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Automation & Control

Diagnostics: Simplifying Optimization

As the chemical process industries (CPI) continue to focus on improving operations and lowering costs, interest in process automation diagnostics, which can play a critical role in helping processors reduce maintenance spending, continues. “Processors are beginning to realize that good…

Focus on Analyzers

A new line for simply and easily determining melting point Mettler Toledo Melting point is one of the most frequently determined thermal values for material characterization. With these new melting point systems (photo), only one click is required to run…

Feeling the Pressure

As the chemical process industries (CPI) continue to battle with cost containment, labor cost management and maintenance cost issues, there is additional pressure on engineering and maintenance staffs to deploy resources where they are needed the most. Though small in…

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Multivariable Predictive Control:The Scope is Wider Than You Think

More and more, the chemical process industries (CPI) are seeking out the benefits of flexible production and maximizing energy and material recovery. Process units are becoming tightly integrated, and the failure of one unit can seriously degrade overall productivity. Meanwhile,…

Viscosity: The Basics

Most engineers know what viscosity is, but may have trouble explaining it. To be brief, viscosity is resistance to flow. For handlers of all materials that flow, either while being processed or in an end-use, it is important to think…

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The missing piece for wireless process control

Last month, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS; Phoenix, Ariz.; www.honeywell.com/ps) unveiled the process industry’s first redundant wireless system gateway (WSG), connecting the last major gap in the path to wireless process control. WSGs manage data between wireless field instrumentation and a…

Flowmeter Selection

When a flowmeter is needed, the selection process should include studying the characteristics of respective measurement technologies and analyzing the advantages/disadvantages for different plant environments. This effort will help ensure that a meter with the right performance and reliability, for…

Beyond Flowmeter Selection: Consider Some of the Most Overlooked Criteria

The whole-product-lifecycle approach for flowmeters presented here encompasses more than basic selection Typical discussions of flowmeter selection address specifications, technologies, accuracies and performance, but there are many other steps that are not normally considered. This article focuses on these often…

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Choosing a Control System

Technology Requirements [ 1] Control architecture Does the solution provide an integrated automation platform? New systems should manage process knowledge through a combination of advanced technologies, industrial domain expertise, and Six Sigma methodologies. Choose an open, scalable control system that…

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EPC Contractors Selecting an ERP Package

In recent years, a growing number of projects throughout the chemical process industries (CPI) have been carried out using Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) contracts. Because such contracts typically involve the work of numerous subcontractor parties, they tend to be complex. As such,…