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INDUSTRY 4.0/IIOT DIGITAL DELIVERS VALUE
Digital solutions such as augmented reality, cloud computing and condition monitoring, can help cut lifetime costs of gas analysers says Stephen B. Harrison from sbh4
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n array of digital solutions combined with innovative service delivery and modern low-maintenance hardware are cutting the lifetime costs of gas analysers used in water treatment plants, power utilities and chemicals factories. The results are reduced capex, simpler operations and a lower cost of ownership. Additional or replacement gas analysers will often feature in the capex plan and when thinking on a 3 to 5-year timescale, upgrades can be a good investment. Investing wisely in new process control or CEMS gas analysers can make a huge difference to the cost of ownership and bolting on Industry 4.0 services can increase simplicity and reduce opex. Augmented reality, cloud computing and condition monitoring are at the heart of Industry 4.0. David Lincoln, Global Digital Lead at ABB’s Measurement & Analytics Division, explains how these digital solutions can make a transformational
difference: “the right combination of digital technology, service delivery and high-tech hardware offers unrivalled value for money to our gas-analyser users.”
As an example, ‘Remote Insights’ (part of the ABB Ability suite of digital solutions) allows instrument technicians to communicate remotely with an ABB expert. It is a two-way augmented reality video and voice interaction enabled by a hand-held device such as a tablet computer or mixed reality headset. It means that the instrument technician can share what they are seeing with their counterpart at ABB and get instant feedback about the best course of action. Lincoln says that “in the past, training, start- up, maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs all meant a service call-out. With Remote Insights, operators will get the fastest possible response. And with less travel time
and support manhours, there is the potential for cost savings also.”
‘Remote Assistance’ is ABB’s new collaborative cloud-enabled operations concept. It relies on Condition Monitoring health diagnostics in the gas analysers which can inform the operator’s instrument engineer, or the service team at ABB about the status of the gas analyser. This data can be used to diagnose consumable materials replacement requirements or trouble shooting. The goal is to guide the local operations team towards a speedy resolution. Closing out our cases, ‘Condition Monitoring’
enables service teams to work with instrumentation
engineers to review the health and status of their gas analysers. The concept means fixing little glitches in the gas analysers proactively before they escalate on the one hand, and avoiding unnecessary maintenance if it is not required on the other. All in all, condition-based intervention saves time, reduces cost and can also contribute to improved safety.
Lincoln outlined a recent case where low- maintenance CEMS gas analysers and field service engineers teamed up to support a major utility operator in Italy. “Our customer was targeting immediate cost-savings and looking for a reliable service provider to support their installed CEMS gas analyser base across 13 sites.” To meet the cost-saving target, ABB offered a holistic approach built around the ABB Ability Condition Monitoring solution. That included a standardised
Gas analysers play a crucial role in combustion control and emissions monitoring, maintaining air and water quality. Below: The ABB EasyLine Continuous Gas Analyser [copyright, ABB]
maintenance strategy across their sites with rapid response and optimised routine services. “The condition-based monthly review of the CEMS devices resulted in better emissions data reporting uptime and lower labour costs,” concluded Lincoln. The Industry 4.0 dynamic is also at play in the gas analysers themselves. “We are on a mission to control our customer’s costs, cut complexity and make their capex go further. That’s why we continuously innovate our gas analysers,” said Stephen Gibbons, head of product management for the Continuous Gas Analysers product range at ABB Measurement & Analytics. “Take the example of combustion optimisation and CEMS from a combined heat and power plant burning biogas from a sludge digester. Our Advance Optima and EasyLine product ranges can bundle together all the gas analysers that a water treatment plant would need for their combustion control or emissions monitoring with one controller. It means simplicity and cost-effectiveness.”
Direct read IR gas analysers are ideal for measurement of the carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) for combustion control and CEMS applications. Gibbons points out that: “Simultaneous measurement of these two components is right in the sweet spot for our Uras26 NDIR gas analyser.” UV gas measurement technology is ideal for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions measurement which is required for CEMS and can also provide valuable process information for combustion optimisation. IR and UV gas analysers are in common use for CO, CO2 and NOx measurement. The self-calibration features built into these ABB devices can reduce opex, and means the instruments can be maintained with minimum cost and complexity.
sbh4 consulting
www.sbh4.de
DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL 29
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