Control Amplified

Emerson recently launched the Micro Motion 4700 Coriolis Config I/O transmitter. To explore its capabilities, Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion spoke with Brett Sibel, product manager at Emerson.

Sibel worked as a product engineer and product manager in various industries such as electronics, biomedical design and automation solutions, so he understands the varying needs of plant managers.

Carbon-capture utilization and storage (CCUS) is one the most discussed techniques for curbing carbon emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere. Many oil and gas operators have looked at investing in carbon-capture solutions, particularly recently as calls for viable solutions to climate change grow louder.

In a recent episode of the Control Amplified podcast, Brandon Bromberek, VP of oil and gas for Emerson's measurement solutions business, told Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, how carbon capture can help usher in the energy transition and the value chain that coincides with its rise.

Generative AI is a topic on the minds of a lot of people these days. The emergence of automation intelligence, especially over the last two years, has disrupted the way industry thinks about future operations. Although scary to many people, generative AI ushers in new and exciting possibilities for manufacturers and process industries. It has the potential to reshape the way they analyze data, optimize operations and make critical decisions.

To learn more, Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion hosts Dustin Johnson, CTO of Seeq, which provides analytics software to process industries.

While innovation happens frequently in process automation, safety is sometimes “out of scope.” There are many reasons, but one primary reason is it can be a scary proposition for many operators to trust artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to do jobs that humans historically handle. And, with barriers such as cybersecurity concerns and a daunting amount of software tools to choose from, the prospect of handing over security and safety in process applications sometimes ends up being pushed to the background. However, even if there’s reluctance to work with software for process safety applications, tomorrow it will be a reality.

Chris Stogner, Triconex safety and critical control leader at Schneider Electric, talked with Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, for a recent episode of the Control Amplified podcast to discuss the barriers to adoption and how industry can overcome them.

Combining optimization and sustainability is no easy task because it requires reconciling some historical differences between these two goals. To help customers resolve these issues, Endress+Hauser relies on its expertise in energy efficiency in utilities and plant optimization with instrumentation.

Mark Thomas, industry marketing group manager at Endress+Hauser USA, spoke with Control’s executive editor, Jim Montague, about these capabilities, and how its customers can implement them to go green and profit at the same time.

Len Vermillion is joined by Tyrone Visser, business development manager, Linux & IIoT, Wago

Traditionally, process plants were deployed with point-to-point wiring, custom, multi-pair homerun cables and large complex marshalling cabinets with hundreds or sometimes thousands of termination points. Deploying remote I/O in large-scale plants can deliver major positive impacts thanks to easier installation, simpler serviceability and reduced cabinet space. Jesse Hill, process industry manager at Beckhoff Automation USA, recently talked with Control’s editor-in-chief, Len Vermillion, about the many benefits of remote I/O, including enhanced physical layer diagnostics, wiring reductions, lower cost, and increased flexibility in plant network topologies.

Connecting operational technology (OT) with information technology (IT) in process applications offers many distinct advantages for processing plants. While technology has made the task easier, there are still challenges to consider. That’s why following several best practices can save plant operators a lot of headaches down the road.

One of the most important considerations for new and updated monitoring and control applications is scalability. The question is: once a significant investment is made, how do end users get the most return on their investment? Or more simply put, how long will the system last? Chris Little, media relations, VTScada by Trihedral, talked with Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion as they wondered, "What if a SCADA system could last 100 years?"

Advantech is in the midst of a big year. Specifically, the developer of intelligent systems and embedded platforms for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the company recently announced a succession plan for the future and a held a groundbreaking for a new North American headquarters in Tusin, Calif. Joseph Su, director of business operations at Advantech talked with Control editor-in-chief Len Vermillion about the company’s 40-year history and its future.