Industry nears the promised land

of Open Process Automation

MPC WITH A
RASPBERRY PI?

OPA NEEDS
‘SYSTEMNESS’

CONTROLLER
INNOVATIONS

D/P LEVEL
MISSTEPS
MARCH 2020
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 MARCH 2020 • VOLUME 33 • NUMBER 3

28
COVER STORY

Almost There
Industry nears the promised land
of Open Process Automation
by Jim Montague

Features

35
OPEN PROCESS AUTOMATION
38
INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CHALLENGE

OPA needs 'systemness' Raspberry Pi vs. PLC

to succeed for model-based control
Creating synergy from multiple heterogeneous interoperating When a process control application calls for more than a
systems may be the movement's most critical challenge conventional loop, which is the better option?
by Bridget Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey Shannon by Doug Reneker and William Shaffer

CONTROL (ISSN 1049-5541) is published monthly by Putman Media Inc. (also publishers of Control Design, Chemical Processing, Food Processing, Pharma Manufacturing™, Plant Services and Smart Industry),
1501 E. Woodfield Rd., Ste. 400N, Schaumburg, IL 60173. (Phone 630/467-1300; Fax 630/467-1124.) Address all correspondence to Editorial and Executive Offices, same address. Periodicals Postage Paid at
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 CONTENTS

Fast. Easy.
Departments
Convenient.
9 EDITOR’S PAGE 25 RESOURCES
Open season Historians fuel data dominance
Swappable OPA function blocks are Control's monthly resource guide
one example of what's now possible
26 INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
11 CONTROL ONLINE Plan two steps ahead to support
Latest offerings at ControlGlobal.com, network infrastructure needs
including our 2020 Webinar Series Remember that the latest wireless
networks need more access points, too
12 FEEDBACK
Students struggle with heuristic 41 ASK THE EXPERTS
instruction methods D/P transmitter missteps;
Venturi vs. flow nozzles? Register Now!
14 LESSONS LEARNED Level and flow instrument guidance
Atmospheric CO2 revisited
Bela answers readers' questions about 43 ROUNDUP
carbon dioxide measurement Controllers overrun constraints Introducing new possibilities
PLCs, PACs and PCs capitalize on on Endress.com!
19 ON THE BUS innovations to enhance performance
A history of instrument issues • Set up an account to shop for
devices, spare parts & accessories
Historian sampling rates and compres- 46 CONTROL TALK
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Greg McMillan unloads five decades information and documentation
2O WITHOUT WIRES of wisdom on unsuspecting protege
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neatly in alphabetical order and orders
21 IN PROCESS
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ARC forum tackles process industry 50 CONTROL REPORT transactions - all in one place
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 EDITOR’S PAGE

Open season
From swappable OPA function blocks to model-based control with a Raspberry Pi,
new alternatives are redefining what’s possible

AS the convergence of IT with operations technol- V.2, is that programmers, software developers, sup-
ogy (OT) tools has accelerated, process automation pliers and pretty much anyone with a useful idea
practitioners now have at their disposal an increas- could potentially use it to create, market and sell
ingly diverse variety of solutions—many of which are function blocks that could serve O-PAS devices, as
designed to leverage common standards to work long as they comply with the standard and its in-
together toward new, synergistic objectives. teroperability requirements.
Openness at the “low” end of this converged IT-
OT spectrum is on display in the article, “Raspberry Function blocks swapped seamlessly
Pi vs. PLC for model-based control,” starting on page In a late-breaking addendum to this month's cover
38 in this issue. While there certainly were differ- story, Steve Bitar, automation advisor at ExxonMobil
ences in implementation ease (spoiler alert), both the Research and Engineering and former TWG co-chair,
PLC and the off-the-shelf microcontroller were able reports he invited its team members in early Janu-
to successfully execute a model-predictive control ary to submit function blocks for measurement and
(MPC) strategy. control, so he could test if they were interoperable KEITH LARSON
Meanwhile, openness and interoperability at the enough to be swapped in and out of a basic control Editor in Chief
far other end of the process automation spectrum is system on a simulated distillation column. [email protected]
embodied by the work of the Open Process Automa- The blocks are created in the IEC 61499 de-
tion Forum (OPAF). As Bridget Fitzpatrick and Jef- velopment environment, and must agree on a
frey Shannon of Wood discuss in the article starting common plug-and-socket method for allowing
"The new block was suc-
on page 35, the "standard of standards" that OPAF bidirectional data flow between them. He also
cessful even though the
is defining must result in "systemness," a synergy developed an ExxonMobil function block for a
logic in the ExxonMobil
among heterogeneous, interopering subsystems PID controller in his control system, and in early
block and the Schnei-
that is greater than the sum of its parts, for the OPA February, Schneider Electric delivered one func-
der Electric block were
movement to succeed. tion block and interface for a PID controller, and
different. This means
And, if Jim Montague's OPA cover story update Yokogawa and Siemens each submitted one block
suppliers or anyone can
(starting on page 28) is to be believed, they're further and source code for an analog input.
innovative and write
along on their interoperability mission than many of Bitar downloaded and connected the first function
software for process
us might have thought. block on the night of Saturday, Feb. 1, and after an
control, and it will work
One part of the Open Process Automation Stan- initial adjustment, he replaced his ExxonMobil block
on an applicable device
dard (O-PAS) that's likely to become especially with the contributed control block. It and the others
if it complies with
important is a portion of the just-released, prelimi- worked right out of the box.
O-PAS."
nary O-PAS, Version 2 (V.2) on portable DCS con- "We successfully controlled temperature; bump-
figuration. This section, "Part 6.4—Information and less transfer worked, too; and we reestablished the
Exchange Models: Function Block Standard Set," is cascade connection with bidirectional data flow,"
being developed by OPAF's Technical Working Group says Bitar. "The new block was successful even
(TWG), and it covers small sets of function blocks, though the logic in the ExxonMobil block and the
regulatory control foundations, and non-exclusive Schneider Electric block were different. This means
programming standards, such as IEC 68104 for elec- suppliers or anyone can innovative and write software
tronic device descriptions (EDD), IEC 61131 for PLCs for process control, and it will work on an applicable
and IEC 61499 for function blocks. It also specifies device if it complies with O-PAS."
data models, inter-block and execution interfaces, as
well as functional logic, which can be used to further
specify O-PAS systems and field device interfaces.
The reason it's becoming a pivotal part of O-PAS,

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 9

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 CONTROL ONLINE

NEWS & BLOGS

New 2020 webinar series The lowdown on turndown
Greg McMillan shares a very frank,
ControlGlobal.com is kicking off its 2020 webinar series with two new concise discussion on what really
upcoming webinars. Join us on April 16 to learn how to select the right determines turndown and things to
pressure transmitter for any given application from Siemens Process In- watch for in terms of limiting factors.
strumentation's Sean McNutt, who will walk attendees through the key www.controlglobal.com/blogs/con-
considerations to help them on their way to a successful application. Then troltalkblog/lowdown-on-turndown
on April 29, Advanced Cooling Technologies' manager Bryan Muzyka and
VP of industrial products Scott Garner will teach you how to keep your FieldComm Group adds HTML5, JSON
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celerate digitalization in the process
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New for spring: Flow Measurement State of Technology eBook its developer tool for the Field Device
The editors of Control and Controlglobal.com have assembled the best, Integration standard.
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info.controlglobal.com/state-of-technology-2020-flow-measurement Analog sensors can be hacked, OT
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The vulnerability of analog signal am-
The engineer's guide to control room design plifiers was identified by University of
In this new eBook, the editors of and contributors to Control have com- Michigan and University of Louisiana-
piled the latest and best information on control room design. 'The engi- Lafayette researchers.
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rooms, traditionally used for sharing instrumentation information, have tered/analog-sensors-can-be-hacked-
evolved from large panels with support instrumentation in adjacent rooms, and-ot-network-monitoring-cant-detect-
to modern control buildings that support people interfacing with comput- it-a-hole-in-ics-cyber-security
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has introduced a new discipline, Human Factor Engineering. 2020 Readers' Choice Awards
info.controlglobal.com/ebook-2020-winsted-engineers-guide-control- End users recognize excellence in pro-
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FEEDBACK

1501 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 400N

Schaumburg, Illinois 60173

In Memory of Julie Cappelletti-Lange,

The transition to 'heuristic' instruction Vice President 1984-2012

In response to Russ Rhinehart's recent col-

EDITORIAL TEAM
umn, "16 things about being an engineer
that they don't teach at university," Ralph Editor in Chief
Keith Larson, [email protected]
Quigley writes:
Executive Editor
I have 40 years of engineering experience Jim Montague, [email protected]
in chemical manufacturing and develop- Digital Engagement Manager
ment. During my last years I was respon- Amanda Del Buono, [email protected]

sible for “mentoring” co-ops, interns and Contributing Editor

John Rezabek
recent engineering graduates. I was disap-
pointed in their capabilities for the most Columnists
Béla Lipták, Greg McMillan, Ian Verhappen
part, but impressed by their enthusiasm.
Editorial Assistant
A couple of the engineering graduates Lori Goldberg
seemed to be in the “sophomore state” af- DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM
ter graduation, meaning they were treating
VP, Creative & Production
the work place like a textbook problem, and Steve Herner, [email protected]
I was responsible for setting up their tasks
Senior Art Director
like a problem at the end of a chapter. etc. to better prepare students to become Derek Chamberlain, [email protected]

For the past two years, I have been faster-starting engineers. Bob Bethea, UOL Senior Production Manager
Anetta Gauthier, [email protected]
instructing junior and senior chemical en- instructor at TTU, shared my understand-
gineering students in two unit operations ing, and we shaped the theme of the senior- PUBLISHING TEAM

laboratories and two senior design courses. year experiences as "Transition to Practice." Group Publisher/VP Content
I've taken on the task of “heuristic" instruc- After I moved to become head of the ChE Keith Larson, [email protected]

tion, but it's frustrating to the students when program at Oklahoma State, I continued the Midwest/Southeast Regional Sales Manager
Greg Zamin, [email protected]
they ask a question, and I reply that there efforts and exploration of methodologies to 704/256-5433, Fax: 704/256-5434
is enough information available for them accelerate the student perspective change Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager
to determine the answer. The students are needed for employment. Dave Fisher, [email protected]
508/369-6330, Fax 508/543-3061
begrudgingly adapting to the new methods, I found that explaining to students what
West Coast/Mountain Regional Sales Manager
but tend to go to the other extreme of not the transition is about and that my "way" of Jeff Mylin, [email protected]
asking questions. teaching was to help them understand the 847/516-5879, Fax: 630/625-1124

It has been an adjustment for me and it transition helped get a bit of buy-in. But Classifieds Manager
Lori Goldberg, [email protected]
was comforting for me to see your article. even so, some students were offended that
EXECUTIVE TEAM
I liked the 16-point list that you include in I was changing the rules. Their view is that
your article. Do you have any insight on my job was to give them the equation, show President & CEO
John M. Cappelletti
helping these students make this learning- them how to use it, then test them on that
style change? same training. VP, CFO
Rick Kasper
RALPH QUIGLEY, PE Part of the issue is that research-focused
Senior Manager, Audience Intelligence
Chemical Engineering, universities need to hire faculty to bring in Patricia Donatiu
University of Alabama in Huntsville academic research funding. Teaching is a Foster Reprints
secondary value, and relevant preparation Corporate Account Executive
Jill Kaletha, [email protected]
Russ Rhinehart responds: of students for careers is not even an un- 219-878-6094
After 13 years in industry, I decided to derstood topic. Receiving program accredi- Subscriptions
change from industry to an academic ca- tation, student performance on the Funda- 1-800-553-8878 ext 5020
[email protected]
reer, partly with a mission to fix the issues in mentals of Engineering exam, and student
education to better prepare students for the evaluations of instructors are the complete Finalist Jesse H. Neal Award, 2013, 2016 and 2018
Jesse H. Neal Award Winner
transition, and partly to have the freedom to set of metrics to assess teaching adequacy.
Eleven ASBPE Editorial Excellence Awards
explore possibilities of using first-principles The inertia is humongous, and the inabil- Twenty-fi ve ASBPE Excellence in Graphics Awards
models in automatic control. ity of academics to understand the problem ASBPE Magazine of the Year Finalist, 2009 and 2016
During my time at Texas Tech, I believe is disheartening. Four Ozzie awards for graphics excellence

I was somewhat successful in structur- I'm glad that you are another voice.
ing lectures, assignments, feedback on R. RUSSELL RHINEHART
student work, seminars, career advising, [email protected]

12 • MARCH 2020
 LESSONS LEARNED

Atmospheric CO2 revisited

Given the centrality of its measurement to the climate change conversation, readers
had questions. Bela has answers .

ABOUT a year ago I wrote about the accuracy and 1. An increase in the amount of geothermal
reliability of the measurement of carbon dioxide heat coming from inside the planet. The total
(CO2) in the air. Of the received letters, one group geothermal power of the Earth varies between
argued that NASA's measurements are wrong 33.2 and 44 terawatts (TW). The amount of
and global warming does not exist and repeated heat required to heat only the oceans at the
the usual "denialist" silliness. The other group ac- rate at which they're presently warming re-
cepted the findings of the scientific community, quires a heating power of 253 TW. Therefore,
and asked serious and interesting questions, such if the total geothermal heat is 44 TW, it can't
as: why does CO2 rise, when it's heavier than air? cause 253 TW of heating.
Why is CO2 the critical greenhouse gas, when 2. The distance between our planet and the sun
there is much more water vapor in the air? Or, why has decreased as the Earth travels on its orbit
can't a passive CO2 sensor operate at night? I'll around the sun. First, according to the Milanko-
answer both group of questions, naturally, within cich cycle effects, the period of eccentricity of
BÉLA LIPTÁK the space limitations of this short column. the Earth's orbit around the sun (from circular to
[email protected] Before coming to the questions, let me just say oval and back) is roughly 100,000 years. Sec-
a few words about the scale of what we're doing ond, the orientation of the Earth’s axis does not
to the planet. Sixty-five million years ago was the always point to the North Star, but cycles slightly
last time when the Earth was this warm. At that off-center and returns to its original position
The lifetime of water time, a meteorite impact in the Yucatan wiped every 26,000 years. Third, the angle at which
vapor in the atmosphere out the dinosaurs and most other life forms and Earth’s axis is tilted (between 22.1 and 24.5
is about two weeks, the earth’s temperature spiked 5 °C. Current era degrees) and is responsible for our seasons, has
while carbon dioxide global warming has reached 1 °C. a cycle period of 41,000 years. Clearly, the Mi-
remains in the What are we doing? The daily per capita CO2 lankovitch cycles can't cause a temperature rise
atmosphere for emission of each U.S. resident is 10 kg. To obtain that's occurring thousands of times faster.
decades to centuries. each kWh of electricity, we emit 0.5 kg, and when 3. Solar radiation coming from the sun is increas-
driving, we release 0.25 kg per mile. One of our ing. During the last 80 years, the sun has been
small (500 MW) "clean coal" power plant emits under continuous observation and its heat output
100 tons of CO2 per hour. We're just beginning has not increased, but stayed at 342 W/m². If
to see the first consequences (which affect the anything, it's decreased slightly. Also, if that was
climate because the mass of the atmosphere is the case, a larger portion would be absorbed dur-
more than 1,000 times smaller than that of the ing the day followed by a smaller portion at night.
oceans), but I will stop here, and get back to an- Yet, the portion of energy reflected back into
swering the questions, those of the denialists first. space is the same day and night. Therefore, what-
ever is warming the Earth operates day and night,
From the denialist camp which rules out any heat source functioning only
The denialists question if global warming is oc- during the day. Therefore, the only possible ex-
curring at all, and if it does, they question if it's planation of the temperature rise is the increasing
caused by human activity. They contend that concentration of greenhouse gases that's causing
there could be other causes of the warming, such the Earth to absorb more heat and radiate less
as an increase in the amount of geothermal heat back out into space.
coming from inside the planet, a decrease in the Now to the “good” questions. The first is: "Why
distance between our planet and the sun, or an is CO2 uprising into the troposphere when it's
increase in the solar radiation coming from the heavier than air?" I could answer by saying, "Go
sun. Let's look at each. fly a kite!" Not because I wanted to be rude, but

