Flow & environmental sensor manufacturer expands facility.

The expansion of Sensiron's production facility in Debrecen, (H) has been completed. The additional building comprises roughly 7,000 m2 of new production and logistics capacity. This will significantly increase production capacity for sensor modules to support Sensirion’s ambitious growth objectives. Sensirion is also strengthening its position as an attractive employer with secure jobs and good working conditions at its Debrecen site.

“We are proud of the Debrecen site and see great growth potential. This is largely down to our dedicated and highly competent team,” says Franziska Brem, VP Operations at Sensirion. “We are committed to long-term, sustainable growth and want to further establish ourselves as an employer with secure jobs and good working conditions in Debrecen.”

Sensirion opened its Debrecen site five years ago. Millions of sensors and modules are now manufactured in Hungary and delivered to customers worldwide. Sensor modules are primarily produced for applications in the medical technology and automotive markets, which have exacting quality requirements. For the past year, leakage modules for the detection of A2L refrigerants for the American market have also been manufactured there. This has established the Debrecen site as a strategically important module production location for Sensirion.

The extension building is attached to the existing building. Additional ISO7-class cleanrooms were added to the production facility, making it possible to carry out production steps in an environment with the highest purity standards. Great importance was also attached to sustainability – much like at the production site in Stäfa, Switzerland. The new building was integrated into the existing energy system and is based on a reversible geothermal heat pump. This is connected to a storage system together with a heat recovery system. A photovoltaic system complements the completely fossil-free system. With the installed solar power, Sensirion can generate around 25% of its electricity requirements in Debrecen itself. The extension was built and financed by a local build-to-suit partner. Sensirion has signed a long-term rental agreement.

The expansion of the production facility in Debrecen is an important strategic step for Sensirion and is in line with the company’s sustainable growth strategy and its desire to create more jobs in Debrecen. In Hungary, the high-tech company employs a continuously growing team of qualified and committed staff from a variety of different technical disciplines, including process engineering, materials sciences, chemistry, electrical engineering, automation and mechanical engineering. The expansion will have no impact on jobs in Switzerland. Sensirion is also planning to expand its production capacity in Switzerland in the medium term.

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 @sensirion #PAuto #Environment #Hungary

Energy efficiency across European biorefinery.

ClonBio Group,  the Irish agribusiness company, has announced a multi-year commercial agreement for the Seeq Industrial Analytics and AI platform to be leveraged across ClonBio’s biorefinery assets in Europe and its principal asset in the US to further accelerate digital transformation outcomes.

Through the agreement, ClonBio will implement the Seeq Industrial Analytics & AI Suite to empower its engineering teams to optimize production and improve energy performance across a variety of assets. Initially, the company plans to leverage Seeq to gain a deeper understanding of daily operations at its Pannonia Bio multi-product facility in Hungary, home to Europe’s largest grain biorefinery and largest ethanol production facility. This will enable the company to quickly investigate and discover insights to improve energy efficiency and, ultimately, bottom-line results.

“By leveraging the Seeq platform to provide a holistic view of our time series data sets across assets, the ClonBio team is empowered to collaborate and make the data-backed decisions necessary to drive true digital transformation results, including sustainability progress,” said Ricardo Davi, Division Head of Engineering at ClonBio Group Ltd.

“Continuous improvement plays an essential role in enabling industrial organizations to achieve their business objectives and sustainability initiatives,” said Dr. Lisa Graham, CEO at Seeq. “Seeq is honored to provide our industrial analytics and AI SaaS platform to ClonBio and enable it to leverage its operational data and collective knowledge to drive these efforts.”

Seeq delivers a self-service industrial analytics and AI platform that accesses and leverages vast amounts of historically underused data. By incorporating leading-edge technologies, including AI, machine learning and other capabilities into its platform and leveraging its global partner network, Seeq powers a range of use cases for employees across the enterprise to accelerate digital transformation outcomes such as operational excellence and profitability, workforce upskilling, and sustainability.

IT Vizion, a Seeq-certified partner with deep expertise in the energy industry, is supporting ClonBio’s Seeq implementation, including the prioritization, development, and rollout of use cases to accelerate the company’s time to value with the Seeq platform.

