Hydrogen monitor

Continuous hydrogen monitor improves refinery isomerisation efficiency

Quantitech launched a range of hydrogen –specific gas analysers in Britain and Ireland in 2007. Since that time Managing Director Keith Golding says “The solid-state sensor technology from H2scan has proved highly popular in a wide variety of applications, but online process monitoring is becoming the most popular because of the rapid return on investment that this technology can deliver. For example, an oil refinery in California recently purchased an explosion proof version of the online analyser, the HY-OPTIMA™ 2700, for its isomerisation plant and this has improved process efficiency, extended catalyst life and allowed longer process runs.”

The HY-OPTIMA™ 2700 is the latest development in the H2scan advanced range of accurate hydrogen leak detection and process gas monitoring analysers, which have recently been included in the Honeywell UOP Schedule A list.

Designed primarily for hazardous environments in the oil and gas, hydrogen production and chemical industries, the HY-OPTIMA™ 2700 is available as a standalone instrument or as part of a complete, integrated process monitoring system providing a wide measurement range from low concentrations (0.5%) up to 100%. The solid-state sensor does not incorporate any consumables or moving parts and provides a 10 year expected lifespan. Mounted in an explosion-proof housing, there is no requirement for additional protection, and up to one year of data logging capacity is included.

At the California (USA) refinery, the analyser provides crucial information on the partial pressure of hydrogen across the catalyst. If the partial pressure were to drop below 125 psi, rapid coking of the isomerisation catalyst would occur. This makes the H2scan analyser a vital tool for confirming the condition of the catalyst and detecting any potential problems, ensuring the proper operation of the isomerisation reactors.

Explaining the advantages of being able to monitor in-process hydrogen continuously, the refinery supervisor of maintenance and instrumentation, said: “Our first H2scan sensor has been in service for 4 months. It has added significant efficiency to the process and is helping to extend catalyst life, which enables longer runs between regenerations or change-out. The analyser offers a much simpler installation, better functionality and significantly less maintenance in comparison with the thermal conductivity analyser which was used previously. We are extremely happy with the performance of the HY-OPTIMA™ 2700 and are actively looking for further opportunities to exploit the advantages of this technology.”

Strategic Collaboration to assist production co-ordination

Siemens and Bentley Systems have just announced a strategic collaboration to advance the integration of digital product design and manufacturing processes design with information modeling for facilities lifecycle design. According to the Memorandum of Understanding the collaboration will enable the two companies to deliver intelligent and sustainable digital factory infrastructure. Initially the companies will focus on the digital factory for automotive and discrete manufacturing.

The Siemens Division Industry Automation and Bentley Systems will initially, based on their longstanding commitment to openness in information technology, collaborate on common file formats and content, integrated workflows for factory layout, and the convergence of process and layout. This work is an extension of earlier collaborations between the two organizations that resulted in each deploying technology offerings developed by the other. In the longer term, the companies will explore opportunities for jointly developed technology to expand industry-centric solutions and further collaboration interoperability between Siemens' Teamcenter and Bentley's ProjectWise software.

Teamcenter product lifecycle management software helps companies deliver increasingly complex products while maximizing productivity and streamlining global operations. It provides the right information for people to make the right product decisions – from planning and development through manufacturing and support. The ProjectWise system of collaboration servers and services empowers work sharing, facilitating the use of virtual talent, dynamic review for improved project quality, and content reuse for extended value.


Dick Slansky, senior analyst, PLM research director, ARC Advisory Group, said, "ARC Advisory Group has long advocated for a common, interoperable environment for sharing and exchanging equipment design information and facility design information. We believe this announcement of a strategic collaboration between Siemens and Bentley Systems should go a long way toward enabling the integration of digital equipment design and manufacturing process information with the AEC and infrastructure design/build information solution. Specifically, this collaboration will enable Siemens' design/build solutions such as Teamcenter, NX, and Tecnomatix to openly interoperate with Bentley solutions such as ProjectWise, MicroStation, and AssetWise. ARC will be following this collaboration closely to gain a better understanding of the overall, and potentially significant, benefits to all of the industrial sectors affected."

