Properly managing override and selective control
Integrating mobile robots in plants
Prepare for scarce chemical engineering graduates
BUILDING GREEN
It’s time to construct the infrastructures that hydrogen economies, net-zero emission targets and other sustainability goals will require
Process improvement is like a trapeze act. You need a trusted partner who lends a hand at the right moment.
Just as athletes rely on their teammates, we know that partnering with our customers brings the same level of support and dependability in the area of manufacturing productivity. Together, we can overcome challenges and achieve a shared goal, optimizing processes with regards to economic efficiency, safety, and environmental protection. Let’s improve together.
20 COVER STORY
Building green
It's time to construct the infrastructure that hydrogen economies, net-zero emissions targets and other sustainability goals will require by Jim Montague
28 ANALYZERS
Surveying sour water in crude oil
Saudi Aramco's field test shows dielectric measurement results in a liquid hydrocarbon process by Ali S. Aldossary
31 DEVELOP YOUR POTENTIAL
Prepare for scarce chemical engineering graduates
How to put your company at a hiring advantage by R. Russell Rhinehart
CONTROL (USPS 4853, ISSN 1049-5541) is published 10x annually (monthly, with combined Jan/Feb and Nov/Dec) by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N. Main Street, Fifth Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CONTROL, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. ($120 per year); Canada/M exico ($250 per year); All other countries ($250 per year). All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds.
photo: Derek Chamberlain / Shutterstock.com
Ready for the drone show?
Drones and robots might seem scary, but they have growing value for us
Navigating sustainability complexity
The objective is more than the biggest return on investment
A little cyber-insurance goes a long way
Are you certain your cybersecurity is up to the task?
WITHOUT WIRES
The benefits of the extra 'I'
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices are critical to operations, so what provides the right stuff?
Integrating mobile robots in plants
Exchanging real-time data with robots on missions
HUG tackles energy, cybersecurity and AI Honeywell User Group 2024 draws 1,100 attendees to Madrid
Factors to determine the cost of ownership of SCADA systems
Complicated costs stem from a wide range of features and licensing models
Growing Li-ion battery market needs dynamic process control
Ways to speed time to market and ensure reliable project execution
Ins
Control's
Controlling two variables with one valve
How to properly manage override and selective control
Enclosures corral the help they need
New sizes, mountings, subpanels, support arms and accessories let housings surpass their capabilities
Deep dive into distillation control
Examining the tug-of-war between reboiler and reflux actions
Get uncomfortable
Do we have what it takes to suceed at sustainability?
Don't bet on it.
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Ready for the drone show?
Drones and robots might seem scary, but they have growing value for us
HAVE you seen a good drone show lately? Summertime means the skies usually light up with traditional fireworks for various celebrations, but those noisy pyrotechnics are giving way to aerial drones coordinated in intricate displays. For some, they’ve upped “ooh-ahh” factor considerably.
Of course, drones—the mobile kind you see on plant floors—sometimes invoke a different kind of emotion. Instead of canines feeling terror, humans may feel terrorized, or at least worried about being replaced. The oohs and aahs sometimes become much different types of exclamations.
Drones and robots are part of automation growth and, like it or not, they're increasing in value for process operators because safety, efficiency and sustainability are paramount. As pointed out by our newest columnist, Penny Chen, senior technology strategist at Yokogawa, process operators favorably compare the time and costs associated with robot deployments to preparing human workers with personal protective equipment such as fire suits (p. 14).
Chen adds mobile drones and robots often do the “dirty and dangerous” work, freeing humans to perform much bigger, collaborative tasks. So, while fears understandably arise that humans will be replaced in plants like fireworks are being replaced at Independence Day celebrations, rest assured the technology is available to augment digitalized process control, not dominate it.
And there’s also the reality that there aren’t as many workers to replace. It’s no secret that next-generation process control engineers are hard to find. As Russ Rhinehart shows in his feature on scarce engineering graduates (p. 31), the downward trend in interest in the discipline will soon make hiring entry-level employees very competitive. Having automated processes at the ready means those new hires can be used for more thought-provoking and collaborative ideation. It may actually be a more interesting and exciting way to begin their careers.
This discussion isn't new. The convergence of humans and automation is a debate happening in all walks of life. We’ll continue to explore how we’ll adapt to the influx of robots and drones in our lives, but it behooves us to remember that just as the drones in the sky aren’t destroying our summer nights, they aren’t destroying our work either.
LEN VERMILLION Editor-in-Chief lvermillion@endeavorb2b.com
"Drones and robots are part of automation growth and, like it or not, they're increasing in value to process operators because safety, efficiency and sustainability are paramount."
VP of industry programs and alliances
Navigating sustainability complexity
For sustainability projects, the objective is more than gaining the biggest return on investment
CONSIDER a common situation in a refinery or chemical plant: an old, natural gas-fired heater is the focus of a possible upgrade, replacing its combustion control system and burners. The new equipment promises to reduce fuel consumption by 15%. Traditionally, the decision to make such a change would hinge on the cost of buying the new hardware and installing it compared to the fuel cost saved. There might be some additional benefits if nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are tightly regulated, but it’s probably a minor factor.
These days, sustainability questions likely enter the discussion, too. Let’s say the facility has a reliable supply of natural gas at a good price, but the new equipment is expensive. Yes, it will achieve the promised gas consumption reduction, but it will take 10 years or more to realize the full payoff. Based strictly on a cost/benefit analysis, such a project likely gets passed over in favor of something with a more aggressive return on investment (ROI). Sustainability considerations can change this picture.
Carbon neutrality costs
The traditional question is, “How much money can we make or save from a project against the cost?” Now, an added question is, “How much carbon emissions can we eliminate against the cost?” This question has its own analytical tool and representation: the marginal abatement cost curve graph (MACC), which helps rank projects based on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) or equivalent (CO2e) avoided or reduced against the cost (net present value) per ton. Looking at the graph, let’s think about what it illustrates (Figure 1).
Each rectangle on the graph represents a project. The width of the rectangle indicates the amount of CO2e reduction. The height is the cost per ton. For example, carbon capture and storage (CCS) by large process furnaces can eliminate a large amount of CO2e at a relatively low cost. On the other hand,
electrification of large recycle compressors has a small reduction effect, but a high cost.
Digging deeper into the analysis by looking at the left end of the graph, some projects (blue rectangles) more than pay for themselves, while also reducing emissions, though, the reduction for most is modest. Nonetheless, since they offer positive capital effects, they merit serious examination. At the opposite end of the graph (green rectangles), deciding to start producing green hydrogen has a high cost and results in limited CO2e reduction.
For most facilities, looking at projects close to where the green rectangles first break north of the horizontal axis is inexpensive and practical, although with limited effectiveness in terms of emissions reduction. Examples shown include:
• Tank heater and heat tracing electrification (replacing steam);
• Column reboiler electrification (replacing steam and conventional fired heaters);
• Process modifications for increased heat integration and recovery (improving overall efficiency);
• Flare gas recovery (reducing energy waste);
• High-efficiency lighting (reducing energy waste).
CCS projects that typically pump carbon dioxide into the ground rather than release it to atmosphere have a modest cost, but provide a sizeable reduction, and may be practical for further study.
Selecting projects
The challenge for companies when implementing a sustainability initiative is to look at individual projects that improve resource use, reduce energy consumption, expand use of green energy, and reduce carbon emissions. Compiling a potential project list related to carbon emissions starts with brainstorming sessions involving operations management, operators, process engineers, information
MARCELO CARUGO
Emerson
PETE SHARPE
principle consultant Emerson
Green Hydrogen
Electric Process Heaters - Crude, Vacuum Unit
Electric Steam Boilers
Large Recycle Compressors Electrification Blue Hydrogen
Large Process Furnaces CCS
Renewable power substitution for existing power usage
FCC Regenerator Flue Gas CCS
Utility Plant CCS
Hydrogen Plant CCS
Tank Heaters and Heat Tracing Electrification
Column Reboiler Electrification Process Modifications for increased Heat Integration and Recovery Flare gas recovery High Efficiency Lighting
Condensate/cooling twr avail/eff Unit Advanced Control
Emissions Monitoring & Control Process Heater Automation Upgr Site Energy Mgmt and RTO Producing SAF Producing Renewable Diesel
Figure 1: A typical MACC graph shows project cost per ton of CO2e (y axis) against the amount of emission reduction (x axis). The CO2e offset credit line represents what might typically be available as a public subsidy or tax credit to offset the project cost. Source: Emerson
technology, production planning and reliability representatives, with guidance from industry subject matter experts. Participants must consider all associated effects for improving operational efficiency, reliability, yields, energy efficiency, waste, off-spec product reduction, flaring, regulated emissions control, electrification and other areas. Ideas should be consolidated and ranked based on cost, impact, difficulty and timeframe. The result is an extensive project list that serves as the input to the next step in the process—project analysis.
Ultimately, projects can be placed on the MACC graph to compare their effect in the larger picture of the facility. In many cases, a project that improves energy usage, yields, production or reliability can be justified on its own merits, and has a positive net present value. In some cases, projects won’t show a positive net present value, but are justified based on CO2e emissions reductions. A CCS project is a prime example since it doesn’t affect production—positively or negatively—because its cost solely reduces emissions.
Validity of analysis
An analytical tool is only as good as the data it’s evaluating, and estimating the CO2e reduction of some projects is more challenging than others. Projects that reduce fuel or steam consumption, and CCS implementations, are relatively easy to quantify. However, electrifying fuel-burning equipment requires a plant model to estimate new steam and fuel balances, develop project cost estimates, and gauge the impact on CO2e emissions. There’s also the potential to move pollution somewhere else if the utility serving a facility is generating electricity by burning natural gas, or worse, coal. Reducing CO2e at the facility by increasing coal consumption somewhere else is false sustainability.
We define net-zero as complete elimination of fossil fuel use. The concept really isn’t practical for a facility of any size or complexity because it requires the use of technologies and green-power sources that aren’t available in sufficient quantities in most areas. Greater investments in wind farms and solar power to support net-zero plant sites will be necessary throughout the world. Such projects need time to consider approvals, permitting, engineering and building before they’ll make significant contributions. Many such projects are underway, but their full effect is some time away.
In the meantime, adding a CCS system to a furnace exhaust, for example, can still make major sustainability contributions. Implementation must begin with sophisticated engineering analysis to define their cost and design parameters. At the same time, projects shown on the MACC graph at the cost break line, such as flare gas recovery, energy management systems, high-efficiency lighting and combustion optimization, can be self-financing and implemented in the short term.
While the MACC graph is an excellent tool for defining and prioritizing likely projects, it ignores many factors, including:
• Prioritization of multiple projects across a multi-year timeframe;
• Risks associated with various technology options;
• Capital budget constraints, competition among multiple projects, approval snags and other obstacles; and
• Cooperation of third-parties, such as utilities, to provide additional green-power options. Clearly, more sophisticated evaluation tools are needed.
Marcelo Carugo is VP of industry programs and alliances at Emerson, working with downstream manufacturers on digital transformation through automation technologies. Pete Sharpe is a principal consultant with Emerson’s industrial software business, focusing on the petrochemical and chemical industries.
Basis: 250,000 BPD Refinery
A little cyber-insurance goes a long way
Are you certain your cybersecurity is up to the task?
THE investor analysts questioned the executive board about their cyber-exploits, “Can you please assess your capabilities to repel or recover from a cybersecurity breach?” It’s a valid inquiry, especially when stories (and non-stories) of utilities and manufacturing enterprises being halted by cyberattacks are now routine (https://on.wsj.com/4cpm2VG).
