Technologies Advance At ISA Expo/98

Process NMR provides on-line measurements

Foxboro, Mass. —To help refiners reduce costs, the Foxboro Co. is offering a Process Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyzer solution that provides reliable, on-line chemical composition measurements needed to operate selected unit processes closer to constraints. These measurements were often not previously available outside the laboratory, or were only available on-line using expensive analyzer technologies. Foxboro estimates that using Process NMR can save refiners five to 10 cents per barrel of finished product. ISA Expo/98 booth 4106. Foxboro Co.

New features added to workstation

Sunnyvale, Calif. —New AWS-825B/PB workstations from American Advantech Corp.) feature an optional, slim CD-ROM suitable for software installation, an upgraded 260 W power supply with an improved MTBF of 100,000 hours. The 19-in rack/panel-mount workstations include a 15-in. low radiation color monitor; offer a seven-layer keypad with protection film; and direct replacement of the front panel function keypad, further reducing MTTR. ISA Expo/98 booth 1315. American Advantech Corp.

Operator terminals for hazardous areas debuts

Salem, N.H.— Complete with barcode/scanner interface options and intrinsically safe RS-422 communication connections, there are four models in R. Stahl’s new Exicom line of operator interface terminals for hazardous areas. They include ET-4l, which has a text-only, monochrome LCD; the ET-6 and ET9752, which feature LCD graphics in a 240-by-128-pixel monochrome display with text, as well as binary inputs; and ET-8, which has a color LCD screen, VGA graphics, text, four binary inputs, and three relay outputs. Stahl also features six models in its line of Provicom operator terminals for nonhazardous areas, and four models in its IPC 6000 line of industrial PCs. ISA Expo/98 booth 990. R. Stahl

Integrated historian fuels FIX Dynamics software

诺伍德,质量。——使用π历史学家引擎从OSI Software Inc., Intellution’s FIX Dynamics software can enable plantwide historian functionality and the ability to move this information throughout the enterprise. As the first major third-party component in FIX Dynamics, the partnership with OSI will give Intellution customers access to the premier historical solution, so they can concentrate on functionality and performance rather than custom programming. The i-core, Intellution’s plug-and-solve framework, enables the seamless integration of FIX Dynamics and the historian components. ISA Expo/98 booth 764. Intellution

PlantScape helps change hybrid control landscape

Phoenix, Ariz.— To address a full spectrum of hybrid control needs, PlantScape from Honeywell Industrial Automation & Control (IAC) provides integrated, continuous batch and discrete/ machine control. It also delivers Hybrid Control Plus, which includes supervisory control and data acquisition, standalone human-machine interface, integrated security and building control, safety management, field control, and application packages. ISA Expo/98 booth 804. Honeywell IAC

Laser mirror scanner delivers fast range measurement

Orlando, Fla.— LMS-Q140 Pulsed Laser Mirror Scanner from Riegl USA provides accurate range measurement to most target surfaces within a narrow laser beam faster and with more measurement points than existing ultrasonic or optional measurement sensors. Based on the principle of time-of-flight measurement of short laser pulses in the infrared wavelength area, the LMS-Q140 scanner is ideal for long-distance, high-speed scanning applications. It scans object surfaces and provides fast signal processing and high-speed parallel ECP data interface. ISA Expo/98 booth 4598. Riegl USA

Flexible solution allows incremental I/O additions

Mayfield Heights, O.— Rockwell Automation has developed a granular Allen-Bradley I/O solution for users that want to add I/O devices gradually. The Allen-Bradley Flex Integra I/O platform integrates the terminal base with the I/O modules to allow end-users to install I/O connections in increments of two to four points. Flex Integra also shares the same bus technology as the Flex I/O system, which makes it easier to mix them on the same network node. An extension of Flex I/O, Flex Integra’s modules are half the length of existing Flex I/O modules. By adding Flex Integra, Flex I/O is now available in two- to 16-point increments. ISA Expo/98 booth 382. Rockwell Automation

Current sensors, power monitors launched

Mountain View, Calif.— NK Technologies is introducing a complete line of current transducers and switches to the instrumentation and control markets. The current-operated switches monitor loads from 1-250 amps with field-adjustable setpoints and reliable solid-state outputs. They can be connected directly to any automation system input for status and proof-of-performance. Transducers are available for ac and dc current, in split-core or solid-core configurations, for loads of 0-10 amps to 0-200 amps. These small units combine a current transformer and a transducer in a single, easily installed package, and provide a 4-20 mA or 0-5 V dc output. NK Technologies’ KW 2000 Power Monitors offer high-speed voltage sampling and current wave forms with digital signal processing to ensure true RMS values and accurate measurement. ISA Expo/98 booth 324. NK Technologies

ProPanel computer has new screen options

Billerica, Mass.— The new version of Azonics Corp.’s ProPanel computer has a 15-in. flat panel, active matrix screen, and enhanced Hi-Brite (1,500 NT luminesence) that is beneficial in changing light conditions. An all-electronic, internal purging option for ProPanel, called SmartPurge, was introduced earlier this year. This advance has added to ProPanel’s fully sealed, low-temperature design, long MTBF, and compact size. ISA Expo/98 booth 3224. Azonics Corp.

