By: Dave Hornosky, Sr. Customer Project Execution Manager — Engineered Systems, Global Project Pursuits, Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions
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Companies are constantly looking for ways to reduce unnecessary costs and improve productivity, and safety programs are as much under the microscope as any other function.
Specifically, now is the time for chemical and petroleum industries to embrace digital, automated safety solutions that can help improve financial and operating performance; and increase worker safety.
Whether organizations are deploying these technologies to be more productive in the field, optimize production assets, improve safety monitoring for workers and communities, reduce the burden of reporting, or handle predictive maintenance, the case for innovative digital automation of these processes is clear.
An Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-enabled Connected Solutions approach, comprising an intelligent gas and radiation detection system, can improve real-time safety and security threat detection. Connected Solutions feature wireless sensors on both workers and the walls to enable better monitoring and identification of risks. The system can securely send real-time data to the cloud, where it is collected and aggregated, and report to an array of devices for remote managers to analyze and act upon. Offering a wide range of advanced capabilities, such as an intuitive user dashboard, automation of field notifications, and a fleet of value-added services, Connected Solutions elevate traditional monitoring, alarm, and notification software to an all-encompassing tool. The result: important productivity gains and cost savings.
The deployment of an IIoT-enabled Connected Solutions system at for a major global phenol producer illustrates the benefits this technology offers.
Enhancing Safety Responsibilities
The processes required in the production of phenol as well as other chemical intermediates are extremely complex and require handling many toxic chemicals. The phenol manufacturing facility at which we consulted is located outside an urban area. The site’s managers feel a distinct responsibility to ensure the safety of both employees and neighboring residents. So they constantly research new methods to improve their air sampling, monitoring, and remote notification — for everyone’s continued safety.
Mangers need to continuously monitor ambient air within general plant areas for oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), lower explosive limits (LEL), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). They also wanted to enhance their ability to provide safe, efficient, near-real time monitoring with local and remote notification while performing confined-space entries and work.
At the time of study, their monitoring/notification system relied mostly on the ability of operators and other plant personnel to physically report any gas anomalies they encountered. This was not very efficient; reporting data was often less than accurate. Managers wished to upgrade to a semi portable system for area monitoring, and a portable one for confined-space monitoring.
Introducing IIoT-Enabled Connected Solutions As part of Honeywell’s IIoT initiative, we proposed a solution to enhance the facility’s gas monitoring capability — while minimizing operator rounds, increasing effectiveness and safety of confined-space hole watch, and furnishing remote notification to multiple key personnel, as well as local notification. Our system would provide all this while eliminating the need for electrical or communication wiring.
A detailed site visit and site walk were conducted; site personnel noted key areas of concern. On-site wireless testing identified any potential interference issues and areas of the facility that might prohibit radio frequency (RF) signal propagation. Planning determined connectivity and signal routing to ensure strong, uninterrupted communications 24/7, even in the worst weather.
Our recommended solution: a comprehensive Connected Solutions system to enable managers to monitor operation areas and track personnel through an “always on, always ready” permanent infrastructure communication network, providing complete plant-wide coverage.
Deployment started with a combination of transportable, wireless multi-gas (O2/CO/LEL/H2S) monitors mounted on movable skids and powered by a self-contained solar power/charging solution for area monitoring. The 30-watt solar panel that provided power to a 55-ampere-per-hour sealed gel battery could also deliver continuous power for up to two weeks in the worst conditions. The system removed the need for any electrical wiring, eliminating the cost and enabling movability to other facility areas.
For confined-space entry monitoring, we used wireless, portable multi-gas (O2/CO/LEL/H2S) monitors with advanced detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These devices provide remote notification back to a local mini-controller host, and via a GPS-enabled portable router to a dedicated software application wherein readings could be cascaded out to select facility managers.
The wireless, portable monitors make it quick and easy to “sniff” a confined space prior to operator entry; the host provides a simple local interface for supervisor monitoring outside that space. The wireless units communicate both locally and with a host computer that acts as a gateway between wired and wireless worlds — extending the range of the network using limited infrastructure, and ensuring uptime with minimal cost.
Connected Solutions create an exponential increase in the amount of data that is available to managers for use in managing risk. Comprehensive software must aggregate the data, bringing it into one common view for analysis and decision-making. We installed our suite on an on-site server to handle local and remote monitoring, data reporting, and system management. The software also offers the ability to cascade readings and reports out to multiple computers for viewing by additional personnel. When warranted, the system produces automated notifications (via email to responsible parties) of various items of concern, such as compliance issues, toxic gas alarms, and man-down situations. This feature helps ensure key individuals are quickly notified of a situation and receive the critical data they need for immediate analysis and decision. The ability for facility managers to access and share this variety of data in near-real time is a dramatic advancement beyond previous manual reporting processes. This IIoT-enabled connectivity helps automate their procedures and minimize human error in documenting and reporting possibly toxic gas releases.
Gaining Safety — and Competitive — Advantages
Today’s plant operators and safety personnel must do more than watch over production processes and respond to alarms. They are required to achieve a greater focus on business success by tackling a broad range of challenges from quality issues to costs. Operators must ensure that units remain within energy boundaries, production targets are met, and raw materials are not wasted. Effective monitoring tools that can enable better decision-making are increasingly necessary to meet current operational demands.
Advanced IIoT-enabled connected safety monitoring solutions can help industrial plants move to the next level of operational excellence by leveraging the inherent advantages of gas alarm and fleet management initiatives. Safety monitoring benefits come from a variety of sources, including:
- Reduced number and severity of incidents,
- Reduced operating and maintenance costs through increased asset reliability, and
- Better safety and environmental compliance.
These advanced systems can monitor numerous gas/environmental values. Anything outside the normal range is recorded. Deviations or potential problems can be quickly scanned, filtered, and considered in context. Operators and engineers can assign reasons and comments to each deviation. Managers can assess actual performance and set priorities based on periodic reports. In addition, information technology professionals can take advantage of the safety monitoring solution as part of an integrated plant information system.
This allows them to:
- Minimize administration costs with a web user interface,
- Reduce integration costs by utilizing built-in integration with other Honeywell operations and alarm management solutions,
- Access process data from Honeywell and third-party plant historians, and
- Reduce capital and implementation costs with a common architecture across current and future business applications.
An IIoT-enabled connected safety system environment represents a proven approach for chemical and petroleum companies seeking to adapt to cutting-edge safety monitoring devices and software, and to reap multifaceted benefits. Such connectivity provides for a maintainable, extensible system, able to meet the strict safety and data needs of today’s industrial environment. Its flexibility positions an organization to embrace change and follow advancements in best practices. Above all, automated safety management and monitoring systems enhance the credibility and availability of information, allow manufacturing plants to operate more safely with greater confidence — and ultimately enable operational excellence.
For more information on advanced connected safety monitoring solutions, visit Honeywell Analytics.
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About the author:
David Hornosky is a special projects leader for Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (www.honeywellsafety.com). He has overseen the installation and commissioning of wireless gas detection systems for Honeywell on multiple continents.