Less-than-brilliant hackers in their parents’ basements might take offense. There are ransomware exploits for sale on the dark web, which intruders can use to lock up your PCs until you pay them off. They’re competitively priced and ready to be deployed by any novice. Why wouldn’t CEOs turn to their CSOs or CISOs, and say, “Tell me we’re protected from this trash.” Perhaps, they might even use some profanity to describe their concerns.
Managed barriers—firewalls, for example— have been in place for years at the edges of our business networks, where they interact with the larger Internet. Still, exploits sneak through, unbeknownst to employees, who connect a phone to a company laptop for charging, or insert a USB drive for transferring a file via “sneaker net.” Emails are filtered for all manner of might-be spam. It’s a bettersafe-than-sorry philosophy for email delivery, especially because we get the chance to review blocked messages. Among the spam are phishing exploits that give attackers possible routes around cyber-barriers. Process control networks are largely isolated from the deranged and decadent free-for-all of today’s World Wide Web, at least we hope they are. One of the first things an auditor tests is whether you can “ping Google” from your distributed control system (DCS). For a few decades, we took comfort in the air gap that separates us from criminal exploits on the web.
However, Windows-based PCs and serverbased operating systems run most operator workstations, engineering consoles, historians
and database servers. Windows boxes have USB ports just like their business network kin, so unsuspecting end users can insert their diseased dongles or charge their infected iPhones. We block them, either with Group Policy Object (GPO) software in the Active Directory or with mechanical, USB port blockers. One vendor’s remedy for deploying group policy had the undocumented feature of also disabling USB ports serving mice and keyboards. This rendered useless an operator workstation—an essential tool for running a chemical plant. We spent hours into the weekend uninstalling the software, after which the affected workstations had to be reconstructed (bare metal install) from scratch.
Ethernet switches must have their unused ports physically blocked, and many of us have invested a few thousand dollars each to replace unmanaged switches with managed switches, which can lock down all their ports through firmware. This sounds great until the firmware has a hiccup and blocks a legit connection, or you swap out a workstation or a controller, and discover it has no connection to its kin on the process control network. Oops, forgot to unlock the ports. Issues such as these exemplify the core question of this essential tool of operations: is the cure worse than the disease?
The ideal control system is an uninterrupted connection to the (ideal) operator’s mind. They see flows, levels, pressures and their connections to the process, not numbers and graphics. It will not be a happy day when their workstations lock up, not because of ransomware, but because the latest unseen whitelisting update blocked an OPC connection or slowed their console to a crawl.
Thankfully, our system vendors vet the software to protect the OT domain. There’s hope that unknown features will be dispatched before the ladies and men at the console have an unfortunate experience.
JOHN REZABEK Contributing Editor JRezabek@ashland.com
" Process control networks are largely isolated from the deranged and decadent free-for-all of today’s World Wide Web, at least we hope they are."
IAN VERHAPPEN
Solutions Architect
Willowglen Systems
Ian.Verhappen@ willowglensystems.com
"IIoT devices are widely distributed, so they’re not always in a secure environment."
The benefits of the extra “I”
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices are critical to operations, so what provides the right stuff?
CONTINUING a discussion from my last column (June ’24, www.controlglobal.com/IOTproliferation) on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), let’s move into the process industry realm where I believe there are “fewer fools” because control professionals understand the basic requirements for configuration and testing. That’s not to say we don’t make mistakes, but we have standard change management and related procedures to circumvent accidents. We’re also aware of the potential consequences of mistakes and act accordingly.
So, other than IIoT devices being more critical than IoT devices such as your doorbell, what does the extra “I” really mean?
• IIoT devices are widely distributed, so they’re not always in a secure environment. And there are additional endpoints, so they’re more vulnerable than traditional field devices.
• Provisioning associated with connecting a device to the control system must be part of the security and architecture design.
• Automation with limited or no human intervention allows a system to fail gracefully, and recover from service interruptions.
• Integration with sensors and actuators connects the control system in multiple ways, including to cloud-computing services.
• Most industrial installations deploy hundreds or thousands of devices over wide areas and different applications to support reliable operations and asset management.
• Higher levels of accuracy are available, not only for measurements, but also to handle latency and response times because automated, high-speed machinery is synchronized down to milliseconds.
• Flexibility to be programmed or configured to meet specific applications. One sensor can measure multiple ranges over its life, depending on where and how it’s deployed.
• Industrial products are designed to operate for 20-30 years before a scale replacement is performed. Plus, they must run with high
availability and reliability since poor data from I/O reduces model accuracy.
• IIoT devices are often deployed in harsh environments that are regularly subjected to extreme cold, heat, vibration, pressure and hazardous/flammable (gas/dust) conditions.
• System architectures must be resilient and always complete their processes, so they don’t negatively impact operations.
• IIoT devices must be serviceable to sustain levels of performance required over anticipated lifecycles.
• Advanced analytics are crucial to extract actionable insights, including self-diagnostics, from machine-generated data that drives major operational improvements.
We take this list for granted because that’s what control systems do. Though an IoT sensor may provide the right signal, it may not be able to do it for the multiple years required by industrial settings. Masking an IoT device in another shell to make it look like an IIoT device, or worse, fake, forged or knock-off units that look the same right down to the packaging is another challenge.
One possible way to reduce the likelihood of a fake or forged unit is with digital nameplates or electronic labels that are directly linked to the manufacturer to provide original certificates, user manuals, software updates, etc. Unfortunately, electronic labeling has too many global variations by country, industry or even manufacturer. The recently completed IEC 63365 committee’s work on a digital nameplate standard, known as IEC SC65E WG2, is one such standard for process transmitters, but there are similar standards for medical devices and others. To help with the interoperability of these electronic labels, NEMA has started an initiative analogous to the unique identifier (UID) used in asset management to define a baseline for all intelligent labels regardless of industry or application. Time will tell if they’re successful.
PENNY
CHEN senior technology strategist, Yokogawa penny.chen@yokogawa.com
"By performing lower value tasks, robots enable people to focus on strategic efforts that can't be automated."
Integrating mobile robots in plants
Ideally, process control systems can seamlessly exchange real-time data with robots on missions
MANY industrial process operations deploy mobile robots for a variety of purposes. A “mission,” during which a robot travels to one or more specified locations in the plant, can be for visual inspection, sound detection, emissions or leak detection, thermographic inspections, a mapping survey, or routine surveillance that simulates an operator’s round.
Mobile robots can incorporate human-like capabilities, such as hearing, sight, smell and touch, which enable them to read gauges, record sound signatures, detect hot and cold spots, pinpoint leaks, determine valve positions, and detect abnormal objects.
In today’s era of staffing shortages, prospective users no longer need to wrestle with the idea of replacing human workers with machines. By performing lower value tasks, robots enable people to focus on strategic efforts that can’t be automated.
Mobile robots increase safety by reducing risks to the workforce. The “dirty and dangerous” assignments they perform keep people out of harm’s way. By venturing into hazardous areas, robots not only increase workforce safety, but they also increase productivity. Process operators have favorably compared the time and costs associated with robot deployments to preparing human workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) such as fire suits. This is particularly effective during night shifts. On missions such as operator rounds, robots have proven they can reduce errors and rework.
If we expand the definition of mobile robots to include drones, the benefits extend to include coverage of difficult-to-access locations. Most human workers are happy to forego climbing ladders on antennas, elevated water tanks, smokestacks and wind turbines.
For predictive and prescriptive management purposes, drones and mobile robots typically use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to enable data analysis and fusion based on inputs from their payloads.
While many industrial process operations deploy or test them, use cases are still limited. Some users say one issue related to incorporating them into their standard operating procedures is time. The user experience, training, maintenance and proofs-of-concept (and value) have been very positive.
One of the primary challenges is that no one robot can do everything necessary. While the digital platforms in today’s drones and mobile robots are generally excellent, there are incompatibilities among models.
For an industry experiencing digital transformation, this creates the potential for more silos. Each robot has its own proprietary interface and type of data storage, on premise or in the cloud. A large data volume can be collected—but good data orchestration and analysis are necessary for predictive and actionable knowledge.
Questions remain about how robot data can be used by all the entities in the enterprise’s database such as the process control system. Ideally, the process control system could seamlessly exchange data with robots in realtime during missions.
Fortunately, a solution is available. Using a software platform for robot fleet management, the direction and data collection from multiple types of robots can be performed in a unified manner. In addition to asset performance management, robot-supplied data can be associated with control/safety systems and used for operational purposes.
By unifying data from all robots, this platform gives users a comprehensive visualization on one web browser. A dedicated viewer isn’t required. Media data collected by the robot, such as photos and audio, can be viewed live.
Regardless of the robot model, there is one, unified environment for user experience and enterprise data. This enables, not only digital transformation with mobile robots, but also autonomous operations.
HUG tackles energy, cybersecurity and AI
Honeywell User Group 2024 draws 1,100 attendees to Madrid
TO keep its customers ahead of today's looming challenges, Honeywell Process Solutions (process.honeywell.com) provided its usual host of solutions and expert advice to more than 1,100 visitors from 54 countries at its 47th annual Honeywell User Group 2024 on June 10-13 in Madrid, Spain. The event was the first of two this year because HUG Americas is scheduled for Oct. 1-3 in Dallas, Texas.
Pramesh Maheshwari, president of Honeywell Process Solutions, reported that HUG 2024’s agenda focused on three development efforts that are key to industrial progress—energy transition, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Digital transformation, especially facilitated by AI, plays a central role in advancing key business objectives, but implementation can keep you up at night,” said Maheshwari. “How do you ensure that AI systems are integrated consistently, scalably and holistically?”
AI on all sides
Maheshwari also stressed AI’s importance in training and retaining next-generation workforces. “AI facilitates training by augmenting human capabilities,” he said. “Imagine predictive abilities that allow workers to envision future developments and intervene proactively. This technology holds the potential to revolutionize the productivity and effectiveness of workers whether they're in maintenance, operations or engineering roles.”
Maheshwari added that many AI capabilities are already available in Honeywell’s products. However, as AI and digital transformation increase automation and network
connections, risks of cyber-intrusions and cyber-attacks also increase. “We’re bringing AI to other core capabilities to make plants run better and more safely and for organizations to respond more quickly,” he explained. “Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue. It’s a core business priority.”
On the energy transition front, Maheshwari reported that Honeywell is actively seeking to reduce emissions. “And not through monthly estimates, but in real-time, with detection, measurement, monitoring and reporting. We’re also investing in battery storage technology to facilitate industrial energy transitions.”
Experion and friends
Jason Urso, CTO for industrial automation at Honeywell, added, “Digitalization is changing the ways all plants operate, and we’re keeping them ahead of the curve with capital project executions in less time and with lower risk. This is done by automating digital twins during commissioning to improve reliability; continuous evolution to achieve new benefits while protecting decades of existing investments; and superior operations that let every user work like a 30-year expert and make every day their best day of production.”
Users can achieve these unprecedented gains by implementing the Experion PKS Highly Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE), which is now faster, simpler, lower risk, less costly, more reliable, and uses new software tools to streamline migration projects. Urso reported that mass standardization can be achieved by using Honeywell’s Universal I/O modules and marshalling along with its Universal Process Cabinet (UPC) products, which simplify engineering due to standard wiring and controls that reduce or eliminate many traditional tasks. Likewise, they can interact with their Experion PKS Control HIVE and I/O HIVE counterparts in production areas to eliminate engineering efforts. Beyond its gains with Universal I/O and marshalling, Experion PKS HIVE has also been buoyed by the recent release of the Control Network (CN) 100 module for Series C I/O HIVE, OneWireless access points, and other new CN modules.
