Emerson Exchange 365

Activity

Data Integration, Visualization and Analysis in the Water Industry

Jim Cahill

Municipalities feel the squeeze between aging facilities and increasing regulatory requirements. Emerson’s Greg Schirm, a member of the Power & Water Solutions team, highlights ways they are addressing these conditions. It seems that running a treatment plant or even a municipal water system was much simpler many years ago. Today, municipalities are facing numerous pressures [...] Read the full text.
- 16 Oct 2012
Optimizing LNG Plant Projects and Process Operations

Jim Cahill

While the energy markets continue to adjust to the growing supplies of natural gas through increasing shale gas production, project and operational goals around shorter schedules, faster startups, and maximized production rates remain constant. I caught...
- 26 Sep 2012
Considerations in Foundation Fieldbus Cable Design

Jim Cahill

The Fieldbus Foundation has an active LinkedIn group where users of this digital bus communications technology share expertise. I saw a recent question [hyperlink added]: i came across a document which mentioned that in reality IEC 61158 specified cable...
- 28 Aug 2012
Preparing Your Batch Processes to Add Analytics

Jim Cahill

Over the past several years, I’ve covered the advancements in batch analytics to improve the efficiency of batch processes and spot troubles early enough to avoid or resolve the trouble. There can be many simultaneous complex activities in batch operations including process holdups, lab data access, feedstock variations, unsteady operations, and concurrently running batches that can provide challenges to operators running…
- 8 Aug 2012
Preparing Your Batch Processes to Add Analytics

Jim Cahill

Over the past several years, I’ve covered the advancements in batch analytics to improve the efficiency of batch processes and spot troubles early enough to avoid or resolve the trouble. There can be many simultaneous complex activities in batch operations including process holdups, lab data access, feedstock variations, unsteady operations, and concurrently running batches that [...] Read the full text.
- 8 Aug 2012
Avoiding Moisture Variability in Fluidized Bed Dryer Operations

Jim Cahill

In an earlier post, Trends in Process Analytical Technology and Quality by Design, I highlight a point made in the video, “…PAT methods around product moisture, which projected a $2 million annual savings in improved product quality.” The methodology...
- 21 Jun 2012
People, Processes, Technologies for Intelligent Operations

Jim Cahill

Having to do more with less resources seems to be a common issue throughout the process industries. Process manufacturers are re-examining their people, processes, and technologies to look for ways to accomplish their business objectives more efficiently...
- 18 Apr 2012
Applying Batch Analytics to Fermentation Processes

Jim Cahill

Creating batch process models such as fermentation is challenging due to their inherent time variability batch to batch. It’s also critical to know when problems are beginning to develop when corrective measures can be taken. Emerson’s David Rehbein , a Senior Data Management Solutions consultant, recently gave an IFPAC presentation , Batch Analytics Applied to a Fermentation Process. Dave highlighted his work with…
- 6 Mar 2012
Applying Batch Analytics to Fermentation Processes

Jim Cahill

Creating batch process models such as fermentation is challenging due to their inherent time variability batch to batch. It’s also critical to know when problems are beginning to develop when corrective measures can be taken. Emerson’s David Rehbein, a Senior Data Management Solutions consultant, recently gave an IFPAC presentation, Batch Analytics Applied to a Fermentation [...] Read the full text.
- 6 Mar 2012
Experiences and Life Cycle Opportunities with Foundation Fieldbus

Jim Cahill

The Fieldbus Foundation continues to share best practices around the use of the technology around the globe. Emerson’s Jonas Berge alerted me to an Australian Seminar held late last year where he was the keynote speaker. There are links to all the presentations...
- 17 Jan 2012
Super Server for Large Mining Automation Project

Jim Cahill

I’ve been in the process automation business for a long time and met many really great folks. One of them, Fluor Canada‘s Steve Priest, I got to know long ago from his days with Emerson local business partner, Norpac Controls. Steve is now with Fluor...
- 14 Dec 2011
Clear and Concise Safety Requirements Specifications

