Emerson Exchange 365

Activity

How to Identify Simple Process Dynamics

Jim Cahill

The subject of process dynamics can get quite involved and cause many to shy away from it. Emerson’s Felipe Fakir, a systems engineer based in Brazil, has written a whitepaper, Process Characterization, to make the topic more approachable—at least in...
- 23 Jul 2013
Accelerating the Process Automation Learning Curve

Jim Cahill

We continue to hear stories of an increasing experience shortage in the process industries due to the retiring “baby boom” generation. This shortage manifests itself in numerous job openings for process manufacturers and automation suppliers including...
- 4 Jun 2013
Sharing Process Control Expertise with Next-Gen Automation Professionals

Jim Cahill

One of the very active U.S. universities in the field of engineering and automation is Oklahoma State University. Their OSU Automation Society was founded several years ago and its purpose is to spread awareness and promote automation and control systems...
- 7 Mar 2013
Enjoy New Orleans and Learn Process Automation this Week

Jim Cahill

I had the pleasure of beginning my process automation career in New Orleans, Louisiana working as a Conoco systems engineer on offshore oil & gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans’ food, festivities, sights and sounds are firmly embedded in...
- 4 Mar 2013
101 Tips to Accelerate Your Process Automation Knowledge

Jim Cahill

Over the past several months, process automation hall-of-fame member Greg McMillan has been sharing tips from his 101 Tips for a Successful Automation Career book. These tips appear as weekly blog posts over at the ISA Interchange blog. Today’s post,...
- 15 Feb 2013
Steps to Effective PID Loop Tuning

Jim Cahill

Sometimes when you read an article about tuning proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loops, you’re treated to all the 2nd order differential equations they contain. These can be intimidating, especially if your college calculus classes are many years...
- 14 Feb 2013
Greg McMillan ISA Webinars on pH Control and Temperature Control

Jim Cahill

Just a quick post to let you know about two ISA web seminars being conducted by Control Talk blog’s Greg McMillan. The first is on pH Control Solutions and will be February 13 from 2:00-3:30pm EST. You can find the webinar price here. These webinars are...
- 11 Feb 2013
Why Trade and Professional Associations?

Jim Cahill

I’ve been in meetings the last couple days, so today’s post is a detour from connecting you with the experts around Emerson. It’s about why… I was influenced by the book, Start with Why. There’s a great TED Talk from the book’s author Simon Sinek, How...
- 24 Jan 2013
Roots of PLCs and DCSs

Jim Cahill

Many of us have been around process automation for decades. We also have new folks joining our ranks every day. It’s for the new members of the global process automation community that I share a presentation given by Emerson’s Gordon Lawther at the ChemInnovations...
- 15 Jan 2013
Simplify PID Tuning to Meet Process Objectives Webinar

Jim Cahill

Today must be the day to make you aware of January 16 webinars. I have another one to share with you, Simplify PID Tuning to Meet Process Objectives, by Control Talk blog’s Greg McMillan. The webinar is scheduled for 12:30-1:30pm EST (9:30-10:30am PST...
- 10 Jan 2013
How to Tune Self-Regulating Control Loops

Jim Cahill

I’ve highlighted a few Emerson presentations for this week’s ChemInnovations conference in New Orleans. Emerson’s James Beall, a 30-year veteran in process control and chairman of the ISA 75.25 committee on control valve performance testing, shared his...
- 13 Nov 2012
Taking Process Automation Learning into Your Own Hands

Jim Cahill

Two questions came together for this blog post. The first was by a young engineer, not too far from a recent engineering degree. He had gained some experience as an instrumentation technician, but had not been able to get a well-paying automation career...
- 23 Oct 2012
Need Tips on Having a Successful Automation Career?

