New Podcast: Seamless Legacy Control System Migration
In our latest episode of our podcast Innovating the Industrial World, Cross CEO John King talks to Process Solutions Director of Engineering Robbie Peoples about what goes into ensuring a legacy control system migration is seamless. From upfront planning and documentation to final acceptance testing, Robbie and John talk about the “secret sauce” to making sure a migration is as fast, efficient and effective as possible. Watch the podcast to make sure when you upgrade your older control system, it’s as seamless as a Formula One pitstop!
Technical Guide: Temperature Ramping When Tuning PID Loops
Cross’s Process Solutions engineers are often asked to control a temperature in a PID loop that must ramp up as rapidly as possible to a target setpoint, minimize any overshoot, and control steadily at that setpoint once achieving it.
Senior Systems Integration Engineer Chris Hardy wrote this technical guide to explain one method he recently used to achieve this. This is one method to achieve a rapid ramp with minimal overshoot, then good steady-state control at the target. Configuring the system to automatically capture steady state CV and adjust pre-cutoff offsets can reduce the need for manual tuning going forward.
What's New at Cross
Calibration Provider Not Getting Your Equipment Back Fast Enough?
Cross Process Solutions is pleased to announce our partnership with Azbil North America, a division of Azbil Corporation. Azbil, formerly known as Yamatake Corporation, was founded in 1906 and produces measurement and control technology for buildings and industrial automation.
In particular, Azbil’s differential pressure transmitters are highly advanced, well made and their two way communication enables self-diagnosis, range resetting, and automatic zero adjustment operations.
Azbil’s electromagnetic and ultrasonic flow meters also stand out for their superior technology and quality workmanship. Their SonoPro® ultrasonic flowmeters feature matched precision transducers and signal processing circuitry to accurately measure the flow of most liquids over a wide range of velocities. The MagneW magnetic flow meter provides stable, reliable and durable measurement of conductive fluids. The innovative design combats measurement inaccuracy due to scale on or deformation of the flow tube liner.
Did you know?
Technical Guide: Creating a Network of Virtual Machines for Cost-effective Control System Development and Testing
Modern industrial control systems are more complex and interconnected than they’ve ever been. They’re also expected to be robust, reliable, easy to maintain, predictable, secure, fast, intuitive, and to require less and less operator interaction to function properly.
Field installations of these complex control systems will often involve a network of computers, perhaps including separate physical computers, a stand-alone virtual machine (VM), multiple VMs hosted on one physical computer, remote operator stations of various types, and more.
When system integrators such as Cross are developing a new control system or modifying an existing one, we often need to reproduce the customer’s system to properly perform our development, testing, and validation. For many systems, replicating the physical architecture would be cost-prohibitive. Senior System Integration Engineer William Hughes created this technical guide to showcase one solution, creating a network of multiple VMs that more-or-less replicates that architecture.
The Cross Process Solution team is highly experienced in new and legacy control system migrations. Get in touch today to talk about your particular application.
Cross Provides Tangible Value for You
Improve Efficiency
Sometimes you don’t have the time or the budget to replace your faulty valve. Cross Process Solutions can help with our extensive valve repair capabilities. We work on manual and control valves, including ball valves, butterfly valves, globe valves and more.
Our technicians are highly experienced and document their work with a detailed traveller for your records. This outlines the repairs done on the equipment and can also highlight when obsolescence is becoming an issue. Repairs can also usually be completed in a fraction of the time it takes to receive a new valve. Reduce downtime, extend the life of your valves and reduce cost with Cross Valve Services.
Reduce Risk
When it comes to ordering a specific pressure relief vent, vacuum relief vent, or a combo PVRV, you often face months-long lead times. This isn’t ideal if you need to get back up and running quickly. Cross’s Process Solutions Group is proud to be the only certified assembler of GROTH pressure and vacuum relief vents outside of GROTH themselves. This can mean significantly shortened lead times, maintenance, and downtime.
Currently, we can provide pressure relief vents, vacuum relief vents, and combination pressure/vacuum relief vents (PVRVs) in 16 different configurations, including stainless steel, carbon, and aluminum. Looking forward, we are excited to expand our offerings to 72 configurations, including blanket gas regulators and flame arresters.
Improve Efficiency
For processes in harsh or outdoor environments which require transmitters, alarms or LOI displays, Cross partner Brooks Instrument has improved the IP rating on their MT3809G variable area flowmeters. They are now available with IP66/67 NEMA 4X ratings, meaning they are perfect for heavy duty liquid, gas and steam applications. The meter also features an intrinsically safe aluminum housing with improved corrosion resistance and a broad temperature and pressure range.
