Blog - Post List

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Streamlining Proof Testing Procedures

    Jim Cahill
    Click to enlarge Safety instrumented systems (SISs) require periodic proof testing of all of their safety instrumented functions (safety loops) which include the sensor, logic solver, and final element. An out-of-the-box proof testing solution from Emerson, ProofCheck , is available to provide all the aspects of proper SIS testing in a single solution, including field devices, wiring, signal conditioners, safety logic…

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Driving Safety Improvements Through Location Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Location monitoring technology is part of some manufacturers’ and producers’ safety programs. In the event of a safety incident, this technology enables the safety management team to know which people are in the affected area and which are not. The Location Awareness system provides you with relevant-time, safety-focused monitoring of your most valued resource – your people. Enabled by WirelessHART Anchors and battery…

  • DeltaV Blog:

    Jim Cahill
    In today’s manufacturing environment, where fewer experienced people are running the plant, well-designed alarm strategies are more important than ever. A timely, clear, accurate alarm—one that is not buried in an alarm flood—can mean the difference between safe operation through a process aberration or a disaster that impacts safety or creates an environmental incident. Plant operators know the importance of good alarm…

  • DeltaV Blog: Avoid the Misconceptions Leading to Poor Alarm Management

    Jim Cahill
    In today’s manufacturing environment, where fewer experienced people are running the plant, well-designed alarm strategies are more important than ever. A timely, clear, accurate alarm—one that is not buried in an alarm flood—can mean the difference between safe operation through a process aberration or a disaster that impacts safety or creates an environmental incident. Plant operators know the importance of good alarm…

  • PAC Systems & Industrial Computing Blog: Edge to Cloud-Liberating Stranded Data

    Rich Carpenter
    Automation systems and a huge number of smart sensors are producing vast amounts of data that can, ideally, be used to improve business outcomes. But only if the data can be accessed and analyzed. For a surprising number of reasons, both technical an...

  • DeltaV Blog: BioPhorum’s Roadmap for Speed to Market with In-Line Monitoring and Real-Time Release

    Jim Cahill
    Traditional manufacturing practices have served the biopharmaceutical industry well for years, but times are changing and a need for speed to market in life sciences while reducing manufacturing costs is putting a focus on enabling real-time release (RTR). Technologies such as advanced process control (APC), predictive analytics, in-line monitoring (ILM), and real-time release testing (RTRT) are critical to the new strategies…

  • Operations Management Blog: Operations and Business Management at Emerson Exchange

    Jim Cahill
    With registration now open for the October 24-28, 2022 Emerson Exchange conference in the Dallas, Texas area, I wanted to make sure you were aware that the Session Catalog is available for viewing . I understand more is being added, but you can get a sense of some of the sessions that will be there. For instance, I searched by track and chose Operations & Business Management software. Here is one of the presentations…

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Control Valves in Safety Instrumented Functions

    Jim Cahill
    A reader of this blog came upon the post, When is a SIL Suitability Rating Required for Final Control Elements? The reader sent an email to the blog post author, Emerson’s Riyaz Ali , asking (of which I’ll paraphrase): When is it possible to use control valves like final elements for SIS [safety instrumented system] application? I am looking for other useful documents and technical requirements when it is possible to…

  • PAC Systems & Industrial Computing Blog: Smart Way for Mining Operations to Automate–Think at the Edge

    Jim Cahill
    Like so many industries, mining and metals enterprises are going through huge changes. I recently connected with Emerson’s Thishen Naidoo , a heavy industries marketing leader for the machine automation solutions portfolio. Here is our exchange ...

  • DeltaV Blog: Advanced Process Control for Mining Comminution and Separation

    Jim Cahill
    As commodity prices surge in these inflationary times, mining activity continues to increase. Miners can increase their throughput, efficiency, and sustainability by applying advanced process control in their operations. In a North American Mining article, Optimizing all the variables related to comminution and separation requires sophisticated control strategies , Emerson’s David Harrach teamed with Devin Marshman from…

  • DeltaV Blog: Faster Tech Transfer Unlocks Speed to Market

    Jim Cahill
    The rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine has created a dramatic shift in the way the public and life sciences organizations view the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. In a recent Q&A with Pharma Manufacturing , Nathan Pettus , president of Emerson’s process systems and solutions business, shared how a move toward more flexibility and modularity in the industry is cutting tech transfer times to drive improved speed…

  • DeltaV Blog: Improving Production, Safety and Reliability in Midstream Lithium Production

    Jim Cahill
    In our continuing series on the lithium supply chain from mining through battery production , we look at the midstream process where the battery cathode, anode and electrolytes are produced. We explored ways to improve production quality in a post, Improving Quality in Midstream Lithium Production . Today, we’ll look at production optimization, safety, and reliability. One of the challenges expressed by lithium battery…

  • DeltaV Blog: Embedded Tools Drive Better Loop Tuning

    Jim Cahill
    Properly tuned loops are critical to efficient, effective plant performance. However, constant changes in the plant environment mean that proportional-integral-derivative (PID) tuning cannot be a set-and-forget procedure. This poses a problem for many modern plants, as few have the deep bench of experienced personnel they used to. When loops need tuning, that often means other critical tasks must be put on hold. Today…