Siemens Industry Automation Division CEO Anton S. Huber said, "Together we will drive the paradigm shift that will establish unified and fully collaborative product and production lifecycles for our customers. This will facilitate workflow efficiencies moving our users to the next level of productivity. Today, it is more important than ever to make full use of all optimization opportunities over the entire lifecycle of a machine or plant. This starts with planning and engineering, and continues into operation and maintenance right through to expansion and modernization. Now, as we seek to extend this to include facilities lifecycles, we have determined that Bentley Systems is the right partner to help us bring this new value proposition to realization."

Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley said, "We at Bentley have redefined asset performance management to span OPEX and CAPEX and are bringing our information mobility technologies to bear on the unification of the project and asset lifecycles. With Siemens converging product and manufacturing process lifecycles, the digital factory seems the ideal inaugural target application for a combined and expanded unification effort. Working smarter, together, Bentley and Siemens will empower our shared users to speed the delivery and outfitting of manufacturing facilities, accelerate the start of production, reduce design, construction, and operating expenses, and improve the operational and energy performance of their factories. We've also identified fruitful future endeavors involving our AssetWise software for asset lifecycle information management, including our new Ivara EXP asset performance management software that helps owner-operators obtain the best performance, reliability, and safety from their assets."

Communication equipment for rail cars

Beijer Electronics has through its subsidiary Westermo won a large order of some 30 million SEK ($4 million) from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as the end customer.

The order is a breakthrough for Beijer Electronics and Westermo's new solution for IP communication to the railway segment (Westermo IP-train solution) and it confirms the group's world leading position in this area. The order is also one of Beijer Electronics' single largest orders.

The order comprises communication equipment such as switches and routers for 364 rail cars. First deliveries will take place during the fourth quarter 2013 and deliveries will run for 2.5 years. There is a potential for additional orders as part of WMATA's upgrade of Washington's metro and train network.

Beijer Electronics' order for communication equipment is a part of an information system for the trains that will be delivered by Toshiba, thus Westermo's direct customer. Crucial for Toshiba's choice of Westermo's IP-train solution is the system's robustness and reliability in very harsh environments. The communication system also comprises specific functions for control and surveillance which will bring enhanced security.

Westermo has for nearly two years pursued an intensive work in developing the new solution for IP communication within the railway segment. Launch took place at the end of last year. In 2012, Westermo has also received two smaller orders for the system to new customers. The large order from Toshiba and WMATA testifies that the transition to IP based communication within the railway segment now has begun in earnest and Beijer Electronics sees a great potential in the global market.

Integrated water resources management

On November 21 and 22 at the IWRM Congress in Karlsruhe (D), the Siemens Industry Automation Division will be presenting its portfolio for the planning, engineering and efficient operation of complex water management systems. Showcased at the Siemens booth will be a range of high-performance solutions for water and waste water treatment facilities as well as desalination plants. The Congress will be focusing on issues surrounding the protection and sustainable utilisation of water as a resource.

The growing global requirement for drinking water has triggered a continuing rise in the number of large and complex water treatment plants. Alongside new water and waste water treatment facilities, in many parts of the world the planning and implementation of desalination plants is also on the rise. Visitors to the exhibition staged alongside the IWRM Congress will have a chance to visit the Siemens booth to find out more about the concept of integrated engineering. Integrated engineering offers operators an efficient solution encompassing not only the planning and engineering of new plants but also their subsequent automation. Plants of all different sizes and levels of complexity can be effectively planned and designed using the Comos engineering software. Using a newly established interface, prepared engineering data can be transmitted directly to the Simatic PCS 7 process control system, substantially simplifying and speeding up the process of plant commissioning. The Comos engineering software solution also permits the selection and configuration of field devices. The PIA Life Cycle Portal online configurator supports the simple selection and fault-free collation of device order numbers both quickly and accurately. When it comes to rapid engineering of field devices across the whole life cycle of a plant – whether at the detail engineering, plant expansion or maintenance stage – the new interface to the PIA Life Cycle Portal makes available the necessary technical data.

