Control System World

ABB will supply Robins & Morton, the Alabama-based construction and engineering company, a plant automation system for Louisiana Energy and Power Authority's (LEPA) new gas-fired power plant in Morgan City, Louisiana.

The plant will produce 64 megawatts of electric power for six of the 17 municipalities in southern Louisiana that own LEPA. Scheduled for completion in late 2015, the plant will supply competitively priced electricity that will reduce the municipalities' reliance on more costly supply options. This will be LEPA's first power generation facility, and one of several new power plants currently under construction in the United States that are fueled by natural gas extracted from shale formations (also known as shale gas).

It is also in line with the current trend of generating power through smaller, distributed power generation plants which are located closer to the demand like municipalities, end-users.

ABB was selected by Robins & Morton for its ability to provide speedy and responsive consultancy during the bidding process, and to deliver on a fast-track basis a complete plant automation solution that is cost effective and low risk during project execution and that meets the end-user's requirements.

ABB is supplying a Symphony® Plus total plant automation system that will control, manage and optimize the entire production process at the Morgan City plant. The solution includes a wide variety of Symphony Plus products including plant performance monitoring, vibration monitoring, simulation and ABB's new SD Series of robust, energy-efficient input/output (I/O) modules. ABB is also responsible for design, engineering, installation and commissioning of the automation system, and will provide LEPA with operator and engineer training and life cycle service support. ABB was also awarded two separate contracts to supply plant electrical equipment.

"We are delighted to be working with Robins & Morton on this, our first project together in the United States," says Massimo Danieli, Managing Director of ABB's Power Generation business, a part of the company's Power Systems division. "Our vast experience of providing electrical and automation systems for gas-fired power plants in North America makes ABB the ideal partner for power plant projects fueled by natural gas."

ABB has developed standardized/containerized solutions for distributed power supporting fast track execution with low risk profile. Thanks to the recent boom in shale gas production, natural gas has become the predominant fuel for new power plant projects in the United States. More than half of new power generation plants built in the United States in 2013 were fueled by natural gas. ABB has a huge installed base of automation systems in combined cycle and open cycle gas-fired power plants all over North America.

Symphony Plus is ABB's automation platform for the power generation and water industries. It is designed to meet the requirements of engineering, procurement and construction contractors in the power and water sectors, and of plant owners in all geographic markets and in all types of power generation and water treatment. There are now more than 6,500 Symphony DCS installations in operation all over the world, with more than 4,500 in power and water applications.

One of the most obvious advantages copper offers is that it is less expensive than fiber cable and much easier to terminate in the field. The type of cable you choose depends on the environment and application.

Twisted pair cable used in networking applications typically consists of four pairs of 22–28 AWG copper wires, each covered by insulators and twisted together. There are two types of twisted pair cable, unshielded and shielded.

Shielded vs. unshielded cable:

Unshielded twisted pair:

This is the most widely used cable. Known as balanced twisted pair, UTP consists of twisted pairs (usually four) in a PVC or plenum jacket. When installing UTP cable, make sure you use trained technicians. Field terminations, bend radius, pulling tension, and cinching can all loosen pair twists and degrade performance. Also take note of any sources of EMI. Choose UTP for electrically quiet environments.

Shielded twisted pair:

Over the past twenty years, the need for speed in networking has driven new cabling specifications and technologies at an ever-accelerating rate. Alongside the development of each generation of Ethernet are corresponding developments in cabling technologies. Part of that development is the increased use of shielded cable. It’s becoming more common in high-speed networks, especially when it comes to minimizing ANEXT in 10-GbE runs.

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Moxa is pleased to announce that our new mobile app “IES Padbook” is now ready for download. The IES padbook is a brochure app that allows readers to access Moxa’s latest industrial Ethernet solutions, demo videos, white papers, success stories, and much more. It is available for both Apple iPads and Android tablets(2560x1600). Download "IES Padbook" now to extend your mobile browsing experience.

