highaccuracy - process-worldwide.com

Energy Transition

IS NH3 BETTER THANHYDROGEN?

Digitalization

HOW TO EAT ANELEPHANT

Modularization

PROMINENCE INA CONTAINER

LEADS TO HIGHER YIELD

GUIDELINES FOR CAPEX PROJECTS: Five Reasons Why Things Have to Change

3Special Issue 2021 Volume 23

www.process-worldwide.com

HIGH ACCURACYWhy radar level measurement technology is thestandard at an Indian contract manufacturer.

document16760766894596933161.indd 1 27.09.2021 12:09:47

http://www.process-worldwide.com

High reliability is achieved by constant product development,updating production techniques, everlasting quality controland rigorous testing at all stages of production.Each dosing pumpmodel has been carefully designed, builtand tested to ensure a long and useful life.A competitive price-quality ratio always aligned withthe customer expectations.

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EDITOR’S PAGE

3-2021 PROCESS Worldwide 3

DRIVING HOME THE POINTWe need secure green energy — On Earth’s own timescale the climate emer-gency is like a tsunami, but in human years it can seem as slowas a meltingglacier. As the coronavirus has shown us, sometimes it takes a more humankind of crisis to push rapid change.

For citizens of the U.K., that crisis is the prospect of having no meat on thetable. Slaughterhouses and meat packers cannot operate without food-gradecarbon dioxide, and stocks of the gas are running low. The carbon dioxide is aby-product of two large ammonia plants that their American owner has tem-porarily closed because of rocketing natural gas prices. Everything is inter-

connected, sometimes in ways wedidn’t expect, and all over the worldmanufacturers who rely on natural gasfor feedstock, heat or power are feelingthe squeeze.Ammonia appears in this issue of

PROCESS Worldwide too. Our articlestarting on p.12 looks at how this fa-miliar staple of world trade could rivalgreen hydrogen as an energy carrier.And from there it’s no great conceptualleap to our update on the progress ofall-electric ethylene crackers onpp.32–33.

Dependable zero-carbon energy and materials are goingto require us to build huge numbers of new plants,pipelines and other infrastructure. A fascinatingarticle on capital projects (pp.34–35) suggeststhat “the project manager can’t always fix it”:that openness, empowerment and inclusivityshould characterize the new paradigm to replacetop-down project management. Take in this is-sue’s other articles on digitalization and processautomation and you will be well set to face theuncertain future.

“Capital projects are com-

plex undertakings that can

only be completed with a

large number of brilliant

people working together.”

G E R T M Ü L L E R , M A N A G I N GP A R T N E R , T . A . C O O K

... page 34–35

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4 PROCESS Worldwide 3-2021

Research

10 REVOLUTIONIZING LARGE-SCALE REACTIONSThe Macbeth project aims to develop technologies thatmake important reactions more energy-efficient

Energy Transition

12 IS NH3 BETTER THAN HYDROGEN?Green ammonia has the potential to become an energystorage medium with several advantages over hydrogen

Markets

16 THE CHEMICALS BUSINESSBy 2019 China’s chemical production had outstrippedEurope and North America combined

Automation & Control

18 PROMINENCE IN A CONTAINEROpen source technologies open up access to valuableinformation in the process industries

22 HIGH ACCURACY LEADS TO HIGHER YIELDWhy radar level measurement technology is the standardat an Indian contract manufacturer

26 HOW TO EAT AN ELEPHANTSpecialty chemicals company Lanxess is taking on amammoth task in digitalizing all its process engineering,electrical engineering and automation documentation –including lifecycle management

30 FOCUS ON BUSINESS RELEVANCEArtificial intelligence applied to process optimization meansthat “more is better” may no longer be the rule

Engineering

32 PROGRESS ON E-CRACKINGDecarbonizing basic chemicals

34 SUCCESSFUL CAPITAL PROJECTSThe importance of openness in project management

36 SAVE COSTS WITH A RELIABLE CAE SYSTEMStepwise migration to a consistent CAE system

Thermal Processing

38 NEXT-GEN BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGYA hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process developed byHyflexfuel, an EU-funded research project to produce“biocrude” from various biomasses

40 HOW TO SAVE ENERGY WITH STEAM TRAPSEfficiency is why a specialty chemicals company relies onventuri steam traps

Pharmaceutical Technology

42 SERVICE IS MORE THAN JUST A JOBHow good, agile service enhances a company’s reputationand becomes a gateway to the customer

CONTENTSOCTOBER

Issue 3-/2021 · Volume 23 · process-worldwide.com

Green ammonia has potential as an energy storage medium. Find outhow engineers foresee its use in coupling between sectors. page 12

Lanxess is taking on a mammoth task in digitalizing all its engineering anddocumentation. Discover insights on how to eat an elephant. page 26

document12244247224849247422.indd 4 27.09.2021 10:02:11

On the cover of this issue

The dream of every industrial engineer andtechnician: Mastering complex pharmaceuti-cal processes reliably. This article shows whyradar level management technology fromVega is the standard at an Indian contractmanufacturer.

Maintenance & Inspection

44 TOP 5 DRONE APPLICATIONSHow flying machines are saving money and increasingsafety in the process industries

Pumps

46 MASTERING THE BLACK ARTSTricky fluids handling with viscous and hazardous media?The right pump technology can make all the difference

Further Sections

3 EDITOR’S PAGE6 GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT8 PLANT WATCH48 PRODUCT NEWS50 IMPRINT

The rise of drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — is already helpingplant operators monitor critical infrastructure. page 44

My recommendation for you …

Get out there and trap some steam! Amid all theexcitement of green hydrogen and biofuels it’s easy to missone simple way to save energy and boost plant reliability:better steam traps. Our article will give you some ideas.

… on pages 40–41

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BUSINESS & ECONOMICS


BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

GLOBALSPOTLIGHTEngineer ing / Deals / Plant Projec t s / Capaci t yE xpansions / Stands t i l ls & Turnarounds /Merger s & Acquisi t ions / People & Opinions

Japan: Green Innovation Funding Program

SIEMENS ENERGY AND TORAY WORKON LARGE PEM ELECTROLYZERS

Munich/Germany (ARS) — Siemens Energy and Toray havesaid they will jointly promote the development of the largestmulti-megawatt polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrol-ysis unit in Japan with a newmembrane technology from Toray,under the Green Innovation Funding Program arranged by theJapanese government.The two companies will receive the funding together with six

other organizations. Siemens Energy and Toray Industries willcooperate to provide optimum solutions in order to contributeto the realization of a carbon-neutral society in countries andregions around the world, based on their expertise in hydrogenand their global networks.The joint vision of the two companies is to advance the tech-

nology for the production of green hydrogen from innovativePEM water electrolysis using renewable energy sources. Theresulting green hydrogen can be used not only for large-scalepower generation and other electric power applications, butalso for sector coupling such as heat, transport, and industrialapplications.Toray will provide Siemens Energy with Toray’s proprietary

hydrocarbon electrolyte membranes. The two companies willwork together to promote the installation and demonstration ofthese membranes in Siemens Energy’s large industrial scale PEMwater electrolyzer.

Electrolysis of water to yield hydrogen and oxygen.

Source:SiemensEnergy

Carbon Neutrality

UNIPER COLLABORATES ON GREENHYDROGEN PRODUCTIONDüsseldorf/Germany (ARS) — Uniper has collaborated with thePort of Rotterdam Authority to develop green hydrogen produc-tion at Maasvlakte in the Netherlands. The development is basedon the findings of a recent feasibility study and the growingdemand for hydrogen from the Rotterdam petrochemical indus-try. The Uniper hydrogen plant is to be connected to the HyTrans-port.RTM pipeline that runs through the Port of Rotterdam. Thepipeline also connects the Uniper plant to the national hydrogeninfrastructure and the Delta Corridor pipeline bundle. The latterproject is intended for delivering hydrogen to chemical clustersin Moerdijk and Geleen (Chemelot) in the Netherlands and far-ther away in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas, resulting inCO2 emissions that amount to 19 million tons in the Netherlands.Industry in the Rotterdam area annually consumes about 77PJof hydrogen. The transition from grey hydrogen to green hydro-gen in the Rotterdam industry for producing cleaner fuels andas a raw material in the chemical sector is a major step towardscarbon neutrality. In combination with importing sustainablehydrogen, sufficient storage capacity, and a national and inter-national hydrogen transport network, this may lead to phasingout the production of grey hydrogen altogether.The next key step in the project is the FEED (front-end engi-

neering and design) study. This is being contracted out andshould yield in-depth findings for the conceptual design of theelectrolysis installation (100MW initially and with a future ca-pacity increase to 500MW), the project planning, and a realisticbudget. With the help of these findings the first phase of thisplant can be outsourced to suppliers and contractors.Soon, the first efforts will be made to apply for the permits

needed, seek (financial) support from various authorities, enterinto agreements with the relevant partners involved in the val-ue chain, and prepare an investment decision in 2022.

Management Strategy

COVESTRO PLANNING JOB CUTSLeverkusen/Germany (ARS) — Covestro is planning to cutup to 10percent of jobs worldwide. Up to 1,700 jobs acrossthe globe and more than 900 in Germany might be lost bythe end of 2023, according to initial estimates.As part of a transformation program, Covestro is review-

ing its global activities to see how they fit the company’sstrategy and contribute to sustainable growth, a companyspokesman said. “In this context, there will also be person-nel adjustments.” Duplicate structures are to be eliminatedand processes simplified. According to initial estimates, upto 1,700 jobs worldwide and more than 900 in Germany willbe cut by the end of 2023. However, the figures are “abso-lutely not set in stone,” the spokesman said.Covestro currently has about 18,000 employees world-

wide, 6,500 of them in Germany—located in Leverkusen,Dormagen and Krefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia, andBrunsbüttel and Meppen in Lower Saxony.

document8884595360810179625.indd 6 27.09.2021 10:23:23

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Plant Maintenance

PHARMA FIRM GSK AWARDS 18 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT TO BILFINGERMannheim/Germany (ARS) — Under the terms of a three-yearcontract, Bilfinger will provide electrical and instrumentationinstallation as well as access, insulation and painting servicesto GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) production facilities in Montrose,Scotland. The contract, which has an option for a further two-year extension, will be booked under Bilfinger’s Engineering &Maintenance Europe segment and commenced at the end ofJuly 2021. The agreement will see the subsidiary Bilfinger UK

provide electrical and instrumentation installation (E&I) as wellas access, insulation and painting services. Over 40 Bilfingeremployees will work on-site in Montrose, where GSK manufac-tures active pharmaceutical ingredients for a diverse portfolioof HIV, respiratory and corticosteroid medical products. “Aspharmaceuticals is a strategic growth sector for Bilfinger, weare very pleased to have won GSK as a customer,” says Christi-na Johansson, interim CEO and CFO of Bilfinger.

China Market Insider

CLIMATEPROTECTIONBeijing/China (ARS) — Con-struction work on the largestcoal chemical plant on earth hasjust been suspended in Shaanxiprovince, reports the businessmagazine Caixin. Across thecountry, not only large-scalecoal chemical projects but alsopetrochemical projects are fall-ing victim to the axe of the new-ly strengthened climate changeregulators.

A key target of emission com-missioners at the moment isclearly the production of ethyl-ene and similar feedstocks fromcoal. “Coal chemical projectsuspended due to its insatiableappetite for energy,” read theCaixin headline about the freez-ing of the mega-project inShaanxi. The Beijing govern-ment is currently pressuringlocal administrations in theprovinces to respect the previ-ously set caps on energy con-sumption, the report says. Thisis happening “in the wake ofambitious national carbon diox-ide pledges”, Caixin writes.Head of state and party lead-

er Xi Jinping had promised lastautumn that China’s carbondioxide emissions would peakby 2030 and that the country’seconomy would become cli-mate-neutral by 2060. The De-velopment and Reform Com-mission of the city of Yulin hadannounced in June that fromnow on it would stop the “blinddevelopment” of projects withhigh energy consumption andhigh emissions.

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NEWS & PROJECTS


Source:©

Blue

PlanetStudio-sto

ck.adobe.com

Plant engineering projects in the news — On these pagesPROCESSWorldwide brings you the most interesting plantengineering projects from around the world. From news ongreen energy and decarbonization projects to the adoptionof new and efficient process technologies, find out all theprojects making headlines here.

Czech Republic: Development Strategy

ORLEN UNIPETROL TO INVEST 1 BILLIONDOLLARS IN GREEN PROJECTS

Orlen Unipetrol’s new steam cracker boiler plant contains twohigh-pressure oil and gas boilers.

Source:OrlenUnipetrol

USA: Decarbonization

TOPSOE TECHNOLOGY CHOSEN TOPRODUCE RENEWABLE GASOLINELyngby/Denmark (ARS) — Arbor Renewable Gas has selectedTopsoe’s Tigas technology to produce renewable gasoline at anew facility to be built in the Gulf Coast region (USA). The facil-ity is expected to produce 1,000 barrels per day of renewablegasoline and to start operating by 2024. The renewable gasolineis produced from waste woody biomass.

When used by consumers, the new plant’s output would avoidthe emission of at least 250,000 tons of CO2 to the atmosphereevery year, the company says. Topsoe will supply methanol syn-thesis technologies and the backend gasoline synthesis unit(Tigas) to the facility. The methanol synthesis loop is based onthe modular MeOH-To-Go design.

“We are excited to be deploying Haldor Topsoe’s cutting edgeMeOH-to-Go and Tigas technology in the world’s first commer-cial scale renewable gasoline plant, a significant step forwardin the formation of meaningful transition fuel volumes,” saidTimothy E. Vail, CEO of Arbor Gas.

The company describes renewable gasoline as the ultimatetransition fuel as the global vehicle fleet moves toward completeelectrification.

Japan: MCH Demonstration

MOVING HYDROGEN TO CONSUMERSTokyo/Japan (ARS) — Eneos has announced that it will com-mence a demonstration using hydrogen extracted from methyl-cyclohexane (MCH), an organic hydride that serves as a hydro-gen carrier, at the company’s refining facilities to support thedevelopment of a CO2-free hydrogen supply chain. This is thefirst MCH dehydrogenation demonstration project using existingrefining facilities in Japan. With their coastal location, refinerieshave potential to import CO2-free hydrogen manufactured over-seas and supply it to local consumers like chemical plants, pow-er plants and steelworks, Eneos says.

PLANT WATCH

Prague/Czech Republic (ARS) — Orlen Unipetrol has revealedits development strategy up to 2030, which includes the mod-ernization of its chemical facility in Záluží near Litvínov, CzechRepublic. In this project, the current boiler plant for the steamcracker’s operations has been replaced with a brand-new gasboiler plant. The latest equipment for emissions reduction in-stalled at the unit has helped to lower dust emissions by 50%and NOx emissions by 70%.

