Emerson Process Management has applied a smart wireless solution to the problem of monitoring rising temperatures in railcars containing chemicals at Croda Inc, an international specialty chemical manufacturer. No matter where the railcars may be positioned at the Mill Hall, Pennsylvania plant, a wireless temperature transmitter on each car sends minute-by-minute temperature readings to a central host. Croda uses this information to improve the performance and safety of their facility. In this way, Emerson’s wireless system contributes to overall plant safety, making operators aware of any unexpected temperature rise, while saving the company about $15,000 per year in reduced maintenance.
Normally, three railcars are remotely located on-site. Since the railcars are frequently moved, hard wiring of temperature sensors was not practical. Previously, an employee had to climb to the top of each car once a day to check the temperatures and record each reading. This was a time-consuming procedure that during wet or icy conditions presented a fall potential.
The wireless temperature transmitters are installed atop a railcar upon its arrival at the site, and they remain there until the car is about to be removed. The wireless communications pass through a 1420 gateway (receiver) and on to the plant’s DeltaV control system. While the operators watch for rising temperatures, transmitter performance is simultaneously checked by Emerson’s AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager, which will alarm if a transmitter ceases to operate or performs erratically.
According to Denny Fetters, instrument and electrical designer for Croda, "Emerson’s wireless solution not only saves us time and money, since plant personnel no longer have to monitor those railcars daily, it has also greatly enhanced the overall safety of the plant and our personnel. We are pleased with the performance of the Rosemount transmitters and Emerson’s self-organizing wireless network. No matter where a railcar is positioned on-site, the quality of the transmissions is unaffected, and the signals integrate seamlessly into our control system."
Emerson’s smart wireless solution is an extension of the PlantWeb digital plant architecture, combining highly reliable, smart monitoring devices with wireless transmitters and a Time Synchronized Mesh Protocol (TSMP) communications technology. This innovative self-organizing network, which automatically adapts as device points are added or removed, has been extensively tested in real-world environments.
