The Wired Science blog has a posting of 10 amazing Chemistry videos.  As the post said “Fiery explosions, beautiful reactions, and hilarious music videos are great reasons to be excited about chemistry”. Coincidently, those are great reasons to be excited about OPC as well.   Since OPC is usually used in process plants, generally you don’t want to see fiery explosions and out of control reactions.   So instead I’ve found an OPC example that is related to each chemistry video.   I had to tie OPC into this somehow, didn’t I?   I’ve embeded the videos directly into the blog to better tie in the OPC commentary.  

10. Thermite vs. Liquid Nitrogen

Can liquid nitrogen freeze molten iron?  Apparently not.  But liquid nitrogen is a component in the pre-cooling system of helium cryogenic system at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) in Taiwan.  It is a fully automatic system using the Siemens SIMATIC 300 PLC, and has an OPC based supervisory system.

9. Gummy Bear Dies a Fiery Death in Potassium Chlorate

Potassium Chlorate can be nasty stuff and is used in making explosives.  Strangely manufacturers of high explosives don’t provide a lot of public detail on their control systems.   I did find this excerpt from an article CONTROL ran in July 2006:
“… BAE Systems Royal Ordnance North America, Kingsport, Tenn., also uses a mix of PLC/HMI and DCS solutions in the process of manufacturing high explosives. The facility’s most recent installation uses PCS7 controllers (PLCs) from Siemens, which perform both discrete and process functions in the batch chemical manufacture of various grades of explosives. There is also a Foxboro I/A DCS system that controls distillation columns and related systems in the organic acids plant, and some older Siemens and Allen-Bradley PLCs that control switches, valves, and pumps in water, steam, and utility areas.”

OPC products are available for all these systems, so it’s conceivable they COULD be using OPC in here somewhere.

8. German Scientist Spits Flaming Spores

When flammable powders are dispersed in the air, they can explode. Throughout history, that phenomenon has lead to explosions in grain storage facilities (or sugar factories).   Of course in our industry the focus is on preventing dust explosions.   Part of the process would be monitoring equipment and building environments.  With OPC of course.

7. The PCR Song

Filmed in the style of a celebrity benefit, this music video is a commercial for a BioRad thermocycler, which is essentially a DNA copying machine. Currently OPC is probably not used a lot with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machines or DNA amplification.  However OPC is being used in the biomedical field.  Nova Biomedical, who provide blood gas/electrolyte analyzers in hospitals, and chemistry analyzers for cell culture and fermentation in biotechnology, have an OPC Server for their BioProfile analyzers.

6. Mysterious Reaction Creates an Undulating Brew

In 1973, this spectacular demonstration was perfected by Thomas Briggs and Warren Rauscher, two amazing high school science teachers. When several clear liquids are combined, the mixture quickly changes colors — back and forth — over and over again.   They never say what the two liquids are, so tying this with OPC was a bit of a challenge.   The only process I could think of that turns a very dark liquid into a pale yellowish liquid, over and over again, would be what eventually happens when I drink Guinness.   Granted the process doesn’t go back the other way, but after a while the floor starts to undulate.   OPC and beer are definitely connected.

5. How to Make Stalagmites Instantly

Sodium acetate, the chemical found in many hand warmers, will suddenly crystallize if you prepare a saturated solution and pour it onto a seed crystal.   If you were wondering how much sodium acetate was in a particular sample of hand warmer gel, you’d simply stick it in a Gas Chromatograph and historize the results using OPC.   As this GC brochure says “Software is available for pre-analysis valve switching, post-analysis special treatment of data, special reports, transfer of data to a spreadsheet, and transfer of data to an OPC server”

4. Elephant Toothpaste

This video shows what fun you can have with concentrated hydrogen peroxide, soap, and a pinch of sodium iodide.  A less fun, but much more common use of hydrogen peroxide is for pulp- and paper-bleaching.   OPC is being used in many pulp and paper facilities.

3. How to Make Your Own Glow Sticks

OK this one is tough, since there is not a whole lot OPC and chemiluminescent compounds have in common.  All I found on glow stick manufacturers is that they all seem to be in China or Taiwan.  OPC China is a regional branch of the OPC Foundation.  That’s all I got.  (The demo is still cool though.)

2. The Inner Life of A Cell

Animator John Liebler gave the world a look at the beautiful ballet of molecules which gives rise to life.   Biotechnology is an amazing field, and it too uses OPC.   This case study talks about using OPC to connect several systems together including Moore APACS, Wonderware IndustrialSQL and Allen-Bradley.

1. Magnesium Burning Between Bricks of Dry Ice

If you thought that nothing could burn while sandwiched between two bricks of dry ice — think again. Magnesium can combust in an atmosphere of pure carbon dioxide.  Magnesium compounds, primarily magnesium oxide, are used mainly as refractory material in furnace linings for producing iron, steel, nonferrous metals, glass and cement. Magnesium oxide and other compounds also are used in agricultural, chemical and construction industries.   The steel industry is yet another place OPC is being used, even with old VMS equipment.

Well there you have it.  OPC and some very cool chemistry.  What more could a chemical engineer ask for?
If you want to see some of the follow up comments or other suggested links, you can visit the original Wired Science blog post here.