Automation & Control
The two greenfield electric power plant projects will begin power production over an 18-month period, beginning in March 2012. “The overall reduction in system complexity with a Rockwell Automation system helps make our aggressive timeline achievable,” said Mahapatra. In a separate development, Rockwell Automation has
developed a support offering to minimise the risk associated with using older or discontinued Rockwell Automation products. The Lifecycle Service Agreement is an element of the
comprehensive Lifecycle Management Services suite of offerings, designed to identify, mitigate and reduce automation obsolescence risk. The agreement helps manufacturers minimise the serious
financial consequences that can occur due to extended unplanned downtime when spare parts or speedy repair are unavailable for outdated Rockwell Automation components. “There are many companies around the globe who rely
on legacy systems to meet today’s production demands, either because they don’t have the capital to upgrade or because there are simply too many outdated systems to address all at once,” said Lonnie Morris, senior manager, Rockwell Automation. “In fact, ARC Advisory Group recently reported that
88 per cent of process manufacturers acknowledged the use of automation beyond the manufacturer’s obsolescence date. While some obsolete products are currently working well, the Lifecycle Service Agreement is designed to give manufacturers, in any industry, peace of mind by maximising the life of their automation investment until they are able to migrate to current technology.”
Support for obsolete products
The Lifecycle Service Agreement is a single, comprehensive package of three unique services designed to provide ‘intensive care’ for obsolete automation products. The services include reserved repair, remote support and on-site support for discontinued products. A reserved repair provides manufacturers a ‘reservation’ that
assures access to Rockwell Automation product replacement, remediation or repair for all Rockwell Automation products
included in the contract. Reserved repair customers are provided repairs even when maintenance resources or spare parts are constrained or are unavailable to the general public. Remote support for discontinued product provides
unlimited Web support for any obsolete or discontinued Rockwell Automation products included in the contract. Users have access to technical assistance for installation, configuration, troubleshooting, diagnosis, basic instruction programming and best-practice recommendations. On-site support for discontinued product provides annual
preventive maintenance services, migration and conversion- planning support on all Rockwell Automation discontinued products included in the contract. The Lifecycle Service Agreement contract is part of the
holistic Lifecycle Management Services offerings, which also include an installed base evaluation. The evaluation provides a lifecycle analysis report that features a colour-coded reporting dashboard to help identify and pinpoint where product obsolescence resides within the facility to expose potential production risks. It also helps companies identify spare part inventory overstock and deficiencies based on a mean time between failure algorithm. In addition, Lifecycle Management Services offers
migration services designed to identify areas of the greatest obsolescence risk and offer migration-planning support. These migration services range from supplying information for low- cost tools and programs, to turnkey migrations including full plan creation, design, programming, installation, start-up and complete project management.
Predictive maintenance software
In another major announcement, Foster Wheeler has chosen Emerson Process Management’s PlantWeb digital plant architecture with the Ovation expert control system and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to control a new biomass boiler at the Polaniec Power Station in Poland. When operational in 2012, this will be the world’s largest 100 per cent biomass-fired boiler (Fig. 1). Foster Wheeler is building the 190 MW biomass-fired
circulating fluidised-bed (CFB) boiler island for plant owner GDF Suez, one of the world’s leading energy providers.
Enterprise control system allows integration I
nvensys Operations Management has successfully implemented an InFusion enterprise control system (ECS) for ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialties. Through a joint Invensys and ExxonMobil team effort, the installation was successfully completed and the plant was back to full production on schedule with no safety incidents. Installed at ExxonMobil’s lubricants plant
in Beaumont, Texas, the InFusion ECS will help manage the operating facility, controlling major processes and integrating the existing SAP enterprise resource planning, batch process and final packaging and shipping systems. By making extensive use of Invensys’ open,
industry-standards-based ArchestrA architecture framework and other advanced technologies, the ECS will apply the principles of real-time process automation across the manufacturing enterprise to improve production flexibility and workflow, as well as address end-of-life issues within the existing control systems. “In 2004, ExxonMobil embarked on a global
modernisation plan to realise the lubricant plant of the future, selecting Invensys as their preferred production and integration partner,” said Eric Moorehead, vice president, strategic accounts, Invensys Operations Management. “The InFusion ECS installation at Beaumont continues that modernisation effort. Operating as a ‘system of
systems,’ the InFusion ECS holistically integrates our open technology with legacy applications and third-party solutions to improve the plant’s operations and performance in real time. This unique ability is what sets the InFusion ECS apart from anything on the market today.” As part of its ongoing relationship with
ExxonMobil, Invensys is also using its Houston, Texas, Engineering Centre of Excellence to incorporate best practices for ExxonMobil in Beaumont and Port Allen, Louisiana. This approach is helping ExxonMobil continually improve its control system strategies and achieve its goal of developing the lube plant of the future. l
www.engineerlive.com 23
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