Open to all Public Utilities, Municipals, and Cooperatives.

This one-day symposium on Substation Automation will be a comprehensive training and information workshop covering the following topics:

• Presentations from local Utilities
• New enhancements to the Bitronics measurement line
• Enhanced features on OrionLX automation platform
• Technical sessions

The symposium will run from 8:30 am to 4:15 pm on Tuesday, September 24.  Continental Breakfast will be available at 8:00, and lunch will be provided. This symposium is free for any attending customer.

Questions, please contact Charles Englebrecht at  charles.englebrecht@novatechweb.com or 303.886.2402.

The post Denver Utility Technical Symposium appeared first on NovaTech.

NovaTech, LLC has released Version 14.1 of our flagship D/3^® Distributed Control System. With the release of D/3 Version 14.1, we carry forward the tradition of delivering exciting new functionality while preserving investment in applications, system hardware, and I/O subsystems. As a true multi-language release, D/3 Version 14.1 provides an off-the-shelf native language Human Machine Interface for international customers and incorporates over one hundred new features that enable users to increase operational safety, reliability, efficiency, and security.

SAFETY – D/3 fully integrates the PAS PlantState Suite product to expedite compliance with the ISA 18.2 Alarm Management standard. Version 14.1 includes over four hundred new High-Performance Smart Graphical Objects, enabling users to develop process graphics promoting greater situational awareness and enhancing the operator’s ability to make timely and accurate decisions.

RELIABILITY – D/3 delivers greater system reliability, enables faster recovery from plant equipment failures, and brings a more intuitive human machine interface to the operations staff.  The ProcessVision™ Console provides comprehensive process and system diagnostics information to operations and technical staff with minimal configuration required.

EFFICIENCY – D/3 provides enhanced tools for engineering staff to make online changes and debug sequence and batch programs.  Operators benefit from display hierarchies that are easy to understand and navigate, information that is delivered in a more graphical manner, and the ability to embed any web-accessible data resources into the ProcessVision™ Console.  Furthermore, browser-based TotalWebVision™ graphics and trends and the new D3Express™ cloud-based mobile application can deliver critical information to staff members anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

SECURITY – D/3 enhances security with integrated Microsoft Windows authentication and protects engineering and operator access with an extensive and granular selection of privileges.  D/3 provides comprehensive logging of all user activity to facilitate 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.  ProcessVision may be configured for automatic inactivity log off and sessions can be set up to manage and lock the layout of the entire console desktop over multiple screens.

To learn more about this exciting product, please watch NovaTech’s online webinar demonstrating new features of the D/3^®, ProcessVision™ Console, and FlexBatch^® releases as well as highlighting meaningful product features to enhance value for all customers.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH NOW 

For more detailed information about the new D/3 Version 14.1, please visit our website

The post D/3 Version 14.1 Release Announcement appeared first on NovaTech.

OrionLX^TM Powers BioFuel Cogeneration and Floating “Power Barges” in Philippines

The OrionLX has been deployed in two new applications in the Philippines that highlight the island nation’s fresh thinking in tackling its energy challenges.

The Philippines has abundant renewable energy sources, such as feedstock and hydropower, and are using them to fuel sustainable economic development. The OrionLX is being utilized in two such projects. The first is a sugarcane-based ethanol facility located in San Mariano, Isabela Ecofuel Agro-Industrial Ecozone. The facility has been developed by Green Future Innovations, Inc, (www.greenfutureinnovations.com) a newly formed venture among Japan’s Itochu Corp., JGC Corp., the Philippine Bioethanol and Energy Investments Corp., and Taiwanese holding company GCO.

The San Mariano, Isabela based facility produces 54 million liters of ethanol from an 11,000-hectare plantation annually, reducing the Philippines dependence on imported fossil fuels. The leftover bagasse and sugarcane residual produce 19 megawatts of power, 13 of which is sold back to the National Grid (NGCP), supporting the Luzon power grid. An OrionLX, DDIO and WEBserver HMI provide a local, low-cost SCADA system and support connections with the National NGCP and WESM (energy spot market) to enable them to sell in the generation market. Sugarcane growership contracts with 4,000 farmer families in Isabela create employment for 15,000 workers and will have a positive impact on the local community.

