse
all the DTMs and DDs the only additional consideration is
the communication path. In the DTM world a communication
DTM is created to open the Internet communication path. Of
course, the connected DCS or asset management system will
also need a physical interface.
Lohmann expects HART-IP implementation to increase
in the near future. He said: HART-IP is now starting to be
implemented in DCS systems and asset management sys-
tems, which will broaden its usefulness as these systems
will be immediately plugged into the gateway, allowing the
HART-IP works with any IP-enabled PHY, including packet
radio, SAT-radio, WiFi, cell nets, etc., which makes the
HART network including WirelessHART devices com-
patible with commercial and industrial grade LAN switches,
fibre optic media converters, Wi-Fi access points, and
related equipment.
Because the application layer is the same for HART field
devices an HART-IP, time consuming and error-prone data
mapping is eliminated, making HART-IP the most suitable
backhaul network for WirelessHART gateways and 4-20 mA
HART multiplexers.
HART information to be more widely used.
Pepperl+Fuchs have included a HART-IP interface in its
WirelessHART gateway for many years. Having this Internet
based communication capability broadens the application of
HART, enabling it to be used in the same way, and parallel to,
other Ethernet-based protocols, using the same infrastructure
and using the same principles for integration, concluded
Lohmann.
Suzanne Gill is editor of Control Engineering Europe.
H10 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
Building a maintenance
management program
for valves
Diagnostics from smart valve actuators using HART communication can save
maintenance costs and improve plant reliability when used in a comprehensive
maintenance management program. This is often the first big victory of a program.
W
hile most smart devices are field instru-
ments, smart valve actuators have
the same capabilities, and often users
launch a maintenance program for
valves ahead of instruments. HART
Plant of the Year recipients bear this
out: Dow, Monsanto, and MOL all used HART diagnostics
to improve plant reliability and save money on valve mainte-
nance. Valves are far more maintenance intensive than instru-
mentation and have more wear-prone moving parts than a
typical flowmeter or pressure sensor.
The ability of a given valve to function can have a huge impact
on a process units operation, depending on where its located.
Its ability to move as expected and control as needed makes all
the difference, so diagnostic information is an enormous advan-
tage for reliability. HART Communication can also supply real-
time valve position feedback to operators, confirming that a valve
is in the position that the control system says it is.
When a valve maintenance program in a large facility is
thought out well, implemented with care, and with the right
individuals at the helm, a full-time valve engineer can easily
be worth $1 million or more when the costs of repair and
replacement are combined with improved operations and
plant availability.
Establishing criticality
Unless your plant has an unlimited budget, you will likely
find yourself constrained as to how many valves can have
smart actuators or positioners installed. So which valves are
the most important? Criticality has two main elements: the
importance that a given valve has in a units operation, and
the likelihood that that it will malfunction.
If you look at the P&ID for a process unit, you can identify
certain valves that have to operate 24/7 for the unit to pro-
duce, and it may be a large number. If one of those valves
fails, the unit goes down, or if it doesnt perform correctly,
product goes out of spec. Plant designers often install back-
up units in parallel on equipment like pumps so either can
do the job, but this is not a common practice with valves.
Those critical valves working without backup deserve special
attention because you cant reroute the flow and you cant
do without them.
The same thought applies when you have to perform valve
maintenance. Can that valve be repaired while the unit is
still running. If everything has to be shut down to take it out
or fix it in place, that valve is also critical.
Probability of failure
There are valves that can be installed in a process unit
and operate for years with no trouble. Where pressure drop
isnt excessive and the product is benign, there is little wear
and tear in daily operation. But this isnt always the case.
Products can be corrosive, erosive, or otherwise aggressive,
and there is nothing you can do beyond finding the best pos-
sible valve design and most durable materials.
Difficult service valves are also prime candidates to be
Operators can perform step tests on valves to ensure that they
are controlling correctly, but that is only part of the picture. Such
tests may not show that a friction problem is developing, and
every time it moves, it requires more force. Sooner or later the
friction will overcome the force and the valve will malfunction.
T
r
a
v
e
l

(
%
)
150
100
50
0
-50
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time (secs)
CONTROL ENGINEERING www.hartcomm.org H11
retrofitted to become smart because they are subject to the
kind of abuse that shortens lives. A worn stem or one where
sticky product has accumulated can be difficult to move, and
this is a simple thing for the smart actuator to measure and
monitor over time. The system can warn operators of chang-
es while there is still time to do something about it.
Planning turnarounds
If your plant is one that runs continuously and can do so
for years at a time, sooner or later it will have to be shut
down for some period of time to fix accumulating problems.
Generally this turnaround period has to be as short as pos-
sible, so there is much planning in the months and even
years leading up to it. Everything has to be staged and ready
to follow the repair and refurbishment schedule. That list
will include valves since many will have to be repaired or
replaced during the outage.
Turnaround planners must know exactly which valves need
attention, and what kind of attention so appropriate units and
parts can be ordered in advance. Valve diagnostics can help
identify those valves and determine what needs to be done.
When the turnaround clock is ticking, that is not the time to
be discovering valves that need more attention than realized,
or some that are scheduled for replacement are actually per-
forming just fine.
In the repair shop
Valves that have been repaired, either in-place or in the
valve shop, should be tested before returning to service. A
smart actuator / positioner can measure and record the valve
movement and make sure it is operating within acceptable
parameters. This requires an appropriate testing procedure for
each type of valve with a database where historical informa-
tion can be stored.
That historical information is what helps identify developing
problems. When the amount of torque required to turn a stem
increases slowly over time or takes a sudden jump, trouble
is not far away. Keeping that information where it can be
accessed easily is a critical element of a larger maintenance
program.
After some time in the shop, that valve looks like it is operating
as it should. The opening and closing pressures are in a tight
group along with the ideal standard performance indicator.
HART can be used on the bench to verify correct performance
before reinstallation.
Valves that do not have direct HART I/O can send their diagnos-
tic information via a wireless add-on device. Photos courtesy
Monsanto Muscatine, the 2012 HART Plant of the Year recipient.
Looking at the HART diagnostics for that valve gives a much
different picture. The yellow line represents the amount of force
that the valve should need to move based on historical perfor-
mance. The red and blue lines show what is actually happening
now. That valve needs to be serviced soon before it causes an
unplanned outage.
A
c
t
u
a
t
o
r

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
p
s
i
)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Travel (deg)
FAIL
1st-FAIL-MAX
2nd-FAIL-MAX-STICKSLIP
Best Fit
V
a
l
v
e
C
l
o
s
e
d
A
c
t
u
a
t
o
r

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
p
s
i
)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Travel (deg)
1st-PASS
2nd-PASS
Best Fit
PASS
V
a
l
v
e
C
l
o
s
e
d
Demand Moore Reliability
Download white papers and datasheets to learn more
about our safety products at:
Contact Us at 800-999-2900
The HART Interface Experts
Moore Industries and MACTek have joined forces
to bring you the BULLET WirelessHART Adapter.
Simple, Reliable, Secure, Affordable
The BULLET is your best shot to move registered
smart HART and analog transmitters, valves and
/O to feld-proven WirelessHART technology.
If youve been waiting to go wireless... Why?
The WirelessHART BULLET is here right NOW!
*HART, MACTek, BULLET, and WirelessHART are registered trademarks.
www.miinet.com/BULLET
Moore Industries offers packaged
BULLET solutions including our THZ
2
Smart WirelessHART Temperature Transmitter
H12 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
Establishing a program
Automated diagnostic capabilities for valves and other field
devices available through HART communication can provide
huge benefits at many levels. Effective diagnostic tools can
make these activities quick and easy to perform from a cen-
tral control facility or even a remote location. The concept
of taking the data to an expert instead of taking the expert
to the problem is a powerful and underutilized concept, but
depends on proper implementation of a good set of diagnos-
tic tools and effective work processes.
Overview of barriers
Given the large incentives and low capital cost for asset
management, it would seem that this technology would be
widely used. The reality is far different. Lets take a look at
those barriers and suggest some possible resolutions.
The first impediment has been the technology barrier. There
is no question that device diagnostic technologies like HART
work, but the tools available to put that information to work
for asset management have traditionally been incomplete,
hard to use, and poorly integrated. The good news is that the
tools are improving and many users have demonstrated effec-
tive ways to use them. The bad news is that effective use of
the tools and the engineering skills necessary for effective
deployment are rare.
Using diagnostic information is especially important for
valves that are in congested or remote locations where
inspection is difficult.
Soccer teams win with safe passing.
SSX/SST Functional Safety Isolators and Splitters
ensure that valuable HART

data safely passes

between your Safety Instrumented System (SIS)
and basic process control or monitoring systems.
The exida

certifed, SL 3 capable SSX and SST

isolate and protect your SIS from inadvertent
disconnections or failures on the non-safety side
of the loop.
Make the SST/SST the next great addition to your
winning SIS team.
Contact Us at 800-999-2900
Demand Moore Reliability
www.miinet.com/safetyseries
Visit our website and learn more about our SSX/ SST
HART Functional Safety Series Isolators and Splitter
CONTROL ENGINEERING www.hartcomm.org H13
The second problem for asset management is manage-
ment. Technical problems have solutions given management
support, but managers have to be rewarded for doing so. That
kind of program requires good metrics, good reporting, and
effective audits to produce a scorecard. In the absence of a
good management system, poor performance is often treated
as a technology problem, or just the normal state of things.
Whos supposed to be acting on the diagnostic informa-
tion? Maintenance? Can you tell a maintenance guy to look
at an incomprehensible mass of unprioritized diagnostic data
and decide what he should do based on that? Properly imple-
mented systems can provide order and priority to make the
data useful to engineering and maintenance organizations.
Start early
Implementing an asset management program is a project
in itself. It can be a stand-alone project for an existing facility,
or an add-on to new construction or control system modern-
ization. For an existing facility, a lot of stranded (unusable)
diagnostics often exist in HART-enabled smart field devices
that are not connected to a smart system. The cost of system
tool implementation in an existing facility can be an issue,
but it is manageable. For new construction, the added cost of
asset management tools is almost negligible. But this is just
the hardware side. Either way, the work processes, training,
metrics, and management processes have to be implemented
just the same.
One of the first activities in an asset management pro-
gram is creating a criticality ranking for each piece of major
equipment and each device. This is often a painful process,
because people want to rank everything critical because
ISA108: Intelligent device manage-
mentgetting the most from HART
enabled and other smart field devices
R
eports from companies that have created effective
asset management programs suggest that changing
individuals thinking is more difficult than the technol-
ogy of collecting diagnostic data. There is no question that
HART works as advertised, but users find it difficult to bridge
the gap between diagnostic information and effective asset
management.
Putting intelligent devices to work effectively is what
ISA108 is about. As the organization characterizes it, The
purpose of ISA108 is to define standard templates of best
practices and work processes for implementation and use of
diagnostic and other information provided by intelligent field
devices in the process industries.
ISA108 is not a technical standard in that it does not dis-
cuss how the diagnostic information is transmitted. It applies
to HART as well as Foundation fieldbus, Profibus PA, and
other protocols. The best practices are being created now,
and there are opportunities for you to participate. Herman
Storey is a co-chair, and he welcomes involvement from end-
user companies. The ISA website explains how you can join
the effort.
Read this article online at www.controleng.com for more
information, including a video interview with Herman Storey
discussing the standards development.
H14 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
otherwise it wont get fixed. You need to know the impact
severity and the likelihood of a problem to do a good critical-
ity ranking.
You will use this criticality information throughout the
design process, while implementing other maintenance
activities, and planning. But many people wait until the sys-
tem is built and operating, when it is much more difficult. It
has to be done during the design phase if you want an effec-
tive project.
If you begin early enough and do the work systematically,
the plant construction and start-up process will go faster
and much smoother. During the design and factory accep-
tance testing, you need to do the building, create your tools,
and train your people. You want to use all those diagnostics
through those phases, during installation, commissioning,
and loop checking. Typically, the system will pay for itself right
there. Youve covered the investment by the time you get the
plant started up. History says that in most plants where weve
done that, we get the system de-bugged, start up the plant,
back-check and verify everything, correct all the mistakes, and
then we turn the asset management system off and never
look at it again. When that happens, the facility owner misses
out on the big payback during plant operation.
Managing priorities
Traditional maintenance technology for managing main-
tenance priority is a reliability matrix. Weve done the risk
assessment, and weve determined that this device is medi-
um-to-low priority. We look at the list of what we have to do,
and how many critical things are on the plate today, and all of
the low priority stuff gets deferred, sometimes forever. It may
not even get addressed during turnarounds because of bud-
get. So the low priority stuff accumulates failures. Thats fine
for a while but enough low priority failures can cause a larger-
scale system failure, because the operators cant tell whats
going on. There arent enough measurements. There arent
enough controls. You cant run the plant. System failures have
greater impact than low priority device failures, but treating
devices individually can lead to system effects that are not
modeled or managed by the simple decision matrix.
Often after a major failure or an operational disaster, an
investigation discovers that there were many signs of the
growing problem, but nobody was able to see them or cor-
rectly interpret what they were seeing. Field device diagnos-
tics were trying to warn of a growing problem, but nobody
was able to connect the dots. Often its an accumulation of
small things adding up until they reach a critical mass. An
accumulation of small (low priority) problems is common
today among operating companies. Youll see this accumula-
tion of problems if you read analysis reports after a catastro-
phe. After a while, enough little things line up in series and
become a big thing. If you line up all the holes in a Swiss
cheese, theres a hole all the way through it. Its another man-
agement failure.
Getting data to the right place
Once an appropriate data collection system is in place and
you are working on setting up your work processes, you need
to determine where the data stream goes. Should it be main-
tenance or operators? This isnt a difficult process if you fol-
low some simple principles: Send alerts to operators as well
as maintenance if immediate operator action is required. The
alert philosophy for operators is youre dealing with individual
events as they come up. You want a limited number of alerts
that the operator can take some unique action on in real time.
On the maintenance side, you dont want to deal with indi-
vidual events. You want to log every little thing that happens,
and then you want to use reports to sort through all of those
logged events and make some sense out of them. Youre
looking at history and analyzing whats happened once, whats
happened a bunch of times, how high the priority was, and
whether it happened to multiple devices. You can see trends
from reports that get lost if youre looking at individual events.
A single problem with your air system can cause hundreds of
events per day. You need a reporting format that can bring all
that together and identify a common source. Clearly, an effec-
tive asset management program using diagnostics from smart
devices can pay major dividends.
When is it baked?
It is really quite easy to tell. If you routinely use diagnos-
tics to find out how something failed after the plant has had
an unexpected shutdown, you havent finished the job. If
you have a large database of saves where diagnostics were
used to prevent an unplanned plant shutdown, you are on
the right track.
Herman Storey is chief technology officer of Herman
Storey Consulting, and a frequent presenter on asset man-
agement programs and other topics. Reach him at herman.
[email protected].
Using HART in three time domains:
1. Periodic testingHART helps automate and document scheduled
tests and calibrations, particularly collection and analysis of valve
signature data, and PSTs (partial-stroke tests) for safety-related
valves.
2. Incipient failuresHART diagnostics can alert users at any time
to valve problems that are developing, but have not yet become
failures. This allows maintenance to react to the problem before it
causes and outage. This capability depends on having a process
for monitoring diagnostic information, detecting changes, and
reporting those to the right people.
3. Real-time performanceOperators place a high value on real-time
valve position feedback from positioners via HART. Getting real-
time smart device information quickly enough to be useful is the
goal and requires the system to have good integration and access
to intelligent device information.
WIRED TO WIRELESS
MACTek is an industry standard for HART connectivity.
MACTek modems enable cost effective, reliable and secure device communication between your PC and your HART device
saving you time and money.
MACTek offers the most complete product line of industry standard VIATOR HART modems:
Easy to use with rugged and reliable design
USB, RS232 and Bluetooth GP and IS/ATEK compliant
Used for confguration, troubleshooting and data acquisition
Registered for reliable HART communication in all plant environments
Works with all HART registered devices
WWW.MACTEKCORP.COM OR CALL 609-801-0039
THZ Smart HART Temperature Transmitter Courtesy of Moore Industries Intl HART and WirelessHART are registered trademarks of the HART Communication Foundation 2014 MACTek Corporation All Rights Reserved
Measurement and Control Technologies
HART

