“In my opinion, there is too much hype about the Smart Grid without looking at the core problems from an engineering and business point of view. There is a constant flow of information, presentations, and discussions about the Smart Grid, but I wonder if this simply makes people feel good and avoids facing the real [...]
TUNE YOUR LOOP: Using the ANSI/ISA99 to Secure Your Control System
1. Most of the new and most dangerous hacking activity today is being driven by: 2. Which three basic properties are the building blocks of cyber security? 3. What is the biggest security problem if business networks connect directly to manufacturing control systems? 4. If a denial of service attack shuts down an industrial network, [...]
Eliminating Difficult Start-ups with State Based Controls
Track – Automated Startup of A Difficult Process; Presented at ISA Automation Week in Mobile, Alabama, October 18. Some processes are just difficult to start up. Every year, significant production is lost due to start up delays, product quality issues after startup, mistakes or gaps in operator expertise and other reasons. In fact, the U.S. [...]
MPC, Fuzzy or PID?
In the ISA Automation Week Mentor Program I am providing guidance for extremely talented individuals from Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. We will be sharing a question and the answers each week. If you would like to provide additional answers, please send them to Susan Colwell at ISA. This question is [...]
Knowing Your Blind Spots with Your Manager
There’s nothing worse in one’s work life than when the relationship with one’s manager is not working correctly. No matter what the reason, it causes stress during the work day, and it can affect one’s career path in the organization when the relationship is not working as well as it could be. At the same [...]
TUNE YOUR LOOP: Maintaining Pneumatic Components in Measurement and Control
1. According to ISA Standard S7.0.01, the maximum size for any particles suspended in instrument air is _____________ micrometers (1 micrometer =0.000001 meter). 3. Which of the following elements is designed to translate a pressure change to motion, with the motion being used to move an indicator or initiate a pneumatic signal. 4. A pneumatic [...]
Andy Chatha Awarded ISA Honorary Membership
The 2011 Annual ISA Honors and Awards Gala was held on 17 October in Mobile, Alabama. The Honors and Awards program provides an opportunity for ISA to recognize outstanding individuals for the contributions they have made to the Society and/or the automation industry. Society and industry leaders from across the world gathered to celebrate and [...]
How much is downtime costing you?
Take a look at the important components of total downtime cost. As you read the list, assess whether your downtime number fully includes these issues. Equipment related costs Annually calculated as a constant unit price Labor cost: Account for the full cost of direct and indirect labor with benefits, and include a share of all [...]
TUNE YOUR LOOP: Implementing an Open Control System Network
1. Which of the following are common plant issues? 2. Ethernet needs additional protocols on top of Ethernet to create a protocol suite. 3. OPC has which of the following advantages: 4. Groups of similar objects are called ? . 5. Properties of an object are called ___ ? . What are [...]
How Do You Combine Statistics With Control Techniques?
In the ISA Automation Week Mentor Program I am providing guidance for extremely talented individuals from Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. The program was extended from 4 to 9 based on the outstanding resumes of the applicants. We will be sharing a question and the answers each week. If you would [...]