14 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

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LESSONS LEARNED

to remind the questioner that the kite is Ultraviolet Visible Near-IR Infrared Far-Infrared Microwave
100
also heavier than air and still flies. Actu-
80
ally, if the Earth was stationary then the
60
atmosphere would, in time, separate into
40 Total
layers. Radon, the heaviest gas, would be
at the bottom and the lightest gas (hydro- 20
gen) would be at the top. Thankfully this 0
doesn’t happen or we’d all be breathing 100
O2 + O 3
in radon—a toxic, radioactive gas.
50
Fortunately, our planet is wisely de-
signed, it rotates and the resulting friction 0
of the Earth's surface, plus the Coriolis 100
CO2
force and the temperature and pressure
50
differences move the air and the resulting
wind causes diffusion that distributes the 0
100
CO2 fairly evenly through the troposphere
H2O
(lower atmosphere), and it even reaches
50
the middle atmosphere (10-100 km),
where its concentration is still fairly high 0
(100 ppm), while at that height there's
Wavelength (microns)
little or no water vapor.
ABSORPTION VS. WAVELENGTH
Water vapor's greehouse effect Figure 1: CO2 is measured at slightly over 2 microns, and while CO2 is highly absorbing, H2O
Another question was, "Since water va- is not. Unit for unit, water vapor is an abundant but weak greenhouse gas. CO2 causes about
por is a greenhouse gas, don't changes eight times as much warming as water vapor.
in its concentration contribute to global
warming?"
Unit for unit, water vapor is an abun- However, when an increase in green- CO2 is measured in the infrared range,
dant but weak greenhouse gas. CO2 house gas concentration causes the at a wavelength of slightly over 2 mi-
causes about eight times as much warm- planet's temperature to rise, the above crons, where water vapor interference is
ing as water vapor, methane causes described evaporation and condensation minimum (Figure 1). If NASA's pulsed,
about 200 times as much, and nitrous cycle is interrupted. A positive feedback integrated path differential absorption
oxide about 2,500 times. The lifetime loop is created because that warmer air (IPDA) sensor is used, pulses of both
of H2O in the atmosphere is about two can now carry more water vapor. So, high- and low-absorption wavelengths
weeks, while CO2 remains in the atmo- increasing temperatures increase the are aimed at a hard target. The differ-
sphere for decades to centuries. As to water vapor in the atmosphere resulting ence between the return signals cor-
your question, there are two answers to in further warming. relates to the average amount of CO2 in
it because the answer is different when For example, if the CO2 concentra- the column between the detector and the
the planet’s temperature is stationary and tion rises to 560 ppmv from the pre- target. This instrument can be used both
when it's warming! industrial 280 ppmv, the water vapor is during the day and at night.
Water vapor accounts for between estimated to add another degree Cel- You're right that NASA’s recently
36% and 66% of the greenhouse effect sius to the global temperature. Hope- launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory
when the sky is clear, and accounts for fully and eventually, other processes works by observing the CO2 effect on
between 66% and 85% when it's cloudy. will offset this positive feedback cycle, sunlight. This technique isn't limited to
If the planet is at a constant tempera- and stabilize the global temperature at a fixed target, but can make measure-
ture, then humidity remains approxi- a new (higher temperature) equilibrium, ments at all locations (different altitudes
mately constant. This means the same preventing the complete loss of Earth's etc). The key limitation of such passive
amount of precipitation occurs over land water, through a Venus-like runaway measurements is they can only operate
when the air cools as evaporates over the greenhouse effect. in daylight, so one can't measure, for ex-
oceans when they warm. Therefore, this The last question: "Why can atmo- ample, respiration at night or at high lati-
constant humidity water cycle does not spheric CO2 measurements only be done tudes, including the poles, where in the
contribute to global warming. in the daytime?" is an easy one. winter, there's no sunlight at all.

16 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

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 ON THE BUS

A history of instrument issues

Who has the time or brainpower during project engineering to individually set historian
sampling rates and compression for thousands of points?

THE boiler suddenly shutdown at 3:45 a.m. on the true timestamp of an event or deviation might
Saturday, and the crew on shift was befuddled. All not correlate with I/O hardwired to the recorder.
had been quiet and routine up to the unexpected
shutdown or “trip” (a term adopted from the ver- A cautionary corollary
nacular of electrical circuit breakers). When the Woven into their impressive capabilities is a cau-
day supervisor arrived to assist in the restart, she tionary corollary: the more points you monitor
wasn’t satisfied with “something got us”—before and/or the faster the sampling/logging rate, the
relighting the boiler, she wanted to be certain the quicker that onboard memory is consumed. A
root cause was identified and addressed. 500 MB SD card might not last a long weekend if
While the burner management system (BMS) hundreds of points are monitored at sub-second
has an annunciator capable of indicating the “first intervals. As modern recorders include options for
out” alarm among the many possible interlocks, it Ethernet, Profibus or OPC interconnection with
had been reset in the ensuing chaos, and no one host systems, the cleverer among us might be
on night shift was trained or could recall which able to script routine backups that prevent data JOHN REZABEK
alarm, if any, was flashing to signal the culprit. loss. However, this creates a storage/archiving Contributing Editor
Neither was her site equipped with a high-reso- challenge in the host, doesn’t it? [email protected]
lution sequence-of-events (SOE) recorder, which Host-based historians have been around for de-
are typically capable of sub-second resolution cades as well, and their decades-old heritage has
of alarms and events. So they began staring at lingered into present-day defaults for sampling and
Let's spend some time
trends leading up to the trip. Flame detectors, fuel data compression, as was explored in Control's
evaluating and optimiz-
pressure, steam drum level, and air flow all par- September 2019 article, “When real-time data isn't
ing our sampling rates
ticipated in the boiler interlocks per National Fire that real.” Like the paperless recorder, compro-
and storage consump-
Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines. With mises are advised to prevent overloading histori-
tion before our opera-
all recorded measurements going to their tripped ans. During detailed engineering, it’s common for
tions clients have a need
state at nearly the same instant, it was a challenge the configuration team to seek a default setting—
for the history.
to ascertain which one—if any—caused the shut- who has the time or brainpower at that stage of a
down. Was it a shutdown for cause or a spurious project to individually set historian sampling rates
trip caused by an errant measurement? and compression for thousands of points? What
Process engineers and management can usually happens: we start up with global defaults
glean much from trends; prior to modern com- and don’t detect sampling rate issues until after
puterized historians, we were pulling reams of we discover they’re too slow. When it comes to
paper out of strip chart recorders. If you’ve ever discerning cause-and-effect between highly corre-
filled the ink reservoirs of an old recorder, you lated variables, one can be led astray. One variable
remember how difficult it was comparing events might appear to precede another only because no
across numerous variables. samples were collected from either in the 10 sec-
Digital and recorders have been around for a few onds between archived data points.
decades, as well as microprocessor-based “paper” Whether we’re operating a small package
recorders. Today, paperless recorders are available boiler or a large chemical complex, data loggers
with hundreds of I/O, upwards of 20 virtual pens, from paper recorders to DCS historians deserve
gigabytes of memory, PID control, and sampling thoughtful engineering to ensure minimal confu-
rates as fast one microsecond. Sampling rates may sion and loss of information. Let’s spend some
be less impressive or useful if the data is coming time evaluating and optimizing our sampling rates
via a digital link like Modbus, Ethernet or wireless, and storage consumption before our operations
as most will be subject to variable latencies, and clients have a need for the history.

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 19

 WITHOUT WIRES

Batteries: unsung heroes of IIoT

Wireless industrial devices pose unique set of power management challenges

ALL of us rely on batteries in our daily lives to power Energy demand on a device at the center of
everything from our cell phones to our tablets to our a wireless mesh network is quite different than
notebook computers. We may take them for granted, that of an edge device. Mesh network design
but because we refer to them frequently we're aware recommends a minimum of two neighbors/three
(in most cases) of when they need recharging or a descendants (two neighbors plus gateway) for
top-up from a portable power bank. path reliability. Therefore, assuming a simple
But when it comes to industrial devices, things case of one node (center) needing to update at
aren’t always quite so easy. Indeed, the proliferat- twice the rate of its neighbor further away from
ing sensors that underlie the Industrial Internet of the node means the center node battery life will
Things (IIoT), present a key energy management be 20% less than the edge node because it's
challenge for several reasons, including: sending the extra messages. If the center is up-
• Access because of the physical location of the dating from two other nodes, then its battery life
device. (One thing a wireless transmitter can do will be 40% less.
IAN VERHAPPEN is be installed where it would be challenging to
Senior Project Manager, put a wired device.) Demand on the rise
Automation, CIMA+ • Notification because all devices notify that their All these factors need to be considered when
[email protected] power supply is nearing end of life, but is it soon thinking about battery life for any installation.
enough to schedule a replacement? I just used wireless networks as an example
• Process impact and the need to coordinate because it's one of the faster growing industrial
operations/maintenance to potentially isolate demand areas, and therefore one for which in-
Energy demand on a the device by putting associated operations into formation is available.
device at the center of a manual while work is being done. (Though for a Of course, once your batteries have served
wireless mesh network monitor-only point this can be part of the work their useful life, they must be disposed of properly
is quite different than permitting process.) because they contain rare metals. In the Euro-
that of an edge device. Presently, battery technology has a shelf and pean Union, Directive 2006/66/EU on “Batteries
useful life of approximately 10 years. As we know, and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accu-
however, environmental factors—particularly tem- mulators” controls batteries containing mercury,
perature—affect battery life once in service. Both cadmium or lead, and has been in place for many
hot and cold temperatures adversely affect bat- years, so they can be recovered and recycled.
tery life, with Canadian (0 ºC/32 ºF) or Gulf Coast Since manufacturers sell globally, their mandated
(30 ºC/86 ºF) installations suffering 10% and 15% marking are likely on your batteries as well, so
reductions, respectively. On the other hand, cryo- they can be properly recycled.
genic (-40 ºC/-40 ºF) processes and their steamy Increased use of lithium-based batteries has
(85 ºC /185 ºF) counterparts are likely to suffer created a demand for lithium as well as a market
30% and 50% reductions, respectively. to recycle these used batteries, so their metals
Meanwhile, the impact of signal update rate can be recovered for reuse, especially the larger
on battery life is negative (as expected) but non- batteries used in EV and hybrid vehicles. This
linear. Relative to the once-per-minute update trend will impact industrial installations, too.
standard, battery life decreases 20% to update Of course, with all this demand for improved
every 32 seconds, 50% to update every 16 sec- energy storage, research into alternate configura-
onds, and about 60% to update every 8 seconds. tions and materials to increase energy density and
This means that, although increasing your update battery life are coming closer to reality, and will be
rate decrease battery life, manufacturers have de- transferable to smaller form factor applications,
signed the systems to help maximize availability. such as those used for industrial control.

20 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 IN PROCESS

ARC forum tackles process issues head-on

24th annual event rolls on with 875 attendees and 55 sessions on cybersecurity, digital transformation

AFTER two dozen conferences and thousands of technical ses-

sions, ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com) is getting to be
pretty adept at providing useful solutions to the biggest challenges
facing the process and other industries. It proved its mettle yet
again by staging its 24th annual ARC Industry Forum, Feb. 2-6,
in Orlando with more than 200 speakers and 55 sessions in six
tracks for 875 attendees from 250 companies and 20 countries.
The event was headlined by two vice presidents from Dow
(www.dow.com), who faced off in a literal digital transformation
showdown, detailing how the company has been wrestling with
the same operations technology (OT) versus information technol-
ogy (IT) issues and technical shifts impacting everyone in the
process industries and beyond. Both have worked for Dow for
33 years, and witnessed its evolution first hand, including its DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION DUO
recent mergers and de-mergers, and the establishment of its Melanie Kalmar, corporate VP, chief information officer and chief digi-
Digital Operations Center (DOC) in Houston, which uses a scrum tal officer, Dow, and Peter Holicki, senior VP of operations, manufac-
approach to solve problems. turing and engineering, Environment, Health and Safety Operations,
"I began working without a PC and no IT functions, and Dow, detailed their company's OT-IT issues and digital transformation
saw Dow develop our own process control system," said Peter evolution at ARC Industry Forum in Orlando.
Holicki, senior VP of operations, manufacturing and engineering,
Environment, Health and Safety Operations, Dow. "Now, we're
changing it from a chemical company that does IT to a digital equivalent of iPhone capabilities in their plants, but this also re-
company that does material science, but this means we have to quires rethinking how to build a cybersecurity program that's resil-
truly support each other's priorities. We don't always know if our ient. The digital transformation challenge for cybersecurity teams
philosophies are going to align, but we do know that we can't is that business users want free rein, and traditional cybersecurity
work in the same silos. We had to come together." methods aren't enough. New cybersecurity strategies must reach
Melanie Kalmar, corporate VP, chief information officer and across IT and OT areas, access data from more sources, and re-
chief digital officer, Dow, added that Dow's IT side had to learn deploy from the edge and mobile devices to the cloud and back to
more about how its manufacturing worked, which meant that she better manage today's endpoints and fast, dynamic connections."
attended Holicki's meetings, and vice versa. "We joined a lot of Ricky Eckhart, IT/OT enterprise architect at ExxonMobil,
each other's teams," said Kalmar. "This was important because added, "Digital transformation and cybersecurity can't be in silos
the three pillars of digital transformation are customers, employees because they have key impacts on each other, so we need to
and how we work. Data can enable better decisions and safer op- engineer cybersecurity into our processes and solutions from
erations, but we depend on the whole organization to drive innova- the beginning, leverage third-party collaboration and outside
tions. OT and IT both have deep knowledge and expertise, so we resources, and go beyond maintaining cybersecurity zones and
logically had to bring down the silos they were in, even if we had conduits to revising broad-based connectivity and network de-
doubts about doing it. Now, we've mandated a 'digital Dow,' and sign. For example, we have a manufacturing cybersecurity advi-
are coming together and working together. Plus, once several sites sor at each site and many engineers learning cybersecurity skills,
joined the DOC, other leaders came onboard, too." and they're working with our Digital Manufacturing Governance
Team that recommends digitalized tools for enhancing processes
Cybersecurity concentration and addressing safety, health and environmental (SHE) issues."
As usual, the forum was prefaced and interspersed with several
cybersecurity sessions, moderated by ARC VP Sid Snitkin. Innovations unleased
"Digital transformation and the Industrial Internet of Things In other news at ARC Forum's other sessions, press conferences
(IIoT) is users putting in cheap devices to get more data, taking and exhibits:
advantage of these technologies to do things better, but typically • Ted Masters, president and CEO, FieldComm Group (https://
adding cybersecurity afterwards," said Snitkin. "Users want the fieldcommgroup.org) reported on its latest efforts, including

