ExperTune, the OPC Foundation and Oxford University in the U.K. have developed an enhancement to ExperTune's PlantTriage software package to allow users to improve performance throughout the enter enterprise in real-time--even companies that are struggling to extract essential data from older DCS systems.
A dashboard, available via a secure Web browser connection, allows users to view the performance of the entire organization, "drilling down" to any site, plant or unit operation.
"In boardrooms around the world, company owners and managers are seeking innovative ways to squeeze additional profits from the same plant assets..and now they can," said ExperTune CEO John Gerry. "The software enables users to subscribe to performance reports in PDF-formatted reports that supply only the information needed, when it's needed," he says, "and users can configure and subscribe to reports via their browser." says As a result, he says, users can develop reports containing any analysis for any portion of the operation over any time period, in minutes. "Users can also turn a plant off-scan, while leaving other plants inside the PlantTriage system on-scan, allowing for balanced load on DCS systems," Gerry says. This capability is critical for plants with older DCS systems whose communication loads are already high.
The enhancements were made possible by new signal-validation technology, developed by ExperTune with Oxford University, which ensures that results are useable all the time, the company says. Standard templates for flow, level, averaging level, gas and liquid pressure and temperature make it easier to install the system, the company says. The baseline of performance provides a benchmark that any plant can use to continuously improve performance. The new version includes a "super filter" feature that sets up performance data in Excel for improved analysis.
