Industrial Energy Blog

The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time

Jim Cahill — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:23:52 GMT

No matter the industry, sustainability is a priority for nearly every industrial company with the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 as a corporate goal for many enterprises. More than one-third (702) of the world’s largest publicly traded companies have net zero targets, up from one-fifth in December 2020. National targets covered just 16% of global gross domestic product (GDP) as recently as 2019. Fast forward three years, and net zero coverage has expanded almost six-fold to encompass 91% of the global economy. A robust net zero design requires the absolute reduction of GHG emissions by at least 90%, allowing for high-quality carbon neutralization in other parts of the ecosystem for any residual emissions, which cannot be otherwise abated. Recently, I had the privilege of presenting a best-practice session on the path to net zero at the Energy 4.0 Conference Stage at Hannover Messe. Here are a few of the salient points:

Industrial processes are responsible for a quarter of global emissions, so to achieve net zero we must learn to do more with much less. In industries where pneumatic systems are widely used, compressed air accounts for 30% of electricity consumption. At the same time, at least 30% of compressed air used in industry goes to waste due to failure at joints, suboptimization of machines, exposure to vibration and rapid movement devices reaching fatigue and general poor oversight. The consequence of this waste is higher emissions, low energy efficiency, unplanned downtime and increased maintenance costs.

Continuous compressed air monitoring and online analysis, however, helps facilities quickly detect and address leaks in their early stages or even prevent them altogether. By replacing manual, periodic maintenance with continuous monitoring using intelligent sensors, plants can gain real-time visibility into equipment health and processes using floor-to-cloud digital technologies, make informed decisions and take control of energy efficiency. The results are regularly a reduction in compressed air usage of 20-30%. A typical calculation might discover a decrease in unplanned downtime of 20% and an improvement in overall equipment effectiveness of 5-10%.

But compressed air usage is not the only area where significant savings of energy consumption can be achieved. In fact, the same approach can allow any plant to remove the guesswork from how and where they use the full spectrum of resources. Employing monitoring and advanced analytics technology, a factory or plant can gain visibility and control of the consumption and costs of water, steam, chemicals, gases and electricity.

The type of results typically seen with continuous monitoring and online visualization achieve ROI on the technology investment very quickly – assuming the automation solution is efficient and affordable. That’s where the below Emerson “Floor to Cloud” technology roadmap comes in.

Based upon a plant’s application and starting at the machine level, intelligent sensors and smart devices can be selected to measure and monitor flow, level, pressure, temperature, distance, humidity, position, speed and more. This vital data is then collected and analyzed close to the machine by edge computers and controllers that produce actionable insights to make immediate educated decisions for taking recommended actions for improvements on the plant floor, including OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). The analytics software continuously aggregates data, visualizes trends like energy efficiency, and detects anomalies on an easy-to-read dashboard. Whenever necessary, edge devices can also forward data to the cloud, where the insights can be combined with other insights to enhance sustainability, efficiency, production and OEE.

One of the key advantages of the “Floor to Cloud” approach is that it allows a project to start small – even on a single machine or production line – see results, achieve some level of ROI and move on to solve other clearly identified problems or scale up. This is in contrast to the many big data strategies that require large investments of time and money before any results are realized. With the floor-to-cloud approach, the project can start as small or large as desired and then scale as fast or slowly as required by the application, demand and enterprise goals. Each step eliminates stranded data and islands of automation in the plant, bringing the data and insights from every machine, production line and system into the enterprise-level decisions.

No matter a company’s size or maturity stage of digital transformation, they can maximize energy use and resource utilization, and reduce environmental impact through data-informed decisions that empower quick actions. By incorporating continuous monitoring solutions, many factories and plants have already significantly reduced resources and energy use and improved their sustainability.

Learn more here.

