The issue of the service life of DCS in chemical enterprises at present
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How long do DCS systems typically last in the domestic chemical industry? Our factory has two Moore Apacs systems that were installed in 1995 and are still in use to this day; however, it’s now difficult to find replacement parts for them. Do other companies have systems that have been in use for an even longer time? Please share your experiences!
We started in 02; are there no spare parts? The manufacturer should be able to help you solve this problem
What you are referring to is likely the issue of asset depreciation. There is no fixed answer to this question; the nature and size of the enterprise determine the direction in which this issue will develop. Generally speaking, it is more common for large or very large enterprises to adopt methods of upgrading or replacing ； It’s harder to say the same for small or private businesses; generally, it’s a matter of mindset and funding.
We have an ESD system here; the manufacturer is a British company. It was purchased around 1995, and now that company has gone out of business. We are trying to expand our facilities, but we can’t find any spare parts. We are currently considering replacing the entire system. If the time interval is too long and DCS updates rapidly, it will be impossible to purchase the necessary components. It’s essential to buy from major manufacturers, as at least they won’t go bankrupt and there will still be a place where one can turn to them
We use the Honeywell TPS system
We started using it in 1989; it was originally from Bailey’s, and it’s been twenty years now yet we’re still using it
Issues regarding the service life of DCS systems: 1. From an asset management perspective, the depreciation period for instrumentation is 6 years； 2. From a usage perspective: It seems to still be functional after eight or ten years of use, but the failure rate increases over time ； 3. From the perspective of spare parts management: 5 years after the system stops operating, it becomes difficult to obtain spare parts or effective support ； Generally, foreign manufacturers will notify users after a shutdown to increase their spare parts inventory, as spare parts may not be available at a certain point in time ； 4. From the perspective of production operation: The automatic control system must maintain a high level of stability in order to ensure the long-term, stable, and safe operation of the equipment ； 5. From the perspective of equipment management: economic considerations must be taken into account. In modern production, various factors need to be evaluated comprehensively, with decisions being made with the goal of achieving maximum efficiency. Therefore, the management approach adopted by our company is as follows: five years after the DCS system goes into operation, we engage qualified and capable organizations to conduct regular comprehensive inspections and evaluations. Based on the results of these inspections, we determine the next steps to be taken: increasing the stock of spare parts, carrying out partial replacements, or upgrading the software/hardware……
The DCS system **does not specify a defined service life**, but the manufacturers provide guidelines in the user instructions; generally, this is over 100,000 hours in China and below 150,000 hours abroad.
It is directly related to production costs; moreover, regular maintenance and inspections are an important part as well
For systems and components that have long been discontinued, it is better to replace them with new ones rather than trying to find spare parts; the cost of modification might be even higher than that of redesigning them from scratch