Page 176 - CW E-Magazine (7-5-2024)

Special Report

Today, with the use of AI, real time model- among supervisors and workmen and used for optimisation of production,
ling of maintenance and turnarounds, facilitate proactive problem-solving. water and energy management in smart
debottlenecking and troubleshooting have Skill upgradation of the plant opera- buildings using smart devices. Most
become handy and the targets achieved tor to work in the digital environment of the renowned fertiliser technology
within the schedule. is also important. Operator Training providers have already developed and
Simulators (OTS) with digital plant commercialised digital platforms and
The development of app-based soft- modules are used to impart training to custom-built software for a comprehen-
ware is yet another effort to enhance workmen to improve their ability and sive monitoring of plant and equipment
facility safety. Operating personnel ex- awareness so that the plant can be ope- either by themselves or in collabora-
posure to hazardous areas in the plant rated more safely and in the best man- tion with major IT and process control
is limited with the support of wire- ner reducing downtime to the minimal leaders.
lessly monitoring process plant data even in challenging situations.
through sensors. Online monitoring of Bibliography
the loss of heat transfer effi ciency of Barriers to digitalisation 1. Cann, Geoffrey, Goydan, Rachael-
heat exchangers, energy and steam loss But implementation of digitalisa- Bits, Bytes, and Barrels: The Digi-
through faulty traps, predicting end- tion is not so easy, particularly in large, tal Transformation of Oil and Gas
of-run of reactor catalysts are well esta- conservative organisations where there MAD Cann Press, 2019
blished through app-based software. is a predominant resistance to change. 2. https://www.ey.com/en_in/oil-gas/
Abnormal situation monitoring is yet There are data quality and management six-cybersecurity-issues-for-oil-
another area where smart wireless de- issues that need to be improved over a and-gas-companies
vices and sensors enable cloud comput- period. Cybersecurity-related risk is a 3. https://www.siemens-energy.com/
ing of equipment data in various for- major issue, as noted earlier. The cost global/en/offerings/industrial-appli-
mats. Overheating, over-pressurisation of transformation technologies and cations/oil-gas/digital.html
and excessive vibration limits are set to additional investment, sometimes cannot 4. https://www.consultdss.com/pro-
identify normal and abnormal opera- be justifi ed through the marginal gain ductivity-gains-digital-turnaround-
tions. In AI-based predictive solutions, accomplished. Shortage of workmen management/
deviations from the designer’s intent or with the requisite digital skills often 5. https://www.hydrocarbonprocess-
a set fault threshold initiates warning to decelerate the move to go fast on digi- ing.com/magazine/2018/july-2018/
alert the operating staff. tisation. Lack of industry standards and special-focus-refinery-of-the-fu-
compatibility issues with partners and ture/digitalisation-for-the-refi nery-
Digital workforce customers is yet another problem. and-plant-of-the-future
The fertiliser and downstream 6. https://www.cognisant.com/infra-
industries are widely distributed and These issues can be resolved only structure-services/digital-work-
engage thousands of workmen to work with a fi rm commitment from the top place-services
under varying climatic conditions management of the organisation, closely 7. https://reports.weforum.org/digital-
and hazardous installations. Effective aided by an effective digitalisation transformation/wp-content/blogs.
coordination of the workforce at all strategy for success. dir/94/mp/files/pages/files/dti-oil-
levels with the objective of achieving and-gas-industry-white-paper.pdf
greater productivity is a diffi cult task. Concluding remarks
Moreover, their safety and wellbe- The UN climate change conference, ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ing (physical and mental) are also a COP26, held in Glasgow (UK), exhor- Mr. M.P. Suku-
concern. Digital workplace services ted governments, and key decision maran Nair is an in-
combining cutting-edge technology makers to ensure global temperatures do dustry & policy ana-
and best-in class support services en- not exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial lyst, and Director,
able the workforce to work from levels by 2050. The use of technology Centre for Green
anywhere, anytime and in a secured as an integral component of many of the Technology & Man-
environment. Digital communication proposed mitigation measures in tran- agement, Kochi. He
enabled workforce solutions, planning sitioning to net zero has been highligh- was formerly Secretary to Chief
and prioritising daily workfl ows with ted. Within the processing facilities and Minister, Kerala State, and Chair-
mobile wearables, IIoT and automated AI associated infrastructure management, man, Public Sector Restructuring &
technologies encourage collaboration sensors and actuators are often being Audit Board, Government of Kerala.

176 Chemical Weekly May 7, 2024

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