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 February 2009 • Volume XXII • Number 2

fe a t u r es
A n a l y t i c a l I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n

39 / Slowly But Surely

The market for miniaturized, modular sampling systems
has yet to emerge, but NeSSI evangelists remain hope-
ful. by Dave Harrold

F i e l d b u s

45 / New ‘HART’ for an

Old Standard
Has HART 7 given this old standby a new lease on life?
by John Rezabek

P r o c e s s M e a s u r e m e n t

51 / Differential Pressure
Level Transmitters
The not-so-straightforward basics of this measurement
technique. by David W. Spitzer

I n t r i n s i c Saf e t y

56 / Intrinsic Safety:
A Foreign Concept
Intrinsically safe I/O is all the rage in the rest of the
world, but not here in North America. What’s the prob-
lem? by Rich Merritt

Cover Story
W E B E X C L U S I V E S
32 / Process Automation Hall of
OPC UA Security by Eric Murphy Fame: Five of Automation’s
www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/OPCUASecu-
rity0812.html
Biggest Hits
Back then, they were the future, and we’re still playing their
Andrew Bond reports on process control across the At- songs. by Walt Boyes
lantic. by Andrew Bond
www.controlglobal.com/bond0902.html

CONTROL (ISSN 1049-5541) is published monthly by PUTMAN Media COMPANY (also publishers of CONTROL DESIGN, CHEMICAL PROCESSING, FOOD PROCESSING, Industrial Networking,
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, and PLANT SERVICES ), 555 W. Pierce Rd., Ste. 301, Itasca, IL 60143. (Phone 630/467-1300; Fax 630/467-1124.) Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offices, same ad-
dress. Periodicals Postage Paid at Itasca, IL, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the United States. ©Putman Media 2009. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication February not be reproduced in whole or part without
consent of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTROL, P.O. Box 3428, Northbrook, IL 60065-3428. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified-reader subscriptions are accepted from Operating Management in the control
industry at no charge. To apply for qualified-reader subscription, fill in subscription form. To non-qualified subscribers in the U.S. and its possessions, subscriptions are $70.00 per year. Single copies are $15.00 domestic, $17.00 foreign. Subscriptions
for Canada and Mexico are $112.00. Foreign subscriptions outside of Canada and Mexico accepted at $125.00 per year for surface and $210.00 for airmail. CONTROL assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items reported. Canada
Post International Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40028661. Canadian Mail Distributor Information: Frontier/BWI,PO Box 1051,Fort Erie,Ontario, Canada, L2A 5N8.

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 5

CT0902_05_07_TOC.indd 5 1/28/09 10:25:19 AM

 Turning a drop of vision
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CT0902_FPA.indd 6 1/29/09 10:54:20 AM

 February 2009 • Volume XXII • Number 2

D E PA RT M E N T S

9 / Editorial 31 / Resources IN PROCESS

Getting the bean-counters to take cyberse- Recorders and data acquisition online helps.
curity seriously.

61 / Ask the Experts

10 / Control Online The panel tackles flowmeter and nuclear
Hidden treasures on ControlGlobal.com. plant upgrade questions.

13 / Feedback 63 / Roundup
Readers respond. Get your HMI hardware and software good-
ies here. Honeywell president Norman
“Norm” Gilsdorf
14 / Hitchhiker’s Guide
Alphabet soup and the politics of ownership. 66 / Products
The latest in the marketplace, plus exclu-
sive product introductions from Honeywell
19 / On the Bus and Endress+Hauser.
Training wheels for fieldbus systems are not
so wild a dream.
70 / Technically Speaking PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Why the hassle of moving to an automated
20 / InProcess calibration system is worth it.
News from around the process automation
world.
71 / Control Talk
The secret life of electrodes—Part 1 of a
29 / Control Report three-part exposé.
Too many safety standards are talking a lot,
but they aren’t saying anything.
74 / Windup
Process automation’s place in the Obama
administration. Omegadyne’s MM Series
pressure transducers

Circulation aUdited JUNE/2008

Chemicals & Allied Products................................................................................12,748
Food & Kindred Products.....................................................................................13,918
Paper & Allied Products..........................................................................................3,485
Primary Metal Industries.........................................................................................5,347
Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services............................................................................2,644
System Integrators & Engineering Design Firms.....................................................9,901
Rubber and Miscellaneous Plastic Products...........................................................4,568
Stone, Clay, Glass & Concrete products.................................................................2,205
Textile Mill Products...............................................................................................1,559
Petroleum Refining & Related Industries.................................................................3,288
Tobacco Products.......................................................................................................120
Total circulation.....................................................................................................65,051

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 7

CT0902_05_07_TOC.indd 7 1/28/09 10:33:58 AM

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What Will It Take to Keep Us Cyber-Safe?
People keep asking why the management of companies in the critical infrastructure in-
dustries aren’t jumping on the cybersecurity problem and crushing it into manageable
chunks to get it done. Truth be told, some companies are. Dow Chemical is a shining star
in this regard. But many others are acting like ostriches with their heads buried deeply.
Why? The problem has been clearly identified,
and several workable solutions besides ripping
everything out and putting secure stuff in have
been devised. Yet there is no enormous rush to
institute major projects, and there wasn’t even
before the greedy idiots who run the world’s
mortgage banks allowed the economy to go to
smash. So there’s something we’re obviously
not seeing.
I’ve talked about the economic calculus be-
fore. Companies are founded and run on the
premise that they will deliver maximum value
and return to their shareholders. Expecting
companies of any kind, including publicly
owned entities such as power or water/wastewa-
ter utilities, to do anything that does not lead
directly to delivering value and return to their
shareholders is like expecting the sun to come
up in the west. It’s not going to happen.
The series of commercials from IBM now
showing on TV—the ones with the engineer
briefing the board of directors on going green—
clearly illustrate this fact. The minute the en-
gineer stops blathering on about the “how-to”
and provides a business value statement like,
“We’ll save 40% of our energy cost in the next
year, and we spent $18 million on energy last
year,” the Disney-like cartoon forest pops out,
and the birdies sing and the board members
dance around hugging the cartoon tree.
We who understand that there is a problem
and have identified it, its scope and what needs
to be done to implement the solutions we’ve
devised are stymied because the people we
are talking to are telling us, like the manager
in one of the IBM commercials, “The people
I report to don’t eat granola.” Board members
remember the Y2K debacle all too well. They
don’t want to spend a lot of money on a disaster
that isn’t going to happen.
The economic calculus has been widened to
CT0902_09_Edit.indd 9
EDITOR’S PAGE
Walt boyes
Editor in chief
wboyes@putman.net
include “going green.” Sustainability, by what-
ever definition, is a hot topic in boardrooms
these days, and major corporations don’t want
to be seen as any color but green.
How did that happen? Partly, the economic
calculus got widened the same way it did in the
1960s when, under the impetus of The Silent
Spring by Rachel Carson, the environmental
movement went mainstream. That, in turn,
caused the development of legislation and reg-
ulation that made it possible to cost the effects
of continuing to pollute versus the effects of ini-
tiating pollution control procedures. In other
words, it magically got cheaper to not pollute,
because there were laws and regulations, with
fines attached, that could be accounted for on
a balance sheet.
The same things now need to happen with
cybersecurity in critical infrastructure. We
need to widen the economic calculus once
again. There is some groundswell already. Now
there needs to be pressure on the people who
will provide the other side of the economic cal-
culus equation: We know what the costs are;
what we need is to provide some reason to do
cybersecurity projects other than because we
think they should be done.
We will need legislation and regulations that What we need is
make it necessary to do those projects. Write
your legislators. Talk to insurance companies. to provide some
Mention the dread words “Sarbanes-Oxley”
to your managers as high in the corporations reason to do cyber-
as you can reach. And the tree will show up
in your office, and the cartoon bluebirds and security projects
squirrels will dance and sing.
other than because
we think they
should be done.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 9
1/27/09 5:07:00 PM
 CONTROL ONLINE

www.controlglobal.com/thismonth

Hidden Treasures SNMP – A New Paradigm for SCADA

Learn how SNMP is applied to asset
management and transportation of
“shadow data,” information on equip-
K ATHERINE BONFANTE ment maintenance and security within
MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL MEDIA
kbonfante@putman.net the SCADA system.
www.controlglobal.com/whitepa-
pers/2009/001.html
You know the feeling you get when you put your hands between the sofa cush-
ions and discover a dollar bill? How about when you’re doing laundry and find IP Forwarding in Semaphore’s T–Box RTU
long-forgotten money in a pants pocket? Well, I’m about to show you a similar How to configure the IP gateway capa-
hidden treasure. bilities in a T-Box RTU to enable sup-
ControlGlobal.com has an exclusive online column called OPC Connec- port of configuration and diagnostics in
tion (www.controlglobal.com/voices/opc_connection.html). This online col- remote site equipment and communi-
umn is written by Eric Murphy, a chemical engineer with a process control cations of process information.
specialization and an OPC expert. Murphy has been a part of the OPC com- www.controlglobal.com/whitepa-
munity since its early beginnings in the mid-1990s and is a member of the pers/2009/002.html
OPC Foundation’s Technical Advisory Council.
Murphy’s latest column is titled “OPC UA Security:
Open I/O Systems
Do You Have Reservations?” This article talks about
C
OP
Control’s Dan Hebert talks to Opto
OPC UA security reservations end users have when they
ion 22’s Arun Sinha and Benson Hougland
start thinking of adopting this technology. The article ect
nn about how the once-proprietary links
also discusses how OPC UA provides the infrastructure Co between controllers and I/O are be-
for multiple tiers of security implementation. Check out
coming ever more open, why an open
the OPC Connection channel to read this article, or access it directly by visit-
I/O system is good, how it is becoming
ing www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/OPCUASecurity0812.html.
more widespread, and the remaining
“Trans-Domain Technology Proliferation” is another of Murphy’s columns.
barriers to open systems.
Here, he gets to the bottom of what the daunting term “trans-domain technol-
www.controlglobal.com/multime-
ogy proliferation” really means. Murphy writes that for some users this sounds
dia/2009/OpenIOSystems0901.html
more like the latest thing in home theater equipment, but it really best de-
scribes what OPC is. Read the article at www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/
Wireless Now
TransDomainTechnologyProliferation0810.html to find out more.
The strategic role of wireless in refin-
If you’re thinking of implementing an OPC UA security system, read our ar-
ing automation technology.
ticle “OPC Security: Seven Years, Seven Fears.” This article lists seven security
www.considerwireless.com/
fears that every OPC systems owner should confront before implementing this
system. At the same time, the article gives different OPC options that can help
sooth your fears. Some of the fears Murphy lists are loss of obscurity, compla-
cency and fear of the unknown. Read this article at www.controlglobal.com/
articles/2008/322.html to learn about these and the remaining fours fears. ControlGlobal E-News
To learn more about our OPC Connection channel, our well-guarded on- Multimedia Alerts
line treasure, visit our OPC Connection page at www.controlglobal.com/
voices/opc_connection.html). If you want to learn more about Eric Murphy, White Paper Alerts
come back every month to read his OPC column. You can also read his blog at
http://blog.matrikonopc.com and follow the latest trends and discussions about Go to www.controlglobal.com and
OPC technology. follow instructions to register for our
free weekly e-newsletters.
Updated every business day, the Control Global online magazine is available at no charge.
Go to www.controlglobal.com and follow instructions to register for our free weekly e-newsletters.

10 www.controlglobal.com F E B R U A R Y / 2 0 0 9

CT0902_10_WebToc.indd 10 1/27/09 5:08:31 PM

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 G N I K A E P S YL L A C I N H C E T FEEDBACK
555 W. PIERCE RD., SUITE 301 • ITASCA, ILLINOIS 60143

administrative team
President & CEO: JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI
Vice President: JULIE CAPPELLETTI-LANGE
VP, Circulation: JERRY CLARK Remembering Nels Tyring smart sensor load cells offered by Mettler-
publishing team I just re-read your Dec. 15 blog re Nels Toledo, and with our own ingenuity re-
Tyring for the third or fourth time, and I’m garding such applications as wireless tech-
Group Publisher/VP Content: KEITH LARSON
finally prepared to respond, knowing full nology, we seem to be far ahead of most of
klarson@putman.net
well you said everything and more that your readership. I often read articles, let-
Midwest/Southeast Regional Sales Manager: GREG ZAMIN could be said better than I could. ters and comments regarding applications
gzamin@putman.net
Nels was the first CSIA member I met that we take for granted.
630/551-2500, Fax: 630/551-2600
at my first executive conference, a half- For example, we’ve been implement-
Western Regional Sales Manager: LAURA MARTINEZ dozen years ago or so. From that day on, ing wireless systems
310/607-0125, Fax: 310/607-0168
Nels was always a source of ready answers, for years. Our smart
lmar tinez@putman.net
help, and ideas. He was someone with that sensors have been
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager: DAVE FISHER unique ability to always leave you with an on the market for
508/543-5172, Fax 508/543-3061
idea to build on. almost two decades.
dfisher@putman.net
I will certainly miss him. Your article states,
Inside Accounts Manager: POLLY DICKSON “Taking...(multiple)
pdickson@putman.net LOUIS ZIMMER sensors...to a smart...
adinf@msn.com
Ad Traffic Supervisor: ANETTA GAUTHIER analyzer with a sin-
agauthier@putman.net What About Weight? gle output to the
Subscriptions/Circulation: JERRY CLARK, JACK JONES Let me begin by thanking you for your control system is most certainly practical,
888/64 4-1803 magazine. I look forward to each issue and and we’ll see it done.” This is a common
invariably find something helpful within application in our weighing world. Sure,
foster reprints its pages. there are still small companies, who own
Reprints Marketing Manager: CLAUDIA STACHOWIAK Your recent article, “Wireless Arrays test weights and have little knowledge of
1-866-879-914 4 ex t. 121, Fax 219.561.2019 on New Sensor Frontier” (Oct. ’08, p. 52 technology, but they’re becoming less and
claudia@fostereprints.com
www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/ less common. I work for a multi-million
editorial team WirelessArraysNewSensorFrontier0810. dollar company in a multi-billion dollar
Editor in Chief: WALT BOYES html) was interesting. However, the article market. Take a look sometime.
wboyes@putman.net brings to mind a question. You stated that, ROBERT PROCTOR
Executive Editor: JIM MONTAGUE “The big four primary process variables ROBERT PROCTOR
jmontague@putman.net rproctor@birminghamtoledo.com
are flow, pressure, level and temperature.”
Digital Managing Editor: KATHERINE BONFANTE
While I can’t disagree that these variables Want Your Kid to Do This Job?
kbonfante@putman.net
are very common, it seems that weight is Comment from the “Sound Off!” blog on
Managing Editor: NANCY BARTELS
just as common, if not more so. this post: www.controlglobal.com/arti-
nbar tels@putman.net
I work for a company founded in 1946 cles/2006/041.html.
Senior Technical Editor: DAN HEBERT
as a scale service firm and distributor for The tough thing about getting people ex-
dheber t@putman.net
Toledo scales. Over the last 15 years, we cited about the joy of manufacturing is that
Products Editor: PATTI POOL
ppool@putman.net
turned this company into a weight-based the hyper-globalists allowed so much of it to
system integrator. We still service weigh- leave our shores. A key benefit I’ve gained
Contributing editors: JOHN REZABEK, RICH MERRITT
ing equipment, as well as perform cali- from following my father’s footsteps is that
Columnists: BÉLA LIPTÁK, GREG MCMILLAN, STAN WEINER,
CHARLIE GIFFORD, JEFF HARROW, DICK MORLEY brations of flow, pressure, level, and tem- I’ve seen a lot more than most of my peers.
Events Director: ANDY WUEBBEN perature devices, but the majority of our It gave me the chance to have my 10,000
Editorial Assistant: LORI GOLDBERG customers now look to us for more. It used hours in instrumentation in before I was
to be that our customers only wanted to 25—a huge advantage to truly understand-
design & production team see a weight, possibly write it down, or, ing the business. So many of the places I
Group Art Director: STEVE HERNER
more recently, print it out on paper. This gained that experience are gone.
sherner@putman.net
Art Director: DEREK CHAMBERLAIN is no longer true. Hopefully, the Obama administration
dchamberlain@putman.net With the advances made in computers will focus on bringing manufacturing jobs
Associate Art Director: TOM WAITEK over the last two decades, our customers back to the U.S., and with them the oppor-
t waitek@putman.net now ask us to integrate their weighing de- tunity to have those experiences again.
Multimedia Director: SCOTT BABCOCK vices with computers, PLCs, feeders, etc.
sbabcock@putman.net BOB KLUCK
“Systems” have become our leading
Bob.Kluck@PD-IR.com
JESSE H. NEAL AWARD WINNER sales mechanism. With the current digital,
NINE ASBPE EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
TWENTY-TWO ASBPE EXCELLENCE IN GRAPHICS AWARDS
FOUR OZZIE AWARDS FOR GRAPHICS EXCELLENCE F E B R U A R Y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 13