The post The Path to Sustainability – One Critical Step at a Time appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

While many functions in industrial plants are commonly automated, the tracking and management of energy remains a task frequently conducted manually. Workers move around with spreadsheets from machine to machine, attempting to capture some semblance of the energy being consumed in a procedure fraught with potential errors and with no way to capture real-time energy overages or to determine when and under what conditions they occur. At the same time, emphasis on sustainability in industrial plants increases daily as do energy consumption regulations. Industry needs an easy, effective way to measure and manage energy usage. New solutions are appearing on the market, one of which is Emerson’s energy management system Movicon Pro.Energy , and it incorporates important capabilities that show what does and doesn’t work in energy management systems. Here are a few important factors:

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT , users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

When users start seeing real-time energy data available on their hand-held devices; when they start producing convincing reports at the touch of a button; when corrective measures for energy problems become clear – they see the value of automating energy data collection and analysis. But the most convincing moment is when energy costs start to go down thanks to technology that was easy to install and use, and very affordable to implement.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably

Jim Cahill — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 22:28:14 GMT

Be easy and affordable to integrate and use – Except in cases where sustainability is being required, many plants won’t take on the headaches of integrating an energy management system – unless it’s simple and cost-effective. Movicon Pro.Energy runs on a very easy-to-use, SCADA-based platform that employs Wizard-type setup and configuration. The wizard helps users select field variables and automatically create a data collection database. Literally in minutes, users can gain the required visibility they need into their energy use and costs to increase energy efficiency, monitor consumption, and improve their organization’s carbon footprint. Whether from a workstation in the control room, or from a mobile device in the field, users can instantly access highly intuitive, customizable dashboards that translate raw data from devices and energy carriers into actionable information. Nothing motivates like fast results.
Be more than just a data collection system – When users begin to get a reliable, ongoing flow of accurate energy consumption data, they quickly move to wanting to do something about it. They want to go from collection to management – again, if the process is simple. That’s why users should look for a data collection system that is or easily becomes a management system. Because Pro.Energy runs on Movicon.NExT , users can collect data to manage assets more efficiently through Pro.Energy data in tandem with control system data coming from Movicon.NExT. Teams can identify the status of assets to help make decisions for altered or reduced operation or implement different scheduling to take advantage of off-peak rates.
Be open – The less a plant has to change, the more likely they are to integrate energy management. Movicon Pro.Energy offers numerous integrated solutions to connect directly to PLCs, multimeters, analyzers, remote I/O, and control systems via native I/O drivers. It can also reduce investment and complexity in data collection, easily creating a powerful supervision architecture. It connects to HMI and SCADA systems already installed on production lines and to remote telemetry devices in IIoT equipment using OPC UA client and server. Users can collect and record all energy consumption data, and automatically import tags with a wide variety of fully integrated communication protocols including Modbus, Bacnet, Konnex, LON, Simatic, Schneider, ABB, Profibus, Profinet, IEC 60870, and IEC 61850.

To see data on Movicon Pro.Energy check out this data sheet, or go to the Emerson website.

The post Yes, You Can Reduce Your Plant’s Energy Costs Easily and Affordably appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough

Jim Cahill — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:59:10 GMT

In an Industrial Heating article, Emerson’s Andrew Smith breaks down the complexities of combustion control, and provides a solution

Some industrial processes prove to be more complex in actual operation than they first appear. One of the most common is combustion, as applied with boilers, fired heaters, ovens, and the like. Conceptually, it is very easy to understand: mix fuel with air in the right proportion and it works. Well, yes, but it isn’t always that simple.

Fuel, even natural gas, isn’t always completely consistent, and while we’re using air, what we really need is oxygen, but all that extra stuff (nitrogen, etc.) still has to come along for the ride and complicate the mix. How operators work in that environment and strive to achieve the most desirable outcome is the topic of my article in the June issue of Industrial Heating, Better Flue Gas Analysis Improves Combustion Control.

Combustion analysis invariably begins by putting an oxygen sensor in the flue gas stream. Its purpose is to determine if too much air is being pushed into the system, reducing heat-recovery efficiency. If there is very little “excess” oxygen, combustion is efficient, right? Yes, but the true excess amount is difficult to determine from a basic oxygen sensor reading alone.

