PACE - Apr 2018 by Prime Group

APRIL/MAY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.2 | Est. 1953

Oil and Gas Instrumentation and Calibration Solutions

EXCLUSIVE: MEGATRANS2018: Australiaâ€™s biggest logistics and supply chain Expo

WE SERVICE ALL INDUSTRIES We at AMS have been supplying instrumentation and calibration equipment to all industries, government departments and public utilities. We are proud to have developed these relationships over many years and will continue to do so and building new ones as they appear. Our proven track record is testimony to our commitment to sales and service.

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APRIL/MAY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.2 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

Internet of Things

Zenith Awards

Women in Industry

Why condition monitoring is a game changer

HMPS and why it won a Zenith Award

Mentoring a key ingredient for women in maledominated industries

STEM BOOST:

Melbourne University’s $1 billion investment in its engineering faculty

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EXCLUSIVE: MEGATRANS2018: Australia’s biggest logistics and supply chain Expo

CONTENTS

Managing Director: John Murphy Managing Editor: Syed Shah Editor: Mike Wheeler Ph: (02) 9439 7227 mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au Sales/Advertising: Nick Baker Ph: (02) 9439 7227

IN THIS ISSUE

nick.baker@primecreative.com.au

Production Coordinator: Natasha Shekar Ph: (02) 9439 7227 natasha.shekar@primecreative.com.au Art Director: Michelle Weston Designer: James Finlay, Blake Storey, Adam Finlay SUBSCRIPTIONS: $99 pa incl GST NZ: $A109 pa & OS: $A119 pa

Subscriptions: Gordon Watson Ph: (03) 9690 8766

26 Editor’s Comment 8 News 10 Copyright PACE is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in PACE is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in PACE are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

Women in Industry 12

From ADF to CEO - Penelope’s story Water Supply 14

How ozone helps the water supply Internet of Things 16

Why condition monitoring is a game changer Industrial Communications 18

Explaining fusion splicing

Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Renewable Energy 20

Head Office 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 P: +61 3 9690 8766 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.primecreative.com.au

Renewables at forefront of energy revolution

Sydney Office Suite 303, 1-9 Chandos Street, Saint Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia

Education 24

$1 billion spend for the University of Melbourne MEGATRANS2018 26

Australia’s premier supply chain trade show Thermal Imaging 28

Identifying leaks with thermal imaging Pumps 30

Profiling a hydraulic drive pump Troubleshooting 32

Looking at cost-effective plant upgrades Process Automation 33

Fast Automation’s 20 years of innovation Automation and Control 34

Instrumentation 21

Versatile GPS Modbus gateway

Why automation engineers have to change the way they do things

Zenith Awards 22

Energy Efficiency 36

How the HMPS5000 won a Zenith Award

Average Net Distribution Period ending Sept ’15

How energy efficiency saves money New Products 37

ON THE COVER

Investing in the future

5,521 APRIL/MAY 2018 | VOL.71 NO.2 | Est. 1953

INSIDE PACE

Internet of Things

Zenith Awards

Women in Industry

Why condition monitoring is a game changer

HMPS and why it won a Zenith Award

Mentoring a key ingredient for women in maledominated industries

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY:

Melbourne University’s $1 billion investment in its engineering faculty

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EXCLUSIVE: MEGATRANS2018: Australia’s biggest logistics and supply chain Expo

4 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

The University of Melbourne is the goto university if you want an engineering degree. It already has an array of facilities at its disposal and members of its teaching faculty are the envy of similar overseas learning institutions. Not satisfied with just being a premium seat of learning, it has decided to expand not only its engineering

campus, but also the number of faculty members. The university will be spending up to $1 billion over the next 10 years upgrading and building new facilities and at its current site and Fishermans Bend in Melbourne. It is also going to hire up to 100 more staff members over the same period of time.

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ITâ€™S BIG

WHERE DO YOU FIT IN? & INFRASTRUCTURE

SPONSORS

10-12 MAY 2018 MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE

1.2M

$131B

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2030

added to the Australian economy.

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Increasing freight task +86% by 2030 +300% by 2050

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DING INCLU S IE TR S DU ROA N IL D RA E

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CONNECTING INDUSTRY SEGMENTS IS

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people employed in the Australian Logistics Industry.

COMMENT

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Investment in education set to make mark Mike Wheeler Editor

MELBOURNE University has a desire to become one of the premier engineering faculties not just in Australia, or Asia, but the world. According to the Times Higher Education rankings, the University is ranked number one in Australia and 32 in the world. Its engineering faculty sits at approximately 34th in the world when you look at the individual rankings within the different departments of the faculty. In order to keep the momentum going the university realises that it has to spend, and spend big. It has earmarked $1 billion in investment over the next decade as it sets about building an institution that will not only be the first port of call for

Australia’s best and brightest but the envy of other engineering learning centres around the world. Most of the money will be spent on new buildings and facilities at a sevenhectare site at Fisherman’s Bend, Melbourne. And to prove how serious they are, not only will the new facility offer state-of-the-art research premises, laboratories and hubs, it has also put money aside to hire up to 100 new faculty members. Speaking of innovation, in February, I attended the opening of the Sydney Startup hub, which is based in the city’s CBD. While the NSW state government stumped up $35 million for the hub to

see fruition, what was just as important as the money was the involvement of Microsoft and its Scale-Up program. The tech giant is involved in several similar hubs all around the world, which are known for their innovation and ability to attract hi-tech companies. These companies, in turn, act as a beacon for not only investors, but some of the smartest minds in the country. Since Microsoft began its Scale-Up program in places such as London, Berlin, Beijing and Shanghai, almost 650 start-ups have raised $3.8 billion in funding. Finally, check out pages 26 and 27 of this issue as we gear up for Australia’s premier

logistics and supply chain expo MEGATRANS2018. Part of the Prime Creative stable (the publishers of this magazine), the amount of work that has gone into making this event memorable is astronomical. We’ve been inundated with queries from the different states and international players, too, who want to be part of the event. With more than 30,000 square feet of space being put aside for exhibitors, the expo will be a one-stop-shop for anybody who has a stake in this multi-billion dollar industry. It doesn’t matter whether you are an attendee or exhibitor, the contacts, as well as the knowledge you will gain or impart, will make the journey worthwhile. PACE

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8 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

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NEWS

Innovation hub addresses changing electricity needs

he electricity sector is changing rapidly due to the adoption of renewable energy technologies and the introduction of the smart grid. This transition is requiring new thinking in the way energy is generated and transported, as well as how it is traded and consumed. The Monash Grid Innovation Hub has been set up to foster a collaborative industry partnership approach towards a secure, affordable, smart, reliable and environmentally responsible energy sector. The hub partners will be working together to address critical challenges through thought leadership, innovative research, education and industry training programs. The hub features a Future Control Room equipped with specialist software to view, control and manage big data, distributed energy systems and network security. It compliments Monash University’s Victorian grid-

connected microgrid designed to demonstrate new technologies and ways to manage electricity. The control room combined with the Monash microgrid enables a living laboratory for the hub partners to innovate new solutions while training the next generation of professionals. Director of Monash Energy Materials and Systems Institute (MEMSI) associate professor Jacek Jasieniak, said it would provide technical leadership and policy advice to the energy sector while equipping future professionals with new skills. “In 2016, the Climate Council of Australia reported that 28,000 new jobs were required for Australia to obtain 50 per cent renewable electricity,” said Jasieniak. “We live in an era facing unprecedented energy challenges that require greater collaboration and innovation than ever before.” Monash University president and vice-chancellor, Professor

Margaret Gardner AO, said the Grid Innovation Hub was vital for advancing Australia’s leadership in energy innovation. “The challenges facing Australia’s energy sector are growing increasingly complex. The Monash Grid Innovation Hub combines cuttingedge research and industry expertise to solve them,” Gardner said. “The capabilities of the Grid Innovation Hub for collaborative research and training are truly world class, enabling the university to model and test energy solutions that are transferable worldwide.” Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, toured the control room as part of the hub’s official launch at the university’s Clayton campus. Speaking at the launch Gardner acknowledged the ongoing support of the Victorian Government and their aligned approach toward developing new energy solutions.

The hub is a three-year program receiving around $6.6 million in funding. PACE

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio (l), and Professor Margaret Gardner.

