VERIFICATION SOFTWARE UNDER TEST ON PILOT PLANT
ABB has demonstrated that for non-critical plant measurements its soon-to-launch new verification software can reduce time spent on non-critical plant maintenance by up to 100%. The new software was tested recently at its research and teaching carbon capture and storage facility at Imperial College, London. Called ABB Ability Field
Information Manager, the software changes the way site maintenance can be conducted. Currently, plant instrumentation typically needs to be verified or calibrated by a trained maintenance technician. However, the new software connects plant devices to the cloud meaning operators can access diagnostic information 24 hours a day, seven days a week online. Access to this real-time
data enables maintenance visits to be eliminated for non-critical equipment tests and for them to be performed less frequently for the most critical measurements. Located at Imperial’s central London campus, the award- winning carbon capture plant is the only facility of its kind in an academic institution in the world. It uses a combination of ABB’s instrumentation, drives, motors and process automation equipment to provide students with hands-on experience of pilot- scale industrial plant operations. David Bowers, product manager, ABB UK Measurement and Analytics, said: “The results of the Imperial pilot are very encouraging, leading us to confidently predict that, depending on the size and
configuration of a plant, customers will be able to achieve anything from 70 to 100% reduction in time required for non-critical site maintenance. “For customers, this has the
potential to result in significant cost savings due to plant downtime being reduced and equipment being monitored in real-time.
“It has also given students at
Imperial College London a valuable insight into the cloud and remote access-based technologies. By using the facility as a test bed for new ABB innovations, students can benefit from the latest state- of-the-art equipment. This puts them in good stead to understand how plants will be run and maintained in the future.”
www.abb.com
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Almost every process engineer will be aware of the phrase ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it’, and this is certainly true of many process parameters in the manufacturing industry – flow and level control in particular. Measurement is the first step that
leads to control and eventually to improvement, and this is one of the reasons that this year’s Sensors & Instrumentation show, taking place in September at the NEC, will have a brand new zone dedicated to flow, level and control products and systems.
The FLC Zone will provide a platform for suppliers to showcase the latest technologies in the flow, level and control sector, and offer valuable networking opportunities for visitors and exhibitors alike. Covering an array of machines, instruments and systems, the FLC Zone is targeted at anyone involved in this essential field. A full preview is on page 6. Michelle Lea - Editor
HUMANS HAPPY TO WORK ALONGSIDE ROBOTS
With employers struggling to find people with the skills they need, even for entry-level jobs, industrial workers are increasingly seeing the benefits of working with robots, rather than humans, to improve productivity and relieve the pressures they are under. This is one of the findings of the latest research from Epicor Software Corporation. “We are increasingly seeing
businesses use the latest in enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology to coordinate and inform robot activities,” said Terri Hiskey Vice President, Product Marketing, manufacturing, at Epicor. “Far from workers worrying about
their jobs being taken by robots, our study shows that employees are actually very happy to work alongside machines.” According to the research, which
questioned around 2,500 business respondents in 14 countries, 54% say robots automate repetitive or mundane work that they would otherwise have to do themselves,
and 34% agree that robots are more efficient than humans in the workplace. A quarter (27%) also cited the
fact that robots do not get involved in office politics as a benefit of working with machines. The research also found that the
industrial workforce is getting older, and that only a quarter (23%) of businesses are currently able to attract recruits with the right knowledge. The use of robots can introduce efficiencies where human resource is low, and they can also encourage young talent into industry. In order to make the most of
workplace robotics and AI, businesses need to have the right infrastructure in place. Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions like Epicor ERP can be crucial to coordinating robot workflows and sharing data between machines and humans across multiple digital platforms.
www.epicor.com
Gas engine specification and maintenance services provider, CooperOstlund, has completed its first UK peaking plant installation. The project saw three, 2.7MW combined heat and power (CHP) gas engines installed at a site in rural Derbyshire. CooperOstlund joined the project
halfway through after poor planning and incorrect engine installation from another contractor delayed completion considerably. With a swift turnaround essential, CooperOstlund quickly removed the engines, levelled the floor and engine cell, and completed a full re-install, allowing the site to be commissioned and set live immediately. Completed in April 2018 and now fully operational, the plant is generating more than 8.1MWe energy to support the National Grid in times of peak demand. So, in times of high energy
demand, the engines generate sustainable power to supplement grid capacity.
www.cooperostlund.co.uk
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JUNE 2018 | PROCESS & CONTROL
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