Models Unleashed: Virtual Plant and Model Predictive Control Applications - This book from the pens of Gregory K. McMillan and Robert Cameron, provides a concise presentation of the concepts, procedures, and examplesÊneeded to construct and apply both types of models using "state-of-the-art" software for simulation and model predictive control. Included are additional online resources that the authors have provided containing their data from extensive testing, as well as presentations.

Sole North American distributor appointed - Xenics has apointed Sofradir-EC, Fairfield, (NJ US), as exclusive distributor in the US and Canada for Xenics' Onca camera models based on Sofradir MCT arrays mounted on a sterling cooler. Sofradir-EC will market these Xenics cameras as "Electrophysics SSC-320M". Models equipped with InSb or QWIP detector arrays will continue to be offered by Xenics.

Process Control Instruments Now Available with Remote Access via Web Interface - Vishay Intertechnology has announced that the Vishay Systems family of G4 advanced process control instruments has been enhanced to include remote access via web interface. This makes possible setup, maintenance, diagnostic tests, software updates, and other activities using a standard web browser.

e-letters and web publications received during week ending 21st August Daved W Spitzers e-zine Sensors & Instruments update Control Design e-news InTech e-news Control Engineerin EME newsletter Automation Weekly ISAExpo e-news InTech e-news There are a number of newsletters we receive which are only available in pdf format or are not available in html as web pages. These may not be listed here!

Two new members for wireless body - The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute has added two companies Wilson-Mohr and Gastronics, to its membership roster as supplier members.
See also our Wireless Page.

New Laser sighting tool for non-contact infra-red temperature sensors - Calex has developed a new Laser Sighting Tool for the successful "Pyro" series of non-contact infra-red temperature sensors. There are two models to choose from.

Dual-output regulator IC combines switching and linear regulation - The new A4402 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a new dual output regulator IC that integrates a buck switching regulator and a linear regulator to provide dual output voltages such as those required by microcontrollers or DSP-based applications.

power meter provides superior accuracy for measuring transformer losses at SMIT Transformers - The Yokogawa WT3000 digital power analyser is at the heart of a test system being used by Smit Transformers NV, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of high-power transformers for power distribution networks, to provide accurate measurement of power losses.

PD flowmeter system measures high-viscosity fluids in food ingredient applications - Flow Technology (FTI) has announced the DC-F/IM (Ingredient Measurement) positive displacement (PD) flow meter system. Featuring a bearingless design with only two moving parts, the DC-F/IM is ideal for measuring high-viscosity fluids in food applications where batch repeatability is desired.

Daisy-chain Ethernet I/O Is Ideal for Distributed Data Acquisition Systems - Moxa has launched the ioLogik E1200 series of remote Ethernet I/Os. The ioLogik E1200 series products come with 2 embedded Ethernet switch ports to enable a daisy-chain topology, the easiest way to add more Ethernet devices into a network, or connecting each ioLogik in series to the next. Compared with the traditional star-based Ethernet network, the daisy-chain topology saves implementation costs such as switches, wiring, as well as labor costs; making the E1200 ideal for distributed data acquisition systems.

Honour for former ISA President -

Distribution alliance announced - Sixnet has announced their products and solutions are now available through TESSCO Technologies Incorporated distribution channels. TESSCO is a value-added provider of the product and supply chain solutions needed to design, build, run, maintain and use wireless systems.

Analyser upgrade packages- Emerson Process Management has designed a clear approach for customers to upgrade from the company's legacy World-Class(TM) oxygen analysers, and most competitive analyser systems, to the Rosemount(R) Analytical X-STREAM(R) Oxygen (O2) combustion transmitter without incurring the immediate cost of a full replacement. Emerson's combustion analyser migration path simplifies the transition, helping customers achieve the efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings of X-STREAM O2 in planned stages.

2D and 3D model configuration and download symplified! - The latest addition to the Design Tools section of Thomson's website allows users to configure and download both 2D and 3D CAD models.

