Paper call on air quality and industrial emissions.

AQE 2017, the international Air Quality and Emissions conference (Telford, UK, 24th & 25th May) has issued a call for Papers on emissions monitoring and ambient air quality monitoring.

Organiser Marcus Pattison says: “Air quality and its effects on both human health and climate change has been a politically hot topic for good reason lately, so AQE 2017 will provide a great opportunity for experts to share knowledge and learn about the latest developments.”

Anyone interested in presenting a Paper or a Poster should submit an abstract of up to 100 words via the website  by 20th January 2017.

The main themes of the conference will include international regulations, monitoring methods, technologies and standards relating to ambient air quality and industrial emissions. The industry sectors covered by the conference will include power, incineration, manufacturing and waste, as well as processes regulated by local authorities. The presentations will cover the monitoring of particulates and the main gas species including acid gases, ammonia, formaldehyde and trace species such as mercury.

The Conference will run alongside an Exhibition featuring almost all of the world’s leading suppliers of stack emissions and ambient monitoring equipment and services, including workplace, fugitive and discontinuous monitoring.

 @AQE_Show #AQE2017 #AirQuality

Abstract submission deadline extended!

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 2014 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium has been extended to 31 January 2014. The original deadline was 15 December 2013.

The 2014 ISA WWAC Symposium, to be conducted 5-7 2014  in sunny Orlando (FL USA), is expected to draw between 200 and 300 attendees and more than 30 speakers.

ISA Water/Wastewater Industries Division, in collaboration with the Florida Section of the AWWA (FSAWWA), the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA), the WEF Automation and Info Tech Committee, and the Instrumentation Testing Association (ITA), the ISA WWAC Symposium helps professionals in the water and wastewater industries understand how instrumentation, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), and automatic control applications are vital to the treatment and distribution of water, and the collection and treatment of wastewater. The symposium also provides an excellent opportunity to gain valuable technical information, networking, professional development, and continuing education credits (CEUs and PDHs).

Prospective authors are invited to submit a 250-word abstract based on a 30-minute presentation, a 6-12-page paper or large-format poster. Papers for acceptance should address topics in automation within the water and wastewater industry, and must not be product- or company-specific in natures. All papers are peer reviewed to conform, or to be modified to conform, to ISA Water and Wastewater Industry Division and ISA format, content and quality guidelines.

Popular subject areas of interest include:

• New technologies and applications
• SCADA Security, ISA99, CSET, and mitigating risks
• Control system redundancy and robust design
• Wireless technologies
• New control system technologies
• Process optimization
• SCADA
• Energy use modeling and optimization with SCADA
• HMI design for operator effectiveness
• Human factors and control room design
• Alarm management and alarm rationalization
• Data reporting and presentation techniques /strategies
• Data management, historians and data retrieval

“The ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium has continued to be successful over the past three years. Our secret is our focus,” says Bob Lindeman, the 2012 president of ISA who gave the opening remarks at the 2013 WWAC Symposium. “The event caters specifically to the needs of professionals involved with automation, instrumentation and SCADA in the municipal water and wastewater sectors. It is a niche event and we are proud of its increasing popularity. There is no other event like it in North America.”
In addition to the technical program, two optional training courses will be offered in conjunction with the symposium:

• Troubleshooting Instrumentation and Control Systems, a two-day training class providing information on typical control system architectures and troubleshooting these systems for technicians.
• Introduction to Industrial Automation Security and the ANSI/ISA99 Standards, an eight-hour introductory training class on automation security and the ANSI/ISA99, Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security standards.

Call for papers at Water/Wastewater conference

The Program Committee of the 2014 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium has issued a Call for Papers, inviting authors, innovators, thought leaders and other professionals in the water and wastewater industry to submit abstracts for presentation consideration at the conference.

The symposium, which will be held 5-7 August 2014 in  Florida (USA) is aimed at helping professionals in the water and wastewater industries understand how instrumentation, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and automatic control applications are vital to the treatment and distribution of water, and the collection and treatment of wastewater.

