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input #2 at www.controleng.com/information
 SEPTEMBER 2017

Vol. 64
Number 9

Features 16
WOMEN IN ENGINEERING COVER: Images courtesy: The Big Partnership, in
cooperation with Opito, the oil and gas industry’s safety, standards, and workforce
16 Creating a gender balance development organization.

in the oil and gas sector

Cover Story: While the oil and gas sector is still male-dominated,
engineering-minded associations are working to motivate more
women to work in the field.

22 2017 Engineering
Leaders Under 40
Cover Story: Control Engineering and
Plant Engineering are honored to have
discovered and to serve the 35 engineer-
ing professionals named as this year’s
Engineering Leaders Under 40. Preview the Class of 2017 and find
details at www.controleng.com/EngineeringLeaders.

24 Putting wireless sensor networks to work 29

As wireless sensor networks become more reliable, their
applications continue to grow.

26 An integrated network for Industrie 4.0

System integration via the cloud makes networking at the produc-
tion level easy and secure by vertically integrating management and
systems as well as providing a security function for Industrie 4.0.

29 How cloud computing works

for industrial processes
Cloud computing can process, filter, and analyze data using an HMI
and turn it into actionable information for industrial facilities.

31 Four virtualization technology myths

that hold organizations back
Virtualization technology beliefs are debunked, which is very ben-
eficial for critical, industrial applications and optimizing operations.
31
More articles online
CONTROL ENGINEERING (ISSN 0010-8049, Vol. 64, No. 9, GST #123397457) is published
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2 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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 SEPTEMBER 2017

Vol. 64
Number 9

P1
Inside Process
Appears after page 34; Also, see the Digital Edition:
www.controleng.com/DigitalEdition

P1 To PID or not to PID

The venerable proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm
can solve a variety of feedback control problems, but not all.

P6 Safety compliance P6
and changing industry practices
To minimize worker injuries and incidents, look at existing
workflows to assess the degree of risk and identify areas of
concern. Then form specific and targeted interventions that
can address these gaps.

Departments Products
8 Think Again 45 Industrial 8-port Gigabit
Hot topics for Control Engineering, July through June
switches; Modular power series;
10 Research Brushless dc motor;
Using, integrating Ethernet technologies
ABOVE: Medium-voltage ac
12 Technology Update
drives; RIGHT: Four-level motor
Time-sensitive networking’s benefits for the IIoT
and manufacturing terminal blocks

48 Back to Basics
Ladder Logic: Auto cycles and safety routines
46 Dual-port EtherCAT card;
BELOW, RIGHT: Non-contact position sensing system;
BELOW, LEFT: Portable barcode verifier

News
14 Technical center for CNCs, machine learning expanded;
Internet, manufacturing groups sign memorandum
of understanding

15 Records set in robotics, machine vision, motion control;

Online headlines

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | 5

 More resources posted daily at:
SEPTEMBER
www.controleng.com

IIoT New Products Control Systems Process Manufacturing Discrete Manufacturing System Integration Networking & Security Info Management Education & Training

Vision software development steered by On-demand

speed, simplicity webcasts:
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to read Control Engineering’s www.controleng.com/webcasts.
exclusive web content.
 Aug. 24: IIoT Webcast Three: IIoT trans-
 Eight steps to get ready for ERP forms predictive maintenance

 The future of cloud computing  Aug. 22: Choosing sensors for the
applications
 Protection machine vision
 July 27: ERP with mobility energizes
systems in rugged, harsh
field services and plant-floor execu-
environments tion
 Robotics can automate, improve construction industry.  June 13: Leave My Things Alone –
Getting Ready for IIoT

Control Engineering provides unique automation research: See more on the

motor drives survey in this issue. Read other research summaries and sign up to IIoT for Engineers
download the full reports at www.controleng.com/ce-research.
IIoT for Engineers,
September issue,
provides informa-
NEWSLETTER: ENERGY AUTOMATION tion on getting
Research team developing Tesla coil designs from standards to
applications, discus-
Keep up with the latest industry news sion of an Ethernet
by subscribing to Control Engineering’s protocol, unleashing
16 newsletters at data that’s held cap-
www.controleng.com/newsletters: tive, and optimized
evaporative cooling.
 Thermal management requirements for edge
computing Also, straight talk
on industrial integration suggest that a
 Transfer switches: Which configuration is right hybrid environment of proprietary and
for your system? open-source standards will persist.
 Seven enterprise resource planning selection
See more IIoT at www.controleng.com
challenges.
and www.controleng.com/IIoT

Digital Edition
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Ch

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interfaces and on
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6 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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TECHNOLOGY virtualization

Four virtualization
technology myths holding
organizations back
Virtualization technology beliefs are debunked, proving to be very beneficial for critical, industrial
applications and optimizing operations.