A common programming interface for hardware-in-the-loop and end-of-line test applications - National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) has announced NI-XNET CAN and FlexRay embedded network interfaces, which help engineers working in industries such as automotive and aerospace quickly prototype, simulate and test next-generation FlexRay and controller area network (CAN) devices and networks.

Harnessing the next generation 64-bit chipsets to push applications further - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, today announced the latest release of DataViews 9.25, a set of high quality graphic visualization development tools for building custom applications. The new version includes new features that enhance performance of display updates, support the use of scalable text in input object templates, and allow the setting of background color for Scalable Text objects.

Workforce development - As part of the International Society of Automation (ISA) and the Automation Federation's workforce development efforts, a number of student, professional, and career-building activities are being offered through ISA's Automation Career Connection event, held in conjunction with ISA EXPO 2009.
See also our ISAExpo Review Page

Top five challenges for process safety - Safety has evolved significantly since the introduction of PSM in 1992. Here are top five challenges facing the process safety community today.
See also our Safety Page

The world's first multi-vendor ESD valve PST solution - Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces the release of PST Scheduler, an optional feature of the Plant Resource Manager (PRM(R)) device management package. PST Scheduler was developed through the Vigilant Integration Partners (VIP) Initiative by Yokogawa and four world-leading valve suppliers: Dresser-Masoneilan, Flowserve, Metso, and Samson AG. Interoperability with the emergency shutdown (ESD) valves manufactured by these companies is assured, making this the world's first multi-vendor valve partial stroke test (PST) solution.

The fastest PLC in the world! - Vipa's System 300S is the fastest control system in the world programmable with STEP7 from Siemens. The maximum memory for program and data has already been integrated into the SPEED7 CPUs.

Commercial/ruggedized new compact pc - Concurrent Technologies has announced, as part of their critical embedded product range, the release of a new 6U CompactPCI® SBC based on Intel's 45nm process technology. The PP 531/06x a single slot 6U CompactPCI processor board uses the latest high performance mobile dual core processor from the Intel embedded roadmap, the 2.26 GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor SP9300 or the 1.86 GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor SL9400.

802.11b/g industrial wireless access point - HardwarePT has added Advantech's EKI-6311G 802.11b/g Wireless Access Point, Client Bridge and Repeater to its hardware range enabling standards-based and license-free wireless connectivity for industrial devices, equipment, and applications.

Vision organisation amalgamated in process packaging group -

Seminar now available - Thermo Fisher Scientific's informative webinar, entitled "Magnet or Cell: Fundamentals of High Mass Resolution and Collision/Reaction Cells and How They Cope with Challenging Matrices", is now available to viewing on-demand.

Innovative direct-drive solution for building cooling towers provides dramatic boost to reliability and power efficiency - Baldor has launched a new direct drive technology for controlling commercial building cooling tower fans, that greatly improves reliability by eliminating moving parts while also saving energy and running quieter.

Smart long wave infrared camera - Smart cameras come to the world of infrared imaging with the new Xenics Gobi-384 compact LWIR camera from Stemmer Imaging. The affordable Gobi-384 features a unique on-board digital signal processor for improved real-time image processing. The Gobi offers a high degree of flexibility in terms of frame rate, user interface and temperature range, enabling the user to adapt it to various industrial settings and tasks.

New power supply responds to customer demands - Gresham Power Electronics has introduced the latest addition to its very successful Compact PCI power supply family, the cPCI-6U-600. By continuing to push the boundaries of high efficiency, high power density power supply design they are responding to growing market demands for ever increasing power from the 6U cPCI footprint.

Connectors offer ruggedness and reliability for modern production processes - Harting has introduced a new series of rectangular D-Sub SMT which offer a high level of ruggedness and reliability for use with modern production processes including reflow soldering and vacuum pick-and-place systems.

Harnessing the next generation 64-bit chipsets to push applications further - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced the latest release of DataViews 9.25, a set of high quality graphic visualization development tools for building custom applications. The new version includes new features that enhance performance of display updates, support the use of scalable text in input object templates, and allow the setting of background color for Scalable Text objects.

