PlantEngineering.

com

COVID-19’s
profound impact on
manufacturing & supply chain
Also in this issue:
• Remote sensors & networks
• Troubleshooting AC induction motors
• Digital OEE

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input #16 at www.plantengineering.com/information

 Rodless Air Cylinders
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L-Series Rodless All prices are U.S. published prices. AutomationDirect prices as of 02/05/2020. Prices and specifications may vary by dealer.

Air Cylinders Grainger prices are from http://www.grainger.com 03/16/2020 Prices subject to change without notice.

Rodless air cylinders are robust and compact linear actuators Features
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* See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2019 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved. 1-800-633-0405 the #1 value in automation
input #1 at www.plantengineering.com/information
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input #3 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 APRIL 2020

SOLUTIONS
9 | Digital twins drive innovation in the
energy sector
Representations also serve as interfaces to further
information

12 | Deploy IIoT sensors and networks in

remote locations
IIoT adds value within a plant, but also is a natural fit
for field data gathering

16 | An overview of industrial IoT, from

edge to cloud
Next generation distributed I/O brings users one
Editor’s Insight step closer to seamless connectivity

5 | A profound impact on manufacturing

20 | Improve plant uptime with advanced
sensing systems
What every plant manager must know about today’s
INSIGHTS sensing systems

7 | Survey results: increased recognition 25 | Your questions answered:

of Covid-19’s adverse impact Troubleshooting techniques for ac
Digital work from home is fine, but manufacturing induction motors
takes place in the physical world Webcast presenters answer questions on
troubleshooting techniques for ac induction motors

SPECIAL REPORT 27 | Conduct asset performance

SR 3 | Edge computing offers 4-step management with a software-based
pathway to digital transformation approach
Living on the edge: Putting computing power Unite separate parts of the organization, allowing
close to the process reduces control system teams to work collectively
latency, creates a distributed architecture, and
can integrate machine learning (ML) and artificial
intelligence (AI) capabilities INSIDE: OIL & GAS ENGINEERING
SR 7 | Edge computing terms, skills Technology transfer
Six edge computing questions to ask about data High throughput experimentation for the oil
collection, networking and control systems & gas industry

PLANT ENGINEERING (ISSN 0032-082X, Vol. 74, No. 3, GST #123397457) is published 10x per year, monthly except in January and July, 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. PLANT ENGINEERING copyright 2019 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. PLANT ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media,
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such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 3

input #4 at www.plantengineering.com/information

PlantEngineering.com
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sisenhour@EruditioLLC.com
DR. SHI-WAN LIN, CEO and co-founder, Thingswise, LLC
Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) board member
shiwanlin@thingswise.com
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(retired), Baldor Electric Company
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Phoenix Contact Development and Manufacturing
dskelton@phoenixcontact.com
BILLY RAY TAYLOR,
Director of commercial and off-highway manufacturing
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Billytaylor@goodyear.com
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and what CFE Media is all about—engineers sharing with their
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Learn more at:
www.plantengineering.com/contribute
INSIGHTS
By Kevin Parker, Editor
A profound impact on manufacturing
Though so many of us
have been told to stay right
where we are, events are
moving fast and it’s not easy
to see where we’ll be by the
end of April.
Each of us has worked
hard our entire adult life.
It’s no wonder we’re of two
minds. Our self-interest
instructs us to take necessary
cautions and we encourage
all others to do the same.
We also want to get back to a fully func-
tioning economy. Yet it’s getting to look
like a long haul.
“Sovereign [oil producers] will continue
to pump as much as they can to support
their economies while higher cost pro-
ducers, especially in the U.S., may need
to shut down at some point in the near
future. Any emergency from the supply
side (OPEC+Russia) looks unlikely and
would probably fail anyways due to weak
demand expectations in the near term,”
wrote Mayak Joshi of Chatham Financial
in a recent note.
While recognizing the necessity of eco-
nomic measures, self-interest also instructs
us to fear the long-term consequences of
trillion-dollar stimulus packages — piled
on top of an already indebted economy —
including the kind of inflation that destroys
investments and the security of those on
fixed incomes.
It is magnificent that so many people
today continue working from home, but
goods-making is a physical process, mean-
ing that to keep working, production per-
sonnel must remain in the line of fire.
Critical functions
The U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-
rity’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency has released guidelines
identifying workers and industries essential
to continuity of functions critical to public
health and safety, as well as economic and
national security.
Manufacturing is one of 14 employment
categories so identified. The guidelines are
not mandatory but constitute an adviso-
ry. The critical manufacturing category
www.plantengineering.com
includes workers needed
for making materials and
products for medical sup-
ply chains, transportation,
energy, communications,
food and agriculture, chem-
ical manufacturing, nuclear
facilities, water and waste-
water treatment and the
defense industrial base.
O n e m a nu f a c t u r i n g
company that is keeping on
trucking is Sealing Equip-
ment Products Co. (SEPCO) of Alabas-
ter, AL. The company and its authorized
distributors continue to operate on their
regular schedule because the components
it produces support utilities, power grids,
medical facilities, government offices, food
services, data centers and other vital infor-
mation technology infrastructure.
In addition, SEPCO products support
exempted industries and sectors, such
as aerospace, logistics and transporta-
tion, personal product equipment (PPE)
manufacturing, chemical processing and
refining, mining, water and wastewater
treatment and military applications.
As it continues to operate, the company
says, its team also is executing appropri-
ate CDC recommended safety precautions,
including social distancing.
On war footing
An Aurora, IL, metal manufacturer is trans-
forming its factory to make emergency beds
in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
“We were very involved in aiding the
efforts of our military in World War II,
and this is no different,” Richards-Wilcox
President Bob McMurtry said. “We have the
ability and desire to help fill the need for
temporary beds, so it was a simple decision.”
Richards-Wilcox is transforming its
365,000-square-foot metal fabricating
factory into an emergency bed critical
response manufacturer to fabricate tem-
porary beds for medical, overflow and
quarantine facilities. Beds will be ready
for shipment early in April.
Manufacturing needs to be brought back
to the U.S. so we can remain master of our
own house. PE
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 5
 READY-MADE SOLUTIONS
To Your Specific Bulk Bag Handling Problem

FILL CONDITION UNLOAD

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Opposing hydraulic rams drive contoured
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Bulk bags can be raised, lowered and
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See the full range of fast-payback equipment at flexicon.com: Flexible Screw Conveyors, Tubular Cable Conveyors, Pneumatic Conveying Systems, Bulk Bag Unloaders, Bulk Bag
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USA CHILE +56 2 2415 1286
sales@flexicon.com UK +44 (0)1227 374710
1 888 FLEXICON GERMANY +49 170 8 187 613
FRANCE +33 (0)7 61 36 56 12
SPAIN +34 930 020 509
AUSTRALIA +61 (0)7 3879 4180
SINGAPORE +65 6778 9225
INDONESIA +62 81 1103 2400
SOUTH AFRICA +27 (0)41 453 1871
HH-0542

©2019 Flexicon Corporation. Flexicon Corporation has registrations and pending applications for the trademark FLEXICON throughout the world.
input #5 at www.plantengineering.com/information
INSIGHTS
COVID-19
By CFE Media editorial staff

Survey results: increased recognition

of COVID-19’s adverse impact
Digital work from home is fine, but manufacturing takes place in the physical world

N
early three of four respondents to a Coro- 10. Increasing production of relevant product categories
navirus (COVID-19) impact survey con- to meet increased demand.
ducted by CFE Media & Technology from
March 20 to 25 said their businesses were Not everyone at home
negatively affected, up from half the week before. Fewer people said remote working wasn’t an option in the
Of the 74% negatively impacted, the percentage of those second sample, while 47% said they can complete critical
feeling a “great deal” of impact increased from 13% for the parts job functions at home; only 24% said they could not,
time period of March 10 to 19 to 35% during the time period and 29% said they were unsure/ or for only some parts.
of March 20 to 25. Those experiencing severe supply chain Among respondents, 53% say their companies are hav-
impacts also nearly doubled in a week from 9% to 17%. ing supply chain problems. Those with severe problems
Leading company actions to date focus on limiting nearly doubled from the previous survey time period,
travel (80%); encouraging work from home (56%); work- increasing from 9% to 17%.
ing on contingency plans now with changes expected Respondents were asked, what strategies should the
Figure 1: Those soon (57%); and eliminating travel (45%). U.S. government review to help address this type of situ-
feeling severe Respondents were drawn from visitors to the Control ation in the future?
supply chain Engineering, Plant Engineering, Oil & Gas Engineering, The three ranked responses were
impacts as a and Consulting-Specifying Engineer websites. • Incentivize re-shoring of key manufacturing segments
result of the back to the U.S.
Coronavirus Actions taken in response • Invest in medical research and development to speed
(COVID-19) The survey asked what, among 24 possible actions, the vaccine development and virus testing capabilities
doubled from respondents’ companies were taking because of coro- • Do even more to promote manufacturing automation
the previous navirus. The top 10 responses were: where production can be completed with minimum
survey period. 1. Limiting travel operator involvement.
Courtesy: CFE 2. Working on contingency plans now; expect to see
Media and changes soon Advice from respondents
Technology 3. Encouraging work from home The survey also asked several open-ended questions.
COVID-19 4. Eliminating travel, with the percentage rising to Asked what operational initiatives their company had
engineering 46% from 35%, previously. taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the facility,
impact survey, 5. Delaying or eliminating hiring responses included issuance of a daily email reminding
March 20-25 6. Mandating work from home (for those that can) employees about company health policy and CDC recom-
7. Delaying or mendations and mandating work from home (for those
eliminating that can). Anyone who comes into the facility is required
investments to follow the prescribed sanitation processes. If someone
8. Adding supply does travel, they should work from home for 14 days.
chain contin- Manufacturing is a physical process that can’t be com-
gencies such pleted in a virtual or digital world. Asked what criti-
as secondary cal functions in their organization are most difficult to
sources perform from a remote location, one respondent said,
9. Adding new “all of the actual manufacturing,” while another pointed
manufactur- in greater detail to “test set-up and data collection, field
ing capabili- service, installation, shipping and receiving, inventory
ties to make work orders and quality control.”
up for breaks Asked what strategies the U.S. government should review,
in supply many respondents pointed to the need to bring manufactur-
chain ing back to the U.S. to limit reliance on global supply chains. PE

