Safekick and Siemens Form Strategic Alliance to Develop Sophisticated Well Control System for Oil and Gas

Siemens Industry and Houston, Texas-based oil and gas specialist Safekick Americas have joined forces to develop a new well control system that will automatically control the choke manifold of an oil/gas well by measuring the flow and pressure of the fluid on strategic points and for influx and loss detection. “Oil well control events can go seriously wrong so it’s imperative that sophisticated safety systems are deployed to regain control of the well immediately,” says... Read More

Realizing the Potential of Automation Integration

Integrating control systems used to be an ongoing exercise in jury-rigging bridges between islands of automation. Different processes would have disparate controllers, often with disparate control logic packages leading to a near endless state of troubleshooting and massaging systems so they would get along. Every time you added a new system or piece of equipment you would have to revisit your integration efforts to make sure you hadn’t compromised something. “Even today,... Read More

M200D Motor Starters

Starting and stopping production is usually a much more complex process than most people think, says John Burns, a spokesperson for Siemens Industry. Moreover, starting again, once you stopped is a tremendously big deal. “That’s why you need as much control, responsiveness and intelligence as you can possibly get from your equipment – and especially from your motor starters.” The latest member of Siemens’ motor starter family, the M200D, is designed to give users exactly... Read More

IP Ratings – What are they and what do they mean?

Electrical cabinets are one of those ubiquitous elements in industrial environments. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in – whether it’s discrete, process , utility, building and construction or even commercial retail – everything needs power. That means cables and relays carrying what may be a dangerous amount of electricity that need to be protected from the elements and environment on one side and people that need to be protected from accidental exposure on the... Read More

Building a Cyber Secure Plant

Despite what many automation professionals believe, the Stuxnet malware attacks on Siemens Simatic WinCC SCADA and PCS7 DCS systems that came to light this past July were not the first time industrial control systems have been targeted by hackers. A quick scan through the RISI database (Repository of Industrial Security Incidents) turns up several such attacks that have not garnered the same kind of attention earned by Stuxnet. For example, with Venezuela devastated by a politically... Read More

SIMATIC Field PG M3: The High Performance Industrial Notebook

Programming automation tasks such as configuration, commissioning, and service and maintenance has become a little easier now that Siemens Industry Inc. has released the SIMATIC Field PG M3 laptop computer. “The PG M3 is specifically designed for hostile environments, making it an ideal programming platform for industrial applications,” says Siemens Industry spokesperson Sidney McLaurin. The new device is a high performance computer sporting the latest Intel Core i5 processor,... Read More

Ruggedized Controllers Enhance Reliability

Conformal version helps reduce costs. Harsh environments require products that have been ruggedized to survive under extreme conditions. The Siemens SIPLUS Extreme line can survive in severe conditions, providing high reliability at low costs. SIPLUS Extreme products are standard Siemens product enhanced with additional protection against extended temperature ranges and aggressive atmospheres. The latest upgrade of the line employs conformal coating to S7-1200 controllers and... Read More

Meters Help Trim Power Bills

Range of data can help companies cut consumption, improve productivity. The trend towards green buildings and the likelihood of lower utility bills are strong incentives for plant managers to look at their energy consumption. But many companies have found it difficult to analyze their energy usage. The SENTRON PAC meter family simplifies this job, providing important information needed to assess system states and the power quality. It also provides versatility, measuring power... Read More

Terminal Blocks Reliably Deliver Power

Reliable electricity is a key requirement for industrial sites. Ensuring that this electric flow reaches every necessary point throughout a large facility requires a huge range of components, going down to the terminal blocks that connect various pieces of equipment to power sources. The 8WH6 In-Push-Out (iPo) Terminal Blocks from Siemens Industry Automation meet these requirements, providing reliable contacts for a wide range of systems. The plug terminal connection family comes... Read More

New Tools Help Reduce Energy Consumption

The benefits can be significant when meters, software and other equipment are employed to trim power consumption – both on and off the plant floor. The potential for steadily rising energy prices, coupled with a desire to go green by trimming usage and emissions, is shining the spotlight on energy management. Industrial users are finding they can gain significant benefits by closely monitoring equipment usage and performing simple tasks such as powering down machines when they’re... Read More