by Gary Mintchell | Sep 18, 2023 | Automation, Process Control, Sustainability
While politicians blather about various aspects of sustainability and climate, businesses have discovered it’s simply good business. The world searches for better, more plentiful, and safer fuels. Hydrogen is a good bet. Generating hydrogen turns out not to be so simple. However, process automation companies have focused engineering teams on viable ways to produce green hydrogen (hydrogen produced without negative inputs).
In this news, Yokogawa Electric Corp. announces that its subsidiary Yokogawa Australia has received an order from Monford Group Pty Ltd. to supply an energy management system (EMS) for the initial phase (“phase 0”) of the Yuri Green Hydrogen Project (hereafter, Yuri), which is constructing an industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production complex in Australia.
The Yuri project is being undertaken in the Pilbara region of Western Australia by Yuri Operations Pty Ltd, a joint venture between ENGIE Renewables Australia Pty Ltd and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. A consortium consisting of the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) companies Technip Energies and Monford Group Pty Ltd. is constructing these facilities, which will consist of an 18-megawatt solar power plant, an 8-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS), and a 10-megawatt electrolyzer. Using carbon-free solar energy, this facility will be able to produce up to 640 tons of green hydrogen per year. The hydrogen will be used as a feedstock to produce green ammonia at an adjacent ammonia plant operated by Yara Pilbara Fertiliser Pty Ltd (YPF). YPF is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yara International ASA, which is one of the world’s largest producers of nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers.
For the control of the solar power plant, BESS, and electrolyzer, Yokogawa Australia will supply an EMS that is developed by Yokogawa Group company PXiSE Energy Solutions LLC. This EMS will be combined with an integrated control system (ICS) centering on the Collaborative Information Server solution that Yokogawa will also be providing for phase 0 of this project, under a separate contract*1. Once these systems are installed and integrated, the Yuri facility’s renewable energy production will be autonomously managed to ensure consistent stability and power quality based on the operating requirements of the adjacent ammonia plant, the weather, and other factors.
PXiSE’s grid control solutions have already been highly evaluated at a Horizon Power project in Western Australia*2. Horizon Power serves the largest power supply area in the world, and following a successful rollout in Onslow, the solutions will be adopted in 34 additional Horizon Power microgrids. Also, the ability of Yokogawa Australia’s Technical Excellence Center in Perth, Western Australia, to provide technical support and engineering services backed by many years of experience in providing cutting-edge solutions to a wide range of industries in Australia was also evaluated.
Commenting on Yokogawa’s participation in this project, Koji Nakaoka, a Yokogawa senior vice president and head of the company’s Energy & Sustainability Business Headquarters and Global Sales Headquarters, said, “In a world in which systems are becoming closely integrated, based on the system of systems (SoS) concept, we will contribute to our customer’s ESG management by offering high value-added solutions, including the integration of plant control and energy management systems to enable the timely control of complex power systems.”
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 23, 2023 | Automation, Process Control, Sensors, Technology
A little world news for a change.
- Focus areas of the framework agreement include engineering and procurement activities in the Kingdom
- The collaboration will support energy industries in the region with effective measurement of gas quality through the implementation of integrated analyzer solutions
- ABB’s integration facility for analytical systems, which the company is building in Dammam, will support the collaboration
ABB has signed a framework agreement with Samsung Engineering in Saudi Arabia to collaborate in engineering and procurement activities in the Kingdom. With this agreement, ABB becomes a single-source vendor for gas analyzer system integration for Samsung in Saudi Arabia.
Together, the two companies plan to explore business opportunities and provide complete analytical solutions to the Saudi oil & gas market. Effective measurement of gas quality is key to safety and reliability, decreasing the environmental footprint and increasing profitability of the production process.
ABB’s analytical systems portfolio includes direct-read continuous gas analyzers, online gas analyzers using laser analytical techniques, rapid response process gas chromatographs and more. In addition to analytical systems, ABB provides gas analyzer system integration with fully customized analytical systems and solutions – from initial engineering through fabrication, testing, field start-up, and support.
ABB’s 10,000 square meter world-class integration facility for analytical systems, which the company is building in Dammam, will support the collaboration. The factory is expected to become a leader in the production of analytical systems in the region.
