Turbomachinery protection and monitoring enhanced.

Improved insights support safer operations and better asset health through advanced trending and real-time visibility.

Emerson's AMS 6500 ATG online protection system with embedded prediction and their AMS Machine Works asset health monitoring software have been updated. New features in both systems have been designed in parallel to drive improved analytics for critical turbomachinery – particularly to support complex, high-stakes activities such as machinery start-ups and shutdowns.

Protection systems are critical to safe turbomachinery operations, but historically, data collection from the most effective systems was typically limited to minutes of operation. Also, the higher the quality of data collected, the more limited the collection window. Yet, turbomachinery start-ups or shutdowns can take hours or even days, and operators and analysts need longer information timelines to better understand what is happening during these complex operations.

New programmable dashboards and simplified connectivity improve usability and cybersecurity for critical machinery environments.

The AMS 6500 ATG version 5.0 and the AMS Machine Works version 2.4 software have been updated to support continuous, unlimited machine data transmission from the protection system into the analytics platform, helping operators better understand what is happening during complex activities while enabling analysts to perform more comprehensive analysis and long-term trending in AMS Machine Works.

“In complex operations, operators and technicians need precise operational insight, such as the ability to see when machinery reaches its natural frequency so they can improve control speeds,” said Ben Swisher, vice president and general manager of reliability solutions at Emerson. “With continuous data streaming from the AMS 6500 ATG to AMS Machine Works, operators, maintenance personnel and analysts all have the inputs they need for enhanced insight into safe operations and long-term asset health.”

The latest enhancements to the AMS 6500 ATG and the AMS Machine Works software provide users with greater visibility into how their assets and operations are changing. With access to longer and more frequent data, analysts can use AMS Machine Works to more effectively trend streamed information for the AMS 6500 ATG and data from other sources, and those trends can be tied directly to alarms. Operators can also see live data illustrating what is happening in machines connected to the system.

The AMS 6500 ATG has also been updated with a web-server-based programmable dashboard to provide visualisation of critical turbomachinery performance. The system can show up to five programmable dashboard pages, each with up to 25 widgets, including trending, Boolean alarm value screens and live measurement fields. New widgets can also display machine components in addition to data points to make it easier for operators to connect those points to the relevant machines and gain a general understanding about the health of assets from a single view. The dashboard is available natively via a web browser and is flexible and programmable.

The enhancements to AMS 6500 ATG and AMS Machine Works software also deliver Modbus-independent connectivity for simplified management and continue Emerson’s commitment to ongoing cybersecurity improvements.

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@EMR_Automation @EmersonExchange@Emerson_News @HHC_Lewis #PAuto #MachineHealth

Delivery and operation in life sciences manufacturing.

Life sciences manufacturers need flexible, cost-effective software solutions to strengthen supply chain resilience and speed up time-to-market. Körber is working with AWS to meet this demand, providing its Werum PAS-X MES software products as fully managed software solutions hosted in the AWS Cloud.

As the life sciences industry continues to expand globally, manufacturers need flexible and scalable solutions that enable them to operate quickly and cost-effectively. Supply chain resilience and time-to-market for new product introductions are key requirements facing the industry. Customers are increasingly adopting cloud and as-a-service solutions to meet these new demands.

This is why Körber is working with AWS to deliver comprehensive, cloud-based solutions that help customers achieve their goals. Körber is offering its proven PAS-X MES software products as fully managed as-a-service solutions, hosted in the AWS Cloud.

“We are excited to simplify and accelerate the delivery and operation of manufacturing IT solutions for our life sciences customers,” says Lars Hornung, Sr. Principal Alliances & Technology Partners Software at Körber Business Area Pharma. “Together, we empower pharma and biotech organizations developing NextGen therapies to bring them to market faster, more cost-effectively, and more reliably – all without the need for additional infrastructure or IT expertise.”

Körber and AWS are working closely with the industry to establish a qualification strategy for operating PAS-X MES in the AWS Cloud in compliance with regulatory requirements. Other benefits of the AWS Cloud include state-of-the-art cybersecurity, unmatched redundancy and high availability architectures using AWS availability zones.