and WirelessHART

?
We have solutions!
USB RS232
Field
Device
PC and
Conguration
Software
VIATOR
Modem
MACTek Knows HART
Never a competitor always a partner
Products available for resale
MACTeks family
of HART modems
Shown with BULLET DTM
The MACTek WirelessHART Adapter
Provides wireless access to any existing HART device.
Explosion proof now available!
XP, IS, and GP classifcations
Works with all HART registered devices
8 device multidrop for remote IO functionality
Device DTM simplifes confguration -
See video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYTCjuxOT3w
NEW!
Now a USB Modem and
a Device Power Supply
Built-In!
Bluetooth
NEW! GP Model
MACTek BULLET
WirelessHART

Adapter
THZ
HART
Temp
Transmitter
New! Teknikol
COMMANDER

Mobile App!
See App at
www.teknikol.com
H16 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
P
elz believes that HART Communication is very use-
ful technology for plants, which incorporate a mix of
old and new devices, some of which use only 4-20
mA. HART makes integrating new devices into our
legacy system a problem-free task, he said. With
central device management tools it is possible for us
to configure all our HART devices from a central position, in the
control room, which saves us a great deal of technician time.
From a single engineering tool it should be possible to work with
all the devices and this is the way we want to go. The use of
WirelessHART allows us to monitor devices in areas of the plant
that would be too costly to achieve using wired devices, helping
us achieve our goal of continuously improving plant productivity.
Pelz also explained that the plant has a lot of moveable assets,
and that WirelessHART technology also makes these devices
much easier to handle. He concluded by calling on device ven-
dors to make life easier for end users of HART devices such as
himself in three particular areas. Simplified and unified device
integration software; reduced device complexity for basic func-
tionality; and simplified device diagnostics capabilities, in line
with NAMUR NE 107. He said: I feel that there are too many
different device integration software tools. It would greatly mini-
mize our device integration efforts if we had just one, universal
device integration tool for all of our HART devices. For this rea-
son he supports FDI which will standardize all of these methods.
On device complexity Pelz said that the increasing functional-
ity being built into devices makes them more complex. If I need
the same information from three different devices from three
different vendors, I will need to look in three different places!
Life would be easier if HART device vendors were to place all
the basic functionality, in the same place and maybe bury all the
vendor specific functionality a little deeper into the device.
Finally, he called for the universal implementation of NAMUR
NE 107 guidelines which relate to self-monitoring and standard-
ized condensed device diagnosis of field devices, with a series
of recommendations on how to present diagnostic data and
reduce the number of diagnostic indications from a field device
to just a few symbols. These comments confirm that HART tech-
nology provides significant value to users by providing device
and process information that improves plant productivity.
Vendors respond
HART device vendors have responded to these requests in
different ways. John Yingst, product manager at Honeywell,
believes device vendors will always want to differentiate them-
selves by offering additional capabilities, in spite of requests for
greater standardisation and simplicity. However, he says that
there are a few developments that could help the end user.
Yingst explained: Firstly, without changing the devices
themselves, more vendors are embracing FDT/DTM technol-
ogy as a way to create unique user-friendly interfaces for both
maintenance and engineering users. A DTM looks the same in
any frame or system it is used in which helps the maintenance
guy who might have more than one control system in his plant.
However, the user has to learn each vendors look and feel and I
do not see this situation changing.
Although HART now follows NAMUR NE 107 guidelines,
there are still a great deal of devices in the field already in use
which do not, continued Yingst. Honeywell can offer a number
of system features and capabilities to help with this problem.
Experion Station has the ability to direct device alarms away
from the operator console, for example. On the device side,
Honeywell uses HART capabilities to display messages from the
control room on its SmartLine transmitter graphic display.
Kurt Polzer, business development Wireless Products for
Process Automation at Siemens responded: Siemens supports
both EDD/EDDL (Electronic Device Description Language)-based
solutions and DTMs-based tools approaches, with a focus on
EDD/EDDL technology, because our standard tool Simatic PDM
is based on EDDL. To enable the user to operate our devices in
an FDT-based tool we have the Sitrans DTM which is a single
DTM that manages most of our devices just by using EDDs.
However, we always strive to make things easier for our custom-
ers and have supported the Field Device Integration (FDI) initia-
tive from the outset.
Further steps being taken by the company to offer easier inte-
gration and improved diagnostic capabilities include the introduc-
tion of Sitrans Library which offers easy integration of Siemens
field devices into its Simatic PCS 7 process control system and
the Simatic automation environment. Because the integration
of all field devices into control systems is standardized with
Three wishes for an easier
life with HART
At Hannover Messe 2013, Michael Pelz, head of process optimization and automation
for Clariant Pigments Business Unit, spoke about his experiences with HART
technology, while expressing his hopes for future developments to make the
technology even easier to work with.
Call us at: 216.221.1550
or toll free: 877.221.1551
Fax: 216.221.1554
Email: [email protected] www. p r o c o ms o l . c o m
DevCom2000 communicator software: Full DD access
to HART instrumentation for conguration & monitoring.

USB HART modems: Reliable, low cost interface between
HART instruments & conguration/monitoring software.

