Plant maintenance, test + measurement
Managing data and eliminating alarm overload
In most process plants the Distributed Control System (DCS), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system), and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) generate continuous process data. Alongside that, there is the Laboratory Informa- tion Management System (LIMS) data, quality records, mainte- nance logs, production figures, safety incidents, and layers of business metrics. Individually, it all makes sense. Together, it becomes over- whelming. Dierent systems. Dierent timelines. Dierent priorities. Operators react to alarms. Engineers analyse trends. Man- agement reviews KPIs. But no one sees everything at once. PPCL (Process Plant Computing Limited), based in the UK and operating internationally, oers an alternative platform providing complete visibility of the entire operation in one graph. From raw feed… through every stage of the process… to the final product, lab measurements and KPI targets. The fig- ure below shows time variables on the le¡, process variables (PVs) in middle and quality measurements on the right (and more variables can be added if required). Not separated by systems. Not fragmented by departments. But connected – visually and operationally. This view enables plant operators to: - See how a small shi¡ in process conditions impacts quality hours later - Link maintenance issues directly to production losses - Align operating decisions with business outcomes – in real time. It means process engineers can stop chasing data and start understanding the whole system. And it’s not only for process engineers. When everything is connected: - Finance can see the real drivers behind cost and margin - Operations can optimise performance with clarity - Maintenance can act before failures escalate - HR can understand how people and performance inter- act. This means the entire organisation is working from the same picture. That’s the shi¡. In a world full of data, the advantage is not always in having more; it is rather in bringing it all the together in a way that makes sense – and drives action. As a process technology company with more than 30 years’
PPCL’s CVE, or C Visual Explorer, is a visual multi-variable process analysis and modelling platform that offers a host of benefits.
With Geometric Process Control (GPC), customers stop guessing and start seeing the whole picture. In CVE (C- Visual Explorer), users can visualise, analyse and improve more than 1 000 variables at a time. This provides the flexibility to skip the part of deciding the ‘Key variables’ and instead add the whole pro- cess data into one graph. CPM (C- Process Modeller) monitors a pro- cess 24/7 and visually updates all operating variables within the vis- ualisation tool to keep the process in-line and trigger real-time alerts. Combining CVE and CPM, customers can manage the plant’s ongoing performance with full operational insights, maximise performance output, meet KPIs and minimise safety risks. With PPCL’s patented and proven technology, customers have: - Early warning fault detection - Condition monitoring - Multiphase and multi-batch control - Process data optimisation - Predictive alarming - Problem solving - Production reporting - Alarm rationalisation - Digital twin for operations - Exploration of response surface formed from the results of DoE - Faster formulation. So, what would change in your organisation – if you could see everything?
For more information visit: ppcl.com
experience in vari- ous industries like oil refining, LNG, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, power gen- eration (gas & coal), pulp & paper and more, PPCL has the technology to help customers manage their processes and understand the data they generate.
PPCL offers a single platform that provides complete visibility of the entire process in one graph.
MAY 2026 Electricity + Control
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