If you talk to process automation professional in a typical chemical plant and start discussing how the site is going to implement an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) application, you might get a deer-in-the-headlights look. To most plant people, this is foreign territory and pretty scary. Does it have to be that way? Not if it’s approached correctly.
Dan Carlson talks plant personnel off the ledge in an article in the January 2018, issue of Chemical Processing titled Successfully Implement the Industrial Internet of Things. Dan discusses challenges in five areas: technology, networking, organization, sustainability and business case. Much has to do with how the company is set up.
Many plants and processing companies are very siloed — with responsibilities separated among diverse groups such as ones for process equipment, control systems, instrumentation, reliability, operations, safety, finance, accounting and management. However, maximizing IIoT benefits requires cross-functional coordination. When you look at the IIoT through a cross-functional lens, the challenge seems formidable. Thankfully, there’s a methodology for simplifying IIoT implementation, making it understandable for the typical process engineer in a chemical plant.
When looking at the situation, it is important to remember that the company is going to be doing the same things it always has, but faster and easier with the IIoT: instrumentation collects data, the plant automation system controls the process, and information gets distributed to the people who need it. If the information says something needs to be fixed, it gets fixed. The differences relate to how it all happens. Making an IIoT application work in a way capable of delivering the greatest improvements depends to a large extent on breaking down the silos so things work in a more cross-functional way.
In general, IIoT options automate the collection of data from the field, process these data, and then deliver the results to the right person for corrective action. It’s a simple see-decide-act model scalable from a single process unit to the enterprise level, and applicable to any functional work group. Using this simple model, it’s possible to create: a list of cross-functional applications starting with current initiatives; a report to detail requirements to achieve top-quartile performance; and a compendium of complaints, desires and pains from various departments such as operations, maintenance, safety and environmental. This also is the appropriate time to put together a cross-functional working group with representatives from all these areas.
There are also technical elements to the discussion. The IIoT concept, when implemented fully, calls for more data in order to realize ultimate benefits. Bottom line, more things around the unit and its supporting infrastructure need to be instrumented. Fortunately, this is gotten much easier and a whole lot less expensive to implement using WirelessHART and the dozens of wireless instruments in Emerson’s catalog.
For example, suppose a plant must monitor 100 pressure relief valves (PRVs) for compliance but has no wireless instrument infrastructure. The typical cost of a wired installation is $18,000 per point while a wireless implementation is $3,000 per point, which includes adding the wireless infrastructure. Opting for wireless would result in $1.5 million in project savings — or more if the wireless infrastructure spending is amortized over other projects. In many situations, an IIoT infrastructure will pay for itself through project savings and ongoing operational benefits from just a single application.
All this information used correctly helps plants save money. The ROI comes through lower maintenance costs and improved production capabilities. Plant personnel can spend time improving the process rather than trying to do manual troubleshooting. But these savings aren’t always easy to see at the outset.
Many engineers find it challenging to determine these estimated annual savings. An industry consultant or process automation vendor can assist in evaluating the cost-effectiveness and ROI of options by holding meetings with various plant groups, doing a walk-through, evaluating what needs to be done, and providing estimates of annual savings — along with technology recommendations.
The article goes on to discuss methods for calculating both costs and savings so a comprehensive picture can be put together for management. It also stresses how these projects do not have to be an everything-at-once proposition. IIoT can be implemented a little at a time so everyone can get comfortable with the concepts and implementation, without being swamped or blowing the budget. Companies are doing it all over the place on every level, and you can start too.
You can find more information like this, and meet with other people looking at the same kinds of situations in the Emerson Exchange365 community. It’s a place where you can communicate and exchange information with experts and peers in all sorts of industries around the world. Look for the WirelessHART and IIoT Groups and other specialty areas for suggestions and answers.