  • DeltaV Blog: Improving Quality in Midstream Lithium Production

    Jim Cahill
    In an earlier post, Solving Battery Production Growth Challenges , we touched on the upstream, midstream, and downstream production from lithium mining to lithium battery production. Today, we’ll focus on the midstream production process. Again, Sung Heon Lee and I collaborated on the content of this post. The midstream part of the lithium value chain involves manufacturing the Cathode, Anode, Electrolyte, and Separator…

  • DeltaV Blog: Role of Automation in Achieving Environmental Sustainability

    Jim Cahill
    When we think about new large-scale decarbonisation projects in the UK, the focus will be on the coastal manufacturing and power generation clusters. Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) will be a critical element of decarbonisation, together with the transition to low carbon energy sources. Covering industries in Teesside and Humberside, the `East Coast Cluster’ is one of the first projects to be selected for…

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: The Benefits of Continuous Corrosion Monitoring Over Periodic Manual Inspection

    Jim Cahill
    Whilst manual inspection remains a valuable tool for measuring the plant health, this blog post explains the benefits of continuous monitoring over periodic inspection.  Turning corrosion and erosion data to into true process insights Uncontrolled corrosion and material degradation undeniably leads to hefty safety, environmental, reliability, and operational consequences. Standards, developed by the American Petroleum…

  • Operations Management Blog: Ready to Own your Virtualization Infrastructure?

    Jim Cahill
    Over the last decade or so we’ve seen rack after rack of servers disappear as organizations have embraced virtualization technology. Not only does moving to a virtualized backbone reduce equipment footprint, but it also dramatically reduces energy usage to help plants improve their sustainability and efficiency. However, virtualized systems are often complex, making them difficult for operational technology (OT) teams…

  • DeltaV Blog: Ready to Own your Virtualization Infrastructure?

    Jim Cahill
    Over the last decade or so we’ve seen rack after rack of servers disappear as organizations have embraced virtualization technology. Not only does moving to a virtualized backbone reduce equipment footprint, but it also dramatically reduces energy usage to help plants improve their sustainability and efficiency. However, virtualized systems are often complex, making them difficult for operational technology (OT) teams…

  • DeltaV Blog: Anytime, Anywhere Simulation and Engineering via the Cloud

    Jim Cahill
    In the last five years, simulation technologies have been a critical tool used to drive digital transformation of automated processes. In simulated environments, organizations can provide comprehensive training for personnel and test new control configurations without the safety and production risks of accessing real-world equipment. Many organizations are also turning to collaborative engineering tools to leverage…

  • DeltaV Blog: Solving Battery Production Growth Challenges

    Jim Cahill
    Sung Heon Lee and I collaborated on the content in this post. Although Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have received a lot of media attention in the past couple of years, they were first commercialized by Sony in 1991. Since then, these batteries have enabled many technological advances. Without it, our lives would look very different today. Li-ion batteries have shaped how we communicate and work – through mobile devices…

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Safety Loop Redundant Solenoids for Exercise and Testing

    Jim Cahill
    Solenoid valves are often found in safety instrumented functions (SIFs) to release pneumatic pressure holding safety valves open or open depending on the application. Redundancy of these valves enables greater reliability and online proof testing. In a Process Industry Informer article, Redundant Solenoid Valve Architecture Improves Safety and Reliability , Emerson’s Mike Howells describes the importance of these valves…

  • DeltaV Blog: Mining Process Optimization

    Jim Cahill
    Wouldn’t it be great if a production process kept the same performance over time? Unfortunately, the dynamics change as the assets wear and production rates vary. Production performance consultants work to adjust the tuning and control strategies to address these changes and maintain optimum performance. One of Emerson’s Principle Consultants, Lou Heavner , was recently asked a series of questions about process optimization…

  • PAC Systems & Industrial Computing Blog: Safety Components for Machine Automation

    Jim Cahill
    In this video, Machine Safety | Fluid Control & Pneumatics Mobile Event , Emerson’s Wolf Gerecke explains how our cost-effective solutions keep workers safer, simplify safety systems, improve machine functionality, and maximize productivity....

  • DeltaV Blog: Process Alarm and Event Data in Non-Traditional Cloud-Based Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Note from Jim Cahill : Our team at Emerson Impact Partner, Spartan Controls , recently worked with a major oil & gas client to implement this use case of bring DeltaV Alarms & Events data to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud using Emerson’s Plantweb Optics platform —a holistic data management platform unifying Operational Technology (OT) data into actionable information. Background The data available in OT including…

  • Safety Instrumented Systems Blog: Valve Reliability in Safety Instrumented Functions

    Jim Cahill
    The three key components in a safety instrumented function (SIF)—sensor, logic solver and final element—each have their own probabilities of how they will perform, or not perform, when called upon to bring the process to a safe state. Of these three components, the final element is more like to fail on demand due to its role in touching the process and mechanically operating. In a Hydrocarbon Engineering article, Improving…

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