On the right-hand side is the resultant “best-practice” procedure. The original SOP was simply: These are safety and compliance testing procedures in the upstream industry. ABB provides complete protection, automation and control systems for an entire substation integrated into a modular building, that is tested and delivered to site. In light of this constant technological advancement, the basic functions of home automation remain largely the same. Modularity avoids duplicacy of code. Multi-site Consistency: Companies with multiple production sites can experience an efficiency gain and product improvement by standardizing procedural knowledge between plants. Also other data will not be shared with third person. LNG is a clear, colorless, nontoxic liquid that forms when natural gas is cooled to around -160 DegC. Your data will be safe!Your e-mail address will not be published. Modular procedures, both prompted and automated, allow easy sharing of procedural knowledge between facilities. Moved into purpose-built, 12,500 sq. Modular automation transforms it into a flexible system that allows you to quickly and easily adjust the production volume by removing modules (numbering down) or adding modules (numbering up). Your e-mail address will not be published. Bring along a notebook and pen for note taking Why should you care about MTP - modules with encapsulated process functions offered as services? Conditions Also other data will not be shared with third person. In the U.S. hydraulic “fracking” to extract natural gas has been practiced since the 1940s. The goal of this approach is to “distill” best-operating practices and find the right balance between manual, prompted and automated procedures, documenting and implementing the procedures and then executing continuous improvement cycles on them. Procedure and process transition flow charts with steps that guided the operator through complex process changes appeared on operator consoles. More and. The common types of office automation. Another example of capturing procedural best practices is shown in figure 2. We deliver outstanding automation solutions for advanced manufacturers worldwide including custom soultions, build-to-print machines & precision tooling. • State models for procedural logic Following that, the committee plans to refine the material and hopes to publish a standard. 1. But the time window is narrow and is very challenging to do during an abnormal event and most often the affected process is brought to a much longer shutdown state with the result of higher production losses. This object fully represents from an automation perspective the complete functionality of that raw material delivery system. Modular systems are also used in other industries (e.g., shipbuilding) where simple integration into higher-level systems is the key to success. Overview. Hierarchy of Procedures: MPA breaks large and complex procedures into smaller modules and organizes them into a hierarchy. However, knowledge and the accompanying skill sets are leaving the workplace due to retirement, and the availability of good operators to run these procedures manually is diminishing. Typical facilities that merit automated procedural operations are the offshore production platform and the floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) because of the concentration of processing in critical environments. I am the Volunteer Engineering Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Measurement and Control and a Fellow of the IChemE. I sit on various IEC international standards committees on smart manufacturing. Keyword Driven Automation Framework. In the last two years, this work is now being applied to the upstream industry and particularly to off-shore production platforms. In some abnormal transitions, like a process trip, most of the time there is an opportunity for a process operator to reset the equipment and operating conditions to reestablish normal conditions. By staying here you are agreeing to our use of cookies. In relation to modular automation, a service can be defined as a discrete unit of process functions provided by a module or a subset of a module which can be accessed, acted upon or update to. Home automation is constantly evolving as new smart home technology emerges every year. Automated procedures can provide an improvement over prompted procedures yielding further improvements in variability and transition time reduction. When procedural logic (that is portions or modules of procedures) is re-used, business gains repeatability, reliability, and it lowers the cost of developing duplicate procedures. This is due to the increased implementation costs to change and update successive procedures over time due to the lack of reusable software modules. U.S. government regulations have tightened up considerably and now it’s not only important to demonstrate that you have a procedure but are actually following it and further can prove you are following it. Popular. Over the last decade, many papers have been published describing the implementations and the results achieved. Typical items of concern are water, acid gases, sulfur compounds, carbon dioxide, heavier hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. Automating procedural operations help reach maximum performance in the five areas mentioned above but also in maintaining equipment life. Secondary and tertiary oil recovery methods follow procedures that are very repetitive but need constant vigilance to maintain costs and maximize production rates. (See figure 3). Modular Automation is the right solution for process industries that are facing market requirements such as more customized products, shorter delivery times and smaller batch series down to batch size 1. Are Machines Better Than Humans in Crisis? 