In late 1998, an international food manufacturer was preparing
for a worldwide launch of a cholesterol-reducing food additive
that would require an immediate increase in the supply of
an essential ingredient. This manufacturer approached Quest
Separation Technologies, a custom manufacturing plant near
Houston, TX, with a unique opportunity: build a new plant
dedicated to producing this vital ingredient on a fast-track
and the business is yours.
 The
typical timeline for design, construction, and startup of
a new, stand-alone facility of this scale is 9 to 12 months.
Quest's customer needed the plant producing the ingredient
in less than five months.
Quest turned to Emerson Process Management's PlantWeb digital plant architecture,
based on the FOUNDATION fieldbus communications protocol,
intelligent field devices, and the DeltaV digital automation system
to meet this project's daunting challenge.
Why PlantWeb?
Quest chose the PlantWeb architecture because of its cost
effectiveness, and the reduced manpower and time to install
the DeltaV system with its space-efficient design. Quest's
customer, now the largest manufacturer in the world for this
food product, wanted to position itself for efficient future
growth.
Reduced capital and engineering
The PlantWeb system saved money and time, resulting in additional
revenue for the company, coming on line about three weeks
faster than a traditional DCS system installation.
Perhaps the most visible advantage of the fieldbus technology
was in the commissioning. Says Quest engineering manager Keith
Pace, "You were able to just plug the transmitter in
and go into the DeltaV system and it was there, and all you had to
do was pick it up, drag it down into the I/O, and you were
done."
Steven Mayeux, Quest's operations vice president, says, "The
system was installed in approximately three days, whereas
a conventional system may have taken us three to four weeks."
 Pace
estimates the savings came out to about 300 man hours in installation
cost, about 33 percent on actual I/O, with an approximate
33 percent reduction in control room space. Pace adds, the
company saved an estimated two weeks' time in the startup.
Reduced operations and maintenance
The Asset Management Solution (AMS) inside the DeltaV system
provides on line diagnostics for proactive maintenance. The
DeltaV graphic interface allows operators to find problem
plant areas or devices on the screen, then address the problem
in the plant, confident that they're addressing accurately
portrayed problems with appropriate solutions. Says Pace,
the system, "lets you know if a valve is wearing out
or if you've got some problems with a valve, you can do all
that diagnostics in alarming, you can bring back more variables
than you could in the past."
Reduced regulatory compliance effort
Quest's project manager Bob Griffith points out, "We've
got some flammable chemicals in the area and you want to make
sure you're protecting your people and the environment around
you. The numbers on this screen have got to be right -- and
they are right, and we're quite pleased with that." Pace
adds, "You can actually document when the transmitter
was installed, when you did some calibration on it, and you
can actually print that documentation trail."
Reduced variability
With the DeltaV system and fieldbus technology, Quest was
able to see all the multiple variables, including temperature
and pressure measurements that can't be seen in a traditional
I/O. For this specialized food additive, quality is extremely
important, from the standpoint of both consistency, and quality.
Says Quest's president and CEO Bill Sonnier, "We have
to operate that facility in very narrow control ranges. And
with PlantWeb, we can easily and efficiently do that."
Scalability
The DeltaV system's scalability was a major factor in its
selection for the project. Quest installed a small, temporary
control room, with plans to double or even triple the plant.
The DeltaV system is able to grow with plant needs, from a
single I/O, to hundreds or thousands -- adding compact I/O cards
within a tiny cabinet or wall-mounted rails.
Summary
Fieldbus technology, the DeltaV system, and PlantWeb architecture
saved Quest more than 300 man-hours in installation time,
reducing a 15-day requirement to 4 days. The breakthrough
automation solution also saved Quest 10 percent in installed
material costs, and it reduced both space and process control
equipment by up to 43 percent. As a team, Quest and Emerson
met the customer's deadline in record time, giving them a
true competitive advantage.
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