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@SeeqCorporation @itvizion #PAuto #Ireland

Open innovation space laboratory.

Collaboration aims to revolutionize space system development and testing through advanced technology and strategies.

Emerson’s Test & Measurement Business Group, formerly NI*, and the the European Space Agency (ESA), have announced collaboration to create the new Open Innovation Laboratory located in Debrecen, Hungary. This facility will help redefine space system development and deployment by introducing advanced test strategies aimed at reducing costs and mitigating risks. This cooperation is also in line with the industrial policy objectives of the Hungarian government.

Lab Demonstration LtoR: Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, Head of NAVISP Technical Programme Office, Prof. Dr. Manuel Lopez Martinez, Senior Technology Officer, EUSPA, Raffaele Fiengo, BDM, NI ( Emerson), Lorenzo Danelli, Radio Navigation Engineer, Thales Alenia Space and Samah Chazbeck, Application Engineer, NI (Emerson)

Located within Emerson’s Test & Measurement offices in Debrecen (H), the Open Innovation Laboratory is accessible to projects that meet specific criteria established by the ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP). The lab is outfitted with the latest modular instrumentation and application software, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of technological advancements in the space market.

“The new lab embodies the shared vision of Emerson’s Test & Measurement business and the European Space Agency to accelerate innovation within the space industry,” said Ritu Favre, group president, Emerson’s Test & Measurement business group. “By focusing on the development of comprehensive test strategies from the early stages of development, engineers can avoid late-stage problem discovery, which can lead to significant cost overruns and delays.”

“We are pleased that the ESA’s NAVISP has supported the establishment of the new Open Innovation Laboratory in Debrecen. This builds on a productive relationship established over several years between our organizations, and I am confident it will pave the way to new market opportunities for innovative Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions and services,” said Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, head of ESA’s NAVISP Technical Programme Office. “The infrastructure for PNT is rapidly evolving, and the laboratory will provide industry with the tools to test and prototype new technologies addressing the emerging market areas such as Controlled Radiation Pattern Antennas (CRPA) to provide resilient positioning to the users.”

Key to the laboratory’s capabilities is the use of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) test systems, an enabling technology that replicates the operational environment for subsystems under test. The lab is also equipped with modular instrumentation and application software for the company’s Wideband Multichannel Phase Aligned Transceiver (MPA) System, S-Parameters, pulse-to-pulse stability, power added efficiency measurement and capability to emulate a Wideband Satellite Link.

By leveraging Emerson’s modular and scalable approaches, the facility aims to transform the design of complex satellite system-of-systems. This includes a focus on RF/micro-wave payloads based on wideband and active multi-beam antenna, on-board digital processor and regenerative software defined radio.

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*See : Diversifying technology Into test and measurement automation. (12/4/2023)

@Emerson_News @NIglobal @EMR_Automation @esa  #TandM #Space

New smart switchgear factory planned.

Schneider Electric has broken ground on its new smart factory in Dunavesce, Hungary. With a planned investment of €40 million, the new site will span 25,000 m2 and have a headcount of 500 employees.

Laying down the foundation stone

The 36th smart factory in Europe, this will be the 22nd engeneering-to-order factory in the region, producing primary and secondary switchgears, low voltage cabinets and components, and state-of-the-art SF6-free AirSeT medium voltage switchgear range, all made-to-order to individual customers’ specifications.

From the first day of production, expected in 2024, the factory will be net zero. Geothermal energy and rooftop solar will power the site, and Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure energy management solutions will maximize its energy efficiency.

In addition, the site will feature:

• 30 electric car and 25 electric bicycle Schneider Electric charging stations
• Rainwater will be collected for bathrooms and irrigation
• Schneider Electric sensors in the offices, meeting rooms, changing rooms, and bathrooms will control the lights and air conditioning to reduce energy waste
• Airlocks to prevent heat loss at truck-docking stations and at the entrance

“Europe is an important region for Schneider Electric,” said Frederic Godemel, Executive Vice President, Power Systems & Services, Schneider Electric. “This new smart factory is one example of how we are bolstering our capacity to meet the increase in demand as Europe accelerates through the energy transition and strengthens its energy independence.”

