At my alma mater, The University of Texas, here in Austin, Texas, is the Carl J. Eckhardt Combined Heating and Power (CHP) Complex. It is often described: …as the largest and most integrated microgrid in the U.S…. [It] is capable of generating 135 MW (megawatt) power...
distributed control system
Lessons from Fast Track Gas Turbine Generators Control System Retrofit Project
Earlier this week, we shared how integrated control systems connected with turbine generators and other associated process areas, can improve overall efficiency and reliability for electrical power producers. Continuing on this theme, a Combined Cycle Journal article,...
Reducing System Migration Risk for Refinery Blend and Tank Farm Operations
Regulatory bodies across the globe continue to impose stricter specifications for transportation fuels to reduce combustion byproducts. Emerson's Murali Krishnan and Patrick Truesdale shared a story with me of an Asian refiner who needed to modernize its blend and...
Planning and Justifying Control System Modernization Projects
Author: John Dolenc It is nice to hear from our customers and read in the literature that it has become important to not just replace obsolete control system equipment, but to also provide operational improvement. For the longest time I have been puzzled by the idea...
Where to Look for Benefits in DCS Modernization Project Justification
We'll continue with our series on getting your brownfield automation project approved. In part one, Front End Planning for Control System Modernization Projects, we explored how changes in the project become more expensive the later in the schedule that they are made....
Managing the DCS Asset Lifecycle
The AFPM [American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers] is: …a trade association representing high-tech American manufacturers of virtually the entire U.S. supply of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, other fuels and home heating oil, as well as the petrochemicals used as...
Problem Solving Community Style
I've always seen the promise of participation in online communities and LinkedIn groups as a way for process automation and instrumentation folks to share knowledge, but leave it available for others with similar questions at a later time. While email is a...
Optimizing Batch Process Automation Design in MES and DCS
For pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers, the flow and capture of information is as important as the flow of the manufacturing process in readying products to release for sale. In a Pharmaceutical Technology magazine article, Connecting MES to Process Control,...
Capturing and Transferring Plant Operator Expertise
As businesses in the West grapple with the demographic challenge of losing experienced employees to retirement, companies are taking various approaches to capturing and transferring this expertise to their incoming personnel. Emerson's Mark Nixon pointed me to a great...
Controlling with Wireless Devices and MPC
Wireless standards for instrumentation go back to September 2007 when the HART Communications Foundation (now FieldComm Group) announced the official release of the HART 7 specification. This specification included the WirelessHART protocol. As we have chronicled in...
Increasing Project Efficiencies in Control System Modernizations
As members of the "baby boom" generation retire and remove their deep experience from process manufacturers and producers, sometimes the remaining staff knows little of the inner workings of the control systems. Many of these distributed control systems and PLCs that...
Cyber-Security in Metals and Mining
Author: Juan Carlos Bravo In the past, we discussed how the metals and mining industry was increasingly becoming a target for cyber-attacks. An Ernst and Young report, Business risks facing mining and metals 2015–2016 recently upgraded cybersecurity into its top 10...
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The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the authors. Content published here is not read or approved by Emerson before it is posted and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Emerson.