Sinopec, a leading integrated oil and chemical company in China, introduced advanced process control (APC) and real-time (online) optimization (RTO) applications in the country in the early 1990s. Working with Setpoint (acquired by AspenTech in 1996), Sinopec pioneered China’s first APC/RTO pilot project in a catalytic cracking unit. The results were encouraging, with significant economic returns.
In industrial automation, as with other technical disciplines, it is generally accepted that the development and adoption of standards are important to advance the technology. In this manner, standards are important for end users and suppliers alike. Technology and product capabilities change as a result of research and development, sometimes in disruptive ways. Some of this disruption can be mitigated by developing standards that codify these changes in forms that promote broad adoption. These standards can be of three types:
Today, building automation has evolved significantly beyond control systems for HVAC and lighting. While the concept of smart buildings has been around for some time now, with the emergence of IoT and a new generation of intelligent edge devices, “smart” has taken on an entirely new meaning for building automation.
In February 2017, the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) released a set of recommendations for how Singapore should structure its economy and sustain its success over the next several years. These recommendations are intended to address an external environment characterized by accelerating technological developments and rising protectionist sentiments, and an internal environment replete with challenges such as a rapidly ageing population and lower inflows of foreign labor.
Cybersecurity is a huge concern across industry as more and more largely unsecured smart devices and machines become connected via the Indus-trial Internet of Things (IIoT). Variable frequency drives (also called AC drives) in particular, widely used in many critical industrial processes, are vulnerable once connected to an IIoT ecosystem. Whether a VFD system is integrated into an automation infrastructure or directly connected to the internet, malicious cyber-attacks could result in equipment damage, production losses, and/or casualties.
Several ARC Advisory Group analysts recently attended the 2017 Off-shore Technology Conference (OTC) at NRG Park in Houston. Nearly 65,000 attendees gathered at the annual conference, which featured nearly 350 technical papers, 44 technical sessions, 13 panels, multiple poster sessions, and 24 topical breakfasts and luncheons.