V
irtualization of computer hardware is In addition, to ease the strain of choosing a MORE
here to stay, and it proves its value in hardware backbone, suppliers offer a variety of rec- ADVICE
industrial applications. The automation ommended hardware configurations to support
and operational hardware and software virtualized control system software packages. Hard- KEY CONCEPTS
The benefits of virtualization tech-
that industrial organizations depend on ware can include preconfigured virtual machine nology for industrial applications.
are more reliable, cost-effective, and efficient when templates, with the control system installed and The myths behind virtualized
they’re run in a virtual environment. configured with the proper operating system set- platforms.
However, some organizations have yet to tings to support operation. Using these templates, How virtualization can optimize
embrace virtualization. Resistance to the opportu- automation personnel can quickly and intuitively operations.
nities of virtualization often stems from four com- deliver best-practice installation and configuration GO ONLINE
mon myths. Organizations that have ignored these of the control system. For related links about virtualiza-
myths have gone on to implement state-of-the-art A best practice is also to develop control sys- tion technology, read this article
virtualization applications that have decreased out- tem packages with comprehensive manuals, videos, online. In the digital edition, click
on the headline or search the head-
ages and hours spent on system maintenance. training, and other online features to guide users line for www.controleng.com.
through control system configuration. With avail-
CONSIDER THIS
MYTH #1: Complex systems will able resources for installation, configuration, and
What steps should be consid-
increase dependence on contractors troubleshooting of these packages, automation tech- ered to ensure that virtualization
and automation vendors nicians can manage control system deployments. architecture is secure and installed
In the earliest days of virtualization technology, Implementing a virtual solution for automation properly?
virtualization systems were complex and difficult software also can simplify support, freeing orga-
to manage. Configuring a new virtual architec- nizations from relying on costly contractors when
ture was a specialization requiring engineering and problems arise. Because virtualized control systems
information technology (IT) expertise and signifi- are available as consumer-off-the-shelf products,
cant resources. As a result, many organizations have the plant’s virtualized control system is no longer
come to believe that these systems were simply too a custom deployment with an unlimited number
much for in-house automation engineers to handle of variables, thus, global technical support often
and resisted engaging IT. is available for the product. The standard config-
In recent years, however, new virtualization urations of virtualized packages allow automation
software packages have been built around the con- teams to rely on standard support around the clock.
trol systems that industrial organizations use, with Rather than requiring new personnel with new
the purpose of making virtualization more user- expertise, virtualized automation system software
friendly. These new virtualized infrastructures are allows current automation personnel to confidently
designed to naturally extend automation personnel’s control the backbone of the control system.
expertise.
Virtualized control system applications are MYTH #2: Critical applications
designed to mimic the look and feel of the control shouldn’t be virtualized
system software, simplifying the transition from tra- Virtualization technology has been available
ditional installation to virtual. Best-in-class virtual for many years, but the perceived complexity and
control system packages include a visualizer that related lack of understanding contribute to the
lets technicians see how the virtual networks are myth that virtualization only is useful for non-
laid out, removing the abstraction of how they are critical plant applications. Because industrial envi-
configured, simplifying management. ronments rely on many critical applications for

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | 31

 TECHNOLOGY virtualization

CUSTOMAXI- safety, production, and auditing, virtualization products support

these applications.

MIZED!
The most critical applications in an environment often are the
best candidates for virtualization. Applications running in a vir-
tual environment are more dependable than those running on
traditional physical hardware. Relying on virtualization to support
Sensor? Housing? Lens holder? these applications in an industrial environment means an increase
in production and reliability.
Plug orientation? It´s your choice! When a control system runs on traditional hardware and that
The uEye LE USB 3.1 Gen 1 hardware fails, the results can include an emergency for operations
industrial cameras or an unplanned process outage. If the organization does not have
spare hardware to resolve the failure, the outage can last hours or
even days as technicians wait for replacement parts.
In contrast, a control system running on a virtual platform
with high-availability features is at an extremely minimal risk
BOARDLEVEL SINGLE-BOARD OPTION: PLUG
VERSIONS CAMERA ORIENTATION MIC OPTION of shutdown. Even in the most extreme hardware failures, high-
availability features automatically will move and reboot a virtu-
al machine in minutes, resulting in a running replacement long
USB TYPE-C
USB POWER OPTION: WIDE RANGE before most operations personnel are aware there is a problem.
DELIVERY LENS HOLDER OF SENSORS
Critical applications running in a virtual environment have a
much higher uptime. For that reason, the most critical applications
in a facility are the ones that should be virtualized first.

MYTH #3: A virtual environment is too costly

Virtualized control systems often are similar in cost to
equivalent traditional hardware. For this reason, many mak-
ing this decision find themselves wondering why they would
change.
In the short-term, traditional hardware may be comparable
in cost to a virtual platform, however, the total cost of owner-
ship (TCO) of a virtual system is significantly lower than that
of traditional hardware infrastructure for many reasons:
Easy upgrades: Eventually, even the best control system
needs upgrades. With a traditional infrastructure, this usually
will mean purchasing new hardware for the upgrade. It also will
mean technicians need to manually perform upgrades. A virtu-
al platform removes these hassles. Virtual technology decouples
software and hardware, allowing the software upgrades to be
completed separately from hardware upgrades.
High availability: When machine hardware fails, someone
needs to fix it. With a virtualized platform, high availability
features automatically move a machine off of the failed hard-
ware and get it to run on functioning equipment. Replacing or
repairing the failed hardware can be completed when it is con-
venient, taking those tasks off the critical path.
Decreased footprint: A virtual platform uses less hardware.
This means less weight and space used by equipment overall,
as well as utility savings as HVAC costs to cool the server room
drop. Moreover, these HVAC savings, coupled with the energy
savings of less hardware, translate to a reduced carbon footprint.
While savings may not be apparent immediately, the cost
benefits over 5 to 7 years of ownership and operation of a vir-
® tualized control system can save thousands, if not millions of
dollars.