The other application involves the use of “Power Barges.” These floating generation plants, with a total capacity of 242MW, can be deployed to various locations around the islands to meet interim peak demand or to provide electrical power following storms that disable segments of the transmission grid. Previously owned by Duracom Power Corporation, this business was acquired by Therma Mobile Inc (TMO), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, in 2011 and rehabilitated to include state-of-the-art relays, Bitronics meters, and OrionLX Automation Platforms for communications and SCADA. Originally designed to operate only during peak hours, the barges have recently been tasked by the utility customer to supply power round the clock due to high demand during summer where Manila weather temperature goes as high as 35 degrees Celsius.

Four of its barges are docked at Navotas Fishery port at the heart of Manila and is connected to a nearby substation where another OrionLX resides to facilitate data exchange, Webserver HMI, Sequence of Events, event logging and connection to the grid.

The post Island Style Energy Innovation appeared first on NovaTech.

IEC 61850 Integration in NCD
During configuration, IED “CID” files become OrionLX “IED pick lists”, and points are simply dragged and dropped from a new expanding tree structure listing all available points from the IEC 61850 IED. Selected 61850 IED points can be presented to any supported Slave protocol such as IEC 60870-5-101 or DNP3.

Ordering and Upgrade
The order code for IEC 61850 is #103. The High Performance OrionLX CPU (-CPX) is a required option to support 61850, and OrionLX firmware must be version 7.5 or higher. Users who purchased this initial phase of IEC 61850 now will be able to add in Server and GOOSE Publish at no extra cost. The upgrade process will be the same as for any other protocol upgrade.

Figure 1 (below) shows the points selected to be read from the Bitronics M871 Recording IED. In this case, 149 input points have been selected from the 2503 points available. A search function and “MX” and “ST” point filter simplify data management in large applications.

Figure 2 (below) is another NCD configuration screen showing the points selected to be presented to the IEC 60870-4-104 SCADA Master. The selected points include the points obtained from the Bitronics M871 IED (using IEC 61850) and also diagnostic OrionLX points.

The post Focus: IEC 61850 appeared first on NovaTech.

The popular “Build Your Orion” feature on our website is now available for offline use on your iPad in the App store.
www.novatechweb.com/ipad

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The post Bitronics Enhances PRC-002 Offering appeared first on NovaTech.

left to right: Consul General Dennis Hankins; Governor Tom Corbett; Ricardo Ferraz (Managing Partner Grupo SCR); Volker Oakey (CEO NovaTech), at the residence of the Consul General — Sao Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo – Governor Corbett announced this week that NovaTech LLC will establish a joint marketing alliance with Grupo SCR to bring its automation technology to the Brazilian market, broadening the company’s international operations in South America.

“One of the primary goals of this mission is to connect Pennsylvania companies with new markets and opportunities for business expansion,” Corbett said. “NovaTech’s partnership with Grupo SCR will open the door to new customers and clients, which in turn leads to business growth and new jobs.”

NovaTech, a U.S. based manufacturer of power measurement, communication, and automation technologies, will bring its process automation to the Brazilian market. The partnership will be beneficial to the company, providing engineering support for existing NovaTech clients who operate in Brazil, and developing opportunities to secure new clients.  

“NovaTech is fully committed to broadening our international operations and we thank Governor Corbett for leading this delegation and supporting our efforts,” Volker Oakey, Chairman and CEO of NovaTech said.  “We want to provide services to our clients who have operations in Brazil and have known Grupo SCR for several years; we share the same values for quality customer service and we are confident that the alliance will be beneficial for our global customer base.”

Grupo SCR is a highly respected systems integrator in Brazil, with major clients in agribusiness, steel, and chemicals.   

NovaTech is a U.S. based manufacturer of power measurement, communication, and automation technologies including the Bitronics® Instruments, Orion Substation Automation Platform, and the D/3® Distributed Control System.  NovaTech has operations in North America and Western Europe with affiliates in Asia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America. 

“We have a high regard for NovaTech’s products and capabilities along with their proven application capabilities in the utility and process industries,” Grupo SCR Managing Partner Ricardo Ferraz said. 

