United Electric Controls News

United Electric Controls are pleased to announce that Moody Price will be the new United Electric Controls representative for the State of Texas, adding to their existing region of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida Panhandle, Memphis Area and Texas, effective May 1, 2023. United Electric Controls (UE) is a privately held corporation founded in 1931 and headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, USA, including two divisions – Applied Sensor Technologies (AST) and Precision...

In the past, a majority of switch applications were designed to wire directly to a final element (pump, compressor, motor, etc.). The switch would activate or deactivate a final element by opening or closing the circuit after reaching a designated set point. While this is still common, more and more applications have turned to the use of advanced controllers such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to help optimize their process applications. Programma...

Often UEC is asked by its customers if the wireless gas detector can be installed at longer distances from a mesh network than it recommends. A typical transmitter, like the Vanguard detector, running at 2.4 GHz will have a 2 dBi gain antenna. With a 2 dBi gain antenna, the signal transmitted by the device will be fairly close to omnidirectional in the horizontal plane providing reliable performance over reasonable distances. Correct antenna selection Customers may also have a tank farm sever...

National codes such as the NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, National Fire Alarm Protection Association, and international standards like EN 60079-29 provide considerable prescriptive guidance and performance-based requirements on how fire and gas systems should be designed and deployed within a facility. IEC performance-based standards Process plants and facilities also look to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) which has promulgated performance-based...

The implications of failing to detect gas leaks can impact the environment and workers’ health. Facilities are turning to smart, connected technologies when it comes to the accurate detection of odorless and invisible gases. Below are three ways automation can help improve gas detection. Deploy wireless sensors to increase monitoring density Deploying wireless sensors is a quick way to increase monitoring density, achieve continuous monitoring and provide real-time analyti...

There is a growing demand for electronic switches in industrial plants. Operations, maintenance, and instrumentation personnel are attracted to how electronic switches combine the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a mechanical switch with the comparative intelligence of a transmitter.  types of efficiencies There are 3 types of efficiencies that can be realized from this: Cost efficiency Equipment manufacturers (e.g., skid builders) that use mechanical instrumentation are often l...

Working with end-users looking to add WirelessHart gas monitoring to their facilities, one question almost universally comes up at some point during the process: Where to put gas detectors? wireless gas detector Using a wireless gas detector provides great flexibility to deploy monitoring devices exactly where users need them. Obviously, gas type and leak location will influence detector placement, but less obvious is the need to create a robust network that ensures data gets back to them uni...

Boilers are a critical asset in many commercial and industrial facilities (e.g., factories, refineries, and power generation plants) and play a vital role in many industrial and production processes.  Unexpected issues arising with boilers can cause significant disruptions to a plant’s operations, leading to unplanned downtime. Facilities that have wisely chosen to implement robust boiler upgrade and maintenance programs have witnessed improvements in their overall process uptim...

Devices with wireless communication using proprietary radios have been installed in tough industrial applications for several decades. With the modernization of industrial networks and the rapid adoption of technologies related to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), there has been an increasing demand for non-proprietary (i.e. open) wireless communication technologies. Proprietary protocols Proprietary protocols are those designed and created by a single manufacturer. One of the advanta...

Gas detection has traditionally been a wired operation because of its high device power requirements. With technological advances in sensor and battery technology, there is an emergence of battery-operated, fixed-point wireless gas detection solutions. While there are proprietary and non-proprietary (i.e. open) wireless protocols in the market today, in this post we will be focusing only on open protocols. In particular, we will compare two prevalent open protocols, namely ISA100 and WirelessHA...

Gas detection is a key part of a modern plant’s safety and asset monitoring system. Most plants likely have a permanent gas detection setup to alert operators, when there are critical issues. Temporary systems can help, when a permanent solution isn’t needed. What isn’t thought about as often is areas that may not need gas detection all the time, or that may need additional gas detection at certain critical junctures for extended periods and potentially at a moment’s not...

As users get bombarded with daily reminders to wear sunscreen by the pool and posters with cliché sayings, keep in mind the meaning behind them is vitally important. As an active participant on the company’s safety committee, it can be easy to turn a safety project into a long term, high investment project that will be as safe as possible. But it can often come at the expense of a simpler solution that can start making the front line worker safer NOW rather than tomorrow. Optimi...

Using wireless communication for tough industrial applications is not a new concept. The technology has been around for more than 30 years, with the use of proprietary radios. modernization of industrial networks However, with the modernization of industrial networks and the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), there has been an increasing demand for secure standardized industrial wireless technologies, or open wireless technologies, such as...

Instrumentation currently is far more capable and advanced than just a decade ago. Microprocessors continue to get more powerful and continue to reduce the power needed to perform tasks.  However, smart detectors and sensors now can operate reliably for years on a battery without any loss of performance. wireless technology With wireless technology able to carry more information quickly, why would someone choose to install anything tethered to DCS anymore?  Why aren’t battery...

When thinking of gas detector calibration and how often it must be performed, it is dependent on many variables. First and foremost is determining if a gas sensor is out of calibration. The best way to establish this is through a 'bump' or functional test using a certified standard gas mixture of known concentration. If the device is functioning properly and still measuring gas within tolerance, calibration is unnecessary. Bump testing should be performed as regular maintenance on any gas det...

Switches are no longer the blind, ‘dumb’ electromechanical devices of a generation ago. Signals from sensors in critical safety loops (e.g. protecting against high temperature or pressure) are typically integrated with the plant control system via a discrete or analog input channel. A switch provides a binary (on/off) input, while transmitters provide a continuous (4 to 20 mA) analog input. Both signal types have a role to play in Safety Controls, Alarms and Interlocks (SCAI) inclu...

