Advanced Elastomer Systems Upgrades Production

In order to maintain its share of the international market for thermoplastic elastomers AES recently expanded its Florida plant by adding a new production line. While the existing lines were operating satisfactorily using a PROVOX distributed control system with traditional analog I/O, AES wanted advanced technology on the new line for greater economy, efficiency, and reliability. AES officials were anxious to get this line into production to meet incoming orders, but two hurricanes slowed construction.

Some lost time was recovered through the advanced control technologies selected to take advantage of the installation efficiencies of bus architecture. A fieldbus network simplified installation and reduced overall wiring costs by approximately 15%. And instruments arrived configured and network-ready. During commissioning and startup phases, AES saved significant time by using Emerson’s Intelligent Device Manager predictive maintenance software to communicate with the field instruments. During commissioning, a single technician could query each instrument directly from the control room, confirm that device’s functionality with an observer in the field, and move on to another device without opening instrument covers. If the condition of a device or associated equipment changes beyond predetermined limits, a Status Alert indicates the problem to line operators. The real, actionable information makes device maintenance easier. Hardware Components - PROVOX distributed control system (with traditional analog I/O) - FOUNDATION fieldbus network - Rosemount instruments Software Components - DeltaV digital automation system - AMS Suite Intelligent Device Manager (for predictive maintenance)

• [Process Optimization - Predictive Maintenance]
  Problems are indicated to line operators when the condition of a device or associated equipment changes beyond predetermined limits.
• [Efficiency Improvement - Maintenance]
  Real-time status reports enable maintenance personnel to remotely diagnose the status of a device.
• [Efficiency Improvement - Installation]
  Technicians are able to query instruments remotely during commissioning to confirm device functionality.

• The Foundation fieldbus network eliminated reduced overall wiring costs by 15%.

• The time required to install and commission 300 smart field devices was shortened by 3 weeks.

• 75% in installation and commissioning times were 75% shorter than with traditional technologies.