Bluetooth HART modems: Convenient, wireless
interface between HART instruments & conguration/
monitoring software.
ProComSols line of advanced, cost-effective, and
reliable HART Communication products include:
Our Quality System is ISO 9001:2008 Registered
Process Communications Solutions
Convert your PC or Mobile
into a HART Communicator!
Conver t > Conf i gur e > Cont r ol
CONTROL ENGINEERING www.hartcomm.org H17
identical function blocks to build up the control strategy and
identical faceplates in the HMI for the operator additional fea-
tures which are not supported by the standard are not displayed
in the faceplates. Such features and the information provided
by them are known as being stranded in the field. Users
of Sitrans Library have full access to all device features, and
faceplates will include both a direct view of all information, diag-
nostics and events and direct access to all relevant functions,
said Polzer. Once initial devices have been added to the Sitrans
Library, we will integrate further devices.
Adherence to NAMUR NE 107
Frank Fengler, head of device integration management at ABB
Automation Products GmbH, stated that ABB already adheres
to NAMUR NE 107 requirements. We started this process with
the integration of asset management into our systems, he said.
The companys Asset Optimiser tool, for example, includes an
Asset Monitor application that shows all the diagnostic infor-
mation of devices in accordance with the NAMUR guidelines.
In addition, this provides a description, possible cause, and
suggested actions for each message displayed. Asset monitor
is a vendor independent tool that works with all DTM or EDD-
enabled devices.
On device integration software tools, Fengler explained that
ABB now has a single integration tool and in the future will also
offer an FDI-based solution. The devices themselves will not
change, but will simply be given an additional file in the driver.
Finally, Fengler mentioned some ABB moves towards reduced
device complexity. He said: ABB can offer its Asset Vision
Basics tool as an application with a graphic interface that con-
nects directly to a device and brings up the screen needed to
configure the most important functions of the device. Further,
the ABB pressure transmitter range features a single device file
so it is not necessary to search for the correct device driver soft-
ware for a particular pressure application.
Bob Lattimer, senior principal engineer at Emerson Process
Management said that Emerson fully supports the provision
of NAMUR NE 107. We have not yet registered any devices,
However, NE 107 functionality will be included in all new field
devices in the near future starting in 2014, he promised.
Emerson is also working hard to provide consistent integration
across its product range, ensurig consistent behavior of all devic-
es. The introduction of FDI should remove the configuration
inconsistencies that occur in all communication protocols today,
continued Lattimer. The primary goal for FDI is to ensure good
consistency across all host vendors, for any given protocol and it
should make device integration easier. Emerson recognizes diag-
nostics capabilities as a valuable feature for field devices and we
are always innovating in this area, particularly around instrumen-
tation. Delta V already includes NE 107 type functionality and
our HART devices have had NE107 functionality for several years
in the host system. The next step is to move this functionality
down to the device to offer higher functioning systems, even
when NE107 capability is not built into the host system.
Vendors will always want to make individual products, but it
seems that recognition is now growing in the vendor community
that end users want devices to be simpler. The introduction of
standards appears to be helping, but this is a sensitive area for
vendors who will always want to differentiate themselves with
ever more distinctive features and functions.
For Mr. Pelzs wishes, there are options and solutions available
today that fulfill simplified and unified device integration. FDI
will standardize and unify device and host integration and is sup-
ported by all major field communications organizations.
To improve simplicity in basic functions, in addition to what was
mentioned above, HART has Universal and Common Practice
Commands that provide the majority of the configuration param-
eters needed to commission a device. HART also defines device
families (like pressure, temperature, level, etc.) that identify com-
mon parameters for devices and standardize the basic functions
for each different type of measurement reducing the complexity
for the parameterization of basic functions.
Lastly, the simplified or standardized condensed diagnostics
as outlined in NE107 is currently available in several HART-
enabled applications and more implementations are expected in
the future. HART Communication is indeed making life easier!
Suzanne Gill is editor of Control Engineering Europe.
H18 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
Integrating HART data
from smart devices
HART calling! Your field devices and actuators want to tell you more of
what is happening in the plant, all you have to do is listen.
T
here is a resource present in your plant that can
help facilitate asset management, but if youre like
most companies, you arent using it, or you arent
using it to the extent that you could. That resource
is HART Communication, and many, if not most
of the field instruments deployed in your process
probably have it. This article will discuss how HART works,
and the variety of ways you can integrate HART data from
process sensors and actuators in your plant.
Most companies have hand-held communicators that use
HART technology, and that becomes the main method for
setting up new field devices or changing configuration set-
tings in the plant. The underused aspect is the variety of
ways that new and installed instruments can communicate
with the automation system, delivering the main process
variable, additional variables, and diagnostic information. In
fact, HART can be the main technical enabler for a device
management program.
What HART can do
The information available via HART can tell a great deal
about individual field devices, how theyre performing, and the
networks serving them. The diagnostic information can warn
you if there are individual device problems, loop current faults,
or if a device needs maintenance. It can help ensure the
accuracy of process variable data, that individual instruments
are ranged correctly, and if there are deviations between the
analog and digital communications.
But beyond diagnostics, HART Communication can also
deliver the secondary process variables available on most
smart devices already installed in your plant. Any instrument
purchased over the last 10+ years is probably ready to send
that information if you have the means to integrate it in your
control and asset management systems.
Configuring communications
There are two methods for transactions between the host
and device. The most common is a master/slave approach
where the host requests information from the slave device.
The device sends information only when requested by a host
such as a DCS, PLC, or asset management system.
HART-enabled devices can also be configured to publish
process data in a burst mode. This only works for specific
process data commands, but the host can still request other
information as needed.
Choosing master-slave or burst will be driven by the needs
of the process and criticality of a specific process variable.
Each device can use either approach as the situation dictates.
Multi-drop: HART as a fieldbus
In normal applications the primary process variable is
transmitted via the 4-20 mA analog signal, and the additional
variables are carried within the superimposed digital informa-
tion. This may be the traditional method, but it requires a
cable for every device. HART can transmit the primary vari-
able with the digital information if desired, making each field
device entirely digital.
When using that method, multiple devices can be con-
nected via a single cable wired in parallel, similar to a
fieldbus, reducing the amount of cabling. Up to 15 devices
can be connected on one segment, using a handheld com-
municator or PC-based configuration tool to assign the poll
address for each. The 4-20 mA signal is fixed at a low value,
typically 4 mA, so the loop can carry power to each device.
Communication follows a master/slave pattern with the host
TABLE 1: Advantages of HART
1. Existing instruments and valves can often be used
2. Existing 4-20 mA wiring can be used
3.
Secondary variable information can be used to improve
operations
4. Calibration is simplified
5. Instruments and valves can be accessed remotely
6.
Certain operations such as valve testing can be per-
formed automatically
7.
Test and maintenance data can upload automatically to
an asset management platform
8.
Personnel training is easier than with more sophisticated
communication protocols
9.
High interoperability eliminates need to depend on one
specific manufacturer
CONTROL ENGINEERING www.hartcomm.org H19
polling each device such that
it can send process variables
and diagnostic information.
This approach does not
provide the constant updat-
ing of the primary process
variable as the normal 4-20
mA loop would, but if a small
amount of latency can be tol-
erated, it can deliver a cost-
effective and reliable stream
of process data.
More than one variable
Most field instruments
available today are actually
multi-variable devices, even if
this is not an obvious feature.
Pressure sensors, flowmeters,
and other instruments gather
additional information to cor-
rect the primary variable or to
monitor another aspect of performance. For example, many
types of pressure sensors need temperature data to calculate
the pressure value. This temperature or other secondary infor-
mation can be sent to the host via HART Communication.
While these secondary variables (SV) might not be used
for critical control, they are available and can help fill in gaps
of information coverage without additional intrusions into the
process or buying more hardware. A typical use case example
is ensuring that a device is not frozen or overheated. Many
host systems can be set up to access this data, with the best
way being natively HART-enabled I/O at the host system.
This method allows delivery of information easily and
as quickly as possible with effortless integration to control
and maintenance platforms. All variables are available from
every device using a minimum of cabling and hardware.
Unfortunately, many systems running in process plants were
installed before HART-enabled I/O cards were common, so
finding smart devices deployed in conventional 4-20 mA I/O
card situations is typical. Users and system vendors have cre-
ated many work-around approaches to fill this gap.
Loop converters
A HART loop converter is an individual modem that can
read the HART data lifted off an individual 4-20 mA loop. Loop
converters are typically designed to access a secondary pro-
cess variable and convert the digital signal representing this
variable to an additional 4-20 mA signal.
Such a unit can send the signal to a larger automation
system, and/or convert the data and display it in appropriate
engineering units. Depending on the sophistication of the
device, it can be programmed with relay outputs for alarms
or other functions.
Individual converters are useful when a small group of
devices need to be addressed, but when larger numbers are
required, there are better ways to deal with the situation.
Multiplexers
For an installation where a user wants to extract HART
data from a large number of field devices but there are no
native HART I/O cards installed in the process automation
system, the typical approach is to use a HART multiplexer.
These systems come in a variety of configurations and from
a variety of manufacturers, but they have some basic charac-
teristics that are common.
Multiplexers contain multiple HART modems that are
ganged together such that they can extract and convert
the digital data from a device while not interfering with the
normal 4-20 mA loop signal. The I/O of the existing host
device does not see a difference in the 4-20 mA signal, and
it can continue to control and monitor the process just as it
always has.
This approach is typically retrofitted to an existing control
system and field wiring. The multiplexer takes the information
from however many devices it handles, and typically sends
the data to some sort of asset management system via an
RS485 serial bus, Modbus TCP, Ethernet link, or the new
HART-IP. Communication is bi-directional so the asset manage-
ment system can both read information from a field device
and remotely access and read its configuration.
The downside of working with multiplexers is that they can
be complicated to install, since each individual field device
needs to be connected. This effect can be minimized by mak-
ing connections where the cables have already been brought
together in one place like marshaling cabinets. Latency is also
Figure 1. HART Communication provides a means to access digital data superimposed on exist-
ing 4-20 mA wiring, making it a low cost fieldbus option. Courtesy: Yokogawa
H20 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
a factor since multiple inputs have to share one HART modem
for given number of inputs. With careful planning and network
management, multiplexers can still be a very effective and
economical way to handle large deployments.
WirelessHART
Another solution that uses the HART Protocol is
WirelessHART. Using a simple, reliable and secure mesh net-
work, WirelessHART can be viewed as a remote I/O system.
Using mesh network technology multiple devices communi-
cate to a gateway that collects all of the process and device
diagnostics information and communicates it to a control,
asset management or other host system via HART-IP, Modbus
TCP, RS485 or others. WirelessHART can be a cost-effective
solution for adding new measurements to an existing plant
or accessing HART information from existing devices. Typical
applications include tank farm monitoring, pipelines, rotating
or moving assets, etc.
Many field instruments are now available as native wire-
less devices, or a wireless adapter can be added to a wired
device. Adapters can use the same communication method
as a native WirelessHART device.
HART-IP
The latest enhancement to the HART Protocol, HART-IP,
defines a standard solution to gain high-speed access to
HART device diagnostics and process measurements using a
plants installed networking infrastructure. HART-IP offers the
most straightforward way to access all the standard HART
information available in a HART device. It allows the informa-
tion from these devices to be brought up to the Ethernet
level easily, without the need to go through any translation
processes and with no loss of information. HART-IP can
be used for the integration of device information from mul-
tiplexer, remote I/O and WirelessHART. When used with
WirelessHART, it provides a very cost-effective solution to
access measurement information from anywhere in the plant
or the enterprise.
Handhelds and single modems
In many situations, a maintenance person or instrumenta-
tion engineer may need to configure or check the diagnostic
information from an individual field device. There are many
types of single HART modems and handheld communicators
that can provide an interface easily and inexpensively. Such
devices are not limited by manufacturer and can communicate
with any instrument or actuator, thanks to the interoperability
built into the HART Protocol.
Small single modems can be inserted into a loop whenever
needed in the plant or maintenance shop. Such devices can
communicate with a laptop or other host system using USB,
RS232, or even Bluetooth wireless when a configuration or
asset management application is installed.
Todays handheld communicators and calibration tools are
hugely versatile and can contain device descriptors for hun-
dreds of devices. The maintenance technician can connect the
unit to a field device and it can call up the relevant informa-
tion from its memory. If necessary, the configuration can be
changed or the diagnostic data retained for downloading back
at the maintenance shop.
While these individual communication devices can be very
useful, they have the inescapable limitation that they require a
technician to be involved and can only communicate with one
device at a time. By contrast, a fully HART-enabled I/O system
can perform all of the above functions on any HART-enabled
field instrument or actuator at any time from the control room
or maintenance shop.
Work practices:
Commissioning and maintenance
When new field devices are going to be installed
or brought in for maintenance in the shop, HART
Communication can be the means to get them configured
properly and tested before returning to operation. The abil-
ity to check and verify performance before installation can
save an enormous amount of time compared to installing
and then removing sensors that arent ready for use. During
the commission phase of a project, HART information can be
used to reduce the commissioning time.
Once a new device has had its HART tag name assigned
and ranged for that application in the process, it can be ready
for the next round of checks where HART information can be
provide ease during the checks:
Verification of the devices location, physically and I/O;
Calibration;
Configuration and loop check;
Figure 2. Pressure sensors, flowmeters, and other instruments usu-
ally gather other information in addition to the primary variable
that can be useful to the process. These secondary variables can be
accessed with HART. Courtesy: Monsanto Muscatine
Preloaded
with
1300+ DDs
and
counting!
The MFC5150 is certied in the following Hazardous locations: Class I, Division I Group IIC (US/Canada)
ATEX Zone 0 Group IIC (Europe) IECex Zone 0 Group IIC (Asia, South America, Africa)
Find out more at www.meriam.com
1+ 216.281.1100 | [email protected]
The Best just
got Better, with
updated features!
MFC5150 HART

Compliant
Communicator
New Firmware Release

Instant On feature: Full Suspend/Resume
function enabling less than 1 sec. boot time

Improved GUI Interaction: Gesturing similar
to that of a smart phone

Enhanced 4.3 diagonal anti-glare touchscreen
with color graphic display (no stylus required)


Improved battery life allowing for more than
double the capacity of any handheld
communicator

No translations required: Reads
manufacturers DDs in their native format

Hot Key Menu, On Demand Help Menu and
teachable device-specic shortcuts

DD updates can be loaded in by customer
without having to be sent back to the factory

Supports 12 languages

Repolling for HART

devices

Instant On feature: Full Suspend/Resume
function enabling less than 1 sec. boot time

Improved GUI Interaction: Gesturing similar
to that of a smart phone

Enhanced 4.3 diagonal anti-glare touchscreen
with color graphic display (no stylus required)


Improved battery life allowing for more than
double the capacity of any handheld
communicator

No translations required: Reads
manufacturers DDs in their native format

Hot Key Menu, On Demand Help Menu and
teachable device-specic shortcuts

DD updates can be loaded in by customer
without having to be sent back to the factory

Supports 12 languages

Repolling for HART

devices
H22 www.hartcomm.org CONTROL ENGINEERING
Alarm and interlock validation; and,
Online operation validation.
Similarly, field instruments and smart
valve controllers/positioners can be
checked in the shop before returning to
operation. A well-developed maintenance
program can prescribe a routine of tests
tailored to an individual device or group
via HART communication to check what-
ever attributes are most critical. Working
through this procedure avoids problems
and helps train new technicians.
Once back in place, transmitters and
valves can be given final verification
before resuming the process. Or, tests
can be performed in-situ rather than in
the shop. HART can help test a variety of
critical attributes, including:
Verify proper tag and location;
Verify wiring and power supply;
Check signal integrity and grounding;
Re-zero, check range and span cali-
bration;
Verify analog trim for DCS output;
Send simulated process variable to verify DCS reading;
Capture new valve signature for baseline;
Set alarms and security configuration; and,
Configure and calibrate additional process variables.
Many device management platforms can record and catalog
the results of these tests and adjustments for maintenance
recordkeeping.
Work practices: Partial-stroke valve testing
In a plant that is performing well, emergency shutdown
(ESD) valves may go for years without having to perform their
function. While avoiding upsets and accidents is a good thing,
safety protocols require that ESD valves be tested to verify that
they still work properly. Valves that arent operated regularly can
fail when called upon due to excessive stem friction, packing
problems, air pressure leakage, or other maintenance issues.
ESD valve testing using a full-stroke test (FST) is prob-
lematic since cycling these valves can interfere with pro-
duction. Safety protocols therefore make provisions for
partial-stroke testing (PST) of ESD valves in many situations
in a way that verifies their performance while minimizing
operational disruptions.
Companies that use this technique perform PSTs at regu-
lar intervals, allowing for less frequent FSTs. The ways in
which ESD valve testing fits into a larger safety program is
beyond the scope of this discussion, but once the protocols
are established and approved for a given plant, HART-enabled
valve positioners and controllers makes PSTs easier to per-
form and document.
An asset management program can automate the mechan-
ics of PST programs, performing the tests and gathering diag-
nostic information via HART via this straightforward method:
Valves are categorized into device groups;
Program sets schedules in keeping with larger safety sys-
tem requirements; and,
Program retains historical data from each test, allowing
identification of trends that may indicate developing main-
tenance problems.
Your next step
Hopefully this discussion has convinced you that there
are many ways in which HART Communication can support
improved plant performance and asset management. The
most difficult step is often making the effort to put it to work.
There are many stories of companies that have done it suc-
cessfully and enjoyed the benefits of higher production and
reduced maintenance costs, but implementation requires
procedural and often cultural changes among your production,
reliability, and maintenance teams.
HART may not deliver all the performance of an advanced
fieldbus such as Foundation fieldbus or Profibus PA, but it is
much less expensive to implement as it often can use exist-
ing instruments and valves.
The issues are not technical since hardware and software
solutions are readily available. Often a successful HART-
enabled maintenance program can trace its origin to a single
enthusiastic individual that emerged as a champion, leading
the company into a new period of improved performance and
reduced costs.
Amit Ajmeri, is a consultant for wireless and field network
technology at Yokogawa Corporation of America.
Figure 3. Native HART-enabled I/O (left field control unit) gathers HART information
seamlessly. In systems where HART I/O isnt available, multiplexers can gather infor-
mation and send it to an asset management system without interfering with the exist-
ing I/O flow (right control unit). Courtesy Yokogawa
Endress+Hauser, Inc
2350 Endress Place
Greenwood, IN 46143
Sales: 888-ENDRESS
Service: 800-642-8737
Fax: 317-535-8498
[email protected]
www.us.endress.com
Add wireless to your plant.
How well do you know your plant? What is its current status? If there are gaps in your process monitoring,
Endress+Hausers innovative WirelessHART solutions will help you join the wireless world. Remote sites, mobile
equipment, in fact anywhere the cost of cabling is prohibitive: simply add WirelessHART and access the process
information you need. WirelessHART helps you measure, monitor and maintain more efficiently: a cost-effective
means of increasing productivity. www.us.endress.com/wireless
Working
all the time...
so you dont
have to.
HART Communication is working 24/7 to identify
problems for corrective action to avoid a potential plant
shutdown and help you move from scheduled to predictive
maintenance. For maximum benefit your plant control,
safety and asset management systems should get connected
to continuously communicate with HART- enabled devices and
unlock their real-time diagnostics and intelligent capabilities.
Wired and Wireless...GET CONNECTED!
www. hart comm. org
HART

is a trademark of the HART Communication Foundation.

