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input #1 at www.controleng.com/information
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input #2 at www.controleng.com/information
input #3 at www.controleng.com/information
 Vol. 67
Number 3

MARCH 2020

ANSWERS
16 | How to select, apply process sensors

18 | Skills for the edge

computing revolution

20 | Software readiness
for data analytics
p18
and Big Data
16, after 35
COVER: Image on the left appears after p. 35, in the Inside Process 22 | Cloud-based analytics for manufacturing
section (P1) and is from the Control Engineering webcast, “Advanced
26 | Intrinsic value of industry
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
process control: Past, present and future,” with Allan Kern, P.E., owner,
APC Performance LLC. Image on the right was a CFE Media and
Technology image at the Endress+Hauser booth at Automation Fair standards for end users, TIME STANDARDS TIME

MAKING
system integrators, suppliers
EFFORT EFFORT
2019 from Rockwell Automation; it helps illustrate, along with a related
image in the p. 16 article, how to select and apply process sensors. RETURN ON INVESTMENT

28 | Standards capture stranded p26

data, help with device design,
INSIGHTS data integration
6 | Research: Specifying servo, stepper drives 32 | Automation of
8 | Integrator Update: Six steps toward auxiliary processes
eliminating obsolete controls equipment is the key to the
smart factory
NEWS
ONLINE EXTRA | Hannover Messe 2020 delayed to July
10 | Most-viewed university articles due to coronavirus concerns; Top 5 Control Engineering
12 | Motion prediction algorithms articles, Laser-induced graphene for flexible electronics,
Enhancing safety with mobile devices
enhance safety features for automat-
ed vehicles, Headlines online
INSIDE PROCESS
13 | Donation made for mechatronics lab
P1 | Advanced process control: More
answers
14 | Think Again: How to compete and win
with automation P7 | Understand partial-stroke testing

CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 67, No. 3, GST #123397457) is published 12x per year, Monthly by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group
Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONTROL ENGINEERING copyright 2020 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONTROL ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under
license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630/571-4070.
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such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.controleng.com control engineering March 2020 • 3

input #4 at www.controleng.com/information
 MARCH 2020

INNOVATIONS
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS
44 | Digital servo drives, Ultrasonic flowmeter
series, Wired IO-Link bridge device, Data
intelligence hub for smart manufacturing, Analytics
dashboard for streamlined data visualization.
See more New Products for Engineers at
www.controleng.com/NPE.
BACK TO BASICS
45 | Making process control valve choices
Process control valves offer a wider range of features, benefits for Control Engineering eBook
industries that require precise control. Also look at cost effectiveness. series: IIoT Cloud Spring edition
Learn how the
NEWSLETTER: Industrial Networking Industrial Internet
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• Continuous improvements help Alabama cotton turing. This eBook
gin increase yields includes articles on high-speed
• 2020 Engineers’ Choice Awards engine monitoring, working with
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• Design advice for connecting IT and OT connectivity and communications
• Hot topics in Control Engineering for 2019 adds value.
• Wearable power generator for IoT devices Learn more and register to down-
developed. load at www.controleng.com/
Keep up with emerging trends: subscribe. ebooks/.
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CFE EDU: Pre-register for NEW motors and drives course Interested in Oil & Gas Engi-
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www.controleng.com control engineering March 2020 • 5


INSIGHTS
RESEARCH
2019 MOTOR DRIVES STUDY
Specifying servo,
stepper drives
F
orty-six percent of respondents
to the Control Engineering 2019
Motor Drives Study buy, specify,
use or expect to use servo and/
or stepper drives in the next 12 months.
Below are five key findings from this
study related to servo and/or stepper
drives:
1. Applications: Servo and/or stepper
drives are usually specified for new appli-
cations (87%), as well as retrofit (67%)
and replacement (64%).
2. Purchasing: Six in 10 respondents
prefer to purchase servo and/or stepper
drive controller products as matched
units; 12% prefer to buy them as separate
units and 28% have no preference.
3. Expenditures: An average expen-
diture of about $94,000 was estimated to
have been spent on servo and/or stepper
drive products over the past 12 months;
Servo, stepper drive control types in use
Closed loop
Pulse width
modulation control
AC
(sinusoidal commutation)
Open-loop
(for steppers only)
Brush dc
Brushless dc
(trapezoidal commutation)
Closed-loop drive controls for servo and/or stepper drives are most popularly
used by respondents, followed by pulse-width modulation, ac and open-loop
controls. Source: Control Engineering
6 • March 2020 control engineering
Number of
employees supervised
26 to 100 6%
More than 100
6 to 25 1%
17%
42%
34%
20% of respondents reported spending
more than $100,000.
4. Important factors: When evaluat- 1 to 5 None
ing servo and/or stepper drives, the most
important factors, according to respon- Fifty-eight percent of automation
dents, are accurate positioning (97%), professionals are in a supervisory
accurate speed and torque control (97%) position; the average number of
and motor sizing and tuning software
employees managed by these
(81%).
5. Ordering preference: The majori- respondents is 10. Source: Con-
ty (87%) of respondents prefer to order trol Engineering 2019 Career &
a standard off-the-shelf servo and/or Salary Study
stepper drive versus custom-engineered
(3%); 10% have no preference. ce
M More 70% of end users need or
RESEARCH are interested in remote moni-
toring capabilities for controller
Access more motor drive trends at
www.controleng.com/research. software. Source: Control Engi-
Amanda Pelliccione is the research director neering 2018 Programmable Con-
at CFE Media. trollers Study
$139,000:
Average estimated expenditures
89%
for variable-speed drives, ac/dc,
over the past 12 months. Source:
52%
Control Engineering 2019 Motor
Drives Study
51%
>60%
of end users buy
or specify robots, robot sensing
45%
or vision systems, and robot sen-
sors. Source: Control Engineering
38% 2019 Robotics Study
More research
37%
Control Engineering covers sev-
eral research topics each year.
All reports are available at
www.controleng.com/research.
www.controleng.com
 2018
input #5 at www.controleng.com/information
WINNER
 INSIGHTS
INTEGRATOR UPDATE: OBSOLESCENCE
Robert Herman, Avanceon
Six steps toward eliminating
obsolete controls equipment
Replacing obsolete controls equipment is inconvenient, but it is a necessary process
and can be made easier with an internal audit that shows what needs to be done.
M
ost people have a least one control
panel that’s like a recurring night-
mare. Each time it’s opened, some-
thing breaks, so naturally don’t
open it! Don’t look at it or even
breathe around it! That tends to be the situation with
a lot of manufacturing facilities, but there is a big
problem with that mindset: It won’t work forever.
People don’t drive cars from 1985 every day and
expect them to keep on chugging along forever; the
‘
same goes with the equipment vital to
Well-planned hard- manufacturing facilities. Well-planned
hardware obsolescence projects can ulti-
ware obsolescence mately prevent unplanned downtime and
spending, as well as conquer the outdated
projects can ultimate- equipment plaguing a plant.
While it might be inconvenient and
ly prevent unplanned costly, and the benefits aren’t realized, it
certainly is better than the alternative. If
downtime and something does go wrong, there will be a
’
spending. headache much larger than simply spend-
ing the money to replace the obsolete
controls equipment. And it’s a good bet the problems
will be far-reaching, leading to a lot of uncomfortable
questions about why it wasn’t done sooner.
Obsolescence:
Six questions to ask
Fortunately, manufacturers can avoid the hassle of
unscheduled outages and surprise budget burdens.
All it takes is following these six simple steps:
1. Know what you have. A simple audit of the
current hardware and status of electrical schemat-
ics (existing? on paper? electronic copy available?) is
critical.
2. Identify future issues. Ask if the equipment
runs perfectly and would there be a return on invest-
ment (ROI) associated with fixing an issue that could
help offset the upgrade cost. Also ask if this piece of
equipment should perhaps not live in the hottest/
stickiest/wettest room of your plant. Also consider if
there’s future functionality/equipment that should be
planned for?
3. Determine if there are corporate/plant pro-
gramming or electrical standards that could be
8 • March 2020 control engineering
implemented to ensure ease of troubleshooting and
commonality.
4. When will new equipment be installed?
Operations needs to be involved in the decision!
This will ultimately drive the when and how more
than any other factor. Aim for outage windows that
will allow for testing prior to the system coming
back online and generating product.
5. Know your costs. This can be handled by an
internal engineering team or by having an assess-
ment done to allow outside help to dig through the
collateral. Add additional expense/benefits of hiring
outside help.
6. Coordinate, schedule and implement. Now
that you know what is changing, why it’s changing,
how it’s changing, where it’s going and when it can
change. The rest comes down to execution.
Following these steps will help manufactur-
ers face the obsolete equipment haunting a facility
with minimal pain and help companies look to the
future. ce
Robert Herman, program manager, Avanceon, a
CFE Media content partner. This article original-
ly appeared on Avanceon’s website. Edited by Chris
Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, CFE
Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.
M More
INSIGHTS
KEYWORDS: control systems, system integration
Replacing obsolete control systems is a long and
expensive process and many companies put it off.
Putting off replacement can incur major costs and
downtime if it’s put off for too long.
Companies looking to replace old equipment need
to do an internal audit to see what the return on
investment (ROI) is.
ONLINE
Read this article at
www.controleng.com for additional stories from
Avanceon.
CONSIDER THIS
When was the last time you replaced a piece of aging
equipment, and what were the steps involved?
www.controleng.com
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INSIGHTS
NEWS

Most-viewed university articles in 2019

Hot topics from university sources
published in 2019 at Control Engineering
included drag-and-drop analytics, robot-
ic actuators, nanocrystals, and prolong-
ing power plant life with AI. Catch up on
what you may have missed using the links
online and in the digital edition.
1. Drag-and-drop data analyt-
ics using machine learning, Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
June 28: MIT researchers have devel-
oped a system that lets nonspecialists use
machine-learning (ML) models to make
predictions for medical research, sales,
and more.
2. Automated system generates
robotic actuators, MIT, July 18: MIT
researchers have developed an automated
system that designs and 3D prints robot-
ic actuators, which are optimized and
automatically created, which is almost
impossible for a human to do.
3. Diamond-based quantum sensor
fabricated on a silicon chip, MIT, Sept.
26: MIT researchers have fabricated a
diamond-based quantum sensor on a sil-
icon chip. The advance, called a nitro-
gen-vacancy (NV) center, could pave the
way toward low-cost, scalable hardware
for quantum computing, sensing, and
communication.
4. Nanocrystals improve quantum
dot manufacturing for process moni-
toring applications, North Carolina State
University, March 27: North Carolina
State University researchers have devel-
oped a system for synthesizing perovskite
quantum dots to reduce manufacturing
costs for real-time process monitoring to
help ensure quality control.
5. Prolonging power plant life
through artificial intelligence, West
Virginia University, Sept. 25: A West Vir-
ginia University chemical engineer is
tapping into artificial intelligence (AI) to
prolong the lives of power plant boilers.
6. Supersonic jet injector acceler-
ates nanoscale additive manufactur-
ing, Georgia Institute of Technology,
July 19: Georgia Tech researchers are
using a supersonic jet injector to accel-
erate nanoscale additive manufacturing
used for applications such as electronic
circuitry and superconducting materials.
7. Low-power hybrid chip makes
small robots more capable, Georgia Insti-
tute of Technology, March 8: Researchers
A robotic car controlled by an ultra-low
power hybrid chip is placed into an
arena to demonstrate its ability to learn
and collaborate with another robot.
Courtesy: Allison Carter, Georgia Tech
from the Georgia Institute of Technol-
ogy demonstrated robotic cars that use
an ultra-low power hybrid chip to give
palm-sized robots the ability to collaborate
and learn from their experiences like the
human brain does. See video.
8. Machine learning used to deter-
mine warehouse ergonomics for work-
er safety, University of Washington,
Aug. 23: Researchers at the University
of Washington used machine learning to
develop a system that monitors factory
and warehouse workers and tell them, in
real time, how risky their behaviors are.

9. Mobile process sensor technolo-

gy developed to identify plant diseases,
North Carolina State University, July 31:
North Carolina State University research-
ers have developed a mobile process sen-
sor that uses analytics to identify plant
diseases in the field by sampling airborne
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
plants release through their leaves with a
mobile instrumentation device.

