CASE STUDY
Capabilities Demonstrated
The Client:
Specialty Chemicals Manufacturer – Fuel Additives
- Obsolete control system updates – design, implementation & commissioning
- New equipment automation – design, implementation & commissioning
- Centralized SCADA integration
- Network update support
- Remote FAT and simulation
- Batch reporting
- Replacement of panelboard of interlocks and pushbuttons with PLC control
- PLC Programming
Challenge
Our customer needed to increase production capacity and improve the overall reliability of their system. They needed a control system integrator with specialized expertise within the chemical process controls industry, particularly in batch control systems.
Solution
SkyIO helped the customer increase production capacity by integrating/automating around 300 pieces of new equipment and updating controls for around 1,000 pieces of existing equipment and instrumentation.
This equipment included silos, tanks, SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) reactors, calciners, valves, motors, instruments, and more.
Results/Outcomes
- Automated new equipment and updated existing equipment, increasing capacity by ~50%
- Consistent product from operator to operator through automation
- Improved overall quality – fewer batches out of tolerance
- Improved tracking – batch reports show amount of raw material used and how long each batch took to make
Project Overview
The system was automated to create batches of specialty chemicals used as fuel additives for improved environmental qualities. Reports were generated to track the actual times and materials used in each batch.
The main process functions included:
- Recipe selection
- Mixing
- Reacting
- Cooling
- Testing
- Drying
- Calcining
- Blending
Software Developed
- Transfer & storage silos
- Mixing control
- Dryer control
- Calcine control
- SCR control
- Batching systems – recipes & procedures
- SCADA systems
- Batch reporting
Hardware Utilized
- SCADA System – Wonderware System Platform
- Local Touch Panels – Rockwell PanelViews – FactoryTalk View ME
- PLC’s – Rockwell ControlLogix
- Reports – SQL Server Reporting Services
- Historian – Aveva Historian
- Data Storage for reporting – SQL Server
- Motor Starters, Drives, Soft Starts – Rockwell
- IO Network – Ethernet/IP
- Boiler Burner Controls – Honeywell
- Vendor System PLC Interface – Ethernet – Produce/Consume
Hardware Developed
- IO Panels
- PanelView panels
- PLC Panel
More Case Studies
- Batch Process Automation, Chemical, Industrial Control Systems, IT-OT
A specialty chemicals manufacturer needed to implement a new control system while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new batch automation system enabled remote factory acceptance testing (FAT), reducing travel time and expenses.
- Batch Process Automation, Food & Bev, MES
A large food production company wanted to be able to compare production performance (OEE / downtime) across manufacturing plants to facilitate continuous improvement and monitor efficiency.
- Consumer Goods, Continuous Process Automation, Factory Automation
The quantity of dust at a consumer products client was impacting production quality and the downtime of the dust collector equipment was too high. The customer needed to replace their dust collectors for process and plant improvement.
- Automotive, Continuous Process Automation, Factory Automation, Industrial Control Systems, Industry, IT-OT, MES, Segment
Automotive vehicle manufacturer needed to expand their assembly line capacity without bringing the existing line down for any significant period of time.
- Batch Process Automation, Food & Bev, Industrial Control Systems, IT-OT
Baked goods manufacturing facility was using equipment and controls that were obsolete, not maintainable and unreliable. A new control panel for the upgraded controls simplified maintenance.
- Batch Process Automation, Food & Bev, Industrial Control Systems
A food manufacturer decided to automate a manual process as a continuous improvement initiative to save on physical labor and material handling costs while improving their supply chain.
Let's Build Something Great Together
Empowering industries with innovative automation, data-driven insights, and seamless integration.