Scan with red laser
Scr een Si mul at i on
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 M1
M
achinery original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) are
starting to incorporate the intu-
itive multi-touch display func-
tionality well known by many
who have grown accustomed to using smart-
phones and tablets. Multi-touch technology for
computer touchscreens has become so pervasive
that its not uncommon for children to know how
to play a game of Angry Birds (by Rovio Enter-
tainment) about the same time they learn to talk.
With this type of interface common in our every-
day lives, it has also begun to shape the expec-
tations of users of industrial human machine
interface (HMI) technology. Long before the first
tablet reached consumer hands, Edson Packag-
ing, based in Hamilton, Ontario, had been inte-
grating new enabling technologies
into case packing machinery for a
wide range of industries, especially
for tissue products.
Edson continued that trend with
the introduction of multi-touch
enabled case packing machinery.
A 2012 acquisition by Pro Mach
provided a new business structure
at Edson Packaging, which offered
more resources for initiatives such
as lean manufacturing and other
initiatives to advance packaging technology.
When we were a privately owned compa-
ny, we invested 3% to 5% of our revenue into
R&D, which certainly was quite good, recalled
Brianne Moar, sales and marketing, Edson Pack-
aging. Since becoming a part of Pro Mach, we
now invest significantly more revenue into R&D,
bolstering our competitive advantage in the pack-
aging industry.
Multi-touch helps machine operators
After intense R&D efforts and attention to
customer feedback, the company introduced
the Edson Packaging InteleSuite, a range of
enabling solutions that promotes
connected machinery in the pack-
aging industry. Early innovations
include Edson Packaging Intele-
Link, a solution based on near field
communication (NFC) technology.
InteleLink provides instant transfer
of information through radio fre-
quencies, similar to tap to pay chips integrat-
ed into some credit cards. This feature provides
instant access to videos, PDF files, images, and
links to blogs, and enables directs phone calls to
Edson Packaging support. Users simply tap an
NFC-enabled phone or tablet and the requested
information is instantly transferred to the device.
Another part of the InteleSuite is Edson Pack-
aging InteleTl, a radio frequency identification
(RFID) tracking system for change part tools.
InteleTl verifies that the right tooling is placed
on the machine, which avoids costly equipment
collisions that could damage the machine and
cause downtime for several hours or days.
Packaging OEM offers
multi-touch enabled machines
Edson Packaging, a manufacturer of case packing machinery, turns the page
to a new era of multi-touch enabled machinery, putting an industrial spin on one
of the most popular consumer electronics technologies.
Figure 1: Now part of the Pro
Mach consortium of packag-
ing machine builders, Edson
Packaging invests a significant
portion of company revenue
toward initiatives, such as
lean manufacturing and other
innovative solutions to drive
packaging technology forward.
Photos courtesy of Canadian
Packaging magazine, 2013
inside machines
Key
concepts
Multi-touch human
machine interfaces help
a machine builder to:
- Provide a familiar
operator experience
- Lower risk
- Increase functionality
M2 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Also in the InteleSuite
is the Edson Packaging
InteleVe, introduced
on an Edson SR3550
high-speed horizon-
tal case packer machine
at the Pack Expo 2013
trade show in Las Vegas.
InteleVe is a multi-
touch enabled packaging
machine interface that
uses a 24-in. multi-touch
control panel and indus-
trial PC (IPC). The Edson
Packaging machine can
store many file types that can be enlarged with
typical multi-touch gestures such as zooming,
scrolling, flicking, and others. In addition, videos
for setup, training, tutorials, and troubleshooting
can be stored. Implementation of live video feeds
that display and record machine processes also
is possible.
The IPC has a third generation Intel Core i7
processor (2.3 GHz, 4 cores) and is designed to
match the vibrations specifications and operat-
ing temperature requirements for Edson Pack-
aging machinery. The compact design is sleek
and saves cabinet space. Edson uses a 64 GB
solid-state drive for stability and reliability, and
15 to 25 times more storage capacity than the
prior solution.
Zooming in on new HMI functionality
Edson Packaging began its InteleVe initia-
tive to use multi-touch technology shortly after
Hannover Fair 2013.
Jeff Werner, Edson vice president of tech-
nology, said, New multi-touch technology
for industrial applications stood out. We rec-
ognized early on that multi-touch technology
that enables useful and compelling new features
would become a big selling point for our cus-
tomers, Werner explained.
We always strive to expand machine inter-
face capability and utilize the latest technolo-
gies that most people have grown accustomed
to. So Edson asked, why cant you use func-
tions commonly used on tablets and smart-
phones on your capital equipment? The answer
today, obviously, is that you can. Still, Edson is
early to the game so our customers enjoy a sig-
nificant edge with these features that most other
machine builders are not providing yet.
InteleVes ability to easily integrate video
and all kinds of machine data on the multi-
touch HMI became very important for Edson.
Increased resolution enables us to put mean-
ingful trend data up on the screen, Werner
explained.
Instead of seeing square waves, we actu-
ally see curves and much improved trend data.
Edson has also created incredible value through
the ability to integrate rich multimedia for train-
ing, tutorial, and troubleshooting purposes
none of that was possible with the previous...
HMI hardware.
Also, five-finger multi-touch can boost func-
tionality and give us the ability to create useful
features such as rotary dials for jogging servo
inside machines
Figure 2: Five-finger multi-touch on the Beckhoff Automation CP3924 can boost
functionality and give Edson Packaging the ability to create useful features such as
rotary dials for jogging servo axes, fine-tuning speeds, and other functions. Photos
courtesy of Canadian Packaging magazine, 2013
Figure 4: A standard webcam is used on the
Edson Packaging InteleVe system to deliver live
video feeds on the Beckhoff Automation CP3924
multi-touch Control Panel.
Figure 3: Edson Packaging
has delivered the capabil-
ity to use typical multi-touch
gestures such as zooming,
scrolling, flicking, and others.
Videos for set up, training,
tutorials, and troubleshooting
can be stored and live video
feeds can display processes
within the machinery.
2014 Banner Engineering Corp., Mpls, MN USA
WLC60
WLC90
1-888-373-6767 | bannerengineering.com
Customers First
Integrity Always
Quality in Everything
New Solutions Every Day
WLC60 Heavy-Duty LED Work Light
Oil, chemical and water resistant
ruggedized machine lighting solution
Rated IP67, IP68g and IP69K
Nickel-plated aluminum or
Type 316 stainless steel housing
Variety of mounting options
Switch it and forget it
with no-maintenance
Banner LED machine
lighting.
You may never buy another machine
light. Or bulb. Available in array and
spotlight models, Banner heavy-duty
LED work lights withstand the harshest
industrial applications and provide
high-intensity illumination with advanced,
anti-glare optics.
Vibration and shock resistent
Eco-mode dimming states to adjust
brightness and power consumption
12 to 30 V dc operation with quick
disconnect cordsets for fast installation
BSG glass and polycarbonate
window options
Heavy Duty
LED Work Lights
input #25 at www.controleng.com/information
M4 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
axes, fine tuning speeds, etc. Another possibil-
ity is to include two-handed confirmation on
the screen, Werner explained. The elegant con-
struction and design of the control panels was
another key consideration for Edson: We and
our customers appreciate a very slim and sleek-
looking display. The fact that we could select a
24-in. multi-touch screen also provided a much
larger display area than we typically would have
through any of the traditional single-touch HMI
screens. There is simply no contest when com-
paring the two panel types.
Multi-touch reduces risk for operators
Not only has Edson Packaging increased user
functionality and access to machine data with
InteleVe and multi-touch technology, the com-
pany has improved operator safety. The need for
operators to go inside the machine for change-
overs and maintenance has been drastically
reduced because of the amount of information
available from the control panel/IPC when paired
with a web cam or high-speed camera. For exam-
ple, when plant personnel are troubleshooting or
setting up for a new product that has never been
manufactured before, they can see the machine
process safely from the outside by viewing on
the control panel.
In terms of viewing angles, Edson can imple-
ment the control panel on a swing arm that piv-
ots around a central point, but some machines,
such as the one demonstrated at Pack Expo 2013,
can feature a linear rail system for the display to
glide it back and forth. This mechanical add-on
permits full travel of the control panel down one
side of the machine with an approximate 10 ft
travel range. This provides enhanced functional-
ity, more flexible positioning of the HMI, and a
clearer view of the display as machine operators
perform setup routines.
This translates to far fewer instances of the
operator needing to be within a hazard zone,
Werner reported. This is very important because
every single time an operator must enter the
machine to verify product position, high-volt-
age power to the servo motors must be turned
off. Servos have an expected life cycle of a cer-
tain number of power-up and shutdown sequenc-
es. If the operator can view the inside of the
machine without having to go through the guard
equipment and power down the servos, it trans-
lates into fewer power cycles and higher life
expectancy for numerous components, Werner
said. Because of the control panel video feed,
required power cycles to the safety circuit have
decreased by at least 25%.
While Edson Packaging has enjoyed imme-
diate positive results with InteleVe, including
very tangible ones by using multi-touch technol-
ogy, the company marches on in modernizing the
technology on its machines.
We will continue developing and improv-
ing our InteleSuite offering, including many new
installations and even retrofits, using a 24-in.
multi touch control panel, Werner said.
Additional automation innovations may
be incorporated into the new top load Edson
Packaging Raptor case packing machine,
he suggested. ce
- Shane Novacek is marketing communica-
tions manager, Beckhoff Automation. Edited by
Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media,
Control Engineering, [email protected].
inside machines
www.controleng.com/archive
April has additional informa-
tion, photos, and a link to
product-specific details.
www.edson.com
www.beckhoff.ca
Go Online
Consider this...
How could multi-touch
technologies help your
installed base?
Figure 5: The major Edson Packaging InteleSuite innovation for human machine
interfaces (HMIs) is Edson Packaging InteleVe, which uses a CP3924 multi-
touch Control Panel from Beckhoff Automation. InteleVe was introduced on an
Edson SR3550 high-speed horizontal case packer at the Pack Expo 2013 trade
show in Las Vegas. Photos courtesy of Canadian Packaging magazine, 2013
Figure 6: Another InteleSuite innovation is
InteleLink, a solution based on Near Field Com-
munication (NFC) technology, to access related
assets, such as video, manual, and email contact
with a smartphone or tablet.
EPSITRON

Power Supplies...
Value +
4
Approvals
You can have it all with the
ECO series EPSITRON

power
supplies from WAGO.
Compact DIN rail mount metal housing
Available in 2.5, 5 or 10 Amps at 24V DC
Maintenance-free wiring with CAGE CLAMP

