Conoco on Path to Reliability Centered Loop Management: Enhancing ROA on the Way
Process manufacturers have invested heavily in manufacturing plants and
automation systems. A typical manufacturing plant may have hundreds or
even thousands of regulatory control loops to enable safe and efficient operations.
The most complex units often have advanced process control and
optimization schemes implemented on top of these regulatory control
loops. All of these systems have a need for
tighter process control to enable more effective
use of assets that result in higher ROA and ultimately
better business performance and
profitability.
Unfortunately, automation effectiveness deteriorates
over time. The lack of a structured
methodology for control loop maintenance is a
contributing factor that erodes performance. A
manufacturing plant typically has only two or three control engineers who
each have responsibility for a large of number of loops, yet they often have
no means of identifying where to focus their efforts so that their work has
the largest economic impact on plant performance.
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Conoco on Path to Reliability Centered Loop Management: Enhancing ROA on the Way
1. THOUGHT LEADERS FOR MANUFACTURING & SUPPLY CHAIN
ARC INSIGHTS
By Tom Fiske
Most manufacturers are not extracting all
the value possible from their assets. Even
small incremental improvements can fall
straight to the bottom line. The lack of a
structured methodology for control loop
maintenance is eroding ROA. Conoco has
adopted a Six Sigma approach that helps its
overburdened staff locate and fix the most
economically beneficial problems while
avoiding unnecessary and costly repairs.
INSIGHT# 2003-11MP
FEBURARY 20, 2003
Conoco on Path to Reliability Centered Loop
Management: Enhancing ROA on the Way
Keywords
Asset Management, Control Loop Monitoring, Operational Excellence
(OpX), Return on Asset (ROA), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)
Summary
Process manufacturers have invested heavily in manufacturing plants and
automation systems. A typical manufacturing plant may have hundreds or
even thousands of regulatory control loops to enable safe and efficient op-
erations. The most complex units often have advanced process control and
optimization schemes implemented on top of these regulatory control
loops. All of these systems have a need for
tighter process control to enable more effective
use of assets that result in higher ROA and ul-
timately better business performance and
profitability.
Unfortunately, automation effectiveness dete-
riorates over time. The lack of a structured
methodology for control loop maintenance is a
contributing factor that erodes performance. A
manufacturing plant typically has only two or three control engineers who
each have responsibility for a large of number of loops, yet they often have
no means of identifying where to focus their efforts so that their work has
the largest economic impact on plant performance.
Conoco has adopted a Six Sigma Operational Excellence (OpX) approach to
loop assessment and maintenance. They are using Loop Scout from Hon-
eywell to continuously measure, analyze, improve, and control their loop
performance. At their initial pilot refining site, they have reduced energy
costs by identifying an oscillation of six interacting loops in the fuel gas sys-
tem of heaters that feed two crude units. Repairing the malfunctioning
pressure valve resulted in a savings of $500k per year. They are currently
adopting a Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) strategy that helps de-
termine the appropriate maintenance response based upon the consequence
of failures. Conoco’s saving in turnaround avoidance greatly exceeds its
energy savings.