Control and Instrumentation articles from September 1994

Control and Instrumentation archives from September 1994

"50 years of real progress." (Institute of Measurement and Control's Golden Jubilee anniversary)
September 1, 1994... Time flies. It seems almost incredible that the Institute of Measurement and Control's Golden Jubilee is here already. Not that C&I, nor I for that matter, have been around for all of that time. The journal first saw the light of day in 1958, and...

The case for validation of PLCs. (programmable logic controllers)
September 1, 1994... The use of programmable logic controllers with increasingly sophisticated software controlling more complex safety critical applications is growing. Is there a case for verifying and validating this software? Dr Phil Bennett, from The Centre...

Open architecture RTUs simplify gas monitoring. (remote terminal units used by British Gas PLC)
September 1, 1994... Distributed, intelligent, digital control and monitoring subsystems are helping British Gas Newcastle improve its gas distribution monitoring and control telemetry strategy. 145 outstations have been upgraded with Arcom's M1 HART-compatible...

Advanced sensors. (biosensors, integrated optical sensors and micromachined sensors)
September 1, 1994... Biosensors, integrated optical sensors and micromachined sensors are just the start of a wide range Advanced sensors may be thought of as sensors employing newly developed technologies that are only starting to be commercialised, or which are...

European safety: the CE mark comes to hazardous areas. (ATEX Directives)(includes related articles)
September 1, 1994... Two new Directives will impact all equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres Hardly a week goes by without new European legislation and Directives being issued which have a direct bearing on the life of engineers and all those...

The control room standards and legislation are impacting ergonomics.
September 1, 1994... Current and up-coming legislation are set to impact the way we control Over the last decade, developments in computing and communications technology have allowed for a concentration of control functions. When this flexibility is combined with...

NAMUR says yes to fieldbus technology - and the promise of reduced costs. (Namur Study Group)
September 1, 1994... The benefits will be numerous -- and not expensive; in fact, there will be cost savings on installation and maintenance Conventional signal transmission between field devices and process computers will soon be replaced by fieldbus. And,...

50 years of C&I development. (control and instrumentation) (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... Measurement and control has seen many changes - and even more to come I am delighted to introduce this commemorative supplement which has been produced by Control and Instrumentation to honour the Golden Jubilee of the Institute. The InstMC...

Where we came in.... (history of trade magazine Control and Instrumentation) (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... Although Control and Instrumentation history does not stretch back as far as the InstMC's 50 years -- on which our congratulations -- the following is a brief round-up of milestones since our launch in 1958. 1958 Electronic (thermionic...

Flowmetering evolution or revolution. (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... Flow measurement has moved from mechanical to solid state devices -- what does the next century have in store? Flow is probably the most important process variable that we have to measure. Water, air, steam, chemicals and food products are but...

Control: past and future. (process control)(includes related article) (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... new developments, such as fuzzy logic and self-tuning, can take up to 20 years' gestation Digital process control started to be developed around 25 years ago, with discrete silicon transistors and the first integrated circuits beginning to...

Communications: staying in control of networks is critical. (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... The last 25 years have seen dramatic changes in the communications industry. In 1970 we had minimal digital communications on process plants and, on the wider front, no fax machines, no answer machines and no mobile telephones. Communication...

Control valves: developments continue. (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... but pneumatics still reign supreme, despite the latest moves towards smart valves I arrived on the instrumentation and process control scene just four years after the formation of the Society of Instrument Technology, and immersed myself in...

Education: is continuous professional development needed for engineers and technicians? (Institute of Measurement and Control Golden Jubilee Commemorative Supplement)
September 1, 1994... formalising CPD for engineers is creating mixed views, but the Institute is moving ahead Moves to formalise continuous professional development (CPD) for the engineering profession are not without controversy, but there is a need to provide...

Advanced technology: that's today's view of food and beverage processing. (inlcudes related article)
September 1, 1994... Whereas food and beverage used to be characterised as an industry not quite ripe for automation, now it's all systems go Distillery and blending processes based on traditions and skills established over centuries seem a somewhat unlikely target...