Product category:
Fieldbus systems, Fibre-optic systems
News Release from: Emerson Process Management | Subject: Rosemount Profibus transmitters
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 December 2002
Transmitters smooth petroleum jelly
production
Fuchs Lubricants petrochemical pharmaceuticals plant in Hanley has completed commissioning of the largest installation of Profibus PA-linked Rosemount pressure and temperature transmitters in Europe.
A major UK petrochemical pharmaceuticals plant has completed commissioning of the largest installation of Profibus PA-linked Rosemount pressure and temperature transmitters in Europe Fuchs Lubricants in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, have invested over GBP 2 million in a new plant for the production of soft paraffins (petroleum jellies) and liquid paraffins (white oils) for the pharmaceuticals, toiletries and cosmetics industries
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 8 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Representing the most modern plant of this type in the world, it is the only European producer of petroleum jelly to be licensed by the Medicines Control Agency.
Vital to the production quality at Fuchs Lubricants is the accuracy of the blending process - the recipes developed for each product or client require specific batch quantities of different grades of oils and waxes, to create the different formulations of petroleum jelly needed.
Micro Motion Coriolis meters are used for mass flow measurement of these batch ingredients.
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These meters have proved their reliability and accuracy over the last 12 years on this application at the Fuchs refinery at Belper, Derbyshire, and so Micro Motion F-Series meters were specified for the main 2in supply lines at the new Hanley plant.
All the flow lines, and the meters, are steam traced and lagged, with line temperatures at over 90C, to maintain the jelly in a liquid state.
Rosemount 3244 temperature transmitters are used to monitor all process line and tank temperatures.
Information and readings from both of the two Rosemount RTD temperature probes wired to each of the 25 transmitter units are transmitted over the Profibus PA fieldbus back to the control room: the dual sensor capability of the Rosemount 3244 allows cost savings compared to single sensor transmitters.
The temperatures are displayed on plant mimic diagrams on the Siemens PCS7 plant control system, which uses the Profibus network to collect plant measurements and pneumatic modules to actuate control valves.
The Rosemount 3244 transmitters are available with Profibus, Hart or Foundation fieldbus digital communications capability, and this installation demonstrates this interoperability.
The production and refining process for petroleum jelly involves several stages of filtering and polishing to remove any colour or odour, which might make the final product unacceptable for medicinal or cosmetic applications.
The stripper and polisher vessels are unique, in that the blended oils and waxes half fill the 2 tonne vessel, still held at around 100C.
Additions of clay, Fuller's earth and bleach help to remove impurities, and are then themselves removed in filter presses.
On return of the liquor to the polisher vessel, live steam is injected into the base of the tank, and a vacuum system pulls the steam through the product, extracting any volatile components.
The high vacuum held in the vessel is around 1torr - and condensation of the steam pulled down the vacuum line helps maintain this high vacuum.
Stripping and polishing is a time consuming, continuous recycling process, but is critical to the quality of the final product.
Essential in this is control of the liquid level in the vacuum vessel, which should be at 50% of the vessel capacity.
All pressure and level measurement for this process uses Rosemount 3051 pressure and DP transmitters, communicating and controlling pumps, valves and the vacuum system using the Profibus network.
Level control is achieved by differential pressure measurement between stainless steel diaphragm seals positioned at the top and bottom of the process tank, measuring the pressure head produced by the process liquid.
Because of this high vacuum, the Rosemount 3051 model with All Welded Seals construction was used.
In this configuration all "O-ring" seals are replaced with welded connections within the DP cell, along with all other potential leak paths being fully welded.
This ensures there are no "dry-side" leaks.
The level measurement system has worked effectively and given good control of the process, despite the live steam injection into the liquor and the high vacuum extraction system.
Construction of the new plant commenced in June 2000, and production of medicinal grade petroleum jelly started in March 2001.
Despite the extensive automation and Profibus fieldbus network allowing full control of this large batch process from the operator console in the control room, and recording of necessary batch records, the final product assessment and acceptance test is by a panel of approved "odour samplers".
Five employees are selected to represent discerning customers.
They assess each batch and ensure that there is no residual odour detectable.
No instrumentation can automate this check system, and if odours are detected, the whole batch is recycled for further refining. Request a free brochure from Emerson Process Management ...
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