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 7

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input #6 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 The #1 Value in Automation
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N12201608
*All prices are U.S. published prices, subject to change without notice. Automa
Hoffman prices are taken from www.alliedelec.com 4/30/2019. Allen-Bradley prices are ta
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For almost 25 years, our primary focus has been
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SOLUTIONS
REALITY MODELS
By Anne-Marie Walters
Digital twins drive innovation
in the energy sector
Representations also serve as interfaces to further information
D
igital twins are taking center stage —
advancing beyond building information
modeling to enable asset-centric organiza-
tions to converge their engineering, opera-
tional, and information technologies for immersive
visualization and analytics visibility.
As is well known, a digital twin is a digital repre-
sentation of a physical asset, process or system that
includes the engineering information that allows us
to understand and model its performance. Typically, a
digital twin can be continuously updated from multiple
Figure 1: A sources, including sensors and continuous surveying,
digital twin to represent its near real-time status, working condition
is a repre- or position. A digital twin enables users to visualize
sentation the asset, check status, perform analysis and generate
of a physi- insights to predict and optimize asset performance.
cal asset, In the energy sector, digital twins are used to opti-
process or mize the operation and maintenance of physical assets,
system that systems and production processes. Many organizations
includes using digital twins on projects are proving their value.
engineering An excellent example is Shell Chemical’s use of a digital
information twin on a very large construction project in Pennsyl-
relevant to vania. Shell is surveying its plant with drones on a
its operation. twice weekly basis as the plant is being constructed.
All graph- The reality model is combined with other asset data
ics courtesy: to update the project’s digital twin. The digital twin is
Bentley used to track construction and identify issues by visu-
Systems alizing change over time. This capability enables the
www.plantengineering.com
team to immediately respond to onsite changes. Shell
is also capturing the asset’s digital record as it is being
constructed for use in operations and plant maintenance,
such as the precise location of underground utilities.
The digital twin enables the organization to make better
sense of its data, both now and in the future.
Embracing digital twins
The energy sector is well placed to take advantage of
digital technologies. Whether it is simply adding a
vibration sensor to a piece of rotating machinery or
creating a full digital twin of an entire plant, digital
twin technologies can reduce costs and streamline
maintenance and operations processes.
Digital twins are a hot topic, and many organizations
are keen to work out how they can best benefit from
their use. Most companies are looking for advice on
where to get started. Our advice is to start with the good
asset data that you already have, get it in a position
to be shared, and grow from there. Quite often, the
good data is buried in systems that are inaccessible to
the people who need it. One of the biggest benefits of
digital twin technology is that it makes trusted, up-
to-date information more widely available.
Bentley provides an open, connected data envi-
ronment, which is a set of cloud-provisioned or on-
premises services that support digital context, digital
components and digital workflows. By enabling an
open, connected data environment, energy firms
can better manage and access consistent, trusted and
accurate information. Owner-operators and project
delivery firms also can share the benefits of an open,
integrated and connected framework.
The energy sector has always embraced innovation,
and there are several examples where digital technolo-
gies are already delivering significant business advan-
tages. For example, Oman Gas developed a reliability
and integrity program based on a digitalized, automat-
ed framework provided by Bentley’s AssetWise Reli-
ability solution. The applications are reducing human
intervention and improving resource effectiveness.
Another example is Vedanta Ltd. — Cairn Oil & Gas
in India. This organization is using asset performance
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 9
SOLUTIONS
REALITY MODELS
software to optimize
production across
its over 800 offshore
wells. The company
implemented smart
well integrity and
a flow assurance
management system
to manage integrity
risks and manage
its stocks. Bentley’s
AssetWise provides
a connected data
environment that
interacts with the
company’s existing
Figure 2: systems and integrates data from many sources.
Having a In Russia, Volgogradnefteproekt is playing a pivotal
single source role in going digital with Lukoil for the development
of truth allows of the Filanovsky field in the Caspian Sea. Volgo-
for quick gradnefteproekt has overall project management
maintenance responsibility for all Lukoil projects in the Caspian
and operations Sea and has introduced an integrated BIM approach
decisions while consolidating input from the various contractors. The
also ensuring organization implemented this approach to deliver
they are based and maintain a consistent 3D model using a connect-
on the most ed data environment. Used across design, engineering
accurate data and construction, the connected data environment
available. has already delivered benefits, including reducing
overall design time by 70% and construction costs
by 20%. The organization also uses the 3D digital
engineering model from design through construction
and commissioning to operations and maintenance,
which is expected to reduce annual operations costs
for the field by 30%.
Saving time, organizing information
Digital twins, and other digital technologies, can
help the energy sector save significant costs over
time. A sound approach leverages the investments
that companies have made in technologies, offering
seamless upgrades to new platforms and using exist-
ing systems, sensors, and other data sources as much
as possible. In many cases, using reality modeling
to capture as-is conditions is less expensive than
traditional survey techniques.
The next step for many organizations is to gather
the data accumulated from sensors into a single view,
leveraging reality modeling for users to easily make
timely decisions based on current data. Digital twins
can help users organize their information. Having a
single view of the truth allows for quick maintenance
and operation decisions while also assuring that deci-
sions are based on the most accurate data available.
10 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
Digital twins help users decide the viability a busi-
ness option, as well as follow up on that decision.
Another benefit that digital twins provide is stream-
lined updating processes. Using traditional updating
processes, it can take as much as six months to record
a change made in the field by maintenance. If someone
looks at the records during this six-month gap, the
records are outdated, leading to accidents and major
compliance issues. The work processes associated with
digital twins can ensure that all information is imme-
diately updated, and data is always in compliance.
Digital twins’ interoperability with other appli-
cations is another major benefit. Digital twins are
opening new opportunities for all types of new ser-
vices. Because of the rapid growth in the adoption
of reality modeling, new companies are replacing
traditional inspection and surveying organizations,
providing digital models of assets rather than reports.
An example of a new service offering is the recent
announcement by Siemens Power and Bentley Sys-
tems to provide asset performance management ser-
vices for power plants. This new cloud-based service
empowers power plant owners to take full advantage
of digitalization, which helps improve maintenance
operations and planning.
Open environment, improving safety
Cloud technology is crucial for digital twins, helping
enable collaboration, improve decision making, and
deliver better project outcomes and better-performing
assets. To have open and live access to information
within digital engineering models, organizations need
to implement a connected data environment. This
type of environment allows engineering technolo-
gies (ET) to be brought together with information
technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT)
to improve the throughput, safety, and reliability of
their production assets.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform can be used to
ensure the safety and security of information. Micro-
soft Azure has many layers of security and is regarded
by many people in the industry as the platform most
secure from malicious attack. In fact, many energy
organizations have found that keeping their data in
the cloud is safer than keeping data in their own
data centers.
In addition, leveraging applications that also work
in a connected data environment — such as project
collaboration solutions and asset performance man-
agement solutions — ensures both user and compo-
nent level access to data and information. Both type
solutions ensure that the right people are viewing
the right information at the right time, making their
digital twins a safe place to store their data.
www.plantengineering.com
Accelerating your digitalization
Digital twins have the potential to offer huge
benefits to the energy sector. The challenges,
however, are where to start, what are the next
steps, and how you can accelerate your digita-
lization. Most companies in the energy sector
have good document management systems
supporting their regulatory processes, as well
as often having good enterprise asset manage-
ment systems supporting maintenance. Much
of this data, however, is inaccessible to those
people who need it and often not as timely
as it should be.
Sharing this information using a federated information evergreen and up to date, providing Figure 3: Whether it is
approach — including use of mobile platforms a sound basis for next steps. These steps might simply adding a vibration
— will bring initial benefits, including better be leveraging artificial intelligence and machine sensor to a piece of
ways of finding information. If you have exist- learning to improve maintenance and opera- rotating machinery or
ing plants, use reality modeling as a starter to tions processes, enabling digital twins to truly creating a full digital
allow digital twins to capture as-is conditions. drive your business. PE twin of an entire
Link those models to sensor information to plant, digitalization
enable operations and maintenance to have Anne-Marie Walters is industry marketing technologies can reduce
a better understanding of context. director, oil & gas and manufacturing, Bent- costs and streamline
Finally, adding simple workflows to the digi- ley Systems. maintenance and
tal twins to record changes in the field will keep operations processes.

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SOLUTIONS
REMOTE OPERATIONS
By Ryan Williams

Deploy IIoT sensors and

networks in remote locations
IIoT adds value within a plant, but also is a natural fit for field data gathering