CT0902_13_Feedback.indd 13 1/27/09 5:09:23 PM

 H i t c hh i k e r ’ s G u i d e
MOM-MDM CRUDS Matter More than Politics of Ownership
Manufacturers are experiencing real pain around 1) accurate reporting (KPIs and financial), 2) regulatory compliance
and 3) implementing service-oriented architecture (SOA) and software as a service (SaaS). This pain has prompted
a great interest in master data management (MDM) at the enterprise level. However, MDM pain is increased
dramatically with the application and integration of manu-
facturing operations management (MOM) systems into the
enterprise to support globalization—and it’s not just trying
to keep track of the alphabet soup that’s the problem.
Rudimentary MDM Definitions
There are some very well-understood and easily identified
classical enterprise master data items, such as “customer”
and “product.” In fact, many define master data by simply re-
citing a commonly agreed upon enterprise master data item
list containing such all-purpose general terms as “customer,”
“product,” “location,” “employee” and “asset.”
However, identifying the data elements managed by a
MOM-MDM system is much more complex and defies such
rudimentary definitions. In fact, a lot of confusion and de-
bate swirls around what master data is in the make-to-order
SOA environment of 21st-century manufacturing and how
it is qualified, necessitating a much more comprehensive
treatment of the subject.
There are essentially five data types:
• Master: Critical nouns of business and operations gen-
erally fall into four groupings: people, things, places
and concepts. Further categorizations are called sub-
ject areas, domain areas or entity types. For example,
within “people” fall the categories of “customer,” “em-
ployee” and “salesperson.” Within “things” fall: “prod-
uct,” “part,” “store” and “asset.” Within “concepts” fall:
“contract,” “warranty” and “licenses.” Finally, within
“places” fall the subcategories of “office locations,” “geo-
graphic divisions,” “plants” and “work cells.”
 Domain areas may be further divided. Customers are
segmented by incentives and history. A company has nor-
mal customers, as well as “premiere” and “executive” cus-
tomers. Products are segmented by “sector,” “industry” and
“plant.” For example, master data requirements, the life cy-
cle, and the CRUDS (created, read, updated, deleted and
searched) cycle for a product in the consumer packaged
goods (CPG) sector is very different from those in the auto-
motive industry. The granularity of domains is essentially
determined by the magnitude of differences between the
attributes of domain entities and between the complexity
of operations processes and product/market changes.
14 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_14_16_HHiker.indd 14
 Master data is a special type of reference data shared
over a number of systems. Debate exists on the term
“master data,” since master data is also used for origi-
nal data, like an original recording. I dispute the advice
to avoid using the term “master data.” Original data in
the context of an original recording is more correctly re-
ferred to as “master copy.”
 Classical Master Data. Most enterprise systems have
data lists that are shared and used by several applica-
tions. For example, a typical ERP system as a minimum
has a Customer Master, an Item Master, and an Account
Master. This master data is a key company asset. It’s not
unusual for a company to be acquired primarily for ac-
cess to its Customer Master data.
 MOM Master Data. MOM Master Data typically are
composed of, but not limited to, product recipes/routes,
bills of materials (engineering and manufacturing), bills
of resources and hierarchies (equipment, materials—
raw, intermediate, consumed, and finished goods—and
personnel—engineers, operators, mechanics, techni-
cians, etc.— production rules set, quality test specifica-
tions and physical assets descriptions. MOM master data
sets change dramatically by manufacturing type, product
type, SKU count and work order mix/ type.
• Hierarchical: Hierarchical data stores the relationships
between data across systems (ERP, design, MOM, sup-
ply chain, etc., as descriptions of real-world relation-
ships, such as company organization structures or prod-
uct lines. Hierarchical data is sometimes considered a
super MDM domain because it is critical to understand-
ing and discovering data relationships.
• Transactional: Data related to sales, deliveries, in-
voices, trouble tickets, claims and other monetary and
non-monetary interactions.
• Metadata: Master data residing in a formal repository or
in various other structured forms, such as XML docu-
ments, report definitions, column descriptions in a da-
tabase, log files, connections and configuration files.
• Unstructured: Data found in email, white papers, mag-
azine articles, corporate intranet portals, product spec-
ifications, marketing collateral and PDF files.
At a basic level, MDM seeks to ensure an organization
1/28/09 4:48:48 PM
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H i t c hh i k e r ’ s G u i d e
does not use multiple and potentially inconsistent versions
of the same master data in different parts of its operations.
Other data problems include issues with data quality for KPI
analytics and financial metrics, consistent classification and
identification of data and data-reconciliation issues.
MDM processes include source identification, data col-
lection, data transformation, normalization, rule adminis-
tration, error detection and correction, data consolidation,
data storage, data distribution and data governance. Tools
include data networks, file systems, a data warehouse, data
marts, an operational data store, data mining, data analysis,
data federation and data visualization.
The MOM-MDM Paradox
Manufacturers experience massive issues with MOM-
MDM during mergers or acquisitions. Two merging orga-
nizations typically create an entity to duplicate master data
at the enterprise, product design, financial and production
levels. In practice, reconciling several MOM master data
sets (production, quality, plant inventory and maintenance
operations) and systems present complex difficulties due
to existing system dependencies of operations processes,
transaction, applications and metrics. As a result, architec-
tures do not merge fully with a “special reconciliation” pro-
cess to ensure consistency between the data stored across
MOM and enterprise systems. Consequently, aggregated
financial metrics become real barriers to change, optimi-
zation, adaptability and, finally, profitability of the plant
work processes. Furthermore, over time as further merg-
ers and acquisitions occur, problems and losses multiply as
more master databases appear and data-reconciliation pro-
cesses become extremely complex and consequently un-
manageable and unreliable. Ultimately, over 100 separate,
poorly integrated master databases evolve to cause serious
operational problems in customer satisfaction, market agil-
ity, operational efficiency, decision-support and regulatory
compliance.
MDM entities depend on the nature of manufacturers
and their markets. MDM processes identify MOM and
enterprise sources to collect entity descriptions. During
governance, transformation and normalization processes,
administrators adapt descriptions to standard formats and
data domains to remove duplicate instances of any entity.
A separate organizational MDM repository for each MOM
and enterprise process is recommended due to the high
> S O F T WA R E MOM change rate. MOM and Enterprise MDM must be
reconciled in real time so all requests produce the same
description, irrespective of the originating sources and the
requesting destinations. Otherwise, inaccurate data pro-
duces poor decisions.
1/27/09 5:10:27 PM
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Training Wheels for Fieldbus
Many early adopters have relied on trial and error and supplier or main instrument ven-
dor (MIV) expertise to get from ignorance to competence in fieldbus and related tech-
nologies. Some of us have seen some value in having a “training” system — a mini-sim-
ulation of what we’ll be installing in the real plant.
the rudimentary DCS components controller,
fieldbus H1 card or linking device, power sup-
plies and engineering interface/operator inter-
face with a representative selection of field de-
vicesthe opportunity for education, testing and
experimentation is significant.
At the Houston office of Bechtel, then-chief
engineer David Lancaster had his group as-
semble prototype systems that now span sev-
eral systems and many field devices. Beginning
with its first Foundation fieldbus (FF) projects
in 2001, Bechtel added relevant system com-
ponents and devices as required and “played”
with them, gaining proficiency in the skills that
would be needed at FAT and when the systems
were commissioned in the real plant. Nuances
such as fastest macrocycle times and effects of
downloads/changes were explored well in ad-
vance of “go-live” with real measurements and
controls. Procedures were tried out and faults
simulated without affecting running process.
Now teaching Foundation fieldbus classes
at Trine University in Angola, Ind., Lancaster
says “Having this type of facility, with multiple
hosts, wiring components and field devices by
many manufacturers, has made Bechtel an in-
dustry leader in the design and implementation
of Foundation Fieldbus.”
If you’re part of a smaller firm, building such
a prototype system can be challenging. Do
you ask a client to fund its acquisition? Even
if you’re successful, chances are the prototype
will head to the client’s site for its own use. But
if your shop is focused primarily on a single
host system’s offerings, then it benefits both of
you to have some substantial investment in a
demo and training system, both for prospective
customers and formal training courses.
Field devices, while individually less of an
investment, can quickly drain anyone’s budget
for non-billed incidental expenses and invest-
CT0902_19_OTB.indd 19
ON THE BUS
john Rez abek
contributing Editor
By acquiring and interconnecting jrezabek@ispcorp.com
ments. There’s a little more leeway for operator
and engineering workstation hardware, how-
ever specific licensing to unlock systems fea-
tures may be prohibitively expensive.
BP used another path, when it operated
chemical plants in Lima, Ohio. Seeing a need
for continuing education of its own employ-
ees, prospective employees and the contractor
workforce, BP donated sufficient funds to the
local technical college to allow it to procure a
nice assortment of systems hardware and field
devices. It also donated the technical expertise
to get the systems hooked up and operating.
Other suppliers offered their hardware at spe-
cial pricing and providing licensing at reduced
or zero cost. In a similar fashion, BP donated a
sizeable sum to help create and expand a simi-
lar (and much larger) lab at SAIT Polytechnic
in Calgary, Alberta.
Current economic stress may make such
generosity a pipe dream. However, economic
downturns can also mean idling or scrapping
some assets. You might find an early-adopter’s
fieldbus system in their boneyard.
Finally, end users can create a sandbox in
the midst of their physical plants. An unim-
portant or rarely used segment in a typically
idle part of the process can still be a test bed for
allaying fears and insecurities of operators and
technicians. Physical layer components can be
abused, and one can push the limits of segment
length, spur length, total devices and macrocy- Even in lean times,
cle times, all using spare parts or idle hardware.
A segment run into a shop area for training or there are ways
dead-weight calibrations can also be exploited
in this role. to get a fieldbus
No matter how you get there, the benefits
of having a small systemavailable early on the testbed if you think
road to digital integration of field devices and
throughout the life cycle of your projects and creatively.
plant is well worth the effort and expense.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 19
1/29/09 10:45:08 AM
 IN PROCESS

Norm Gilsdorf New Honeywell President

Experienced global exec takes reins from retiring Jack Bolick

Norman “Norm” Gilsdorf is the new research and development, business

president of Honeywell Process Solu-
tions. Gilsdorf was formerly vice presi-
dent and general manager of the Pro-
cess Solutions business in Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He
replaces Jack Bolick, who retired from
Honeywell after 10 years of service, in-
cluding six years as president of Honey-
well Process Solutions.
“The Process Solutions business has
grown significantly the last few years
and is well-positioned as a strong global
competitor in the important vertical
markets it serves,” said Roger Fradin,
president and chief executive officer
of Honeywell Automation and Control
Solutions. “Norm’s background, capa-
bilities and proven track record as a se-
nior leader make him a perfect fit to
lead the business forward.”
XXXX At UOP, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Honeywell International, Gilsdorf
was the senior vice president and gen-
Honeywell president, Norman
“Norm” Gilsdorf.
eral manager of the Process Technol-
ogy and Equipment business, which
serves the petrochemical, gas process-
ing and refining industries. Before
that appointment, he was responsible
for UOP’s Catalysts, Adsorbents and
Specialties business unit, and prior to
that held various technical services,
development and marketing and sales
roles. He joined UOP in 1977.
Gilsdorf has considerable global
business experience. In addition to
his role leading the Process Solu-
tions business in EMEA, Gilsdorf
spent five years working for UOP in
the United Kingdom in various roles,
where he served as director of sales
and services across Europe, Middle
East, Commonwealth of Indepen-
dent States (CIS), India and Africa
for the petrochemical industries. He
also spent seven years in Moscow as
director of sales and services for the
CIS region, where he and his team
helped launch UOP into Russia in
the 1990s.
Gilsdorf holds a B.S. degree in
chemical engineering from Purdue
University, Lafayette, Ind., and an
MBA from Northwestern University,
Evanston, Ill.

Longbow Survey Shows Flat Demand
Invenstment analyst firm, Longbow Research, Indepen-
dence, Ohio, released a survey last month indicating that
demand in manufacturing was predominantly flat or nega-
tive for the last three months of 2008. According to analysts
Mark Douglass and Eli Lustgarten, reports of decreasing
demand were more prevalent in December, accounting for
35% (versus 24% in October) while flat demand was ba-
sically unchanged at 44% (versus. 43%). The automotive,
machine tools, pulp and paper, steel, ethanol, semiconduc-
tors and general industrial sectors were cited as particularly
weak, with packaging, solar, oil and gas, beverage, wastewa-
ter, biodiesel and pharmaceuticals still showing life. MRO
work is supporting many right now, but this pipeline is ex-
pected to last only about another three to five months.
Pricing remains strong year over year, but flat sequen-
tially. Pricing remains up, with respondents reporting a
year-over-year increase ranging from 3% to 12%. Forty-
two percent now categorize prices as up less than 5% (ver-
sus 47% in October) and 54% observed increases of 5% to
10% (versus 50% in October). Pricing has remained stable
sequentially, and there were no reported announcements
of pending price increases.
One Ohio-based respondent said, “[Pricing for] products
that came out more recently are pretty flat, because the raw
material increases were already priced in. Anything that’s
been out for a while is up 10-12%.”
Inventories remain in-line. The majority of survey respon-
dents (59%) still have flat inventories (versus 76% in Octo-
ber) with upticks in increasing and decreasing inventories:
16% reported decreases (versus 5% in October), reflecting
fourth quarter economic weakness, and 25% reported in-
creases (versus 18%). Many of the contacts who stated that
inventories were increasing cited strong local economies or
efforts to win market share as the cause. (cont. p. 22)

20 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9

CT0902_20_27_InPro.indd 20 1/28/09 2:02:15 PM

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CT0902_FPA.indd 21 1/29/09 10:59:24 AM

 IN PROCESS
DCS Markets
Douglass and Lustgartin also discussed
the market for what used to be called
DCS systems...things like FactoryTalk
and PlantWeb/DeltaV/AMS.
Their report says, “We also have in-
dications that plant-wide software (e.g.,
Rockwell’s Factory Talk and Emerson’s
PlantWeb/AMS Suite) demand is wan-
ing due to the economic downturn.
Even in good times, small- to medium-
sized manufacturers have had difficulty
justifying the investment costs and are
especially leery now, while large multi-
nationals have already transitioned. One
integrator commented that many compa-
nies continue to look, but do not upgrade
until the pain of not installing plant-wide
software ‘hurts.’”
A Missouri-based distributor surveyed
said, “Allen Bradley (ROK) stuff is weak,
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CT0902_20_27_InPro.indd 22
but so is everything else. The only new
business we’re generating is from people
overhauling their production facilities.
There are still some of those projects
ramping up, and we have at least four
months in our pipeline.”
AVG’s Kumar
Challenges Big Three
Shalli Kumar, chairman and CEO of
AVG, a Midwest-based, vertically inte-
grated designer and manufacturer of
electronic parts, is vying for the atten-
tion of Congress and the mainstream
media with some ideas the Big Three
automakers’ bailout.
He started with a letter to CNN’s Lou
Dobbs which says, in part, that the Big
Three are “spending close to $1.2 billion
per year on automation control products
that are supposed to increase plant pro-
ductivity and reduce costs. Most of these
products are not even manufactured in
the U.S. anymore. On the other hand,
there are American companies that can
provide better products for half the cost,
saving Detroit $600 million per year,
with products that are manufactured
in the U.S., further creating additional
high-tech manufacturing jobs here.”
He has followed the Dobbs letter up
with similar ones to his representatives
in Congress. Kumar wants to make a
discussion of Detroit’s procurement
practices part of the debate about giv-
ing more money to the automakers.
“I would like a component in policy-
making for a bailout,” he says. “Let
there be a public discourse on this.
We are a global economy, but if there
are products that are a better solution
for the same or less money, then they
should buy in America. Congressional
hearings will take place regarding the
union labor costs and conditions, but I
don’t think there is an understanding
in the public of where else they will be
spending the money wisely.”
Chrysler already has received $4 bil-
lion in federal short-term loans. GM
has received $9.4 billion. Both compa-
nies hope to receive additional financ-
ing in mid-February. Ford rethought
its request for help from the federal
government and so far has declined
any funding.
When contacted about Kumar’s re-
marks, General Motors declined to
comment, but Chrysler spokesperson
Mary Beth Halprin defended her com-
pany’s policies, saying that standard-
ization makes financial sense, but that
a component’s true cost must be cal-
culated in a larger equation. “There’s
a negative cost side to make a switch
on controls—to jump from vendor to
vendor—especially if you’re only tar-
geting certain parts,” she said. “We are
continuing to study new opportunities
to improve our controls strategy while
not compromising the specifications
1/29/09 3:21:55 PM
 MODERNIZING
TOC MEASUREMENT
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CT0902_FPA.indd 23 1/29/09 11:00:23 AM

 IN PROCESS
needed in our plants. If any supplier
has ideas, we welcome them and en-
courage them to contact us about these
ideas. There’s more willingness in our
organization to look at new opportuni-
ties in manufacturing and sourcing.”
CT0902_20_27_InPro.indd 24
Paulett Eberhart
Leaves Invensys
In a move that caught the entire indus-
try off-guard, Paulett Eberhart has left
Invensys Process Systems (IPS). Ulf
Henriksson, CEO of Invensys plc, has
taken on the role of Acting President
and CEO of IPS pending the appoint-
ment of a successor.
The brief announcement from IPS
quotes Henrikssson, “I would like to
thank Paulett for her efforts over
the past two years and wish her ev-
ery success in the future. IPS is well
placed to deal with the current eco-
nomic uncertainties and our strong
financial position allows us to con-
tinue to invest in the business to po-
sition it as a leader in helping clients
improve their efficiency. I look for-
ward to working with the IPS team
to further improve our businesses
performance.”
No other explanation of Eberhart’s
departure has been forthcoming.
New Delivery Models
Drive LIMS Market
Leveraging the success of the Sales-
force.com model, Laboratory In-
formation Management Systems
(LIMS) software-as-a-service (SaaS)
will emerge and reshape the LIMS
marketplace, says a new study from
ARC Advisory Group. The world-
wide market for LIMS is expected
to grow at a compounded annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9% over
the next five years. The forecast says
the market will reach approximately
$395 million in 2008 and grow to
over $454 million in 2013, according
to the study.
Historically, LIMS have been de-
livered using the outright purchase
model. The success of Salesforce.
com has end users and suppliers
reevaluating software acquisition
methods. “Small and medium labo-
ratories currently using home-grown
systems may find the Internet hosted
model a more affordable option for
LIMS,” according to Senior Analyst
Paula Hollywood, the principal au-
1/28/09 2:03:20 PM
CT0902_FPA.indd 25 1/29/09 11:01:29 AM
 IN PROCESS

thor of ARC’s market report, “Labo-

ratory Information Management Sys-
tems Worldwide Outlook.” 500
Enhancing compliance with regu-
latory guidelines is a major impetus 400
for acquiring and implementing a

Millions of dollars
LIMS, according to the report. For 300
multinational companies, keeping
pace with global regulations can
keep a multi-person staff busy full 200
time. This can be a problematic situ-
ation for manufacturers that need to 100
streamline their compliance efforts
while decreasing their risk of non- 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
compliance. Evolving regulations
require improved documentation
of laboratory tests and an enhanced The LIMS market is expected to grow to more than $400 million by 2013, ac-
ability to share test results with other cording to a recent ARC Advisory Group report.
departments and third parties in real
time. One of the crucial functions event in the life cycle of a sample, ratory results, tracking and for regu-
of LIMS is the ability to trace each which is essential in protecting labo- latory compliance.