MYTH #4: Virtualization puts too much reliability

and risk on one point of failure
www.ids-imaging.us/usb3.1 Every organization finds value in redundancy for its crit-
ical equipment, and the hardware backbone of the control
input #17 at www.controleng.com/information
32 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING
 Virtualization reduces the hardware footprint of physical systems by enabling them to exist as virtualized systems for
development, testing, and training. Courtesy: Emerson Automation Systems

system is no exception. For this reason, infrastructure, resulting in less reliance on impact operational availability, cost, and
many organizations fear that imple- IT staff and faster turnaround for disaster efficiency. ce
menting a virtual platform will put all recovery, changes, and expansions.
their eggs in one virtual basket, mak- Modern industrial organizations pro- Bruce Greenwald is an automation sys-
ing it possible for a catastrophic event vide perfect environments for a vir- tems expert at Emerson Automation Solu-
to wipe out all systems. tual infrastructure, and virtualization tions. Edited by Emily Guenther, associate
Virtual control systems are designed can remove some of the space, hard- content manager, Control Engineering,
to manage disaster recovery. These soft- ware, and obsolescence constraints that CFE Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com
ware packages feature virtual machine
(VM) replication and cluster man-
agement. When properly implement-
ed, these features ensure that regular
machine snapshots are transferred to
another cluster in a different location.
In the case of a disaster, these replicas—
generally a maximum of no more than
five minutes old—can quickly be start-
ed, avoiding the need to perform a full
restore from backup as is necessary with Brushless DC Motors Stepper Motors Piezo Motors Brush DC Motors Linear Actuators
traditional hardware.
Organizations using best practices
in separating VM replicas will experi-
ence significantly faster disaster recovery
than an operation relying on traditional
hardware.

Virtualization can be a lever

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SEPTEMBER 2017 | 33 input #18 at www.controleng.com/information

 CFE Media’s
Global System Integrator Database

CFE Media’s Global System Integrator Database is an interactive community

of global end-users and system integrators hosted by Control Engineering, Plant
Engineering, and our global partners in Asia and Europe.

The newest version of the online database is even easier to use.

Features and updates:
• Relevancy score indicates how closely • New feature allows an end-user to
an integrator’s qualifications match a request a quote for a project directly
user’s search criteria from the database site

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pertinent data of a System Integrator integrator’s engineering services appear
before clicking to view the full on one page on their corporate profile –
corporate profile other details are organized by tabs.

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but the Global System Integrator Database has been our go to.
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to renew our profile this year, we plan on upgrading.
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Find and connect with the most suitable service

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www.controleng.com/global-si-database
INSIDE PROCESS PID control

To PID
or not to PID
The venerable proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm can solve a variety
of feedback control problems, but not all.

P
roportional-integral-derivative (PID) alternatives that require taking the pro-
loops are by far the most common cess offline for tests. And even when a more
feedback control mechanism for advanced control technique theoretically would
industrial processes, as reflected in provide improved performance, the extra effort
Control Engineering’s editorial cover- and expense required may not be worth it.
age. Its website includes almost 8,900 mentions Furthermore, industrial control engineers
of “PID” or “proportional-integral-derivative” have spent more than 70 years examining,
compared to 7,600 mentions of all other control refining, and enhancing the PID technique and
methods combined. developing work-arounds for the shortcom-
Why is that? First, PID loops are relatively ings they’ve found (see “Fixing PID,” Control
easy to understand and implement. The effects Engineering, November 2012, May 2014, and
of the proportional (P), integral (I), and deriva- December 2015).
tive (D) components of the PID algorithm can As a result, PID has become the de facto
be predicted intuitively, sometimes reducing standard—the one controls topic that non-
the design process to “This should work, let’s specialists are likely to study if they’re going
try it,” followed by “That wasn’t quite right, we to study feedback controls at all. Even special-
need more (or less) proportional (or integral or ists tend to prefer PID for simple applications
derivative),” and eventually ending with, “Good because it can get the job done with less of the
enough.” mathematical modeling and analysis associated
When a process is already up and run- with more advanced techniques.
ning, this kind of trial-and-error design can be The historical popularity of the PID algo-
much more convenient than the more academic rithm has in turn motivated automation

MORE
ADVICE
KEY CONCEPTS
The historical popularity of the PID
algorithm has motivated automation
vendors to offer PID controllers as an
off-the-shelf commodity.
Fortunately for the process industries,
many if not most processes requiring
the control of temperature, pressure,
level, and flow tend to be well-
behaved.
There are times when PID would be
overkill.
GO ONLINE
Read this story online at
Figure 1: In this example of a “well-behaved” process, the process variable (green) reacts more-or- www.controleng.com for more infor-
less immediately to a step change in the control effort (red). It then rises at an ever-decreasing rate until mation on PID control.
it reaches a steady-state value. First-order lag processes such as this one—common in temperature,
CONSIDER THIS
pressure, and flow control applications—are particularly amenable to PID control. All images courtesy: Are the processes in your plant well-
Control Engineering behaved, challenging, or difficult?

