Goals

• Replace the existing limited online process simulation with a more efficient approach to improve monitoring of so-called “non-measurable phenomena” and optimize performance across the entire value chain.

Challenges

• Maintaining and replicating the simulation models required a lot of time and effort, which exceeded the value delivered.
• The configuration required was tedious and complex
• The lack of a graphical user interface made troubleshooting difficult and forced a reliance on time-based maintenance processes.
• The lack of transparency made it difficult to interpret the data.

Solutions 

• AVEVA™ Process Simulation,
• AVEVA™ PI System.

Results

• Simplified configuration and interpretation of real-time data enabled more accurate diagnoses and faster decision-making.
• Planned reduction in model maintenance effort of 20%
• Ability to easily scale for use in many more plants, driving comparative value and economies of scale across the business.

“We see opportunities in using the PI Asset Framework to make our online models easier to maintain due to the template design, using PI Vision to simplify setup of visualizations and reduce maintenance. We plan to use AVEVA Process Simulator, which should reduce our model maintenance effort by approximately 20%.”

Christian Bratfisch, expert in computer-aided process engineering modeling and software, Covestro.