As the U.S. petrochemical and refining infrastructure ages, companies must be creative about how to increase production, improve operational efficiency and enhance product quality and consistency. Debottleneck projects and new equipment additions are common approaches but often require costly investments. Instrumentation and controls (I&C) is a frequently overlooked area where opportunities to optimize plant performance exist.
I&C functions are vital to plant operations, and I&C improvements often cost much less than mechanical solutions. There is a systematic approach to ensuring optimal I&C performance. We recommend evaluating and addressing these four key areas: 1. Existing instrumentation and control system performance, 2. New instrumentation and analytics, 3. Operator training and 4. Regulatory control strategy.
Accurate and reliable instrumentation is the foundation of good plant control. While preventative maintenance (PM) programs have greatly improved overall instrument and mechanical reliability, not every company has strong PM programs. Even companies with effective PM programs can still have I&C challenges. Most facilities live with known instrumentation issues like sticking valves or transmitters that are off by a few percent. While at first glance these aren't big issues, when control strategies rely on these instruments, seemingly minor inaccuracies can have a ripple effect.
Addressing the accuracy and reliability of problematic instrumentation is the first step toward improving I&C performance. Leveraging instrument and control system diagnostic capabilities is one good way to establish and maintain acceptable metrics.
Poorly tuned control loops can be another hidden obstacle to good plant performance. Many organizations never look at control loop tuning once a unit becomes operational. Multiple factors affect and can alter loop behavior, so regularly addressing control tuning is necessary.
Insufficient instrumentation and sparse analytics are also contributors to underperformance. Companies should ask whether they have sufficient data to make good control decisions. A few new instruments or process analyzers added in strategic locations can be an inexpensive way to gain more process insight. Additional process data can be incorporated into control strategies to enable faster and better business decisions.
Consider an example where lab results help validate that a product meets quality parameters. The lab process requires pulling samples and testing in the lab, which can be a time consuming process. A decision on whether to keep or scrap the current product campaign might be delayed while waiting on this information. Adding an online analyzer and using it for the same quality parameter assessment can significantly speed up the decision process.
Another key variable influencing I&C performance is operator training. Between shifts and operators, there are huge variabilities in addressing the same production scenarios. Many companies work to reduce this variability through automation. This is only effective when operators are properly trained because, even with automation, human decision making is vital to production success. As control strategies change and information from new instrumentation and analytics becomes available, it is critical to train even the most experienced operators on how to leverage new tools to make the best decisions.
Another operational improvement area for many companies is enhancing regulatory control strategy. Without investing in full advanced process control applications, advanced regulatory control approaches can be tremendously beneficial. Strategies can include cascade control, feedforward control, ratio control, etc. Few companies assess overall plant control strategies or consider how these alternative advanced regulatory approaches can alleviate many of the control issues existing in their plants.
As petrochemical and refining companies look for operational edges over their competition, I&C is worth considering as a means to increase throughput, improve quality and optimize production efficiency.
For more information, visit www.burrowglobal.com or call (713) 963-0930.