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | P1

INSIDE PROCESS PID control

‘Fortunately for
the process
industries,
many if not
most processes
requiring the
control of
temperature,
pressure, level,
and flow tend
to be well-
Figure 2: This process is less well-behaved in that the process variable (green) does not start to

’
behaved. change until the deadtime has elapsed following a change in the control effort (red). This typically occurs
in applications where the controller is acting on a material as it moves past the actuator to a sensor
located some distance away. A PID controller for such a deadtime-dominant process would have to be
endowed with the patience or foresight to wait out the deadtime before expecting any results from its
most recent corrective efforts.

vendors to offer PID controllers as an off-the- well-behaved. Still, there are a number of com-
shelf commodity. Other feedback control algo- mon feedback control problems where PID faces
rithms are available as commercial products, but challenges, some of which can be overcome with
none are so widely available as PID. suitable extensions to the basic algorithm, oth-
ers, not so much.
Widely applicable too
PID’s other big advantage is its ability to han- Harder problems for PID
dle a wide range of control problems across the Consider, for example, the process behavior
entire spectrum of process industries, provided: depicted in Figure 2 where the process variable
does not respond immediately to the control-
 The controlled process is reasonably ler’s efforts. It’s not just slow about moving in the
“well-behaved.” direction the controller wants it to go, it doesn’t
move at all until long after the controller has
 The controller’s only mission is to force started pushing.
the process variable to match the setpoint If the delay, or deadtime, between the con-
“sooner or later.” troller’s efforts and the beginning of the pro-
cess’s response is not all that long, an unmodified
 The actuator responsible for executing the PID controller can be used to regulate the pro-
controller’s corrective efforts has enough cess as long as the PID algorithm is configured
sway over the process to make the setpoint to act slowly and patiently. But if the deadtime
achievable. is particularly long or the application requires
less waiting, a PID controller would have to be
In academic terms, “well-behaved” generally augmented with additional intelligence (see
means the process is first or second order, min- “Overcoming process deadtime with a Smith
imum phase, linear, time-invariant, and either Predictor,” Control Engineering, February 2015).
open-loop stable or integrating. In practical The process behavior depicted in Figure 3 is
terms, that means the process consistently moves an even tougher case. Here, the process variable
in the right direction if the controller continues responds more dramatically to the controller’s
to push it. And if the controller pushes harder, efforts when the process is running near 100%
the process moves faster at a predictable rate capacity. A much less aggressive control effort is
(see Figure 1). required to take the process variable from 50%
Fortunately for the process industries, many to 100% compared to the effort required to take
if not most processes requiring the control of it from 0% to 50%. In other applications, the
temperature, pressure, level, and flow tend to be reverse could be true.

P2 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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 INSIDE PROCESS PID control

Figure 3: This nonlinear

process pushes the limits
of the PID algorithm. Its
sensitivity to the control
effort (red) increases
as the process variable
(green) increases, and vice
versa. This could cause
the controller to over-
react at one extreme and
underreact at the other.
Process sensitivity that
varies unpredictably over
time would pose an even
greater challenge for PID
(or any other control algo-
rithm, for that matter). A basic PID controller would have trouble should be able to maintain a more-or-less constant
regulating this process because its efforts would temperature by simply turning the heater on when
tend to be too aggressive when the process is the temperature drops too low or off when the
running close to maximum capacity and too temperature rises too high.
conservative at the other extreme. The classic At the other extreme are control problems
solution to this problem—known as “gain sched- that require more intelligence than PID provides,
uling”—doesn’t require adding any additional such as constraint control where the control-
intelligence to the PID algorithm, but it requires ler must plan ahead to avoid driving either the
more than one controller, each active only when control effort or the process variable outside of

‘
the process variable falls within a certain range. their acceptable ranges. Advanced planning also
Specifically, a conservative controller would is required for multi-variable control where the
There are be configured to take over as the process vari- controller must coordinate the efforts of mul-
able approaches 100%, and an aggressive con- tiple actuators to control multiple process vari-
a number
troller would take over as the process variable ables simultaneously (see “Exploring the basic
of common approaches 0%. The process variable also could concepts of multivariable control,” Control Engi-
be divided into more than two ranges, each with neering, February 2017).
feedback its own PID controller configured to accommo- PID loops could be force-fit into either of
control problems date the process’s behavior in each range (see these applications, but more advanced, custom-
“How gain scheduling works,” Control Engineer- designed control techniques often are more cost-
where PID faces ing, January 2011). effective, at least initially. But all too often, the
On the other hand, if a nonlinear process like specialist who designs and implements them will
challenges, some this example happens to operate with its process move on to other projects, leaving non-special-
of which can variable constrained to just one narrow range, ists to maintain both the process and its control-
then a single, traditional PID controller should ler. Thus, if something goes wrong later on there
be overcome suffice. The other ranges where the process may not be sufficient in-house expertise to fix
becomes either more sensitive to the control- the problem. This situation often leads to the
with suitable ler’s efforts or less wouldn’t matter because the advanced controller being replaced by PID or
extensions to the process would never go there. Fortunately, this is disabled altogether in spite of the resulting per-
a fairly common situation in industrial applica- formance degradation.
basic algorithm, tions where the object is to maintain the process And then there are control problems that
variable at a fixed setpoint. would be difficult, if not impossible, to solve by
others, not so
any choice of control algorithm. Misplaced sen-

