The 2018 Connected Plant Conference (www.connectedplantconference.com) will take place February 26–28 in Charlotte, N.C. Focused on digitalization and connectivity trends in the chemical process industries (CPI), as well as the power-generation sector, the event’s technical program boasts speakers from a wide range of companies, including experts from DuPont (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com), Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com), The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Mich.; www.dow.com), Honeywell (Morris Plains, N.J.; www.honeywell.com) and more. These sessions intend to guide CPI professionals in the adoption and evolution of digital technologies, including data analytics, internet of things (IoT), smart sensing and monitoring devices, predictive diagnostics and more. The following is a selection of the technologies that will be highlighted at the Connected
Plant Conference.
Collaboration leads to consistency with this design software
OpenPlant Connect Edition (photo) is a plant design software featuring a collaborative, 2- and 3-D design environment based on open data standards. The software supports cloud-based asset tag management and synchronization of lifecycle information with enterprise data stores. Increased collaborative capabilities improve consistency, as work can be easily coordinated and important deliverables can be shared within the extended supply chain, enforcing common standards across disciplines and organizations. Furthermore, the software supports faster multi-discipline design due to an updated interface and streamlined loading of data from other 3-D design applications. — Bentley Systems, Inc., Exton, Pa.
This digital technology increases sensor uptime
Sensors equipped with Intelligent Sensor Management (ISM) technology (photo) are said to have longer service life and less unplanned downtime due to optimized maintenance scheduling and predictive diagnostics. Quicker installation and commissioning are possible thanks to self-configuring transmitters. Sensors feature high signal integrity, even over long cable runs and in humid conditions. ISM provides precise, realtime information on sensor health, helping to sustain measurement performance and avoid unplanned downtime. — Mettler Toledo, Columbus, Ohio
Dynamic data visualization and reporting for process engineers
This company provides a visual analytics system for process data (photo) that enables engineers to rapidly investigate data stored in plant data historians without the need to duplicate databases. The Workbench application includes data visualization and modeling, as well as interactive tools for diagnostic, monitoring and predictive analytics. The Organizer application allows engineers to create documents that assemble analyses and visualizations into reports, presentations and meeting agendas. Documents created with Organizer are dynamic because they are directly tied to the underlying data and are time relative. — Seeq, Seattle, Wash.
Create virtual-reality 3-D models using engineering data
The COMOS Walkinside platform (photo) enables the use of 3-D engineering data from the basic and detail engineering phases throughout the entire asset lifecycle. Highly complex process plants models can be represented realistically in three dimensions, with COMOS acting as a global data center. Up-to-date plant data are continuously available, and can be used not only for engineering and monitoring purposes, but also for operation and training, says the company. COMOS Walkinside offers solutions for building and viewing 3-D virtual-reality models. It can be used for immersive operator training and delivers tools for data exchange with third-party applications, as well as distributed realtime collaboration. — Siemens AG, Munich, Germany