DeltaV offers NYNAS flexibility to optimise process flows
and loading capacity.
NYNAS is a Swedish Company specialized in bitumen that owns
small refineries in Europe.
The truck loading station is their most critical unit. All
trucks have to be loaded with specific quantities of bitumen
and additives of ±200 DegC. These trucks will drive
immediately to the building site or public work in a range
of 250 km.
The truck loading has to be just in time in order to arrive
at the site with product at an acceptable temperature. Loading
too soon would mean extra truck heating which is technically
not possible for 90% of the trucks. Loading too late means
a bunch of road workers that is out of labour, traffic problems,
delays, loss of clients and of course huge claims.
As Mr. Edblom says "we have enough stock to shut down
the refinery for a week but we cannot live with the truck
loading station going down for 15 minutes." The 6 loading
stations have a capacity of 20 trucks an hour.
This is why NYNAS was looking for a reliable system with
easy diagnostics and the right organization to support it.
Optimization possibilities, flexibility and openness were
other demands. The old system had to be replaced because of
reliability issues.
The truck loading process.
The process starts with a bitumen order generated in the
NYNAS Brussels sales office. This order is sent electronically
to the Antwerp refinery. In Antwerp a badge is generated and
handed over to the truck driver at the NYNAS entrance. Every
loading station is equipped with a badge reader connected
via a serial link to DeltaV.
DeltaV can read if it is the correct loading station and
will notify the driver with a text on the badge reader if
action is required. The type and amount of product is also
read from the badge and DeltaV will calculate the different
components and blend it into the truck.
This blending is done at highest possible speed, taking all
flows into account. The component ratio is calculated in SQL
on the integration station. This SQL database holds the component
specifications, updated continuously on-line on a lab PC.
Continuously, because the component specification changes
all the time.
Also all other loading data is gathered in this database
with a backup on the plant server.
Before leaving NYNAS the truck weight is saved in the SQL
database.
Why Emerson with DeltaV.
DeltaV offered NYNAS a lot more flexibility to optimize process
flows and loading capacity.
The DeltaV control equipment had already been proven to be
extremely reliable and flexible.
If despite of the robustness of DeltaV a component has to
be replaced, this can happen on-line and under power. The
DeltaV diagnostics interface is standard and to the point.
If requested by NYNAS, the same diagnostics can happen on-line,
at home or at Emerson Process Management.
NYNAS engineers can do all process optimization via the graphical
configuration tools. This without interfering the running
process. They even use the same system configuration to view
and tune the live process.
NYNAS has a laboratory in place connected to the plant LAN.
DeltaV uses this laboratory database to update real time the
component database. With an open system like DeltaV and OPC
(OLE for Process Control), NYNAS could count on a totally
integrated and secure system.
Of course Emerson's process control capabilities
made the decision easier.
The experience of Emerson's IT integration group
seemed to be unique and appreciated.
An affordable Call-Out contract with full-omnium makes a
Emerson service engineer available at the NYNAS site
within 4 hours at no extra cost. Even replacements are free
of charge.
The NT operator platform was the only worry DeltaV caused.
NYNAS was concerned about introducing this revolutionary operator
interface to their operators.
We showed NYNAS that the operators could work with the familiar
controller FacePlates right out of the library. Configuration
of DeltaV with integration of the SQL application took us
a month.
The next step will be the integration of an complete intelligent
loop. The purpose is to do with one system process control
and the diagnostics from sensor to valve. With this integration
the availability of the loading station has to improve and
unwanted shut downs due to field device failures can be avoided.
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