“The new Dunavecse plant will be a flagship factory in Europe for medium voltage technologies,” said Yann Reynaud, Senior Vice President Global Engineering to Order, Schneider Electric. “We’re excited to be building more capacity for our customers, so we can bring them even more innovation, sustainability, and digital solutions.”

@SchneiderElec @teamlewisglobal #Pauto #Hungary

Sensor manufacturer opens plant in Hungary.

Due to positive business development and the increased demand for sensor solutions, Sensirion Holding decided to establish a new production site in Debrecen, (H). Location factors such as proximity to European customers, the level of training of potential employees and support from local partners justify this choice as an ideal location.

The Debrecen subsidiary, which was built using sustainable methods, was completed at the end of July this year. This new production site is a strategic expansion, meaning existing jobs in Switzerland or at other sites will not be affected. Sensor production has started successfully and the first mass flow meters have already been shipped to customers.

"I'm delighted with the extremely successful start in Hungary. We've laid an important foundation for expanding our module production capacities and responding to the growing demand for sensors in various markets," says Johannes Bleuel, VP Operations at Sensirion.

Construction work began on June 30 last year and proceeded without complications. The first sensors came off the line in the new production hall at the end of August, and the first mass flow meters for ventilators have already been shipped to customers.

"We're very pleased to have welcomed many new employees in Debrecen. However, we still have vacancies advertised and are happy to accept further applications," says Laszlo Abraham, General Manager at Sensirion Hungary Kft.

Sustainability plays an important role at Sensirion. The production site was designed to be completely fossil-free (geothermal energy/heat recovery coupled with a storage system), following the example of the production site in Stäfa, and has been built accordingly.

"The idea of sustainable development is also reflected in the use of state-of-the-art LED lighting and the recycling of packaging and paper. In addition, a company-owned park with native fruit and ornamental trees, as well as an orchard meadow and an apiary, complements the new production site," says Patrick Good, Head of Infrastructure at Sensirion.

At the beginning of September, it was also decided that in the future a new development team would be established for Sensirion Automotive Solutions in Debrecen. The broad expertise of this seven-person team will allow it to independently handle fully comprehensive modular projects that meet the standards required by most European automotive customers.

@sensirion #Pauto #Hungary

Pneumobiles virtually judged.

Annual international engineering challenge will have a modified format with virtual judging of design of vehicles powered by compressed air — “pneumobiles” — created by engineering students.

The designs of compressed-air-powered vehicles — known as “pneumobiles” — created by engineering students will be judged in Emerson’s 13th annual International AVENTICS Pneumobile Competition in Eger, (H). The vehicle designs, which are based on Emerson’s AVENTICS pneumatics components donated to the teams, will be evaluated by a panel of eight Emerson judges following a modified format.

Due to the ongoing crisis and the concern for all involved, the competition will follow a modified format to allow for students to still compete and be judged while maintaining safety for all while still highlighting the talents and innovation of engineering students. As a result, the live portion of the annual competition, where completed vehicles are tested for endurance, maneuverability and speed over a three-day period, will not be held. Instead, Emerson experts will evaluate the technical documentation and CAD drawings the student teams have already submitted and announce winners in a limited number of categories during an online awards ceremony on May 8. In this way, rather than cancel the competition, the hard work that the students have already put into their projects can still be recognized.

The current competition began in October 2019 and participants had until the end of last year to submit their design and project documentation.

“There is no higher priority to Emerson than the safety of our customers, business partners, employees and those who we interact with during events such as this competition,” said Istvan Gödri, managing director of Emerson’s AVENTICS Hungary Kft. “With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic concerns of the health of our communities and to our businesses, we are committed to ensuring everyone’s safety while still highlighting the great skills of these dedicated students.”

A total of 48 teams entered this year’s competition — seven more than last year. The teams come from 26 different learning institutions and nine countries, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey. Almost every Hungarian university will be represented, with 24 teams coming from Budapest University of Technology and Economics; University of Debrecen, Faculty of Engineering; University of Miskolc; John von Neumann University; University of Nyíregyháza; Óbuda University; University of Pannonia; University of Pannonia, Zalaegerszeg; University of Pécs and University of Szeged, Faculty of Engineering.