Haz Loc approvals: ATEX, IECEx, UL

Class I, Div. 2
Try it yourself.
Request a free sample:
www.wago.us/free_eco
4
input #26 at www.controleng.com/information
M6 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
inside machines
M
ore end users are asking for
robots, motion controllers, and
programmable logic controllers
(PLCs) to be programmed in
familiar PLC languages, which
are easier for machine builder programmers to
understand, and for end users service personnel
to maintain. To reduce the complexity and har-
monize the look, feel, and function of three sepa-
rate platforms, the PLCopen working group for
motion control has come up with a set of stan-
dardized tools to allow coordinated motion to
be run directly from a PLC-like programming
environment.
Traditionally, industrial robots have been pro-
grammed in complex proprietary languages that
are difficult for anyone but robot programmers
to understand. Motion controllers are wide and
varied, and are usually programmed using a PC
library or another proprietary language, while
PLCs tend to be programmed in ladder logic. In
todays automation environment, PLCs, motion
controllers, and robots must be tightly integrated.
Many elements are incorporated into the machine
design with each requiring the programming
strengths exhibited by a proprietary language.
PLC programming
Since their inception in 1968 through a
request by General Motors (to come up with a
way to replace hardwired relays), PLCs have
been programmed in ladder logic. They can eas-
ily control processes that require digital and ana-
log devices, but more complex processes that
are sequential in nature are more difficult than
they would be in programming languages such as
BASIC, C, or C#. PLCs have evolved to include
programming in BASIC or C, but most still rely
on ladder logic [among the IEC 61131-3 pro-
gramming languages].
Many low-end PLCs support motion control
via step and direction outputs. Some higher level
motion control can be achieved through expen-
sive dedicated modules that must be added to the
basic system. Even though most devices are pro-
grammed in ladder logic, most require an intimate
knowledge of the programming environment,
which changes from manufacture to manufac-
ture, and their higher level functions are usually
achieved through specialized function blocks.
Motion controllers
Motion controllers for the general market typ-
ically include interpolated motion (linear and cir-
cular), coordinated motion, gearing, camming,
and event triggered motion (where a sensor and
position latch are used). Older controllers used
dedicated inputs and outputs per axis. Motion
inputs such as enable, over travel limits, and
encoder inputs (one or two per axis) and motion
outputs like servo command (normally +/- 10
V analog) and/or stepper command (step and
direction) were provided. Most controllers also
have some general purpose I/O capability. New
controllers rely on digital networks like Ether-
CAT [EtherCAT Technology Group] or Mecha-
trolink [Mechatrolink Members Association] to
pass control signals to the drives and receive
and transmit the digital IO connection, which is
wired directly to the drive.
When dealing with the motion on linked axes,
the typical motion controller cannot compete with
robot controllers. With typical motion controllers,
if the end effector had to move to a specific point,
it was necessary to figure out the correct positions
for each of the axes. Inverse kinematics is needed
PLCopen part 4 blurs the
lines among PLCs, robotic,
and motion control
The PLCopen working group for motion control has standardized and logically
defined all aspects of machine control programming, providing one of the best attempts
of integrating PLC, robot, and motion control in an easy-to-understand language
common among many manufacturers.
Key
concepts
PLCopen motion stan-
dard part four contains
function blocks for coordi-
nated motion.
The standard integrates
PLC, robot, and motion
control in an easy-to-
understand language
common among many
manufacturers.
When automation ven-
dors support the standard,
the programmer is free
from learning proprietary
languages associated with
each manufacturer.
input #27 at www.controleng.com/information
M8 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
for robots and other machines with mechanically
linked mechanisms. The use of inverse kinematics
requires formulas to translate the specific point in
world space to the individual positions that each
joint (or axis) needs to be at to move the mechan-
ically connected mechanisms to the end point.
Again, as these systems are wide and varied, most
require an intimate knowledge of a specific pro-
gramming environment.
Robotic controllers
Robot controllers have been engineered to
achieve the best control of specific complex
mechanisms. Most controllers are manufactured
for a specific device and are programmed in a
specialized language created by the manufac-
turer that varies greatly from platform to plat-
form. Robot controllers are very efficient when
controlling the library of devices for which they
were designed; however, most are not the best
in terms of communications, integration, or pro-
gramming power.
In the past, often only the dedicated robot
controllers supported kinematics and inverse
kinematics. Now, its a lot more common for
many motion controllers to offers some subset
of robot-type commands, especially in control-
lers targeted for packaging automation. The lines
are being blurred between robot controllers and
motion controllers, but it is still up to the pro-
grammer to coordinate between these different
systems, with each programmed in a different
language usually designed for a specific purpose.
PLC and motion together
The PLCopen working group for motion con-
trol has standardized and logically defined all
aspects of machine control programming. This
is one of the best attempts of marrying PLC,
robot, and motion control in one easy-to-under-
stand language that is common among many
manufacturers.
Many of the function blocks are basic; for
example, relative and absolute moves are func-
tion blocks which are easily understood in any
motion control system. The standardization and
common look and feel of multiple control sys-
tems is an advantage when the difficulty of the
required motion increases.
For example, it is easy to string relative or
absolute moves together when each individ-
ual move stops before the next move begins.
But imagine a more complex set of movements
where the axis is required to transition to the
next move at some nonzero velocity, blend-
ing the individual moves into one fluid motion
throughout the entire path of the axis. PLCopen
Motion Control defines standard blending oper-
ations to allow the programmer to achieve this
fluid motion with common blending and transi-
tion modes that a manufacturer can implement.
One of the basic issues when moving mul-
tiple axes together with a mathematical model
that controls mechanically linked axes, is that
it is not always clear which axes are critical to
move in synchronization. So when a fault occurs,
the motion controller cannot always tell which
other axes are affected. PLCopen addresses this
by defining a motion group, so that the control-
ler can generate a proper error response when
one of the grouped axes has an error. This group-
ing concept allows the programmer freedom to
concentrate on the specific task required of the
machine and have the controller take care of the
function of the group through implementation of
the group state machine shown in the diagram.
The PLCopen motion standard includes part
four, which contains function blocks for coordi-
nated motion. They define a standardized set of
function blocks for the complex control of move-
ment within 3D space that includes blocks for
kinematic transformations. Typically, these trans-
formations have to be supplied by the vendor, so
for most manufacturers, if the motion controller
inside machines
The PLCopen motion standard includes part four, which contains function
blocks for coordinated motion, integrating PLC, robot, and motion control in
an easy-to-understand language common among many manufacturers. The
function blocks include kinematic transformations. Typically, such transforma-
tions have to be supplied by the vendor, so for most manufacturers, if the
motion controller doesnt support it, it cannot be added. Mechanisms like
SCARA and delta are supported, but in addition to these, any programmer is
allowed to write kinematic transforms. Yaskawa provides specialized functions
used to call these kinematic routines whenever a world position needs to be
converted into joint space, or vice versa. Courtesy: Yaskawa America Inc.
PLCopen motion standard has
motion function blocks.

The PLCopen
motion standard
contains function
blocks for
coordinated
motion.

input #28 at www.controleng.com/information

inside machines
doesnt support it, it cannot be added.
There are the basic supported mechanisms
like SCARA and delta, but in addition to these,
any programmer is allowed to write his own
kinematic transformations. Specialized functions
are available to call these kinematic routines
whenever a world position needs to be converted
into joint space, or vice versa.
This standard is now creating a bridge
between the once separate worlds of PLCs, com-
puter numerical controls (CNCs), robotics, and
motion. It is now possible to program the com-
plete control of the machine from one PLC-like
system. This standard has allowed robots and
motion controllers to become integral parts of
a control system, rather than independent sys-
tems. They integrate motion control and logic
control, the two primary requirements for mod-
ern machine control. There are definitive advan-
tages to having motion control and logic control
in the one package, including, but not limited to,
practically unlimited exchange of data between
the logic and motion engines, without the laten-
cy, which can limit performance in traditional
systems. In fact, it is now possible to perform
perfect synchronization between a robot and
additional servo axes using a machine control-
ler, a feat which was previously possible purely
in the robot controller domain.
Programming independence
Ultimately, the goal of the PLCopen stan-
dard is to allow the program code to be com-
pletely independent of the hardware or specific
manufacturer. When different hardware ven-
dors support the same underlying code, and
behave in the same manner, the programmer is
free from learning proprietary languages asso-
ciated with each manufacturer. This results in
allowing complex complete machine control
systems with improved accuracy and through-
put to be developed in a shorter time to mar-
ket. PLCopen has allowed this development by
reducing engineering complexity and the spe-
cialized training required so that the overall
system is more familiar to wide array of exist-
ing PLC programmers. ce
- Jamie Solt is senior motion product engi-
neer at Yaskawa America Inc. Edited by Mark
T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control
Engineering, [email protected].
www.controleng.com/archives
April has more information
and links to related articles.
www.ethercat.org
www.mechatrolink.org
www.plcopen.org
www.yaskawa.com
Go Online
Consider this...
Can this standard make
software interoperate with
any hardware used for
motion control?
Bring Your Machine To Life
Your design is unique. Shouldnt
your control system be, too?
Aerotechs control systems are
tailored for your machine, to your
specications. Let our Control
Systems Group experts bring
global experience to your machine.
Contact our Control Systems Group
at 412-967-6839 or
[email protected] to
discuss your application today,
or see go.aerotech.com/csg6
Dedicated to the Science of Motion
Hardware Software HMI
Firmware Packaging I/O
Motors Electronics
We customize Aerotech
automation for you
The Americas Europe Asia-Pacic
Global sales, service and support
Automation Controller
Ethernet Connectivity
Vision
Intelligent Drives
Custom Motor
Design
Custom Software
Advan
c
e
d
C
o
n
t
r
o
l