Investors attracted to robotics company

he latest investment offering for Invert Robotics has closed after attracting interest from a number of institutional investors from Australia and New Zealand. The company provides non-destructive inspection services using mobile climbing robots. These robots enable precise and accurate remote inspection of non-ferromagnetic surfaces such as stainless steel, carbon fibre, aluminium and glass. Its patented robots are installed with high-definition cameras and sensor technology to allow for equipment to be assessed for maintenance and for preventative

10 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

analysis on a remote basis. Inspectors are fed real-time video during the inspection that allows for immediate and accurate analysis. The device is already being used by Australian and New Zealand dairy companies and co-operatives such as Fonterra, Synlait and Murray Goldburn, as well as a number of global food and beverage brands. The company has also captured the attention of the aviation inspection market and is poised to make a European partnership announcement soon regarding its successful development of further advanced robot technology. The company is also

looking at potential opportunities in the chemical industry, in addition to further work with energy, oil and gas companies. Following an almost $1 million crowd funding campaign through the Sydney-based platform Equitise, a further $5.9 million has now been raised from a limited sophisticated private investor round. Shareholders now include the former CEO of Macquarie Group, Allan Moss, and Inception Fiduciary. These investments add to the considerable funding received from government and private venture capital sources soon after the company was

founded by its chief technical officer, James Robertson. “Unlike other inspection methods using dyes, drones and optical or laser devices, Invert Robotics’ technology provides 360-degree diagnostics and does so in up to half the time of traditional inspections,” said Invert Robotics’ managing director Neil Fletcher. “The accuracy, efficiency and the value-adding environmental and safety benefits of robotic technology makes it an obvious choice as global consumer demand for product safety, brand integrity and transparency grows,” Fletcher said. PACE

NEWS

Startup hub gets Microsoft and $35 million from government

key ingredient to getting the recently set up Sydney Startup Hub running was getting Microsoft onboard. New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and Deputy Premier, John Barilaro, opened the hub in Sydney’s CBD in late February. “Last July, the NSW Government committed $35 million to create a world-leading startup and innovation hub and today we can see what has been created,” Berejiklian said. “The decision by Microsoft to move in is a huge vote of confidence in our city, our economy and the people that make up our start-up community.” “Within Microsoft, there is

enormous competition to secure Microsoft Scale-Up for different countries, so it’s an incredible result to see Sydney chosen as the newest location to host this sought-after and highly acclaimed program,” said Barilaro. Sydney will join the likes of Seattle, Beijing, Berlin and London in becoming the location of the eighth Microsoft Scale-Up program. Commenting on the announcement, Microsoft Australia managing director, Steven Worrall said, “This is a resounding acknowledgement of both the quality and potential of Australian tech start-ups and entrepreneurs. “It is also recognition of the important role governments across

Australia continue to play in fostering a strong start-up ecosystem and providing the infrastructure to support and grow the next generation of Australian tech businesses. “Microsoft launched the Scale-Up Program in 2012, with many companies graduating from the set up, which are run in such diverse locations as Bangalore, Shanghai, Beijing, London, Berlin, Seattle and Tel Aviv.” Worrall also stated that other states had been considered to host the Scale-Up project, including Melbourne, but Sydney won out in the end. The hub has secured tenants including Stone & Chalk, Fishburners, Tank Stream Labs, The Studio,

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Westpac’s FEULD, H2 Ventures, Slingshot, Transport for NSW’s Future Transport Digital Accelerator, the Department of Finance and Services, and an innovation team from Caltex’s C-Lab to name a few. Barilaro said the hub will rival international facilities like Kendall Square in Boston and Station F in Paris, which are reknowned for their innovation. In the five years the Microsoft Scale-Up programs have been running, close to 730 companies have managed to raise almost $3.8 billion in venture capital. This, in turn, has led to 48 exits – whereby the company has been bought out or acquired by another company. PACE

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APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 11

Mindset key to industry change Mike Wheeler talks to Women in Industry winner Penelope Twemlow about the importance of mentoring, especially in the landscape of male-dominated industries.

fter 10 years as a warfare officer and police investigator in the navy, Penelope Twemlow decided to leave the Australian Defence Force and join a consultancy firm. However, it didn’t take long for her to decide that she would be better off starting her own business. General Manager is her company, which specialises in helping with management consulting services to the mining, gas, oil and construction industries. Due to the success of the company, she soon got the tap on the shoulder from Energy Skills Queensland where she was, up until the end of 2017, the CEO. Still working in the energy sector, Twemlow is also a co-founder and chairperson for not-for-profit organisation Women in Power, so it’s of little surprise that she won Mentor of the Year at the 2017 Women in Industry Awards. With a keen interest in how women can get more of a foothold in what is traditionally a male domain, Twemlow has firm ideas on how to make sure it starts happening sooner rather than later. “One of the key problems I’m seeing at the moment with regards to a lack of women in heavy industry is that it needs to start at an early age,” she said. “There needs to be more education done around what these industries are and how they are applicable to both men and women.” Not only does there need to be an earlier start but teachers, mentors, parents and all those who have influence within a young woman’s life, need to lay out all the options when it comes to choosing a career path. “A lot of people see university as the only avenue to gain employment in a number of industries,” said Twemlow. “They don’t see, or don’t know, of the opportunities available to them through a trade or apprenticeship. The university pathway is well known but the training and vocational sector isn’t. There needs to be more of a push towards the 12 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

vocational arena and training because those trades need more workers.” Twemlow is seeing a gradual change for the good, with employers starting to come to the party with regard to what some believe to be traditional stumbling blocks for women working in industry. “There are a lot of organisations out there who are working diligently to make work practices a little more flexible because of the family and child raising issues,” she said. “There are a number of initiatives that are

“Parents need to start discussing with their young girls that they have the opportunity to do anything, not just things like nursing, hairdressing or becoming a stay at home mum.” happening that are doing well at the moment but we probably need to do a little bit more in the education as well as the training arenas. They need to have the work practices available

Twemlow spent 10 years in the Australian Defence Force before heading out on her own.

to have the ability to change rosters and work practices as required. We’re also the only gender that can become pregnant and have a certain amount of time out of work in order to be

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

Too many companies ignore the importance of mentoring, says Twemlow.

pregnant and raise a child. I need the flexibility afforded to me so I can do that.” Winning the Mentor of the Year award was a nice touch for Twemlow as mentoring is something that she takes very seriously and believes is often underutilised. It can have a huge effect on a person’s career and their development in their chosen vocation. It is especially important for women in industries where woman are underrepresented such as manufacturing and engineering. “Mentoring is absolutely vital,” she said. “Many people disregard the role that mentoring can play in workplace success but success in any role is a combination of many factors – from your skill-set, through to your knowledge and how you engage and build a rapport with stakeholders. A great quote that resonates with me is by baseball barrier-breaker Jackie Robinson who said ‘Our lives are not important, except for the influence we have on others’.” Whether it’s teaching and coaching, one of the greatest achievements is actually the ability to enrich and make a difference to people’s lives. Twemlow said mentoring and giving people feedback is one of the best things you can give a person. She knows from personal experience because she had great mentors, and she is now giving back. She cites a current example.

“There is a young lady working in the energy sector who I’m currently assisting in a number of ways,” Twemlow said. “One is professional development, which is how to navigate her own course through the energy sector, particularly because it is male dominated. The second part of that is I’m assisting her in working through a number of workplace issues including things like conflict management, how to prioritise tasks, understanding herself, how she works as an individual, as well as how she works in a team context. That’s using things like management profiling, behaviour profiling and things like that. This is so she can start understanding things such as how much she can communicate back and get the best from others as well.” The good news is, because she has been a mentor for women, and has had a good lie of the land over the past decade, when Twemlow says she has noticed changes, then you can believe they have occurred. “I think it is definitely getting better and that is particularly because of the amount of work and amount of coverage that these types of positions are getting these days,” she said. “I definitely think the conversation has started. It is making a change. From personal experience, I have been treated differently to other colleagues who were men. I remember at one point when I was an appointed

CEO at Energy Skills Australia, a lot of people thought I was the new marketing girl. The minute I was announced as the CEO and walked up on stage, a large number of people in the audience jaws dropped and I know it’s because they didn’t believe that a female could be in charge of an energy organisation.” Does Twemlow think that the reason for a lack of females in industrial-type jobs is a lack of interest? Maybe they don’t want to work in an industrial environment? “Absolutely women are interested

in industrial-type roles,” she said. “I have spoken to a large number of women throughout my career who are plumbers, electricians, carpenters, engineers – the conversation needs to continue though. Parents need to start discussing with their young girls that they have the opportunity to do anything, not just things like nursing, hairdressing or becoming a stay-athome mum. “There is an appetite from women out there for it, but the appetite isn’t matched with the opportunities being provided.” PACE

Employer flexibility is a key ingredient for women to be successful in a male-dominated industry like engineering. APRI/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 13

WATER SUPPLY

Top-quality drinking water through ozone treatment How does ozone help make sure drinking water is sustainable? PACE gets the lowdown from VEGA.

t can be argued that drinking water is the most important sustenance that humans need. Its preparation requires complex processes. To oxidise and disinfect drinking water in the course of treatment, ozone is often mixed in. Because of its high reactivity, ozone must be produced and added on site under strict safety regulations. With that in mind, VEGA’s pressure transducers make an important contribution to the continuous processing of top-quality drinking water. The water supply system in Baden-Württemberg is one of the largest and most traditionally far-reaching water supplies in Germany. Around 250 cities and municipalities are supplied with about 90 million cubic meters of drinking water every year. The quality of water, and a high level of security of supply, take centre stage in the regional water supply’s management. At the beginning of the 20th century, the population in the central Neckar region was already growing rapidly as industrialisation progressed. An extraordinarily far-sighted plan at the time was to bring drinking water from the Danube Valley at the city of Ulm in the Remstal region, to Stuttgart. This laid the foundation for the regional water supply system. Plant for the conversion of river water to drinking water consists of a raw water pump, which draws the water directly from the river, a pressure pipe from the pumping station to the waterworks, and the treatment facilities in the waterworks. In peak times, up to 2,300 litres of river water per second can be converted into drinking water. The injection of highly active oxygen (ozone) for oxidation and