’
much. Not suitable for PID sors, undersized actuators, broken connections,
But as simple, popular, and versatile as PID and so on must all be resolved before feedback
loops may be, some feedback control problems control of any kind will work. ce
call for alternative solutions. There are times when
PID would be overkill. Consider, for example, an Vance VanDoren, PhD, PE is a Control
on/off heating element regulating the temperature Engineering contributing content specialist.
within an oven. A PID loop would be necessary Reach him at controleng@msn.com. Edited by
only if high precision were required. Otherwise, a Jack Smith, content manager, CFE Media,
thermostatic controller like the one in most homes Control Engineering, jsmith@cfemedia.com.

P4 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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 INSIDE PROCESS safety

Safety compliance and

changing industry practices
To minimize worker injuries and incidents, look at existing workflows to assess the degree of risk and
identify areas of concern. Then form specific and targeted interventions that can address these gaps.

R
egulatory compliance in the process development refined through an iterative pro-
industry is in flux owing to fragmented cess. In the next phase, chosen designs are pro-
processes and growth in business. Pro- totyped and mounted on 3-D replicas of the
cess industries worldwide are belea- machinery for testing and further fine-tuning.
guered with issues, such as skills gap, Then follows fabrication, assembly, and instal-
regulatory compliance, and most importantly, an lation of safety guarding systems. Each step is
increase in workplace safety costs. The latter is supervised in accordance with safety guidelines.
connected directly to the rising rate of accidents A similar process must be followed in the
and injuries at the workplace, ineffectual risk case of electrical safety, beginning with thor-
analysis, and inefficient forecasting. ough inspection, identification of risk areas,
Conventional methods adopted by process and development of detailed plans for manag-
industries to ensure safety ing or mitigating risk. Rel-

‘
management and identifica- evant evaluations include
tion of potential hazards, such On the factory floor, load flow studies, short cir-
as Hazard and Operability cuit studies, relay coordina-
Study (HAZOP), have become a few critical safety tion studies, and ground grid
tools to achieve compliance. studies, among others. Based
MORE concerns relate to
Related challenges can be on these findings, it becomes
ADVICE addressed by leveraging the possible to modify settings
KEY CONCEPTS engineering and design exper-
manual installation, on devices that will help
Critical safety concerns relate to tise that the industry applies
manual installation, operation, or operation, or servicing ensure equipment protec-
in manufacturing. A new tion, minimize arc flash, and
servicing of machinery, and electrical
safety. model of process safety man- of machinery, and reduce system disruption.
agement examines constituent Another outcome takes the

’
The solution is first articulated in
virtual form and then refined through components of the problem by electrical safety. form of optimized sequenc-
an iterative process. addressing each. It also is nec- es of operation for protective
Strategic design thinking enables a essary to leverage the power devices. Certified machinery
holistic approach to the complex and of digital technology for instilling greater trust in safety experts or electrical safety experts should
pressing problem of worker safety.
workers through improved working conditions. be familiar with industry standards and legisla-
MORE ON SAFETY tion related to machine safety.
Plant Engineering 2016 Safety Holistic safety
research says more than 70% of
facilities hold regular safety meetings, On the factory floor, a few critical safety con- Data analytics, fewer incidents
perform safety audits, and have cerns relate to manual installation, operation, or According to the International Labour Orga-
established a safety committee to servicing of machinery, and electrical safety. To nization, more than 600 work-related accidents
enforce safety methods. Another 69% design workflows and protocols that minimize take place per minute, worldwide. Concerned
have implemented job safety analysis
procedures.
worker injuries and incidents during such interac- over the rising rate of such incidents, even orga-
www.plantengineering.com/research
tions, the first step is to carry out detailed inspec- nizations with physical safety measures are now
tion and analysis of existing workflows, assessing digitalizing factory floor operations to adapt
GO ONLINE the degree of risk, and identifying areas of con- and ensure safety.
Read this story online at
www.controleng.com for more on cern. Insights derived through this process then The latest industrial trends are heading
safety compliance and a graphic. form the conceptualization of specific and targeted toward Industrie 4.0. Supply chains are bene-
CONSIDER THIS
interventions to address the gaps. fitting from increased intelligence through the
Are you ready to enhance safety in The first and most critical phase of machine connectivity of machinery on the factory floor,
your facility? risk assessment begins with virtual solution which allows for real-time supervision and

