HUG '18 Technology update from Honeywell Process Solutions
This year Honeywell Users Group (HUG) has 1,300+ attendees from 32 countries, a 10% increase over 2017.
Their CTO Jason Urso covered what technology has changed and why, and what is new from HPS. In the '70s and '80s, on average panel operators controlled 30 loops. In the '90s and 2000s digital control systems enabled plant operators to control 100+ loops from an integrated operator console. Software-driven automation has raised this to over 200 loops, plus offered advanced control and alarm management.
Their "Uniformance Cloud Historian" software-as-a-service cloud hosting solution offers enterprise-wide data capture, visualization and analysis. It helps customers to improve asset availability, to optimize processes and to increase plant uptime. For batch systems, HPS offer a new "Experion Batch" that combines Experion distributed control, batch automation, and new visualization technology for improved efficiency, quality and throughput.
Honeywell believe a fourth generation of automation technology is underway:
* Project Standardization - shift from customization to standardization
* Infinite Longevity - systems upgrade in place; no more rip-and-replace
* Connecting data to knowledge - make knowledge more uniform & accessible
HPS has digitized their project engineering work process with their LEAPTM lean execution. Standardization and digitization of I/O has removed design bottlenecks, reduced design hours and improved schedules. FAT (Factory Acceptance Tests) can be done seamlessly in a virtual engineering platform. This "digital twin test environment" is now available to all their customers to clone - on cloud hosting by Honeywell - for testing applications. For project commissioning, HPS has automated loop checking and reporting, no longer need a control operator to visually confirm with a field tech.
For systems longevity, HPS has enabled TDC3000 systems to be upgraded to ELCN/EHPM software emulation, which is seamless plug-in replacement. Most functionality is enabled now, with the rest coming by year end. This is at least 10-fold cheaper than rip-and-replace. Projects can do all design in the Honeywell LEAP cloud.
The "connected plant" initiative aims to seamlessly integrate process, assets and people in a cyber-secure manner. The opportunities are large: HPS provided estimates of 15% increased cost from inefficient labor planning, up to 30% under-utilization of process equipment, unplanned downtime as high as $3MM/d for a single site. Note that 45% of this industries workforce is retiring by 2023, while still facing $60MM/y costs for safety and compliance.
This session used a large control center display and a remote business center console on-stage to demonstrate three people using connected plant, working between an individual site, business asset monitoring, remote SME troubleshooting, plus field device diagnosis and repair. During this under-performing gas plant on-stage example, Honeywell featured many new products.
"Profit Suite" is an existing HPS capability that helps reduce process variability through advanced process control. Their "Connected Process" capability helps ensure that APC will stay close to equipment constraints. "Connected Plant Unit Performance Monitor" coming out in June 2018 will be a new dashboard that identifies opportunity to improve process control, and quantifies economic impact of lost opportunities.
In the asset performance management space, there are many disparate solutions in the market: apps, graphics, written procedures, and alarm management. HPS has an "Asset Performance Dashboard", a single integrated dashboard for asset performance and health. The analysis display uses built-in first principles, empirical equipment models to capture knowledge that will help a team identify root cause and action.
For training, HPS introduced "Immersive Competency"enabling site staff to prepare for an action minutes before they need to perform a procedure, using a combination of VR and AR. The "Experion Mobile App" delivers access in a hand-held device. The camera on the mobile app uses the digital twin to display augmented reality in real time on equipment data in real-time as they are looking at a piece of equipment. Honeywell have introduced "Intelligent Wearables" an eye-level AR camera that also enables the wearer to "call expert" while looking at the field situation. It uses voice-activate commands to navigate hands-free through the see-through display, which offers immediate access to documents and drawings.
For asset optimization, Honeywell has four offerings, with more planned:
* UOP "Connected Performance Services"
* Experion "Assurance 360" proactive services
* Burners "Thermal IQ"
* Ultrasonic "Measurement IQ"
HPS is releasing Safety Manager SC, SIL3 Safety Logic Solver with uniform form factor, universal 96-point I/O.
See also "Be Cybersecure" coverage of "Responding to the rise in industrial cyber attacks" on June 19
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