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 21

IN PROCESS

progress on Process Automation Device Information Model equipment, and provides centralized administration, workload
(PA-DIM), collaboration with the NAMUR open architecture, balancing and cost optimization, which means a smaller set of
PA-DIM's demonstration at NAMUR's annual meeting, and ad- resources can manage a larger set of assets."
dressing digital transformation for the installed base including
HART. "There's a big thirst to get data from the plant-floor to the For more information about ARC Industry Forum 2020, visit
cloud, and that why PA-DIM was created," said Masters. "Our https://www.arcweb.com/events/arc-industry-forum-orlando
recent survey of petrochemical users in the Middle East and In-
dia showed that digital transformation is heavily impacted by se-
curity, reliability, and skills and training issues, but this is where
PA-DIM and Ethernet-based advanced physical layer (APL) can
FieldComm Group adds
help because they let users choose the solution they want with- HTML5, JSON, OPC UA
out tying them to one protocol. In the future, PA-DIM will let new
devices sit next to and work with 20-year-old devices." To accelerate digitalization in the process industries, FieldComm
• Andrew Degnan, regional VP at Diamanti (https://diamanti.com), Group (www.fieldcommgroup.org) released Feb. 13 its updated
showed how its hybrid cloud-computing service and container- its developer tool for the Field Device Integration standard (FDI).
ized platform using Kubernetes can employ preinstalled, precon- Launched along with the availability of FDI specifications (IEC
figured elements to assist projects that previously took months to 62769), Version 1.2, this release of the FDI Device Package
implement, and instead get them up and running in a day or less. Integrated Development Environment (FDI-IDE) provides en-
• Alexander Horch, VP for R&D and product management at the hancements for field instrument software developers. “The latest
HIMA Group (www.hima.com), presented its cybersecurity road- FDI-IDE simplifies software development for our members and
map, which focused on securing safety systems and providing adds valuable IIoT features for end users,” says Ted Masters,
security services at the periphery of process applications, as president and CEO, FieldComm Group.
well as addressing new security challenges presented by the • HTML5 apps enabled—In addition to previously available Mi-
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). "Diagnostics, configuration, crosoft .NET support, FDI-IDE now allows the creation of de-
engineering and other data need to get out from process appli- vice-specific application programs using HTML5. This feature
cations and plants, while remote access, maintenance and other allows users to integrate device-specific application tools with
input need to get in," said Horch. "These types of open and emerging web-based asset management systems.
standardized concepts are often excluded from safety systems, • JSON-based device information—Originally envisioned as
mainly due to security concerns, which is why HMIA is working an integration technology for control system asset manage-
on an open, secure safety system for these facilities." ment software, FDI is increasingly being considered for lo-
• Inductive Automation (www.inductiveautomation.com) chief cal and remote cloud monitoring and optimization appli-
strategy officer Don Pearson and co-director of sales engi- cations. By providing monitoring and device identification
neering Travis Cox announced four solutions for digital trans- information in lightweight JSON format for HART devices,
formation, including its expanded Ignition Edge product line FDI-IDE enables standardized creation of simple monitoring
that makes it easier for users to collect data at the edge of and optimization applications.
the network; expanded Ignition Onboard program that eases • OPC UA cloud integration—For applications that rely on OPC
implementation; Ignition Perspective Module that helps us- UA information models, FDI-IDE now includes a device infor-
ers easily turn data into action by building mobile-first ap- mation model server with OPC UA local discovery server sup-
plications with HTML5 and CSS; and Ignition Exchange that port to provide a software conduit from FDI servers to local
reduces development times by providing a free online mar- and cloud-based OPC UA applications.
ketplace of Ignition resources. • Single solution for multiple protocols—The latest version of the
• Joe Bastone, product management for Experion PKS at Honey- FDI-IDE provides one developer tool that process automation
well Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), showed suppliers can use to create FDI-compliant software for many
how its Experion PKS Highly Integrated Virtual Environment process automation protocols. Foundation Fieldbus, HART,
(HIVE) enables a more standardized approach, addresses proj- WirelessHART, Profibus, Profinet, ISA100.11a and a generic
ect inefficiencies, and eliminates non-value-added work, while protocol extender are all supported.
its Experion PKS IT HIVE reduces project delivery and overall • Online repository assures access to latest registered device
lifecycle costs by optimizing control systems and letting users files—FDI-IDE also enables developers to take advantage of
focus on optimizing processes instead of maintenance. "Many FieldComm Group’s online FDI Device Package and Device De-
process applications are begging for time-saving modulariza- scription (DD) repository. Through the FDI-IDE Reference Run-
tion and standardization, and this is what HIVE can provide," time Environment, developers can access the up-to-date regis-
said Bastone. "For instance, IT HIVE reduces physical IT tered files available for process automation device integration.

22 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 IN PROCESS

VEGA pioneers cable connection. Both maintain steady, accurate measurements,

unaffected by external influences like solar heating, air temperature
cost-competitive radar fluctuations, weather conditions, buildup and condensation. Users
Despite the advantages of radar over ultrasonic level gauges, can choose from 4-20 mA, HART, SDI-12 or Modbus as the direct
radar’s higher cost has long stratified non-contact applications. output signal. ATEX versions are also available.
Radar gauges were more accurate, more resistant to interfer- The company also introduced two new series of compact in-
ences and immune to ambient changes in pressure and tem- struments for hygienic processes: Vegabar pressure sensors and
perature, but they cost more, too—until now. Vegapoint level switches use a universal hygienic adapter sys-
With the launch of its new Vegapuls radar gauges, VEGA tem, which provides the flexibility to keep installation effort and
Americas Inc. (www.vega.com) has packed the functions of its parts inventory to a minimum. Process fittings can be selected
80 GHz technology onto a new microchip no bigger than a mo- as needed to meet application-specific requirements.
bile phone SIM card, according to Scott Rollman, VEGA's U.S. These pressure sensors and point level switches come stan-
sales director, during a Feb. 11 press conference introducing the dard with a 360° switching status display, which can be seen
new instruments. The chip preserves the advantages of 80 GHz from any direction. The color of the illuminated ring can be cus-
radar, while making the technology cost-competitive with ultra- tomized with one of 256 colors that remain visible, even in day-
sonic gauges often specified for “lower demand,” non-contact light. At a glance, users can see when the process is running, if
applications such as in water/ wastewater treatment. the sensor is switching, or if the sensor requires maintenance.
“With this new chip, we’ve driven down costs,” said Rollman. Standard IO-Link protocol is built into every pressure sensor and
“We’ve made radar available for the masses.” point level switch, ensuring universal, simple communication. This
The new Vegapuls radar sensor is available in two versions: com- gives these instruments a standardized communication platform,
pact with cable connection housing and standard with a fixed IP68 enabling seamless data transfer and simple system integration.

Pneumatic. Electric.
Hydraulic. Vacuum.

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Find out more

Visit www.bimba.com
 IN PROCESS

SIGNALS AND INDICATORS

• The Eclipse Foundation (eclipse.org) reported Feb. 3 that
it's launched the Sparkplug Working Group (https://sparkplug.
eclipse.or) to drive the evolution and broad adoption of the
Eclipse Sparkplug Specification, which enables creation of
open, interoperable, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solu-
tions using MQTT open-source communications specification.
Founding members include Chevron, Canary Labs, Cirrus
Link Solutions, HiveMQ, Inductive Automation and ORing.
• Wind River opened its Wind River Labs (www.labs.windriver.
com) on Feb.25, which is a developer-focused site where us-
ers can access software projects, proofs-of-concept, open-
source integrations, experimental software, and new tech-
nologies. The site includes the first freely available VxWorks
real-time operating system (RTOS) software developer kit
(SDK) for the developer community.
• To reaffirm its commitment to serving the U.S. west and mid-
western regions with measurement, control and information
products and services, Yokogawa Corp. of America unveiled
YOU HAVE its new technology service center on Feb. 26 in West Valley
ENOUGH TO City, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The facility has 1,200 sq. ft.

WORRY ABOUT.
of staging area for assembly and factory acceptance testing
(FAT) of small to medium projects and a training center.
EXECUTING YOUR DIGITAL • Emerson (www.emerson.com) announced Feb. 10 that it's

TRANSFORMATION partnering with Ghent University (www.UGent.be/en) and

University College Ghent (HOGENT) in Belgium to revamp,
STRATEGY SHOULDN’T automate and modernize a pilot brewery, including providing
BE ONE OF THEM. equipment and support services. Once completed, the center
will feature Emerson’s Plantweb portfolio of Industrial Inter-
Don’t let manufacturer incompatibility or net of Things (IIoT) technologies used in brewing automation,
such as a DeltaV distributed control system, Micro Motion Co-
concerns about future changes slow down
riolis flowmeters, Rosemount wireless measurement technol-
your digital transformation. The FlexEdge™ ogy, Fisher control valves, analytics software for calculating
Intelligent Edge Automation Platform is just conductivity, pH and turbidity.
• Wunderlich-Malec Engineering (WM, www.wmeng.com) in
that: a modular, highly scalable, incredibly
Eden Prairie, Minn., reported Feb. 11 that it's acquired AECm
agile system that enables connectivity Architects-Engineers (www.aecgr.com) Newmarket, N.H., to
to virtually anything expand its services including civil and structural engineering,
and enhance its capacity for architectural and MEP services.
in a system anytime,
The two firms have already collaborated on several large prio-
anywhere, any way. ects since 2015. AECm will leverage its federal project portfo-
lio to expand Wunderlich-Malec’s federal services.
• Pavlik Gold JSC (www.pavlik-gold.ru) reported Feb. 27 that
it's chosen Metso (www.metso.com) as the key crushing and
grinding equipment supplier for its five-year-old gold ore pro-
cessing plant in Magadan, Russia, which produces approxi-
REQUEST A DEMONSTRATION
mately 7 tons of gold per year. Metso will provide a 25-mil-
877.432.9908 lion-euro, primary crushing station, including a Nordberg
[email protected] C160 jaw crusher, one SAG mill and two ball mills, with total
installed power of more than 20 megawatts.

flexedge.net
www.controlglobal.com
 RESOURCES

Historians fuel data dominance

Control's monthly resource guide

TIME-SERIES INTRO AND CASE trends, and shows how historians have The third is at www.youtube.com/
This blog post, "Introduction and op- gone beyond storing process variables to watch?v=LXs0B0LhP0A
timization of data historians" by Steve turn data into actionable information. It's ROBERT RAESEMANN
Comeau of Hallam-ICS, covers types located at www.isa.org/intech/20171202 www.linkedin.com/in/robraesemann
used by the system integrator, standard ISA
elements, and optimizing performance. www.isa.org DEFINE, COMPARE, SELECT
It also links to a case study about how These two blog posts, "Data aggrega-
Hallam-ICS worked with specialty chemi- DISPELLING 14 MYTHS tion using historians for informed deci-
cals client BYK USA to build an auto- This five-page whitepaper, "Myths about sion making" and "Considerations when
mated facility, and implement its batch historians," by Elliot Middleton, product selecting a data historian" at Automation
control system and subsystems including manager at Aveva, debunks 14 of the IT, define software-based historians, and
a process and alarm historian. They're at most common preconceived notions and compare types. They're at www.auto-
www.hallam-ics.com/blog/introduction- unfounded impressions that have grown mationit.com/blog/90-data-aggregation-
and-optimization-of-data-historians up about historians over the years. It's using-historians-for-informed-decision-
HALLAM-ICS downloadable at https://sw.aveva.com/ making and at www.automationit.com/
www.hallam-ics.com campaigns/historian-myths-whitepaper- blog/91-considerations-when-selecting-
download a-data-historian
RESOURCE LIBRARY STACKS AVEVA AUTOMATION IT
The online resource library at the OSIsoft https://sw.aveva.com www.automationit.com
website includes conference presenta-
tions, whitepapers and end-user case FOUR CASE STUDIES UNIFIED NAMESPACE FUTURE
studies about using its PI software, histo- These four online, end-user case studies This seven-minute video, "The Future
rian software and other solutions. They're from Cascades Tissue Group, ANCAP, of Historians – Industry 4.0" by Walker
all at www.osisoft.com/support/support- Blaser Swisslube AG and Pfizer New- Reynolds of Intellic Integration, ar-
resources-and-websites/resource-library bridge, detail their experiences with em- gues that, "In 10 years, there won't be
OSISOFT ploying historians and related products. a historian. There will just be a unified
www.osisoft.com They're all located about three-quarters namespace with everything stored in a
of the way down the Proficy Historian data lake and machine learning and ar-
ARCHIVE AND IMPLEMENT webpage at www.ge.com/digital/applica- tificial intelligence algorithms processing
This nine-minute video, "Why a data tions/proficy-historian information." It's at www.youtube.com/
historian is important to your plant" by GE DIGITAL watch?v=1h0DFwWz4uE
Roger Fortune, technical solutions con- www.ge.digital INTELLIC INTEGRATION
sultant at Matrikon, covers the needs for www.intellicintegration.com
data archiving, tradional historian mod- TRIO OF POWER LECTURES
els, OPC-based models and Matrikon's These three 10-15-minute videos in the ONE ARTICLE, TWO PODCASTS
Desktop Historian software. It's at www. "Enhanced electric power quality and This online article, "Modern data histori-
youtube.com/watch?v=H6CEWiU4Obo reliability series" by electrical engineer ans provide for optimization, savings" by
MATRIKON INC. Robert Raesemann include the two-part Jim Montague of Control magazine, pro-
www.matrikonopc.com "Lecture 07, Time-series data and data vides examples of modern historians in
historians, parts 01 and 02," as well as action. It's accompanied by two Control
FROM STORAGE TO ACTION "Lecture 8, Data historians – the PI sys- Amplified podcasts, "Exploring historians
This online article, "New roles for process tem." The first two are at www.youtube. and data analytics, parts 1 and 2."
historians" by Wayne Matthews of ISA's com/watch?v=er68uuXd4UE and www. CONTROL
Intech magazine, covers many recent youtube.com/watch?v=Ggr9W63nlvE. www.controlglobal.com

If you know of any tools and resources we didn’t include, send them to [email protected] with
“Resource” in the subject line, and we’ll add them to the website.

