Heat Exchanger Monitoring System offers continuous operation.
Press Release Summary:
Using network of wireless/wired instruments and pre-engineered application for continuous online monitoring, Wireless Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Monitoring Solution oversees and diagnoses failure modes to alert personnel of deteriorating health so operation can be adjusted in controlled manner to match available cooling, and corrective maintenance action can be taken. Automated monitoring also helps avoid safety concerns with manual monitoring that result from sending personnel on field rounds.
Original Press Release:
Emerson Releases Wireless Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Monitoring Solution That Expands Critical Monitoring, Cuts Production Losses
Newest solution in Essential Asset Monitoring Suite also helps operators cut maintenance cost and avoid environment and safety issues
AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Emerson Process Management has unveiled a new wireless Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Monitoring Solution that expands its already robust Essential Asset Monitoring Suite.
Air cooled heat exchanger failures can limit cooling and reduce plant production by as much as 0.2% of capacity. The losses can accrue from "surprise" failures across a broad range of applications such as condensing distillate overhead product, cooling product before transfer to tank storage, and effluent cooling. On hot days where production is already limited by cooling capacity, an unscheduled shutdown on an air cooled heat exchanger could result in sudden overpressure of a distillation column overhead resulting in relief valve lifting and release to flare (a recordable incident).
Emerson’s new Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Monitoring Solution uses a pre-engineered application and networks of wireless or wired instruments. The wireless plug-and-play technology lowers costs so that automated continuous online monitoring can be more easily justified. Traditionally, most plants perform manual periodic monitoring of these assets. But since these manual measurements are infrequent, rapidly developing issues or process conditions that are causing asset failures are often missed.
The monitoring solution oversees and diagnoses the full range of failure modes to alert personnel of deteriorating health so operators can adjust operation in a controlled manner to match available (reduced) cooling, and corrective maintenance action can be taken. Failures can result from fan vibration, bearing wear, dust, oil and corrosion on tube fins, louver issues, or freezing ambient temperatures. This type of predictive maintenance methodology has been proven to save up to 30% of maintenance expenditures as contrasted with run-to-failure practices.
Automated monitoring also helps operators avoid safety concerns with manual monitoring that result from sending personnel on field rounds, as well as costly environmental incidents when manual monitoring slows operator response causing a relief valve to lift and flaring to occur.
"Air cooled heat exchangers have seldom had their performance automatically monitored," says Pete Sharpe, director of industry solutions development, Emerson. "Part of the problem is that when plants are built, the EPC installs only those instruments required to operate the plant safely and consistently. Monitoring the air cooled heat exchanger assets was not considered critical, so the measurements are just not there. But Emerson’s easily deployed wireless monitoring technology makes it cost-effective to monitor these exchangers on-line, which is especially useful for cooling-limited processes."
"And," continued Sharpe, "for those sites with the possibility of freezing in the tube bundle, your operator can be warned when the fan should be stopped or operated in reverse, preventing tube ruptures, and eliminating the need to replace the bundle, potentially saving up to $1 million per incident."
The new Air Cooled Heat Exchanger Monitoring release adds to the growing family of Essential Asset Monitoring solutions which include monitoring solutions for pumps, blowers, and heat exchangers, with other asset types under development. Each monitoring solution provides the user with a selectable set of faults that determine which instruments are needed for the monitoring application. The full Essential Asset Monitoring solution from Emerson includes the software and any new devices and services required to implement and set it up. Â
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (http://www.emersonprocess.com), an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services. Its brands include PlantWeb™, Syncade™, DeltaV™, Fisher®, Micro Motion®, Rosemount®, Daniel™, Ovation™, Bettis™ and AMS Suite.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2012 were $24.4 billion. For more information, visit http://www.Emerson.com.
CONTACT:Â
David Holmes, Emerson Process Management
1 (512) 418-7536
David.Holmes@Emerson.com
