Daniel Codo de Faria 9/24/2012. New approach for control loop management and optimization in iron ore concentration plants at Vale

Transcription

1 New approach for control loop management and optimization in iron ore concentration plants at Vale Standards Certification Daniel C. de Faria Matheus L. Miranda Roberto D. Aquino Bernardo S. Torres Education & Training Publishing Conferences & Exhibits Daniel Codo de Faria As a Manager at Accenture and with 9 years of experience in process control optimization, Daniel has been working as a project manager for local and international clients. With practical knowledge in industrial process control, PIMS deployment and expert systems development, especially for mining and metal treatment industries, he has worked closely together with Vale and other companies on their search for operational excellence. Daniel holds a B.Sc. in Control and Automation Engineering from UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil) and a M.Sc. in Computer Science from Ohio University, USA. 2 1

2 A big challenge for industries worldwide is to create and sustain a competitive differential in operational excellence Business Challenges Increase process revenues Increase throughput and yield Optimize asset reliability Reduce HSE risks Increase productivity Follow environmental guidelines and reduce emissions Reduce operational costs and losses Improve or stabilize quality How to reach and sustain Operational Excellence? With Process Control Optimization Program Internal Challenges Different geography/sites: Different technologies Resources constraint and excessive workloads Culture reactive to the technology industry Low integration among plant teams Change Management Difficulties 3 Benefits from CLPM* can only be sustained (and expanded) through continuous, long-term control and asset management efforts Continuous improvement Result Target Benefit Increased Benefit Lost Benefit Time Cost Enhanced time to profit Sustained performance * CLPM (Control Loop Performance Monitoring for base layer control) Source: 4 2

3 A long-term, continuous control optimization program must be considered instead of simple projects Many companies failed on executing CLPM projects. Success was achieved when these initiatives were considered programs, not projects! The deployment of an asset management intelligence center is a project with well defined phases. However, the operation of such a center is a continuous improvement program that uses analytical information and correlation to extract useful information from the process about best practices. Project Program PLAN DO It has a beginning, middle and end phases. Conceptual engineering (blueprint) is itself a project The deployment corresponds to smaller project pieces executed in waves. At each project, new functionalities are deployed. It is a journey not a destination It is associated with continuous improvement cycles. At each iteration, new concepts are learnt, standardized and deployed. It is mandatory to define, measure and manage KPIs that can sustain the process. Many times, to sustain turns to be more difficult than to deploy new solutions. ACT CHECK The Control Loop Performance Monitoring (CLPM) tool makes possible the centralized and simultaneous performance assessment of about 1,000 control loops at DIFS Treemap identifies worst performing loops and with greatest economical potential Passive monitoring, not causing any plant disturbance Dynamic Modelling, Simulation and Automatic Tuning (open or closed loop) Portal Web unlimited access and editable dashboards Indexes for control loop, operation process and instrumentation performance assessment Automatic Diagnosis and Continuous Monitoring: automatic alarms and events Control Loop Correlation 6 3

4 Resource constraints and excessive workloads are driving companies to adopt a hybrid (in-house / Outsourced) PCD governance model A combination of in-house and outsourced resources leverages the benefits obtained by the optimization program. Deep Process Knowledge Informed about Production Goals KPIs and Reports to define resource allocation Program General Management Modifications traceability Knowledge Management In-House + Outsourcing Scalability Speed of implementation Tools Expert Full dedication Proactive maintenance interventions Focused on execution Value based / benefit measurement commitment. 7 Combination of remote strategic enterprise vision with local operational plant improvement efforts can improve the success rate of control monitoring and optimization Strategic Cycle Remote Team Corporation visualization Define priorities and process performance targets; execute process analyses and diagnoses; Action plan generation for mitigating identified problems and starting operational cycles; Verify operational cycle actions impact; Review targets or define new objectives; document improvements and achieved results. Generate best practice reports for replication and standardization across sites; results and project technical coordination. Operational Cycles Local Team Site focused Plant 1 Plant 2 Generate, interpret, detail and plan, with the remote team, the action plan execution; Execute detailed diagnosis and process optimization procedures as described on the action plan; Verify if the process interventions were effective; Contribute for benefit analysis calculation and planning of subsequent cycles. Plant n Enterprise wide availability and easy access to Control Performance KPIs increases team interaction and commitment towards a common goal 8 4

5 Control loop performance is consistently improved due to action plan deployment and progress Control loops performance consistently increasing, meeting enterprise targets and guaranteeing Vale s team annual rewards. Action Plan progress: over 500 improvement actions mapped and 70% concluded in 8 months. 9 Technical Results Production loss reduction in pulp tanks, through: Operating conditions and control loops analysis and diagnosis using process historian tools and control loop assessment software. Operating conditions analysis of process actuators and equipments. Corrective maintenance of control valves. Implementation of control strategies focused on overflow reduction and process disturbance. 10 5

6 Technical Results Reduced steady-state error and saturation on spiral separation line flow loop and production loss reduction by increased process running time, through: Control strategies review and improvements Control logic and interlocks review and modifications Control loop tuning 11 Technical Results Productivity increase on Classification stage, through: Implementation of override control strategy Implementation of cascade control at pulp tanks Redefinition of operating procedures and parameters. 12 6

7 Summary of tangible benefits from the improvements deployed in the first 2 cycles of the program 13 Conclusion Key aspects for a control optimization program success: Be continuous and long-term Use hybrid teams (in-hourse and outsourced) for skills combination and greater availability and focus Apply operational and strategic improvement cycles focusing, at the same time, on continuous improvements, corrective actions and benefits sustainability Define enterprise goals associated with rewards to increase plant teams commitment towards operational excellence Do internal benchmarking and regular broadcast to different stakeholders tocreate and sustain a continuous improvement culture at the corporation Remember that the software tools are only one part of the equation for the success Case Vale DIFS Main results so far: Approximately 200,000 tons of iron-ore in production losses reduction per year, which represents millions of dollars/year, and over 600K dollars / year in reagents consumption reduction Strong engagement and satisfaction of plant areas (operation, process, maintenance, etc), with the work methodology and results, contributing to a continuous improvement culture in all DIFS sites 14 7

8 Roberto Aquino Daniel Codo Matheus Miranda Bernardo Torres