From among this group, 10 of the most outstanding—one from each of 10 tracks—were chosen for Best of Conference awards, which were presented at yesterday’s luncheon awards ceremony. Here is a brief look at each of the Best of Conference winners:

For Business Operations & Human Factors: Session 140, “Improve How You Visualize Data,” by Marshall Meier, Emerson Process Management. This session introduced attendees to some of the principles of information design, as an aid to overcoming the challenges of visualizing large amounts of data succinctly and accurately.

For System Application: Session 528, “Integration of DeltaV SIS and Wireless with Honeywell Experion,” by Ed Smigo, of PROCONEX. This session presented the architecture, methodology and configuration to propagate both wireless and SIS data onto a Honeywell Experion system. The discussion focused around the Modbus TCP configuration required on both the foreign Host (or Honeywell Experion) end as well as the DeltaV SIS end.

For Instrumentation: Session 124, “What’s the Real pH of that Stream?” by Dave Joseph, of Emerson Process Management. This session used an example of wastewater neutralization to show attendees how Emerson PlantWeb devices can help them get the most out of their pH measurements and determine what is really going on in their processes.

For Valve Applications: Session 343, “Expander By-Pass Severe Service Valve Solution,” by Al Reddy, of Shell; and Rebecca Turner, of Emerson Process Management. This session described how Emerson Process Management faced a unique requirement related to the expander bypass valves on Shell’s catalytic cracker unit, and engineered a product that met the severe service conditions that Shell presented.

For Maintenance & Reliability and Asset Optimization: Session 461, “Trimming the Losses: Rohm and Haas Control Valve Reliability Improvement Journey,” by Antonio Alves and Jeff Wilson, of Rohm & Haas; and Shannon McClennen, of Emerson Process Management. This session described how Emerson installed 2 Asset Managers at a Rohm & Haas’ site to help the company improve control valve reliability through various proactive maintenance methods that significantly cut lost production.

For Safety Instrumented Systems: Session 185, “Verification and Validation Process for the Final Control Element of a Safety Loop,” by Shawn Clement, of Motiva Norco Refinery; and Riyaz Ali, of Emerson Process Management. This session discussed how safety shutdown valves or emergency shutdown valves (Final Element) are critical components of the Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) Loop, and how enforcement of industry standards is creating a significant demand for a device that can provide a method for testing safety valve operation without disturbing the process.

For Project Management & Engineering Tools: Session 301, “Execution of World Class Petrochemical Projects Using Foundation Fieldbus Technology,” by Dave Lancaster, of Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemical Inc. This session looked at the differentiators that ensure project success in a world-class project using FF as the communication protocol.

For Control System Modernization: Session 591, “Migration of a Biotech Insulin Manufacturing Plant from Measurex to DeltaV,” by David Chan and Brian Hrankowsky, of Eli Lilly and Co. This session discussed the first phase of the Measurex to DeltaV migration project (1,500 I/O of the total 12,000 I/O) that included various innovative solutions at a Lilly biotech plant that manufactures biosynthetic human insulin.

For Process Optimization: Session 180, “How to Save Plant Energy With Improved Automation,” by Douglas White, of Emerson Process Management. This session focused on identifying and economically justifying the many different automation investments that can be made to decrease energy usage.

For Wireless: Session 347, “Addressing Control Applications Using Wireless Devices,” by Mark Nixon and Terry Blevins, of Emerson Process Management. This session discussed how wireless information is scheduled and communicated in control applications, and showed that a modified version of the PID improves the dynamic control loop response.