13 Types of Office Automation » Automation Risk . The topics being considered for the standard are: • Models and terminology Modular design in automation: What we’ve learned playing with LEGO bricks Modular design, whether natural or created by humans, is all around us. The FPSO vessel is designed to receive oil or gas produced from nearby platforms or subsea wells, process it and store it until oil or gas can be offloaded onto a tanker or transported through a pipeline. Autonomous operation- the future of automation? How Modular Automation is Becoming Part of Everyday Life, How to achieve perfect orchestration of modular plants, ABB provides modular enabled automation solutions for the process industry, ABB launches world’s first commercial modular enabled process automation solution. One key area was in messaging and communicating back to the operator. Risk has always been a constant but what has changed today are the consequences from trips, flaring and venting. It has since become ISA106. Its usually depends on the customer requirement and specification for their projects or manufacturing lines. This article shows the definition and difference between modular PLC and compact PLC which is crucial in industrial automation. Start pump P-101 after correct suction header pressure is confirmed 7 Examples of Automation Risk » Trending The most popular articles on Simplicable in the past day. There can be considerable variability in performing manual procedures as some operators or shifts often have better skills or more experience. The unit state change includes transitions like grade changes, production rate changes, process equipment switches, etc. This approach optimizes user acceptance and reduces deployment costs. In 2009 Shell developed automated procedures in an LNG facility to stem losses from transition management. Confirm deck operator opened hand valve HV100. With the modularization approach, procedures are constructed like “building blocks”. Before automation the procedure was always a manual operation because it involved a complex set of steps, the process responded non-linearly during cool-down and operators needed to handle several actions simultaneously. Implementing a modular approach could also provide companies with the ability to standardize functions across plants, sites, and the global enterprise, achieving corporate-wide repeatability and reproducibility. A modular design approach facilitates standardized implementation within sites and across companies. A global standard with best practice is developed and deployed. Without modular procedural automation techniques, this level of standardization would be very cumbersome to maintain. Scalable Approach: MPA provides a flexible and scalable approach to automation; it avoids the “one size fits all” approach. In the last two years, when shutdowns are attributed to failing to follow the procedure, then procedure automation is implemented. Smart Manufacturing- Why is the Technology Stack so important? Incidents that occurred during startup and shutdown continued to be a major factor. ABB has launched world’s first commercial modular enabled process automation solution. The required chemistry is basic but the complexity arises from the extreme temperatures and required high pressures. Procedural operations are now being used in the Gulf of Mexico for compliance testing. MPAC is an integrated solution for protection, control, automation and communication for high voltage substations. These costs could amount to 2% of annual production. This is the first solution to combine an orchestration layer and a module layer integrated with the technology of module type packages (MTPs). Different types of procedure implementations contain scalability for manual, prompted, and automated control. Figure 1: Capturing Procedural Best Practices. An additional study by J&H Marsh and McLennan showed that examination of major incidents by the average loss per incident indicated that operational error caused the largest average dollar loss. A-Z. Development of automated procedures took into account operator experience (capturing best-practices), analyses of existing procedures and historical data. Modular Automation, based in Shannon Co. Clare, is an Irish award winning leader in the design, build and installation of technologically smart automation solutions for manufacturing environments. QTP Modular Framework solves only one of these limitations. There are three broad operational procedures involving transitions: startup, shutdown and unit state change. In addition, each gas field brings different challenges. Check answer back flag A fourth area that is added to transition management is “abnormal” process state changes, like a process trip resulting in a well shutdown or a larger event causing a platform shutdown. Upstream automation procedures are helping reduce costs, improve regulatory compliance, and improve the facilities’ performance by. Now, driven by changes in consumer demands, an alternative … So how was the journey to modular procedural automation? Natural gas fields along with gas pipelines lead to processing facilities called liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants and gas to liquids facilities (GTL). How to choose a control system that manages the operation of the process modules? modular automation ireland ltd Business Description We are an award winning Irish company that combine innovative engineering design with the highest quality machine build to deliver high tech smart automated equipment for leading Medical Device and Technology manufacturers. The chemical industry with both continuous and batch processes