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 25

 INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE | SPONSORED CONTENT

Plan two steps ahead to support

network infrastructure needs
AS industry builds towards a digitally transformed don’t always need an IP67-rated enclosure or an
version of itself, future success will often rely on M12 connector, but in our world, sometimes you
the foundation of physical network infrastructure do. Panduit references the TIA 1005-A standard
put in place today. That means new wireless con- for industrial environments, which provides guid-
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the movements of autonomous intelligent vehicles climatic and electromagnetic (MICE) consider-
(AIVs) that must work together with the physical ations. Knowing when to invest in hardened ca-
network infrastructure that's long been the back- bling infrastructure and when to use commercial
bone of industrial connectivity. grade will save you money in the long run, while
Because so much is riding on that physical ensuring your infrastructure can withstand its
network infrastructure, Lindsey Parker believes surroundings.
it’s important that individuals charged with de- Also, remember that while the network infra-
signing and implementing solutions for this realm structure will only represent 7-10% of the spend-
LINDSEY PARKER understand the long-term implications of their ing on a given project, it's got to be properly con-
Industrial Network Business decisions. Physical cabling is often expected to figured. That means choosing the right topology to
Development Manager, last a couple of decades or more, says Parker, provide appropriate performance and resilience.
Panduit manager of industrial network business develop- ‘Should be good enough’ just won’t cut it. Rather,
ment for Panduit, so it’s critical to satisfy today’s consider following a proven approach such as the
networking infrastructure needs with an eye to Converged Plantwide Ethernet (CPwE) reference
how those needs and requirements will change architectures that Panduit has developed with
down the road. Rockwell Automation and Cisco to validate net-
Control recently caught up with Parker to learn work performance. Using those architectures as a
what factors are most important to consider in an guide, you can know exactly what performance to
industrial network infrastructure solution, and expect from your completed solution.
what steps can be taken to future-proof those in-
vestments for the bandwidth-hungry applications Q: While physical cabling certainly remains the
that are sure to come. backbone of plant-floor automation and informa-
tion networks, how has the infrastructure equa-
Q: Panduit has long been a leader in providing tion changed with the increased performance of
the physical infrastructure for digital networks wireless networks, such as those defined by the
as well as electrical power for plant-floor and WiFi 6 standard and 5G from the telecommuni-
production environments. What have you found cations industry?
are the most important characteristics that in-
dustrial end users and OEMs seek in a network A: High-performance wireless is an important
infrastructure solution? technology that can deliver new capabilities
to industry, but it’s important to realize that it
A: First off, don’t sacrifice performance and doesn’t replace physical network infrastructure.
reliability over price and availability. Second, Rather, the latest high-speed wireless stan-
choose partners that understand the unique dards such as WiFi 6 actually require more ac-
requirements of industrial environments. Third, cess points in order to deliver that higher speed
plan not just for what you need today but what and bandwidth. And more access points mean
you’ll need tomorrow and the day after. more cabling!
It’s important to know, for example, what type That same equation applies to the 5G wireless
of media is suitable for your environment. You infrastructure being promoted by the telecommu-

26 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE | SPONSORED CONTENT

WIRELESS APPS
NEED PHYSICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
When planning for future
network infrastructure
requirements, remember
that the latest high-
performance wireless
networks need extra ac-
cess points as well.

nications industry. But with the WiFi 6 vs. mobility—basic information access obviously, the whole IoT world is founded
5G decision, the biggest question isn't first, then layering in really cool stuff in wireless communications. We’ll see an
performance, but whether you want to like augmented reality. With AR, you abundance of new sensors that are lower
own your network outright, or enter into a see major improvements in employee cost and easier to deploy and configure.
contract to have that infrastructure man- training and the ability to more ef-
aged on your behalf. fectively utilize a remote workforce. A Q: What advice can you offer to indus-
Another implication of the latest wire- network engineer in Chicago can work trial networking decision-makers seek-
less standards is they all but require with someone unskilled in networks ing to pursue these speed- and band-
Category 6A cabling infrastructure, which in a plant in Iowa to troubleshoot a width-hungry use cases?
supports 10-Gb Ethernet. Many plants problem. A production operator can
operate today operate on Category 5e learn on the job using virtual work in- A: Don’t jump right in. You really need
cabling, which is only 1-Gb Ethernet ca- structions instead of taking a training to take a look at your existing physi-
pable. Also, since physical infrastructure module in front of a computer screen, cal infrastructure to understand what
is likely to outlive the radios connected and then trying to remember what it your network can support in its current
to it—consider running a second, re- said out on the production floor. People state. If it resembles the cabling that’s
dundant Cat 6A cable while you’re at it. expect to work how they live, and wire- out there in most of the industrial world,
Think two steps ahead, so you’re better less communication is in our DNA now. you’re probably not ready to plug in WiFi
prepared for what’s to come. We need it for productivity, safety and 6 access points tomorrow. Bring in the
communication. right people to help you plan out the
Q: What types of applications are made Other technologies like robotics and physical layer that will be the founda-
possible by the performance of these AIVs will really benefit from wireless tion for all of this new technology and
new options? technology, too. 5G is expected to be the then make sure it gets installed prop-
catalyst for autonomous vehicles on the erly. Once you’ve done that, your invest-
A: The biggest impact of these new roads, and I think you can expect to see ments in high-performance technology
wireless networks is around workforce that be the case in the plant, too. And will be able to shine.

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 27

COVER STORY COVER STORY

The Open Process Automation Forum (OPAF) draws nearer to the promised land of interoperable,
plug-and-play process control with its Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS)

SLOW and steady is fine. Fast and steady is better. • Released preliminary O-PAS, V2.0 on portable configuration
Because it's progressing far more quickly than typi- of distributed control systems (https://publications.opengroup.
cal standards efforts, the Open Process Automation Forum org/p201), on Feb. 4 at the ARC Advisory Group's (www.arc-
(OPAF, www.opengroup.org/open-process-automation-forum) web.com) Industry Forum. OPAF's technical committee has
is quickly ticking off milestones on its march toward interop- been working on V2.0 for the past year, and plans to release
erable, plug-and-play process automation and control. The V2.1 on portable application configuration in mid-2020.
latest developments include: • Published the O-PAS Conformance Certification Policy
• Finalized and released Open Process Automation Standard (https://publications.opengroup.org/x201) on Feb. 4, which
(O-PAS), Version 1.0 (V1.0) on interoperability (https://publi- defines for suppliers what can be certified, what it means
cations.opengroup.org/p190), at the Open Group's meeting in to be certified, and the process for achieving and maintain-
January, less than a year after releasing its preliminary ver- ing certification. It also defines obligations, such as requiring
sion. It's five parts—technical architecture overview, security suppliers to warrant and represent that products meet ap-
with IEC 62443, function profiles, open connectivity frame- plicable conformance requirements, including conforming to
work (OCF) interfaces, and system management—focused on O-PAS as interpreted by OPAF. In conjunction with applica-
meeting the minimum standard and specification require- ble conformance requirements, certification agreement and
ments for federated process automation systems, using an trademark license agreement, this policy constitutes the set
open and interoperable reference architecture. of requirements and obligations for achieving certification.

On-premise OT data center External OT data center Enterprise IT data center

(executing IEC 62264 Level 2 and 3 functions) (executing IEC 62264 (executing IEC 62264 Level 4 functions)
Level 2 and 3 functions)
Advanced computing platform
Virtual DCN Virtual DCN Virtual DCN Virtual DCN Business Non-OPAS
Application Application Application platform environments
DCN
External data centers may OCI
Application Application Application run physical or virtual DCNs
Business platform
that are connected to the
Application Application OCF through a firewall communicates
through Apps Legend
App
Standalone DCF environments running in a
may be used for functions such DCN DCN, not directly OPAS
conformant
as offline engineering and simulation to the OCF component
Open Process Automation System (OPAS) Connectivity Framework (OCF)
Non-OPAS
conformant
platform

DCN
App App App App App

DCN
DCN
Virtual

DCN

DCN
Virtual

DCN

DCN

DCN
App App DCN
DCN
DCN DCN Safety, App
App
OCI OCI electrical & Field
machinery Analyzer network
DCS PLC DCS PLC systems interface
Physical I/O: AI, AO, DI, DO, twisted pair, ... OCI – O-PAS Communication Interface
Distributed Control Nodes (DCNs)
(Executing IEC 62264 Level 1, 2 & 3 functions)

O-PAS IN A NUTSHELL
Figure 1: The Open Process Automation Forum's (OPAF) interoperable Open Process Automation Standard (O-PAS) networks production-level
distributed control nodes (DCN) via a real-time bus/open connectivity framework (OCF) such as OPC UA to manufacturing OT data centers
using a real-time, advanced computing platform (ACP), enterprise IT data centers using business platforms, and external data centers
using cloud-computing services. Source: OPAF

28 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 29

COVER STORY

Plug-and-play progress on, and supporting critical processes with hybrid responses,
Even though O-PAS is designed to be a standard of standards some done by us and some by main automation contractors
that integrates other industry best practices, each piece of (MAC) and other suppliers. At present, lacking openness and
OPAF's vision for it is intended to provide the interoperability interoperability means we often can't use best-in-class solu-
needed to streamline process automation and control projects tions, and must use what we can get from certain suppliers.
and operations on plant floors and in the field. Its architecture We believe O-PAS will enable us to access more and better
describes distributed control nodes (DCN) and virtual DCNs for tools, open up new capabilities, and give us some huge ben-
working with physical devices, an OCF such as OPC UA for net- efits thanks to interoperability. Another challenge is stabilizing
working, and an advanced computing platform (ACP) for higher- operations at multiple sites, but openness and interoperabil-
level data processing, but these generic terms and the progress ity can enable many solutions here, too. If more users can be
at each stage of the O-PAS effort are all focused on giving users convinced to join OPAF, then they can start to think up their
plug-and-play components and software (Figure 1). own use cases."
"We have a broad set of assets and sites worldwide, as well
as up to 30-year-old systems and staffers who have been Power of portability
with them all along, and are now retiring. An even bigger Of course, now that O-PAS V1.0 on interoperability is final, its
challenge is cost constraints and how to be cost-effective, five parts are being used to prepare for O-PAS V2.0 on configu-
so we're defining a point in time to achieve more open and ration portability.
interoperable systems," says Jacco Opmeer, DCS subject mat- "Version 2.0 gives us the pieces for an open distributed
ter expert at Shell (www.shell.com), and co-chair of OPAF's control system (ODCS) specification that allows portable con-
Business Working Group. "This can be called lifecycle man- figuration of DCSs. Vendors can support configurations, and
agement, but it's also prioritizing the parts we need to work generate downloads for their O-PAS implementation," says
Dennis Brandl, principal consultant at BR&L Consulting Inc.
(www.brlconsulting.com), co-chair of OPAF's Technical Work-
ing Group, and chair of its Technical Architecture Subcommit-
MONITOR VISCOSITY SIMPLY tee. "These specifications are based on Automation Markup
SENSE MIXER MOTOR HORSEPOWER Language (ML, www.automationml.org) and its IEC 62714
WITH UNIVERSAL POWER CELL equivalent, which is an XML-based, common data format
and design-time tool. In this case, it includes the information
EASY INSTALLATION
s .O HOLES IN TANKS OR PIPES needed to configure an ODCS, such as what signals come into
s !WAY FROM SENSITIVE PROCESSES the system, what leave the system, the alarms and controls.
VERSATILE Vendors will use the O-PAS specifications to develop or ex-
s /NE SIZE ADJUSTS TO MOTORS FROM
SMALL UP TO HP POWER tend their configuration tools and control products."
SENSOR Brandl reports that AutomationML files in O-PAS V2.1 will
s 7ORKS ON  PHASE lXED OR VARIABLE
FREQUENCY $# AND SINGLE PHASE POWER also include the source code for their programming. "These
SENSITIVE are the basic parts required to program using IEC 61131-3 for
s  TIMES MORE SENSITIVE THAN PLCs and IEC 61499 for function blocks. The O-PAS specifi-
JUST SENSING AMPS
cations include rules about where to put all of the files needed
CONVENIENT OUTPUTS
s &OR METERS CONTROLLERS COMPUTERS MIXER for a configuration, so users can capture the whole configura-
  MILLIAMPS   VOLTS MOTOR tion of a system in a single, common AutomationML file. All of
the development work on the O-PAS specifications is moving
forward rapidly, and there are many vendors working on prod-
ucts. They've seen how static the DCS market has been, and
they want to shake it up."
Brandl adds that configuration portability in V.2.0/2.1
will lead to OPAF releasing O-PAS V3.0 supporting applica-
tion portability in 2021. "V3.0 will let users take applications
united by their standard control languages, and distribute
them across devices from multiple vendors. This is the holy
grail of interoperability that we've all been pursuing," says
Brandl. "At the same time, we'll also be setting up testing and
CALL NOW FOR YOUR FREE
30-DAY TRIAL 888-600-3247 certification labs by the end of this year, which will join the
WWW.LOADCONTROLS.COM
non-plugfest events we're holding."

30 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 COVER STORY

Streamlining for skids pabilities with skids, but it's been dif- mation systems, usually with self-sup-
As progress on O-PAS and its subsec- fi cult because there's no one standard port at our large sites, some support
tions continue to bring it closer to reality, that enables us to integrate them," ex- contracts and local system integrators
its developers and supporters are detail- plains Smith. "We're already supporting at our small sites. However, our recent
ing how the standard can enable process all kinds of process controls and auto- merger and acquisition activity is mak-
applications, such as increasingly modu-
lar manufacturing installations.
"We've been working on open pro-
cess automation for eight years, and
more recently talking about proof of
concepts and prototypes, but the ex-
citing news is we're way past the idea
stage. This is no longer a dream or
vaporware. Our job is identifying in-
teroperable, interchangeable, portable,
plug-and-play technologies that can
solve problems for users, and O-PAS is
opening those compatibilities, and will
allow their businesses to create value,"
says David DeBari, process control
engineer at ExxonMobil Research and
Engineering (http://corporate.exxonmo-
bil.com) and lead engineer in its OPA
program. "We're still asked why not just
use a traditional DCS, and the answer
is their high costs and 20-30 years
between product refreshes. They often
don't allow different devices to talk to
each other, so we can't use best-in-
class products. We also need cyberse-
curity that's built-in from the ground up
because we can't keep bolting it onto
DCSs that didn't have it before and
patching existing processes."
Julie Smith, global automation and
process control leader in DuPont's
Engineering Technology Center (www.
dupont.com), adds that O-PAS is valu-
able because it goes down to Level 2
supervisory control and Level 1 basic
control of the seven-layer Purdue Open Rugged and reliable FS Functional Safety Series
System Interconnect (OSI) model for
instrumentation from Moore Industries can help ensure the
system and control hierarchies. This is
where O-PAS application portability can safety of your process and facility when you need it the
break through the proprietary devices most. Our Logic Solver, Signal Isolators and Transmitters are
and systems that have long dominated built to strict IEC 61508 standards, ensuring safe and reliable
those layers.
operation – particularly where hazardous or emergency
"O-PAS enables the integration of
skids, which is how we're growing our situations can occur.
specialty chemicals business lately.
We're not building new plants as much Call (800) 999-2900 or go to: www.miinet.com/safetyseries
as we're mostly adding processing ca-