A
lg
o
r
ith
m
s
input #29 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 M11
M
odulation can increase active
sampling time by opposite volt-
age vector insertion. In motor
control applications, the pro-
posed method increases time
suitable for sampling of analog values.
While examples show modulation for brush-
less dc (BLDC) electric motors, modulation can
be used in other applications. Options for back
electromotive force (BEMF) sensing depend on
modulation techniques, and there advantages and
disadvantages. Measurements examples are pro-
vided on a BLDC motor, and an implementation
of a GTM (general timer module) for SPC57xP-
WT microcontrollers is provided.
Pulse width modulation, sampling
Analog values typically are sampled in spe-
cific time, synchronized with PWM to exclude
sampling during ringing. Ringing is a transient
state after the power switches to commutation.
Depending on the application and type of sam-
pled values, the sampling could be done during
off-time or during on-time. The time required for
ADC sampling limits duty-cycle range, which
could limit motor speed. During motor free-
wheeling, less BEMF may occur.
Such modulation can insert an opposite volt-
age vector for the minimal required on-time
overvoltage range. The proposed method does
not affect unipolar modulation at high speed, and
reduces EMC compared to bipolar modulation.
The modulation also is suitable for dual motor
control, where current sourced from the capaci-
tor could be suppressed by opposite current from
the second motor with shifted PWM.
Pulse width modulation,
active time extension
The PWM (pulse width modulation) is
designed to ensure sufficient active time for
BEMF sampling in BLDC motor control appli-
cations. The equal distribution of switching and
conductive losses over all transistors also is con-
sidered. The BEMF is sampled in the unpowered
phase where the other two phases can be sup-
plied (sampling in active time / on-time) or con-
nected to same terminal (sampling in off-time).
The sampling in off-time is typically more sensi-
tive, but the half of BEMF period (typically neg-
ative) is cut by bridge diodes. When the BEMF
is sampled during active time, the motor node is
in half of supply voltage. The trend of BEMF can
be observed in both polarities.
For low duty-cycle, the active time can be
shorter than the time required for BEMF sam-
pling for unipolar modulation. The minimum
required time is given by ADC sample/conver-
sion time, number of consecutive measurements,
and time of transient rippling after switches com-
mutation. Rippling time depends on motor con-
struction and power stage design. Any design
asymmetry and parasitic impedance should be
minimized to reduce the rippling time. Minimum
voltage will be limited for unipolar modulation.
This limitation does not occur for bipolar
modulation, where the second phase is switched
complementary to the first phase. In this case the
Increase sampling time
for motor control
Pulse width modulation (PWM) using opposite voltage vector can extend
time for analog dc (ADC) sampling in motor control applications.
Figure 1: Pulse width modulation (PWM) using opposite voltage vector can
extend the time for analog dc (ADC) sampling in motor control applications.
All graphics and tables courtesy: STMicroelectronics
inside machines
Key
concepts
Pulse width modulation
(PWM) using opposite
voltage vector can extend
time for analog dc (ADC)
sampling in motor control
applications.
Insertion of the oppo-
site vector ensures the
required active time to
measure needed analog
values.
Modulation slightly
increases current rippling
compared to unipolar
modulation, but the cur-
rent rippling and losses
are less than in standard
bipolar modulation.
M12 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
average voltage is zero for 50% duty-cycle. The
main disadvantage of bipolar modulation is high
current rippling and higher switching losses.
The proposed PWM extends the active time
in unipolar modulation to the required width (see
Figure 1). The pulse width extension is compen-
sated by the opposite voltage vector. Inserting the
opposite voltage vector doubles the switching
frequency. In this case the switching losses are
doubled. Because the opposite vector insertion is
needed only for low speed where the conductive
losses are typically low, the maximum power dis-
sipation of transistors is not increased. The need
for the active time extension should not occur
even in the application, where the high current
is expected also during low speed. The required
voltage is higher in this case due to compensa-
tion of voltage drop on winding resistance.
The alternate PWM generation could be
used to exclude a short time between the tran-
sistor switches (see alternative phase A and B in
Figure 1). This could be required by transistors
for switching losses diversion. The disadvan-
tage of this modulation is more complex gen-
eration mainly in transient between generation
with compensation pulse and without compensa-
tion pulse. There are two possibilities for solv-
ing the transient state. The first is to continue
with phase shifting. The second possibility is to
reduce frequency to half as soon as the negative
pulse reaches zero width. In this case the motor
voltage UAB will be the same as in Figure 1, but
the handling of the modulation is more complex.
The PWM frequency also is doubled by inserting
the opposite voltage vector, as Figure 1 shows.
Read this article online for more about gen-
eration of PWM by GTM, compare value cal-
culations, and measured results for the opposite
vector. ce
- Jiri Ryba, PhD, is field applications engi-
neer, STMicroelectronics.
inside machines
www.controleng.com/archives
April: the posted version has
more information and links to
related articles.
www.st.com
Go Online
Figure 3 shows the motor current when an opposite vector is inserted.
C1 PWM top transistor; C2 PWM bottom transistor; C3 phase-to-phase
voltage; and C4 current.
Figure 2: In this PWM graph, the following abbreviations apply.
TFPOFF - Switch OFF first event time, positive phase
TFPON - Switch ON first event time, positive phase
TRPON - Switch ON second event time, positive phase
TRPOFF - Switch OFF second event time, positive phase
TFNON - Switch ON first event time, negative phase
TFNOFF - Switch OFF first event time, negative phase
TRNOFF - Switch OFF second event time, negative phase
TRNON - Switch ON second event time, negative phase The formulas are valid for the voltage vector
where the first phase (A) is positive, second
phase (B) is negative, and third phase (C) is off.
The other vectors are generated in same way,
but the phases are changed accordingly. The
input is required duty-cycle.
Table: Phase state
Voltage Vector Phase State
0 (330el)
A Positive
B Negative
C OFF
1 (30el)
A Positive
B OFF
C Negative
2 (90el)
A OFF
B Positive
C Negative
3 (150el)
A Negative
B Positive
C OFF
4 (210el)
A Negative
B OFF
C Positive
5 (270el)
A OFF
B Negative
C Positive
Control Engineering is the leader in connecting the global
industrial engineering audience through coverage of and
education about automation, control, and instrumentation
technologies in a regionally focused, actionable manner through
online and print media and in-person events.
ControlEng.com: Visit www.controleng.com for the
information you want in the format of your choice, including:
articles, podcasts, webcasts, videos, etc. Industry channels
provide quick access to focused content on key industries and
related technologies.
System Integration Information Control Process Control
Machine Control Sustainable Engineering
Online Training Center: The Online Training Center is
dedicated to providing plant and operations engineers with
practical education on relevant technology, process, and
practice. New courses and topic modules are added regularly.
Electronic Newsletters: Receive timely industry information via
the convenience of email with Control Engineerings eNewsletters.
Weekly News
System Integration
Process Instrumentation
& Sensors
Process & Advanced Control
Social Media: Online social media has quickly become an
important tool for many people as a means of staying in touch with
their professional community. Control Engineering connects with
you via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SlideShare and Google Plus.
Engineers Choice Awards: Each year the editors of Control
Engineering rely on the insight of engineers in the eld to help
determine the most noteworthy products introduced in the past year.
Automation Integrator Guide: The annual Automation Integrator
Guide is a unique and comprehensive service directory listing more
than 1,800 automation system integrators and contract engineers.
Subscribe today at www.ControlEng.com/subscribe
Product and Media Showcase
Machine Control
Information Control
Safety & Security
Whitepaper Connection
Supporting Engineers In-Person,
Offering High-Value Content
In-Print and Online
WWW.CONTROLENG.COM SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
IEM1
If youve ever been charged
with bringing fundamental change to an
organization, you know that one of two
scenarios typically play out in the early
stages of the transformation:
The people youre working with
resist change, and you have to
work extra hard to show them
the benefts of doing things differ-
ently, or
You have a group thats hungry
for change and your efforts pro-
duce a quick payback.
Even if youre lucky enough to en-
counter the second scenario, its only a
matter of time before your organization-
al makeover hits a wall. Thats when
you discover that even when positive
results come quickly, its diffcult to sus-
tain that momentum over time.
Many people responsible for im-
proving the energy effciency of manu-
facturing organizations have reached
that stage. To move forward, they must
see energy in a different light.
This supplement to Control Engi-
neering magazine highlights individuals
and organizations doing just that.
Asset management
as energy saver
It starts with the cover story that
explains how intelligent use of control
technology can do more than keep pro-
duction equipment running smoothly.
It also can maximize a plants energy
effciency by, among other things, mak-
ing sure equipment runs only when its
needed to support plant operations.
Our second article explores ad-
vances in remote machine manage-
ment, specifcally emerging off-the-
shelf solutions that are easy to install.
These solutions ease asset management
by offering near-immediate problem di-
agnosis without human intervention.
Ultimately, this type of mainte-
nance prevents machines, and their
associated parts, from deteriorating to
the point that just continuing to work
causes them to consume extra energy.
Taking solar power
to Wall Street
Finally, we look at a new fnancing
method that promises to accelerate the
pace at which solar power becomes a
mainstream source of electricity. The
idea is to bundle groups of solar power
purchase agreements into fnancial in-
struments that can be sold to inves-
tors, much like corporate bonds.
Our article includes an interview
with the chairman of the SunSpec Al-
liance, which has become the primary
developer of technical standards for
the solar industry, and is now working
to create standards for the solar secu-
ritization market.
Were all about uncovering
new methods for improving
performance
INTRODUCTION
IndustrialEnergyManagement
Sidney Hill, Jr., is a CFE Media contributing content
specialist.
Send comments to [email protected].
Intelligent use of control technology
can do more than keep production
equipment running smoothly. It also can
maximize a plants energy effciency
by, among other things, making sure
equipment runs only when its needed
to support plant operations.
All other brands and product names may be the trademarks
or service marks of their respective owners.
1-888-485-6688
www.aispro.com
Engineered Right.
Priced Right.
Certied Right.
AIS Hazardous Areas HMI
Touch Panels Designed for your
Safety and Budget Requirements
CAUTION: If youre purchasing HMIs with
all class/division certications, chances are
you may be over-spending your budget.
Consider AIS UL Class I, Div 2, ATEX Zone
2 approved hazardous areas HMI Touch
Panels and achieve the necessary safety
requirements, while signicantly reducing
costs. We have the documentation to back
it all up too.
input #30 at www.controleng.com/information
SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING WWW.CONTROLENG.COM
IEM2 IndustrialEnergyManagement
THERES WIDESPREAD EVIDENCEin the form
of numerous analyst reports, articles, and case studies
that industrial companies have made great strides at be-
coming more energy effcient in recent years.
Theres also ample evidence that theres still much
room for improvement.
The manner in which most manufacturers approach
energy management remains the greatest barrier to maxi-
mizing energy effciency. The typical approach is to launch
one or more small projects that produce a quickand
sometimes even substantialreturn on a relatively small
investment.
However, once these quick-ROI projects are complet-
ed, manufacturers often have trouble fnding additional
ways of improving energy effciency.
Often, this is because management doesnt believe en-
ergy management projects can have the same impact on
the corporate bottom line as fnely tuned production pro-
cesses or well-orchestrated customer acquisition strategies.
This belief also stems from the way most industrial
companies approach energy management. Experience
has shown that energy performance gains from various
one-off energy management projects do not deliver sus-
tained energy performance improvements, particularly if
those projects are not monitored and adjusted in a con-
tinuous manner.
To ensure sustained energy performance gains, energy
should not be considered a fxed operational expense. It
must be managed just as carefully as production, quality,
and safety. To do so requires the collecting of quantifable
energy performance data.
In a 2012 global survey conducted by Deloitte LLP,
only 12% of chief fnancial offcers chose the word excel-
lent when asked to rate the quality of the sustainability
data they normally receive. Industrial companies could
beneft from the implementation of data-driven business
practices that will result in continual energy performance
improvements.
Key energy-performance indicators
The best approach to reducing your energy ex-
pense and use is to take a holistic view of your energy
portfolio. This is typically best done by having an
independent energy-engineering firm review your en-
ergy portfolio. The energy-engineering firm will want
to review all of your facilities and determine the key
New approaches to
asset management yield
big energy savings
Intelligent use of control systems can maximize the energy
effciency of industrial equipment by, among other things, making
sure equipment runs only when needed to support plant operations.
All graphics courtesy: Kaeser Compressors
WWW.CONTROLENG.COM SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
energy performance indicators (KEPIs) that drive en-
ergy use. These KEPIs may be different at each facility
depending on what industrial process is performed at
each facility.
Each facility should have accurate energy cost
and use data for each commodity that is utilized at
the facility. This information will determine which fa-
cility should be addressed first. Typically, one would
start where both use and cost are the highest, which
leads to energy projects that will yield the largest sav-
ing opportunities in the least amount of time.
Once a facility has been identified as a viable can-
didate for an energy management project, the follow-
ing steps can be taken:
A preliminary facility assessment to determine en-
ergy-saving opportunities
Energy project development with associated return
on investment calculations
Project approval and funding
Project implementation
Project measurement and verifcation.
The controls arena offers many opportunities for
reducing energy consumption in industrial facilities.
These opportunities cover typical major pieces of equip-
ment that exist in various industrial environments.
A master system controller can be used to stage
multiple compressors in complex systems. Strategic
pressure sensors are deployed in the distribution head-
ers and used to provide feedback to the control system.
The pressure readings, along with the rate of change of
the pressure readings, are used to select which compres-
sors should run to meet the load and, in some cases,
what the loading should be on the compressors.
The same concept of properly controlling multiple
air compressors can be carried over to other compres-
sor applications. These include chillers and refrigeration
compressors. In all of these cases, a
master system controller can maxi-
mize the effciency of the units by
minimizing the number of partially
loaded compressors.
Holistic view to energy
management
Industrial companies should be
at the forefront of the energy eff-
ciency movement, since this sector
outpaces most others when it comes
to energy consumption. Motors con-
sume roughly 65% of industrial elec-
tricity in the U.S., yet only 10% of
these applications have an effcient
method of keeping motor speeds in
sync with process demand. In the
production environment, there are signifcant savings
and benefts to be gained through effective energy man-
agement of motors and production equipment.
Understanding the facilitys total energy usage over
timeknowing why energy is used and how that con-
sumption impacts overall operating costsis critical to
implementing a plan that will result in true cost savings.
Energy improvement initiatives, when properly execut-
ed, can easily yield a 15% reduction in use.
IEM3
KEY CONCEPTS:
The manner in which manufactur-
ers approach energy management
remains the greatest barrier to
maximizing energy effciency.
Energy performance gains from
various one-off energy management
projects do not deliver sustained
energy performance improvements,
particularly if those projects are
not continuously monitored and
adjusted.
A holistic, enterprise-wide energy
management strategy views energy
as an input to production along with
materials and labor. The goal is to
optimize energy use throughout the
production environment while mini-
mizing energy costs and waste.
Optimized compressed air system: This diagram depicts multiple compressors controlled by a system controller, followed by
clean-air treatment and a storage air receiver with a fow controller. This setup ensures optimal use of energy.
Courtesy of Kaeser Compressors
A holistic, enterprise-wide strategy approaches en-
ergy as a manageable asset to help offset future en-
ergy price increases. This approach views energy as
an input to production along with materials and labor.
The objective of such a strategy is to maintain opti-
mum energy procurement and utilization throughout
the production environment while minimizing energy
costs and waste. However, it is impossible to manage
what is not measured.
Using meters, sensors, programmable logic con-
trollers (PLC), intelligent motor controllers, and
power monitors connected through energy manage-
ment software tools, manufacturers are able to inte-
grate energy metrics into production operations by
capturing and analyzing energy data to make strate-
gic energy decisions. Typically, metering starts with
the main, then at each switch gear, and then at each
high-value asset.
In a case study reported by Rockwell Automation,
a North American packaging company used plant foor
energy consumption data to determine that a piece of
equipment was using an excessive amount of energy
during the frst shift. The company rescheduled pro-
duction on that piece of equipment to the second shift
and saved $66,000 in one year due to a reduction in
peak demand charges.
Using the proper controls and techniques allows a
facility to save energy and money. The key is to work
with qualifed personnel, either internal or external,
that know the proper systems and requirements of both
control systems and the processes that they are to con-
trol for optimal performance and effciency.
SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
IEM4
Operating cost savings: This graph shows the savings
associated with operating fve 200 cfm compressors with
a computer-based controller versus a single 1,000 cfm
compressor.
Paolo Baldisserotto, PE, CEM, is a principal engineer for E4E Solutions, an
Atlanta-based energy-engineering frm. He has s performed energy au-
dits at more than 200 industrial and commercial facilities, identifying en-
ergy and cost savings opportunities in utility systems including chilled water,
steam, refrigeration, lighting, HVAC, compressed air, and pumping systems.
Brent W. Stromwall, PE, PMP, is managing partner and vice president of busi-
ness development at Polytron Inc., an integration and engineering consulting
frm based in Duluth, Ga. He has more than 20 years experience with foods,
beverages, pharmaceutical, and consumer products packaging, process, and
material handling systems.
CONSIDER THIS
If youre constantly hitting the wall in terms of how much perfor-
mance improvement you can get from your energy management
projects, isnt it time to adopt a different approach?
GO ONLINE
For more information, go to www.polytron.com,
www.E4solutions.com, or www.kaesercompressors.com
input #31 at www.controleng.com/information
WWW.CONTROLENG.COM SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
Technical management of plant and equip-
ment can be a highly complex and expensive business,
especially if that equipment is scattered across the globe.
That is why manufacturers and maintenance providers
have, for several years, been on the lookout for ways to
manage machinery remotely. One of the frst ways was to
use serial interfaces. For more than 25 years they have
been incorporated in different devicesfrom elevators
to medical instruments to heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning systems. Technicians were able to access
machines, albeit only on-site to begin with. To facilitate
remote access, circuit-switched networks gradually came
into use, but most companies chose not to make use of
this option because of the low bit rates and high costs.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions now provide
a better alternative. They are much less expensive, run
at higher bit rates, and enable maintenance personnel
to access plant and equipment remotely via their tried
and tested software. A
mobile network-based
terminal is connected to
the serial interface. The
device lengthens the
serial interface by es-
tablishing a secure con-
nection via an encrypted
tunnel to a server in the
corporate network or to
a mobile terminal device.
Authenticated users can
Remote machine management
promises numerous operational
improvements, including more
energy effciency
While smart factories in which every step in the value chain
is automatically tracked and recorded may still be a distant
prospect, technology that allows remote management of at
least of some plant equipment is becoming mainstream.
IEM5
This is the type of data that can be
viewed through a dashboard connected
to a system performing remote machine
management. Users can set the
parameters to be monitored based on
their individual needs or preferences. All
graphics courtesy: Deutsche Telekom
SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING WWW.CONTROLENG.COM
IEM6
thereby access the machine from anywhere.
Mobile network-based controllers
For plant and equipment that is not Internet-enabled,
there is another networking optionan off-the-shelf so-
lution that any qualifed electrician can set up. The frst
step is connecting a mobile network-based controller to
enable data and instructions from and for the machine
to be transmitted, received, and passed on. Once a tech-
nician connects the control-
lers standard ports with the
machines interfaces, man-
agement software embedded
in the controller can be used
to confgure the operating
parameters to be recorded.
Communication with
terminal devices such as
PCs, tablets, smartphones,
or a server is via the mo-
bile network. By means of
authentication the management software ensures that
only authorized users can start or stop processes or
adjust settings. The software also provides various
confguration options. If a specifc threshold level is
exceeded or not reached, the software alerts mainte-
nance personnel automatically by e-mail or text mes-
sage. This function enables feld service to take place
almost immediately.
Remote access for process optimization
The advantages of remote management solutions
of this kind are self-evident. Maintenance personnel no
longer need to be called out to diagnose problems or
change machine settings. The system monitors specifc
parameters itself and alerts maintenance personnel if
on-site intervention is required. Information supplied in
the course of this process assists the feld service techni-
cian, especially in the case of unscheduled disruptions
that require swift responses and decisions. The more
details are known, the faster and more precisely the
maintenance personnel can respond. They then know,
for example, which tools and spare parts they will need
for the repair or which operating parameters will need
to be recalibrated.
Continuous monitoring of specific parameters
promises further potential, especially when it comes
Data logger: Remote monitoring systems can log data on
various parameterssuch as temperature and currentin
near real-time. Deviations from predefned ranges of any
monitored parameter can trigger a signal that corrective
action should be taken.
KEY CONCEPTS
New technologies are emerging to enable
true remote equipment management.
Remote machine management offers
numerous advantages, starting with near
immediate problem diagnosis, which lets
feld technicians know exactly what action
they need to take upon arriving at the site.
With a remote machine management
system in place, an enterprise can reduce
energy consumption as much as 10%.
to energy efficiency. Industrial companies, for exam-
ple, suffer because a large part of their compressed air
does not arrive where it is needed. Monitoring flow
speed and volume flowrate by sensors, the system is
able to note even the smallest leaks and inform the
technicians about the affected spot. With such sys-
tems in place, an enterprise can reap a 6% to 10%
reduction in energy consumption.
Wear and tear of critical components can also
affect energy efficiency. It is therefore even more
important to have sensors continuously monitor-
ing machine components. The system notifies the
maintenance team as soon as pre-defined limits are
exceeded or not reached. If a sufficiently large buffer
is included when defining these limits, the part can
be replaced outside of operating hours. Evaluating
operating data thereby not only avoids wear-related
energy losses but also makes proactive maintenance
possible. Indeed, if the product and its surroundings
are measured and evaluated continuously, its devel-
opment process can be influenced fundamentally.
This new knowledge is reflected in the offerings
of manufacturers and service providers. Proactive ser-
vices could, for example, be incorporated in service
level agreements. If, say, a connected street lamp on
the companys premises breaks down, the incident
must not first be discovered and reported. Instead,
the lighting system diagnoses the street lamps break-
down, notifies the workshop immediately, and docu-
ments how long it takes to repair.
Off-the-shelf solutions spur the market
Connected solutions do, however, require seam-
less interaction of several components and services.
They do, after all, consist of complex embedded sys-
tems or externally connected communication units
and depend on either a reliable fixed-line connection
or a highly available mobile network. In most cases
a cloud-based management software platform also is
required and must be integrated into the companys
IT landscape. Until recently, users wishing to adopt
these connected solutions had to sign separate con-
tracts with multiple vendorshardware and software
suppliers, and a mobile network operator.
Its much simpler now, as telecommunications
companies and global IT service providers have be-
gun bundling all of the components and competences
required for these solutions. The aim is to offer small
and midrange enterprises, in particular, a full-service
solution from a single source.
Some of these solutions can be purchased at a
fixed price per machine, eliminating the costly up-
front investment that has discouraged many manufac-
turers from entering the world of connected produc-
tion. Indeed, full-service packages of this kind will
spur the market on. In the long term, they will lead
to remote management of nearly every aspect of a
manufacturing plants equipment. Service providers
will derive special benefit from being able to offer
their customers significantly improved service that
also lowers their operating costs.
WWW.CONTROLENG.COM SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
IEM7
Jrgen Hase is the vice president of the M2M Competence
Center at Deutsche Telekom AG. He joined Deutsche Telekom AG
in 2011 as head of the M2M Competence Center and has been
in the telecommunications industry for more than 20 years. He is
also Chairman of the M2M Alliance.
Continuous monitoring of specifc parameters helps
avoid wear and tear on equipment that eventually will
lead to energy leakage.
Power tracking: Remote monitoring systems can compare
actual power use versus expected power use in a facility. This
data allows for optimizing power use to meet production needs.
CONSIDER THIS
In addition to contributing to energy savings, remote machine
management makes it easier to practice proactive maintenance.
That allows for replacing parts at the frst signs of wear. This means
parts can be replaced without interrupting production, and without
causing damage that ultimately shortens equipment life.
SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING WWW.CONTROLENG.COM
IEM8 IndustrialEnergyManagement
SINCE 2009, the SunSpec Alliance has been helping
solar power make the transition from alternative energy
to a steady source of fuel for the electric power grid.
The alliances initial goal was developing standards
to make it easier for solar plant equipment from different
manufacturers to work together, thus smoothing the path
for wider production and distribution of solar power.
Now, with nearly a dozen equipment-related stan-
dards in placeand widely adopted across the industry
the alliance has expanded its mission to include boosting
another area thats critical to bringing solar energy into
the mainstream: the fnancing of solar power plants.
Financing and customer acquisition represent the
two highest costs associated with solar power develop-
ment, said Tom Tansy, chairman of the SunSpec Alli-
ance, which counts more than 60 companies engaged
in some aspect of solar power development among its
membership. Theres a lot of ineffciency that can be
removed from the fnancing process.
Not surprisingly, the SunSpec Alliance advocates
streamlining the solar plant fnancing process by creat-
ing a standard method for carrying out such transactions.
The specifc approach SunSpec supports involves pack-
aging the assets that solar plants represent into fnancial
instruments that can be sold to investors on the open
market much like corporate bonds.
So far, only one deal of this type has been completed,
but much of the industry appears to be coalescing around
the concept, which in fnance circles is known as secu-
ritization.
Solar power developers like the idea for two reasons:
It promises to greatly expand the potential sources
of capital for building solar power plants.
It would signifcantly reduce the cost of acquiring
capital, which should in turn lead to cheaper pow-
er and more customers.
However, Tansy argues that neither of those scenari-
os can play out without a set of standards governing the
securitization process, which is why SunSpec was asked
to play role.
The idea for securitizing solar power assets origi-
nated with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL), a Golden, Colo.-based arm of the U.S. Dept. of
Energy.
Attacking high capital costs
NERL convened a working group with more than
New fnancing method
could secure the solar
industrys future
Bundling solar assets into marketable securities promises
to lower project fnancing costs, leading to cheaper power
and faster industry growth.
Performance data: Actual data from working solar plants, like this one at
the Brea, Calif., headquarters of Moxa, an automation equipment supplier,
feeds the Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse database
supporting a new movement to securitize solar power assets. Courtesy: Moxa
WWW.CONTROLENG.COM SUPPLEMENT TO CONTROL ENGINEERING
100 members from the solar power, legal, and fnancial
sectors to develop ideas for spurring investment in solar
energy. This group launched a project called Solar Ac-
cess Public to Capital (SAPC), which ultimately began the
movement toward turning solar power assets into mar-
ketable securities.
The movement is needed, according to Tansy, be-
cause there are not many places for solar developers to
turn to for capital, and when they do fnd willing inves-
tors, the price of obtaining that capital tends to be high.
We were asked to participate because we have pub-
lished all of these information standards related to solar,
Tansy explained. For example, we have standards that
describe logically how inverters, meters, and other de-
vices should ft in and interact in solar plants.
Defning standards
The process starts by defning exactly what investors
are buying when they purchase a solar-based security.
They are buying into the revenue stream generated by a
group of solar power plants.
The revenue is generated via contracts the plant op-
erators sign with the individuals who will consume the
energy generated by the plant. These contracts, called
power purchase agreements, or PPAs, usually are long-
term agreements, obligating the consuming party to make
monthly payments for 10 to 20 years.
Such long-term revenue streams clearly are attrac-
tive to investors; however, they still typically want some
assurance that the stream wont be interrupted either by
nonpayment on the consumers part or because of failure
of the power plants.
To provide that assurance, SunSpec created the
Open Solar Performance and Reliability Clearinghouse
(oSPARC) database. Tansy describes it as an actuari-
al database that takes daily reports from solar power
plants scattered around across the country and gleans
the data for key indicators about their performance.
These types of databases are common across all sorts
of asset classes that are securitized, Tansy said. What
makes solar somewhat different is that its an opera-
tional asset. It generates value by what it puts out,
whereas most of the other assets are more passive.
SunSpec gets plant operators to contribute to its
database by giving them information they can use to
benchmark their own plants performance against
their peers.
Currently, the solar business is a good business,
with relatively high profit margins. So, most compa-
nies feel like theyre doing well, Tansy said. But
they dont know, on a national basis, if theyre over
performing, underperforming, or leaving money on
the table. This benchmarking gives them that type of
information.
When its time to make an asset sale, the parties
selling the associated securities, typically an invest-
ment bank, can also use a secure link to tap into the
database and run queries on the performance of assets
similar to those they wish to package in a deal. They
can then pass that information to potential investors
who will use it to make a decision about purchasing
the securities.
IEM9
GO ONLINE:
For more information, visit www.sunspec.org, www.nrel.gov,
www.solarcity.com, and www.moxa.com.
CONSIDER THIS:
In a pilot project, Solar City, a leading developer of solar
systems, shaved two percentage points off its borrowing costs by
issuing securities backed by power purchase agreements. That
could translate into a 50-cent-per-watt reduction in the cost of
producing energy.
Solar growth: Though solar power has shown substantial
growth in recent years, it will have to sustain an annual growth
rate of 25% to achieve the DOEs goal of solar meeting 14%
of the countrys electricity needs by 2030. Securitizing solar
assets could help the industry meet that pace. Courtesy:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
2000 20020 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Non-Residential
Residential
KEY CONCEPTS
A limited number of fnancing sources has slowed the growth of
solar power plant development.
The solar industry is coalescing around the idea of bundling
power purchase agreements into fnancial instruments that can
be sold to investors, much like corporate bonds. This is a means of
raising capital for new plant development.
The SunSpec Alliance, the primary developer of technical
standards for the solar industry is now working to standardize the
solar securitization process.
Sidney Hill, Jr., is a CFE Media contributing content specialist.
Send comments to [email protected].
No matter what your social networking preference is,
theres a way for you to connect with Control Engineering!
Make the connection now...
www.controleng.com/connect/twitter-facebook-linkedin.html
This study was conducted by Control Engineering
to evaluate cyber security awareness and
implementation of cyber defenses.
Within you will nd that of the respondents
who said they have seen one or more cyber
incidents in the past two years, 44% said
these incidents were either targeted in
nature, or both accidental and targeted.