With the right type of oxygen sensor, it is possible to determine how much of the oxygen in the stack is part of the stoichiometric amount, which is left over due to less-than-perfect combustion, and which is truly excess oxygen. A zirconia sensor has a particular characteristic that allows it to measure only true excess oxygen. Flue gas flowing into the sensor includes both oxygen and any unburned fuel. Given the high temperature and high surface area of the sensor’s platinum beads, combustion of any remaining fuel traces is completed through catalytic oxidation. So when the fuel is consumed, the stoichiometric oxygen is consumed with it. Since all combustion is completed, any oxygen still measurable represents excess oxygen.

Emerson’s Rosemount 6888 In Situ Oxygen Analyzer is just that kind of sensor. It provides a continuous, accurate measurement of oxygen in flue gases coming from any combustion process. Accurate measurement of excess oxygen is critical to optimize the combustion reaction, resulting in reduced energy costs, increased safety, and lower emissions. Still, this measurement alone does not provide the date required to determine if the combustion is excessively rich because it can’t determine the amount of unburned fuel present. Combustion often ends up being too rich because operators turn the air flow down too much, hence the need for a second measurement.

More sophisticated combustion analyzers begin with a zirconia oxygen-sensing element and add a second stage: a catalytic bead sensor designed to measure residual combustible gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Presence of these represents unburned fuel or only partial combustion. This sensor technology combination is robust and able to withstand difficult environments, including the presence of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

Again, Emerson has that kind of analyzer. The Rosemount OCX8800 Combustion Flue Gas Transmitter provides a continuous, accurate measurement of the oxygen and combustibles remaining in flue gases from a combustion process. With that data, it is possible to balance oxygen and unburned fuel to achieve a higher degree of efficiency and optimization. But there is still one more element: emissions. For that last bit, you’ll have to read the article. Suffice it to say, for combustion processes, efficiency and optimization are not always achieved simultaneously, but with enough data, it is possible to operate exactly where the application needs to be.

The key is having all the data necessary for making critical evaluations, and this calls for analyzer technology capable of delivering a full picture of the process. When there is only an oxygen measurement, much is left to guesswork. Operators may reach a comfortable point, but it might be far from optimal. True optimization – possible with the right analyzer technology – creates a balance between low fuel costs, process effectiveness, managed emissions and a safe workplace.

Visit the Combustion Analysis pages at emerson.com. You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Industrial Energy & Onsite Utilities, and Power Generation Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough

Jim Cahill — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:59:10 GMT

In an Industrial Heating article, Emerson’s Andrew Smith breaks down the complexities of combustion control, and provides a solution

With the right type of oxygen sensor, it is possible to determine how much of the oxygen in the stack is part of the stoichiometric amount, which is left over due to less-than-perfect combustion, and which is truly excess oxygen. A zirconia sensor has a particular characteristic that allows it to measure only true excess oxygen. Flue gas flowing into the sensor includes both oxygen and any unburned fuel. Given the high temperature and high surface area of the sensor’s platinum beads, combustion of any remaining fuel traces is completed through catalytic oxidation. So when the fuel is consumed, the stoichiometric oxygen is consumed with it. Since all combustion is completed, any oxygen still measurable represents excess oxygen.

More sophisticated combustion analyzers begin with a zirconia oxygen-sensing element and add a second stage: a catalytic bead sensor designed to measure residual combustible gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Presence of these represents unburned fuel or only partial combustion. This sensor technology combination is robust and able to withstand difficult environments, including the presence of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.

The key is having all the data necessary for making critical evaluations, and this calls for analyzer technology capable of delivering a full picture of the process. When there is only an oxygen measurement, much is left to guesswork. Operators may reach a comfortable point, but it might be far from optimal. True optimization – possible with the right analyzer technology – creates a balance between low fuel costs, process effectiveness, managed emissions and a safe workplace.

