Machine, Plant & Systems Monitor
process, and disseminate information
Fulfilling the promise of about the operational status an instrument
and equipment to which it is attached;
• an open communications protocol to
transmit information from field devices —
predictive maintenance regardless of manufacturer — to a
dedicated personal computer in the
maintenance department; and
• on-line software to process data from field-
It is estimated that around two-thirds of all trips to the field by maintenance personnel based devices and make it useful to the
fail to solve problems, and that nearly one-third of the money that is spent on maintenance function in a variety of ways.
maintenance is wasted. For some companies establishing a predictive maintenance
programme, commonly discussed as the 'salvation' of the maintenance function, still
proves to be elusive. Here, Israel Alguíndigue of Fisher-Rosemount, Burnsville, Getting started
Minnesota, USA, explains how effective predictive maintenance depends on the
Establishing an asset management
availability of accurate historic and current on-line operating information that covers
programme incorporating predictive
critically important production equipment.
maintenance may not be as difficult as you
Computerized maintenance management so that is delivers maximum performance think. If no smart devices are in use in your
system (CMMS) software packages make and service life at minimal cost. Predictive plant at this time, start replacing older
good use of recorded information about maintenance is part of asset management. instrumentation, when necessary, with
past tendencies of various pieces of HART- based devices, especially
Using asset management software,
equipment and do a good job of scheduling instruments that are connected to critical
maintenance engineers can configure and
preventive maintenance activities, but equipment. More than 40 manufacturers
calibrate devices quickly and easily. In
current condition reports depend on now build equipment that complies with
addition, early warnings pinpoint potential
human inputs, which can be irregular at the HART standard.
production problems so corrective
best and inaccurate at worst. However, measures can be taken in time to prevent If your plant is currently equipped with any
technology does exist to transfer costly shut-downs. Such problems are HART- based devices, you are already on
information about the health and well automatically logged along with all work the way. In fact, it is possible, using a
being of critical production devices to the that is completed on each piece of field HART hand-held communicator, to obtain
maintenance department where it can be used equipment so that complete maintenance information from any HART-based field
to manage the maintenance of plant documentation can be generated and device and later transfer that information
assets. logged into an audit trail. These functions to a PC running asset management
eliminate massive amounts of work by software. In addition, a HART modem can
maintenance technicians. be used to connect individual devices
Asset management An asset management programme
directly to the PC. The modem can be
either a serial or PCMCIA type of
Asset management can be defined as a comprises the following three elements:
connection that plugs directly into the PC
process which attempts to ensure that • smart, microprocessor-based field at one end and clips onto the field device
production equipment is maintained properly instrumentation which is used to gather, terminals at the other end. This off-line
approach is satisfactory if you have a
limited number of smart field devices.
The hand-held communicator or HART
modem arrangement can be used to access
their information until all such devices can
be permanently wired to HART
multiplexers. Each multiplexer is the
equivalent of 32 individual device modems,
enabling direct, continuous, on-line access
to vast amounts of field-based information
using a PC in the maintenance department.
In many cases, proprietary control systems
also can be retrofitted with HART-based
termination panels that incorporate HART
multiplexers, making it possible to easily
access status information on-line from a
variety of field devices.
Dedicated software
A dedicated, on-line asset management
software package allows users to
troubleshoot problems in the field without
having to leave the maintenance shop or
office. The field devices are wired to a
A dedicated, on-line asset management software package allows technicians and multiplexer, which transmits field device
instrument engineering and design groups to troubleshoot problems in the field without information to the maintenance computer.
having to leave the maintenance shop or office. The field-based information is then
24
October 1998
Using an asset management
system, HART-based devices in
DD based
the plant can be managed from The software should use device
a single location. descriptions (DD), which are basically
field device drivers. These are essential to
the interoperability of devices, allowing
you to choose those devices that best
meet your needs, regardless of
manufacturer. As new devices are installed,
the descriptions of device attributes
and capabilities are loaded into the
host software, providing complete
data about each device in the plant.
