BATTLING INFORMATION OVERLOAD - Real-time process performance auditing improves operations and safety in two electrolytic processes

摘要

Modern chemical processing plants have achieved cost effectiveness through economies of scale and high levels of computer automation in the process control of daily operations. These efficiencies allow direct process manning and supervision to be greatly reduced per unit of production. As a result, however, fewer operators and engineers continuously managing vast amounts of current process information can lead to a typical situation of information overload. Opportunities now exist for continuous, higher-level analysis of process information to extract its decisive content, and then immediately present it to the appropriate decision makers. Automating this complex analysis allowed us to more effectively prevent process upsets, mitigate potential emergencies, and pinpoint faulty instrumentation and equipment at FMC's facility in Tonawanda, N.Y, Installing continuous process information management and performance auditing software allowed us to realize greater benefits from our existing control systems.