Rockwell Automation has released two new features in Allen-Bradley IntelliCENTER software – IntelliCENTER Integration Assistant and IntelliCENTER Energy – to accelerate the configuration time and enhance end users’ data-driven energy decisions.

With IntelliCENTER Integration Assistant, users can seamlessly integrate their IntelliCENTER Motor Control Centers (MCCs) into their Rockwell Software RSLogix 5000 programming software. This feature reduces programming time by automatically adding the Allen-Bradley CENTERLINE MCC devices to the RSLogix 5000 I/O tree. In addition, Integration Assistant also takes advantage of existing premier integration features to automatically create controller tags and IP address configuration in RSLogix 5000 software, reducing errors and the time it takes to configure the intelligent devices.

IntelliCENTER Integration Assistant enables faster installation and commissioning time, providing real-time, device-level information and higher productivity. “Manufacturers expect intuitive software packages that work together,” said Paul Krause, IntelliCENTER product manager, Rockwell Automation. “Integration Assistant enables customers to take advantage of information already in IntelliCENTER software and load it into RSLogix 5000, the premier controller programming software on the market. This makes commissioning faster, and results in time and cost savings.”

IntelliCENTER Energy offers a pre-configured setup of FactoryTalk EnergyMetrix software for intelligent motor control devices in the MCC, including variable speed drives, overload relays and SMCs. In addition, users can view energy consumption at the device level directly from IntelliCENTER software. With IntelliCENTER Energy, it becomes easier to monitor and manage energy usage in the industrial facility for cost savings, and allows for easy integration of IntelliCENTER MCCs into plantwide energy-management systems. IntelliCENTER Energy gives users the information necessary to make fact-based decisions to help them optimize energy usage, improve equipment performance, and even predict equipment failure.

“Powered by FactoryTalk EnergyMetrix software, IntelliCENTER Energy builds on the monitoring and diagnostic functionality that is currently offered in IntelliCENTER software,” said Krause. “This feature allows manufacturers to remotely monitor energy at the load level – where the devices are consuming energy – rather than at the utility level. This device-level information helps them implement the best energy decisions and can lead to energy savings.”

Yokogawa launched the wireless field products conforming to the ISA100.11a standard in 2010 and has led the business ever since. Now, Yokogawa has released a new, large-scale, reliable, next-generation plant-wide field wireless system.

In developing this system, which forms the core of field digital solutions, Yokogawa has focused on the following three key features.

1. Reliability: reliable high-performance field wireless and redundant technologies

2. Flexibility: flexible architecture that supports the full range, from small to large-scale plants

3. Openness: open ISA100.11a standard that allows third-party field wireless devices to be connected

This new system has been developed in line with Yokogawa’s “Grow” concept of helping customers to grow and enabling ourselves to evolve and continue to offer timely solutions.

Yokogawa has developed the following new products for the new field wireless system:

- YFGW410 field wireless management station
- YFGW510 field wireless access point
- YFGW610 field wireless media converter

For further details please click 'Large-scale plant-wide field wireless system by Yokogawa'

In general usage, LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) refers to propane, butane and their mixtures which remain liquid at room temperature under relatively low pressure. It occurs as a by-product in crude oil refining and as an associated gas in the exploitation of crude oil and natural gas. Apart from heating and domestic cooking, it also serves as a fuel for vehicles with an Otto engine. Therefore, the mixed gas is also called "propellant gas".

Liquefied gas, in contrast to crude oil, is not transported via pipelines but in large sea-going vessels, small barges, railway tank wagons and road tank vehicles to dealers or also directly to the liquefied gas tanks or vehicle gas stations of final consumers. The low pressure of propane and butane make this flexible transport of liquefied gas possible.

To further read this click 'Tank farm inventory management system for LPG mounded bullet tanks'

The Siemens Industry Automation Division has equipped Version 8 of its Simatic PCS 7 process control system with a host of new functions. The new features range from improved data exchange and an easier engineering workflow, more powerful communication, redundancy-related and fault-tolerant functions to new controllers and extended functionalities for the software tools.

In Version 8 of Simatic PCS 7 the data exchange between the Cosmos plant management software and the PCS 7 engineering tools has been improved and the engineering workflow simplified. This now offers the user enhanced planning quality and an easier way to document the tracking of changes. In the new PCS 7 version the integrated, scalable long-term archiving system, Process Historian, is now suitable for the central archiving of process data from multiple projects in real time. Users can now access the archive data and reports quickly for the purpose of optimizing production and assets. They can now create and modify reports easily using the standard Microsoft Reporting Service tool. In addition to Windows XP, Simatic PCS 7 Version 8 has also been released for Windows 7 (64-bit and 32-bit).

To further read on this please click 'Version 8 of its Simatic PCS 7 process control system'