The DD technology is fundamental to
the HART and Fieldbus standard protocols.
Modular
Modularity allows users to chose the
maintenance applications when they are
needed. For example, if you need to run
advanced valve diagnostics, you purchase
a valve diagnostics module. If your
company outsources that function, then
leave it out. If not, order the appropriate
module when you need it. This helps
minimise the immediate cost while offering the
processed and maintained in a database of headaches than they solve because each one flexibility to add more functions at any time.
all related equipment. typically has its own unique PC
Software packages that are now available requirements, database and user-interface.
support the maintenance function in two An integrated maintenance software On-line access
major areas. The first streamlines daily package offers a better solution. One of the fundamentals of a predictive
maintenance tasks that are required, such 'Integrated' means that users can maintenance environment is the need for
as device configuration, calibration and communicate with various device types accurate on-line information on the
documentation. The second establishes a from a variety of vendors using one condition of field equipment. Maintenance
predictive maintenance environment to package. The best approach is to choose personnel should be able to investigate a
help eliminate unnecessary maintenance a software package based on suspected problem quickly and easily
tasks such as those fruitless trips to the field open communications protocols, such as without having to leave the maintenance
and unnecessary device rebuilds. HART or Foundation Fieldbus, that accom- shop or office. An auto-scanning function
modate the widest possible range of devices. can be added to automatically look for
Here are nine characteristics to look for
when evaluating the many maintenance In fact, today there are over 150 devices device alerts anywhere, and at anytime.
software packages available today. using the HART protocol. This will Automatic scanning should contain a
provide the flexibility you will want in scanning profile for each device that
order to meet current and future plant and specifies how often the device is to be
Dedicated to maintenance business requirements. Your goal should scanned, what alerts to scan for, and the
be to have one software package residing priority assigned to each type of alert. Users
The software needs to streamline daily on one PC and offering one database with are instantly made aware of equipment that
maintenance tasks and eliminate one user interface, regardless of field device needs maintenance when abnormal
unnecessary maintenance tasks, therefore type or manufacturer. operation is observed during an auto-scan.
it should be able to:
• minimise the time required to perform
typical daily tasks such as device
configuration and calibration;
• provide an 'audit ready' environment
by automatically documenting all
configuration changes, calibration tests A typical screen
and device status alerts; and that is generated by
F i s h e r -
• scan field devices on-line for status alerts. Rosemount's Asset
Management
Support Solutions (AMS)
software. Here,
Many 'point solution' software packages diagnostics and
offer a wide range of functions, but are tests provide real-
limited to supporting a single instrument time data about
from one manufacturer. As a result, plants each valve that is
end up having to purchase multiple 'point being used in the
solution' packages that cause more plant.
25
Machine, Plant & Systems Monitor
No interference Users with integrated packages can Ilyas Ahsan, senior controls engineer at
effectively automate the entire process Fluor Daniel Corp in Sugar Land, Texas,
Asset management information from from the device alert through completion understands this. As a result, maintenance
HART-based devices can be gathered either of the maintenance work order. Then, the technicians in the Huntsman Polymers
by using HART multiplexers or through a technician can focus on the job at hand, linear low-density polyethylene unit
HART-based control system. The and when the job is finished, the work is currently under construction in Odessa,
advantage of using multiplexers is that the automatically documented. Texas, will be able to practice predictive
collection of asset management maintenance assisted by an asset
information is totally independent of the management package with 600 input/
output ports.
control system architecture, so there is no Case in point
adverse effect on the performance of the He says that Fisher-Rosemount's Asset
controller. The advantage of using the Asset management offers many economic Management Solutions (AMS) software
control system to collect the asset benefits. These range from the savings that documents the current status of critically
management information is that it are made through the use of faster and important equipment in the plant, and this
eliminates the need for additional easier device configuration and calibration enables maintenance personnel to predict
hardware and parallel wiring. Regardless procedures to a longer service life for field when it must be serviced. Furthermore, a
of which approach is taken, control system equipment and reduced unexpected documented database is the key to
performance must not be sacrificed for the downtime. These benefits are most easily identifying recurring problems in that it
sake of asset management. realised if system designers have vision to provides information that can be used to
provide the necessary tools in advance. forecast problems before they occur.
