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Use Cases Drive Wireless and Other Plant-Improvement Projects

Dan Carlson, EmersonEnd users look for solid reasons to embrace any new technology, and are finding quite a few when it comes to wireless and the IIoT. When these types of use cases do emerge, with companies finding effective new ways to solve problems, adoption can be amazingly fast.

In an article in the January, 2018, issue of Process Heating, Use Cases Drive Wireless and Other Plant-Improvement Projects, Emerson’s Dan Carlson discusses this very point. End users care about applications far more than technical details, and this certainly applies to adoption of IIoT.

While only a limited subset of plant personnel may have knowledge of or interest in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and other enabling technology details, all personnel have plant issues they would like to address. And, all need solutions to process and other problems. Focusing on applications, rather than technologies, allows a much wider range of plant personnel to participate on a project team instead of just those intimately familiar with the technology.

The initial reaction of many industrial users when the IIoT began to emerge on the scene was, “Ho-hum, we’ve been using similar interconnected technology to monitor processes for decades. What’s the big deal?”

The big deal soon emerged: the IIoT is the means to extend monitoring far beyond traditional applications because it makes the task far easier and less expensive.

For example, many organizations have installed WirelessHART networks on a limited basis to solve a specific problem in a cost-effective manner. Most often, they are related to process monitoring. Due to the benefits received, many organizations are starting to deploy site-wide coverage to extend benefits beyond process monitoring. These include maintenance; health, safety, social and environmental (HSSE); and plant safety applications.

Dan recognizes that for many companies, adopting something viewed as complex and different, even though the potential benefits are huge, is a daunting task. He says the key is approaching implementation correctly, which may require some internal cultural changes.

Many of the people expected to design these applications may not be familiar with wireless instrumentation and other automation system technologies. They may not have the capacity to support these technologies after installation. The solution is to focus on the problem and the solution first, then the technology second. Building the project team is an essential first step, and this team should consist of owners and users of the technology. The team creates and implements the project vision and drives awareness of how the technology can be used to solve problems in different areas of the plant across multiple disciplines. The team requires diverse perspectives to reflect the needs of the end users and ensure value is achieved.

The key concept in many situations is diversity of applications. Adopting IIoT and its benefits moves well beyond traditional process instrumentation functions and concepts. Brining in people from other backgrounds can result in new ideas beyond traditional use cases. Plants often begin with equipment reliability applications because they’re easy to grasp and often have a very attractive ROI

For example, if the WirelessHART installation is to be used for improving reliability, it needs to be shaped to reflect reliability cases. Multiple use cases can be included. Perhaps the solution starts with a focus on critical pump monitoring, but it can be architected to support other use cases such as monitoring other types of rotating equipment. The team must define the required areas of wireless coverage, types of variables to be measured, number of data points, data rates, and integration and presentation of data. In the broader view of IIoT enablement, the conversation also may include data analytics to turn the data into actionable information, and to deliver this information to mobile end users via smartphone or tablet.

The last part is very critical since simply collecting and storing data has no value in itself. Plantweb Insight is the tool to do just what Dan is talking about, “turn the data into actionable information.” It is designed to work in reliability and other applications, taking information from all those new monitoring devices so it can be used to warn when problems are developing and to guide larger maintenance efforts. It’s a step companies can take today to bring the future forward.

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.