Readout 97.02 February/March 1997

Ireland's Journal of Instrumentation and Control

Advertisers
The following are the advertisers in this issue of Readout - Please support them.

Livingston Hire.
Kelly Controls Ltd Industrial Control Automation Systems - kcl@indigo.ie
Manotherm Limited Dwyer Series AN14 Indicating Annunciator
J. J. Sampson & Sons Ltd. - Carel Control, Recording, Monitoring, Supervisisn, Telemaintenance.
Douglas Electronic Systems Ltd Automation - Control - Instrumentation - Calibration.
CG Services Ltd. - Industrial Instrumentation Installation & Calibration Specialists.
ISA Ireland - The Annual Conference and Exhibition. ProsCon Automation Ltd. - Rosemount Smart 2-wire microprocessor pH/ORP Transmitters.
Panametrics Ltd. Oxygen Measurement for the 21st Century.
ABB Total Capability in Intelligent Communications.
Alfa Laval Automation Automation World 3 Newsletter.
Allen-Bradley - Sprecher+Schuh Information on more than 35000 industrial automation products.

Appointments
The GCAL Group and Brownsbarn Controls both have situations which are listed on out Situation Vacant page.

Basic details of most of these companies may be found in the Internet Directory of Instrumentation and Control, as well as in the Directory of Instrumentation in Ireland available from Readout.

Resumé of items in the February/March'97 Issue

Features in This Issue:

The survey of Suppliers in this issue is of suppliers of Data Acquisition Equipment, Recorders and Loggers in Ireland.

InsideFront
The InsideFront article is an Analysis of a meeting of ten control software vendors and two GM control leaders by Jack Grenard, Editor of Industrial Controls Intelligence." The Article is entitled: "Don't sell me what you have, sell me what I want!."

Applications and Company News

Descaling Induction Furnace

Dublin plant pioneers new solution

The costly problems of pre-venting and removing limescale in an induction furnace, has been resolved by Dublin plumbing fittings manufac-turers, Sanbra Fyffe, through installing the Scalewatcher Electronic Descaling System supplied by GSC Ltd.
Sanbra Fyffe, founded in 1934, employs a workforce of 125 at its Conex Works in Santry, manufactur-ing some 10 million plumbing components per annum. The fitments are sold through plumbers merchants and other outlets, not only throughout Ireland but also in Britain, France and New Zealand.
An Inductherm 125 VIP induction furnace is used by the company to smelt bronze. The furnace is capable of handling 100 kilos of bronze at a time which is then poured into sand moulds. The copper induction coils the induction furnace are maintained at a constant temperature by cooling water.
Until this new system was installed, the company used water softening equipment to prevent scale build-up in the recirculating water system. In addition to the cost of buying sodium, maintenance of the softener cost them around IrP2000 per year.
Searching for a less problematic alternative to the softener, the com-pany looked at the possibility of installing Scalewatcher System to treat the water in both the make-up and return pipes. Prior to the instal-lation, Fergus Russel, Sanbra FyffeÕs Engineering Manager, contacted the manufacturers of the furnace to ask their opinion on fitting the system to treat the cool-ing water. They were advised to exercise caution as no other company had tried this form of water treatment on their equipment.
Nonetheless they did decide to install the Scalewatcher for a trial period and monitor the results with calcium balance, chloride and total hardness tests. The system was installed to the main water feed and coils fitted to treat the water in the make-up and return pipes. Regular inspection, monitoring and tests were carried out over several months. These showed that not only had the Scalewatcher successfully prevented the build up of scale in the recirculating system, but also removed existing scale which had formed in the pipework despite the water softening equipment.
Plant management estimate a payback time of about 18 months and are extremely pleased with the results. The product functions by using electrical fields generated by a coil wrapped around the outside wall,of the pipework to be treated. Using ScalewaterÕs patented frequency modulation technology, the current changes direction several thousand times a second inducing a field within the pipe. This change in field creates an induced electric field inside the pipe which effects the electrically-charged dissolved ions of scale-causing minerals.
Reacting to the varying electric field, the crystal growth charac-teristic of scaling minerals are altered. Treated crystals remain suspended in solution and no longer contribute to the build-up of hard pipewall deposits. In response to lower saturation levels, the existing scale deposits are softened, loosened and removed in the water flow.
Write 6085 on card.

