Approved flowmeters

Krohne can now offer an MCERTS approved flowmetering solution for even the toughest applications on wastewater. MCERTS was set up by the British Environment Agency and sets minimum requirements for the quality, installation and control of self-monitoring of effluent flow. It puts the responsibility on the process operator to measure, collect and collate monitoring data.

Following a stringent testing programme, Krohne’s WATERFLUX 3100, 3300 and 3070 electromagnetic water meters and the OPTIFLUX 2100 and 2300 electromagnetic flowmeters have been approved for use on MCERTS continuous water monitoring flow applications.

The WATERFLUX is ideal for wastewater applications. It eliminates the need for strainers, filters and rectifiers through its unique flow sensor design that has a rectangular cross section, allowing for extremely short inlet and outlet pipe runs. It also has an extremely rugged metal flow tube with a Rilsan® coating that ensures highly precise measurement even at very low flow rates.

The WATERFLUX 3070 is ideal for remote locations in the water industry where no power connection is available thanks to its battery powered electromagnetic signal converter. It provides a battery life of up to 15 years and remote data transmission via a GSM module.

The OPTIFLUX 2000 electromagnetic flowmeter has been designed to meet the demands of all wastewater applications. When combined with either the IFC100 or IFC300 electromagnetic signal converters it provides an MCERTS approved measurement solution with long term reliability and durability, making it an ideal meter for wastewater measurement tasks. The OPTIFLUX 2000 can be installed without filters and straighteners. Even grounding rings are not required with the patented Virtual Reference option when used with the IFC 300 converter.

Humidity/Temperature transmitter

The new EE300Ex humidity / temperature transmitter from E+E Elektronik has been specially developed for challenging industrial applications. The device conforms to the ATEX Directives for intrinsically safe equipment, and can be used in both gas and dust explosion hazard areas.

Thanks to its easy-to-clean, elegant stainless steel housing, the humidity¬ transmitter is ideal for use in the pharmaceutical and chemicals industry. The EE300Ex can be mounted directly in the explosion hazard area of zones 0 / 20. The tried and trusted E+E humidity probe provides long-term stability as well as precise and reliable measurements in the 0…100% rel. hum. and -40…180°C and from 0.01…300bar under pressure.

The 2-part housing concept (separation of the connection area and measurement unit) simplifies more than the installation of the humidity transmitter. It also permits the rapid replacement of the measurement unit - such as for calibration - without time-consuming re-cabling.

The EE300Ex offers a high level of flexibility thanks to various versions. As a compact version for wall mounting or with an up to 10m remote measurement sensing probe, the humidity transmitter is ideal for a wide range of applications. The current values can be read off the device directly using the optional display.

Just as with humidity measurement in air, the EE300Ex can also be used for moisture measurement in oils. The humidity content of an oil can be issued as absolute in [ppm] or relative as water content [aw]. Typical applications are found in systems for cleaning/drying oil or on oil platforms for online monitoring of lubrication and gear oils.

The EE300Ex is designed using 2-conductor technology. The measured values are issued on 2 analogue outputs with 4…20mA. The power can be supplied via any intrinsically safe power supply device. In addition to the measured values for humidity and temperature, the dewpoint, frost point, absolute humidity, mixing ratio and other computational functions can also be issued.

The configuration adapter can be used to carry out custom modifications of the transmitter and to adjust the humidity and temperature outputs quickly and easily.

In addition to the applications given above, the EE300Ex is ideal for use in power stations, grain mills or explosion hazard storage rooms.

• This product id marketed in Ireland by Instrument Technology.

Pulse power supply!

A fully integrated, compact pulse power supply that eliminates the need for connecting several smaller switching power supplies to yield up to 200 kW is available from Diversified Technologies.

Their HVPS Series Switching Mode Power Supply is a fully integrated solid-state unit that provides precise 1 to 100 kV adjustable output at power levels up to 200 kW. Featuring < 0.1% ripple and regulation with << 10 joules stored energy, depending upon configuration, this compact unit eliminates the need for connecting multiple smaller units.

Packaged in a standard rack mount cabinet that uses tap water for cooling, Diversified Technologies’ HVPS Series Switching Mode Power Supply is 92-95% efficient, depending upon configuration and offers full over-voltage and over-current protection up to +30% or preset to ±0.1% max. ripple. Applications include e-beam and plasma processes, and others requiring a large transmitter.

Valve range expanded

Brennan Industries has expanded its product lines by introducing new instrumentation valves.

Their new compression-end instrumentation valves are available with single or double ferrule-style tube fittings and are tested for quality prior to leaving the factory.