The post Evaluating Combustion: Efficiency Alone is Not Enough appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Analyzing Combustion – Looking for Leftover Oxygen

Jim Cahill — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:22:33 GMT

In an automation.com article, Emerson’s Jesse Sumstad and Neil Widmer explain how accurate measurement of excess oxygen in flue gas can be used to improve combustion control.

These days, industrial facilities operating combustion processes face multiple concerns, including:

Burner efficiency
Fuel costs
Emission restrictions
Public perception of a company’s carbon footprint and overall environmental responsibility.

All these factors drive the importance of effective combustion control and overall efficiency. The best way to determine combustion efficiency is to analyze what’s going out the stack, starting with residual oxygen. This is not a new idea and many installations have some technology to measure oxygen, but, many operators don’t fully understand what the reading means.

Clearing up this frequent misunderstanding is a key point of our article at automation.com in June, Understanding Oxygen Measurement in Flue Gas Streams. We look at two common measurement technologies, and explain why they can give significantly different measurements in the same application. The reason is, there are effectively two kinds of residual oxygen, and differentiating them requires thinking about combustion itself.

Combustion is a chemical reaction between the fuel and oxygen (O₂) and is therefore subject to basic stoichiometric factors. The correct number of O₂ molecules must be available to react with the corresponding number of fuel molecules. Air flow imbalance in either direction is problematic. If there is insufficient air (below the stoichiometric requirement, or fuel-rich combustion), unburned fuel goes out the stack. This wastes fuel, creates emissions and hazardous air pollutants. It also creates a potential safety issue should enough fuel subsequently mix with O₂ and ignite.

So far, so good, this part is clear. But we know no reaction is 100%, so there will invariably be some unburned fuel. Therefore, the amount of O₂ in the stack is a mix of O₂ that should have burned to match the amount of fuel, and that which is truly in excess of the stoichiometric requirement.

If there is too much air (above the stoichiometric requirement, resulting in fuel-lean combustion), efficiency is reduced due to energy wasted heating the unnecessary volume of air. This is inescapable to some extent since approximately 80% of air is nitrogen, but excess air is less problematic for efficiency and safer for operation, although nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions can increase with increasing excess air. For most combustors there is an ideal excess air to achieve good combustion, low emissions and high efficiency.

All that to say, the most important measurement is the true unnecessary volume, but some analyzer technologies can’t tell the difference without a second analyzer to measure the amount of unburned fuel. However, Emerson’s Rosemount 6888A In Situ Oxygen Analyzer provides the desired reading because it automatically consumes any O₂ in excess of the stoichiometric requirement.

The Rosemount proprietary zirconia sensor has a particular characteristic to avoid this problem. Flue gas, including both leftover O₂ and any unburned fuel, flows into the sensor. Given the high temperature and high surface area of the platinum beads, combustion of any unburned fuel and leftover O₂ is completed through catalytic-enhanced oxidation. Since all combustion is completed in the sensor, any O₂ remaining in the sensor represents excess O₂, which is different than the total O₂ in the flue gas if unburned fuel is present. Because excess O₂ is directly related to excess air, operators can control air flow in real-time to maintain the ideal amount of excess O₂.

When operators know the true excess O₂ level as delivered by the Rosemount 6888A In Situ Oxygen Analyzer, they can make adjustments to run at the optimum excess O₂ percentage. Visit the Combustion Gas Analyzers pages at Emerson.com for more information. You can also connect and interact with other engineers in the Oil & Gas, Chemical, Onsite Utilities, and Power Generation Groups at the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Analyzing Combustion – Looking for Leftover Oxygen appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Analyzing Combustion – Looking for Leftover Oxygen

Jim Cahill — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:22:33 GMT

In an automation.com article, Emerson’s Jesse Sumstad and Neil Widmer explain how accurate measurement of excess oxygen in flue gas can be used to improve combustion control.

These days, industrial facilities operating combustion processes face multiple concerns, including:

Burner efficiency
Fuel costs
Emission restrictions
Public perception of a company’s carbon footprint and overall environmental responsibility.