Fibre-optic raceway system offers segregation, routing and protection for cables - The Lightrax fibre-optic raceway system from the AMP NETCONNECT Business Unit of Tyco Electronics is a fully enclosed ducting system that segregates, routes, and protects fibre-optic cables and jumpers from building entry point to fibre termination and distribution equipment.

Tools for creating custom data management applications - National Instruments has released the NI LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit, an extension of the LabVIEW graphical system design platform that helps engineers and scientists search and find valued data faster.

Improve system reliability with trip coil and lockout relay monitoring - Today's power system depends on reliable circuit breaker operation. Proactively monitoring the connections and circuit continuity of the circuit breaker trip coil and lockout relay gives operators confidence that the breaker is ready when needed. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories has just released the SEL-2652 Trip Coil Monitor to provide this critical information to engineers and operators. The self-powered SEL 2652 indicates circuit breaker status with a clearly visible external LED and a contact output for alarms or SCADA.

A Handbook for EMC Testing and Measurement By D. Morgan This major reference book from The Institution of Engineering and Technology, is aimed at engineers and technical managers concerned with EMC (electromagnetic compatibility). It explains why EMC testing is necessary, what standards must be met, how such testing is carried out (and therefore how to prepare for it), what accuracy and repeatability can be expected, and when to test.

Royal award for signal processing designers - RF Engines Limited (RFEL), who specialise in high performance electronic signal processing design work, has been presented with the 2009 Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category by the Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight (GB), Major General Martin White CB CBE DL, on behalf of the Queen of England.

Expanding range of applications drove Coriolis flowmeter market growth in 2008 - Coriolis flowmeters have continued to gain greater acceptance in the process industries. The market for these meters has enjoyed strong growth in recent years and 2008 was no exception, as technological improvements continue to expand their application range. But "Negative market growth is a possibility for 2009." according to ARC's report "Coriolis Flowmeter Worldwide Outlook."

Sapcon Instriments

New configuration-based tool streamlines real-time test system development by abstracting software complexity - National Instruments today announced NI VeriStand 2009, an open, configuration-based software environment for creating real-time testing applications such as hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and controlled environmental tests. All of the common functionalities of a real-time test system are implemented and optimized inside NI VeriStand in a ready-to-use format, making it possible for real-time test system developers to complete their test application development more efficiently.

Technical professionals learn about water/wastewater and automatic controls - Multiple key topics supporting the presenters from various facets of the water and automatic control industries were presented to a technical audience of more than 50 professionals at the 4th Annual ISA Water & Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium. The symposium took place recently in Florida (US).

European distributor of the year! - Hitachi Europe Ltd, Display Products Group (DPG) has chosen MSC Vertriebs GmbH as their European distributor of the year from twenty distribution partners in the EMEA region. The announcement was made during Hitachi's 2009 European distribution sales channel conference held recently in England. The distributor of the year award is the outcome of new project identification, design win performance, excellent customer support and solid sales achievement over a twelve month period.

GE and Fanuc to split! -

Dual output synchronous DC/DC controller draws only 170uA in battery-powered systems - Linear Technology Corporation introduces the LTC3868/-1, a low quiescent current, 2-phase dual output synchronous step-down DC/DC controller. It draws only 170uA with one output active and only 300uA when both outputs are active, making it ideal for battery-powered applications. With both outputs shut down, the LTC3868/-1 draws only 8uA.

New advanced quartz crystal microbalance trace moisture analyser - Michell Instruments has expanded its range of sensing technologies by introducing the advanced quartz crystal microbalance technique for moisture measurement in gases. Their PMA2030 quartz crystal analyser is an ideal quality monitoring tool for air separators, industrial and high purity gas production processes

Product date expiry verification - The latest demands by major food retailers for future, mandatory, product label expiry date reading and verification have been met with already proven systems by Machine Vision Technology Ltd. Incorporated into on-line, manufacturing processes, the MVT system is able to read and verify product codes including 1D bar code reading, and check corresponding expiry dates.