14 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

disinfection during drinking water treatment represents state-of-the-art technology. Ozone oxidises dissolved and particulate organic matter and kills or inactivates existing microorganisms. Ozone is always formed when some type of energy decomposes molecular oxygen into individual oxygen atoms, which then react with molecular oxygen to form ozone. This can occur through UV radiation, lightning strikes and also high-voltage electrical discharges. Because of its high reactivity, ozone is produced, transported and added to the water on the spot and in compliance with strict safety regulations. The actual production process takes place in pressurised reactors, where electrical energy is applied to convert oxygen into ozone. Then, the resulting gas mixture flows into an ozone collecting pipe. The maximum ozone concentration is about 180 g/ Nm³ at an operating pressure of 1.3 bar. Injectors feed the ozone into the water, while mixers distribute the tiny ozone bubbles evenly throughout the water volume. For a few minutes, the water remains in large containers during which time oxidation and disinfection take place. To ensure that pressure measurement in the ozone collection pipe and at other important measuring points is safe and reliable, the engineering department decided to use VEGAbar 82, the pressure transmitter with ceramic Certec measuring cell and a second line of defence. This is an additional process separation by means of a gas-tight feedthrough above the process connection. Although the measuring cell is permanently resistant to ozone, the second line of defense provides an extra layer of protection against the leakage of ozone from the pipeline through the

pressure transmitter. VEGAbar 82, therefore, plays an important role in safe ozone The VEGAbar 82 helps convert river water to drinking water.

generation, as well as in the continuous production of top-quality drinking water. PACE

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INTERNET OF THINGS

IoT-based condition monitoring now a game changer Condition-based monitoring is going through some big changes as the Internet of Things starts making inroads into the processing space. PACE explains.

anufacturing systems and processes are becoming complex, which means rational decision-making in process control is a necessity. It stands to reason that better information gathering and analysis techniques are needed for effective condition-based monitoring. This monitoring is where the measurable condition(s) of a machine are continuously monitored by checking pre-defined parameters such as temperature, vibration, oil levels and other, similar, measurements, which enables the tracking of patterns that help predict equipment failure. In turn, this ability to predict allows for timely action and prevents major or catastrophic failures later on. Condition monitoring is a critical component of preventive maintenance because it always ensures that equipment is always properly maintained by checking the variance of the actual parameters that are being monitored. Another benefit of condition monitoring is that it allows users to work out when their equipment is nearing the end of its life, and enables a smooth replacement plan. “Machine monitoring across multiple channels/platforms can significantly increase the probability of detecting failures in a machine. For example, vibration analysis on a motor might not be enough. The customer will also require temperature monitoring to find out more information about the machine,” said Jas Singh, systems and solutions manager for ifm efector. When it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), the lifecycle of technology can be monitored in real time and continuously using four main areas:

16 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

Condition-based monitoring helps track patterns that predict equipment failure.

• • • •

connected devices and sensors; ubiquitous data networks; cloud storage; and big data processing. In other words, everything connects and then communicates its status back to software platforms. These cloud-based software platforms are able to swiftly process information and provide a range of insights, which is a direct requirement when it comes to predictive maintenance. Some of the most critical industries where condition monitoring is needed include manufacturing, utilities and transportation, where the need for up-todate information is a must for the safe and smooth running of the given process.

According to Singh, monitoring equipment, such as vibration monitoring will generate massive amounts of data that can be sent to the cloud and then analysed, which will help predict the failure of the machine. In the asset-intensive manufacturing, utilities and transportation industries, success is dependent on the safe and reliable performance of those assets. By capturing and analysing more complete operational data, analytics can help these industries manage and maintain their assets to improve safety, performance and equipment life. With the IoT, the volume of data is so huge that data collection and its integrity are issues that need to be thoroughly assessed for any condition-

based monitoring regime to be effective. Standardisation of data is one way to ensure that data coming from different sources tell the same tales. Thomas Davenport, analytics guru with Babson College and MIT, urges enterprises to hold device manufacturers accountable. “First, there should be rigorous calibration before the device leaves the factory, and an on-installation calibration routine to ensure that the device works as expected,” he said. “Second, ongoing calibration is required to make sure the device continues to work properly. “Ideally, the installation and ongoing calibration routines should be built-in and automated.”

INTERNET OF THINGS

Helping to put you in Control

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Standardisation of data is one way to ensure that data coming from different sources tell the same tales.

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Ultimately, Davenport cautions, “you should not expect perfection, particularly with new devices. But you must insist on rapid improvement”. “[The IoT] will enable appropriate conversion of this data into information,” said Singh. “The tools available will be able to give us much more information than we have right now, and in the end, enable smart decisions to be made. In our eyes, the IoT will be an enabler.” When it comes to condition monitoring, energy efficiency and data transportation, ifm has released the SmartObserver suite for a range of industries but especially for manufacturing, utilities and transportation. Engineered for the continuous condition

monitoring of machines and systems, SmartObserver is designed to provide trend analyses, limit values, evaluation of all process parameters, data acquisition, evaluation to DIN ISO 50001, visualisation and evaluation with trend displays. These trend displays can include pressure, flow, temperature, rotational speed, the operating conditions of machines, the organisation and planning of maintenance tasks, data provision for higher-level systems and alarm escalation. According to Singh, ifm’s SmartObserver is highly suited for condition/vibration monitoring in most industries including mining, water, food manufacturing and also utilities monitoring systems. PACE

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APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 17

INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS

Core alignment splicing vs cladding alignment splicing Fusion splicing is where two optical fibres are joined together to create one optical path. PACE explains the two methods by which this can be achieved.

ontinued expansion in fibre optic communications has resulted in a growing number of applications and deployment environments for optical cables. Telco backhaul, access networks, fibre to the home, LAN, sensing and submarine installations all present unique challenges â€“ both optically and environmentally â€“ to network operators and installers alike. Fusion splicing is the process where two optical fibres are joined together to create one continuous optical path. Fibres are fused together using a series of electrical arcs that clean the fibres and then heat the two fibre surfaces. Once heated, the two fibres are pushed together to create a continuous optical path. The aim is to fuse the fibres together while maintaining the lowest optical loss performance. Prior to splicing, the fibres are cleaved. Cleaving is the process by which the bare fibres are scored and snapped using a precision blade to expose a clean fibre end face, perpendicular to the fibre. The cable jacket, protective materials and waterblocking gels are removed and the primary coating is stripped to expose the bare fibre. The fibres are now ready for cleaving.

Splicing methods

Core alignment fusion splicing is the most commonly used fusion-splicing technology. A system of cameras, lenses, light sources and motors work together to optimise the fibres core location and alignment. Fibres are located in v-grooves that allow them to move in all three axis, which provides core-core alignment optimisation. The ability to control core location on each fibre results in improved splice performance as the splicer can compensate against 18 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

influences, such as fibre offset due to contamination or core-cladding concentricity mismatches.

Cladding alignment splicing

In cladding alignment fusion splicing, a fixed v-groove alignment method is Splicing prevents optical loss performance.

Core alignment fusion splicing is the most commonly used fusion splicing technology used to align the claddings of the two fibres. Fibres are moved inwards and

outwards only. In addition to cleave quality, the alignment and subsequent

INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS

test. The proof test applies a force to the fibre in opposing directions to check the mechanical integrity of the splice joint. A splice protector sleeve is placed over the joint and with heat applied, shrunk down over the fibre to provide additional mechanical protection. PACE

Once the fibres have been fused together, the splicer will provide a loss estimate.

BEST PRACTICE FUSION SPLICING

splice performance is influenced by fibre position, core-cladding concentricity and mode field diameter (MFD). Fibre location is influenced by contamination on the fibre or v-grooves, and can be controlled by the operator. Maintaining clean fibre and v-grooves will ensure the fibres

are seated in their optimum position. Splice performance is also influenced by core-cladding concentricity and MFD. However, these are fibre manufacture parameters and cannot be controlled by the operator. These factors typically come into consideration when splicing new to

old fibres and also dissimilar fibres such as single-mode G652.D to G657.A.

After splicing

Once the fibres have been fused together, the splicer will provide a loss estimate and perform a proof

Clean – maintain a clean and contamination-free work area. Contamination will migrate through all aspects of the splicing process. Regularly clean items such as stripping tools, cleaver pads, cleaver blade, v-grooves, camera lenses, mirror and the splicer travel case. Cleaver blades – continuously monitor cleaver performance and adjust the blade position when required. Frontline maintenance – regularly perform selfmaintenance routines such as arc calibration, electrode stabilisation and battery cycling. Original parts – only use manufacturer’s original consumables, such as electrodes and cleaver blades. Servicing – only send your splicer to manufacturerendorsed service centres. Only manufacturer-endorsed service centres have manufacturer trained and certified technicians, access to manufacturer original parts and firmware.

