SCADA automation and digitalisation advance.

Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions has introduced GENESIS version 11.04, the latest evolution of its next-generation SCADA automation and digitalisation platform. This release enhances platform performance, expands integration capabilities, and strengthens cybersecurity, delivering a more robust and reliable foundation for building, facility, and infrastructure operations.

This version supports industrial, infrastructure, and building applications through a unified, data-centric platform. Centralised monitoring, control, and analytics enable organisations to manage complex operations with greater visibility, efficiency, and scalability.

Complete platform for building and facility operations.
GENESIS delivers the core capabilities required for building and facility management, including visualisation, alarm management, historisation, analytics, reporting, workflow management, and secure system integration.

Version 11.04 expands GENESIS capabilities through enhanced support for BACnet and BACnet Secure Connect (BACnet/SC), enabling deeper and more secure interaction with building systems. Expanded BACnet support includes native handling of alarms, trends, schedules, and calendars, along with associated visualisation and control.

Extensive investment in BACnet communications enhances reliability, interoperability, and security and continues our commitment to industry standards and high-quality implementations. GENESIS connects systems, data, and workflows within a single platform to support efficient and reliable operations.

Mark Reitzel, Director of Product Management at Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions, states: “GENESIS version 11.04 reflects our continued focus on delivering a complete platform for building and facility operations. Beyond connectivity, GENESIS provides the depth of integration, reliability, and functionality required ;to manage complex environments, with one of the most comprehensive BACnet implementations in the industry.”

Security, reliability, and performance.
GENESIS version 11.04 continues to build on a secure, modern architecture designed to meet evolving operational and cybersecurity requirements. Built using current development technologies and supported by automated testing, the platform aligns with corporate and industry standards while delivering strong protection against emerging threats.

The system supports local data processing and storage, reducing dependence on external systems and improving overall reliability and resilience.

Key capabilities include:

• Advanced BACnet and BACnet/SC integration for secure and reliable system communication
• Data-centric architecture with an embedded industrial-strength historian
• Unlimited licensing with no restrictions on tags, clients, alarms, or reports
• Unified namespace (UNS) and low-code configuration to support scalability and faster deployment
• Integrated analytics, reporting, workflow management, and notification capabilities
• Visualisation across desktop, web, and mobile environments

These capabilities enable organisations to standardise operations, improve system visibility, and scale with confidence across facilities and infrastructure.

GENESIS version 11.04 supports a wide range of industries where operational continuity, security, and efficiency are essential, including commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and data centers.

Ted Hill, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions, adds: “GENESIS version 11.04 reinforces our commitment to delivering a secure, scalable, and high-performance platform that organisations can rely on to manage complex operations. By bringing together data, systems, and workflows in a unified environment, GENESIS helps customers improve performance, strengthen resilience, and support long-term operational success.”

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@MEIDS_ @MEIrishbranch @ME_Europe  @MitsubishiElec #PAuto #BAS

Display with IPS.

A new 3.5 inch TFT display featuring IPS (In-Plane Switching) has been introduced by Inelco Hunter. IPS is a high-performance liquid crystal display (LCD) technology known for superior colour accuracy and wide viewing angles. IPS liquid crystals rotate parallel to the display surface to improve light transmission. The main features of the display include VGA resolution, an SPI interface and 500nits brightness.

All of the usual features are now available in a 3.5 inch high-resolution format. This size makes the touch panels ideal for applications requiring a smaller screen, such as industrial instrumentation, vending machines, point-of-sale screens, EV charging stations, smart home control panels and medical devices.

The LCM (Liquid Crystal Display Module) has a thickness of 3.2mm, with 12 backlight LEDs and a typical current consumption of 40mA. The display resolution is 640 * 480 pixels (RGB, 24-bit colour). The LCM has a 24-bit RGB parallel display interface, and SPI (configuration). The brightness is 500 cd/m2 and the MTBF is 50,000 hours. The display offers a full viewing angle, normally black. The operating temperature is -20°C to +70°C. The drive IC is an NV3052CGRB (or compatible IC).