Leveraging Werum PAS-X MES as a Service, life sciences companies can focus on their core business – manufacturing vital, often life-saving pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical medicines – while leaving the application and infrastructure support to Körber. Customers' IT responsibility is reduced by 75%. Upfront investment can be decreased by up to 65%, with minimized costs for deployment and operations.”

Körber holds a strong position and reputation in pharma manufacturing, with its Werum PAS-X MES recognized as the market-leading manufacturing execution system. The technology group’s portfolio integrates manufacturing software with pharma-specific transport, inspection, and packaging equipment.

AWS provides solutions and capabilities spanning the entire automation pyramid, which have been successfully implemented across diverse industries. It offers advanced functionality to enhance the MES layer, including data, analytics, and application layers. As a well-established cloud infrastructure and service provider, AWS supports numerous companies in the pharma and life sciences sectors.

AWS provides a robust foundation with AWS landing zone, logging and monitoring, and rapid provisioning capabilities. Customers benefit from enhanced security, as AWS consistently meets thousands of global compliance standards, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.

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@WerumKarriere @awscloud #Koerber  #Pharma 

Advances in asset management software.

Data Server technology to improve digital transformation outcomes, expand intelligent field device data accessibility and integration for analytics.

Emerson is helping process manufacturers improve performance and sustainability by breaking down the data silos that make it difficult to digitally transform their reliability and maintenance strategies. AMS Device Manager Data Server securely extends intelligent field device data to outside systems to make it easier for reliability and maintenance teams to further capitalise on modern advanced analytics software, providing a step change in operational efficiency and smart manufacturing.

 

For decades, process manufacturers have relied on asset management software to carefully deploy and monitor plant production assets – like measurement and analytical instrumentation, digital valve controllers, wireless gateways, and others – both within a single plant and across the enterprise. As plants have evolved, they have grown their technology stack to adopt a wide range of analytics, historians, machine learning and advanced modelling to exploit and benefit from historically under-used or inaccessible datasets from around the plant. 

AMS Device Manager Data Server publishes intelligent field device data nearly instantaneously to industrial software analytics solutions already in use by customers, eliminating the need for complex custom data integration and manual workarounds that often cause delayed results and siloed data. This data is relayed via secure industry protocols.

 

"To accelerate sustainability and profitability, today’s manufacturers are transforming via analytics – seeking to aggregate disparate, under-used data, and further exploit it for positive business impact around the organisation,” said Erik Lindhjem, vice president of Emerson’s reliability solutions business. “AMS Device Manager Data Server makes intelligent field device information such as configuration parameters, alerts, calibration data and others available, in near real-time, for advanced use in other software and applications our customers already use.”

AMS Device Manager Data Server makes it easy to import critical instrument and valve data into common dashboarding tools and applications like Microsoft PowerBI, Emerson software tools such as the Plantweb™ Optics platform, Plantweb Insight, Aspen MTell® and AspenTech Inmation™, plant historians and others.

@Emerson_News @EMR_Automation @EmersonExchange @HHC_Lewis #PAuto #Environmen 

Easier monitoring and optimising plant health.

AMS Device Manager is the first software of its kind to be registered under the Field Device Integration standard, making it easier to monitor and optimize plant health

Emerson's device management software is the first host software to be fully registered by FieldComm Group® to support the Field Device Integration (FDI) standard. This is a further step in their ongoing efforts to reduce the time and effort spent installing and configuring the field devices plants rely on to achieve their digital transformation goals.

Field devices collect and transmit important data that personnel use to improve plant health, performance and reliability. FDI registration will reduce the need for plants to support two different technologies to integrate and maintain field devices. 

Full FDI registration is important to avoid having a patchwork of systems and devices that only support individual elements of FDI but still require extensive integration effort. Because manufacturers can pick and choose individual FDI features to support, some device management applications will likely not contain every feature a plant requires. Emerson worked side by side with FieldComm Group for nearly two years to enable AMS Device Manager to pass the group’s rigorous testing process for registration, which requires all features to be supported by the software.

