Chemical Engineering December 2011 - 39

TURNAROUNDS ARE EASIER WITH WIRELESS
Dramatic cost savings opportunities:
One day saved in a major turnaround can equal as much as $1 million.
Improved project execution in realtime:
Realtime data allow for more accurate, up-to-date scheduling of contractor and tradesmen
hours, equipment delivery from vendors and prioritization of tasks. This accuracy
leads to reduced downtime for contractors and on-time delivery of equipment, which
drives cost savings into the project plan.
Preventative maintenance:
Realtime access to equipment checklists and mechanical integrity procedures (MIPs) allows
for more efficient execution of planned maintenance and also access to data regarding
unplanned equipment-maintenance requirements. Less time spent finding information
in paper format equals more time spent executing in completing the turnaround.
Timely completion equals cost savings.
Increased equipment uptime (post turnaround):
Any equipment identified as a potential challenge (so-called bad actors) can be monitored
post turnaround utilizing the wireless infrastructure paid for by the turnaround.
Increases in equipment uptime have proven to be both more cost-effective and safer for
the workplace employees.
Management of change (MOC):
During the turnaround, plant personnel always identify procedures or P&IDs that are
either outdated or require some change. Realtime access to procedural data and management
of change software allows the MOC process to be streamlined.
Process improvement opportunities
throughout the facility:
Because the turnaround typically involves a cross functional team (operations, process
control, maintenance, safety, instrumentation and so on), each team member will be able
to give input on how to further utilize the wireless infrastructure for efficiencies after the
turnaround has been completed.
One time investment, perpetual return:
The investment made in the wireless infrastructure for a major turnaround can be utilized
for any number of critical safety, security, field instrumentation monitoring or other application.
For example, post turnaround, your company can utilize the same infrastructure
for wireless cameras for site surveillance, field mobility devices for rounds, readings and
realtime work-order execution, or even to enable a new emergency notification system. ❏
and instrumentation diagrams, process
flow diagrams, drawings, procedures,
incident reports and so on, were
also made available on demand. "
The report said that Huntsman was
able to make such resources available
in the field - which extended over
3,000 acres through a wireless network
combining Wi-Fi and WiMAX
equipment - providing a high quality
of service to the mobile operators " in
order to support their use of the new
software. "
" The most challenging task for Project
Zero is that chemical plants are designed,
built, run and maintained by
humans and humans make mistakes, "
John Prows, vice president of manufacturing
excellence for Huntsman's
performance products div., stated in
the ARC case study. " Mistakes in EHS
[environmental, health and safety]
performance can damage what we
value most - human life. With accurate
and timely information we can all
make better decisions. Realtime field
access to information levels the playing
field for everybody. The most or
the least experienced Huntsman associate
can immediately access anything
on any plant server while in the field,
without the difficulty or embarrassment
of carrying paper. If you truly
value your people, then give them accurate
and timely information in the
field at the point of decision making. "
These two examples give you a
taste for both the motives and experience
that other CPI companies
have had in leveraging wireless tools
to improve crunch-time turnarounds
as well as ongoing day-to-day operations.
If you are considering implementing
wireless to help improve
your next turnaround, the next section
helps put the most important
planning criteria into perspective. A
CPI application, after all, is a complex,
industrial installation requiring
technical and domain knowledge
- not a simple remote control
entertainment system in your family
room. For the CPI, setting up an
effective wireless system takes a lot
more than a wireless device, receiver
and remote control handheld.
Planning for wireless
While you certainly do not need to be
a wireless expert yourself, at the very
least you should understand the following
ten criteria as you traverse the
first steps of defining what you might
expect your wireless application to
achieve and selecting a vendor to help
you design and implement a system.
1. Proven partner experience. As
with any vendor selection process,
make sure your wireless partner has
plenty of reliable and proven realworld
experience, not only in the CPI
but also with turnaround work in particular.
You want to work with a " battletested "
vendor who has customers you
can reference. Be sure it has domain
expertise in your field, whether you're
retrofitting pipe, checking the integrity
of welding, tracking the status of
craftsmen or ensuring that processes
are followed on time and in budget.
2. Site planning. One of the most
critical aspects of implementing a
wireless system is to conduct a methodical,
thorough and detailed site
plan that takes into account your business
objectives. As with a turnaround
project itself, preparation cannot be
emphasized enough. This is particularly
critical if the wireless infrastructure
encompasses a facility-wide or
network-wide scope that increases
the complexity of technical, logistical
and collaboration issues. Placement
of transceivers, network devices and
monitoring sensors must be carefully
assessed for one-time and everlasting
project success.
3. Networked capabilities. The most
value of a wireless infrastructure is
realized when it's extended across a
network, what some call " the network
effect " . You want to make sure that
you and your vendor clearly understand
the complexity of your network
and how communications can be facilitated
across it. Wireless can overcome
multiple communications systems or
integrate with them, depending on
the application needs. In either case,
the vendor must have the expert resources
to tie in realtime wireless data
with existing or new information systems
across an entire network.
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