Emerson Exchange 365

“The beautiful thing about using the 4320 wireless position monitor is that it gives you the feedback you need, so you don’t have to run across the plant to make sure the valve closed.”

That’s one just one of the benefits cited by Marlin Midstream I/E technician and maintenance supervisor Rodney Glawson in his presentation at the 2013 Emerson Global Users Exchange session. 

Together with Buddy Walker of Vinson Process Controls, Glawson described how he’s using wireless technology to improve the operation of an inlet scrubber at a natural gas cryo plant in East Texas. 

To save on installation costs and time, Glawson’s team wanted to use as much wireless as possible.  That included wireless on/off control of inlet and scrubber dump valves, as well as a number of pressure and level measurements. 

With some innovative thinking – and Emerson’s 4320 wireless position monitor – they succeeded.  The team cut total installed costs by $41,000 compared to a traditional wired solution, reduced the number of people needed, slashed installation time, and improved the reliability of scrubber operations. 

The wireless devices also worked perfectly with the plant’s existing control system, using control logic originally designed for wired instruments.

Glawson noted that while the wireless network is highly reliable, adding more devices makes it even stronger because a signal has more potential paths to reach its destination.  He’s already looking at additional innovative uses of wireless technology.