“Today’s intelligent field devices offer a broad range of data and functionality that plant personnel can use to optimise operations, but without a common standard, collecting that data can be complex and cumbersome,” said Ted Masters, chief executive officer of FieldComm Group. “By completing the process to fully register AMS Device Manager’s FDI support, Emerson is providing its customers the tools to more easily implement a wider range of devices for holistic plant health.”

The newest release of AMS Device Manager will make it easier, more secure and more cost effective to access device data. FDI integration technology eliminates the need for plants to support the two most common technologies for installing and configuring devices: Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and Field Device Tool/Device Type Manager (FDT/DTM). Instead, all FDI devices support a single installation package, so organisations will no longer have to double up on time, training and effort when installing field devices.

“FDI integration technology takes the best features of EDDL and FDT/DTM and combines them into a single common standard, making it far easier to select, install, configure and support new devices,” said Erik Lindhjem, vice president of Emerson’s reliability solutions business. “By adding full FDI registration to AMS Device Manager, Emerson continues its tradition of supporting and innovating on industry standards to help organisations drive more value from digital transformation initiatives.”

@EMR_Automation @Emerson_News @FieldCommGroup #Pauto #Communications,

Acquisition expands data processing capability.

A strategic acquisition that boosts its expertise in measurement data management has been announced by The Kistler Group.  AMS, the Chemnitz-based (D) software developer, specializes in analysing, processing and visualizing large volumes of measurement data – so this acquisition adds to the expertise of the Swiss measurement technology expert with a special focus on vehicle development.

Dr Bernhard Suender and Rolf Sonderugger.

Rolf Sonderegger, CEO of the Kistler Group, comments: "AMS is highly successful in the field of software-based data analysis, making it a perfect fit with our Research and Development portfolio for the automotive industry. In this era of digitization and Big Data, software is becoming a critical value-creating tool. We are looking forward to working together, and we are especially pleased that we can add a key element to our strategy of offering automotive test solutions that are as complete as possible."

Electrification and autonomous mobility are the key factors influencing the evolution of the automobile. But as the numbers of automated vehicles on our roads continue to grow, their safety must be ensured by fast and efficient evaluation of huge quantities of data, complemented by extensive and informative tests during the development phase. This acquisition expands its existing expertise in this field – with a particular focus on data evaluation.

The AMS portfolio includes measurement data visualization and evaluation solutions that can be licensed for PC or web-based use: products that provide support with vehicle development for major OEMs and suppliers to the automotive sector – especially in Germany and China, two countries that are also cornerstones for Kistler.

Dr. Bernhard Sünder, founder and CEO of AMS, comments: "Measurement data is different from other data. This is why we offer specialized data mining for Big Test Data with our jBEAM and MaDaM solutions. With Kistler as our strong partner, we are on course for growth. The global reach of the Group's sales organization will help us to advance."

With a workforce of over 30, AMS is part of a Chemnitz technology cluster cantered on Chemnitz University of Technology (TU) that is home to various start-ups and innovation drivers in the automotive industry. Chemnitz will now join Bratislava as another of Kistler's sites for software development.

This successfully completed acquisition is an element in the Kistler Group's long-term digitization strategy that is transforming it from a solution supplier into an information provider: "What is clear about Information as a Service is that key components of the value chain will be shifting towards software. That makes it critically important to develop the appropriate resources at an early stage," Rolf Sonderegger adds. "AMS will contribute know-how that complements our existing vehicle development solutions. In the future, our customers will be able to obtain even more from one single source, and they will benefit from enhanced consistency throughout our systems – from sensors to data evaluation."

#Kistler #Automotive #Bigdata

Improved machinery health visibility.

Emerson has improved its AMS Machinery Manager predictive maintenance and analysis software with new visibility tools and mobile access to help users more quickly identify and act on machinery health issues anytime and anywhere. New integration between AMS Machinery Manager and the Plantweb™ Optics asset performance platform enables automated workflows – helping maintenance and operations teams focus on exceptions to make better decisions faster.