“Instrumentation, controls and automation professionals in the water and wastewater industry know they need to be prepared for the many changes, emerging trends and challenges, and advances in technology,” says Kevin Patel, the Vice President of Dallas-based Signature Automation and General Symposium Chair for the 2014 and 2015 WWAC Symposium. “WWAC Symposium attendees receive the information they need to stay informed and gain the critical insights and tools required to make their facilities more robust and efficient.”

Particularly in demand, he explains, are applications that can leverage and share the large amounts of data that are being collected within water and wastewater facilities. “Being able to quickly access and convert data to usable, actionable information is essential in today’s fast-moving work environment.”

In addition to these applications, other compelling and popular subject areas for abstracts include:

Presented by the ISA Water/Wastewater Industries Division, in collaboration with the Florida Section of the AWWA (FSAWWA), the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA), the WEF Automation and Info Tech Committee, and the Instrumentation Testing Association (ITA), the 2014 WWAC Symposium is expected to draw approximately 300 attendees and more than 30 speakers.

• SCADA security, ISA99, CSET, and mitigating risks
• Control system redundancy and robust design
• Wireless technologies
• New control system technologies
• Process optimization
• SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
• Energy use modeling and optimization with SCADA
• HMI design for operator effectiveness
• Human factors and control room design
• Alarm management and alarm rationalization
• Data reporting and presentation techniques /strategies
• Data management, historians and data retrieval

Prospective authors are invited to submit a 250-word abstract based on a 30-minute presentation, a 6-12-page paper or large-format poster. Papers for acceptance should address topics in automation within the water and wastewater industry.

All papers are peer reviewed to conform, or to be modified to conform, to ISA Water and Wastewater Industry Division and ISA format, content and quality guidelines. The submission deadline for papers, which must not be product- or company-specific in nature, is 15 December 2013. (See complete guidelines and other important Call for Papers dates and information.)

“I continue to receive feedback that this event is truly one of the best of its kind due to the fact that the attendees and exhibitors are focused on solutions to real-world challenges and what’s actually experienced in on-the-job settings,” Patel reports. “Adding to its value are the training opportunities, and the networking, professional development and continuing education credits (CEUs and PDHs).”

Two optional training courses will be offered in conjunction with the 2014 WWAC Symposium:

• Troubleshooting Instrumentation and Control Systems, a two-day training class providing instruction on typical control system architectures and troubleshooting these systems for technicians.
• Introduction to Industrial Automation Security and the ANSI/ISA99 Standards, an eight-hour introductory training class introducing automation security and ISA99.

The last three WWAC symposiums have attracted increasingly greater numbers of attendees.

“Our secret is our focus,” says Robert Lindeman, the past-President of ISA who provided the opening remarks at the 2013 WWAC symposium. “The symposium caters specifically to professionals involved with automation, instrumentation and SCADA in the municipal water and wastewater sectors. There is no other event like it in North America.”

Power industry paper call!

The Program Committee of the 57^th Annual ISA Power Industry (POWID) Symposium has issued a Call for Papers (pdf), inviting authors, innovators, thought leaders and other professionals in the power-generation industry to submit abstracts for presentation consideration at the conference. 

The symposium, the largest conference dedicated to automation, control systems and instrumentation in the power generation industry, will be held 1-6 June 2014 in Scottsdale, (AZ USA).

“Instrumentation and Control Solutions for Today’s Industry Challenges,” underscores the need to provide answers to the critical dilemmas in power generation, namely:

The theme of this year’s gathering,

• Maintaining reliability of power generation while managing fluctuating load demands (known as cycling)
• Securing critical data and information through advanced cybersecurity
• Meeting increasingly stringent environmental controls regulation

“All of these difficult challenges require instrumentation and control technology as part of the solution,” declares Aaron Hussey, Director of Technical Services at Expert Microsystems, Inc., and General Chair of ISA’s 2014 POWID Symposium. “Utility companies need to address them head on as they organize their current business units and plan for the future.”

“For instance,” he points out, “maintaining and improving reliability in the face of increased cycling is increasing the demand for technical talent that can create and apply innovative solutions for new types of operations, such as low-load and faster ramp rates.

“The need to address cybersecurity is also boosting demand for difficult-to-find technical talent skilled in the overlapping areas of controls and information technology. And meeting increasingly stringent environmental controls regulation significantly shapes how and why utilities make capital investment decisions, retire certain units, and deliver power generation that meets load demand.”