ABB and Samsung Engineering have worked together on several occasions, including on the Aramco Jafurah phase 1 project. With this agreement, they are ready to serve customers in Saudi Arabia.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 14, 2023 | Automation, Process Control, Sustainability
I am a student of corporate strategy and messaging. The major automation companies intrigued me when they all switched from messaging their mission as automation to software. Now Rockwell Automation is messaging itself as the digital transformation company. I don’t know what that all means, but I’m intrigued.
Further, Rockwell Automation’s strategy during the past five-six years has emphasized acquisition and partnership over internal development. Think PTC, Plex, FiiX.
I’m not condemning, just observing. That’s what I do. Observe and think.
An important part of Rockwell’s strategy focuses on sustainability. Decades after radio personality Earl Nightingale proclaimed the benefits of hydrogen fuel, industrial technology companies are working on the problem of how to economically produce hydrogen.
Enter a collaboration. Systems Integrator Avid Solutions has announced a collaboration with Rockwell Automation to “accelerate and optimize the production of Green Hydrogen (H2) for companies worldwide.”
The news release cites Avid Solutions as specializing in delivering comprehensive Green H2 solutions for industrial producers. I remember the company in other market areas, but I’m glad to see it tackling this area.
“We are seeing many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), process licensors, and producers entering the Green H2 Economy. They need expertise to scale, as well as speed to market entry,” said Tom O’Reilly, vice president, sustainability, Rockwell Automation. “With more than three decades of expertise in the process industries and helping OEMs scale, Avid Solutions is uniquely suited to help new Green H2 clients implement best-in-class technology and ensure their business needs are met.”
Having previously collaborated on a variety of projects, Avid Solutions and Rockwell Automation have a track record of successfully supporting electrolyzer OEMs, H2 liquefaction licensors, licensors of long-duration energy storage (LDEH), and compressor OEMs in ensuring optimal and consistent outcomes. The two companies also assisted a leading supplier of Green H2 solutions to reduce project risk, integrate new technologies and overcome obstacles related to implementing OT.
“Clients developing Green H2 projects face many challenges. From compressed schedules to meet incentives, new processes, initial feasibility and budgeting, to project execution, producers and OEM providers need an experienced partner to rely on,” said Gordon Bordelon, vice president, operations and technology, Avid Solutions. “By leveraging Avid’s experience in Green H2, plant operations across multiple industries, OEM solutions, and our use of off-the-shelf technologies, we’re helping clients reduce time to market, CapEx as well as OpEx investments, and overall project risk.”
Click for more information about Avid Solutions’ digital solutions for the hydrogen economy.
Click for more information about sustainability efforts from Rockwell Automation.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 11, 2023 | Automation, Process Control, Software
Two conversations occurred this week involving variations in feedstock that affect the process and the quality of the end product. One conversation involved coffee beans. The other steel.
The farmer fortunate enough to sell directly to the roaster (Direct Trade Coffee) can afford to pick ripe berries more often during the season than the farmer selling through a large broker. This reduction in the variability of the coffee bean feedstock allows the roaster to achieve tighter control in the process. Coffee beans purchased through a “middle man” have more variability requiring the roaster to over-roast (burn) the beans during the process (think large chain coffee). The coffee I’m drinking this morning has only the roaster between me and Diego Chavarria, who farmed those beans in Nicaragua. It’s delicious.
Ah, but steel, you wonder. Similar philosophy at least through the process. The other conversation involved Fero Labs’ CEO and co-founder, Berk Birand. Fero Labs has developed a software product to help operators and engineers reduce process volatility, gain more control over that process, and consistently produce higher quality product. The two main markets the company serves are steel and cement.
Birand explained the company’s focus by beginning with the main enemy of manufacturing—volatility. There simply exist too many variations for which manufacturing software can account. These include feedstock variability, operator variations from shift to shift, and many other environmental factors. This leads process engineers to over-design in order to allow for worst-case scenarios. In fact, he states, the average factory uses 9% more resources than necessary to account for these variations.
Birand and his co-founder are machine learning (should I say?) experts. “Machine Learning works better today because we have ten years of improved data infrastructure along with much statistical modeling thanks to such initiatives as Six Sigma. Our premise is to reduce overdosing by building a statistical model that can capture and process hundreds of parameters.”
The software builds real-time operations atop its modeling and machine learning engine. One example is steel processing. This type of manufacturing involves a feedstock of scrap steel. I had a customer once who was in this market. The pile of scrap I saw was amazing. Anyway, operations cannot really know the composition of the feedstock going into the furnace. Fero Labs’ software allows input of composition analysis in real time such that operators know what might be necessary to add to that particular batch to make the steel to spec.