S
mart sensor and device installations are flour-
ishing everywhere, forming the basic building
blocks of any Internet of Things (IoT) initiative.
Applying IoT capabilities can be a useful way to
monitor and even initiate control for consumer appli-
cations like home temperature, lighting and sprinkler
controls. When smart devices are made tougher and
connected securely over the Internet, they can function
as key components for industrial IoT (IIoT).
Manufacturing and processing companies are rapidly
implementing IIoT projects because of expected benefits
as proven by other firms in the same sector. Wireless
IIoT-capable instruments are far easier to install than
conventional wired devices and convenient to monitor
machine conditions and process equipment and measure
Figure 1: conditions almost anywhere to identify issues before
Traditional they become more significant problems.
methods for IIoT is ready to help digitalize and gather data from
monitoring a factory, or even more distributed applications such
surface water as pumping stations or general environmental condi-
require travel tions. A prime example is using the IIoT to constantly
to challenging and easily measure water quality. This is applicable to
sites, which any organization working with water systems such as
is expensive cooling ponds or cooling tower reservoirs. The examples
and leads to identified in this article relate to surface water quality
incomplete in even more remote locations such as rivers and lakes,
data. All images as well as aquaculture. These IIoT concepts extend to
courtesy: any remote monitoring situation.
Endress+Hauser Let’s look at how today’s digital ecosystems have pro-
gressed to enable a
complete solution of
sensors, communica-
tions, software, analyt-
ics and visualization
— empowering users
to readily monitor and
be alerted about mea-
sured conditions.
Water matters
Monitoring surface
water condition is a
relatable and worthy
endeavor. We all need
and use water every day and are aware of the many ways
water resources have been polluted. For instance, a tiny
amount of oil can contaminate great quantities of water, and
there are many other pollutants such as plastics, chemicals
and bacteria that are harmful to natural water conditions.
Some water pollution can be traced to point sources,
such as factories with improperly treated discharges.
Other types of pollution are much harder to trace and
diffuse, originating from airborne fumes and gasses and
returned to surface water during rainfall.
The consequences of polluted water are many. Dis-
solved oxygen must exist at a certain minimum level to
support healthy marine life, while too much oxygen can
impair good bacteria that would otherwise decompose
wastes. Obviously, chemicals or other materials present
in polluted water can be toxic and cause health problems
for humans or wildlife that drink or even just come into
contact with the water. Some chemicals are nutrients that
may promote algae growth, in the worst case leading to
harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can rapidly deplete
oxygen in the water and in turn cause sudden fish kills.
Good monitoring practices can identify these and
other problems early so they can be addressed quickly
before more serious conditions develop.
What can be done?
A first step in solving any problem is gathering data.
Measuring water conditions is the only way to under-
stand not only the instantaneous status, but also the
historical and trending conditions. Recording, viewing
and analyzing this data also is the only way to determine
if corrective action is having the desired effect.
The remote and outdoor nature of surface water loca-
tions introduces many measurement challenges (see
Figure 1). In years past, researchers would periodically
travel to these bodies of water and take samples for later
analysis, a time-consuming and expensive method that
can introduce errors and lead to gaps in the data.
Today, IIoT is enabling many types of intelligent
measuring technology to be easily deployed. This is
particularly the case for water analytical situations,
where the key parameters of interest are:
• Conductivity
• Dissolved oxygen (DO)

12 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

 • pH
• Temperature.
High conductivity can signal pollution by chemicals
or metals. The critical role of DO has already been dis-
cussed. Measurement of the water pH indicates if the
water is too acidic, another condition that can threaten
marine life. Finally, high water temperature is not a pol-
lutant, but it can be dangerous to the health of marine
life, and in conjunction with other conditions can lead
to increased chances for an algal bloom.
Combined, these four measurements provide a com-
prehensive water health profile. Therefore, installing
an effective measuring system for these parameters is
fundamental to efforts for protecting the environment.
Measurement methods
Many of the sensor technologies used to measure water
quality are well-established, although they must be con-
figured for the outdoor environment (see Figure 2).
Conductivity sensors measure how easily the water
conducts electrical current, with higher conductivity
indicating a high number of ions due to dissolved salts
or inorganic materials. Water pollution can be a reason
for unexpectedly high conductivity.
Both optical and amperometric dissolved oxygen
sensors are available today for accurate and reliable
oxygen measurement with minimal maintenance.
Natural bodies of water usually have a pH value
between 6.5 and 8.5. Most pH sensors use a glass elec-
trode and can measure over a wider range than this. An
additional feature of many pH and conductivity sensors
is incorporation of a Pt1000 resistance temperature
detector (RTD) sensor to provide a temperature read-
ing. A Pt1000 RTD sensor is a platinum RTD with a
nominal resistance at 0°C of 1,000 ohms.
For surface water monitoring, it is important to select
sensors that resist extremes of corrosion, moisture, soil-
ing and fouling. They must be easily installed, serviced
and calibrated. The most advanced sensors, such as
Endress+Hauser’s analytical sensors with Memosens
technology, maintain their factory calibration informa-
tion on-board and communicate it to the transmitter
when connected, simplifying maintenance.
These sensors use digital technology that allows them
to easily connect to a universal digital transmitter. A
digital transmitter makes data easily available to remote
monitoring systems.
Bringing it all together
Instead of buying sensors and devices from various
vendors and trying to make them work together, a
better approach is to obtain all sensors and the asso-
ciated multichannel transmitter as a coordinated
package from a single source. Packaging a suite of
traditional sensors with modern instrumentation is
the key to quickly creating an IIoT-capable system in a
www.plantengineering.com
cost-effective man-
ner (see Figure 3).
The most capa-
ble instrumenta-
tion kits will use
sensors with intel-
ligent connectivity
to the transmitter,
simplifying instal-
lation, operation
and maintenance
because they supply both calibration information and Figure 2:
measured values. Power must be connected to the trans- Water sensor
mitter, but it is usually impractical to run any type of technologies
wired phone or network connection to a water mea- and transmitters
surement system. Therefore, it is important for these for conductivity,
systems to incorporate a cellular device. This enables dissolved oxygen
the system to act as an IIoT device with connectivity and pH make
to the Cloud, making the transmitter an information it possible for
gateway supplying sensor data. continuous
Transmitting raw data is just the beginning. A com- measurement
prehensive system like the Endress+Hauser Netilion even in difficult
Smart System for surface water includes not only the locations.
necessary hardware, but connectivity to an associated
IIoT Cloud. The most basic functionality lets users
visualize all data values using a compatible mobile
app. Other advanced features useful for surface water
monitoring include:
• Geographical-oriented overviews, location indica-
tions and device information
• Data history of measured values with graphical views
• Notification of limit and alarm events and acknowl-
edgements, with overview
• Display of NAMUR NE 107 status messages.
It is possible for users to assemble and configure
the sensor, transmitter, communication, Cloud and
monitoring elements. However, using a preconfigured
system tailored for surface water monitoring is likely
the most cost effective, convenient and reliable way
for end users to monitor the measuring points from
anywhere and at any time.
IIoT improves seafood industry
Aquaculture, or fish farming, is an important industry
worldwide. Obviously, water quality is an important
factor for this activity at all stages of raising fish from
fingerlings up to harvesting size.
Water quality concerns for aquaculture are like those
for surface water monitoring, with DO measurement in
particular a prime concern. While general water moni-
toring applications measure conductivity, aquaculture
end users need to know the amount of ammonium in
the water. In addition to pH, these aquaculture facilities
also are concerned with the level of nitrates in the water.
Fish will thrive best when the DO level is proper for
their health. Many aquaculture operations incorporate
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 13
 SOLUTIONS
REMOTE OPERATIONS
Figure 3: active aeration. Not only are DO measurements moni- Cloud and mobile devices, is a positive step to actively
Systems for tored, aeration levels can be optimized. Ammonium managing and optimizing aquaculture. End users can
surface water concentrations vary based on fish feeding and excreting, understand the health of their operations, make changes
monitoring and on water treatment cleaning performance. Continu- to improve performance and be alerted with remote
include sensors, ous measurement is important to ensure ammonium alarm notifications before potential issues develop into
transmitter and is kept at safe levels, and to enable a proactive response major problems.
accessories if it is trending the wrong way.
needed to Nitrate concentrations can negatively impact the Final words
deploy and health of farmed fish, but another consequence is Surface water resources are vulnerable to many types
connect to the that high nitrate concentration in the farming plant of physical, chemical and biological pollution that can
Cloud. discharge can have a negative environmental impact. harm people, animals and plants. Manual data gather-
This is because ing in isolated locations is a good start to improving
nitrates promote water quality, but unlikely to provide a broader, real-
t he g rowt h of time solution.
algae, which as dis- Improved and automated data gathering and analysis
cussed earlier can are key to understanding water quality and identifying
lead to anaerobic the most impactful pollution sources. Fortunately, IIoT
zones and other instruments and methods are available to establish a
problems. comprehensive measurement and monitoring program.
Installing IIoT This is a necessary first step in efforts to protect water
systems using resources. PE
water measure-
ment technolo- Ryan Williams is the national product manager for
gies, linked to the Solutions and Service at Endress+Hauser USA.