The “IES Padbook” app is designed to enhance your knowledge of industrial Ethernet requirements, applications, and Moxa solutions. A comprehensive collection of industrial Ethernet solutions are accessible using the app, including industrial Ethernet switches, wireless solutions, Ethernet gateways, secure routers, I/Os, IP cameras, and network management suite. Download this useful tool to gain access to Moxa’s rich knowledge center—anytime, anywhere. Learn the 5 reasons to download IES Padbook app.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that its affiliate, Yokogawa Kontrol (Malaysia), has received an order from a consortium comprising JGC Corporation (Japan) and Samsung Heavy Industries (South Korea) that will supply control systems and safety instrumented systems for PETRONAS's second floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, PFLNG2.

Under the terms of the contract, Yokogawa Kontrol (Malaysia) will deliver an integrated control & safety system (ICSS) for the monitoring and control of the liquefaction facilities and storage tanks on PFLNG2. The ICSS will consist of a Yokogawa CENTUM® VP integrated production control system, a ProSafe®-RS safety instrumented system, a Plant Resource Manager (PRM®) package, a plant information management system, and other components. Yokogawa Kontrol will also be responsible for engineering, and the support of installation, commissioning, and training.

The PFLNG2 facility will be moored offshore of Sabah, Malaysia, and is designed to produce 1.5 million tons of LNG a year, with production scheduled to start in early 2018.

An FLNG facility is a new type of LNG plant that performs all operations at sea, starting with the routing of natural gas from offshore gas fields and including the refining, liquefaction, storage, and transfer of this resource onto LNG carriers. FLNG is attractive because the technology does not require the acquisition of land or laying of pipelines, making it suitable for small to medium-sized offshore gas fields that are deemed economically unfeasible to develop.

Since its establishment in Malaysia in 1989, Yokogawa Kontrol (Malaysia) has developed a solid global track record and extensive know-how of LNG processing plants, LNG carriers, FPSO vessels, and other types of offshore facilities. It has delivered numerous control systems to PETRONAS production facilities.

In 2013, Yokogawa set up an organization that is dedicated to the growing marine resource business, as part of its efforts to expand its control business in this sector and offer the latest technology solutions to its customers.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the conclusion of a business transfer agreement with Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.(OKI) on March 26. Under this agreement, Yokogawa will transfer the Ome Factory of Yokogawa Manufacturing Corporation, Yokogawa's manufacturing subsidiary, to Oki Printed Circuits Co., Ltd., an OKI group company, on April 1. As the Ome plant of Oki Printed Circuits, this facility will continue the manufacturing and assembly of printed circuit boards for Yokogawa products.

In addition, Yokogawa Manufacturing and OKI have concluded an outsourcing contract, under which Yokogawa Manufacturing will consign the assembly of all printed circuit boards and certain other products at its Kofu Factory to OKI.

In 1969, Yokogawa started to manufacture printed circuit boards for use in its own control and measuring instruments that require a high level of reliability, and much of these Japan manufacturing operations have taken place at the Ome Factory. However, technologies in this field quickly become obsolete, and thus continuous investment is essential. Therefore, after examining this business in light of ongoing structural reforms, Yokogawa concluded that OKI was well positioned to continue and improve the manufacturing and assembly of printed circuit boards for Yokogawa products, and thereby would be able to continue employing the workers who are currently at the Ome Factory. The main reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

- OKI's electronic manufacturing service (EMS) business has good prospects for continued growth.

- OKI has the excellent technologies needed to produce highly reliable products and a solid track record in producing multiple types of products.

According to its 2016 mid-term business plan (announced on November 12, 2013), OKI sees the high-end EMS business as a growth area. In this business, OKI can make full use of its excellent manufacturing technologies and quality assurance. OKI has been in the printed circuit board business since 1965, and its large and super-multilayer printed circuit board technologies are highly respected. OKI was the first company to succeed in the design and mass production of 102-layer printed circuit boards. To grow the EMS business, OKI needs to expand its printed circuit board business and strengthen its integrated production of printed circuit boards and assembly of finished products. For these reasons, both parties have decided to sign the agreement.

