Use your brain and create a unattended system.
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I have been working for ten years now, and I have been exposed to automation over the course of those years as well. In our field, we are always driven by considerations related to production and safety. With a new beginning in 2017, I want to take the initiative, and that’s why I have come up with the following ideas! Make one of the pump houses where I work unattended. Pump house introduction: Four multi-stage pumps, over 75kw each. It belongs to the critical equipment, I guess. Approach: I want to achieve true unattended operation, with as much monitoring as possible being handled by computers; even alerts should be generated automatically after making judgments – in other words, operators should be treated as if they were incompetent! Specific measures: 1. Use integrated temperature+vibration probes installed at both ends of the motor and pump to monitor vibration and temperature. 2. Cameras are used for automatic monitoring of the temperature of indoor equipment and any liquid leaks, enabling automatic detection and alarm generation without human intervention. 3. Control valves (electrical or pneumatic valves) are installed at the inlet and outlet of the pump to enable remote start/stop of the equipment and facilitate process switching. 4. Install a noise collector near the pump body, and use noise analysis software to check for any abnormal noises from the equipment. 5. An electromagnetic valve is installed for venting the pump outlet pipeline, enabling remote venting during pump filling. 6. Implement the necessary interlocks between the instrumentation system and the electrical cabinets to enable remote start/stop of the pumps. My question is: Guys, 1. Is there anything I missed? 2. Are these sensors I mentioned available? Is it reliable? If so, please recommend some brands or something. 3. What are your thoughts on unattended systems? Any other ideas?
First of all, you say that all of this can be achieved, but you need to understand that no matter how advanced the equipment is, it’s useless without human intervention. After all, it’s still just a pile of metal that cannot make flexible judgments. For example, if an important reaction is in progress and there is a slight leak from the pump that is sufficient to trigger an alarm, with a human operator I could turn on the exhaust fan and wait for 5 minutes until the material processing is complete before shutting down the pump urgently. But with the system you’re talking about, it doesn’t care which side is more critical
Dude, thanks for getting back to me. I wanted to ask first – are there any recommendations for the instruments I mentioned? There are actually many more situations like the one you mentioned; specific cases need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. At a broader level, I will certainly introduce some form of human intervention, but having 24-hour automatic monitoring in place is certainly more effective than conducting regular inspections. I can even add only alarm detection in the initial stage, without any interconnection. Times are evolving, and we are indeed far behind foreign factories and stations. I want to use my efforts to introduce and implement new approaches
Some of the testing devices you mentioned can be built into the pumps produced by certain pump manufacturers, for things like vibration and noise levels. You can consult the manufacturer from whom you make the purchase; it’s best to choose pumps equipped with dual sensors to avoid false alarms, as this allows for confirmation of faults at two different points
As someone who has worked in the petrochemical industry for 6 years, I can only say that these monitoring devices should be used as a supplementary tool only; they shouldn’t be relied on as the primary means of monitoring. Otherwise, serious consequences will follow. Many tragic accidents have shown us this truth, which is why CNPC and Sinopec have installed so many automated devices – yet regular inspections every 1 to 2 hours are still absolutely necessary
Unmanned operation is the ultimate goal and the direction of my efforts. The 1/2-hour inspection is traditional; it is defined based on the old-style management model. In the future, when technology reaches an appropriate level, inspections can be replaced. I think this solution doesn’t yet enable fully unattended operation; at least, continuous monitoring can be achieved during the intervals between the 30-minute inspection points. If the various instruments are reliable, then I can extend my inspection cycle to 4 hours or more. As someone who has worked in the oil industry for ten years, I have seen the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by technological changes. This article aims to discuss the feasibility of these devices; at present, it does not dare to challenge the existing management systems.
Just one question: Does your boss approve of you spending money on these things?
First of all, you need to guarantee the quality of your equipment!