Print page

Home » Articles » Making it Work

Perspective: Making it Work

Advanced Diagnostics Pay Off

Impressive results earn "HART Plant of the Year" honor.

By Takayuki Aoyama, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.

A 380,000-ton/yr-capacity ethylene plant at Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.'s Kashima site, Ibaraki, Japan, now is achieving operational savings of about $20,000–$30,000 per day by effectively diagnosing abnormal process conditions and maintaining pressure transmitters using the HART Communication Protocol. Moreover, data provided via HART have led to detection of several device failures that could have caused unscheduled plant shutdowns, each of which would cost a minimum of $3 million.

Because of these results, the HART Communications Foundation, Austin, Texas, has bestowed upon us the 2009 HART Plant of the Year Award. This honor, which is unique in the process automation industry, recognizes ingenuity in the application of HART Communication technology by an end-user.

Our Goal
Five years ago we began installing HART pressure transmitters. The aim was to use HART communication to collect online data from field devices without disturbing the 4–20-mA analog signal to the control system so we could detect abnormal situations in the process and protect field devices from malfunction.

We've since extended our program to other devices, such as vortex and Coriolis flow meters and valve positioners, that offer useful diagnostic functions via HART technology.

Now we have more than 800 HART field devices from a variety of vendors such as Yokogawa, Yamatake, Emerson, Endress+Hauser and Dresser. They are integrated with our Yokogawa Centum CS3000 distributed control system (DCS) as well as our Yokogawa PRM and Fieldmate and Emerson AMS asset management systems through Pepperl+Fuchs multiplexers and via HART-enabled input/output.

This allows us to easily access real-time intelligent data on process variables. (Obtaining such diagnostic data with simple handheld devices is far more difficult because they require a time-consuming manual step-by-step approach.) Because of HART technology, we can diagnose abnormal conditions and track equipment health 24/7.

In addition, HART technology permits trending and analysis of secondary process variables throughout the plant. The insights this provided have allowed engineers to analyze, troubleshoot and resolve a number of operational problems.

For instance, we were able to spot the onset of plugging in an impulse line in a naphtha flow application as well as a plugged manifold valve during startup — allowing us to take proactive steps that reduced maintenance costs and startup time.

We also were able to measure variability in a flow loop, which helped us more rapidly identify the root cause — an area of unstable flow due to inadequate length of straight pipe. Installation of a conditioning orifice plate solved the problem, as HART data verified, and improved plant availability and throughput.

Similarly, advanced HART diagnostics led us to detect an inefficient compressor pump. By catching the problem early, we were able to perform the necessary repairs before it caused damage to the rotor and possibly a plant shutdown.

We estimate that use of HART communications has reduced maintenance costs by 10%.

A Continuing Evolution
We've designated HART as our standard communications protocol and will replace older devices whenever we get the chance. We expect to install 30–40 HART units every scheduled shutdown, and will change other analog devices as needed. We're now also testing Wireless HART devices from Emerson.

In addition, we're developing a partial-stroke valve testing and automatic interlock system on the Yokogawa DCS; we expect to evaluate it during our next scheduled maintenance shutdown. The system should help us reduce maintenance costs even more.

TAKAYUKI AOYAMA is team leader, instrumentation group, maintenance and engineering dept., at the Kashima plant of Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Ibaraki, Japan. E-mail him at aoyama.takayuki@mg.m-kagaku.co.jp.

More From This Perspective

Advanced Diagnostics Pay Off
03/08/2010
Impressive results earn "HART Plant of the Year" honor.

Particles From Piping Pose Pump Problems
02/08/2010
Magnetic separators remove black powder to improve performance.

Focus on Critical Assets Pays Off
01/14/2010
Program avoids costly downtime and enhances planned shutdowns.

Cellulosics Conversion Gets a Boost
01/05/2010
Control system enhances operation of demonstration plant.

Case Study: Instruments Tame Troublesome Slurry
10/16/2009
Two-step approach allows resin plant to more accurately dose additive.

Case Study: Online Monitoring Pays Off
09/16/2009
Wireless system succeeds in avoiding costs and increasing uptime.

Case Study: Novel Approach Enhances Control System Upgrade
08/31/2009
Measures to mock-up wiring and limit project scope as well as operational improvements provided significant benefits.

Polymer Plant Achieves Record Output
07/09/2009
Faster batch turnarounds and better repeatability spur impressive results.

Case Study: Migration Boosts Batch Operations
06/23/2009
New control system improves consistency and halves batch creation time.

Non-invasive Wireless Monitoring Provides Fast Payback
05/31/2009
Use on steam traps and research freezers leads to energy savings and improved uptime.

Equipment Maintenance: Thermal Imaging Changes the Picture
05/07/2009
Pharmaceutical plant benefits by taking a different look at equipment.

Wireless Proves its Worth
03/20/2009
Plant's early experience leads to high value applications.

Speedy Upgrade Transforms Production
03/03/2009
Replacement of legacy control system offers immediate and long-term benefits.

Take The Guesswork Out Of Utility Management
02/19/2009
Balancing the load cuts utility costs at Eastman Chemical.

Batch Control Gets Easier
02/04/2009
Loop tuning package doesn’t demand steady-state operation.

Condition Monitoring Pays Healthy Dividends
10/27/2008
Massive site benefits from earlier detection of problems and better diagnosis of their causes

Integrated System Improves Operations
10/09/2008
Combined process control and safety system cuts costs and boosts efficiency.