Jim Cahill

There is another great book coming out for automation professionals. Just in time for the 2012 ISA Automation Week conference, Control Talk and ISA Interchange blog’s Greg McMillan along with Hunter Vegas have written 101 Tips for a Successful Automation...
- 13 Sep 2012
Terry Blevins and Mark Nixon Honored as ISA Fellows

Jim Cahill

If you ask many of the people around Emerson whose service with the company is measured in decades, the most likely response you’ll hear is that “it’s the people”. I’m based in Austin, Texas and am surrounded by many of the DeltaV technologists, industry...
- 11 Sep 2012
Hack College-Work Smarter-Not Harder

Jim Cahill

As Automation World’s Editor-in-Chief and Feed Forward blog’s Gary Mintchell notes in his post, Hack College, the goal of the Hack College research project site is: …to equip students with the knowledge to optimize their college experience from a technology...
- 6 Jun 2012
Increasing Intelligence in PID Control

Jim Cahill

Last week, I highlighted a narrated presentation on PID control advances by Emerson’s Terry Blevins. Also at this IFAC Conference on Advances in Process Control PID’12, Terry presented Intelligent PID Product Design. A paper to complement this presentation...
- 24 Apr 2012
Course on Effective Use of Measurements, Valves, and PID Controllers

Jim Cahill

Greg McMillan, of the ControlGlobal.com Control Talk blog, is conducting a professional development course at the ISA Edmonton 2012 Exhibit & Conference, tomorrow, April 18th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The title of his course is Effective Use of Measurements...
- 17 Apr 2012
Why Automation as a Career?

Jim Cahill

Here is the text of a recent newsletter article I wrote, Why Automation as a Career?, for Oklahoma State University‘s Automation Society. I was asked by the OSU Automation Society to share some thoughts on why you might consider automation as a career...
- 7 Mar 2012
ISA Webinars on Temperature and pH Control Solutions

Jim Cahill

The ever-prolific Greg McMillan will be doing two February ISA webinars–one on temperature control and the other on pH control. The pH Control Solutions web seminar is on Wednesday, February 15 at 2-3:30pm EST. Greg’s description is that it: …covers the...
- 2 Feb 2012
Dealing with Deadtime is Process Control Job Security

Jim Cahill

I’ve heard ModelingAndControl.com’s Greg McMillan say this many times, “Without deadtime, I might be out of a job.” I found a reference to this quote on page 31 of his freely available eBook, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Control Room. He is...
- 18 Jan 2012
Automation Professional Khan Academy

Jim Cahill

Happy New Year! I took the opportunity to largely unplug from the grid over the past few weeks to rest, relax, rejuvenate and visit with family and friends. I hope you had the opportunity to do the same. Not completely unplugging, I had a chance to poke...
- 3 Jan 2012
Greg McMillan Temperature Control Solutions Webinar TODAY

Jim Cahill

In the spirit of “better late than never”, I wanted to highlight a live webinar by ModelingAndControl.com’s Greg McMillan. His topic will be Temperature Control Solutions and will share: …how to get the best temperature measurement and control performance...
- 30 Nov 2011
ISA pH Control Solutions Web Seminar by Greg McMillan

Jim Cahill

This Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 2-3:30pm EST (19:00-20:30 UTC), ModelingAndControl.com’s Greg McMillan will be a pH Control Solutions web seminar. Greg is also the author of the book, Advanced pH Measurement and Control, 3rd Edition. Here’s the seminar...
- 8 Nov 2011
Control Loop Foundation Most Popular ISA Book

Jim Cahill

Congratulations to Emerson’s Terry Blevins and Mark Nixon for winning the Raymond D. Molloy Award for the best-selling International Society of Automation (ISA) book of 2011. In a post, Hot Off the Press – New Control Loop Foundation Book, I described...
- 20 Oct 2011
Process Automation Event Season

Jim Cahill

‘Tis the season of process automation-related events. Next week, the International Society of Automation (ISA) holds their ISA Automation Week in Mobile Alabama USA. You can follow the conversations and happenings online on their community page. The following...
- 12 Oct 2011