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CT0902_20_27_InPro.indd 26 1/28/09 2:03:46 PM


Web 2.0 refers to trends in how
World Wide Web technology is used
to enhance web functionality and
the user experience. The charac-
teristics of Web 2.0 include rich
user experience, user participation,
dynamic content, metadata, web
standards and scalability. It is the
platform for web-based versions of
LIMS which the majority of LIMS
suppliers now provide for decentral-
ized decision making. Web 2.0 is the
backbone of LIMS on demand, as it
enables syndication of both content
and services.
LIMS implementations by multi-
national and domestic manufactur-
ers and research organizations in
emerging markets will contribute to
growth in LIMS revenues. As coun-
tries in Eastern Europe and South-
east Asia develop manufacturing
bases that seek to compete in the
global marketplace, enterprises of
all sizes will need systems capable of
tracking samples and creating audit
trails; of providing broad reporting,
monitoring and analysis capabilities;
and capable of supporting regulatory
compliance both domestically and
internationally.
China, of course, has had some
bad press in terms of toy and food
recalls in the past year. Manufactur-
ers here will need LIMS in order to
prove to foreign partners they have
sophisticated quality control proce-
dures in place, as well as the ability
to trace contaminated product once
it has been identified.
WBF Postpones
2009 Conference
WBF, the forum for automation and
manufacturing professionals, for-
merly known as World Batch Forum,
has announced that because of the
economic situation, it has decided to
postpone its North American Con-
ference for 2009 to a date later in
CT0902_20_27_InPro.indd 27
IN PROCESS
the year. The new date will be an-
nounced at a later time.
“We believe that we need to re-
spond to the global economic situ-
ation in an appropriate way,” says
Maurice Wilkins, outgoing chair-
man of WBF. “We’ve decided that a
conference held as early in 2009 as
we had originally scheduled it would
not serve the membership and spon-
sors of WBF.”
“We will be hosting an Executive BAT54-F
IP67 Wireless Ethernet
Summit, along with the annual Pro-
cess Automation Hall of Fame ban-
quet and awards ceremony, spon-
sored by Control magazine and Industrial Networking Solutions
Yokogawa Corporation, in the spring
For EtherNet/IP, Profinet and
in Chicago,” says George Devine,
Modbus TCP
technical director of WBF.
Meeting your industrial and mission-
The banquest and press confer-
critical networking needs. From
ence are scheduled for April 23 at the stand-alone machinery to complete
Embassy Suites Rosemont in subur- industrial plant infrastructure. Globally.
ban Chicago.
Products/Features at a Glance:
“We will be inviting the global
• Managed and unmanaged Ethernet
press and our sponsors to a detailed switches from 3 to 48 copper and/or
press briefing discussing the reposi- fiber ports
tioning of WBF into an organization • DIN rail, 19” rack and IP67 panel-mount
that can have a significant impact • Speeds from 10 Megabit to 10 Gigabit
• Complete hardened wireless Ethernet
on manufacturing going forward…
solutions, including 802.11n
as significant an impact as it has • DIN rail mount firewall for network
had in the past, with the adoption of security and VPN connectivity
ISA88 and ISA95 in manufacturing • Industrial-grade Ethernet cabling and
worldwide,” says Devine. “Further patch cords
• Training, troubleshooting, product
information on the Executive Sum- staging and commissioning
mit will be forthcoming in Febru-
ary,” he said. g
a lo
Separation from ISA C at
ew
Bill Stewart, incoming chairman of
WBF, says, “WBF will be remaining N
as part of the Automation Federa-
tion, but WBF and ISA have arrived
at a mutual decision to separate their
operations.”
WBF has retained KCA, Inc., as its
Hirschmann Automation and Control™
association management company, in
A BELDEN BRAND
an effort to develop some synergy with 1540 Orchard Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17201
Phone: 717.217.2200
KCA’s other major client MESA Inter- ethernet@hirschmann-usa.com
national. WBF will operate under the www.hirschmann-usa.com
direction of newly appointed techni-
cal director, George Devine, who re-
ports to the board of directors.
1/28/09 2:04:28 PM
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Short on Specifics
The best news is the kind you can use immediately. The worst contains only vague and
pretty much useless suggestions. A few trusted sources deliver the meat and potatoes
you need to improve your job and well-being, while far too many others are little more
than mouthfuls of steam. David Byrne, lead sinder of the Talking Heads, described this
situation close to 30 years ago in the song “Psy-
cho Killer,” in which he sang, “You’re talking a
lot, but you’re not saying anything.”
Sadly, this is a very common illness. And, it’s
why our stories in Control strive to give read-
ers specific content they can use to make their
processes and applications more efficient and
make their stressful jobs a little less so. Some-
times we’re more successful than others.
Now, this lack of specifics might seem be-
nign, but I think obscuring useful facts and fail-
ing to deliver specifics is actually pretty evil. Of
course, not having the right data in technical,
industrial and process applications can be haz-
ardous and downright deadly in many process
control applications. However, while no lives
and limbs are at stake, useless content holds
readers and viewers back from the progress they
might make if they had better data. It’s a slower
moving kind of damage, but it’s still harmful.
Unfortunately, the occasional sub-standard
magazine story isn’t the only place where neb-
ulous hot air collects. For example, I’ve been
covering industrial networking and control and
automation standards for more than 10 years,
and while some seem helpful and useful, others
are unspecific and unprescriptive to the point
of making them pretty much useless.
I mean, how useful is a safety standard that
doesn’t say much more than “you’d better de-
sign a safe industrial system,” but doesn’t tell
you how to do it, and instead instructs you to
get certification elsewhere? That’s not a much
of a “standard.” At best, it’s more like a signpost,
and at worst, it’s a complete cop out.
Now, I was a big fan of the National Fire
Protection Association’s (www.NFPA.org) work
when I covered municipal fire prevention, build-
ing codes and school life/safety issues years ago.
However, while the two most recent updates to
the NFPA-79 standard reportedly allow use of
CT0902_29_CntrlRep.indd 29
control report
Jim Montague
e xecutive Editor
jmontague@putman.net
“certified” safety PLCs, I’m still looking for that
precise language in the online document. And,
if this required certification is defined, evaluated
and judged by TÜV Rhineland and others, what
good is the standard?
Likewise, IEC 61508 is laudable in its call
for functional safety of electronic systems, but
its language is so general that it often doesn’t
seems to say more than “safety is good.” I know
completely prescriptive standards are impossi-
ble because industries and applications differ
so much. However, it would helpful if the folks
who develop standards would put more effort
into them. Thankfully, this standard’s develop-
ers eventually drafted the more succinct IEC
61511, which focuses on safety-instrumented
systems (SISs) and seems to provide more use-
ful requirements that users can implement.
While a lack of specifics might seem like la-
ziness, and I’m sure it often is, I’ve come to real-
ize that some fuzzy thinking seems deliberate.
I watched as the original IEC 61158 fieldbus
standard was injected with several influential
fieldbus protocols and ballooned into the now
famous eight-headed standard. This was report-
edly done to give users more choices, but I still The roaches in
think it was done to protect several suppliers’
old technologies by keeping their users hostage. the kitchen would
I wouldn’t be surprised if some standards—or at
least their more useless parts—are intentionally be fools to scatter
designed to confuse and frighten potential us-
ers away from trying new technologies. before the lights
In the recent past, more than a few politi-
cians, stockbrokers and bankers have been act- come on—
ing this same way. So while some ideological
differences are real, others pull a good-faith veil especially if they
over titanic examples of pure thievery, such as
unnecessary wars and bank bailouts. I mean, can keep the lights
the roaches in the kitchen would be fools to
scatter before the lights come on—especially if covered.
they can keep the lights covered.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 29
1/27/09 5:15:48 PM
 ©2008 Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc.
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Answers for industry. s

CT0902_FPA.indd 30 1/29/09 11:02:56 AM

Data Acquisition
CONTROL’s Monthly Resource Guide
Every month, Control’s editors take a specific product area, collect all the latest, significant tools we can find,
and present them here to make your job easier. If you know of any tools and resources we didn’t include, send
them to wboyes@putman.net, and we’ll add them to the website.
TECHNICAL REFERENCE
OMEGA Engineering
800/848-4271 www.omega.com
Transactions in Measurement &
Control series Volume 2, Data Acqui-
sition, acts as a technical reference
for everyday users of instrumenta-
tion and controls. Data Acquisition,
Volume 2, is packed with informa-
tion on analog I/O functionality,
analog signal transmission, digital
signal transmission, digital I/O func-
tionality, presentation and analysis
and data acquisition hardware. Di-
rect link at: www.omega.com/litera-
ture/transactions.
ALL ABOUT SCADA
ISA
919/549-8411 www.isa.org
SCADA: Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition, 3rd Edition, by
Stuart Boyer is an overview of SCA-
DA’s component technologies. Af-
CT0902_31_Resource.indd 31
ter completing its 14 self-study units,
readers should be conversant with
SCADA nomenclature and architec-
ture, understand the basic technology
of the system’s building blocks, un-
derstand its limitations, understand
how it can benefit particular opera-
tions, and have a basis for selecting
appropriate SCADA technologies for
their operational requirements. Di-
rect link at: www.isa.org/Template.
cfm?Section=Books1&Template=/
E c o m m e r c e / P r o d u c t D i s p l a y.
cfm&ProductID=7287.
PCI BUS FOR DATA ACQUISITION
Data Tr ansl ation
800/525-8528 www.datatranslation.com
White paper entitled “Benefits of the
PCI Bus for Data Acquisition and Im-
aging” discusses what a PCI bus is;
bandwidth breakthrough for fast data
rates; bus mastering for low latency;
PCI bandwidth comparison; processor
independence; ISA bus performance
degrading; benefits of PCI for data
acquisition applications; benefits of
PCI for imaging applications and up-
gradable compatibility. Direct link at:
www.datatranslation.com/resources/
dataacquisition/bpci.pdf.
FIVE ANSWERS
Dataforth
520-741-1404 www.datafor th.com
“Why Use Isolated Signal Condi-
tioners?” from Dataforth shows you
how to answer five PC-based mea-
surement questions with isolated sig-
nal conditioners. It addresses issues
of cross-talk, common-mode voltage,
RESOURCES
DC common-mode rejection, AC
common-mode rejection, and mea-
surement range and input protection.
Direct link is at www.dataforth.com/
catalog/pdf/an116.pdf.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
National Instruments
800/531-5066 www.ni.com
Tutorial entitled “Tips and Tech-
niques in Data Acquisition Trigger-
ing—NI-DAQmx” covers is aimed at
helping you learn NI-DAQmx pro-
gramming fundamentals. Through
video and text tutorials, this series
will take you from verifying your de-
vice’s operation in Measurement &
Automation Explorer (MAX) to pro-
gramming data acquisition applica-
tions using LabVIEW. It is intended
for both the beginner who wants to
learn how to use DAQ Assistant, as
well as the experienced user who
wishes to take advantage of advanced
NI-DAQmx functionality. A direct
link is at http://zone.ni.com/dev-
zone/cda/tut/p/id/4329.
TECH TIP TOPICS
IOtech
888/714-3272 www.iotech.com/techtips.html
Tech Tips is a collection of technical
articles intended to help engineers
use their data acquisition systems
more effectively. It covers topics not
normally found in hardware manu-
als, such as solutions to installation
and environment problems, explicit
equipment features and functions,
connections to specific sensors and
actuators, ground loops and noise.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 31
1/27/09 5:16:53 PM
 by Walt Boyes

Back then, they were the future, and we’re still playing their songs

E
very year, the members of the Process Automa- nity of control experts and being able to disseminate U.S.
tion Hall of Fame vote into the Hall just a few technology throughout my involvement on the interna-
of their peers. This year’s class includes Hans D. tional standards committees.”
Baumann, Renzo Dallimonti, J. Patrick Kennedy, Carroll Baumann has worked for many different control valve
Ryskamp and Cecil L. Smith manufacturers, including Emerson Process Management’s
In 1997, this magazine profiled Renzo Dallimonti with Fisher Controls—from which he retired in 2000.
the headline, “The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to But control valves aren’t Baumann’s only passions. In 2002,
Create It.” That headline could easily fit any of these five he published The Ideal Enterprise, a
men. Each has made an enormous contribution to the book on business efficiency. Bau-
field of automation. mann’s latest book is Building
Lean Companies: How to
Hans Baumann, Renaissance Man
In his career, Hans D. Baumann has done many things and
done them all well. Starting out as an industrial engineer in his
native Germany, Baumann worked in Germany and France.
He studied in the United States, acquiring a doctorate in me-
chanical engineering from Columbia Pacific University. Bau-
mann has personally designed or directed the development
of over 30 valve lines, including the famous “CAMFLEX”
valve. He is credited with numerous patents and papers in
addition to co-authoring seven handbooks on valves, in-
strumentation and noise.
“My first involvement in automation
was in 1955, designing control
valves for Siemens,” he says.
“Over the past fifty-plus years,
I have thoroughly enjoyed being
part of the international commu-

32 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9

CT0902_32_37_CoverStory.indd 32 1/28/09 9:56:35 AM

 p r o c e s s a u to m at i o n h a l l o f fa m e

Keep Companies Profitable as they Grow. Versatile, Baumann Dallimonti has been involved in instrumentation and
has also written a history of the last days of WWII entitled, Hit- control his entire career, from doing instrumentation on the
ler’s Fate: The Final Story. Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tenn., to instrumentation
Baumann serves as an advisor to systems for General Electric, to Brown Instruments, which
the dean of the University of New became Honeywell. He stayed at Honeywell for 38 years.
Hampshire School of Business, is Even though he’s been retired since 1986, Dallimonti is
the treasurer of the Palm Beach still thinking about the future of automation.
Round Table and a director of the He calls his concept the “Future Horizon Plant.”
Palm Beach Opera. “The automation technology that already exists today is
“Automation is still a challenging sufficient to improve plant productivity in the process indus-
area of technology,” he says, after fifty years in the field. “I tries for the next decade,” he says. “The most pressing need
look for wireless to be a game changer, even acknowledging now is not more scientific breakthroughs, but more percep-
the security risk involved.” tive visions of how best to utilize the productivity tools al-
Baumann continues to lecture internationally. “I like to ready commercially available.”
pass on my experience and knowledge to the younger gen- You can see more of Dallimonti’s vision on Control-
eration,” he says. Global.com ( www.controlglobal.com/0902_HOF.html).

Renzo Dallimonti, Futurist Pat Kennedy, Entrepreneur

Dallimonti’s repeated phrase, “The best way to predict the
future is to create it,” defines his ca-
reer at Honeywell. In many ways,
the way we do automation in 2009
is because that’s the way Renzo Dal-
limonti said we should.
In 1969, Dallimonti says, “I said
to my manager, ‘Do you want us
to really push the level of tech-
nology and keep an open mind to anything?’”
From 1969 to 1975, Dallimonti led what was
then called Honeywell’s Project 72.
“The name Project 72,” Dalli-
monti recalls, “came from
the hope that by 1972 we
could begin showing some
of these products.”
It was 1975 before
he unveiled the TDC2
000—a product with little
competition for years.
J. Patrick Kennedy is responsible for the creation of the mod-
ern data historian, Pi, which is used by more plants than any
other in the world. “We concentrate on this one thing that
we know how to do,” he says, “and we resist all the opportu-
nities to expand out of our niche.”
Kennedy didn’t start in software. A
graduate of the University of Kansas
with a doctorate in chemical engineer-
ing, Kennedy worked for Shell Chemi-
cal Company before joining what was
then Taylor Instruments (now ABB).
“I was hired to work in the Digital
Systems Group of Taylor in 1973 and and met people like John
Ziegler,” he says. As an applications consultant at Taylor, Ken-
nedy wrote prophetically about how the DCS would develop.
He also became fascinated with advanced process control.
“When I started my company in 1980,” Kennedy says,
“it was really to do advanced con-
trol, but we discovered that the
right tools (software) were missing
and built them. Customers wanted

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 33

CT0902_32_37_CoverStory.indd 33 1/28/09 10:14:21 AM

 P R O C E S S A U TO M AT I O N H A L L O F FA M E

to buy our tools rather than our services, so we changed
business plans and never looked back.”
Kennedy says of his career, “Because of the jobs that I had
(technical sales support, project management, software devel-
opment) I got a wide and varied look with a lot of emphasis on
the value of why we were doing this. I have enjoyed the field,
and I think it is a good blend of real world and ‘nex gen’ tech-
nology,” he says. “I don’t see a field that will grow and prosper
more than automation, but the appeal to the new people will
depend upon the adoption of the tools that they are comfort-
able with—like, how would you tune a controller with an iP-
hone, and does your plant text you when it is in trouble?”
“The most significant trends are the continued move to
a real-time digital world and the actual connection of the
business to the management of the facilities. It’s the infra-
structure,” Kennedy concludes, “that is important.”
Carroll Ryskamp, Automation’s Mystic
Fellow Hall of Famer Edgar Bristol II was inclined to char-
acterize Foxboro’s control expertise as “Greg (Shinskey)
the logician, me the theoretician and Carroll the mystic.”
“In 1958,” Ryskamp says, “at the Marathon Oil Detroit
Refinery, I modified a pneumatic pressure control loop so
that one controller could operate two valves. I changed
the calibration of the valve positioners to accomplish this
split range. The operators appreciated it, but so did the
management, because condensable product would not be
wasted because of lack of attention.”
Ryskamp, a chemical engineer, started doing something
else and wound up doing automation. “In 1962,” he says,
“I had the chance to take a short
course in process dynamics and
control at the Colorado School of
Mines. I realized how much most
chemical engineers were missing
by studying only steady-state phe-
nomena. This started my career
in process control.”
From 1965 to 1970, Ryskamp worked for Marathon’s cor-
porate office in Findlay, Ohio. In 1970, Ryskamp joined
what was then the Foxboro Company, now Invensys Pro-
cess Systems, as a systems application consultant. “I did

“ WHAT YOU NEED,

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We do not stop there. Cashco, Inc. has company

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Cashco, Inc., P.O. Box 6, Ellsworth, KS 67439-0006, Ph. (785) 472-4461, Fax: (785) 472-3539 Innovative Solutions

34CAS-176A.indd
www.controlglobal.com
1 F EBRUA RY/2 0 0 9 11/24/08 4:02:57 PM

CT0902_32_37_CoverStory.indd 34 1/28/09 10:15:47 AM

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 Alarms&recorders US 1/12/07 12:43 Page 1

P R O C E S S A U TO M AT I O N H A L L O F FA M E
Alarm Annunciators
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Products ideal for all process and
the process analysis, control design, some of the implemen- power alarm applications
tation, startup and training,” he says. “These projects were
High Integrity Design
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cal plants and other customers.”
Serial and Ethernet
In 1986, Ryskamp went into business as a consultant and Communications
retired in 1994.
Low-cost 1ms Time
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Surpasses EMC and surge tests
“In over 35 years in process control,” says Cecil L. Smith,
“I’ve worked with virtually every control technology being LED, ultra-bright, illumination
applied in industrial production facilities.” No single source of failue for the
“My primary focus,” he goes on, “is on designing a best reliability
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and computer science. “In 1964,

I got into computing by learning
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Tom Stout, Tom Wherry and Bob Parsons.”
EFFICIENT COOLING
Smith left LSU to go on his own—to teach. Currently, un- for sealed electrical panels
der the banner of Cecil L. Smith Inc., Smith teaches a vari-
ety of courses on process control, advanced process control, remove waste heat while
distillation control and many others. keeping contaminants out.
Like many members of the Process Automation Hall of
Fame, Smith is passionate about engineering education.
energy efficient
He’s written several articles about the need for engineers
easy installation
to widen their horizons, and even learn to sell—both them-
replaces air conditioning
selves and their products and abilities. replaces compressed air
Smith is outspoken. “Engineering and automation have NEMA 12, 4, 4X,
both been good to me,” he says, “but I am concerned about Stainless Steel
the future. All trends point to outside the U.S., both in
regard to work opportunities and to new developments in
the technology.”
The most obvious trend continues to be outsourcing,
he thinks. “Few user companies currently view automa-
tion technology as giving them a competitive edge, hence
the attitude of farming out this work at the minimum pos-
sible cost.”
This year, the Process Automation Hall of Fame Award
Ceremony will be held April 23 at the Embassy Suites Ho-
tel in Rosemount, Ill., concurrent with the WBF Executive
Summit on Procedure-Based Manufacturing.