The Congress
With five keynote speeches as well as 15 workshops encompassing over 60 presentations, the IWRM 2012 will offer participants the opportunity to find out everything they could wish to know about water resources management. Together with the trade exhibition staged at the same time, the Conference is a key international information and communication platform for the water industry. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will also be present at the event to report on its integrated water resources management-related activities. The IWRM 2012 will be rounded off by the presentation of the NEO Innovation Prize for outstanding work in research and innovation.

With participants from more than 25 countries expected to attend this year’s event, the IWRM Karlsruhe 2012 creates the ideal link between science, practice and politics.

Wireless water in Guernsey

The Island of Guernsey goes wireless for water management with ProSoft Technology’s RadioLinx

The island of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency, located in the English Channel, about 30 miles from the north coast of France and 70 miles from the south coast of England. Guernsey Water has deployed a communication network to integrate 40 facilities into a single network. These range from pumping stations and water treatment works to land and office buildings. The ProSoft Technology solution, based on IEEE 802.11n standard, proved to be a reliable, easy to integrate and cost-effective solution.

St Saviours WTW

Generally speaking, wireless networks offer many advantages for a wide range of applications. In this case, the main benefit was to ease the interconnection of remote sites. This is the type of challenging project faced by Guernsey Water, the company responsible for delivering high-quality drinking water for Islanders. In addition, Guernsey Water aims to provide a high level of customer service - therefore an efficient communication network is a key requirement. Remote sites used to be connected through the telephone network to the infrastructure. For a new site, no line was available. Instead of adding a new cabled line, the radio option was considered; two RadioLinx radios were installed on this pilot site for tests and evaluation by Boulting Group. One year later, valuing the positive feedback from engineering, installation and operation teams and having a need for revamping its SCADA network, Guernsey Water decided to deploy a wide network to cover the whole Island.

The benefits of wireless became evident very shortly, since installing a pair of radios is much faster than a new phone line, which requires additional engineering work, e.g. trenches, etc. This is very important for an application in such a location (an island) where being self-sufficient is essential for survival and avoids high expenses!

In addition, the wireless links have revealed high reliability, no communication losses, and higher bandwith despite the weather conditions on the Island. The technology has allowed more efficient remote control over the remote site. The solution provided by ProSoft Technology showed a list of benefits in terms of profitability too: the cost of the pair of radios falls within the range of the fixed phone line rental fee for 1 year – and both the better quality and higher speed of the communication network allow a better quality of service to the user.

The best option for high-capacity wireless networks
All of this was feasible thanks to the ProSoft Technology’s RadioLinx 802.11n industrial radios. These high-technology products provide world-class performance for high-capacity networks, including those in interference-prone locations – typically indoor applications – as they can operate with MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology antennas. The coexistence of multiple networks is guaranteed by means of a combination of 2.4 + 5 GHz bands that offers 3 + 19 non-overlapping channels. They also feature a very high signal sensitivity and range, and come as a single-radio or dual-radio Industrial Hotspot, or single-radio Industrial Client.

In the Guernsey project in particular, 19 Industrial Hotspots have been installed; 2 units for the pilot project plus 17 units (mixing single and dual radios) for the second phase. Some key industrial features of these products are their hazardous location certifications (UL1604 Class I Div 2, ATEX Zone 2 Cat 3), their extended operating temperature range, high vibration and shock resistance, DIN-rail mounting, PoE (Power over Ethernet) and simultaneous client or master/repeater Industrial Hotspot mode. All ProSoft technology products come with a three year warranty and unlimited technical support for the life of the product,

RadioLinx industrial radios are easy to configure and monitor with the RadioLinx Wireless N Discovery Tool. This software tool allows the possibility to view the network topology, assigning IP addresses to radios for configuration, as well as monitoring network diagnostics, updating radio firmware and detecting any 802.11 radios on the network.. Automatic or manual network configuration is user selectable (it can be prioritized or fixed) with self-healing functionality and master redundancy for reliable large networks.