In addition to offering the displays as a standard product, Inelco Hunter offers a customisation service to help customers to adapt products for their own solutions. Inelco Hunter’s engineering team can help customers define the project requirements, including as-yet unformed product ideas, turning a concept into an outstanding product. This added-value support is at the core of Inelco Hunter’s philosophy, and has been for over 30 years, setting them apart from the "stock and ship" distributors.

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@InelcoHunter #PAuto

Top performing facility in control.

Braskem’s Neal Plant has been named by Control Station as the recipient of its inaugural Top Performing Facility Award. The recognition honors the Braskem facility’s exceptional performance in achieving world-class PID control loop effectiveness as measured by Overall Controller Effectiveness (OCE).

As process manufacturers increasingly adopt data-driven performance metrics to improve reliability and efficiency, benchmarking control loop effectiveness has become a critical component of operational excellence. Located in Kenova, West Virginia (USA), the Neal Plant distinguished itself from more than 150 production facilities by achieving the highest average benchmark for plant-wide regulatory controller performance during calendar year 2025. Through proactive monitoring and analysis of PID control loops, the site achieved industry-leading OCE scores that reflect superior controller utilization, minimized variability, and sustained operational excellence.

“Braskem’s Neal Plant exemplifies what is possible when organizations prioritize their control infrastructure as a strategic asset,” said Dennis Nash, President of Control Station. “Their commitment to continuously monitoring and improving control loop effectiveness has delivered measurable gains in stability, throughput, and efficiency. This data-driven approach to optimization is precisely what the Top Performing Facility Award was created to celebrate.”

The award was based on a year-long, data-driven evaluation of OCE scores collected monthly from a diverse set of global manufacturing sites using Control Station’s PlantESP Loop Performance Monitoring solution. As an analogue to Overall Equipment Effectiveness, OCE provides a holistic measure of controller health by assessing factors that characterize an individual PID loop’s availability, performance, and quality. Because OCE is computed using normalized values, performance can be compared across different loop types and aggregated seamlessly from loop to unit, plant, and even enterprise levels. This approach is helping establish OCE as a standard benchmark for control performance across the process industries.

Braskem’s achievement reflects a sustained focus on best practices in loop tuning, performance monitoring, and proactive maintenance. By leveraging advanced analytics and standardized workflows, the Neal Plant has improved process stability and reduced operator intervention, unlocking incremental production capacity and delivering measurable improvements in cost efficiency and operational reliability.

“Achieving world-class regulatory control performance requires both the right technology and a culture of continuous improvement,” commented Bob Rice, PhD, Control Station’s Vice President of Engineering. “Braskem’s Neal Plant has demonstrated leadership in both areas, delivering measurable gains in operational performance and overall efficiency.”

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@Control_Station @braskem  #Pauto #USA

Ultra-Stable Clock Laser.

for real-world Quantum applications.

Toptica Photonics is strengthening its position in ultra-stable laser technology with its Clock Laser System (CLS), designed to deliver reliable and ultra-low phase noise optical frequency references for quantum technologies, precision metrology, and advanced sensing.* As quantum applications transition from research labs to real-world deployment, demand is growing for laser systems that combine highest frequency stability with operational robustness. The CLS addresses this need by integrating narrow-linewidth external cavity diode laser technology with a highly stable optical reference.

“Our focus was to combine ultimate frequency stability with a system design that is robust and practical to operate. This enables users to benefit from ultra-stable laser performance without the complexity and maintenance efforts of laboratory setups,” says Dr. Florian Schäfer, Development Engineer Laser Reference at Toptica.

The system achieves frequency instabilities at the 10^-15 level and phase noise levels down to -90 dBc/Hz. It is engineered to minimise environmental influences such as temperature fluctuations, vibrations, and optical power variations. This ensures stable operation over extended periods, even outside controlled laboratory environments.

Available in both tabletop and rack-mounted configurations and across a wide wavelength range, the CLS can be flexibly integrated into applications including optical atomic clocks, quantum computing, quantum simulation, and optical frequency combs.

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* Further details are presented in the white paper “Design, Implementation, and Performance of the Toptica Clock Laser System” by Dr. Florian Schäfer, Dewni Pathegama, and Dr. Filippo Bregolin, describing the system design, stabilisation approach, and performance validation of the CLS.