“We share the students’ disappointment at not being able to build their pneumobiles, and although we won’t have completed vehicles to test and judge, this competition is still quite valuable,” said Gödri. “The task of designing a vehicle for the pneumobile competition is a great way for the next generation of engineers entering the workforce to demonstrate how to apply the skills they’ve learned to real-world challenges.”

More than 1,600 engineers have participated in the event during the 12 years it has been in operation. This competition has contributed to giving students real-world experience in pneumatics engineering concepts, teamwork and project management. It further demonstrates Emerson’s long-standing commitment to STEM programs that support the future workforce, including supporting over 350 academic institutions globally.

“We see the impact that these kinds of STEM programs have in developing the abilities of new engineers,” Gödri said. “In fact, three of the eight Emerson judges, including the head of the jury, participated in the competition themselves when they were college students.”

After evaluations, the competition will recognize the best technical documentation, the most innovative vehicle and the most beautiful bodywork presented by the teams.

The student teams will be allowed to keep the Emerson components they were given and are encouraged to continue working on and refining their designs in anticipation of the next competition.

#Education #STEM #Hungary @AVENTICS @EMR_Automation 

Automated high-bay warehouse!

Siemens has constructed a high-bay warehouse using energy efficient drive technology and a powerful automation system for AUDI AG at its plant in Győr (H).

AUDI AG is one of the fastest growing car manufacturers in the world. The establishment of AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. in Győr in 1993 was the starting signal for the construction of this state-of-the-art factory. Since then, the company has advanced to become one of the largest exporters in Hungary and one of the largest companies overall in terms of turnover. In 2012 Audi Hungaria produced a total of 1,648,030 engines and 38,541 cars.

The high-bay storage, which is installed in a 30 meter high warehouse and provides space for over 400 car bodies, is part of the new production line for the Audi A3 Sedan, Audi A3 Cabriolet, as well as the Audi TT Coupé and Roadster. Siemens developed and constructed the high-bay system, called the Central Body Buffer (ZKP), as a turnkey solution complete with the building itself. The project also comprises a fully automated conveyor system of about two kilometers in length that links the central body buffer with body shop, paint shop and assembly. This solution is tailored to the Audi production processes in Győr and helps the car manufacturer to optimize capacity at the individual production stations. The project was implemented by the Siemens Logistics Hub based in Vienna (A).

Siemens developed the controller of the storage and retrieval machines and the conveyor system for the body buffer on the basis of its Simatic S7 controllers. The bodies are conveyed by means of 350 Siemens electric motors together with frequency converters. The integrated drive system is equipped with energy-saving motors and is capable of recovering and storing kinetic energy. This means that it captures braking energy, stores it and makes it available to other drives. The result: fewer undesirable network perturbations and lower power consumption. In addition, Siemens has set up an RFID system that uniquely identifies each body stored in the body buffer and on its way through production.

The solution which they created is centrally located in the production at the Audi plant in Győr and acts as a hub between the individual production stations. By the time they reach the final assembly, all bodies have passed through the high-bay warehouse twice – once as unpainted and once as painted bodies. With the aid of the central body buffer, Audi can optimize its production, despite the wide variety of models and versions, by returning the bodies each time to the appropriate sequence for the individual stages of production. This sequencing of bodies results in greater flexibility and higher productivity at the Audi plant.

Hungarian valve plant expanded

Emerson Process Management has expanded its valve automation manufacturing capability with the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility in Székesfehérvár (H). The plant, opened officially in September 2012,  will help address Emerson’s customers’ key requirements of fast delivery and a high level of service and support. Emerson expects that the increased production capacity will help reduce delivery times for customers in Europe by as much as 25%.

The official opening of the new state-of-the-art Székesfehérvár facility in September 2012.

The new 6,000 m2 site is dedicated to the manufacture of Emerson’s valve automation products for distribution in Europe. The plant will specifically produce Emerson’s Bettis™ range of medium and large size scotch yoke actuators, including both double acting and spring return models. The new facility was officially opened in September 2012 and has a flexible production capacity to meet demand.