Hussey emphasizes that automation and control professionals play a key role in helping to confront and manage these challenges.

“If these challenges are not addressed, ultimately electricity rates will increase due to the increased costs of meeting load demand. In addition, the only way you can achieve a more environmentally friendly generating portfolio is by adopting more reliable control equipment and continually improving automation technology.”

Attendees of ISA’s 2014 POWID Symposium, he says, will come away with:

• A greater awareness and understanding of recent innovations in instrumentation, controls and automation technologies
• The know-how to apply security to control systems; improve power plant load demand response and low-load operation; and monitor and diagnose plant equipment and system reliability issues through the use of sensors and online monitoring technology.

Call for papers for #ISAutoWK 2012

The Program Committee of ISA Automation Week 2012: Technology and Solutions Event (#ISAutowk) has issued a Call for Papers inviting authors, experts, innovators, thought leaders and automation professionals to submit abstracts for presentation consideration at the conference, to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, USA, 24–27 September 2012.

The Call for Papers for the event solicits abstracts that cover topics for the following tracks, as they relate to automation:

Operational Excellence:
Control Performance
Asset Performance
Human Performance
Safety/Environmental Performance

Technology Excellence:
Security
Wireless

Abstracts may be submitted for various presentation opportunities, including:
Paper Session
Panel Session
Tutorial Session
Poster Session


"Take this opportunity to present your findings, work, success stories or research at one of industry’s most highly regarded technical conferences. In addition to its traditional technical program, the business side of operations—how to optimize and increase the efficiency and profitability of operations—will also be covered,” said Peter Martin of Invensys and ISA Automation Week 2012 program committee chair.

“In a downturn or recovering economy, looking at optimizing operations should be at the top of every executive’s list. Knowing that a loop-tuning process can reduce operational cost, or maximize up-time can be the difference between profit and closing down. From a hands-on perspective, it’s equally important to understand ‘why’ it’s important to calibrate a certain way,” Martin continued.

The ISA Automation Week 2012 technical program is building upon its initial success and will continue to be a knowledge-focused event that will bring top professionals in automation and control together for an intensive technical conference and networking opportunity with key industry suppliers. Sessions will be educational and applications-based, rich in content, and delivered by subject-matter experts in each field. Returning in 2012 is Technician Day, a program that offers content relevant to technicians and that ranges from basic to advanced topics.

An integrated solutions provider showcase floor and increased supplier participation will complement the technical program. Two 400-square-foot Technology Solutions Theaters on the showcase floor will integrate technical content via standards briefings, solutions provider technical presentations, and more.

The ISA Automation Week 2012 Program Committee represents ISA members, industry experts, academia and published authors, across industry.

General Chair
Ken Baker, former ISA president

Program Chair
Peter Martin, Invensys

Vice Program Chair
Alison Smith, Aspen Technologies


Program Committee Members
Jeff Arbogast, Air Liquide
Gerald Cockrell, Indiana State University
Barry Young, ARC Advisory Group
Dean Ford, Glenmount Global Solutions

Final paper call! (Ireland & Britain!)

Successful paper earns trip, flight & accomodation to NI Week in United States! 

Engineers and scientists from industry or academia are invited to submit their case study to the Graphical System Design Case Study Contest, organised by National Instruments UK & Ireland.  This annual technical paper contest, now in its 6th year, showcases the most innovative solutions for measurement and automation, using NI products and technologies. 

Winners of the Graphical System Design Case Study Contest will be announced the night before NIDays conference and exhibition, at a prestigious Awards dinner to be held on 8th November at One Birdcage Walk in Westminster, London (GB), home of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.  The Awards will be hosted by NI UK leadership with presentations given by Dave Wilson, NI Corporate and Academic Marketing Director.

The author of the winning paper will receive a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT 2.0  and one ticket, including flights and accommodation, to NIWeek, "the industry's premier worldwide graphical system design conference and exhibition", taking place in Austin, Texas, in August 2012. 

Runners-up will each be recognised for their achievement with the prize of a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT 2.0  together with some of the latest NI measurement hardware or software.