The number of devices and sensors that organisations employ to ensure continuous, safe operation has grown significantly. When data from these devices is unprioritised, it can obscure problems, making it hard for operators to quickly determine pressing issues. A new AMS Machinery Manager dashboard helps solve this challenge by automatically filtering critical data and passing it to users’ mobile devices via Plantweb Optics. With instant mobile alerts, users can more quickly identify and analyse machines with potential defects.

The new AMS Machinery Manager dashboard is also more interactive, allowing users to delve in and quickly discover root causes for asset alarms. Users can click on problem assets to drill down to health data with analytics tools – such as Emerson’s PeakVue technology for early indication of equipment defect development – to receive a clear indicator of overall asset health. A new analysis bookmarks feature helps users easily monitor critical issues. Upon identifying an alert or status that needs further review or action, users can flag items for second opinions or as a reminder to take action or revisit specific assets.

“Today’s manufacturing leaders know that it is essential to get machine health data to the right people quickly, no matter where they are,” said Sean Key, product manager for AMS Machinery Manager. “Plantweb Optics integration allows AMS Machinery Manager to deliver that targeted data to mobile devices to help build proactive, automated workflows – speeding response times and helping reduce downtime and improve operations.”

Plants depend on regular maintenance routes to ensure equipment performs properly. Often, ensuring these routes have been completed promptly and properly means creating and analysing detailed reports. AMS Machinery Manager now simplifies route management by making detailed information available on the operator dashboard in human-centred graphic displays. Users can identify overdue or incomplete routes at a glance – without the need to run a report.

AMS Machinery Manager and Plantweb Optics are part of the Plantweb digital ecosystem, which equips plant operators and technicians with new insight into the health and performance of their assets and processes to help them shift from a reactive maintenance culture to a proactive approach that results in less downtime and lower maintenance costs.

AMS Machinery Manager can now be installed on-premises or in the cloud, reducing the need for on-site information technology to manage software installations. Emerson has also expanded the AMS Machinery Manager database to support up to 32GB, helping users consolidate all their asset data into a single installation.

@EMR_Automation #PAuto @Emerson_News @HHC_Lewis 

Improves field device reliability.

The latest version of Emerson's AMS Device Manager introduces new alert optimisation capabilities and mobile device health dashboards. Out-of-the box alert filtering templates created using Human Centered Design principles provide the potential for as much as a 60 percent reduction in unnecessary alerts coming from intelligent field devices. Personnel-based alert filtering and a streamlined user interface help users to quickly identify, isolate, and diagnose health and calibration issues with field devices.

“With intuitive dashboards for easy interpretation of device health and focused alerts for fast action, plants have access to the data they need quickly,” said Mani J, director of marketing for Emerson’s Plantweb IIoT initiative. “These efficiency gains help to prevent process and hardware failures, improving plant reliability and freeing personnel to focus on other critical tasks.”

Engineers and technicians are frequently inundated with multiple device alerts, often stemming from a single issue within a device. The newest version of AMS Device Manager resolves the problem of nuisance alerts with pre-defined configuration templates that filter out all alerts tangential to the core problem, leaving only meaningful, actionable notifications. In beta testing, early results show an average 58 percent reduction in daily alerts with out-of-the-box filtering.

Advanced alert filtering helps today’s digital worker to remove noise from critical data, providing that worker with the essential information needed to make fast decisions. Containing all relevant details, the new alerts will help engineers create work orders and build part lists for field technicians to perform maintenance, saving valuable hours in the field.

The release also delivers the new AMS Device View web interface, an intuitive browser-based display with mobile-friendly dashboards. The web interface allows users to view device health and calibration status from a wide range of devices - both on and off the plant floor. By focusing on device health rather than alerts, users can hone in on devices that need maintenance without being distracted by a long list of issues.

AMS Device View is part of Emerson's Always Mobile™ portfolio, a part of the Plantweb™ digital ecosystem, providing users with the applications, tools, and digital intelligence they need to increase production, reliability, maintenance efficiency, and safety from wherever they work.

