Expectations from the Namur Annual General Meeting are understandably high - and once again, no one was disappointed. Many exciting and future-oriented lectures and discussions on subjects like Remote Operation, Industry 4.0, modularized automation and plant performance illustrated on the very first day the direction in which users and suppliers in process automation are being forced. The sector must overcome its limits in order to embrace new solutions...

While consumer and commercial wireless technology has grown rapidly in functionality and availability, the adoption of wireless for process control has been a little slower. Reliability and security remain primary concerns in critical production applications, including flow measurement. The industrial landscape is changing, however, as wireless control systems, networking products and field devices become more widely available and industry standards crystallize.

A modular solution for continuous processing: Coperion K-Tron's new gravimetric K3-PH feeders shall provide a flexible solution with small footprint and short changeovers.

A new Hart Loop Converter converts up to three digital Hart variables that could include the 4…20mA transmitter current signal and makes them available to the host control system. These three variables enable not only the actual measured result but also process-related parameters such as reaction-time and temperature to be determined and used selectively to control the process — using the same cable and incurring no extra cost.

In February 2019, BASF has founded the new company BASF Digital Solutions located in Madrid, Spain to drive forward the digital transformation of the group and develop innovative IT solutions. The company plans to grow the center to more than 300 digital specialists within the next years.

Many industrial users are aware that variable-speed pumps, which automatically react to variations in demand, save a substantial amount of energy. It is less well known that pumps with electronic control enhance hygiene and improve process efficiency in the food and pharma industry.

Tomorrow's automation technology starts today. From field device daily routine through the chances of modularization up to data mining. Suspense and excitement continued on the second day of the Namur Annual General Meeting. Here, it was clearly palpable: The modernization tempo that users and operators in the process automation have jointly unleashed has increased significantly.

The goal of debottlenecking is to increase production capacity at an existing plant by making modifications to the equipment configuration or workflow. This is accomplished by eliminating bottlenecks that limit throughput. It can be an extremely profitable exercise for users, because in most cases debottlenecking adds extra capacity at a fraction of the cost of new build or expansion. PROCESS has put together some practical examples.

The aim of a new initiative of the German Catalysis Society (Gecats) is to unlock the enormous wealth of catalysis research data. In the recently published whitepaper "The Digitalization of Catalysis-Related Sciences", experts from academia and industry outline how "digital catalysis" can accelerate research processes and lead to new insights.

Thyssen Krupp has won a major order from the Egyptian chemical and fertilizer manufacturer NCIC (El Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of a new fertilizer complex.