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SOLUTIONS
AUTOMATION & PROCESS CONTROL
By Josh Eastburn
An overview of industrial
IoT, from edge to cloud
Next generation distributed I/O brings users one step closer to
seamless connectivity
B
y now, most anyone working in a role involv-
ing industrial automation has heard about
digital transformation, the internet of things
(IoT), and industrial IoT (IIoT). These ini-
tiatives involve ever smarter devices installed progres-
sively closer to the “edge,” perhaps connected to an
internet “cloud,” or even connected through something
called the “fog.” Even if we consolidate these terms
under the umbrella of IIoT, for most folks a simple
question remains: what is the goal of the IIoT?
Simply put, end users would like the IIoT to cre-
ate a cohesive system of devices and applications able
to share data seamlessly across machines, sites, and
the enterprise to help them optimize production and
Figure 1: discover new cost-saving opportunities.
Traditional This has always been a goal of industrial automa-
methods of tion, but traditional operational technology (OT)
acquiring data architectures are poor at scaling, priced prohibitively
involve the and demand complex configuration and support. So
complexity of what is changing?
configuring and Much as consumer hardware and software technolo-
maintaining gies have shifted to improve ease-of-use and connec-
many layers tivity, industrial products and methods are following
in a hierarchy the same trend by adopting information technology
of hardware (IT) capabilities. This article discusses how a more
and software. distributed global architecture is enabling connectivity
All figures from the field to the cloud for sensors and actuators,
courtesy: Opto and for the input/output (I/O) systems and controllers
22 linked to them.
16 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
Up and down the architecture
Classical industrial automation architectures gen-
erally address data processing from a hierarchical
standpoint. One good feature of this hierarchy is the
clarity it provides with regards to where data can origi-
nate, be stored, undergo processing, and be delivered.
However, the task of transporting data and processing
it in context is often quite difficult because so many
layers of equipment are required to connect devices
and applications.
The lowest level of an automation architecture is
generally considered to be the physical devices resid-
ing on process and machinery equipment: sensors,
valve actuators, motor starters and so on. These are
connected to the I/O points of control system program-
mable logic controllers (PLCs) and human-machine
interfaces (HMIs). Both PLCs and HMIs are well suited
for local control and visualization, but less useful for
advanced calculations and processing. Fortunately,
using industrial communications protocols, they can
send data to upstream supervisory control and data
acquisition (SCADA) systems where it might be histor-
ized and made available to corporate level analytical
software. Sharing data within multi-vendor systems,
however, often requires additional middleware such
as an OPC server.
More advanced site manufacturing execution
system (MES) and overall enterprise resource plan-
ning (ERP) software also reside at higher levels of the
www.plantengineering.com
 architecture, hosted on PCs or servers on site, or in
the cloud, where the cloud is defined as providing
large-scale, internet-based, shared computing and
storage. Raw information generally flows up to higher
levels to be analyzed and used to optimize operations.
Developments over the past decade are significantly
altering this traditional hierarchy, flattening and sim-
plifying it to a great extent.
Spanning edge, fog, and cloud
Computing capability and networking bandwidth used
to be much less available. Each step up the hierarchy
from a basic hardwired sensor to cloud computing
systems was required to access greater computing
resources and networking capabilities (Figure 1).
Today, the relationship has changed because sensors
and other edge devices are far more capable, with some
of them including processing and communications
abilities similar to a PC. Each device can perform more
as a peer, instead of acting in a passive listen-and-
respond role. Therefore, the architecture is evolving
to become flatter and more distributed (Figure 2).
The edge is still a critical source of data, and the cloud
is still a valuable resource for heavyweight comput-
ing. However, the resources in between, especially at
the site level, are becoming a blend of data-generating
devices and data-processing infrastructure. This fuzzy
middle ground earns the name “fog” because it is akin
to a widespread, pervasive, and middleweight “cloud.”
Many other factors besides advancing technology
are driving this shift to a flatter architecture. The
most straightforward motivation is to balance com-
puting and networking demand between the edge
and higher-level systems. Edge computing offloads
central processing, preserves data fidelity, improves
local responsiveness and increases data transfer effi-
ciency to the cloud.
Ultimately, however, this new edge-to-cloud archi-
tecture depends on having new options at the edge
for acquiring and processing field data.
Distributed I/O evolves
Field data can be raw I/O points connected at the
edge or derived calculation values. Either way, the
problem with traditional architectures is the amount of
work it takes to design, physically connect, configure,
digitally map, communicate, and then maintain these
www.plantengineering.com
data points. Adding even one point at a later date may Figure 2:
require revisiting all these steps. To create more scal- Modern edge
able, distributed systems, some vendors are making it devices, such
possible to bypass these layers between the real world as the Opto
and intermediate or top-level analytics systems. 22 groov RIO,
Classic I/O hardware, for example, is not very intel- flatten and
ligent and must be mastered by some supervisory simplify the
controller or system. But with enough computing architecture
power, all the necessary software for enabling commu- required to
nications can be embedded directly in an I/O device. connect field
Instead of requiring a control engine to configure and I/O signals
communicate I/O data to higher levels, I/O devices to business
can transmit information on their own. and control
This kind of edge data processing is becoming pos- applications.
sible also due to a proliferation of IIoT tools in recent
years, for example:
• MQTT with Sparkplug B: a secure, lightweight
publish/subscribe communications protocol
designed for machine-to-machine communica-
tions with a data payload designed for mission-
critical industrial applications
• OPC UA: a platform-independent OPC specifica-
tion, useful for machine-to-machine communica-
tion with legacy devices
• Node-RED: a low-code, open-source IoT pro-
gramming language for managing data transfer
across many protocols and web APIs.
Combined with standard IT protocols like VPN
and DHCP for secure remote connection and auto-
matic addressing, these technologies give today’s I/O
hardware the ability to act as first-class participants
in a distributed system, rather than requiring layers
of supporting middleware (Figure 3).
Another obstacle to scalability for IIoT systems
based on classic I/O hardware is the work required
to provide power, network connections, and the right
I/O module types. To address these issues, vendors
are taking advantage of new technologies to make
distributed remote I/O more feasible.
One example is power over Ethernet (PoE) capa-
bility, which uses a network cable to simultaneously
supply low-voltage power and network connectivity.
When PoE is embedded into a remote I/O device, it
can even supply I/O loop power, simplifying elec-
trical panel design and saving money on additional
components and labor.
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 17
SOLUTIONS
AUTOMATION & PROCESS CONTROL
To make it easier for designers to
specify the right I/O interface types,
some new I/O devices also include
more flexible configuration options,
like mixed-signal I/O channels. These
provide extensive options to mix and
match I/O signal types as needed on one
device, reducing front-end engineering
work and spares management.
The combination of these features
within distributed I/O devices makes it
possible for implementers to easily add
I/O points anywhere they are needed,
starting with a few points and scaling
Figure 3: up as much as necessary at any time. Wiring needs
Modern devices are minimized, so long as networking infrastructure
leverage edge is accessible.
computing to For more comprehensive control and calculation,
make direct of course, any number of edge controllers can also
I/O-to-cloud be integrated. The combination of edge I/O and edge
integration control leads to a new distributed data architecture.
possible.
Architecture options
So what new architectural possibilities are available to
industrial automation designers using modern distrib-
uted I/O and edge computing? The logical hierarchy
is flattened even as the geographical distribution is
expanded, with edge devices making local data direct-
ly available to computing resources at the edge or at
higher organizational levels (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Edge controllers and edge I/O enable new information
architectures in which devices can share data locally and across
the organization, through edge, fog, and cloud: 1) private
shared infrastructure with edge data processing 2) legacy PLC
integration with edge controller as IoT gateway 3) direct-to-cloud
I/O network 4) regional many-to-many MQTT infrastructure.
18 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
Here are some examples of new information archi-
tectures that are becoming possible for use in places
like commercial facilities, campuses, laboratories and
industrial plants:
Shared Multi-Site Infrastructure: Where field signals
are distributed over large geographic areas or multiple
sites, edge devices can facilitate data transmission to net-
worked applications and databases, improving the effi-
ciency and security of local infrastructure or replacing
high-maintenance middleware such as Windows PCs.
Brownfield Site Integration: Edge I/O can form
a basic data processing fabric for existing equipment
I/O in brownfield sites and work in combination with
more powerful edge controllers and gateways using
OPC UA to integrate data from legacy RTUs, PLCs, and
PACs. This approach improves security and connectiv-
ity without interfering with existing control systems.
Direct Field-to-Cloud Integration: Engineers can
design simple, flat, data processing networks using only
edge I/O devices (without controllers or gateways),
expanding as needed to monitor additional field sig-
nals. A distributed I/O system like this can process and
report data directly to cloud-based supervisory systems,
predictive maintenance databases, or MQTT servers.
Many-to-Many Data Distribution: Edge devices
with embedded MQTT clients can publish field data
directly to a shared MQTT server or redundant MQTT
server group located anywhere the network reaches:
on premises, in the cloud, or as part of regional fog
computing resources. The server can then share that
data with any number of interested network clients
across the organization, including control systems,
web services, and other edge devices.
Seamless connectivity
Seamless connectivity is now a reality thanks to tech-
nologies that make ubiquitous data exchange possible.
New hardware and software products enable inter-
connectivity among physical locations in the field,
at the local control room, in the front office, across
geographic regions and up to global data centers.
Distributed edge I/O, edge computing, and asso-
ciated networking technologies support data trans-
fer through the edge, fog, and cloud portions of an
industrial architecture. End users can erase the former
boundaries between IT and OT domains and get the
data they need to optimize operations. PE
Josh Eastburn is Opto 22 director of technical market-
ing. After 12 years as an automation engineer working
in the semiconductor, petrochemical, food and bever-
age, and life sciences industries, Eastburn works with
the engineers at Opto 22 to understand the needs of
tomorrow's customers.
www.plantengineering.com
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SOLUTIONS
CONDITION MONITORING
By Westin Siemsglusz

Improve plant uptime with

advanced sensing systems
What every plant manager must know about today’s sensing systems

M
any manufacturing companies struggle to measure and gauge, but also how information is
to keep pace with market demands due delivered to those needing it.
to production inefficiencies, unplanned The stakes are too great to not consider installing
shutdowns and delays. Machine perfor- condition-monitoring systems. Many variables come
mance often is the difference between delays and on- into play when things go wrong, potentially crippling
time delivery. a manufacturing line. Irregularities in temperature,
Many — if not most — plant performance issues humidity and mechanical pressure can lead to break-
can be addressed by adopting predictive maintenance downs, costly to repair and impacting uptime. Operating
strategies that identify problems before they result in without advanced condition monitoring increases pro-
broken equipment, flawed products, reduced output duction headaches and negatively impacts bottom lines.
and costly delays. While preventive maintenance was However, productivity is improved when operations
widely adopted and embraced over the past decade, management is aware of possible machine failures
relatively few manufacturing operations have imple- before they fail. Conditioning monitoring is gaining
mented predictive strategies and tactics. wider usage as plant managers come to understand and
Advanced sensing systems that monitor plant appreciate the benefits sensing equipment delivers.
machinery condition are the key to modern pre- Modern condition monitoring requires a digital plat-
dictive maintenance strategies. Manufacturers who form and is made possible by the Industrial Internet of
have the requisite Things (IIoT). Factory connectivity is possible thanks
conditioning-moni- to intelligent networked equipment that transmits data
toring equipment and from the machines. This information is stored in the
systems in place can cloud, securely, and is manipulated in whatever format
develop predictive required by managers and technicians. Information is
maintenance strate- accessible for those who need to keep plants running
gies and put them smoothly, producing efficiently and delivering on-time.
to work to realize
uptime and produc- Safety and security
tivity gains. One way to reduce safety risks is to keep maintenance
technicians measuring performance or conducting
Performance diagnostics away from running machinery. Managers
controlled and operators can mitigate risk by measuring machine
Technology is the performance remotely. Thanks to conditioning-
servant of today’s monitoring equipment, tests and diagnostics is done
manufacturing plant by sensors that record data and send it to the cloud,
operators. Advances where it can be conveniently retrieved and analyzed.
are being made in People no longer need to go into harm’s way to analyze
the development of machine performance.
sensing systems, not Data security must also be considered. It is impor-
only in capabilities tant to understand the benefits associated with

Figure 1: Advances are being made in the development of sensing

systems, both in their capabilities to measure and gauge physical
properties and how they deliver vital information to people who
need it. All images courtesy: Parker Hannifin