 @EMR_Automation  #Pauto @Emerson_News  @hhclewis

Predictive diagnostics for any Foundation fieldbus control system

Integration with Softing’s FOUNDATION fieldbus technology enables users to access online diagnostics and alerts regardless of host system vendor

Emerson Process Management and Softing have announced that Softing's Linking Device and Gateway FG-110-FF has been successfully integrated and tested with Emerson's AMS Suite predictive maintenance software application to connect to any FOUNDATION fieldbus network, providing users with the ultimate flexibility to use AMS Device Manager for online diagnostics and alerts regardless of their host system vendor.

The integration of Emerson’s AMS Suite with Softing’s FOUNDATION fieldbus Linking Device & Gateway enables users to access diagnostics & alerts through any host system

AMS Suite uses predictive intelligence to improve the availability and performance of key production assets, including mechanical equipment, electrical systems, process equipment, instruments, and valves. This integrated family of ‘best-in-class’ diagnostic software applications enables users to detect plant equipment problems before they occur. From plant management, operations, or maintenance and reliability, AMS Suite gives users the information they need to make informed decisions.

Softing's Linking Device and Gateway FG-110-FF is designed for plant operators and system integrators in process environments. It provides connectivity to up to four FOUNDATION fieldbus H1 segments with as many as 64 field devices. The product includes a Windows-based configuration software package for FOUNDATION fieldbus that enables field device linking and configuration. Standard Ethernet and a serial Modbus interface provide connectivity to systems without fieldbus capability. Host protocols such as Modbus RTU, Modbus/TCP, or HSE enable the data-exchange between the FG-110-FF and other host applications.

"Softing has been in the fieldbus business for more than 30 years. During this time, we acquired the technical expertise that enables us to actively shape open technology standards and to be at the cutting edge of progress for the benefit of our customers," said Wolfgang Langer, Softing North America’s Director of Marketing.

"We are continually expanding asset support in AMS Suite to give users the ability to choose devices based on the best fit for their application regardless of the manufacturer or communication protocol," said Ron Martin, vice president/general manager of Emerson’s Asset Optimization and Lifecycle Care business. "Openness and the full support of industry standards are priorities for our users that we fully endorse and will continue to deliver on."

Critical industrial power systems are now doubly protected

Emerson Network Power has announced that its industrial uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) now generate and broadcast self-diagnostic data for acquisition by Emerson Process Management’s AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager asset management software. This new capability enables the continuous monitoring of critical systems required for predictive maintenance in process industry plants, as well as offshore facilities, oil and gas terminals and power generation systems. With continuous visibility to UPS performance, plant managers can prevent possible downtime from UPS component wear or in the unlikely event of failure.

The Emerson Network Power solution provides information on UPS performance via the PROFIBUS DP protocol to a plant’s distributed control system (DCS) and AMS Device Manager software. Integration of the field-generated data is seamless, and alerts are issued when the performance of any specific asset falls below established norms. Managers instantly have the information they need to determine where, and how soon, maintenance should be performed, providing the predictive maintenance critical to efficient industrial maintenance. Additionally, the graphic interface is intuitive, easy-to-understand, and has a look and feel consistent with all other assets in the facility.

Emerson Process Management’s AMS Device Manager displays clearly show which assets need attention using consistent terminology to classify alerts categorised by severity. The most severe alerts require immediate attention by a maintenance technician, with the possibility of receiving remote support from Emerson experts worldwide. In all cases, detailed instructions are given for troubleshooting and repair procedures.

"UPS systems are extremely durable – built to back up industrial power systems reliably for up to 60 years. Plant maintenance personnel feel very secure about these systems and don’t get much chance to practice troubleshooting or making repairs," said David Vasselin, Vice President of Business Development at Emerson Network Power’s Chloride Industrial Power business. "This can create a situation if a component part does degrade or fail. However, our AMS Device Manager solution keeps track of the UPS for them and issues alerts with step-by-step guidance on how to solve the issue. This adds another layer of value to these backup power supplies."

Vasselin said the integration of Chloride’s industrial UPS with AMS Device Manager provides users with real-time condition monitoring, packaged with the maintenance information they need. "It is cost-effective insurance against an unexpected power outage where losses can run into the millions of dollars per day."

