#10 2004

Vorobiova A.V., Yefimova T.V., Kamakin V.V., Krasnikov S.A., Krasnov A.E., Maklakov V.V. An automated optoelectronic system with coherent correlator for liquid media nanostructures monitoring

The paper considers a coherent method for investigating liquid media nanostructure dynamics. Structure, operation principle and applications of the automated optoelectronic system are included.

Kizhaev S.A. Investigating a control system for cable insulation porosity in extrusion process

The paper outlines the process control of wire isolation porosity shaping in automatic extrusion lines and builds a model of the control object. It examines the control optimality and provides graphs and block diagrams for measuring and controlling the insulation porosity factor, its permittivity, and the wire’s linear capacity for high-frequency cables.

Sundeev P.V. The problem of automatizing functional stability of critical control systems in industry

The paper offers an approach to automatizing the analysis of functional stability properties of information systems used for controlling critical industrial plants. The approach is based on the integration of system analysis techniques and modern technologies.

Effective maintenance management as a way to improve plant competitiveness

A case study illustrates the losses of industrial enterprises who use obsolete conventional maintenance technologies and repairs planning procedures. It presents iMaint EAM system intended for decreasing the losses due to downtimes and improving enterprise profitability and competitiveness.

Ishchenko A.A. The analysis of principal Western suppliers of automated software solutions for electronic interaction of industrial enterprises in Russia

Components and structure of software products from US vendors who automatize electronic interaction of industrial enterprises are reviewed. Some examples of their application in major North American industrial enterprises are adduced.

Masolkin S.I., Promyslov V.G., Zharko E.F., Antonov A.V., Promyslova O.A., Stepaniants A.S. LICS system software as a component of process control systems for A-plants

General and special requirements to system software for the top block level of A-plant process control systems are formulated. The choice of Linux operating system as a basis for LICS system software development is justified. A quality estimate of LICS and its functional testing results are presented.

The 6-th power unit of the Novosibirsk Heat Power Plant No 5 equiped with a modern process control system based on Tornado 2.0 hard-/software complex is put into operation

The note informs about the commissioning of the 6-th power unit of the Novosibirsk Heat Power Plant No 5 equipped with a modern process control system based on Tornado 2.0 hard-/software complex. The companies who participated in the control system development are presented. Features and characteristics of the process control system are described.

Blum A.S., Pankratov D.A., Isaenko I.V., Sedov S.A YOKOGAWA’s solutions for process automation in pulp and paper industry

The paper shows that YOKOGAWA CENTUM DCS enables to solve the automation problems in pulp and paper industry. The examples of the implemented projects show that CENTUM allows not only successful creation of new process control systems but also the modernization of the existing ones, their support and development.

Kroshkin A.N. Endress+Hauser PROline flowmeters

The new design concept of Endress+Hauser PROline flowmeters range is discussed. The advantages of applying the concept are described.,/p>

Instruments must think

New serious of low-voltage devices with intelligence are increasingly applied in electrical engineering. The paper presents the development history and key performance attributes of EASY programmable control relays and XControl XC 200 PLC from Moeller.

News bulletin

Discussing a subject…
Virtual instruments for industrial automation

Virtual instrument technology – a revolutionary approach to measuring and automation systems

The paper defines virtual instruments and notes that LabVIEW is one of the most popular VI development environments. It further presents LabVIEW’s functionality for VI design and provides VI application examples.

Pertsovsky M.I., Vorobiov E.A., Yevtikhov M.G. Automated instrument systems and virtual instruments: from the application experience of the Automated Systems Laboratory

The paper reveals three primary virtual instrument development lines: integration of measuring devices and instruments, application of special data exchange devices, and application of standard data acquisition tools. It justifies and exemplifies VI application in each development line.

Ablin I.E. A “tertiary” instrument

The paper discusses the factors that slacken the ousting of secondary indicating devices by computer systems and operator panels: the complexity and high cost of software as well as the psychological factor. The arguments that allow overcoming the problems are exemplified in MasterSCADA application as a part of a virtual instrument.

Yermishin S.M., Shabanov P.G. Virtual standards – a new class of virtual instruments

The “Virtual Standards” technology is described, which uses the computational part of a virtual instrument for measurement accuracy improvement. Unlike the existing ways of accuracy improvement that decrease only the random component of the error, the proposed technology enables to evaluate and compensate for the systematic uncertainty of the VI’s measurement part inside the instrument without using any high-precision working standards. Some examples of instrument design based on the “Virtual Standards” technology, the accomplished measurement tasks and the experimental results are adduced.

Volotsky D.M. Automation of industrial enterprises’s metrological service

Prospective areas of industrial enterprise’s metrological service automation are discussed. A technology of software application for creating virtual instruments base is presented. Such VIs can underlie the automation of metrological accounting and monitoring, planning and scheduling of works on plant’s measurement assurance and traceability, preparation of metrological accounts. The ideas are expounded by the example of industrial automation system developed by the author and applied in Baltica Brewing Company.

Automation abroad

Papenfort J. Soft PLC and positioning control on a single PC – does this look real?

When designing new or modernizing the existing equipment of any purpose one faces the problem of selecting control hardware.The factors such as cost-to-quality ratio, system application experience, the opportunities of switching to new technologies, etc. From the enterprise management viewpoint, any equipment application or renovation should be preceded by risk analysis, especially in case of switching to a new system, because this may result in high dependence on hardware vendor. But when PC-based automation systems are used, these problems can be solved quite easily.

Zakharov N.A. Intelligent systems in industry

The possibilities of applying neuron network techniques in industry are examined by the examples of Tata Honeywell’s Profit Sensor and the works of Intelligent Systems and Signal Processing Laboratory of Brighton University (Brighton, UK).

Journal’s Club

Kuzenkov N.V. Batching in water treatment systems and processes

The paramount problem in the integrated approach to water treatment tasks is the correctness of the whole system selection and, in particular, the batching pumps. The paper offers some recommendations on pumps selection.