The post Analyzing Combustion – Looking for Leftover Oxygen appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Deliver better control, reliability, and safety in today’s demanding steam operations with Rosemount 8800™︎ MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter

Jim Cahill — Thu, 06 May 2021 18:03:00 GMT

Vortex flow measurement is uniquely adaptive when it comes to handling difficult applications. By virtue of its science, utilizing the von Kármán effect, these instruments are accurate across a wide operating range and effective at withstanding high process pressures and temperatures. In this post, we’re highlighting the latest in our 8800 Flow Meter product portfolio – the MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter. Designed with superheated steam applications in mind, we’ve combined proven temperature and flow measurement technology into one powerful device. With this MultiVariable meter option, we can deliver better control, reliability, and safety in today’s demanding steam operations.

Let’s Talk Steam

We’ve talked before about the unique challenges of measuring steam applications and how Vortex flow meters are particularly well-suited for measuring saturated and superheated steam applications. Another challenge with steam applications is how its density can fluctuate depending on the temperatures and pressures of a process. Volumetric flow rates are a measurement of the space a liquid occupies as it is flowing. For steam, volumetric flow rates don’t represent the most accurate measurement of its flow because of this constantly shifting density. A more accurate representation for steam applications is mass flow rate, the measurement of the mass of the fluid as it flows. Operators benefit from flow meters with multivariable capabilities that can provide them with compensated mass flow readings as process temperatures and pressures change.

Our MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter has an integrated temperature sensor within the meter body. This thermowell is incorporated inside of the vortex meter’s shedder bar to capture process temperatures without adding additional leak points to the all-welded meter body design. It eliminates the need to install and maintain a separate measurement point for temperature. We can now account for fluctuations in density to provide operators with a highly accurate mass flow rate in demanding steam applications.

The Problems with Integrated Pressure Sensors

We’ve engineered our MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter to measure temperature along with volumetric flow rates to deliver the most reliable flow measurements for steam applications possible. We’ve designed it to pair with a separate transmitter to receive pressure data via a HART pressure device like the industry-leading Rosemount 3051S Pressure Transmitter. Together, these instruments ensure a trustworthy compensated mass flow measurement.

When pressure sensors are integrated into the vortex flow meter along with temperature sensors, additional processing piping and meter body penetration is needed to support the integrated pressure sensor. This exposes the end user to the potential of plugging and clogging of process piping and safety risks of additional leak points. It also makes new vortex installation more complicated, risking improper process sealing, damage to the seal, and escaping fluids when the flange connection is opened. If the pressure module is integrated directly into the meter body, the electronics of the pressure sensor are more prone to failure from high temperatures due to the close proximity to the process piping. We’ve found that these meter designs introduce too much potential for installation issues, measurement errors, and inconsistency overall.

The Advantages of Installing a Rosemount 8800 MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter

Emerson’s MultiVariable flow meter utilizes external pressure measurement to take full advantage of the benefits of vortex technology. The all-casted, all-welded body eliminates ports, crevices, and gaskets for clog-free functionality. Real-time temperatures and pressure measurements are measured or received by the electronics inside the transmitter to perform the calculations necessary for compensated flow measurement. The integrated removable temperature sensor is isolated from the process and separate from the vortex sensor which facilitates independent verification or replacement of each sensor without breaking the process seal.

Today’s steam operations need more reliable instrumentation to meet the demands of high temperatures and pressures while maintaining the highest levels of plant safety. We’ve engineered our solution to meet these critical needs and provide the insights our customers need to continuously improve their optimization and energy balance strategies. Learn more, link.

The post Deliver better control, reliability, and safety in today’s demanding steam operations with Rosemount 8800 MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Deliver better control, reliability, and safety in today’s demanding steam operations with Rosemount 8800 MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter

Jim Cahill — Thu, 06 May 2021 18:03:00 GMT

Let’s Talk Steam

The Problems with Integrated Pressure Sensors

The Advantages of Installing a Rosemount 8800 MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter

Welcome to Emerson Automation Experts Podcasts

Jim Cahill — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:40:06 GMT

Visit our podcast subscription page to subscribe with your favorite podcast player.