10. Control your career with a per-

sonal board of directors, Georgia Institute
of Technology, Aug. 16: A personal board
of directors is a broader version of a men-
torship with many people assisting your
For years, researchers from MIT and Brown University have been developing engineering career journey from a variety
an interactive system that lets users drag-and-drop and manipulate data on any of viewpoints. See four ways to begin. ce
touchscreen, including smartphones and interactive whiteboards. Now, they’ve
included a tool that instantly and automatically generates machine-learning Chris Vavra, associate editor, CFE
models to run prediction tasks on that data. Courtesy: Melanie Gonick, MIT Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

10 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

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input #7 at www.controleng.com/information
INSIGHTS
NEWS

Motion prediction algorithms enhance

safety features for automated vehicles
The Southwest Research Institute
(SwRI) has developed a motion pre-
diction system that enhances pedes-
trian detection for automated vehicles.
The computer vision tool uses a deep
learning algorithm designed to predict
motion by observing real-time biome-
chanical movements with the pelvic area
being a key indicator for changes.
“For instance, if a pedestrian is walk-
ing west, the system can predict if that
person will suddenly turn south,” said
SwRI’s Samuel E. Slocum, a senior
research analyst who led the project.
“As the push for automated vehicles
accelerates, this research offers several
important safety features to help protect
pedestrians.”
Recent accidents involving automat-
ed vehicles have heightened the call for
improved detection of pedestrians and
other moving obstacles. Although previ-
ous technologies could track and predict
movements in a straight line, they were
unable to anticipate sudden changes.
Motion prediction often uses “opti-
cal flow” algorithms to predict direc-
tion and speed based on lateral motion.
Optical flow, a type of computer vision,
pairs algorithms with cameras to track
dynamic objects. The accuracy of opti-
cal flow diminishes, however, when
people move in unexpected directions.
To improve accuracy, SwRI com-
pared optical flow to other deep learn-
ing methods, including temporal
convolutional networks (TCNs) and
long short-term memory (LSTM). After
testing several configurations, research-
ers optimized a novel TCN that out-
performed competing algorithms,
predicting sudden changes in motion
within milliseconds with a high level of
accuracy.
The temporal design uses a convolu-
tional neural network to process video
data. SwRI’s novel approach optimizes
dilation in network layers to learn and
predict trends at a higher level. Dilat-
ed convolutions are structures that
store and access video data for spatial
observations.
SwRI’s human motion prediction system overlays sparse skeletal features
on pedestrians to predict movement. The blue dot in this image predicts
the future direction of pedestrian on right. Deep learning algorithms pre-
dict motion based on pelvic biomechanical movement. Courtesy: Southwest
Research Institute
People draw on experience and infer-
ence when driving near pedestrians and
cyclists. SwRI’s research is a small step
Headlines
for autonomous systems to react more online
like human drivers. Top 5 Control Engineering articles
“If we see a pedestrian, we might pre- February 17-23
pare to slow down or change lanes in Articles about the Engineers’ Choice win-
anticipation of someone crossing the ners, process control valves, improving cot-
street,” said Dr. Douglas Brooks, a man- ton gins, robots and drones in process facili-
ager in SwRI’s applied sensing depart- ties, and the most-viewed university articles.
ment. “We take it for granted, but it’s
Laser-induced graphene
incredibly complex for a computer to for flexible electronics
process this scene and predict scenarios.” A tiny visible beam burns microscopic pat-
The research team leveraged SwRI’s terns, which could help flexible electronics.
markerless motion capture system, which
automates biomechanical analysis in Soft robotic arm uses flexible
sensors to understand its position
sports science. Using camera vision and
MIT researchers have developed flexible
perception algorithms, the system pro- sensors and an artificial intelligence model to
vides deep insights into kinematics and help robot positioning in a 3D environment.
joint movement.
Applications for the project include Boosting security of process
human performance, automated vehicles control chemical systems
and manufacturing robotics. ce Wayne State University researchers
enhance cybersecurity of controls.
- Edited from an SwRI press release by Enhancing safety with mobile devices
CFE Media. See more Control Engineer- The use of intrinsically safe smart devices
ing machine vision stories. can help improve productivity and safety.

12 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

 Donation made
for mechatronics lab
OMRON FOUNDATION, the charitable arm of global tech-
nology and factory automation company Omron, made a
monetary gift along with state-of-the-art robotics equipment
to California State University, Chico (Chico State) for a new
and expanded mechatronics laboratory and classroom space.
The planned 2,505-sq-ft learning environment will feature
mint-condition industrial equipment of the type being used
in next-generation factories worldwide. Chico State seeks
to interest more engineering students in robotics studies
and provide them with the skills necessary to succeed in a
changing portion of the workforce.
“Omron’s mission is to improve lives and contribute to a
better society, and a large part of this effort involves educat-
ing today’s students to help solve tomorrow’s problems,” said
Nigel Blakeway, chairman and CEO of Omron Management
Center of America and president of Omron Foundation in a
press release. “We are honored to be able to help the next
generation of robotics talent gain the skills necessary to inno-
vate and thrive in the future.”
“We saw a strong opportunity with Chico State to give
a bright and hardworking group of students the opportu-
nity to work directly with state-of-the-art automation equip-
ment, the sort that they will likely encounter in their first
engineering jobs right out of school,” says Robb Black, pres-
ident, CEO and COO of Omron Automation Americas. “It
GET EVERY LAST DROP
FROM YOUR EXISTING
has been a great pleasure for us to work with the university
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began in summer
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Increasing interest for engi- put a drain on the bottom line; but transforming
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neering students in robotics 2020 semester. your operation into a Smart Factory doesn’t always
studies can provide them with Chico State presi- mean costly capital investment.
necessary skills to succeed in dent Gayle Hutchin-

’
son said, “The Omron
a changing workforce. Powered by our award winning Crimson® software,
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Nick Repanich, a lecturer from Chico State’s Department
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– Edited from an Omron press release by CFE Media.
flexedge.net
control engineering March 2020 • 13
input #8 at www.controleng.com/information
INSIGHTS
THINK AGAIN ®

3010 Highland Parkway, Suite 325, Downers Grove,

IL 60515. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

How to compete Content Specialists/Editorial

Mark T. Hoske, Content Manager
630-571-4070, x2227, MHoske@CFEMedia.com

and win with automation Jack Smith, Content Manager

630-571-4070, x2230, JSmith@CFEMedia.com
Kevin Parker, Senior Contributing Editor, IIoT, OGE
630-571-4070, x2228, KParker@CFEMedia.com
With automation at an inflection point, a variety of technologies Emily Guenther, Director of Interactive Media
630-571-4070, x2229, eguenther@CFEMedia.com
and interoperable standards efforts are bringing higher levels of Amanda Pelliccione, Director of Research
978-302-3463, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com
flexibility, integration and optimization. Chris Vavra, Associate Editor

A
CVavra@CFEMedia.com

utomation, controls, and er, and change agent who gives frequent
Contributing Content Specialists
instrumentation, applied in talks about innovation. We need to adapt Suzanne Gill, Control Engineering Europe
innovative ways, can help to changes in real time, as a creative artist suzanne.gill@imlgroup.co.uk
implementations compete and of engineering, he suggested. Ekaterina Kosareva, Control Engineering Russia
ekaterina.kosareva@fsmedia.ru
win. Why? The three were among speakers at the Agata Abramczyk, Control Engineering Poland
Automation is at an interesting point A3 Business Forum in January. agata.abramczyk@trademedia.pl
in history, explained John Payne, Yaska- Lukáš Smelík, Control Engineering Czech Republic
lukas.smelik@trademedia.cz
wa America Corp. and chair of the Asso- Plugging in standards
Aileen Jin, Control Engineering China
ciation for Advancing Automation (A3) In another significant advance, aileenjin@cechina.cn
board of directors. He noted that we’re at interoperability standards for open pro-
an inflection point for hardware and soft- cess automation have been tested in a spe- Editorial Advisory Board
www.controleng.com/EAB
ware capabilities, with inte- cialty chemical process plant, Doug Bell, president, InterConnecting Automation,
gration of robots and motion explained Igor Stolz, director, www.interconnectingautomation.com
and imaging. Artificial intelli- electrical and process control, David Bishop, president and a founder
gence (AI) capabilities also are Evonik Industries AG, at the Matrix Technologies, www.matrixti.com
Daniel E. Capano, senior project manager, Gannett Fleming
expanding. ARC Advisory Group’s ARC Engineers and Architects, www.gannettfleming.com
AI, while useful, is a very Forum in February. It’s chal- Frank Lamb, founder and owner
unfortunate term because it lenging for such facilities to be Automation Consulting LLC, www.automationllc.com

implies software is creative and fast, flexible and cost efficient Joe Martin, president and founder
Martin Control Systems, www.martincsi.com
can do anything a person can Mark T. Hoske, with relatively small through- Rick Pierro, president and co-founder
do, said Byron Reese, author, Content Manager puts. Time to market is crucial Superior Controls, www.superiorcontrols.com

publisher of the Gigaom web- while maintaining quality.
site and several books on Modular production and
hopeful technology applications to solve development concepts offer high flexibility
human challenges. Reese said AI is nar- and functionality, Stolz said, which reduc-
rower and can only do a bit of what es investment risk. Evonik used a standards
humans can do. What it can help us do is approach from NAMUR, the User Associa-
get smarter about the future by looking at tion of Automation Technology in Process
past data. AI also can increase productiv- Industries. A module type package (MTP)
ity, which is always good. AI makes you was applied to equipment, such as human-
smarter if you use it, Reese said. machine interface, maintenance, alarm
However, we cannot rely on models management, safety and security, process
of the past and expect the same results. control, and other systems. MTP is a stan-
Human creativity cannot be outsourced. dard non-proprietary interface description
If don’t use creative problem solving, only for process equipment assemblies.
will get you a C, 70% of the way there, Using MTP designs, standard process
explained Josh Linkner, author, speak- modules were constructed and moved
and integrated from plant to plant. Such
Mark Voigtmann, partner, automation practice lead
Faegre Baker Daniels, www.FaegreBD.com
CFE Media Contributor
Guidelines Overview
Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media
stands for, and what CFE Media is all about –
engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome
content submissions for all interested parties in
engineering. We will use those materials online, on
our website, in print and in newsletters to keep
engineers informed about the products, solutions
and industry trends.
www.controleng.com/contribute explains how
to submit press releases, products, images and
graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white
papers, and other media.
* Content should focus on helping engineers solve
problems. Articles that are commercial or are critical
of other products or organizations will be rejected.
(Technology discussions and comparative tables may
be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor
corroborates information with sources cited.)
* If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines,

M More
INSIGHTS
an interoperable “skid” design offers seven
specific benefits applicable for plant own-
ers, module vendors, system integrators,
expect to see it first on our Websites. Content for our
e-newsletters comes from content already available on
our Websites. All content for print also will be online.
All content that appears in our print magazines will
appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print
See more on standards starting on p. 26
and more with this article online. and automation vendors. Others involved if more content from that article is available online.
* Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print
www.controleng.com/magazine in the prototype demonstration were magazines are at least two months in advance of the
www.namur.net/en ABB, OPC Foundation and Wago. publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature
articles with the appropriate content manager prior to
www.a3automate.org Think again about automation inno- submission.
www.arcweb.com vations to raise your competitiveness. ce Learn more at: www.controleng.com/contribute

14 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

 The Plant Floor in Your Pocket
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Control your SCADA with a swipe.

See the live demo now.

