Miller Energy Exhibiting at ISPE Delaware Chapter Symposium and Exhibition

Miller Energy, Inc. is exhibiting at the ISPE Delaware Valley Chapter
28th Annual Symposium & Exhibition, Booth #2034

For the 28th year, the ISPE Delaware Valley Chapter is hosting a symposium and exhibition supporting pharmaceutical industry research, production and operations. The event is held at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, and draws broad participation from industry participants of all types. Miller Energy, a process measurement and control solutions provider, is exhibiting at booth #2034 in the exhibition area. The company is located in the Philadelphia area and has been serving the industry for many years, meeting application challenges for fluid measurement and control, as well as other related operations. 

Learn more about Miller Energy with a visit to their website, but more importantly, stop by their booth and introduce yourself when you go to the exhibition. Share your process measurement and control challenges with the seasoned professionals at Miller Energy. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise.

Process Gas Chromatographs and Flare Monitoring

Flare monitoring requires specialized instruments to
meet regulatory requirements.

Gas chromatography is a common analysis tool employed in many areas of industry, including oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, and others. Yokogawa Corporation of America  has been delivering top tier industrial GC performance with their GC8000 Process Gas Chromatograph for use in oil and gas, and other industrial applications.

Modern regulatory requirements for flare gas management highlight an application area for gas chromatography. Yokogawa provides an analysis of the requirements for flare monitoring, related regulatory compliance, and how various measurement and analysis techniques and equipment can aid in delivering a successful compliance plan. Industrial gas chromatographs can play a part in a compliance plan for flare monitoring.

In addition to the ruggedness and reliability for which Yokogawa gas chromatographs are well known, the GC8000 brings a number of innovations and improvements to the company’s process gas chromatography product offering that deliver easier operation and more efficient utilization.

• Color touchscreen HMI for easy operation
• Advanced predictive diagnostics and software functions monitor key performance indicators during each analysis to verify analyzer is operating within proper tolerances.
• Parallel chromatography is made practical through the use of the GC Modules provided as part of the GC8000. Virtual GCs can be set up inside a single GC with GC Modules to measure multiple streams simultaneously.

More detail is available on the GC8000 Process Gas Chromatograph, the culmination of Yokogawa’s 55 years of experience in the field. For more information, or to discuss your application specifics, contact a product specialist.

Industrial Fluid Flow Measurement

Coriolis flow meters deliver a mass flow measurement
Image courtesy Yokogawa

Fluid flow measurement is commonly employed in many industrial process control operations. Accurate and useful flow measurement can be obtained with the proper application and installation of a flow meter as part of the fluid transfer system.

Industrial flow meters employ differing technologies to directly or indirectly measure gas and liquid flow rates. The selection of an appropriate measurement technology and instrument will be influenced by a number of factors related to the installation and application demands.

Among the many available technologies for fluid flow measurement, vortex flow meters, magnetic flow meters, Coriolis flow meters, and rotameters are among some of the most common found in industry.

Each of the separate technologies have attributes which can make them more suitable to certain applications. Selecting the most appropriate flow measurement technology for an application is one of the initial and crucial steps to designing a well functioning flow measurement system.
Selection criteria, such as fluid temperature, pressure, and velocity will be part of the selection process. Additional considerations include whether the fluid may be abrasive, corrosive, clean or dirty. The state of the fluid, liquid or gas, must also be considered. The desired output, whether volumetric or mass flow, will certainly be an integral part of the criteria.

Selecting the right measurement technology and instrument is not always an easy task, especially since it may be something that you do infrequently. Share your flow measurement challenges and requirements with process instrumentation specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to save time and develop an effective solution.

Yokogawa Gas Density Analyzer and Detector Pairing

Yokogawa's Gas Density Meter is a combination of density converter and detector. The instrument provides continuous measurement of process gas density, specific gravity and molecular weight in a configuration delivering stable operation and requiring little maintenance.

One important aspect is the proper pairing of a detector with the density converter. The video explains the process and how to make sure it is done correctly.

Share your process analytical and measurement challenges with process instrumentation experts, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Using Brooks Mass Flow Controllers with LabVIEW™

Coriolis mass flow controller
Image courtesy Brooks Instrument

Brooks Instrument is the manufacturer of highly accurate and repeatable mass flow controllers. LabVIEW™ develops integrated software for building measurement and control systems used in laboratories, universities, and pilot manufacturing plants. The combination of Brooks MFCs and LabVIEW software provides users a great option for measurment, control, data acquisition and data storage for mass flow.

Listed below are some of the more convenient communication methods to tie Brooks MFCs and LabVIEW™ software together.