“Control HIVE delivers comprehensive flexibility by allowing any module to communicate with any controller,” explained Urso. “It also reduces project risk with a digital twin, allowing users to better manage operational flows, reduce factory acceptance test (FAT) times, and reduce alarm rationalizations and control-tuning tasks.”
For full coverage, visit www.controlglobal.com/sponsored-content/article/55059252/live-from-honeywell-users-group-2024
Pramesh Maheshwari, president of Honeywell Process Solutions.
Source: Keith Larson and Endeavor Business Media
SIGNALS AND INDICATORS
• Schneider Electric (www.se.com) released a report June 25 that estimates electrification of U.S. industries will increase by half from 30% at present to 45% by 2030, a 50-percentage-point increase. The report, compiled by Schneider's Sustainability Research Institute, also recognizes the potential for a corresponding 25% reduction in fossil fuel demand over the same period. It’s available at www.se.com/ ww/en/insights/post/the-untold-potential-and-rationale-ofindustrial-electrification-in-the-united-states
• Co-owners of the Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), FDT Group (www.fdtgroup.org/pa-dim), FieldComm Group (www.fieldcommgroup.org/pa-dim), ISA 100 WCI, NAMUR, ODVA (www.odva.org/pa-dim), OPC Foundation (www.opcfoundation.org/pa-dim), Profibus and Profinet International (www. profibus.com/pa-dim), VDMA and ZVEI, released PA-DIM Version 1.1 specification on June 11. It includes expanded device type support for process analyzers and an enhanced basic hierarchy structure with new extensions to benefit users and suppliers.
• INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA (www.ineos-op.com) and NextEra Energy Resources LLC (www.nexteraenergyresources.com) broke ground June 20 on INEOS Hickerson Solar, a new 310-MW solar project in Bosque County, Texas. Expected to produce 730,000 MWh of clean energy annually, the project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 310,000 tons per year. The output of INEOS Hickerson Solar aims to cover the net purchased electricity load for all 14 of INEOS O&P USA’s manufacturing, fractionation and storage facilities.
• FieldComm Group (www.fieldcommgroup.org) reported June 27 that it’s successfully approved physical layer conformity of ABB’s (www.abb.com) first vortex flowmeter (VortexMaster FSV400) and swirl flowmeter (SwirlMaster FSS400) with Ethernet Advanced Physical Layer (Ethernet-APL) communication interfaces, following a series of tests. Ethernet-APL (IEEE 802.3gc or 10Base-TL1) is a new member of the family of Ethernet standards, providing full Ethernet and TCP/IP connectivity in hazardous environments at 10Mbit/s for field instruments over fieldbus Type A cables.
RELIABLE MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS
CONTROL AMPLIFIED The Process Automation Podcast
Control Amplified offers in-depth interviews and discussions with industry experts about important topics in the process control and automation field, going beyond Control's print and online coverage to explore underlying issues affecting users, system integrators, suppliers and others in the process industries.
Check out some of the latest episodes, including:
Coriolis technology tackling green hydrogen extremes
FEATURING EMERSON'S GENNY FULTZ AND MARC BUTTLER
Ultrasonic technology takes on hydrogen, natural gas blends
FEATURING SICK SENSOR INTELLIGENCE'S DUANE HARRIS
Asset-specific insights to transform service workflows
FEATURING EMERSON'S BRIAN FRETSCHEL
Analytics enabling next-generation OEE
FEATURING SEEQ'S JOE RECKAMP
BARRY BAKER
Vice President, Trihedral Engineering Limited
Factors to determine total cost of ownership of SCADA systems
THE classic economic definition of the total cost of ownership (TCO) is the purchase price of an asset plus its operating costs over the asset’s lifespan. While this may be relatively easy to calculate for hard goods like a piece of machinery, the cost factors for soft goods, such as SCADA software, are more complicated to ascertain due to their wide range of features and licensing models. Control talked with Barry Baker, vice president of Trihedral Engineering Limited, to gain some insights from his more than 30 years of SCADA systems experience in many diverse industries.
Q: What factors would be considered in determining the TCO of a SCADA System?
A: Most SCADA systems will be required to operate for a decade or more before any major disruptive changes in an OT environment, so the TCO calculation can be divided into three distinct phases: build, operate and maintain. They can be performed by different users and both analog and digital factors are used in the calculation of TCO.
Q: What are analog and digital factors?
A: Costs that can be calculated, such as the purchase price or I/O capacity per license, are analog in nature. A digital consideration is something such as reliability, which translates to a question of the cost of failure to the purchaser. For most in our industry, pricing in failure is simply a no-go, so it becomes digital, either meeting the reliability threshold or not. One customer evaluating SCADA software products had an option to get free SCADA software included from a potential hardware vendor. While the purchasing department liked the price, the project owner noted the free software could cost a lot if it failed in the monitoring of their billion-dollar asset portfolio. You can guess that they determined free, with uncertain reliability, was not really an option.
Q: How is this different from the TCO calculation for an IT system?
A: While OT and IT systems are both software, most IT systems tend to follow the major release cycles in OS platforms, such as the three-to-five-year schedule of major releases of Microsoft Windows or associated IT hardware, which responds to changes in processors, network types or compatibility with other IT hardware. In contrast, most OT systems focus on industrial control hardware for a particular process that's required to have high availability disrupted with weekly updates. In some OT operations there are stringent change controls to minimize risks to critical infrastructure because there's a possibility of unintended consequences when performing updates. In other industries, OT system engineering may be subject to laws regarding professional engineering practices due to their legislated liabilities relating to serving the public.
Q: What considerations are there for initial purchase price?
A: The purchase price translates into the license cost because software is conveyed by its license vs. physical transfer of hard goods. The license agreement determines how the software operates and under what restrictions. The common forms of operation are perpetual licenses that never terminate, or time-limited software-as-a-service (SaaS) licenses that are common in cloud-based systems. In a SaaS agreement, the purchaser is required to periodically pay a license fee for the software to continue to operate, whereas perpetual is a one-time initial charge.
When evaluating both, there is the analog consideration of the time-value of money over the expected lifetime of use coupled with a possible yearly price escalation on SaaS because most systems are not immune from inflation. In a digital consideration, the
purchaser must “guesstimate” the expected lifespan of the SaaS and determine their upset cost if it's discontinued. When it comes to impact from license restrictions, the purchaser must evaluate potential costs of any obligations to the software licensor, such as purchaser being required to indemnify the software supplier for certain activities or license breaches. The software license may have a stated limitation of use that can expose the purchaser to liability for selecting the wrong product if a failure later occurred. Finally, there is the determination of how much software is needed and/or if any additional components are required to meet the application needs. An example is determining the number of I/O to be monitored. Are you forced to pay for the maximum product size, or can you reduce costs by sizing it to what you need? This should not be confused with what the license agreement allows, as “unlimited I/O license” means it can monitor an infinite amount of I/O, which isn’t practical since computers have processing limitations.
Q: What are build-phase considerations?
A: Systems which come with integrated functionality will have a lower build cost vs. having to write code to achieve the same. The argument that writing code allows flexibility overlooks the hidden costs to maintain that code over the lifespan of the system. The timeframe includes product, OS, and personnel changes that impact how a particular script performs, and is called technical debt. There are other considerations as computer languages can fall out of favor in support, or be blocked by security concerns or changes to licensing models, such as VBA and JAVA.
Also, a user must consider ease of configuration. Are there any separate sub-components that must be configured to achieve system functionality? Is the database ready to use or are there license costs and administration time to be considered? If so, the complexity in the solution will result in more build time and costs.
Q: What are operate-phase cost considerations?
A: The purchaser must determine if the product is intuitive and easy to learn. Operators will change over the system lifespan, so what is the cost to train new people? Can it be self-taught or easily learned with on-the-job teaching from other operators?
Also, does the product include tools that aid the operator, such as ISA 18.2 alarm management, easy navigation, operator notes, and the ability to trend and analyze suspect I/O without requiring additional engineering work?
Finally, how easy is it to recover from errors? Software with integrated features allows for fast recovery, and results in lower operational costs. These features are sometimes available as third-party products but require additional integration time. User workflow enforcement ensures use vs. the “always-on” availability of integrated product solutions.
Q: What are maintenance cost considerations?
A: The first is how easy it is to update and maintain product concurrency. We want to avoid the Windows XP trap, where the OS was provided with patches for many years but otherwise abandoned with regards to product evolution. In the end, when Microsoft terminated support, users were forced to make major changes with disruptions to their businesses. Products that provide an easy evolution path by maintaining backward compatibility are less costly to maintain vs. purchasing a major product version and undergoing rework of the application on a periodic basis.
For more information, visit VTScada.com
The factors that determine a SCADA system’s TCO may not be what you think. Source: Trihedral Engineering Limited
BUILDING GREEN
It’s time to construct the infrastructures that hydrogen economies, net-zero emission targets and other sustainability goals will require
by Jim Montague
ONCE we decide where to go, we start looking for the shortest path. The same goes for pursuing net-zero carbon emissions and other sustainability goals. Once we muster the will to take the first step, we pack what we think we’ll need for the trip, and begin seeking ways to smooth and straighten the road to going green.
Because net-zero targets and sustainability are almost impossible to approach as one big goal, most overall efforts are broken up into smaller programs and projects. For instance, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (ghgprotocol.org) classifies a company’s GHG emissions as direct emissions from its owned or controlled sources (Scope 1), indirect emissions from generating purchased energy (Scope 2), and indirect emissions, not included in Scopes 1 and 2, which occur in the value chain of the reporting company (Scope 3), including upstream emissions by its contractors and suppliers, and downstream emissions by its clients and customers.
Hydrogen becomes a battery
One of the hottest topics in sustainability today is using hydrogen to store power. However, what makes it even more attractive to net-zero supporters is using the excess capacity of renewable energy sources like solar and wind to electrolyze water into green hydrogen, which can be consumed, emissions-free at a later time.
“Because green hydrogen uses renewable energy like solar and wind, and could decarbonize many industries, it’s been a focus of ours for some time,” says Justin Ryan, director of technology and energy transition at Avid Solutions Inc. (avidsolutionsinc.com), a system integrator and certified member of the Control System Integrators Association (www.controlsys.org). “Green hydrogen can be used when alternative energy sources aren’t feasible, when electrification and batteries aren’t viable, or where carbon-intensive hydrogen is used in manufacturing.”
Ryan reports that Avid was the system integrator for the largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer facility in the U.S., which started production in January 2024. The Plug (www.plugpower.com) plant is located in Woodbine, Ga., and produces up to 15-tons per day of liquid hydrogen. Plug produces hydrogen that’s used by its fleet of fuel cells or sold to customers.
“Fuel cells require hydrogen to produce power. As a result, Plug steadily acquired companies and technologies to produce green hydrogen themselves. Leveraging their PEM electrolyzer technology, Plug built its first
industrial-scale production facility. Its electrolyzer and overall, balance-of-plant (BOP) controls were designed and deployed by Avid. These controls were based on Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx process automation system. This includes the controls of all BOP applications, including pure water for electrolysis, plant air, cooling systems, purge gas, power distribution and rectifier integration, and storage and shipping terminals. In addition to the BOP controls, we integrated unit controls for the main process consisting of electrolysis, gas drying, puregas filtering and liquification,” explains Ryan. “For example, liquefaction uses a cryogenic process to compress and cool hydrogen for storage and shipment at -423 °F based on Chart Industries technology. All of these assets were designed to be integrated and work together.”
The facility also has FM-listed, fire-and-gas system (FGS) protection and a safety instrumented systems (SIS) provided by Avid. These act as independent layers of protection. The FGS was designed with detector placement based on a provided gas dispersion analysis. The provided detectors monitor for leaks, flame and gas concentration above a safe, lower explosive limit (LEL).