Scan this QR code with your phone
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ANSWERS
COVER STORY: PROCESS CONTROL
Daniel E. Capano, Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects
How to select,
apply process sensors
When specifying process sensors, several common factors need
to be considered such as the operating environment, mounting options
and cable connections.
W
hen specifying process sensors,
several common factors need to
be considered to avoid installa-
tion and application problems
during implementation. These
factors include its intended use, the operating envi-
ronment, mounting options, installation, calibration,
start-up and commissioning, operation and mainte-
nance. All of these factors should be considered dur-
ing design and will have a material effect on the final
form and function of the sensor and connected or
controlled equipment. Doing a thorough evaluation
of these factors will avoid rework or replacing the
sensor in the field, which also will introduce addi-
tional cost and possible delays.
Process sensor environments
Operating environments widely vary. For exam-
ple, in water treatment applications, environments
are usually wet, dirty, corrosive and hazardous.
Industrial environments offer some of the same
environments, but also introduce materials such as
metal dust and chips or fibrous flyings that can foul
or damage the sensor. The goal is providing a suit-
able, safe enclosure that will operate in harsh envi-
ronments without creating a hazard in and of itself.
Capacitive proxim- A case in point is installations in corrosive or
ity sensors allow
sensing of metal
and non-metal
objects through
insulating materi-
als such as wood
or plastic and are
often used to sense
fill levels of liquids
or powders. Cour-
tesy: New Products
for Engineers Data-
base, Automation-
Direct
16 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
hazardous locations. In the former case, the sensor
housing must be designed to withstand the action
of corrosive gases or liquids; in the latter, it is mat-
ter of preventing the materials from entering and
compromising the sensor.
Sensor housings are often rated using the NEMA
enclosure rating system or the Ingress Protection
(IP) rating system. NEMA 4X and NEMA 7-10 are
used for corrosion-resistant and explosion-proof
housing, respectively. There is some correlation
between the two rating systems, there is a wealth of
information online regarding both.
In considering the environmental factors, using
intrinsically-safe sensors and systems in hazard-
ous locations should be considered whenever pos-
sible. Intrinsically-safe sensors use low current and
voltage to limit the ability of arcing and sparking to
ignite flammable materials. Intrinsically safe barri-
ers can also be used to limit current and voltage to
safe levels.
Sensor mounting options
There are many mounting options, and they
will normally conform to standard interface meth-
ods to the process. Open tank process monitoring
requires no explanation other than the sensor loca-
tion should be carefully selected to allow optimum
monitoring of the required parameter.
The sensor also should be mounted in a way to
allow regular inspection, maintenance and calibra-
tion regardless of the parameter being measured.
Non-standard mountings or mountings requir-
ing special or proprietary tools are an invitation to
neglect and will affect process measurement and
control.
Most sensors do offer standard attachment
options, which will easily integrate into process
piping, tanks or vessels. It is important to ensure
the sensor is mounted in an easily accessible loca-
tion so staff can perform regular maintenance and
avoid process upsets from a bad data.
www.controleng.com
With open tank process monitoring, sensor loca-
tion should allow optimum monitoring of the
required parameter. See related cover photo,
M More
ANSWERS
also from Endress+Hauser booth at the 2019 KEYWORDS: process
Automation Fair by Rockwell Automation. Cour- control, process sensors
tesy: Mark T. Hoske, CFE Media and Technology Process sensor operating
environments widely vary
and need to be considered.
One often overlooked issue is the method of A thorough evaluation will
cable attachment. In harsh or hazardous environ- help engineers avoid costly
ments, a potted cable, which is connected perma- delays.
nently into the sensor body either mechanically or Cable attachments are
often overlooked with
with a potting compound such as an epoxy or filler. process sensors.
This prevents the ingress of dirt or hazardous mate-
rials, which may damage the sensor or create arcing CONSIDER THIS
and sparking. What is your biggest
consideration when
Plugs and jacks also can be used to connect choosing a process sensor?
cables to a sensor, but this requires a clean environ-
ment, such as in a laboratory. The use of this meth- ONLINE
od allows an easy swap-out of the sensor in case of If reading from the digital
edition, click on the headline
failure. In the former case, the entire sensor and for more resources.
cable assembly must be replaced, which may require www.controleng.com/
extensive rewiring. ce magazine
IN THIS ISSUE
Daniel E. Capano is senior project manager, Gannett
Articles on advanced
Fleming Engineers and Architects, and on the Con- control and testing after p.
trol Engineering Editorial Advisory Board. Edited by 35 and a process valves
Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering, article on p. 45.
CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

WEBCASTS

Top 3 IIoT
Control Engineering Inventory Management
webcast topics Troubleshooting techniques for motors
www.controleng.com/webcasts
ANSWERS
EDGE COMPUTING
Josh Eastburn, Opto 22
Skills for the
edge computing revolution
Edge computing is becoming more prevalent, and it’s imperative
for engineers to get in on the action. Learn four skills engineers can
develop to be better prepared.
T
he worlds of information technology
(IT) and operations technology (OT)
are colliding. The industrial sector is
seeing serious investment in large- and
small-scale operations to make data
more prolific, available and usable for accelerating
operations and solving complex field problems. A
key trend underlying this shift is the move towards
edge-oriented, rather than centralized or hierarchi-
cal models, of automation system design, generally
called edge computing.
Talking the talk: Terms
The first thing to understand is edge computing
did not evolve in a vacuum and, in practice, does
not refer to a single technology. It’s an architectur-
al concept related to a larger paradigm called dis-
tributed computing, in which computing resources
are spread throughout a system, rather than central-
ized in a master controller or application. Engineers
who have worked with a distributed control system
(DCS) have already seen this paradigm in action.
Rather than being an evolution of the DCS,
Opto 22’s groov EPIC is an
edge-oriented evolution of the
traditional industrial controller.
Courtesy: Opto 22
18 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
however, edge computing traces its genesis to the
globally distributed networks that made up the
internet in the early 2000s. Large, centralized net-
works faced an inherent problem of constrained
bandwidth and latency. To improve responsiveness,
it made sense to move resources geographically
closer to the areas that commonly requested them.
At the same time, the proliferation of smart devices
and the push towards the Internet of Things (IoT)
made computing resources and services more avail-
able locally. The same trends are manifesting them-
selves in the industrial sector, as networks converge
to create an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Compared to DCSs, edge-oriented systems are
even more distributed for data processing, storage,
and connectivity. These functions are being pushed
closer to the lowest layers of the automation net-
work, where real-world sensing and control take
place. That’s the edge in edge computing.
Depending on the scope of the discussion, how-
ever, the edge of the network could be considered
anything in the last mile of the network and is bet-
ter thought of as being distinct from resources
located in the network core or in the cloud.
The term edge devices can refer to intelligent
field devices, like transmitters, programmable logic
controllers (PLCs), and programmable automation
controllers (PACs), or to edge gateways, like proto-
col converters, routers and industrial PCs (IPCs),
which connect various parts of a network or bridge
disparate networks. Devices like these are becom-
ing more involved in aggregating and normalizing
process data.
Data normalization refers to the process of
reformatting data, adding metadata, removing out-
liers and filling in gaps so core systems and data-
bases can work with data in a consistent format.
This becomes important as data is produced and
transmitted at scale by many more, possibly het-
erogeneous, devices and protocols: legacy field-
buses mixed with OPC data, cloud-sourced JSON,
www.controleng.com
and new smart wireless formats. Edge devices help
by pre-processing data in the field and eliminating
extraneous data, reducing the demand for network
bandwidth and core processing power.
Industrial edge computing has evolved beyond
improving resource utilization. With more pow-
erful devices at the edge, we can bring new func-
tionality to the process. An industrial edge device
might have the horsepower, for example, to host
visualization, database, communication, or applica-
tions servers for the local process, reducing depen-
dence on high-maintenance PCs and tightening IT
integration.

Four ways to improve

edge computing skills
Edge computing architectures, by design, blend
previously segregated functions and technologies.
For OT specialists, capitalizing on this shift may
require developing new skills. Among leading skills
for edge computing are system design, networking,
database expertise and security. Here’s a little more
on what is required to develop these skills.
1. System design — An edge-oriented system
needs someone who understands how everything
fits together. Edge devices, computer networks,
and software systems each have specific resource
constraints, and the quality of their interactions
will improve or degrade overall system effec-
tiveness. When data is moving across domains,
interoperability becomes a bigger concern. It’s
helpful to understand common data exchange for-
mats, like JSON, and how to process and organize
data efficiently in collaboration between many
devices. These factors determine system-wide
attributes, like scalability, which are becoming
more important as we move towards IIoT integra-
tion over the next decade.
2. Networking — Edge computing improves the
performance of IT/OT systems in part by using net-
work resources more efficiently. It helps, then, when
working with edge computing systems, if engineers
understand how to measure and manage the per-
formance of computer networks. Adding several
edge devices pumping out reams of data can slow
a network to a crawl. If designed correctly, it can
improve responsiveness in the field while reducing
usage in the core. Implementing efficient commu-
nication protocols, like message queuing telemetry
transport (MQTT), can further reduce bandwidth
demand. Other factors like scalability and fault-tol-
erance also may play a role in network design or the
selection of devices and communication protocols.
3. Database expertise — Databases are impor-
tant for data storage, distribution and analysis in
IT and OT systems. Edge computing makes them
more connected and numerous, which requires
OT specialists to understand something about how
they are designed and how to interact with them.
Node-RED is a popular IoT connectivity
tool that makes it easy to share data at the
edge. Courtesy: Opto 22
Database security and efficiency can be negatively
impacted by the quality of incoming data and the
frequency and type of transactions. Specific soft-
M More
ANSWERS
ware includes an open-source IoT connectivity tool KEYWORDS: edge
to help share data among edge devices, databas- computing, industrial
controller
es and cloud services. Another software simplifies
Edge computing is
database connectivity for industrial applications.
becoming more important
4. Security — Physical and cybersecurity can- for engineers as industrial
not be taken for granted when data can be stored, and operations technology
accessed and managed at many points in a con- (IT/OT) departments
trol network. Engineers working with this kind become more intertwined.
of network will have to become familiar with the Edge computing
architectures blend
potential risks and the tools used to mitigate them. previously segregated
Engineers need to understand the function and features and functions by
implementation of network security devices like design.
firewalls, as well as data protection features like Engineers need to
authentication, encryption and certification. They develop skills such as
database expertise,
also should be able to assess the security profile of
security, and networking.
new devices and applications before they’re intro-
duced to the network. ONLINE
Read this article at
www.controleng.com for
Here comes the edge: additional stories from the
Get ready to jump author linked below.
Do not ignore the inevitability of edge com-
puting, or any of the technologies contributing to CONSIDER THIS
What skills do you already
IT/OT integration and the move towards IIoT. As
have with edge computing
everyday devices become more powerful, engi- and what do you need to
neers will be asked to do more with them. This is a work on the most?
trend engineers can get in front of, and will see more
opportunities to create value for internal and exter-
nal customers with the knowledge gained. Engineers
who choose to explore and invest in developing new
knowledge, skills and connections will find doors
opening to them for years to come. ce
Josh Eastburn, director of technical marketing. Edited
by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control Engineering,
CFE Media and Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com control engineering March 2020 • 19

ANSWERS
DATA ANALYTICS
Travis Cox, Inductive Automation
Software readiness for data
analytics and Big Data
Expand industrial data access and get more out of it with tools such as
message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) on the way to Industry 4.0 benefits.
A
major aspect of Industry 4.0 is Big Data
acquisition and analysis to turn data
into actionable information and enable
systems to make decisions on their
own. Despite the presence of new tech-
nology, most organizations still use clipboards and
paper to gather data and information. In many cases
up to 90% of this data ends up stranded in the field
in silos or islands. That presents challenges when try-
ing to realize the benefits of Industry 4.0.
The good news is new technology can help, and
there are several simple steps users can take to pre-
pare for digital transformation, including getting
access to more data, edge computing, data cleansing,
contextualizing data and standarding common data
structures.
The journey starts with getting access to more
data — a vital component of Industry 4.0. The oper-
ational world is complex, involving hundreds of dif-
ferent protocols, communication mediums and
legacy device knowledge. The reality of digital trans-
formation is it must be implemented from the bot-
tom up, with operations technology (OT) on board
first. It requires a new mentality in keeping systems
open, interoperable and secure. The first step is get-
ting access to all the data in an efficient way — with
the ability to easily tap into the data when needed,
from any source.
One of the biggest barriers to data access is legacy
software licensing models that charge per tag or user.
These models don’t scale, prohibiting growth. Fur-
thermore, industrial applications have been closed,
proprietary and have limited functionality and con-
nectivity. Today, we require new models that are fun-
damentally unlimited and open. These new models
can unlock new opportunities for expansion and
greater scalability.
Another challenge is balancing the convergence
of new smart sensors and devices along with exist-
ing legacy devices. It’s important to have an infra-
structure able to support both. It boils down to one,
crucial concept: an architecture change. We need to
stop connecting legacy devices to applications with
protocols and, instead, connect devices to infrastruc-
20 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
ture. We need to provide an OT solution that meets
the needs of operators that is plug-and-play, reliable,
and scalable.
The new architecture
This new architecture uses message queuing telem-
etry transport (MQTT), a publish/subscribe protocol
that enables message-oriented middleware architec-
tures. This is not a new concept in the information
technology (IT) space; enterprise service bus (ESB)
has long been used for integration of applications over
a bus-like infrastructure. With MQTT, device data is
published by exception to a MQTT server, either on
the premises or in the cloud. Applications subscribe to
the MQTT server to get data, which means there’s no
need to connect to the end device itself. MQTT pro-
vides several benefits:
• Open standard/interoperable (OASIS stan-
dard and Eclipse open standard (TAHU))
• Decouples devices from applications
• Reports by exception
• Requires little bandwidth
• Transport layer security
• Remote-originated connection (outbound
only; no inbound firewall rules)
• Stateful awareness
• Single source of truth
• Auto-discovery of tags
• Data buffering (store and forward)
• Plug-and-play functionality.
To get to a new architecture, the answer is edge
computing and protocol conversion. Let’s say there are
10 Modbus devices connected to a supervisory con-
trol and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Users can
deploy one edge gateway with support of Modbus and
MQTT to push the polling closer to the programma-
ble logic controller (PLC). Users can poll more infor-
mation, potentially at faster rates, and publish the
values as they change to a central MQTT server. The
SCADA also can be changed to connect and subscribe
to the MQTT server to get the data instead of con-
necting to the end devices. This is an important step
www.controleng.com
 MQTT’s publish/
subscribe capabili-
ties streamline com-
munication and help
move polling to the
network edge. Cour-
tesy: Inductive Auto-
mation