Download the Control Engineering
Cyber Security Research today!
www.controleng.com/2014CyberSecurity
Turning research into insights makes for better business decisions
Cyber Security Research
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 93
The Anybus CompactCom 40-series from
HMS Industrial Networks allows fast and accu-
rate communication between the host device and
Powerlink. The CompactCom 40-series Powerlink
products come in three formatschip, brick and
moduleand are all equipped with the same soft-
ware interface from the host device.
Process data latency is less than 15s, and it
allows up to 1500 bytes of process data in each
direction. The CompactCom 40-series has a re-
sponse time of 1s (time from Poll Request to Poll
Response) and a synchronization jitter of 1s.
HMS Industrial Networks
www.hms-networks.com
Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information
ETELs TML and TMM series of cageless, high-peak torque motors
use direct drive ETELs TML and TMM series of cageless, high-peak
torque motors use direct drive technology and have a low weight pack-
age with diverse and easy-to-utilize mounting options. They can be used
for any application with low continuous torque requirements, while
still providing the same peak torque with up to 5000 Nm and reach-
ing speeds of up to 2100 rpm. The TMLs lugs are located
along its outer diameter, which provides an easy
mounting method. The TMM is even lighter and
is designed to be directly glued into the
machine structure. The TML/TMM both
come in multiple standard sizes, provid-
ing more performance variations.
ETEL S.A.
www.etelusa.com
Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information
Flukes 1623-2 and
1625-2 Earth Ground
Testers come with
features and accessories
designed to speed verica-
tion of a reliable connection to earth for
grounded electrical systems, helping solve
power quality problems and lowering the risk
of shock to users.
They perform all four types of earth ground measure-
ments: 3- and 4-pole fall-of-potential, 4-pole soil resistivity,
selective testing, and stakeless testing. The advanced testers
feature USB connectivity for easy storage of up to 1,500 records
with time stamp and fast measurement download, eliminating
the need for manual data transfer.
Fluke Corp.
www.uke.com
Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information
Wago Corporations 750-658 I/O module links
CAN eld devices to the 750 Series Wago I/O
system. The CAN Gateway module can be used
with 750 Series PLCs or couplers, providing
a gateway between a CAN network and other
eldbuses (Ethernet or Probus), leveraging the
exibility of the eldbus independent Wago I/O sys-
tem. The 750-658 supports CAN Layer 2, making it
extremely exible at the eld level. The module can be
integrated into a CANopen, SAE-J1939, or DeviceNet
network by using CoDeSys function blocks. The 750-658
has GL marine and UL508 certications.
Wago Corporation
www.wago.us
Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information
Ethernet connectivity for
industrial devices
Cageless, high-peak torque motor
Ground testers for
quick electrical
equipment
verification
CAN gateway IO module
PRODUCTS PRODUCTS
& software
Industrial media
converter allows
Ethernet over A-B
Remote IO
Industrial Media Con-
verter by ProSoft Technol-
ogy is designed to help
companies upgrade control
system communications
with minimal downtime.
Once the converters are in-
stalled, companies can run
Allen-Bradley Remote I/O
(from Rockwell Automa-
tion) and EtherNet/IP (an
ODVA Ethernet protocol) data simultaneously
on the same cable. This will allow upgrade of
individual nodes at a pace that makes sense
for the application.
The Ethernet to Belden Blue Hose Indus-
trial Media Converters units are plug and play
with no conguration needed. The converters
offer 57.6 and 115.2 K communication rates
and a maximum distance of 1,300 ft with
simultaneous Ethernet and A-B Remote I/O
data. Repeaters are available for networks
with distances up to 10,000 ft.
The converters are the latest example of
phased migration solutions from ProSoft
Technology, the company said, providing the
freedom to complete necessary upgrades on
schedules that make the best business sense.
ProSoft Technology
www.prosoft-technology.com
Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information
PRODUCT & LITERATURE SHOWCASE
Place your Classified, Literature
Showcase or Product Mart ads today!
Contact: Iris Seibert at 858-270-3753 or [email protected]
0.03 to 0.05% Accuracy
1500Vrms Isolation
Up to 240Vrms Input Protection
More Models, More Protection, Less Noise, Lower Cost
580+ different 5B, 7B, and 8B signal conditioners provide accurate, isolated Instrument
Class