Quality award re-certification - RDP Electronics Ltd has recently had its ISO 9001 approval re-certified to ISO 9001:2008 accreditation following a successful inspection and validation of all the company procedures from design to manufacture.

Loop Checking: A Technician's Guide by Harley M. Jeffery discusses general methods and practices that can be applied across many processes and industries. Featured topics include: loop checking basics factory acceptance testing wiring and loop checks performance benchmarking sustaining performance It improves system start-up success by providing examples, hints, and methodologies for planning and implementing "loop checking", the foundation for successful start-up.

$25 Million saved in Algerian project - Emerson Process ManagementÕs migration engineering services and DeltaV Connect™ technology have enabled Groupement Berkine to upgrade their aging control room at their Hassi Berkine South oil field site located in the Berkine Basin, in southeast Algeria, without any downtime or lost production. It has been estimated that this saved the company $25 million over a conventional solution.

China trial for new in-pipe monitor - New technology, developed by Intellitect Water, that provides visibility of water quality within the drinking water distribution network, is currently on trial in China.

End Users invited to vendor-neutral seminars in U.S. and Europe - The HART® Communication Foundation is presenting educational seminars on WirelessHART™ technology in both the U.S. and Europe this autumn. The seminars are part of an ongoing program to disseminate information to automation professionals on the first interoperable wireless communication standard for process monitoring and control applications.

Testing procedure document outlines testing and registration requirements for WirelessHART devices - In more news the HART® Communication Foundation has released the WirelessHART™ Device Registration Procedure document that outlines the testing and registration requirements for WirelessHART devices. The Procedure is an integral part of the HART Device Registration Program. The program is designed to ensure device interoperability of both wired and wireless HART-enabled devices.

Industrial Ethernet switch added to product portfolio - HardwarePT has added Advantech's EKI-4654R, an IEC61850-3 compliant managed Ethernet switch for grid automation applications to its product portfolio. IEC61850-3 certification ensures environmental and EMI immunity of network devices used in substations and allows the EKI-4564R to be interconnected with a myriad of devices, providing reliable consistency in power & energy applications.

Advanced infrared detectors on show! - Xenics will demonstrate its highly sensitive line-scan detector Xlin-1.7-1024 with unique features, the high-detectivity Onca for multi-spectral imaging, the uncooled InGaAs "smart" Bobcat 320/ 640 for low-cost mass markets, new software for the high-speed SWIR Cheetah-640CL, and a new real-time Gobi/Raven thermography application: a digital recording and image analysis package developed with Quadrox for automated Swine Flue detection in public places. at Vision 2009

A complete solution for the issuing of visas that is unique in the world! - Zetes, the leading international supplier of solutions for the automated identification of goods and people, in partnership with the company SNEDAI (The National Company for the Issue of Administrative and Identity Documents), has just launched its latest projects with the Ivorian authorities: the biometric visa and the biometric diplomatic and service passports.

Guided Wave Radar level transmitters for Safety Instrumented Systems - Emerson Process Management has launched its Rosemount® 5300 Guided Wave Radar (GWR) level transmitters for SIL 2 safety instrumented systems. Following successful third-party evaluation, the 5300 series now comes with the required Failure Modes, Effects and Diagnostic Analysis (FMEDA) report. As a result, companies in the oil & gas production, refining, petrochemical, chemical and power industries can benefit from the superior performance of Guided Wave Radar (GWR) technology while ensuring compliance with associated IEC industry standards.

Process analytics paper - The white paper entitled "Process Analytics Finds Process Problems," has been published by Canary Labs describing how companies can gain great insight into how their process operates, find problems, and improve quality by using process analytical software.

Promoting small companies and start-ups in electronics production - Innovation all along the line: productronica 2009, the world's leading trade fair for innovative electronics production, will support small and young companies in the industry. By providing attractive stand offers and also financial support in some cases, productronica will pave the way for companies to present their products and services at the world's leading event.