The post Welcome to Emerson Automation Experts Podcasts appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Optimizing Combustion Processes

Jim Cahill — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:21:08 GMT

Heating is a part of many production processes. Combustion units largely provide this heat. These units may include boilers, heater, ovens, furnaces, incinerators, kilns, dryers and more.

I caught up with Emerson’s Bob Sabin who works with manufacturers and producers to improve how these units operate, since energy costs are typically a large part of the overall operational costs for these production processes. Bob shared with me that many times with combustion improvement projects, people get focused on efficiency only.

But for operations, that is often not really the only thing or even the biggest thing. Often, more importantly is the reliability & availability, responsiveness, ease of operation, and ease of troubleshooting & maintenance of these units.

On many of the control retrofit projects on which Bob has worked with manufacturers and producers, he helps with ways to justify the investments to do these projects. Areas where better performance can happen includes delivering better performance in availability, maintenance costs, thermal efficiency, emissions, load change responsiveness, turndown, operator interaction and span of control. Better instrumentation and controls play are large role in generating these improvements.

Justification can take many forms. Three main areas are in regulatory compliance, safety and overall availability & reliability. From a regulatory compliance perspective, a well-executed project delivers full compliance with current NFPA and insurer recommendations and best practices. Also emissions are reduced.

From a safety perspective, existing sensors, final elements and logic solvers can be upgraded to Safety Integrity Level (SIL)-capable equipment for the required safety functions.

There’s a long list of ways that availability and reliability are improved as justification for a combustion unit optimization project, including:

Fully automatic control of the combustion unit
Straight forward light-off with clear indication of sequence state
English language messages for cause of trip or light-off issue
Little need for routine operator manual intervention
Good automatic response to steam demand changes (boiler) or production variations (process unit)
Optimal drum level stability (boiler)
Turndown capability to the burner/unit limit
Low variability in all process parameters
Simplified operations user interface
Reduced maintenance need and quicker troubleshooting when there are issues

Bob and the Industrial Energy consultants can help you justify ways to improve the performance of your combustion unit assets and execute these projects. Visit the Industrial Energy & Onsite Utilities section on Emerson.com for more on the technologies and solutions that can drive improved performance in safety, reliability, efficiency and emissions.

The post Optimizing Combustion Processes appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Optimizing Combustion Processes

Jim Cahill — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:21:08 GMT

Heating is a part of many production processes. Combustion units largely provide this heat. These units may include boilers, heater, ovens, furnaces, incinerators, kilns, dryers and more.

On many of the control retrofit project on which Bob has work with manufacturers and producers, he helps with ways to justify the investments to do these projects. Areas where better performance can happen includes delivering better performance in availability, maintenance costs, thermal efficiency, emissions, load change responsiveness, turndown, operator interaction and span of control. Better instrumentation and controls play are large role in generating these improvements.

From a safety perspective, existing sensors, final elements and logic solvers can be upgraded to Safety Integrity Level (SIL)-capable equipment for the required safety functions.

There’s a long list of ways that availability and reliability are improved as justification for a combustion unit optimization project, including:

Fully automatic control of the combustion unit
Straight forward light-off with clear indication of sequence state
English language messages for cause of trip or light-off issue
Little need for routine operator manual intervention
Good automatic response to steam demand changes (boiler) or production variations (process unit)
Optimal drum level stability (boiler)
Turndown capability to the burner/unit limit
Low variability in all process parameters
Simplified operations user interface
Reduced maintenance need and quicker troubleshooting when there are issues

The post Optimizing Combustion Processes appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Upgrading Boiler Burner Management and Combustion Control Systems

Jim Cahill — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Bob Sabin

Peter Kline

Authors: Bob Sabin, Peter Kline

The Emerson Industrial Energy consulting team assisted a Northeastern U.S. specialty chemical manufacturer with modernizing the controls on two 1960’s vintage Combustion Engineering “D” Type process steam boilers. These units are critical to site operation as they supply steam to a common header that feeds processes throughout the production facility.