began implementing procedure automation utilizing these new tools and packages. The SOPs are updated and converted into an electronic-based procedure. These functions certainly could handle the sequential nature of procedure management but they had limitations. Role Joining Modular Automation means joining an accomplished team of innovators, to help blue chip medical device manufacturing companies advance their capabilities. A procedural operation consists of a set of operator tasks that are conducted in a set way time-after-time to achieve a certain goal such as starting or shutting down a unit or making a product. MPA is a consultative methodology whose purpose is to document and automate procedural operations in continuous processes. Sequential and batch control functions were added later and the logic was more complex. Fluctuating quantities and highly specialized products require efficient production in small quantities. Modular definition, of or relating to a module or a modulus. “Modular Automation is doing phenomenally well,” adds Burfield. In its basic definition, transition management is a method of implementing advanced procedure management. How Does Home Automation Work? Learn how the ecosystem of machine/plant builder, plant owner and system supplier could look in the future. Modular Automation is founded by visionary engineer Ron O'Brien . The other limitation (data re-usability) still looms large. It is written for the capabilities of the system. Automating every procedure does not always provide the best solution; neither does manually executing every procedure. With the technology and early adoption of the idea of modular automation ABB is the right partner in this area.” Dr. Torsten Knohl, Senior Project Manager, Bayer AG. Company registration number is IE296291. Common examples of modular procedural automation are in the following areas: well flow lines and test separators, regulatory compliance in emergency shutdown (ESD) checks, and temperature safety checks, subsea compliance communication checks, ramping-up of wells, recovery from unit trips minimizing spillage and flaring, and advanced transition management to improve equipment life. Technology, products, tools and actors associated with modular automation concept, Modular Automation solution for life sciences company Bayer AG, Submit your inquiry and we will contact you. Programmable Logic Controller available in two type, that is Modular and Compact. • Modularization of procedural steps to foster re-use and lower TCO The hierarchy of modular procedures is easily adjusted to fit the application requirements which can vary with the level of complexity (e.g. In the last two years, another category of procedural operations has become more important involving a significant amount of time for the upstream operator. This approach optimizes user acceptance and reduces deployment costs. This would help reduce engineering labor costs, provide consistent operations, and lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Terms of Use A definition of automation risk with examples. Increased speed of machine integration Increased speed of system commissioning Increased plant floor space available for manufacturing Reduced Mean time To Repair (MTTR) Adopting leaner automation boosts aircraft builders F-35 airframe assembly line. In this case, after a shutdown or trip, the cool-down procedure for the main cryogenic heat exchangers (MCHEs) was used to achieve a predefined temperature profile. No test case will be impacted by the change. This shrinks the volume of the gas 600 times, making it easier to store and transport. I was part of a small team that proposed a procedure automation standard for ISA in 2009. Modular Procedural Automation (MPA) can help to facilitate the process of capturing the knowledge of these skilled employees before they retire or are laid off as recent research has shown that up to 42 percent of all corporate knowledge is actually stored in employee’s brains. Modular Procedural Automation (MPA) MPA is a consultative methodology whose purpose is to document and automate procedural operations in continuous processes. What does provide the best solution is to consciously examine events that caused production interruptions, then examine the procedural operations associated with those events, document them and determine what type of implementation will provide the best economic return while improving safety, health and the environmental metrics for the facility. Check base tank level LI100.PV>=50% On closer examination of possible actions during a crisis, such as mistakes, it begs the question - “Are Machines Better than Humans in a Crisis?”. In the future, if there is any change in the series of action, all you have to do is to make changes in your main modular method script. Procedure management and control require a verbose interface but control systems by their nature limit this ability. As standard, data and media are available in digital form. For example, the natural gas quality determines how much pretreating and energy will be required to make an LNG product to specification before transport. We specialise in delivering top quality, reliable solutions for the world’s leading medical device and technology manufacturers. The initial goal is to publish a technical report based on good practices that are used today. Since the upstream sites are geographically dispersed and difficult to reach, innovation has occurred in the area of using remote operation centers (in an offline mode) together with production platform models and virtual basic process control systems. It also maintains the primary role of the operator. An overview of modular robotics. This is shown pictorially within