Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


Wireless system for Shell petrochemical plant

Technews Industry Guide - Wireless 2014 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking Industrial Wireless

Shell Eastern Petroleum (SEPL) recently completed its ethylene cracker complex (ECC) as part of its ‘Houdini’ project in Singapore.

One of the key features of the project is that this is a deployment in an oil & gas environment, where wireless technology is being used to get secure mobile access to Process Control systems. Shell wanted to get mobile access to all process data via WLAN at defined places in the refinery to drive efficiencies. Another important consideration was that all relevant parts of the solution had to be certified to comply with ATEX/IEC60079.

Working closely with main automation contractor Yokogawa, the Belden team took on the design and build of a complete WLAN solution, consisting of a wireless distribution system incorporating 90 Hirschmann BAT54-F X2 access points for the ECC and multiple antennas, linked across a redundant fibre ring backbone.

Pioneering the technology

The application required a full range of Hirschmann WLAN products including outdoor access points together with accessories, antennas, surge arrestors, managed switches, media converters and Industrial HiVision. For enhanced security, the Eagle firewall was used at the demarcation point to the process LAN. To build the backbone, Belden’s Profinet copper and fibre optic cables, as well as Lumberg Automation Ethernet M12 connectors for all Ethernet devices. At locations where wired LAN access was difficult, connectivity was established by applying cost effective and easy to manage wireless point to point links.

A specific challenge for Belden was to provide all equipment with proper ATEX/IEC60079 certification for the challenging conditions found on this project. Olaf Schilperoort, product manager for Hirschmann wireless devices says, “Shell knew what they wanted and we quickly found a common level of understanding. We also saw the great chance to become pioneer for WLAN solutions in these harsh environments and so we developed a new product according to the specifications set out by Shell.”

Delivering the solution

The Belden project team planned the system at the Belden Competence Centre and it was here that the first factory acceptance test (FAT) involving the complete system was conducted. These comprehensive tests included hardware, software, documentation and the overall system functionality including roaming capability.

The test proved successful and with Shell’s approval, the entire set-up was moved to Singapore for the integrated FAT to ensure that it functioned seamlessly as part of Yokogawa´s overall control system – again the test proved successful.

Peter Beerepoot, responsible for instrumentation process control for the entire Houdini project says, “Our initial thoughts during the front end engineering and design phase, was that wireless would give us a number of key benefits. So we considered substitution of local panels, which we believed would bring us advantages in terms of cost reduction and increased efficiency. However, it is always difficult to test a new system in an existing plant. Here we were given the opportunity to develop a complete infrastructure. Today, we not only have the proof that the Belden system works, but because the coverage is better than we originally expected, we are now looking at options to maximise our usage of the system even further. The Belden Team delivered excellent work and proved to be a reliable partner throughout the project.”

Conclusion

By successfully delivering this project, Belden has demonstrated that it offers a complete solution for scalable, redundant LAN and WLAN architectures for the process industry. In this case, the solution encompassed an entire WLAN system with ATEX certification and full project management and service that has provided the customer with both improved operational efficiency and cost reductions. Belden will continue to work on this project to deliver service programs and further expand the network for better WLAN coverage and new services like Ex zone certified wireless video for safety and surveillance applications.

For more information, contact Cliff Nel, IAC, +27 (0)12 657 3600, [email protected],



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

EtherCAT interoperability removes industrial networking barriers
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Selecting the right communication technology is one of the most important decisions engineers make, and interoperability helps with that decision. Key development tools and standards ensure interoperability among many EtherCAT devices and manufacturers.

Read more...
Condition monitoring to go
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Anyone who wants to efficiently monitor the climate in control cabinets will find a comprehensive range of control cabinet monitors for the DIN rail in Turck Banner’s cabinet condition monitoring family.

Read more...
Innovative separation of recyclable materials
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A plant built by Belgian specialist machine builder, Absolem Engineering features an innovative process for separating recyclable materials. Using PC-based control from Beckhoff, a major problem has been elegantly solved - the generation of different signal sequences for the exact synchronisation of different camera systems.

Read more...
Enhancing AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Innodisk has announced its cooperation with Advantech, a global leader in AIoT and edge computing. This collaboration leverages Innodisk’s customisable MIPI camera modules and Advantech’s Intel x86-based AFE-R360 solution to enhance AI-powered object detection and recognition capabilities, expanding visual applications for autonomous mobile robots in smart factories and warehouses.

Read more...
Rugged, agile and scalable boards
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Embedded computing pioneer, AAEON has launched the PICO-ASL4 and GENE-ASL6, both featuring the new Intel Atom x7000RE Processor Series for the edge.

Read more...
Rugged gateway board with open-source flexibility
Vepac Electronics Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The SRG-CM4 from Vepac brings all the open-source flexibility of the Raspberry Pi OS and ecosystem to AAEON’s signature rugged, durable gateway design to create a truly industry-ready modular system.

Read more...
New safety I/O modules for functional safety in highly automated operations
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Belden has expanded the Lumberg Automation LioN family with its new LioN-Safety I/O Modules. Designed to support functional safety efforts in industrial operations, the modules streamline the transmission of data over existing networks.

Read more...
IO-Link master for the automation and IT world
ifm - South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The decentralised IO-Link master modules from ifm serve as a gateway between intelligent IO-Link sensors and the fieldbus. Important information on the intelligent sensors can also be simultaneously sent.

Read more...
Condition monitoring with IO-Link rotary encoders
Pepperl+Fuchs Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Whether in the materials handling industry, in packaging machines or in wind turbines, sensors with an IO-Link interface are increasingly being used to pave the way to Industry 4.0. Pepperl+Fuchs was one of the first manufacturers to launch an absolute rotary encoder with IO-Link interface, that was available in numerous variants and with a wide range of setting parameters.

Read more...
Efficiently consolidate analogue signals and reduce wiring
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Control engineers can bring analogue signals into a control system more efficiently with the new R95C 8-port analogue input to modbus hub.

Read more...