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 To outsiders, the New Sampling/Sensor Initiative (NeSSI)
may look like one of those ideas whose time is never going
to come—a good idea that, for whatever reason, never quite
catches on. Those closer to its development and its early
adopters see things differently. The road to wide NeSSI
adoption has been a little rougher than may had hoped, but
over time, improvements and new developments have kept
alive the hope that it will finally fulfill its potential.
First, a bit of history. Near the end of the 20th Century,
analytical measurement engineers recognized that, while
advances in computer hardware and software allowed ana-
lytical devices to become more capable, more reliable and
easier to use, the basic design of sample-handling and deliv-
ery systems hadn’t kept pace. Convinced that improvements
in sample-handling systems would allow placement of ana-
lyzers “at process,” and with sponsorship from the Center
for Process Analytical Chemistry (CPAC, www.cpac.wash-
ington.edu/) at the University of Washington in Seattle, a
dedicated group of end users, equipment manufacturers and
academies launched NeSSI in 1999.
From its inception, NeSSI’s objective has been to cre-
ate an open architecture platform on which manufacturers
and end users could assemble miniature, modular, intelli-
gent sampling systems that: improve analyzer system perfor-
CT0902_39_44_Nessi.indd 39
mance; reduce design, build and installation costs; and re-
duce operating and maintenance costs.
Overcoming Surprises
Achieving these goals has proven to be a bit more compli-
cated than first thought. Rick Ales, NeSSI’s secretary and
a marketing manager at Swagelok (www.swagelok.com),
says, “NeSSI can be thought of as a ‘two-rail concept.’ One
rail provides the fluid interface, and the other rail provides
the electrical interface. Sample systems that implement the
fluid interface (mechanical rail) as defined in ANSI/ISA
76.00.02 are considered NeSSI Generation I systems. Add-
ing the NeSSI bus interface (electrical rail) to a Generation
I system creates a Generation II system.”
While progress and success were achieved on the fluid
interface (mechanical) portion, NeSSI’s steering committee
was surprised when it turned its attention to the bus inter-
face (electrical) portion of its initiative. “When we released
Generation II’s specification in 2002,” says Dave Veltkamp,
senior research scientist at CPAC, “we thought the steering
committee could simply tell people what communications
network to use, and that all NeSSI developers would use it.
However, once we looked at what was available, we found
that nothing met all of NeSSI’s requirements.”
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 39
1/28/09 2:05:30 PM
 Sampling Systems

Control Does NeSSI That revelation required the steering

committee to take a more pragmatic
Control has been covering NeSSI since its inception. The following NeSSI-related ar- approach to establishing NeSSI’s bus
ticles are available on the www.ControlGlobal.com web site. technology—one that allowed the us-
2003 ers and vendors to decide cooperatively
• “ The Analyzer Community’s Conclave” by Terrence McMahon discusses several of what bus communication protocol
NeSSI’s early achievements, including the Department of Energy’s interest in NeSSI was best, with the component vendors
technology. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2003/69.html agreeing to support whatever protocol
• “ NeSSI Progresses From Vision to Reality” by Mark Weiss describes early progress was eventually chosen.
made by end users, academics and vendors in lowering the cost of process analysis From the beginning, the Controller
via standardized, modular sampling systems and sensors. www.controlglobal.com/ Area Network (CAN) bus protocol had
articles/2003/28.html been the preferred technology, but CAN
2005 bus did not meet the NeSSI Genera-
• “ Metal Legos Streamline Sampling and Control” by Mike Spear describes NeSSI and tion II requirement for intrinsic safety.
its future plans. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2005/556.html Then, in 2004, two significant mile-
• “ Process Analyzers Avoid Meeting Standards” by Rich Merritt combines a product stones were achieved. First, the techni-
roundup with the observation that vendors seem to be avoiding any mention of NeSSI cal committee for sensor technology of
or PAT compatibility. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2005/217.html the Instrumentation and Measurement
2006 Society (www.ieee-ims.org) sponsored
• “Standards Bring Order to Chaos” by Dan Hebert explains how the implementation of draft standard IEEE P1451.6, produc-
the NeSSI standards will simplify sample system design, installation and operation. ing an intrinsically safe CAN bus so-
www.controlglobal.com/articles/2006/030.html lution, which met NeSSI’s intrinsically
• “Analyzers Not Ready for Prime Time” by Dan Hebert reports that it is easy to see why safe requirements. Second, the NeSSI
the analyzer market doesn’t work for end users, but that in one small area things are Generation II spec was modified to in-
improving. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2006/217.html clude Foundation fieldbus as an accept-
• “Are Analyzer Vendors Ignoring New Standards?” by Rich Merritt is another product able NeSSI bus technology—a definite
roundup with Rich noting that vendors continue to avoid any mention of NeSSI or PAT benefit for new installations, but not so
compatibility. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2006/084.html much for existing facilities with cable
2007 trays full of 4-20mA wire.
• “NeSSI Tames the Communication Monster” by Jim Montague provides a review of Wiser from this experience, NeS-
NeSSI and includes insight about the trials and tribulations the initiative has encountered SI’s steering committee turned its
regarding communication protocols. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2006/149.html attention to how best to achieve in-
• “ NeSSI Taxis for Takeoff” by Jim Montague provides insight to NeSSI overcoming the teroperability, maintain its open ar-
networking hurdles and beginning to emerge with practical, standardized solutions. chitecture goal, and accommodate
www.controlglobal.com/articles/2007/023.html existing hardwired facilities.
• “ NeSSI Manages Moisture in Rubber Process” by Jamie Canton explains an applica-
tion using a heated, smart, modular sample-handing system that enabled Lanxess Inc. Interoperability
to close a moisture control loop in its butyl rubber plant in Sarnia, Ontario. www.con- A key technology used by both 4-20
trolglobal.com/articles/2007/239.html mA and fieldbus-based instrumenta-
2008 tion is Electronic Device Descrip-
• “A Better Mousetrap” by Bob Sperber explains how NeSSI provides here-and-now tion Language (EDDL). EDDL has
benefits, driving engineers to stop waiting for another fieldbus standard. They’re div- been adopted by ANSI/ISA, and is
ing in and justifying their investment in NeSSI’s first-generation systems today. www. part of the international consen-
controlglobal.com/articles/2008/279.html sus standards IEC 61804-3 and -4.
• “ The Shrinking Analyzer” by Patti Pool reports on a growing number of analyzers that Therefore, EDDL has a high accep-
are taking advantage of NeSSI. http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/115. tance rating in the instrumentation
html and controls industry.
• “ What’s Keeping Process Analyzer Engineers Up at Night?” by Gary Nichols explains Terry Blevins, of Emerson Process
that NeSSI, alarms, wireless, security and safety are the topics most being talked about Management (www.emersonprocess.
by process analyzer engineers. www.controlglobal.com/articles/2008/054.html com) and the ISA SP104 committee’s
chairperson, says, “The main reason for
NeSSI’s interest in EDDL is that it en-

40 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9

CT0902_39_44_Nessi.indd 40 1/28/09 4:54:41 PM

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 Sampling Systems
ables manufacturers to describe the features of their sampling
systems. Because EDDL is supported by all major control sys-
tem manufacturers, sampling system manufacturers only need
to develop one EDD file, which makes it easy for them and end
users. Also, because the EDD file is a text file and is indepen-
dent of any operating system, the original EDD file can coex-
ist in a control system, even if the sample system manufacturer
later updates its product and EDD file with new features. Fi-
nally, EDDL enhancements that were added a few years ago
and that are reflected in the latest IEC 61804 standards are fully
capable of supporting highly complex sample system and ‘at pro-
cess’ analyzer applications with effective graphic interfaces.”
Another piece of the interoperability puzzle is HART,
which is the most recognized and successful deployment
of EDDL, with more than 20 million installed HART-
based devices worldwide. Developed in the late 1980s,
HART is based on the Bell 202 Frequency Shift Keying
(FSK) standard that defines how to superimpose low-
level digital communication signals on the same wire as
4-20mA analog signals, which satisfies the needs of most
hardwired plants to use at-process instrumentation.
CT0902_39_44_Nessi.indd 42
Other NeSSI-, CAN bus-and EDDL-Related Links
• The latest NeSSI draft specification. www.cpac.washington.
edu/NeSSI/NeSSI.htm
• EDDL Presentation at 2007 NeSSI Meeting in Houston www.
eddl.org/files/EDDL_SP104Presentation.pdf
• Open Industrial Networks presentation at 2007 ISA Analytical
Solutions Symposium in Houston. http://tinyurl.com/a3eelz
• Integrated Analytical Process based on CAN bus at 2007
CPAC. http://tinyurl.com/9puvf2
• Intrinsically safe CAN bus—IEEE P1451.6. (http://grouper.
ieee.org/groups/1451/6/index.htm)
In 2007, the HART Communication Foundation (www.
hartcomm.org) released its WirelessHART standard and
stated that wired and wireless HART devices can coexist on
the same network. Though at press time NeSSI’s steering
committee had made no announcement about including
EDDL and HART in its Gen II specification, it seems rea-
sonable to think that both of these technologies will play a
major role in helping NeSSI achieve its goal of producing
cost-effective, open architecture sampling systems.
Cost-Effective
Almost from its beginning, NeSSI’s goal has been to reduce
the cost to design and build process analyzer sampling sys-
tems by 40% and reduce the cost to own them by 35%. So
far, only a handful of end users with NeSSI projects underway
have openly shared their results, but those that have done it re-
port some pretty impressive findings. For example, UOP LLC
(www.uop.com) is in petroleum refining, gas processing and
petrochemical production, and believes NeSSI’ could produce
significant benefits in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
solids and liquids, high-temperature calorimetry, specialty
micro reactors, and gas absorption.
To validate its beliefs, UOP carefully documented a gas-
handling system project using NeSSI technologies and re-
ported significant savings (Table 1, p. 44).
Another way of looking at cost efficiencies is to compare
the impact to product quality that comes from delays be-
tween when a sample is taken and when its results are re-
ported versus having near real-time results that can result
from “at-process” analytical measurements.
At the spring 2008 CPAC meeting, Carl Rechsteiner, of
Chevron Energy Technology Co. (www.chevronenergy.com)
presented a number of eye-opening examples of the benefits
provided by at-process analytical measurements.
Rechsteiner’s presentation was based on the premise that
current sampling practices tend to minimize the collection
frequency and, thus, the number of samples available for
analysis—mostly because of limited on-site lab capacity.
1/28/09 2:06:32 PM
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CT0902_FPA.indd 43 RL-339 21-0209-01 Control 1/29/09 11:05:31 AM

 2008-9899-221-101-D 8/18/08 4:13 PM
Sampling Systems
Expanding the Table 1. UOP Gas Handling System Results
NI Smart Camera Resources
Elapsed time
With NeSSI
4 months
Product Family Personnel time 2 months
Manifold cost +10%
Higher Performance
and Resolution Rechsteiner discussed several exam-
ples of how using at-process analytical
instrumentation could produce signifi-
cantly larger numbers of data points.
However, as we all know, more data
seldom equates to more knowledge.
The significant point of Rechsteiner’s
presentation was that at-process ana-
lytical instrumentation can provide
the time-stamped data necessary for so-
phisticated analysis software to produce
meaningful knowledge about the qual-
ity of the product being produced.
Even though NeSSI specifications
remain a work in progress, there is a
growing number of end users that see
enough benefit in what already exists to
�
Three new models for move forward.
embedded machine
vision applications What’s Next?
From its earliest days, the NeSSI steer-
�
New DSP coprocessors ing committee envisioned that the final
for pattern matching, OCR, version of its work would actually be
and data matrix reading three specifications:
• Generation I, focused on the me-
�
Built-in industrial
connectivity chanical aspects of fluid handling;
• Generation II, focused on connec-
tivity and activities to eliminate
manual adjustments and “trips to
the field”; and
• Generation III, focused on mi-
>> Read the whitepaper croanalytics and development of
at ni.com/smartcamera tighter integration between sam-
pling systems and analyzers.
800 891 2755 We witnessed the dawning of micro-
analytics when NASA’s Mars rovers be-
gan sending all sorts of data about the
planet’s climate, minerals and other ele-
ments back to scientists on earth. Essen-
tially, the Mars rovers use microanalyt-
ics or “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) technology
designed to integrate several laboratory
functions.
LOC technology has several advan-
tages, including:
©2008 National Instruments. All rights reserved. National Instruments, NI,
and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and com-
pany names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective com-
panies. 2008-9899-221-101-D
CT0902_39_44_Nessi.indd 44
Conventional
6 months
4 months
Baseline
• Small fluid samples, resulting in
less waste, lower reagent costs and
easier, less costly sample disposal;
• Faster analysis and response times,
resulting from short diffusion dis-
tances, faster heating, high surface-
to-volume ratios and smaller heat
capacities;
• Improved process control and pos-
sibly closed-loop control, resulting
from faster and more frequent sam-
ple updates;
• Low-powered, intrinsically safe
electronics, resulting in safer “at-
process” solutions.
Technologies generating near-term
interest in using microanalytics include
process mass spectrometry, including
Fourier-transform (FT) mass spectrom-
etry (sometimes called FT-ion-cyclo-
tron-resonance) and nuclear-magnetic-
resonance online processing (industrial
magnetic resonance).
Even though a growing number
of at-process projects are reportedly
underway, it’s hardly news that as a
group, process industry engineers
are ultra-conservative. They remain
aware of emerging and new technolo-
gies, but when it comes to adopting
new technologies they prefer to allow
someone else to work out the bugs.
Their attitude toward NeSSI adop-
tion has been no exception.
It’s unclear how long it will be un-
til NeSSI achieves all of its goals, but
one thing is certain, NeSSI activists
are committed to providing end users
with miniaturized, modular sample-
handling systems that allow safe, cost-
effective, efficient, at-process analytical
measurements—eventually.
Dave Harrold is co-founder of the AFAB Group and a
regular Control contributor.
1/28/09 2:06:49 PM
 New
‘HART’
Old Standard
Has HART 7 given this old standby a new lease on life?
The HART Communications protocol has been around for
more then 20 years, and is perhaps the only one from its gen-
eration whose installed base continues to grow. With more
than 20 million intelligent devices installed, you might won-
der whether a new and expanded specification amounts to “fix-
ing what ain’t broke.” Ed Ladd, of the HART Communication
Foundation (HCF, www.hartcomm.org), says, “Our most re-
cent report shows more than 70% of all process instruments
shipped are HART-enabled.”
By short-circuiting the bogged-down ISA SP-100 path to
a wireless standard, HART 7 allows suppliers and end users
to begin manufacturing, selling and implementing wireless
networks in a way that wasn’t previously possible. Along the
way, the architects of the new standard seized the opportu-
nity to plug some holes that increasingly were seen as fa-
tal flaws relative to more modern standards like Foundation
fieldbus (FF). With some major EPC firms in both hemi-
spheres saying that up to 70% or more of projects adopting
FF for large expansions, additions and greenfield sites, and
with the successful demonstration of FF for SIL-rated pro-
cess safety interlock applications, concern that HART was
in danger of losing its dominant market position is not un-
reasonable. Will HART 7’s new enhancements bring it up
to par in the eyes of the decision makers who wish to exploit
state-of-the-art digital integration of field devices?
Like other fieldbus protocols, HART was poorly supported,
if at all, in the large legacy DCS and PLC systems of the 1980s
and 90s. But many plants are still running on this legacy in-
stalled base, and many of those may remain that way for years
to come.
Safety-instrumented systems (SIS) can account for two-
thirds of the I/O in some processes or production sites, and
even today, few SIL-rated logic solvers support either native
HART or any other fieldbus I/O. Users who try to exploit wire-
CT0902_45_49_Fields.indd 45
for an
by John Rezabek
less or HART 7 diagnostics for safety applications may find
themselves straying a bit far from the herd. A plant near me,
for example, is implementing WirelessHART to provide sec-
ondary level indications on storage tanks. Its tanks contain
substances much less benign than milk, and whether a wire-
less installation provides any independent protection layer is
worthy of some debate. Will HART 7 features rescue users
who might be poised to “jump too soon?”
Since today’s wireless transmitters typically “go to sleep”
for anywhere from 60 sec to 1 hour or more (primarily to
optimize battery life—they are capable of sub-second mea-
surement and transmission), they “wake up” to make a mea-
surement and transmit it in a fundamentally asynchronous
fashion. Consequently, the old HART model of master-slave
polling had to be adjusted to one that accommodated con-
siderably more field device autonomy. This same property
will be part of new “wired” HART 7 devices, so they now
can independently send time-critical, time-stamped alerts to
a host that has the smarts to “hear” them. One will not have
to wait on host or asset management system based “polling”
to detect a condition that needs more urgent attention—the
transmitter sends the message along with a time stamp im-
mediately when the condition is detected.
Present-day HART 5 and later devices have a status bit
that’s set when the device has an issue, and if the host is set
up to read it, it can subsequently poll for more detailed infor-
mation about the problem. How well this all happens, how
fast it happens, or whether it happens at all, is worth some in-
vestigation on the part of end users who are aiming to exploit
these features. If you’ve implemented any OPC, you have
doubtless noticed that compliance to the standard is very
much a matter of interpretation and has been the source of
many headaches for end users. HART has always provided
test tools for manufacturers to validate their devices confor-
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 45
1/28/09 4:56:58 PM
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CT0902_45_49_Fields.indd 46
FIELDBUS
mance to the standard, but the degree to which a feature is
implemented or exploited can vary widely, especially on the
host end.
Eric Schnipke, process control specialist at the INEOS
Acrylonitrile (www.ineosnitriles.com) facility in Lima, Ohio,
remarks, “We recently installed a new HART-capable con-
trol system with the hope of bringing in engineering units
and secondary variables of all HART devices, but quickly
realized that the older HART revisions were not supported
by the system.”
It’s estimated that fewer than 20% of end users with ex-
isting HART-smart devices are using HART for more than
initial configuration and re-ranging. If the end-user commu-
nity consists of few pioneers blazing the trail, we are at the
mercy of the supplier community to do the right thing, and
advanced users are on the wrong end of the Pareto charts.
“We have to do what the market demands” says an engi-
neer at a major DCS supplier. “HART, Foundation fieldbus,
Profibus—we support them all, and the specs keep chang-
ing. With finite resources, we continuously prioritize our
investments in those areas where we anticipate the greatest
value will be delivered to the clients.”
Schnipke hit a few speed bumps during hot cutover:
“Once you have the system, there’s no guarantee you’ll be
able to make use of all of your HART devices or that all de-
vices from the same vendor will behave consistently. Two
different versions of valve positioners from the same ven-
dor did not have the same engineering units. This was the
source of much confusion when configuring the XD_Scale
(transducer scale) of the associated analog output blocks.”
Users attempting to use some of the advanced features
have been experiencing more frustration. For example, one
end user is aiming to use the HART range-change bit to
flag when a technician makes a range change using a field
communicator that doesn’t match the host. “You’ll find that
the function isn’t clearly specified. Each vendor has imple-
mented the function differently—or ignored it. There is no
definition of what a host should do with the bit or how a
device should implement the functionality, and there is no
ITK (interoperability test kit) to test functions such as this.”
How quickly HART data is accessed hinges greatly on the
host implementation as well. Some hosts, like those from In-
vensys Process Systems (www.ips.invensys.com), devote one
HART modem to each and every I/O point.
“We see very little difference in the speed with which diag-
nostic data comes up between HART and FF—it’s essentially
the same,” says Charlie Piper, senior development program
manager at IPS in Foxborough. If your host shares a HART
modem across eight inputs or outputs, the performance can di-
minish greatly, and using HART multiplexors that poll 16 to 24
devices each is proportionately more sluggish.
Some suppliers have improvements in the making, such as
1/28/09 4:59:56 PM
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 Fieldbus
the “Charm” I/O solution to be offered
by Emerson. Clearly suppliers are sensi-
tive to the fact that sluggish updates of
HART diagnostics are not meeting the
needs of end users.
The I/O from IPS is capable of polling
individual HART devices at sub-second
rates. Piper adds, “This unlocks HART
secondary variables for use directly in pro-
cess control schemes and allows reliable
real-time and historic trending of interest-
ing variables like ‘actual valve position,’ as
seen by the positioners.”
Pat Schweitzer, co-chair of the
ISA100 committee on industrial wire-
less automation, sees the use of this
sort of value-added information as key
to getting HART and WirelessHART
out of the “configure and re-range” rut
where many users leave it. While na-
tive I/O card support for HART 7 is
still under development at most system
suppliers, the promise for improve-
ments in update times is encouraging
and should facilitate better utilization
of its new capabilities.
One of the new capabilities of HART
7 is support for autonomous alerts, akin
to the “device alerts” as implemented
for Foundation fieldbus by Emerson’s
DeltaV. Fieldbus Foundation and Pro-
fibus specs now incorporate NAMUR
NE-107 guidelines for diagnostic mes-
sages, and this fieldbus capability is be-
ing extended to HART as well.
“DeltaV with AMS has supported
user-configurable prioritization and
classification of PlantWeb alerts in a
manner that closely paralleled the NA-
MUR standard, since the introduction
of the Fieldvue DVC 6000 positioner
and similar fieldbus devices,” says Dun-
can Schleiss, vice president of market-
ing for DeltaV. “When implemented in
coming revisions, both HART and field-
bus alerts will allow routing and prioriti-
zation per the NE-107 standard.”
This sort of serendipity is no coin-
cidence, but a direct outgrowth of the
EDDL (Enhanced Electronic Device
Descriptor Language) cooperation proj-
ect between HART, Foundation fieldbus
CT0902_45_49_Fields.indd 48
and Profibus. Fieldbus Foundation will
be testing (fieldbus) devices and hosts for
conformance to the standard, already re-
leased as an option in the latest ITK for
field devices. Presently such testing for
HART features is in beta mode, but it’s
reasonable to think other host suppliers
will take advantage of the synergies cre-
ated by the EDDL cooperation project
and create parallel accommodations for
new HART 7 instruments. HCF’s Ladd
says, “A team of HCF member compa-
nies has been working on EDD-enabled
host testing requirements for over a year.
We expect to have EDD-enabled hosts
registered in 2009.”
Sorting and prioritization of the tidal
wave of new diagnostic messages gener-
ated by new digitally integrated field de-
vices is a key enabler for end users, who
otherwise would be dealing with an
ugly and potentially incomprehensible
“alarm flood” of device alerts.
WirelessHART is a huge development,
but similarities to the multi-headed hy-
dra that was spawned by the “fieldbus
wars” of the 1990’s can’t be dismissed.
WirelessHART is a bona-fide open and
less-than-proprietary standard, but not
all the supplier-sailors are happily board-
ing the HART boat just yet. Still, many
users appear willing to bet that technolo-
gies competing with WirelessHART will
eventually become the Betamax of wire-
less protocols, leaving their choice as the
de facto standard.
Chevron foresees a huge uptick in
the use of WirelessHART after it man-
aged to satisfy the IT police that it could
be done without risk to the IT and PCS
network. “The new wireless system is
reliable and has passed our rigorous IT
security review,” said Mohammad Hei-
dari, Chevron’s automation engineer.
At an onshore production site, Chevron
deployed almost 700 units this year, all
in a monitor mode.
Across the Atlantic, Paul Oram, senior
controls consultant for BP’s Exploration
and Production says, “Fieldbus has made
very little impact on our brownfield
plants. HART and particularly wireless
1/29/09 10:43:23 AM