Liquid, green hydrogen from the Woodbine plant is shipped via cryogenic storage trucks to clients with large warehouses, such as Amazon, Wal-Mart and Home Depot, which use it in their hydrogen-powered forklifts. These retailers can refill a forklift with hydrogen in about five minutes, compared to needing 15 hours to recharge a battery-powered forklift. “The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DoE) estimates that demand for hydrogen in the U.S. will reach 10 million metric tons per year (MMT/ yr) by 2030 and 50 MMT/yr by 2050,” says Ryan. “To achieve this goal, tax breaks are available for switching to renewable energy sources or using them in infrastructure projects. To demonstrate some of this capability, Caterpillar and Microsoft use hydrogen fuel cells for data center backup power as a replacement for a fossil-fuel solution.”
Sun up, electrolyze and store
One of the earliest commitments to sustainability in the process industries was made in 2017 by Yokogawa (www.yokogawa.com), which pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and transition worldwide to a circular economy by the same year, along with maintaining the well-being of its employees, customers and communities.
“I’ve been at Yokogawa for more than 30 years, so I know we’ve been involved in the energy sector for a
long time. However, we’re now developing new energy sectors that are very different from our usual refining and petrochemical processes,” says Gou Iwata, head of business strategy and water business development at Yokogawa’s Energy and Sustainability division. “These projects aren’t just photovoltaics and wind, which are getting bigger and bigger They’re mostly smaller than our usual pumps and compressors. In either case, they need suitable process automation and controls, which can also meet Scope 1, 2 and 3 goals for reducing CO2 emissions and help save energy, too.”
For example, Gou reports that Yokogawa Australia recently provided an energy management system (EMS) for a 10-MW electrolyzer, 18-MW solar plant, and 8 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Yuri Green Hydrogen Project (arena.gov.au/ projects/yuri-renewable-hydrogen-toammonia-project) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project is a joint venture between Mitsui and Engie Renewables Australia Pty., Ltd., with engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) services provided by Technip Energies and Monford Group Pty., Ltd.
The Yuri facility will use solar power to produce up to 640 tons per year of green hydrogen, which will be used as a feedstock to produce green ammonia by 2030 at an adjacent ammonia plant operated by Yara Pilbara Fertiliser (YPF) Pty., Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Yara International ASA, one of the world's largest producers of nitrogen-based, mineral fertilizers. Yokogawa’s subsidiary, PXiSE Energy Solutions (pxise.com), is developing the EMS for the solar power plant, BESS and electrolyzer. It will be combined with an integrated control system (ICS) centering on a Collaborative Information (CI) Server that Yokogawa will also provide as part of the project’s first phase. The EMS will manage the Yuri facility’s inverter and batteries,
while the ICS and related PLCs will manage its RTUs, SCADA system and PXiSE software. Once these systems are installed and integrated, the plant's renewable energy production will be managed autonomously to ensure consistent stability and power quality based on the ammonia plant’s operating requirements, local weather and other factors (Figure 1).
“We’ve already spent about a year integrating Yuri’s control systems, including PXiSE’s EMS, which is especially important because this greenhydrogen process requires consistent, high-quality electricity to produce high-quality hydrogen,” explains Gou. “This can be difficult for a solar plant due to clouds and other factors. This is where battery storage comes in to cover gaps and maintain a steady power supply, while BESS relies on PXiSE’s high-speed controls.”
“Because sustainability depends on who you are and what you’re doing, we ask potential users if they’re aware of the energy they’re using to make their products,” says Gou. “Many users aren’t measuring energy parameters as closely as needed. They may know their overall energy consumption, but they aren’t measuring per machine or unit produced. So, we suggest they consider digitalizing, getting more granular, and measuring the electricity, water, steam and/or compressed air used per unit, so they can compare production lines. We do the same for Yokogawa’s manufacturing areas, and each department has energy budgets and sustainability goals.”
Gou reports these efforts are aided by Yokogawa’s newly launched OpreX Carbon Footprint Tracer software, which gathers and analyzes sensor data. “We looked at one of our production lines that was supposedly shut down during lunch, and found that it was still using lots of power. We evaluated its performance with our software, pinpointed leaks in its compressed air lines, and found it was
also leaking water elsewhere. Any user can track and optimize parameters like this, and deal with leaks or other issues, beginning with easy items and then moving on to harder ones. Many users traditionally leave equipment running for perceived quality or safety issues, but there’s proof that they don’t need to. Likewise, many plants turn on heating equipment too early in the day, when they could use timers instead.”
Gou adds that sustainability can also be achieved by considering how process applications and facilities are designed, and applying system integration to balance production with some added requirements. “Many users have dealt with peaks in electricity availability before, but with solar power, that peak may shift to 2-3 p.m., and they may need battery coverage to shift it,” says Gou. “PXiSE is good at high-speed frequency and voltage control, and making adjustments in five minutes, which is similar to using model-predictive control and digital twins. Yokogawa comes from the operations technology (OT) side, so we’re all about collecting and using measurements for optimizing operations. Sustainability also uses measurements, and communicates them for the future of our planet.”
Control extends green beyond efficiency
While many process industry professionals increase sustainability via the familiar efficiency improvements they’ve pursued all along, reducing CO2 emissions also means going in some unfamiliar directions. This is another reason why net-zero initiatives are broken up into Scope 1, 2 and 3 categories, which Emerson (www.emerson.com) adapts into three pillars:
• “Greening of Emerson” for improving its own sustainability;
• “Greening by Emerson” for supporting the sustainability efforts of its customers with process automation and related technologies; and
Figure 1: The plan for a 10-MW electrolyzer, 18-MW solar plant and 8 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Yuri Green Hydrogen Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia specifies it will use an energy management system (EMS) from Yokogawa’s PXiSE Energy Solutions and an integrated control system (ICS) centering on a Collaborative Information Server that Yokogawa will also provide. The EMS will manage the facility’s inverter and batteries, while the ICS and related PLCs will manage its RTUs, SCADA system and PXiSE software. The Yuri facility will use solar power to produce up to 640 tons per year of green hydrogen, which will be used as a feedstock to produce green ammonia at an adjacent ammonia plant by 2030. Source: Yokogawa
• “Greening with Emerson” for working with other partners, larger communities and governments to drive future sustainability innovations.
While it’s been developing the technologies needed to support power generation of blended natural gas with hydrogen for several years, Emerson also explores how to automate generation and storage of hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. Supporters expect this green hydrogen will enable the creation of a circular economy with little or no waste or negative environmental impact.
“Using excess renewable energy capacity to make green hydrogen turns it into a storage media because that hydrogen can be used later in gas turbines or other applications,” says James Fraser, global renewable power VP at Emerson’s Power and Water Solutions business. “These efforts are further enabled by our Ovation Green
renewable power portfolio of solutions, which can manage I/O for power generation, safety controls, software for managed assets and optimization technologies. All of our tools can pull more details from assets, which means they can be deployed, maintained and scheduled more efficiently. They’re also using more advanced control algorithms to predict performance, which can help with renewable energy production and storage decisions, too.”
To develop more renewable energy applications that might eventually support green hydrogen production and storage, Emerson was recently enlisted by Lodestone Energy (lodestoneenergy.co.nz) to automate New Zealand’s first large-scale, solarphotovoltaic (PV) project at two 25MW sites at Kaitaia and Edgecumbe. However, efficient generation and distribution of solar PV requires precise
coordination of multiple, third-party devices and controls that can give operators complete visibility, intuitive capabilities and grid stability. Consequently, the utility is implementing Emerson’s Ovation Green solar platform, using an Ovation DCS and OCR3000 controllers to provide comprehensive control that will minimize the impact of solar PV’s variability and intermittent performance (Figure 2).
"New Zealand’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is an ambitious endeavor that will require many renewable, power-generation sources to be safely and rapidly brought online,” says Peter Apperley, engineering GM at Lodestone. “Emerson’s expertise in automation software for power generation and sustainability will help us build a world-class facility more quickly, while also integrating more seamlessly with the national grid to drive successful, efficient operations over the lifecycle of the plant."
Lodestone’s solar PV project requires multiple interfaces to thirdparty systems, including inverters, high-voltage switchboards, weather stations, security systems and grid-authorized RTUs. The Ovation platform will act as a process orchestration tool to seamlessly connect these devices to provide fast and intuitive visibility for operators. Ovation automation technologies and OCR300 controllers will also make it easier for the utility’s operators to quickly respond to grid-frequency events, while Ovation’s enterprise data solutions will provide secure monitoring of solar PV operations at the control room or on mobile devices by measuring, monitoring and reporting key performance indicators. Finally, the Ovation platform and green-solar solution is suited to supporting compliance with New Zealand’s energy participation code.
“There are some easy sustainability wins and ROI in power generation and process applications by optimizing existing assets, which can move
FRESH GREEN GUIDANCE
Net-zero pledges and other sustainability efforts have multiplied in different professions and regions, and produced guidance that shares common suggestions but also expresses key differences. Here’s an updated list of the notable organizations and links:
• American Chemical Society's 12 principles of green engineering (www.acs.org/content/acs/en/greenchemistry/principles/12design-principles-of-green-engineering.html)
• AIChE's Institute for Sustainability (www.aiche.org/ifs)
• Carbon Disclosure Project and Leadership Index (www.cdp.net)
• Climate Group’s (www.theclimategroup.org) EP100 Initiative
• The Carbon Trust (www.carbontrust.com)
• EcoVadis Sustainability Ratings (ecovadis.com/suppliers)
• Environmental Defense Fund’s Pathways to net-zero: a guide for business (business.edf.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/90/files/ Pathways-to-Net-Zero.pdf)
• Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) E3 sustainability tools (www.epa.gov/e3/e3-sustainability-tools)
• European Union's “Sustainability guide” (sustainabilityguide.eu)
• Investopedia's Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria (www.investopedia.com/terms/e/environmental-socialand-governance-esg-criteria.asp)
• ISO’s Embracing net-zero and guidelines (www.iso.org/climatechange/embracing-net-zero and www.iso.org/netzero)
• NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (www.nist.gov/ mep/manufacturing-reports/sustainability)
• UL's “Sustainability and environment solutions” (www.ul.com/ services/solutions/sustainability-and-environment-solutions)
• U.N.’s Net-Zero Coalition (www.un.org/en/climatechange/netzero-coalition) and U.N.'s 17 sustainable development goals (sdgs.un.org/goals)
• University of Oxford’s “Net-zero principles” (netzeroclimate.org/ policies-for-net-zero/net-zero-principles)
• World Economic Forum’s “Industrial sector turning net-zero goals into practice” (www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/06/industrial-sector-turning-net-zero-goals-into-practice)
them closer to their setpoints, and reduce costs and CO2 emissions,” adds Fraser. “However, users also need a larger, overall vision for sustainability that they can work back from. Hitting net-zero targets and achieving sustainability can’t be random. Making electricity with renewables and storing energy as hydrogen improves carbon footprints, but automation, software and more data can add more small wins that will eventually become big wins.”
System integrating sustainability
To keep its 2018 promise of reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% by 2030, Vinci Energies (www.vincienergies.com) in Nanterre, France, nearby Paris, organizes its sustainability efforts into three pillars: acting for the climate, working towards a circular economy, and preserving natural environments. These directives extend to the seven system integration companies it operates in North America, including Actemium industrial automation brand, Axians information and communication brand, and newly acquired Premier Automation LLC.
