Abstract: Systems and methods for providing power to devices at a well site employ a linear alternator to generate power at a well site. The linear alternator is mounted on a pump at the well site and uses the up-and-down motion of the pump to generate power. The pump may be a nodding donkey head pump or other sucker rod pump mechanisms that operate based on linear vertical motion. The linear vertical motion drives a linear rotor back and forth through a linear stator to induce current in the linear alternator. This allows the linear alternator to convert a portion of the mechanical work performed by the pump into electrical energy that can be supplied to the devices. In some embodiments, the pump-mounted linear alternator can be equipped with a position sensor to directly measure a vertical position of the pump as the alternator travels up and down with the pump.

Abstract: Systems and methods of a Hierarchical Smart Asset Control Application development and Integrated Smart Asset Control System optimization are disclosed. In various embodiments, the system may develop a Hierarchical Asset Control Application and corresponding control hardware requirements. This can be used to create an Integrated Smart Asset Control System in order execute various processes for a set of equipment elements. The smart assets associated with the system may utilize intelligent agents to balance operational constraints and operational objects in order to determine real-time optimized operational parameters for a process and implement the appropriate controls to facilitate achieving the improved operational objectives.

Abstract: In a Boundaryless Control High Availability (“BCHA”) system (e.g., industrial control system) comprising multiple computing resources (or computational engines) running on multiple machines, technology for computing in real time the overall system availability based upon the capabilities/characteristics of the available computing resources, applications to execute and the distribution of the applications across those resources is disclosed. In some embodiments, the disclosed technology can dynamically manage, coordinate recommend certain actions to system operators to maintain availability of the overall system at a desired level. High Availability features may be implemented across a variety of different computing resources distributed across various aspects of a BCHA system and/or computing resources. Two example implementations of BCHA systems described involve an M:N working configuration and M:N+R working configuration.

Abstract: A vortex flowmeter for measuring a flow rate of a fluid. The meter includes a flowtube, a bluff body, and a vortex sensor. The bluff body, which is positioned in the flowtube, sheds vortices in the fluid when the fluid flows through the flowtube and the vortex sensor detects the vortices and generates a vortex signal representing the detected vortices. A pressure sensor arrangement is configured to detect a differential pressure in the fluid between a first location upstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and a second location downstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and generate a differential pressure signal representing the pressure differential between the two locations. The flowmeter determines the fluid flow rate based on the pressure differential.

Abstract: A wireless sensor preferably has a case which is intrinsically safe and has no exposed parts which can become not intrinsically safe due to the passage of time or through contact with chemicals typically encountered in a location where the wireless sensor is used. It preferably has no integral visual display other than lights, and it preferably includes at least one signal light. The sensor preferably includes a wireless transceiver for allowing remote read and remote control of the sensor. The sensor preferably includes piezoelectric pressure detectors for allowing a user to locally interact with the sensor by pressing on the case. Data can be automatically harvested from the sensors by a portable electronic data-retrieving device which is usually geographically remote from the sensors when the portable electronic data-retrieving device and the sensors are in range of a wireless system which allows them to communicate when they are geographically proximate each other.

Abstract: A flow transmitter method and system involves obtaining, via a flow sensor, sensor measurements of flow characteristics of a moving medium; outputting, via a processor, a drive signal for driving a pulse output circuit to generate a pulse signal according to the sensor measurements from the sensor; and generating, via a switching circuit of a pulse output circuit, a pulse signal according to the drive signal. The method and system further involve monitoring, via a diagnostic circuit connected to the switching circuit, current corresponding to the pulse signal; and determining, via the processor, whether the output circuit is operating in a normal or abnormal state based on the drive signal from the processor and a feedback signal corresponding to the monitored current from the diagnostic circuit.

Abstract: A system for metering flow of a fluid has a vibratable flowtube for receiving a multiphase fluid flow. A driver is configured to vibrate the flowtube. A pair of sensors is configured to detect movement of the flowtube at different locations on the flowtube. Pressure and temperature sensors are configured to measure a pressure of the fluid. One or more processors are configured to use a phase difference between the sensor signals to determine a fluid flow rate through the flowtube. The one or more processors are further configured to determine an amount of dissolved gas in the multiphase fluid using the pressure, the temperature, and the relative amounts the multiple liquids in the multiphase fluid.

Abstract: Monitoring an industrial process by building a training dataset of system data representative of status of industrial process parameters and training a custom query engine based on the training dataset. Models are generated using the custom query engine for matching query terms to the system data in response to user input representative of the system data that the user intends to access. Executing one of the models based on the input from the user generates an output retrieving the selected system data from the data tables for visualization.

Abstract: Methods of heating a reactor system by providing electrical energy are described. A reactor system comprising at least one reactor tube having a catalyst disposed therein and comprises at least one electrically conductive surface is heated by providing electrical energy to the at least one electrically conductive surface on the reactor tube and adjusting a current level of the electrical energy provided to the at least one electrically conductive surface to control the temperature of the reactor tube and the catalyst disposed therein. The reactor tube may be electrically isolated from other electrically conductive components of the reactor system.

Abstract: In a method of automating engineering design a knowledge base (KB) is queried for a template to map with new control loop (CL) data of a new CL that was identified in new digitized design data for a new engineering project, the query including the new CL data. The KB is trained to map past CL data of past CLs identified in past digitized design data from past engineering projects to respective templates based on past instantiation of the respective templates with the past CLs by the past engineering projects. The method further includes receiving a selected template in response to the query, wherein the selected template is selected based on its mapping with past CL data that matches the new CL data, and providing configuration data, including an instantiation of the selected template with the new CL data, for implementation of the new CL in an engineering system.

