Control System Nomenclature

There are a few acronyms used to describe industrial computer control systems. Read more

Globe Valve

A Globe valve is a type of valve used for regulating flow in a pipeline, consisting of a movable disk-type element and a stationary ring seat in a generally spherical body.

Globe Valves are named for their Read more

Ball Valve

A ball valve is a valve that opens by turning a handle attached to a ball inside the valve. The ball has a hole, or port, through the middle so that when Read more

Engineering Organizations

These are the professional organizations for the more common types of engineering.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Architectural Engineering Institute

Biomedical Engineering Society

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Catch The Wind And Crank Up Your Turbine

Wind power has been growing at a pace that rivals that of the solar industry. The worldwide generating capacity of wind turbines has grown more than 25% every year for the past decade, reaching nearly 60,000 MW in early 2006. In Europe, the growth has been phenomenal. In 1994, the total installed wind generated power capacity of the European Union nations was 1700 MW. In 2005, wind generators produce more than 40,000 MW. Read more

The Tricks To Writing A Resume That Scores

For those of us who are engineers or technicians, resume writing can be pretty tough. Most of us don’t like to write; we like to program things and build stuff.

But the reality of life in the technical world is that, first, you have to get a job. Getting a job as an engineer starts first with getting the attention of a potential employer and that is where a professional resume comes into play. Read more

General Troubleshooting Tips

Here are a few troubleshooting tips I have picked up along the way.

Learn Who You Can Trust to Provide Accurate Information
Gathering accurate information is an important aspect of troubleshooting. However well meaning, some of the people you deal with will not provide accurate information. Read more

Common Terms of Industrial Automation

I have compiled a list of terms that you might run across on the factory floor. You may want to browse through them. If you are looking for a specific definition, it could be quicker to use the search box on the right.

Ending Our Dependence On Foreign Oil With Solar Power

It seems that high prices for gasoline and heating oil used in homes are here to stay. Sure, they go up and down, but overall they still remain pretty high and consume more of our pocketbooks than they ever have in the past. We are constantly struggling with the Middle East, at least in part to protect our interest in their oil. Read more

Industrial Automation Glossary – A

0 a logical negative, or zero.

1 a logic positive, high, or 1.

A/D Analog to digital converter (see ADC).

abort the disruption of normal operation.

absolute pressure a pressure measured relative to zero pressure.

absorptive law a special case of Boolean algebra where A(A+B) becomes A. Read more

Next Page »