Key facts about the Ome Factory:

Name: Ome Factory of Yokogawa Manufacturing Corporation

Location: 3-8-2, Fujihashi, Ome-city, Tokyo

Business: Manufacturing and assembly of printed circuit boards

Premises: 11,300 ㎡

Employees: 100

Whether you need fast and flexible project management or help getting the most out of your existing assets, the expertise and innovation you’ll find at our 2015 Global Automation Conference is designed to help you prepare for the future while protecting your plant.

Gain insight: We’ll challenge your thinking on how global trends will impact your business, and show you how our focus on innovation is evolving our technology roadmap to help you take advantage of every opportunity.

Collaborate: Sessions will feature users sharing their practical experience—from challenges to value gained, plus tips and tricks to apply to your own operation. In the Marketplace, go one-on-one with Schneider Electric and our partners to discover the right solutions to suit your specific needs.

What’s New: Find out what’s new in our comprehensive portfolio of Control and Safety solutions, Telemetry and SCADA offerings, plus expanded services, advanced software, and field devices. We’ll also introduce you to Schneider Electric’s solutions for energy and resource management.

Influence the Future: Share your challenges and suggestions in our “Voice of Customer” feedback sessions.

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National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, today announced the new CompactDAQ 8-slot controller, which expands the CompactDAQ controller offering to meet high-channel count applications in rugged environments. By integrating the processor, signal conditioning and I/O into a single CompactDAQ system, engineers can reduce overall system cost and complexity while increasing measurement accuracy. Integrated measurement systems reduce the number of components, connections and wiring needed, which often introduce noise and additional costs, to ensure high-accuracy measurements and cost-optimized systems.

Both the 4-slot and 8-slot CompactDAQ controllers feature an Intel Atom dual-core processor that can run either Windows Embedded 7 or NI Linux Real-Time. By pairing industry-standard OS options with LabVIEW system design software, customers can easily port LabVIEW code from existing measurement systems to these new CompactDAQ controllers. They can combine LabVIEW and over 60 sensor-specific I/O modules for CompactDAQ to quickly customize data acquisition systems to meet their application needs.

“We’ve expanded the CompactDAQ family by adding an 8-slot controller to give customers another rugged and integrated solution,” said Stefanie Breyer, director of data acquisition R&D at NI. “The Intel Atom 3800 processor gives engineers powerful processing paired with high-accuracy measurements that can be used in a variety of applications from in-vehicle data logging to distributed measurements.”

Key features of CompactDAQ controllers:

• Integrated Intel Atom Dual-Core Processor: Reduce system complexity and take your measurement system anywhere by having an integrated processor built in.
• Removable SD Storage: Forget about data storage limits with hot-swappable, removable SD storage.
• Integrated CAN/LIN Port: Cut costs by taking advantage of the built-in CAN/LIN port.
• Choice of Four or Eight C Series Module Slots: Mix and match a variety of I/O types, including AI, AO and DIO to meet your specific application needs.
• Rugged Form Factor: Take measurements in high shock and vibration environments as well as temperatures ranging from -40 °C to 70 °C.

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The Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE) Program has introduced new ICS cybersecurity personnel certification specialties: The Certified Automation Cybersecurity Expert (CACE) and Certified Automation Cybersecurity Specialist (CACS). These have been developed in response to the growing demand to secure industrial automation control systems (IACS) and SCADA systems by providing a means for people to develop and demonstrate competence by understanding and applying security standards such as IEC 62443/ISA-99, as well as best practices.

“As the use of Ethernet technologies and the complexity of Industrial Control networks increases dramatically, industrial specific knowledge and experience will also become increasingly more important,” says Eric Persson, exida senior cybersecurity engineer. “Earning a CACE/CACS certification specialty is a major step towards affirming your competence and knowledge working within these environments.”

“These specialties focus on the practical application of security practices and principles, therefore attaining these certifications confirm your commitment to industrial network cybersecurity,” says Joe Zullo, Chirico Scientific president. “It is a certification like CACE/CACS that can ultimately make you a more valuable employee and open the door for career advancement.”

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