“Even though some companies were acquired more recently than 2018, we performed back calculations to establish baselines for each. Next, we record quarterly energy-use numbers due to electricity, natural gas and water consumed, and waste produced,” says Phillip Meyer, director of quality, health, safety, environment and IT at Vinci Energies North America. “This determines our Scope 1 and 2 performances for what we use as a company, and helps us begin to approach Scope 3 for what’s going on upstream, downstream and over applicable lifecycles.”
Meyer reports that Vinci Energies’ internal sustainability efforts let it carry over the same principles to projects for its clients. Some of its Actemium projects include:
• Actemium Avanceon is working on three antiquated chillers at a plant in New Jersey, which used to run its third chiller continuously and 100% manually based on operator “feel”—and just experienced it’s third hot-standby incident. Automating all the chillers into one optimized control system allows them to operate more judiciously, and is expected to reduce their peak energy use, earn rebates, and save $300,000 per year.
• Actemium Atlantic Canada is implementing Real-Time Coefficient of Performance (RtCOP), an AI based software it developed to automate refrigeration systems. RtCOP analyzes system capacities and theoretical power consumption, continuously and in real-time, for every combination of equipment that could run in a facility. The AI application takes advantage of existing temperatures, pressures, flows and compressor curves. It’s then linked seamlessly with the existing control system using a custom PlantPAX addon instruction. RtCOP selects equipment with the lowest calculated consumption, and optimizes setpoints to meet
provide comprehensive control that will minimize the impact of solar PV’s variability and intermittent performance. The Ovation platform will act as a process orchestration tool to seamlessly connect third-party systems, including inverters, high-voltage switchboards, weather stations, security systems and grid-authorized RTUs. Source: Emerson
plant requirements with the least energy consumption. It does this 24/7 and reduces kilowatt hours (kWh) by up to 26% per year. For example, a frozen food processor in Canada implemented RtCOP, and cut its annual electricity use by almost 2.6 million kWh, which is equivalent to approximately 455 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
• Actemium Toronto created a Data Management System (DMS) for a process that produces cement-free, carbonnegative concrete. The system pulls information from more than 200 data points from Rockwell PLCs managing temperature sensors, humidity sensors, drying timers, cooling timers and other devices. These are combined with more than 100 manually entered values and more than 100 calculated values to give the client information from dashboards to trend graphs to alarm status. The system gives the client the information required to verify the amount of carbon sequestered in the concrete it produces.
“Our leadership is committed to reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% based on 2018 figures, but sustainability also represents big efficiencies and savings in materials, power and logistics,” explains Meyer. “Many clients want to get in on those savings, too.”
Gauging green performance
Just as it’s crucial to include control strategies, cybersecurity and other performance attributes into automation projects before they’re designed and developed, Meyer stresses that sustainability must be on the same list.
“Vinci Energies’ Axians brand has created software for assessing the estimated carbon footprint of a given project, which must be provided in much of Europe,” says Meyer. “It also points out details, including potential CO2 savings. For example, instead of shipping infrastructure servers and switches for a light-rail project in Toronto from New Jersey to Italy for factory acceptance testing (FAT), it shows approximately how much CO2 and revenue can be saved by sending the equipment directly from New Jersey to Toronto, and performing the FAT remotely at the client’s site.”
Meyer adds that savings calculations like these will become increasingly important for evaluating future sustainability plans and projects. This is because he reports that green business activity is expected to multiply four to 10 times by 2030, and participants need some way to assess and compare which proposals will be the most beneficial.
“All of these projects will require automation to be efficient, but they’ll also need to determine which controls will be the most useful because many PLCs and other devices are becoming obsolete,” adds Meyer. “As usual, buy-in and investment from leadership will be vital to reaching net-zero targets. However, it will be just as crucial for managers to give their people chances to exercise their creativity when developing and applying sustainability solutions. There are many young people who are very interested in this, and they must be encouraged and given time to see what they can do with software and other tools that can reduce CO2 emissions and save money at the same time.”
Figure 2: To help New Zealand achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Lodestone Energy is automating the island nation’s first large-scale, solar-photovoltaic (PV) project at two 25-MW sites by implementing Emerson’s Ovation DCS and OCR3000 controller to
KENNY MARKS
Lithium and Battery
Business Development Manager
Emerson
Growing Li-ion battery market needs dynamic process control
LITHIUM-ION (Li-ion) batteries are becoming more prevalent as electrification takes hold of energy and transportation sectors. The manufacturing of these batteries requires a production and distribution process model that can keep up with the growing demand. Control spoke with Kenny Marks, Lithium and Battery Business Development Manager at Emerson, to get a sense of the challenges that customers encounter and innovative automation solutions that can help increase speed to market and help ensure reliable project execution.
Q: What trends drive the Li-ion market?
A: It's good to look at it from both the demand and supply sides because there's a lot happening in this space. There's been a big increase in the adoption and growth of electric vehicles.
As more renewable energy is used, it increases the need for energy storage systems. This, combined with traditional uses of Li-ion batteries like consumer electronics, results in an increased demand for batteries across the globe.
Shifting to supply, there are policies in place around supply chains and incentives for startups, joint ventures, partnerships and vertical integration that result in a massive amount of new investment globally, as well.
Q: What challenges face this industry?
A: The Li-ion value chain has complex processes to get to the battery in EVs driving on the street, whether it’s the upstream extraction or processing piece, building the battery itself, or the recycling of the battery when at endof-life. All of these verticals face unique challenges, but regardless of where in the value chain or the project customers may be, we see some common challenges.
A lot of customers wonder how to shorten project timelines without dramatically increasing risk. One thing happening is the use of
pilot projects to learn quickly what works and what doesn’t at a smaller scale. The challenge becomes how to leverage those learnings and scale up for production.
Once up and running, quality is incredibly important. The question becomes how to ensure that the most effective control strategies are in place.
Also, no matter what industry you're in, sustainability is a big topic. For example, how to build facilities and operate plants more efficiently and effectively when it comes to water and energy usage. There is also a lot of investment and innovation around making a more circular supply chain. That includes reclaiming minerals from end-of-life batteries and reintroducing them into the value chain.
Q: How does Emerson address the challenges customers face?
A : We're engaged and partnering with customers of all types—from startups to new joint ventures and partnerships to companies that have been in this space for a while and are growing or vertically integrating.
A s we talk to each customer, it's important for us to engage early and understand their unique challenges. Every project has different goals and complexities.
We address those challenges through a combination of things. One is our background and experience in process control and automation. We've built an innovative, easy-to-use DeltaV™ distributed control system that has been relied upon by customers across the globe in all major industries. And our knowledge of how to apply this comprehensive suite of technologies has helped ensure customers meet their business needs today, and in the future. Also, our global teams and consistent execution process help ensure that, no matter where the execution is happening, it is done effectively and efficiently.
Q: How do you help businesses get to market quickly?
A: Normally, when you try to do things faster there's a tradeoff when you eliminate steps. You can do things differently, but you're probably adding risk in another phase of the project. It might be shifting risk from project execution to startup, for instance.
We look at how we can make it less of a tradeoff by using new processes enabled by new technology and tools, so that when we shorten and eliminate steps in the project execution, we're not adding risk at another phase. For example, Emerson's Remote Virtual Offi ce (RVO) can do cloud engineering, so no matter where the project teams are, they can work together and collaborate across disciplines of the project. By leveraging Emerson's confi gure to order (CTO) cabinets, we can eliminate hardware FAT requirements and do FATs entirely virtually, within that RVO environment. And then, using Smart Commissioning in DeltaV and AMS Device Manager, we can further shorten project execution by eliminating tasks and performing hardware and software confi guration in parallel. This highly-automated device commissioning software not only reduces steps, it also eliminates risk.
the lithium value chain and helps optimize the value chain from the mine to the gigafactory.
Whether they're working on one project in one part of the value chain, or they're working on a multiphase project that's vertically integrated and touching multiple parts of the value chain, they know that they are working with an automation partner that has the technology and solutions to support them. Again, you think about risk, having that one partner really helps from a communication standpoint and eliminates touchpoints.
How can Emerson continue to meet customer demands while delivering high quality and compliance?
A: We've already touched on scalability. To expand a bit, the key is the ability to scale without impacting operations. The ability for customers to scale and grow seamlessly from pilot to production, and then add functionality online when they want to—with no impact to their operations—is a core benefit.
Q: Companies probably have automation software on their minds. How can you help?
A : It’s a top-of-mind conversation with a lot of customers. O ur DeltaV portfolio addresses key challenges throughout
FIND OUT MORE:
Hear more about DeltaV and lithium-ion batteries on the Control Amplified podcast at www.controlglobal.com/podcasts.
The big challenge typically with bad quality is poor control leading to high variability, and that's true here as well. There's complex, multi-input, multi-output processes we see in this industry that benefit from advanced control technology in addition to traditional PID control. Using the combined Emerson and AspenTech portfolio, customers can bring in Aspen DMC3™, a model predictive control platform, and enhance their quality
Then there’s artifi cial intelligence (AI) and analytics, and I think we're just seeing the beginning of how that technology can be used for multiple applications including quality. However, having good data is the key foundation to be able to leverage AI to improve your business decisions, improve your control, and learn about how different actions impact your operations. Again, regardless of where our customers are at in their journey to commercialized production and beyond, Emerson and our broad portfolio of austomation solutions can help.
Saudi Aramco offers field test results for a dielectric constant water cut meter with internal environmental and process temperature compensation in a liquid hydrocarbon process
by Ali S. Aldossary
THE petroleum industry typlically uses water cut meters to measure and monitor the volume percent (V%) of water in a liquid hydrocarbon product flowing from a well, produced from a separator, transfered in pipelines, or stored in loading tankers. There are several technologies used for such measurements with the main being dielectric measurements using radio or microwave frequency and near-infrared (NIR) measurements. Gamma ray-based instruments are also used, but they’re less common.
These measurements are important because excessive sour water carryover throughout the crude oil supply chain results in higher corrosion rates in pipelines, offspec crude oil supplies, and more water-to-evaporation ponds at terminals. One major challenge is finding a reliable, low-maintenance, accurate analyzer to measure low (0 - 0.2 V%) water cut at the outlets of gas-oil separation plants (GOSP). In additon, the analyzer needs the following features to measure correctly:
• Installing an inline, static mixer to homogenize the oil and water mixture;
• Installing sample probes to provide a representative sample for the analyzer;
• Installing a lab-sample, take-off point within 1 m of the analyzer probe; and
• Correct sample point location to obtain a representative sample.
One such analyzer, an electronic, dielectric-constant type measurement device, uses temperature and dielectric tables to compensate for temperature-induced dielectric changes from the process and the environment. It enables the analyzer to avoid drift after its first field calibration. The water cut meter is an insertive device with no analyzer shelter, and it requires a three-sided sunshade.
The analyzer has a built-in static mixer and lab-sample, take-off point, ensuring accurate measurement and validation. The water cut meter is a tested device with more than 16 years in the field, and it has a user list including international oil companies. It’s manufactured in flexible user ranges, which cover most upstream and downstream applications.
The advantages of this water cut include minimal maintenance, low operating expenditures (OPEX) and capital expenditures (CAPEX), and suitability for harsh weather conditions. It was piloted in the outlet of a desalter at an Aramco GOSP, and was monitored for more than a year. During that time, the water cut meter’s readings were found to be accurate when compared to lab analyses, and it had high online availability (>95%) and was shown to be robust. It also demonstrated an excellent response to process changes during field tests.
Continuous monitoring
The tested, dielectric-constant type, water-in-oil monitor is a full-bore, inline and online device designed to continuously
Photo: Crazy Lady / Shutterstock.com
monitor water content in flowing, hydrocarbon media (oil). It’s inline because it can fit into an existing pipeline, and it’s online because it can continuously monitor and transmit values to a remote location.
