Control and Instrumentation articles from May 1994

Control and Instrumentation archives from May 1994

C&I - countdown to 94's bigger UK event. (C&I Show)
May 1, 1994... It's official - the C&I Show (10-12 May, NEC) is even bigger than reported last month - with more space and 14 extra exhibitors, according to Diana Shepstone, manager. As we go to press, a record 420 stands will highlight the latest in control...

Heseltine confirms his plans for DTI labs. (Michael Heseltine, British Minister of Trade; United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry)
May 1, 1994... Michael Heseltine, the president of the Board of Trade, has confirmed his intentions for the National Physical Laboratory, the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and the National Engineering Laboratory. In a written answer to a Parliamentary...

DeviceNet shows the future of comms. (device level communications standard from Allen-Bradley Company Inc.)
May 1, 1994... The UK launch of a device level communications standard will take place at the C&I Show. Called DeviceNet, it links simple automation devices using a network based on the Controller Area Network (CAN) standard. So far, over 25 companies have...

Latest control valve launch 'combines best features of rotaries and globes.' (Varimax 'rotary globe valve' from Masoneilan)
May 1, 1994... Masoneilan claims to be introducing a major advancement in valve design to the UK at the C&I Show, with its Varimax 'rotary globe valve'. This combines a double low eccentricity plug with a double lever adjustable travel/torque actuator....

Distributed control. (control systems)
May 1, 1994... PHIL GILLARD DISCUSSES THE ADVANTAGES OF TYPICAL PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TODAY'S DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEMS The new generation of distributed control systems is making use of technologies which have evolved from the IT...

So, what now with distributed control?
May 1, 1994... OPEN X NETWORKS, NEURAL COMPUTING, CASE, FUZZY LOGIC AND MIS POWER - IT'S ALL MOVING FAST When did you first hear the term, 'distributed control'? If you were a practising instrumentation or control engineer at the time, it was probably back...

Chicken brain I/O - will this replace DCSs? (networked intelligent input-output; distributed control systems)
May 1, 1994... DECAPITATED CHICKENS CAN STILL MOVE - DOES DISTRIBUTING INTELLIGENT I/O GIVE SIMILAR RESULTS? A chicken's brains are distributed down its spinal column, so that even when the head is removed the body can still function. Dick Morley, from...

Acid tests are more robust and colorful. (new pH measurement techniques)
May 1, 1994... OPTICAL TECHNIQUES ARE BEGINNING TO EMERGE AND SOLID STATE DEVICES ARE SEEING UPTAKE IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS The cost of pH measurement can be quite unbelievable. Steve Williams, of British Chrome and Chemicals, has two full time staff...

Producing chemicals cleanly and safely. (Akzo Nobel)
May 1, 1994... POTENTIAL HAZARDS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND PERSONNEL DEMAND SPECIAL ATTENTION Akzo Nobel chemicals in Gillingham, Kent, is likely to be one of the first British companies to gain accreditation to BS7750 for environmental management systems which...

The art of mimic construction. (computer graphics)
May 1, 1994... GROUND RULES FOR PRODUCING COLOUR VDU DISPLAYS FOR PROCESS CONTROL ARE EXPLAINED How many of us have purchased expensive SCADA packages with stunning demo graphics only to find that the real project graphical displays just don't come up to...

Formal methods for safety critical systems. (software-based safety control systems)
May 1, 1994... SOFTWARE-BASED SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE BEING USED INCREASINGLY NOW TO PROTECT PROCESS ALL SORTS OF PLANT Software-based control systems used in safety critical applications are becoming widely accepted in all sorts of industries - yet are...

When can the process industry use Fieldbus?
May 1, 1994... TEN YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO WAIT - BUT ARE WE READY TO IMPLEMENT FIELDBUS WHEN IT ARRIVES? Having waited patiently for a single Fieldbus standard, BP, along with many other users, was dismayed by the split that occurred with the formation of...