Dr. David Keeling and Ali Alazmani from the University of Leeds and Leeds General Infirmary won last year’s Graphical System Design Paper Contest with their case study detailing how NI LabVIEW and NI CompactRIO were used in the development of an intelligent, mechanical heart simulator, known as the Ventricular Assist Device.

To enter the Graphical System Design Case Study Contest, download the Author Packet (PDF) from the NI Site and send submissions by email to papercontest.ukie@ni.com The deadline for abstracts is 1st July, with final papers due no later than 22nd July, 2011.

Contest entries are published online (ni.com/uk/casestudies and ni.com/ireland/casestudies) and in the NIDays 2011 Case Study booklet, given to every delegate attending the conference and exhibition.  Winning authors from the Graphical System Design Case Study Contest will also be recognised on the main stage at NIDays.

Registration is now open for NIDays 2011, the annual professional development conference for engineers, scientists and educators, this year held at a new location, The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London, on Wednesday 9th November.  This free one-day, multi-track conference and exhibition offers hands-on training; in-depth technical sessions covering the latest NI technologies in test, control and design; and demonstrations of innovative uses of graphical system design.

#ISAwk Call for papers issued

The Program Committee of ISA Automation Week 2011: Technology and Solutions Event has issued a Call for Papers inviting authors, experts, innovators, thought leaders and automation professionals to submit abstracts for presentation consideration at the conference to be held at the Arthur R. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile (AL US) 17-20 October 2011.

The Call for Papers for the event solicits abstracts that cover topics for the following tracks, as they relate to automation:

Greg McMillan

The ISA Automation Week 2011 Program Committee represents ISA members, industry experts, academia, and published authors, across industry:
General Chair
Ken Baker, former ISA president
Program Chair
Greg McMillan, CDI Process & Industrial
Vice Program Chair
Dean Ford, MAVERICK Technologies
Program Committee Members
Jeff Arbogast, Air Liquide
Gerald Cockrell, Indiana State University
John Kuenzler, ARC Advisory Group
Greg Lehmann, URS Corporation
Dale Merriman, MerTech, Inc.
Russell Rhinehart, Oklahoma State University
Rick Zabel, Automation.com

Advanced Process Control Techniques
Analyzers
Automation and Control System Design
Energy and Environmental
Human Asset Optimization
Installation, Operations, & Maintenance
Networks and Use of Data
Safety and Security
Wireless Technology and Applications

"This is your chance to participate in the most pertinent and comprehensive technical conference for the automation profession. Essentially every aspect of process asset and human asset optimization is included. The scope of topics should help maximize loop and process performance and optimize the use of technology and resources,” said Greg McMillan with CDI Process & Industrial and ISA Automation Week 2011 program committee chair.

The ISA Automation Week 2011 technical program is building upon its initial success and will continue to be a knowledge-focused event that will bring top professionals in automation and control together for an intensive technical conference and networking opportunity with key industry suppliers. Sessions will be educational and applications-based, rich in content, and delivered by subject-matter experts in each field. Among new program features in 2011 is a dedicated Technician Day, that offers content relevant to this profession that ranges from basic to advanced topics.


“The range of topics starts with the development and justification of automation projects and continues to the use of the latest in measurement, valve, control system, and safety system technology. Other proposed topics cover selection of the best control strategy, enhancement of the power of the PID, addition of advanced control, installation and maintenance of the system, integration with the business and maintenance systems, use of data including data analytics, advances from the human design center for operator excellence, automation of loop tuning and metrics, education of automation professionals, operator training, improving operations and lowering total lifecycle costs,” McMillan continued. 

An integrated supplier showcase floor and increased supplier program participation will complement the technical program. Two 400-square-foot solutions swap theaters will be placed on the showcase floor and will integrate technical content via standards briefings, supplier solutions presentations, and more.


“We are encouraging engineers and technicians in plants and industry engineering centers, university professors and students, system integrators, architectural engineering firms, exhibitors, and suppliers to present how to improve project, system, operations, plant, and professional performance and advance our profession to the status it deserves," concluded McMillan.

The deadline for abstract submittals for consideration to present is 28 March 2011. More information about the Call for Papers, including a list of proposed topics, can be found on the Automation Week website.

Automation Week 2010 was held in Houston Texas. What did we and others think? See : Much done more to do! and Debacle or basis for development!