HART can be more easily retrofitted.”
In contrast, Dr. Abdelghani Daraiseh,
engineering specialist at Saudi Aramco
expects his company will wait on the
ISA standard. “Our direction is to use
SP100 as a single wireless system for var-
ious plant applications, including Foun-
dation fieldbus. There are significant
cost implications, simplicity and reli-
ability in using SP100 and subsequent
standards and product releases. The use
of WirelessHART within our plants is
limited to addressing immediate busi-
ness needs not addressed by SP100 due
to the standardization and product of-
fering delays.”
At this point there’s great potential for
the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands—al-
ready being consumed by non-process
control protocols like 802.11 a, b, g, and
n—to have multiple and non-interop-
erable instrument communications as
well. This contention wasn’t disputed by
a panel of supplier and end-user experts
that included technology leaders with
key roles at WINA, SP-100 committee
and HART at ISA Expo last fall.
HART 7 is widely seen by end us-
ers as giving HART a new lease on life,
but few see it as replacing or eliminat-
ing Foundation fieldbus and Profibus.
BP’s Oram has great interest in HART
developments, but so far not to the ex-
clusion of FF: “[Our] stated preference
for greenfield projects will remain, for
the foreseeable future, FF. But we see
HART fighting back strongly.”
Another end user says, “The percep-
tion is that HART is somehow simpler
than Foundation fieldbus. That is half
true if you only use HART for basic
configuration chores and don’t try to
do any asset management or control.”
Users who want to exploit their ex-
isting installed wired HART devices
will find they’ll need a board change
to support advanced features such as
the NAMUR NE-107 functionality, at
which point a fieldbus device upgrade
becomes much more competitive.
So will end users choose HART
when fieldbus is an option? At IN-
CT0902_45_49_Fields.indd 49
Fieldbus
GET THE
EOS, Schnipke isn’t sure even en-
hanced HART will supplant FF where
the choice exists: “With the exception
of safety systems and WirelessHART,
SKINNY
systems will have a difficult time com- OUR MICRO SERIES
peting with Foundation fieldbus for
market share regardless of the improve-
WILL HELP YOU
ments in HART 7.” SLIM DOWN
A pragmatic end user at a Gulf Coast
refinery adds, “I will still be looking for • Relay and Opto
ways to extract continuous data from
Coupler versions
my previously installed base of HART
equipment, which will not likely be • Choice of screw
replaced during my career. I’ll take or tension clamp
what I can get. but I’m not converting
connection
much—if any—of the installed base to
any version of HART where I have a 6.1mm - RELAY SHOWN ACTUAL SIZE
choice to go to fieldbus.”
Ralph Hartman, engineering con-
sultant for Saudi Aramco does not see
• Available with
any change in his company’s FF direc- ribbon cable or
tion. “In the hardwired world, we’re D-sub interface
Foundation fieldbus for all greenfield
projects. Of course, we use HART de-
1
Class2
vices for ESD, but all regulatory con-
DivO. VED
trol is FF. We are heavily involved in
FF SIS, so whenever that happens we
APPR
will be using FF for our safety systems.
I do not see this changing.”
EDDL cooperation and host supplier
recognition of the opportunity to offer
distinctive support for all field device
digital integration protocols holds great
promise for end users. HART 7—prop-
erly supported and implemented at the
host end—could render certified de-
vices indistinguishable from FF and
Profibus PA devices in terms of diag-
nostic support, speed and suitability for
process control. But users aiming to ex-
ploit functionality at this level are still
advised to test-drive prospective hosts,
rather than be shocked or disappointed
when the pairs get landed in the field.
US: i n f o @ w e i d m u l l e r. c o m
Host tests for HART 7 support are still 1-800-849-9343
a couple years or more behind similar w w w. w e i d m u l l e r. c o m
tests for FF, but it’s plausible that simi- C a n a d a : i n f o 1 @ w e i d m u l l e r. c a
1-800-268-4080
lar certifications will someday make
w w w. w e i d m u l l e r. c a
the choices and capabilities clear. M e x i c o : c l i e n t e s @ w e i d m u l l e r. c o m . m x
01 222 2686267
John Rezabek is the author of the Control column w w w. w e i d m u l l e r. c o m . m x
“On the Bus.”
1/29/09 10:40:47 AM
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CT0902_FPA.indd 50 1/29/09 1:34:32 PM

 GIGO means “garbage in, garbage out.” This phrase applies
in industrial automation because using faulty measurements
can fool even the best control system. One remedy that can
help avoid a GIGO scenario is to understand the measure-
ment technique and its limitations to the extent that its ap-
plication can be reasonably evaluated. Differential pressure
level measurement is one of those key measurements you
need to understand to avoid the dreaded GIGO.
The importance of level measurement cannot be over-
stated. Incorrect or inappropriate measurements can cause
levels in vessels to be excessively higher or lower than their
measured values. Low levels can cause pumping problems
and damage the pump, while high levels can cause vessels
to overflow and potentially create safety and environmental
problems. Vessels operating at incorrect intermediate levels
can result in poor operating conditions and affect the ac-
counting of material.
The level of a liquid in a vessel can be measured directly or
inferentially. Examples of direct level measurement include
float, magnetostrictive, retracting, capacitance, radar, ultrasonic
and laser level measurement technologies. Weight and differ-
ential pressure technology measure level inferentially. All have
problems that can potentially affect the level measurement.
Differential pressure level measurement technology in-
fers liquid level by measuring the pressure generated by the
CT0902_51_55_Press.indd 51
liquid in the vessel. For example, a water level that is 1000
millimeters above the centerline of a differential pressure
transmitter diaphragm will generate a pressure of 1000 mil-
limeters of water column (1000 mmWC) at the diaphragm.
Similarly, a level of 500 millimeters will generate 500
mmWC. Calibrating this differential pressure transmitter
for 0 to 1000 mmWC will allow it to measure water levels of
0 to 1000 millimeters.
Note that this example presumes that the liquid is water.
Liquids with other specific gravities will generate other dif-
ferential pressures and cause inaccurate measurements. Con-
tinuing with the previous example, the same 500-millimeter
level of another liquid with a specific gravity of 1.10 at operat-
ing conditions in the above vessel will generate 550 mmWC of
pressure at the transmitter. As such, the differential pressure
transmitter calibrated for water would measure 50 millime-
ters higher than the actual 500 millimeter liquid level. Con-
versely, if the liquid has a specific gravity that is lower than
that of water, this transmitter will measure lower than the ac-
tual level. This example illustrates that differential pressure
technology does not measure level, but rather infers level.
Three Calculations
All is not lost because the calibration of the differential pres-
sure transmitter can be modified to compensate for a dif-
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 51
1/29/09 10:45:57 AM
 Differential Pressure Level

Keep
Your
0% Level 100% Level

Process
Flowing LT

SG = 1.10
0
mm
LT

SG = 1.10
1000 mm

Figure 1. The level transmitter for these vessels should be calibrated

With better tracking of your assests 0 to 1100 mmWC to measure liquid levels of 0 to 1000 millimeters.

ferent specific gravity. This technique used to calculate the

Tank liquid level and inventory
new calibration is useful for both straightforward and more
monitoring using KING-GAGE ®
systems provide you with reliability, complex installations.
0% Level 100% Level
0% Level 100% Level
consistency, and accountability. Figure 1 shows the vessel both at 0% and 100% level. The
pressure generated by the liquid at the level transmitter dia-
• ES2 Level Transmitter phragm is the liquid height times the specific gravity. The
has enhanced environmental pressure is 1.10*(0 mm) when the vessel at 0% and 1.10*(1000
encapsulation for immunity mm) when the vessel at 100%. Therefore, the transmitter
against moisture and should be calibrated 0 to 1100 mmWC to measure liquid lev-
condensation
els of 0 mm to 1000 mm. 200mm
LT
A somewhat 0
more complex application LT
• LP3 Inventory Monitor mm is illustrated in Fig-
SGapplication,
ure 2. In this = 1.10 for process reasons, SG
we =need
1.10to take
combines Ethernet connectivity 500 mm SG = 1.10 SG = 1.10
(via A-B DF1 or Modbus) with a the measurement from 200 mm to 1000 500 mmmm above the nozzle.
LT LT 500 mm below the1000 mm1000 mm
rugged HMI display In addition, the transmitter is located noz-
zle. Note that the technique of sketching conditions at both 0%
• LP2 Tank Level Indicator and 100% level is the same as performed in Figure 1. At 0%
provides density input and level, the pressure at the transmitter is 1.10*(500 +200 mm), or
compensation for multiple 770 mmWC. At 100% level, the pressure at the transmitter is
products
CT0209

0% Level 100% Level

0% Level 100% Level

Pressure = 3 bar

KING-GAGE LP3 KING-GAGE ES2 KING-GAGE LP2

200mm
1300 mm 1300 mm
SG = 1.10 SG = 1.10
500 mm 500 mm
200 mm LT mm
LT 1000
LT LT
SG = 1.05 SG = 1.05
(Fill) SG = 1.10 SG = 1.10
(Fill)
King Engineering Corporation • Ann Arbor, MI USA
800-242-8871 • 734-662-5691 • FAX 734-662-6652 Figure 2. This transmitter should be calibrated 770 to 1650 mmWC to
measure liquid levels of 200 mm to 1000 mm above the nozzle.

www.king-gage.com
0% Level 100% Lev

CT0902_51_55_Press.indd 52 Pressure = 3 bar

1/29/09 10:46:12 AM
 500 mm 500 mm
LT LT 1000 mm

Differential Pressure Level

0% Level 100% Level

Pressure = 3 bar

1300 mm 1300 mm
1000 mm
200 mm LT
LT
SG = 1.05 SG = 1.05
(Fill) SG = 1.10 SG = 1.10
(Fill)

Figure 3. In this case, the differential pressure transmitter subtracts the high side from the low side, so it should be cali-
brated -1145 to -265 mmWC to measure liquid levels of 200 to 1000 millimeters above the lower nozzle.

1.10*(500+1000 mm) or 1650 mmWC. Therefore, the transmit-
ter should be calibrated 770 to 1650 mmWC to measure liquid
levels of 200 mm to 1000 mm above the nozzle.
Figure 3 illustrates the use of a differential pressure
transmitter with diaphragm seals to sense the pressures
at the nozzles in a pressurized vessel. In this application,
the low-pressure diaphragm is located above the liquid
to compensate for the static pressure in the vessel. Other
complications include the densities of liquid and capil-
lary fill fluid and 0% and 100% levels that do not corre-
spond to the nozzle positions.
Using similar techniques as in the previous examples,
at 0% level, the pressures at the high and low sides of the
transmitter are {1.10*(200 mm) + (3 bar)} and {1.05*(1300

What’s Better...
reaction or Prevention?

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 53

MOL-155 HalfPg.1-Control.indd 1 1/15/09 10:06:55 AM

CT0902_51_55_Press.indd 53 1/29/09 10:46:25 AM


mm) + (3 bar)} respectively. Therefore,
the differential pressure transmitter
will subtract the high side from the
low side and measure {1.10*(200 mm)
+ (3 bar)} minus {1.05*(1300 mm) + (3
bar)}, or -1145 mmWC.
At 100% level, the pressures at the
high and low sides of the transmitter
are {1.10*(1000 mm) + (3 bar)} and
{1.05*(1300 mm) + (3 bar)} respectively.
Similarly, the differential pressure
transmitter subtracts the high side from
the low side to measure {1.10*(1000
mm) + (3 bar)} minus {1.05*(1300 mm)
+ (3 bar)}, or -265 mmWC. Therefore,
the transmitter should be calibrated
-1145 mmWC to -265 mmWC to mea-
sure liquid levels of 200 to 1000 milli-
meters above the lower nozzle.
Note that the static pressure in the
vessel does not affect the calibration
54 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_51_55_Press.indd 54
Differential Pressure Level
because it appears on both sides of
the differential pressure transmitter
where it effectively cancels out. Fur-
ther analysis also will reveal that lo-
cating the differential pressure trans-
mitter at different elevations does not
affect the calibration.
These same techniques can be
used to determine the calibrations
for interface level measurements.
Note that these techniques involve
applying hydraulics to the installa-
tion and application. Nowhere do
we use terms such as elevation, sup-
pression and span. The use of these
terms can easily confuse and mislead
the practitioner.
What Ifs
What if the liquid density changes
during operation? What if the change
is due to changes in the composition
of the liquid? What if the change is
due to temperature changes? What if
the vessel is filled with a different liq-
uid that has a different specific grav-
ity? These are important questions
that should be asked (and answered)
when considering the use of differ-
ential pressure level measurement
instruments. Repeating, differen-
tial pressure measurement does not
measure liquid level—it infers liquid
level—so specific gravity changes can
affect the performance of the level
measurement. In practice, the spe-
cific gravity of many liquids is known
and relatively stable, so that differ-
ential pressure techniques are com-
monly applied to many liquid level
measurement applications.
Spanning Specifications
The differential pressure transmitter
should be operated within its published
specifications to maintain accuracy.
The span of a transmitter is the differ-
ence between the 100% and 0% calibra-
tion values. Differential pressure trans-
mitters have specified minimum and
maximum spans. For example, a given
differential pressure transmitter may
be calibrated with spans between (say)
400 mmWC and 4000 mmWC. In ad-
dition, the transmitter zero may also be
raised or lowered by up to, for example,
4000 mmWC. Calibrations that do not
meet the transmitter specifications are
potentially subject to significant error.
The calibrations in the examples were
0 to 1100, 770 to 1650, and -1145 to -265
mmWC, respectively. Each has a span
greater than 400 mmWC and less than
4000 mmWC. In addition, their zeros
are not raised or lowered by more than
4000 mmWC. Therefore, all of these
calibrations are within the transmitter
specifications.
However, the calibrated span spec-
ified for another transmitter model
of the same manufacture may be
between 100 mmWC and 1000
mmWC, and allow the zero to be
1/29/09 10:46:40 AM
 Differential Pressure Level

changed by 1000 mmWC. This transmitter would not be
applicable to the first and third examples where the span
is 1100 mmWC, and the zero is lowered by 1145 mmWC,
respectively. However, it could be used in the second
example where the span is 880 mmWC, and the zero is
raised by 770 mmWC. Using this lower range transmitter
(1000 mmWC) will usually be more accurate because of
the smaller absolute errors associated with other specifi-
cations such as temperature, pressure and ambient tem-
perature affects. Therefore, all being equal, it’s generally
desirable to use the lower range transmitter to reduce
measurement error.
The maximum flow rate of flowmeters is often speci-
fied to be significantly higher than the design flow rate to
allow for transients and increased plant throughput over
time. In level measurement, the vessel size is fixed, so us-
ing a higher range differential pressure transmitter pro-
vides no similar benefit and typically results in additional
measurement error that can be avoided by using a lower
range transmitter.
Using the available information properly is another
potential problem. Some years ago, distributed control
system inputs were incorrectly configured to correspond
to the maximum transmitter spans. Aside from using in-
correct values, the levels should have been expressed in
percent. Using absolute level measurement units such as
inches, feet, millimeters or meters increases the potential
for error because operators must remember the height of
each vessel to put the level measurement in context with
the vessel. This can easily become overwhelming and
cause operator errors because plants often have hundreds
of vessels. For example, a vessel operating at 2.8 meters
does not readily indicate a problem to the operator even
though the vessel overf lows at 3.0 meters. On the other
hand, the operator can easily determine that a vessel op-
erating at 93% level might warrant attention and that a
vessel operating at 97% may need immediate attention.
Differential pressure measurement is a workhorse of in-
dustrial level measurement that’s been used for decades and
will continue to be used for decades to come.
David W. Spitzer is a principal in
Spitzer and Boyes, LLC
and a regular Control contributor.

