HART Communication Foundation awards Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.
In giving the 2009 HART Plant of the Year, HART Communication Foundation said Mitsubishi Chemical's use of HART technology detects abnormal situations and failures before they affect the process. See award photo.
HART Communication Foundation selected the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan's largest chemical manufacturer) ethylene plant located in Kashima, Japan, as recipient of the 2009 HART Plant of the Year Award, as reported in the Control Engineering December 2009 North American print edition.
The award (see photo) is given annually to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that are using the advanced capabilities of HART Communication in real-time applications to improve operations, lower costs and increase availability. For photos and more application information, read the Control Engineering article: HART 2009 Plant of the Year .
Mitsubishi Chemical is using the HART Communication capability of over 800 interoperable field devices integrated with DCS and asset management systems through multiplexers and HART-enabled I/Os to access real-time continuous process variables and diagnostics. By accessing this real-time intelligent data they are able to diagnose abnormal process conditions and track equipment health 24 hours a day. As a result, peak production performance has improved with an estimated operational savings for the plant of $20,000-$30,000 per day.
Diagnostics also are used to uncover device failures before they affect the process. It is estimated that two or three device failures have been detected that would have caused unplanned shutdowns. An unscheduled plant shutdown costs an estimated $600,000 USD in lost production per day with a minimum production restart time of 5 days ($3 million total savings).
HART Communication Foundation Director of Technology Programs Ed Ladd (left) and Executive Director Ron Helson present the 2009 HART Plant of the Year Award to Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation in Kashima, Japan, (l-r) Takayuki Aoyama, team leader, Maintenance and Engineering Dept Instrumentation Group; Kenji Tsutsui, general manager, Maintenance and Engineering Dept; and Nobuyuki Mishima, group manager, Maintenance and Engineering Dept Instrumentation Group.
- Edited by Mark T. Hoske, editor in chief, Control Engineering , www.controleng.com
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