Extreme climates, like winter in the U.S. Midwest, can be tough on critical instrumentation – after years of exposure, how can you be confident this instrumentation is still producing reliable measurements? This is the question John Rezabek asked and answered in his article “Smart engineers can get more than level from level instrumentation,” published in Control magazine. Rezabek attended a talk by craft brewer Michael Koppelman at October’s Emerson Global Users Exchange. Using inexpensive Arduino chips and an Amazon cloud service, Koppelman discovered he was able to better monitor his brewing activities through inferences from just one measurement trend. This concept is similar to that of Statistical Process Monitoring (SPM) technology used in larger process plants, which trends noise in the process signal. Changes in SPM trends can suggest changes in the process that may not be reflected in the process measurement. For even faster notification of a process change or potentially bad measurement, SPM can be paired with SIL-rated signal splitters, which convert the HART signal into an analog value that can be read by non-HART DCS. The cost of a bad measurement can quickly add up. This leads Rezabek to prompt: if a Minneapolis microbrew can utilize statistical trends to optimize their brewing process, why can’t larger process plants do the same?
Let’s dive a little deeper into the value of SPM technology: like Koppelman’s Arduino chip and cloud service system, SPM uses statistical trends of the process noise to detect and alert operators to abnormal conditions and potential issues in the process that may not be reflected in regular process measurement. This means conditions like plugged impulse lines or onset of pump cavitation, issues that can remain hidden until they cause a larger problem, can be detected and remedied before they affect process operation and even safety. Ultimately, SPM technology can enable increased productivity and improved quality control. It is available as part of Advanced Diagnostics on the Rosemount 3051S pressure transmitter. Have questions or want to learn more about how SPM technology can identify hidden process issues? Feel free to reach out to me in the EE365 community.