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F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 55

MOL-155 HalfPg.2-Control.indd 1 1/15/09 10:11:23 AM

CT0902_51_55_Press.indd 55 1/29/09 10:47:09 AM

 Intrinsic Safety: A Foreign Concept
Intrinsically safe I/O is all the rage in the rest of the world, but
Maybe one answer is blowin’ in the wind. North American
chemical process plants tend to be wide open, outdoor fa-
cilities that enjoy a relatively constant wind, and European
facilities tend to be inside buildings. With a higher air
speed, explosive dust and vapors can disperse, making the
site safer and limiting the number of hazardous areas where
safe systems are needed. In Europe, because the buildings
are sealed, the entire building is a hazardous area, thus re-
quiring intrinsically safe equipment throughout.
That’s as good a reason as any to explain why Europe-
ans have adopted intrinsically safe I/O and North American
plants cling to the age-old practice of putting I/O in purged
or explosion-proof cabinets. There are other reasons as well.
In 2003, VDC Research (www.vdcresearch.com) did
a study of user preferences in hazardous environments,
and explosion-proof and purged cabinets came in first and
second, with intrinsic safety coming in fourth. The survey
was for users in North America and Europe, and VDC re-
ported that Europeans picked intrinsic safety first, while
North America picked explosion-proof cabinets first.
One of the study’s key finding was, “Based on the survey
data, it appears much more likely that users will switch to
56 www.controlglobal.com F E B R U A R Y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_56_60_Safe.indd 56
not here in North America. What’s the problem?
intrinsic safety in the construction of new facilities and in
major updating projects in existing facilities, rather than for
replacements and minor projects, where the perceived ben-
efits of switching are less.”
However, things may be changing. A recent market
study by ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com/res/
safety) says that increased emphasis on process safety will
cause a 12% growth in safety systems. “The safety system
market has experienced unprecedented growth for the
last two years,” according to Asish Ghosh, author of the
study.
Explosion-Proof
Cabinets vs Intrinsic Safety
Essentially, there are two basic ways to keep I/O from sparking
and causing an explosion in a hazardous area: The first is to
put all the I/O in a purged or explosion-proof cabinet, so any
sparks that result inside the cabinet cannot cause an explosion
outside the cabinet.
The second method is to use barriers to limit the amount
of current going to instrumentation in a hazardous area, so
that it can’t cause a spark if a cable is cut or a connection
1/27/09 5:39:42 PM

comes loose (Figure 1). This second method is called
intrinsic safety.
Explosion-proof enclosures can be put anywhere
in a plant, including in the middle of hazardous ar-
eas. However, there is a major drawback—servicing
anything inside or outside the cabinet requires shut-
ting off all electrical power before opening the door.
This can also shut down an entire process unit.
Explosion-proof cabinets are marvels of engineer-
ing, with shaped doors and seals that prevent heat or
sparks from an internal explosion from getting outside.
Unfortunately, such cabinets often have several interlocks
and many bolts holding the seals closed. So, maintenance
people may forget—or skip the process in a time crunch—to
seal the cabinet properly, thus rendering it unsafe.
Intrinsically safe systems have other advantages. Joseph
Kaulfersch, market analyst with Pepperl+Fuchs (www.pep-
perl-fuchs.com) explains, “When one is making $20,000
an hour on a product, and an instrument can be fixed ‘hot’
or while running, it doesn’t pay to stop production. In the
case of explosion-proof, users need to get a hot permit which
takes time, plus the process needs to be shut down. An in-
trinsically safe barrier has a 30-sec return on investment.”
Intrinsically safe I/O, such as I/O cards, fieldbus inter-
faces and other devices, are kept in a non-hazardous area,
with Zener safety barriers or isolation transformers limiting
power to instrumentation cables going into hazardous areas
(Figure 2). This method eliminates the need for explosion-
proof cabinets and makes instrumentation in the hazardous
area easier to service, because disconnecting wires to service
instruments can’t cause a spark.
However, since IS limits the amount of current going
into a hazardous area, you have to use IS instrumenta-
tion, switches, monitors and analyzers that can operate
Hazardous area Non-hazardous area
Intrinsically Intrinsically
safe safe
equipment barrier
Approved Approved
Figure 1. An intrinsic safety system uses Zener diode safety barriers to limit the amount of current to instrumentation in a
hazardous area.
CT0902_56_60_Safe.indd 57
Safety Systems
on the limited amount of current available. Fortunately,
IS-rated instrumentation is becoming more widely avail-
able every day.
So How Are IS Sales in North America?
The answer depends on whom you speak to. “I really haven’t
seen many requirements for intrinsic safety in North Amer-
ica,” says Bruce Jensen, manager, systems marketing and
sales support at Yokogawa (www.yokogawa.com/us). “Those
requirements and installations we do have in North America
are generally in the pharmaceutical industry, where there is
a combination of general-purpose, Class 1 Div II and Class
1 Div 1 areas. Here we have used barriers from different sup-
pliers. Yokogawa does make I/O modules for its I/O subsys-
tem in the Centum series with built-in barriers. However,
the market for those appears to be mainly the Middle East
and Europe.”
Joseph MacInerney, principal control systems engineer
at Fluor (www.fluor.com), a systems integrator, says, “The
trend in North America is still very much against intrinsic
safety. The old ideas are too entrenched, plus most plants
are existing, so there is a reluctance to change. We are using
more and more in the Far East, where I work. Once one is
used to the criteria there is no problem. However, it’s diffi-
cult to get all IS instruments, so one ends up with a combi-
nation of IS and ex-proof.”
Andre Dicaire, product manager at Emerson Process Man-
agement (www.emersonprocess.com), says his company sees a
small percentage of its control system I/O channels in North
America that require IS protection. “We do a lot of upgrades
and expansions in North America, and typically we just con-
nect to the existing field instrumentation,” he says. “Custom-
ers do not rip out their functioning field instrumentation to
reinstall it using IS barriers.” Source: Omega Engineering
Control
equipment
room
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 57
1/27/09 5:40:35 PM
 Safety Systems
On the other hand, P+F’s Kaulfersch
says, “It would be inaccurate to say that
intrinsic safety it is not popular in the
U.S. That was true 15 years ago, but
P+F’s intrinsic safety business has been
growing organically—without any ac-
quisitions—by 25% per year for the last
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• N-Link Redundant N-Ring Coupling
• GUI Based MAC & IP Routing Table Display
tel: (251) 342-2164 • fax: (251) 342-6353
e-mail: N-TRON_sales@n-tron.com
web: www.n-tron.com
Manufactured in the USA
CT0902_56_60_Safe.indd 58
five years, and a few of our major com-
petitors have also experienced signifi-
cant growth. In fact, several industry
segments have standardized on intrin-
sic safety for all of their plants in the
U.S., as well as around the world.”
Sonja Anderson, application en-
FX2
7018
7018
Source: Turck.
Figure 2. An intrinsically safe installation us-
ing Turck IM intrinsically safe barriers.
gineer at MTL Instruments (www.
mtl-inst.com), concurs. “Historically,
IS has been considered a ‘European’
technology. Yet in the last two years,
MTL doubled its sales in the Ameri-
cas, with a large portion of those sales
in IS products. Has intrinsic safety
become an American solution? I cer-
tainly think so.”
John Riess, regional product man-
ager for distributed I/O at Rockwell Au-
tomation (www.rockwellautomation.
com), also says IS is growing. “Manu-
facturers around the world use intrinsic
safety measures, including here in the
U.S. Also, Latin America is among the
fastest-growing markets using intrinsic
safety. What we’re seeing is a lot of dif-
ferent industries have hazardous envi-
ronments that have to be dealt with,
and plants are taking measures to ame-
liorate any potential problems. These
measures include using a physical bar-
rier, purged enclosures and products
designed to limit the available energy.
Some plants use a mix of all three.”
Greenfield Issues
“Our input from customers is that IS
wiring methods are indeed increasing
in North America,” says Scott Saun-
ders, vice president of sales and mar-
keting at Moore Industries (www.mii-
net.com). “However, the adoption rate
is certainly slower than the overall
1/27/09 5:40:54 PM
 Safety Systems

growth rate of our industry. The reason an explosion without concern.” cally safe, battery-powered transmitter
Source: Turck.

for this is the lack of new greenfield completely eliminates the need for bar-
plants being built in North America.” The Wireless Factor riers, wiring, explosion-proof cabinets,
One reason IS makes sense for new As for adding instrumentation in an purging and other safety measures.
plants, Saunders says, is because it’s existing plant, many companies are go- Kaulfersch disagrees. “Industry is still
less expensive. “We see the growth ing to wireless transmitters. An intrinsi- trying to cut its costs, so wireless technol-
for intrinsic safety is with new chemi-
cal, pharmaceutical and petrochemi-
cal plants for a couple of reasons,” he
explains. “First, many contractors put
their projects out for bid throughout
the entire international engineering
community. If firms that win these
contracts reside outside North Amer-
ica, their tendency has been to use in-
trinsic safety wiring methods due to
their experience with it. Second, many
of these firms bid on turnkey fixed-bid
projects, and have done a financial
analysis that determined that intrinsic
safety wiring methods for hazardous
areas and zones will actually save over-
all wiring and installation dollars.”
Jim Peterson, product manager at
Turck (www.turck.com), agrees and
says IS is easy to install. “IS installa-
tions allow the same wiring techniques
used in non-hazardous industrial in-
stallations,” he explains. “This elimi-
nates the need to use rigid conduit, ar-
mored cable or specially certified cable
in these areas. The NEC allows the
same cable types used in ordinary in-
dustrial installations, including multi-
core cable that can support multiple IS
signals in the same cable.
“The use of IS installation tech-
niques not only simplifies the overall
installation, but it also makes instal-
lation in hazardous areas a non-issue
with maintenance personnel. Electri-
cians with no hazardous-area experi-
ence can use the installation methods
they are familiar with in any installa-
tion that incorporates intrinsic safety.
None of the expertise in special wir-
ing techniques that is required with
explosion-proof installations is nec-
essary. The use of quick-disconnect
technology may be incorporated and
used safely in areas that have even the
highest potential for the possibility of

CT0902_56_60_Safe.indd 59 1/27/09 5:41:27 PM

 Safety Systems
Playing by the Rules
One problem with both systems is the bewildering array of rules
and regulations regarding hazardous areas and classifications.
The “zones,” “divisions” and other categories that vary from
sytem to system and standard to standard make it hard to tell
the players without a detailed scorecard.
Gus Elias, standards specialist at Moore Industries (www.mii-
net.com), explains the differences between the European ATEX
rules and the U.S. and Canadian National Electrical Codes
(NEC/CEC): “In the U.S., the classification of hazardous loca-
tions is based on the NEC, while in Canada the CEC applies.
In Europe, Asia and Australia, the tendency is to follow the rec-
ommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission
(www.IEC.ch).”
While similar, their definitions of hazardous areas differ:
• Continuous hazard present: CEC/NEC = Division 1, IEC/Eu-
rope = Zone 0.
• Intermittent hazard: CEC/NEC = Division 1, IEC/Europe = Zone 1.
• Abnormal hazard: CEC/NEC = Division 2, IEC/Europe = Zone 2.
“It’s important to note that Zone 2 (IEC/Europe) and Division 2
(North America) are similar to a great extent, but are not identi-
cal, while Division 1 includes the corresponding Zones 0 and 1,”
notes Elias. ( For a quick rundown on the differences see Dan
Hebert’s Dec. ’08 Technically Speaking column at www.control-
global.com/articles/2008/SortingOutATEX0812.html.)
Elias says these seemingly minor details have tripped up a
number of major control system vendors, who found that their in-
trinsically safe I/O systems, which met NEC/CEC requirements,
did not meet ATEX requirements, and they lost a number of large
jobs in Europe as a result.
Things may be changing. “U.S. plant installations were histori-
cally based on NEC500 [divisions], but in the future, new plants
may be designed to NEC505, which encompasses zones and fol-
lows IEC standards,” says Elias. “This will allow the worldwide use
of similar apparatus and wiring methods, including an increase in
the use of intrinsic safety.”
ogy is being installed. Wireless still needs to be powered in some
way, so intrinsic safety is required.”
Dicaire points out that, “Many companies use fiber-optic
transmission in hazardous areas, but even fiber optics have
to be IS. If a fiber-optic cable is severed, the laser beam can
ignite dust particles. Therefore, Emerson developed an IS
fiber-optic repeater.”
MTL’s Ian Verhappen points out that the Fieldbus Foun-
dation (www.fieldbus.org) has adopted IS, too. “Foundation
fieldbus makes extensive use of IS, FISCO and FNICO.
FISCO and FNICO are not strictly speaking IS technolo-
gies, but they allow ‘live working’—that is, the ability to work
60 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_56_60_Safe.indd 60
on the device without requiring a continuous gas test. Live
working is critical to fieldbus installations, because to work
on a device, you must be able to communicate with it. Un-
like conventional analog systems that only require a DC cur-
rent, fieldbus systems also require system communications,
so they can be addressed and modified. But fieldbus devices
don’t need to be connected or disconnected often, so much
of the work can be done from the maintenance console over
the network.”
Do We Need IS?
Dicaire of Emerson says one reason for the low demand for IS
in North America is because plants are being built safer these
days to meet regulatory targets. “Improved valve packing and
seals on field equipment have minimized fugitive emissions,
allowing companies to significantly reduce or even eliminate
the areas needing Zone 1 classification,” he explains. “So even
in new installations where IS can be introduced, the percent-
age of I/O signals that require it is small.”
At least two observers have questioned the need for in-
trinsic safety, including our own columnist, John Rez-
abek, and Mike O’Neill, director at MooreHawke (www.
miinet.com.moorehawke).
Rezabek says in his March 2008 column ( www.con-
trolglobal.com/articles/2008/070.html), “Why do we in-
stall an intrinsically safe instrument system? One reason
is the ability to do live work, such as connecting and dis-
connecting an instrument for calibration or troubleshoot-
ing. The other reason is the significant likelihood that the
area where an instrument is located routinely has a flam-
mable or explosive mixture of fuel and air present. We’re at
a point today where, in many cases, both of these needs are
going to or have gone away already.”
O’Neill says, “IS systems were great for analog electronic
modules that needed frequent access in the field and for the ad-
justment of limit switches on valves. Fieldbus devices have no
physical adjustments accessible in the field or otherwise, and all
changes are made through the segment communications, so
putting yourself through the pain of IS fieldbus—and it can be
very painful indeed—is not necessary at all! However, company
specifications don’t always follow technology very fast.”
Even if it’s true that modern instrumentation and plant
design have virtually eliminated problems in hazardous ar-
eas, the rules-makers haven’t gotten the message—and it’s
the brave corporation that’s willing to eliminate safety sys-
tems where they have always been installed. Whether you
choose explosion-proof or IS, a legion of local, state, national
and international standards organizations, your own com-
pany policies and the requirements of your insurance carrier
will determine what safety systems you will use.
Rich Merrit t is a Control contributing editor.
1/27/09 5:41:55 PM

Magnetic Flowmeters, Nuclear Plants
“Ask the Experts” is moderated by Béla Lipták, process control consultant and editor of the Instrument Engineer’s Handbook
(IEH). Preparation of IEH’s 5th edition will start shortly. If you’re qualified to update an existing chapter or prepare a new one,
please sent your resumé. Similarly, if you’d like to ask or help answer questions in this column, write to liptakbela@aol.com.
Q
Our factory has a MagFlow flowmeter from Emerson
Process Management to measure sugar juice. Sensor
model is 8711SSA040R1N0 and transmitter model is
8732CR12N0M4.
After one season’s operation, the flowmeter failed. The
error message is “reverse flow,” and in the transmitter, the
indicator number keeps counting the flow, although the
pipe is empty. We check all the parameters and the same
thing occurs. Then we do calibration, but the situation
does not improve.
When we take the sensor out of the pipe, it seems to
be OK—no error message appears on the display, and the
transmitter display/indicator is not counting. When we re-
install it in the pipeline, the same error message appears.
The ground/earth wire is OK.
Please help me to solve problem and/or find out the root
cause of it, or do we have to replace with a new sensor?
Tr an NGOC KHEIM - ROGER
roger.tran@viet techcorp.com
A
This phenomenon is typical of both AC and DC mag-
netic flowmeters. When nothing seems to be wrong
with the sensors or the transmitter and yet this occurs,
check the integrity of the electrode seal within the pipe or
the integrity of the lining, if any. Faraday’s Law never ceases
to function as long as the fluid is in contact with the elec-
trodes, even if the pipe is only half full. When the liquid
sloshes, the meter can give a negative reading.
I recommend checking the grounding of orifices on both
sides if the pipe is lined. Magnetic flowmeters often ground
the output signal to minimum when flow drops to zero or
to a known low point, thus avoiding these kind of errone-
ous readings.
G.”R am”R amachandr an
Systems Research International Inc.
Ram.G.Ramachandran@shell.com
A
If the meter operates properly when removed from the
line, and it does not when installed, the problem is
caused by an installation error.
The voltage which the magnetic flowmeter detects is in-
duced by the velocity of the flowing conductive fluid. Be-
CT0902_61_62_ATE.indd 61
ask the expertS
cause this voltage is very small, ANY extraneous voltage or
electric noise will interfere with it. Consequently, the elec-
trodes must be well-insulated from the pipe if the pipe is
conductive (metallic). This insulation will fail if: 1) the elec-
trodes come into contact with the pipe, because the elec-
trode seals are damaged, 2) the flowing fluid contacts the
pipe because the meter lining is damaged or 3) the bonding
of the meter (or its ground) has failed, and therefore, the
electrically conductive pipeline is no longer grounded.
My guess is that your trouble is caused by bad bonding.
Bél a Lipták
Q
Hungary has a national nuclear power plant, MVM
Paks NPP. Our company is interested in the NPP’s in-
trumentation and control-related reconstruction work.
It has to be done by late 2012. I have to choose and test some
software systems with the following requirements:
• We would like to eliminate the very different and com-
plex designing and drawing processes and integrate
them into a package.
• T he software must allow us to make functional and
logical plans (I think P&ID is also necessary). In ad-
dition, we would like to generate other design docu-
ments, such as electrical, control and plant drawings.
At least we would like to learn about the main differ-
ences between the available software packages on the
market. We need to do this to help preventing opera-
tors from making avoidable errors. So we would like to
automate almost everything.
• We would like to test (dynamically, animated) the
whole plant. Actually, we have the complete system
in FORTRAN. It is a fully detailed model, working
as the operating plant, but I am not sure if our oper-
ating software is compatible with the new software
packages. Maybe we can make adjustment and modi-
fications to eliminate the conflicts if we know their
database structure.
• It is a must to have an interface with DCS systems,
which in our case is Siemens SPPA-T3000.
• Because of our high expectations, we would like either
select an existing software package for this purpose or
develop the software needed ourselves.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 61
1/28/09 5:08:32 PM
 ask the expertS

Containment
Structure

Pressurizer Steam
Generator

Generator

Turbine

Reactor
Vessel
Condensor

Figure 1. A typical nuclear power plant arrangement.