UAE: Low-Carbon Energy

BLUE AMMONIA FOR FERTILIZERSAbu Dhabi/UAE (ARS) — The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company(Adnoc) announced that, in partnership with Fertiglobe, it hassold its first cargo of blue ammonia to Itochu in Japan, for usein fertilizer production. Fertiglobe, a 58:42 partnership betweenOCI and Adnoc, will produce blue ammonia at its Fertil plant inthe Ruwais Industrial Complex in Abu Dhabi for delivery toAdnoc’s customers in Japan. The shipments, which were soldat an attractive premium to grey ammonia, underscore thefavorable economics for blue ammonia as an emerging sourceof low-carbon energy.

document3812978491406967374.indd 8 28.09.2021 09:05:35

China: Olefins

LUMMUS STARTS UP MEGAALKYLATION UNITHouston/USA (ARS) — Lum-mus Technology has an-nounced the start-up of itsCdalky alkylation unit at Zhe-jiang Petroleum & ChemicalCo.’s (ZPC) refinery in Zhe-jiang Province, China. The unithas a capacity of 45,000 BPSDof alkylate product, making itthe largest alkylation unit everlicensed by Lummus.The start-up is the second

Lummus Cdalky unit at ZPC’scomplex, for a combined ca-pacity of 59,000 BPSD of alky-late production, making it thesecond-largest alkylation com-plex in the world. Lummus’ Cdalky technology is an advancedlow-temperature sulfuric acid alkylation process for the produc-tion of premium motor fuel alkylate.

The new alkylation unit process-es C4s from upstream refiningand petrochemical units, result-ing in a very high concentrationof isobutylene.

Source:©

AndreiMerkulov-sto

ck.adobe.com

China: Polycarbonate Plant

EPC ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGIESWINS MAJOR ORDER FROM CHIMEIArnstadt/Germany (ARS) — EPC Engineering & Technologies,the German plant manufacturer and technology provider, willprovide the Taiwanese performance materials manufacturerChimei with a license for its patented EPC Variplant technologyand proprietary equipment for a new 180 KTPA polycarbonateplant in Zhangzhou, China. The company will also take overengineering and on-site support for this project.

EPC Variplant is a flexible technology for phosgene-free poly-carbonate production that uses BPA (bisphenol A) and DPC (di-phenyl carbonate) as primary raw materials. With this processtechnology, EPC offers a future-proof plant design as well astime- and cost-efficient project handling from a single source.The process includes the reactor system, optimized rectificationstage with a modern vacuum system, and efficient process con-trol. The new unit is intended to expand Chimei’s existing poly-carbonate production capacity. The plant is scheduled to becompleted in the fourth quarter of 2024. EPC’s circular economyconcept is an integral part of the overall plant design and offersChimei what it claims to be the most modern and efficient poly-carbonate production process on the market.

document3812978491406967374.indd 9 28.09.2021 09:05:36

RESEARCH


REVOLUTIONIZING

Until now, people have asso-ciated Macbeth with a roy-al tragedy by William

Shakespeare from the early 17thcentury. In chemistry, however,Macbeth is not a tragedy but in-stead promises to start a revolu-tion in large-scale industrial reac-tions. Macbeth (Membranes AndCatalysts Beyond Economic andTechnological Hurdles), the largestEU-funded research project coor-dinated by Evonik, has nowreached its first milestone after 18months in operation. The Europe-an Commission has evaluated theproject for the first time—withpositive results. The goal ofMacbeth is to develop technolo-gies that make important large-scale reactions, such as hydro-formylation, significantly more

energy efficient. The auditors be-lieve that the partners involved areon the right track.“The results so far are impres-

sive. All the sub-projects are onschedule and well on track,” saysCarmine Marzano, project officerat the European Health and DigitalExecutive Agency (HaDEA), re-sponsible for all administrativeaspects of Macbeth on behalf ofthe Commission. “If Macbeth suc-ceeds, it would be revolutionaryfor several important reactions inthe process industry,” says re-viewer Prof. Dr. Annette Juhr. Sheis a professor of process engineer-ing at Beuth University in Berlin,and responsible for monitoring.“With the positive evaluation,

we have secured the support ofthe EU and achieved a very good

interim status,” says Prof. Dr. Rob-ert Franke, project coordinator forthe overall Macbeth project andhead of hydroformylation researchat Evonik. At the virtual reviewmeeting held in June, all the pro-ject partners, the project officer forthe Commission and the projectreviewer came together to get anupdate on the current status.The EU is funding the measure

with a total of 16.6 million euros(19.6 million dollars). 24 partnersfrom ten countries are working onfour sub-projects up to 2024, withthe aim of making large-scale re-actions more energy-efficient. Onesub-project, on hydroformylation,is being carried out at Evonik, atthe Marl Chemical Park in Germa-ny. The aim there is to develop so-called catalytic membrane reactors

Source:Evonik

LARGE-SCALE REACTIONSTheMacbeth project aims to develop technologies that make importantreactions more energy-efficient — Claimed to be the largest EU-fundedresearch project coordinated by specialty chemical company Evonik, theMacbeth project has the potential to revolutionize large-scale reactionsin the chemical industry.

document9478479803181327618.indd 10 27.09.2021 10:17:14

for industrial use. These are al-ready working at laboratoryscale—the aim now is to makethem suitable for industrial useand to investigate the economicviability of the approach.

“We nowwant to make the leapfrom the laboratory to production,”says Franke. “Only when we con-duct investigations in the produc-tion environment can we makestatements about the suitability ofthe technology. We need to testwhether the process is suitable forlarger production volumes and if itwill work stably over the longterm.” By the end of 2022, the planis to set up a demonstration plantunder real, industrial conditions atEvonik’s Oxo plant in the MarlChemical Park.Scale-up of catalytic membrane

reactors is expected to have a ma-jor impact on the sustainability

balance of many industrial reac-tions. Since the new membranereactors separate products direct-ly from unwanted components,previously standard, energy-inten-sive downstream separation stepssuch as distillation would nolonger be necessary. As a result,the researchers hope to increaseenergy efficiency by almost 70 per-cent compared with conventionalprocesses. This will also result ina significant reduction in green-house gas emissions.

About hydroformylation

In hydroformylation, unsaturat-ed hydrocarbons—olefins—areconverted to aldehydes using syn-thesis gas, a mixture of hydrogenand carbon monoxide. For Evonik’sPerformance Intermediates busi-ness line, aldehydes are interme-

diates in the manufacture of high-er alcohols, organic acids and es-ters, which are then used, for ex-ample, as plasticizers in plastics oras surfactants. ARS

The project team:(l–r) Dr. FrankStenger, Dr.Marc-Oliver Kristen,Prof. Dr. RobertFrank.

Source:Evonik

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document9478479803181327618.indd 11 27.09.2021 10:17:17

ENERGY TRANSITION


Hydrogen, they say, is apromise: a hope that noteverything has to change

despite the energy transition. Thatwe can still have gas heating, fill-ing stations and cement in the fu-ture, and continue to use our exist-ing infrastructure.If we want to produce emis-

sion-free crude steel, polymers andbuilding materials in the future,there is hardly any way to avoidusing the lightest of all gases.Hydrogen is clearly a fantastic

substance. If produced in an emis-sion-neutral way, it burns withoutaffecting the climate. Rich in ener-gy and eager to bind, it supple-

ments waste gases such as carbonmonoxide or dioxide to form valu-able synthesis gas. Since it is al-ready present in the natural gasmix, hydrogen can be added to theexisting network and thus reducethe CO2 footprint of heating with-out much effort. Hydrogen is alsoexpected to solve one of the mosturgent problems of the energytransition: the lack of baseload se-curity with renewable power.

Could Wind and Solar PowerBe Stored as Hydrogen?

The core problem of the energytransition is where to put surplus

green electricity. Gases of all kindsare familiar to the process indus-tries, and gas storage and pipe-lines are well known. So, hydrogenmade by electrolysis from greenpower, plus underground gas cav-erns, yields electricity storage?Unfortunately it’s not that sim-

ple. This tiny molecule diffusesinto materials and through the nar-rowest gaps, causing embrittle-ment and leaks respectively. About20percent hydrogen could be fedinto the natural gas grid, but a pure

ISNH3 BETTER

The Campfire project innorthern Germany isworking on decentral-ized production andutilization of ammoniafrom renewable energy.

Collage:Cam

pfire;©

PeterH

ermesFurian–sto

ck.adobe.com

D O M I N I K S T E P H A N *

* The author is a senior editor at PROCESS.Contact: [email protected]

THAN HYDROGEN?Green ammonia has the potential to become an energy storage medium — Climate-neutral transportation, chemicals, heating and basic industries—hydrogen is supposedto serve all of these. But the lightest gas of all poses significant engineering challenges.Perhaps alternative storage forms such as ammonia can save the energy transition.

document5712882444858551220.indd 12 28.09.2021 09:04:28



hydrogen economy would requirenew pipes, fittings and seals. Andwhile the mass-specific energydensity of hydrogen is a phenom-enal 33.3kWh/kg, the volumetricenergy density is very low: just3Wh/l at atmospheric pressure.

Hydrogen can be stored in liquidform at –253°C, which increasesits density to 71kg/m3. In the ener-gy-intensive liquefaction process,however, up to 30percent of theusable calorific value is lost. Stor-age under pressure is also possi-ble, for example in composite cyl-inders at 700bar, but compressionabsorbs around 12percent of theavailable energy.Power-to-gas apologists there-

fore have high hopes for alterna-tive storage solutions such as met-al hydride storage, in which gas isdissolved in metals or alloys underpressure. However, gas uptake andrelease from hydrides remain slow,and large quantities of metal are

needed to store small vol-umes of hydrogen.

Possible alternatives to solid hy-drides are substances known asliquid organic hydrogen carriers(LOHCs), which like hydrides canabsorb and release hydrogen. Al-most any unsaturated carbon dou-ble or triple bond can be used forthis purpose, though the neces-sary temperatures limit the usabil-ity of hydrocarbons. An example isdibenzyl toluene (DBT), which ab-sorbs gaseous hydrogen at around200°C and 5bar overpressure us-ing a ruthenium catalyst. About

600L of hydrogen gas canbe stored in 1L of DBT.But perhaps there is a simpler

way. Ammonia (NH3), one of theoldest bulk chemicals, is producedon a scale of hundreds of millionsof tons worldwide for the manufac-ture of fertilizers. The Haber-Boschprocess, still the benchmark in am-monia synthesis, has nitrogen andhydrogen react on an iron catalyst,with the necessary hydrogen ob-

More than justelectricity andhydrogen: This ishow engineeringcompany Thyssenk-rupp Uhde ChlorineEngineers envisionsfuture couplingbetween sectors.

Source: Thyssenkrupp

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document5712882444858551220.indd 13 28.09.2021 09:04:29

ENERGY TRANSITION


tained by steam reforming fromnatural gas or coal.What makes ammonia interest-

ing as an energy storage mediumis its ease of transport and storage,with which the industry also hasdecades of experience. This color-less gas has not played a major rolein climate protection to date, al-though ammonia synthesis ac-counts for around 3percent of glob-al CO2 emissions.

The First Green AmmoniaProjects Pick Up Speed

That apparent lack of interestcould easily change. If the hydro-gen used to make it is obtainedfrom electrolysis rather than fossilfuels, ammonia could become“green”. For example, the US gasgiant Air Products, together withSaudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, plansto invest five billion dollars in theproduction of climate-neutral am-monia by 2025.Such projects could defossilize

fertilizer production and provide analternative storage route for re-newable energy. Ammonia can beburned in gas turbines and internalcombustion engines, and so couldbecome an alternative to naturalgas and fuel oil for power plantsand marine propulsion.Alternatively, fuel cells can also

convert ammonia back into elec-tricity. As a demonstration of thistechnology, Norwegian shipping

firm Eidesvik plans to equip itssupply ship Viking Energy with a2-MW ammonia fuel cell.

From Jutland to Australia:The Largest NH3 Projects

Currently, the largest Europeanproject for green ammonia is beingbuilt in Esbjerg, Denmark, usingwind power to produce ammoniafor ship propulsion and fertilizer.Australia is thinking even bigger:there, the 10-billion-dollar AsianRenewable Energy Hub, a windand solar plant with a total capac-ity of 9GW, is to be supplementedby an ammonia plant.In principle, the hydrogen could

also be recovered: The Center forFuel Cell Technology is working onan “ammonia cracker” togetherwith the Chair of Energy Technol-ogy at the University of Duis-burg-Essen in Germany. In thisprocess, liquid NH3 is cracked intoa hydrogen-containing gas mixturein a pressurized reactor at around700–800°C. The hydrogen is thenused in a fuel cell to generate elec-tricity, and the residual gas fromthe fuel cell supplies the burnerthat brings the ammonia reactor upto temperature. According to thedevelopers, the process thusachieves an efficiency of over90percent.A key aspect that makes the

combination of water electrolysis

Pros and cons

WHAT C AN AMMONIA DO?Pros:· Proven and well-known basic chemical· Ammonia has a high energy density· Easy to transport and store· Low risk of explosion· Not a greenhouse gas, unlike methane which is20 to 25 times more harmful than CO2

· No carbon source required

Cons:· Hazardous substance· Toxic and corrosive gas· Lower energy density than petrol· When ammonia is burned it producesharmful nitrogen oxides

· Must be liquefied for storage and transport

Hydrogen: “A really bad idea”?

Now it’s out: Elon Musk thinks hydrogen is “a really bad idea”.Well, you will say, after all, he wants to earn his money frombattery vehicles. But let’s take a look at his arguments. Hydrogenis inefficient, people say. The unavoidable conversion losses aretoo great, and scarce energy is better stored in batteries. Well,aren’t we narrowing the discussion unnecessarily by talking onlyabout fuel cells or battery electric cars? I am convinced that hydro-gen will find a place on the road, even if not immediately. Hardlyany industrial defossilization scenario can do without hydrogen.Moreover, decarbonization can only succeed if we have emis-sion-neutral energy in abundance, at dumping prices. The chem-ical industry alone has already registered demand for an incredible628 terawatt-hours at a price of less than four cents per kWh. Thenthere are households, transport, heating, and of course all theother sectors. Energy is needed in quantities that are hardly imag-inable today, at prices that are hardly imaginable. In that case theconversion losses no longer look so bad, do they? DST

and ammonia synthesis so attrac-tive as an electricity storage sys-tem is its good load controllability.Thyssenkrupp’s alkaline waterelectrolysis technology can rampup to full load within minutes andcompensate for load fluctuationswithin seconds. In this way, pro-duction adapts to fluctuating pow-er generation from photovoltaicsand wind energy.

And What About MethanolMade From Hydrogen?

Of course, there are alternativesto ammonia too: The FraunhoferInstitute for Solar Energy SystemsISE, among others, is working onthe production of methanol fromhydrogen and CO2. The processnot only yields one of the mostcommon basic chemicals, but canalso use carbon dioxide capturedfrom exhaust gas streams. Thework of the ISE researchers is partof the Power-to-Methanol projectfunded by the German FederalMinistry for Economic Affairs andEnergy and led by Dechema.But even the methanol route is

not without its pitfalls: The CO2

content in the synthesis gas agescatalysts. The process is also de-pendent on the availability of car-bon monoxide and carbon diox-ide—”raw materials” that couldbecome a rare commodity in thecourse of defossilization.

document5712882444858551220.indd 14 28.09.2021 09:04:29

HIDRACAR [email protected]

PROC-WW-001.2021_Hidracar_00348690-001.indd 1 16.02.2021 08:40:23

http://www.hidracar.com


MARKETS

Asia-Pacific and theMiddle East will continue their sustained growth inchemicals — following the pandemic slump and accelerated recovery in2021. Following them are Russia and Latin America; NorthAmerica lags,and Europe comes in last.