for future-proofing a SCADA system. As users acquire

sensors or upgrade equipment that supports MQTT,
data without the proper context.
Using edge gateways with the ability to provide
‘ Users need to
get data access
and ensure the
the SCADA will get data access without having to name, scaling, engineering units, engineering low
know about the end device. and high, documentation and tooltips will provide data is valid, has
other systems crucial information to better under- context and is
Help systems understand the data stand the underlying data.
Not only do users need to get access to the data, part of a com-
but they also need to ensure the data is valid, has Increasing enterprise value
context and is part of a common structure, if appli- The last step is standardizing on common data mon structure...
cable. This is an important step before using ana- structures across the enterprise. This step often is before using
lytics and machine learning. These systems need to skipped because data can be different at each site and

understand the data in order to properly use it. Typ-
ically, new sensors and devices already have these
facilities. However, that is not true for legacy devic-
es. There are hundreds of different polling proto-
cols that require mapping and scaling. Most PLCs
have addressing schemes that are not human-read-
able. These mappings commonly exist in SCADA,
but still lack context or may contain invalid data or
are not part of a standard data structure.
The best place to handle this step is in the edge
gateway that connects to the PLC. It requires soft-
ware that has features in place to clean data, add
context and support data structure.
Let’s start with cleaning data. Suppose there’s a
sensor connected to the PLC and the signal drops
out sometimes. When the signal drops out, the
value in the PLC drops to 0. It may be possible for
the value to equal 0, however, not when the last
value was 50. In this case, it’s important to look at
the delta to determine whether or not we should
ignore the current value. Setting up a calculated tag
with that logic can solve this problem. It’s impor-
tant to ensure the data is valid closest to the source
before using it with other systems.
Another crucial step is providing context to
the data. For example, a user can have a Modbus
PLC with a tag referencing 40001. In SCADA, we
would map that to a tag name like “Ambient Tem-
perature.” If that’s the only data we have, we don’t
know if the temperature is Celsius or Fahrenheit
and what the low and high range is. Analytics and
machine learning models will provide incorrect
’
it can be difficult to find a common data model. Ana- analytics.
lytic packages and machine learning models require
data to be in the same structure for common objects.
Users don’t want to have to create different analytics
or machine learning models for each site. This goes
beyond an individual data point to a collection of data
points for a known object.
It’s important to survey each site to find a com-
mon model and use an edge gateway that
supports user defined types (UDTs). This
means adapting the data at each site to fit
the model, which can include scaling, cal-
M More
ANSWERS
culated tags, conversions and more. This is KEYWORDS: message queuing
telemetry transport, Big Data,
so the data appears as the same structure MQTT
on the surface while hiding the complexity Big Data acquisition and
behind the scenes. analysis to turn data into
The journey begins with operational actionable information is a major
infrastructure and solving the problem of aspect of Industry 4.0.
getting data into an infrastructure. Users Current architectures use
can’t get to analytics and machine learning message queuing telemetry
transport (MQTT) to help
until they have access to data. This data understand the data.
needs to be valid and have context to be Users need constant access to
understood. Users can take small steps to the data being generated and it
realize the potential benefits of these tech- needs to have a valid context.
nologies by adopting this new mentality ONLINE
and architecture. ce Read this article at
www.controleng.com for more
Travis Cox is co-director of sales engi- stories from the author.
neering at Inductive Automation. Edited CONSIDER THIS
by Chris Vavra, associate editor, Control What are you doing to
Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, streamline data acquisition to
cvavra@cfemedia.com. better prepare for Industry 4.0?

www.controleng.com control engineering March 2020 • 21

ANSWERS
DATA ANALYTICS, CLOUD COMPUTING
Megan Buntain, Seeq
Cloud-based analytics
for manufacturing
Industrial organizations already are realizing the benefits of cloud computing
for IT and business workloads, providing a path to manufacturing deployments.
C
loud computing is recognized by indus-
trial organizations as a key enabler for
storing and analyzing data in volumes
that seemed unfathomable even a few
years ago. This is important because
many organizations start and end their digital trans-
formation strategy with the idea that better use of
vast amounts of financial, customer, supply chain
and operational data will improve operational effi-
ciency and create new business models.
If cloud-based analytics tools are not in use
today by a manufacturer’s process engineers,
another department is likely using them. For
example, an HR department is using software to
analyze employee data, or analysts in sales and
marketing are working to review demand for spe-
cific products and services. While these are con-
sidered productivity or business intelligence
applications, they are also the entry point for
cloud-based analytics in most companies.
To implement digital transformation strategies,
there has been a rise of cloud-based analytics — appli-
cations, tools, and techniques deployed in the cloud
instead of on premises — enabling organizations to
quickly gain data insights. The cloud is streamlin-
ing this process because it enables rapid insights on
Figure 1: The
cloud can be
used to make
data available
to the machine
learning algo-
rithms used in
advanced analyt-
ics applications.
All images cour-
tesy: Seeq
22 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
much more data of different types with the near infi-
nite scalability of computing resources. This empow-
ers employees to solve an increasing array of complex
business challenges in near real-time.
Defining cloud-based analytics terms
Cloud-based analytics is a broad term referring
to several layers of computing capabilities. First is the
underlying cloud infrastructure, the operating system
and hardware layers, required to host data and appli-
cations in the cloud. On top of that infrastructure is
the data management layer, in a cloud service or
a data lake, where various types of data are stored
including structured and unstructured text-based
data, video data, and streaming IoT data. Applica-
tions in the analytics layer make use of this data.
Calculations are performed to supply the visualiza-
tion layer with the information required for trend-
ing, reporting, dashboards and other insights.
In manufacturing, analytics has traditional-
ly been done on premises using a combination of
historian data and spreadsheet analytics for ad hoc
diagnostic, predictive, or operational dashboards
for the plant, but that is changing as cloud-based
analytics’ benefits are being realized.
Expected benefits
Applications deployed in the cloud benefit from
core cloud capabilities. First is the cloud’s rental model
versus the capital cost associated with hardware and
infrastructure. A company’s information technology
(IT) department no longer has to provision and main-
tain expensive servers to host these applications, and
the result is a pay-as-you-go model where computing
resources are spun up and down on demand.
One example is a web store that does 90% of its
business in the weeks leading up to the holiday sea-
son. Before the cloud, that retailer had to purchase
enough servers to handle the website traffic for the
“burst” of demand at the peak, while remaining
largely idle the rest of the year.
In an industrial context, as subject matter
experts (SMEs) leverage new analytics tools to gain
www.controleng.com
Figure 2: Employees in different departments
can access cloud-based data and analytics
worldwide.
more insight into their operational data, more flex-
ibility is required. SMEs may want to analyze new
data sources such as operational data and contex-
tual data, and organizations may need to make ana-
lytics tools available to more SMEs and other users
to enable better collaboration and decision-making.
Another driving factor for cloud adoption is the
ability to explore new types of analytics such as mak-
ing historical and near real-time process data available
for machine learning (Figure 1). Many manufactur-
ers don’t want to run machine learning models within
their real-time control systems, but they do want to
take advantage of these and other advanced capabili-
ties for improving product quality, predicting optimal
maintenance windows to prevent unplanned down-
time and other purposes. Copying operational data
to the cloud makes it available for machine learning,
enabling new analytics models to be explored without
the risk of impacting the source production data or
any existing applications relying on that data.
Cloud-based analytics makes it easy to break down
data silos so users can access and connect to data
regardless of its source. Once those silos are connect-
ed via the cloud, SMEs and other users (Figure 2) can
scale up analytics to sites around the world and create
ways of viewing global operational reporting to ensure
the best possible business impact is achieved.
Cloud analytics: Getting started
When implementing cloud-based analytics, it’s
important to begin with the end in mind. Too often
energy and manufacturing companies spend con-
siderable time planning for and migrating data and
applications to the cloud, only to ask, “What now?”
after the data is moved. Moving data or aggregating
data in a cloud data lake doesn’t make it more valu-
able; it’s a step along the way to implementing a com-
prehensive data analytics strategy.
The surest way to avoid this outcome is ensur-
ing SMEs are involved early in any analytics project.
Only people with deep process expertise and a view
of the unique impact of individual units within broad-
er operational procedures can ensure this data leads
www.controleng.com
Figure 3: SMEs use Seeq to directly interact with data of interest
and find insights.
‘
IT teams must resist the temptation
to summarize process data in the cloud
or apply business rules before connecting
’
cloud analytics application to the data.
to insight and productive action. The more SMES are
provided with relevant, easy-to-use, flexible analytics
applications, the more rapid return on investment.
One note of caution in operational data and
cloud computing models is IT teams must resist the
temptation to summarize process data in the cloud
or apply business rules before connecting cloud
analytics application to the data. When
data is summarized, someone without
direct knowledge of the asset or pro-
cess is predetermining what SMEs might
M More
ANSWERS
be interested in exploring, which can KEYWORDS: cloud-based
diminish its potential impact. The best analytics, cloud software
practice here is store all the data in its Cloud-based analytics allow
manufacturers and subject matter
native form so SMEs others can make experts (SMEs) to receive data
decisions at analytics time about how faster.
and what to modify, for example data SMEs can leverage the data and
cleansing and access to any data set for find unique insights to improve
investigation and model development. operational efficiency.
Cloud-based analytics makes it
easy to break down data silos so
Cloud success stories users can access and connect to
An energy company with more than 50 data regardless of its source.
operational sites dispersed across a large
ONLINE
and geographically challenging environ-
Read about additional examples
ment was able to implement cloud-based of specific success stories on
analytics successfully by starting with www.controleng.com with the
six engineers at one site. These engineers story “Workloads in the cloud for
identified three use cases: asset integri- industrial manufacturers.”
ty monitoring and performance trending, CONSIDER THIS
predictive maintenance and production What benefits could your plant
forecasting. gain from cloud-based analytics?
control engineering March 2020 • 23
ANSWERS
DATA ANALYTICS, CLOUD COMPUTING

Within 90 days, the team had scaled up to more
than 50 engineers in more than 10 locations work-
ing with these use cases to connect new sources of
data by leveraging shared cloud deployment and
collaboration capabilities. This unlocked the cre-
ativity of these engineers to find dozens of addition-
al use cases to finding insights and improve asset
availability and production outcomes (Figure 3).
By starting small and leveraging the cloud to
scale up analytics quickly, the project owners mea-
sured the business impact, building their business
case to get more users and sites on board.
The next step for the organization is to connect
additional IoT data from their remote locations,
keeping two critical factors in mind, network laten-
cy and analytics performance. Users won’t use cum-
bersome analytics tools with poor performance and
excessive delays, so these factors must be addressed.
Before cloud implementation, reporting from these
remote locations was offline and manual.
To solve these issues, the company is using a hybrid
cloud approach with edge analytics, which maintains
some computing and analytics resources at the edge
or close to the data source with results delivered to the
cloud when the network is available.
The manufacturing industry is still in the early
days of cloud-based analytics, but critical implemen-
tation learnings are emerging. Companies must keep
SMEs at the center of any analytics effort, and they can
leverage the cloud to scale up and down to connect
data silos. Raw data must be kept whole to ensure ana-
lytics and insights are flexible. Collaboration across
teams and sites also must be ensured to realize returns
and broaden the potential business impact.
Coupling the right advanced analytics software
with cloud platforms in use by most organizations will
help yield benefits in improved operations. ce
Megan Buntain, director of cloud partnerships,
Seeq Corp. Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor,
Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology,
cvavra@cfemedia.com.

Seeq partners with AWS and Microsoft Azure

T
o meet demands from end
users in industrial plants and
facilities, software of all types
is moving to the cloud, and advanced
entists to derive more value from TSI customers and the Azure Mar-
data already collected by accelerat- ketplace. Seeq hosts user groups
ing analytics, publishing, and deci- at Microsoft Technology Center
sion making.” offices.