The unit is designed so the fluid mixture fl ows through a fi xed electrode assembly (Figure 1). This enables the dielectric constant of the mixture to be measured as a variable capacitance, which in turn produces an analog or digital output. This solution utilizes smart-sensor, data-analytics technologies in lieu of commonly used measurement techniques, and leverages built-in, artifi cial intelligence (AI) models. The accuracy is ±0.05% in the range from 0 - 1%. The analyzer is rated for an ambient temperature of 60 °C.
Advantages and limitations
The dielectric-constant analyzer offers distinct advantages because no frequent-field calibration is required. Once the analyzer is calibrated at the commissioning period, there’s no need for repeat calibrations, so safety is improved because operations personnel aren’t exposed to H2S gas.
It also offers easy installation with less space requirements. It’s robust and rugged construction is suitable for harsh
industrial environments and hazardous area installation. Only minimal maintenance is required with no consumables. In addition, it has a faster response time, which helps realize the full potential of advanced process control (APC) schemes. However, the meter is unable to measure water cut in multiphase stream compositions.
Field test
Saudi Aramco’s field test was conducted by creating upsets in the process and observing the response of the analyzer. Lab samples were taken before and after creating the upsets to compare with analyzer readings. The lab method used was ASTM D4007 (centrifuge method).
Test criteria
The pilot success was measured by the following criteria:
• The water cut monitor reading value must be within ±0.05% water of the actual value determined by lab-sample analysis;
• The monitor must operate successfully within the upper environmental temperature limits listed in the monitor manufacturer’s specifications during summer’s ambient air temperatures and radiant heat conditions;
Bottom Water Effect
Homogeneous Accurate Results
PRE-MIXER
Inline Fluid Pre-Mixer
Figure 1. Typical arrangement for installation
• The monitor must not show physical degradation or probe damage related to normal or abnormal operating conditions (provided the abnormal operating conditions don’t exceed the design conditions of the monitor);
• The monitor must not show signs of signal or measurement interference due to process background changes that may occur during normal or abnormal operating conditions (provided the abnormal operating conditions don’t exceed the design conditions of the monitor); and
• The monitor must operate reliably during the pilot period upon commissioning, and must attain a 95% or greater online availability under normal and abnormal operating conditions (provided the abnormal operating conditions don’t exceed the design conditions of the monitor).
Results
The analyzer was calibrated using lab sample readings. Table 1 shows the analyzer water cut reading compared to the lab on different dates during the pilot period. The readings in Table 1 were obtained during several tests conducted by varying the water content of the process.
It was observed that the water cut readings agreed with the lab for high readings at 0.8%. However, the reading didn’t agree sometimes in the range
Table 1: Analyzer/Lab Comparison Readings
from 0 - 0.2 V%, which is explained by the fact that the ASTM D4007 (centrifuge) lab method has an accuracy ±0.1%. As stated previously, the analyzer has an accuracy of ±0.05% in a water cut range from 0 - 1%.
Response to changes in the process
The water cut meter has demonstrated an excellent response to process changes during the field tests as shown in Figure 2. For example, water cut tests were conducted.
The following changes, including timing, were implemented:
1. 9:33 a.m.—recovery pumps started and two high water wells were introduced;
2. 9:41 a.m.—wash water increased from 1.5-1.7%
3. 11:33 a.m.—recovery pumps switched offline
Selected analyzer readings in table format are:
1. 9:30 AM: 0.001 V%
2. 10:23 AM: 0.22 V%
3. 10:50 AM: 0.38 V%
4. 11:20 AM: 0.53 V%
5. 12:42 PM: 0.1 V%
Conclusion
The analyzer described in this article can be used for various water cut applications in flexible user ranges that cover most upstream and downstream applications.
Ali S. Aldossary is a project engineer in the oil facilities projects department at Saudi Aramco.
Figure 2: Analyzer response to the process changes (blue trend)
Prepare for scarce chemicalgraduatesengineering
How
to put your company at a hiring advantage • BY
R. RUSSELL RHINEHART
THE process industries rely on chemical engineering graduates for entry-level hires. Unfortunately, chemical engineering undergraduate enrollment cycles over about a 15year period at a 2:1 amplitude ratio. Currently, graduation rates are in a downward trend, which will make hiring entry-level employees very competitive. You might recall how it was in the late 1970s, and again in 1990 and 2007. So, what can give your company a hiring advantage?
Figure 1 shows data for national and Oklahoma State University (OSU) chemical engineering (BS ChE) degrees. The national data (solid line) is from the National Center for Education Statistics’ (nces.ed.gov) Digest of Education Statistics. It takes about three years for NCES to collect, vet and publish, so the most recent data is from 2021. The OSU data is from university records (dotted line), and ends with 2024 as the most recent academic year.
photo: Derek Chamberlain / Shutterstock.com AI
Sources: Oklahoma State University and National Center for Education Statistics National
OSU graduations cycle in-phase with the national data. A 2001 study on 30 other ChE programs (diverse regions, size and research reputations) during 1970-98 found that all 30 programs also cycle in-phase. The OSU data (three years more up to date) is a leading indicator of the continuing downward trend in the BS ChE graduation cycle.
The cause for the cyclic trend has been debated. Regardless of why, the evidence shows it regularly cycles with the long persistence of the upward or downward trends. By contrast, national employment of chemical engineers has not cycled. It’s consistently grown over time, and the U.S. Dept. of Labor forecasts the average demand for ChE graduates will grow steadily over the next decade.
At peak graduation rates, employment demand at OSU was about 90% of BS production, and industry enjoyed the employee selection. At minimum graduation rates, employment demand at OSU was about twice BS production, and industry scrambled to fill positions. Some companies made two offers for each opening, hoping to get half of the acceptances to fill their positions.
What are some effective actions to access new employees when demand far exceeds supply?
Academic administrators, whose personal success depends on bringing money into the university, say the best way to increase graduates is to give scholarship money. This might have an impact on matriculations next year, which would generate graduates in five or so years. And it would make parents grateful, but not engender allegiance to a company by students who didn’t get its scholarships.
In my experience as a ChE program head, the best way to access employees is to participate in students’ education. Active involvement by industry personnel in the
program in a manner that supports students’ career preparations generates allegiance, which gives industry sponsors an advantage in recruiting.
Industry initiatives to create a win-win-win for the sponsors, students and the academic program include:
Internships
Hire undergraduates, who have finished their sophomore and junior years, as summer interns. Offer them meaningful engineering tasks, so you benefit, and the students feel valued and competent.
Select intern supervisors, who can provide guidance, comfort and affirmation. Provide a social, or two, with all interns and supervisors. Have a midsummer “How are we doing?” meeting. Have an end-of-session presentation by all interns, and a celebration of the students’ futures.
This is an opportunity to preview student ability and decide who you might want to offer permanent employment.
In my experience, most interns find careers in other companies as their life plans change over the next two years. Don’t expect interns to be obligated to accept a position with you. If they don’t, it’s not an insult to your company or a condemnation of the supervisor. What matters to you is what they say about their intern experience to their classmates when back in school. If they had a pleasurable total experience, then they’ll promote your company, providing you a recruiting advantage at the program.
Co-op programs
In these programs, students work continuously for a semester and a summer as junior engineers. The longer period permits them to be more productive than summer
Figure 1: OSU and national BS ChE trends.
interns, providing greater value to both employer and the student’s sense of accomplishment and self-worth. But the missing semester (or quarter) may be disruptive to graduation plans or criteria for being a full-time student. Be sure to plan a co-op program with university administrators. The recruiting benefits are the same as with internships.
Support student chapters
Host a start-of-the-year welcome picnic or end-of-the-year congratulations picnic with brief celebratory speeches and time for your representatives to mingle with students. Send early-career employees, who can connect with the students. Provide evening speakers for student chapter meetings to talk about how industry handles problems and applies ChE knowledge. And, of course, offer dinner (pizza, subs, etc). Host field trips with explanations about your site and tours, using several employees each with a small group of students (and, of course, lunch).
Classroom lecturers
Provide guest classroom lecturers, who can discuss projects that support course topics, and that are out of the course instructor’s expertise. These might include dimensionless group modeling, process safety, troubleshooting a distillation process, upgrading a control system, diffusion degradation in semiconductors, how paper is made, economic evaluation methods, data reconciliation, non-ideality in orifice calibration, determining reaction kinetics, coordinating large projects, etc.
Host Chem-E-Car activities
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) hosts the Che-E-Car competition, which engages college students to design and construct a car powered by a chemical energy source. You can provide funds for supplies and student travel to regional and national competitions, offer personnel to perform safety reviews of student plans, send employees to judge posters, and give awards at the local competition.
This is a great way to participate in success and excitement, affirm student creativity and effort, discuss parallels with industry projects, encourage the non-winners, and provide advice on learning lessons from unsuccessful efforts.
Host a welcome dinner
Host a welcome dinner for those entering their junior or senior years. Such a reception serves to affirm their hard work and for making it this far. It encourages students on their future in the control and process industries. Use upbeat speakers. Offer students a gift of Perry’s Chemical
Engineers’ Handbook or something your process engineers would find useful in supporting the students’ diverse future careers.
Support the unit operations lab
Provide equipment (perhaps something lab-scale or pilotscale that’s no longer useful, or something that you can make in your shops). Also, provide technical support for installation and operation. Discuss what to donate with the university’s instructors, so that it’s compatible with program needs. Send employees to provide feedback on students’ oral presentations about their projects. Give employees the time to drop-in to greet students during their lab sessions.
Support the senior plant design course
Provide a challenge problem, perhaps on a unit that’s operating below desired performance. Discuss the challenge with design instructors. Provide several employees to attend and give feedback to students’ oral presentations and design reports. They don’t need to grade the reports, but their comments on style, creativity and application of fundamental principles will help the students and faculty.
There’s no need to promote your company during such activities. Students want to learn skills and acquire perspectives that will give them a career advantage. They want to see employees that enjoy their contributions. Give them that because if you do, the students will promote your company. Be sure that upper management understands how to perceive the return on investments such as those listed.
Be sure to structure participation with faculty. Industry managers have developed a perspective about how business works, and they also retain their student perspective about how a university works. Neither perspective has much to do with the perspective of faculty in academic environments. The faculty view includes excellence in teaching fundamentals and relevant career preparation; but more importantly, as independent agents within the university, faculty development of a research program of international reputation is primary.
Unlike businesses, academic administrators don’t assign projects to faculty. Be sure any involvement in the program requiring faculty participation is supported by the associated faculty, who will volunteer to give it their time. Use the department head (chair, director) as your entry point.
Russ Rhinehart started his career in the process industry. After 13 years, he began a 31-year academic career serving as the ChE head at Oklahoma State University for 13 years. Russ is a fellow of AIChE and ISA. Now “retired,” he enjoys coaching professionals through books, articles, short courses and postings at www.r3eda.com.