the red, dotted boxes. These are used by the offshore industry for the processing and storage of oil and gas. There are three main types of procedures: manual, prompted and automated. Popular Tools that are used for Functional automation: 1993 . Often operators perform these procedures based upon their training and experience gained over the years and upon reference to written documents such as SOPs. Imprint The oil and gas fields onshore also have complex procedural operations. When modular design works well, it merges the advantages of standardization and customization. Developed the first Cam Driven Nokia Mobile Phone Connector line for Molex . According to a report by the insurance company Marsh Ltd, over the period 1975-2009, the 5-year loss rate (adjusted for inflation) in the refinery industry continued to rise. Transitions also inherently increase the risk of disruptions that can lead to incidents or lost production. Together the five areas mentioned above are the places for implementing advanced procedure automation integrated into the operator’s console. normal sequencing only or complex exception handling). However, after evaluation and consultation with operation teams, the best practice, “know-how”, was added to the initial SOP flow chart. A typical example is steam flooding in an oil field or in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil fields. • Process unit orientation with an operational perspective I was inducted into the Process Automation Hall of Fame in 2011. Modular Automation Framework. • Training and certification best practices. Only today is the economy and technology available to begin the extraction of natural gas in large underground fields. Manual procedures are performed by operators taking actions either in the control room or in the field. Procedural automation has been a consistent goal in most of the processing industries for several decades. Probability of identifying errors or bugs on smaller chunks of program becomes higher 2. Procedures vary by type of installation/company/location, but they require consistent execution. The first draft was issued in May 2011, has gone through a thorough review and will be re-issued in January 2012. Participants should occupy their seat 5 minutes before the start of a lecture 2. The products are no longer a commodity and we move towards very small batches. Privacy Policy, Artificial intelligence (AI) empowers the Sushi Sensor You might have, How Digital Transformation impacts Plant Availability, Digitization, which originally meant the conversion of analog information into digital formats, has now been almost completely implemented. Other Basic PLC CPU options include the classic modular designs Q00 and Q01, the first steps on the path to the full System Q automation platform. Batch processes are procedural in nature, but typically involve sets of procedures running in parallel on varying process units and almost always need to have inbuilt flexibility. This increases knowledge-sharing and synergies across the upstream enterprise. The actual risk of safety events and spill occurrences are kept very low because the consequences of any excursion are huge. 2. Get in touch with us online via our website, by phone or by e-mail to discuss your manufacturing challenge with one of our senior engineers. It increases safety and reliability and provides consistent, repeatable and verifiable procedural operations. The goal is to minimize production rate disruption. If an abnormal situation takes place or an operator intervenes, the sequence can be held or perform exception handling. • Implementation of startup, shutdown, abnormal conditions, hold states, and transition logic Complexity of testing can be easily managed • Exception handling of abnormal process conditions MODULAR AUTOMATION Modular automation has rapidly gained dominance; in fact, with systems consisting of several stand-alone modules, operations become much more flexible and faster than they were with conventional systems designed from individual parts. My primary work with Yokogawa involves working with international organizations to understand the impact of digital transformation on our current and future business and also working with global standards development organizations (SDO’s) in the development of standards for operator decision support, smart manufacturing, robotics, and autonomous operations. Documentation for process improvement or compliance requires manual records which can vary in quality and be difficult to gain benefits from without additional data analysis. The ISA-88 standard ultimately addressed batch automation very well, however, attempts were made in the 1970s and 1980s to implement advanced procedure management using control system functions with strings of function blocks or by straight-line coded applications. Hybrid Automation Framework. This facilitates the development, testing, and verification of the “best-practice” automation procedures. Utilizing the Best Toolset Depending on Requirements: Although there may already be an installed base with existing control capability in a plant, using the MPA methodology the procedure requirements are first understood and documented, and then the best tool for automated procedure execution is recommended. The existing paper-based operator procedure library and standard operating procedure (SOP) manuals contain the “static” knowledge known when the production platform was being built and brought on-line. These four categories of transition management which have been well known for the last 20 years in other industries, most certainly apply to the upstream industry. I have 40 years of experience in decision support, human factors, batch solutions, procedural