Brennan’s new valve offerings include:

• NVB Series Ball Valves range in size from 1/8- to 3/4-inch and are available in either 316 stainless steel or brass construction. These valves can have two- or three-way configurations and are rated to 3,000 psi.
• NVN-2200 and NVN-2300 Series Screwed Bonnet Needle Valves range in size from 1/8- to 1-inch and are available with either metal-to-metal or soft-seat stem types. The 316 stainless steel valves are rated to 6,000 psi and the brass valves are rated to 3,000 psi.
• NVN-2000 and NVN-2100 Series Integral Bonnet Needle Valves range in size from 1/8- to 1-inch with metal-to-metal stem types with “V” stem tip form. The 316 stainless steel valves are rated to 6,000 psi and the brass valves are rated to 3,000 psi.
• NVC Series Check Valves range in size from 1/8- to 1-inch with O-ring seat seals. The 316 stainless steel valves are rated to 6,000 psi and the brass valves are rated to 3,000 psi.

“Brennan instrumentation valves are constructed and tested to provide the quality products that our customers expect,” said Bill Jarrell, vice president of marketing and operations, Brennan Industries. “The variety of size and material options make it easier to select the right valve for the job.”

Keynoter announced for fieldbus conference

The Fieldbus Foundation has announced that Lin Rong, vice chief engineer for Sinopec Engineering Incorporation (SEI) will deliver the keynote address at its 2013 General Assembly, to be held in Shanghai, China, on March 12-15, 2013. This annual event is open to Fieldbus Foundation members and non-members, and will be attended by leading FOUNDATION™ fieldbus suppliers, end users and industry participants from around the world.

Lin Rong, vice chief engineer SEI

Mr. Lin has more than 26 years of professional engineering experience on large-scale petrochemical projects. He recently served as an instrumentation & control (I&C) team leader for the feasibility study, PMC and EPC phases of the FUJIAN Refining & Ethylene Project, which is a joint venture of Aramco, ExxonMobil and Sinopec. He has also led and assisted on 12 technical research and development (R&D) projects for SINOPEC and SEI.

Mr. Lin was named councilior of the China Instrument and Control Society in 2011. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Process Automation degree from Zhejiang University.

Rich Timoney, Fieldbus Foundation president and CEO, welcomed Mr. Lin as the General Assembly keynote speaker. "It is an honour to have a respected engineering executive from China’s leading refining and petrochemical firm address our 2013 General Assembly," said Timoney. "Sinopec is recognized as a key adopter of FOUNDATION technology, and it has implemented many of the largest fieldbus projects in China."

The highlight of the General Assembly is the conference to be held March 14. The conference program is focused on automation end users and will provide an overview of the many FOUNDATION fieldbus developments across the globe. It will include updates by leading fieldbus experts on the latest initiatives in FOUNDATION technology, as well as presentations by major end users who have installed fieldbus in their industrial operations.

Representatives of Fieldbus Foundation member companies are invited to attend the General Assembly business meeting on March 15.

Supplier selection guide launched!

The ARC Advisory Group has just released its new Global Service Provider (GSP) supplier selection guide. The guide includes both selection criteria and guided workflow steps for choosing a services company. The scope of the criteria cover the needs of corporate IT and manufacturing IT including communications with control systems. The guide has attributes tailored for industrial organizations, and allows those involved in a GSP selection process to make quicker and improved decisions.

Ralph Rio, Research Director, stated, “The pace of technology evolution continues to accelerate. Now, cloud, mobile, social, analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and 3D are impacting industrial concerns for improved business processes and enhanced business models.
“Technology adoption is not an option. Each of these major technology groupings involve multiple specific technical skills. GSPs have access to a diverse set of skills, and can map them into a project as needed for lower cost, less risk, and faster time to benefit.”

Lower Supplier Selection Risk and Time
GSP selection has become mission critical. The needed services include application and IT infrastructure development, roll-out, and maintenance. The companies have become complex and decision making involves a range of capabilities from specific technologies to managing major programs. Suppliers have specific domain expertise, geographical presence, and knowledge of certain industry dynamics.

Guided Supplier Selection
The ARC STAR Supplier Evaluation and Selection Service guides users through a step-by-step process of selecting and evaluating suppliers against specific technology, application, and industry requirements. The process guides the user through the project and team definition, reviewing and editing ARC-provided selection criteria and supplier questions, weighing selection criteria, developing a supplier Request for Information (RFI) list, evaluating supplier responses, and developing a final ranking of RFI results. ARC STAR then fully documents the process and results for management review and approval. ARC STAR helps ensure inclusive, fact-based, impartial supplier evaluations and selections, free of the user bias issues that typically hamper these activities. In addition, ARC estimates that ARC STAR can reduce the cost, effort and time span for a supplier selection process by well over 50 percent.

Certification for embedded control & monitoring

National Instruments has announced CLED (Certified LabVIEW Embedded Systems Developer),  a new certification option for embedded control and monitoring experts. Engineers with the CLED certification must be NI Certified LabVIEW Developers (CLDs) or NI Certified LabVIEW Architects (CLAs) and have proven technical skill using NI LabVIEW system design software and NI RIO hardware. The CLED certification exams will be available at the end of April.

“At NI, we’re dedicated to making sure that engineers and scientists are successful with our tools,” said Tamra Kerns, Director of Worldwide Services at National Instruments. “The CLED certification confirms that a developer has expertise using our software and hardware for even the largest, most complicated embedded systems projects.”