‘
analytics is no exception. In response
to these demands, Seeq is available
in the Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Marketplace and the Microsoft Azure
Marketplace, enabling end users to
Leveraging expertise of
engineers and machine
learning accelerates
Data scientists can use Seeq to
access time series data that has
been cleansed, contextualized, and
modeled in Seeq for analysis with
machine learning algorithms in

rapidly investigate and share insights
from process manufacturing data
stored on premise or in the AWS or
Microsoft clouds.
Seeq achieved the AWS Indus-
trial Software Competency, the
highest tier for Amazon Partner
Network (APN) Technology Part-
ners. Doing so requires passing a
rigorous technical review of avail-
ability and deployment guidelines
for secure, high-performing, resil-
ient, and efficient cloud applica-
tions. Seeq employees certified on
AWS technologies and customer
references met the requirements.
Steve Sliwa, CEO of Seeq said,
“By leveraging the agility of AWS,
Seeq enables process engineers,
managers, teams, and data sci-
’
business value.
As previously announced, Seeq is
availabile as a software as a service
(SaaS) offering on Microsoft Azure,
addressing demand for cloud-based
analytics solutions from custom-
ers around the globe in the oil and
gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, ener-
gy, mining, food and beverage, and
other process industries.
The cooperation provides sup-
port for Microsoft Azure Directory
Service, Azure data stores, Micro-
soft Windows Server and AD—with
SQL Server and Office 365 integra-
tion. Seeq plans to soon announce
Azure Time Series Insights (TSI) sup-
port in response to request from
AWS SageMaker or Azure Machine
Learning. This enables new oppor-
tunities for collaboration between
data scientists in IT organizations
and subject matter experts in man-
ufacturing facilities to improve pro-
duction outcomes.
“Leveraging both the exper-
tise of the engineers and machine
learning innovations, leading-edge
solutions like Seeq enable organi-
zations to gain intelligence from
operations and obtain business
value very quickly,” observes Jan-
ice Abel, principal analyst at ARC
Advisory Group. “Seeq is designed
for ease of use by a variety of plant
employees, making it simple and
quick for them to find and share
insights in their data.”

24 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

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input #10 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
STANDARDS UPDATE
Thomas J. Burke, Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc., previously with the OPC Foundation
Intrinsic value of standards
Analysis: Collaborate to help standards enhance return on investment
for technologies used in factory automation and process automation.
H
ow can the value proposition of stan-
dards be measured for standards orga-
nization, end users, and technology
suppliers?
1. For standards organizations developing open
standards, the real value proposition is measuring
success by the level of adoption. Standards orga-
nizations help drive technologies and play a very
important role in contributing to new and emerg-
ing technologies and how they are deployed across
industries. The focus of standard organizations in
the ever changing world of technology is to deliv-
er standards, technology, process and certification
focused at solving real world problems.
2. For end users to prepare for numerous technical
innovations beyond the horizon, the most important
technology and standards strategy is working closely
with suppliers to identify and develop the right stan-
dards to achieve success in factory automation and pro-
cess automation. Benefits derive from collaborating to
develop a complete open system architecture or by stan-
dardizing on the data and information models for their
respective industries. A number of initiatives involve
suppliers working under the direction of end-users and
end-user organizations.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
3. For suppliers, inte-
grating useful standards
into products helps
TIME STANDARDS TIME
enhance customer return
EFFORT MAKING EFFORT on investment (ROI) and
makes suppliers’ prod-
ucts, software and servic-
RETURN ON INVESTMENT es more useful. Suppliers
know that to be compet-
Time and effort itive they must deliver products and services that
that goes into embrace interoperability with their competitors. The
standards making end-users have diverse sets of requirements for auto-
should create large mation, and typically have hardware, networks and
benefits for end software products from a multitude of different com-
users and suppliers panies. The days of a single vendor and single net-
involved. Courtesy: work being used by an end-user are gone. End-users
Control Engineer- also need integration between IT and OT systems
ing, CFE Media and and the value of standards play a very important role
Technology in IT and OT convergence.
26 • March 2020 control engineering
Ten years ago, NAMUR was a driving force
across process industries to standardize on device
configuration and asset management. Every major
process automation supplier was involved in this
effort, contributing significant amounts of resourc-
es in money and people to develop a standard and
to make standards jointly owned by the standards
organizations. One specific standardization activity
was FDI, and the standards organizations involved
in this included OPC Foundation and organizations
for FDT, Profinet, Foundation Fieldbus, and HART.
A multiple-year effort helped suppliers to deliver a
standardized device model to end users. The resulting
technology is being used by distributed control system
(DCS) vendors, and is managed by the FieldComm
Group. (See related FieldComm Group article.)
Usable standards
Standards organizations used to be in business
to just develop standards and often did not deliver
a standard that was worth more than the “paper” it
was printed on. Often standards were developed as
a means to an end by a single supplier. One suppli-
er would partner with other companies for the pri-
mary purpose of adopting the standard they were
developing. Over the years, many standards orga-
nizations recognized the need to develop standards
that suppliers would widely use in products and
systems. Success of standards in consumer indus-
tries has had a significant impact on standards
organizations and in industrial automation.
IT, OT convergence
Other developments feeding more effective stan-
dards include:
• Popularity of solution strategies
• Convergence of information technology (IT)
and operations technology (OT)
• Ability to integrate data from the OT world
(factory floor, for example) into the IT
applications.
OT and IT worlds differ, but both sides have rec-
ognized the need for integrating data and informa-
tion among and between their systems. Industry
Continued on page 34
www.controleng.com
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input #11 at www.controleng.com/information

ANSWERS
STANDARDS UPDATE
Ted Masters, FieldComm Group
Standards capture stranded
data, help with device design,
data integration
Integrated systems and standards help support advanced information technology
(IT) and operations technology (OT) collaboration and optimization in three key
ways. Also see four advantages of future process automation facilities.
I
t’s an exciting time of technology revolution
across industries, and integrated standards
are helping. While most home devices can be
accessed on computers and smart phones and
automotive technologies have advanced to
self-parking and near self-driving vehicles, process
industries are progressing at a more careful pace.
There is inherent risk in disrupting good process-
es and complex systems. However, we are in an era
of real change as a new generation of workers move
into the leadership positions that drive this evolu-
tionary transformation.
The manufacturing industry, once resistant to
collaboration between information technology (IT)
and operations technology (OT) teams, now realiz-
es collaboration is a critical factor to success. Edu-
cating the current workforce on IT, while assuring
Figure 1: Technology advancements will allow more future work-
ers to more effectively provide benefits from higher-level tools. All
images courtesy: FieldComm Group
28 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
the next generation appreciates the challenges of
operating a complex, and sometimes hazardous,
process automation plant, requires collaboration
across multiple functional disciplines. It is project-
ed approximately 75% of the global workforce will
be millennials by 2025, according to a Forbes Mag-
azine article, “What The Ideal Workplace Of The
Future Looks Like, According To Millennials.”
IT and OT collaboration:
3 benefits
FieldComm Group is aware of the culture
change of collaboration between IT and OT and is
managing standards development to address exist-
ing products and the next generation of products
based on a new set of technologies. The vision has
been clear with the following plans in place:
1. Assist the installed base by making it easier
to capture stranded data
2. Design specifications for new devices with
technologies for the next generation
3. Drive the adoption of FDI (Field Device Inte-
gration) technology to create a bridge
to the next generation, with seamless stan-
dardized device integration, regardless of
the supplier or protocol.
FieldComm Group (FCG) is closely aligned with
the Namur Open Architecture (NOA) as a means
of digitalization since it does not disrupt existing
systems and provides a path for migrating users
to a digitalized approach. NAMUR is the User
Association of Automation Technology in Process
Industries.
www.controleng.com
Figure 2: Ethernet-
APL and PA-DIM
technologies will
increase the data
rate and data inte-
gration and infor-
mation availability
for process auto-
mation.
Process automation open architecture
The NAMUR open architecture proposes future
process automation facilities will:
1. Continue to use existing instrumentation
protocols
2. Make use of new high-speed and IP-based
physical layers
3. Take advantage of simplified integration tools
to move plant floor data throughout the glob-
al enterprise
4. Use one-way communications out of the core
process control domain to reduce cybersecu-
rity threats.
Namur Open Architecture provides an approach
for using field devices supporting OPC UA (OPC
Foundation) as the data exchange technology.
Working jointly with OPC Foundation, FCG has
developed a new OPC UA based standard to rep-
licate the most common set of field device param-
eters in process instruments. The technology is
called PA-DIM (process automation device infor-
mation model). PA-DIM adds specificity to the
standard OPC UA device information specifica-
tion and defines core parameters to establish a stan-
dard set of data for each class of process automation
device. PA-DIM also delivers these parameters in
machine-readable format enabling use by applica-
tions, independent of the supplier or protocol that
delivers it.
www.controleng.com
‘
A 25-year-old HART-based device
using FDI can co-exist with a new
Ethernet-APL device of the future and
both use the same information model
’
to provide data to the cloud.
Two-wire Ethernet
In working to develop next generation of field
devices based on Ethernet-APL [two-wire-based
advanced physical layer for Ethernet], the PA-DIM
can be resident local on the device. The benefit to
users is a 25-year-old HART-based device using
FDI can co-exist with a new Ethernet-APL device
of the future and both use the same information
model to provide data to the cloud, and the cloud
won’t know the difference.
Together, new technologies of Ethernet-APL,
FDI and PA-DIM provide the highway to digital
transformation for existing instrumentation and
new system architectures and data models.
FDI plays a major role in this change, helping
users worry less about a device’s protocol and care
more about how they can use data, instead. Sim-
plifying the device’s integration into systems or the
cloud is the purpose of the “FDI Device Package,”
control engineering March 2020 • 29
ANSWERS
STANDARDS UPDATE
Figure 3: NAMUR Open Architecture makes room for existing instruments, a more capable industrial Ethernet for
process automation in 2010, Ethernet-APL, and a plant floor-to-cloud information model (PA-DIM).
the new standard “container” of all relevant infor-
mation needed around a device. The FDI Device
Package is supported as the new standard by HART
Communication Protocol, Foundation Fieldbus,
ISA100 Wireless Systems for Automation, FDT
(Field Device Tool, FDT Group) and Profibus (PI
North America).
‘
Standards organizations must work
together in the age of digitalization
to align on standards that are best
’
for the industry.
No desire for more standards?
At the end of the day, collaboration is the key.
Standards organizations must work together in the
age of digitalization to align on standards that are
best for the industry. Users and suppliers don’t want
more standards; which means we need to agree
on which ones work best for the many use cases
incurred for digitalization. Collaboration among
industry organizations is helping align key industry
issues, such as cybersecurity, next-generation field
devices, integration and information models.
30 • March 2020 control engineering
Results of this collaboration contributes to
emerging technologies that make it easier for
industries to use data to run enterprises better,
protect the value of investments and future-proof
operations. ce
Ted Masters is president and CEO of FieldComm
Group. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager,
Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology,
mhoske@cfemedia.com.
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: HART, Foundation Fieldbus, FDI,
FieldComm Group
IT and OT integration
Industrial standards organizations collaborate
Ethernet and open process automation advances.
CONSIDER THIS
Are you looking at how standards can add to your
competitiveness?
ONLINE
If reading from the digital edition, click on the headline
for more resources and links.
www.controleng.com/magazine
www.controleng.com/networking-and-security/
www.fieldcommgroup.org
www.namur.net/en/index.html
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ANSWERS
STANDARDS UPDATE: SMART FACTORY
Jerzy Greblicki, AIUT Sp. z o.o
Automation of auxiliary
processes is the key to the
smart factory
The essence of a factory, based on the Industry 4.0 technology, will be
to incorporate further areas and production structures into already automated
ecosystem of key processes and a digital expansion should be radical.
M
arket demand is continuously
evolving, which is forcing com-
panies to reorganize their existing
production strategies. Based on
traditional automation systems,
plants have looked for ways to reduce downtime,
organize a safe work environment using mobile
automated guided vehicle (AGV) robots and collab-
orative robots, and take advantage of the potential of
advanced analysis of data acquired within the imple-
mented Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
For the best possible management of real-time
manufacturing process, it is crucial to
enhance the competence of the IoT eco-
M More
ANSWERS
system in the management of auxilia-
ry processes and company resources.
According to the concept of Industry 4.0
KEYWORDS: Automated guided
vehicles, AGVs, robotics all production processes should be inte-
The rise of robots on the grated, monitored and analyzed to achieve
plant floor is changing how the best management based on the actu-
manufacturers utilize their staff al state of the factory. In this way, tech-
and operations to better realize a
Smart Factory. nology can inform people of the need
Companies need to move out for repairs and anticipate possible break-
of their comfort zone and force downs, making downtime less likely.
themselves to meet customer In an ideal scenario, a production
demand, which is becoming line is implemented with the use of vir-
more customized.
tual commissioning technology, which
A polymorphic plant floor will
increases flexibility and find
allows to test software, simulate mechan-
better uses for human and robot ics and process automation, and as a
workers alike. result to detect design errors — in the
ONLINE virtual sphere. This shortens the time of
www.controleng.com/
actual start-up, especially of large pro-
international, www.aiut.com duction lines.
At the same time, system suppliers can
CONSIDER THIS
integrate the best digital transformation
What does your company
see for its Smart Factory and
technologies according to the needs of the
what steps are they taking to plant. Individual approaches to digitaliza-
implement it? tion of auxiliary processes will depend on
32 • March 2020 control engineering
available market technologies. A good example is the
evolution of the competence of AGV robots. These
autonomous vehicles are supported by natural navi-
gation and operate safely with plant staff.
Radical approach to process
automation: new optics
The automation of key production process-
es will soon cease to be sufficient. Manufactur-
ers seek further areas of optimization, but certain
conditions and challenges exist. The consumer
market is hungry for new products. Consumers
expect customization, which is forcing production
lines to create shorter product runs. The expect-
ed competences and requirements of employees
also is growing because of this growing consum-
er demand.
Factories have faced a shortage of qualified
workforce in selected areas. The automation and
robotization of processes, where a human being
can be replaced by a machine, is a business need for
manufacturers. It is necessary to extend the scope
of automation with additional processes, which is
what the radical automation concept says.
The approach to the automation process should
be holistic and include all business-relevant areas
and resources of the manufacturing company,
which will be combined into one coherent commu-
nication ecosystem. This should be treated in terms
of automation of processes, which until now have
been overlooked or postponed. It should be empha-
sized the goal of process improvement is not to
exclude people.
Intelligent production assumes cooperation
between a human and a robot, and optimization of
only those processes in which it is justified: where a
human is not needed or will not want to be needed
in the future.
www.controleng.com
 Moreover, as Ben Reynolds notes in his book
“The Coming Revolution: Capitalism in the 21st
Century:” “(…) automation does not always lead
to a decrease in demand for [hu]manpower (…)”.
History shows there are certain structural causes
for radical automation. We may also have to accept
we will never have enough skilled production
workers available within the workforce to keep
pace with expanding processes.
A human being is supposed to be an added
value thanks to his unique competences. A plant’s
staff is irreplaceable in those areas of production
and logistics where the process’ complexity makes
implementing traditional automation economi-
cally unjustified and difficult to accept temporar-
ily or when we talk about supervisory processes.
In addition, increasing personnel competencies,
with the simultaneous popularization of robotics,
allow manufacturers to better utilize the potential
of employees in other areas.
In this perspective, a holistic, radical approach The automation and robotization of processes, where a human being
to automation should be understood in two ways. can be replaced by a machine, is a business need for many manufac-
First of all, it is a radical increase in involvement turers. Courtesy: AIUT, Control Engineering Poland
in process automation, exceeding the company’s