MARKET LEADERS


Projection of annual production growth in the global chemical industry by region from 2020 to 2025

Graphic:PROCESS;Source:Statista2021

40.65

75.527.75

29.9529.37

25.3

25.0321.38

21.03

29.34 DowU.S.

BASFGermany

LindeIreland

MitsubishiChemical Holdings

Japan

LG ChemSouth Korea

UmicoreBelgium

Air LiquideFrance

NutrienCanada

SumitomoChemicalJapan

LyondellBasellU.S.

BASF dominates the worldtop ten chemical companies

in terms of turnover.

2021 ranking of the global leading chemical companies based on revenue (in billion U.S. dollars)

Graphic:PROCESS;Source:CeficChem

dataInternational2020;

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5.0 %

2.5 %

0%

- 2.5 %

- 5.0 %

- 7.5 %2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Percentchangeinmarketfromyeartoyear

North America

Latin America

Europe

Former Soviet Union

Africa & Middle East

Asia/Pacific

AND REGIONS

document13092615974385827816.indd 16 28.09.2021 09:01:48

PROMINENCEIN A CONTAINERThe digitalization train is picking up speed. More and morecompanies are exploiting the fast and pragmatic approachesoffered by open-source software. Wago combines sensorsystems, gateways, container and cloud computing.

document12900319575996083922.indd 17 27.09.2021 10:43:24

AUTOMATION & CONTROL

PROMINENCE IN A

*F. Jablonski, mylk+honey, Würzburg/Germany,Phone: +49-170-3438828

CONTAINEROpen source technologies open access to valuable information in processindustries — The digitization train is picking up speed and many companies in the processindustry have already jumped on board to gain a competitive edge through a deeper under-standing of their production and a better overview of their various systems and locations. Inthis process, more and more companies are exploiting the fast and pragmatic approachesoffered by open-source software. Automation experts, such as those fromWago Kontakt-technik, in a team with system integrators combine sensor systems, gateways, containerapplications and cloud computing to extract even more information from company processes.

document18222250238215079247.indd 18 27.09.2021 10:42:18


The old familiar phrase “Youcan't control it until you canmeasure it” is currently ex-

periencing a revival thanks to thepossibilities offered by IoT andcloud computing. Whereas thephrase used to apply more to thecore process and its control, it isnow also being applied a levelhigher: A number of optimizationapproaches in today's process in-dustry are only possible when da-ta is aggregated at a higher leveland put in relation to one another.Status data of processes, parame-ters of pumps and compressors orenergy consumption for differentassets opens the floodgates foridentifying optimization approach-es with comparison of differentproduction lines or determiningdeviations in process variablesacross different locations. Meas-ured values are being increasinglyused not only to control the actualprocess, but also act as a sharpsword for cutting avoidable costsboth for operation and mainte-nance of plants and systems.The desire by management to

have transparency and compara-bility is as old as plant automationitself. Until now however, it wasnot meaningful to collect and pro-cess the enormous volumes of datainvolved. This is changing in thecourse of digitization and is gain-ing momentum. One reason behindthis is that there are now estab-lished cloud providers on the mar-ket who can also meet the require-ments and needs posed by indus-trial applications. An example ofthis is Linde Engineering, a glob-ally operating EPC that uses theservices of the software providerOsisoft to an ever increasing de-gree. Together with the IT serviceprovider a project was recentlycompeted in which 130 systems in15 different countries were operat-ed from one single control room.Over this course of this project,Linde installed field sensors in thesystems of a wide range of its cus-tomers and provided edge devicesand cloud connectivity services tothe users. Algorithms can now sortout any anomalies from the oper-ating data received and supplydashboards. The result is that ex-

perts can then use this informationto predict preventive maintenancerequirements and define optimaloperating settings. Additionally,one IIoT platform canmonitor mul-tiple applications, including en-gines, and analyze energy con-sumption – and more are beingdeveloped.

Economical Open-SourceApplications

The great challenge for such pro-jects is providing efficient and se-cure integration of the specific,individual data in the cloud. In-deed, there are other major serviceproviders besides Osisoft that un-dertake this type of integration inconcert with the user. Many com-panies however shy away fromcommitting to just one provider. Bycontrast, an increasing trend hasrecently been observed toward in-dividual and cost-effective solu-tions with freely available applica-tions. Troy Sensing and Kurt Braunof Wago USA work closely with anumber of different providers inthe process industry in the easternUS. Both are experts in transport-ing data from the field level to thecloud and, thus, onto the monitorsof management. As trailblazers inthe USA they have observed forsome time now that companies arelooking for fast and pragmaticways to get more information outof processes while at the sametime shying away from proprietarysolutions. They have had good ex-perience with open-source technol-ogy in a number of projects.

“We have many customers whowish to add further functions totheir existing control system. Wetherefore started a while back toexamine containerization solutionsthat can resolve this problem”, ex-plains Braun. Based on his experi-ence, a new automation environ-ment has come into being in whichit is expected that the PLC is con-nected with the Internet and com-patible with basic technologies ofthe IoT, such as MQTT, he contin-ues. This approach does, however,require a different framework thana typical industrial fieldbus proto-col can provide. Consequently, as

F R A N K J A B L O N S K I *

Source:W

ago

Source:©

MaksymYemelyanov–sto

ck.adobe.com

;Wago

“The fact that IIoT solutions

are being strongly driven

by the MQTT protocol on

the US market is because it

is secure and easy to use

and is well understood by

most destinations and

endpoints.”

T R O Y S E N S I N G , W A G O U S A

he has observed, more and moresolutions and practices are beingadapted from the IT world in theUSA. A number of additional secu-rity layers are applied to enablethem to communicate securely out-side the firewall. Programmablelogic controllers manage securelog-in data and encryption, as wellas isolation for less secure proto-cols such as Modbus or EthernetIP.“The fact that IIoT solutions arebeing strongly driven by theMQTTprotocol on the US market is be-cause it is secure and easy to useand is well understood by mostdestinations and endpoints. Soft-ware such as Docker offers the iso-lation that IT groups require, whileNode-RED e.g. helps manage lifecycles. Working together, thesetools form a very powerful andhighly functional system“ relatesSensing. This trend is backed up bythe fact that each one of these tech-nologies is an open-source solution,meaning that they can be usedwithout any license fees and thatthey can be continuously upgradedto meet and keep pace with in-dustrial and safety requirements.Sensing: “This presents a uniqueopportunity for Wago to host theseprograms on our hardware. Weare indeed proud of this and workhard to ensure that this continuesto be so”.

The Generational Change WillAccelerate Transformation

To a certain extent, the use ofopen-source applications in majorsectors of the process industry,which used to be unthinkable, canalso be attributed to a generationchange in the IT world. Automationin the US is thus reacting to thenew capabilities and work methods

document18222250238215079247.indd 19 27.09.2021 10:42:20



of the IT developers. Node-RED isa good example of this. Using thisplatform it is extremely easy to cre-ate a JavaScript-based applicationlayer and use this on correspond-ing hardware. “The days of isolat-ed writing of code are a thing ofthe past. Anyone who has accessto a video platform such as You-Tube can learn the basics, andonce you have acquired these skillsyou have a very powerful tool atyour fingertips. I predict that auto-mation will continue to modularizein this way and that in the nearfuture it will resemble more a mo-saic of tools than a traditional run-time environment”, says Sensing,explaining his view of the future.“But today it is still a challenge

when most control system techni-cians in the user companies are notfamiliar with topics such as Node-RED and containerization. Theirdaily focus is directed more towardthe control of systems and plants.This is where we will require alearning curve in order to familiar-ize themwith modern IoT technol-ogies“, points out Braun.Until this occurs, opportunity

will continue to knock for inte-grators, who can display theirstrengths particularly in such situ-ations and who implement digiti-zation projects generally in an ag-ile and cooperative manner. Theyare the intermediaries betweengateway providers such as Wago,cloud providers and the end users.Kapsch BusinessCom AG is suchan integrator. The Austrian com-

pany creates digitization conceptsand implements these togetherwith international customers. Thisinvolves connectivity and orches-trating of machines and systems,smart sensing and inline qualityassurance, along with upgradingand improving machines.

Roland Ambrosch heads the Dig-ital Factory sector at Kapsch andhas a wealth of experience withcontainerization: “We can use thismethod to achieve excellent stand-ardization and modularization – ina wide range of applications andat any time. For example, if func-tions has to be enhanced at a latertime, containerization would be agood solution. Microservice archi-tectures can also be subsequentlyenhanced well”, declares Am-brosch.

Broad Application ofContainer Solutions

The group of users here is notlimited to any certain sector butincludes suppliers and end usersalike: “Machine manufacturers ap-proach us because they wish todigitize their products to be able toprovide their customers with newservices and new business models.Production companies from differ-ent process industries are alsolaunching projects aimed at in-creasing OEE, improving energymanagement or enhancing effi-ciency“, states Ambrosch and con-tinues by declaring that this wouldgo off very efficiently in a combi-nation of open-source software andthe use of data containers. In hisview, the trend toward containeri-zation is primarily based on tech-nology: “It is more manageablewhen a central unit does not haveto be processed in a distributedstructure, but rather when a cen-tral unit retrieves distributed da-ta“, Ambrosch explains. Securitywould also be enhanced whenwork is conducted on a line or plantbasis. A further benefit would bethat once a standardized containerhas been generated it can be cop-ied whenever needed so that man-aging the new information land-scape remains simple, even duringthe operations phase. The unani-mous view of the experts is thatcontainerization knowledge has

Kurt Braun, Wago USA: “Wehave many customers who wishto add further functions to theirexisting control system.”

Source:W

ago

since become a basic prerequisitefor anyone working in IT. Docker,for example, was developed specif-ically as an abstraction and isola-tion tool to keep application ele-ments in a sandbox. The Wagoedge controller can execute AWSGreengrass Core in a Docker con-tainer and control exposure to oth-er application levels such as thePLC runtime or protocols such asOPC-UA. This means that any pen-etration into the container is re-stricted to and kept in that contain-er. Although this can occur in anon-secure manner, the provisionof applications in Docker is on thewhole more secure than applica-tions that run directly on the host.A further argument in favor of theuse of Docker and similar software:A containerized solution offers thepossibility of using standard sys-tems to provide and maintain dif-ferent software. This also appliesto IT cyber security applications.This enables the user to keep theoperating system and every indi-vidual container up to date and toquickly close any gaps that mayarise. Take firmware updates forexample: Without containers theentire project would have to be rec-ompiled. Every system in operationreceives a “piece” of the new soft-ware that contains the new firm-ware. If, on the other hand, themachine controller is supplied con-tainerized, the system can be keptup to date through deployment ofthe firmware – a change that doesnot apply to the IEC sector, i.e.,classic automation. All in all, sev-eral overall benefits are yieldedabove and beyond the functionalityof the programs. Costs are reducedand become more predictable. Asa rule, open-source programs arewell maintained and should contri-butions from specific users for de-velopment of the software becomenecessary over the course of theproject, this not only representsadditional work but is also a mod-ern form of marketing: Awarenesswithin the community is height-ened and new contacts and net-work links are created. Sensing: “Ifyou can select the right tool for thespecific task at hand instead of hav-ing to adapt the tool to the task, youwill always get better and betterresults“.

Roland Ambrosch, Head of theDigital Factory sector at Kapsch:“We can use this method toachieve excellent results.”

Source:W

ago

document18222250238215079247.indd 20 27.09.2021 10:42:22

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Source:©

Krakenimages.com

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document8478651470882412358.indd 22 27.09.2021 10:15:33


Contract manufacturers haveto master the balancing actbetween flexibility, reliabil-

ity and good utilization of theirfacilities. At the same time, thesuccess of these highly specializedservice providers depends onevery system component operatingabsolutely reliably in the often

highly complex production pro-cesses. Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Ser-vices (“Aji Bio-Pharma”) is consid-ered a leading provider of biophar-maceutical contract developmentand manufacturing services. Thecompany, which has operations inBelgium, the USA, Japan and India,offers a wide range of develop-ment, cGMP manufacturing andaseptic filling services for smalland large molecules, APIs and in-termediate products. To be able todo this, it utilizes a wide range of

innovative platforms and capabili-ties for preclinical studies and pilotprograms in commercial quanti-ties, including Corynex proteinexpression technology, oligonucle-otide synthesis, antibody drug con-jugations (ADC), high potencyAPIs and biocatalysis, continuousproduction, andmore. Just recent-ly, the company announced anagreement with Humanigen tomanufacture lenzilumab. Thisdrug, which is currently in phase3 development, is one of the few

S A B I N E M Ü H L E N K A M P *

* The author is a chemical engineer andspecialist freelance journalist. Contact Vega:[email protected]

The Vegapuls 64 isavailable in differ-ent versions: Thestandard versionwith flange andencapsulatedantenna system(left), the variantfor high tempera-tures (middle) andthe version withelectropolishedhousing & clampconnection (right).

HIGH ACCURACYLEADS TO HIGHER YIELDWhy radar level measurement technology is the standard at an Indian contractmanufacturer — As a contract manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry you haveto work quickly, flexibly, and extremely accurately. This is exactly how your deployedlevel sensors also have to work. That’s why for the last five years Aji Bio-Pharma inVisakhapatnam, India, has relied on the versatile Vegapuls 64 radar sensor for its levelmeasurement needs.

Source:Vega

Source:Vega

Source:Vega

document8478651470882412358.indd 23 27.09.2021 10:15:39




available options for effectivetreatment of patients hospitalizedwith Covid-19.

Ten Years of GMP Productionat This Site in India

The company’s location inVisakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh),India, has existed since 2011. TheFDA-approved pro-duction facility wasdesigned and builtbased on GMP op-erating standardsand quality sys-tems already inplace at AjiBio-Pharma’s Bel-gian sites. Sincethen, the plant hasbeen supportingleading biopharma-ceutical companiesworldwide with itsproducts.For a good five years now, the

company has relied on Vega tech-nology for level measurement atmultiple measuring points in pro-cess reactors and tanks for manu-facturing API intermediates. Theradar level transmitters of typeVegapuls 64 operate in tempera-tures between -25 and 150°C, meetall Atex requirements and are de-ployed with a variety of processfittings (50NB/80NB/100NBflange).

Ensuring Highest ProductQuality and Yield

Most of the media in the plantare liquids and slurries. Correctmeasurement is necessary to com-ply with the strict quality specifi-cations for the products and toachieve higher yields. Liquid levelsthat are too high would lead to

overflows, whiletoo low a level cancause pump cavi-tation. Level is al-so an importantparameter for en-suring efficiency inthe plant’s distilla-tion process. Exactdetermination ofthe location of theinterface betweentwo different liq-uids has a directimpact on productquality and yield.