"Demand for our actuator products has grown significantly," said Eric Saussaye, vice president, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation, Europe. "The new facility and the increased capacity offered will ensure we meet our customers’ needs and help them get their operations running more quickly."

The new ISO 9001:2008 and PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) certified facility will provide a world-class manufacturing capability and strengthen Emerson’s local presence, improving responsiveness and market competitiveness by streamlining material sourcing, optimising inventory management, and reducing lead time. This new production facility will provide greater support to major energy and industrial projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Emerson has operated in Székesfehérvár since 1996 and currently has 550 employees servicing the requirements of the thriving oil, chemical and energy industries in the region. Emerson will add 50 additional employees and with on-going developments at the facility, this number is expected to double over the next 12 months.

Fieldbus training in Eastern Europe!

The Fieldbus Foundation, conducting a press conference at the University of Miskolc, (H), has announced that the university has been successful in the rigorous certification process required to become a training site that offers fieldbus training courses certified under the FOUNDATION Certified Training Program (FCTP). This program establishes uniform standards for fieldbus educational curriculum around the globe, and defines acceptable levels of learning for students of the technology.

Fieldbus Foundation's  Director, Larry O'Brien

The University of Miskolc is now the preferred site for certified FOUNDATION fieldbus training in the Central & Eastern Europe region.

There are rigorous procedures that educational institutions must follow in order to gain certified training site status, and for certifying course instructors and curriculum. Certified training centers are required to maintain multiple hosts and devices onsite in order to demonstrate competence with fieldbus technology. They are also audited to ensure their course material adheres to set instructional standards covering fieldbus segment limits; device replacements; commands, icons, menus and screen designs of different software packages; and communication, scheduling and function block assignments enabling configuration.

In addition, certified instructors are audited to see if they have achieved specified Fieldbus Foundation training goals. Instructors must demonstrate expertise in areas such as Human-Machine Interface (HMI) tools, fieldbus troubleshooting, simple device configuration, and device deployment and functionality across a fieldbus network.

FCTP is intended to raise the visibility and prestige of institutions offering certified FOUNDATION fieldbus training and ensure that the instructors delivering the courses are skilled, knowledgeable and technically competent. Through certification, the program demonstrates to prospective end user students that fieldbus training centers, and their instructors, have been thoroughly evaluated based on strict criteria, and have the necessary qualifications to provide the very best training available. Only certified institutions are permitted to use the official FCTP logo.

The Fieldbus Foundation's Global Marketing Director, Larry O'Brien, welcomed the addition of another certified establishment. He commented, "Effective and standardized training of plant personnel is the key to successful design and overall project implementation of an advanced technology such as FOUNDATION fieldbus."

He continued, "This certification program ensures a very comprehensive, vendor-neutral approach to training. The user then has the knowledge required to make an informed decision in system design; host, device and component selection; and implementing that design to ensure certainty of outcome of the project. Process end users want to maximize the benefits of their fieldbus instrumentation and control system investments–and experience has shown that training of operators, engineers and technicians is essential to getting the most out of the technology."

The FOUNDATION Certified Training Program currently offers three levels of certification, and others may be added in the future. The current certifications include FOUNDATION Certified Professional, FOUNDATION Certified Support Specialist, and FOUNDATION Certified Technical Specialist.

For many years, the University of Miskolc, Research Institute of Applied Earth Sciences – Department of Research Instrumentation and Informatics, has been actively involved with several research projects to use, develop, and teach industrial communication systems. Throughout this time, it became apparent that both users and manufacturers within the process automation industry had a fundamental lack of theoretical knowledge and practical experience of new industrial communication systems and their functionality. This inadequate knowledge was seen to have a significant and negative impact on the returns and scheduling of investment projects. In response to this, the Research Institute, with the support from several sponsoring manufacturers, established a dedicated Industrial Communication Research and Training Laboratory in 2000.

Three instructors at the University of Miskolc have been certified to conduct FOUNDATION training courses. József Subert, Viktor Füvesi and Ildikó Bölkény are all members of the Research Institute of Applied Earth Sciences – Department of Research Instrumentation and Informatics and, in addition to their teaching and research roles, are key members of the program and organizing committees of the annual Distributed Control Systems (DCS) meeting, a key event in Hungary for control engineers.

