Automation & Control
“Advanced control applications can review hundreds of operational parameters every second and control the plant in a safe way. Unlike human operators, they can also work continuously at a consistently high level of excellence.”
Dr Paul Turner, Principal Advisor,
APC Product Management, AspenTech
capture, in-product context relevant training, better integration of product sets, and globalisation of solutions. This emphasis on intuitive functionality will become still
more important if the current downturn continues for a significant period of time, as it is likely to accelerate the trend among engineers to take early retirement. To counterbalance this, it will be vital to make the
operator interface as simple to use as possible. The global nature of the recession means that the globalisation of these interfaces will also be critical in ensuring that the language used on the interface screens is tailored to the operator’s specific requirements. Again, the key to delivering a safer operational environment lies in providing straightforward solutions within complex communications environments. Any technology that can streamline operational processes
will help make facilities and plants safer. A human operator working in any production facility can only be expected to effectively manage a finite number of tasks. However, often there are hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of parameters to monitor and control. A single operator will simply not be able to monitor all of those parameters and still find the safest and most efficient way to operate the plant. Modern IT applications can help surmount these
challenges by presenting data as role-based information in a
prioritised manner. In other words, only information related to an individual’s role is visualised and provided to that member of staff. This helps operators focus on tasks that are critical to maintaining the operational integrity of the plant. Advanced control applications, available from companies like AspenTech, can review hundreds of operational parameters every second and control the plant in a safe way. Unlike human operators, they can also work continuously at a consistently high level of excellence. As a result of their use, the operator’s role becomes supervisory, overseeing the advanced applications and setting the general direction. So, as engineers with APC expertise continue to retire
in numbers and are replaced with less experienced and less expensive staff, technology is playing an increasingly important role in plugging the knowledge gap and resolving the growing skills shortage issue. Today, easier-to-use tools and processes enhanced
integration and effective knowledge capture are not only driving business efficiencies, but also helping to ensure safer, more secure operations of facilities and plants across the process industries. ■
Dr Paul Turner, Principal Advisor, APC Product Management, AspenTech, Reading, Berkshire,UK.
www.aspentech.co.uk
Thermal imaging cameras for process automation applications
T
hermal imaging cameras can be used for a wide variety of applications, thanks to their ability to measure
temperatures.
Production engineers and technicians are faced by the demand for higher production output at a constant quality and at lower cost. The FLIR A-series thermal imaging cameras are an effective tool for Machine Vision, Closed loop Process control and Quality Assurance imaging, helping to validate and increase product quality and throughput and thereby give products a competitive edge and increased profitability.
For machine vision application, fixed mounted thermal imaging cameras like FLIR
A615/A315 can be installed almost anywhere to monitor the production process by detecting and measuring temperature differences and visualize heat patterns. FLIR A615 provides over 300,000 pixels of accurate temperature measurement data. The world’s first 640 x 480 uncooled thermal imaging camera to be fully-compliant with both GenICam and GigE Vision protocols, the FLIR A615 is ready for installation into cutting-edge networks right out of the box, and plug-and-play with software from machine vision providers National Instruments, Cognex, Matrox, MVTec, Stemmer Imaging, and many more. This combination makes the FLIR A615 an effective tool available for thermal imaging
machine vision, closed-loop process control, and quality assurance imaging, helping to validate and increase product quality and throughput, improving processes and products while giving a competitive edge and increased profitability. Users that do not need this extremely high image quality of the FLIR A615, can choose for the FLIR A315. Just like the FLIR A615 this camera is equipped with an uncooled microbolometer detector but it produces images of 320 x 240 pixels. ■
Enter 43 or ✔ at
www.engineerlive.com/epe
FLIR Commercial Systems BV, Breda, The Netherlands
www.FLIR.com
www.engineerlive.com 43
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