Vikramsena Reddy, project man-ager at Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Ser-vices, became aware of the radarsensor about five years ago at theAutomation Expo in Mumbai. Withits high measurement accuracy,Vegapuls 64 has long sinceconvinced Reddy of its capabilitiesin practical applications. The am-bient conditions in pharmaceuti-cals production are not easy to dealwith—in fact, they embodyeverything that can make life diffi-

cult for measuring instruments. Forexample, agitators generate foamand turbulent surfaces in the vari-ous tanks and reaction vessels. Atthe same time there are high tem-peratures, vibration and contami-nants to worry about. Acidic va-pors, which come into direct con-tact with the sensors, are anotherbig problem. And if all that weren’tbad enough, there are also Ex haz-ardous areas, where explosion pro-tection measures (Zone 1) and SILhave to be observed. That’s whyprocesses in reaction vessels werepreviously monitored in person bythe operators.

Contactless Measurement —the Plus in API Production

The decision in favor of radarmeasurement technology wasbased on its high accuracy com-pared to measurement with ultra-sound or differential pressure. “Interms of accuracy, I don’t know ofany other sensor that can competewith Vegapuls 64,” says Vikramse-na Reddy. This is mainly due to itssmall beam angle of 3°. Thanks tothe tightly focused radar beam, thesensor measures within a verysmall radius. Agitators tend tocause interference signals, but notwith this sensor—its measuringbeam simply bypasses such obsta-cles. Product deposits on the agi-tators or on the walls of the tanks

Conditions in the reactor vessel are demanding: Foam formation, turbulent liquidsurfaces, high temperatures, vibration and the presence of acid vapors place highdemands on the level sensors.

The flush-frontencapsulated an-tenna with itsrobust liquid-tighthousing (IP69K) iseasy to clean andresistant even toextreme conditionsduring SIP and CIP.

Source:Vega

Source:Vega

“We could actually

more or less forget

about the measuring

point after installa-

tion, and regular cali-

bration is also no

longer necessary.”

V I K R A M S E N A R E D D YA J I B I O - P H A R M A

document8478651470882412358.indd 24 27.09.2021 10:15:43


• Whether you’re looking ata propane storage sphere,a wet deslagger in apower plant or a brewerymash tun, modernnon-contact sensors canhandle any application forliquid level measurement.Check out documentation,review accessories orconfigure your product atwww.vega.com/en-de/products

PROCESS-Tip

also have no effect on the measure-ment. “We were able to increasethe yield of the processes as a re-sult,” adds Reddy. The improveddynamics of Vegapuls 64 also yieldsignals that are not only more pre-cise but also more reliable.The non-contact measuring

method is also a big advantage,especially in the pharmaceuticalsector, because itavoids contamina-tion and thus safe-guards the qualityof the end product.Radar level trans-mitters are wellsuited for hygienicand sterile activeingredient produc-tion because theymeasure contact-lessly and thus op-timally fulfill hy-gienic require-ments. Vega usesmaterials speciallytailored to the strict requirementsof the pharmaceutical industry, inaccordance with FDA, EG1935/2994 and GB standards. Thehygienic design complies with allstandards according to EHEDGand 3-A Sanitary. The special seals,the all-metal housings and the me-dia-contacting surfaces—with lowsurface roughness down to 0.38µmr—are just a few of the featuresthat allow VEGA instruments to

meet all the demands of the phar-maceutical industry. All sensorproduction processes, includingroutine inspection and testing, areregularly examined and audited,as required by GMP specifications.

The flush-front encapsulated an-tenna, with its robust liquid-tighthousing (IP69K), is easy to cleanand is insensitive to the extreme

conditions in SIPand CIP process-es. Users also es-pecially like thefact that the leveltransmitter doesnot require anymaintenance oradjustment afterinstallation.Vikramsena

Reddy also appre-ciates the practi-cal handling thatis possible withthe Vega units:“Installation is re-

ally easy, the sensor is suitable forany flange size and the small beamangle makes it possible to installthe sensor anywhere on the tank.”

Installation, Configuration,and Great Customer Service

Configuring the instruments isalso quite simple. In combinationwith Bluetooth, the user can con-figure and parameterize the sen-sors from a safe distance via asmartphone or tablet. Display anddiagnostic functions are also avail-able. Measured values can be re-trieved at any time and from any-where. “We calibrated and adjust-ed the sensors via Bluetooth with-out any help from Vega,” recallsReddy, who also finds it extremelypractical that the setup procedureis exactly the same for every Vegainstrument. When installing sen-sors on identical vessels, parame-ters can be transferred using acopy-and-paste function.

The lowweight of the sensor hasalso proven to be a great advan-tage in everyday use. And there issomething else that makes thetechnician’s work easier: “If thesensor has to be replaced, it can bedone very quickly.” VikramsenaReddy was also impressed by Ve-ga’s customer service: “Previously,

we used instruments from othermanufacturers and had a numberof technical difficulties with theirdesign and configuration. It tookquite a while to get help. Vega’sapproach was completely different.The technical sales team came di-rectly to our factory, quicklylearned and understood our re-quirements and immediately sug-gested a suitable model for thisapplication. We talked very openlyand the subsequent sales and ser-vice processes were exemplary.”

Vikramsena Reddy believes thatthe switch to Vega’s radar levelmeasurement technology has paidoff. In addition to level measure-ment, exact determination of inter-faces between liquids is now pos-sible. Although the sensors wereinstalled on existing vessels, thecosts for flanges and necessarymechanical modifications stayedwithin reasonable limits.“After installation, we were ac-

tually able to more or less forgetabout the measuring points—wedon’t even have to do regular cali-brations any more,” explains Red-dy, obviously quite pleased. Eventhe high acidity of some of themeasured media is no longer athreat to the sensors. Due to theseand many other reasons, radartechnology from Vega is now con-sidered the standard in level meas-urement technology.

“Installation is really

easy, the sensor is

suitable for any flange

size, and the small

beam angle makes it

possible to install the

sensor anywhere on

the tank.”

V I K R A M S E N A R E D D YA J I B I O - P H A R M A

The level transmitter is suitable for anyflange size. The small diameter of theactual sensor allows the unit to beinstalled anywhere on the tank.

Vikramsena Reddy, Project Manager atAjinomoto Bio-Pharma Services

Source:Vega

Source:Ajinom

otoBio-PharmaServices

document8478651470882412358.indd 25 27.09.2021 10:15:49

http://www.vega.com/



HOW TO EAT AN

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess istaking on amammoth task in digitalizing allits process engineering, electricalengineering and automation documentation– including lifecyclemanagement — Uniform plant and projectdocumentation and comprehensive datamanagement will increase quality andefficiency in production and maintenanceoperations going forward.

Source:©

Interklm

-sto

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MIGRATION

ANALYSIS

DIGITAL TWIN

STRUCT

URED

DATA

ELEPHANTH A R A L D B E T T E L D O R F *

* The author is the Head of Project Controls in the Product, Technology,Safety and Environment (PTSE) Group Function of Lanxess DeutschlandContact: [email protected]

Digital technologies enhancecapacity, improve processesand increase occupational

safety. They also make productionand business processes more tight-ly interlinked. Digital transforma-tion in the chemical industry wasushered in some time ago by in-dustry 4.0. But the notion of moreprocesses, events and even pro-duction steps being managed bycomputers has now become soappealing that data, databases andnetworks are playing an increas-ingly important role; the transfor-mation of analog to digital struc-tures is a mammoth undertaking.Anyone who has ever taken a look

at the inner workings of a chemicalplant will have an idea that it is notso easy to reduce the many ves-sels, other equipment items, pipe-lines, pumps, and cables to a singlecommon denominator. The startingpoint for a traditional plant in-volved in conventional engineeringis generally a cross-section of sev-eral decades of equipment con-struction and various generationsof process control technology in-stallations, comprising technologyfrom several countries. Document-ing such a heterogeneous technicallandscape featuring isolated andindividual documentation solu-tions often involve manual data

document14029478908800145850.indd 26 28.09.2021 11:18:36



transfers between the separatetools and disciplines. This is detri-mental to processing efficiencyand can also lead to a lack of con-sistency between different dataassets. Lanxess has now set itselfthe task of improving this situationon a long-term basis.

The specialty chemicals compa-ny set up a project team early onthat will be in charge of migratingthe plant documentation for all op-erations at five locations, andacross all trades, for industry 4.0applications. The re-quirement was to im-prove plant operationand managementacross the entire assetlifecycle based on anintelligent and shareddata platform. Theseconsiderations prompt-ed the decision to set upa pilot project at a rep-resentative productionplant. In 2018, Lanxesslaunched such a project to imple-ment Comos software from Sie-mens. The insights gained re-vealed that—despite heterogene-ous documentation—it is possibleto digitalize a plant, even one thatis over 100 years old, at reasonablecost and effort. At a workshop at-tended by people in charge of pro-duction and technology, the centralunit for production-related servicesand IT recommended the Group-wide introduction of Comos for thispurpose, and this action was ap-proved by the Lanxess Board ofManagement in August 2019. Co-mos, a state-of-the-art tool for allsectors of the process industry,offers a single solution for consist-ent plant and project documenta-tion and comprehensive informa-tion management. The open archi-tecture also provides a variety ofoptions to interact with customers,providers and contractors.

Cable Needs to Go Into Comos

The Siemens software simplifiesthe integrated management ofchemical production facili-ties—from planning to operationand upgrading all the way throughto future dismantling. Planners andoperators can access all project-re-lated data objects at all times.

beumer.com

SOME THINKTHAT STACKQUALITYAND HIGHTHROUGHPUTARE MUTUALLYEXCLUSIVE.WE THINKDIFFERENT.

>> The requirement was

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over the entire asset life

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There is no separation of trades orspecialist disciplines; rather, thesoftware solution takes a func-tion-oriented approach and sys-tematically performs complete in-tegration of all processes. Thisclose dovetailing makes a vitalcontribution to greater plant avail-ability and reliability. Consistentdata management within the en-tire plant lifecycle results in higherdata quality and minimizes thecost of documenting plant chang-es. The “single point of truth” prin-ciple applies, which is the practiceof managing data in one place butusing it for various applications.All the data relating to a single

component, like a pump for exam-ple, constitutes a unit or object.Each object exists only once in theComos database. This ensures thatspecifications that are changedwithin a certain trade are alwaysuniversally visible for all disci-plines from the object itself andstored in the central database—fora reliable, consistent database.This means that the relevant usershave access to all the relevant, up-to-date data and properties of anobject anytime, anywhere—reduc-ing data complexity significantlyand thus increasing transparency.

Introducing Comos requires datathat may already be available elec-

tronically in various systems to bemigrated and consolidated, andany data that is not yet digitallyavailable to be recorded. This in-volves designing, implementingand testing routines for transfer-ring the data to Comos in a highlyautomated manner.

The Pilot Project Is Complete

In 2018, Lanxess launched atwo-year pilot project to implementComos in pigment production atthe Krefeld-Uerdingen site, Germa-ny. Here the company producesiron oxide and chrome oxide pig-ments for many applications, andthe site is known as the world’slargest production facility for inor-ganic color pigments.

The history of the site, size of theoperation and variety of the pro-duction base were all key factorsin the decision to set up the pilotproject at this location. The pro-cess of reworking the databasefrom the P&IDs (piping and instru-mentation diagrams) was morecomplicated in the course of thepilot project than originally esti-mated. Consequently, two highlyautomated processes are now be-ing used for the subsequent rolloutproject. One is a program develop-ment from Siemens/Unitec, and the

other is PIDGraph by Bilfinger.This cuts down the level of rework-ing involved to a tenth of the orig-inal amount.After a year of project work, the

employees and supporting serviceproviders are committed to theproject. One factor that is largelyresponsible for this is the intuitivenavigation system of Comos,which yields information quicklyand straightforwardly and allowsconnections to be identified in anintegrated manner—with employ-ees no longer having to painstak-ingly compare different docu-ments. To be able to use the soft-ware effectively, other systemoperations need to be learned be-yond just the drawing, so all usersare given appropriate training inhow to use the system.

The increase in efficiency is ex-pected to result in investment pro-ject savings, not just for engineer-ing but also in terms of overallproject costs. The improved dataquality as such already representsan efficiency gain. As it stands, thedatabase structure already allowsfor a high level of transparencywith regard to projects and chang-es. As P&ID data from process con-trol technology documents is inte-grated, automated comparisonscan be made with data exports

Interview with Harald Betteldorf, Head of Project Controls in the Product,Technology, Safety and Environment (PTSE)Group Function at Lanxess

“THE BIGGES T CHALLENGE IS CONV INC ING THE EMPLOYEE S”

? Harald, can you please give us a rough idea of the different systems usedat Lanxess?

H A R A L D B E T T E L D O R F : We use a large number of different sys-tems at Lanxess. We use various drawing programs for process flow diagrams,including PlantSpace P&ID and OpenPlant PowerPID by Bentley. We have twodatabase-supported systems for electrical and process control technology.Many of our operations at the Lower Rhine plants use a CAE system by Plan-ets Software, and Antwerp has its own database application. But we still useconventional drawings or Excel for documentation purposes as well.

? How high was the proportion of data that was not available digitally?

H A R A L D B E T T E L D O R F : Most of the data is available in digitalformat. The major challenge was giving it an object structure so that it couldbe used in Comos. This required editing around half of our data.

? What was the biggest challenge in consolidating the data?

H A R A L D B E T T E L D O R F : It might sound a bit strange to say thisnow, but the biggest challenge is convincing the employees in the productionplants and winning them over to the idea that it is worth the effort, not justfor plant operations but also for them. But the col-leagues on site have been impressed by the ben-efits that Comos has to offer.

? What are your next goals? A digital twinfor every plant?

H A R A L D B E T T E L D O R F : Beforewe get that far, the immediate objectives areto migrate existing data and consolidate thisdata. This will help us to create a foundation fromwhich we can connect numerous applications to Comos. Because one thingis for sure: Working with structured data is the only way we will be able toperform clearer analyses and make better decisions going forward.

Source:Lanxess

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from the project planning level ofthe operating project control sys-tem, making deviations easy toidentify. Possible differences mayhave come from the local manage-ment of different data sources,whereas the migration of databas-es to Comos has created datatransparency.Not all documents can be trans-

ferred to Comos without involvingmanual rework. For this reason,some of the piping and instrumen-tation diagrams are being digital-ized using a program developmentfrom Unitec, the project supplierwho performed P&IDmigration forSiemens, and the rest using PIDG-raph. The latter is a piece of soft-ware developed by Bilfinger’s dig-ital subsidiary Digital Next. It usesartificial intelligence to automati-cally transfer the P&IDs of a pro-cess plant to Comos, paying par-ticular attention to customer-spe-cific customization in the targetsystem (Comos).The main difference between

the two systems is that Bilfingeruses pattern recognition, whereasSiemens and Unitec use a layerstructure comprising drawings,metadata from symbol blocks andtext, and geometric keys.

