Pharmaceuticals plant extends automation solution

Italian pharmaceuticals manufacturer DSM Capua has chosen PlantWeb digital plant architecture with the DeltaV digital automation system for upgrading its fermentation plant capability.

Italian pharmaceuticals manufacturer DSM Capua has chosen PlantWeb digital plant architecture with the DeltaV digital automation system from Emerson Process Management for upgrading its fermentation plant capability.

Initial installation phases demonstrated the advantages and simplicity of the PlantWeb DeltaV system, and led DSM to adopt AMS predictive maintenance software that works with intelligent field devices within PlantWeb architecture for the next phases of this installation.

Based in Naples, Italy, DSM Capua is a bulk pharmaceuticals and food ingredients manufacturer.

DSM runs twenty eight separate fermentation plants, mostly equipped with pneumatic measurement and control systems, which require considerable control room space.

New control systems were needed to improve efficiency and control, and to allow multiproduct production in each fermentation plant.

These new systems had to be installed alongside the old, in modular phases that did not disrupt production.

The initial phase of the DeltaV installation, undertaken by engineers from Emerson Italy, in co-operation with the DSM Capua engineers, was to control the FER1 fermentation plant, used for the production of erthromycin.

This module involved installation of a 200 I/O DeltaV system with two workstations, one for production control and one for engineering.

Because of the small DeltaV footprint, control room space was not a problem.

The flexibility of DeltaV soon became apparent when OPC drivers were used to export the process data to the DSM R and D facility in Holland.

The success at FER1 led to a further installation on another DSM Capua plant, where a new process for the production of a fungicide was needed.

Again employing PlantWeb architecture, new intelligent field instrumentation from Emerson was installed.

HART communications technology in the instruments enabled intelligent interfacing with the DeltaV digital automation system.

Production management found the graphics environment on the DeltaV system particularly straightforward, enabling the operator to understand the new system quickly.

The R and D engineers in Holland found surprising advantages, being able to monitor data about the process that had not been available before.

Above all, the modularity of the DeltaV system allowed different sections of the plant to be automated in phases, alongside existing equipment.

The next PlantWeb installation will address a process designed to extract a new antibiotic.

The project will involve 300 I/O and four DeltaV workstations.

Integrated into this phase will be AMS software, which will assist the maintenance operations across the instrumentation on the plant.

The AMS predictive maintenance software provides easy calibration and checking of field equipment, and has an audit trail feature that automatically documents all maintenance actions and information.

Since DSM Capua expend a considerable part of their production effort on quality assurance and control, documentation is a necessary part of their FDA product certification, and they see considerable potential benefits from DeltaV and the PlantWeb approach for this requirement.

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