When splicing, maintain a contamination-free work area.

Safety – always dispose of fibre offcuts in an appropriate manner, such as sharps container. APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 19

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Conference puts renewables at forefront of energy revolution Australian developers need to look at how renewables can help them on their next project. PACE explains.

otal Construction is a company that likes to stay at the top of the industries that it operates in. This is why when the general manager of its renewable energy and process engineering division, James Bolton, recently attended the PowerGen 2017 event in Las Vegas, United States. PowerGen 2017 is the world’s largest power generation exhibition and conference. With around 1400 exhibitors, it dwarfs anything on offer in the Australian market. What better place to understand the current trends and technologies in this sector? A feature at the conference was the acceptance that the use of coal is declining. Even with some glowing examples of life support for the sector, such as carbon capture storage, of which there were some prominent successes (the Petra Nova project, the world’s largest commissioned in 2016), it could be the end of an era. “It was noted that natural gas was a transition fuel,” said Bolton. “But there was also a focus on decentralised energy and micro-grids. The integration of renewables into these networks requires energy storage. Needless to say, Australia did receive numerous mentions, specifically around the Tesla battery storage project in South Australia with many calling it world leading. It was also acknowledged that South Australia has the highest penetration of renewable

It was back to the future at PowerGen 2017. energy in any grid system in the Western world.” Some of the more intriguing discussions were around CO2 capture including doing so directly from the air. The production of renewable hydrogen and creating a 100 per cent hydrogen distribution network with underground storage in salt caverns, was certainly a unique idea. There was also underground compressed air storage, which was spruiked as a giant battery in competition with lithium batteries and hydrogen.

The renewable energy project of the year was the Ningxia Haiyuan Xihua Mountain 300MW wind farm in China. What was even more impressive was that it was constructed, and now operates, in temperatures at -22˚C. “The overall opinion was that Australia has a way to go to align with the fervent direction of the United States and China,” said Bolton. “Many attendees felt that Australia was blessed with renewable resources and a national electricity system, as

opposed to the United States with its fragmented system. To some degree there was a sense that Australia might be squandering its opportunities.” This is why if developers are considering renewable energy for their next construction project, Bolton and his team from Total Construction are a good starting point. Not only with they provide guidance as to how best utilise a renewable system, but they can give examples of projects they have recently completed. PACE

The latest in renewable technologies was on display at PowerGen 2017. 20 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

INSTRUMENTATION

Accurate Modbus position and time sensing using GPS When a remote cattle station needed its pivot sprinkler to operate in a safe manner, Ocean Controls had the answer.

he KTA-291 GPS Modbus gateway is a versatile tool to provide accurate values of time and position including: • Universal Time Coordinated time (accurate to 60 nanoseconds); • latitude and longitude (accurate to 2.5 metres); • altitude (accurate to 0.1 m/s); • velocity (accurate to 0.1 m/s); and • direction of travel (0.1-degree resolution). All data is updated four times a second and made available on Modbus RTU (RS-485) at user-configurable slave address, baud rate and parity. GPS quality, horizontal precision and the number of satellites currently in use can be monitored to indicate the accuracy

of received readings. Two outputs are provided – one to monitor the GPS lock, and the other a pulse output (PPS) for synchronising external clocks.

Case Study: Pivot Irrigator Position

Ocean Controls was approached by a client operating a remote cattle farm in rural Western Australia. The paddock was irrigated using a pivot sprinkler operating in a 270-degree arc, which was instructed to run remotely from headquarters in Perth. To ensure safe operation, the angular position of the irrigator needed to be known by the control system. Traditional magnetic compasses were not accurate enough in this application.

The KTA-291 GPS Modbus updates data four times a second. Instead, a KTA-291 was mounted on the pivot head. Waypoints were taken for the extent of travel in each direction. The control system then compared the current latitude and longitude with the saved waypoints to make sure that

the pivot stopped at each end of the 270-degree arc. In addition, logs were taken of the position and velocity data for later analysis of irrigator performance. The GPS UTC was used as a source of accurate and drift-free timestamps. PACE

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17/01/2018 10:42 AM APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 21

ZENITH AWARDS

Speed key to HMPS5000 success HMPS helped a food processing manufacturer double its output. Mike Wheeler explains how.

MPS is a company that likes to provide solutions to production problems using its knowledge of how to engineer machines that are not only state of the art, but provide a return on investment (ROI) for the client This was the case with one of its HMPS5000 machines, a solution that not only helped a food contract packer speed up operations but won HMPS the Machine Builder of the Year at the Zenith Awards in 2017. HMPS were asked to provide the solution because the client not only wanted speed, but also flexibility for its operations – two things that are not always inclusive in such a piece of machinery. “The main driver was that they had a line that was running product

at about half the speed it needed to be,” said HMPS executive chairman Mark Emmett. “Its sales and export growth in Southeast Asia had meant that its requirements and production capacities needed to double. It looked at replacing the existing line with a new line that would run at twice the speed.” The installation required some machinery from Europe, while the end-of-the-line case packaging machinery was where the HMPS5000 came into its own. HMPS’s part in the process helped put the inner packets of cake mix into a shipper that sat on the supermarket shelf. Emmett said that they worked with the customer to make sure the right solution was reached. “We went to site and worked through the issues and what the

The HMPS5000 had to be able to handle short runs, different-sized products and also be capable of producing quick changeovers. 22 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

limitations were with their current machinery,” said Emmett. “Their old equipment couldn’t cycle at the rate that they needed to match the new upstream equipment from Europe. They had an upstream machine that could produce 200 bags a minute, but the downstream equipment could only accept 100 bags a minute. The downstream equipment was also old technology – it was air cylinders and valves, whereas the new machine is all servo motors and electric drives.” When it came to flexibility, the company needed the HMPS5000 to be able to handle short runs, differentsized products and also be capable of producing quick changeovers during the production process. How does Emmett rate the HMPS5000? “It is a big, beautiful machine,” said Emmett. “It is something that

normally someone might go to Europe to source. But European machines and American machines don’t have the flexibility or the ability to change quickly between sizes. In Europe, they’ll set a line up and it’ll run the same sizes for a week. In the US they’ll set a line up and it’ll run for a year.” And then there are the speed considerations. “With the contract packer’s site engineers and production people on board, we looked at what was important for them in a new machine,” said Emmett. “And one of the most important considerations was that it could maintain the speed. The speed of this machine is a step change in what would normally be achieved in an intermittent motion packaging machine. Our client

ZENITH AWARDS

outlined that the speed, the quick changeover and being a flexible machine were what was important to them. And their engineers working with ours highlighted those points. We went away and came up with a new design of the machine that met their needs.” Like any new concept, plan or machine there are bound to be teething problems and the HMPS5000 was no different. The main issue for the developers was getting the device to cycle

30 products a minute, which was hard because of the size of the food packets. “Moving a large product is like moving a large mass around quickly,” said Emmett. “It’s controlling that mass through the machine that was the most challenging part of the design. If you’ve got a very small product and you want to move it quickly it is a lot easier because you’ve only got a small mass that you’ve got to move and stop. When you’ve got 12 packets of 350g cake mix and you want to move

The main issue was getting the device to cycle 30 products per minute. it quickly and stop it, and do that over and over again every two seconds, it really puts a demand on how we set up the servo drives and all the control systems that interlinks the process.” To help HMPS make sure that it built the machine to the correct specifications, it used simulations via Autodesk Inventor. As the company designed the machine, it could test flows and simulate the whole process in the 3D CAD before it started to cut metal or test things. The whole process took six months to complete. HMPS has also started to integrate the IoT into its latest machines as it allows it to monitor the performance of its machines online. With the HMPS5000, the IoT aspect was launched in February. One of the main drivers for the IoT elements is that clients want instant information on how their equipment is working and what condition it is in. This helps with preventative maintenance and stops unnecessary downtime.

“Our clients want to know the Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) constantly and we want to be monitoring it,” said Emmett. “An example is if you have an electric drive and its working hard all the time. If we start to see that there’s more load on that drive, then we can address it and rectify the problem before it becomes a stoppage and causes downtime. That is what we want to achieve with our HMPS Connect, which is our IoT solution.” This sort of machinery – faster flexible and capable of quick change – is where manufacturing is headed. Having a machine that will do this is a real change for Australian-built packaging machinery. HMPS has seen interest in this machine in factories in Asia and have received enquiries from the US, too. The effort that its engineers have gone through putting it together has become not only a benefit for HMPS, it will help it grow its business, according to Emmett. PACE

HMPS has also started to integrate the IoT into its latest machines, which allows it to monitor the performance of plant online. APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 23

EDUCATION

Billion dollar investment for Melbourne University’s engineering faculty A lack of room and massive expansion of faculty members means a $1 billion investment for the University of Melbourne. Mike Wheeler looks at what bang the bucks will bring.