Wireless test system upgrade - The HART® Communication Foundation announces a major upgrade to the Wireless Test System, Wi-HTEST Version 1.2. The system upgrade increases the number of available automated test scripts by 400%, improving overall test coverage and technician productivity while testing WirelessHART™ devices.

Laser alignment detection products augmented - Applied Scintillation Technologies(AST) has announced a number of new additions to its VISUALIZE® (VisualizeIR, VISualize and UVisualize) range of credit card style and disk products used for profile measurements and component alignment of laser and laser diode modules. The VISUALIZE® range, which utilises specialized phosphor coatings to provide a safe image of the beam for infrared (IR), visible to near infrared and ultraviolet lasers, will feature new wavelength specific cards in both UV and IR wavelength ranges and new clear card versions with the target area imprinted on them.

e-letters during week ending 7th August Process Engineering (Jul/Aug) Industrial Networking e-news Automation Security up-date ControlDesign e-news INTECH e-news Flow Control Newsletter Automation Weekly EXPO Exchange HazardEX enewsletter Control Engineering EME Newsletter David W Spitzers E-zine INTECH e-news Connections newsletter There are a number of newsletters we receive which are only available in pdf format or are not available in html as web pages. These may not be listed here!

Damped, low mass DC response accelerometer for high reliability impact testing applications - Endevco has introduced their Model 7264G, a patented, damped MEMS accelerometer for crash sled, rough road and other critical shock testing applications.

Non-contact torque sensor now mounts in moments - The latest model of TorqSense, the non-contact digital torque measuring system, incorporates an integral sprocket or pulley, allowing easy fit-and-forget mounting in a vast range of plant and machinery such as drum mixers, generators, pump, dynamometers and conveyor drives.

Fast track delivery of product samples - Harting has introduced a Ôfast trackÕ sample dispatch service which allows customers to order samples quickly, easily and free of charge on express delivery.

Oxygen monitoring - AAI presents an industry-proven and cost-effective solution for oxygen monitoring needs: the TDL-506. At the forefront of a heavily saturated market, the TDL-506 outperforms competitors by virtue of its robust, evolved design. Harnessing the full potential of surface-emitting laser technology, this system is built to produce accurate, fast, and stable oxygen measurements in even the most volatile process streams.

EU's 2015 super-efficiency electric motor target is achievable today - The new IE3 minimum efficiency standard for new electric motors that will become part of Europe's mandatory requirements starting in 2015 is already available in Baldor's range. IE3 is effectively the same as the USA's NEMA Premium standard, and over the last few years Baldor has developed a very broad range of super-efficient IEC frame types alongside its NEMA Premium motors for domestic American markets. With efficiencies up to 96%-plus, upgrading to one of these IE3 motors now could repay a motor's capital investment cost several times over by 2015, as well as generate substantial ongoing energy cost savings for users.

Curve-tracer software for semiconductor testing - A new version of Yokogawa's curve-tracer software for semiconductor testing has been introduced for the company's GS610 source measure unit.

Latest version of process control system now available - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has released the latest version of its process control system: Proficy® Process Systems - Version 1.6.

New sound quality software helps minimize noise levels - VTI Instruments Corporation has a new software solution that enhances the acoustic acquisition capabilities of its precision NVH/DSA products. m+p international has released SO Analyzer Revision 3.3, the latest version of its real-time software tool for noise and vibration measurement, analysis and reporting - in the field or in the lab.

Record Crowd Attends 15th Annual Graphical System Design Conference and Exhibition

Who's listening while they twitter? - This is the final day of the annual NI Week 2009. This is National Instruments 15th annual customer and technology conference in Austin (TX US), for three days of interactive technical sessions, targeted summits, hands-on workshops, and exhibitions on the latest developments for design, control, automation, manufacturing, and test. And the twitterers have been commenting and it appears enjoying the event!

