One of the cornerstone responsibilities of the Emerson Global Users Exchange Board of Directors is to review hundreds of proposed conference session abstracts, coach potential presenters, and select just 20 Best in Conference Award nominees from among the more than 400 conferences sessions, workshops and short courses held this year.
"During this past July, the board spent countless hours reviewing PowerPoint presentations, getting information back to presenters about improving their submissions, and choosing the nominees for the Best in Conference Awards," said Joel Holmes, vice chair of the Board of Directors.
The five winners of the 2017 Best in Conference Awards were honored during an awards luncheon on the fourth day of the Emerson Exchange in Minneapolis. The five winners--each in one of the five conference tracks—were congratulated by Emerson’s Dave Imming, executive sponsor of Emerson Exchange, and 3M’s Rob Sentz, 2017 event chairman.
Solve & Support
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Shire asked “Where is the break even point for integrated solutions like the VRTX versus a SAN and servers?” and “Who owns the shared networks?” The company managed unknowns with thorough preparation build plans early in the process. For instance, by properly gauging the difficulty of redesign, it saved more than $150,000 using VLANs, which couldn't be justified in a critical system without skilled 24-hour IT support.
The results of Shire Covington's planning and implementation over two years was its deployment of a particularly large project with no scheduling delays or scope changes. Any scheduling gains were rolled into other areas, allowing more flexible staffing and support. Feliciano reported there were immediate dollar savings in reduced cable runs and avoiding panel redesigns due to early design choices.
Measure & Analyze
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Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) needed to remotely monitor head pressure of 70,000-barrel oil tanks at a South Texas midstream facility. They implemented Rosemount wireless pressure gauges in a quick, cost-effective installation with no disruption to operations. Eliminating traditional, wired installation methods and wiring costs saved $60,000 and 320 hours of labor.
Wireless pressure monitoring and automated shut-downs are allowing APC to prevent pump damage and extend pump life with predictive maintenance. This solution increased Anadarko's operator availability by 360 hours per year. Pump maintenance cost of $7,000 per failure will be eliminated and pump life extended by a preventive maintenance schedule and automated shutdowns.
Operate & Manage
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Evonik’s corporate IIoT initiatives included an effort to centralize resources in Mobile, Ala., but what started as a small energy monitoring system quickly grew to offer a host of services for the region. Plantweb greatly simplified the IIoT implementation. Evonik leveraged infrastructure investments in DeltaV, IP21, Predix, Survalent and CMMS.
WirelessHART transmitters enabled visibility into essential asset operation. Plantweb Insight was used to analyze and monitor steam traps and pumps, while AMS ARES monitored vibration. Essential assets at Evonik were repaired and optimized as a result of the new IIoT infrastructure. There are also improvements in multi-site collaboration and visibility, as well as how KPIs are tracked.
Final Control & Regulate
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FortisBC needed to build a below-grade, compact, safe, tamper-resistant, pressure-control gas distribution station at its Rosedale facility to assist its network serving British Columbia, Canada. Using Emerson's Fisher FL regulators, FortisBC created a safe, reliable, high performing station that includes the regulator’s no-bleed and noise-abating technologies for a complete, low-impact design for urban areas.
Fisher FL regulators with SRII noise-abating trim were used in a parallel main/monitor configuration for over-pressure protection. A PRX no-bleed piloting system in a control box allows above-grade avoids confined-space entries for employee safety. These devices have improved, two-path performance, extra capacity, safety and reliability.
Business Management & Career Development
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Smith showed how Emerson uses simple tools to maintain audience engagement during its online presentations. Good design and execution transforms drab disengaging virtual events into dynamic, interesting, mind-changing experiences leaving audiences asking for more.