$1 billion price tag has been put on the new seven-hectare engineering campus that the University of Melbourne will build at Fishermans Bend. Situated 5km from the city’s CBD, the new site is where General Motors Holden was once pumping out new cars for the Australian market, but will now house advanced manufacturing, design, engineering

24 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

and technology excellence. “The university will be the catalyst for new collaborations and investments, connecting industry and research in the precinct,” said the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis. “When surrounded by start-up accelerators, business incubators, cuttingedge research, development and manufacturing facilities and test sites, our students can immediately

put ideas into action.” It’s a point of view backed up by Dr Anne Hellstedt who is the program director, MSE 2015 (infrastructure) for the university. “The new engineering campus is one key element of the 10-year strategy for the school of engineering,” she said. “We’re committed to developing engineering and IT future leaders and developing new innovations and collaboration

with industry. It partners in keeping with our teaching and learning on parcel for our undergraduate students and the majority of our master’s course students.” While the new campus will be a godsend to students and faculty members alike, there is also a practical reason for the expansion of the campus. The university was running out of room at its Parkville site and with an expected influx of

EDUCATION

Students will have a huge range of resources at the new site. 100 new academics, more space was necessary to meet their research needs. “At Parkville we have outgrown our space. In terms of recruiting new academics, many of them require new research facilities and experimental research facilities,” said Hellstedt. “Also, research staff are looking to expand their capability and capacity and we are not able to do that on Parkville any longer. So we need that space and have places where we can do stuff like fabricated housing, wind tunnels and have them operating all year around, as well as things like having engine testing space. We will also have high spaces where we can test new drones and the sensor technology that goes with them.” There is also another reason for the new campus being built and that is it gives enough room for researchers to work collaboratively with industry to produce cutting-edge technologies and products that can then be marketed to the wider world.

“This campus will help us collaborate with industry and develop new prototypes and demonstrationscale products and technologies,” said Hellstedt. “Particularly here in Australia, you have your fundamental discovery research. Then you have industry in that development area of translating research into products and technologies and new innovations etcetera, which is a difficult one. We are looking at bringing academia and industry together to translate that research into innovative new products.” It’s along that TRL trajectory – technology revenue levels – where academia is at one end and industry is at the other. This will be about both of these aspects working together where they are developing, testing and trialling and coming up with new innovations. “In terms of the school’s strategy, it is focussed on engagement with industry through our teaching and

learning, as well as research and developing more partnerships with industry,” said Hellstedt. “These partnerships are broader and have greater depth over time. There’s a real focus on that academic operation within industry, which I think is a challenge for both industry and academia to get right. We are very committed to that.” What sort of bang will the university and its faculty get for its buck? Quite a bit. It will have one of the world’s leading aerodynamic laboratories, with Hellstedt saying that these facilities will be unique globally. It will include an air/water interface tunnel that looks at water and wave interactions that feeds into climate change research and modelling. The prefabrication group will have a research centre into prefabricated housing and have space where they can build and test prefabricated modules. There will also be a smart grid research laboratory looking to use the

facilities themselves to test research where they can manage the energy flows to provide for peaks and smoothing out the national grid. Also, more space will be given to renewables energies, battery storage and electric vehicles. These are current research capabilities that will all be expanded. “Giving people more room to do stuff and having a more flexible space that can be refigured more easily over time is key,” said Hellstedt. “The idea that you can have new projects coming into the facility that are plug-and-play is also important. Researchers and students can have more open-plan spaces so they can set up smaller areas within live spaces to do the research. This is all part of our aim to be in the Top 20 engineering and IT universities in the world.” All this comes about as the engineering faculty gets a number of new appointments at the top end of the faculty. This includes a new Dean of Engineering, Professor Mark Cassidy; Head of School Electrical, Mechanical and Infrastructure Engineering, Professor Joe Klewicki; Head of School Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Professor Sandra Kentish; and Head of School Computing and Information Systems, Professor Uwe Aickelin. Overall, the investment of $1 billion includes the purchase, design and construction of the new campus, as well as the upgrade of Parkville’s engineering facilities. It also covers the university’s innovation precinct being built on the former Royal Women’s Hospital site and additional staff to support research, teaching and engagement. Economic modelling has shown that the University’s 2025 engineering strategy, of which the new campus is an integral part, will provide an $8 billion boost to Victoria’s economy and generate over 15,000 new jobs by 2035. PACE APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 25

MEGATRANS

Facilitating the future of supply chain and logistics MEGATRANS2018 show director Simon Coburn talks to PACE about who will be attending the inaugural supply chain trade expo this May and what they can expect to see.

MEGATRANS2018 will include all aspects of the supply chain.

he movement of goods from A to B may seem a simple process on paper for the average consumer. But it has taken years of development, progress and innovation to reach this level of streamlining, and that process is only becoming faster and more efficient. For the industrial supply chain, this can be an intricate process, involving a variety of stakeholders with countless variables to consider along the way when moving goods from one place to another. Road, rail, air and sea transport, warehousing, packaging services – there are many different facets involved in the process and adding value to every step of the supply chain. Giving the freight and logistics providers, and their customers –

26 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – the opportunity to see the businesses, technology and innovation leading the cutting edge of progress within the Australian and international supply chain firsthand, is one way to help the industry grow and reach a new level of supply chain safety, connectivity and efficiency.

The future of supply chain and logistics

MEGATRANS2018, a new multimodal supply chain trade expo, aims to provide this unique platform and bring industry together under one roof. The event, delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, is for those who plan, implement and control the efficient and effective forward flow and storage of goods, services and related

information between the point of origin and point of consumption. In the grand scheme of things, this supply chain covers all facets of Australia’s industrial transport and logistics sectors. These specific industries comprise the main features of the trade show, which makes its debut 10-12 May this year at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, based in the heart of the world’s most liveable city – Melbourne. But just who will be attending the trade expo? Simon Coburn, MEGATRANS2018 show director talks to PACE about who will be making their way to Melbourne for this major industry event. “MEGATRANS2018 is poised to be the biggest supply chain and logistics trade event in Australia and the

Southern Hemisphere. “By spreading the expo across all 30,000 square metres of exhibition space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, we’re trying to include every business, service provider and leader within the supply chain,” he says. “From warehousing to road transport, infrastructure, telematics businesses, manufacturing companies and packaging specialists – the show is including everything and everyone involved in the movement of goods from one place to another, with significant focus on the technology driving this process.” The show is designed around the needs of the logistics firms, freight companies and various technology innovators and service providers

MEGATRANS

involved in the supply chain, those coming to the event will be the retailers, manufacturers and third and fourth-party logistics providers (3PLs and 4PLs) utilising the supply chain and looking for new ways to increase efficiency and security in the movement of goods. “Those who need to move goods by sea, air, rail and road are those who will benefit the most from hearing about the latest in telematics, data optimisation, freight forwarding, Industry 4.0 and future developments in the industry,” said Coburn. “Those are the people – the business leaders and decision markers – who will be making their way to Melbourne for the show, and we can’t wait to hear about all of the successful partnerships, business meetings and engagement coming off the back of this event.”

Bringing industry together

Many major industry conferences and events are being held in conjunction with the show and are aimed at drawing even more national and international leaders from across different facets of the supply chain. MEGATRANS2018 brings together a variety of international and domestic

conferences, including the Australian Logistics Council’s (ALC) inaugural Supply Chain Technology Summit 2018, Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association (ARTSA) Global Leaders’ Summit, the Logistics & Materials Handling Mercury Awards, a ministerial breakfast delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government, Transport Certification Australia’s (TCA) Technology Hub and the 2018 Global Shippers Forum Conference (GSF2018). The ALC Supply Chain Technology Summit, for instance, will gather key industry leaders and businesses and will take place on May 10, onsite and in partnership with MEGATRANS2018. “Technology is a major component of the logistics supply chain and will play a dominant role in the exhibitions at MEGATRANS2018,” said Michael Kilgariff, managing director at ALC. “The Supply Chain Technology Summit 2018 will align well with the technology theme and ensure that those who attend the integrated event can maximise their time and investment. “The summit will focus on the policy priorities articulated by ALC in Freight Doesn’t Vote – our submission to the Inquiry into National Freight and

MEGATRANS2018 will involve all facets of rail, road, air and sea transportation.

Supply Chain Priorities. This includes collecting greater data on freight movements, adapting to automated technologies and global labelling standards.” Dr Peter Hart, chairman at ARTSA, says MEGATRANS2018, and the industry players it will draw, is a good fit for the association’s annual summit. “We see this event as an opportunity to bring together international thought leaders in a world-class conference and exhibition hosted in Melbourne,” Hart said. “ARTSA will be holding its 2018 Leaders Summit as part of the scheduled events, featuring industry authorities from around the globe debating the business models, systems and equipment that will continue to deliver for the customer.” The GSF2018 likewise, will host its conference and AGM in Australia for the first time. The Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), the peak body for Australia’s containerised exporters, will host the GSF2018 in coordination with the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA), the Freight & Trade Alliance and MEGATRANS2018.