For each boiler, the existing controls consisted of hardwired relays for Burner Management System (BMS) functions and standalone single loop controllers for Combustion Control System (CCS) purposes.

Over years of operation, boiler field wiring had fallen into disarray and the hardwired BMS panels had always been very difficult to troubleshoot. The CCS loop controllers had provided good service for many years, but they were limited in functionality and had reached the end of their useful life. All these created challenges for plant personnel in maintaining reliable and optimal utility plant operation. This drove the development of a boiler controls improvement project.

The Industrial Energy consultants and project team helped the client start the modernization effort by engaging in a holistic approach to control modernization. This process began with a site survey that examined the condition of the boilers and reviewed the instrumentation and field devices that were in place. The team conducted a review of the overall boiler processes and their devices for compliance with the latest NFPA codes and recommended practices. In addition, the team interviewed plant personnel to understand their project objectives, issues that needed to be resolved, and ideas for achieving optimal utility area performance.

The initial Emerson survey effort resulted in a report that identified NFPA code deficiencies and field device issues that were then rectified by plant personnel. In addition, it documented a cut-over plan that was used to scope the installation effort for the new boiler BMS/CCS equipment.

The new boiler controls were built using DeltaV SIS (Safety Instrumented System) hardware for safety functionality and DeltaV PAS (Process Automation System) equipment for combustion and process control. The DeltaV SIS hardware gave the plant the dedicated and separate safety functionality they needed while delivering the combustion controls integration that they desired. Plant operations and maintenance personnel had a single set of diagnostic tools and a single user interface window into both the BMS and CCS.

With the boiler control hardware, this approach provided the plant with its BMS and CCS control solutions tailored to the specific boiler units and site needs. Functionality included:

DeltaV Standard BMS Solution incorporating burner starting and tripping logic, purge interlock monitoring, an intuitive graphical interface, and extensive system diagnostics supplying clear indication of causes for light-off difficulty and “first out” trip cause.
DeltaV Standard CCS Solution for control of boiler process including drum level control, math based (stoichiometric calculations) fuel and air regulation with cross-limits, Oxygen trim control, historical trending, alarming, and boiler master pressure control.

The team completed the boiler process control improvement project by providing field training, start-up, and commissioning services at the site. Operations and maintenance personnel were trained on the user interface and diagnostic tools available to them, functional testing of the BMS was completed, and boiler load testing conducted. Finally, tuning of the boiler process regulatory control loops was accomplished.

This boiler control improvement project has brought tangible benefit to the plant. Emerson’s math-based combustion control has no legacy fuel to air curves with their inherent inefficiency. As a result, it has been possible to operate the boilers with improved response, better turndown, and lower excess oxygen levels. Thermal efficiency has improved 1-2 percent overall resulting in significant fuel savings.

In addition, the improved operability and troubleshooting diagnostics provided by the new controls has been well received by operations and maintenance personnel. Having English language descriptions of light-off permissives to be met and clear first-out trip information has minimized start-up delays and time-consuming troubleshooting efforts.

Coordination of the two boilers has also been improved. Operations has newfound flexibility to balance load and respond to steam system demand swings and upsets.

This boiler controls improvement project has given new life to two older but critical plant utility units such that they will remain a viable part of the site’s operation for years to come.

From Jim: Visit the Industrial Energy & Onsite Utilities section on Emerson.com for more on the technologies and solutions to drive improved operational performance.

The post Upgrading Boiler Burner Management and Combustion Control Systems appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Upgrading Boiler Burner Management and Combustion Control Systems

Jim Cahill — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Bob Sabin

Peter Kline

Authors: Bob Sabin, Peter Kline

For each boiler, the existing controls consisted of hardwired relays for Burner Management System (BMS) functions and standalone single loop controllers for Combustion Control System (CCS) purposes.

