CG1307-Emerson-Cartagena2
CG1307-Emerson-Cartagena2
CG1307-Emerson-Cartagena2
CG1307-Emerson-Cartagena2
CG1307-Emerson-Cartagena2

Emerson Process Management Upgradeds Control Systems at the EnergyWorks Cartagena

July 22, 2013
Emerson Process Management uses Ovation expert control system to upgraded the control systems at the EnergyWorks Cartagena power plant in Spain

Emerson Process Management has upgraded the control systems at the EnergyWorks Cartagena combined heat and power (CHP) power plant in Spain, with the latest version of its Ovation expert control system. In order to maximize plant availability and prevent interruption to the supply of steam to the neighboring polycarbonate production site, the migration project was carefully managed to ensure completion during a 10-day scheduled outage. Since project completion in February 2012, reliability and efficiency has improved and faster system response has enabled the plant to react more quickly to changes in demand.

EnergyWorks Cartagena power plant is fired by natural gas. The 95-megawatt, combined-cycle cogeneration facility, supplies process steam and power to the local plastics factory. The existing control systems needed to be upgraded to improve plant responsiveness, extend the life of the plant and maximize production efficiencies.

Following an upgrade of the control systems at the EnergyWorks Cartagena power plant in Spain, reliability and efficiency has improved and the plant is able to respond more quickly to changes in customer demand. Photo Credit: EnergyWorks Cartagena

"We needed to use this opportunity to upgrade our systems to enable the plant to continue to provide efficient production. However, this had to be balanced against our obligation to maintain the supply of steam to our customer," said Carlos González Costea, plant manager at EnergyWorks Cartagena. "Emerson not only had the right technologies, but also a service team that could demonstrate its experience with similar projects to ensure that our upgrade was completed on schedule."

As part of the project, Emerson supplied four pairs of redundant Ovation controllers, installed the operating software and implemented the changeover during a 10-day planned shutdown of the plant. The upgrade was scheduled in two phases to minimize revenue lost due to the power station being off-line, and ensure a continuous supply of steam to the plastics factory. Emerson completed the transfer of the existing control logic to the new Ovation controllers well in advance of the shutdown to minimize the time required for on-site implementation.

The SABIC polycarbonate manufacturing plant (pictured) is supplied with steam from the neighboring EnergyWorks Cartagena power plant. Photo Credit: EnergyWorks Cartagena

EnergyWorks Cartagena was keen to capitalize on the flexibility and adaptability of the Ovation control system, which is designed to easily incorporate the latest developments in communications, data processing and advanced applications.

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