Chemical Engineering June 2018 - 22

EPIC Process Systems
FIGURE 3. The modular approach provides schedule and cost certainty because module systems are built
in a shop so contractors aren't on the facility site
" This simplifies field wiring and the
associated check out and reduces
the size of the control room, while also
reducing costs and allowing fewer
things to go wrong, " adds Amy Gavin,
senior marketing product line manager
for modular with Honeywell UOP.
Meanwhile, automation suppliers
are making progress in the areas of
open architecture and modular automation
concepts. " Chemical and
pharmaceutical-related industrial
associations are discussing a technology
concept to support easy integration
of any type of controller, "
says Yokogawa's Henrichs. " This
is called a Module Type Package
(MTP) and is based on Automation
Markup Language (AML) technology
Fluor
in which the significant information
of the process module automation
application can be exported for easy
integration with any upper automation
system " (Figure 2).
Currently, says Henrichs, modulartype
automation packages do exist.
" They cover the HMI (human machine
interface) and communications
use cases, " he says. " The orchestration
and other needed functions are
on the way and will complete the full
MTP concept step-by-step. "
David Funderburg, global technology
manager, product group, chemicals
and refining, and industrial automation
for oil, gas and chemicals,
with ABB, Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio;
www.abb.com), agrees that MTPs
are the current working solution to
the problem. " They provide a standard
way to integrate skids, " he explains.
" The skids come configured
and part of the delivery includes a
standardized XML packet, or a modular
type package, that integrates
into the HMI system and automation
platform, so we don't have to worry
about rebuilding displays for consistency.
Even if you have 20 skids from
20 different vendors, as long as they
all have this module type package,
the communication and HMI will look
and act the same. Even if I take the
same MTP and import it into a competitor's
HMI package, it will still look
the same and the layout will still be
the same and the performance will
be the same. This allows reduced
engineering costs because integration
is simplified. "
Rockwell Automation is focused
FIGURE 4. Fluor used modular execution while building Dow's ethylene production facility in Freeport,
Texas
22
on creating customizable off-theshelf
packages that have " pretested
fundamental building blocks, "
known as Process Object Libraries,
which vendors would use to develop
their skid control systems.
" By using these building blocks with
the vendor's IP to design the controls,
it provides consistency, " says
Rockwell's Bordelon. " If a processor
used multiple skid vendors and
our application libraries, the complexity
of applications, complexity
of maintaining the systems and the
data flows and constructs would be
consistent enough to cut down on
integration issues. It all fits together
because of the standardization of
these library objects and the way
they hang together. "
" These open approaches and
standardized applications mean we,
as automation suppliers, are moving
down the path to provide business
advantages to the end users, " says
Rockwell's Turner. " They want and
need to shorten startup time and
reduce integration costs associated
with putting different skids together.
They are looking not only to get consistency
within the plant, but also
from plant to plant so they can move
skids from place to place throughout
their organization without creating an
integration nightmare. "
n
Joy LePree
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
JUNE 2018

http://www.abb.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering June 2018