One challenge that should not beoverlooked in digitalizing plantdocumentation is data security, asthe documents contain highly sen-

sitive, confidential information.The adoption of extremely high ITsecurity standards allowed Sie-mens and Bilfinger to safeguardthis data at all times and carry outthe project for Lanxess entirely byremote access during the corona-virus pandemic.Rollout phase 1 of the Lanxess

digitalization project started at thebeginning of 2020 and encompass-es eight operations at the LowerRhine plants in Leverkusen andKrefeld-Uerdingen, Germany, andin Antwerp, Belgium. The diversi-ty and scale of the project scope isimplied by the number of P&IDsthat need to be transformed, withthe number of P&IDs in low dou-ble-digit territory, and the largestoperation having more than tentimes as many flow diagrams.

Digitalization of Global Units

Comos will be rolled out to allother plants at the sites in Leverk-usen, Dormagen, Uerdingen,Brunsbüttel (Germany) and Ant-werp (Belgium) over the course ofa second project phase between2022 and 2023. The plants in Man-nheim and Bitterfeld (Germany)could follow suit in a third phase,in addition to further companyplants around the globe.Lanxess is continuing to ad-

vance the digitalization of its pro-

duction operations, with the com-pany implementing a system foranalyzing time-series data acrosslarge sections of its global plantsand facilities. The self-service an-alytics platform Trendminer bySoftware has been deployed at al-most two-thirds of the company’s120 or so plants, including all themajor production sites in Germany,Belgium, the US and India. In initialprojects since the rollout in 2020,thanks to Trendminer, Lanxess hasbeen able to significantly increaseits capacity utilization in individu-al plants, optimize resource utiliza-tion and lower its maintenancecosts. In some cases, the savingsachieved have been in the six-figure dollar range.

The Project at a Glance

50 PL ANT S AT F I V ELOC AT IONSAcross a total of 50 plants at five locations, Lanxess’s technical plantdocuments such as process flowsheets, piping and instrumentationdiagrams (P&IDs) and further details of the electrical, instrumen-tation and control technology will be digitized andmigrated to themodern Comos software solution over a period of five years. Inaddition, interfaces to external systems such as SAP and Aspen arebeing built, thus simplifying data exchange.

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document14029478908800145850.indd 29 28.09.2021 11:18:40





The aim of the AI-supportedmethodology is to give plantoperators clear recommen-

dations for dealing with anomaliesand quickly identify process eventsthat have a major impact on eco-nomic parameters such as produc-tivity, availability, and quality. Per-forming this type of evaluationbased on process automation datahas not been possible so far. Al-though anomalies can be detected

from process data, the extent towhich an anomaly poses businessrisks, and how great these risksare, depends on the specific pro-duction and market conditions.

Contextualizing Information

A simple example shows howdifferent this assessment can be.In crude oil production, a large in-flux of sand can reduce the servicelife of pumps. The operator canprotect the pump by reducing theflow rate until the sand has settled

at the production point. This makeseconomic sense if the value of theoil produced is low compared tothe cost of repairing or replacingthe pump. If the value of the oilpumped is comparatively large,however, it may make economicsense to run the pump at full flowdespite the sand.Until now, this evaluation was

the domain of the operator, whoused their experience to estimatethe impact of anomalies on the eco-nomic viability of the process. Butwhat happens if the market chang-

FOCUS

AI-based methodshelp companiesbetter quantify thebusiness relevanceof disruptions andevents in theirprocesses.

Source:©

Blue

PlanetStudio-sto

ck.adobe.com

* The author is a product owner at Siemens AGin Erlangen, Germany.

K L A U S - P E T E R H I T Z E L *

ON BUSINESSRELEVANCE

In the past, “more is better” often applied to process optimization — Companies sometimes investedconsiderable effort to keep all their processes in the optimal range and suppress every disturbance. Butnot all process anomalies are equally relevant to profitability.With artificial intelligence (AI) methods,events can now be directly evaluated for their business relevance, thus opening up new possibilities forcompanies in the economic optimization of processes.

document14798000060788410520.indd 30 28.09.2021 09:00:34


• Search www.process-worldwide.com for“artificial intelli-gence” to see manyexamples of how AI isrevolutionizing theprocess industries.And to discover moreabout the developer of AIAnomaly Assistant, try asearch for “Siemens”.

PROCESS-Tip

es, or a process needs to serve bothlow-cost and high-value productsfor different orders? In this case,evaluating disruptions and eventsbecomes muchmore complex. Thesame applies to networked causal-ities, for example when energyconsumption, productivity andproduct quality all influence eachother. Here, the economically opti-mal operating point of a plant canno longer be calculated simply onthe basis of individual parametersbut must be determined using pro-cess modeling.

The physical models used in thisprocess have aweak point, though:they are based on a given plantcondition. Changes in plant behav-ior, for example, due to aging, mustbe continuously updated. If thechange is then reversed—by a re-pair, say—the model must also berestored to its original state. Main-taining the model is hard work.

This challenge can be addressedwith models that use artificial in-telligence methods to detect andevaluate anomalies. The underly-ing algorithms are continuouslytrained during plant operation andthus learn to recognize new anom-aliesd—but they can also repro-duce previous states. This cumu-lative learning represents one ofthe key differences between AI-based and classical process mod-els, and offers the advantage thatthe model can incorporate differentplant states much more flexibly. Inaddition, an AI-based model canalso make predictions about theoutcomes of complex processes bycorrelating different connectionsand thus, for example, recognizingin good timewhen anomalies pres-age a plant failure.

Detecting Anomalies With AI

There are now various solutionsand providers for AI-based anom-aly detection in process plants.However, for the AI to really beable to detect and evaluate busi-ness-relevant anomalies, its algo-rithmsmust learn which anomaliesaffect the profitability of the plantand which do not. For its AI Anom-aly Assistant app, Siemens hasdeveloped a methodology that ap-plies such a training and focusingprocess to industrial processes.

First, the process data that willbe used to train the app must becollected. To do this, the data aretransferred from the process con-trol system to the customer-specif-ic instance of AI Anomaly Assis-tant via a defined interface. Thismeans the data can always beused in the same format for evalu-ation, regardless of collection type.

In the first step of the AI trainingprocess, the data analysts at Sie-mens then generate anomaliesfrom the process data and clusterthem based on rough process in-formation. They discuss the resultswith the plant operator to filterpotential anomalies according totheir relevance. This step is par-ticularly important, as not all de-tected anomalies are actually rele-vant to the process and business.Next, the AI is trained again to

focus it so that it only detects theanomalies identified as being rel-evant. The experts at Siemens alsouse the user feedback to identifythose anomalies that have a highprobability of being business-rele-vant, based on their impact on per-formance indicators such as avail-ability, yield, or quality.This pre-selection of high-rele-

vance anomalies serves as thefoundation for refining the AI focusby the plant operator. During thisstage, the application supports theoperator with a dashboard inwhich anomalies can be comment-ed on, evaluated, and selected.This evaluation phase is accompa-nied by several feedback loops, sothat in the end the plant operatorreceives a well-trained and fo-cused AI that is able to evaluate

anomalies for their business rele-vance based on the process data.

Drawing on Know-How

The choice and quality of theprocess data is just as relevant forthe AI as finding the right param-eters to evaluate the anomalies.This is why Siemens takes a struc-tured approach to implementationand training. This ensures that theknow-how of process experts anddata analysts both contribute tothe implementation process andresults, and that the applicationmeets expectations. This processalso needs to leverage the exper-tise of the plant operators, as theyare the authority for identifyingbottlenecks or issues in their pro-cesses that cannot be resolvedwith conventional methods, andwhich key data from the processesdetermine business success.Especially with sensitive pro-

cesses, it is important to protectconfidential product and processdata. Here, too, AI-supported mod-eling offers an advantage over clas-sic process modeling. Use of AIallows process data to be general-ized and anonymized to a greaterdegree, since the relationship be-tween the data is generated by themodel itself. To assess anomaliesand focus the AI, data analystsneed only basic information aboutthe nature of the process, but notabout the process details. Even thenames of parameters can be large-ly anonymized. In this way, AIAnomaly Assistant ensures exten-sive protection of the plant opera-tor’s intellectual property.

A clear dashboardhelps users classifyand evaluateevents.

Source:Siemens

document14798000060788410520.indd 31 28.09.2021 09:00:35




ENGINEERING


PROGRESS ON

Ayear after announcing am-bitious plans to develop an“e-cracker”, Shell and Dow

said in June that they had securedfunding from the government ofthe Netherlands that will allowthem to move forward with a mul-ti-megawatt pilot plant. Start-up iscurrently scheduled for 2025.The companies have also joined

forces with two more sources oftechnological expertise: the Neth-erlands Organisation for AppliedScientific Research (TNO) and theInstitute for Sustainable ProcessTechnology (ISPT).Last year, the two consortium

founders said they wanted tospeed up progress towards steamcrackers heated by electricity—ul-timately supplied by carbon-freesources such as wind and so-lar—rather than fossil fuels. Steamcrackers form the foundation of thepetrochemical industry, turningethane, propane, butane andnaphtha into ethylene, butylene

and other reactive unsaturated hy-drocarbons.The large amount of heat need-

ed to drive the endothermic crack-ing reactions is normally suppliedby burning natural gas or otherhydrocarbons from the refinery.E-crackers with very low carbondioxide emissions, coupled withan effective system for recyclingplastics, could go a long way to-wards creating a climate-friendlypetrochemicals industry.In their latest announcement,

Dow and Shell confirmed that theywill receive 4.6 million dollars (3.5million euros) under the MOOI(Mission-driven Research, Devel-opment and Innovation) subsidyscheme funded by the Dutch gov-ernment through the NetherlandsEnterprise Agency.

“Existing and New Crackers”

In the first year, Down and Shellsay they have been working on

electrification solutions for exist-ing steam crackers as well as nov-el electrified crackers for the longerterm. The dual-path approach sup-ports the emissions reductionsrequired to meet the companies’2030 CO2 ambitions as well as theirnet-zero target of 2050 or before.Teams in the Netherlands and

the USA have used their expertisein electrical engineering, metallur-gy, hydrocarbon technology andcomputational fluid dynamics tonarrow down concepts, validateemissions benefits, advance pat-ents, demonstrate the durability ofelectric heating elements, andpartner with equipment suppliers.

However, the partners are reluc-tant to reveal more details of eithertheir e-cracker technology or what“electrification solutions for to-day’s steam crackers” might mean.A press release from ISPT sug-gests that the demonstration plantplanned for 2025 will be based onexisting crackers, and that the

The joint e-crackingprogram could helpto accelerate thedecarbonization ofchemical plantsoperated by Shelland Dow. In themeantime, Shellwill upgrade thissteam cracker atMoerdijk, the Neth-erlands, by 2025.

Source:Shell

Decarbonizing basicchemicals — 4.6 milliondollars in funding from theDutch government willallow Dow, Shell and twonew partners to pushforward on their previousplans to develop steamcrackers heated byelectricity, for CO2-freeproduction of ethylene.

E-CRACKING

document2982715087989560336.indd 32 28.09.2021 08:23:11

e-cracker pilot plant will have towait until 2027. ISPT also pointsout that neither plant is includedin the current project period.

The project’s two new collabora-tors bring further expertise and acommon commitment to a low-car-bon future that will accelerate pro-gress on the e-cracker, the foundermembers say.TNO, an independent research

organization with around 2600 em-ployees, has deep knowledge ofhigh-temperature heat transferapplications and plays a leadingrole in identifying innovative elec-trical technologies that could bedeployed in the process industries.

ISPT describes itself as an activeand open innovation platform forsustainable process technology,connecting stakeholders from in-dustry, small companies, scientistsand government bodies to createa circular and carbon-neutral pro-cess industry by 2050. It is a found-

er member of the Field Lab Indus-trial Electrification, a consortiumthat aims to show how the port ofRotterdam can benefit from great-er use of electricity, and potential-ly green hydrogen too.

Germany’s Parallel Project

In the last issue of this magazinewe reported how BASF, Sabic andLinde are working on a demonstra-tion e-cracker at BASF’s Lud-wigshafen site, for start-up as ear-ly as 2023. If that goes to plan, andsubject to a supply of green elec-tricity being available, BASF saidthe technology might be ready forcommercialization by 2027.PROCESSWorldwide previously

estimated that a cracker yielding1 million t/y of ethylene wouldneed a furnace with a thermal rat-ing in the range 170–315MW. Ex-tra power might also be requiredfor compressors normally driven by

steam turbines coupled to the fur-nace heat recovery system. BASFagrees that power supply will becritical for a full-scale e-cracker, interms of both competitive renew-able energy prices and expandedelectric grids. Investment costs arelikely to be higher than for a con-ventional cracker, especially in re-lation to the electricity infrastruc-ture, BASF suggested. BUT

OURBATTLE

IN ABOTTLE

INSPIRED BY THE EXTRAORDINARY

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DISCOVERMARCHESINI GROUP’SPACKAGING LINES FORVACCINES

As this electric arcfurnace shows, themetallurgical indus-try has a longtradition of usingelectricity to supplyprocess heat at highpower and hightemperatures.

Source:©

Scanrail-sto

ck.adobe.com

document2982715087989560336.indd 33 28.09.2021 08:23:14


ENGINEERING

Steve Jobs was once asked ina talk show about the secretof Apple’s success. He re-

sponded: “One of the key aspectsis that we are an incredibly collab-orative company. We have tremen-dous teamwork at the top of thecompany and that filters downthroughout. Teamwork depends ontrusting the folks to come throughwith their part without watchingthem all the time. Apple is run byideas—not hierarchy. The bestideas have to win.”

To some it may seem far-fetchedto compare Apple with managinga capital project in the process in-dustry—but there are certainly

parallels. What is the new iPhonefor one may be the next generationaniline plant for the other. The big-gest commonality is both theiPhone and the capital projects arecomplex undertakings that can on-ly be completed with a large num-ber of brilliant people working to-gether.

The Need to Leave OldParadigms Behind

Many capital projects are stillsteered with a rather conservativemanagement approach. They areoften organized in a command-and-control structure and the man-

agement of the project is placed inone pair of hands—the hands ofthe Project Manager.A common belief is that project

success solely depends on thatProject Manager. It is undisputedthat the quality, experience anddecision-making capabilities ofthat person as a leader play an im-portant role. But it raises the ques-tion of whether an endeavor ascomplex as, for example, buildingthat new aniline plant consistingof hundreds of millions of dollars,does not require a different, less

G E R T M Ü L L E R *

SUCCESSFULGuidelines for effective capex projects — “The Project Manager will fix it.” Really?Companies who want to deliver successful capital projects in the future need a changeof attitude, building an inclusive culture to engage and motivate both employees andexternal partners.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Successful capex projects require a departurefrom old paradigms.

Source:©

EtiAmmos-sto

ck.adobe.com

* The author is Managing Partner, ConsultingEurope Lead at T.A. Cook.

document8256391590143648419.indd 34 28.09.2021 09:03:34

patriarchal approach and culture.This becomes even more importantin an increasingly and rapidlychanging world.

5 Suggestions for Building aHigh-Performance Team

The effectiveness of a projectteam is not a given. Many projectteams never make it to the lastphase. To put it differently, justrunning a project kick-off work-shop is not enough to ensure thata team ‘gels’ and functions well.So, what does it take to build an

effective team that shares respon-sibility and ownership and candeliver successful projects?• Foster a project culture that en-courages openness, ownershipand feedback.