What kind of products or product packages can you rec-
ommend? The only suitable packages I’ve found are an In-
vensys and a Comos system combined into a package, but I
think they do not have interfaces to Siemens.
Balint K atona, Sof t ware Engineer
balint.katona@evopro.hu
inate the control errors that I will list. You should also keep in
mind the emerging threat of cyberterrorism, which I discussed
in an article you can read at www.controlglobal.com/voices/
liptak.html. The bottom line is that you should eliminate all
communication links between plant controls and the Inter-
net. Another emerging threat you have to protect against is in
the areas of spent fuel storage and reprocessing, because 20
pounds of plutonium is enough to build a dirty bomb.

A
I am glad that the controls at the Paks nuclear power
plant, (which was completed in 1974, placed on line
in 1982 and experienced an accident in 2003) will be
updated. After over 25 years of operation, it is high time. For
the safety controls needed, refer to my series of articles at
www.controlglobal.com/voices/liptak.html.
As to displays, we usually start with a dynamic pro-
cess display, and add all the monitoring, logic and con-
trol instrumentation, including details such as transmitter
ranges, tuning settings, valve failures, etc., to that. Next,
we provide the operators with means to first view the con-
ditions of the total plant and after that to focus on any area
of interest and observe the operation of any control loop or
safety interlock, etc.
In my July article on nuclear safety, I will describe the
causes of the Chernobyl accident. Because the Paks plant in
some ways is similar to that one, you should make sure to elim-
For a drawing of the magnetic flowmeter problem
described in Question 1, go to www.controlglobal.
com/0902_ATE.html.
You should also think about recovering the waste heat
from condensers, etc. and use it to heat the city of Paks.
As to the Invensys and Comos packages, I was under the
impression that they have the capability to interface with
Siemens, but I am not absolutely sure of that. I suggest that
you check with a software expert at Siemens or with some-
body like James K. Bigelow, principal simulation engineer at
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (jkbigelow@charter.net).
BÉl a LiptÁk
liptakbela@aol.com

62 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9

CT0902_61_62_ATE.indd 62 1/28/09 5:10:37 PM

 ROUNDUP

Still Sexy After All These Years

Going green and plant integration keep HMIs looking good.
HMIs have revolutionized the way machine operators or
engineers interact with a system or a process. But the
HMI market is mature, and prices have fallen dramati-
cally over the last 30 years. The poor economy and the
lack of investment by large companies in upgrades or
plant expansion will cause headaches in 2009 and be-
yond, but on the bright side, HMI manufacturers are
addressing new needs that will keep customers coming
back for more.
According to a Frost & Sullivan research study, “Process
and manufacturing industries are increasingly integrating
plant-floor automation and control into supervisory and
enterprise-level systems through remote communications,
as result of which the need for security has been rising.
HMI manufacturers must address the issue of security and
provide potential customers with adequate precautionary
measures, especially for Web-based systems, through in-
frastructure and access protection measures, so that cli-
ents can invest in highly developed HMI solutions.”
Going green is also on everyone’s mind today. Frost &
Sullivan goes on to say, “environmental regulations con-
tinue to place a great deal of pressure on end-user com-
panies to tighten regulations regarding fugitive emissions
and waste discharge. Retooling plants to comply with such
regulations will continue to drive the HMI market as new
technologies are developed. Regulations affecting end-
user industries put pressure on manufacturers to make
new products that meet requirements set by government
bodies. This should drive revenues for HMIs.”
Pat ti Pool
ppool@putman.net

WIDESCREEN MONITOR HARSH FACTORY FLOORS COST-EFFECTIVE HMI

Ste alth Computer Comark Red Lion Controls
888/STE ALTH www.stealth.com 508/359-8161 www.comarkcorp.com 717/767-6511 www.redlion-controls.com

Model SV-2400 24-in., NEMA 4/IP56,
all-steel, enclosed LCD touchscreen
monitor is capable of running resolu-
tions up to its native mode WUXGA
EnduraTouch 1500FX and 1700FX G3 Kadet operator interface allows
front-access NEMA 4X PCs, primar- communications between multi-
ily for harsh factory floor environments, ple devices and protocols in OEM
have a stainless steel enclosure, 15-in.
a or 17-in. LCDs and sealed I/O ports.
Self-contained cooling technology pre-
vents leaks and keeps out dust where
liquids, humidity and extreme tempera-
tures and caustic washdowns are daily. It

machine monitoring and control.

of 1920 x 1200 pixels with both ana-
log and digital input sources. It fea-
tures a 16:10 aspect ratio, low power
consumption, 250 nits of brightness,
160-degree viewing angles and a con-
trast ratio of 1000:1. The monitors are
available with an anti-reflective, tem-
pered glass protective overlay or an
optional capacitive touchscreen.
meets FSIS requirements. HMI supports
Windows XP, Embedded XP, Windows
CE and Linux. Options: touchscreen,
wireless networking and PCI expansion.
It has a TFT display in three sizes:
4.3-in., 5.6-in. and 8-in. All models
come standard with one RS232 and
one RS232/422/485 port and support
over 170 different protocols. The 5.6-
in. and 8-in. models include a third
RS232/422/485 serial port and inte-
grated 10 Base-T Ethernet allowing
simultaneous communication with
up to seven device types.

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 63

CT0902_63_65_RndUp.indd 63 1/28/09 5:17:33 PM

 ROUNDUP
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
Pro-face America
734/429-4971 www.profaceamerica.com
GP-Pro EX version 2.2 HMI application
development software features multi-
media capability, remote PC access,
high-speed device linking and a built-
in control logic editor. The software
speeds application development for
both OEMs and end users who need to
standardize on one HMI package that
supports both Windows-based systems
and dedicated operator interfaces.
COMMUNICATE VIA ETHERNET
Pepperl+Fuchs
330/486-0002 www.am.pepperl-fuchs.com
VisuNet RM eliminates copper and
fiber-optic KVM (keyboard, video and
mouse) interface technology, while le-
veraging open network-based Visual
over Etherenet (VOE) technology
founded on Microsoft standards. VOE
technology facilitates operation of up
64 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_63_65_RndUp.indd 64
to 32 remote monitoring stations per
server and supports redundant servers,
pathways and hot switchover.
DEMANDING APPLICATIONS
Siemens Energy & Automation
800/964-4114 www.sea.siemens.com
Simatic MP 377 Multi Panels offer
64K of colors and are available in 12-
in. TFT displays and 15-in. and 19-
in. touchscreen models. Suited for
the WinAC MP 2007 operating plat-
form, the MP 377 includes 2 MB of
user memory. as well as an additional
12 MB memory.
OPERATOR INTERFACES
IDEC
800/262-4332 www.idec.com/usa
The 5.7-in. HG2G operator interface
measures only 35 mm deep, offers a
choice of monochrome or 256-color
touchscreen display, and comes with
2 MB memory. An optional built-in
Ethernet port allows remote commu-
nication with PLCs. The OI is RS232/
RS485/RS422-compatible and sup-
ports all major PLCs.
DVI/USB SPLITTER
Beckhoff Automation
952/890-0000 www.beckhof fautomation.com
CU8810 DVI/USB splitter is designed to
serve the needs of sprawling plants and
larger machines. It connects multiple in-
dustrial displays, such as four screens of
the same image, or two separate images
can be connected to the same PC. The
splitter transfers images via DVI, and its
integrated USB ports transfer command
signals from touchscreens, function keys,
keyboards and other USB devices.
HMI DEVELOPMENT
Opto 22
951/695-OPTO www.opto22.com
PAC Display is a Windows-based HMI
development application used to create
graphical interfaces that mimic a pro-
cess. Support for alarm management,
recipe handling, operator logging,
real-time and historical trending, mul-
timedia and unlimited tags included.
1/28/09 5:18:17 PM
 ROUNDUP

ON THE LEVEL other. The multi-language interface

Monitor Technologies is available in 4-in., 6- in., 8-in. and
800/766-6486 www.monitor tech.com
10-in. models with blue mode, gray-
HMI² operator interface combines scale or color version.
with the SiloPatrol SE cable-based
“smart” sensor inventory manage-
ment system and the Flexar smart SMALL-PACKAGE HMI
guided- wave radar, continuous level Schneider Electric
888/SquareD
www.us.Schneider-Electric.com/HMI

Magelis XBTRT is a semi-graphic

touchscreen with one or 10 lines of
text. There are 16 graphical touch- for either Americas or EU wireless
standards. Sunlight-readable displays
are standard.

WEB-BASED HMI
Hone y well
973/455-2000 www.honey well.com

Experion Process Knowledge System

measurement system to serve as an
interface. HMI²’s two sensor net-
works, with a capacity of 16 sensors
each, provide operator interface with
up to 32 SiloPatrol SMU and/or Fl-
exar sensors.
TOUCHSCREEN
OMEGA Engineering
203/359-1660 www.omega.com
This HMI operator interface is a
customizable, true analog touch-
(PKS) HMI uses HMIWeb technol-
ogy, a Web-based architecture that
screen sizes from 3.8 in. to 15 in.
with multiple display types, a range
of three keypad terminals in 5.7-in.
and 10.4-in. screen sizes and two
terminals with XP operating system
embedded.
MOBILE HMIs
Wonderware
949/727-3200 www.wonderware.com

Tablets are designed for mobile HMI

screen operator interface with pro-
grammable function buttons. Macro
programming handles applications,
manipulating and storing trends,
data and communications, as well
as sending data from one PLC to an-
users in manufacturing, SCADA and
infrastructure industries where oper-
ators or maintenance personnel need
mobility, real-time graphics, system
monitoring, interaction and trouble-
shooting. They come pre-installed
with Microsoft Windows XP oper-
ating system, InTouch 10.0 software
and a 3000 Tag Runtime license. Op-
tional versions are offered depending
on the regional integrated wireless
LAN IEEE802.11a/b/g requirements
allows application and business data
and HMIs, to be integrated. HTML
is the native display format to provide
access to process graphic displays
from either the secure Experion Sta-
tion environment or directly from Mi-
crosoft Internet Explorer. Alarm and
event presentations are included.

F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 65

CT0902_63_65_RndUp.indd 65 1/27/09 5:19:45 PM

 Product introductions
PRODUCT GETS BETTER
ControlSof t
4 40/4 43-3900 www.controlsof tinc.com
INTUNE+ software combines custom-
ized software tools and process control
services to minimize process variations
throughout a production unit. It pro-
vides process stability, long-term pro-
tection against performance degrada-
tion and customized reports.
EMISSIONS MONITORING
AME TEK Land Instruments
412/828-9040 www.landinst.com
LANCOM 200 portable sulfuric acid
dewpoint monitor is designed for oil-
and coal-fired boiler systems that re-
quire periodic monitoring of the sul-
furic acid dewpoint temperature to
maintain boiler efficiency, prevent
corrosion or to evaluate the effective-
ness of fuel additives and changes in
combustion conditions. It captures and
stores up to 10,000 readings.
LIQUID DENSITY METER
Emerson Process Management
314/553-2000 www.emersonprocess.com
Micro Motion 7835 explosion-proof,
66 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_66_67_Prod.indd 66
flame-proof, certified custody transfer
density meter is certified ATEX II 2 G
EEx d IIC T6 and T4. Depending on
the functionality required, the 7835
density meter can be specified as a fre-
quency output sensor version (requires
external signal converter or flow com-
puter) or as a transmitter version with
integral communications (Modbus
RS485 and two 4-20 mA outputs).
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Selco Products
800/229-2332 www.selcoproducts.com
Precision Differential Thermostat Se-
ries features tight differential between
9 ºF and 14 ºF (5 ºC to 8 ºC) for ac-
curate temperature control. They are
available with open-on-rise (OA) and
close-on-rise (CA) configurations Fea-
tures include a phenolic body, setpoint
between 50 ºF and 203 ºF (10 ºC to
95 ºC) and a switch that uses a snap-
action, temperature-sensitive, bimetal
disc, electrically isolated from the
switch. Contacts open or close on rise
when surface or ambient temperature
increases to the setpoint of the cali-
brated bimetal disc.
LOW-COST PAC
National Instruments
800/258-7022 ww w.ni.com
CompactRIO programmable automa-
tion controller (PAC) offers engineers
and machine builders a solution for
advanced control and monitoring ap-
plications. The CRIO-9073 has an
integrated hardware architecture that
combines an embedded real-time pro-
cessor and a user-programmable FPGA
chip within a single chassis. The CRIO-
9073 also supports the scan mode pro-
gramming features in the LabVIEW
Real-time Module 8.6, which simpli-
fies the programming of the FPGA-
based CompactRIO system.
OUTDOOR VALVE
Nachi America
800/622-4 410 www.nachihydraulics.com
SK-G01 Series solenoid-operated, wet-
type, directional control valve is suited
for outdoor hydraulic equipment appli-
cations. Featuring high dust and water
resistance (JIS C 0920 IP67), as well
as vibration-proof performance (JIS
D 1601 3 D Grade 90 Division 400),
the valve withstands environmental
elements. Maximum flow rates range
from 50.0 l/min to 100.0 l/min for stan-
dard types and from 40.0 to 50.0 l/min
for shockless types. Maximum working
1/27/09 5:21:49 PM

pressure is 35 MPa for standard types
and 25 MPa for shockless types.
MODBUS GATEWAYS
Advantech, Industrial Automation Group
800/205-7940 www.advantech.com/ea
EKI-1220 series Modbus gateways are
designed for quick and easy integration
of Modbus serial devices with Industrial
Ethernet networks. Available in two con-
figurations, the EKI-1221 and EKI-1222
feature one or two RS232/422/485 serial
ports with redundant 10/100 Mbps Eth-
ernet connections for transparently con-
necting Modbus ASCII/RTU and Mod-
bus/TCP devices and equipment.
PROFIBUS CONFIGURATOR SOFTWARE
FasTr ak Sof t Works
262/238-8088 www.fast-sof t.com
Profibus Configurator has been designed
to make Profibus network setup and I/O
configuration simple. Fully integrated
into PLC WorkShop for Siemens 505,
CT0902_66_67_Prod.indd 67
Product introductions
the Profibus Configurator allows you to
plan, configure and manage entire Pro-
fibus networks right from within Work-
Shop’s interface eliminating the need for
obsolete and third-party applications.
NON-CONTACT LEVEL
Gems Sensors & Controls
800/378-1600 www.GemsSensors.com
UCL-520 series of ultrasonic level sen-
sors is suitable for non-contact applica-
tions such as industrial water treatment,
wastewater management and chemical
storage. The two-wire transmitter for
measurement up to 26.2 ft has a built-in
PVDF transducer for challenging ultra
pure, corrosive or waste liquids. It offers a
3-in. minimum beam width for restricted
space applications.
INDUSTRIAL AC MOTORS
AutomationDirect
770/889-2858 www.automationdirect.com
IronHorse general-purpose AC motors
include the industrial duty cast iron C-
face style. Available in 1 hp to 100 hp,
all motors have a base speed of 1,800
rpm and are electrically reversible. The
TC frame TEFC motors have ribbed
cast iron frames for maximum cooling.
PRESSURE SENSOR
Omegadyne
740/965-9340 www.omegadyne.com
MM Series pressure transducers offer a
modular design to allow you to construct
a pressure sensor meeting your require-
ments and delivered from stock in two
weeks. They are available in gage, abso-
lute, barometric, vacuum, compound
and differential styles, in ranges from
0 in. to 10 in. H20 through 0 to 5000
psi. Multiple accuracies are available to
0.03% BSL.
COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE
Docule x
863/619-2638 www.doculex.com
A component of Archive Studio soft-
ware adds content control and compli-
ance capability with WebSearch con-
tent management software. WebSearch
enables all email to be saved on an orga-
nizer’s server, with all body and attach-
ment content organized and archived
to assist in compliance with regulations
including HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.
This accomplishes the goal of mitigat-
ing information loss and subsequent se-
curity risks in real-time, with complete
information retention throughout each
email’s life cycle, regardless of any dele-
tions at the PC level.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 67
1/27/09 5:22:16 PM
 Control Exclusive
Honeywell Brings DCS Power to Smaller Sites
If small process applications can’t come to the distributed control system (DCS) mountain, then the DCS moun-
tain needs to miniaturize, pull up stakes and go to the small process application. For most of their existence,
DCSs have been the exclusive province of only the largest process control and automation applications. This
was because only the largest oil and gas or chemical applications could afford to adopt them, and only their
large staffs had the expertise to implement them. Now, as
happens so often lately, the world is turning upside down,
and a major DCS has been retooled for use by smaller pro-
cess users and their applications.
Honeywell Process Solutions is introducing its Experion LS
control system, which incorporates years of learning and indus-
try-leading functionality from the Experion Process Knowledge
System (PKS) and provides a DCS’ power and reliability in a
small and flexible solution. Ex-
perion LS manages all contin-
Experion LS Server
uous process control applica- —Redundancy
tions and optimizes batch and —Station
—Engineering tools
sequence-oriented applications —Simulation tools
found at specialty chemicals,
pharmaceutical, food and bev-
erage, and consumer goods pro- C200
controller
ducers. Scalable from a single
PC and controller to multiple Chassis I/O
stations, Experion LS ensures
Rail I/O
plant reliability and flexibility,
while lowering lifecycle costs Rail H I/O
for smaller sites.
“The historical focus for Ex-
perion was the largest, most complex applications,” says Tim
Sweet, Honeywell product marketing manager. “So, to meet
the unmet needs of adjacent markets, especially those in emerg-
ing economies such as China and India, we knew we needed to
offer a smaller process application. Many small firms are mov-
ing from manual batch into automation to improve quality, and
they need small, inexpensive and simple control systems.”
Experion LS is ideally suited for smaller plants because
it allows users to better respond to market changes, while
offering robust process and batch control. “Our customers
asked for a DCS that was less complex to configure, easy to
reconfigure for new product changes, with built-in alarming
and historian functions to improve their process quality and
drive out costs. As a result, we also built Experion LS to run
on less costly, off-the-shelf PCs.
Because it requires less engineering effort to configure
and is easier to maintain than a PLC or large DCS, Expe-
rion LS can help plants save up to $20,000 per year in sup-
68 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_68_HnyExcl.indd 68
port per system. This easier configuration also enables faster
and more reliable changeovers, allowing operators to more
easily modify batch recipes and increase production.
“Smaller manufacturing operations tell us they need DCS
functionality, such as system reliability and greater flexibility,
which PLCs can’t offer, but many leading DCS systems are
just too big for their operations,” says Norm Gilsdorf, presi-
dent of Honeywell Process Solutions. “Experion LS offers
the best of both worlds. It pro-
Experion Station
vides agility to respond to prod-
uct mix changes and offers ad-
eServer
ACE node
vanced optimization and batch
technology usually found in
Ethernet or
larger DCS systems.”
PLCs
ControlNet Experion LS features Hon-
Weigh scales eywell’s S88-compliant and
Motor drives
scalable solution for batch auto-
HART
Profibus mation that can be fully redun-
DeviceNet
dant. The system minimizes
engineering costs with drag-
and-drop configuration, pre-
built algorithms, a global data-
base, pre-configured displays
and out-of-the-box batch functionality. Users gain operational
advantages by making automation configuration changes
without stopping production and giving operators a run-time
view of control strategy and sequence status, truly redundant
unit execution and integrated operator instructions.
“For many years, smaller manufacturers faced a dilemma.
They needed to quickly adapt their processes to market
changes, though doing so could reduce system reliability and
increase life-cycle costs,” adds Gilsdorf. “As the creator of the
first DCS system, Honeywell took its extensive DCS knowl-
edge and designed Experion LS to deliver the agility man-
ufacturers need to survive in today’s business environment
without sacrificing system stability.”
Also, plants now have the option to work through local, au-
thorized Honeywell Experion Implementers to provide proj-
ect implementation and ongoing application support.
For more information, visit www.honeywell.com/ps.
1/28/09 2:12:15 PM

