ISA Technical Report Provides Guidelines For Continuous Process Automation

Sept. 26, 2017
ISA completes new technical report on capturing and transmitting knowledge in continuous process automation.

The retirement of experienced engineers has long been of concern across the industrial sectors as companies have tried to find effective ways to capture and transmit vital knowledge to new generations of automation professionals, according to the International Society of Automation (ISA). The work of the ISA106 standards committee, Procedure Automation for Continuous Process Operations, is intended to provide a framework for building some of that knowledge into automated procedures. This is especially important for such plant procedures as startup, shutdown, product grade change and the like – as studies have shown that plants are particularly vulnerable to safety incidents caused by inexperienced operators performing unfamiliar manual functions during such key operations, according to ISA.

ISA106 completes a new technical report that describes work processes involved with automating procedures that monitor and control continuous processes. ISA-TR106.00.02-2017, Procedure Automation for Continuous Process Operations – Work Processes, applies to new process facilities as well as to control upgrades to existing facilities. The technical report is not intended to instruct organizations on how to identify and justify projects or to provide the details of work processes, says ISA, but rather to set forth a generic set of work processes that provides guidance for procedure automation project execution phases.

“The work processes used by end users are critical for the successful completion of capital projects and projects funded out of operating expenses,” says Dave Emerson of Yokogawa, who serves as ISA106 editor. “The new technical report provides a guide to how end users’ work processes can be designed to account for the automation of continuous process operations.

“The report reflects the combined knowledge and foresight of engineers from many different end users, automation suppliers, and consultants,” Emerson adds. “That knowledge can and should be used by owner-operators to improve their own work processes, by automation suppliers to improve products and services, and by consultants to help improve end users and automation suppliers to make the process industries safer and more efficient.” 

To date, ISA106 has focused on the current state of the continuous process industries. The committee will now begin work on a requirements-based standard that will draw on the information developed it its earlier work.

For more information, visit: www.isa.org

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