P6 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 predictive alerts. The same mechanisms long-term cost-savings and enhanced
also can be actively leveraged to miti- compliance. Other new technologies, SERIES
gate safety risks and boost productivity. such as augmented reality and virtual
With insights delivered at each level reality enable more efficient inspections. yINPUT SIGNAL FAIL ALARM
by advanced data analytics, accidents By simulating expected conditions, diag-
are being averted through automated nosing problems, and assigning them to yMIL-NUCLEAR-INDUSTRIAL
alerts, statistical analysis, forecasting, safety maintenance groups, these tech-
and extrapolation. Such predictive ana- nologies equip inspectors with valuable yLOOP/SIGNAL/AC-DC POWER
lytics can deliver benefits. One subsid- visual-based tools. Forecasts indicate that
iary of a major manufacturing company digitized plants are the future of manu- y RS485-USB -ETHERNET
reduced the number of safety incidents facturing, enabling machines to con-
by more than 75%. Workplace safety nect and collaborate with one another to
and equipment monitoring go hand- work faster and more efficiently. At the y>50 ANALOG SIGNALS
in-hand. Several industries use digi- same time, digital technology, when inte-
tal visualization to effectively monitor grated with machine safety and electri- y15 DIGITAL INPUT SIGNALS
remote areas that were otherwise diffi- cal safety protocols and related hardware
cult to access. In this way, the Industrial and software, augments process safety
Internet of Things (IIoT) also has found management. yAUTOMATIC TRICOLOR DISPLAY
its use in the predictive maintenance
of equipment to avert accidents and Transform process industries y 4-20mA/VDC & RELAYS OUT
deliver better products and services. This Strategic design thinking enables a
development is particularly valuable for holistic approach to the complex and
industries where workers routinely are pressing problems related to worker yREMOTE DISPLAY/CONTROLLER
exposed to hazardous working environ- safety. Streamlining protocols for address-
ments. Benefits include improved health ing machine safety and electrical safety
yLIFETIME WARRANTY25 YEAR MTBF

‘
can reduce instances of inju-
ries, occupational exposure,
Regulatory compliance in the and casualties. Embracing
yDAS-SCADA -CYBER SECURITY
digital technologies allows
process industry is in flux owing to manufacturers to transcend
bare-bones regulatory com- y1-4 ISOLATED CHANNELS>40
fragmented processes and growth pliance and actively create

’
policies that can enhance
in business. the safety and well-being of
workers.
and safety, productivity, efficiency, output Employee insurance and first-
quality, revenue, and market share, off- aid services also can help. With
setting the initial investment necessary smarter technologies, policies, and prac-
to deploy IIoT-based safety management. tices, manufacturers can deepen work-
force trust and enhance performance,
Disruptive forces enter PPE productivity, and output. Effectively inte-
Wearables have revolutionized the grating smart technologies into manufac-
concept of personal protective equip- turing lays the foundation for the process
ment (PPE) and are no longer limited to industry to enter the digital future with
safety elements or gloves. With the addi- greater confidence in its ability to inte-
tion of sensors to existing manufacturing grate a wider range of emerging technol-
infrastructure, information is harvest- ogies to cater to more varied demands to
ed, transmitted, and analyzed to pre- add value. ce
dict and avert risks. Cloud connectivity
increases the speed and efficiency of
data-sharing with stakeholders; in this Divya Bhatt is the head-plant engineer-
case, the workers. ing sales Eurasia, at L&T Technology
Radio chips in workers’ helmets and Services Ltd., a CFE Media content part-
sensors on equipment monitor and ner. Edited by Jack Smith, content man-
help prevent health issues and acci- ager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
dents, which can in turn translate into jsmith@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | P7 input #21 at www.controleng.com/information

INSIDE PROCESS products
See more products at www.controleng.com/NP4E.

Wireless flow totalizer for data measurements

SignalFire Wireless Telemetry’s Intrinsically Safe Wireless Flow Totalizer is designed to connect to turbine flow meters
to measure, locally display, wirelessly transmit, and archive flow measurements. Data and diagnostics are available locally
using the display as well as remotely from a SignalFire Gateway using a Modbus standard protocol. The SignalFire Flow
Totalizer is ideal when an operator must check flow rates or totals in addition to tracking data in a supervisory control
and data acquisition (SCADA) system. For example, a local technician offloading a tank can use the Wireless Flow Total-
izer to measure before/after totals of pumped fluid. Using an external pushbutton, workers can cycle through a backlit
LCD to get appropriate readings for flow and total.
SignalFire Wireless Telemetry, www.signal-fire.com, Input #200 at www.controleng.com/information

Single and double bellows seal valves Digital flowmeter with

Clampseal single and double bellows seal valves from Conval wireless capability
allow for zero emissions, in applications where packed valves may Exair’s digital flowmeters with
not reliably contain light gases or hazardous system fluids due to wireless capability use a Zigbee mesh
leakage in the stem/packing seal area or stuffing box wall/packing network protocol to measure and
seal area. Clampseal bellows seal valves meet MSS SP-117 require- monitor compressed air use, trends,
ments and are available in 1/2-in. through 4-in. sizes, in and historical data. Each meter has a
Y, T, and angle configurations, through ASME/ANSI range of 100-ft (30 m) and transmits
Class 2500. Standard materials include carbon data to an Ethernet connected gateway. Each meter and gateway is
steel SA105; chrome-moly SA182-F22, F91; stain- configured for security and has 128-bit encryption for the wireless
less steel SA182-F316, F316L, and F347. Options transmissions. Measuring compressed air is the first step toward
include electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic actua- identifying high compressed air use areas, compressed air leaks,
tors; open, closed, or both locking devices; single or dual and optimizing air use. Each meter features a wireless to Ethernet
limit switches; position indicator; and leak-off port. gateway, power supplies, and installation tools. Exairlogger soft-
Conval Inc., www.conval.com ware for the digital flowmeters helps monitoring.
Input #201 at www.controleng.com/information Exair, www.exair.com Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information

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Input #103 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #104 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #105 at controlengineering.hotims.com

ce_stayInformed_6th.indd 1 2/24/2014 10:15:42 AM

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | 43
MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS
Want to receive your
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Input #106 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #107 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #108 at controlengineering.hotims.com

ce2014_digitlEditn_6th.indd 1 2/24/2014 11:44:33 AM

Control Engineering Webcasts help

you obtain educational information
on specific topics and learn about the
latest industry trends.
Webcasts Check out some of our Webcasts on
topics like:

• Choosing sensors for the application

• lloT series: OT/IT convergence,
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See more products at www.controleng.com/NP4E.

