Software
Get Solid Advice on How to Improve Process Unit and Plant Operations
Based on the expert advice of Greg Shinskey and others, ProcessApex provides real-time advice for process unit operations. It handles unit operations from simple to complex. Individual process objects include common operations, such as heat exchangers, dryers and distillation columns. Each “smart” unit operation provides real-time performance metrics that address throughput, quality, reliability and cost. A direct link with the company’s PlantTriage system allows users to drill down into specific performance issues. Benchmarking tools help users to squeeze additional value from process performance information. This includes tools for benchmarking within and between similar unit operations over time. When used at a corporate level, the tools can help drive capital spending decisions, resolving questions like “Where should I add more production capacity?”
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
ExperTune
www.expertune.com
This Electronic Laboratory Notebook Holds Up in a U.S. Court of Law
The LABTrack Pro electronic laboratory notebook is a thin-client application that can be used with both PCs and Macintoshes running browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox and Safari. LABTrack Pro’s new Smart-XForms allows users to create and apply fully searchable templates on LABTrack’s lab notebook pages. Created with the built-in word processor, Smart-XForms can contain text, spreadsheets, form elements, rules and calculations. These user-defined forms are automatically indexed and the form’s captions and values made available for users to search across notebooks. LABTrack Pro has built-in functionality for cGMP, GLP and 21 CFR Part 11 requirements. The integrity of the notebook data is addressed with automatic data validation routines that ensure that notebook pages can be used as electronic evidence in a U.S. court of law and with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Licenses are offered starting at 5 users and going up to 5,000 users.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
LABTrack LLC
www.labtrack.com
Verify Safety Integrity Levels Using this Software Solution
SIL Solver is an advisory software package intended for use in verifying the safety integrity level (SIL) of safety instrumented functions (SIF) and other protective instrumented functions (PIF). It uses globally recognized calculation methods defined in appropriate standards and methodologies including: ANSI/ISA 84.00.01-2004/IEC 61511; ISA TR84.00.02; and CCPS Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis (CPQRA). Using a Microsoft Windows graphical user interface (GUI), the software integrates an extensive device database with simplified fault-tree-analysis equations to form a SIL verification tool. In addition to calculating the probability to fail on demand average (PFDavg), SIL Solver also calculates the mean time to failure spurious (MTTFsp) thereby ensuring that the SIS/PIF design meets the desired reliability. The device database is password-protected and includes dangerous and spurious failure rates, common cause factors, diagnostic intervals, and diagnostic coverage for more than 150 devices. Each device datasheet lists the assumptions made relative to the device boundary, diagnostics, common cause factor, and data source. Default data cannot be changed or altered, ensuring user assessments are always performed with approved data.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
SIS-TECH Solutions LP
www.sis-tech.com/silsolver
Create Intelligent 3D CAD Models of Pressure Vessels Using this Software
PVGEN Pro creates an intelligent 3D AutoCAD-based model of any pressure vessel by reading and preserving the geometry, specifications, and material properties from the equivalent Compress file. Once the 3D model is generated, users can refine it by directly editing components, such as nozzles, modifying clearances, and adding supporting and miscellaneous steel structures. When the design is complete, PVGEN Pro can generate a bill of materials, including vessel and structural steel components; nozzle schedules; 2D drawings, including layout, cross-sectional, and shop drawings; and manufacturing instructions via CNC output to various machines, including Vernon Tool pipe-cutting machines, industry beam lines such as Peddinghaus, and plate cutters.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
Strucsoft Solutions Inc.