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 31

COVER STORY

ing these challenges more acute, which makes it even more control and automation pie," adds Smith. "I want application
crucial that O-PAS can solve these pain points for us." portability because if I have great strategy and a software app
As shifting corporate strategies and markets increase pres- from one vendor, then I may want to be able to run it on an-
sures to reduce costs, Smith adds that O-PAS can go beyond other vendor's hardware."
supporting existing operations to also enable migration and
upgrade efforts. "There's no one-size-fi ts-all when it comes Prototype and pilot progress
to operations supporting production, and O-PAS doesn't Making equally rapid gains, OPAF founding members ExxonMo-
change that. However, we only do migrations when we have bil, initial system integrator Lockheed Martin (www.lockheedmar-
to because there's typically no financial return on them," says tin.com), and their collaboration partners are forging ahead with
Smith. "O-PAS can make it easier to do those projects by en- their OPA program. It also added vendor-independent system
abling 'upgrade by repair' versus rip and replace. This will al- integrator Wood (www.woodplc.com), and has progressed from
low us to incrementally take advantage of new technology as it an initial proof of concept (PoC) for a simulated fired-heater to a
becomes available. larger prototype that achieved interoperability and portability on
"Four years ago, there was a lot of disbelief about O-PAS, a pilot plant at its research facility in Clifton, N.J.
but seeing the OPA prototype shows it's going to happen. We The prototype/pilot unit includes four reactor trains with
may not be able to buy its components yet, but we will soon, pumps, reactors, separators and analyzers managed by 25
so why shouldn't we have a voice in how they're shaped and typical process control loops, 130 I/O devices and 500 total
developed? For end users wondering why they should join points. The hydrocarbon service process includes crude oil
OPAF, the questions are: 'Why let others decide?' and 'Why and hydrogen feeds, and hydrogen sulfi de presence that runs
not be part of shaping O-PAS, so it will benefi t me?' No one at an 8 gm/hr liquid feed rate, 600 °F, and 1,200 psig, and
really wants a finished standard to just drop in their lap." is used to evaluate catalyst performance. The prototype/pi-
Smith reports that OPAF will be holding requirements work- lot completed its site acceptance test in January 2020, and
shops in 2020 where smaller companies can contribute. Plus, DeBari reports it's performing normal unit operations using its
they can also ask their suppliers if they're aware of O-PAS OPA system, such as startups and shutdowns, controlling unit
and/or planning to join OPAF. "There's a growing recognition parameters, and meeting operator expectations.
that the world and supplier environment is changing, and that The prototype/pilot captures data using OSIsoft's PI Histo-
we can all enable new opportunities and grow the process rian software and Inductive Automation's HMI/SCADA soft-

Advanced Computing Platform (ACP)

• Configuration
HMI/alarms/ Historian management
reports Operator/engineering
Soft controller Soft controller Soft controller Soft controller • Performance console Enterprise
Safety System
monitoring systems
• IT services

Real-time bus

DCN 1 DCN 2 Intelligent I/O 1 Intelligent I/O 2 Gas

Count: 8 Count: 8 Count: 6 Count: 2 Safety chromatograph
system

DCN = Distributed control node

FT TT TT TT TT

PROTOTYPE RUNS ON PILOT

Figure 2: The open-process automation (OPA) pilot plant developed by ExxonMobil and system integrator Wood includes four reactor trains,
25 control loops, 130 I/O and 500 points in a hydrocarbon service running at 600 °F and 1,200 psig, and is based on their prototype OPA
system architecture with distributed control nodes (DCN) communicating via OPC UA real-time bus with soft controls, HMIs, alarms,
historians and other functions in a Dell Vx Rails advanced computing platform (ACP) server. Source: ExxonMobil

32 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 COVER STORY

ware, and its architecture also includes • Added DCNs from new suppliers;

ASi-5
hardware and software from Dell, nxt- • Wireless instruments;
Controls, Phoenix Contact, Intel, Yok- • Mobility enablement, such as HMI on
ogawa, Moxa, Lantronix and Matrikon. a tablet PC;
Its DCNs include a catalog controller • Third-party applications, including app
from Phoenix Contact, VM-based soft store feasibility;

AUTOMATION
controllers, a custom, two-piece DCN • Network security options, including
concept from Intel with four channels, virtual local area networks (VLAN), fire-
and a swappable, cassette-style micro-
processor assembly for switching com-
walls and zones/conduits;
• Publish/subscribe network testing; and REINVENTED.
pute functionalities. They communicate • Network design and protocol perfor-
via OPC UA on a real-time bus divided mance testing.
into six cyber-secure zones with soft To help coordinate test bed par-  Simplified wiring
controllers and other functions in a Dell ticipants, Yokogawa Corp. of America  Safety integrated
VxRail ACP server (Figure 2). (www.yokogawa.com) has been enlisted  Short cycle times
"We have a lead operator, who will as the system integrator, and operates
provide a real-time performance ap- the test bed facility. Results from the
praisal of the prototype/pilot, and if test bed will create a foundation for the
she's happy, then we're happy," says fi eld trials that will be carried out by
DeBari. "At the factory acceptance test ExxonMobil and its partners, including
(FAT), it only took her seven minutes Aramco Services Co., BASF, Cono-
to find something she didn't like, which coPhillips, Dow, Georgia Pacific, Linde
was a missing data value on a screen, and Reliance Industries Ltd. Beyond
and then it only took her 23 minutes to agreeing on the need for OPA systems
try a process operation using the sys- and their desire to accelerate develop-
tem that we hadn't heard of or added ment using multiple, parallel field tri-
before. This is why having an operator als, these partners will: pick their own
driving is the most rigorous test that a system integrators; use O-PAS as avail-
new process control system can face." able; share non-competitive learnings
with each other; and develop additional
Test bed takeover test bed experiments.
Once the prototype/pilot unit runs for "Beyond adding and testing devices,
several months and demonstrates the one of the test bed's most important
technical feasibility of its open-process tasks is to help participants understand
components, its results will inform the the O-PAS system architecture and
test bed to evaluate OPA components how it all fi ts together," explains DeBari.
and methods in 2020-21, which will sup- "Once all the partners learn how to
port industry field trials to demonstrate use O-PAS-based proces control, then
OPA technical readiness in 2021-22. The we'll be able go our separate ways to
test bed will consist of a virtual separa- implement them in our individual ap-
tion tower with hardwired I/O and simu- plications. Test bed experiments for
lated signals at ExxonMobil's facility in functions like batch will require more
The Woodlands, Texas. The model will equipment, and the tests will identify
also gauge suppliers' capabilities for pro- components and help developers cre-
ducing O-PAS-aligned components. Pos- ate apps for end users, who can pick
sible experiments that may be conducted the ones they need for their processes.
using the test bed include: We still need a critical mass of users
• Batch and sequence control; and a supply of compelling software
• Containers and orchestration; and hardware for O-PAS to succeed."
• Root of trust, certificate-based security; Stephen Smith, control systems sup-
• Clock synchronization among devices, port manager, Eastman Chemical Co.
such as time vs. event-based; (www.eastman.com), reported at the www.bihl-wiedemann.com/asi-5
www.controlglobal.com
Phone: 616-345-0680
COVER STORY

ARC event that his company joined OPAF in late January, and els and methods that all participants must agree on," says
is intrigued by its potential to achieve interoperability, even DeBari. "Our goal is not to run any suppliers out of business
though some questions remain. "We joined about a week ago, because we continue to need them as partners, too. In addi-
and we're excited about the value that OPAF may be able to tion, we also need to allow in other suppliers that may have
provide, but some in our organization are skeptical that it will been locked out in the past due to proprietary issues. So, we
really happen and come to fruition," says Smith. "It was fairly need all suppliers to maintain their support, and also help us
easy to join, and we signed up for one year as a 'trial,' but if integrate with existing systems.
we decide it's not useful, then we can leave. For now, I think "When we talked to system integrators about our OPA pro-
it helps to be at the table, and see what OPAF is doing and gram, we were reminded they often buy process control solu-
what's coming." tions from third parties, but we can't just do that anymore.
Marketplace competition means we all have to understand
Enlisting everyone the OPA Business Guide (https://publications.opengroup.org/
Beyond recruiting more potential users, DeBari reports that g182) developed by OPAF's Business Working Group, which
software programmers, system integrators, suppliers and lays out the ways for everyone to participate. In general, we're
other participants are needed to further develop and test O- not putting as much steel on the ground as we used to, and
PAS and its capabilities. we're also not throwing away old equipment, even though
"Our original vision for interoperability and O-PAS was we're moving to gain new capabilities. We believe O-PAS is
based on a system we had to put together ourselves. We an excellent vehicle for achieving these new benefi ts. This is
wanted our devices to plug-and-play like regular stereo equip- what our C-suite wants, and if they don't get these capabilities
ment, printers and PCs, but they need to be based on mod- with O-PAS, then they're going to get them another way."

AZ Series
Hybrid Control Systems AZ Series Family of Products

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Open loop performance.

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Now With

EtherNet/IP is a registered trademark of ODVA, Inc.

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34 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 OPEN PROCESS AUTOMATION

Creating synergy from multiple, heterogeneous interoperating systems may be the

Open Process Automation movement’s most complex and critical task

OPEN Process Automation (OPA) is often talked about as a OPAF is the industry group working to go a step further and
“system of systems.” The term acknowledges the nature of define a next-generation architecture that's both open and
the open automation concept with its multiple, heterogeneous based on industry standards. (Please note: O-PAS forms the
interoperating systems. As envisioned, a functional OPA sys- basis for the requirements for an OPA system, and can be re-
tem could well include the integration of multiple run-time viewed by OPAF non-members at: https://www.opengroup.org/
engines and controllers from multiple vendors as well as I/O, forum/open-process-automation-forum.)
communication protocols, human-machine interface (HMI) For operators, the use of a single HMI will result in a com-
and other related subsystems. mon look and feel. In many aspects, simple aggregation of data
But to be effective, an OPA system will need to function as and logs may meet the basic needs of the designers and sup-
an integrated platform, performing at a level that is greater than port personnel. Using lingo borrowed from the IT world (and
the simple sum of its parts. Achieving this synergy is one of the Star Trek), a federation of heterogeneous systems is one way
more complex tasks facing industry and the OPA Forum (OPAF) to envision those requirements being satisfied. At a minimum,
as it works to create the O-PAS “standard of standards,” where it will be important to provide a uniform user interface that
other existing standards are leveraged to bring forward the best enables users to interact with data from the multiple disparate
of what we've achieved in the evolution of the process industry. databases. Check out O-PAS for a glimpse of the underlying
Indeed, such a common sense of “systemness” will prove critical AutomationML formats for exchange of configuration and appli-
to the adoption and acceptance of this new architecture. cation formats in OPA systems.
In considering areas of system requirements there are six gen-
What is 'systemness'? eral areas of services, including alarm management, application
According to Wikipedia, “systemness” is the state, quality or management, configuration management, security management,
condition of a complex system, that is, a set of interconnected system management and other notifications services.
elements that behave as, or appear to be, a whole, exhibiting be-
havior distinct from the behavior of the parts. Therefore, system- Alarm management systemness
ness is the attribute that will most directly affect the usability of Alarm management is a concept that is generally understood, so
new technology such as an OPA system. it's the easiest to use as an example of systemness. One gener-
Conceptually, OPA is the next step in the evolution of process ally accepted requirement is that an OPA system will aggregate
control systems that have advanced over the decades from local alarm information for one alarm summary from all control nodes
field control to centralized, single-loop control, followed by fully and/or run times. This could be a separate service or the “mas-
proprietary, multi-loop control systems that today incorporate ter” run time, or the HMI system could manage the data.
some open standards as well as commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) The system also needs to manage acknowledgement of
technologies from the broader IT world. alarms as well as other advanced options of the alarm state

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 35

OPEN PROCESS AUTOMATION

ALARM LOGGIING REQUIREMENTS

Figure 1: Log event transitions (green circles) are derived from end-user actions and the HMI system, and some are derived
from process data interaction with alarm design parameters.

engine (shelving, suppression and out-of-service states). As • Alarm data handling on loss of communication between the
defined in the ISA 18 standard, the alarm system is about more controller and the system, and requirements of processing
than just creating alarms. It also includes presenting them on a alarm information on restoration of communication.
panel HMI and/or control console for interaction with operations • Data management on alarm system overloads, including
staff, as well as satisfying requirements related to the alarm log definition of what's shed and buffered.
and historian. Simply put, there's a fair bit of engineering in exist- • Management of complex alarm states (shelving, suppres-
ing systems around alarm management. In an open system, this sion and out of service), all of which have requirements
needs to be recreated to the same requirements (at a minimum). and recommendations for presentation of information to
In managing the alarm state engine, alarm log and alarm his- the end-user in ISA18.2.
torian, it's important to understand the state transition diagram
from ISA 18.2 (Figure 1). From a logging perspective, log event Notifications and other services
transitions can be seen as green circles. Some elements of the Meanwhile, ISA18 Work Group 8 is developing a new standard
log record are derived from end-user actions and the HMI sys- for alerts and other notifications. This effort is ongoing, but
tem, and some are derived from process data interaction with has produced a definition for types of notifications that include
alarm design parameters. Alarm, Alert, Event, Notice and Prompt. Most of these have po-
In a proprietary system, compliance with ISA18.2 is handled tential implications for handling methods and logging.
in the system or in combination with additional software. In For OPA system to be readily usable, the notification systems
OPA, it's important to understand that this may require specific need to appear to the end-user as a single system. It would not
design constructs in the function blocks or application design. be reasonable to expect users to log in to each node contain-
Alarm management can be managed by the controller, the run ing process tags to gather alarm and event data. Logging is
time, the HMI, or ir can be shared among them. Some of the expected to be required for alarms, alerts, “operator” change
key considerations include: events, system status change events and cybersecurity events.
• Persistence of alarm design information, amenable to audit The other services follow a similar pattern of aggregation and
and online enforcement. management of data for applications, system configuration, se-
• Location of the alarm state engine (controller, HMI or both). curity and system aspects of the OPA subsystems:
• Requirements of logging alarm information with a mix of • Application management services include the manage-
configuration, event and process data. ment of persistent data for applications and versions for

36 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 OPEN PROCESS AUTOMATION

Historian External data center

System HMI Apps Historian APC

Operator Engineering
station Station
Business Platform

RTAC Platform

Real time bus

OPEN DCS OPEN PLC GATEWAY GATEWAY DCN GATEWAY GATEWAY GATEWAY GATEWAY GATEWAY

Machine Electrical Wireless

Analyzers SIS
monitoring systems systems

LEGEND Note: Services as part of run time system, as well as some persistent data mangement. System server in RTAC platform reflects location of coordination of multiple run time vendors.

Alarm management Other notification Application management Configuration manage- Security management System management
service service service ment service service service

EXAMPLE OPA ARCHITECTURE

Figure 2: Reference OPA architecture with systemness services indicated. The single letter boxes correspond to the relevant services required for the
indicated subsystems: Alarm, Notification, Application management, Configuration management, Security management and System management.

templates. Further, these services may be able to use The degree of integration of legacy proprietary systems with
“pseudo” containers to help supportability, and leverage the OPA adds complexity to achieving systemness. Simple use of
namespace to manage productivity tools. new OPA controllers from different suppliers is less complex,
• Configuration management services include management though full integration with legacy systems is likely required for
of persistent data for node configuration, and leverage the ease of adoption and acceptance.
namespace to manage productivity tools. Initially, the challenge of OPA systems seemed to be the inte-
• Security management services encompass user security gration of heterogeneous control systems to manage applications
patching and versioning, as well as user roles and privileges. across distributed control nodes. However, for ease of adoption
• System management services encompass system monitor- and acceptance, the more complex challenges may lie in achiev-
ing and logging as well as system performance and report- ing a seamless “system of systems” integration.
ing. (OPAF is looking to leverage Redfish for some aspects
of system management. For more details, O-PAS can be Wood is a member of OPAF and has been active in support of its tech-
referenced at www.dmtf.org/standards/redfish.) nology and business working groups.

