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Fieldbus systems, Fibre-optic systems
News Release from: Hart Communication Foundation | Subject: Plant of the Year Award
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 October 2006
HART communications saves BP US$750kpa
BP Canada Energy receives the 2006 HART 'Plant of the Year Award' by saving millions of dollars using the digital PV output of HART-enabled transmitters on their NGL plant to improve process control
The BP Canada Energy NGL operations plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, has been selected by the HART Communication Foundation (HCF) as recipient of the 2006 HART Plant of the Year Award The award is given annually to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that demonstrate use of the full capabilities of HART technology in real-time applications to improve operations, lower costs and increase availability
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 5 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The BP plant makes propane, butane, natural gas liquid (NGL) condensate and ethane, with carbon dioxide removed.
On average, 1.5 million cubic meters of propane and large volumes of the other products leave the plant each year.
For a decade, BP engineers have used the digital process variable output of their installed HART-enabled temperature and pressure transmitters to improve the accuracy of the liquid pipeline custody transfer measurements on the plant.
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According to BP senior electrical craftsman Marcel Boisvert, the process requires that custody transfer measurements must be as accurate as possible.
"A temperature error of 0.25 degrees Celsius results in up to a 0.07 percent mass flow error.
Multiplied by the amount of product we ship, that inaccuracy means a potential loss of US$350,000 a year in the NGL pipeline alone," he says.
When readings at the device were not matching the readings at the flow computer, plant engineers determined that the inaccuracy occurred when transforming the analogue signal into its digital equivalent within the flow computer.
Using the digital data in their HART-enabled devices in full-time communication with the HART-enabled flow computer has enabled BP to assure proper calibrations and significantly increase the accuracy of the flow measurements.
"Considering the amount of product flowing through all pipelines and the amount of time no longer spent adjusting instruments, our total estimated saving is about US$750,000 a year.
We've been doing this for 10 years, so that translates into US$7.5 million," says Boisvert: "The most valuable lesson learned is that HART is not just a maintenance tool.
It is a process improvement tool as well".
"We congratulate BP Canada Energy for taking the capabilities of their HART-enabled instrumentation beyond configuration and calibration to improve operations and optimise asset productivity," says HCF Executive Director Ron Helson: "Their success not only benefits their company but also serves as a powerful model for industry users worldwide on the benefits of using the advanced capabilities of HART technology".
The HART Plant of the Year is a unique award in the process automation industry.
It is the only public award presented to 'end user' companies to recognize ingenuity in the application of HART Communication technology.
The award showcases end user companies and their suppliers who have demonstrated creativity in using the full capabilities of HART communication technology.
The HCF encourages nominations for HART Plant of the Year from all world areas.
Nominations are accepted through May of each year.
Previous recipients are Sasol Solvents, South Africa (2005); BP Cooper River, South Carolina and Clariant, Germany (2004), the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (2003), and DuPont DeLisle, Mississippi (2002).
The 'HART Field Communications Protocol' is the global standard for smart process instrumentation.
70% of all smart process measurement and control instruments installed worldwide each year use HART technology and the global installed base of HART-enabled devices is the largest of all communication protocols at more than 20 million.
Key features of this unique open standard communication technology are - 4-20mA compatibility, ease of use, low risk, and cost-efficient implementation for both users and suppliers.
The HART Communication Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization providing worldwide support for application of HART technology.
Established in 1993, the Foundation is the technology owner and standards setting body for the HART Communication Protocol.
Major instrumentation manufacturers and users around the world support the Foundation.
Membership is open to anyone interested in the use of HART technology.
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