TL;DR Sustainability initiatives require efficient use of limited resources. Automation enables measurable improvements in energy use and emissions. Monitoring WAGES systems is key to identifying waste. Modern control and reliability tools reduce inefficiencies and...
Most devices are smart, but the data is often stranded in the device. What is usually missing is written instructions, carried through procurement and design, that say which data comes out, where it lands, and what someone does with it. Without the instructions, the asset management software ships uninstalled or installed but not utilized, the input/output cards get ordered without HART capability, and the plant starts up with 4-20 milliamp signals and nothing else.
Combined-cycle power plants pair gas turbines with a steam turbine to achieve roughly 60% overall efficiency, placing them among the most efficient large-scale generation technologies available today. Those gains depend entirely on precise fuel gas conditioning.
Control valves sit at the center of slurry density, cyanide dosing, and recycled water duties, where small controllability problems compound directly into lost ounces. Treating those valves as commodity components rather than performance assets has become an increasingly expensive habit.
Control valves sit at the point where process decisions become physical actions. Better data from the valve, delivered to the right person in the right place, shortens the path from detection to response.
A wave of mergers is reshaping the industrial technology map. Process licensors are becoming automation vendors, and automation vendors are acquiring licensors. Why focused automation suppliers deliver the best value over the project and operating lifecycle.
An undersized valve cannot pass the required flow, and the correct selection depends on more than the published flow coefficient. Pipe reducers, choked flow conditions, and the interaction between pressure drop and vaporization all influence the result.
For more than 25 years, Bluetooth® technology has helped create a better world through openness and connection. While most people know Bluetooth technology from the devices in their pockets, the technology has quietly become a cornerstone of industrial...
Poorly specified or undersized valves in critical services can cause unplanned shutdowns, fugitive emissions, and safety incidents, so getting valve selection right at the front end of a project and revisiting it whenever process conditions change are among the highest-leverage actions an operator or engineering contractor can take.
Valve failures in mining drive unplanned downtime, safety hazards, environmental exposure, and lost production. Abrasive slurries, cavitation, and corrosive acids each attack valves in different ways, yet all lead to the same outcome: shortened service life and rising maintenance costs. A podcast analyzing available solutions.
Compressor surge control remains one of the most popular topics here on the blog. I took an inventory of many of the Emerson products used to control surge conditions.
Emerson Accredited Service Providers, combined with digital tools, can assist you in collecting and reviewing information to validate your installed base of valves, actuators, and regulators at plant startup or to analyze equipment health in preparation for a shutdown, turnaround, or outage.
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This blog features expert perspectives from Emerson's automation professionals on industry trends, technologies, and best practices. The information shared here is intended to inform and educate our global community of users and partners.