Paul Zalai, director and founder at the FTA, the Secretariat for the APSA, says the GSF2018 is set to host policy makers and international trade practitioners from around the world – people whose decisions have a lasting effect on the way cargo is moved in Australia. As the event is run in conjunction with MEGATRANS2018, which covers all facets of the supply chain, Zalai says it will attract representatives from across the sector. “It’s quite unique to have transport operators, freight forwarders, customs officials, cargo owners and policy makers, all in the one room discussing logistics and trade issues,” he said. GSF2018 takes place alongside MEGATRANS2018 and a range of other events either running concurrently or book-ending the show. As a result, Coburn expects Melbourne will be the place to be for leaders and stakeholders in the global and national supply-chain sectors come May. “We envisage the week of MEGATRANS2018 will set a few milestones for the national and international supply chains,” he said. “With so many industry leaders and decision makers from around the globe heading to the events, I’m confident we’ll see some positive outcomes for the future of the industry.” Coburn explained that as the borders between industries blur, new multidimensional concepts have to rise to the challenge and facilitate conversation between the key stakeholders in these areas, and MEGATRANS2018 is leading the way. He said a trade event with the same scope as MEGATRANS2018 hasn’t been done before in Australia, and it will be an exciting hub for representatives across the entire supply chain. “We’re inviting everyone to be a part of this game-changing expo format and we anticipate that everybody, from hands-on decision makers in the supply chain and logistics industry to CEOs, COOs, regulatory bodies, urban planners and government on all levels, will be out in force,” he added. “Watch this space for more developments – MEGATRANS2018 will facilitate the topics of discussion, networking and decisions around the future of Australia’s supply chain process.” PACE APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 27

THERMAL IMAGING

How to identify leaks with thermal imaging

rom hard services to soft, building management in Australia has a number of moving parts and variables. The checks and balances that go into maintaining and improving large-scale commercial, industrial or mixed-use structures leave no room for error. This means building managers need the best, most accurate tools for surveying and analysis. Key to this is thermal imaging. Using the right device, like the Testo 871 or 872, can save building managers time and money. Thermal imaging performs several

Thermal imaging will help building managers find leaks and broken pipes. 28 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

functions for building managers; chief among them is identifying leaks and breaks in heating system pipework. The symptoms of such a leak (like wet floorboards and walls, stains, smells and irregular water temperature) do not give managers a clear understanding of the source of the problem. Typically, methods of discovering the leak rely on intrusive actions like breaking up walls or floors. With thermal imaging devices, managers can locate the source of a leak without such intrusions, identifying them with accuracy. Applications extend beyond

identifying breakage and include: • identifying the layout of underfloor heating; • checking the function and performance of underfloor heating and piping; • monitoring radiators before and after flushing; and • inspecting concealed boiler flues. Most underfloor or in-wall systems throughout a building are critical for day-to-day resident comfort and overall building performance. However, their concealed nature can make them difficult to accurately monitor. To get the clearest, most accurate analysis of what’s behind the walls before they

break them open, users can utilise a range of thermal imaging devices. The Testo 871 and 872 are the best-suited thermal imaging devices for building management. The Testo 872 has resolution of up to 320×240 pixels and under 60 mK thermal resolution, with high thermal sensitivity and a wide field of view – giving users breadth as well as clarity. Manual and automatic scaling, combined with the company’s Thermography App, give users detailed analysis of heat patterns and the software to turn this into actionable results for how issues can be best addressed. PACE

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Hydraulic tank pumper makes sense A reduction in maintenance costs is just one feature of a new pump by Australian Pump Industries. PACE explains.

ustralian Pump Industries has released a new highhead, cast-iron, semi-trash hydraulic drive pump. The 3-inch, self-priming pump, called the Aussie G3TMK-A/ST HYD, is close coupled to a Casappa hydraulic motor. With a maximum flow of 1100 litres per minute, and a maximum head to 55m, the 3-inch pump is capable of handling a range of applications. These include dust suppression, drill rigs, tankers, mine dewatering and moving contaminated water. Hydraulic drive pumps derive their power from the main engine of the vehicle or equipment on which they are mounted. Therefore, operators can get the advantages of virtually unlimited power, delivered through a flexible drive system that doesn’t depend on shaft or separate engines.

The Aussie G3TMK-A/ST HYD has a maximum head to 55m.

That flexibility of drive system, and the compact design, means that the pump can be placed in the most appropriate location with big operational cost reductions and advantages. These advantages include a reduction in maintenance costs by the elimination of a separate petrol or diesel engine to drive the pump. “This pump bridges a gap in the market in terms of a high-head hydraulic drive pump that will handle dirty water,” said Aussie Pumps’ product manager Neil Bennett. “At a head of 47m, the pump will deliver 500 lpm flow. That’s impressive for a 3-inch, self-priming, semi-trash pump,” he said. The pump has good self-priming characteristics with the ability to draw water from pits of depths of 6m. It has been designed to pass solids of up to 16mm in length, making it

The new pump can be used for mine dewatering and moving contaminated water.

suitable for handling drilling fluids. It is fitted with hard-wearing silicon carbide mechanical seals with an alumina counterface with nitrile rubber elastomers. It also features a stainless-steel wear plate and motor shaft. The pump includes a front-opening, clean-out port that makes it easy to access its internals. That’s an advantage as this means the unit can be cleared of chokes in situ without having to dismantle pipework. The Casappa PLM series motor requires 35cm3 per rev at 100 bar pressure that’s equivalent to 12.5kW. “We chose the Casappa motor because of the manufacturer’s reputation for quality and commitment to aftermarket support,” said Bennett. The big pump will soon be available in cast 316 grade stainlesssteel configurations making it suitable for environments where liquids are corrosive, for example tailing dam pump-out or even chemical transfer. Viton seals are available as an option. The units are designed and built to ISO 9001 quality standards. PACE APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 31

TROUBLESHOOTING

Keeping the printing presses going Fairfax Media found a cost-effective solution when one of its aging printing presses started to show signs of wear and tear. PACE explains.

imon Leach has a large and complex job. As electrical services coordinator for the Fairfax Media Group, Leach has to ensure that the printing presses are ready to run every day because news is a time-critical commodity. When one of his machines started to have an intermittent electrical fault, narrowed down to the servo drive, it was a problem that needed solving – quickly. With nine machines to look after, and, being of an age when these

parts start to break down, Leach now believes he is ahead of the game thanks to how he can problem-solve the issue. When the first machine went down, a quick Google search led him to Datafactory. “After a short phone call, it was obvious he asked all the right questions and quickly got a grasp of the problem,” said Leach. “When the drive went down, it was a time-consuming process to keep production moving.”

When the drive went down, it was a timeconsuming process to keep production moving.

The repaired units were thoroughly tested under load. 32 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

By ‘he’, Leach was referring to Darius Kowalewski, the manager of Datafactory, who also happens to be a qualified electrical engineer. A retro fit would have cost nearly $500,000 and the drives were originally from a small, obscure German company. This not only meant it could be expensive to source, but could be expensive to import a new part. “A new part, if we could have got one, would have set us back at least $10,000. So, Datafactory being able to repair these for less than half that was great value for money,” Leach said. “I was impressed with Darius’s knowledge. As an electrical engineer he knows what he is doing and that makes dealing with him an easy job.” Leach now feels that he doesn’t have to worry about any of the other machines having their drivers go down now that he can utilise the expertise of Kowalewski. “We have Datafactory on our vendors list and a quick phone call is all we need to do. This was a complex digital drive and having someone around who can repair it quickly, makes me happy. “Importantly,” he said,

“Datafactory had the necessary testing equipment, as this was an intermittent fault. We needed the repaired units to be thoroughly tested under load.” This process was also instrumental in minimising the chances of the intermittent fault occurring again. Because Kowalewski has not only the expertise, but also an in-depth understanding of how these servo drives were designed, the repair becomes more effective, with fewer failures and less down time. PACE A retrofit would have cost nearly $500,000.

AUTOMATION

20 Years of Process Automation Fast Automation’s David Askew talks with PACE about the changes he’s seen over the past 20 years in the process automation space.

hen David Askew came to Australia as a 21-year-old backpacker from his native England, he probably would never have realised he would be running one of the best process automation companies in Australia. With Fast Automation turning 20 this year, PACE interviewed CEO Askew to learn more about the many changes he’s seen over the years. All these changes have seen advances within the industry, and Askew said they fall into various categories.

The future of process automation is about being more datacentric.

Energy efficiency

“Government schemes often drive industries. For instance, a lot of companies right now are scrambling to take advantage of the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS),” he said. “They can do upgrade projects and claim money in the form of Energy Savings Credits (ESCs) for energy savings forecasted for the next 10 years, plus they get savings on their energy bill. With advances in technology, it is almost possible to reduce consumption by a factor of six in some cases.”