Industrial 8-port gigabit switches

Wago’s 852-1112 ECO switch and 852-1102 standard switch are RJ-45 industrial unmanaged
8-port gigabit switches. They are designed to support 10/100/1000Mbps speeds with auto-negotia-
tion and auto-MDI/MDX detection. Housed in compact enclosures of 50 mm, these devices reduce
the footprint of the control cabinet. They each have an operating dc voltage of 9 to 57 V and two
LEDs per port for flexible and easy-to-use operations. The 852-1112 economical style industrial
switch is DIN-rail mounted and powered with 24 V dc.The 852-1102 industrial switch offers dual
power feeds for redundant power capabilities as well as operations over a wide voltage range and a
monitoring alarm relay.
Wago Corp., www.wago.us Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information

Modular power series for Brushless dc motor

medical, testing applications Nanotec’s DF32 8-pole brushless dc
TDK Corp.’s QM5 modular power motor has a diameter of 32 mm and
supplies, rated at 700 to 1200 W, have BF a height of 18 mm achieves a rated
ready isolation and low acoustic noise and power of 7.4 W. In addition to the
are available with up to 12 outputs. They standard winding for 24 V with a
are suitable for use in medical, test and rated speed of 2,760 rpm, customer-
measurement, communications, and broadcast equipment. Accepting specific windings are also possible
a wide range 90 to 264 V ac, 47 to 440 Hz input, the QM5 can deliver for series applications. The DF32 is
700 W at low line and 1200 W with a 150 to 264 V ac input. With its suitable for a wide range of applications
modular construction, the series can be configured using a simple and has a high power density. For this motor, hall
on-line configurator to provide up to 12 independently regulated sensors provide the rotor position feedback. Using a
outputs and include individual output good signal and remote on/off flat ribbon cable, the DF32 can be quickly and com-
functions. The QM5 can operate in ambient temperatures from -20 to pactly connected to a control board in series with a
70°C, with output power and output current linearly derating above suitable ZIF socket strip.
50°C to 50% at 70°C. Nanotec, www.nanotec.com
TDK Corp., www.tdk.com Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information Input #205 at www.controleng.com/information

Four-level motor terminal blocks

Phoenix Contact’s PTI four-level terminal blocks make motor connection easy. They
use push-in connection technology (PT) for nominal cross sections up to 10 AWG, 28 A,
and 600 V UL. Every level features a function shaft for easy potential distribution to help
reduce wiring costs. A large-surface marking option identifies every motor connection and
each terminal point can be marked and is equipped with an easily accessible test opening.
An orange-colored button indicates the actuating element and prevents the terminal from
being activated accidentally. The terminals can connect stranded conductors from 24 AWG
without ferrules. Each terminal block point also is equipped with an easily accessible test
opening and each terminal point has an additional test contact for test plugs with 2.3 mm
diameter. The PTI installation terminal blocks also allow space-saving wiring of single-
phase motors on a width of 5.2 or 6.2 mm. The bridging option for simple phase bridging
on each level reduces the wiring time.
Phoenix Contact, www.phoenixcontact.com Input #206 at www.controleng.com/information

Medium-voltage ac drives for variable, constant torque applications

Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000 medium-voltage ac drives are
designed for variable and constant torque applications. They provide 100% starting
torque to leverage sensorless vector control and they also come with EtherNet/IP connec-
tivity. With optional, automatic cell bypass up to 680 A, users can keep their operations
running in case of a power cell failure and reduce unplanned downtime. In addition, an
uninterruptible power supply helps increase system reliability, minimize downtime, and
mitigate potential machine damage. Internally powered cooling fans reduce customer-
supplied control power requirements, and equipment and installation costs. A tertiary
winding on the isolation transformer provides internal power for the fans.
Rockwell Automation, www.rockwellautomation.com Input #207 at www.controleng.com/information

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | 45

NEW PRODUCTS and software
See more products at www.controleng.com/NP4E.