20 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

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SOLUTIONS
CONDITION MONITORING
cloud-housed conditioning monitoring systems. Cloud
access is password protected and available 24/7 via any
device with an Internet connection.
The cloud enables secure storage of proprietary
information transmitted directly from sensor-enabled
machines, without requirements for human gathering,
recording and transcribing. Cloud-based condition
monitoring can deliver information automatically. A
clear advantage exists in receiving exception-based
alerts.
Look ahead
Continuous condition monitoring equipment can
be easy to install and operate. Systems are affordable
for virtually any manufacturer whose managers and
operators have access to Internet-connected laptops,
desktops, smartphones and tablets.
IIoT-based condition monitoring systems provide
a continuous flow of information that indicates the
condition of production lines and specific pieces of
equipment, and help manufacturers realize improve-
Figure 2: ments in operational efficiencies.
Information Parker Hannafin’s sensors and software are at work
is transmitted in a variety of manufacturing plants. Experience dem-
from the onstrates that they support manufacturers seeking to
machines on operate machinery efficiently and keep their plant
which sensors production on schedule and on time.
are installed Success stories include a recent example provided
with no by a manufacturer of washing machines and dryers.
requirement Its operations included a plastic injection-molding
for personnel machine paired with a stamping press, both operated
to gather, by the same hydraulic power unit (HPU).
record or At one point in the recent past, the manufacturing
transcribe the setup began producing defective parts. Safety also was
data. a concern, as it was typical for two technicians to be
22 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
stationed, working as a team, around the machines.
One used a manual diagnostic tool at a high-pres-
sure unit while the other was on the floor to cycle
the machine and observe its operation. All the tasks
involved required considerable setup time, creating
safety risks by requiring the technicians to be close
to hot machines with moving parts running at speed.
Today, after the installation of sensors at five points
on the injection molding machine, a single technician
runs the machine and uses custom software to track
pressure measurements and watch machine functions
from a safe area. Troubleshooting is simplified, down-
time is minimized and costs are reduced.
A wide variety of manufacturing companies that
have installed advanced condition monitoring systems
realize similar productivity and plant uptime gains.
Parker Hannafin’s cloud-based condition monitor-
ing system supports accurate and reliable predictive
maintenance data gathering. Benefits include reduc-
tions in:
• Maintenance costs. Many have seen 50% reduc-
tions in costs for labor, overhead and materials.
• Mean time to repair. Operators can better plan and
make decisions about when and where to repair.
• Spare parts costs. Reduce costs by up to 30%.
Instead of ordering and stocking spare parts, con-
ditioning monitoring provides enough lead time
so parts can be ordered only as needed.
• Downtime. Reduced up to 40% due to mainte-
nance performed only as needed. This results in
fewer planned shutdowns and assets remaining
in service longer.
• Machine failures. Expect 55% reduction in the
two-year period after implementing a predictive
maintenance program with conditioning moni-
toring sensors.
Other gains include:
• A 30% extended asset life. Based on five years of
operating with predictive maintenance, condition
monitoring helps prevent damage to machinery
and systems and extends their service life.
• A 30% increased asset availability. Realized by
monitoring equipment and systems in real time.
• A 25% increase in production. Thanks to reli-
able condition monitoring, plant operators avoid
unplanned downtime.
Custom engineered
Smart sensors are the brains of a continuous condition
monitoring systems. They enable more frequent asset
monitoring with minimal staff, offsite downloading
and analyzing of data, access for multiple personnel in
multiple locations, more parameters to collected data
www.plantengineering.com
Repair or Replace?
That is the question.
Recognized as an
Sometimes it makes sense to replace your electric motors.
Other times, repair is the best option. EASA members can
American National
Standard (ANSI)
ANSI/EASA
A R 1 0 0 - 2 0 15

EASA Standard AR100-2015 help you make that decision. They understand motors can
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FOR THE REPAIR OF ROTATING
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ANSI/EASA AR100-2015: Recommended Practice for the

Repair of Rotating Electrical Apparatus is the standard
for maintaining (or sometimes even
EDITATI
improving) AC electric motor effi- C
CR O

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A
ciency and reliability.

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OGRAM
Find a list of EASA members at easa.com/find.
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input #11 at www.plantengineering.com/information

 GLAND SOLUTIONS
CONDITION MONITORING

FOLLOWERS and application of the analytics so as to establish a predictive

maintenance schedule.
A continuous condition-monitoring system should measure
a variety of performance metrics that affect a machine’s output
and reliability. These include temperature, humidity, vibra-
INTERLOCKED DESIGN AND tion, pressure, strain and current. Each continuous condition
monitoring system is engineered to work with a customer
CUSTOM MILLED company’s proprietary software.
Vibration is a critical area. Your condition monitoring sys-
tem should include ways to measure your machines’ vibrations,
as this often is an important early indicator of problems.
Sensors also should monitor pressure critical to quality
control and process efficiencies. Temperature is an obvious
area of concern for manufacturing operations. Continuous
conditioning monitoring systems detect irregularities that can
result in costly downtime and reduced revenues.
Humidity problems also can result from increased oper-
ating temperatures. Maintaining optimum temperature and
humidity conditions helps ensure machines perform at a high
level, improving their length of service.
SILVER = C0.M0.Y0.K30
and on
PMS 877 DARK BLUE = C90.M50.Y5.K40
Your condition-monitoring
For use in layouts where the logo will be sensors also should be able to
placed on a dark color field such as technical
LIGHT BLUE = PMS285 or C91.M53.Y0.K0 measure stress and displacement while enduring the rigors
services gray.
Orange = C0.M56.Y92.K0 4-BOLT INTERLOCKING of millions of cycles. As manufacturing machinery’s elec-
SILVER = C0.M0.Y0.K30
LIGHT BLUE = PMS285 or C91.M53.Y0.K0
trical components wear, they often require more power to
drive operations. Your equipment sensors should be capable
of monitoring amperage so that maintenance work can be
7462 done before problems develop.
ROTATING SHAFT SEALING EXPERTS
Y38.K2 Your condition monitoring systems will work hard for you
and deliver numerous advantages.
3-BOLT INTERLOCKING
Final words
Features and benefits of a condition monitoring solution
Gland followers get damaged, factory castings are no longer available, should include easy setup and operation, convenient web-
PATENTED TECHNOLOGY
plants decide to remove their mechanical seals, original followers are misplaced; based interface and no software to install or update. Formulat-
SealRyt can custom make a gland follower for precisely what you need. ing alert notifications should be possible, whether these arrive
We manufacture gland followers utilizing an interlocked design, via email, text or in-system, and they should be customizable.
using only the highest quality materials. This process ensures a high-quality Data can be reviewed anytime, anywhere. Safety is improved
part which fits and performs every time. becausePATENTED
measurements
TECHNOLOGYcan be taken without interrupting
PREMIUM MECHANICAL PACKING production. Time savings can be significant, as maintenance
CUSTOM-MADE FOR EACH APPLICATION departments can do more with less. Identifying problematic
machines can be the focus.
AND OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. Plant managers are moving beyond preventive maintenance
64 Servistar Industrial Way | Westfield, MA 01085 | Phone: 413-564-5202 | Fax: 413-564-5203
practices and embracing predictive maintenance strategies built
64 Servistar Industrial Way | Westfield, MA 01085 | Phone: 413-564-5202 | Fax: 413-564-5203 around continuous condition monitoring systems powered by
64 Servistar Industrial Way | Westfield, MA 01085 | Phone: 413-564-5202 | Fax: 413-564-5203 advanced sensors. Their return on investment is significant as
64 Servistar Industrial Way | Westfield, MA 01085 | Phone: 413-564-5202 | Fax: 413-564-5203 they experience fewer breakdowns and headaches, and thereby
deliver major gains in plant uptime and productivity. PE

