Hima-Sella ESD systems for Breagh Alpha gas field pipeline

Hima-Sella, the safety systems specialist,  has commenced work on two contracts for the design, manufacture and installation of safety systems for the Teesside Gas Processing Plant (TGPP) at Seal Sands in Middlesbrough. This is currently being modified to receive and process gas from the Breagh gas field, offshore in the North Sea.

Under one contract, awarded by AMEC, Hima-Sella is providing an Emergency Shutdown (ESD) system at the processing plant. The ESD is being built around a HIMA HIQuad H51q-HS (SIL 3 rated) Programmable Electronic System (PES), which features dual redundant CPUs and will reside in four system cabinets (three of which will be at the processing plant and a fourth that will be located on the unmanned Breagh Alpha platform – approx. 100km offshore).

Under the second contract, this one awarded by J. Murphy & Sons Ltd, a civil engineering and building contractor, Hima-Sella is providing a High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) which will be located at a Beach Valve Compound (a landfall site about 10km from the processing plant for a 20” class 1500 pipeline from the Breagh Alpha platform). The HIPPS will also be based on the HIMA HIQuad H51q (PES) and will perform ‘2oo3’ voting on pressure transmitters to provide autonomous and fail-safe protection of the downstream pipeline against over-pressure.

Andy Tonge, Hima-Sella’s Sales Manager, comments: “The Breagh field is one of the largest gas discoveries in recent years and it is helping secure the UK’s future energy needs. We’re therefore delighted to have been awarded these two contracts to engineer solutions to protect the Breagh Alpha platform and the 110km of pipeline to the Teesside Gas Processing Plant.”

The ESD and HIPPS are scheduled for delivery in Q3 of this year.

GE acquires Naxys for subsea monitoring

GE has announced an agreement to acquire Naxys, a Norway-based provider of subsea leak detection and condition monitoring sensors based on passive acoustic technology. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, further expands GE’s monitoring and sensing solutions and will be part of the company’s Measurement & Control business.

“Through its commitment to innovation, Naxys has developed world-class sensor expertise and technology that fits well with GE’s culture and capabilities,” said Brian Palmer, president and CEO of GE Measurement & Control and vice president of GE Energy. “By combining talent and know-how, we are developing a strategy that will capitalize on both companies’ existing expertise.”

The addition of Naxys will expand GE’s sensing and condition monitoring offerings and extend its reach into the subsea space for energy customers around the world. “GE’s global presence will allow Naxys to introduce its solutions to a worldwide customer base,” said Jens Abrahamsen, CEO of Naxys. “While very different in scale, these two companies both bring outstanding innovation to bear.”

Naxys develops and supplies leak detection and condition monitoring sensors based on proprietary, passive acoustic hydrophone technology. The design of the sensing element enables extremely sensitive and accurate measurement of subsea acoustics. Naxys’ products allow operators to monitor the integrity of their subsea installations.

Naxys currently employs 31 people, in Bergen, Norway.

On August 1, GE’s Measurement & Control business acquired PRESENS, a provider of pressure, temperature and flow measurement solutions for efficient operation of subsea equipment. GE’s Measurement & Control business is based in the greater Boston area. It is a leading innovator in sensor-based measurement, inspection, asset condition monitoring, controls and radiation measurement solutions that deliver accuracy, productivity and safety to customers in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, power generation, aerospace, transportation and healthcare.

The business is part of GE Oil & Gas and has more than 40 facilities in 25 countries worldwide.

New Siemens ultrasonic level controls

Siemens Industry Automation Division has introduced the Sitrans LUT400 series ultrasonic controllers offering one-millimeter (0.04-inch) measuring accuracy on the flow measurement model. This new range of controllers offers a unit with the highest accuracy available on the market to ensure consistently precise measurements.

 

The compact, single point ultrasonic controllers can continuously monitor and control level in liquids, solids, or slurry applications for a wide range of industries. The controllers are available in three models: the Sitrans LUT420 Level Controller, Sitrans LUT430 Level, Pump, and Flow Controller, and Sitrans LUT440 High Accuracy Open Channel Monitor (which also provides a full suite of advanced level, volume, and pump controls). The series is suitable for an array of applications, including those in water/wastewater treatment facilities, manufacturing processes, and industrial storage.

 

With these new controllers, operators can be confident of level or flow measurements thanks to Sitrans LUT400’s patented filters and algorithms. The high accuracy of these new controllers results in cost-effective operations: inventory monitoring is always precise, processes are better controlled, and expensive spill cleanups can be avoided.

 

With energy cost reduction strategies growing in importance, the Sitrans LUT400 controllers assist water/wastewater facilities in reducing their overall energy expenses with a real-time clock and energy saving algorithms for reducing pump operations during peak energy periods.

 

The Sitrans LUT400 series controllers feature an intuitive user interface. The controllers can be programmed in less than one minute using the graphical Quick Start Wizards. The backlit display is easy to read in all lighting conditions. Sonic Intelligence, Siemens echo processing technology for ultrasonic level instruments, continuously evaluates and adjusts for noise level and changing process conditions.

 

All three models are compatible with the full line of Echomax ultrasonic transducers from Siemens. The Sitrans LUT400’s datalogging capabilities allow users to store and review datalogs or transfer them to a computer. In addition to local programming, the controllers also support remote configuration and diagnostics with Siemens Simatic PDM (Process Device Manager), Emerson AMS, FC375/475, or FDTs (such as PACTware) using Siemens DTM.

