Articles and News

ARC says the total distributed control systems market in India will exceed $800 million in 2016.

ARC clients can now make use of ARC’s supplier selection process for Advanced Process Control (APC), Analytics, Batch Control, CPM/MES and Distributed Control Systems (DCS).

The PlantPAx system with EtherNet/IP and ControlNet network connectivity passed tests for “61b,” the Fieldbus Foundation’s most demanding host profile.

Automation.com, October 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Nathalie Marcotte suggested that attendees expand their view on modernization by not just thinking about the DCS, but the need to modernize the entire plant and operations.

By Danaca Jordan Track: Control Performance During Wednesday’s Control Performance Track session on "Efficient Operations Starts with Control Performance," we will use an ongoing case study to demonstrate how process control improvements can still be accomplished around a hectic schedule.

By Flávio P. Briguente (Monsanto) and Greg McMillan (CDI Process & Industrial) Track: Control Performance In batch processes, control becomes more complicated because of the variability of level, pressure, and concentrations. For this particular case, the process consists of a batch reactor, an external shell-and-tube heat exchanger with cooling tower water flow on the shell side.

Automation.com, September 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Is it time for DCS suppliers to use open industrial Ethernet protocol standards for their backbone networks? I have asked major DCS suppliers this question and answers vary from supplier to supplier, but there are a few common issues.

The contract covers DCS, Fire and Gas Detection (F&G), emergency shutdown (ESD), drives and electrical systems and related instrumentation installed on oil platforms.

Automation.com, September 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor Rockwell Automation is clearly focused on building a process automation business to compete in segments that have traditionally been dominated by DCS suppliers. I recently visited with their PlantPAx experts to discuss the system and explore this business initiative.

Experion C300 distributed control system (DCS) controller and Experion fieldbus interface module (FIM) now carry the ISASecure designation.

Rockwell Automation will provide a PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS) with solar field local controller panels for Godawari Green Energy in Rajasthan, India.

The market for Programmable Logic Controllers I/O modules recovered quite strongly after the recession with double-digit growth in both 2010 and 2011.

Automation.com, April 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor There is a great deal of discussion about DCS migrations and retrofits these days, raising questions that can be overwhelming for users. Suppliers offer upgrades from their legacy systems as well as upgrades from a competitor’s DCS. I interviewed industry veteran, Paul Galeski, to get his insights on this important topic.

Automation.com, February 2012 By Bill Lydon, Editor These results of the Pharmaceutical Automation Roundtable (PAR) Emerging Technology Benchmarking Survey addressed major automation topics including DCS vs. PLC, Fieldbus Technology, Smart Devices, VFDs, PAT, APC, Wireless, Operator Interfaces, Computing Technology, Validation and Skills gaps.

Siemens Simatic PCS 7 will be the control platform for Dow Corning’s batch, continuous and discrete process automation solutions.

Rockwell will replace the DCS, installed in 1994, with a PlantPAx process automation system.

The distinction between PLCs and distributed control systems is narrowing, but their combined market in Europe will hit €6.45 billion in 2017.

Rockwell will replace the DCS at Nyrstar Hobart’s zinc smelting operation in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, with a PlantPAx process automation system.

The DCS (distributed control system) market in 2010 rebounded from 2009, increasing by 3.3 percent.

While 2010 showed a comeback in DCS revenue numbers, ARC does not expect the revenue to surpass the 2008 peak until 2012.