Registered FOUNDATION fieldbus products debut

Austin, Tex.— For the first time, the Fieldbus Foundation will show officially registered, commercially available, plug-and-play devices operating on a common fieldbus. So show attendees can participate in the live configuration of that FOUNDATION fieldbus system, the foundation will also present an interactive theater at its booth. A wall of registered products will include data on the foundation’s device registration process and a list of current FOUNDATION fieldbus installations by major end-users. The booth will also have information on the foundation’s end-user councils that are being established worldwide. FOUNDATION fieldbus enables distributed control and that process control functionality can be situated in the field, host, or both. ISA Expo/98 booth 4427. Fieldbus Foundation

Capacitance switch has new probe

Naugatuck, Conn.— New Delavan MicroPoint/ 500 is an OEM capacitance switch incorporating NEMA 4X corrosion-proof housing, new probe designs, and one-touch calibration with the unit uncovered or covered. It can be factory set for complete automation of bulk powder solids or liquids control. ISA Expo/98 booth 3538. Delavan Process Instrumentation

OAenterprise configures, manages applications from PC

Santa Ana, Calif.— With just a few mouse clicks, Object Automation (OA)says its OAenterprise software can complete enterprise-wide applications, including control, view, history, and alarm configurations. With its object-based control, OAenterprise leverages commodity hardware, so users only have to develop their control strategies once before deciding where to run them. Users can then manage their enterprise-wide applications from PCs. Besides OAenterprise, Object Automation will also show several OApartners’ plug-ins and applications. ISA Expo/98 booth 5001. Object Automation

Wonderware’s InTouch 6.0 tags 60,000

Irvine, Calif.— Wonderware is featuring tightly integrated applications running its InTouch human-machine (HMI) package as the GUI (graphic user interface) for a sophisticated InTrack WIP tracking application. InTrack then deploys the IndustrialSQL Server real-time relational database as its historian. The InTouch HMI module runs on Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 95, and the runtime application can be run as an NT service. It provides support for up to 60,000 tagnames, which are handled more easily by a new Tagname Browser. The suite also includes a family of I/O Server interfaces for connecting to most plant floor devices, including the newest fieldbus protocols. All data is time- and quality-stamped and the FactorySuite is an OPC client, which provides access to additional devices. ISA Expo/98 booth 536. Wonderware

Immersible platinum RTD is thoroughly protected

Hudson, N.H.— Using a flourocarbon molding process, the Immersible Platinum RTD (RTD 2972) temperature sensor from RdF Corp. is completely immersible in aggressive chemicals at higher temperatures, from–200 to 2328 C (–320 to 4508 F). It has a flat, flexible Kapton reinforcement suitable for surface mounting and immersion. A heavy duty two wire cable on the sensor provides long leads and the above temperature capability. ISA Expo/98 booth 4293. RdF Corp .

Flow conditioner ensures flowmeter performance

San Marcos, Calif.— New Vortab Insertion Sleeve (VIS), Meter Run (VMR), Short Run (VSR), and Field Kit (VFK) flowmeter flow conditioners from Vortab Co. and Fluid Components Int’l. include a tab design that corrects flow profile distortions to ensure flowmeter accuracy and repeatability with minimal pressure loss. The tab requires straight-pipe lengths of seven diameters upstream and one diameter downstream. The conditioners also support precise and repeatable measurement across various technologies and process applications. ISA Expo/98 booth 4558. Vortab Co.

Larger flat-panel monitors launched

西雅图,华盛顿州。-克里斯滕森显示产品已经添加ed two larger flat-panel monitors, with and without touchscreens, that offer up to 1,280-by-1,024 pixel resolution, 24-bit or “true color” depth, wide viewing angles, and direct compatability with any standard analog video signal. The new monitors offer true 20-in. diagonal viewing area, which is larger than traditional 21-in. CRT monitors. ISA Expo/98 booth 152. Christensen Display Products

One size control system fits all applications

春天的房子,爸爸。客户端服务器architectur习语e, and removing capacity limits on operator interface (OI) clients, controllers, I/O points, historical archiving, and how redundancy is implemented, APACS has become APACS+. The same communications, hardware, and software are used for a system needing one OI client with 100 I/O points, and one needing 100’s of OI clients with tens-of-thousands of I/O points. New functionality includes, nonintrusive control simulation, configuration version control, broader use of standards including OPC (OLE for process control), third-party application access through a published API, FOUNDATION fieldbus integration, tighter coupling of controller configuration with OI to reduce configuration efforts, flexible reporting, and “ready-to-use” application libraries. ISA booth number 4008. Moore Process Automation Solutions

Suite of FOUNDATION fieldbus products introduced

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada —Integrated products that reduce engineering effort is what Fieldbus PlantWeb Builder delivers. Initial fieldbus certified devices include Rosemount 3051 pressure and level transmitters, Rosemount 3244V temperature transmitters, and Fisher Controls DVC5000f digital valve controllers. Products to be added during the next 6 months include Micro Motion 5300 flow and density transmitters, Rosemount Analytical 4081 pH transmitter, 4000 in-situ oxygen transmitter, Rosemount 8800A vortex flowmeter and 8742C magnetic flowmeter, and El-O-Matic ELQ valve actuators. PlantWeb Builder supports integration of conventional 4-20 mA and discrete I/O devices, HART, and other communication standards, including OPC and Modbus with fieldbus devices without need for separate systems or special interfaces. ISA booth number 4406. Fisher-Rosemount

Enterprise historian enables productivity

Rochester, N.Y.— Advant Enterprise Historian 2.0 from ABB Industrial Systems gives manufacturers access to plant-wide and corporate-wide data from business, production, and control systems for better production and business decisions. The distributed architecture of this enterprise-wide historian enables visualization, retrieval and storage of data, so it becomes meaningful and useful. Advant’s distributed architecture also allows historical information to be retrieved from different systems within the plant, as well as from other plants. Historical data from upstream and downstream processes can be viewed from operator stations on the plant floor as well as from desktop PCs, and data is integrated from both ABB’s and other vendors’ systems. ISA Expo/98 booth 4212. ABB

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