Trust in “artificial intelligence” or machine learning models is hard to build because it is almost always a “black box.” Engineers cannot peer inside to understand what is going on. Birand describes Fero’s product as a “white box.” Engineers do have the ability to peer inside and see what’s happening. Building trust at this level makes it more likely that the customer will actually use the product.
I seldom have CEO interviews with the depth of detail of this conversation. It has been many years since I actually worked in manufacturing. These conversations bring back the excitement of finding a better way to make things.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 8, 2023 | Automation, Process Control
Some new I/O for oil and gas from ABB.
- ABB is expanding its XIO series of remote input/output controllers
- The extended XIO series uses a new Ethernet-to-Serial passthrough application to provide real-time monitoring and control, improve data accessibility, and enhance data integrity
- The new XIO series extends site automation abilities
The ABB XIO series is an extended range of all-in-one devices to monitor, control and manage oil and gas flow applications. The ABB XIO-08, ABB XIO-04 and ABB XIO-00 each operate as an extension to the ABB Remote Module Controller (RMC) family, providing enhanced I/O capacity and increasing overall wellhead operational efficiency. The series offers up to eight channels for customers to choose the XIO that meets their site needs.
This XIO extension means that site configuration requirements can be met whatever the size of the oil or gas field. The need for physical on-site presence is reduced due to the remote control and monitoring of I/O points and serial devices, putting safety first and reducing costs. As well as extending ABB’s RMC capabilities, the XIO is compatible with a wide range of controllers across the market, emphasizing ABB’s commitment to open architecture across all areas of industrial automation.
Equipment can be added without significant infrastructure modifications, allowing easy expansion of I/O points and connection of serial devices. Up to 22 hot pluggable I/O modules can be added or replaced without power interruption, minimizing downtime.
The XIO series offers several connectivity options, new networking features (up to four independent networks are supported), and the possibility to use the XIO’s Wi-Fi as a network or bridge with one of the Ethernet ports. Reliable and efficient data transfer is made easy by connecting the XIO to the RMC over Ethernet. Four ethernet points allow for different network configurations. It also features control and measurement applications for specific needs of remote locations.
As a specific integration feature, ABB’s RMC discovers a XIO device on the network, learns its configuration, becoming a consumer of the XIO’s application data without the need to maintain a list of connected devices.
Increasing digitalization in the oil and gas industry means that reliable connectivity is required for successful operations. Wellheads often must achieve extended connectivity rapidly to meet expansion opportunities. ABB’s XIO provides immediate connectivity expansion, enhancing production and reducing costs associated with traditional equipment upgrades. It integrates islands of automation and enables remote data connection for real-time analytics across the site and enterprise.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 10, 2023 | Automation, Data Management, Embedded Control, Events, Manufacturing IT, Process Control, Sustainability, Technology, Workforce
Honeywell Process Solutions held its annual HUG (Honeywell User Group) conference the week of June 19 in Orlando. I’ve taken some time to compile my many notes and think about the experience.
The marketing communications staff did an excellent job with media and analysts. We did not have time to waste what with presentations and 1:1 conversations.
I had not attended for a few years. For maybe three years I was in the influencer program with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HPE Discover is the same week. That program was disbanded a year or so ago. That marked the end of my IT affiliations. Those companies figured out there was not a lot of money to be made in manufacturing.
There were many questions begging for answers as I traveled to Florida. What was Honeywell HIVE, and how does it relate to the ExxonMobil initiated Open Process Automation group? What is Honeywell Digital Prime and what customer problems does it address? What successes have Honeywell achieved with sustainability initiatives? Honeywell was an early mobility developer. What has progressed in that regard? What role does Honeywell see for AR and VR?
Pramesh Makeshwari, CEO
He mentioned he’d been CEO of this group for only about nine months. Here are a few points of overview.
- Honeywell is not replacing people with technology but helping them perform better
- People have different learning styles and Honeywell products adapt to them
- Digitalization is a significant customer requirement
- Companies are on the Path to Net Zero Carbon
- Focus on Digital Workforce Competency
Evan Van Hook, Chief Sustainability Officer
He looks at sustainability as similar to the Quality Revolution where the goal was to produce quality outputs consistently creating a culture of quality. His question, “Can we create culture of sustainability?” Honeywell is taking a Lean approach—quality, delivery, inventory, cost, then add sustainability.