www.strucsoftsolutions.com
Control-Loop Performance Assessment Software Includes Multivariable Predictive Controllers
The ControlWizard Control-Loop Performance Monitoring (CLPM) technology is now equipped with full multivariable predictive control (MPC) capability. These new capabilities are compatible with all types of multivariable control applications, including DMCPlus and other similar MPC technologies to deliver clear and concise benchmarks of MPC performance. Multivariable control has long provided significant benefits to the process industries, but most MPC applications require dedicated maintenance by skilled professionals. ControlWizard changes that by providing comprehensive and automated monitoring of installed applications, allowing process plants to achieve higher application performance and uptime. ControlWizard-MV constantly monitors and analyzes MPC performance, highlighting areas requiring attention to MPC engineers. The key to its success and ease-of-use is the ability to condense the performance analysis of complicated MPC applications down to just two key performance indicators. Based on these indicators, engineers can drill down to obtain additional information, statistics, data trends, and reports to help diagnose and rectify any MPC performance problem.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
PAS
www.pas.com
Stay in Compliance with the New European REACH Legislation
This new software, a result of the partnership between SAP and TechniData, integrates all phases of the newly enacted European Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) legislation to help organizations protect their brand and reputation while driving higher growth and stakeholder trust. REACH legislation requires specific documentation and data from more than 6,000 chemical-related companies for the handling of 30,000+ substances entering the European markets. Initially addressing the pre-registration phase of the legislation, in which companies determine which chemicals need to be tracked, the new functionality for REACH enables substance volume tracking capability based on the SAP EH&S application. In parallel, the functionality provides project management capabilities to define registration projects and activities. Moreover, it supports the management, collaborative usage and access of documents related to the registration process, allowing internal and external groups to work together while enabling a transparent, streamlined and reliable business process.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
SAP AG
www.sap.com
TechniData AG
www.technidata.de
Alleviate Bottlenecks in Sample Analysis and Data Review for Drug Discovery and Development
QuickQuan 2.0 delivers rapid LC-MS/MS optimization through an automated online infusion mode and valve switching design, allowing precise auto-tuning with high sensitivity and maximizing successful automated quantification of chemically diverse compounds. The unique autosampler infusion feature enables automated compound optimization. All analytical information can be stored in Microsoft Access or Oracle databases, which facilitates rapid data exchange across global networks. QuickQuan 2.0 is available as a pre-packaged hardware solution that enables column switching without guess work or plumbing. With this solution, users are able to proceed from optimization to sample acquisition without interruptions. QuickQuan 2.0 includes templates for the automated generation of both instrument and processing methods, thereby eliminating the need to create methods manually when studying a large number of compounds. The software also allows users to automatically generate customizable Excel summaries and Xreports, minimizing time required for data processing and review.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
Thermo Scientific
www.thermo.com
Scalable Software Turns Error-Prone Process Data into Consistent and Reliable Information
The Material Balance Module (MBM) for this firm’s Advanced Real-time Performance Modeling (ARPM) suite, is an easy-to-use, flowsheet-based solution that uses advanced mass and volume reconciliation to reveal sources of random error, bias, and gross error that jeopardize the accuracy of real-time plant data. The software interfaces directly with a plant’s IT infrastructure to automate data reconciliation without additional routine data entry. It combines advanced reconciliation methodologies within a flowsheeting tool to automate creation of daily material balance reports for each major unit, identify bad flow instrumentation, and aid in pinpointing material loss locations. The module is highly scalable. A user can, for example, create a simple material balance representation of plant streams and units and then extend the platform later to achieve more rigorous heat and material balance, online performance monitoring, and operations decision support modeling that may be needed for advanced closed loop optimization or real-time enterprise control.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
SimSci-Esscor
www.invensys.com/ps
New Data Reporting Tool for this QA/QC Software is Intuitive
Designed for use in quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) applications, the recently released Testream/CS 7.0 features the data-reporting tool ReportWriter. Employing an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Report-Writer enables users to combine different data elements, such as spreadsheets, graphs, control charts, Word documents, into one report. ReportWriter, coupled with the firm’s Testream/CS Real Time Display Program, offers two ways to access test results — in real time as automatically updated web pages viewable over their company’s intranet, or as print, html or Excel spreadsheets. With instrument interface programs numbering in the hundreds, out-of-tolerance alarming capabilities, and new extensive reporting tools, Testream/CS can stand alone or easily integrate with other manufacturing execution systems (MES), process control or business information systems.
Appeared In Issue: June 2007
AcquiData Inc.
www.acquidata.com