Page 194 - CW E-Magazine (28-5-2024)

Special Report Special Report

is expected to be published in For manufacturers of modules or serving to convince internal stake- demand, the more effi cient and sustain- As the number of projects grows, the The ISO 15296 standard already
autumn 2024. Of the six properties PEA (Process Equipment Assembly), holders to realise commercial systems. able everything can be.” question of how to assess the economic contained a defi nition for the hand-
and functions that MTP is intended to activities in Germany are currently Sebastian Härtner, active in the DECHEMA viability of a fl exible, modular plant is ling of “data integration, sharing,
map as a PNO standard, the four most being bundled in the REUNION funding modularisation specialist group and A look at the legal situation and at becoming increasingly important. For exchange and transfer between com-
important ones have now been fi nalised. project, which brings together module employed at Merck, is convinced that the economic effi ciency this reason, the DECHEMA specialist puter systems,” but it was too broad
It is therefore possible to integrate a manufacturers, plant operators and the effort is worthwhile: “In my view, A potential barrier to many projects groups MODA (Modular Plants) and for the needs of process engineering.
module into a system via the MTP approval authorities. The consortium modular plant engineering is the techno- is the often lengthy and costly permit- COST (Cost Engineering) are currently Reiner Meyer-Rössl, vice chairman
interface and to address and control it. leader of the funding project, Prof. logy that will take us forward in the ting process. This is another area where working on a status report to provide of DEXPI e.V. and an Autodesk
Peter Pelz from the Technical University chemical and pharmaceutical industry. modular plant construction is provid- clarity. Stenger summarises: “When I employee, believes that networking is
“In fact, we have now reached the of Darmstadt, explains: “Our project We now have two suppliers on the ing a boost, as it offers great potential plan a conventional plant, the scope is extremely important on the way to a new
point where MTP is usable, but not includes many small and medium-sized market who are creating the opportunity for effi ciency gains. Stenger explains: clear and I know exactly what to expect international standard: “We initiated
everyone is using it yet,” says Stenger. companies that want to gain expertise in to use MTP with a commercial control “Every production plant needs a permit, in the coming years. If I plan a modu- the Process Industry Data Model Inte-
MTP as part of REUNION in order to be system. By mid-2024, we will see the of course. But if we can get approval lar plant, I have a lot of fl exibility and gration Congress PIDMIC at ACHEMA
This is also confi rmed by Dr. Mathias able to offer their customers appropriate fi rst qualifi ed production infrastructure for the modular system, we can move can expand or reduce capacity – with a 2022. In doing so, we initiated a dia-
Maurmaier, Committee Lead MTP of the products later on.” The focus is on hard- for active pharmaceutical ingredients very quickly.” higher initial investment. In the report logue with standardisation bodies from
joint working groups of NAMUR, ZVEI ware, automation and documentation, in operation. These are the right and we provide a basis for assessing what VDMA and VDI to DIN and NAMUR.
and PNO, and a SIEMENS employee: with the Technical Universities of Dort- important steps into the future.” There are therefore many clear these benefi ts are worth in monetary We will continue on this path at
“We have opted for an incremental mund, Dresden and Darmstadt working advantages to modular plant construc- terms and how to make an economically ACHEMA 2024.”
approach, which means that some things together with the partner companies. Härtner uses the comparison with tion – from the potential to create a shift sound decision.” The status report will
are covered so that the fi rst projects can car sharing to emphasise the potential towards effi cient and CO -neutral pro- be published at ACHEMA 2024. Both Meyer-Rössl and Wiedau are
2
run – others are still under development. “In the end, modularity can even be of MTP. Today, everyone has their own cesses to the acceleration of approval already experiencing a rise in demand.
This also applies to the conformity tests, included in the portfolio as a product and car because car sharing is impractical. processes. However, as things stand For data exchange: DEXPI DEXPI has only been represented as
for which standardised specifi cations offered to other sectors,” says Pelz. “The But if fully autonomous vehicles and today, there will probably always be The integration of modules into a an independent association since 2023,
will come at the end of 2024, or early motivation is great to help shaping the intelligent control via an app ensured areas where a less fl exible, long-lived user’s production environment requires but the number of enquiries is already
2025 at the latest. This is an important future in this way, to stop thinking in that every user had exactly the vehicle plant based on the classic model is extensive documentation. An impor- increasing signifi cantly. As DEXPI is
step towards broad market deployment, terms of modules and start thinking in they needed within ten minutes, then the right approach. Mauermeier com- tant part of the documentation is the an open standard that is available free
as compatibility between different manu- terms of functions and services. For they would no longer need to own a ments: “If 24/7 availability and the P&ID, the Piping and Instrumentation of charge, there are many research
facturers can then be tested.” example, a new business model could be car. “This core idea of the shared eco- ability to update during operation Diagram. It must be made available in projects and start-ups working with it
the sale of volume fl ow instead of pumps.” nomy can also be transferred to industry are the most important criteria, then standardised formats when the modules and developing solutions. “We are not
Fundamental change takes time through modular plant construction. a classic solution is the right choice. are delivered. DEXPI has developed a allowed to talk about specifi c projects,
and requires the active participation So while all market participants are The more standardised processes are Many other applications will be modu- solution for this purpose. but we know that a lot is in the pipeline
of all stakeholders. For the established tweaking the various parameters, beta and the more interchangeable indivi- lar in the future and we see a growing and new systems are being built. How-
control system manufacturers, the task tests by large companies are already dual modules are to adapt production to market share. This is evidenced, for Michael Wiedau, Chairman of ever, nobody wants to let anyone look
used to be to develop a closed system example, by the fact that the fi rst pro- DEXPI e.V., who works at Evonik, at their cards, lest they lose their edge.”
and support it throughout its lifecycle – jects were initiated as part of an MTP explains: “Ultimately, we need an
a large but relatively straightforward show in Singapore in 2023, and the internationally standardised basis [ACHEMA 2024, to be held in Frank-
and predictable task. Modular plant topic is becoming increasingly impor- for data exchange in modular plant furt, Germany from June 10-14, 2024, will
engineering changes the parameters and tant in the biopharmaceutical sector in construction, and existing norms and host the3rdProcess Industry Data Model In-
the entire business model, as Maurmaier the USA. standards must be incorporated.” tegration Congresson June 11 and 12.].
explains: “We are now dealing with an
open system in which products from Chemical Weekly | Import-Export Data | Market Surveys
different players are integrated, some-
times with local control systems from Directories | Business Forums | Expositions
several suppliers. We are no longer talk-
ing about the classic control system, but The only organisation in India catering exclusively to the needs of the entire chemical industry
about the Process Orchestration Layer
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modules that are used in a fi rst system SEVAK PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD.
today, are under maintenance tomorrow 602-B, Godrej Coliseum, K.J. Somaiya Hospital Road,
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day after tomorrow.” Phone: +91-22-24044471 / 72; Email: admin@chemicalweekly.com

194 Chemical Weekly May 28, 2024 Chemical Weekly May 28, 2024 195

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