scholarly journals Future Industrial Networks in Process Automation: Goals, Challenges, and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3345
Author(s):  
Johan Åkerberg ◽  
Johan Furunäs Åkesson ◽  
Jorgen Gade ◽  
Maryam Vahabi ◽  
Mats Björkman ◽  
...  

There are many initiatives and technologies working towards implementing factories of the future. One consensus is that the classical hierarchical automation system design needs to be flattened while supporting the functionality of both Operation Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) within the same network infrastructure. To achieve the goal of IT/OT convergence in process automation, an evolutionary transition is preferred. Challenges are foreseen during the transition, mainly caused by the traditional automation architecture, and the main challenge is to identify the gap between the current and future network architectures. To address the challenges, in this paper, we describe one desired future scenario for process automation and carry out traffic measurements from a pulp and paper mill. The measured traffic is further analyzed, which reveals representative traffic characteristics in the process automation. Finally, the key challenges and future directions towards a system architecture for factories of the future are presented.

2019 ◽  
Vol 290 ◽  
pp. 14002
Author(s):  
Adrian Florea

Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing, Factories of the Future all describe aspects of the heralding era of digitalization of manufacturing aiming to interconnect every step of the manufacturing process and seamlessly integrate the physical and digital world. In Factories of the Future a central computer organizes the intelligent networking of all subsystems, suppliers and customers into one system. All relevant requirements concerning manufacturing and product are confirmed at design time, while execution takes place autonomously as ICT and automation are integrated. The main challenge is represented by educational system, how prepared is to provide students, future employees, the digital competences necessary for the Factories of the Future. What are the structural and curricular measures Higher Education Institutions need to take in order to align engineering education, especially in the design of all constituents of Factories of the Future, with the need of competences in new manufacturing era? A quantitative analysis of existing study programs aims understanding the status quo of Master programs in engineering education and, deriving from existing policy documents potential requirements for competences design of Factory of the Future employees.


2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 161-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Martel ◽  
Tibor Kovacs ◽  
Virginie Bérubé

Abstract Pulp and paper mill effluents have been reported to cause changes in reproductive indicators of fish in laboratory and field studies. These changes include reduced egg production and gonad size, and altered hormone levels and expression of secondary sex characteristics. We examined the performance of biotreatment plants for their potential in abating effects of pulp and paper mill effluents on fish reproduction under laboratory conditions. A bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) treated in an aerated lagoon and a thermomechanical pulp mill effluent (TMPE) treated by aerobic sludge in a sequential batch reactor were selected for study. Mature fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to effluents before and after biotreatment under continuous renewal conditions for 21 days. Egg production was monitored daily, while morphometric parameters (length, weight, gonad size), secondary sexual characteristics, and steroid hormone and vitellogenin levels were measured at the end of the effluent exposure. The effluent from both mills before biotreatment impaired the reproductive capacity of minnows (egg production) at concentrations of 10 and 20% vol/vol, but not at 2% vol/vol. Exposure to biotreated effluents from both mills at concentrations of 2, 10, 20, and 40% vol/vol caused no significant differences in overall reproductive capacity of minnows as compared with controls. These results indicate that biotreatment can significantly improve the quality of a BKME and an effluent from a TMP mill with respect to the reproductive capacity of fish as determined in laboratory tests.


1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-577
Author(s):  
Harold S. Bailey

Abstract The water quality of the upper 110 kilometres of the St. Croix River is considered to be pristine. A major industrial discharge renders the lower 14 kilometres of the river a water quality limited segment. Prior to 1970 the Georgia-Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill at Woodland, Maine, discharged untreated effluent directly into the river causing dissolved oxygen concentrations to drop well below 5 mg/L, the objective chosen in the interest of restoring endemic fish populations. Since 1972, the Mill has installed primary and secondary treatment, regulated river discharge rate and effluent composition which has greatly improved the summer dissolved oxygen regime. By 1980, dissolved oxygen concentrations were generally above 5.0 mg/L and restocking the river with Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) was initiated.


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