At the Emerson Exchange conference in Austin, Emerson’s Sean Sims and Will Goetz teamed up to give an update on the reliability consulting process and the host of lifecycle services to improve operational performance for process manufacturers and producers.
Sean opened describing the see-decide-act and how today’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) follow this model. Sensors measuring the process are no longer just for control, they are for monitoring for reliability, energy & emissions, and safety. As wireless technology and security has advanced these sensors are more easily added. These provide the “See” part of the model.
Analytical software and experts can evaluate this enriched data and make decisions on what actions should be taken to avoid abnormal situations and improve current operations. Through collaborative technologies including mobile communications apps the decisions made can be put into the hands of those who act to make the changes.
For DeltaV system users, Guardian Support enables remote experts, in an online or offline manner, to monitor the system to manage the lifecycle of the components and develop risk mitigation strategies to manage the system over time. Issues can often be spotted before they lead to problems.
From an instrumentation standpoint, similar lifecycle services are available. Sean shared an example of a steam trap monitoring application at an Asian refinery, where Emerson experts monitored the wireless steam traps and provided recommendations to the site on ones that needed maintenance work. Energy efficiency was improved by recognizing leaks much earlier than traditional maintenance rounds could provide.
Operational Certainty is the combination of digitally-enabled/mobile-connected workforce and integrated work practices and tools to improve safe work practices, reliability, emissions and energy efficiency, and production optimization.
Will described the importance of a well-designed condition monitoring program to provide early warning before problems with plan assets occur that can affect safe operations and production levels. Not only is the monitoring technology important, but so are the workflows to make sure resolution actions are performed in a timely matter.
He noted that most safety incidents occur in non-steady state conditions such as startups and shutdowns, so avoiding these states as much as possible through early detection reduces operational risks.
Here are links for more on Lifecycle Services and Reliability Consulting. You can also connect and interact with other lifecycle service experts in the Operate & Maintain group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
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