System Integration & Control Systems Design


Honeywell's newest version of Experion PKS

August 2010 System Integration & Control Systems Design

Experion R400 protects manufacturers from the high cost of evolving technology and includes new turbine control capabilities for power generators.

Honeywell announced it has added several major enhancements to its flagship Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) to help process manufacturers more easily and cost effectively manage their automation and control systems in the face of constantly evolving technology. Experion R400 includes advancements that lower the cost of open system ownership, thanks to features such as an extended support life, flexible direct on-process migration paths, virtualisation, and easier installation and migration. These elements allow industrial facilities to focus on leveraging open systems benefits to improve business instead of managing the challenges with systems themselves.

In addition to these management features, Experion now also offers an integrated turbine control system that allows power generators to improve their plant performance through tighter integration between boilers and turbines. This gives plants better control of their turbines, allowing them to produce energy more efficiently by maximising demand swings while reducing fuel consumption and production costs.

In use at facilities in all major processing industries around the globe, Experion tightly integrates plant subsystems – including process control, safety instrumented systems, security and advanced control – to improve overall safety, reliability, efficiency and sustainability. Process operators, for instance, have greater visibility into how their processes are affecting the overall plant and can make better informed decisions in the control room.

“It is no secret that the introduction of open systems brought both great benefits as well as significant challenges to the processing industries,” said Scott Hillman, global solutions director, Honeywell Process Solutions. “The enhancements we have made to Experion are designed to help alleviate most of those challenges by giving plants an easier and much more cost-effective way to keep their operations running smoothly, even as operating systems and associated software are constantly changing.”

Operating Experion in a virtual environment, for example, can greatly reduce the number of PCs needed at plants, simplify management and ensure software continues functioning properly even as platforms are updated. Additionally, Experion R400 extends the availability of operating systems and key infrastructure components to help prevent them from becoming outdated or obsolete. Plants with older versions of Experion can now upgrade to R400 more easily with extended on-process migration and automatic-install features. This allows plants to more-quickly upgrade their systems on-process with larger jumps between releases.

The system also features a new Profibus Gateway that provides redundancy, further improving the reliability of critical process control applications such as intelligent motor control centres and remote critical equipment monitoring.

“In general, technology today seems to become obsolete the moment it hits the market, but the manufacturing industry is in no position to play a continuous game of catch up,” Hillman said. “Experion R400 fits into Honeywell’s long history of protecting customers’ technology investments. It is designed to help give those manufacturers the peace of mind that the technology purchase they make today will continue to be well protected into the future.”

For more information contact Debbie Rae, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected], www.honeywell.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Understanding the role of AI in generative engineering design
System Integration & Control Systems Design
When a design engineer sets out to design a new part, component, or assembly, the intent is to meet the design requirements for fit, form and function, and also incorporate a certain degree of innovation and elegance to the overall design. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel by introducing a new design.

Read more...
PCS stays up so you don’t have to
PCS Global System Integration & Control Systems Design
Maybe it’s time to look at a solution that stays online 99,99999% of the time so you don’t have to. This the world of Stratus computer platforms, tailor-made for your critical applications.

Read more...
Four ways the global parts shortage has led to innovation and openness
System Integration & Control Systems Design
For those who use automation parts, the unpredictable nature of the supply chain is one of the biggest problems faced today. The shortfall has impacted every industry, but automation components have been especially affected.

Read more...
Iritron’s year of consolidation
Iritron Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
Despite the multiple challenges faced by businesses in South Africa, the buoyancy of the technology sector worldwide has produced some green shoots for automation specialist, Iritron.

Read more...
Five edge opportunities for SIs to maximise revenue in 2024
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
System integrators continue to face the challenge of doing more with less – supporting complex operations, while meeting production schedules with limited resources, and innovating to increase efficiency, maximise safety and reduce risk.

Read more...
Condition monitoring in a forging press retrofit
Beckhoff Automation System Integration & Control Systems Design
Significantly increased vibration on machines can result in many forms of negative impacts such as reduced system performance or damage to the machine and foundation. Using the example of retrofitting a forging press with a maximum press force of 2000 tons, Wölfel Engineering explains how efficiently the process was tailored and implemented with PC-based control and measurement technology from Beckhoff.

Read more...
System integration in the digital age
System Integration & Control Systems Design
To meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace, many manufacturers (end users) must focus on their core competencies and outsource the rest to experts.

Read more...
Choosing a system integrator
Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
Automation is an essential part of manufacturing today. Whatever the size, an upgrade or migration project can be complex, and the risks can be high. This is where system integrators (SIs) can help. They can bring together complex subsystems or components of a larger system and make them operate as a whole.

Read more...
Iritron awarded international contract for furnace control
Iritron System Integration & Control Systems Design
Iritron has been awarded two international, multimillion-Rand furnace drying projects. The company has extensive expertise in furnace drying control systems, and provides solutions in the fields of electrical, instrumentation, control systems, and decision support systems.

Read more...
Capitalise on risks by turning them into opportunities for growth
Iritron System Integration & Control Systems Design
In spite of the challenges facing the global and local economy, systems integration expert, Iritron remains optimistic for the year ahead, and believes that there are significant opportunities to be found during a challenging economic climate.

Read more...