Multi-plant Control System Upgrade for Improved Production Capacity for a Speciality Chemical Plant

Challenge

Our customer needed to increase production capacity and improve the overall reliability of their system. They needed a control system integrator with specialized expertise within the chemical process controls industry, particularly in batch control systems.

Solution

A&E helped the customer increase production capacity by integrating/automating around 300 pieces of new equipment and updating controls for around 1,000 pieces of existing equipment and instrumentation.

This equipment included silos, tanks, SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) reactors, calciners, valves, motors, instruments, and more.

System Overview

The system was automated to create batches of specialty chemicals used as fuel additives for improved environmental qualities. Reports were generated to track the actual times and materials used in each batch.

The main process functions included:

• Recipe selection
• Mixing
• Reacting
• Cooling
• Testing
• Drying
• Calcining
• Blending

The corresponding software developed for automated control and reporting consisted of:

• Transfer & storage silos
• Mixing control
• Dryer control
• Calcine control
• SCR control
• Batching systems – recipes & procedures
• SCADA systems
• Batch reporting

Results/Outcomes:

• Automated new equipment and updated existing equipment, increasing capacity by ~50%
• Consistent product from operator to operator through automation
• Improved overall quality – fewer batches out of tolerance
• Improved tracking – batch reports show amount of raw material used and how long each batch took to make