Efficient Sampling with Multivariable Measurements

Digital Automation Reduces Maintenance 

Plant Name:     Louisiana Chemical Manufacturer
Industry:           Chemical
Product(s):       Basic and Specialty Chemicals

Application

Analyzer shelters are designed to collect process samples in the field and provide chemical analyses.  These shelters include gas chromatographs (GCs) and analyzer sampling conditioning systems. The conditioning system pulls samples from a bypass loop from various production areas, mixes them with a carrier gas, and sends them to GCs in the associated analyzer shelters. The operations team will use the data collected from multiple analyzer shelters to determine if changes are necessary to address product composition and improve quality.  

Analyzer technicians must manually inspect each shelter and record measurements to ensure that samples are properly conditioned before detailed analyses by the GCs. If the conditioning system is not functioning correctly, the accuracy of an analysis will suffer. In extreme cases, that could damage the GCs and result in expensive repairs, product quality issues, and process downtime.

Challenges

Technicians at a chemical manufacturer in Louisiana would perform preventative maintenance rounds to record flow rates for collected samples and carrier gases. If the flow rates were out of specification, they would file an incident report to request an inspection. Touring all the buildings in this manner required significant time and did not always produce positive results as product quality could have already been impacted. Each day, an analyzer technician could receive 10 to 15 work orders in addition to the manual rounds. When issues arose, the work orders backed up.

The company began looking for a digital measurement solution to obtain remote readings and reduce the time technicians spent moving from shelter to shelter. In addition, because space is an issue, the company sought a solution that would not require them to redesign the shelters.

Solution

The customer chose to implement Yokogawa’s EJX910A multivariable pressure transmitter with Micro-Orifice to deliver precise measurements for mass flow, differential pressure, static pressure, and process temperature. The EJX910A with Micro-Orifice can measure ultralow flowrates for samples and carrier gases, and allows the technicians to access shelter readings remotely without performing time-consuming manual rounds.

Because the team can see conditions promptly, the technicians know if, for example, a carrier gas has low pressure and will not last the day. They can more readily address the condition and avoid product quality issues. 

As analyzer shelters provide little space, the small size of the Yokogawa solution is a significant advantage. The mounting bolts on the backplate of the unit require less space for installation and less work to adjust sample panels.

The company quickly achieved a return-on-investment (ROI) through increased workforce productivity, improved product quality, and low implementation costs.

Key Advantages

• Improved productivity through automation of manual rounds.
• Timely reporting of analyzer shelter issues leads to improved product quality.
• Easy to implement solution reduces costs associated with modification or adjustment of existing shelters.