• Install a project communicationstructure that a) allows transpar-ent and honest exchange acrossall levels of the project organiza-

tion, b) reaches each teammem-ber with information in his areaof the project but also providesthe ‘big picture’ as a basis for ashared common purpose, and c)supports multi-directional com-munication and encouragesteam members to actively con-tribute to the exchange.

• Equip team members with thenecessary skills by training andcoaching them to communicateand manage effectively.

• Promote a diverse and inclusiveproject culture of continuousfeedback and putting peoplefirst. Provide an engagementplatform that automatically trig-gers all project teammembers togive voluntary, regular and anon-ymous feedback.

• Go beyond simply providing adescription of each project role.Give team members at the startof the project an opportunity toactively share with each other

their understanding of their rolesand the expectations they placeon one another.

• Create opportunities for teammembers to have fun and learnmore about each other beyondthe day-to-day project work—ir-respective of whether this is ina face-to-face or virtual setting.Clearly all this requires energy,

effort and time, and for some it maybe a departure from old paradigms.But companies who want to deliv-er successful capital projects in thefuture need a change in attitude tobuild an inclusive culture that en-gages andmotivates both employ-ees and external partners.

So, Project Managers do not haveto fix problems on their own if theybuild and lead functioning teams.There is a good reason why SteveJobs did not answer the interview-er’s question on the secret of Ap-ple’s success with: “We have thebest project managers”.

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document8256391590143648419.indd 35 28.09.2021 09:03:35

ENGINEERING

Modern process plants canonly operate efficiently ifthe data from the plan-

ning phase of any new activities isalso available for operation, main-tenance as well as modernization.

However, paper-based documen-tation is cumbersome, error-proneand hardly ever consistent. Mix-tures of various documents inMicrosoft Word, Excel and CADapplications like Microstation are

generally not totally efficient, ei-ther. Despite best efforts to main-tain the documentation, still it doesnot necessarily tally reliably and atall times with the as-built plantreality.

SAVE COSTS WITH A

When modernizinga process plantlocated in Höchst,Germany, Kuraraywanted to set thefuture course for itsdocumentation byswitching to aconsistent I&C-CAEsystem.

Source:Kuraray

E V E L Y N L A N D G R A F *

RELIABLE CAE SYSTEMStepwise migration to a consistent CAE system — Global chemical company Kurarayswitched the documentation procedure at its process plant in Höchst, Germany and optedfor Rösberg’s Prodok NG computer aided engineering system for instrumentation andcontrol. Stepwise and automatic migration of the existing plant data to the new consistentCAE system enabled Kuraray to set the course for future plant modernizations.

document2121258013959050912.indd 36 28.09.2021 08:47:47


However, only an accuratematch between these two worldscan avoid costly new inputs andunnecessary engineering effort,and maximize plant availability.Switching to a safe I&C-CAE(Instrumentation & Control—Com-puter Aided Engineering) systemthat provides this consistency is astep that needs to be considered,but it is definitely manageable.As the following example shows,migration can take place in stages,either during plant modernizationor in operating plants, without hav-ing a negative impact on ongoingoperations, because old data areavailable throughout, and the costsstay manageable.

Kuraray Europe makes many sig-nificant contributions in the chem-ical sector with high-performancematerials, technologies and appli-cations. To make sure it stays thatway in the future, the enterprisecontinually invests in its produc-tion plants to keep them state-of-the-art. Whenmodernizing a plant,it is essential to document allchanges so that they are traceableand are available in the plant doc-umentation for maintenance pur-poses and planning future projects.

Modernization of Plant

In 2016, Kuraray was convertinga process plant located in Höchst,Germany (photo) for the produc-tion of Poval polyvinyl alcohol, awater-soluble, biodegradable plas-tic used in the paper and consum-er goods industries and as a pack-aging material. The company de-cided to set a course for the futureby switching its documentation toan integrated I&C-CAE system.Until then Kuraray had been usingdifferent tools for documentation,and now the company wanted tocombine them. “We were soonable to convince the decision-mak-ers that our I&C-CAE system, Pro-dok NG, was the appropriate solu-tion,” recalls Christian Stolz, SeniorAccount Manager – Plant Solutionsat Rösberg Engineering. “We pro-posed a stepwise procedure, with-out starting again from scratch,

and this ultimately proved to befinancially interesting, too.”

Prodok NG is a high-perfor-mance I&C-CAE system thatensures an integrated planningprocess with unified rules, and us-es state-of-the-art software tech-nology. This makes the system anout-of-the-box solution that is easyto use, flexible and inexpensive,and opens up many possibilitiesinto different system landscapes,databases and cloud applications.

First Analyze, Then Migrate

Before starting the migration, acomprehensive inventory was firstcarried out. Various tools were inuse at Kuraray, includingMicrosta-tion files for CAD drawings of con-trol rooms, cabinets and terminals,and Vinapp files for device data.All these had to be transferred tothe I&C-CAE system, and the con-version process needed to be au-tomated as far as possible due tothe volume of data.

After recording and checking thevarious formats and variants, theI&C-CAE system’s converter wasadapted so that migrating the datato the new documentation systemcould be automated. A total of7,400Microstation DNG files, com-prising 3,600 wiring diagrams and3,800 control room/cabinet docu-ments, plus other types of docu-ments were automatically convert-ed into DWG files with drawingframes.To these were added 2,000 new

loops with linked CAD-I&C loopdiagrams in the new parts of theplant. “The data was present in thenew documentation straight away,and could be gradually convertedinto intelligent CAD drawings withadditional information depth,”says Elisabeth Wächter-Schäper,Head of Electrical & Instrumenta-tion at Kuraray. “This meant thatthe documentation was alwaysavailable throughout the migra-tion, although not all documentsbecame smart at the same time.”The automation specialists fol-

lowed a similar procedure whenimporting the project data andmaster data from the Vinapp sys-tems. The data was first convertedinto Excel formats, and then im-ported and made available in Pro-

dok NG’s device engineering. Ex-isting data was taken over andcould be easily completed by add-ing device-specific data, connec-tion points and graphical symbolsfor the I&C loop diagrams, typeexamination certificates, instruc-tion manuals, and Ex(i) data forsafety calculations.

Current Documentation

“The benefits of the migrationare that there is now a unified sys-tem with one database, everyoneconcerned always has access tothe current data, no documentationis duplicated—and the same couldsoon be true for all our locationsvia a possible cloud connection,”says Wächter-Schäper.

Following the successful conclu-sion of this project, another pro-duction plant was migrated to thenew I&C-CAE system in 2018. Thesecond plant produces Mowitalpolyvinyl butyral and since theplant was not being modernized atthe same time, the changeover toProdok NG was faster since therewas no input into the documenta-tion from new projects.Following both migrations, the

automation experts trained Kur-aray employees and also the I&Ccontractors, who now benefit froman extended workbench in theform of consistent documentation.This will be especially valuable infuture modernizations. Changesthat take place while the plant isin operation can now also be easi-ly recorded and maintained in thedocumentation.

* The author is Head of Marketing at RösbergEngineering, Karlsruhe/Germany.

Source:Rösberg

The high-perfor-mance I&C-CAEsystem uses state-of-the-art softwaretechnology to createa planning processwith unified rules.

document2121258013959050912.indd 37 28.09.2021 08:47:47

THERMAL PROCESSING


The EU-funded Hyflexfuel re-search project succeeded inproducing biocrudes via hy-

drothermal liquefaction (HTL) froma variety of biomasses, includingsewage sludge, food waste, ma-nure, wheat straw, corn stover,pine sawdust, miscanthus andmi-croalgae, in a pilot-scale continu-ous HTL plant at Aarhus Universi-ty, Denmark.“It has been a milestone for Hy-

flexfuel to demonstrate biocrudeproduction from such a variety offeedstocks,” says Patrick Biller,who leads the pilot-scale HTL re-search at Aarhus University. Bio-crudes from three representativefeedstocks—micro-algae, sewagesludge and wheat straw—werefurther upgraded to a mixture ofhydrocarbon fuels at Aalborg Uni-versity. Thanks to the expertise of

its project partners, Hyflexfuelproved that HTL biocrudes can beupgraded to “drop-in” fuels in anindustrially-relevant environment,achieving hundreds of hours ofcontinuous operations, adds Dan-iele Castello of Aalborg University.Analyses of the kerosene frac-

tions of the upgraded biocrudeshow promising compositions foruse as an aviation fuel.“The production of HTL fuels

from three different feedstockclasses shows the flexibility of theprocess,” says project coordinatorValentin Batteiger of Bauhaus Luft-fahrt (Germany). “Meeting jet fuelspecifications is an appropriatetarget to validate the target of pro-ducing high-performance transpor-tation fuels from a broad range ofresidue and waste streams viahydrothermal liquefaction.”

Renewable Transport Fuels

The decarbonization of thetransportation sector will requirelarge volumes of renewable fuels.So far, renewable diesel and jetfuels have been derived from plantoils, but the EU Renewable EnergyDirective limits the use of biofuelfrom food and feed crops since theyare not sustainable when producedat large scale. For the future, it willbe important to commercialize ad-vanced biofuel conversion technol-ogies that utilize a more sustaina-ble feedstock base.

HTL as a Key Enabler

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL)is an upcoming biofuel technologyto produce transportation fuelsfrom a broad variety of bio-wastes

Overview of Hyflex-fuel’s process:Biocrude productionvia an innovativetechnology knownas hydrothermalliquefaction. So

urce:Bauhaus

Luftfahrt

NEXT-GEN BIOFUELTECHNOLOGYThe hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process was developed by Hyflexfuel, anEU-funded research project to produce “biocrude” from various biomasses —The unique HTL technology can produce advanced biofuels, from marine fuels tokerosene, potentially at lower cost than most competing renewable fuel pathways.

document383007161905803302.indd 38 27.09.2021 10:30:00


and other biomasses. HTL has sev-eral key advantages, of which themost important are:• Flexible production potential:The HTL conversion technologytaps into a huge global resourcewith many types of primary bio-mass. The technology is compat-ible with a variety of organicwastes and residues, lignocellu-losic energy crops and aquaticbiomasses, and can adapt tomatch the availability of specificregional feedstocks.

• Cost-effectiveness: HTL can pro-duce advanced biofuels, frommarine fuels to kerosene, poten-tially at lower cost than mostcompeting pathways to renew-able fuels.

• Sustainability: HTL has the po-tential to produce fuels with alow carbon footprint over theentire life cycle, without compet-ing with food and feed produc-tion. It has the potential to recy-cle waste streams and so con-tribute to a circular economy.The pilot-scale plant processes

aqueous biomass slurries (~20 per-cent dry matter content) at temper-atures up to 350°C and pressuresaround 200 bar, where water doesnot boil but remains in a liquidstate. Under these conditions, bio-mass is converted into a crude bio-oil, which is separated from theprocess water behind the reactor.

In a second step, the HTL biocru-de is upgraded to transportationfuel products via catalytic treat-ment with hydrogen at high tem-perature and pressure. This stepremoves oxygen and nitrogen fromthe biocrude, which is in turn con-verted into a mixture of hydrocar-bons. Finally, distillation of theupgraded HTL biocrudes yieldsfuels of drop-in quality in the gas-oline, kerosene and diesel range.

Key Process Steps in HTL

The Hyflexfuel project is inves-tigating all the key steps in thefuel production chain at sitesowned by several European re-search institutions and firms. Theavailability of residues and wastestreams across Europe is analyzedby DBFZ, the German institute forbiomass research, using a geospa-tial approach.

Aarhus University further devel-ops and optimizes HTL conversionat lab scale and transfers the re-sults to a pilot-scale continuousHTL plant, which also produced allthe samples for downstream pro-cessing. Aalborg University, sup-ported by Haldor Topsøe (Den-mark), implemented the upgradingof various biocrudes to transporta-tion fuels via catalytic hydrotreat-ment, while Eni (Italy) investigatedthe co-processing of HTL biocru-des in conventional refineries.Solid material and wastewater

produced during HTL conversioncontain a significant fraction of thecarbon and nutrients from the ini-tial biomass. Two options to pro-duce biogas from the organics inthe wastewater are investigatedby the Paul Scherrer Institute(Switzerland), via catalytic hydro-thermal gasification on their Ener-gy System Integration Platform,and by OWS (Belgium), via anaer-obic digestion.The recovery of phosphorus is

particularly important when HTLis used with sewage sludge, in or-der to close nutrient cycles. TheUniversity of Hohenheim hasdemonstrated the precipitation ofstruvite, a fertilizer product, fromHTL solids and process waters.Bauhaus Luftfahrt coordinates theproject and analyses the economicand environmental impact of HTLfuel production. Arttic Innovationworks on project management anddissemination.

Fuel For Civil Aviation

So far, seven alternative fuel pro-duction pathways have been ap-proved as blend components forcivil aviation. The Hyflexfuel con-sortium is preparing for the ap-proval of HTL kerosene in collabo-ration with key partners in Europeand the US.Kerosene samples from the Hy-

flexfuel project were analyzed bythe H2020 project Jetscreen andthe University of Dayton. The re-sults show that while the productmeets all the basic physico-chem-ical properties of jet fuel, the con-centration of specific trace compo-nents needs to be further reducedto comply with stringent jet fuelspecifications. ARS

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THERMAL PROCESSING


HOW TO SAVE ENERGY WITH

Levaco Chemicals has itsheadquarters and productionfacility in the Chempark

Leverkusen, which is a major in-dustry centre in this region of Ger-many. On this site Levaco produc-es various specialty chemicalssuch as dispersants, emulsifiers,wetting agents, defoamers andsuperabsorbents for numerous in-dustries. Previously a part of theBayer Group, the company, whichnow belongs to the Diersch &Schröder group, can look back onmore than 50 years of experiencein chemical production.

In order to be successful in themarket, Levaco is constantly work-ing to improve its efficiency. Aspart of these efforts, the companyconstantly optimizes its energymanagement by implementing in-dustry best practices with the aimof identifying savings opportuni-ties. Steam is one of the most ef-fective factors to target as it isneeded in considerable productionvolumes in the reactors. Steam en-ergy is supplied by the chemicalpark operator Currenta. Savings insteam usage offer true bottom-linesavings, reducing direct energycosts in production. Any steamlosses, on the other hand, or a re-duction in heat transfer efficiencylead to higher costs, poorer produc-tivity in the reactors and higherenergy requirements. This can be

caused, for example, by poor effi-ciency in steam traps.Tom Hummel has worked as a

plant engineer at Levaco since2014. He was looking for a suitabletechnical topic for his master’s the-sis in industrial engineering at theUniversity of Applied Sciences forEconomics &Management (FOM),Essen. He decided to conduct acomparison between the Ecoflowventuri orifice steam traps fromEBE Engineering, which had neverpreviously been installed in thecompany, and conventional floatsteam traps. “As a member of ourcompany’s energy managementteam, I constantly look for ways tosave energy,” he says. “The steamtrap comparison was an excellentproject to balance the company’sobjectives and my own.”In total, 36 reactors are in oper-

ation on the site. Their capacitiesrange from three to 25 cubic me-tres. One or two steam traps areinstalled per reactor, and a largenumber are also needed for thesteam tracing systems. Altogether,more than 250 mechanical steamtraps of various types (bimetallic,thermal, float) are installed in thesteam system.The venturi orifice steam trap

project began by measuring theperformance of the existing me-chanical steam traps on one of thethree largest reactors. For this,

At Levaco Chemicals, process steam provides heat to the reactors.Steam traps play an important role in ensuring the efficient use ofthis energy source.