Dropbox security breach revealed

Dropbox’s Vice President of engineering has admitted that the spamming of many of the cloud service provider’s clients in recent weeks has been traced to an employee password re-use breach: Cryptzone says this highlights the dangers of using the same password for both business and personal usage.

“Most governance experts – ourselves included – will tell you to use different passwords for different systems, but this case is one of those “wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee” moments for IT security professionals, as it shows the need to also keep passwords separate for work and personal internet activities,” said Grant Taylor, European Vice President of Cryptzone, the IT threat mitigation specialist.

“We would go further and argue that people should not be using Dropbox for many business purposes. CISOs and compliance managers would be horrified to know that confidential data was being moved out of the organisation’s sphere of control. Free services by their very nature don’t have the features to facilitate corporate control and management.”

The problem here, the Cryptzone European VP says, is that members of staff, particularly the young, tend to blur the lines between work and play – and whilst it is perfectly understandable for them to use the convenience of a service like Dropbox to access work files at their leisure, their managers need to explain that when it comes to corporate data, such practices simply are not acceptable in today’s regulatory environment.

If corporate information is moved to personal accounts in contradiction to corporate policies, you’re dead in the water as far the boss is concerned. Apart from disciplinary action for the individual, their employer could be looking at investigation from regulatory bodies possibly resulting in severe fines. So when seeking to improve work/life balance, don’t just think convenience, think risk, he says.

Dropbox says it has plans to roll out additional security measures that should help users protect their Dropbox accounts even if users (or employees, assumedly) lose account passwords, including two-factor authentication (Dropbox says this will be coming “in a few weeks”), and new automated mechanisms to help identity suspicious activity, as well as a page that lets users examine all active logins.

GE acquires PRESENS of Norway

GE have announced the acquisition of PRESENS, a provider of pressure, temperature and flow measurement solutions. The acquisition expands GE’s portfolio of sensing solutions and will be part of the company’s Measurement & Control business within GE Oil & Gas. This acquisition will enhance GE Oil & Gas’s presence in Norway and will allow customers of both companies to benefit from an innovative and integrated technology offer.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, PRESENS employs 36 people in total and provides high-performance sensors, specializing in high-pressure measurements and severe environments.

“The sensors expertise PRESENS brings to our portfolio is a natural fit. We share a commitment to technology and innovation” said Brian Palmer, president and CEO of GE Measurement & Control and vice president of GE Energy. “We are building an integration strategy that will capitalize on both companies’ existing expertise, with a focus on the combined talent that we have.”

The addition of PRESENS will expand GE’s core energy offerings and extend its reach into adjacent offerings for energy and industrial customers around the world. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions over the last 10 years that has spurred growth in GE’s Measurement & Control business.

“While very different in scale, these two companies both bring outstanding innovation to bear,” said Frode Meringdal, CEO of PRESENS. “GE’s global presence provides PRESENS with the opportunity to introduce our solutions to a worldwide customer base.”

PRESENS develops and supplies pressure sensor solutions based on proprietary, patented technology. The design of the sensing element enables extremely accurate and stable measurement of pressure and temperature. The sensors generate highly reliable data that is an ideal input for advanced monitoring and control systems, allowing them to operate to their full potential.

GE’s Measurement & Control business is based in the greater Boston area. It is a leading innovator in sensor-based measurement, inspection, asset condition monitoring, controls and radiation measurement solutions that deliver accuracy, productivity and safety to customers in a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, power generation, aerospace, transportation and healthcare. The business is part of GE Oil & Gas and has more than 40 facilities in 25 countries worldwide.

Rockwell solar power project in India

Lauren-Jyoti, a joint venture between Lauren Engineers & Constructors, a U.S. engineering, procurement and construction company, and Jyoti Power Structures, an engineering firm in India, has awarded a $1.9 million order to Rockwell Automation and its Global Solutions team. Rockwell Automation will provide a PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS) with solar field local controller panels for Godawari Green Energy in Rajasthan, India – helping set industry standards in concentrated solar power.

Lauren-Jyoti received the contract to construct a 50-megawatt concentrated green field solar power plant for Godawari Green Energy in Rajasthan, India. The plant will be one of the first utility-scale solar thermal power plants commissioned in India, resulting in part by The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission – an initiative by the Indian government to increase solar power in India to 20,000 megawatts by 2020.

“This collaboration between Lauren-Jyoti and Rockwell Automation will help build one of the first utility-scale solar thermal power plants in India,” said Siddharth Agrawal, director, Godawari Green Energy. “This solution, support and collaboration will enable us to integrate widespread solar field control with main plant control to achieve better uptime and reliability.

“Rockwell Automation won the order for its ability to deliver a complete scalable automation solution that includes DCS process control, mirror controllers and motor controls,” said Robert Heard, instrumentation and controls manager, Lauren Engineers & Constructors. “They also provide local support and global collaboration with our U.S.-based engineering company and its India-based teams.”

“Renewable energy is a strategic focus in India for achieving long-term energy and ecological security, and solar power has been a major emerging segment. This win is significant because it provides us the opportunity to set industry standards for concentrated solar power plants,” said Terry Gebert, vice president and general manager, Rockwell Automation Global Solutions. “The industry is poised for tremendous potential growth due to the commitment of different countries to expand alternative energy capacity. We’re now positioned to be part of this global growth initiative.”