PLC technology

“PLCs are becoming more open, more powerful and a lot cheaper. Nearly all PLCs have Ethernet capability making connecting and sharing information simpler,” said Askew. “They used to be on bespoke proprietary networks and now they’re on Ethernet networks. Standard internet protocols have moved into the PLC world so we have controllers that can serve web pages, generate SMS alarms, give diagnostic info and host dashboards. Many PLCs can now do safety and failsafe functions together with onboard BUSs that can connect faster to bigger volumes of IO more effectively and with less wiring.”

Safety

“We’ve always had safety standards but we are being asked to provide

safety solutions and services more and more,” he said. “The industry is offering many ways to service this industry too, and there are a myriad of courses and certifications. It’s like the market has suddenly woken up to the consequences of safety issues and becoming more proactive. Regulations have tightened too, while technology is advancing – we have TUV-certified safety engineers on staff and have performed some of the most difficult safety applications in the world. For instance, one 100 per cent CAT 4 system we did picked up trains and moved them around for maintenance works.”

Simulation

“Traditionally, companies develop software, go to site and connect it up, then they commission the logic,” said Askew. “We write or auto generate our software and fully test it with simulation. In some industries this is critical, such as the pharmaceutical industry where we might be making a solution that is going to be injected

into a human body. For example, the manufacturer has to prove that within the system – without any doubt – that no valve is in the wrong position, is exposed to the wrong temperature, or it doesn’t trip or cause an alarm. We’ve been given accolades after TGA and similar authority audits for the depth of proving and validation we do.”

Project management

“This probably sounds simple, but I never thought a large portion of our company would be constantly engaged managing automation projects for big clients,” he said. “Right now we are responsible for the delivery of millions of dollars worth of automation projects in critical applications. We have a good working methodology and enforce this to inject quality and efficiencies in any automation project we are asked to police – to great effect.” And the future? Where does Askew see the industry heading? “The future’s about being more datacentric – we’re already seeing

that now. Everybody is making more use of the data to get more value and intelligence. The Internet of Things (IoT) to me, is making the data more accessible in different ways. My view is that the IoT is about making things available from anywhere. You can use the internet when you are at home or on the train. You can see which piece of plant is doing what versus the national average and things like that. Now, it’s just becoming more prolific and widespread. One example is the IATA 753 resolution. Soon, everyone will be able to see exactly where their luggage is when they fly – on their phone. There has also been growth – and I see more growth coming in this space, for example, in data concentrators and servers, products like Splunk are cleaning up. “Aside from that, robotics and AI will definitely start taking over some of the labour-intensive tasks or healthaverse tasks. A surprising number of companies are teaming up and investing heavily in AGV and robotics’ centres.” PACE APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 33

AUTOMATION AND CONTROL

Open, flexible, and future-proof controller generation Changing framework conditions mean automation engineers have to change the way they do things. PACE explains.

oday, there are more networked devices than there are people, and the trend is accelerating. The traditional automation pyramid is being replaced by networked structures and cloud technologies. The requirements on the security, openness, and interoperability of these systems are increasing. “Innovation cycles are being shortened and different development tools and processes are needed to meet the increasingly demanding time to market,” said Roland Bent, chief technology officer at Phoenix Contact’s head office in Germany. But what does this mean for manufacturers and users? And what opportunities could arise from such technological developments? Alongside the classic IEC 61131-3 languages – i.e. function block diagram (FBD), ladder diagram (LD), sequential function chart (SFC), and structured text (ST) – programmable logic controllers (PLCs) will be programmed increasingly in high-level languages such as C++ and C#. Model-based programming – for example Matlab Simulink – is being used for control technology applications. Automation engineers not only have to take these languages, which are often new to them, into consideration but, due to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT), must also realise additional requirements in the field of connectivity. These developments are accompanied by the fact that data security is becoming more important. In order to be able to embrace these changing framework conditions, Phoenix Contact introduced the term PLCnext Technology and presented a concept that intends to answer technological questions that arise within the context of current and future applications with the highest possible level of openness. “Until recently, controller programming – assuming it is deterministic in principle – was only possible using defined PLC 34 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

programming languages,” said Bent. “Here, PLCnext Technology simplifies the engineering as it represents an open platform on which multiple developers, from different generations and programming disciplines or domains, can work in parallel on one control program.” The basis of PLCnext Technology is an intelligent layer between the application program and operating system, which all system components use to exchange data synchronously and in real time, and which also provides easy access to system services such as Ethernet sockets. Due to their open interfaces, the user can use the intermediate layer to integrate and install their own programs (Apps) without problems and to communicate with all other system components and the operating system. This is true regardless of whether the programs are created conventionally in IEC 61131-3, in high-level language – such as C# or C/C++ – or via Matlab Simulink. The developer decides on the most suitable software tool for the relevant application or can even combine various tools. While an IEC 61131-3 programmer can use the new PC Worx Engineer software, or generate and upload models directly in Matlab Simulink, a highlevel language programmer can choose between Visual Studio and Eclipse. This means that every employee is developing in their preferred tool, which eliminates any costs for training in other programming tools. A year after introducing PLCnext Technology to the market, Phoenix Contact created the first industrial controller that is based on that technology, the PLCnext Control (AXC F 2152). The PLCnext Control product family starts with a dual-core hardware architecture with 512MB memory and a system clock rate of 800MHz. In comparison to conventional PLC technology, this is impressive but that is not the core innovation. The current

device from the PLCnext Control family has been tailored to the market for decentralised, modular small-scale controllers. PLCnext Control is based on an embedded Linux architecture, with a core that has been expanded to include real-time capability. Linux operating systems offer advantages such as system integrity, stability, and secure communication, paired with optimal openness and flexibility. These failures can be utilised in industrial automation as well. Linux also offers the best portability to various hardware platforms and makes scaling, or the use of future processor architecture, possible. The task-handling Execution Synchronisation Manager (ESM) of PLCnext Technology makes it possible to combine programs from a range of development environments with one another or within tasks, yet have them behave like homogeneous IEC 61131 code. This automatically makes highlevel languages deterministic as well. Task handling supports a mix of IEC 61131, high-level, and model-based languages. The second technological aspect is the consistency of the data of the process image. In PLCnext, this is handled by the Global Data Space (GDS). Using sophisticated mechanisms with internal port and data buffer structures, the GDS ensures that the individual program elements receive the precise and consistent data image

that is crucial for running the respective program successfully. An OPC UA server has been implemented, as well as system, user, and fieldbus managers, diagnostic loggers, trace controllers, PC Worx Engineer HMI, and automatic access to Proficloud. In addition, PLCnext Technology works with proven Proficloud services and also supports the integration of proprietary cloud solutions. This represents a step toward preventive diagnostics and IoT. Conventional fieldbus systems – such as ProfiBus, CAN, Modbus/RTU, and InterBus – as well as real-time Ethernet standards – such as ProfiNet and Modbus/TCP – are also supported. PLCnext Technology is consistently designed for the later integration of additional protocols so that users can respond flexibly to future developments. Digitalisation in automation technology is not a new topic. Industrial control and communication technology has been digital for the past 30 years. The new dynamic associated with this term is the comprehensive and ubiquitous intelligent networking of all things, products, machines, processes and people, combined with almost limitless computer power. PLCnext Technology provides the basis for automation solutions capable of meeting all the challenges of the digitised world. PACE

The basis of PLCnext Technology is an intelligent layer between the application program and operating system.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Gas and steam efficiency upgrades deliver robust returns

Fletcher International Exports is a supplier of sheet meat, skins, wool, co-products, cotton, grain and pulses to the global market. In order to cut its energy costs, it needed to make some changes. PACE explains.

family-owned private company with interests across Australia, Fletcher International Exports has the capacity to process 4.5 million head of sheep per year, and has grown to become one of the nation’s great agribusiness success stories. For 30 years, Fletcher has operated a modern abattoir and rendering plant in Dubbo, New South Wales. The site is a large energy user, relying on high volumes of natural gas to produce steam for processing and hot water. Fletcher has invested in energy efficiency measures for the plant in the past, however recent gas prices escalations highlighted a pressing need to further reduce site energy consumption. At the same time, Fletcher’s managing director and founder, Roger Fletcher, was eager to take advantage of the New South Wales Government’s Gas Efficiency Program and Energy Savings Scheme. Run by the Office of Environment and Heritage, the scheme offers subsidies to offset the size of any energy-saving investments, and ultimately, improve returns. Fletcher responded to the price increases by embarking on a program of energy upgrades across its Dubbo facility. With project opportunities in the boiler house and steam system identified as the fastest path to cutting gas consumption, the company turned to Spirax Sarco to work with its on-site engineering team.

36 www.pacetoday.com.au APRIL/MAY 2018

A more efficient energy system was the key to Fletcher International Exports upgrading its plant.

