Control and Instrumentation articles from December 1994

Control and Instrumentation archives from December 1994

On the level: level instruments now embrace over 10 technologies - and they're getting smarter and more capable.
December 1, 1994... For those who think little changes in level measurement, nothing could be further from the truth. With at least 10 sensing technologies, there are always developments. Manufacturers offering a vast array of sensors and systems covering level...

Energy management. (process control technology for energy management)
December 1, 1994... Energy management has yet to embrace open systems in the same way as process control has, but in terms of integration, it may be setting higher standards The energy management industry is just embarking on the open systems and standard...

Temperature: recent improvements in materials, and simplifications calibration have led to increased use of RTDs. (resistance temperature dectectors)
December 1, 1994... Industry is involved with an ever-increasing diversity of temperature-dependent manufacturing and engineering processes. This has led to the continual development of more accurate and stable temperature sensors with the ability to measure up to...

Neural nets: changing the face of control. (neural networks)
December 1, 1994... The latest neural net toolkits can now develop virtual sensors As stated in last month's C&I, a pragmatic approach to control, rather than a rigorous analytical one, makes life easier. What you're about to witness is the ultimate in...

Training in instrumentation and systems.
December 1, 1994... With the rate of change systems and expectations of them, there is a need to develop better skills in both instrumentation and control Throughout industry, skills and knowledge are too often developed haphazardly - staff are forced to sink or...

Chart recorders. ('95 Product Survey Directory)
December 1, 1994... Recorders are still shunning the rubbish tip, and the latest options for paperless recorders will promote even wider use The demise of the chart recorder has been predicted for at least the last 10 years. However, in spite of these...

Data acquisition. ('95 Product Survey Directory)
December 1, 1994... Higher power CPUs and better availability of fieldbuses now allow you to take a more structured approach to configuring your data acquisition network Today's PCs are so powerful that their capabilities are starting to exceed the needs of the...

Distributed control. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Open X networks, CASE, neural computing, advanced control, fuzzy logic and MIS power - all are coming together Since their launch onto the industrial stage in the mid '70s, initially by Honeywell and Yokogawa, distributed control systems have...

Enclosures. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... A box is a box is a box. Or is it? There's more to enclosures than meets the eye, and Europe is increasing its role Enclosures have assumed greater importance over the last year or so, and are set to continue this way over the next few years....

Environmental sensors. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Britain is one of the worst polluters amongst the developed nations, says the audit by the OECD published last month A green vetting by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that Britain emits proportionately more...

Calibrators and simulators. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... From simple hand-helds to programmable multi-function devices, calibrators now offer quite a lot for just a little Price is probably the key variable when it comes to process voltage/current calibrators. We're talking here about the devices...

Flow instruments. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Increased choice, better quality sensing and local intelligence are among the key development areas Accurate monitoring of the wide range of fluid flows of materials around processes is essential if we're to improve plant operations, and...

Gas detection. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Legislation is forcing the pace of development and implementation with gas detection and monitoring systems There's an increasingly diverse range of hazardous gases out there - or rather, perhaps, the authorities, users and the public are...

Level gauges and systems. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Built-in intelligence is making ultrasonics very reliable and more and more accurate, but don't forget the basics Level measurement is probably populated by one of the most diverse ranges of options and physical techniques available to the...

Load cells and weighing systems. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Weighing is an established technology, but there are still plenty of pitfalls for the unwary - get expert advice! Ask anyone in the weighing industry what's new, and they'll probably say: 'Nothing startling'. The truth is that this is a well...

Mass flowmeters. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Mass flow metering has matured considerably, to the stage where engineers trust the meters and rely heavily on them The main reason for choosing a mass flowmeter over a conventional device remains that you need direct monitoring of mass in...

PC software. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... PCs that can run complex graphics, with user-friendly interfaces, can now be embedded in almost anything PC power now means that even the humblest PC, embedded in a simple system, can run high level languages plus a graphical user interface,...

PC-based SCADA and CIM. (computer integrated manufacturing) ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... PC-based SCADA offers a cheap solution to complex distributed control, and gets more integrated all the time PC SCADA packages are continuing their move toward some sort of homogeneity, with most packages offering the same blend of features,...

Pressure. (pressure transmitters) ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Pressure transmitters and their transducers come in a wide variety - some of the latest developments are highlighted Designs of pressure transducers and transmitters have changed considerably in recent years. Among the many techniques used...

Programmable controllers. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Better controls, smaller sizes, higher speed and increased power - PLCs progress quickly as Fieldbus starts to emerge Dick Caro, chairman of the international ISA/IEC Fieldbus committees, predicts that the handwriting is on the wall for large...

Radio telemetry. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... High speed telemetry, using spread spectrum techniques and a speed radio Fieldbus, is now accepted Radio telemetry is now widely available. Water catchment and distribution, sewage treatment, electricity and gas distribution and many more...

Smart transmitters. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... It's the measurement that is all-important - but, remote commissioning, calibration and diagnostics all contribute Technology and market segmentation have been the key factors behind developments in pressure measurement. Paradoxically, they...

Controllers. (temperature controllers) ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Today's temperature controllers offer configurability, communications, auto-tuning, diagnostics - and fuzzy logic Lower prices, smaller boxes, increased functionality (to the point of universality), better and easier configurability and comms...

Temperature. (eletronic thermometers) ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Electronic thermometry is not as simple as it at first looks Thermocouples and resistance thermometers cover by far the majority of temperature measurement requirements. The former look after the range -250 to +3,000 [degrees] C; the latter,...

Transmitters and signal conditioning. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Technology for signal isolation, conditioning and transmission continues to gain intelligence Since monitoring and control went electronic, literally decades ago, it's been the job of signal conditioners to provide the interface between the...

Smart valves. ('95 Product Survey Directory) (Directory)
December 1, 1994... Smart technology and digital communication can improve diagnostics for control valves and lower maintenance costs How much money could be saved by using microprocessor technology and digital communications to improve valve maintenance?...