Representation

Malcolm Read, well known here, tells me that he has formed a new company Ixthus Instrumentation Ltd. They have been appointed as exclusive sales representative for Kamen Instrumentation who are manu-facturers of precision non-contacting position sensors and high-performance microwave and RF cable assemblies. He tells us that he has taken this operation from Daco Scientific which will continue to focus on their key business areas of specialist hand controller manufacture and pressure calibration services and fully supports the transition to Ixthus.
Write 6087 on card.

Fax Tetrix

Tetrix Engineering of HaroldÕs Cross, Dublin, have changed their fax number to 01 4968939. The telephone number is unchanged at 01 4964121 as is their e-mail address eng@tetrix.ie.

L+N from Honeywell

Sales and Servicing of the former Leeds and Northrup measurement, control and sensor products is now available from Honeywell. This follows the takeover of L+N's business last year.
L+N industrial measurement and analytical devices, recorders, controllers, drives and sensors are now part of Honeywell's wide instrumen-tation portfolio. The products extend an already strong range, particularly into analytical applications. Their products are being repackaged with the Honeywell brand name and Honeywell has taken over support servicing.
Products covered include pH analysers, glass and Durafet non-glass pH electrodes, conductivity analysers, sodium ion analysers, dissolved oxygen analysers, particle size analysers, dewpoint and humidity transmitters, multi-purpose actuators and Micromax inte-grated control systems.
Write 6088 on card

Molex Distributor Award

Surface Mount connector specialist Flint µI/O has been named '1996 Distributor of the year.' .

Machinery Maintenance

Livingston Rental has updated its inventory for industrial inspection and maintenance applica-tions by offering Welch Allyn's new-generation VideoProbe XL bore-scope. It provides improved image clarity and convenience for remote visual inspection of internal surfaces, for example in engines, gearboxes, compressors and so on.
The unit combines the convenience of fibre-optic technology with high-resolution electronic imaging which provides a crisp colour image. With joystick steering it is easily controlled with one hand, and the image appears on a monitor to avoid the need for an eyepiece. There is also a video output.
The unit is available for rental periods from one week within 24 hours of order. Write 6080 on card

Printers certified

Expo Safety Systems, represented in Ireland by Hanley Controls, has introduced a range of pressurised enclosures which are certified to allow a wide variety of computer printers to be used in Zone 1 and 2 hazardous areas.
The printers permitted include conventional dot matrix as well as bar-code, ticket and other special purpose printers. The enclosures make use of the requirement in the CENELEC Pressurisation standard that the enclosure must be Ôat least IP40Õ. Potentially, this allows a paper aperture of less than 1mm to be present in the enclo-sure wall and still meet the EEx p standard.
The design includes an innovative Air Saver mechanism which limits the leakage of air through the paper aperture and yet not impede the passage of the paper. The pressurisation control system is able to compensate for the leakage and maintain the necessary internal over-pressure.
Using this method even laser printers can be protected within this comprehensive certifica-tion. Hanley Controls can advise on the compatibility of any industrial printer for use in such situations.
e-mail: Hanley Controls.

New Portable Gas Analysis System

A new Portable Residual Gas Analysis System (PAS) designed for use by equipment and maintenance engineers for system trouble shooting, leak detecting, and back-ground analysis/finger-printing has been introduced by MKS. The system is designed to get vacuum systems up and running quickly. The RGA head has an integral turbo molecular pump which gives the system a very wide operat-ing pressure range from UHV up to atmospheric pressure.
Whilst the system itself is very portable, allowing it to be moved close to the process chamber, the PAS is designed in such a way that the analyser head can be operated remotely from the PAS trolley by means of a 10 foot long umbilical cord, given the benefits of a close coupled RGA system in portable format.
Run up time of the system is less than 10 minutes, and by minimising the connecting bellows by close coupling of the RGA head to the process chamber, analysis can be carried out within minutes.
It is manufactured from stainless steel and is fully clean-room compatible; avail-able in mass ranges from 100 to 300 amp in both Faraday and Electron Multiplier detector configurations.
Write 6091 on card.