To complete the picture, Out Performers was engaged as an independent engineer to measure and verify the energy savings achieved, as well as help facilitate appropriate government funding. “The growing pressure of rising gas prices has made businesses evaluate their gas consumption, and the government support programs, particularly in New South Wales but also across Australia, are increasingly the trigger for action,” said Spirax Sarco’s national sales manager, Craig

McKnight. “Working closely with the team at Fletcher, we were able to identify a number of areas where we could save and reuse steam energy and therefore reduce gas consumption.” Spirax Sarco’s proprietary heattransfer technology proved critical to the creative technical solutions required to maximise cost savings to the business. Out Performers’ measurement and verification experience ensured transparency over the energy savings achieved and helped Fletcher take advantage of the

government subsidies on offer. “The recent energy savings projects undertaken with Spirax Sarco and my own engineering team have returned an excellent improvement in our efficiencies and a large reduction in our gas usage,” said Fletcher. “The New South Wales government support programs provided the catalyst we needed to make the significant investments back into our business to improve energy efficiency. We want Fletcher International Export to continue to grow and expand for the benefit of the business, the people and the future of the central west.” McKnight said that while Fletcher’s results were outstanding both in terms of gas savings and the associated government subsidies secured, they’re not unique across the process industry. “There are many opportunities, some repeatable, in abattoirs and rendering plants and process industry in general, where gas consumption can be reduced,” said McKnight. PACE

NEW PRODUCTS

Industrial gears with the world’s largest UNICASE housing EVERY application has its own unique requirements and this is most evident in heavy-duty industries. Components and units required for heavy-duty applications are exposed to harsh environments and need to be robust to ensure a long service life and reliability. High output torques, cost effectiveness and quiet running are also key prerequisites for companies operating within these environments. Nord Maxxdrive is an industrial gear unit that provides high output torques from 15,000Nm to 250,000Nm and is suitable for applications such as agitators, conveyor belt drives, mixers, mills, drums or crushers. “Downtime in heavy-duty industries is extremely costly,“ said Martin Broglia, MD of Nord Drivesystems. “Over the years, Nord has continuously seen success with its industrial gear units - available as helical gear units or bevel gear units. “In addition, Nord is the industrial gear unit manufacturer with the world’s largest industrial gear UNICASE housing. These were designed to accommodate large roller bearings and to guarantee a longer service-life.’’ The Maxxdrive helical gear units provide power from 1.5kW to 4000kW and are available in 11 sizes. These are supplied with various output shafts to ensure optimum connection. In addition, they can also be supplied with double or triple input shafts, IEC input flanges for direct connection of electric motors, output flanges and a range of suitable torque arms. The bevel unit in the Maxxdrive range can be used under extreme conditions as they can withstand fluctuating ambient conditions thanks to a temperature management system. Various cooling and heating options are available and for maximum flexibility, the gear units are fitted with easily accessible back stops for quick and simple changes to the direction of rotation.

Taconite sealing on the input and output shafts guarantees a robust shield against dusty or wet environments, and accessible greasing points ensure maintenance can be undertaken efficiently. Nord’s development has also extended into engineered base plates where mounting of fluid couplings, disc brakes, auxiliary drives, oil coolers and other accessories can be connected, tested and delivered as a solution for the end user. Nord Drivesystems 03 9394 0500

Scalable automation technology for renewable power and microgrid markets EMERSON has launched automation technology for utilities and independent power producers that rely more on diverse renewable energy sources and that serve the fast-growing microgrid market. Its new, modular Ovation OCC100 controller cost effectively extends Emerson’s Ovation control technology by managing the flow of energy from various sources to ensure continuous and reliable generation. This small footprint, scalable technology is also well-suited to critical water and wastewater applications. With renewable electricity capacity expected to expand by over 920GW – an increase of 43 per cent – through 2022, according to a 2017 International Energy Agency report, the OCC100 controller is suitable

for power generators with growing and diverse renewable generation portfolios (including hydro, solar and wind) and microgrids that rely on a variety of distributed energy resources. The OCC100 offers remote monitoring and control capabilities for wind farms spread out over a wide geographic area and the ability to operate in the higher ambient temperatures associated with solar facilities. For microgrids, it provides a single point of control for performance optimisation. Similarly, the new controller efficiently monitors and controls remote pump stations critical to collecting, treating, storing and distributing water to homes and businesses. Today, power generation and water/wastewater facilities often rely on non-integrated programmable logic controllers (PLCs) with limited functionality to automate smaller, stand-alone equipment or processes. These “islands of automation” limit broad information-sharing necessary for optimal operational efficiency. In addition to operating independently, the new controller can be natively merged into a larger, Ovation-distributed control system offering greater visibility into plant-wide operations. The controller also features integrated wide-area technologies that allow it to control geographically dispersed equipment using cell or other wireless technology. This capability will help power generators harness the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) like never before. For example, as wind power becomes more prevalent and wind turbines become larger and more sophisticated, utilities need to more closely monitor vibration and other operating conditions. The OCC100 controller collects and aggregates information about each wind turbine, then shares that data to provide intelligence about the entire wind farm. This intelligence can be assimilated with information about other facilities in the power-generating fleet. Emerson 03 9721 0309

APRIL/MAY 2018 www.pacetoday.com.au 37

NEW PRODUCTS

Test rig technology talks the torque

TO analyse the long-term performance and reliability of hard-working valves and pumps, the Bifold Group has adopted radio frequencybased torque transducers from Sensor Technology for two of its specialist test rigs. When it wanted to assess the effects of wear on its long-life valves it set about designing a special test rig. Engineer Andrew Laverick recalls: “We wanted to measure the power required to operate the valve to see how it changed over time and with long-term use. It was

clearxxx that the best way to do this was to measure the torque input XXX over an extended period. “We were open to any design concept for the test rig, but soon found ourselves gravitating towards a TorqSense solution because the Sensor Technology engineers are really knowledgeable about test rigs.” TorqSense transducers lend themselves to test rig uses because they are non-contact measuring devices. Attached to the surface of the transducer shaft are two Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices. When torque is applied to the shaft, the SAWs react to the applied strain and change their output. The SAW devices are interrogated wirelessly using an RF couple, which passes the SAW data to and from the electronics inside the body of the transducer. “All you have to do is set up a TorqSense transducer in the test rig and fire it up,” said Sensor Technology’s Mark Ingham. “The SAW frequencies reflected back are distorted in proportion to the twist in the test piece, which in turn is proportional to the level of torque. We have some clever electronics to analyse the returning wave and feed out torque values to a computer screen. “TorqSense has been used on many test rigs over the years and I was delighted to hear the Bifold engineers say how easy it is to use and how robust the software is.” “As a test engineer you are almost resigned to long set-up procedures and software that falls over at the drop of a hat. But Sensor Technology has designed these problems out of their TorqSense equipment, with the result that we were able to complete our long-term test procedures with the minimum amount of fuss and heartache and well within the allotted time schedule,” said Laverick.

Sensor for highly accurate carbon dioxide measurement SENSIRION is introducing the SCD30 – a humidity, temperature and carbon dioxide concentration sensor. CMOSens technology for IR detection enables highly accurate carbon dioxide measurement. Along with the NDIR measurement technology for CO2 detection, a best-in-class Sensirion humidity and temperature sensor is also integrated on the same sensor module. Ambient humidity and temperature can be outputted by Sensirion’s algorithm expertise through modelling and compensating of external heat sources without the requirement for any additional components. Thanks to the dual-channel principle for the measurement of carbon dioxide concentration, the sensor compensates for long-term drifts automatically by design. The small module height allows easy integration into different applications. Carbon dioxide is a key indicator of indoor air quality. Thanks to new energy standards and better insulation, houses have become increasingly energy efficient, but the air quality can deteriorate rapidly. Active ventilation is needed to maintain a comfortable and healthy indoor environment, and to improve the well-being and productivity of inhabitants. Sensirion’s SCD30 offers accurate and stable CO2, temperature and humidity monitoring. This enables customers to develop new solutions that increase energy efficiency and simultaneously support well-being. Sensirion +41 44 306 40 00

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Sensor Technology +44 1869 238400

B E F E A TURED IN

Sensors are the lifeblood when running successful plant and machinery. If things go wrong, catastrophe can ensue. Our June/ July issue talks to companies about the latest innovations and processes with sensors and the part they play in making sure plant and machinery are run at maximum efficiency.

IF YOUâ€™RE INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN THE NEXT EDITION OF PACE, contact Nick Baker today at Nick.Baker@primecreative.com.au 02 9439 7227

A radar beam focused like a laser! The future is 80 GHz: a new generation of radar level sensors

The latest cutting-edge technology from the world leader: the unsurpassed focusing of VEGAPULS 64. This enables the radar beam to be targeted at the liquid surface with pinpoint accuracy, avoiding internal obstructions like heating coils and agitators. This new generation of level sensors is also completely unaffected by condensation or buildup and has the smallest antenna of its kind. Simply world-class! www.vega.com/radar IFAT 2016: Hall A5, Stand 239/338