Jim Cahill

Update and bump: Here is the link to Andy’s paper, The importance of a clear Safety Requirements Specification as part of the overall Safety Lifecycle, which is now posted. Original May 2011 post: Emerson’s Andy Crosland, a process safety expert, will...
- 15 Sep 2011
Making Time for Project Team Mentoring

Jim Cahill

When you’re executing a large automation project, you always want experienced people who can efficiently resolve all the unexpected issues that can add cost and time to a schedule. But what about the need to develop this expertise? Developing it means...
- 1 Jul 2011
Adopting the IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle Standard

Jim Cahill

I saw a great article from exida‘s Dr. Peter Clarke, Setting the Standard, on how process plants can benefit through proper and careful adoption of the IEC 61511 global safety standard. It’s perhaps the best primer I’ve seen in a while on the safety lifecycle...
- 28 Jun 2011
Impacts of Wireless Instrumentation in Production, Operations, Maintenance, and Projects

Jim Cahill

I found in my RSS search feeds news of some Emerson interactive web seminars on wireless and digital technologies. Quoting from the news: The global webinar program runs from Tuesday, June 28 to Friday, July 1. Each webinar is in English and repeated...
- 20 Jun 2011
Oil and Gas Reservoir Modeling in the Cloud

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Tyson Bridger has a fascinating article, Cloud Computing Can Be Applied For Reservoir Modeling, in E&P magazine. The phrase, “cloud computing” gets bandied about quite a bit, so I turned to Wikipedia for the latest definition: Cloud computing is computation, software, data access, and storage services that do not require end-user knowledge of the [...] Read the full text.
- 14 Mar 2011
Vertical Slices Improve Project Efficiency

Jim Cahill

In one of those fortuitous hallway conversations, I discovered that Emerson’s Bill Robertson had written a project management article for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine. Bill is a certified project management professional (PMP) and professional...
- 3 Feb 2011
OPC .NET 3.0 is New Name for OPC Xi

Jim Cahill

In case you haven’t seen this news yet, the OPC Foundation has renamed OPC Xi to OPC .NET 3.0 (WCF). Let’s call it OPC .NET 3.0 for short. It’s the same client/server connectivity standard and functionality for the process industries that I’ve been describing as OPC Xi in earlier posts. I turned to Emerson’s Chris [...] Read the full text.
- 12 Nov 2010
OPC Xi Interoperability Demonstration

Jim Cahill

Update: OPC Xi is now called OPC .NET 3.0. Original post: We began this week with a post about the compatibility of the OPC Express Interface (Xi) standard with the existing OPC classic real-time, alarm & events, and historical data access servers to provide interoperability of process automation software and systems. The OPC Foundation recently [...] Read the full text.
- 30 Jul 2010
Bioreactor Electronic Workflow Project at WBF Conference

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Christie Deitz and Bristol-Meyers Squibb’s Joe Maguire are presenting, Electronic Workflow for a Bioreactor, at the 2010 WBF North American Conference this week in Austin. Their abstract: Automating workflow and eliminating paper batch records can provide many benefits, including reducing deviations, expediting batch review and release, improving real-time inventory management, and utilizing industry and [.…
- 26 May 2010
Online Analytics in a Batch Manufacturing at the WBF Conference

Jim Cahill

WBF is holding their annual North American conference this week in Austin, Texas. For those not here, you can get a flavor for what’s happening through the WBF Twitter account and the search hash tag, #WBFna. Two Emerson presenters are on the agenda today. First, Dawn Marruchella is teaming up with Lubrizol’s Robert Wojewodka to […] Read the full text.
- 26 May 2010
Justifying an Integrated Offsites Operations Approach

Jim Cahill

Last week, we cautioned about the use of obsolescence in developing an automation modernization project justification. Sticking on the theme of justification, I received a copy of a presentation, Tank Farm and Terminal Automation: Developing a Business Case. Emerson’s Patrick Truesdale gave this presentation at the 2008 NPRA Annual Meeting. For those not familiar with […] Read the full text.
- 10 Apr 2009