Integrated system controls fertiliser production

An ABB Automation Tech (Instrumentation + Automation) product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 15, 2002

Kemira, the global chemicals company, has used IndustrialIT extensively for new production control systems at its major fertiliser plant in Denmark.

Kemira, the global chemicals company, has used IndustrialIT extensively for new production control systems at its major fertiliser plant in Denmark.

At the Fredericia, Jutland facility, a three-phase project was based on ABB's IndustrialIT platform.

The site produces around 650kt of complex fertilisers, acids and speciality products annually.

Fully integrated production control systems were required in the speciality products sector (SPS), which produces dicalcium phosphate and potassium nitrate.

The SPS comprises five decentralised plants, originally equipped with three different distributed control systems, two PLC systems and many single instruments in old mimic panels.

The existing mixture of systems did not provide the required centralised monitoring and control of all aspects of the production process.

The three-phase project aimed to integrate the control systems, establish a common control room and to renovate process and production equipment wherever possible.

The key criteria for a new system were: competitive pricing; the ability for the company to do its own programming; easy integration into the existing process; supplier capability to modify, update and improve the system as required.

Kemira Danmark chose a system based on IndustrialIT, comprising OperateIT operator workstations and ControlIT PLCs connected by a redundant fibre optic cable, providing the flexibility and efficiency needed to control the intricate SPS production.

IndustrialIT solutions being built around the open IEC 61131-3 standard eased integration with existing systems.

It also facilitates programming, maintenance and the design of process graphics, handled by the company's own programmers.

The modularity of controllers, I/O systems, functionality and engineering tools ensures flexibility to add to the system later as needs develop.

The first phase encompassed installation and implementation of the new control system in the ion exchange, the vacuum dehydration and the calcium chloride plants.

Systems for further plants, and renovation of production equipment, are covered within the subsequent phases.

Implementation of all three phases will deliver a common control room with four OperateIT operator workstations, three local control rooms, each with one OperateIT workstation, an engineering room with an OperateIT workstation and Control Builder, as well as six ControlIT AC 800M controllers distributed throughout the plant.

The system includes more than 3600 I/Os and a 1,000-metre fibre optic plant network.

A similar control network connected to two parallel Aspect and Connectivity servers will provide redundancy.

The control system was subjected first to a factory acceptance test (FAT) at ABB in Denmark and subsequently, after installation but prior to implementation, to a site acceptance test (SAT) at Kemira Danmark.

FAT and SAT testing, standard to ABB projects, contributed significantly to the successful rapid implementation, reducing downtime for minimised production losses.

ABB carried out a complete recabling of the three Kemira plants in just three days, while full installation and implementation was conducted with a total plant downtime of only eight days - a result regarded by Kemira as impressive, considering the huge logistical challenges and complexity of the plant.

Within two days of running in, the plant had already resumed 80% of normal production.