Non-contact position sensing system

Kaman Precision Products’ OEM-2306 non-contact linear displacement measuring instrument uses eddy
current technology. It is designed for applications such as machine tools, packaging machines, and semicon-
ductor manufacturing. It is factory-configured for each application, and its board level configuration makes
it ideal for integration into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) equipment. It is RoHS-compliant and
supports Kaman sensors. The OEM-2306 delivers high-resolution, high-frequency response and is designed to
be a cost-effective replacement for linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs), air gauges, dial indicators,
and micrometers. The physical configuration and calibration of the instrument can be specified and custom-
ized to the needs of each high-volume OEM application.
Kaman Precision Products Measurement Division, www.kaman.com Input #208 at www.controleng.com/information

Portable barcode verifier Dual-port EtherCAT card

for machine vision inspection systems for high-axis, I/O applications
Microscan’s LVS-9585 handheld portable barcode verifier is Advantech’s PCI-1203 high-end,
designed for verification of printed labels and direct part marks 32-axis EtherCAT motion and input/
(DPMs). Both 1-D and 2-D DPMs are created using methods output (I/O) master card is a PC-based,
such as laser etching, chemical etching, and dot peen marking two-port EtherCAT PCI card with quick
on a surfaces including metals, plastics, ceramics, and compos- cycle times for high-axis and I/O applica-
ite materials. They provide a rugged and permanent mark that tions. For the EtherCAT motion port, It’s a
enables product identification in applications such as medical fast 500 µs for the EtherCAT motion port for up to 32 servo
devices, electronic components, automotive, aero- axes. The PCI-1203 delivers guaranteed performance with no
space, and military hardware. It is critical that the packet loss, independent of computing platform. Users can take
initially applied mark meets minimum readabil- advantage of the common motion API architecture, a unified
ity requirements to ensure readability over user programming interface and graphical utility focused on
the part’s lifecycle. motion control.
Microscan Systems Inc., www.microscan.com Advantech, www.advantech.com
Input #209 at www.controleng.com/information Input #210 at www.controleng.com/information

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www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2017 | 47
 BACK TO BASICS ladder logic

Auto cycles and safety routines

The auto cycle command in ladder logic allows the auto cycle to start in auto mode if no faults
are present and for the cycle to stop only when the auto sequence has not been started.

M
Machine operators are prevented from A note on the format of the last rung: the first
changing modes if the system is faulted or enter- two rungs use latch or “set” bits for auto and manu-
ing manual mode if the machine is auto cycling al mode. The last auto cycle rung also is latched by
(see Figure). The machine also is placed in manual means of a “hold-in” contact, the parallel auto cycle
mode upon a home request. The auto cycle com- bit with the same address as the coil. This is a com-
mand allows the auto cycle to start in auto mode if mon technique used in programmable logic con-
MORE no faults are present and for the cycle to stop only troller (PLC) ladder programming and is really just
ADVICE when the auto sequence has not been started. a matter of preference.
KEY CONCEPTS If a fault were to occur, this would ensure that It also is important not to start machinery
The auto cycle command allows the the machine would hold its present state. Other instantly. Rather, users should warn personnel
auto cycle to start in auto mode if no things visible might include a setting that only around the machine that it is about to move. This is
faults are present.
allows a cycle start when the machine is at home or required for most machinery, with the exception of
There are safety parameters
in place to warn others before a
origin position. There also might be a three second simpler machines such as test stations.
machine is supposed to start. hold-down requirement for the cycle start pushbut- The logic also shows how a horn can pulse to
Auto cycle bit or status is designed ton (during which a horn might sound), or special warn people that the system is starting. It requires
to allow auto sequences to start or requirements as defined by a customer. the person starting the machine to hold the button
proceed. Other common items include an immediate stop to create the cycle start request signal. The next step
CONSIDER THIS button (Stopping the machine even if in auto cycle) is to start the system. (See more logic diagrams with
What other benefits can auto cycles or a memory bit for cycle stop (allowing the cycle to this article online; digital edition readers can click on
provide for ladder logic? complete without pressing the button again). the headline for direct access.)
This is by no means the only way to do this, but
it gets across the general idea. There are four things
users should note:

1. The operator must hold down the cycle start

button for the entire time for the system to
start. Letting go starts the timer again.
2. The system won’t start unless in auto mode
with no faults.
3. The system will not stop if in the middle of
an auto sequence; this should be modified to
taste. It should allow sequences to come to
rest in a natural position; a specific sequence
step or position can replace the sequence
active bit.
4. A fault stops the auto cycle immediately.
Again, this may not apply in every case.

The auto cycle bit or status is not really a mode

in itself; it is more of a state within auto mode.
Generally, it is used to allow auto sequences to
start or proceed, but not to disable output ener-
gization. ce

Frank Lamb is the founder of Automation Consult-

ing LLC, and is a member of the Control Engineer-
ing Editorial Advisory Board. This article originally
appeared on Automation Primer’s blog in two parts.
Machine operators are prevented from changing modes if the system is Automation Primer is a CFE Media content partner.
faulted or entering manual mode if the machine is auto cycling. Courtesy: Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control
Frank Lamb, Automation Primer Engineering, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

48 | SEPTEMBER 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

Iconic Since 1967

YASKAWA
AMERICA

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America for 50 Years
Building on our 50-year reputation for
delivering revolutionary innovation,
Yaskawa America promises to maintain
the culture that provides the products,
processes and people that enable our
customers to do what they do – better.

Leading Innovation • Quality Products • Industry Knowledge • Personal Service • Custom Solutions

input #23 at www.controleng.com/information

Yaskawa America, Inc. Drives & Motion Division 1-800-YASKAWA yaskawa.com For more info: http://go.yaskawa-america.com/yai1081
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input #24 at www.controleng.com/information