Integrated System Improves Operations
09/16/2008
Combined process control and safety system cuts costs and boosts efficiency

Upgraded Cooling System Halves Energy Costs
08/13/2008
New layout and speed control also provide other benefits

Polystyrene Plant Gains Extra Output and More
07/14/2008
Automation upgrade also extends asset life and boosts reliability

Steam projects provide fast payback
06/26/2008
Louisiana petrochemical complex significantly cuts energy consumption

Hot cutover boosts control system migration
05/02/2008
Keeping critical unit running provides significant economic and implementation benefits

Portable conveyor speeds paint production
10/30/2007
Unit ensures a consistent flow of soft acrylic powder without lumps or sticking, improving the production of thermoplastic paint.

Ethanol plant boosts output and saves energy
10/16/2007
Implementation of advanced process control for distillation and dehydration steps allowed a Wisconsin plant to meet competing goals.

Membrane Boasts Material Benefits
09/11/2007
As economical separation of contaminants from natural gas becomes increasingly important, simulation eases the design of innovative module to remove carbon dioxide. Membranes offer potential advantages over other methods.

Chill out about cooling costs
08/20/2007
Plastic towers can offer economic and operational advantages, and now come in modular designs suitable for bigger loads. Converting to a plastic cooling tower can yield substantial savings.

Two bulk conveyors prove better than one
07/11/2007
Engineers at EaglePicher Corp. in Quapak, Okla., faced some unique problems in manufacturing high-purity isotopic chemicals and wound up addressing them via a unique solution.

Flame Modeling Provides Matchless Results
04/13/2007
A computer simulation helps solve a refinery combustion problem. Finding ways to limit NOx from fired heaters, especially under stringent environmental regulations, has become a major concern for the petroleum refining industry. Complying with new stricter regulations, a Texas refinery upgraded the burners in one of its large cylindrical furnaces.

Sample pump eliminates emissions
03/20/2007
A compact system significantly improves analyzer accuracy. This innovative turnkey solution for analyzer emissions is a solid-state pump with an ultra-sensitive pressure regulator that mixes a compatible gas with the analyzer samples to achieve a constant vent header pressure — even during times of plant upset.

The intrinsically safe fieldbus has arrived
02/09/2007
Fieldbus has proven its merit in bringing projects online more efficiently, allowing better diagnostics, and control, and reducing maintenance costs and inventories. However, it has been limited in intrinsically safe services. At last, technology has come through once again with a solution. The capacity barrier of FISCO has now been significantly surpassed by a novel split architecture design that has already proven itself in the field.

pH sensor stands up to tough conditions
01/08/2007
Design provides improved reliability in a polymer-precursor batch reactor. Sensors must respond quickly and survive a harsh environment. Poor probe reliability can make the difference between a process that makes money and one that doesn’t.

Outsourcing innovation development
10/31/2006
A new development method may allow breaking away from the pack as companies continue to employ outsource facilities that offer flexibility and foster innovation.

Implementing an operations management system
09/29/2006
Things are changing at warp speed. Manufacturing companies are collecting large volumes of data from data systems but improvements are possible only if the data are analyzed and developed into useful business parameters.

Sasol plant benefits from reliability improvements
09/14/2006
Sasol Solvents reduced operating costs by more than $2 million dollars at it’s plants in Sasolburg, South Africa. The efforts earned the facility the 2005 HART Plant of the Year Award.

Low flow injection improves scale-up of catalysts
08/07/2006
Dow Chemical recently developed a reactive catalyst for use in one of its production facilities. Indications were that this new catalyst could save the company millions of euros once it reached full-scale production. The challenge was transferring the recipe using this new reactive catalyst from the laboratory to the pilot plant and, ultimately, to the production level.

BP tackles Texas City failings
04/12/2006
British Petroleum's tragic March 2005 explosion has been well-documented through the press. Read here to find out how that tragedy spurred the development of a new program addressing management issues at BP.

ASM Outperforms Traditional Interface
03/14/2006
Forty percent of operators at a world-scale North American ethylene plant site discovered that problems were solved 40% faster using new operator interface.

Oil refinery minimizes manual tank measurements
02/10/2006
The strategy was to enhance plant profitability, increase throughput capacity, upgrade product yields and improve on-stream reliability. Read here to find out what they accomplished.

Neville Chemical upgrades efficiency and safety
01/03/2006
A self-cleaning filter not only allowed one company to add efficiency and safety, it also boosted competitiveness.

Keep heat-transfer-system repairs uneventful
08/26/2005
A good plan is the key to avoiding risks in the maintenance of systems using high-temperature organic fluids.

Summit greases its gears to serve global marketplace
08/25/2005
A lubricant manufacturer increases order accuracy and speeds fulfillment by implementing enterprise resource planning software.

Software Drives OEM Toward Efficiency and Energy Savings
06/23/2005
ABB designed software for its ACS800 drive so Curtis-Toledo could improve the operation of its rotary-screw compressors. The customized software can control the system pressure, air delivery, oil temperature and duty cycle directly from the drive.

Process engineering: Wastewater treatment plant goes the distance
05/17/2005
A mobile reverse osmosis (RO) system from USFilter effectively treated water at an abandoned fertilizer plant. This allowed system effluent to be discharged into Tampa Bay without environmental impact.

AMS benefits chemical plant from start to finish
04/08/2005
DuPont engineers chose Intelligent Device Manager software from Emerson Process Management to help manage all the data available from their instrumentation.