@TOPTICA_AG @PresseBox@UnnGmbh  #Pauto #Photonics

Ai‑powered automation transforms green hydrogen and complex industries.

Schneider Electric is deepening its collaboration with Microsoft to help make it easier for industrial companies to modernise their operations, break free from proprietary legacy systems and deploy Ai-powered automation at scale.

 

At the heart of this collaboration is a conviction that industrial automation is overdue for the same open, software-driven transformation that reshaped enterprise IT. Today, most factories and energy plants still run on hardware-locked control systems that are expensive to update, slow to adapt and difficult to extend with Industrial Ai. Schneider Electric is building the technology that showcases a better alternative exists.

 

In collaboration with h2e POWER, an Indian green hydrogen pioneer, the two companies have deployed India’s first fully autonomous solid oxide electrolyser system, empowering operators to shift their focus from routine monitoring to more strategic, high-impact work. The system has surpassed 6,000 hours of stable operation in part- and full-load conditions and has demonstrated just-in-time predictive maintenance and promise in cutting electricity consumption by up to 10%, in a process where electricity accounts for more than 70% of total hydrogen production cost.

 

A Collaboration Built to End Legacy Drag

The Schneider Electric collaboration with Microsoft combines Schneider Electric’s role as a global energy technology partner and pioneer of open, software‑defined automation with Microsoft Azure cloud, Ai, and edge infrastructure. The goal is a practical, vendor-neutral path for industrial companies to modernise without scrapping existing investments or halting production.

 

Central to this is the Industrial Copilot, which extends intelligence to the edge using Microsoft Azure’s cloud and Ai services approach for local inference and reinforcement. It automates the engineering tasks that slow modernisation most: writing control logic, configuring systems, and navigating documentation. Engineering teams using it report up to 50% time savings, with production line changes that once took weeks now completed in hours.

 

Underlying everything is Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ Automation Expert, the world’s first open, software-defined automation platform. By separating software from hardware, it lets customers run and reuse their automation applications across different equipment, vendors, and generations of infrastructure. Microsoft Azure provides the secure cloud and edge backbone that connects it all, from individual sensors to enterprise dashboards.

 

Together, the two companies are offering something the industrial world has lacked: a migration path that meets organisations where they are, not where they “should be.”

 

Proving It in the Field: Green Hydrogen with h2e POWER

Green hydrogen is central to global decarbonisation plans; however, producing it cheaply and reliably at scale remains a challenge. Solid oxide electrolysers (SOECs) offer the highest efficiency of any hydrogen production technology, but their operating conditions are so demanding that it has been difficult to maintain equitable net energy consumption and operate them autonomously.

 

h2e POWER, an India-originated green tech company based in Pune with operations in India, Germany and the USA, had exactly this challenge. Its SOEC system is technically superior, but limited real-time visibility and the absence of open, scalable automation were pushing operating costs well above design targets.

 

Working with Schneider Electric, they deployed a new Ai-powered control solution on h2e POWER’s 20 kW SOEC system. The solution continuously monitors and adjusts the electrolyser in real time, managing thermal balance, hydrogen flow, energy inputs, and safety and equipment health, remotely.

 

The results speak to both the technology and the collaborative approach. Energy efficiency improved, stack wear was significantly reduced, and the levelised cost of hydrogen, the industry’s key economic metric, fell by up to 10%, equivalent to around €500,000 per year for a typical 10 MW plant. The system has now run for more than 6,000 hours, making it one of the most durable autonomous electrolyser demonstrations in India, and probably anywhere in the world.

 

“SOECs have always offered unmatched efficiency, but true commercial scale depends on sustainable operations, optimised energy consumption, durability, predictive maintenance and remote, autonomous control. With Schneider Electric’s open, software‑defined automation and Microsoft’s AI capabilities powered by Azure, our systems are becoming smarter, more responsive, safer, and dramatically more scalable. This open architecture also means we can redeploy intelligence across our entire installed base across multiple locations, without the lock‑in that has constrained industrial innovation for decades,” said Mr. Siddharth Mayur, Founder & Managing Director, h2e POWER.