Endress+Hauser Goes Gamma
For the first time in at least two decades, there’s a new player in gamma nuclear process instrumentation. But
Endress+Hauser, according to Level Product Manager Kris Worfe, is no stranger to this technology. “Since
1962,” he says, “we’ve had global experience in multiple industries, with thousands of applications.”
Endress+Hauser is announcing the U.S. launch of its Gammapilot M nuclear level and density gauges, which
the company has sold for decades in other parts of the world.
Nuclear level and density devices have been used for many
years in those applications where nothing else works. Gamma
gauges consist of three elements, a source of gamma rays, a
detector and a transmitter. The gamma source emits gamma
energy, which penetrates the wall of the vessel or pipe and im-
pinges on the detector on the other side of the vessel or pipe.
The reduction or increase in radiation received is propor-
tional to an increase or decrease in density, whether caused
by a change in the fluid in a pipe,
or by the change in the air-liquid or
air-solid interface or of the liquid-
liquid interface in a tank.
“The physical principle of this
measurement method allows for the
precise determination of levels and
densities through almost any con-
tainer material or geometry,” says
Worfe. “Since the device is com-
pletely noninvasive, it is unaffected
by external circumstances like high
pressures, high temperatures or
problematic corrosive, toxic or abra-
sive medias.”
The Gammapilot M will measure density, continuous
level, interface level and point level, with the only SIL 2/3
certification for gamma point level on the market.
Mass flow in extremely abrasive slurries and in large-sized
pipes is possible by connecting an external volumetric flow
device, such as the Promag 55S magmeter. The magmeter’s
transmitter does the mass flow calculation using the density
gauge and flowmeter’s output.
The Gammapilot M uses a scintillation tube as its detec-
tor assembly. These devices are made of either PVT or NaI
crystal and send to the transmitter a count rate signal that is
proportional to amount of radiation received. The deploy-
ment of scintillator detectors means that users can continue
to use older, more depleted sources rather than disposing of
them, since the scintillator can be up to ten times more sen-
sitive than other detector types. This is important because it
is not always easy to dispose of used gamma sources.
CT0902_69_E&HExc.indd 69
Control Exclusive
Now
Another feature of the Gammapilot M is the radiographic
testing protection. The FHG60 Modulator will prevent false
spikes in measurements due to radiograph testing of pro-
cess piping or from any other sources of stray radiation. The
FHG60 Modulator is connected directly to the Gammapilot
M and is synchronized with a motor. This works by rotating
stainless steel absorbers at a timed interval. The absorber blocks
the radiation from the gamma source at predetermined inter-
vals, thereby allowing the detector to read only background or
stray radiation. Then the modulator
rotates to the read position, allow-
ing the detector to see the radiation
from the source. This enables the
Gammapilot M to distinguish the
intended radiation from any stray or
background radiation.
One of the biggest factors af-
fecting any gamma measurement
is ambient temperature. Temper-
ature fluctuations, especially in-
creases, will affect measurement
results because the temperature af-
fects the scintillator material and
alters its light-gathering abilities. The Gammapilot M dy-
namically compensates for this by regulating the high volt-
age of the photomultiplier in the electronics of the Gammapi-
lot M. The influence of the temperature on the pulse rate of
the detector is tested in the factory and stored in the device.
During operation, the temperature inside the device is con-
stantly measured. Temperature coefficients (device-specific)
are used in an algorithm to calculate a compensated pulse
rate. The energy spectrum from a radioactive source is con-
stant, so changes in the scintillator’s light-gathering ability are
adjusted in relation to the energy spectrum, enabling one of
the most accurately temperature-compensated measurement
devices on the market today.
Other features include FM, CSA, EX d, Ex e or Ex I current
outputs and a 316L housing for heavy-duty applications.
For more information, contact http://us.endress.com or call
1-888-ENDRESS.
F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 69
1/27/09 5:25:44 PM
 T E C H N I C A L LY S P E A K I N G
DAN Hebert
Senior Technical Editor
dheber t@putman.net
Since an automated
calibration system
has little effect
on planning and
makes organization
more difficult, why
bother?
70 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_70_TechSpk.indd 70
Is Switching Worth the Effort?
The challenges of moving from paper-based procedures to an automated electronic
calibration system are significant, but not insurmountable. The question is, are the gains
of the switch worth the effort? Any calibration program contains five steps: planning,
organization, execution, documentation and analysis. Planning consists of listing all
instruments, deciding on calibration ranges
and intervals, and developing standard operat-
ing procedures.
During organization, resources are mar-
shaled and trained to carry out the scheduled
calibration tasks. The execution stage is where
the actual instrument calibration takes place.
Documentation and storage of calibration
results typically involve signing and approving
calibration records. Based on calibration re-
sults, companies then have to analyze the data
and optimize calibration intervals.
An automated calibration system will affect
each of these stages differently—some more
than others.
Planning is much the same whether calibra-
tion is manual or automated.
An automated calibration system actually
makes organization more difficult, as the tools
needed are much harder to use. An automated
calibration software system has two main tools:
the calibration software and the handheld elec-
tronic documenting calibrator. Learning how
the software works is not trivial, as these pro-
grams are powerful and necessarily contain a
degree of complexity. Implementation can be
eased for smaller systems by using scaled-down
software, such as Beamex’s CMX Light.
The software must be installed on at least
one PC and often on a network. For maximum
effectiveness, it is often linked to other plant
computing systems, such as ERP or computer-
ized maintenance management, and it should
also be linked to the handheld calibrators.
A handheld electronic documenting cali-
brator that can download data from calibra-
tion management software, walk an instrument
tech through a calibration sequence, record the
calibration data and upload the data back to the
calibration management software is a compli-
cated piece of equipment. A few days of train-
ing is typically required to get plant personnel
up to speed on the calibrator.
Since an automated calibration system has
little effect on planning and makes organiza-
tion more difficult, why bother? The payoff
comes during the next three steps.
Execution with a manual system requires
generation of a calibration sheet for each in-
strument. The instrument tech then takes the
cal sheet to each instrument and calibrates it
based on the sheet instructions. With an au-
tomated system, a single handheld calibrator
holds instructions for hundreds of instruments.
The tech can then take the calibrator to the
field and calibrate each instrument based on
on-screen instructions and prompts.
Documentation and storage of results is a
nightmare with a paper-based system. Calibra-
tion data must be recorded manually by instru-
ment techs in the field, usually on cal sheets.
Filing these thousands of sheets each year in
manner designed to allow easy retrieval is a
complex task that can quickly overwhelm.
To avoid these issues, many plants trans-
fer data from cal sheets to spreadsheets, data-
bases or other software programs, which takes
a lot of time and leads to errors. An automated
calibration system automatically transfers data
from the handheld calibrators to the calibration
management software.
Finally, analysis is virtually impossible with
a paper-based system, but quite viable with an
automated system. The chief advantage of anal-
ysis is that it allows calibration of each instru-
ment to be performed only as needed. Reduc-
ing the calibration frequency for non-critical
instruments that tend to stay within parameters
saves money. Increasing calibration frequency
for critical instruments that often drift can help
process plants avoid off-spec products, down-
time and accidents.
1/27/09 5:26:42 PM
 C O N T R O L TA L K

The Secret Life of pH Electrodes-Part 1

Greg McMillan and Stan Weiner bring their wits and more than 66 years of process con-

trol experience to bear on your questions, comments, and problems.

Write to them at controltalk@putman.net.

Stan: This is the hundredth anniversary of the and Bob Garrahy at Broadley-James Corpora-
glass pH electrode. News of the invention of the tion (BJC) and Jim Gray and John Wright at
pH glass electrode was published in 1909, but it Rosemount Analytical Inc (RAI) to get the GREG MCMILL AN
wasn’t until Dr. Arnold O. Beckman developed inside story. STAN WEINER, PE
the first high-impedance amplifier (Model G) controltalk@putman.net

in 1939 that industrial measurement of pH Greg: We are also getting input from any-
become possible. Dr Beckman persevered de- one interested in pH by means of an on-line
spite being told the total market was 500 in- survey available at www.zoomerang.com/
struments. By 1956 Beckman had sold 126,000 Survey/?p=WEB228KQLJS4KT. The survey is
Model G pH meters. Today about 100 pH elec- quite detailed. There is some value in complet-
trodes are sold every hour. ing the survey just in terms of exposure to vari-
ous issues and possibilities. If you don’t know
Greg: The glass electrode is more important the answer to any particular question, just click
than ever because of its extraordinary range- the 0-1% button on the survey.
ability and sensitivity to hydrogen-ion con-
centration. What other measurement can Stan: The typical pH system available in the
cover 14 orders of magnitude of concentra- 1960s and 1970s consisted of three separate
tion and detect changes as small as 10 -14 (0 probes (measurement, reference and temper-
to 14 pH scale)? This incredible capability ature). The user has a choice of lots of glasses
is the key to why the glass pH electrode is as (rugged, general-purpose, low-pH, high-pH,
important today as it was when invented 100 low-temperature and high-temperature). The
years ago and why something better hasn’t
displaced it. Yet not much has been pub-
lished about application problems and prac-
tices. The life of the pH electrode is largely
secret. The books and academic studies on
the effect of process conditions on the glass
electrode are over 15 years old. The chapter
on electrodes in my book, Advanced pH Mea-
surement and Control, (available online from
Amazon.com, Textbooks R Us and A1 books,
among others) is largely based on these old
publications and my application experiences
at Monsanto and Solutia.

Stan: The pH measurement application ex-

pertise resides primarily in a few old hands at
the pH electrode manufacturers. All of these
guys could be headed for greener pastures
(golf courses and ranches), so there is a sense
of urgency on our part in capturing some of
this expertise. We interviewed Scott Broadley

F E B R U A R Y / 2 0 0 9 www.controlglobal.com 71

CT0902_71_72_CntrlTalk.indd 71 1/27/09 5:27:41 PM

 C O N T R O L TA L K
reference electrode was typically a
flowing junction, which prevented
clogging and contamination, pro-
moted faster equilibration and regu-
lated a more constant potential at the
reference junction. These electrodes
are now relics. What happened?
John: There was a big jump in indus-
trial pH measurements in the 1970s.
Maintenance became a bigger issue.
There were no diagnostics, and users
were left to their own devices to figure
out whether the problem was with the
measurement or reference electrode.
Also, installing and maintaining the
fill and pressure of a flowing reference
was an increasing aggravation. As a
supplier, we seek to identify and alle-
viate the biggest points of pain to the
customer, and maintenance was the
hot button in those days.
Bob: The Clean Water Act of the
1970s, which required the neutral-
ization of wastewater and removal
of heavy metals prior to discharge
to the sewer, was a huge boon to the
pH market—enough to support the
startup of a half-dozen companies.
All of these electrode suppliers of-
fered a combination electrode where
the measurement and reference elec-
trodes and often a temperature sen-
sor were contained within one probe.
Various reference designs were used
to reduce loss of electrolyte or pro-
cess flow into the reference junction
to the point where the reference did
not need to refilled or pressurized: If
the probe was perceived to have prob-
lem, it was simply replaced.
Greg: The throwaway concept was im-
mensely popular, but in some cases,
the probe life was a matter of days or,
in some extreme cases, a matter of
hours. In some nasty streams, coating,
abrasion and premature aging of the
glass, and coating, plugging and poi-
soning of the reference were shorten-
ing the life of the probes. These prob-
72 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_71_72_CntrlTalk.indd 72
lems lead to more creative designs and
advertising and to the “Top Ten” list at
the end of this article.
Stan: Why do some users swear by the
performance of new features?
John: There is a placebo effect where,
if one believes the electrode has new
exceptional qualities, one is less likely
to blame the electrode for what are ac-
tually operational or process problems.
The reality in most control rooms is
that the measurement is the easiest
thing to blame.
Stan: Studies show that more than
65% of the removal and recalibration
of flow, level, pressure and tempera-
ture measurements is unnecessary. I
suspect the percentage is higher for pH
due to its extraordinary range and sen-
sitivity. The removal and buffering of
electrodes upsets the equilibrium of
the reference and leads to calibration
adjustments chasing calibration adjust-
ments. Also, the biggest cause of elec-
trode breakage is handling.
Jim: One user I encountered would
hit the electrode on the side of the tank
to shake loose any stuff hanging on the
electrode and then wondered why the
electrode didn’t work.
Bob: I tell people to think of the con-
struction of a pH probe as similar to
a chemical glow stick. If you bend or
strike it, you break the internal glass el-
ement. But in the case of a pH probe,
it doesn’t glow—it just stops working!
The resulting crack or short may have
no visual indication, and the problem
is tough to catch online because the
signal fails at close to 7.0 pH—the most
common pH setpoint.
Greg: While only 10% of the appli-
cations had real problems, the conse-
quences were so significant in terms
of poor plant performance (plant ca-
pacity, product quality and environ-
mental violations and permitting)
that the point of pain drove custom-
ers to niche solutions that became
corporate standards. For example,
large chemical companies standard-
More about pH electrodes will
appear in the March and April issues.
ized on solid references because they
solved severe reference contamina-
tion problems. Other electrode sup-
pliers came up with double and tri-
ple junctions, less porous junctions
and gel fills to slow down the process
fluid getting into the inner sanctum
of the internal silver-silver chloride
element of the reference. Most sup-
pliers eventually developed their own
version of the solid reference by us-
ing porous wood, Teflon or a polypro-
pylene and glass composite saturated
with electrolyte.
“Top Ten Uses of Old pH Electrodes”
(10) Christmas Tree ornaments. You
will need to get a bigger tree.
(9) Jewelry for your spouse. Nothing
says “I love you” like a personal
pH electrode.
(8) Knick knacks. Electrodes are
much more interesting and fun
than figurines.
(7) Party favors. Electrodes make
great conversation pieces.
(6) Horny Toad costumes. Just be
careful you don’t mistakenly poke
someone.
(5) Disco décor. Go for glitter and
glamorous.
(4) “Price is Right” prizes. See what
customers are willing to pay.
(3) E-bay sales inventory. Claim they
were used in celebrity pools.
(2) Electrodes on the skids. Most of
them are probably better than the
existing ones.
(1) Adorable Automators’ Association
Hall of Fame inductees. We’re
gonna need a bigger building.
1/27/09 5:27:56 PM
 C L A SSI F IEDS
A D I N DE X

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 Windup
Keith L arson
vp content, putman media
klarson@putman.net
Remaking of the
electrical grid into
a ‘smart’ one will
place new cyber-
security demands
on the nation’s
SCADA systems.
74 www.controlglobal.com F e b r u a r y / 2 0 0 9
CT0902_74_WindUp.indd 74
Process Automation Key to Obama’s ‘New Era’
“For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”
now 44th President of the United States, in his inaugural speech to the millions gathered
on the Mall in Washington, D.C., and to the billions more tuned in around the world.
Obama acknowledged the difficult tasks that lay ahead for the nation and the world
while projecting an unabashed confidence in
the ability of America to rise to the challenge,
and, in an unveiled jab at the outgoing admin-
istration, “to lead once more.”
“Today I say to you that the challenges we
face are real. They are serious and they are
many,” Obama said. “But know this, America—
they will be met.”
And if they are indeed met, those of us in
the process automation community will have
played a central role. Indeed, three essential as-
pects of Obama’s vision are to elevate Ameri-
ca’s commitment to science and technology; to
invest in and protect the nation’s critical infra-
structure—notably a “smarter” power grid and
key industrial and manufacturing sites; and to
fundamentally reshape the energy landscape.
If undertaken, these initiatives will call on the
skills of America’s engineering and manufac-
turing professionals in general—and process
automation professionals in particular.
For starters, the Obama-Biden plan sets a
positive tone toward the importance of engi-
neering by supporting the doubling of govern-
ment funding of basic research, with the intent
to “change the posture of our federal govern-
ment from being one of the most anti-science
administrations in American history to one that
embraces science and technology.”
The administration’s call to invest in and pro-
tect the nation’s critical infrastructure calls for
the creation of a National Infrastructure Pro-
tection Plan that would likely encompass new
regulations for ensuring that industrial sites
are protected from man-made disruption and
natural disaster. From power plants to chemi-
cal plants to water distribution systems, process
automation professionals will be called on to
ensure the physical and cybersecurity of the
country’s infrastructure assets. The remaking
of the electrical grid into a “smart” one, will
So said Barack Obama,
place new cybersecurity demands on the na-
tion’s SCADA systems.
But for the process automation community,
perhaps the most important and farthest reach-
ing Obama initiative is his call to fundamen-
tally re-engineer how Americans produce and
consume energy. In order to reduce our depen-
dence on foreign energy and mitigate climate
change, Obama has set a vision that will chal-
lenge the innovation of process automation
professionals at every step of the way.
Key elements of the administration’s “New
Energy for America” vision include the invest-
ment of $150 billion over the next 10 years with
the aim of creating five million new clean en-
ergy jobs. A cap-and-trade program to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 will
have us all scrambling to increase efficiency
through advanced control strategies and the
deployment of high-efficiency motors and vari-
able-speed drives. Ambitious goals for electric
power from renewables and biomass fuels imply
extensive research investment and new capital
spending in wind, biomass and solar produc-
tion facilities—all of which must be designed,
built and controlled.
Of course, Obama’s vision is anything but as-
sured. All of this change will cost real money,
and given the current economic head winds,
progress will be slow.
“What is required of us now is a new era
of responsibility,” Obama said in his inaugu-
ral address, “a recognition, on the part of ev-
ery American, that we have duties to ourselves,
our nation and the world, duties that we do not
grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm
in the knowledge that there is nothing so satis-
fying to the spirit, so defining of our character,
than giving our all to a difficult task.”
Here’s wishing him—and all of us—well in
the endeavor.
1/27/09 5:29:57 PM
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