Happy Holidays!

Automation.com, ISA and InTech would like to wish you Happy Holidays.  As a subscriber, we value your readership and frequent web site visits.

A few years ago, in the holiday spirit,
I wrote some new lyrics to the classic poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  Since this is the last issue of Automation Weekly this year, I’d like to send you into the holidays and new year with these poems. 

'Twas the Night Before Last
(December 2007)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(December 2006)

New Year's Resolution
(January 2007)

Best wishes to you and your family for a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous new year!

Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher
Automation.com

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P&ID: A roadmap for the rest of the trip
By Thomas McAvinew
P&ID development should be a joint venture between process, piping/mechanical, and I&C staff.  The ISA5.7 Committee is working to harmonize the PIP document with ANSI/ISA-5.1.

Growing Problem with Counterfeit Electrical Products
By Bill Lydon, Automation.com
Manufacturers and trade associations are devoting much attention to the effects of counterfeit electrical products. People who work in manufacturing facilities should be mindful of the consequences of using inferior goods marketed deceptively under brand names of reputable companies.

Executive Interview - Sudipta Bhattacharya, President & CEO Invensys Operations Management (IOM)
By Bill Lydon, Automation.com
Bhattacharya and I discuss the new organizational structure and his management philosophies. Bhattacharya is an engaging and personable man that clearly expresses the organization's mission while acknowledging that he continues to seek better answers. Bhattacharya has an interesting combination of experience and knowledge that encompasses process controls, enterprise systems, and supply chain.

HMI standards writers weigh in on importance
By Maurice Wilkins
Ask anyone with experience in human-machine interface (HMI) design for their advice, and they will probably give you their opinion on the color scheme, how the operator should interact with it, and whether the color red is on or off or alarm. Quite a few books and best practices recommend the best way to design and implement an HMI. So is a standard really necessary?

Our plant operators need HELP
By Joseph Alford
Automation and process engineers have, collectively, specified and configured millions of alarms into today’s automated industrial plants. Theoretically, each alarm is intended to represent an abnormal situation requiring a response.   An unintended consequence of the alarm implementation effort is the large number of nuisance alarms that exist in most plants, often hundreds or thousands per day.

GE Intelligent Platforms tracks GE turbines
Turbine monitoring and diagnostic platform uses Proficy Historian, Proficy SOA, Proficy Workflow and Proficy CIMPLICITY software to track more than 1,100 units.

Wireless network improves carbon reactivation process at Calgon
WirelessHART network uses Rosemount wireless temperature transmitters attached to a rotating kiln to deliver continuous information for instant response to process changes, enabling better heat control.

Browse more Application Stories by topic on our Automation Portals.

PIDTutor publishes Split-Range Control Book
By George Buckbee, the book shows how to design, implement, and troubleshoot split-range controls. Book covers everything from valve set-up and calibration to split-range controller tuning, and compensation for non-linearities.

SolaHD publishes active tracking power filter selection guide
Filter selector guides help design engineers identify the ideal active tracking filter protection for power supplies.

ABB publishes WaterMaster electromagnetic flowmeter brochure
WaterMaster solution for flow measurement and management in such diverse sectors as water, wastewater, sewage and effluent is described in an eight-page, four-color brochure.

Browse more Resources & Literature by topic on our Automation Portals.

IEC 61499 Function Blocks for Embedded and Distributed Control Systems Design
By Valeriy Vyatkin
IEC 61499 is the newly adopted standard for distributed control systems and follows on from the IEC 61131 standard for programmable logic controllers (PLC). Part of the ISA/O3neida series on distributed industrial automation, this book is a practical guide for component-based development of distributed embedded and control systems as proposed by the new international standard.

Industrial Ethernet on the Plant Floor: A Planning and Installation Guide
By Robert Lounsbury
This book provides guidance on how to select components, layout, install, test, certify, and troubleshoot a network system. It discusses designing industrial physical layers, network architectures, and components. The book educates the reader on the basics of noise, how to mitigate and abate it through installation techniques and selection of components.

Browse more Books on ISA's website.