Integrating New Technology Solutions to Improve Plant Operations
Abstract
Continuing advancements in software and hardware technology are providing facilities the opportunity for improvements in the areas of safety, regulatory compliance, administrative control, data collection, and reporting. Implementing these changes to improve plant operating efficiency can also create many challenges which include but are not limited to: justifying cost, planning for scalability, implementing applications across varied platforms, integrating multitudes of proprietary vendor applications, and creating a common vision for diverse process improvement projects. The Defense Programs (DP) facility at the Savannah River Site meets these challenges on a daily basis. Like many other plants, DP, has room for improvement when it comes to effective and clear communication, data entry, data storage, and system integration. Specific examples of areas targeted for improvement include: shift turnover meetings using system status data one to two hours old, lockouts and alarm inhibits performed on points on the Distributed Control System (DCS) and tracked in a paper logbook, disconnected systems preventing preemptive correction of regulatory compliance issues, and countless examples of additional task and data duplication on independent systems. Investment of time, money, and careful planning addressing these issues are already providing returns in the form of increased efficiency, improved plant tracking and reduced costmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 828300
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-2004-00447
TRN: US200430%%2101
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-96SR18500
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ISA Expo 2004, Houston, TX (US), 10/05/2004--10/07/2004; Other Information: PBD: 29 Jun 2004; PBD: 29 Jun 2004
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; COMPLIANCE; CONTROL SYSTEMS; EFFICIENCY; IMPLEMENTATION; PLANNING; SAFETY; SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT; STORAGE; DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM (DCS); SOFTWARE; APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (API); RAPID APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT (RAD); VISUAL STUDIO .NET; DATA MODELING
Citation Formats
HEAVIN, ERIC. Integrating New Technology Solutions to Improve Plant Operations. United States: N. p., 2004.
Web.
HEAVIN, ERIC. Integrating New Technology Solutions to Improve Plant Operations. United States.
HEAVIN, ERIC. 2004.
"Integrating New Technology Solutions to Improve Plant Operations". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/828300.
@article{osti_828300,
title = {Integrating New Technology Solutions to Improve Plant Operations},
author = {HEAVIN, ERIC},
abstractNote = {Continuing advancements in software and hardware technology are providing facilities the opportunity for improvements in the areas of safety, regulatory compliance, administrative control, data collection, and reporting. Implementing these changes to improve plant operating efficiency can also create many challenges which include but are not limited to: justifying cost, planning for scalability, implementing applications across varied platforms, integrating multitudes of proprietary vendor applications, and creating a common vision for diverse process improvement projects. The Defense Programs (DP) facility at the Savannah River Site meets these challenges on a daily basis. Like many other plants, DP, has room for improvement when it comes to effective and clear communication, data entry, data storage, and system integration. Specific examples of areas targeted for improvement include: shift turnover meetings using system status data one to two hours old, lockouts and alarm inhibits performed on points on the Distributed Control System (DCS) and tracked in a paper logbook, disconnected systems preventing preemptive correction of regulatory compliance issues, and countless examples of additional task and data duplication on independent systems. Investment of time, money, and careful planning addressing these issues are already providing returns in the form of increased efficiency, improved plant tracking and reduced cost of implementing the next process improvement. Specific examples of improving plant operations through thoroughly planned Rapid Application Development of new applications are discussed. Integration of dissimilar and independent data sources (NovaTech D/3 DCS, SQL Server, Access, Filemaker Pro, etc.) is also explored. The tangible benefits of the implementation of the different programs to solve the operational problems previously described are analyzed in an in-depth and comparative manner.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/828300},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 29 00:00:00 EDT 2004},
month = {Tue Jun 29 00:00:00 EDT 2004}
}