Corbett’s announcement continued the Governor’s Jobs 1st Mission to Brazil and Chile. The mission is focused on growing the Pennsylvania economy and creating jobs through export promotion, investment attraction, building relationships to increase port traffic, international student recruitment and promoting Pennsylvania as a world-class destination for tourism.

The three-city, two-country mission, privately funded by Team Pennsylvania Foundation, is scheduled for April 6-16 and will include stops in the Brazilian cities of São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, along with Santiago, Chile.

On Monday, Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett announced that a Brazilian music ensemble led by composer and performer Paulo Padilha will participate in a week-long educational and performance residency in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2014.

On Tuesday, Corbett announced that Wipro Infrastructure Engineering will establish a new U.S.-based manufacturing facility in Franklin County and create 74 new jobs. 

On Wednesday, Corbett announced the signing of a joint declaration with Governor Sérgio de Oliveira Cabral Santos of the State of Rio de Janeiro to strengthen trade ties and develop new economic opportunities for job creation in both states. 

For more information about the governor’s Jobs First Mission to Brazil and Chile, visit www.paglobal.org. 

Media contacts:

Kelli Roberts, Governor’s Office; 717-783-1116

The post PA Governor Corbett Supports NovaTech Alliance with Brazilian Company appeared first on NovaTech.

This one-day symposium on Substation Automation will be a comprehensive training and information workshop covering the following topics:

• Presentations from local Utilities
• New enhancements to the Bitronics measurement line
• Enhanced features on OrionLX automation platform
• Technical sessions

The symposium will run from 8:30 am to 4:15 pm on Tuesday, July 9.  Continental Breakfast will be available at 7:45, and lunch will be provided. This symposium is free for any attending customer.

Rooms are available at the DoubleTree for this event at a discounted rate. To book your room:
http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/M/MCIMSDT-7NT-20130708/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

Group Name: NovaTech / Group Code: 7NT

Questions, please contact Jim Siders at  jim.siders@novatechweb.com or 913.209.2308.

The post Kansas Utility Technical Symposium appeared first on NovaTech.

The process manufacturing industry is poised for major transformation. Technologies such as Intelligent Manufacturing, 3D Digital Print Manufacturing, Big Data Mining, IT Integration, Cloud Computing, and Advanced Analytics are coming together to drive a new paradigm for Process Manufacturers. The evolution/revolution underway will in turn drive a fundamental change in how process automation is developed, deployed and leveraged. The convergence of IT and Automation will be big as will Process Analytics, Simulation and Wireless technologies.

NovaTech is a proud member of the ARC community and is actively developing products and services to address these and other macro-economic trends.

Check out the interview video from ARC Forum featuring Vice President of Process Sales, Dwight Wood describing how NovaTech helps process manufacturing customers overcome hurdles, reviews the biggest challenges facing process customers today, and how NovaTech is meeting customers’ needs for energy efficiency and management

The post ARC Forum 2013 appeared first on NovaTech.

Attendees toured the USS Constellation, the last US Navy all sail ship.

The NovaTech Automation Summit (formerly the User Conference), in Baltimore, Maryland, was a perfect opportunity for engineering, management, and IT professionals to learn more about important process industry trends and how they affect enterprise operations and efficiency. NovaTech hosted attendees from 7 different countries and 18 states – making this a truly global event.

The Summit was an educational forum that encouraged open discussions, featured leading industry experts, and provided attendees with valuable insight into the latest NovaTech products and services. Attendees participated in sessions related to client success stories, tips, and proven project solutions. Overall, the Summit was a wonderful opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas with industry experts, colleagues, and the NovaTech team.

The 2012 Demo Room featured live product demonstrations from NovaTech and many of our technology partners were on hand to show our customers how to improve plant efficiency and reliability.

Chase Liu of ACS presents CEO Volker Oakey and
President Buz Zey with a hand drawn painting
expressing, “Many successes to come.”

The technical, application, and focus group sessions addressed how to maximize the value of automation investments:
• Macro trends affecting the process industry
• Cyber Security
• Process analytics
• HMIs and visualization
• Energy management
• Operator effectiveness
• Control system migration
• The role of wireless
• State Based Control

For a copy of the post-conference DVD, including all presentations, email news@novatechweb.com.

The post 2012 Automation Summit in Review appeared first on NovaTech.