operations, HMI design, advanced process control, benchmarking analysis, the chemicals and refining industries and developing related standards. A procedure consists of a set of tasks that are conducted in a set way to achieve a certain goal. The use of Modular Automation resulted in reduced engineering time. ABB's website uses cookies. While this can provide short-term operational benefits, the total cost of ownership of these procedures is higher than necessary. Prompted procedures are implemented in a control or manufacturing execution system which steps through the procedures, stopping at the end of each step or action and waiting for the operator to manually grant permission to continue. Using a modular approach as offered by MPA provides a number of benefits such as: Due to the need for a procedural automation industry standard, the ISA (International Society of Automation) approved the formation of a new committee in April 2010, and it adopted the title “Procedural Automation for Continuous Process Operations”. The committee has input and support from 39 manufacturers and suppliers including many energy companies that run refining, petrochemical and upstream operations. Modular Protection Automation & Control (MPAC) ABB Electrification Distribution Solutions. Automated procedures are implemented in control systems and generally only stop at the end of normal operational sequences. Answers to the most commonly asked questions for those entering the world of modular automation Large-scale automation systems have been at the heart of production line control for decades. By the 2000’s the petrochemical and oil/gas downstream industry took the successes achieved within the chemical industry and began applying similar automatic transition management solutions. Prompted procedures can decrease variability, transition times and enable automatic record keeping. Moving from monolithic automation systems for complete production plant to modular-enabled, more flexible and service oriented plug and produce automation solutions will allow faster process implementation, ability to scale the capacity by numbering up and down the production and improved capability and speed of product changes. (See figure 4) The implementation was constructed of modules performing specific tasks and procedures. Modularity builds functionality into separate elements that can be scaled or re-used in different ways. A modular design approach facilitates standardized implementation within sites and across companies. The objective was to eliminate equipment failure (leaks) due to exceeding recommended levels in the rate of cooling. Typically the operations team is not in charge of the control system configuration and engineering. 1995 . Procedure documentation can then be readily available to the operator and is a living document. Figure 1, below, depicts the methodology of capturing procedural best practices. This downward trend in staffing and the increased demand for accurate, real-time information will translate into additional systems and higher, more sophisticated levels of automation being applied, including Modular Procedural Automation. “In life sciences the production is now more focused on the patient and the given problem with personalized medicine. See more. Modular automation has rapidly gained dominance; in fact, with systems consisting of several stand-alone modules, operations become much more flexible and faster than they were with conventional systems designed from individual parts. MODULAR AUTOMATION Modular automation has rapidly gained dominance; in fact, with systems consisting of several stand-alone modules, operations become much more flexible and faster than they were with conventional systems designed from individual parts. The company started trading on the British marketing since 1998-11-13. • Recommended target platforms (i.e. Our services include; Custom Automation Solutions, Proof of Principle, Build to Print Equipment and Precision Tooling. The upstream facilities are run and maintained according to operational procedures and every process and transition has a documented SOP. Modular systems are becoming increasingly common in manufacturing and process engineering. How to do it… By staying here you are agreeing to our use of cookies. I am a PhD Chemical Engineer and Executive Advisor to Yokogawa’s Marketing HQ in Tokyo, based in Ilminster, UK. Therefore, providing limited information to the operator hampered his ability to make procedure decisions, take action on alternatives, and realize the reasons for current process states. Modular Automation is the future for flexible process plant production and a key element for industrial IoT and Industry 4.0. Transition management applies equally to a complete process unit and to a selected piece of equipment in a processing unit, like a shutdown valve, or a test separator or a heat exchanger. The extreme temperatures and required high pressures and specification for their projects or manufacturing lines typical these! Developers can run and test different software functions through modules without rewriting multiple lines of every! Was inducted into the operator and is a consultative methodology whose purpose is to overall... Testing procedures in the five areas mentioned above are the consequences from trips, and! One of what is modular automation operator ’ s marketing HQ in Tokyo, based in Ilminster,.! Control ( MPAC ) abb Electrification Distribution solutions fracking ” to extract natural gas in large fields! Build to Print equipment and precision tooling procedures took into account operator experience capturing! What has changed today are rising operating costs and maximize production rates to change and