Automation contract for Swiss biotech plant

4.7 million Euro contract includes Syncade™ and DeltaV™ systems to manage complex operations while driving toward paperless production

Belgium-based UCB has awarded Emerson Process Management, a 4.7 million Euro contract to provide integrated process automation and operations management systems for a new biopharmaceutical production centre in Bulle (CH). Emerson’s technologies and engineering services will be crucial in meeting the very high standards expected by the UCB project team.

UCB is investing €175 million to construct the first phase of a new plant, its first biopharmaceutical project in Switzerland. The 20,000-square-metre facility, which will be one of the largest in Europe, will be the main production centre for Cimzia® (certolizumab pegol), which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

"The state-of-the-art and largely automated facility at Bulle will be a model for the industry when it opens in 2015," said Michele Antonelli, UCB executive vice president. "To ensure the project meets its tight build-out schedule, we selected Emerson Process Management for its demonstrated ability to engineer and coordinate fast-track automation projects of this type."

Emerson’s integrated solution includes its Syncade™ Smart Operations Management Suite, DeltaV™ digital automation system, and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software. Emerson will also provide related engineering services, including design, installation, testing, and commissioning.

The Syncade Suite software integrates real-time plant floor data with business processes, decisions, and asset management – a key advantage in managing complex operations and extensive documentation required in pharmaceutical production. Syncade Suite manages workflow processes, including electronic work instructions, equipment status and material tracking, recipe-driven operations, automated weigh and dispense operations, and exception reporting.

"Typical biotech manufacturing can involve thousands of pieces of paper that can affect the ability to produce ‘right-first-time’ batches," said Lorenzo Zampini, automation project manager. "With Emerson’s integrated operations management and control systems, we can automate the reporting process as well as gain tighter process control for increased productivity and smoother regulatory compliance."

The Syncade software integrates with Emerson’s DeltaV automation system to facilitate operational activities and information flow from the plant floor up to UCB’s SAP system. In the UCB plant, the DeltaV system will control 163 process units including fermentation, purification, filtration, and bottling. Emerson’s new electronic marshalling technology with CHARMs (characterization modules) will help minimise installation time by eliminating up to two-thirds of the wiring and connections needed with traditional control systems.

Emerson’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software that will be supporting HART instrumentation will make it easy for technicians to calibrate critical instruments, check their status, and even detects potential problems before they affect operations.

"Emerson is delighted that UCB has chosen us to automate this ground-breaking facility," said Steve Sonnenberg, president of Emerson Process Management. "Our proven ability to provide a single source for both plant automation and operations management systems will help UCB seamlessly manage operations from the plant floor to the head office. We look forward to working with them as they bring the Bulle facility to life."

Consistent work processes

Emerson expands breadth of assets supported within AMS Suite

Emerson Process Management has announced expanded asset support in the AMS Suite predictive maintenance software application, providing users with a more comprehensive asset management application. Connectivity is established to PROFIBUS PA devices, which expands the list of assets users can integrate into AMS Suite to enable a consistent maintenance approach. In addition, AMS Suite now supports both Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL) and FDT/DTM, to provide users with a single application to support the full capabilities of all their devices.

The addition of PROFIBUS PA provides a complete PROFIBUS solution with the DeltaV™ automation system, and the capability already available for PROFIBUS DP devices. PROFIBUS DP and PA support on third party hosts is also available via the Softing FG PROFIBUS family of interfaces.

Users are easily able to launch HART® and FOUNDATION fieldbus Device Type Managers (DTMs) via the DTM Launcher application, provided as a standard part of AMS Device Manager. Support for DTMs is the first step in providing Field Device Integration (FDI)-compliant products within AMS Suite. FDI is the convergence of field device management options into a unified standard to give users a single common solution for managing information for field devices.

Expanded asset support gives users the ability to choose devices based on the best fit for their application, regardless of the manufacturer or communication protocol. "Our users need the right information at the right time and want to be able to access that information in a consistent manner," said Ron Martin, vice president/general manager of Emerson’s Asset Optimization and Lifecycle Care. "We are committed to openness and full support of industry standards to give our users the ultimate freedom in choice, and a consistent way to manage and maintain their assets without compromise."