Analog Signal Interface

In many situations LabVIEW™ software users also use analog to digital
I/O cards. With analog input cards, users can run their mass flow controllers utilizing a standard 0-5 volt or 4-20 mA analog signaling via LabVIEW™. This is a time-tested, traditional approach and is recommended for applications without the availability of digital control systems.

RS485 Digital Interface

Brooks Instrument mass flow devices configured with RS485 communications (must have the ‘S’ communications option) provide RS485 digital communications via a 15-pin D connector. The RS485 digital signal is passed directly to a computer running LabVIEW™ through a serial RS485 converter. Brooks models GF40, GF80 and SLA Series mass flow controllers are available with the ‘S’ communications option.

Its valuable to note that there is also a free set of VI file for use with LabVIEW from Brooks. These can be loaded directly into the LabVIEW™ application and provide the basics required to create a LabVIEW control interface using the S-Protocol digital command structure. The VI files are available for download from the Brooks Instrument website.

Another communications alternative is using Brook’s Smart DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) software tool to create links between the LabVIEW™ application and the GF40, GF80 or SLA Series flow, control, and configuration parameters. Additionally, the user can leverage Windows applications (Excel, Word, Access) and programming languages ( C++, C#, Visual Basic) and SCADA programs from suppliers such as Allesco and Millennium Systems International. No knowledge of the mass flow device S-Protocol command structure is required. With Smart DDE, the user gets direct access to the required data fields. While not a complete turnkey option, it greatly reduces the amount of code required to communicate between LabVIEW and the mass flow controller.

DeviceNet Digital Signal Interface

Brooks models GF40, GF80 and SLA, configured for DeviceNet digital communications, can also be controlled via the LabVIEW™ application provided a National Instruments DeviceNet interface card, associated drivers, and software are used. These additional items support the development of application interfaces using LabVIEW™ software for Windows and LabVIEW™ Real-Time.

According to the National Instruments website:

National Instruments DeviceNet for Control interfaces are for applications that manage and control other DeviceNet devices on the network. These interfaces, offered in one-port versions for PCI and PXI, provide full master (scanner) functionality to DeviceNet networks. All NI DeviceNet interfaces include the NI-Industrial Communications for DeviceNet driver software, which features easy access to device data and streamlined explicit messaging. Use a real-time controller such as PXI and NI industrial controllers to create deterministic control applications with the NI LabVIEW Real-Time Module.

Share your mass flow measurement and control challenges with application experts, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise.

Focus Your Product Selection Quickly With This Useful Tool

The Process Instrumentation Selection Tool from Yokogawa
enables the user to make detailed product selections
with a few clicks.
Image courtesy Yokogawa

In the process measurement sphere, manufacturers respond to market demand and their own growth goals by offering integrated product solutions. This can result in a product offering that is extensive, with many different products that can be applied to the same task. There are often several, or many, choices to winnow down to a final selection. Product research and evaluation for application suitability takes time. In today's business environment, time is what we never seem to have in sufficient quantity. Finding ways to streamline any process can be beneficial.

Yokogawa is one of those companies that manufactures a broad range of products for process measurement. Whatever your process measurement needs, it is likely the Yokogawa has an effective solution that delivers solid quality and performance.

In a past blog posting, we introduced readers to Process Instrument Selection Tool. With some basic information about your application, a few clicks can quickly deliver access to the best product selection for an application. It is simple, rapid and accurate. The product selector covers 24 basic measurement and instrumentation classifications. We are posting about it again because it has been so successful in helping customers zoom in on the right product solutions for their process measurement applications.

The Product Finder is accessible through a number of links throughout Yokogawa's network of representatives. Clicking the link lands you on the start page of the Product Finder. Try it out, and share your process measurement and control challenges with application specialists for even more leveraging of your own process knowledge and experience toward an effective solution.

Fixed Gas Detectors

Fixed installation gas sensor / transmitters.
Image courtesy 3M - Oldham

The expansion of demand for increased levels of safety in the workplace continues, with calls for better protection for workers, the plant, the environment, and surrounding communities all weighing on operators to look for ways to reduce risk. Industrial plants, especially those employing hazardous or flammable materials, can have very high risk levels. Reducing the probability of accident or failure can bring a very substantial benefit for long term operation.

Oldham, a 3M brand, manufactures fixed and portable hazardous gas detection and monitoring equipment for application in commercial and industrial settings. Their sensors and stations enable continuous monitoring of process or facility conditions and alert of potentially dangerous conditions. The application possibilities range through every industry.

The product line employs a number of technologies, with varied housings and form factors to accommodate any installation requirement. A wide range of gases can be detected and measured. Share your hazardous gas and flame detection monitoring challenges with process measurement specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop a safer solution for your facility.