Lean is a systematic approach. The company overall has generated more than 6,500 projects over 13 years with ideas coming from the floor and everywhere else. Not a political statement, sustainability cuts costs and adds efficiency. A few milestone points:
- 92% reduction of CO2
- 70% improvement in energy efficiency
- Restored 3,000 acres of land
- Water savings
- 4x industry average safety
Act your way into a new way of thinking—Lean—put sustainability into Lean
Tiffany Barnes – Digital Prime
I perhaps had the most difficulty understanding Digital Prime. This is the Honeywell offering responding to the customer need for digital transformation. So, the conversation with Tiffany Barnes from that group was most instructive. Part of my cognitive dissonance perhaps came from this being a new offering only having one part released.
Digital Prime is most easily described as cloud-hosted digital twin of DCS. Some of the customer pressures Digital Prime addresses include:
- Risk of disruption, production downtime and plant safety
- Pressure to reduce overall lifecycle cost
- Do more with less through digitalization
- Data overload
- Reduced skilled workforce onsite
It is perhaps an irony that Honeywell build a virtual infrastructure to help with system acceptance then deleting it upon that acceptance. Customers began looking at digital transformation programs and realized that all this data Honeywell had was useful. This grew to a digital twin.
Honeywell’s Digital Prime is the up-to-date digital twin for tracking, managing, and testing process control changes and system modifications. It brings the highest level of quality control to the smallest projects: An efficient, compliant, and collaborative solution for managing changes, factory acceptance tests, improved project execution and training.
Providing secure cloud-based connectivity and a virtual engineering platform, it’s a collaborative environment for managing and testing additions, patches, upgrades and other system changes:
- Enabling functional reviews and impact analysis
- Supporting remote FAT tests
- Providing a training tool
- Documenting digital changes.
Joe Bastone — HIVE
Veteran editors and analysts were most curious about any Honeywell response to the initiatives undertaken by The Open Group to solve problems of economically and efficiently upgrading control systems.
This led to my intense interest in Honeywell HIVE and a subsequent conversation with Joe Bastone.
The problem lies with traditionally tightly coupled control hardware, software, and I/O.
Honeywell mostly solved the I/O problem years ago with its configurable I/O. That part of the control system continues to evolve.
The company then worked with a major customer about how to upgrade control software with minimal disruption. First, they worked out how to move the existing control software to a modern hardware platform leaving all the I/O in place. They realized that was in reality a form of virtualization. Moving to a virtualized compute environment effectively decoupling hardware and software was the obvious next step. Their I/O was already virtualized and decoupled.
So, Honeywell HIVE solves that upgrade problem that customers are searching for.
Thanks to Joe for walking me through the technology evolution.
Sarang Gadre — Battery Technology
The well documented issue with intermittent renewables (solar, wind) results from the laws of climate—the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine. Honeywell has had a commercial battery storage product for a while. It is housed in shipping containers. Introduced to us at HUG is the Ionic—a scalable, forklift-able, virtual power plant, with an energy control center in Experion. It is battery agnostic—you specify and buy your batteries of choice. The unit also features peak load shaving.
Naved Reza—Carbon Capture
I always enjoy conversations with Naved regarding sustainable technology solutions.
First up was reference to the ExxonMobil Baytown deployment of one of Honeywell’s carbon capture technologies – Honeywell’s CO2 Fractionation and Hydrogen Purification System. This technology is expected to enable ExxonMobil to capture about 7 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, the equivalent of the emission of 1.5 million of automobiles for one year.
Then we discussed Honeywell Ecofining—Renewable Fuel projects such as Diesel/Aircraft from biofuels. Also Ethanol to Jet and Methanol to Jet.
Aside from Baytown, there are a number of Carbon Capture (CO2) to blue hydrogen, renewable green, low carbon processing.
Manas Dutta — SafetyWatch Mobility
Performing maintenance on a pump involves an average of 3.5 round trips for the technician. Using augmented reality (AR) platforms can save many hour by providing the right documentation and required tools up front.
I made this trip closely following both the Apple Vision Pro announcement along with all the AI chat hype. So I had to ask Manas for his take from the industrial viewpoint.
“AR/VR are excellent for training especially as individualized based on AI feedback. AR/VR can also be useful for construction. When planning turnarounds, I can answer questions such as can I get a crane in, do I need scaffolding, without a visit remote site.”