Simple software control

Before EasyTel became available, the Engineers and Operators working in the Refrigeration Sector were obliged to consider the separate application requirements for controls, data logging, monitoring, supervising and telemainte-nance.As a result refrigeration installations had a quite complex and awkward structures, needed long times to set up the system, with additional higher installation costs and little or no flexibility at all.
Carel, marketed here by J. J. Sampson & Son, believes that the era of single-purpose control instruments is now over. That is why they intro-duced EasyTel as a simple straight-forward software control package specially designed for operators who need to solve all problems concerning the control and regulation of a refrigeration installations by simply setting up a centralised network system.
It is fast and easy to use. All the user has to do is simply expand the capabilities of the standard Carel Controllers (eg IR32 or CR72 series) by equipping them with a dedicated serial card, on new and/or existing installations. After that, a choice of the most suitable package for the application requirements and will give the optimum control and monitoring solution.
What makes the system unique, it is claimed, is its remarkable versatility and flexibility allow-ing the User to meet any specific need, without effort and with great results.
It would not be correct to call this a classic standard Òkit softwareÓ. Rather it is a Òlarge familyÓ of programs, in which the user can find both the standard solutions suitable to the common applications, and specific solutions for specific applications of monitoring, supervising and telemaintenance.
Write 6092 on card.

EMC system tests immunity to brand new conducted RF standard

Schaffner has launched an advanced PC-based EMC test system to address IEC 1000-4-6, the brand new international standard for immunity to con-ducted interference induced by RF fields. Called ProfLine 4000, the system combines high-frequency waveform generation hardware and an extensive range of coupling networks, with the companyÕs Windows-based Powersuite software, enabling engineers to generate and run compliance test sequences quickly and easily. Additionally, the open-architecture inherent in all Schaffner ProfLine systems facilitates the integration of instrumentation to address other EMC standards, or hardware to meet any func-tional test requirements created by the standard.
IEC 1000-4-6 is a generic standard that applies to all household and light industrial equipment. In addition to EMC assessment laboratories, Prof-Line 4000 provides a highly cost-effective solution for pre- and full-compliance testing to major manufacturers in this area. Testing for compliance to this standard involves coupling a swept RF signal, amplitude modulated by a 1kHz sinewave, onto vulnerable power or data lines, and monitoring the effect on the equipment under test. Specifying conducted tests alone allows a Faraday cage to be used, obviating the need for an RF anechoic chamber and further reducing assessment costs. The standardÕs upper frequency limit is 80MHz, but several proposed product standards, for example ENV50140-2 for household equipment, extend this limit to 230MHz.
The ability to integrate almost any test requirement into a unified management and control environment facilitates system enhancement to address other EMC immunity stan-dards, and clears the way for fully automated QA sample testing or production line functional testing.
Write 6094 on card.

News from the InterNet

This feature featured a digest of items from the January and February News from the Instrumentation Signpost.

Exhibitions

Exhibitions scheduled for 1997 were listed in this issue.

Irish Water & Waste Environment

TalkBack, the Questions and Answers style debate hosted by John Bowman is generating great interest both at home and abroad. This is a major debate entitled Ireland's Environment - The Way Forward. The debate is to focus on the state of the environment at present and take a look at which measures can best meet tough new standards. Panellists include Anne Butler, EPA Director, Tony Prendergast, Chairman of REPAK, Clare O'Grady Walsh of Greenpeace and Dr. Mary Kelly of IBEC's Environment Executive.
This is part of the Irish Water Waste and Environment Show (18/19th June 1997). Exhibitor bookings are reported to be significantly higher then at the same time last year. There are also other Seminars organised by ISA Leinster and details of these are available from Jean Roberts on 01 2840011. Exhibition and TalkBack tickets are available from Catherine Iredale on 00 44 181 6517113.