 

“What we’re seeing at h2e POWER shows the future of industrial automation," said Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President, Manufacturing and Mobility, Microsoft. "The system is powerful and built to scale. Enterprise dashboards unify data across every site, machine learning improves with every hour of operation, and open standards make the control logic fully portable.”

“Every CIO and plant leader asks the same question: can software‑defined automation truly perform under real‑world industrial conditions? At h2e POWER, the answer is clear,” said Gwenaelle Huet, Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric. “Industrial leaders don’t need another vision; they need a migration path. Our collaboration with Microsoft and the Industrial Copilot delivers exactly that, proving even the most complex energy systems can run as intelligent, autonomous assets.” 

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@SchneiderElec @h2epower  #PAuto #Power #India

Developing ‘green hydrogen’ electrolysers.

The generation of green hydrogen by water electrolysis represents an exciting decarbonisation opportunity. However, the performance of electrolysers is heavily impacted by the characteristics and stability of the electrolyser’s components. A group of engineers in Germany is therefore developing a test bench for alkaline electrolysis.

A key factor affecting the success of this project is the ability to accurately and reliably monitor electrolytes in an extremely aggressive solution. Following a global search for suitable technologies, the researchers found that Vaisala’s inline refractometers were able to meet their stringent requirements.

Background.
Hydrogen represents an exciting opportunity as the world seeks to decarbonise its energy infrastructure in the pursuit of a Net Zero goal. This is because hydrogen has a high calorific value and its combustion products do not contain any greenhouse gases that are considered major contributors to global warming. However, hydrogen is currently mostly produced from fossil-fuel intensive processes, generating ‘grey hydrogen’ which globally accounts for around 2% of carbon emissions.

Webinar:

The project partners are engineering services provider iChemAnalytics GmbH, electroplating technology specialist Dr.-Ing. Max Schlötter GmbH & Co. KG, and the coating expert WHW Hillebrand. This project will be discussed in an upcoming interview/webinar.

Click here to register for free.

Where hydrogen is generated from the electrolysis of water, powered by renewable energy, the resulting ‘green hydrogen’ offers a significant opportunity for decarbonisation, so there is a high level of interest in efficient, sustainable electrolysers.

Alkaline hydrogen electrolysers use an electric current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using a liquid alkaline solution such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the electrolyte. Typically, the solution is 15 to 30% KOH, which is very aggressive. The electrolyte is contained between two electrodes, typically nickel-based, separated by a porous diaphragm or membrane. Hydrogen gas is produced at the cathode, and oxygen gas is produced at the anode. The diaphragm separates the gases and transports hydroxide ions from the cathode to the anode to complete the circuit.

Project objectives
Work began in 2023 with a completion target in mid-2026. The main objectives were: 1. Create a working, fully automated test bench for electrolyser stacks 2. Develop a new electrode coating which is stable for over 80,000 hours 3. Evaluate prototype coatings over a range of different working conditions

Why measure electrolyte strength?
Each side of the membrane in the test bench electrolyser contains a 30% KOH solution - a highly concentrated, strong, and corrosive alkaline liquid that is 30% potassium hydroxide and 70% water by weight. During electrolysis the ratio of KOH % on either side of the membrane changes. This is important for multiple reasons. The service life of the components and the phase boundary reactions within the cells change negatively, which also has a direct influence on cell voltage, aging effects and reaction efficiency.

Electrolyte measurement technology.
The project team conducted a worldwide search for a technology that would be able to operate in such a challenging environment, delivering accurate and reliable KOH measurements. The ability to operate in 30% KOH at temperatures up to 80°C and pressures up to 5bar (mounted in-line) ruled out most of the options, leaving either manual laboratory analysis or a small number of technologies based on refractometry or ultrasonics.

Explaining the decision to use Vaisala’s inline refractometers, Kristian Macke COO at iChemAnalytics said: “Laboratory analysis was ruled out immediately because of the time taken to derive results, which would render process control, and therefore efficiency, impossible to achieve.” The project team therefore evaluated the continuous measurement options. 