Ins and outs of process analyzers
Control 's monthly resources guide
ASPECTS OF INTEGRATION
This hourlong webinar, “Overview of analyzer system integration,” covers analyzer roles, element types, shelter construction, hazardous area classification, degrees of area classification, rating impacts on packaging, purging, safety systems, HVAC, shelter utilities, headers and manifolds, mounting issues, wiring, sampling systems, continuous emissions monitoring, extreme climates, project management and system integration. It’s at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU348SlGHQU
YOKOGAWA ANALYTICAL www.yokogawa.com
DESIGN YOUR SAMPLE SYSTEM
This online article, “Analyzer sample system design basics for selecting the right options” by Morgan Zealear, covers design requirements and options, cylinder or bottle issues and station locations. It’s at northerncal.swagelok. com/blog/analyzer-sample-systemdesign-basics-for-selecting-the-rightoptions-snc
SWAGELOK www.swagelok.com
GAS CHROMATOGRAPH BASICS
This hourlong video, “Best practices and maintaining your gas chromatograph at optimal performance levels,” reviews baselines conditions, maximizing performance tracking detector response, control charts for response factors, detecting and interpreting peaks, optimizing performance and installation issues. It’s at www. youtube.com/watch?v=_cghjac3Utw. It's accompanied by nearby links to a webinar, “Calibration gases and how to calibrate a gas chromatograph correctly,” which is at www.youtube. com/watch?v=_Adv0jmc2d8, and to a
video, “Validating the operation of your gas chromatograph,” which is at www. youtube.com/watch?v=X_TQOWfH-a4 EMERSON www.emerson.com
ALL TYPES OF GAS ANALYZERS
This webpage, “Understanding different analyzer types,” provides a glossary for all kinds of gas analyzers, including NOx, SO2, O2, CO, CO2, PID, NH3, H2S, PM2.5, VOC, gas chromatograph, in-situ, tunable-diode laser (TDL), and stack flue gas ammonia. They’re at analyzerengineering.com/ types-of-analyzers
MANGAN PROCESS ANALYZERS analyzerengineering.com
MANAGE DAQ, IMPROVE TRUST
This 19-page paper, “How can we improve trust in process analyzers?” by Hans Cusell of Hint Wout Last, shows how to integrate an analyzer maintenance and data acquisition management system (AMADAS) to reduce routine lab samples, but still increase trust in analyzer results. It’s at www. analyzedetectnetwork.com/manuals/ BIqhxHr7ES.pdf
ANALYZE DETECT NETWORK www.analyzedetectnetwork.com
pH METERS, CONDUCTIVITY
This 18-minute video, “Using a pH meter—everything you need to know about pH,” demonstrates how to understand what’s being measured, choosing the right pH meter, how to use it, and how to calibrate different types of pH testers and meters. It’s at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dn9rDIJTHh8. This video is accompanied by a link to a 15-minute video, “What is electrical conductivity (EC/TDS)?,” which discusses its
purpose, associated measurement units, and how to calibrate EC meter and probes. It's at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pxqdN0dI38k HANNA INSTRUMENTS INC. www.hannainst.com
SAMPLING, GCs, MOISTURE
This 34-minute video, “Automatic analyzers and process control” by Dr. Rajeev Jain, school of studies (SOS) in environmental chemistry at Jiwaji University, covers sample handling, process gas chromatographs, electrochemical cells, negative-filtering analyzers and calibration and use of moisture analyzers. It’s at www.youtube. com/watch?v=t72P1T-X6h0 VIDYA-MITRA www.youtube.com/@Vidyamitra
O2 REDUCTION POTENTIAL
This 47-minute video, “Understanding ORP basics,” covers what’s required for an ORP measurement, and shows the difference between standard ORP measurement and a pH-compensated ORP measurement, how to improve the accuracy of ORP measurements, and the most common applications for ORP measurements. It’s at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHGMxj-Smtk YOKOGAWA www.yokogawa.com
RESOURCES RERUN
The previous version of this column, “A sampling of analyzers and accessories,” includes resources from Swagelok, Sick, Yokogawa, Mettler-Toledo and other organization. It's at www. controlglobal.com/measure/analyzers/ article/11293364/resource-guide-asampling-of-process-analyzers CONTROL www.controlglobal.com
Controlling two variables with one valve
How to properly manage override and selective control
Q: I read the “Override and selective control” article (www.controlglobal.com/overrideselectivecontrol) you wrote in 2017. I just have a couple of questions about the low-select control you and Simon Lucchini described when discussing override and selective control, and controlling two process variables with one control valve in a low-select configuration. Is it necessary for one of the controllers to be reverse acting (RA)? Also, does a decreasing controller output signal result in lowering the opening of a fail-closed (FC = ATO) valve, moving it towards the closed position?
KHALID SIDDIQUI principal process engineer Auto Moto Complex, Al Khobar Khalid.Siddiqui@slfe.com.sa
A1: Since a control valve can only be throttled by one controller, under normal conditions, it’s the normal controller (controller-N) that’s selected to control the valve. The valve can be controlled by a soft-constraint controller only if some abnormal condition arises. Under soft control, the hard alarm won’t be triggered and shutdown won’t be initiated, so the plant will be kept in operation, but its production rate might be cut back to keep the constraint controller
(controller-C) on setpoint. When the abnormal condition abates, controller-N automatically resumes control without needing operator action. The actions of both controllers N and C are selected to throttle the valve in directions that will move the process toward safer operation.
For example, in the case of a booster pump application (Figure 1) under normal conditions, the RA discharge pressure controller (PIC-N) controls the valve, which is failclosed. On the other hand, if the suction pressure gets too low, which can occur in a case such as rupturing the suction pipe, the PIC-N response moves the valve in the wrong direction. It opens the valve, further lowering the suction pressure beyond safe limits and causing cavitation—seriously damaging the pump.
To protect against this, a soft-constraint controller (a suction-pressure controller) is added and set to the safe limit on the low side, and a low-pressure selector is installed on both controller outputs. Since the control valve is air-to-open, the low selector chooses the output of the controller and the valve is less open. When the problem is fixed and the suction pressure is once again adequate, the output of the PIC-N will return to be lower and take over throttling the valve.
This column is moderated by Béla Lipták, who also edits the Instrument and Automation Engineers’ Handbook, 5th edition , and authored the recently published textbook, Controlling the Future , which focuses on controlling of AI and climate processes. If you have a question about measurement, control, optimization or automation, please send it to liptakbela@aol.com
When you send a question, please include your full name, job title and company or organization affiliation.
Figure 1: Booter pump control
If the pump is variable speed, the same controls can be implemented without using a valve, eliminating its pressure drop and conserving pumping energy. In a constraint control system, the output of one controller is always blocked. Consequently, if a reset signal is used (when the PICs have integral action), the reset signal must be external (ER), so the reset stays active when the controller output is blocked.
Another common selective override application is steam-flow control with pressure override. In this case, the control valve is normally manipulated to keep the steam flow constant (FIC in Figure 2), but is switched over to pressure control if the steam pressure—to the critical user—reaches the setpoint of the PIC (the soft-constraint controller). If the pressure continues to rise and reaches the hard constraint on the system (PSH), even after switching from FIC to PIC control, alarms are actuated or a shutdown is triggered.
Selective override control can be provided by using multiple override controllers. One example is boilers, where the flow of combustion air is normally manipulated under carbon monoxide control, but additional override controllers are also provided to keep opacity, stack temperature, hydrocarbons and excess oxygen within acceptable limits.
Selective override applications can guarantee valve closure. For example, when controlling the feed flow to a distillation column, a bottom-level override is provided to make sure the feed valve is closed when the bottoms level reaches 100%. If a process is too complex for the operators to manually control during startup or shutdown, automatic override controls are used. Such automatic controls provide overrides to protect against violation of several constraints. An example is starting up a distillation column, where ramping signals usually open valves, and override controls are provided to:
• Pinch steam on low-base level or on high-pressure differential, which can cause flooding;
• Pinch feed valve on high-base level; and
• Pinch reflux on low condenser level, and increase it on high condenser level.
Selective control can provide smooth transition among multiple fuels. In cases where one fuel is more expensive than another, selective override guarantees the lower-cost fuel is used before starting to supplement it with the higher-cost fuel. At this point, the flow of the higher-cost fuel starts to increase smoothly.
BÉLA LIPTÁK liptakbela@aol.com
A2: A common high-/low-override control situation occurs when trying to control two variables with only one control valve. Obviously, you can’t control both measurements at the same time to keep both setpoints constant. One must be the main control variable, and the secondary will be under constraint control.
An example of low-select override occurs when controlling steam flows to a
reboiler from a common steam header. Since the reboiler requires more steam, the valve opens and passes more steam. There may be several pieces of equipment on the steam header, and there may be a total steam flow limitation. Under certain conditions, the steam header pressure will get too low. The constraint control uses a pressure controller with a setpoint lower than the normal running pressure of the header.
In this configuration, the inputs to the low selector are the header pressure and the reboiler flow controller outputs, and the low-selector output is the lower of the two controllers. In this configuration, when the pressure is higher than the pressure setpoint, the flow controller controls the valve. If the valve draws too much steam and/or steam generation is reduced, and header pressure drops below the pressure setpoint, the system cuts back flow to the reboiler.
Use the low-selector override control configuration when the reboiler flow is less critical, and it’s more important to maintain the steam pressure above some minimum for more important process users.
SIMON LUCCHINI Simon.Lucchini@Fluor.com
Figure 2: Selective override control system with PIC as the normal and FIC as the soft-constraint controller
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Enclosures corral the help they need
New sizes, mountings, subpanels, support arms and accessories let housings surpass their capabilities
WALLMOUNT, PUSHBUTTON PANELS ADDED
OUTDOOR HOUSINGS FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS
AttaBox Heartland and Heartland SL (shallow-depth) polycarbonate, wall-mount, single-door enclosures from Rob Roy come in various sizes with an opaque or smoked transparent door, and polycarbonate or stainless-steel latches. They include a built-in shelf, and are available with NEMA 1/3R/4/4X/12 ratings. AttaBox Commander polycarbonate pushbutton enclosures offer yellow screw covers with one or two 22 or 30 mm holes, black bodies, and NEMA 1/3R/4X/6P/12 ratings.
AUTOMATIONDIRECT www.automationdirect.com/enclosure-parts
PURGE, PRESSURIZE IN SAFETY AREAS
Bebco EPS 7500 series Ex pzc/Type Z compact, purge-and-pressurization system is designed for Class I or II/ Div. 2 and Zone 2/22 locations. This manual or automatic device purges a typical enclosure of hazardous gas or dust to maintain positive pressure, and reduces classification in the protected enclosure to a non-hazardous level. The 7500 carries ATEX and IECEx certifications, and is UL listed. It operates in a small footprint of only 5.8 x 3.8 x 1.9 inches.
PEPPERL+FUCHS
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MODULAR, FREESTANDING, STAINLESS-STEEL
Outdoor Case System (OCS) field-installed en closures have added three larger-volume housings to simplify installation of multiple electronic devices into one housing and reliably protect them. Even jet water from aggressive washdowns won’t penetrate OCS’ airtight seal. These NEMA 6P/IP69-rated polycarbonate housings are lightweight, but their IK10 rating lets them withstand a 20-joule impact from a 40-cm height. OCS can also be adapted with various mountings and connections.
PHOENIX CONTACT www.phoenixcontact.com
OUTDOOR KITS HAS A -40 °C to 120 °C RANGE
Multicomp Pro MPGTT-GLB-A3600PL-M-SA outdoor enclosure kit is ROHS compliant and part of the range of Multicomp Pro NEMA6/IP67 diecast aluminum, IK09, electronics enclosures. MPGTT-GLB-A3600 features surge protection for RF and Ethernet, and has an operating range of -40 °C to 120 °C. It’s also EN60950.22 ready, and has options for size, antenna, data ports, metal/plastic lid and mounting plates.
NEWARK
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HMI COVERS ADD THREE SIZES
VX SE freestanding enclosures are made of stainless steel, and are suitable for diverse applications, whether users select the basic version or an IP 66/NEMA 4X version for increased protection. They’re available in a wide range of dimensions, protection levels and smooth surfaces. VX SE is accompanied by a range of accessories, which is ideal for free-standing installation in various industries.