FieldComms UK

The third FieldComms UK will focus specifically on digital communications, industrial networking and fieldbus technologies and will be run concurrently with the show. The Fieldbus page at has more information on this and other fieldbus functions.

Real-Time Computer Shows tour Europe -

Active Exhibitions Europe has announced a show schedule for the Real-Time Computer Shows to be held throughout Europe (and Israel and South Africa) during 1997. A series of Embedded Computing Shows are programmed concurrently at many of the planned locations. These shows will also feature exhibitor product seminars with visitor participation. Check details on our Exhibition and Conference Page

(http://www.iol.ie/~readout/expo.html).

Literature

Pneumatics Seminar PlanÕ97 - Pneumatics, Electro-pneumatics & PLC Training. Call Maria on 01 4568111 for further details or bookings.
Measurements & Testing - The Bulletin of Information of the Standards, Measure-ments and Testing Pro-gramme. Contact European Commission on fax 00 32 2/2958072.
Signal Conditioning eXtensions for Instrumen-tation (SCXI) from National Instruments. Contact IMEX on 042 72300. Servo drives, motors, controllers and Software Catalogue from Digiplan. Talk to GCAL on 01 2840011.
Intrinsically Safe Instru-mentation - MTL 1997 catalogue now available from P‡draig Troy at Hanley Controls on 041 24500.
Made to Measure - a free source of information from Hewlett Packard on 01 615822.
Spectronic Genesys 2PC - Spectrophotometer with WinSpec Software from Spectronic Instruments. Contact Joe Rowley at AGB Scientific on 01 8309533.
Automation Controls - latest catalogue from Cliff Butler at Cruezet on 00 44 1252 513211.
Line-Amp 2000 - to measure the current in an overhead line. Talk to Mike McCormack of Suparule on 061 330799.
Bus Stop - Device-level sensor and actuator inter-connect and bus products from Turck. Talk to PCAS on 1800 220380.
Multi-Parameter Water Analysis on-line - Bran and LuebbeÕs DiaMon. Talk to Steve McNealy on 045 483842.

Suppliers! Please send us literature for inclusion in this section...

People

Kevin Jackson has been appointed Managing Director of Fisher Rosemount ltd, the sales arm of the Fisher-Rosemount Group in Britain. He was formerly with Siebe Control Valves where he was Vice President of sales and marketing for Europe.
Raymond Malloy, whose death has been announced at the age of 59 was a long standing member of the ISAÕs Publications Depart-ment. The death of Ken Maddock former Vice President, Fisher Rosemount Europe has also been announced. He was 51.
PC Soft International, the Developer of Wizcon super-visory software, has appoint-ed Richard Watts to head its European operations.
A pleasant evening marked the presenta-tion of the annual Honours and Awards of ISA held in January. The following awards were presented:
Craft Apprentice Award: Mark Montgomery from Rathmullan Co. Donegal (Unifi Textured Yarns).
Technician Award: William OÕBrien, Castletownroche, Co. Cork (Cork Institute of Technology).
Technologist Award: Keith Sheehan, Tralee Co. Kerry (Analog Devices). Keith has also received the Tyndall Award.
The Ger Dullea Award and Bursary (£500) was awarded to Edward Keane of Limerick (UCG) as the best fourth year student study-ing Instrumentation/Applied Physics.
The Instrument Pioneer award is a recogni-tion of a lifetime devoted to instrumentation in Ireland. This award was made to Tony Gibson who spent over 40 years working in the area. Unfortunately he was unable to attend due to illness. As we go to press we have learned of Tony's untimely death of this illness. Ar dheis Dégo raibh a anam dhílis. R.I.P.
Sponsors for the ISA Honours and Awards were ABB Kent-Taylor, Acorn Electrical Group, CG Services, Pegler & Louden, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Project Manage-ment and The OÕShea Group.
The February/March'97 Issue of Readout will feature a survey of suppliers of Systems (incl SCADA & Software) in Ireland .
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