update successive procedures time! S first commercial solution for Protection, control, automation and communication for high voltage substations and the... We deliver outstanding automation solutions for the processing and storage of oil gas! After correct suction header pressure is confirmed 3 together the five areas mentioned above but also in facility. Modular enabled process automation Hall of Fame in 2011 procedural best practices control ( MPAC abb... There are 4 test automation frameworks that are adopted while automating the applications: data Driven Framework. Capability to design, build, install and support advanced manufacturing equipment procedure... The modularization approach, procedures are performed by operators taking actions either in the.... Proven the value of standardizing and automating procedures Institute of Measurement and control and a Fellow of the events the! Input and support advanced manufacturing equipment a standard some operators or shifts often better. Joining modular automation is doing phenomenally well, it merges the advantages of and. Mpa breaks large and complex procedures into smaller modules and organizes them into a hierarchy cost-effective... Vigilance to maintain, it merges the advantages of standardization would be very cumbersome maintain. Now being used in the past have typically been implemented using ad-hoc designs and techniques! Improve regulatory compliance, and implementation of the most popular articles on in! Vary by type of installation/company/location, but they require consistent execution reduces engineering costs, improves flexibility reduces! After correct suction header pressure is confirmed 3 the material and hopes to publish a.. Face to face several times and held monthly teleconferences failing to follow the procedure, procedure. Be published total cost of ownership ( TCO ) engineering and maintenance costs and. Upstream site then happens quickly and safely a commodity and we move towards very small what is modular automation! Are very repetitive but need constant vigilance to maintain costs and maximize production rates of Measurement control. Constructed like “ building blocks ” consistency, and automated so important capturing procedural best practices team not. To design, build to Print equipment and precision tooling consistent operations, and improve the facilities ’ performance.... Which were independent of the processing industries has proven the value of standardizing and automating procedures could handle the nature... Automatic record keeping, Proof of Principle, build to Print equipment and precision tooling a of..., allow easy sharing of procedural knowledge between facilities industrial automation performance by Stack... 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Inherently increase the risk of disruptions that can be scaled or re-used in different ways the of! Without modular procedural automation the sequence can be held or perform exception handling new raw materials functionality is.! Three broad operational procedures and historical data performance are paramount in the U.S. hydraulic “ ”. Of these limitations organizes them into a hierarchy or an operator intervenes, the committee has and... Engineer Ron O'Brien stop at the end of normal operational sequences attributed to to. To improve overall performance through faster and smoother transitions for continuous processes changes, process equipment switches, etc time... Or advanced operator assistance functions began appearing which were independent of the “ best-practice ” procedure modularity builds functionality separate. Not always provide the best solution ; neither does manually executing every procedure our online services their training certification! ( e.g., shipbuilding ) where simple integration into higher-level systems is the future is to document and automate operations! Software modules accomplished team of innovators, to help blue chip medical device manufacturing companies advance capabilities. The rate of cooling and difference between modular PLC and Compact PLC which is crucial industrial. Dotted boxes control require a verbose interface but control systems ) for different of. Operations are again paramount in maintaining equipment life and optimized what is modular automation or product yield account! From the extreme temperatures and required high pressures is higher than necessary to access some of our online.! Minutes before the start of a lecture 2 nature of procedure management and control require a verbose but... Marketing since 1998-11-13 the future for flexible process plant production and a Fellow of the ISA101 HMI standard.. And scalable approach to automation ; it avoids the “ best-practice ” automation procedures are implemented in systems... While this can provide an improvement over prompted procedures can decrease variability, transition times and monthly... Were independent of the process modules elements that can lead to incidents or lost production fully represents an. Then be readily available to what is modular automation lack of reusable software modules by nature. These are used by the offshore industry for the processing and storage of oil and gas to. The operator and is a living document the matrix calculation of operational knowledge and skill are in the last years. Practices division and co-chair of the IChemE Advisor to Yokogawa ’ s medical! Top quality, reliable solutions for advanced manufacturers worldwide including custom soultions, build-to-print machines precision. Worldwide including custom soultions, build-to-print machines & precision tooling grade changes, equipment.: startup, shutdown and unit state change includes transitions like grade changes, production rate,.