ROTATING SHAFT SEALING EXPERTS Westin Siemsglusz is the IoT market sales manager for Parker
Hannifin’s Quick Couplings Division. She started her career with
Call us to find out why reliability and maintenance managers Parker's Filtration Group in 2014 working with customers on
are moving to our patented solutions!
input #12 at www.plantengineering.com/information
improving their filtration and integrating condition monitoring
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Fax: 413-564-5203 24 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
SOLUTIONS
MOTORS AND DRIVES
Your questions answered:
Troubleshooting techniques
for ac induction motors
Webcast presenters answer questions on troubleshooting techniques
for ac induction motors
O
n March 3, 2020, CFE Media & Technol-
ogy hosted a webcast on troubleshooting
and maintaining ac induction motors.
The webcast invoked numerous ques-
tions from the audience. Here are some of the most
interesting, which were answered by Michael Lyda, a
motor and drive engineer at Advanced Energy Cor-
poration. Ronnie Alford, motor lab coordinator at
Advanced Energy Corp. also presented as part of the
webcast. Much thanks to them both.
1. You state, “Every 10o C cuts insulation life
by half.” Does that mean for every Every 10o
C above ambient temperature rating?
No. Think of it as every 10° C rise above normal
winding temperature at full rated load.
2. These days, technology can provide elec-
tronic protections for over/under voltage
and heat rise. Why is it not implemented?"
These things are available, just with added cost to
the initial purchase. Temperature relays are standard
these days for certain types of motors.
3. For the voltage unbalance, does the
ground help in any way?
The ground helps for safety. The relationship between
the ground and voltage unbalance is this: When volt-
age unbalance is present in a 3-phase system, you will
likely see current running through the ground. This
is due to the sum of all currents not being zero in an
unbalanced system, and the ground is the only place
for the excess current to go. This also is referred to
as the zero-sequence current.
4. Some utilities' standards allow a 3%
voltage unbalance and state that the user
www.plantengineering.com
should just de-rate their motors if utility-
supplied voltage is unbalanced at their loca-
tion. Is derating enough or does it cause
other problems?
This really depends on the application. I would look
at each on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you
already have an oversized motor on the application,
then de-rating it due to the unbalance will still likely
keep you running below or at the rated full load oper-
ating temperature on even the line with the highest
current. But if your motor is already designed near
the rated load with balanced voltage, the increased
current due to the voltage unbalance could lead to
early failure (excess heat). Looking at the impact on
motor efficiency, voltage unbalance is detrimental
to efficiency in almost every case. Looking at volt-
age unbalance at the input to a variable frequency
drive (VFD), the VFD may trip off if the unbalance
is too high.
5. Do you feel 500 V is a proper level
of voltage when testing motors used on
VFDs?
The 500 volts level is specified for infrared (IR) test-
ing for motors rated under 1,000 V.
6. How would you remedy connecting a
230 V motor to a 208 V service?
Provide a motor rated for 208 V.
7. Is there a way to measure negative
sequence current which is normally pro-
duced during current balance?
You can always check the current flowing through to
ground (if there is any), which gives you a good idea.
There are fancy meters that you can buy to do this.
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 25
SOLUTIONS
MOTORS AND DRIVES
Michael Lyda,
a motor and
drive engineer
at Advanced
Energy Corp.
8. I often see extremely distorted sine
waves (voltage and current) because of har-
monic distortion on the ac line. How much
distortion of the sine wave is allowed?
Tough question. IEEE 519 is a resource you could
take a look at. Power utilities don’t like harmonics
because they can’t charge you for harmonic current
or reactive power. They can only charge you for real
power. They also don’t like the negative impacts that
increased harmonics have on the grid and other cus-
tomers. I don’t know of any regulation around this
topic, but the IEEE 519 standard will get you headed
in the right direction.
9. How does harmonic mitigation on the
input of a VFD affect its output?
Adding a line reactor to the input of the VFD adds
inductance to the circuit thus lowering the harmonic
impact of the capacitance on the output. This is
good news for the motor. Motor performance and
reliability are improved when it sees less current
harmonics.
10. I have not seen many VFD-driven
motors with bearing ground protection.
Noting that the bearing is the lead cause of
failure, how much can this protection impact
those statistics?
Ronnie Alford,
motor lab
coordinator
at Advanced
Energy Corp.
26 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
The bearing ground protection on VFD-driven
motors is to mitigate shaft bearing currents origi-
nating from the pulse width modulation (PWM)
signal from the VFD. Voltages will be hitting the
motor winding at much higher voltage than name-
plate rating and the PWM switching frequency will
be many orders above the driven frequency of the
motor. The high frequency switching can lead to cur-
rent if there are any temporary shorts (like shaft to
bearing through the ball bearings). One reason you
may not see many of the grounding rings is cost.
They aren’t cheap.
11. If the service factor (SF) is 1.25, what
percentage of increase in overload current
should be applied if the SF is to be used in
design? I’m thinking that air compressors
seem to use all of the available SF.
Most motors will have an SFA column with the service
factor amperage listed. If your motor does not, then
just multiply the full-load amps (FLA) by the SF to
get the SFA. For the air compressors generalization,
I’m not completely sure, but maybe the compres-
sor manufacturer is using a smaller motor to cut the
overall cost of the unit. This may give them a com-
petitive advantage while staying capable of delivering
the required output (some of the time).
12. What temperature of a motor surface
with insulation class C is considered permis-
sible?
The insulation class temperatures refer to wind-
ing temperature only. I am not aware of any ratings
around surface temperatures. But if I could point you
to a resource it would be UL 1004. I may be wrong,
but I believe surface temperature would be more of
a safety concern.
13. You can run a 50 Hz motor at 60hz. It’s
called field weakening area. Output power
should be kept constant, which means
torque should be reduced.
Good point, yes you can. You can also drive 60 mph in
a 50-mph zone, but one day it may backfire. If this is a
critical application, I would be leery of mismatching
the frequency of the supply. For an application where
you may be typically running at 50% to 75% load of
the motor anyway, you will likely not see much of a
difference. On the flip side, if your motor is more
closely matched to the rated load (at 50 Hz), then you
will see overheating when running at 60 Hz — and
we all know what that leads to. PE
www.plantengineering.com
SOLUTIONS
OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS
By Emrah Ercan
Conduct asset performance
management with a software-
based approach
Unite separate parts of the organization, allowing teams to work collectively
M
anufacturers embrace digital transfor-
mation to boost operational efficiency,
minimize risk and improve produc-
tivity. Many accomplish these goals
through better understanding of asset performance.
The most common metric for measuring manufactur-
ing productivity is overall equipment effectiveness
(OEE), which identifies the percentage of truly pro-
ductive production time. In other words, produc-
tive time is where good parts are made at optimum
efficiency, without downtime.
First popularized in the 1960s by Seiichi Nakajima,
founder of the total productive maintenance system,
OEE is a function of a unit’s availability, performance
compared to designed capacity and product quality.
OEE is commonly thought of as a manufacturing
key performance indicator (KPI) in that it provides
a thorough evaluation of asset productivity, whether
it be for a manufacturing line or entire plant. Quanti-
fication, i.e., data, gives production managers greater
visibility into where and how effectiveness is lacking.
Addressing these shortfalls in effectiveness is one
of the best ways to improve plant productivity. For
OEE, equipment productivity loss is categorized as
the “Six Big Losses” as follows:
Availability:
• Equipment failure
• Setups and adjustments.
Performance:
• Idling and minor stops
• Reduced speeds.
Quality:
• Process defects
• Reduced yield.
The Six Big Losses provide detail into the factors
that undermine manufacturing productivity and
guidance as to what specific areas are best targeted
www.plantengineering.com
for making improvements. In this sense, OEE offers
a framework for uncovering the core issues limiting
efficiency.
Since the inception of OEE, digital technologies
have enhanced measurement accuracy and efficient
application of improvements. And, with the ability
to unlock insights from thousands of data points,
advanced analytical tools like asset performance man-
agement (APM) software give operators the ability to
make incremental OEE improvements, and thereby,
productivity enhancements. Today, APM software
offers solutions to optimize OEE even further.
The next evolution in APM software allows manu-
facturing facilities to collect and integrate historical
data to build a dynamic model — a digital twin — that
ingests new data to predict the remaining useful life
of critical plant assets. As a virtual representation of
a plant’s assets, a digital twin is modeled from past
performance data, real-time present data, and “future”
data supplied by machine learning algorithms and
guidance from engineers.
A digital twin is valuable for its ability to detect
bottlenecks, facilitate predictive maintenance pro-
grams and identify benchmarking opportunities for
informing OEE efforts.
On a business level, APM software also can offer
greater understanding of real cost-of-production and
return on investment, which will help businesses opti-
mize end-pricing to customers, making them more
competitive.
Predict remaining useful life
A digital twin built from APM software allows mim-
icking of asset lifecycles, simulating their remain-
ing useful life. In manufacturing environments, this
approach allows understanding the current state of
critical assets and predicting how they will fare in
the future. By simulating forward — using historic
data trends and current operational dynamics as a
guide — a digital twin delivers a view into the future.
PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 27
SOLUTIONS
OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS
With performance, availability and quality measurements,
manufacturers can generate OEE benchmarks of their assets and
production lines to understand which areas of their operations
are the most productive and where improvements need to be
made. Image courtesy: CFE Media
By modeling outcomes that would result from chang-
ing key parameters, digital twin technology provides
important insights for optimizing OEE and driving
continuous improvement.
In addition, virtual representation models can be
designed for the component level, the system level, i.e.,
for an entire production line or the process level (the
entire manufacturing process). If a model estimates
the period remaining before the asset is likely to break
down or reach the end of its useful life, engineers can
stress-test input changes or take preemptive action
to prevent failure before it happens. As adjustments
or repairs are made, this data can be fed back into the
digital twin to determine whether the future state of the
component, asset, system or process thereby changes.
Detect bottlenecks
Bottlenecks impede material flow — and hence, pro-
ductivity — in manufacturing facilities and constitute
the weak points in any supply chain operation. The
throughput at a bottleneck determines the pace on a
manufacturing line and is the limiting factor for effi-
ciency in a facility.
The root issues of bottlenecks generally include
process and machine limitations, such as outdated,
28 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING
inefficient or faulty equip-
ment requiring continuous
repairs and resulting in slower
production and downtime.
However, bottlenecks are
not always apparent. The out-
comes of a bottleneck — for
example, production short-
falls — might be painfully
obvious, but where and why
it is occurring might not be.
In these cases, a virtual
twin assembled from histori-
cal data is a tool for uncov-
ering bottleneck sources. By
examining trends across the
data record, such as equip-
ment performance or pro-
duction data corresponding
to each manufacturing line,
facility managers can discov-
er those factors that impact
plant efficiency. For example,
chronic underperformers can be identified or histori-
cal data can indicate how often a line has run out of a
certain raw material or packing supply.
What makes bottlenecks difficult to document is that
root causes may not be readily apparent. But with a
clearer view of the facility, managers can better discover
their underlying cause.
Take the example of a brewery. If historical data
reveals that a pasteurizer can produce a greater volume
of beer compared to what can be handled by the pack-
aging line (the next step in the production process),
the bottleneck’s root cause will be evident. But if that
packaging line is being pushed to operate at maximum
capacity and absorb everything coming from the pas-
teurizer to meet a target output, the brewery might
be more likely to see the bottleneck as arising from
equipment failure on the packaging line. This scenario
might also result in shortened asset lifecycles. With
access to this insight, a facility manager might realize
the best course of action is to invest in enlarging the
packaging line rather than running equipment at its
design limits.
Predictive maintenance
Creating a virtual asset representation from historical
data and simulating performance forward under vary-
ing scenarios allows operators to anticipate exposure,
wear on components, risk factors and where failures
are most likely to occur. Simulations developed from
historical knowledge also can include contextual data
about an asset’s maintenance schedule — corrective
www.plantengineering.com
maintenance performed, repairs and replaced parts.
This can be merged with further information regard-
ing performance records, operating environment and
newly available IIoT data collected from the physical
asset.
By combining all this data, predictive models can
advise as to maintenance actions for minimizing
unplanned downtime and potentially eliminating
the need for fixed maintenance schedules.
Benchmark for OEE
Digital simulations also are used to conduct bench-
marking between sites and assets for optimizing OEE
efforts. By benchmarking real-time production and
performance metrics, regional managers can make
accurate comparisons at the asset, system and pro-
cess levels.
Benchmarking data can be used to compare chemi-
cal treatment programs in different regions or the
performance of cooling towers, boilers or specific
water treatment technologies across multiple sites.
In a packaging scenario, benchmarking data provides
plant managers with greater visibility into output, cost
and investment performance of each packaging line
within a facility.
With performance, availability and
quality measurements, manufacturers
can generate OEE benchmarks of their
assets and production lines to under-
stand which areas of their operations
are the most productive and where
improvements need to be made. These
evaluations also can be extended to the
entire facility, allowing OEE benchmark
comparisons at a larger scale.
not follow from simply adopting APM software and
targeting OEE enhancements alone. Companies must
first focus on enacting mature APM software programs
based on connecting systems and technology across
the enterprise.
As the “glue” to bring previously siloed areas togeth-
er, such as enterprise resource planning, digital supply
networks and enterprise asset management systems,
the value of APM software lies in its capacity to unite
separate parts of the organization, allowing different
teams to work collectively as one unit. Applied in this
way, field-level results drive enhanced performance,
which translates into financial results through topline
growth, cost reduction, safety, quality and capital effi-
ciency. PE
Emrah Ercan serves as global director of digital solu-
tions at SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions and
is a member of the company’s innovation and digital
board of directors. He is responsible for strategic direc-
tion, commercialization and development of the com-
pany’s digital solutions. Previously, he served as vice
president of strategic initiatives at GE Oil & Gas and
GE Digital, where he established an internal incubator
to fund early-stage digital oilfield ideas.