Integrating legacy with new Bridget Fitzpatrick is the global technical lead for process automation at
The complexity of managing the systemness of OPA depends Wood. She holds an MBA in technology management from the University
heavily on the level of integration with legacy proprietary sys- of Phoenix and a SB in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts In-
tems. As OPA systems become more commercially available, stitute of Technology (MIT). She sits on the ISA Standards and Practices
distributed control systems and PLC-style systems will likely Board as managing director for the ISA18 (Alarm Management) committee.
integrate into this new architecture. Legacy systems may be mi- She is one of the U.S. experts on the IEC61499 committee. She is also an
grated to interact with these new platforms directly, or potentially ISA Fellow. She can be reached at [email protected].
use gateways for connectivity. The legacy systems may support
only some portions of full systemness of the new technology, Jeffrey Shannon is a director of intelligent operations for Wood. He
while alarms and security are seen as minimum expectations. holds an MBA in project management from the University of Texas at
The single letter boxes in Figure 2 align with the service types Dallas and is a project management professional (PMP). Jeffrey is lead-
noted above. This is an example architecture, loosely based on ing the development effort for the Wood open standards control librar-
the reference OPA architecture. ies. He can be reached at [email protected].

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 37

INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CHALLENGE

Model-based control test stand with the Raspberry Pi controller (left) and
Click PLC controller (right). In both images, heater unplugged for visibility.

When a process control application calls for more than a conventional loop, is the best platform
a powerful single-board microcontroller or a basic PLC? Here are the findings.

IN 2017, Control’s sister publication, Control Design, pub- Process model and control strategy
lished an article demonstrating how an Arduino single-board Creating a process model requires a detailed, quantitative under-
microcontroller for do-it-yourself applications could control a standing of how several factors affect outlet temperature: water
flow loop when integrated with industrial-grade instruments flowing in, energy applied to the heating element, and warmer
and control devices. It compared this inexpensive “maker” water flowing out. The goal is maintaining a desired outlet water
approach to using a simple and commercially available indus- temperature under all conditions (Figure 1). All process param-
trial programmable logic controller (PLC) configured to carry eters (Figure 2) work together to determine one thing—how
out the identical task. much to run the heater to achieve desired output temperature.
The widespread interest generated by the story suggested (For a more detailed discussion of the process model, control
a follow-up investigation using more complex controllers for algorithm. close-up images of the experimental set-up and other
a more demanding process. The new challenge: performing details visit the online extra version of this article at controlglobal.
model-based control with two input variables using a Raspberry com/articles/2020/raspberry-pi-vs-plc-for-model-based-control.)
Pi compared to performing the same task with a basic PLC. To verify proper operation, the outlet temperature is measured
The process in this case is a small hot-water heater. The ob- but isn't fed to the controller. It appears simply on a display to
jective is to control the output temperature, not with a PID loop verify the reading.
or high/low thermostat-like control, but by measuring the inlet This project’s objective is to perform the same functions on
water temperature and flow rate, and calculating the amount of two different platforms: a standard industrial PLC using ladder-
added heat necessary to reach the outlet temperature setpoint. logic programming, and a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B programmed
This approach provides a more immediate process adjustment in Python under the Raspbian OS (based on Linux OS). Both
for two variable inputs, and should keep the temperature more hardware platforms use the same sensors and control interfaces.
stable than a conventional loop. The test setup represents any The input flow is measured by an Emerson Rosemount
process where two independent and unrelated inputs, in this 3051SFP integral orifice differential pressure flowmeter. It commu-
case flow and inlet temperature, affect output in a predictable nicates via a 4-20 mA current loop. The input temperature sensor
way allowing the process model to respond to both. uses a 100-ohm platinum resistance temperature detector (RTD),

38 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CHALLENGE

mounted at the inlet to the water heater. A and control the zero-voltage switch. A RTD Input Module purchased at a ham-
solid-state Triac relay with a zero-voltage breakout board provides screw terminal fest flea market does the job. This device
switching interface controls AC power to access to the GPIO pins, while passing provides a 0-5 V output for a -100 to 100
the water heater, driven by a single-bit, necessary signals up to the A/D module. ˚C temperature range. Given the 0-3.3 V
discrete output from the controller. This results in a stack of three boards environment, an op-amp circuit is required
supported by the pins: Raspberry Pi 3 to provide necessary scaling. The current-
Hardware implementation on the bottom, breakout board in the loop input for the flowmeter was simpler, as
While it’s important to demonstrate that middle, and A/D module on top. a 165 ohm resistor converts the current to
each controller option can execute the The pushbutton and control potenti- a non-isolated voltage scaled for the 3.3 V
control challenge successfully, design ometer interfaces are straightforward and analog input.
and implementation experiences are also connected directly. The zero-voltage switch A small printed wiring board (PWB) was
key differentiators. is isolated, but requires more voltage than designed to handle all of this circuitry. The
The PLC implementation uses Auto- the 0-3.3 V Raspberry Pi GPIO pin. RTDs Raspberry Pi depends on all of the func-
mationDirect’s Click PLC hardware: require external conditioning to produce a tions provided by this PWB, while the Click
• C0-12DD1E-2-D Ethernet analog PLC; suitable signal for A/D inputs. Rather than PLC only uses the power line sensing cir-
• C0-04RTD temperature input module design a signal-conditioning circuit from cuit and the zero-voltage switch circuit as
for the RTDs; scratch, an old Analog Devices 5B34-01 a tie point.
• C0-04AD-1 4-20 mA input module for
the flowmeter; and
ELECTRICAL POWER IN
• C0-01AC 24 Vdc power supply.
The PLC includes an Ethernet inter- PROCESS GOAL:
face for programming, discrete inputs Maintain the output water temperature
PROCESS (TOUT) at a desired temperature.
and outputs, and 0-10 V analog inputs. CONTROLLER
TOUT is not available as a control input
The flowmeter and RTD connect directly
to their respective modules.
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B v1.2 is,
WATER HEATED
for all practical purposes, a personal FIN TIN WATER WATER
IN HEATER OUT
computer motherboard. It includes:
• Quad Core 1.2 GHz Broadcom and
BCM2837 64-bit CPU with 1 Gb RAM;
• 10/100 wired Ethernet RJ45; SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM
• 4 0-pin extended GPIO; and Figure 1: The process controller acts entirely on the process model and does not have a measurement of
• Micro-SD port for loading the OS and TOUT available. Based on FIN and TIN, the program determines how much heat needs to be added.
storing data.
That’s quite a bit for a very low price,
HEAT ADDED ELECTRICALLY
making it attractive for this type of project.
On the other hand, the Raspberry Pi has PHEATER – Electrical power to water heater

few mechanisms to interface with industrial HEATER

devices. It has a set of general-purpose I/O USTG – Heat in stored water
INPUT HEAT FLOW DESIRED OUTPUT HEAT FLOW
(GPIO) signals that can be programmed as TSTG – Stored water temperature
(Water flowing in) (Heated water flowing out)
VSTG – Volume of stored water
inputs or outputs, and can be used to trig-
FIN – Input flow rate FOUT – O utput flow rate
ger interrupts. However, it lacks any native (measured) (same as FIN)
analog I/O capability. TIN – Input water TIN – Output water temperature
HEAT FLOW DUE TO
Fortunately, there are boards to plug temperature (assumed to equal TSTG)
THERMAL LEAKAGE
(measured)
onto the GPIO pins to provide this capa- PLOSS – Heat loss to environment
bility, including a Makerfabs ORS1115AD TAMB – Environment temperature
four-channel A/D module used here.
This provides four, 16-bit, 0-3.3 V analog
inputs (no live zero) with a screw termi- PROCESS MODEL PARAMETERS
nal strip to simplify wiring. We still need Figure 2: The model depends on a critical quantitative understanding of all the variable and
access to some GPIO pins to sense the constant characteristics of the process.
power line, read the start pushbutton,

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 39

INDUSTRIAL CONTROL CHALLENGE

Programming approaches As a practical matter, the Raspberry Pi, with its multitask-
The Click PLC and Raspberry Pi provide radically different pro- ing operating system is not a good fit for this sort of real-time
gramming environments. The PLC uses traditional ladder logic, control. It could shine as an operator interface since it integrates
while the Raspberry Pi allows a plethora of programming lan- monitor, keyboard and mouse with a file system on an SD card,
guage possibilities, although Python is the out-of-the-box choice. but it needs a great deal of effort to create industrial interfaces.
Click PLC programming software runs on a Windows PC, provid- With better interfaces and a more robust physical arrangement
ing a graphical interface for creating the ladder logic, download- than stacking fragile boards, it would be more competitive.
ing it to the PLC, and monitoring execution. For all the Raspberry A detailed cost analysis is not part of this investigation, but
Pi programming and operating, we worked with a monitor, key- there are some general observations. From a standpoint of raw
board and mouse connected to the controller. product costs, the PLC platform solution clearly costs more than
The Click PLC is programmed using ladder logic, where ev- the consumer electronics implementation. However, factoring in
ery action depends on conditions. With every scan, the internal the additional engineering effort to create hardware interfaces and
processor evaluates inputs and other internal state conditions, programming labor to replicate typical PLC functionality makes the
defining which actions to do. Thus, when a one-second timer Raspberry Pi less attractive. In addition, there is a question of how
completes, the flow and inlet temperature are read. Another con- robust each solution is for industrial applications.
tact representing the 60 Hz power line timing input coordinates
the zero-voltage switch control. Click PLCs allow the rising and fall- Industrial suitability
ing edges of a signal to be used, and are fast enough to recognize A user considering choosing one of these approaches for a seri-
each AC cycle and operate the zero-voltage switch as needed. ous industrial application has to ask, “Which do we want on our
Raspberry Pi controllers are extremely flexible, but Python pro- equipment?” With a PLC there is generally more automation-spe-
gramming was chosen for simplicity. Python is procedural, execut- cific processing going on in the background than is evident when
ing statements in top-to-bottom order. When started, it executes an looking at the program. This enhanced functionality would need
initial function, and can call other functions in response to external to be carefully added into a Raspberry Pi implementation.
events. Three functions provide the initialization, one-second read- PLCs include software watchdogs, keeping an eye on the
ings of inlet temperature and flow, and the 60 Hz heater control. program to make sure it is executing as it should. For exam-
ple, poor programming could lead to an endless loop, causing
Overall impressions a harmful and potentially dangerous out-of-control situation.
Both the Raspberry Pi and the Click PLC can run the program, The software watchdog monitors the duration of each program
drive the heater, and maintain a specified outlet temperature. scan. If a given scan isn't completed in the allowable time, the
But for simplicity and effectiveness, the Click PLC was the clear dog will bark, fault the PLC, and put it into a safe state while
winner for its straightforward programming, consistent behavior alerting the operator.
and use of ladder logic that avoids critical regions with asynchro- Theoretically, equivalent internal monitoring capabilities could
nous execution. be added to a Raspberry Pi’s programming, but a user would
From a hardware perspective, the PLC natively supports RTD have to write the routines from scratch or find existing software.
signal conditioning and 4-20 mA current loop instruments. The The range of automation platform options is the greatest it has
only interface needing external circuitry was the 60 Hz detection ever been and will continue to grow. This is good, but it means
from the AC power line. users must research thoroughly and choose carefully to obtain
The Raspberry Pi software, using its native Python program- the best result. Our investigation found that commercially avail-
ming environment, took us barely a day to write and debug. able industrialized products cost more than systems created
But, since Python is procedural and this application is interrupt from consumer electronics controllers, but include significant
driven, it creates a layer of complexity to avoid timing problems. mission-specific hardware and software benefits. Do-it-yourself
Also, the Raspberry Pi runs a variant of the Linux operating sys- options can be cost-effective, but require considerable attention
tem, which must multitask operations including the system I/O to properly integrate hardware and software.
interfaces, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and more. This adds un-
certainty for executing faster, near-real-time program tasks. Doug Reneker is a retired electrical engineer and circuit designer who
Finding all the I/O hardware needed for the Raspberry PI was worked for Bell Labs, Recon/Optical and Arris. He has B.S. and M.S.
a chore. The pass-through breakout board was available in the degrees in electrical engineering from Iowa State University. Contact
“maker” section of a local computer store, but an online search him at [email protected].
was needed to find the analog module, which had to be shipped
from China. Since the analog module only senses 0-3.3 V, signal William Shaffer is a mobile QA analyst in the financial services industry
conditioning was required for both the RTD and flowmeter, re- through Accenture and Revature. He has a B.S. in mathematics from
quiring us to design a custom PWB. Wheaton College.

40 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 ASK THE EXPERTS

D/P transmitter missteps; Venturi or flow nozzle?

Our experts address differential pressure transmitters used for level applications, as well as Venturi vs. flow
nozzle recommendations

Q: I have the following questions concerning a 4. W hen there is 10% of liquid filled up, how will This column is moderated
conventional level detection differential pressure liquid create head on the transmitter (high by Béla Lipták
(D/P) transmitter which is installed above the up- pressure side)? (http://belaliptakpe.com/),
per pressure tap. Please see sketch of the appli- 5. How do we ensure that liquid head will be act- automation and safety
cation (Figure 1). ing on the high-pressure leg all the time (with- consultant and editor of the
We have used a conventional D/P transmitter— out any vapor pocket) when the actual level Instrument and Automation
not one with a diaphragm seal. The reason for inside the tank is 10-15%? Engineers’ Handbook
keeping the transmitter above the top nozzle is to 6. How do we ensure that density of vapor will be (IAEH). If you have an
drain any condensate back to the vessel/tank. My the same on impulse tubing (particularly on low automation-related question
questions follow: pressure side), so that the chance of measure- for this column, write to
1. Can we the put level transmitter above the up- ment error will be minimized? [email protected].
per nozzle? JATIN KATRODIYA
2. Please help me to derive the equation of LRV [email protected]
and URV to be set when conventional D/P
transmitter is kept above the above nozzle. I've A1: The operating pressure creates serious prob-
seen a majority of level transmitters installed at lems. It's my experience that everything leaks; the
lower nozzle or below the lower nozzle for head only question is how much. It would be very dif-
measurement. So, for this arrangement, what is ficult to keep the high-pressure sensing line filled
the impact on calibration range when the trans- only with gas.
mitter is installed above the top nozzle? Your scheme as shown will most likely fail to
3. Is this arrangement, which does not include work even at startup. If the pressure was low
diaphragm seal, seal pot or purging, allowed enough, I would suggest a purge on both con-
per international standards such as API best nections. That will require a compressed gas
practices? source. I would prefer to use remote chemical
seals in this service.
CULLEN LANGFORD
LT [email protected]
– + E = 200

DUM = 100 A2: You certainly have a non-conforming installa-

100%
tion. Most installations locate the lower leg below
TL HUN = 5000 the tank, and use diaphragm seals on both legs.
Calibration range

Unless the “high pressure” (HP) leg is a filled

tube with diaphragm seals on both sides, I don’t
see how the high pressure from liquid level and
vapor pressure can get to the level transmitter.
If your high pressure leg is diaphragm sealed
0%
DLM = 100
and filled with an inert transfer fluid, it will appear
TL
HLN = 100
to the level transmitter as the head (pressure) of
the transfer fluid plus the head of the liquid in the
tank plus the pressure head of the vapor space.
The low pressure (LP) side will see only the pres-
PROPOSED D/P LEVEL CONFIGURATION sure of the vapor space. When you subtract the
Figure 1: Condensate drain-back into tank by HP pressure from the LP (the reading of the trans-
locating the level transmitter above the tank. mitter) you will have the liquid level in the tank