Again, the key elements of asset For further information, contact: Israel
Maintenance interface management are smart, microprocessor- Alguíndigue, Fisher-Rosemount, 12000
based field instrumentation, an open Portland Aveneue, Burnsville, MN 55337,
Maintenance technicians cannot obtain the communications protocol, and a dedicated USA; tel: +1-612-895-2000; fax: +1-612-
information they need for predictive on-line software package. 895-2828.
maintenance from an operator's console.
The maintenance software should be
separate from the operator interface
software because maintenance technicians
and operators need to see different
Arguing a case for using asset management
information to be able to perform different Why would corporate management be willing to invest tightly budgeted money in a
tasks in specific areas of the plant. system that promises to make life easier for maintenance personnel? The answer is
fundamental: You have to spend money to save money.
For example, in the USA users of Asset Management Solutions software have
Client/server architecture experienced start-up savings of between US$150 and US$250 per field device, which
is more than enough in most cases to pay for the software. Additional savings have
From a maintenance and integrity been documented in ongoing activities such as instrument configuration and calibration
perspective, there should be just one and the automatic documentation of problems reported and repairs completed.
database for all smart devices. However, it Although this immediately sounds attractive, you may well ask: "Would this work in
might be necessary to make device my plant, and if my company invests in the hardware and software necessary to make
information available from a variety of asset management a reality, when can we expect to break even?"
locations. This arrangement is possible in
To answer this question, you have to do some homework. Begin by finding out what
a client/server architecture. Packages
your plant is currently spending on maintenance. This number will inevitably be larger
originally designed with client/server
than you think. US industries spend over US$200 billion each year on maintenance.
capabilities generally perform better than
In fact, maintenance costs typically account for between 15% and 40% of the cost of goods
those that are originally designed to stand
sold. So, if your plant produces US$50 million of product per year, the cost of maintenance is
alone, but are subsequently migrated to a
likely to be somewhere between US$7.5 million and US$20 million each year.
client/server architecture.
Also look at how your maintenance technicians spend their time. Find out how much
time is wasted chasing 'ghost problems', and how much time is spent doing routine
CMMS compatibility jobs like instrument configuration, calibration, documentation. It is worth
remembering that it is estimated that over one-third of maintenance activities are
An ideal predictive maintenance wasted through unnecessary or ineffective practices. Determining the cost of each
environment incorporates both an on-line maintenance activity in your plant will also help you put forward a strong case for
asset management software package and using asset management.
a computerised maintenance management The advice given so far, has look at possible was of reducing the costs of labour. If
system (CMMS) package. On-line asset your company's management is still not convinced that you need asset management,
management packages are event-based, think about the impact a software solution could have on asset usage and process
and scan field devices for device alerts. On availability. Asset management systems have the ability to remotely monitor field
the other hand, CMMS packages are devices to make sure they are working properly so that assets can be run at the lowest
transactional in nature, typically possible cost. When assets are running, your process is producing the products you
generating work orders, scheduling sell, so it is extremely important to keep the plant running without unexpected shut-
maintenance and checking spares downs.
inventories. However, CMMS packages
The case for asset management is strong, and while specific cost savings will vary
have no on-line trigger. When both
somewhat from one plant to another, there is so much room for improvement in the
packages are used in a complementary
maintenance area that convincing management to invest in this technology-driven
fashion, the on-line asset management
approach should just be a matter of showing where the money is going and how the
package serves as the trigger to launch the
savings can be made.
CMMS transaction.
26
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