Improve financial
performance
OEE also offers tremendous value as
a business KPI. Applied as a business
metric, OEE enables companies to view
their operations in financial terms, help-
ing them understand where to deploy
resources for improving cost perfor-
mance.
Here, APM software provides benefit
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April 2020 • 29 input #13 at www.plantengineering.com/information

 SPECIAL REPORT

EDGE COMPUTING
A transformative, optimized architecture

SR3 | Edge computing offers 4-step pathway to digital transformation

.KXKPIQPVJGGFIG2WVVKPIEQORWVKPIRQYGTENQUGVQVJGRTQEGUUTGFWEGUEQPVTQNU[U-
VGONCVGPE[ETGCVGUCFKUVTKDWVGFCTEJKVGEVWTGCPFECPKPVGITCVGOCEJKPGNGCTPKPI
/.
CPFCTVKƂEKCNKPVGNNKIGPEG
#+ECRCDKNKVKGU5GGHQWTUVGRUVQYCTFGFIGEQORWVKPI

SR7 | Edge computing terms and skills

5KZGFIGEQORWVKPISWGUVKQPUVQCUMCDQWVFCVCEQNNGEVKQPPGVYQTMKPICPF
EQPVTQNU[UVGOU

Edge computing research, resources

'FIGEQORWVKPIVGEJPQNQIKGUKPXQNXGKPVGTQRGTCDKNKV[UGEWTKV[EQORWVGKPHTCUVTWE-
VWTGCPFEQPPGEVKXKV[*CTFYCTGRTQITGUUGUHTQOKUQNCVGFEQPVTQNNGTUVQEQPVTQNTQQOU
cloud/enterprise integration, machine learning, and self-optimization using cloud,
GPVGTRTKUGCPFGFIGTGUQWTEGUCEEQTFKPIVQTGUGCTEJHTQO5VTCVWUCPF%('/GFKC
UJCTGFCV#4%(QTWOYYYUVTCVWUEQO6TGPF4GRQTV
YYYEQPVTQNGPIEQOEQPVTQNU[UVGOUGODGFFGFU[UVGOUGFIGEQORWVKPI
YYYEQPVTQNGPIEQOYGDECUVUƂXGEQPETGVGGZCORNGUQHGFIGEQORWVKPICRRNKECVKQPU
YYYEQPVTQNGPIEQOGDQQMUrYYYEQPVTQNGPIEQOTGUGCTEJ

CAPTIONS.GHV'FIGEQORWVKPIDTKPIUPGYQRRQTVWPKVKGUCPFEJCNNGPIGUQHHGTKPIDGPGƂVUQXGTNGICE[PGVYQTMCTEJKVGEVWTGU[U-
VGOU)GVCPUYGTUDGHQTGKPXGUVKPI%QWTVGU[.66GEJPQNQI[5GTXKEGUr4KIJV'FIGFGXKEGUQRGTCVGCVVJGGFIGQHCNQECNPGVYQTM
CPFDTKFIGVJGEQPVTQNU[UVGOCPFENQWFUGTXGTUQTTGOQVGEQORWVGTURTQEGUUKPIFCVCDGVYGGPVJGEQPVTQNU[UVGOCPFUGTXGTU

SR1 • April 2020 SPECIAL REPORT: CONTROL ENGINEERING

 Find out
more at:

Industrial Edge – from

the field to the cloud
Optimizing data has become increasingly important for industry
but many companies are analyzing machine and plant data on
industrial PCs, requiring resources and frequent manual updates.
With SIMATIC Edge, everything is easier, faster, more flexible and
secure, for optimal data use.
• Local, secure bulk data processing
• Shorter innovation cycles and greater flexibility
• Reduce time to market
• Open ecosystem
With countless customizable apps, Siemens SIMATIC Edge enables
©2020 Siemens Industry, Inc.

you to get the most out of your data by bringing the cloud into your
automation. For more information, open the camera on your smart
phone and scan the QR code above. #thefutureofautomation
input #16 at www.plantengineering.com/information

usa.siemens.com/industrial-edge
 SPECIAL REPORT
EDGE COMPUTING
4-STEP pathway
to digital transformation
On the edge: Putting computing power close to the process reduces control
system latency, creates a distributed architecture, and can integrate machine learn-
ing (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). See four steps toward edge computing.
E
dge computing architectures have been
advanced by cloud services, which have
long helped companies simplify and
secure data aggregation and processing
functions. As time progressed, techno-
logical advancements such as mobility and differ-
entiation in user interface and user experience (UI/
UX) approaches resulted in more connected and
distributed processes, devices and machines. Com-
panies realized there was a need for more immedi-
ate intelligence from data closer to the source. This
increased demand for edge computing.
Edge computing:
Four-step progression
Four steps toward greater adoption of edge-com-
puting follow (see graphic).
1. Cloud computing revolutionizes business.
2. Edge computing architectures resolve
emerging challenges.
3. Concerns arise over costs of digital
transformation.
4. Optimization and asset utilization benefits
make edge computing more feasible.
Edge computing can be crucial for some indus-
tries and manufacturing industry applications to
resolve a range of challenges. This includes equip-
ment breakdown and unplanned downtime. Intelli-
gent temperature monitoring sensors, for example,
can be automated to record temperature changes in
the immediate surroundings. In case of an emer-
gency, these devices can activate sprinklers, alert
the fire department and shutdown all power sys-
tems in a factory.
This scenario will require machine-to-machine
(M2M) edge computing to decrease network
latency and deliver real-time control and moni-
SR3 • April 2020
toring. Earlier, devices at the edge were only pro-
grammed to locally collect data and transmit it to
a remote server (cloud). With the assistance of AI,
edge devices can now be embedded with machine
learning (ML) capabilities to self-learn and execute
actions without waiting for a response from a cen-
tral computer.
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) can be
taught to detect issues, analyze the issue, and exe-
cute counteractive procedures, according to some
PLC manufacturers. PLCs can act as edge nodes
with ML capabilities to activate prescriptive and
predictive maintenance without interventions from
information technology systems or humans.
Every manufacturing plant wants what this cut-
ting-edge innovation can deliver. The problem: at
what cost?
Edge computing justification
Organizations balk at large investments in new
technology without getting a tangible sense of
the return on investment (ROI). Technologies are
evolving rapidly. Just as we embraced cloud com-
puting and are now rethinking this strategy for
high availability and instant compute abilities, we
could perhaps pose the same question for edge
computing.
The immediate benefits may outweigh the costs,
but the evolving technologies pose a risk in terms of
investment. Intelligent sensors with ML and AI capa-
bilities are far from being cost effective. If an orga-
nization has already implemented a cloud strategy,
does it make sense to move them to an edge com-
puting strategy immediately? This depends on the
requirement. The additional cost for sensors, local
processing power and other features will add to the
overall overhead and increased costs. As a strategy,
this defeats the purpose it was meant to mitigate.
Optimize and utilize
Recently, a fault-tolerant computer server and
software manufacturer launched a virtualized,
SPECIAL REPORT: CONTROL ENGINEERING
| PC11-48USA |

Meet the smallest Industrial PC

from Beckhoff.
The ultra-compact C6015 IPC for automation and IoT.
40 mm

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With the ultra-compact C6015 Industrial PC, Beckhoff has again expanded the application
possibilities of PC-based control. Wherever space or cost limitations previously prevented the
use of a PC-based control solution, this new IPC generation offers an excellent price-to-per-
formance ratio in an extremely compact housing. With up to 4 CPU cores, low weight and
unprecedented installation flexibility, the C6015 is universally applicable in automation,
visualization and communication tasks. It is also ideal for use as an IoT gateway.
Processor: Intel® Atom™, 1, 2 or 4 cores
Interfaces: 2 Ethernet, 1 DisplayPort, 2 USB
Main memory: up to 4 GB DDR3L RAM
Housing: Die-cast aluminum-zinc alloy
Dimensions (W x H x D): 82 x 82 x 40 mm
input #17 at www.plantengineering.com/information

2018

Flexible installation via rear or side panel mounting, or on DIN rail. HONORABLE
MENTION
 SPECIAL REPORT

EDGE COMPUTING

The evolving land-

scape around edge
computing brings
new opportunities
and challenges.
Edge computing
offers undeniable
benefits over leg-
acy network archi-
tecture systems
and raises ques-
tions that require
extensive research
before investment.
Courtesy: L&T
Technology Ser-
vices

‘
let pass an upcoming technology. Based on empiri-
Consider economies of scale. How cal evidence it is clear that enterprises who have failed
to adopt new technologies lagged behind those who
close to the edge is close? Should it be have. In 2008, many industry champions dismissed
cloud computing trend as passing and yet, almost a

’
completely on equipment or premise?
self-protecting edge-computing platform specifi-
cally designed for industrial control system envi-
ronments, as previously reported. The platform
comes embedded with zero-touch computing prop-
erties and is expected to simplify a range of remote
management activities such as cloud-based health
monitoring, automated site and data recovery.
Such platforms can offer a middle
decade later, cloud computing is moving to the edge.
Cloud computing saw rapid adoption because
it provided organizations with easy accessibility to
vast storage with near zero application usage laten-
cy and pay-as-you-go models sweetening the deal.
Organizations had every reason to go for this.
However, after a decade, as applications are dis-
tributed across geographies and major challenges
remain with cloud providers, latency, experiential
consistency and security, organizations are rethink-
ing cloud strategies.