The University of Miskolc will be offering the FOUNDATION Certified Support Specialist course. Registrations can be made via the Education/End User Certified Training Section of the Fieldbus Foundation website and Certified Training Center – Miskolc website.

Dr. Károly Jónap, Head of Department of Research Instrumentation and Informatics, commented, "Certification is important for the University of Miskolc because we are formally recognized by the foundation as a high quality training center. This will give our customers a guarantee that the content of our courses, the course materials and the knowledge of our trainers are up to date. We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial partnership with the Fieldbus Foundation."

Jürgen George, Chairman of the Fieldbus Foundation Central & Eastern Europe Marketing Committee (FFCEEMC), is delighted that the University of Miskolc has gained its accreditation. "One of the key objectives of the FFCEEMC is to provide technical training, support and information about FOUNDATION technology and its applications to users and potential users throughout the CEE region at a local venue and, where possible, in a local language. To have a certified training center here in Hungary that can support the CEE region's technical training needs is a great achievement for all those involved."

Around the world, institutions currently certified under the FCTP program include: Fieldbus Center at Lee College, United States; Trine University, United States; SAIT Polytechnic, Canada; STC Group – Brielle, The Netherlands, University of Miskolc, Hungary; Waseda University, Japan; and King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Thailand. Other training centers participating in the program include: Sinopec Yanshan, China.

Tank Blanketing!

Seminars help users reduce operating costs, enhance safety and comply with clean-air regulations

Tank University seminars provide a unique opportunity for participants to learn and share their tank blanketing knowledge and experiences with other users

Programme venues and dates

Gdansk, Poland – 16 October

Leuna, Germany – 17 October

Milano area, Italy – 18 October

Ploiesti, Romania – 22 October

Cartagena, Spain – 24 October

Lyon, France – 25 October

Budapest, Hungary – 29 October

Istanbul area, Turkey – 31 October

Emerson Process Management will hold a series of Tank University seminars from October 16th to October 31st at eight strategic locations across Europe. Tailored to the needs and interests of operators and installers of tank blanketing systems, the Tank Blanketing seminars will help users understand how to reduce operating costs, enhance safety and comply with clean-air regulations.

The seminars will be in English and will show how users can take advantage of Emerson’s technologies to solve tank blanketing problems. Topics include instability and accuracy, nitrogen cost, environmental compliance and product quality. The interactive content includes presentations, sizing exercises, workshops and a hands-on demonstration unit.

Open forum discussions will provide a unique opportunity for participants to speak with Emerson’s tank blanketing specialists about the challenges they are facing. Emerson’s panel of experts will use their extensive product knowledge and industry experience to suggest cost-effective solutions.

The full day’s programme runs from 8.30am to 5.00pm and includes a buffet lunch.

Machinery monitoring in nuclear plant

Protection and predictive monitoring to improve availability and ensure safety

Paksi Atomerőmű (PAKS) Nuclear Power Plant has selected Emerson’s CSI 6500 Machinery Health™ Monitor for real-time machinery protection and predictive monitoring of eight turbine-generator machine trains. The PAKS Nuclear Power Plant is the only operating nuclear power station in Hungary, producing approximately 40 per cent of the electrical power generated in the country.

“Emerson’s industry expertise and powerful online machinery monitoring technology made them the ideal choice for this renovation project,” said Ferenc Kiszli, Head of the I&C Department. “With the CSI 6500, we will have improved insight into the condition of each turbine-generator and can effectively plan our maintenance activities while knowing our equipment is protected in the event of a failure.”

The CSI 6500 fully complies with the requirements for API 670 (American Petroleum Institute) protection, the globally-accepted definition of industry best practices for turbomachinery protection. Each of the 32 CSI 6500 monitors supplied will be integrated with the existing distributed control system at the PAKS plant. This allows the operations and maintenance teams to see real-time protection and prediction monitoring indicators so the effect of process adjustments on machinery health can be evaluated.

