Activity

  • PID Algorithm ISA Technical Reference

    Jim Cahill
    Earlier this week, I shared a podcast with James Beall , who as a long-time Control Performance Consultant shared some of his thoughts on common control performance issues and ways to address them. James is quite generous in sharing his expertise at professional and industry events such as ISA and AIChE. Today, I’ll recap one of his AIChE Spring21+17 th GCPS presentations he co-presented with CMiD Solutions’ Mark Darby…

  • Podcast: Process Control Consulting Stories with James Beall

    Jim Cahill
    When the plant is not running the way it should, with excessive variability, alarm conditions or sub-optimized performance, plant engineers often connect with the Emerson Production Performance consultants . I had the opportunity to sit down and record a podcast with Emerson’s James Beall who is a member of the team. You may remember James from an earlier podcast, 5 Questions for Principal Process Control Consultant…

  • Podcast: Using MyAssets Digital Tools for Faster Access to Device Information

    Jim Cahill
    Plants have thousands, or even tens of thousands of assets to maintain – including measurement devices, analyzers, final control devices and more. So how can digital technologies be applied to better identify, size, procure, install and maintain them over their useful lives? In this podcast, Emerson’s Kristin Steiner and Adam Thompson joined me to discussed the MyAssets digital toolset, as one of the components of the…

  • Small Changes Add Up to Big Energy Savings

    Jim Cahill
    It is impossible to miss the shift toward more sustainable operations—driven by new social and consumer expectations—in nearly every industry across the globe. Chemical producers are no exception, as industry leaders take advantage of digital technologies and expanded access to data to drive performance improvements that simultaneously unlock more sustainable production. But not all improvements have to be big-ticket…

  • Ways to Retain Expertise

    Jim Cahill
    With the transition well underway of Boomer retirements and Gen-Z now entering the workforce, how do manufacturers and producers retain the accumulated expertise built over decades? In a Valve magazine article, Practical Steps for Retaining Expertise , Emerson’s John Molloy shares some ways to address this situation. John opens by noting that in addition to the demographic challenge, that: …teams across those various…

  • Improving Polymer Reactor Control Performance

    Jim Cahill
    The chemical engineering professional organization, AIChE held their 2021 AIChE Spring Meeting & 17th Global Congress on Process Safety as a virtual conference in April. Emerson’s James Beall presented Novel Techniques to Improve Polymer Reactor Tuning based on a project he worked on. Reactor control is complex with many interactions between control loops. The way to tackle this challenge is to start by identifying…

  • Welcome to Emerson Automation Experts Podcasts

    Jim Cahill
    Visit our podcast subscription page to subscribe with your favorite podcast player. The post Welcome to Emerson Automation Experts Podcasts appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

  • Optimizing Combustion Processes

    Jim Cahill
    Heating is a part of many production processes. Combustion units largely provide this heat. These units may include boilers, heater, ovens, furnaces, incinerators, kilns, dryers and more. I caught up with Emerson’s Bob Sabin who works with manufacturers and producers to improve how these units operate, since energy costs are typically a large part of the overall operational costs for these production processes. Bob…

  • Assessing Digital Transformation Maturity versus Peers

    Jim Cahill
    This pandemic era in which we live has accelerated companies’ plans to implement digital transformation initiatives. Emerson’s Shirley Marquardt-Tynan shared with me that the Emerson Digital Transformation team has developed a Digital Maturity Model Quick Index online tool to help you assess where you are today in your digital transformation (DX) journey in comparison to others in your industry. The intent of this tool…

  • How Digital Technologies Change Engineering Work

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas Virtual Series, Emerson’s Jennifer Andrews and Tony Foster shared how digital technologies are changing how engineering work is performed. Here is the abstract of their presentation and demonstration: Digital tools are transforming the way engineers do work. Whether researching new solutions, specifying and procuring equipment, or collaborating with experts, engineers are under pressure…

  • Virtual Collaboration Tool for Improved Instrumentation Projects

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas Virtual Series, Emerson’s Derek Csaszar describes the ability to collaborate on the design of their system more effectively, using virtual reality equipment to identify and eliminate surprises that are often not found until the system has been fully fabricated. Emerson places you “on” your project’s measurement system during the Design Review stage to confirm or request modification…

  • MyEmerson Streamlines Collaboration and Work Processes

    Jim Cahill
    Our Emerson Automation Solutions organization in Europe has released the 16 th edition of Innovations in Process Automation magazine . The magazine is also available in German , Spanish , French , and Italian . This edition highlights elements in the free MyEmerson personalized digital experience , which enables you to digitally interact and do business with Emerson much more easily. Your MyEmerson account enables you…

  • Four Strategies to a Stronger Data Foundation

    Jim Cahill
    As part of the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual series of presentations and demonstrations, Emerson’s Stephen Park and Dapo Badmus shared ways to improve the data on which performance improvements are made. Here’s their presentation abstract: Digital transformation can propel operational performance to new levels, but to truly unlock its full potential and get tangible results, a strong foundation of operational data…