M More
ANSWERS
KEYWORDS: Edge computing,
cloud services
Edge computing distributes control
architectures and reduces latency.
Machine learning and artificial
intelligence can be integrated into
edge computers and PLCs.
Edge computing can bring cloud
services to distributed architectures.
CONSIDER THIS
How could an edge-computing
distributed architecture help your
processes?
ONLINE
Click on the headline, if reading
from the digital edition, to access
more resources.
www.controleng.com/magazine
www.controleng.com/webcasts
www.controleng.com/webcasts/past
path to optimize costs by considering
capital expenditures (capex) and oper-
ational expenditures (opex). Such sce-
narios should consider the economies
of scale. The question to ask is: How
close to the edge is close? Should it be
completely on equipment or can it be
on premise? Processing data on the
devices instead of using co-location
data centers and existing cloud infra-
structure requires research and time.
Depending on this answer, infrastruc-
ture and cost optimization and utiliza-
tion indicators could go up or down.
Cloud and edge computing
Technology trends can be ambigu-
ous with interminable discussions on
the pros and cons of each trend. Most
organizations tend to err on the side of
caution and deliberate before taking a
conscious decision to either adopt or
Having an edge in 2020, beyond
Gartner estimates 91% of today’s data is created
and processed in centralized data centers. By 2022
about 75% of all data will need analysis and action
at the edge. Edge computing will become the prin-
cipal method by which enterprises implement digi-
tal transformation.
Edge computing offers many benefits over leg-
acy network architecture systems. As it continues
to evolve and make more inroads for organizations,
it also will raise questions that will require exten-
sive research before investment. Organizations
need to look at transformational opportunities with
a thoughtful, deliberate approach to validate this
investment. ce
Dr. Keshab Panda is CEO and managing director,
L&T Technology Services, a Control Engineering
content partner. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content
manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and
Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

SR5 • April 2020 SPECIAL REPORT: CONTROL ENGINEERING

MOVE SECURELY INTO
THE CLOUD BU I LT-IN
RITY
E C U
S
WAGO Cloud

Microsoft
Amazon Web
Azure
Services

IBM
Other Cloud BLUEMIX
Services

IIoEATDY
R

Direct Field to Cloud Connection

with the PFC Series Controllers
• IIoT-ready with Sparkplug, native MQTT and TLS encryption
• Built-in VPN and Firewall for increased network security
• Run Docker Containers in parallel with PLC logic
• Interface with existing controls via onboard fieldbus gateways

www.wago.us/IIoT
input #18 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 SPECIAL REPORT
EDGE COMPUTING
Edge computing terms, skills
Ask six edge computing questions on data collection, networks, control systems.
W
hether we realize it or not, most
people use edge computing
daily. A prime example is when
we use the speech recognition
features of our mobile phones
to ask for Siri or Cortana. Since language process-
ing takes a lot of computational power the phone
first does some initial processing, lightening the
load for the server and streamlining the data going
to it. If all processing was performed on the phone,
it would tax the phone’s resources.
Processing data in the cloud frees up the user’s
phone to perform other tasks and allows companies
like Google and Apple to update and improve the
software. If a phone did no pre-processing before
sending data to the cloud, our networks and serv-
ers could become bogged down with data. A similar
model makes sense in industrial applications.
Edge devices operate at the edge of a local net-
work and provide the interface between control
system(s) on the plant floor and the outside network.
They act as a bridge between the control system and
cloud servers or remote computers, processing data
between the control system and servers. Performing
data computations on the edge device reduces the
traffic and the processing power required by both the
control system and remote servers.
Having an edge device also allows users to
update functions on the edge device without dis-
rupting the control system. Edge devices also can
provide a “firewall” or “air gap,” isolating controls
equipment from the public network, for better
security. Edge devices also can buffer data if there
is network latency or even a network outage. If
this happens, the edge device stores the data until
the network connection can be restored.
Six edge computing questions to ask
Ask these questions to clarify if an edge device is
right for an application:
1. Do I need to collect historical data from the
control system?
2. If I collect data, are there benefits to storing this
data in a central location? Could this data be
used for reporting, down time analysis, predic-
tive maintenance or inventory tracking?
3. Does the control system need to interface
with the outside network, such as the plant
network, business systems or the internet?
SR7 • April 2020
4. Does the control system receive information
from the outside network, such as inventory,
recipe and batching systems?
5. Is there a benefit to adding mobile devices or
features such as alarm notification?
6. Can non-essential functions be offloaded
from the “mission critical” control system?
For example, could functions such as image
processing and recipe management be moved
to a non-production computer?
If the answer was yes to one or more question, then
an edge device may be a good fit for the application.
Edge device benefits
The benefits of using an edge device can be
grouped into the following categories.
Sharing data
• The edge device interface allows the control sys-
tem to share data with external systems.
–The edge device can act as a bridge or proto-
col converter, allowing legacy equipment to
interface with other devices and networks.
–Ethernet IP devices can interface with the
external network without having to modify
the existing network or change IP addresses.
Improving security
• Edge device provides a security layer between
the control system and external network.
–The edge device can provide a fire wall and
air gap to help protect the control system.
–The edge device can provide security moni-
toring and access control.
Processing and network improvements
• Moving non-critical functions to an edge
device allows the control system to “focus” on
the most important tasks.
–It frees up more memory and processing
power for mission critical functions.
–Non-critical functions, running on the edge
device, can be updated and modified without
the disrupting production.
• Reduce network traffic and mitigate the impact
of network disruptions.
–Basic data processing on the edge device can
help reduce network traffic.
–Buffering data on the edge device can reduce
the impact of network issues.
SPECIAL REPORT: CONTROL ENGINEERING

Edge devices operate at the edge of a local
network and bridge the control system and
cloud servers or remote computers, processing
data between the control system and servers.
Images courtesy: MartinCSI
–Edge device can convert data to “light-
er weight” messaging protocols such as
MQTT, reducing bandwidth and improving
efficiency.
Next steps after evaluation
After the evaluation, users need to ask how to
select the best device for the applications. What fea-
tures and functions are needed? These three edge
device core considerations should be front of mind.
• Functionality: The control system should
operate with or without the edge device. When
looking at functions to put in an edge device, ask:
“If the edge device is turned off, would the process
still run reliably?” The answer should be yes.
• Security: An edge device should restrict direct
access to the control system from the outside net-
work. The edge device can provide a means to iso-
late the control system while still allowing data to
flow in both directions.
• Performance: With performance, users need
to ask the following questions:
–Is the control system processing large
amounts of incoming or outgoing data? If
so, consider having the edge device process
this data.
–What data processing is being performed in
the cloud or a remote server? If moved to an
edge device the amount of data sent across
the network will be reduced.
An edge device can be anything from a relative-
ly simple, low-cost device to something as robust
as an industrial PC. What makes an edge device is
more a matter of where and how it is used than the
actual hardware. Edge devices can do more than
these core features. They can take help a basic
application become future-ready. Enhanced fea-
tures include:
SPECIAL REPORT: CONTROL ENGINEERING
‘ Edge devices
can do a lot
more. They can
take help a ba-
sic application
become future-
’
ready.
Users talking to an AI like Siri or Cortana are
actually engaging in edge computing without
realizing it.
• Performing logic and math calculations.
• Acting as an HMI and host screens.
• Acting as an Ethernet switch and incorporate
features found in managed switches and routers.
Network address translation (NAT).
• Edge devices facilitate Industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT)/Industry 4.0 functionality and
allow users to perform
–Protocol conversion. For example, network
traffic conversion from Modbus TCP/IP, CIP
and Profinet protocols to MQTT.
–Run apps and APIs that directly interface
with software running on remote servers or
the cloud.
–Run an operating system such as Linux or
Microsoft Windows, allowing users to install
off-the-shelf software.
–Provide added firewall and network security
features and diagnostics.
–Run a structured query language
(SQL) database. M More
ANSWERS
While the core functionality can be KEYWORDS: edge computing,
smart devices
found in most edge devices, the enhanced
Edge devices act as a bridge
features will provide room for the applica- between the control system and
tion to grow into the future. cloud servers.
Selecting an edge device and deter- Edge devices are useful for
mining how it is used will depend on applications where data from
the specific application and the custom- an outside network needs to be
er’s needs. When an edge device is prop- gathered and evaluated.
erly selected and configured, the result What makes an edge device
is more a matter of where and
will be a control system with improved how it is used than the actual
performance, higher security and great- hardware itself
er maintainability. Most importantly, it
ONLINE
provides meaningful information avail-
View other articles in the Edge
able to those who benefit from it the Computing Special Report for
most. ce the Control Engineering April
2020 issue.
Nate Kay, project manager, MartinCSI. CONSIDER THIS
Edited by Chris Vavra, associate editor, What applications do you think
Control Engineering, CFE Media and would benefit most from edge
Technology, cvavra@cfemedia.com. computing and why?
April 2020 • SR8
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www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING April 2020 • 39

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40 • April 2020 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

Prime Mover
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Yaskawa U1000 Industrial Matrix Drives are a proven and reliable

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Make the complex simple. Our U1000 Industrial Matrix Drives are
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Want reduced energy costs and lower harmonics?

Call Yaskawa at 1-800-YASKAWA today.

input #14 at www.plantengineering.com/information

https://go.yaskawa-america.com/yai1384
Yaskawa America, Inc. Drives & Motion Division 1-800-YASKAWA yaskawa.com
 Improves
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Eliminates
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Increases
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—
Condition monitoring
For mechanical components

The ABB AbilityTM Smart Sensor for mechanical products is an easy-to-use,

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new.abb.com
input #15 at www.plantengineering.com/information