Where Is Process Automation Headed?

Plants don’t need more data. That may sound like a bold statement considering the process industries have placed great emphasis over the last few years on deriving more information from their plant assets with the aim of ensuring smoother and safer production.

There’s an important distinction, though, between deriving more information and deriving the right information. And to effectively meet the challenges that the next few decades will bring, plants need more of the latter.

That’s because technology truly carries as much potential to create bottlenecks for today’s operators as it does to provide valuable and actionable data. Indeed, data overload, combined with the increasing shortage of skilled workers, the growing number of regulations and environmental issues, and pressing safety and security concerns, creates a perfect storm for the automation industry.

All of this has led to the current unenviable situation: fewer skilled people must respond faster, handle more-complex processes, make bigger decisions, and face greater consequences across global enterprises. To create a safer, more efficient and reliable plant, it’s therefore more critical than ever for manufacturers to begin managing the data overload and turning information into real actionable knowledge.

Six Technology Trends

Figure 1. Developments in these areas will change how plants operate and will help tackle crucial challenges.

To that end, six key technology trends (Figure 1) will greatly influence how plants cope with the challenges of today and how they’ll operate by the end of the next decade:
1. ubiquitous use of sensors;
2. wireless as an enabling technology;
3. development of applications that turn data into knowledge;
4. convergence of information technology (IT) and process control;
5. unification of automation layers; and
6. data management beyond plant boundaries.
All these trends are well underway and will continue to undergo dramatic changes in the next few years as companies attempt to navigate tricky markets defined by unpredictable demands.

Ubiquitous Sensors
Turning data into knowledge starts with the ability to collect the right data across the plant and enterprise. In this regard, advancements in sensor technology will play a critical role in shaping the plants of the future. As sensors become smaller, more rugged and more reliable, they can pave the way for some truly exciting capabilities to mine for more-meaningful process data.

Some specific areas to watch include:

• microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS). For decades, the concept of using “smart dust” to monitor variables was considered more science fiction than reality. Today, however, industry is truly on the cusp of being able to take advantage of this technology, which could be directly inserted into process liquids to derive unprecedented detail about unit functionality.
 • wearable sensors. At many plants wearable sensors already play a valuable role in tracking individuals. Taking this technology a step further by adding fire- and gas-detection capabilities will enable supervisors to know if workers are potentially in danger. For example, is the mobile operator in an environment where hydrogen sulfide content is rising or where oxygen or nitrogen content is changing?
• flying sensors. This safety-enhancing technology is becoming a reality today. If a facility experiences a problem, operators can dispatch a remote-controlled flying device to visually inspect the affected area. These devices can include sensors that, e.g., can detect gas leaks.
• video as a process input. Many plants already have cameras pointing at their flare stacks. Going forward, video will provide more than images — color analysis capabilities will allow operators to use video as an alarm point and variable, for instance, for changes in flare composition.
• embedded sensors. Work is currently underway to develop such devices, which perhaps represent the Holy Grail of process sensing technology. One example is embedding a sensor on a tray in a column to relay information such as liquid loading, temperature and pressure.

These advancements provide more than just additional data points — rather, they furnish more-specific data that truly give operators a greater understanding of how processes are functioning. This type of knowledge ultimately can help operators continually improve production while maintaining a safe environment.

Wireless As An Enabler
Wireless technology has changed how we conduct business and go about our daily lives. And it undoubtedly will alter how manufacturers operate their plants by allowing them to gather data from remote areas (tank farms, for example) where hard wiring is cost-prohibitive. Pipelines stretching across thousands of kilometers, for example, experience thousands of break-ins each year that ultimately lead to costly shutdowns for leak repairs Wireless pressure transmitters, though, provide a cost-effective solution for monitoring pipelines even from hundreds of kilometers away.

But reaching data in remote locations, while probably the most-discussed advantage of wireless, is only one part of the story. In reality, wireless technologies offer several functions that can help plants obtain the most-relevant information.

One major benefit that will take hold as wireless adoption increases is improved two-way information flow between operations, maintenance, engineering, HSE (health, safety and environmental) and other departments that historically haven’t collaborated. With this type of collaboration, wireless can help deliver the right information to the right people at the right time for safer, more-accurate startups and better equipment monitoring. This, in turn, will result in cost and production savings. A major North American refiner, for example,   as part of a control-room centralization project, recently installed a wireless network solution that has allowed various departments to better view and analyze data related to tank farm levels, which has led to greater coordination in production, equipment maintenance and employee safety.