“We were particularly impressed by the support from Vaisala’s distributor, Bühler Technologies,” Kristian explained. “They lent us a Vaisala refractometer for a short period so that we could conduct a quick test in our laboratory. They provided CAD files to help integrate the Vaisala device into our test bench, and they provided written confirmation that the refractometer is resistant to KOH permanently.”

Vaisala PR53AC

Two Vaisala PR53AC inline refractometers have been installed on the test bench, providing real-time KOH concentration measurements on both sides of the membrane. Kristian says: “This was a significant investment for us, but we have been absolutely delighted with the performance of the Vaisala probes. They were delivered factory- calibrated and were almost plug-and-play. All we had to do was integrate their 4-20 mA output with our PLC.”

Vaisala’s refractometers measure the angle of refraction of light in the process medium, using an LED light source. A sensor continually detects the critical angle at which the total reflection of light commences, and this has a direct relationship with KOH concentration. Vaisala refractometry is widely used in demanding industrial processes - from chemicals and pulp & paper to food and pharmaceuticals — where accuracy, chemical resistance, and uptime are critical.

In addition to their ability to operate in harsh conditions, one of the main advantages of Vaisala’s refractometers is that they are not affected by suspended particles, bubbles or colour, and with the option of automatic prism wash with steam or high-pressure hot water, they are not affected by scaling or fouling.

Project progress.
The development of a reliable test bench has allowed the project team to focus on the main objectives. Different electrode coatings and electrolyte solutions are undergoing accelerated stress testing in a range of temperatures, and Kristian says: “The results of a 4-week trial were recently published at a conference in Berlin (ZVO Oberflächentage 2025), where we demonstrated extremely good performance data for a new coating.”

Looking forward.
As more sustainable coatings are being developed, the new fully automated test bench will allow the team to optimise electrolysis equipment, materials and conditions in the pursuit of process efficiency. “KOH concentration measurement with Vaisala refractometers is performing a critically important role in the test bench,” Kristian says. “Clearly, the ultimate goal is to develop new high-performance electrolyser stacks with high-performance surface coatings, and the ability to automatically monitor and control the KOH ratio will be essential for optimising electrolyser components and efficiency.”

This project showcases how advanced measurement technology supports innovation in clean energy, and accelerates the transition toward low-carbon solutions.

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@VaisalaGroup @_Enviro_News #PAuto #Environment

Cryogenic valve.

Designed for low-temperature applications, such as cold boxes, to reduce energy costs, optimise performance and extend product longevity.

The Fisher™ IC2 Cryogenic Top-Entry Control Valve, ideal for cold box applications in air separation units, hydrogen liquefaction and LNG production has been introduced. Cold boxes are insulated enclosures that house cryogenic equipment, such as heat exchangers, distillation columns, piping and valves. The IC2 control valve meets the stringent demands of these extremely low-temperature environments, operating reliably at temperatures as low as -452 degrees Fahrenheit (-269 degrees Celsius).

Operating in cryogenic environments can be challenging due to various factors, including product and energy losses due to emissions, which lead to reduced profitability, high maintenance costs and regulatory concerns. To address these and other issues, this control valve includes high-performance cryogenic enhancements, including a narrow extension diameter and fluid baffle.

These components work together to minimise heat conduction, thereby reducing the energy required to maintain process fluid temperatures, while enhancing overall operational sustainability. The IC2 control valve’s Fisher enhanced ENVIRO-SEAL™ packing system and bellows limit leakage to a maximum of 100 parts per million by volume, meeting or surpassing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The Emerson Fisher IC2 control valve provides longevity with its hardened trim materials, enhanced ENVIRO-SEAL packing and metal-to-metal seating. When maintenance is necessary, the IC2 valve offers simple serviceability via features such as top-entry, a single packing nut, a modular stem assembly, an independently replaceable bellows, and a replaceable valve plug and seat ring—with a special tool provided for seat ring removal.

The IC2 control valve is rated for the CL600 pressure class, and it is available in line sizes from 1 to 4 inches (DN25 to DN100), with more options forthcoming.

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@EmersonExchange  @FisherValves @Emerson_News @EMR_Automation @EmersonProcess @HHC_Lewis #PAuto