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 41

ASK THE EXPERTS

plus the head of the HP leg. Since the HP leg is a constant, it have to be taken into account for selecting one or the other, and
can be removed by setting the zero point of the level transmitter. which is preferred and why so?
Now you should be able to do your math. M. ULANGATHAM
DICK CARO Instrument Engineer
ISA Life Fellow [email protected]
[email protected]
A1: In general, you want to use Venturi measurement when the
A3: If for some reason you don't want to use chemical seals range is small, say less than 100 in. H2O, and nozzles when you
or purge both connections, but you do want the condensate to have a larger flow range. Most Venturi meters you'll calibrate for
drain back into the tank, you can follow Figure 2 and reverse the 0-10 or 0-25 in. H2O. Flow nozzles work basically as a restriction
output of the transmitter. Naturally, you have to correct for the orifice (RO), so use the same basic principle.
density difference between that of the ambient temperature con- ALEX (ALEJANDRO) VARGA
densate and the density of liquid in the tank. [email protected]
BÉLA LIPTÁK
[email protected] A2: The flow nozzle is a prefered choice for steam flow mea-
surement.
DEBASIS GUHA
[email protected]
Condensing
chamber
Slope A3: This is a common question, so I'll give you a more detailed
answer.
The meter coefficient of a typical orifice is about 0.62, while
Boiling fluid
that of a Venturi or flow nozzle is almost one (0.99). Therefore,
at the same ∆P and the same ß ratio (diameter of restriction
divided by the pipe inside diameter), these meters pass about
40% more flow than an orifice.
The big difference between them is in their cost and pres-
sure recovery. The cost of the Venturi is higher, say about
LP
$6,000 for an 8 in. cast iron one, while an 8 in. aluminum noz-
LT zle is about $1,200. At a beta ratio of 0.5, a standard Venturi
HP
recovers about 85% of its differential, while at the same beta
ratio, an ASME flow nozzle only recovers about 35% of its dif-
ALTERATE D/P LEVEL SOLUTION ferential. Consequently, because of the high pressure recovery
Figure 2: Seal-less D/P level measurement solution as often of the Venturi, its operating costs are much lower. As a result,
applied to boiling fluids. the savings in pumping costs can quickly compensate for the
initial price difference.
Among the two, the Venturi is more accurate, about 1% full
Venturi vs. flow nozzle? scale (FS), while the flow nozzle is about 2% FS. The rangeabil-
Q. Working as an instrument engineer in the oil and gas in- ity of both is about 4:1. The straight run requirement of nozzles
dustry, I've specified a flow measuring device as an orifice are longer (10-30 diameters) than Venturis (5-20 diameters), but
meter, but while sizing with maximum beta ratio, the result- not that much. Flow nozzles are available in a largerr range of
ing permanent pressure loss is higher than what the process beta-ratio (0.3-0.7). And as far as installation goes, flow nozzles
department allowed as the maximum allowable pressure drop. should be installed downflow when used on wet gases, wet
Hence, it's understood that orifice will not be suitable for this steam or liquids with suspended solids, but neither meter should
measurement purpose, and I'm considering some alternatives be used on slurries or dirty fluids.
for the process conditions and line size. As an alternative to With Venturi meters, cavitation can be a problem when the
the orifice, in order to meet the process maximum allowable downstream pressure of a liquid drops below the fluid's vapor
pressure drop, we decided to go with either a Venturi or flow pressure. Bubbles form, and cavitation can destroy the throat of
nozzle primary element. the meter. The bottom line is: because your process people are
Now, I don't know which to chose. Can you suggest the fac- concerned about pressure loss, a Venturi should be used.
tors or considerations in which a Venturi meter is preferred to a BÉLA LIPTÁK
flow nozzle or vice versa? What are the basic considerations that liptakbela @aol.com

42 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 ROUNDUP

Controllers overrun constraints

PLCs, PACs and PCs capitalize on innovations to deliver enhanced capabilities

ARDUINO-COMPATIBLE CONTROLLER PLATFORM SMART DEVICE OPENNESS, PLC RELIABILITY

ProductivityOpen open-source, PLCnext open control platform
Arduino-compatible control- combines IEC 61131 programming
ler platform has the features with open-source languages like
of a standard Arduino, plus Linux. Users can access its core
the power and reliability of an via Linux, and use open-source or
industrial controller. It's also their own Linux-based applications
cULus listed, CE approved and on its hardened control platform.
backed by a two-year warranty. The processor circuit of the con- PLCnext let users program controllers with high-level languages.
troller's P1AM-100 Arduino-compatible CPU mimics the Arduino It's also IIoT-ready, and integrates with Proficloud service for
MKRZero microcontroller. P1AM-100 is compatible with most easy access to dashboard data and alarms using time-series
available Arduino MKR format shields and/or ProductivityOpen data. It can also connect to IoT platforms, and its PLCnext Engi-
shields, and can use Arduino open-source sketch programs. neer software allows intuitive development.
AUTOMATIONDIRECT PHOENIX CONTACT
www.automationdirect.com/arduino-cpu 800-322-3225; www.phoenixcontact.com/open

PANEL COMBINES PLC AND HMI ¼-DIN PREDICTIVE PID CONTROLLER

Touch Panel 600 control panel 535 Process ¼ DIN PID process con-
combines the features of a PLC troller has a 10-times-per-second sam-
and HMI in a single device. pling rate, universal process input and
It's equipped with a quad-core modular, field interchangeable outputs.
processor, which provides high- It has an RS-485 serial communica-
performance control, as well as tions interface, and its Powertune tun-
immaculate graphic resolution. ing includes three tuning versions: Pretune lets the 535 learn a
Touch Paneol 600 also features multiple fieldbus ports, supporting process and self-set PID tuning parameters. Powerback prevents
numerous cloud protocols. In addition, this control panel also has overshooting of setpoint. Adaptive Tuning lets the 535 continu-
four configurable, digital I/O points that provide direct input into the ally look for load variances.
controller, and can be wired to many commonly used devices. MOORE INDUSTRIES-INTERNATIONAL INC.
WAGO CORP. 818-894-7111; www.miinet.com/InterfaceSolutionDownloadCenter/Prod-
800-346-7245; www.wago.com/us/touchpanels/600 ucts.aspx?product=154

IPC WITH COMPACT, FANLESS DESIGN CONTROL, FLOW INTEGRATED FOR REMOTE OPS
C6025 industrial PC has an Open Secure Automation (OSA) Remote
ultra-compact, fanless design, +
Flow platform integrates Flow-Cal algo-
and uses low-power, eighth- rithms and PLC/PAC/RTU functions in a
generation Intel Core i U pro- cybersecure, palm-sized, all-metal module.
cessors. C6025 measures 82 x Using free IEC 61131-3 software,
127 x 40 mm, and is Microsoft users can configure oil and gas
Azure certified. It has an alu- measurements and custody trans-
minum and zinc diecast enclosure, and features up to four CPU fers with 10-20 I/O; program I/O and
cores; 4 GB DDR4 RAM (expandable to 8 GB); 40 GB M.2 SSD controls in the field; and connect via standard protocols. It also
with 3D flash memory; 1 x DisplayPort video connector; 4 x USB features up to 64GB secure Flash memory, 512 MB program
3.0 ports; on-board Ethernet controller with 3 x 100/1000Base-T memory, multicore ARM Cortex processors, and a -40 °C to 80
ports; and 0 °C to 50 °C operating temperature range. °C operating range.
BECKHOFF AUTOMATION BEDROCK AUTOMATION
877-TwinCAT (877-894-6228); www.beckhoff.com/c6025 https://bedrockautomation.com/products/bedrock-osa-flow

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 43

ROUNDUP

I/O COMBINES SENSING, DATA PROCESSING TWO INDUSTRIAL THIN CLIENTS

groov RIO intelligent, distributed, Ether- BTC12 and
net-based, input/output (I/O) combines BTC14 thin cli-
multi-signal, multifunction sensing with ents have Visu-
PoE-powered, edge data processing that Net RM Shell 5
instantly connects real-world signals to IIoT firmware for security and stability, and Intel Apollo Lake and
connections, software and the cloud with- AMD Ryzen processors that support workstation setups with up
out intermediary controls or communication to four monitors. BTC12 has two DisplayPort connections for
hardware. The first shipping version of groov dual video outputs, supporting 4K (Ultra HD) resolution at 60
RIO, GRV-R7-MM1001-10, is a standalone, Hz. BTC14 has four DisplayPorts for quad video. They're built
10-channel, multi-signal, multifunction I/O on an aluminum chassis with a fanless design, and weigh less
unit that supports 12 types of field I/O circuits, making it ca- than five pounds each. They have a safe operating range of 20
pable of over 52,000 I/O combinations. °C to 60 °C and no moving parts.
OPTO 22 PEPPERL+FUCHS
800-321-6786; www.opto22.com www.pepperl-fuchs.com

PANEL PC PUTS CONTROL ROOM IN THE FIELD INTUITIVE TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Experion Panel PC (PPC) is a PM Plus is an enhanced, more
touch-panel PC that brings Ex- intuitive version of the EZ-Zone
perion control room capabilities PM temperature controller, and
the field for the first time. It's features an improved user inter-
interoperability and more effi- face for easier set up, program-
cient operational workflows can ming and readability. PM Plus
reduce annual maintenance has a bright, full-color front-
and integration efforts by up to 3%. Experion PPC combines panel display with easy-to-read characters and color coding vis-
proven Experion HMI with touchscreen functionality on an opti- ible from many angles. It also has a smooth-touch keypad, which
mized, true-widescreen 1080p display, improving field operator eliminates legacy rubber buttons that can wear out. The new
effectiveness by up to 20% in abnormal situations. It's certified keypad also eliminates contamination points and creates a better
for Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations. seal on the front of the controller.
HONEYWELL PROCESS SOLUTIONS WATLOW
www.honeywellprocess.com 800-WATLOW2 (928-5692); www.watlow.com

PLC MOUNTS ON HMI IPC WITH 42-INCH TOUCHSCREEN

Fatek HB1 main unit PLC can 4150 series industrial PC (IPC)
be mounted on the back of has a 42-in. industrial LCD
Fatek P5 HMI, work seamlessly touchscreen option. This NEMA
with it, and meet automa- 4X/IP66 industrial system can
tion requirements with limited be mounted directly on the fac-
space. Despite their compact tory floor, enabling operators
size, Fatek PLCs have more than 300 instructions that provide a in processing facilities to easily
user-friendly, readable multi-input and output function structure. view critical operational data and control machinery. With up to
An NC position control is incorporated into the patented system 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 4150 can be customized to include
on a chip (SoC) developed for Fatek, which integrates PLC+NC a projective capacitive touchscreen, affording operators better
control into one unit to enhance resource sharing and reduce visibility, control and access to production line performance; in-
the need for data exchange. creasing safety, efficiency, performance and production.
ROHTEK AUTOMATION DAISY DATA DISPLAYS
425-328-8445; www.rohtekautomation.com 717-903-5595; www.daisydata.com

44 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 ROUNDUP

FIRST CERTIFIED TO IEC 62443-4-2 LIBRARY FOR APPS OUTSIDE LADDER

Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5580 control- e-RT3 is an extended ver-
ler is reported to be the first certified sion of the FA-M3 PLC that
compliant with the IEC 62443-4-2 secu- lets users develop solutions
rity standard. Certification by TÜV Rhe- outside ladder logic. It uses
inland confirms it meets the standard’s a Linux-based operating
security requirements. ControlLogix 5580 system, and execute ap-
achieved compliance by adding security plications programmed in
features to its firmware, including: user C/C++ in conjunction with digital I/O, analog I/O and peripheral
identification and authentication; continu- interfaces. A library of more than 90 preconfigured applications
ous monitoring and logging; integrity checks to help ensure the and open-source resources, such as Apache (HTTP server), PHP
controller hasn't been altered. (script), TCPDF (ledger sheets), CUPS (printer server), PosgreSQL/
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION SQLLite3 (databases) allow fast development, testing and start-up.
https://ab.rockwellautomation.com/Programmable-Controllers/ YOKOGAWA CORP. OF AMERICA
ControlLogix/5580-Controllers www.yokogawa.com/us and contact number 18008886400

DATA-SENSING GATEWAY FOR EDGE AND IIOT CONTROLLER HAS A-B RIO/DH+ PORT
UNO-420 data gateway has an SoftPLC NeoPAC is an open-architecture
Intel Atom E3815 processor and PAC with almost unlimited memory, and
three configurable COM ports, two GB Ethernet and RS-485 ports configu-
LAN ports (one PoE-in), eight pro- rable for multiple protocols. Its Allen-Brad-
grammable GPIO, one HDMI, and ley “bluehose” port can interface with Data
one USB 3.0—all for connecting Highway Plus (DH+) or A-B Remote I/O
legacy equipment to new mesh (RIO) networks. NeoPAC can be connected
networks. It has a compact form factor (125 x 125 x 50 mm to Ethernet or serial I/O, while also con-
(4.92 x 4.92 x 1.97 in.) and supports a wide operating range necting to new and old Rockwell controllers
of -20 ~ 60 °C (-4 ~ 140 °F). UNO-420 also supports Wi-Fi, as a peer. This lets A-B PLC user upgrade obsolete devices and
Bluetooth, 3G, 4G/LTE and NB-IoT wireless modules for long- other RIO or DH+ devices without changing the A-B controller or
distance, real-time communications. buying interface modules.
ADVANTECH SOFTPLC CORP.
www.advantech.com 800-SoftPLC, 512-264-8390; http://softplc.com

IIOT-READY CPU WITH MQTT SAFETY PLC HOT SWAPS

EZRack PLC/PAC with ABB Jokab Safety Pluto
IIoT-ready CPU and MQTT safety PLC enables hot swap-
protocol is Sparkplug B- ping by removing the old
enabled for connectivity to terminal caps and pushing a
Ignition SCADA software. It button. It can also reload its
has a three-, five- or seven- program in seconds by push-
slot base; is programmed ing a button. These features
via built-in Ethernet, USB, micro USB and two serial ports; and are in Jokab Safety Pluto's network, standalone, ASI and analog
supports EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/IP and RTU, EZRack TCP/ versions. It also supports traditional dual-channel and ABB Dyn-
IP and ASCII In/Out protocols. EZRack does historical and real- Link dynamic-pulse architectures, which maintain a Perfor-
time data logging, while its USB port can log data locally. It sup- mance Level e, Category 4 (PLe, Cat. 4). It also has advanced
ports an external USB flash drive up to 64 GB. diagnostics that allow quick identification of an error’s location.
EZAUTOMATION ABB
www.ezautomation.net/ezrackplc/ezrackplc www.abb.com

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 45

 CONTROL TALK

The future is here

Greg McMillan unloads five decades of instrumentation and control wisdom on an
unsuspecting protégé