Abstract: A method of automating engineering design is provided. The method includes receiving a training set including pairings of control loop data for respective control loops identified in digitized design data and templates that were instantiated using the control loop data of the respective control loops and training, using machine learning, a knowledge base, based on the training set. The knowledge base, once trained, is configured to be queried with digitized new control loop data, predict a template to pair with the digitized new control loop data, and the predicted template, and the predicted template is configured to be instantiated with the new control loop data for implementation of a control loop in an engineering system.

Abstract: A method for managing soft errors associated with one or more safety programmable logic controllers (PLCs) is provided. The method includes receiving an expected soft error rate for type(s) of input/output (I/O) modules over time, receiving respective soft error data that was aggregated by the respective safety PLCs based on soft errors detected by I/O modules coupled to the respective safety PLCs. Actual soft error rates are determined per I/O module type based on the received soft error data, and soft error rates are predicted for the safety PLC(s) per I/O module type. The actual and/or predicted soft error rates are compared to the expected soft error rate per I/O module type. The method further includes taking one or more actions in response to a threshold deviation between the actual and/or predicted soft error rates relative to the expected soft error rate for the corresponding I/O module type.

Abstract: Methods and Systems are described for control at/of a network node. The network node can include a control module and first and second modules coupled to the control module. The first module can be configured to select first input/output (I/O) types of a field device coupled at an I/O interface of the network node. The second module can be configured to select a second I/O types of the field device. The first and second modules can be coupled to the I/O interface through a field device coupler.

Abstract: A method is provided for automatically or semi-automatically analyzing process hazards and validating protection mechanisms for an industrial process. The method can involve establishing communication between a simulation tool and a process hazard analysis tool. The simulation tool simulates operation of the process according to a process model. The method can further involve creating, using the process hazard analysis tool, conditions for hazards in the process based on information learned about the industrial process from the simulation tool; for each of the hazards, simulating the hazards using the simulation tool and attempting to prevent the hazards using the process hazard analysis tool by introducing protective mechanism(s) to the process; and evaluating effectiveness of the introduced protective mechanisms for each of the hazards and creating safety requirements for the process based on the evaluated effectiveness.

Abstract: A material property sensor for a pressure transmitter comprises a sensing pattern immersed in a fill fluid. The pressure transmitter comprises a diaphragm configured for contact with a process fluid at an exterior surface of the diaphragm. The pressure transmitter further comprises a pressure sensor configured for sensing a pressure of the process fluid on the diaphragm. The pressure sensor and the diaphragm define a cavity within which the fill fluid is disposed such that the diaphragm of the pressure sensor is in contact with the fill fluid at an interior surface of the diaphragm. The sensing pattern is immersed in the fill fluid within the cavity and configured to measure an electrical property of the fill fluid at an initial time and at one or more subsequent times during operation of the pressure transmitter.

Abstract: A load cell system for measuring rod load in a pumpjack. The system includes a tension load cell operatively coupled to a bridle between first and second bridle cables at a location longitudinally spaced between a horsehead and a bridle plate of the pumpjack. The bridle plate is coupled to the first bridle cable at a first connection point and the tension load cell is coupled to the first bridle cable at a second connection point longitudinally spaced between the bridle plate and the horsehead. The load cell system defines a third connection point longitudinally spaced between the second connection point and the horsehead. The load cell system is configured to maintain substantially constant longitudinal distances between the second connection point and each of the first and third connection points during operation of the horsehead.

Abstract: A wireless instrument area network node employs an internal force sensor arrangement to detect user-provided force on the node and initiate a node operation, such as wake the node from a sleep state or low power mode to a more power-hungry awake and processing state. The internal force sensor avoids the need to provide external buttons, a screen, and the like on the surface of the node that could lead to intrusion of fluids, gases, or other unwanted substances into the node. In some embodiments, the internal sensor may include a microswitch that has sufficient sensitivity to detect even a very small amount of deflection resulting from, for example, a hand touch. In some embodiments, the internal sensor may include a piezoelectric sensor that has similarly high deflection sensitivity. Multiple such deflection detectors may be at different angles to one another deployed to provide greater directional coverage for the deflection.

Abstract: A method implemented by a computer system is provided. The method includes providing a platform that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling execution of one or more industrial software programs, detecting user input device (UID) usage data that indicates usage of how a user uses a UID when controlling execution of a software program of the one or more software programs via the GU, detecting user frustration based on the UID usage data, and providing a prompt to the user using the UID when controlling execution of the software program, wherein the prompt offers help to the user in response to the detection of user frustration.

Abstract: A method for providing access to a development and execution (D&E) platform for development of industrial software, including providing while the D&E platform is being accessed a GUI with a development tool having process flow and code editors and an execution tool and arranging two or more programming blocks of a process flow responsive to input from an author when the process flow editor is accessed. The two or more programming blocks, when arranged, are configured to be executed. The method further includes editing source code of the two or more programming blocks responsive to input from the author when the code editor is accessed, compiling at least one of the two or more programming blocks responsive to input from the author when the execution tool is accessed, and executing the compiled at least one programming block responsive to input from the author when the execution tool is accessed.

Abstract: A method of using artificial intelligence (AI) for solving industrial data transformation problems, including receiving in a first iteration an initial transformation set and in at least one respective subsequent iteration a trained transformation set, each of the initial and trained transformation sets having components that include input and target datasets and a process flow for transforming the input dataset into the target dataset, wherein the trained transformation set uses training data generated using AI tools that modifies at least one of the components of a transformation set from a previous iteration. For each iteration the components of the trained transformation set are compared to corresponding components of trained transformation sets of previous iterations and to intersecting data stored from executions using the corresponding components. A trained transformation set for solving the industrial data transformation problem is selected if a suitable match is found based on the comparison.