‘
expectations. It also is a radically expanded sense
of which production and auxiliary processes can
be under automation. With Industry 4.0 concepts, all production
It pays to leave a comfort zone processes should be integrated, monitored
Excellence in traditional automation has led to
the development of radical automation technology and analyzed to achieve the best management

with the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) solu-
tions. According to the International Data Corp.
(IDC), today’s IoT market in Central and Eastern
Europe is valued at more than $11 billion. Howev-
er, as with any new direction, the approach to the
digitalization of subsequent processes in plants is
considered in terms of profit and risk.
Factories need to see their way out of the com-
fort zone where, based on the automation of key
processes, a certain level of efficiency has been
achieved that meets current demand, or deficien-
cies are not yet severe enough to invest in new
areas. The development of the IoT ecosystem,
based on the automation of auxiliary processes,
will determine the long-term development of the
organization and the growth of its position on the
market.
Autonomous AGV with
facility location system
The new quality of service in the area of auto-
mation of internal logistics processes is visible in
the case of autonomous AGVs, which in the area
of navigation are adapted to the needs of the plant.
Cognitive analysis enables the systems to make
independent decisions in real time and adapt pro-
duction processes to the existing situation, without
a participation of an operator.
’
based on the actual state of the factory.
These self-propelled robots can cooperate with
the system of internal location in the space of pro-
duction halls, which provides a full picture of the
current status of moving objects, which allows for
a very accurate analysis of traffic and further opti-
mizations related to, among others, the deployment
of fixed elements and the management of work of
people.
Systems that increase the scope of competence
are the essence of an intelligent factory. The biggest
advantage, and at the same time the market expec-
tation, is short implementation time and unprec-
edented flexibility and versatility of AGV robot
cooperation. Moreover, the latest security systems
allow for direct cooperation with people, which
means there is no need to separate closed zones in
production or warehouse areas.
Polymorphic production will
make a factory more flexible
Companies striving to improve the produc-
tion chain with digitalization of new areas, but also
with the use of new solutions, can be improved and
extended. The consumer market is mature. New
expectations and customer habits have pushed fac-

www.controleng.com control engineering March 2020 • 33

 ANSWERS
STANDARDS UPDATE: SMART FACTORY

tories in the direction where not only quality and try will become one of the sectors that will use the
speed of production are important, but also flexible IoT technologies to the greatest extent. Acquisition
production process management, as manufacturers and intelligent analysis of data in factories allows
strive to keep up with the needs of buyers. automation and synchronization of work, as well as

‘
This modern
approach is
New consumer trends are a challenge for tra-
ditional models, where the automation of key
production processes has once been established,
implemented and operated. A rigid supply market
reduction of repair costs by preventing possible fail-
ures and increasing security. This increases the effi-
ciency and profitability of the whole institution.
It is important for the manufacturer to have a
crucial to pro- today leads to more constraints than development. well-defined business or operational goal, which
This means the need for a new look at the imple- can be shared with an IoT and Big Data partner.
duce a short mented ecosystems of production management and From here, the company will create an ecosystem
the creation of new solutions such as polymorphic of information exchange between the plant’s sys-
product run. production. Its aim is to expand key manufacturing tems and its environment. Although there are many

’ processes by assigning additional positions or entire

production lines in virtual and real space.
In such a system, new nests can be serviced
by collaborative robots and mobile AGV robots,
which, in a simplified way, see the production line
virtually. This is a modern approach and is crucial
in the context of producing, among other things, a
short product run.
Technology integrators:
what to expect from them?
In the latest report “IoT in the Polish economy,”
commissioned by The Ministry of Digital Affairs,
market experts predict the manufacturing indus-
ways of organizing such cooperation — from con-
sulting and technical support — it is the model of
responsibility for the process responsibility as a ser-
vice (PRaaS), where the parties implement common
key performance indicators (KPIs), which becomes
the most business-desired model of cooperation. ce
Jerzy Greblicki is a director of Radical Automation
branch and an Industry 4.0 Management Advis-
er in the company AIUT Sp. z o.o., one of the larg-
est European system integrators for the industry. This
was posted on Control Engineering Poland Jan. 8
and edited for Control Engineering North American
edition.

M More
ANSWERS
Continued from page 26

standards play a very important role in

KEYWORDS: Industrial
networking standards,
interoperability, IT/OT
collaboration
Standards organizations
help drive technologies and
contribute to new and emerging
technologies and how they are
deployed.
Operations technology (OT)
and information technology
(IT) users recognize the need
to collaborate and harmonize
through common standards.
Organizations need to develop
the right standards to be relevant
for end users and manufacturers.
CONSIDER THIS
What is the biggest challenge
for your organization as
standards and networking
technologies converge?
ONLINE
If reading from the digital
edition, click on the headline for
more resources.
www.controleng.com/magazine
IT and OT convergence. Examples of end
user and supplier collaboration include
initiatives and standardization like MDIS,
open process automation, Open-SCS,
VDMA, OMAC, and MTConnect. The
OPC Foundation recognized the impor-
tance of collaborating with standards orga-
nizations that were involved in developing
their own information models for their
respective industries. The OPC UA archi-
tecture facilitates these standard organiza-
tions developing companion specifications
to integrate their information models into
the OPC UA infrastructure.
Standards organizations need to rec-
ognize the reason they are in business: To
have their technologies adopted, solve real-
world problems for end users and suppliers
and provide ROI. Standards must not be
academic futility, and standards organiza-
tions need not compete. Many opportuni-
ties exist to pursue standards convergence
and harmonization.
Successful standardization in con-
sumer electronics resulted in standards adopted by
suppliers and used in products that end users want.
Industrial end users and suppliers are overwhelmed
by a multitude of available technical innovations
available. It is important harmonization and stan-
dardization is achieved. Standards and technologies
need to solve real-world problems to be relevant.
Standards, interoperability, value
There are many opportunities for standards that
allow true plug-and-play interoperability and lever-
age technologies involved in adaptive learning and
machine learning. Older programming models
for many devices have changed as technology has
advanced and programming environments have stan-
dardized and commoditized. Multiple standards orga-
nizations compete for space as they recognize the
importance of harmonization. If they want to be suc-
cessful, they must be developing the right standards
and technologies that will be adopted into products
and deployed by end users. ce
Thomas J. Burke is global director of industry stan-
dards at Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. and past
president and executive director of the OPC Founda-
tion. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Con-
trol Engineering, CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

