Emerson selected for its fourth automation project at Nantong Cellulose Fibers Co. Ltd. in China

PlantWeb^® architecture with AMS™ Suite: Intelligent Device Manager will improve maintenance efficiency and plant availability

Nantong Cellulose Fibers Co., Ltd. has selected Emerson Process Management to implement PlantWeb digital plant architecture for process control and asset management of its new acetic acid unit in the site's phase four automation project. Nantong Cellulose Fibers Co., Ltd. is located in the south of Nantong city, Jiangsu province. The phase four expansion project will increase annual output of cellulose acetate flake from the current 55,000 tons to 120,000 tons.

Expansion of the cellulose acetate recycle area is a major part of this project that will add two cellulose acetate recycling units, two cellulose acetate production units, a filter unit for diluted acid, a configuration unit for mixed acids, a chemicals configuration unit, a tank farm at the unloading pier, and other related equipment. All construction is expected to be finished by April 2007.

Emerson has a record of success with Nantong Cellulose, beginning with initial automation with Emerson's RS3 control system. Next, Emerson successfully implemented phase two and phase three projects that upgraded from RS3 systems to the DeltaV™ digital automation system. This fourth project includes implementing an open, standard data communications bus that enables system control, monitoring, and process or other data updating capabilities. The digital communications also supports data analysis, statistics, calculation, event triggering, software development, and other functions.

Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture will provide advanced process control and asset management, centered around the DeltaV digital automation system that includes 11 operator stations, 8 redundant controllers, and integrated AMS™ Suite: Intelligent Device Manager solution for 2,000 field devices.

The DeltaV system and AMS Device Manager provide configuration and commissioning of field devices. Predictive maintenance is also enabled, based on diagnostics performed in the field instruments, valves and analyzers, including Rosemount^® pressure, flow, level and temperature instruments; Fisher^® control valves with FIELDVUE^® digital valve controllers; Micro Motion^® Coriolis meters; and Rosemount analyzers.

This fourth project uses FOUNDATION fieldbus communications in addition to HART technology. After expansion, the digital plant architecture will include approximately 4000 input/output channels.

Use of AMS Device Manager enables Nantong Cellulose to continuously monitor field devices from the maintenance shop or control room. Since the diagnostic functions of PlantWeb architecture enable users to find potential problems before they become issues, the new architecture will improve maintenance efficiency, avoiding conditions that could cause serious downtime, and will reduce trips to the field along with associated costs and risks to personnel.

Use of PlantWeb digital plant architecture and AMS Device Manager since 1997, as a result of the two previous automation projects, has shown that system architecture and Emerson's solution services are reliable and mature. This is important to success, as Nantong Cellulose project director, Mr. Xujian said, "Cellulose acetate recycling is a continuous chemical process, and its flow process is complex, which requires higher measurement and control accuracy. Since intermediary products are inflammable, explosive or noxious, we must take strict security protections and control measures. To realize our intended operations targets, we must select a proven, reliable system."

Quality • Throughput • Availability • Operations & Maintanence • Safety, Health & Environmental • Utilities • Waste/Rework