GREG: The dozens of experts I knew who led the Algorithms and Performance. I'm hoping to make
many advances in instrumentation, modeling and difference—but time is running out.
control at major chemical companies such as The enthusiasm and participation by more than
Monsanto and DuPont, and at automation system 50 members in the ISA Mentor Program and over
suppliers such as Fisher Controls and Foxboro, 30 members in ISA S&P 5.9 offer a ray of hope.
are retired. Nearly all of the remaining experts I To help provide some guidance and motivation, I
know are eligible for senior discounts. I especially offer the following conversation with a protégé.
miss Greg Shinskey and my colleague Terry Toll- If you are successful, my career is successful.
iver, who I consider leaders in PID control. I am
nearing the end of the line myself after 50 years in Protégé: What basic understanding do I need?
the process industry starting out in instrumenta-
tion and electrical (I&E) design and construction, Greg: Engineers tend to operate in a box made
moving on to engineering technology at Monsanto of project time and money objectives. You need
and then process control improvement at its spin- to think outside the box. Copy jobs are a step
GREG MCMILLAN off Solutia, and ending up in research and devel- backwards in time. The cheapest instrumentation
opment at Emerson. is not the best. The increase in price is insignifi-
Gregory K. McMillan captures the I see a huge gap in expertise between the peak cant compared to the increase in maintenance
wisdom of talented leaders in in publications by these experts and the result- cost and the potentially much larger cost of a loss
process control, and adds his ing advances in improving process control and in process performance. Understanding the real
perspective based on more than now. It's extremely strange that all the books by price you pay is critical. Instrumentation provides
50 years of experience, cartoons Greg Shinskey are out of print by the publishers. the window into the process. Automation provides
by Ted Williams, and (web-only) The mistaken opinion that we have made all the the means of affecting the process, but is only as
Top 10 lists. Find more of Greg's advancements in process control to be made— good as the measurements, controllers and the fi-
conceptual and principle-based expressed by some and implied by the IIoT being nal control elements (e.g., control valves and vari-
knowledge in his Control Talk blog. the total future solution—has been damaging. able frequency drives).
Greg welcomes comments and col- The loss of expertise at the management level The worst disturbances are self-inflicted in
umn suggestions at ControlTalk@ has furthered the lack of recognition of opportuni- terms of variability caused by deficiencies in in-
putman.net ties in process control improvement, resulting in strumentation and automation. Most of the pro-
an emphasis on schedule and budget and more cess disturbances arising from changes in raw
data. Nothing could be further from the truth, just materials and environmental conditions (e.g., day
based on what new expertise and associated op- to night) are slower and thus easier to handle. The
portunities I've developed in the past 10 years. I’m sudden changes caused by instrumentation, inter-
seeing go largely untapped the power of instru- locks, sequences, setpoint changes and manual
mentation that has an order of magnitude better operator actions and the oscillations from interac-
accuracy, and configurable controllers that have tion and limit cycles are most disruptive.
an order of magnitude more functionality.
I'm doing what I can to stop this trend. I'm Protégé: How can I reduce process variability with
writing feature articles and Control Talk columns better instrumentation?
capturing the expertise of practitioners before
they exit the scene, giving presentations at key Greg: Repeatability, resolution, rangeability, reli-
conferences, updating my ISA books, leading the ability and response time (5Rs) are most impor-
ISA Mentor Program with Hunter Vegas, and form- tant. While offsets can be corrected by upper
ing the ISA 5.9 Standards and Practices (S&P) loops and by calibration, you're stuck with the
committee to generate a technical report on PID sudden changes caused by scatter from poor

46 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 CONTROL TALK

repeatability, the steps and limit cycles valve offer the best response time. valve design (e.g., actuator, positioner,
from a resolution limit, the noise and er- Never use valves designed for mini- booster, connections, packing) and as-
ratic readings when exceeding range- mum leakage as throttling valves. These sociated PID tuning and options (e.g.,
ability, dramatic losses from failures by valves, originally designed for on-off external-reset feedback) are optimized to
reliability deficiencies, and the dead time service, are attractive from a standpoint get the most out of associated measure-
from slow response times. of price and as well as capacity, but ments and automation.
For example, resistance temperature have terrible resolution. They'll often
detectors (RTDs) have much better re- lie to a smart positioner through a shaft Protégé: How can I reduce process vari-
peatability, resolution and rangeability feedback that doesn't match actual plug, ability by better automation?
than thermocouples. Instrument selec- ball or disk position due to linkages and
tion and installation should still minimize connections and types of actuators and Greg: A control loop can't stop the ef-
offsets, especially when caused by signif- excessive seat or seal friction. Use tight fect of a disturbance until it sees the
icant drift, and correction by calibration shutoff valves in series with throttling disturbance and affects the process at
requires removal of the sensor from the valve for isolation. It's important that the the point of proper correction. This cor-
process. Drift is an order of magnitude timing and speed of the throttling valve responds to the total loop dead time.
less for RTDs (besides the sensitivity be- opening and closing be coordinated with If the total loop dead time were zero,
ing an order of magnitude better), which that of the isolation valve to prevent ham- I would be out of job because tuning
is important because upper temperature mer, flashing and plugging. could provide immediate and complete
loops require tight control at right operat- Google the Control Talk columns correction (assuming the 5Rs were not a
ing point, and calibration requires sensor “Meeting of minds” and “Meeting of limitation). Instrumentation and automa-
removal and insertion in a bath or dry minds encore” for much more on the tion is the largest source of dead time in
block. Thermowell design and installation best temperature and pH measurement most loops. The good news is this is un-
sets reliability and response time. design and installation practices, plus the der your control and you can determine
Magnetic flowmeters and especially importance of these best practices for your own fate. Minimize the dead time
Coriolis meters have much better repeat- process performance. Then Google the created by lags and delays due to poor
ability, resolution, rangeability and reli- Control feature article, “How to specify control valve designs just noted, sensor
ability than differential head meters and valves and positioners that don’t compro- response time, transportation delays
vortex meters. The installation cost is mise performance” for a detailed look at due to sensor and transmitter damping
lower, and the maintainability and accu- how to ensure every aspect of a control settings, signal filter times, and update
racy are much better as well through the
elimination of impulse lines and piping
system requirements for upstream and
downstream straight lengths.
High-temperature glass electrodes and
good installations practices can eliminate
reliability and response time problems
in pH measurements due to aging and
coatings. Sliding stem control valves with
ultra-low friction (ULF) packing, dia-
phragm actuators and a ratio of valve to
system pressure drop greater than 0.25
provide the best resolution and range-
ability. If rotary valves are needed due
to plugging or size, splined connections
instead of pinned or keylock connec-
tions of actuator shaft to stem and a stem
integrally cast with ball or disk greatly re-
duce backlash that comes into play with
resolution limit. Digital positioners tuned
with high gain (no integral) action with a
volume booster if necessary on the posi- See the online version of this article for the Top 10 “Tarbul thangs” likely to trigger a “Go-on
tioner output with a slightly open bypass git,” from a Texas plant manager, as well as direct links to supporting articles.

www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 47

CONTROL TALK

or execution times of transmitters and Eliminate manual and incorrect ac- ing and runaway processes, very slow
controllers. Realize that resolution limits tions by operators. Develop procedure and large nearly undamped oscillations
create a dead time that's the percent automation and state-based control in will result. Most people think too high a
resolution limit divided by the signal per- the digital twin, and deploy to automate PID gain causes oscillations and try to
cent rate of change. the special actions needed during startup reduce the gain, making the oscillations
Use feedforward and ratio control and and transitions, and to deal with abnor- worse. The solution is to first increase
tuning of control loops to provide the best mal operation, including equipment and the reset time by one or more orders of
correction for load disturbances that are instrumentation failures. Improve the magnitude to see if you have violated
on the process input. Most disturbances human-machine interface (HMI), state- this window of allowable controller gains.
are not on the process output as seen based alarms and alarm management, If you need more control action, you
in many control theory textbooks, which so the operator isn't misled and knows then need to see how much you can
means that correction needs to arrive on exactly what needs to be done and if decrease the reset time setting without
the process input at the same time and the automation system is doing its job or starting an oscillation. If you still need
size with opposite sign as the distur- needs help. The HMI and operators must more feedback correction, try to in-
bance. Feedforward dynamic compen- provide details of deficiencies for system crease the PID gain setting.
sation and tuning to reject disturbances improvements. Note that automation
are important. Minimize oscillations from greatly helps improve the repeatability of Protégé: How can I convince manage-
interaction and resonance with other corrective actions, enabling a much bet- ment of the value of process control im-
loops and violation of the cascade loop ter diagnosis of problems and identifica- provement?
rule that the secondary loop must be five tion of corrections needed.
times faster than primary loop by tuning Automation offers a very repeatable Greg: Go beyond your job script. De-
and PID options, such as external-reset response (again, assuming the 5Rs are velop examples with online metrics in the
feedback noted in the Control Talk blog not a limitation), transferring variabil- digital twin with a first-principle model
“Missed opportunities in process control ity from important controlled variables and the imported automation system
– part 3.” (e.g., process outputs) to manipulated plus a modeling of the 5Rs to serve as a
Work with operations and process en- variables (e.g., process inputs). Thus, dynamic working example showing the
gineering to get the best control strategy manipulated variables must be included monetary value of increased process ef-
and online metrics to achieve process as inputs for data analytics and syn- ficiency and/or capacity. You may need
objectives using a pairing of controlled chronization with uncontrolled process to do this on your own time. To develop
and manipulated variables that gives the outputs done for continuous processes. knowledge of what's truly important to
best compensation of load disturbances Use a digital twin with first-principle improving the process and automation
as seen in the relative gain array. Use a models to help determine whether cor- system, read articles and books by Greg
digital twin for exploration, development, relations identified by data analytics are Shinskey and key members of ISA S&P
prototyping, testing, training and con- truly cause-and-effect relationships. committees. Ask ISA to include you as a
tinuous improvement. Improve the selection and synchroniza- member in an S&P committee like ISA
You learn the most from your mistakes. tion of process inputs and outputs by 5.9, and if you are a practitioner, ask ISA
The digital twin provides a great oppor- exploration with a digital twin. Please do to become a protégé or resource in the
tunity for finding and correcting them, not just dump data into data analytics ISA Mentor Program.
greatly enabling innovation. Become best and expect miracles. You need process Invest in doing the best with best in-
friends with the operators by communi- understanding and good instrumentation stead of focusing on doing the least with
cation and support in training and in the and automation. the least. Share your knowledge through
control room. Develop and implement Avoid the common mistake of us- presentations and publications to help
online metrics in the digital twin, and in- ing too little proportional action and too advance the recognition of our profes-
corporate them in the operator interface to much integral action in the PID control- sion. Realize that historical experts are
show with a moving average the process ler. Integral action has “no sense of history, that they're busy visiting historical
efficiency and capacity for the shift and direction” and doesn't reverse direction sites, and that you are the future. Google
month and batch or unit run time for a of action until the controlled variable my keynote speech presentation “The
particular product. See the Control feature crosses setpoint, causing overshoot. If Future is here” for the 75th Texas A&M
article “Virtual plant virtuosity” and the the product of the gain and reset time Instrumentation and Automation Sym-
Control Talk column “Simulation breeds setting is smaller than four divided by posium in the Process Industries to gain
innovation” for much more on the oppor- the inverse of the integrating process ideas to on how to advance yourself and
tunities presented by the digital twin. gain for near-integrating, true integrat- our profession.

48 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

 CLASSIFIED

EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS AD INDEX

ABB .................................................................................................................................. 4
AutomationDirect .............................................................................................................. 2
Bihl+Wiedemann ............................................................................................................. 33
Bimba .............................................................................................................................. 23
Digi-Key Corporation ........................................................................................................13
Emerson Automation Solutions .........................................................................................18
Emerson Process Management ........................................................................................ 52
Endress+Hauser............................................................................................................ 6, 7
Inductive Automation .......................................................................................................51
Load Controls ................................................................................................................. 30
Moore Industries...............................................................................................................31
Newark .............................................................................................................................10
Oriental Motors of America .............................................................................................. 34
Panduit Corporation ...................................................................................................26, 27
Phoenix Contac .................................................................................................................17
Red Lion ...........................................................................................................................24
Wago ................................................................................................................................ 8
Yokogawa Corporation of America ....................................................................................15
Yokogawa Electric Corporation .......................................................................................... 3

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www.controlglobal.com MARCH 2020 • 49

 CONTROL REPORT

Buying time
Focus and willingness to invest beyond the usual can pay big dividends

WHEN I first covered high-speed, discrete manu- less-urgent situations? Maybe, but there are other
facturing and learned about milliseconds, micro- ways to accumulate time. Beyond simply striving
seconds and nanoseconds, I felt a little queasy for greater efficiency, advocates of enough sleep
that thousands, millions and billions of them were and regular exercise say these healthful activities
passing with every "one Mississippi." don't take time, they create time.
I learned to accept it, of course, because what Because we're always covering the efficiency
alternative is there? However, I still thought I might front in most of Control's stories, I'm constantly
be missing something if all those little slices within reminded of the tools that users can employ to
slices were going by unmarked. I know this is save time, money and labor. However, I'm equally
more my problem than the clock's, and that it's conscious that many potential users don't seem to
my perceptions and not time that's fluid and less know about these tools, how simple many are to
under control than I'd prefer. implement, or the how much faster they can com-
Likewise, I and every other aging adult that plete projects that used to take longer.
JIM MONTAGUE feels like time is speeding up reportedly have this One of the first of these time-savers is the
Executive Editor sensation because each new event must filter simple fact that device, configuration or software
[email protected] through and be compared to decades of experi- programming no longer or rarely involves typing
ences and memories, which make it appear like in code, even though many potential users still
more milestones are zipping by. Kids have less seem to think it does. Most process automation
Despite the possible history to measure against current events, which and control programming mostly involves quickly
time savings and other is why some afternoons, school days and sum- clicking on boxes in menus and/or dragging and
benefits of recent mers last forever. dropping software function blocks or the links be-
innovations, many users So, is there any stabilizing remedy or way to tween them.
appear to be unaware of make time—or our perception of it—expand or Other speedier solutions are today's edge com-
them, or are just stuck at least appear to be more consistent? Well, time puting modules, which save time by not sending
in their "if it's not broke is supposed to slow during high-intensity events. all of an application's data to cloud-computing
don't fix it" inertia. I can confirm this because, when I was knocked services. Similarly, many Internet-enabled devices
off my feet during a long-ago lacrosse game, I re- are skipping the process industry's traditional,
member thinking on the way down that I might as proprietary setup, networking, protocol and pro-
well shoot the ball. No more than couple of tenths gramming hurdles by doing an end run via their
of a second passed, but I recall my thought pro- Ethernet ports and Internet protocol (IP) links.
cess, and amazingly, I was even able to score. Wireless can obviously extend these advantages
My response wasn't planned, and I could just even further. Finally, several recent software re-
as easily have fallen without acting, but I appar- lease have preconfigured and self-populating ca-
ently had enough presence of mind in that situ- pabilities that can distribute, maintain and update
ation to react in a useful way. I'm also convinced them in equipment and applications with much
that maintaining a constant, low-level alertness less manual effort.
was a big plus while helping to raise my daughters Unfortunately, despite the possible time savings
when they were babies and toddlers. Like most and other benefits of recent innovations, many
fathers, I sometimes used my "dad reflexes" when users appear to be unaware of them, or are just
they fell off chairs, swings or whatever, and caught stuck in the usual "if it's not broke don't fix it" in-
them just before they got hurt. I don't think this ertia. In the past, this used to be common-sense,
was any special talent, but was merely the benefit but in light of the mounting gains that can be
of being semi-conscious and ready. made, it's starting to look like irresponsibility. Why
So, can attention and focus expand time in not take a little time to likely make a lot more?

50 • MARCH 2020 www.controlglobal.com

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