Emerson Exchange 365

The final morning of the 2015 Emerson Global Users Exchange featured several Meet the Experts panel discussions. Each session gave attendees a chance to ask questions and interact with some Emerson’s leading industry, technology, and application specialists. The discussions were too extensive and wide-ranging to capture in full, but here are a few highlights.

Process Control Optimization

Expert panel members explored the challenges that are often encountered when using traditional and advanced control techniques to optimize plant operations. They discussed basic steps that they recommend when addressing a control optimization project. Each panel member also presented an application they have commissioned that demonstrates how process control techniques were used to optimize process operation.

Reliability Best Practices to Keep Operations Running Smoothly

Effective reliability programs are essential to maintaining production levels and reducing lost revenue. This session brought together Emerson experts, customers, and industry experts who have designed and implemented effective reliability programs. Topics included developing an effective reliability program, managing asset alerts efficiently to turn data to action, and measuring and documenting the success of a reliability program.

Safety Instrumented Systems

Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) are extensively used for Emergency Shutdown (ESD).  This open discussion forum explored some of the other common applications besides ESD including Burner Management Systems, Fire and Gas Systems, and High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems (HIPPS). Attendees posed questions on the real issues related to these safety applications.

Level Application & Selection Considerations

With many different level measurement technologies available, it can be challenging to determine which is the best fit for a specific application.  At this session, experts from Emerson discussed available level technologies and how to analyze the trade-offs between them in different applications.  Key level measurement best practices were also discussed for common application types so that the chosen technology can be implemented to achieve the best performance possible.

Power, Grounding and Environmental Considerations in an Automation System

This question and answer session addressed ways to reduce process risk and how to not only increase the life of the control system, but also increase the life of all electronic components. This included looking at component temperatures and how they play a part in the estimated and actual life span of electronics based systems. How do self-heating of electronic components, ambient air and humidity play a part in reducing component life span? Can these electronic components, your spare parts, degrade just sitting in a warehouse somewhere, unpowered? What part can power quality play in the life span of your process control equipment? These are some of the questions that were discussed and answered in this session.

Pressure and Temperate Selection, Installation and Service

Pressure and temperature instrumentation are integral pieces of equipment in process plants and field installations. This session allowed attendees to meet the experts on pressure and temperature measurement and ask questions on topics ranging from selecting the right models to installation and maintenance best practices.  Attendees heard how the latest innovations can make operations more efficient and maximize return on instrumentation investment.

Selecting the Right Flow Technology

Selecting a flowmeter is one of the trickier tasks that engineers perform.  There are many overlapping technologies, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and lifecycle costs. Flow technology experts from Emerson discussed how to select and own the best flowmeter technology for applications, balancing capital as well as operating expenses. The audience brought application examples and consulted with the experts, creating a great learning experience.

Wireless Best Practices and Installation Guides

To put wireless projects on the path to success, this session covered three key topics. First to set the stage, an overview was provided on how intelligent, wireless instruments can provide valuable information for operating facilities. Second, attendees were provided an overview of the process for planning a wireless network installation. Then, using the high level planning process, experts walked through each process step and discussed best practices.

Valve Condition Monitoring Helps Improve Plant Maintenance, Reliability, and Performance

As energy prices, feedstock and labor rates become globally less disparate, plant uptime becomes your process plant’s ultimate weapon to outpace your global competitors.  In this session, attendees talked with Emerson’s panel of experts about valve condition monitoring and how it can help provide sustainable reliability and streamline valve maintenance planning while helping deliver a better return on your plant’s process control technologies.

Best Practices with DeltaV

This session covered DeltaV Best Practices specific to ProPlus performance, controller Loading, and DeltaV upgrade. For each topic, key considerations were presented, and a Q&A allowed for deep dives on specific focus areas. The ProPlus performance topic included maintenance and impact of concurrent engineering. The controller Loading topic focused on architecture and configuration impact. The DeltaV upgrade topic covered planning and execution.

DeltaV Virtualization Topics

This session discussed best practices for deploying the DeltaV Virtualization platform for online production systems and offline training.   Topics included implementation guidelines, high availability and disaster recovery capabilities, and system upgrade strategies.  Attendees learned about Emerson’s latest developments and future product roadmap including new training and support services. 

DeltaV Operations Performance

Whether it is in the central control room, on the factory floor, or remote wellheads, DeltaV Operations Performance brings diverse disciplines together to produce a highly performant operator environment. In this session, attendees met the experts behind DeltaV Operate, Alarm Management, and DeltaV Logbooks along with operations expert David A. Strobhar, PE, author of “Human Factors in Process Plant Operations”.