With the boiler control hardware, this approach provided the plant with its BMS and CCS control solutions tailored to the specific boiler units and site needs. Functionality included:

DeltaV Standard BMS Solution incorporating burner starting and tripping logic, purge interlock monitoring, an intuitive graphical interface, and extensive system diagnostics supplying clear indication of causes for light-off difficulty and “first out” trip cause.
DeltaV Standard CCS Solution for control of boiler process including drum level control, math based (stoichiometric calculations) fuel and air regulation with cross-limits, Oxygen trim control, historical trending, alarming, and boiler master pressure control.

Coordination of the two boilers has also been improved. Operations has newfound flexibility to balance load and respond to steam system demand swings and upsets.

This boiler controls improvement project has given new life to two older but critical plant utility units such that they will remain a viable part of the site’s operation for years to come.

From Jim: Visit the Industrial Energy & Onsite Utilities section on Emerson.com for more on the technologies and solutions to drive improved operational performance.

The post Upgrading Boiler Burner Management and Combustion Control Systems appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.

Optimizing Energy Consumption and Overall Reliability

Jim Cahill — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Sam Thiara

I heard a great story from Emerson’s Sam Thiara of a polymer producer in the Middle East region that was looking to improve energy efficiency across the facility’s steam system. They wanted to reduce energy costs and their carbon footprint, while also improving the stability and reliability of the process.

The plant staff worked with Emerson industrial energy consultants to benchmark existing operations. The process included staff interviews, data collection and observations. This input gathering process was followed by data analysis, rigorous simulations, and generation of a report.

For the petrochemical products produced at this plant, large quantities of energy are consumed in the forms of mechanical power needed to drive the pumps, blowers, and compressors, and steam needed for heating the various process streams.

A majority of the steam is not controllable as it is generated in the cracking furnaces. This majority is used for process heating purposes and converted into mechanical energy for the compressors, pumps and blowers.

The largest losses came from the turbine condenser. To minimize these losses, the optimum steam routing strategy was to maximize the steam flow through the turbine high pressure sections. Maximizing this steam flow was difficult due to the complexity of the steam system and interacting control loops which were causing oscillatory behavior when operating in automatic mode.

The turbine condenser losses could not be totally eliminated due to the high shaft power requirement of the compressors, but the dump condenser heat losses could be almost completely avoided.

Given these challenges and opportunities, the consulting team performed a cost-benefit analysis and recommended the following actions:

Conduct detailed assessment of the steam metering system
Implement base control and instrumentation improvements
- Inspect, calibrate, and repair (if needed) of all instruments relevant to the solution. In particular, the steam turbine flow and pressure measurements should be inspected
- Install mass flow meters for the auxiliary boiler fuels
- Linearize all letdown station valves
- Verify of proper functionality of the letdown station temperature controls
Implement coordinated multi-variable model predictive controller (MPC) and optimization solution for the steam system
Implement an Energy Management Information System

By improving control, optimization and the energy information system, the plant staff could improve overall operational reliability, reduce operator interventions in controlling the process, lower energy costs, reduce emissions and improve overall awareness of energy consumption levels.

Reliability improvements of the steam would occur through lower process variability and reduced wear and team on the steam system components. Coordinating these controls also provides better response to large process upsets and reduces the risk of cascading trips. Improved visibility to energy flows also enables early warning of fouling and mechanical issues to address before an unscheduled outage might occur.

Specific to the metering system, several conflicting, questionable, or missing measurement points were identified. Gaps in the metering system were noted along with existing instruments needing corrective actions, including shop inspection, calibration, repair, and in some cases, replacement.

Through this analysis and recommended solution, the team identified the possibility of greater than 15% reduction in natural gas consumed by the process. The project is currently approved and underway.

Visit the Energy & Emissions section on Emerson.com for more on the solutions and technologies to improve performance and reliable operations. You can connect and interact with other energy management and experts in the Services group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

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