National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, today announced LabVIEW 2016 system design software, empowering engineers to simplify development and effectively integrate software from the ecosystem into their systems. The latest version of LabVIEW introduces new channel wires to simplify complex communication between parallel sections of code. Available on both desktop and real-time versions of LabVIEW, the channel wire method helps improve code readability and reduces development time.

“The new channel wires in LabVIEW 2016 enable us to develop applications even faster by making architectures that are more transferable across domains,” said Christopher Relf, chief engineer at VI Engineering. “With channel wires, we can set up sophisticated software architectural patterns that natively have multiple sources, without having to create and maintain considerable amounts of custom software in the background.”

Much of the success that LabVIEW users have had relies on the openness of both the product itself and the ecosystem that supports it. LabVIEW 2016 continues this trend with enhanced interoperability with Python and third-party devices. This openness, combined with several new enhancements, helps users continue to improve productivity by streamlining code development and deployment. With the latest version of LabVIEW, users can:

• Simplify development with new channel wires that reduce complex asynchronous communication to a single wire
• Take advantage of more RAM and memory with new 64-bit add-on support for the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module, LabVIEW MathScript Real-Time Module, LabVIEW Unit Test Framework Toolkit, LabVIEW Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit and LabVIEW VI Analyzer Toolkit
• Streamline the automation of benchtop measurements with the Instrument Driver Network, which supports 500 new devices in addition to the existing 10,000 supported instruments
• Integrate Python IP using the new Python Integration Toolkit for LabVIEW, which is a simple API from Enthought, Inc. (available in the LabVIEW Tools Network) that can integrate Python scripts into LabVIEW applications

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the July 13 release of an update to the Exaquantum™ plant information management system (PIMS). Release R3.02 provides improved web and data analysis functions that will enhance plant operations.

An ever increasing amount of plant data is being collected, stored, and analyzed to understand what is happening within a plant so that appropriate operational improvements can be made, and this is resulting in a rising need for PIMSs with advanced capabilities. In response, Yokogawa has improved Exaquantum by adding new web and data analysis functions that will assist users in gaining the insights required to enhance their plant operations.
Enhancements

1. Improved web-based functionality

To improve visibility of significant plant events, users can add annotations to trend graphs that provide additional information, detailed analysis, and links to documents and web pages that can be accessed using Exaquantum/Web. These can be shared with others, including Exaquantum/Explorer users.
To aid in the identification of relationships between data, Exaquantum/Web users can now make use of X-Y Plot controls to create trend graphs that can be used within the Internet Explorer or Safari (tablet) browsers. These graphs can be utilized for such purposes as predicting compressor surges and analyzing PID loops.

2. Windows 10

Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest operating system, is supported.
3. New data analysis functions
New optional functions are available to evaluate and draw insights from the large amounts of process data, alarm and events, and other types of data collected and stored by Exaquantum PIMS. These include an ISA-18.2* and IEC 62682* compliant alarm management function, a safety management function, and a manufacturing information function.

Moxa is pleased to announce that its rugged EXPC-1519 panel computer has received the stand-alone certification from UL, ensuring that the EXPC-1519 can operate safely in hazardous areas as defined by their respective standards: Class I, Division 2 for the North American standard, and Zone 2 for both the ATEX and IECEx standards. The certifications confirm that the panel computer is ideally suited for operation in oil & gas, petrochemical manufacturing, and other hazardous locations and industrial applications where explosive atmospheres may be present.

The EXPC-1519 panel computer can be used directly in the aforementioned explosive atmospheres without the need for additional, expensive enclosures. This allows users to save money and deploy their products faster. The key details of the standards are as follows:
Type of Protection: Intrinsic Safety “ic” and Non-sparking “nA”
• Compliance with the IEC/EN 60079-0, IEC/EN 60079-11, and IEC/EN 60079-15 standards
• IECEx Markings: Ex ic nA IIC T4 Gc
• ATEX Marking : ATEXII 3 G Ex ic nA IIC T4 GcEXPC-1519 interface
• Ambient : -40°C to 70°C

Schneider Electric Software, the global specialist in energy management and automation, today announced that SK Innovation, South Korea’s largest refining and petrochemicals company, has successfully implemented SimSci Spiral Suite for planning and crude knowledge management. SimSci Spiral Suite’s unified enterprise supply chain solution has successfully been implemented to replace their legacy system. Now SK Innovation’s assay specialists, process engineers and planners from multiple sites can collaborate to optimize plans, manage business and ultimately increase performance across their enterprise.

“By implementing SimSci Spiral Suite, we could build new streamlined work processes, enabled by an integrated enterprise-level supply chain solution,” stated Kwangpyo Hong, Vice President of Optimization Office at SK Innovation. “All activities are supported within a single application with version and data management control. SimSci Spiral Suite enables a single source of information to be shared easily between users, improving understanding and collaboration between traders, planners and schedulers and replacing potentially disjointed point solutions.”

“SimSci Spiral Suite supports effective collaboration and good overall decision making,” said Dr. Harpreet Gulati, Vice President, Trading, Planning and Scheduling at Schneider Electric Software. “SimSci Spiral Suite eliminates gaps in work processes between trading, planning, scheduling and operations. Within SK Innovation, users across a wide range of different business roles can work within a single environment for crude knowledge management and the planning of refineries and petrochemical plants. SimSci Spiral can provide the visibility, collaboration and optimization necessary to drive improved performance in refineries and petrochemical plants, such as those at SK Innovation.”