Competitive Position of Natural Gas: Manufacturing Automation and Process Controls: Topical Report April 1989

摘要

In the study of manufacturing automation, three interacting areas were examined: industrial process, process components, and automation components. Taxonomies were developed for each of these areas to focus the analysis. The interactions between automation developments and gas use were studied in detail for five processes: metal heat treating, steel reheating, forging, glass making, and paper drying. Recent developments reported in the literature were reviewed and within each industry, areas of gas and automation systems, vendors of manufacturing automation systems, and systems designs and integrators were interviewed. Through this approach, current and future developments in automation and their impacts were identified. R&D opportunities for the five specific processes studied and generic areas were also identified. Automation trends in industrial process heat applications will continue, with continued reduction in energy and gas use.