Emerson’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software will give the plant’s maintenance and operations staff a graphical user interface to machinery protection parameters and health information. This easy access to information will enable them to predict equipment issues to better maintain and protect the machinery.

“The PAKS project is yet another example of our machinery health solutions being widely adopted as part of modernisation programmes,” said Ron Martin, vice president of Emerson's Asset Optimization business. “Many customers are standardising on Emerson as their machinery health partner because of our ability to deliver the required API 670 protection as well as critical predictive diagnostics to ensure plant availability.”

European expansion!

AFCON Software and Electronics is expanding its operations in Europe. AFCON's subsidiary in the Czech Republic has established the Software Division to distribute their software products, especially Pulse SCADA/HMI, and to provide system integration services to its customers.

This is the first step taken by Afcon in order to place itself closer to its potential customers. The Czech company is responsible for distributing these software products to CEE countries (mainly Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia).

Mr. Rene Pelanek MSc., MBA is the appointed CEE Sales Director. Mr. Pelanek, previously the CEE Sales Director of MEDIUMSOFT, Inc., a leading European software developer of Large Emergency Dispatch Centers such as 112 or 911 ICT solutions.

Apart from the distribution of SCADA/HMI solutions, the software division also provides technical support and training expertise for AFCON's product suite, including Pulse SCADA/HMI and Dart cellular software to new and existing customers. In addition, the division offers software and application services.

Award for Hungarian plant

HART Communication Foundation Executive Director Ron Helson (2nd from left) presents the 2010 HART Plant of the Year Award to MOL Danube Refinery, Százhalombatta, Hungary, (l-r) László Galambos, Refining Director; Gábor Bereznai, Head of Instrumentation and Electrical Department; Gergely Nádasy, Head of Maintenance Management; and József Bartók, Automation Engineer.

The HART® Communication Foundation  has selected the MOL Plc Danube Refinery located in Százhalombatta, Hungary, as recipient of the 2010 HART Plant of the Year Award. The award showcases end users who have demonstrated creativity in the application of HART Communication.

Beginning in 2002, MOL engineers made the strategic decision to install HART-enabled devices throughout their operation and to utilize all the benefits of HART Communication, both wired and wireless, in the broadest possible scope. This decision was part of a plant-wide refining maintenance strategy with an objective to increase operational reliability.

“We made the decision going forward to purchase intelligent field instruments that support the HART Protocol and then to develop and use the in-depth and sophisticated communication options embedded in those HART instruments,” says Gábor Bereznai, MOL Instrumentation and Electrical Department head. “Our directive became ‘let’s get connected—off-line and on-line—and put these HART instruments to work’.”

Connecting HART-enabled devices into an on-line diagnostics system has changed the way the MOL maintenance department runs its operation. On-line device diagnostics — instrument signals going directly to the plant maintenance and control systems—makes it possible to prevent unplanned shutdowns and plant slow-downs by allowing engineers to detect and resolve automation asset problems before they become critical.

According to MOL maintenance engineers, since the introduction of HART diagnostics at the petrol refinery, the number of valves selected for repair during a planned shutdown has dropped from 60% to about 5%. The system works so well and has proved to be so beneficial, that the company has set up a separate unit of three people to operate the applications and systems. Using HART diagnostics has resulted in MOL saving an estimated $2 million USD in reduced maintenance costs and avoided unscheduled shutdowns.

“On-line diagnostics provided by the HART instruments does something more than preventive maintenance,” says József Bartók, automation engineer at MOL Danube Refinery. “It ensures the stable operation of the system and increases the precision of control. This is an aspect of the technology that comes directly to the bottom line, increasing the profit generating capability of the unit.”

More than 30,000 of the plant’s 50,000 instruments are HART-enabled with 3,700 of these HART devices—mostly control valves and instruments used in critical control loops—connected directly into computerized maintenance management systems.

ARC Advisory Group Research Director Wil Chin says, “ARC congratulates the MOL Danube refinery for taking HART Communication to the performance levels inherent in the technology. With only a minority of installed HART field devices connected to automation or asset management systems, organizations should apply lessons learned and deploy initiatives to unlock valuable information embedded in their smart devices.”