Google has chosen Jackson County as the site for a $600 million data center that will be built on 350 acres of land on the former Widows Creek coal plant. The land is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. According to a release from the Alabama Department of Commerce, the data center could create up to…
DetailsThere are many reasons legacy control systems migration projects go bad. These include incomplete or inaccurate drawings, the wrong team, lack of guidance, poor methodology, poor communications, and lack of teamwork. A FEED (front-end engineering & design) study is the starting point for preventing and avoiding these issues. The FEED Plus study takes this process…
Detailsby Guest Blogger Brandon Moseley As industry, cities, and businesses grow, it is a necessary evil to change nature to accommodate these expansions. Unfortunately, nature cannot always be forced to cooperate with man. Sometimes, man has to work around what already exists. Trees may not always be able to be cut down. Mountains and caverns…
Detailsby Guest Blogger Jeremy Ruppert (photo courtesy of ABB/Google) There are many ways to make a system more efficient, but this post will address ways a variable frequency drive can improve a customer’s pump performance, lower costs, and extend the life of the equipment. Though initially not the cheapest option, a VFD can save the end-user…
DetailsDesign-build is a project delivery system that can shorten project schedules by up to 30%. It is a comprehensive process that includes planning, design, and construction needed to execute a particular project. In the traditional usage, it may incorporate architecture, engineering, and contracting disciplines. In the industrial automation and controls environment (our world), design-build is more narrowly described…
Detailslegacy-II-600 In Part I of our series, we discussed the definition of legacy controls migration and the reasons it has become a critical issue in many plants. This segment will address other issues related to implementing such a migration strategy. Developing a Migration Plan: Complete vs. Partial Although an immediate full migration would be the most effective remedy…
DetailsFiber optical Throughout most of the history of personal computers, serial ports have been the most basic way to transfer data. Serial communication is a standard, accessible way to communicate with a large variety of devices including modems, mice, and most importantly (from a control engineer’s viewpoint) programmable logic controllers (PLCs). During this period, and extending into…
DetailsDust One of the most serious issues currently facing plant/facility managers across all industries is that of legacy control system migration. What is this all about, and why is it such a serious issue? This post will be the first in a series and will address these specific questions. The term “legacy” was originally used…
Details45383368_secureflatscreenCR The Stuxnet computer worm was discovered in 2010. It targets Siemens PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) through Siemens Step7 software. Through a rootkit, Stuxnet can control VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) attached to the PLC. Allegedly, it damaged or destroyed many Iranian centrifuges. More information about the Stuxnet infection process can be found at http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/exploring-stuxnet-s-plc-infection-process. Although it is not the first…
DetailsAudit Passed for Fifth Time We passed our first CSIA audit in 2002, shortly after the Control System Integrators Association implemented its certification program. And we have passed every three-year audit since then (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014). As a testament to the ongoing improvements we make to our business, this year’s score was our highest…
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