News | April 30, 2010
Instrumentation: Emerson's Smart Wireless Solutions Automate Emissions Measurements, Improve Environmental Reporting For Met-Mex Peñoles
Mexican lead foundry avoids plant shutdowns while saving $12,000 in installed cost compared to wired network
Met-Mex Peñoles has improved its sulfur dioxide emissions data collection with Smart Wireless field instrumentation solutions from Emerson Process Management. Installation of the Smart Wireless solution on a 50-meter stack at its lead foundry in Torreon, Mexico cost $12,000 less than the cost to install a traditional wired network.
Met-Mex management had committed to the community that the plant would reduce SO2 atmospheric pollution caused by stack emissions, and the plant also needed to provide better quality reporting to the environmental agency.
Prior to the installation, the plant estimated the amount of sulfur emissions coming from stack based on a number of sources. Emissions were inferred using the opacity meter and an SO2 analyzer on the stack along with an annual flow measurement taken by a contractor who would climb to the top of the stack. This person was exposed to extreme heat and emissions during the measurement.
All calculations were done manually and this data was not entered into the plant control system. Plant management needed more accurate emissions measurement to improve the quality of reporting to the environmental agency. They also wanted the data to be available to the control system.
To meet these requirements, Met-Mex installed a Smart Wireless network and field instruments including a Rosemount® Annubar flowmeter onto the stack at 25 meters above ground with a Rosemount wireless DP flow transmitter to measure stack gas flow, as well as a Rosemount wireless pressure transmitter, and two Rosemount wireless temperature transmitters. The reliable, self-organizing network sends data every five seconds to a Smart Wireless Gateway, which is installed outdoors approximately 65 meters away.
The gateway is integrated with the plant's DeltaV™ digital automation system. Plant staff use Emerson's AMS™ Suite predictive maintenance software to manage the new devices, including configuration, diagnostic checks, and monitoring alarms and alerts.
"The new data allow us to take preventative actions within our processes to reduce emissions instead of shutting down the plant to avoid fines," said Juan Manuel Perez, smelter plant instrumental department chief, Met-Mex Peñoles. "A plant shut down can cost up to $100,000 an hour."
Met-Mex chose wireless for the stack flow project because of its convenience and avoidance of expense, time, and difficulty of installing wired monitors on the stack, which is subject to extreme heat as well as the elements. The plant had successful experience with Emerson instrumentation, making adoption of wireless versions a confident choice.
"The equipment is working reliably and has reported on-time and precise information to the gateway and DeltaV system," Perez said. "The information is also shared with the control systems over the Peñoles plant broadband communications network, and is being used to support reporting and reductions of SO2 emissions."
Met-Mex intends to expand its wireless network by installing more devices to tap into additional data from nearby processes, making further operational improvements, and expects this will bring total installed cost savings to $40,000 compared to installing wired instrumentation. In addition to the Smart Wireless solutions already installed at Met-Mex, Emerson offers a wide range of wireless field instrumentation and plant operations equipment, including Fisher® position monitors, Rosemount Analytical and Machinery Health™ Management devices, and native wireless interfaces to DeltaV™ or Ovation™ digital automation systems, and SmartStart® wireless services.
For more information about Smart Wireless, visit www.EmersonProcess.com/SmartWireless, and for videos go to www.EmersonSmartWireless.com/Videos.
About Met-Mex Peñoles
Met-Mex Peñoles, in Torreon, Mexico, is the largest non-ferrous metallurgical complex in Latin America and the fourth largest in the world in terms of production value. Its facilities include a lead foundry, a lead-silver refinery and an electrolytic zinc refinery, as well as plants that make sulfuric acid, cadmium bismuth, ammonium sulfate, and liquid sulfur dioxide.
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com), an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services. Its brands include PlantWeb™, Syncade™, DeltaV™, Fisher®, Micro Motion®, Rosemount®, Daniel®, Ovation™, and AMS™ Suite.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE:EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Emerson's sales in fiscal 2009 were $20.9 billion. The company is ranked 94th on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest companies. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.