Boulting Group was involved in this project as system integrator. They are renowned for supplying cutting-edge engineering solutions in mechanical and electrical systems and services across a broad range of industries around the world from a single aspect of a project to a full turn-key solution.

“Technology was new for both Boulting Group and for Guernsey Water,” recalls Jonathan Green, Automation Manager at Boulting Integrated Systems “but installation was a success. Not only has it been possible to create a link in a short time, but this link is more reliable and better-performing than previous communication solutions.”

“Implementing the pilot went very smoothly,” adds Dave Amps, Automation Sales Manager at Routeco, distributing both ProSoft Technology and Rockwell Automation in Britain.

“Backed-up with support from ProSoft Technology’s experts, Boulting was provided with the needed support from study, to on-field validation and to operation. At Routeco, we knew that we could rely on the high quality of the products and on the support we get from ProSoft Technology, a company we have been cooperating for more than 20 years.”

Humidity range now suitable for American influenced markets

Michell Instruments has announced the addition of a dew-point transmitter with a ¾” UNF industry standard process connection to its popular Easidew Range.

For the first time, Michell's Easidew family is available with a ‘form, fit, function’ version for industry-standard process connection – Easidew 34.

This means that the wide dew-point range and high performance of the original Easidew Transmitter is now available for the United States and American-influenced markets, such as the Middle East, Far East, Canada and South America, without the need for a process connection adapter.

Like the Easidew Transmitter, the Easidew 34’s main benefit to customers is its wide measurement range of -100 to +20°C dew point with ±2°C accuracy. This means that one sensor can be kept in stock to cover all customer ranges, which is ideal for OEMs. Applications for the Easidew Transmitter include environmentally controlled glove boxes, compressed air dryers, plastic moulding dryers, ozone generators and breathing gases.

All transmitters in the Easidew range use Michell’s advanced ceramic moisture sensor. This sensor is coupled with microprocessor-based measurement circuits to produce a calibrated unit which is fully interchangeable. Because the calibration data is stored within the transmitter, calibration service is carried out quickly and easily by replacing the sensor unit.

The transmitter is rugged enough to withstand tough industrial conditions: it has IP66 (NEMA4) environmental protection and is able to operate safely in pressures up to in 450 barg.

Mobile handheld device

Offers more flexibility, greater benefits and catchy designs with the Android operating system

Following close on our item on using hand held devices getting a special mention at next years CiBIT (Bring your own device!) in Hannover we have news of one particular device!

ADLINK Technology has announced the IMX-2000, the first ever industrial mobile handheld device to use the Android 2.3 operating system. Combining high-performance RFID, barcode scanner and 3G/WLAN wireless transmission functions to satisfy diverse application requirements, the IMX-2000 can be applied in a wide range of industries. Applications include fully supported logistics management, transportation and factory automation. With an 800MHz computation capacity, as well as superior resistance to impacts, water, and dust, the IMX-2000 has the capacity to enhance productivity and significantly reduce costs.

"The IMX-2000 can easily be configured for a wide range of applications, including manufacturing, logistics and factory automation," says Stephen Huang, VP of ADLINK. "Combined with the concept of The Internet of Things (IOT), all the information or data required can be captured in real time and accessed wirelessly via this new technology to realize Industrial Mobile Computing (IMC) functionality in different areas. In the future, it can not only reduce limitations on managing and monitoring, but lower production costs while becoming a mainstream communication device."

Android operating system with more flexibility
The IMX-2000 adopts the Android 2.3 operating system to offer a qualified and user-friendly interface. In addition, all the data can be conveniently input directly by numeric keys into the Android system. To meet customer needs, an application programming interface (API) is provided for secondary development based on specific requirements.

Easy data access and reliable wireless communication capability
Designed with high-efficiency barcode scan processing capacity bundled with Reader Utility software, data saved under 1D or 2D barcode can be accessed easily. With integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GSM, GPS and AGPS, the IMX-2000 enhances the reliability of wireless communication.