performance to ensure the integrity of your industrial automation, data acquisition,

process control, and quality assurance systems. Custom modules available.
Call 800-444-7644 or visit www.dataforth.com
5B / 7B / 8B Signal Conditioning Solutions
ANSI/IEEE C37.90.1 Transient Protection
3- to 6-Pole Low-Pass Filtering
-40C to +85C Operating Temperature
CSA C/US Certifed & ATEX Compliant
(5B, 7B)
C-UL-US Listed (8B)
Input #100 at www.controleng.com/information
Input #101 at www.controleng.com/information
94 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com
Texas Instru-
ments SN74LV1T
family is designed
to fully integrate
logic gate and up/
down translation functionality operating from
a single power supply. The SN74LV1T family
also offers an operating voltage range, from
1.8 to 5 V, and has an extended temperature
range from -40 to 125 C. Because of this, it
can also be used in industrial and telecom-
munications applications as a logic gate,
translator, or both. This eliminates the need
for multiple logic ICs and eases procurement
management. The SN74LV1T family is avail-
able in nine logic gates, as well as several
buffer functions.
Texas Instruments
www.ti.com
Input #205 at www.controleng.com/information
Rhino PSB series DIN rail mount single-phase and three-phase
input power supplies have IP20-rated terminals, offering high perfor-
mance and reliability. The series features rugged plastic or aluminum
housings and output status LED indicators as well as overload, over-
voltage, and thermal protection. Five models are approved for Class
I, Div. 2 hazardous locations and one unit is UL 1310 recognized
(NEC Class 2). DIN Rail mount 12, 24, and 48 V dc output, as well as
85-264 V ac/ 120-375 V dc single-phase input voltage power supplies
are available. Three-phase, 320-600 V ac input versions are available
with 24 V dc outputs from 60 to 960 W.
AutomationDirect
www.automationdirect.com
Input #206 at www.controleng.com/information
Integrated
logic gate
device
DC power supply line in plastic
or aluminum housings
PRODUCTS PRODUCTS
software &
877-295-7057
I
www.acromag.com
Acromag Signal Conditioners & Ethernet I/O
We have the experience to
help you solve your process
monitoring and control
challenges.
Get our new product guide today.
NEW! USB Transmitters & Ethernet I/O
4-20mA Isolators and Splitters
Ethernet, Modbus, Profbus Remote I/O
stay
informed
Stay current
with technology and
trends in electrical,
mechanical, instrumentation
and automation.
To subscribe, visit
www.controleng.com/subscribe
ce_stayInformed_QTR.indd 1 11/7/2013 11:56:56 AM
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING APRIL 2014 95
CFE Media Contributor
Guidelines Overview
Content For Engineers. Thats what CFE
Media stands for, and what CFE Media is all
about engineers sharing with their peers.
We welcome content submissions for all
interested parties in engineering. We will use
those materials online, on our website, in
print and in newsletters to keep engineers
informed about the products, solutions and
industry trends.
www.controleng.com/contribute explains
how to submit press releases, products,
images and graphics, bylined feature articles,
case studies, white papers, and other media.
* Content should focus on helping engi-
neers solve problems. Articles that are com-
mercial in nature or that are critical of other
products or organizations will be rejected.
(Technology discussions and comparative
tables may be accepted if non-promotional
and if contributor corroborates information
with sources cited.)
* If the content meets criteria noted in
guidelines, expect to see it first on our Web-
sites. Content for our e-newsletters comes
from content already available on our Web-
sites. All content for print also will be online.
All content that appears in our print maga-
zines will appear as space permits, and we
will indicate in print if more content from that
article is available online.
* Deadlines for feature articles intended for
the print magazines are at least two months in
advance of the publication date. Again, it is best
to discuss all feature articles with the appropri-
ate content manager prior to submission.
Learn more at:
www.controleng.com/contribute
ABB Inc - Safety Systems. . . . 19. . . . . . . . . . 13. . . www.abb.com/highintegritysafety
Allied Electronics . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . www.alliedelec.com
Antaira Technologies LLC. . . . 25. . . . . . . . . . 18. . . www.antaira.com
AutomationDirect . . . . . . . . . . C2, 1,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16A-16D . . . 1, 2 . . www.automationdirect.com
AVG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.EZAutomation.net
Baldor Electric Company . . . . 13. . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . www.baldor.com
Coming Soona database
like none other... . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Control Engineering
2014 Cyber Security Research . 92. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.controleng.com/2014CyberSecurity
Control Engineering
E-Newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.controleng.com/newsletters
Dataforth Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 26. . . . . 17, 19. . www.dataforth.com
EnclosureHub . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32. . . . . . . . . . 22. . . www.enclosurehub.com
Honeywell Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . www.honeywellprocess.com
IANA at IMTS 2014 . . . . . . . . . 35, 41. . . . . . . 24. . . www.ia-na.com
ITSENCLOSURES . . . . . . . . . . 15. . . . . . . . . . 10 . . . www.itsenclosures.com
Kepware Technologies . . . . . . 33. . . . . . . . . . 23. . . WWW.KEPWARE.COM
Lets Connect Socially. . . . . 92. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.contoleng.com/connect/twitter-facebook-linkedin.html
Moore Industries - Intl. Inc. . . 27. . . . . . . . . . 20. . . www.miinet.com
Moxa Technologies . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . www.moxa.com
National Instruments . . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . www.ni.com
Nexcom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28. . . . . . . . . . 21. . . www.nexcom.com
Omega Engineering Inc . . . . . 23. . . . . . . . . . 16. . . www.omega.com
OPTO 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . www.opto22.com
Sealevel Systems Inc . . . . . . . 18. . . . . . . . . . 12. . . www.sealevel.com
SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc. . . . . . . C4 . . . . . . . . . 33. . . www.seweurodrive.com
Siemens Industry Inc . . . . . . . C1, 10, 21. . . 7, 14 . . www.sea.siemens.com
Teledyne DALSA. . . . . . . . . . . 22. . . . . . . . . . 15. . . www.teledynedalsa.com
Turck Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16. . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . www.turck.com
Yaskawa America, Inc. . . . . . . C3 . . . . . . . . . 32. . . www.yaskawa.com
Industrial Energy Management
American Industrial
Systems (AIS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . IEM1 . . . . . . . 30. . . www.aispro.com
Otek Corporation . . . . . . . . . . IEM4 . . . . . . . 31. . . WWW.OTEKCORP.COM
Inside Machines
Aerotech Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M10 . . . . . . . . 29. . . www.aerotech.com
Banner Engineering Corp. . . . M3 . . . . . . . . . 25. . . www.bannerengineering.com
Beckhoff Automation LLC. . . . M7 . . . . . . . . . 27. . . www.beckhoff.com
Red Lion Controls . . . . . . . . . . M9 . . . . . . . . . 28. . . http://better.redlion.net
WAGO Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M5 . . . . . . . . . 26. . . www.wago.us
Request more information about products and advertisers in this issue by using the
http://controleng.com/information link and reader service number located near each.
If youre reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company directly,
please let them know you read about them in Control Engineering.
Company Page# RSN Web
AD INDEX
Control Engineering
www.controleng.com
Advertising Sales Offices
GA, MI, AL, FL
Patrick Lynch
(630) 571-4070 x2210
[email protected]
AR, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO,
MS, NE, ND, OK, OH, SD, TX, WI,
Central Canada
Bailey Rice
(630) 571-4070 x2206
[email protected]
AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT,
NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY,
Western Canada
Iris Seibert
(858) 270-3753
[email protected]
CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NC,
NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, SC, VA,
VT, WV, DC, Eastern Canada
Julie Timbol
(978) 929-9495
[email protected]
96 APRIL 2014 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

The goal in quality

management should be to
control the process, and then
keep it in control; small and
often frequent adjustments
should be made before the
process gets out of hand.

R
apid and effective testing isnt neces-
sarily a new idea. Its practical com-
mon sense, can have a huge impact
on manufacturing quality, and can
improve quality management on the shop floor.
From the lab to the operator
For many companies, the lab controls the
entire testing process. It collects samples from
the shop floor, runs the tests, and eventually
gives the test results to the shop floor.
In some cases, these pro-
cesses waste valuable time.
Often the lab causes long
delays in relaying feedback
to the shop. If something
needs to be adjusted, it
could be a long time before
those adjustments are made,
and its possible that a prod-
uct wont be manufactured
to certain specifications
because of the delay. Delay
is time, and time is money.
Instead of the norm, con-
sider a testing process that
puts the operator in charge
of quality management. The reasoning is sim-
ple: The operator is in charge of making the
product; the operator is closest to the manu-
facturing process and truly understands whats
going on. As such, the operatornot the lab
should be in charge of quality tests. After all,
its the operator who needs the information to
make the appropriate changes in response to
the results.
The major benefit:
The tests are performed
more efficiently and
quickly. Another ben-
efit is that feedback is
promptly delivered to
the manufacturing processes. So if things
need to be changed, operators can make swift
adjustments.
Small and frequent adjustments
Instead of focusing on quality, labs often
adjust the manufacturing process as if they are
meeting quotas. Instead of making sure the pro-
cess is in control, they make adjustments, trying
to hit a target number. This practice is typically
fraught with process overcorrection, delaying
time and again wasting money. Such quotas also
result in over-testing. Manufacturers shouldnt
run tests just to run tests.
Instead, the goal in quality management
should be to control the process, and then keep
it in control. Small and often frequent adjust-
ments should be made before the process gets
out of hand. Managers also should look to
achieve testing rationalization. That is, run only
the tests that make sense. Run the tests that are
the true indicators of whats happening on the
shop floor.
There are many ways to do this using sta-
tistical methods and a variety of other tech-
niques, but the idea is the samemake small
adjustments and keep the process in control all
the way.
Empower the shop floor
When labs are in control, shop-floor employees
often dont share the manufacturing knowledge
that lab employees do.
Breaking this paradigm means expanding the
knowledge about the manufacturing process and
getting the appropriate information out of the lab
and on to the shop floor. It means better educating
operators. ce
- John Clemons, director of manufacturing IT,
Maverick Technologies. Edited by Jordan Schultz,
associate content manager, Control Engineering.
BASICS BASICS
Ideas
for quality management
back to
Manufacturing quality tests in the lab can take time, causing a delay in production.
Consider rapid testing with operators to deliver prompt feedback and make necessary
adjustments sooner.
Check out more industry advice from Maverick:
www.controleng.com/blogs/real-world-engineering
Read more Control Engineering blogs:
www.controleng.com/blogs
Go Online
YAS KAWA AMERI CA, I NC.
DRI VES & MOT I ON DI VI S I ON
1 - 8 00-YAS KAWA YAS KAWA. COM
Follow us:
More Info:
http://Ez.com/yai601
2014 Yaskawa America Inc.
EXPERIENCE
TODAY
19
9
0
We recently came across a two decades old photo of some young up and coming engineers that were
part of our drive engineering team at the time.
Guess what? All those people are still with us. In fact, they are among our company leaders today. Imagine.
Twenty years of experience from each of them going to work for you every day. Incredible knowledge.
Penetrating insights. Real results.
Yaskawa puts all of that to work for you every day. Think of what you can do with a partner like that.
input #32 at www.controleng.com/information
seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537
Go ahead...talk nerdy to us. Well byte
back. Thats because our eldbus cards
and gateways can speak your language.
We can also eliminate all of your C++
or C# programming. Thats right...no
engineer needed! Finally, you can easily
and dramatically reduce the startup time
on conveyors, hoists, turntables and many
other applications. So, keep your bus and
leave the driving to us.
Byte Me!
input #33 at www.controleng.com/information