Collaboration interfacing fire and gas safety asset systems

Integrated solution provides single maintenance view for safety and process assets, streamlining maintenance work practices and ensuring the availability of safety assets

Det-Tronics EQP safety system

Emerson Process Management has announced support for the Detector Electronics (Det-Tronics) Eagle Quantum Premier safety system within AMS Suite. The integration with Det-Tronics provides AMS Suite users with the ability to monitor both basic process control devices and safety assets such as flame and gas detectors from a single view, streamlining maintenance work practices and ensuring the availability of these critical instruments.

This solution broadens the scope of assets that can be integrated into AMS Suite beyond traditional instrumentation and valves. Utilising the connection between AMS Suite and Det-Tronics S3 software, users are able to view diagnostic information from flame and gas detectors, indicating when maintenance activities such as device calibration or optics cleaning should be performed. Upon clearing these conditions, the S3 software will provide the updated information to AMS Device Manager to update the device history.

"Our users need accurate and timely information on all of their assets. Ensuring safety assets are in good working order when they are needed is critical to protecting the lives and well-being of those in and around customer facilities," said Ron Martin, vice president/general manager of Emerson’s Asset Optimization and Lifecycle Care. "We are committed to expanding the ways we help users make information-based decisions, a commitment we continue to build on."

In an earlier related expansion, Emerson acquired Net Safety Monitoring, a global leader in providing fixed-point safety monitoring solutions, delivering a full range of toxic and combustible gas detectors, flame detectors, ultrasonic gas leak detection, and other specialised safety and security products for hazardous environments. The integration of Det-Tronics software and AMS Suite, and acquisition of Net Safety Monitoring, Inc. provide comprehensive process controls and safety monitoring for the toughest industrial environments.

Accurate & efficient reliability analysis..

Emerson Process Management has announced the latest release of its industry-leading asset management software, AMS Suite: Machinery Health Manager. Version 5.5 of AMS Machinery Manager augments the analysis of predictive diagnostics from mechanical assets by delivering advanced plot capabilities, including shaft animation and audio waveform, interactive reporting, and online collaboration. Through analysis of critical machinery health information, maintenance and operations personnel can identify and resolve machinery issues before equipment damage and process interruptions occur.

This new version aids reliability and maintenance professionals in diagnostic and root cause analysis and provides early identification of issues that are typically difficult to diagnose. Using the new shaft animation plot tool, users can see the actual motion of the shaft around the average shaft position. During the animation replay, users can view detailed graphs for easier identification of key orbit characteristics and full machine movement. Users can also replay an audio recording of waveforms to hear audible indications of a problem.

Enhanced reporting capabilities enable users to design customised reports by specifying parameters and fields, with robust sorting and filtering capabilities. Reports can be exported, so that information is easy to share with key stakeholders. A new collaboration tool enables users to share information regarding problem assets. Through better collaboration, facilities can easily expand pockets of expertise and extend best practices to all areas of the plant.

Recognising the importance of thermal image analysis in reliability programmes, AMS Machinery Manager has expanded its thermal image support to Flir cameras. Users can now easily integrate images from both Flir and Fluke infrared cameras. The import function includes palette types and annotation classes to support the various cameras.

Supporting maintenance strategies at power plant

Integrated asset management helps ensure efficient work practices and inform business decisions

EDF Energy has selected Emerson Process Management’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to help optimise maintenance practices at its new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station at West Burton in Britain. AMS Suite will help the plant's managers quickly access integrated asset health information from multiple data sources, view real-time analyses and reports, and develop management strategies to improve plant performance.

The West Burton plant places significant focus on compliance with governmental regulations and the safety of plant personnel and assets such as instruments and process equipment. “AMS Suite supports our programmes to meet safety requirements,” said Jason Bryant, Control and Instrumentation Team Leader. “With real-time analytics and reporting, we will have new levels of insight into asset performance to enable regulatory compliance as we drive continuous improvement.”

