Bringing a 1940s Era Chemical Complex into the 21st Century
Modular Control System Improves Quality, Productivity and Profits
The Challenge
In 2002, a major specialty chemical company took a hard look at one of its
manufacturing complexes. Built in the 1940s, the facility had been a
workhorse for decades – churning out resins, urethanes, commodity chemicals
and polymer additives. But by 2002, the plant was operating in the red. The
company had to decide between closing it or bringing it into the 21st
century. The choice was made to turn the facility back into a moneymaker,
and Avid Solutions was engaged for a six-phase automation project. Avid's
responsibility included Front-End-Loading (FEL) , complete electrical and
instrumentation design, control panel fabrication, system configuration,
checkout, and start-up.
The Approach
For each phase, Avid Solutions first provided expertise in the
Front-End-Loading (FEL) portion of the project. The primary objectives of
the FEL activities are to solidify the job scope, develop a +/-10% estimate,
and identify and eliminate any major project risk areas. During this process
Avid helped identify automation opportunities and develop a project
justification.
Once a general scope was created, Avid developed control system flow charts,
worked with the client to develop project implementation plans, created
system P&IDs, and generated project estimates for the control hardware, E&I
installation, and system development efforts. Upon completion of the FEL
and approval of the job, Avid Solutions provided electrical and
instrumentation design including E&I contractor bid packages,
instrumentation specification, and electrical schematics and loop sheets.
Avid also designed and fabricated all required control panels, configured
the
DeltaV™ system graphics,
controllers, and batch recipes, and provided operator training simulators
and training assistance. Upon construction completion, Avid Solutions
performed on-site checkout and start-up services, and provided 24-hour post
start-up support. The DeltaV system now includes a batch server and
engineering development station, each on separate server class machines, as
well as a system historian. The control system consists of seven controllers
and nine operator stations controlling six different process areas across a
half mile. Phase five installed DeltaV controls on two dual fuel boilers.
The new combustion control system incorporates fully redundant controllers
and utilizes Modbus serial communications to track interlock and first-out
status of the independent burner management system. Redundant fiber optic
network communication allows the boilers to be remotely monitored and
controlled from two different operating areas.
The Results
The work was completed on schedule, and well below budget. By using a
modular approach, Avid enabled the facility to operate with unprecedented
flexibility. For example, with an investment of $12,000 in new software and
a few additional pieces of instrumentation, the company gained the ability
to manufacture a completely new product using the same series of reactors
and process vessels. Plant shutdowns were kept to no more than a few days
in each phase, and all operators were trained on a simulator for two to
three weeks before the new control systems were installed to assure smooth
start-ups. The chemical company reached its goals of maximizing production
capacity, slimming the workforce, improving quality, and significantly
improving the bottom line.
