Emerson Exchange 365

Activity

Monitoring Your Medium Voltage Switchgear

Jim Cahill

When I worked in the offshore oil & gas business many years ago, production platforms typically had low-voltage electrical systems running motors no larger than 480VAC. Over the years as the process sophistication grew and motors with variable speed drives replaced engine-driven compressors and other assets, the need for medium voltage systems (between 1KV and 35KV) grew. For most other industries with access to an electrical…
- 9 Aug 2017
Moving Beyond Local Pressure Gauge Readings

Jim Cahill

Walk around most any industrial process manufacturing or production process and you’ll likely see pressure gauges providing feedback to operators who walk by. According to the Pressure Gauge entry in Encyclopedia.com , this technology: …was invented by French industrialist Eugene Bourdon in 1849. It utilizes a curved tube design as the pressure sensing element. A less common pressure element design is the diaphragm…
- 2 Aug 2017
Flowing Process Data to Decision Makers

Jim Cahill

One of the byproducts of control and safety systems is the accumulation of Big Data. By itself, this data is not useful, unless as ControlGlobal.com editor Jim Montague explains in an article, Alternate paths from the field to cloud , you are: …moving production data faster and more efficiently from process applications, field equipment and plant-floors up to decision-makers and enterprise levels. In this article…
- 1 Aug 2017
Advancing Industrial Internet of Things Projects

Jim Cahill

If you keep up with news in the world of automation, you’ve likely heard about IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) coming ever closer together due to the potential value of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. For many manufacturers, this process of coming together brings separate organizations together with different objectives and cultures. Solutions that bridge this divide can…
- 14 Jul 2017
Continuously Monitoring Critical Electrical Assets

Jim Cahill

One common thread with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based sensors is that they typically will replace periodic, manual measurements. We shared IIoT application examples in past posts of how business performance—in safety, reliability and efficiency—can be improved. The common thread is that continuous data streams from these IIoT sensors feed analytics applications, which can help spot & notify personnel of emerging…
- 12 Jul 2017
Wireless and Continuous Corrosion Monitoring

Jim Cahill

Piping and vessel corrosion and erosion typically occur from the inside out, making it difficult to spot problems without some type of ongoing material thickness measurement program. A piping or vessel breach can lead to disastrous consequences, especially in processes with toxic or flammable materials. Traditionally, the maintenance staff has performed periodic manual measurements with wall thickness measurement tools…
- 6 Jul 2017
Improving Pharmaceutical and Biotech Plant Utility Performance

Jim Cahill

For pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers, the use of steam, heating and air conditioning systems, water and other utilities are an important part of the manufacturing process. Efficient and reliable operations for these plant utilities is very important. In a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing article, Monitoring Plant Utilities for Operational Excellence , Emerson’s Michalle Adkins describes how additional measurements…
- 26 Jun 2017
Disruptive Innovations in Automation

Jim Cahill

Technology advances have disrupted many markets including photography, music, video and communications to name just a few. These disruptive innovations have improved usability and reduced costs for those taking advantage of the technology advancements. In our world of industrial instrumentation and automation, Emerson’s Roel Van Doren notes: …the introduction of microprocessors and digital communications led to…
- 8 Jun 2017
Generating IIoT Return on Investment

Jim Cahill

Justifying instrumentation- and automation-related projects in process manufacturing operations typically involves quantifying expected returns in reliability, efficiency or reductions in risks associated with safety and emissions. As Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies have emerged, the need for project justification remains as strong as ever. In a Smart Machines & Factories article, Securing a return…
- 7 Jun 2017
Understanding Servers, Converters and Gateways

Jim Cahill

As instrumentation and control system, also known as Operational Technology (OT) incorporate wireless and other classic Informational Technology (IT) components, the worlds of OT and IT continue to merge. For control and automation specialists, it means things like servers, converters and gateways become part of the learning path. Emerson’s Craig Abbott had a great LinkedIn post, Servers, Converters and Gateways…
- 25 May 2017
Improving Refinery Corrosion Monitoring

Jim Cahill

With the diversification of crude oil types brought about by U.S. shale production, refineries have increased risk for vessel and piping corrosion. Many of the aging refineries also are operating past the design life of some of their plant assets. In a Chemical Processing article, Refineries: Rethink Corrosion Monitoring , Emerson’s Jake Davies describes some of these challenges and ways that wireless corrosion monitoring…
- 19 May 2017
Planning and Justifying the Industrial Internet of Things

Jim Cahill

One of the key ways to improve operational performance is to reduce unplanned downtime. An ARC Advisory Group blog post, Technology Trends to Watch for in 2017 , noted: One of the biggest end user challenges remains unscheduled downtime. IIoT-enabled solutions, such as remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, can help minimize, if not totally eliminate this, which would deliver a rapid ROI. At the recent…
- 16 Mar 2017
Real-Time Corrosion and Erosion Monitoring

Jim Cahill

The biennial Petrotech conference in New Delhi, India is for oil & gas industry experts to exchange views and share knowledge, expertise and experiences. And given the pricing dynamics and changes in global supply levels and supply chains, there is much to discuss and share. At the last conference this past December, Emerson’s Rajesh Nogaja presented Online Real-time Corrosion/ Erosion Monitoring Systems Ensure Top…
- 16 Feb 2017
Non-Intrusive Corrosion and Erosion Monitoring

