CHEMICAL FOCUS
Chemical connections
Steve Baker explains how the Internet of Things is helping one chemical company to extend the life of its machinery
I
t is difficult to avoid the hype around the Internet of Things (IoT). But, to paraphrase John F Kennedy, to achieve real value, we have to ask not what we can do
for the Things, but what the Things can do for us. For example, can Things help with fundamental issues of operational effectiveness, risk reduction or customer engagement? A definite ‘yes’ answer to this
question is illustrated by a recent project undertaken by TTP for a chemical manufacturer. Its chemicals are used to optimise operating performance and service life of machinery. Large operators, each with many sites and many installations, engage a network of independent maintenance contractors who buy chemicals and dose systems. Maintenance operators submit a sample of treated fluid for analysis and upon confirmation that dosing was performed correctly, payment is made for the maintenance call. This business was exposed to a
number of risks, the foremost being product substitution where maintenance contractors could buy and use competing chemicals, perhaps of unknown provenance. Of even greater risk was product avoidance; some contractors would not dose systems properly but instead simply submit samples of the diluted chemical. This presented a potentially huge reputational risk combined with the loss of revenue. The fundamental challenge here was
to ensure that systems were dosed with the right amount of the right chemical. This could have been achieved by establishing an in-house maintenance organisation – a cost that operators would not wish to bear. Furthermore, it would be desirable not to over-dose systems as that would give rise to unnecessary chemical usage and unnecessary service calls.
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Chemical manufacturers are achieving operational efficiencies by embracing the IoT
So, the first challenge to address was
what sensing and dispensing techniques could be applied to achieve the dosing goal. A number of approaches having been considered, ‘unconnected’ prototypes were developed to prove the technology before connectivity and cloud services were introduced. The engineered solution comprises
a dosing port, with integrated sensor, which communicates via an ISM-band radio link to a gateway device that in turn reports the system condition to a cloud server. Service calls get scheduled on the
basis of specific needs on specific sites. Once on site, the maintenance operator dispenses the chemical via the dosing port. RFID is used to ensure that the correct chemical from the manufacturer’s range is dispensed while preventing the use of substitute chemicals. Since condition is monitored continuously and automatically, there is no need to collect a sample for later analysis. Effective dosing is observed via the cloud platform and the maintenance operator receives immediate confirmation that the service
call is satisfactorily completed via their smartphone. This IoT-enabled model allows
the chemical company to provide an optimised system dosing service to equipment operators, rather than supplying packaged chemicals to maintenance providers. The equipment operator enjoys a higher quality of service, having assurance of optimal dosing and enjoying a consequential reduction in costs arising from equipment failures. The chemical company also achieves
a lower cost base for the same revenue stream, while product substitution and over-dosing are both eliminated along with the risk of reputational damage arising from product avoidance. This project is not short on technical
innovation with novel flow measurement, chemical sensing, wireless and RFID technologies. But most important was the rethinking of the business model that preceded any discussion of Things. n
Steve Baker is with TTP.
www.ttp.com
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