RITTAL www.rittal.com
ARCA-IPW UL-listed, NEMA 4X, nonmetallic HMI covers are a bolt-on alternative to custom HMI covers. The series has been expanded with three new sizes, namely 10 x 8 x 3.3, 14 x 12 x 3.3 and 18 x 16 x 3.3 inches.
ARCA-IPW attaches to any underlying enclosure, and provides NEMA 4X protection once locked. These new sizes offer high impact resistance (IK 09) and an IP 67 ingress protection rating. They’re available with transparent or opaque covers and several locking options.
FIBOX USA www.fiboxusa.com
OIL- AND WATER-RESISTANT ENCLOSURES
Enviroline sloping-top enclosures from Saginaw Control & Engineering are made from 0.063-inch stainless-steel, and feature a 10° sloping top and pour-in-place oil and waterresistant gasket. The series also has continuous welded seams, removable hinges, flange trough collars, and doors that open 180°. Enviroline complies with several standards, including NEMA Type 3R, 4, 4X, 12, and 13; UL-listed Type 3R, 4, 4X and 12; CSA Type 4, 4X, and 12; IEC 60529; and IP66.
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HMI SUPPORT ARMS HAVE MODULAR OPTIONS
Industrial HMI Support Arms provide modular and configurable ergonomic options. They're adjustable to meet individual needs for comfort and space constraints. Maximum load capacity options are available. Industrial HMI Support Arms feature easy configuration for tight spaces and vertical mounting. Special designs are available, so components like arms, brackets and couplers can be mixed-and-matched.
NVENT HOFFMAN www.nvent.com/en-us/hoffman/products/human-machine-interface-hmi
Deep dive into distillation control
Examining the tug-of-war between reboiler and reflux actions
Gregory K. McMillan captures the wisdom of talented leaders in process control, and adds his perspective based on more than 50 years of experience, cartoons by Ted Williams, and (web-only) Top 10 lists. Find more of Greg's conceptual and principle-based knowledge in his Control Talk blog. Greg welcomes comments and column suggestions at ControlTalk@ endeavorb2b.com
GREG: In this column, we look at distillation control with Vivek R. Dabholkar, an independent, advanced process control (APC) consultant. Vivek, what’s your assessment of distillation control to help prepare us for a deep dive?
Vivek: Automation/control systems engineers implementing controls in chemical plants and refineries, or those stuck with classroom vapor liquid equilibrium (VLE) thermodynamics and McCabe-Thiele method in distillation, may find this refreshing and useful. Simply put, distillation operation requires application of heat via reboiler duty to separate lighter components from the heavier. Separation is based on difference in boiling points, more accurately, relative volatilities. An increase in reboiler duty, while driving lighter components toward the top, carries the lightest of the heavier components (heavy key) towards the top, leading to adverse effects on top-product composition.
Corrective action is taken by pushing lighter components via reflux flow to wash down heavier components carried upward by an increase in reboiler duty. Increased reflux introduces lighter material in the bottom, which is not desirable for maintaining bottom-product specs. Without the temperature controller in the bottoms section, reflux cleans the top but dirties the bottoms, while the reboiler does the opposite. You can see this tug-of-war between the reboiler and the reflux actions—one trying to clean up one end, while dirtying the other.
This highlights the importance of the temperature controller in the bottom or top section of the distillation column. In the case of bottoms-section Tray-TC, any increase in reflux is automatically countered by just the right amount of increased reboiler duty to hold Tray-TC at its setpoint, preventing dirtying the bottoms to a large extent. If the tower pressure is controlled, increased reflux flow and reboiler duty cleans the bottoms' product impurity instead of increasing it. Further
refinement is possible for a change in operating pressure by using pressure-compensated temperature. If pressure goes up, then pressure-compensated temperature must go down, and calls for increased reboiler duty because volatilities get worse at higher pressure differences. An engineer expects reflux and reboiling requirements to increase, unless the column is in vapor-flooding regime. The setpoint of Tray-TC can be trimmed to maintain bottoms composition at the spec limit.
Greg: What about artificial intelligence (AI)based control for distillation columns?
Vivek: I'm encouraged by advances in AI, but with respect to logic-based reasoning, AI is still in its infancy. Logic-based reasoning may be a reality in the future, however. If such reasoning can be auto-learned and recommendations provided by the AI system, then it will be revolutionary.
The know-how consists of logically piecing together relevant information. I envision a future where AI can come up with the best design for a regulatory process control scheme by using a process flow diagram (PFD) with flow rates, temperature profile and feed composition. I recommend every aspiring control engineer to mark PFDs with tag-names and operating conditions.
Another case to consider is a C3-splitter with a high reflux-to-feed ratio and small bottoms flow. Knowing the feed contains propane and propylene with close boiling points and a nearly flat temperature profile across the column, an experienced engineer can immediately rule out implementing a temperature controller either in the top or the bottom section. With Tray-TC out of the picture, an experienced engineer can come up with bottoms-level control cascaded to reboiler duty as opposed to cascaded to the bottoms flow. Large moves in reflux flow keep top product
GREG MCMILLAN
composition in check and can’t possibly be counterbalanced by bottoms flow (in the absence of a temperature controller) due to widely different relative magnitude of the bottoms flow in relation to the reflux flow.
Greg: What are the peculiarities when the bottoms level is cascaded to reboiler duty?
Vivek: In this configuration, the increase in feed, regardless of its state (vapor, liquid or two-phase), ends up in the reflux drum. In case of vapor feed, a large portion ends up in the reflux drum, but any fraction that goes down the column increases reboiler duty to keep bottoms level constant. This uses the same reasoning as when net change in ramp rate of reflux drum level with respect to reflux is zero. It can only affect it dynamically during initial drop, until the time reflux makes it to the bottom-level transmitter. This is because all liquid reflux that goes down the column must come up as vapor due to increased reboiler duty to keep bottoms level constant. It’s similar for a change in bottoms flow. Any decrease (increase) in bottoms flow must result in an increase (decrease) of reflux drum level ramp rate because an increase (decrease) in reboiler duty or decrease (increase) in bottoms flow holds the bottoms level constant. In the case of Tray-TC control, a portion of feed that boils at a temperature higher than the Tray-TC setpoint ends up in the bottoms product, even though the reflux comes up as a vapor stream due to temperature control in the bottoms section. The ultimate destination of this incremental vapor depends on the method of pressure control. If the pressure control is done by adjusting the vapor distillate flow (or an expander inlet valve), then a large portion may become vapor-distillate flow, leading to a net change in ramp rate for reflux drum level due to an increase/decrease of reflux flow. In
the case of a total condenser, all vapor ends up in the reflux drum. Therefore, the net change of reflux drum level ramp rate (apart from initial dynamic response) on an increase of reflux will be zero, just like in the case of C3splitter in the bottoms level-to-reboiler duty case study.
Greg: If feed increase ends up in the reflux drum, how is material balance control achieved?
Vivek: You’re correct that there’s no direct material balance control. However, if the feed is increased and bottoms propane flow is held constant, overhead propane in the propylene product will increase and the bottoms will clean up (less propylene in propane) due to increased reboiler duty in case of liquid feed. The reflux drum level can be balanced by 1:1 change (with respect to feed) by changing either the bottoms flow or the sidedraw. You can mentally simulate this based on what was explained earlier. However, in this exercise, both product compositions are altered. This is where reflux flow and one of the flows
between the bottoms flow and the side-draw flow come to the rescue to keep both compositions constant, resulting in split of feed between the bottoms flow and the side-draw.
Greg: Any cases you don’t recommend using bottom section Tray-TC?
Vivek: Sometimes the top product spec is more important than the bottom product spec. If there’s sensitive tray-temp in the top section that correlates with the top impurity, use the top section Tray-TC instead of the bottom section Tray-TC. The tray location for Tray-TC is important to catch the composition profile at the correct point in the tower. Choosing the best tray often depends on the product specification at the top or bottom section. Where bottoms reboiler is limited and there’s no side-reboiler to offload the bottoms reboiler, stable Tray-TC is not feasible. If implemented, there’s a constant struggle to keep Tray-TC in control by adjusting its setpoint. In this case, you may consider cascading reflux drum level to reflux flow, and manipulating the reboiler flow or valve directly.
JIM MONTAGUE Executive Editor jmontague@endeavorb2b.com
"Too many of us seem more concerned with our immediate comfort than the prospect of our kids and grandkids neck-deep in floodwaters, wildfires and agriculture-killing heatwaves. The heck with them! I don’t like feeling sweaty!"
Get uncomfortable
Do we have the will to succeed at sustainability? Don’t bet on it
BIG, multi-generation projects like cathedrals or other public works test a community’s initiative, skills, wealth, luck and other capabilities—including, sadly, indentured or forced labor. Plus, because they often take hundreds of years to finish, they test faith and belief in a positive future. Can we make this project happen regardless of circumstances?
Though they didn’t require generations, I’d put retooling U.S. industry for World War II and the U.S. moon landings in the same cathedral-type category because they also require huge, conscious, collective and organized shifts toward a common goal by thousands of people in hundreds of industries.
Of course, we’re now facing a problem and project far greater than anything that came before it—transitioning to non-fossil energy sources to reduce CO2 emissions and the impact of human-created global warming. We’re also back on the hundreds-of-years schedule because it will take at least that long for any emissions reduction efforts to put a dent the CO2 we’ve built up in Earth’s atmosphere.
We cover several efforts in this issue’s “Building green” cover article (p. 20) and in many other recent stories. Some are window dressing and some useful, but experimentation will shake out which are most useful. The most popular lately seems to be green-hydrogen, which uses excess solar and wind capacity to electrolyze water, and store their transient energy as hydrogen, However, despite all the attention it’s getting, many technical and scaling hurdles remain.
Of course, all these sustainability efforts and innovations raise more questions. Why just attack the symptom? Why get more efficient at overusing energy and resources? How about using less in the first place?
I’m aware that online suggestions to not cool our dwellings below 78-80 °F are routinely deluged by hate mail. So, let me hear it because, as much as I too love the rush of
coming into cool air from the heat outside, I haven’t turned on my central air in seven years. I grew up without air-conditioning, so I try to remember that, as well as everyone in previous generations, who had no option but to live without it.
I also don’t heat my house above 64 °F in winter. That, and working at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are doubtless why I’m wearing out more sweaters, sweatpants, knit hats and fuzzy slippers in recent years.
I’d recommend that others try to do the same or similar. However, just like faith, I know austerity can’t be imposed from outside. It must be self-imposed. Each individual must decide to join a group effort, which is another reason why we’re likely doomed. Maybe we can trick ourselves into believing sustainability makes us cool or more attractive?
For now, too many people remain in denial, and we can’t solve a problem we refuse to acknowledge. Too many of us seem more concerned with our immediate comfort than the prospect of our kids and grandkids neck-deep in floodwaters, wildfires and agriculture-killing heatwaves. The heck with them! I don’t like feeling sweaty!
It’s quite possible that global warning can’t be stopped, though most of these rationalizations seem to come from parties seeking to justify not acting. If my interest was only sporting, I’d bet my $2 that they’re right. However, the stakes of ecological catastrophe are so high that I think we must take our best shot at all CO2 reduction measures, net-zero targets and other sustainability efforts, just in case there’s a chance we can succeed. I don’t think anyone in the midwestern U.S. wants to find room for millions of refugees from Florida and other coastal areas when the ice slides off of Greenland in about 20 minutes, right?
However, as I said, it will take lots of willpower to make these changes, and from what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think we have it.
Go Beyond.
Emerson’s DeltaV™ Automation Platform provides contextualized data and unique, actionable insights so you can improve production and embrace the future of innovation—with certainty. Venture beyond. Visit Emerson.com/DeltaV