Control and Instrumentation articles from May 1996

Control and Instrumentation archives from May 1996

Control systems: DCSs are evolving and innovative techniques emerging as modularity and scalability grow.
May 1, 1996... Subtle but far reaching changes are taking place in process control which are bound to alter the way control is both viewed and implemented in the 21st century. These are happening now, and will continue in an evolutionary way - probably...

Smart sensors and PCs: ultimate distributed control? (includes related article on volume chips and PC-compatibility)
May 1, 1996... With Microsoft and the PC appearing to dominate development, what's the future for control? Discrete manufacturing systems, at least, will increasingly be controlled by PCs instead of PLCs. So claimed Honeywell (C&I, March 1996, pages 7 and...

Are distributed controls rushing headlong onto PCs?
May 1, 1996... PC-based control in the chemicals industry, or petrochemicals, or even oil and gas - surely not? SCADA maybe, but not control? Well, we had better get used to the prospect. Last year saw the launch of Foxboro's I/A ported onto PCs and Microsoft...

Silicon implants: getting the measure of humidity; Humidity Sensing gets new look with Silicon Implants.
May 1, 1996... Humidity Sensing gets new look with Silicon Implants When you want to measure humidity you're faced, as in many other areas of measurement, with a diverse range of technologies. We're all cautious of the latest devices and new algorithms which...

Processes weighing in - the next developments. (includes related article on InstMC's new Code of Practice for calibrating process weighing systems)
May 1, 1996... Will the recent improvements in the field of industrial weighing and formal calibration contine? Advances in electronics and manufacturing technology, specially in recent years, have brought huge improvements in performance to weighing systems...

Chemicals - better batch controls.
May 1, 1996... Europe and America are using the Internet to produce an international batch standard based on SP88 For many years now people have been talking about SP88 the batch control standard. In February '95 ISA-SP88.01, Batch Control Part 1: Models and...

Fieldbus: is this the best route for Europe?
May 1, 1996... EN50170 - the European fieldbus - is to be announced next month, but what are the implications for the public utilities and beyond? A recent decision by CENELEC has dramatically reduced the number of fieldbuses that can be purchased by public...

A user view on the user layer: will the Fieldbus Foundation's bus satisfy users?
May 1, 1996... Will the Fieldbus Foundation's bus satisfy users? None of the currently available fieldbus protocols allows the end user to 'plug and play' on the bus, and there is always the need for specialist knowledge to make the devices work. As far as...

Lowering the cost of data acquisition.
May 1, 1996... Increased bandwidth in the form of the PCI bus is putting low cost PC systems on a par with VME and Multibus Despite the rapid growth of PC-based data acquisition in recent years, the mainstream of industrial applications has continued to be...

System validation towards total quality.
May 1, 1996... There are many factors to consider when planning and implementing a process and control system Over the past decade, changing UK and European legislation have brought new meanings to the words 'quality' and 'standards' for most manufacturing...

Calibration: a guide through the maze.
May 1, 1996... The plethora of certificates and approvals available to users of instruments is enough to fog the clearest minds. So what do you need? Many current regulations require process and storage conditions (temperature, pressure, flow, etc) to be...

Predicting quality on-line and real time.
May 1, 1996... If you've had problems with automating processes by on-line analysis, read on You need to optimise production while maintaining a tight product specification. You also need to continuously measure product quality and control your process....

Field asset management: cutting operating costs. (includes related article on reliability-centered maintenance)
May 1, 1996... New approaches to plant asset management are available through RCM, PCs and smart devices Plant maintenance accounts for 15-40% of annual operating costs, and in Europe, about five times more is spent yearly on maintenance than on capital...