34 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS
Allan Kern, APC Performance LLC
Advanced process control:
More answers for optimization
After a webcast on “Advanced process control: Past, present and future,”
more answers to audience questions are provided by the webcast speaker
covering advanced process control (APC) to help with process optimization.
A
dvanced process control (APC) com-
prises a number of tools and tech-
niques whose common characteristic
is taking process automation beyond
the limits of single-loop control and
into the realm of multi-loop (or multivariable) con-
trol. The Jan. 9 webcast, “Advanced process con-
trol: Past, present and future,” aims to help process
engineers (also known as production or operation
engineers) increase understanding of how modern
control systems can improve process performance
and optimization.
At the end of the webcast, registrants view-
ing live ask questions. Below are additional ques-
tions and answers the webcast didn’t have time to
address.
Industry expected model-predictive control (MPC) to naturally expand
into the multi-loop control (MLC) region, but that never happened;
MPC costs of ownership remain high and MPC remains primarily a
high-end solution. MLC represents an important, but under-developed
part of the APC matrix spectrum. Images courtesy: Control Engineer-
ing webcast, Advanced process control: Past, present and future.
P1 • March 2020 control engineering
Question: Please explain more about how MPC
has invested a lot of unplanned resources.
Answer: Model-predictive control (MPC) has
invested a lot of resources over the last several decades,
users and suppliers. The question is whether that has
been done in a planned or unplanned way. The indus-
try should have evolved towards multi-loop control
(MLC) — more agile, lower cost, easier to use tools.
But instead, most effort has been struggling with
model quality, optimizers, and matrix design. The
struggle continues and the cost and complexity of
ownership has not come down; if anything, cost and
complexity have increased.
Industry has learned why these issues won’t be
solved (in the case of modeling), or why maybe they
are not worth solving at this point (in the case of
optimization). Industry should move on to more
manageable and promising APC 2.0 solutions with
the benefit of this experience.
Q: How can the “mighty matrix” be more sig-
nificant in APC than models can?
A: This is a good question; the matrix is a rela-
tively simple concept, while model-based control is
a very advanced control concept, so logically counts
for more. But the point is, like a single-loop trend vs.
the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm
itself, the matrix is a simple tool that allows better
visualization and understanding of multivariable con-
trol, and ultimately that can be more impactful than
the nitty-gritty of the algorithm, if that makes sense.
Also, industry is realizing more ways to do multi-
variable control beyond MPC. The matrix is a basic
underlying tool, regardless of how it’s carried out —
manually, MLC, or MPC.
Q: What industries other than HPI do you have
experience? What is the longest in-service appli-
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ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS
cation you have? How prominent are services in
long-term APC support?
A: The MLC tools mentioned are available already,
with some applications having been online sever-
al years. The controllers have run essentially 100%
uptime and maintenance free. I have worked in hydro-
carbon processing industry (HPI), chemicals, and
power. L&A, the system integration firm mentioned
above, has experience in virtually all industries: oil,
gas, chemicals, power, paper and some commodities.
Q: Does an APC guarantee plant running at
optimal conditions? Does multi-loop ensure this?
Using the same definitions are an intuitive way to understand advanced
process control (APC), and its role in process operation, something
industry has definitely lacked throughout the model-predictive control
(MPC) era. Faster progress can happen with shared understanding.
A: APC guarantees the plant is running at opti-
mal conditions, if:
1. The APC application itself is running.
2. It is not wrongly constrained or defeated by
pinched limits, clamped manipulated vari-
ables (MVs), etc.
3. It has the correct matrix.
4. MPC complexity and fragility have worked
against achieving these, as has the large
matrix design paradigm.
5. A goal of MLC is to transcend these “fragile”
sources of breakage.
Q: What about benefit estimation, performance
monitoring and maintenance?
P3 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
A: The first and often most important benefit is the
intrinsic benefit of closing loops. Everyone in process
control understands this is the goal. In many applica-
tions, this is sufficient justification, especially if cost
is low (MPC cost is high, so greater justification has
been needed). In MLC, just like MPC, in some appli-
cations, benefits can be quite high. I’m working an
application now that is estimated to be worth sever-
al hundred thousand dollars annually. In APC 1.0, it’s
been well known that a large part of the benefits often
come from just a few variables or just a few models,
not the entire matrix. Performance monitoring is an
accidental sideline — one of the unplanned activi-
ties, and essentially impossible, as I mentioned under
performance criteria — error minimization vs. safe
driving habits. Under MLC, I see performance moni-
toring, under MPC, going away.
Q: What about APC creates value?
A: The obvious and intrinsic benefits of closing
loops provide value and simple, reliable MLC con-
trol. That’s important.
Q: Regarding adaptive gain, when should non-
linear gain be used?
A: I would emphasize using cascade where pos-
sible. Cascade and adaptive gain are complementary.
Cascade linearizes gain, instead of using adaptive gain.
Beyond that, I’m not a big fan of adaptive gain
in practice. It is useful as a learning tool, to illus-
trate how control algorithms work, but is often
troublesome in practice. Like unnecessary use of
feedforward, adaptive gain requires assuring the
model matches the process, and if not, perfor-
mance may be made worse for all your trouble.
Nor am I a big fan of gap gain in level control,
something which also gets more attention than it
warrants, in my view. See “Top 10 tuning tips for
control engineers.” In most cases, I would rather use
an average gain (or the minimum gain, as the appli-
cation dictates) and see if I can live with that.
Q: When talking about APC, where do split-
range control, ratio control, and the Smith pre-
dictor fit in?
A: I would place these in the category of advanced
regulatory control (ARC). These are all important
tools to have in your box, along with feedforward and
override. And maybe also adaptive gain or cascade.
Q: What is the operating envelope?
A: Slides 20 and 21 in the webcast (and at right)
show a pentagon representing the operating envelope.
The circle is the minute-to-minute operating region,
www.controleng.com
while the pentagon is the overall envelope (or win-
dow). The two-step goal of APC is to put the operat-
ing region within the envelope, and then move it in a
direction of greater optimization to the extent it can.
Q: Aren’t models still needed (lag time, process
gain and dead time) for controller tuning?
A: Yes. As a feedback controller, MLC (or my
version, model-less multivariable control called
XMC), will have some basic tuning needs, but also
latitude in reliable values, and with a conservative
or safe direction to err on the side of stable per-
formance. It’s similar to PID in this regard, but is
unlike MPC, which depends on model accuracy.
Q: How would you know when to go for MPC,
and not end up with a bunch of MLC solutions?
A: Appropriate MPC applications are well estab-
lished by now. Use the technique shown in the pre-
sentation to identify MLC applications. In most
cases, the applications will be operationally prob-
lematic, in terms of creating numerous operator
interventions and alarms, i.e. most applications will
“find you”, once you realize how to spot them.
Q: What programming languages are required
to design a non-in-built distributed control system
(DCS) MPC?
A: A custom reusable function block, now avail-
able in most modern DCSs and programmable logic
controllers (PLCs), is the target deployment mecha-
nism, although with today’s flexible technology, other
options exist. Visual Basic (VB) or C++ is good.
Q: What platforms do you expect will support
MLC? Embedded controllers or servers, or what?
A: DCS control layer and (with more limits) PLCs
can support MLC. In some cases, users may prefer a
generic network-based solution, but this adds back
complexity and other issues for the owner/operator.
Q: Should an MPC require continuous data for
the step/pre-testing?
A: Theoretically not necessary, but in a continuous
run, there is more continuity and ability to spot poten-
tial plant events that may cause data irregularities.
Q: Not enough emphasis was given to the need
that engineers KNOW processes inside and out.
A: I agree completely. In MLC, the matrix is
designed based on existing (or desired) manual mul-
tivariable control methods, that is, it is based on auto-
www.controleng.com
mating the way the operating team already knows how With closed loop
to manage constraints and optimize variables. multi-loop control
(MLC), processes
Q: A major process industry software provid- operate closer
er... now offers online dynamic model updating in to targets and
a couple of forms. Are you familiar with this and limits, because
have you seen any related applications? MLC can be relied
upon to automati-
A: I am familiar with the software you mention, cally respond to
but have not used it. This represents the auto-tuning encroaching con-
story all over again, which is one of the big past les- straints, due to
sons that I did not have time to address in the presen- normal process
tation. Auto-tuning can be looked at as an attempt to variations.
create an “adaptive model” for a single loop. For the
most part, industry failed at this, despite a lot of try-
ing. So, how likely is it to succeed on a multivariable
basis that is geometrically bigger and more complex?
This adds yet another layer of cost and complexity to
MPC, with, in my view, doubtful prospects. I wrote
about this in a related Control Engineering article:
“Pros and cons of autotuning—the big story.”
Q: Moving towards a more feedback-centric (as
opposed to model-based) paradigm, will MLC be
able to respect constraints/limits as well as MPC
currently does?
A: I believe so. For example, a simple override
is actually a multivariable constraint control and
optimization tool: The normal setpoint is the opti-
mization target; the override setpoint is the con-
straint limit; the selector is a 1x2 matrix; and below
the selector is the MV. We know these overrides are
absolutely reliable and do not use models or opti-
mizers. These well-performing ARC configurations
exist throughout the industry and nobody ever con-
siders that they may need or benefit from a model
(although technically, if you were to do it with MPC,
there would be a model between the MV and con-
control engineering March 2020 • P4
ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS
The matrix is perhaps the single biggest contribution to advanced
process control (APC) technology and process operation to come
from the MPC era, possibly even more so than models. Analyzing a
process and diagramming the underlying matrix will become a basic
core-competency skill for APC engineers and process engineers.
straint variables). But we know that is not neces-
sary. I think the industry will find the feedback
MLC will solve many multi-loop problems simply
and reliably.
Q: Do you have data that indicates the longer-
term performance problems and maintenance
requirements of MPC? Can you share this data?
You made some very solid points, and some data
to back it up would be good.
A: Nobody has or publicizes such data, but,
slowly, over the years, the story has emerged, and
is now generally accepted, even if people still don’t
talk about it very openly. A high-available MPC with
high utilization is rare; low availability and low uti-
lization are more often the rule than the exception.
I have been publishing on this topic since 2005. At
some point, I discerned the root problems — short-
lived models, the mistaken assumption of error-min-
imization performance criteria, and oversized matrix
designs that exacerbate the first two root issues. At
that point, I began suggesting changes, rather than
fixes, which has led me to MLC.
Q: How about using closed-loop model-identifi-
cation techniques to maintain MLC or MPC?
A: I am not a fan of detailed model-identifica-
tion in general. The majority of models add main-
tenance and risk while costing money and time.
P5 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
Wherever possible, use feedback. You will know
where a feedforward model is needed, because it
will be kicking you in the tail operationally. In most
of the limited number of cases where a feedforward
model is truly needed, it already exists in the base
layer controls. I am especially doubtful about “adap-
tive modeling.” See my prior answer on this topic
and related article reference.
Q: What about dynamics, process changes?
A: Many or most of the dynamic questions, such
as inverse-response, become less important or trou-
blesome when feedback is used. Inverse-response is
mainly a problem that came out of model-based con-
trol (you never heard of it before then). Model-based
control first high-lighted the ability to handle inverse
response, then turned around and provided detun-
ing knobs to ignore fast dynamics! Similarly, mod-
el-based control is theoretically good for deadtime,
but cannot handle not variable deadtime, which most
applications are (based on feed rate changes). Dead-
time always needs to be considered, even in feed-
back. (See the article on Control Engineering “What
is rate-predictive control?”)
The following questions were verbally answered
in the webcast, but the answers provided below offer
more detail.
Q: Please clarify how MLC would do optimiza-
tion without optimizers?
A: First, as on slide 23, optimization occurs at
business level, where all the needed tools and infor-
mation are available.
At the control layer, or APC layer, optimization
refers to how excess MV availability, or degrees of free-
dom, is used. (It’s a two-step objective; refer to slide.)
So the question becomes: Where do the APC
optimization targets come from — Production Plan-
ning & Optimization (PP&O), engineers and oper-
ators, and sometimes live calculations. They really
can’t come from control-layer optimization, because
there is no information available there outside of
the controller itself. By the way, most targets rarely
change; a limited number may change daily, and that
comes down in the PP&O plan.
Optimization is a critical aspect that has been
poorly understood throughout the APC 1.0 era.
Q: I don’t follow how error-minimization is a
mistaken assumption? (If not then, what?)
A: If you’ve been a control engineer a long time,
you can see a pattern… sites embark on tuning/mod-
eling campaigns, followed by periods of detuning or
move suppressing.
The problem is, error-minimization is an aggres-
www.controleng.com
sive criterion leading to fast/large MV movement,
and excessive overshoot and oscillation.
In industrial process operation, these are the least
week to week — many variables change,
and there seems to be an endless supply of
new types of disturbances. Industry saw
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Advanced process
desirable performance characteristics. It is much this in benchmarking; we’ve seen it in control (APC), multiloop control
more important to get to setpoint at safe speed and APC modeling; and we’ve seen it in neu- (MLC), matrix
with minimum overshoot or oscillation. ral networks for inferentials. More answers after webcast on
Unfortunately, this (latter) type of performance So, my hat is off to the AI crowd, but past present and future of APC
does not lend itself to easy or mathematical mea- it’s not too big on my radar at this time. Process engineers can use APC to
improve operations.
surement, but can only be gleaned by overall metrics, At least not for APC.
A matrix, used with APC,
such as loops in manual, multivariable loops in man- allows better visualization and
ual, number of alarms, etc. Q: How does model-less APC work? understanding of multivariable
processes.
Q: There are many questions about artificial A: Model-less can basically be thought CONSIDER THIS
intelligence (AI), deep learning, Industrial Internet of as feedback, whereas model-based is Are your multivariable control
of Things (IIoT), recovery time objective (RTO), basically feedforward. applications running open loop?
etc. What are the implications for APC? That said, the algorithms used in our How much optimization are you
MLC tool (XMC) have been patented. missing?
A: AI is an exciting field, but it’s not really my They represent the industry’s only “inher- ONLINE
field, and I don’t see it having a big impact on APC ently adaptive” control algorithm, and the If reading from the digital edition,
within my (now somewhat limited) time horizon. only “model-less” method of multivari- click on the headline for more
I see AI as a tool to do things faster, but not nec- able control. And they are uniquely well resources including links to five other
control tutorials.
essarily better. If modeling cannot solve the problem suited to multi-loop applications. ce www.controleng.com/magazine
with all the effort we have seen, then I don’t think AI See www.controleng.com/
is going to work, until we understand the nature of Allan Kern, P.E., is owner, APC Perfor- webcasts/past
the problem. mance LLC. Edited by Mark T. Hoske,
Somewhat surprisingly, even to those of us in the content manager, Control Engineering, CFE
business, most plants are highly variable, not the same Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