The following are announcements reaching us during the event: Wireless sensor network platform introduced 16 New X Series Data Acquisition Devices for PCI Express and PXI Express National Instruments and Tektronix Develop IndustryÕs Fastest PXI Digitiser Advanced Motion Control simplified New PXI Express Chassis and Embedded Controllers reduces cost of test

Process Historian added to Video System - By integrating with the process historian from Canary Labs, Longwatch can not only display all the data from an event, it can show video of what happened out in the plant.

New OEM solutions pack - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has released its new OEM Solutions Pack for Proficy® iFIX 5.0, the company's award-winning HMI/SCADA software. The new offering is a compilation of pre-configured out-of-the-box graphic objects and screens specifically tailored to machine level HMI/SCADA applications. The components, along with an integrated workspace toolbar and screen templates, accelerate iFIX application development and make it easy to duplicate across many devices and/or machines for ease of integration, consistency of operation, and implementation of data standards, like OMAC.

Constituent measurement and quality control in dairy application - ESE has announced that Rockview Farms of Downey (CA US) has chosen ESE's Q5i Near Infrared (NIR) In-line Analyser for improving quality control during the fluid milk standardization process. Rockview selected this system based on its fast and accurate testing, and increased control for measuring key constituent levels. Fluid milk production requires tight control over both fats and solids levels in order to meet FDA compliance requirements and ensure customer quality and safety.

Sputtering system supports novel commercially-focused silicon device research down under! - The new Queensland Microtechnology Facility at Griffith University has ordered a Gamma sputtering system from Surrey NanoSystems, to support commercially-backed research into advanced semiconductor devices.

Development challenges of complex test applications met - National Instruments has announced LabVIEW 2009, the latest version of the graphical system design software platform for test, control and embedded system development. LabVIEW 2009 simplifies the development challenges of complex test systems with new tools that streamline the software engineering process for the development, deployment and maintenance of critical test software.

OES Metals Analyser - Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced their ARL 3460 Advantage metals analyser. An extension of the their optical emission spectrometers portfolio, this unit features four configurations specifically designed for the analysis of cast iron, steel and aluminum samples, addressing the analytical requirements of foundries and metals processing companies. Calibrated in the factory, the analyzer provides an immediate, accurate, cost-effective and high-performance turn-key solution, which is ready to analyze samples from installation.

Electronic measurements acquisition - LEM has acquired the Danish company Danfysik ACP A/S. The deal is a strategic bolt-on acquisition in order to strengthen the position of the LEM Group in the field of very high precision current measurements.

New flame AA spectrophotometer - Analytik Jena has announced the launch of the novAA® 350, a robust, simple to use flame-only atomic absorption spectrohotometer with the performance of a high-end system. Designed for daily laboratory usage, the new model features an automatic 8-lamp turret utilising high intensity hollow cathode lamps with a significantly improved lamp power supply for better performance and speed of analysis.

High speed low light camera for machine & process monitoring - The DALSA Piranha HS family of TDI (Time Delay Integration) linescan cameras is unique in the machine vision industry, offering an alternative to traditional linescan imaging. Stemmer Imaging now offer the latest addition to this range, the new Piranha HS-82-04K series with 4096 x 48 or 96 pixel resolution and CameraLink data transfer interface. The new range not only provides the fastest speed available in a TDI camera, with a maximum line rate of 110 kHz and throughput up to 640 MHz, but its unique characteristics can also reduce the number of machine vision components required for many applications, significantly reducing overall costs.

Pressure monitoring in milk production - The Nestlé research and development centre in Konolfingen (CH) is developing milk-based constitutional food products. The pressure monitoring at the heat exchangers in the new testing facility is conducted by Baumer pressure transmitters, which are equipped with hygienic CombiConnect process connections made of stainless steel.

FTIR provides monitoring flexibility for emissions monitoring - Quantitech, recently supplied emissions monitoring company Catalyst Environmental, with a range of instruments that has enabled the company to provide a market-leading range of services across a particularly broad spectrum of applications.