Source:Levaco

STEAM TRAPSEfficiency is why a specialty chemicals company relies on venturi steam traps — AtLevaco Chemicals, process steam is the principal heating medium used in the reactors. Toensure that this valuable energy source is used as efficiently as possible, the company choseventuri orifice steam traps manufactured by EBE Engineering. Levaco’s plant engineer usedthe steam traps as a basis for comparinig different steam trapping methods. His findingscame as a surprise to the rest of the team.

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TomHummel began by identifyingtwo products with a wide refer-ence range. Both products werespecifically chosen due to theirdifferent physical properties, inparticular their viscosity. As a con-sequence the steam volumes re-quired for the processes and theheating times were very different.This made it possible to investi-gate a larger operating range forthe steam traps.

The reactor selected produces 27different products with varyingamounts of feedstock. The totalannual tonnage of the 20-cubic-me-tre reactor is about 3,600tonnes.The plant operated with a steampressure of 30bar and consumesabout 200tonnes per year. In au-tumn 2019, a plannedmaintenanceshutdown was used to install twoventuri orifice steam traps. As thechosen venturi steam traps complywith all European dimensionalstandards for valve installation,they were interchangeable withmechanical steam traps.

In his comparative analysis, TomHummel found that the Ecoflowventuri orifice traps used an aver-age of 22.4percent less steam inthe process than conventional me-chanical traps for the first productin the test. For the second product,the savings were 18.8percent, con-firming that for both products theuse of the venturi orifice steamtrap gave steam savings comparedto mechanical float steam traps.This is due partly because venturiorifice steam traps do not havemoving parts that can wear out,leading to greater steam consump-tion. “In fact, I expected the ven-turi steam trap to save steam be-forehand. However, when I sawthe actual measured values, I wassurprised at the amount of steamsaved,” said Tom Hummel.

Shorter Heating Times

During the analysis, the venturiorifice steam trap also showed areduction in the reactor heatingcycle time for the two products be-ing investigated. Due to bettersteam energy utilisation, the pro-cessing speed could be increasedand thus for batch operation theproduction volume could be in-creased. For the first product, an

average time saving of about 27min or 16.6percent was observed,for the second product the averagesaving was about four minutes or11.3percent. According to Hum-mel, this could be due to how theventuri orifice steam traps handlestart-up from cold. When the con-densate is cold, the venturi trap isphysically equivalent to a simpleorifice. Compared to,say, a floattrap, the cold condensate is dis-charged faster from the heatingcoil. Another reason could be thatthe continuous discharge of con-densate through the venturi steamtrap allows steam to be introducedinto the process more quickly, com-pared to the intermittent operationof a float trap.“As we produce many different

products, different mass flows ofcondensate can occur,” explainsHummel. “In addition to the steamand time savings, the scale of theventuri orifice steam traps’ operat-ing point is therefore also an ad-vantage. This is because, due tothe orifice and venturi operatingrange, it is possible to respondflexibly to any changes in the con-densate mass flow that may ariseduring a product change.”

After these positive results, ven-turi orifice steam traps are to re-place existing mechanical traps onan identical reactor. In the longterm, Levaco plans to replace de-fective mechanical steam traps onthe larger reactors with Ecoflowventuri orifice steam traps from theEssen-based manufacturer. AST

Steam traps ensure that condensate isdrained from steam systems, thusensuring efficient heat transfer.

Source:Levaco

document4204205747285115220.indd 41 27.09.2021 10:21:02

PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGY


SERVICE

What customers expectfrom amachine manufac-turer’s service depart-

ment today sounds simple in prin-ciple: fast response to inquiries,high availability of spare parts,professional, knowledgeable tech-nical experts, and a plant that isbuzzing. But what makes the dif-ference between good and verygood service?

Martin Zemke, who has been theHead of After Sales Service at theGlatt Sales & Service Center in Bin-zen, Germany since 2016, does nothave to think long for the answer:“People make all the difference.Service is provided by people forpeople, and only a highly motivat-ed team can perform well.” He isvery proud of the first-level sup-port’s initial resolution rate and theperformance of his eleven-memberbackup team: “As soon as contactis made via telephone, email, theservice portal or the homepage,our colleagues offer suitable solu-tions and approaches to our cus-tomers’ questions, and can providefurther assistance quickly andwithout complications.”Whether the job involves instal-

lation and commissioning, regularmaintenance, calibration, repairs

and off-site support services, ap-plication and process engineeringtraining, training following retro-fits of old systems, deploymentplanning, spare parts supply orsupport in dismantling old sys-tems—the service staff at the Bin-zen-based pharma specialist knowevery angle when it comes to phar-ma services. Among other resourc-es, they can also draw on the ex-pertise of the process experts at all13 Glatt sites. Three Sales & Ser-vice Centers in the US, India andBinzen, as well as additional Glattservice organizations in Germany,Switzerland, Turkey, the UK andIreland, are the interfaces betweenGlatt and its customers. “In theother countries we work withlong-standing partners—usuallyindependent commercial agencies,most of which maintain their ownservice organizations,” Zemke ex-plains. The advantages for custom-ers are obvious: Local contactsknow the local conditions and or-der spare parts from local partners,which is an enormous competitiveadvantage, especially in China andIndia. According to Zemke, the lo-cal service organizations in Centraland South America and theAsia-Pacific region have a strongworkforce. “Together with our rep-resentatives, this gives us a net-

work of more than 200 servicetechnicians. The employees aretechnically proficient, trained forcommissioning and maintenance,and can work completely self-suf-ficiently. This has also helped usduring the pandemic.”It’s commonplace for companies

to refer to customers as partners,but Zemke’s team lives by thisprinciple, and clients appreciateseeing one face to the customer.“This spares everyone lengthybriefings,” Zemke says, “becausethe maintenance manager knowsour employees are familiar withthe site.” Requirements have be-come more complex and demand-ing, and the time for implementa-tion has also become tighter—af-ter all, every minute of downtimecosts money. Even though pharma-ceutical companies still performweekly or monthly inspection/ver-ification or control work on theirown, there is an unmistakabletrend, Zemke says: Long-term con-tracts and connections with theservice provider are becoming in-creasingly important, and manypharmaceutical companies are re-ducing their own service personneland concentrating on developmentand production. Above all, a con-sistent supply of spare parts, safe-ty inspections and maintenance

A N K E G E I P E L - K E R N *

IS MORE THAN

How good, agile service enhances a company’s reputation and becomes a gatewayto the customer — Germany is not a service desert: For pharmaceutical machinerymanufacturer Glatt, the after-sales service team is a source of pride. Martin Zemke’stechnicians are available around the clock for customers worldwide. In an interview,Zemke reveals what makes the difference.

JUST A JOB

* A. Geipel-Kern is Senior Editor at PROCESS

Source:Glatt

Even in times ofCovid: Service tech-nicians in action.

document2045568099103596561.indd 42 27.09.2021 10:22:44

are in demand, particularly for old-er plants. “We also advise custom-ers on how they can upgrade thesafety of their plants, which areoften older,” Zemke explains.The proportion of process engi-

neering tasks has increased in re-cent years, according to the servicemanager. New technologies in OSDmanufacturing continue to drivethe share of related services. “If acustomer is having trouble gettinga pharmaceutical process up andrunning with a specific product, orneeds operator training for theirnew plant, it’s a case for our pro-cess experts,” Zemke tells us. Glattitself is constantly working on thefurther development of its equip-ment and processes at its Innova-tion Centers, such as the Twinpro,the Multilab, Modcos, and a newgeneration of coaters. The need fortraining is therefore likely to in-crease even further. However, cus-

tomer expectations, which aredetermined in regular dialogs, arealso rising. “This helps us developnew service offerings,” Zemke ex-plains. Digitalization is the key-word: In the pharmaceuticallyregulated environment, we havenot yet arrived at a plant that canorder a spare part from Glatt, al-though this is possible from a pure-ly technical point of view. Digitalbilling models and procurementand warehousing processes arealso possible. Additional potentiallies in electronic communication:In the future, components labeledwith RFID sensors and sensorscoupled to bus systems shouldmake it possible to inform opera-tors about the correct configura-tion of their plant before produc-tion starts, to read out the param-eterization of the sensors includingthe article, and to make this infor-mation available online, Zemke

explains. In this way, the servicetechnicians can recognize whichcomponents are in use in the plantand can provide first-level supportand carry out re-parameteriza-tions. Spare parts also reachthe customer faster. A digital-ization pilot project present-ed at Achema 2018 is cur-rently being implementedand tested at Glatt.The developers are also consid-

ering ideas for predictive and pre-ventive maintenance: If the plantcontrol system or a higher-levelproduction control system receivesinformation about the status ofwear and spare parts, this enablesintervention before the plantcomes to a standstill, thus increas-ing plant availability. With suchinnovative methods, service tech-nicians become a source of pridefor the company and pave the wayfor future investment.

[email protected]

Hotline: 0731 7046-777REINZ-Dichtungs-GmbH, Neu-Ulm

VICTOR REINZ – certifiedGasket Materials fora wide Range ofApplications.

VICTOR REINZ gasket materials have demonstrated theirquality in extensive tests and numerous approvals:AFM (Aramide-based soft material), Chemotherm (Graphite),Reinzoflon E (PFTE) and Xtreme plus (Glimmer).

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© 2021 Dana Limited. All rights reserved.

document2045568099103596561.indd 43 27.09.2021 10:22:46


MAINTENANCE & INSPECTION


Today’s smart drones havetransformed the manner inwhich chemical and chemi-

cal processing industries carry outcrucial functions such as monitor-ing and inspection. Right from pro-viding an up-close imagery of crit-ical plant infrastructure to creatingdigital twins effortlessly, dronesoffer it all! PROCESS Worldwidebrings to you the ‘Top 5 Drone Ap-plications’ in this space.

Routine Outdoor Inspection –Drones are increasingly being usedby chemical/chemical processingcompanies for outdoor monitoringof assets, gas leaks or emissions asit has the ability to reach elevatedplatforms. The Dow ChemicalCompany is using UAVs to inspectflares, distillation columns, andpipelines at its facilities. Chevronhas also carried out visual inspec-tions for its onshore flare stacks inthe Duri field in Indonesia.Equipped with high-resolutioncameras and sensors, these dronescan accurately assess the conditionas well as identify temperature ir-regularities on the flare stacks.

To monitor its methane emis-sions, BP conducted a pilot projectin which it combined the highlyadvanced sensor technology orig-inally designed by the National

Aeronautics and Space Adminis-tration for the Mars Curiosity Rov-er Mars technology with a droneand managed to collect valuabledata.

Internal Inspection – Enteringinto dangerous confined spacessuch as storage tanks, cables, agi-tators, reactors, or pressure vesselsis risky for personnel. UtilizingUAVs for internal inspection of as-sets helps reduce downtime, costsand is safe when compared to thetraditional procedure in which per-sonnel are made to enter hazard-ous environments. Drones can in-spect the cladding, detect leaks orcracks, identify signs of rust andcorrosion and locate dropped ob-jects or unwanted itemswithin theasset. Also, there is a high risk ofcollision once the drones entertanks or boilers hence, drone com-panies often offer a cage aroundthe UAV or come equipped with acollision-avoidance system so thatone can gather data without anydifficulty.

Adam Serblowski, RoboticsTheme Lead, Shell says, “Thanksto the flexibility of drones, Shellhas found countless uses for themacross the full life cycle of our as-sets. Drones have delivered mil-lions in dollars in savings and elim-inated tens of thousands of hoursof HSSE (Health, Safety, Securityand Environment) exposure to

TOP5 DRONE

Drones are increasingly being used by chemical/chemical processingcompanies for outdoor monitoring of assets, gas leaks or emissionsas it has the ability to reach elevated platforms. * The author is a freelance editor at PROCESS

Worldwide. Contact: [email protected]

APPLICATIONS

A H L A M R A I S *

The use of drones in the Chemical Processing Industries — The rise of dronesor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the chemical and chemical processing industries hashelped plant operators to monitor critical infrastructure, undertake better informed decisionsand achieve accurate, efficient and quick results without putting their personnel at risk.

Source:ThyssenkruppIndustrialSolutions

document10740158690573393822.indd 44 28.09.2021 09:07:26


work at height and in confinedspaces. Shell now looks to extendthis value by embedding dronesinto assets so they can supportmissions for high frequency/lowimpact activities which will com-plete the journey of drones fromad-hoc tool to a critical piece ofinfrastructure.”

Emergency Response and Secu-rity – Plants should always beready in case of an emergencysuch as an oil/deadly chemicalspillage or gas leaks. It is in sce-narios like these where UAVsequipped with high-definitioncameras can be flown in immedi-ately to the site to gather real-timevisuals and data before an emer-gency response team is sent in.This helps the experts to take rap-id and more informed decisions tocontrol the situation. Drones canalso be used to ensure security atthe plants 24x7 as they providereal-time visibility at the site.

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Surveying and Mapping –UAVs are also ideal for surveyingand mapping plants as well as in-accessible areas such as underwa-ter or underground pipelines. Itcan survey and map pipe depthsand positions; detect leaks; andalso identify operational issues inthe pipelines. This process is fast-er, requires less manpower and isalso cost effective. The data col-lected by the drones is accurateand exhaustive and can be furtherprocessed to develop 3Dmodels ofthe particular project.

Digital Twins – The surveyingand mapping data helps to create3D models or digital twins ofplants which enables in the re-vamping process when certainparts of the facility have to bereengineered.Tobias Rabsahl, Digital Product

Manager, Thyssenkrupp Industri-al Solutions explains, “Drones helpus in scanning existing plant en-

vironments and the results arethen transferred into a 3D mode-ling software. After some adjust-ments it serves as the perfect baseto carry out any work at the specif-ic site. Be it a revamp job at thescanned site or the construction ofa new plant where a piping systemneeds to be connected.”The global drone or UAVmarket

size is expected to reach 41.3 bil-lion dollars by 2026 at a CAGR of9.4 %, according to a report by mar-ket research firm, Research andMarkets. Today, the commercialdrone market is spearheaded byAsia (China and Japan) while thefasting growing region is SouthAmerica.High-definition cameras and cut-

ting-edge innovative sensors areconstantly being worked upon todeliver superior industrial dronesfor the demanding sectors. In a fewyears, drones will certainly be thenext revolutionary technology towatch out for!

document10740158690573393822.indd 45 28.09.2021 09:07:26

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PUMPS


MASTERING THE

Source:©

alex

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ck.adobe.com

MASTERING THEBLACK ARTS

What do mascara, printertoner and car tires havein common? An impor-

tant ingredient in these prod-ucts—as well as many others—issoot. More precisely: industrialsoot, also known as carbon black.This material, which contains 80–99.5percent carbon, differs fromthe shiny soot that clogs domesticchimneys mainly through its veryhigh ratio of surface area to vol-ume, making carbon black valuableas a filler and pigment.