  • Where to Focus to Drive More ROI from a Digital Twin Simulation

    Jim Cahill
    As manufacturing organizations embark upon their digital transformation journey, an essential starting point is to implement a digital twin. Digital twins deliver value in project execution with easier engineering and testing. When the project is over, the same digital twin enhances daily operations, improving safety and uptime by moving training and process change testing off physical equipment and on to a digital workspace…

  • Changing Problem-Solving Ways

    Jim Cahill
    Much of the problem solving that occurs in the manufacturing world involves face-to-face interactions between the facility engineering staff and experts from their suppliers. COVID-19 has disrupted this in a large way and forced a greater reliance on remote methods to tackle issues. In a Fluid Power Journal article, Keeping Customers Engaged in a Changing World , Emerson president for the Discrete & Industrial business…

  • Three Things to Do, and Three to Avoid, When Assessing Your Cybersecurity Situation

    Jim Cahill
    Any process manufacturing company that has not yet launched a cybersecurity program is probably frozen in a frequent difficult position: Where do we start? If your company is trying to break free and make some progress—and maybe you’re the one tasked with doing it—we have some suggestions for critical first steps. These suggestions are included in our article in the September issue of Control Engineering . The key point…

  • Advancing the Automation Engineering Profession

    Jim Cahill
    I saw an email from Process Automation Hall of Fame member, Greg McMillan , welcoming a new ISA Mentor Program protégé and resource (a.k.a. mentor). The goal of this program is to connect: …early career professionals to more seasoned professionals who are willing to help coach, guide and share expertise. The program is conducted entirely online. Greg also attached a presentation he had given at the AIChE Spring Meeting…

  • Calibrating Flow Meters On-Site Saves Time, Reduces Costs and Minimises Process Downtime

    Jim Cahill
    There are several reasons why it is vital to have confidence that your flow meters are performing reliably and to their required level of accuracy. These include achieving consistent product quality, reducing waste and rework, providing a safe working environment, and ensuring that the correct amount of material is delivered, especially in fiscal measurement applications such as custody transfer. Before flow meters…

  • Acceleration of Digital Engagement

    Jim Cahill
    Given a vast majority of professionals are working from home during this COVID-19 pandemic, new ways to collaborate are rapidly being adopted to address the needs. For manufacturers and producers, this pandemic-has spurred a rapid movement towards greater digitalization to foster greater collaboration both within and beyond the traditional organizational boundaries. In a Process Industry Informer podcast, The acceleration…

  • Digital Twins and Virtual Reality

    Jim Cahill
    Over at the AspenTech blog, Emerson’s Ronnie Bains has guest-written a post, Explore New Possibilities With Digital Twins and Virtual Reality . Here’s the opening of the post to give you a flavor for it. Digital twin is a hot topic these days due to the increased demand for technology that provides some short-term benefits during this time of unprecedented restrictions on workers and industry. As we wait to see what…

  • Online Methods for Honing Your Skills

    Jim Cahill
    Jeff Hackney As much of the world remains in lockdown mode from the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis, a highly productive activity is to improve your skills. For instrumentation and automation professionals, there are many ways to hone your skills without leaving home. Emerson’s Jeff Hackney highlighted several ways that these professionals can improve their skills around Emerson technologies that they have deployed in…

  • Process Control Educational Recordings

    Jim Cahill
    Greg McMillan One decade ago I collaborated with Process Automation Hall of Fame member, Greg McMillan to do a series of webinars on basics of process control. Actually, Greg did all the heavy lifting with the content and together with a former colleague, we provided to technical know how to do the recordings and get the content posted and made accessible. Recently, I had to move the recordings off the platform where…

  • Upskilling Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions

    Jim Cahill
    Mike Brouse Digital transformation can’t happen without carefully planning the people side of the equation and the new skills and practices which will be required. Having the skills to effectively use the digital technology enablers is critical. In a Flow Control article, Q&A: Offering the latest training on automation technologies helps upskill the workforce , Emerson’s Mike Brouse about the these challenges and…

  • Helping Hands for Your Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Imagine you have been tweaking and tuning one of your control loops and have the perfect PID [proportional-integral-derivative] settings. Everything is working great for several months until it isn’t. Chances are that it’s the part of that loop doing all the manual work to keep the process running smoothly—the control valve. A poorly performing control loop can cause increased variability, increased probabilities for…

  • Modernization of DCS and PLC with Electronic Marshalling

    Jim Cahill
    Scott Ross Now, with many control systems being 30+ years old, most of these legacy systems have been placed in to end of life or retired lifecycle status. This means no further factory support is available. I caught up with Emerson’s Scott Ross about some of the choices that must be considered moving forward. Manufacturers and producers face options whether to modernize to a newer family of distributed control systems…

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