Jim Cahill

The integrity of process piping is paramount to safe operations. Corrosion and erosion monitoring, especially for processes with challenging fluids, play an important role. This short 2:10 YouTube video, Permasense ET210 Integrity Monitoring System , shows how piping erosion and corrosion can be monitored with pipe wall thickness measurements with non-intrusive wireless sensors strapped to the pipe. These sensors are…
- 13 Feb 2017
Moving Towards Inherently Safer Plants

Jim Cahill

In the early days of social networks and even for some process manufacturers and producers today, IT departments blocked these social networks including YouTube. I recommended that engineers point to sites such as the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (USCSB) YouTube channel as reasons why these networks should be available. The USCSB performs accident investigations and shows the root causes of the…
- 27 Jan 2017
Reducing Equipment Downtime and Energy Inefficiency via Wireless Power Monitoring

Jim Cahill

Equipment failure is a large part of unplanned downtime, slowdowns and/or loss in quality of the product being produced. Monitoring temperatures, vibration, differential pressures across filters are often performed to identify problems before failure occurs. Another important set of measurements that can provide early warning are the voltage, current and other electrical parameters on motors driving the equipment such…
- 16 Jan 2017
Time to Move Beyond 1960s-Era Technologies?

Jim Cahill

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your holidays were filled with joy, rest and time with family and friends. Let’s open 2017 with a look at a LinkedIn post by Emerson’s Jonas Berge asking if we are ready to stop building plants with 1960s-era automation technology . Jonas opens: You may be surprised to know many oil and gas production platforms, refineries, petrochemical complexes, chemical plants of all kinds, pulp…
- 3 Jan 2017
Temperature Measurement and Wireless Device Instructional How-To Videos

Jim Cahill

As we wind our way toward the holidays, I wanted to share a great series of “how to” videos on some of Emerson’s Rosemount brand of temperature measurement devices. This YouTube video series includes: How to Wire and Configure a Single Sensor for the Rosemount 648 Wireless Temperature Transmitter (runtime 3:19) How to Set Up a Dual Sensor for the Rosemount 3144P Temperature Transmitter (runtime 4:46) How to…
- 20 Dec 2016
Industrial Internet of Things and Connected Services

Jim Cahill

From the Fitbit, Apple Watch or other activity tracking device you may have to your smart thermostat which you can control from your smartphone, the Internet of Things is rapidly advancing all around us. Technology journalist, Stacey Higginbotham has covered these advancements on her IoT Podcast series for nearly two years. You can also find her work on her Howdy Y’all blog and Fortune magazine . Stacey just released…
- 9 Dec 2016
IIoT Protocols and Comparisons

Jim Cahill

In LinkedIn’s Industrial Internet of Things group was a discussion topic, IIoT Protocols, Overview and Comparison . The discussion thread referenced an rti blog post, 6 Industrial IoT Communication Solutions – Which One’s for You? [Comparison] . The post describes the acronym-dense, commercially available communications technologies: …AMQP, CoAP, DDS, RTI Connext DDS, MQTT, and ZeroMQ… It describes the capabilities…
- 22 Nov 2016
Energy Harvesting for Wireless Device Power

Jim Cahill

At the Emerson Exchange conference in Austin, Emerson’s Josh Hernandez and Perpetua’s Andy Zaremba presented, Energy Harvesting Application- Anything is Possible. Their abstract: Wireless instrumentation allows companies to add points of measurement quickly and inexpensively, but battery-powered wireless transmitters present problems. Fast data rates deplete battery life and cold weather cuts battery life, and replacing…
- 26 Oct 2016
Taking Advantage of Smart Plant Technology

Jim Cahill

At the Emerson Exchange conference in Austin, Emerson’s Doug White presented, Taking Advantage in “Smart Plant” Technology. His abstract: Every day we see the continuing advances in sensor, automation, and communication technologies in our personal lives. Applying these technologies in the process industries can significantly improve operational safety, increase plant flexibility and improve operating margins. In combination…
- 25 Oct 2016
IIoT and Operational Improvements

Jim Cahill

Traditionally, most of the sensors in industrial processes were wired into the control systems or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Because of the expense of the sensors, junction boxes, cabling/conduit/cable trays/etc. and installation and commissioning time, sensors were usually limited to just what was required for control. But as process manufacturers and producers try to improve safe operations…
- 19 Oct 2016
Benefitting from IIoT at Your Own Pace

Jim Cahill

The Internet of Things and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are getting quite a bit of focus in the press and analyst community within our world of process manufacturing. The promise to be able to improve reliability, efficiency, safety and overall performance is compelling with the addition of sensors, analytical tools and work processes that can span the globe. The promise and the ideas are big, but how do…
- 6 Sep 2016
Improve Costs and Operational Performance in Oil and Gas Production

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Sudhir Jain shared an interest McKinsey & Company article, The next frontier for digital technologies in oil and gas , describing how this industry historically and today, embraces technologies to improve business performance. This was true even 30 years ago when I started in the Gulf of Mexico offshore oil & gas industry. Hurricane mode operations were already well established with production continuing when…
- 1 Sep 2016