• • • RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY • • •
The plant also reflects recent developments in digital service technology, with the addition of our digital service software tools including ABB Ability Verification for measurement devices and our new ABB Ability SmartMaster verification and condition monitoring platform. Together, these tools are used to teach students about the extended possibilities for device optimisation and maintenance. Using the software, they can access and interrogate data on instrument status and identify in advance any potential issues that could affect measurement performance or result in unplanned downtime.
How are these technologies being used to teach students?
The Imperial College courses make full use of the ABB technology on the plant to provide students with knowledge covering everything from running different experiments and process scenarios through to handling alarms and responding to process emergencies.
Students are able to work with the technologies, using the same functions and interactions as engineering teams responsible for the operation and maintenance of real-life process plants. While the plant is primarily used as a way of teaching about carbon capture, many of the fundamental aspects of its operation can also be used to provide students with the skills needed to run other types of process plants.
By providing a realistic environment for students to both observe and operate process technologies such as our instruments, control system and other products including motors, variable speed drives and process controllers, the plant provides a valuable way of equipping them with the skills they will need in an engineering career.
Can you give examples of some of the ABB digital technologies that are used at the plant? A key challenge for process operators will often be around managing the sheer volume of instruments that are likely to be installed on any given plant. Many plants will typically feature hundreds or even thousands of devices, some of which may be installed in hard to reach or hazardous areas.
To teach the skills needed to handle device management, the plant uses ABB’s digital service tools to demonstrate the possibilities for remote monitoring and optimisation of instrument performance. ABB Ability Verification for measurement devices is the next generation verification tool suite for use with a range of ABB devices. It was developed to meet the growing desire for a way to verify instrument performance, which is key for ensuring continued accuracy and reduced downtime, as well as meeting regulatory and quality management system requirements. The tool verifies the condition and performance of the device under test, comparing its current performance against the original fingerprint of the device taken when it was shipped from our factory. In this way, all verifications performed in the field can be compared with the fingerprint data and any previous tests to ensure device performance has not degraded.
An added complication in many applications will also be the diversity of the instruments being used. Devices will often be of different makes and ages and will frequently use different operating principles, making gathering and analysing data difficult.
This can particularly be the case when trying to assess the maintenance status of a particular device or group of devices.
ABB Ability SmartMaster verification and condition monitoring platform is an asset performance management (APM) tool that is used to teach students how to gather and analyse diagnostic data from instruments. SmartMaster is a solution which verifies device diagnostic data remotely via a developed platform, without interrupting current measurement tasks.
Based on a prescribed schedule, it collects data remotely from field devices to conduct condition monitoring. Using the tool, students can gain an insight into how the data can be used to plan service operations, as well as order spare parts and device replacement.
Another example of a digital tool used by the plant is the QR code on the CO2 gas analyser. By scanning this code with a smartphone, an operator can send diagnostic data to an ABB expert who can analyse it and advise on potential fixes, opening new possibilities for troubleshooting and fault resolution.
How do you think UK industry can benefit from using facilities such as the Imperial College Carbon Capture Pilot Plant to educate future engineers?
There are many aspects to the skills shortage in the UK at the moment, from getting young people to enter the profession, through to training existing engineers in new approaches and new technologies.
The increased use of Carbon Capture and Storage in hard to abate industries as part of the energy transition, for example, will require new skillsets to be developed in order to maximise its potential as a way of reducing carbon emissions.
The Imperial College facility is a great example of the value of hands-on teaching as a way of equipping people with the skills they will need to develop their careers. While theoretical learning is great for teaching the fundamentals, the physical nature of engineering means that the most effective teaching enables people to learn by doing, using technology, and seeing the results of their actions in a real-life context. For this reason, the Imperial College plant is also used both by academic institutions from around the world and also leading industrial companies as a teaching facility, with students and delegates sent to London as part of their teaching and training courses.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • NOVEMBER 2023 31
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