One company that has masteredthe “black art” of soot productionsince 1936 is Deutsche Gasrußw-erke (DGW), based in Dortmund,Germany.“Several processes are used to

produce carbon black,” explainsDGW Managing Director HaraldBaumgart. In Dortmund, the com-pany produces about 100,000tons

Contact Bungartz: [email protected]

Solving A Tricky Transfer

In complex situations like this,the co-operation of planners, oper-ating experts and equipment sup-pliers is crucial to success. Thiswas certainly the case at DGW,where the engineering contractorentrusted with the job is known forits flexibility in developing creativesolutions to tricky problems. Theteam from centrifugal pump spe-cialist Bungartz, meanwhile, hasthe expert know-how needed topump demanding media, gainedfrom long experience across a widerange of customer projects.The plant operator attached

great importance to combining ahigh level of safety with low in-vestment and operating costs—as-pects already familiar to both theengineering company and thepump supplier. “Especially impor-tant for Deutsche Gasrußwerkewas the ability to empty the tankcars completely,” explains Bun-

Tricky fluids handling with viscous and hazardous media? The right pump technologycanmake all the difference — Even after decades of experience, a carbon blackmanufacturer still encountered challenges when unloading coal tar. The problem wassolved through collaboration between the operator, the contractor and pump experts.

a year of carbon black in a stagedcombustion process. Most of thisis used as a reinforcing filler for tireproduction and other applications,but DGW also manufactures pig-ment-grade carbon black for lac-quers, paints and plastics.Although the carbon black busi-

ness is highly traditional, produc-tion has seen changes over theyears. Waste heat from the com-bustion process, for instance, isused to raise steam that is fed intothe local district heating network.More recently, to remain efficientin the delivery of raw materialsDGW has invested in train unload-ing for the delivery of coking oil,which is used as a raw material.And that’s where the pumping

difficulties started. Coking oil, oth-erwise known as coal tar, is hardto handle because it is both toxicand highly viscous. Even the seem-ingly simple task of unloading rail-cars presented the soot expertswith a challenge.

Source:Bungartz

Before coking oil canbe turned into car-bon black, thisviscous and hazard-ous raw materialmust first be un-loaded from rail cars.

BLACK

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gartz project manager MichaelHucklenbruch. “Thanks to our pre-vious experience with coal tar, wewere able to reassure the clientthat our pump could do the job.”

Reliable Pumps are Key

For more than ten years, Bun-gartz has relied on its MPCV mag-netically coupled pumps for diffi-cult materials like coal tar. Thesecombine the characteristics of thecompany’s V-AN vertical pumpswith those of the horizontal MPCHdry-run series.

These pumps are able to run dryindefinitely because they operatewithout bearings in the pumpedliquid. Instead, a gas barrier in theform of a frictionless throttlingbush protects the roller bearingsfrom the product vapors. The com-plete shaft sealing system hasthree main principles: hydrody-

namic relief of the bearing and sealunit from the pump delivery pres-sure; backflow vanes and a gasbarrier that prevent vapors fromentering the bearing unit; and themagnetic coupling that seals thepump from the environment.The pump’s vertical alignment

means the bearing and seal unitrun completely without productcontact, even in the event of sealgas failure. In this way, the bear-ings can achieve a service life ofmore than five years in continuousoperation. The fact that the MPCVpump requires no special controlor monitoring systems saves bothcapital and operating costs.For the Dortmund plant Bun-

gartz supplied an almost completefluids handling system, leavingonly the piping to be completed byDGW. The temperature of the cok-ing oil is raised to around 90°C toreduce the viscosity and make

pumping easier. To ensure safety,the pump is certified for use in haz-ardous atmospheres.

Unloading is Straightforward

With the new coking oil handlingsystem in place, the process of un-loading an incoming train isstraightforward. Discharge valvesare opened on each tank car andthe pump is started. The pump ismounted at the mid-point of thetank cars, so the ones furthestaway take a little longer to unload;however, each tank is always emp-tied completely, regardless of itsinitial filling level.

Thanks to Bungartz’s experiencewith difficult media, the project atDGW shows clearly how spe-cial-purpose centrifugal pumps canprovide reliable, affordable serviceeven with very challenging fluidssuch as coking oil. DST

Valves and systems to controland dose powder and granule flow

in Pharmaceutical and Chemical industry

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PROCESSKNOW-HOWAROUNDTHEWORLD

Discover the whole worldof process industry.

The trade magazine and online channels forspecialists in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and

process engineering sectors - worldwide.www.process-worldwide.com

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PRODUCT NEWS


Plant Construction

COST ESTIMATING FOR ENGINEERSDetermining investment costs isa fundamental part of project plan-ning in the process industries. Aprecise cost estimate in the earlystages of a project can decide onlater competitive advantages.This book provides an overview ofthe structure of cost estimates forthe planning of brownfield andgreenfield plants. In accordancewith the classic project cycle, itfocuses on the phases of planning,procurement and construction ofprocess plants.

Phone +49 931 418-2415www.process-worldwide.com: Vogel Communications Group

Source:VogelCommunications

Group

Modular Preparation

SCALABLE SYSTEM FOR CHEMICALDISINFECTIONBacteria, viruses and fungal spores are everywhere and mustbe reliably killed for sensitive processes in the pharmaceuticaland food industries or biotechnology. A residue-free disinfectantsuch as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is ideal for this purpose. Bürk-ert Fluid Control Systems has developed a scalable system forchemical disinfection with a compressed air-operated dual-sub-stance nozzle that meets the highest disinfection standards bycreating a fine and homogeneous aerosol with minimal energyinput and use of chemicals. The wide, independent control rangefor air and liquid volume allows many different settings forthroughput and atomisation rates. This makes the system indi-vidually adjustable for a wide range of applications.

Phone +49 7940 10-0www.process-worldwide.com: Bürkert Fluid Control Systems

Centrifugal Pumps

SEALLESS PTFE PUMPCP Pump Systems has introduced the MSKP sealless magneti-cally-coupled centrifugal pumpmade from solid PTFE. The pumpcovers a flow range from 0.2 to 140m3/h at up to 90m head, and

can operate at tempera-tures from –20 to +150°C.The pump’s housing ismade from thick polymerthat withstands vacuum,corrosion and diffusion.The use of carbon-filledPTFE means that no elec-trostatic charges can accu-mulate on the housing, thecompany says.

Phone +41 62 746 8585www.process-worldwide.com: CP Pump Systems

Source: CP Pump Systems

Vacuum Pumps

LOW-VIBRATION TURBOPUMPSThe HiPace 80 Neo tur-bopump from Pfeiffer Vacu-um features a longer lifebefore service and reducedvibration and noise emis-sions. These benefits aremade possible through anew, advanced laser balanc-ing system developed by thecompany for turbopump ro-tors. This makes the pumpsuitable for vibration-sensitive applications, states the firm.Possible applications range frommass spectrometry and electronmicroscopy to leak detectors and RGA systems.

Phone +49 6441 8020www.process-worldwide.com: Pfeiffer Vacuum

Source:PfeifferVacuum

Piston Pumps

FOR HYGIENIC PROCESSESAlfa Laval’s newDuracirc circumfer-ential piston pumpoffers high efficien-cy with reliable op-eration and meetsthe EHEDG guide-lines for hygienicprocesses across

several industries. With a robust construction, the pump rangefeatures a high-efficiency design, wide performance envelopeand low net positive suction head (NPSH) requirement. Withflow rates up to 150m3/h (660gpm), the pump is capable of op-erating at pressures up to 40bar (580psi).

Phone +31 7657 91200www.process-worldwide.com: Alfa Laval

Source:Alfa

Laval

Process Safety

EXPLOSION ISOLATION VALVESThe next generation of Ven-tex passive explosion protec-tion valves from Rico Sicher-heitstechnik can operate atflow velocities of at least30m/s. The valve can beplaced directly upstream ordownstream of pipeworkbends; even double bends ora combination of bends indifferent directions are not aproblem, the company claims. The maximum safe installationdistance for organic dusts has been extended and is now be-tween 2 and 15m, depending on the nominal size.

Phone +41 71 351 1051www.process-worldwide.com: Rico Sicherheitstechnik

Source:Rico

Sicherheitstechnik

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http://www.process-worldwide.com:






Your vacuum drying specialist

Italvacuum S.r.l.via Stroppiana 3, 10071 Borgaro T.se (TO) ITwww.italvacuum.com

Planex® SystemHorizontal vacuum dryer with eccentric agitatorfeaturing ZeroFriction® planetary movement.

CosmoDry® SystemHorizontal vacuum dryer with concentricagitator removable in several parts.

Criox® SystemBi-conical rotary vacuum dryer available

with electric lump-breakers.

Multispray® Cabinet DryerStatic tray vacuum dryer availablewith Multispray® fast washing system.

Saurus939®Vacuum pump available in single stage,

double stage and double stage model withone or two roots.

UNI EN ISO 9001

ec ra tid fin ce ai tz aA

ec ra tid fin ce ai tz aA

UNI EN ISO 3834-2

Centrifugal Separation

TWO NEW SEPARATOR LINES FORBIOPHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION

Gea’s new “Aseptic”and “Pure” pharma-ceutical separatorlines herald a new erafor biopharmaceuticalseparation, the firmclaims. The separatorsare suitable for down-stream processing inall areas of pharma-ceutical and biotech-nological production.The Aseptic line offers

customers with highly hygienic processes gentle processing of,for example, human and veterinary vaccines, monoclonal anti-bodies (mAb), E. coli, insulin, starter cultures and probiotic prod-ucts. The Pure line is used in applications with varying hygien-ic requirements such as nutritional supplements, therapeuticproteins, pharmaceutical extractions, and extracellular and in-tracellular enzyme recovery.

Phone +49 211 9136-1492www.process-worldwide.com: Gea

Source:G

ea

Pre-Engineered System

COMPLETE DOSINGSOLUTIONThe Just Switch On (“JSO”) panel isa new pre-engineered system de-signed by Doseuro to provide a com-plete dosing solution. The systemensures superior quality of the finalproduct and offers good cost savingsthanks to maximum accuracy in dos-ing. The JSO system includes a rug-ged PP frame (15mm thick) for singleor dual metering pumps, plus pipingfor the fluid inlet and discharge. Theinlet piping includes an isolation ballvalve, a Y filter and a calibration pot,while the discharge piping includes isolation ball valves, pulsa-tion dampeners, a back-pressure valve, relief valve and pressuregauge with an isolator. According to the company the panel isa pre-configured solution that is easy to install and ready to use.

Phone +39 02 27301324www.process-worldwide.com: Doseuro

Source:Doseuro

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http://www.italvacuum.com




Dry ScrewVacuum Pumps

SCREW DESIGN PROVIDES MORE PERFORMANCEThe new Dryvac DV500 and DV800 screw vacuum pumps werelaunched by Leybold in the spring of 2021. These vacuum pumpscompress completely dry, i. e. without any lubricant in the com-pression chamber. They are therefore ideally suited as backingpumps in food packaging or in pumping sets in heat treatmentor coating systems, where they have significant advantages overoil-lubricated piston or rotary vane vacuum pumps.

Thanks to their screw design with a specially adapted variablepitch, they work extremely efficiently, with low power consump-tion. They require minimal maintenance compared to oil-lubri-cated vacuum pumps and thus minimize operating costs, saysthe company. The robust screw vacuum pump is also character-ized by high particle and condensate compatibility.As a pioneer in dry vacuum technology, Leybold has several

different screw vacuum pumps in its product portfolio. In con-trast to oil-lubricated piston or rotary vane vacuum pumps, screwpumps provide pulsation-free suction. The Dryvac DV200, 300,450 and 650 portfolio has now been supplemented by the morepowerful DV800 and the highly energy efficient DV500.

The Dryvac DV800 is based on the company’s proven DryvacDV platform and sets a benchmark in this size class. The factthat the DV800’s dimensions are directly derived from provenDV650 models makes changeover and integration easier for theuser. The DV800 opens up new possibilities for applications

where a higherpumping speed is required,adds the firm. In traditional markets,this is the case in many applications, such as load locks or pack-aging machines. In new areas, such as battery manufacturing,a higher process speed means cash for the customer.

The new screw vacuum pumps are equipped with an easilyadaptable and networkable frequency converter and IE3 motors.Monitoring via a cloud platform can be easily implemented onrequest and is available as standard from Q3. The compact andwell-thought-out construction of the new screw vacuum pumpsenables a Roots vacuum pump to be easily installed as a boost-er, the company notes. The DV1200 and the new DV1600 pumpcombinations round off the portfolio for even higher pumpingspeed.

Phone +49 221 3470www.process-worldwide.com: Leybold

ISSN 0946-2856 www.process-worldwide.de

Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KGMax-Planck-Str. 7/9 in 97082 Würzburg,GermanyPhone +49 931 418-0www.vogel.com

Ownership:Full liability:Vogel Communications Group Verwaltungs GmbHMax-Planck-Str. 7/9 in97082 Würzburg / GermanyLimited partners:Dr. Kurt Eckernkamp, Dr. Kurt Eckernkamp GmbH,Nina Eckernkamp, Klaus-Ulrich von Wangenheim,Heiko Lindner, Axel von Kaphengst

Managing DirectorsMatthias Bauer (Chairman)Günter Schürger

PrintVogel Druck und Medienservice GmbH97204 Höchberg, Germany

CopyrightVogel Communications Group GmbH & Co KG

Reprints and Use with Electronic MediaIf you wish to use articles from this magazinefor your own publications, such as reprints,websites, other electronic media or customermagazines, please feel free to request informationvia support.vogel.de.

Contact InformationE-Mail code: (please note: ä = ae, etc.):<first name>.<family name>@vogel.com;phone: +49 931 418-(4-digit extension)

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DataM-Services GmbHFranz-Horn-Str. 2, 97082 Würzburg, GermanyPhone +49 931 [email protected]

EDITORIAL STAFFReader- and Editorial Service:Phone –[email protected]

Managing Editor:Charles Butcher (BUT), Phone +44 7771 193620

Editors:Ahlam Rais (ARS), Phone +91 22 256 444 69Alexander Stark (AST)

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www.ima.it

Tailored aseptic solutionsfor today’s global needs

Integrated technologies for integrated lines.

Faced with an increasing demand for the production ofvaccines, tighter schedules and a growing focus on safety,IMA Life works alongside the pharmaceutical industry’s leadingnames to achieve efficiency, flexibility and quality.Implementing isolation technologies and advanced robotics,the integrated aseptic processing lines are designed to addressspecific requisites and all technical aspects are tailored toachieve the performance each customer demands.

http://www.ima.it

No need for time-consuming and risky welding and solderingViega’s cold pressing technology is safer, faster, more efficient, and produces more durable resultsthan conventional processing methods. Even extreme sizes can be pressed in a matter of secondsand remain permanently tight and friction-locked against longitudinal forces. Whether in theautomotive, shipbuilding or chemical industry: Viega always fulfills all applicable national andinternational requirements. Viega. Connected in quality.

viega.com/Industry

Viega Industry

Installations for industrialmanufacturing and engineering.

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