Many industrial plants use our standard "blue" product line, the One Series Smart Electronic Switch. This product has been tested for stringent environmental conditions and harsh workplaces and it has achieved the most rigorous certifications in the market. However, some production plants may have a higher standard. Field Safety Transmitter ONE Series field safety transmitter became popular due to its cost-effective and more rigorous instruments for installation The "yellow" ONE Series is the...

Pressure switches are widely used within many applications in industrial facilities. The basic function of a pressure switch is to detect a pressure change and convert it into an electrical function typically on/off or off/on. These products have been around for decades but sometimes customers still need help when looking to select a pressure switch to solve a problem or improve the performance of a process in their facility. basic considerations ...

In industrial applications, a “switch” typically means “a snap-acting electrical component that is combined with a process sensor to provide electrical switch output and take action to alert or control a process”. While a transmitter is defined as, “an instrument that continuously monitors and provides information about a process with no switch point”. Switches take action and transmitters inform Users can also think about a switch as a point monitor and a...

Electromechanical switches were once ubiquitous in industrial plants. With the advancement of instrumentation technology, the apparent limitations of these switches have become more obvious over time. accuracy and repeatability As eMicroprocessors have continued to get more powerful, plant operators have demanded greater accuracy and repeatability from process monitoring/control instrumentation, something which could not be fulfilled by mechanically-operated switches. The same end users also...

The One Series is our smart electronic switch with a variety of different models including low-capacity and high-capacity switch outputs, transmitter options, and a variety of other useful features. More information can be found in our technical brochure for the One Series models. In order to summarize some of the benefits of using One Series, included 10 of the most important reasons below, in no particular order, for selecting the One Series over a mechanical switch: Uses th...

The ONE Series electronic switch was designed to work with the leakage current from process controllers, and therefore it is a specialized switch like no other: it brings the benefits of electronic switches and smart sensors, with no extra penalty on additional power wiring. The final user can just replace their mechanical switch with the ONE series and then their process can reap all the benefits of intelligent instrumentation. ONE Series (1XSWLL, 1XSWHL/HH) Mechanical pressure and temperatu...

A typical Safety Instrumented System (SIS) consists of a Safety Integrity Level (SIL)-certified sensor, logic solver, and final element. These SIS systems can be complex, including multiple components such as a pressure or temperature transmitter, safety relay, and programmable logic controller (PLC). Also, it can include a trip amplifier; and requires intensive wiring and programming.  SIL-certified safety transmitter A newer approach using a SIL-certified safety transmitter (sensor)...

The ONE Series Field Safety Transmitter is a complete safety instrumented system (SIS) all together in a single package. The ONE Series Field Safety Transmitter complies with the IEC 61511, the technical standard that ensures the safety of industrial processes using instrumentation. The One Series Field Safety Transmitter is Exida certified. It has a Safe Failure Fraction (SFF) of 98.8% and a Probability of Failure on Demand (PFDavg) ≤ 2×10-3. Also, the Safety Transmitter won the Exida...

Back in 1681, Denis Pepin designed the first pressure relief valve to keep his experimental steam chamber from exploding. His idea was simple – to use the process’ own power as the safety operator, rather than an external system. Fast forward to 1931 when the modern rupture disc was invented using the tensile strength of various materials to provide both barrier and relief if things went wrong. That same year, United Electric Controls connected a metal bellows to the snap-action ele...

Many times, when specifying replacement switches I&E technicians may feel most comfortable replacing “like-with-like”, and stick with a mechanical switch. Users may be acclimated toward electromechanical switch maintenance and may not be fully aware of the hidden maintenance costs vs. those associated with an electronic switch serving the same function. Electromechanical switches  Electromechanical switches are built from an array of moving parts including mechanical swit...

United Electric Controls (UEC), a manufacturer of standard and custom-designed solutions for safety, alarm and emergency shutdown (ESD) functions for OEMs, process and discrete industries announces that they have joined the Federation of European Tank Storage Associations (FETSA) as a supplier partner.  United Electric Controls looks forward to contributing to discussions and working groups within FETSA and the broader European tank storage community. Liquid storage sector UEC will be pa...

United Electric Controls (UE), a manufacturer of standard and custom-designed solutions for safety, alarm and emergency shutdown (ESD) functions for OEMs, process and discrete industries, has announced that its ONE Series 1XSW electronic switches are certified SIL 2 / SIL 3 capable. Global safety certification leader, exida, has certified UE’s ONE Series for use in a SIL 2 environment, with systematic capability at the SIL 3 level. The addition of the ONE Series 1XSW pressure and temperat...

Applied Sensor Technologies (AST), a manufacturer of standard and custom-designed RTDs and thermocouples for OEMs, process, and discrete industries, announced that their UNI5 product line of terminal head-mounted transmitters can be configured via a smartphone or tablet using Near Field Communication (NFC®) or a Bluetooth® modem.  The app makes set-up and configuration quick and simple, but also field-capable. Configuration methods “When customers needed...

United Electric Controls (UE) is pleased to announce the release of its new company website. The website takes advantage of the latest in website design efficiencies and features, while retaining a familiar feel for the longtime users. "We created the new website to provide visitors with the information they are looking for in an easy-to-reach and intuitive manner. We saved what worked best from the prior website and added cleaner paths to product information and sales inquiries. We thank all o...