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ANSWERS
INSIDE PROCESS
Sunil Doddi, CAP CFSP, Hydro-Chem
Understand partial-
stroke testing
Partial-stroke tests (PSTs) of emergency shutdown (ESD) valves improve safety
instrumented system (SIS) performance; monitor these critical valves to ensure
the system’s ability to shut a process down in the event of an emergency
A
partial-stroke test (PST) is a proce-
dure/test used to stroke emergency
shutdown (ESD) valves partially. It
also is referred to as a partial valve-
stroke test (PVST). The alternative is
a full stroke test (FST), where the valve is complete-
ly (100%) closed/opened during the test; the typical
range of a PST is 10% to 20% of valve movement.
The setpoint for the PST depends on the process
upset it will create, and thus, the sizing of the valve
and manufacturer recommendations.
Benefits of performing a PST
A PST is necessary to achieve higher safety
integrity level (SIL) (typically SIL3) where prob-
ability of failure on demand (PFD) calculations of
Figure 1: Typical flowchart
for PST workflow. All images
courtesy: Hydro-chem
P7 • March 2020 CONTROL ENGINEERING
the safety instrumented function (SIF) loop do not
achieve the desired targets by any other means. PST
increases the SIL, but because the implementation
is expensive, it should be a last resort to achieve
the SIL level targets. This means all other means
have been tried and are not feasible, or the cost to
achieve the desired SIL target is prohibitively high.
The PST requirement arises in plants where turn-
around time (TAR) is high, and it is not possible to
do a full stroke test for an extended time.
The primary objective of PST is to conclude
the valve actuator will move when the situation
demands it, and it is not stuck due to nonmovement
for longer periods because of high TAR time.
It should also be noted PST does not detect all
valve failures, such as seat failure. Hence, at the end
of a TAR, an FST is needed. PST and FST are both
necessary for the valve at the end.
PST implementation
There are various ways to implement PST and
they involve hardware and software in varying
degrees. The PST implementation methods can be
categorized as field initiated, remote initiated, auto-
initiated and manual initiated. Some manufactures
offer field-based small panels with pushbuttons and
lamps to test the function directly in the field.
The test also can be performed remotely from a
control room through application software through
a distributed control system (DCS) or asset man-
agement system/product device manager via HART
commands if the field device is intelligent enough.
Some manufactures offer smart field devices that
work with HART commands.
The selected implementation concept depends on
considering various factors such as cost, field envi-
ronmental conditions, remote operated plants, etc.
Regardless of the implementation methods, the
concept involves initiating valve movement, reading
its movement and bringing it back to the original
position (see Figure 1).
www.controleng.com
Figure 2: Typical PST fail report.
As the flowchart in Figure 1 indicates, the pro-
cedure is a controlled valve movement to a PST
setpoint within a certain time interval. If the valve
reaches the setpoint within the defined interval,
the test passes. If the valve does not reach the set-
point within the defined PST interval, the test
fails. There also should be procedures in place to
address situations when a PST fails without com-
promising plant safety.
The PST setpoint is defined as the final open
position during the test. During sizing of the valves
(which will go through PST testing in the future), a
sizing scenario should be considered to ensure how
much process upset can be tolerated during the
testing for the PST setpoint. Manufacturer’s recom-
mendations can help here.
The PST time interval setting depends on the
valve reaction time, which can be obtained from
manufacturer’s documentation. The PST setpoint
and time interval must be tested and fine-tuned
before the plant is put back into full service.
Certain process conditions may be used as inter-
locks for the PST test and thus inhibit valve move-
ment. This is easy if the test is realized with the help
of the DCS application program. These can be any
of the conditions where process upset would be
higher and thus plant shutdown or safety could be
compromised.
In a manual-initiated option, the user chooses
when to start the test. In the auto-initiated option,
the software/program (from the DCS or AMS/PDM)
can be configured for the time interval for each PST
test. In an auto configuration, it may be better to
configure different test timer setting for each valve
www.controleng.com
Figure 3: Typical PST pass report.
‘
There also should be procedures in
place to address situations when a PST fails
’
without compromising plant safety.
so not all valves are started at the same time and thus
may create unexpected process upsets. It is advised to
do each valve PST individually in the auto configu-
ration, so the timer settings need to be appropriate.
The software used for PST tests should
be based on functional safety standards
(IEC 61508/IEC 61511). It’s less expensive
to follow manufacture or DCS vendor
M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Partial stroke
existing validated software than devel- testing, PST
oping your own. The typical PST reports Partial stroke tests (PSTs)
look like those shown in Figures 2 and 3. of emergency shutdown
A solenoid test (if applicable) on the (ESD) valves improve safety
instrumented system (SIS)
valves, which needs PVST, works on sim- performance.
ilar principles as outlined in Figure 1, The primary objective of PST
except instead of initiating valve move- is to conclude the valve actuator
ment, the power supply to the solenoid is will move when the situation
momentarily turned off . The timer and demands it.
solenoid off-on pulse settings need very There are various ways to
implement PST and they involve
fine-tuning before implementing. ce hardware and software in varying
degrees.
Sunil Doddi is a senior control systems engi-
neer at Hydro-chem, a division of Linde Engi- CONSIDER THIS
If called upon in an emergency,
neering North America. Edited by Jack Smith, will the emergency shutdown
content manager, Control Engineering, valves in your plant operate
CFE Media, jsmith@cfemedia.com. properly?
control engineeering March 2020 • P8
INNOVATIONS See more New Products for Engineers.
www.controleng.com/NPE PE
NEW PRODUCTS FOR ENGINEERS

Digital servo drives

Advanced Motion Controls’ FlexPro servo drive
family, the FM series are equipped with an addi-
tional interface board that makes it easy to inte-
grate into your system with standard connectors.
The FM060-5-EM and FM060-10-EM are connected to
the power supply and motor using screw terminals while the
FM060-25-EM features pre-soldered connection leads. They are ideal for collabora-
tive robots, AGVs, portable devices, and other integrated designs. Features include
an incremental encoder and BISS C-mode feedback and three operating modes.
They have configuration and full loop tuning.
Advanced Motion Controls (AMC), www.a-m-c.com
Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information

Ultrasonic flowmeter series

Endress+Hauser’s Proline Prosonic Flow G 300/500 flow-
meter. The Prosonic Flow G can be supplied with either of Data intelligence hub
two different transmitters: as a compact version (Proline for smart manufacturing
300), or as a remote version (Proline 500) with up to four HighByte Intelligence Hub version
inputs and outputs. These inputs and outputs provide flex- 1.0 is a DataOps solution that is pur-
ibility with the ability to output not only flow, but also pres- pose-built for industrial environments.
sure, temperature, and numerous other process variables. DataOps aims to improve data qual-
They are ideal for demanding applications, measuring dry and wet gases with preci- ity, reduce time spent preparing data
sion (±0.5%) even when process and ambient conditions fluctuate. The meter oper- for analysis, and encourage cross-func-
ates at process temperatures up to 150 C and pressures up to 100 bar (1,450 psi) and tional collaboration within data-driven
can be ordered with built-in pressure and temperature sensors. organizations. HighByte Intelligence
Endress+Hauser, www.us.endress.com Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information Hub enables operations to secure-
ly connect, model, and flow valuable
industrial data to the users and systems
Wired IO-Link bridge device that require this valuable information
CoreTigo’s TigoBridge connects a wired IO-Link device throughout the extended enterprise.
via IO-Link wireless to an IO-Link wireless master. Core- The platform-agnostic software solu-
Tigo provides an embedded version and an enclosed prod- tion runs on-premises at the Edge,
uct version of the TigoBridge. The TigoBridge is an IO-Link securely connects devices and applica-
wireless class A bridge with IP67 enclosure. It converts IO-Link tions via OPC UA and message queu-
and digital data to IO-Link wireless. Includes antenna and M12 connectors for data ing telemetry transport (MQTT), is
and power. It also has a supply voltage range of 18 to 32 V. It is designed for appli- built for scale, and offers a codeless
cations such as automotive, machine building, metals and packaging. It also has user interface.
mounting brackets and an operating temperature range of -25 to 70 C. HighByte, www.highbyte.com
CoreTigo, www.coretigo.com Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information

Analytics dashboard
for streamlined data visualization
Beckhoff ’s TwinCAT Analytics One-Click Dashboard is designed to data-driv-
en services to individual customer requirements, machine builders and sys-
tem integrators. The automated functionality in TwinCAT Analytics to convert
analysis configurations into executable programmable logic controller (PLC)
code now also includes dashboard generation. With One-Click Dashboard, all
it takes is a simple mouse click to generate an entire HTML5-enabled analyt-
ics dashboard based on the PLC code that is then loaded into a selected Ana-
lytics Runtime container. When the process completes, users receive a network
address that they can use to access the dashboard in a web browser. This abil-
ity to generate dashboards without the need to design graphics or write a single
line of code is a huge time-saver in engineering processes.
Beckhoff Automation, www.beckhoff.com Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information

44 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

INNOVATIONS
BACK TO BASICS: PROCESS CONTROL VALVES
Damien Moran, Bürkert
Choosing process control valves
Today’s process control valves offer an wider range of features and benefits for industries that require
precise control over fluids, steam and other gases. Seek a cost-effective design for the application.
C
ontrol valves are used to manage the
flow rate of a liquid or a gas and in-turn
control the temperature, pressure or liq-
uid level within a process. As such, they
are defined by the way in which they
operate to control flow and include globe valves,
angle seat, diaphragm, quarter-turn, knife and needle
valves, to name a few. In most cases the valve bodies
are made from metal; either brass, forged steel or in
hygienic applications 316 stainless steel.
Actuators will use an on-board system to mea-
sure the position of the valve with varying degrees of
accuracy, depending on the application. A contact-
less, digital encoder can place the valve in a thousand
positions, making it very accurate. More rudimentary
measurements can be applied to less sensitive designs.
One of the main areas of debate when speci-
fying control valves is determining the size of the
valve required. Often process engineers will know
the pipe diameter used in an application and it is
tempting to take that as the control valve’s defining
characteristic. Of greater importance are the flow
conditions within the system as these will dictate
the size of the orifice within the control valve. The
pressure either side of the valve and the expected
flow rate are essential pieces of information when
deciding on the valve design.
Improving efficiency
Inside the valve body, the actuator design is often
either a piston or a diaphragm design. The piston
design typically offers a smaller, more compact valve,
which is also lighter and easier to handle than the dia-
phragm designs. Actuators are usually made from
stainless steel or polyphenolsulpide (PPS), which is a
chemically-resistant plastic. The actuator is topped off
by the control head or positioner.
Older, pneumatically operated positioners had a
flapper/nozzle arrangement and operated on 3-15 psi,
so no matter what the state of the valve, open closed
or somewhere in between, the system was always
expelling some compressed air to the atmosphere.
Compressed air is an expensive commodi-
ty, requiring considerable energy to generate and
when a manufacturing line is equipped with mul-
tiple process control valves all venting to the atmo-
sphere, this can equate to a considerable waste of
energy. It is important to not only establish the
most appropriate valve design, but also a cost-
www.controleng.com
effective solution that takes account
of annual running costs.
Modern, digital, electro-pneu-
matic valves that use micro-solenoid
valves to control the air in and out of
the actuator have introduced signifi-
cant improvements for operators. This
design means that while the valve is
fully open, fully closed or in a steady
state, it is not consuming any air. This
and other engineering improvements
have made substantial advances in
economy and precision.
Valve seats can be interchangeable
within a standard valve body, which
allows the valve to fit existing pipe- While choosing the most appropriate
work and the valve seat to the sized process control valve can be a com-
to the application more accurately. In plex task, it is often best achieved
some cases, this can be achieved after with help from expert knowledge.
the valve has been installed, which Courtesy: Chris Vavra, CFE Media and
would enable a process change to be Technology at the Endress+Hauser
accommodated without replacing the booth, Process Expo 2019
complete valve assembly.
Selecting the most appropriate seal materials is
an important step to ensure reliable operation; Steam
processes would normally use metal-to-metal seals; a
process that included a sterilization stage
may require chemically resistant seals.
Setting up and installing a new valve is
easier and much less time-consuming. In-
built calibration procedures should be able
M More
INNOVATIONS
KEYWORDS: process control,
perform the initial setup procedures auto- control valves, process safety
matically, measuring the air required to Control valves manage the flow rate
open and close the valve, the resistance of of a liquid or a gas and control the
the piston seals on the valve stem and the temperature, pressure or liquid level
response time of the valve itself. within a process.
Working directly with manufacturers Technology advances make setting
up and installing a process control
or knowledgeable distributors enables valve easier than before.
process control systems to be optimized Expert advice can make choosing a
for long-term reliability as well as preci- process control valve easier.
sion and efficiency. ce
ONLINE
See more on safety and reliability
Damien Moran is field segment manag- with this article online and more from
er, Hygienic – Pharmaceutical at Bürk- international partners at
ert. This article originally appeared on www.controleng.com/international.
the Control Engineering Europe web- CONSIDER THIS
site. Edited by Chris Vavra, associate edi- What’s your company’s process for
tor, Control Engineering, CFE Media and choosing a process control valve and
technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. how effective is it?
control engineering March 2020 • 45
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46 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

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www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING March 2020 • 47

 Advertising Sales Offices
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48 • March 2020 control engineering www.controleng.com

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input #14 at www.controleng.com/information

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input #15 at www.controleng.com/information