With AMS Suite: Asset Performance Management, based on Meridium’s APM software, EDF maintenance and reliability managers will receive integrated, real-time information to ensure maintenance resources are focused on the most critical areas for the greatest business return. Integration of asset data with the plant’s SAP system will also show the impact of asset health on the facility’s profitability.

“The combination of the EDF Energy Asset Management Specialists and Emerson service experts working together to develop detailed work processes for streamlined maintenance practices, and the use of real time data and plant diagnostics, will move West Burton CCGT towards world class maintenance practices,” said Darren Ramshaw, Engineering and Maintenance Manager. “In addition, overall key performance indicators will track maintenance efficiency, safety and performance goals.”

“AMS Suite APM will enable EDF Energy to reduce the information complexity faced by management, enabling proactive, strategic, and more holistic asset management,” said Ron Martin, Vice President and General Manager of Emerson’s Asset Optimization business. “EDF is another example of how Emerson’s asset management technologies and services are helping companies drive plant reliability and performance.”

Comprising three 430MW CCGT units, the new 1300MW plant will stand next to EDF Energy's existing 2000MW coal-fired power station. Emerson’s PlantWeb™ digital plant architecture, including the Ovation™ expert control system and intelligent field devices, will monitor and control the heat-recovery steam generators and balance-of-plant processes. The Ovation system will also interface to the turbine control system and perform data acquisition, including sequences of events. Once completed, the CCGT unit will supply enough power for around 1.5 million homes. The power station will be ready for commercial operation later this year.

Asset management suite enhanced

Enhancements extend predictive diagnostic management to motor control centres, drives, and other high value assets through the DeltaV™ digital automation system

AMS™ Suite: Intelligent Device Manager v11, extends Emerson Process Management’s asset management leadership by adding PROFIBUS DP v1 asset support when used with the DeltaV™ digital automation system.

AMS Device Manager v11, a key component of the PlantWeb™ digital plant architecture, will help users streamline maintenance procedures by providing a single application for managing all field devices using HART®, FOUNDATION™ fieldbus, PROFIBUS DP, and IEC 62591 (WirelessHART®) communications. By having a central point to actively manage all asset information, users can take better advantage of predictive diagnostics to ensure equipment reliability and availability.

Adding PROFIBUS DP protocol support provides AMS Device Manager users with an expanded range of assets that are manageable from one application. In addition to instrumentation and valves, users can now communicate with motor starters, motor control centres, drives, and other high value equipment, accessing diagnostics and configurations for more assets than ever before.

Like the previous version, AMS Device Manager v11 delivers significant user experience improvements to operations and maintenance workers in a plant through user-centric interfaces called Device Dashboards. Now including PROFIBUS DP assets, these interfaces deliver clear asset status diagnostics and expert guidance to streamline important and frequently-performed tasks. Maintenance technicians receive more in-depth information to solve device issues.

AMS Device Manager v11 also expands its support to the DeltaV v11 release, including the S-series hardware, CHARMs I/O cards, redundant wireless, and native wireless I/O cards. The DeltaV v11 release features “I/O on demand” to help users eliminate work, reduce project costs and increase operational flexibility.

Users of Emerson's Guardian and Foundation Support will now benefit from the incorporation of AMS Device Manager system details into the Guardian application. Guardian enables users to receive support content that is matched to their individual system. Customised content includes knowledge base articles, Microsoft® updates, system updates, and open support calls. Guardian users extract the most performance from their system with the lowest life-cycle cost and maximum process availability. Guardian is available for the DeltaV digital automation system, Ovation™ expert control system, and standalone AMS Suite users.

"With the addition of PROFIBUS DP support to AMS Suite, Emerson expands the scope of the industry’s most comprehensive asset management package,” said Craig Llewellyn, president of Emerson Process Management’s Asset Optimization business. “The broad capabilities delivered with a focus on ease of use, ensure users experience the full potential of their asset management solution. By expanding the scope of predictive capabilities to help prevent unexpected downtime, we enable users to positively impact the financial performance at their facilities.”

The enhanced versiuon can be used with the Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 operating systems, and continues to support Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. AMS Device Manager v11 includes new versions of popular SNAP-ON™ applications, including AMS Wireless, AMS ValveLink, and QuickCheck.