Work Clearence Management for the Mechanical Insulation Process
In the process industry it often happens that plants or plant components have to be taken out of operation - i.e. isolated - in order to be able to carry out a maintenance measure. This is particularly necessary in the event of an inspection shutdown. Among other things, it must be guaranteed that the pipelines do not allow any inflow or outflow to the plants. In order to ensure this, so-called blanking disks are used, which can vary in diameter and thickness depending on the pipeline.
In the event of a plant shutdown, operators can use up to several hundred blanking plates. Multiple uses are possible. For their own safety and the protection of the plant, the maintenance personnel require an absolutely reliable and clear management tool in which the exact switching status of each separation can be tracked promptly. Forgetting a shut-off can lead to life-threatening situations.
This is particularly important for securing positions that are used for several measures. Can the blank be pulled out already? Or is it still needed by someone? Was the correct size and width selected when setting a blanking disk in order to prevent flammable substances from escaping? In order not to lose track of every existing or missing energy separation, clavis has implemented a sophisticated status logic that analyses existing dependencies and uses optical warning signals to prevent life-threatening mistakes from being made. For each safety position, both setting and pulling are carried out according to the four-eyes principle: one employee carries out the work, a second inspects and then gives the corresponding signal after positive notification.
Since the plants in the process industry can be very large, the distance from the plant to the control station or measuring stand can be very long under certain circumstances. And a smartphone must not be used here in explosion-protected plant areas. In order to accelerate the process of work clearance management, it is supported by mobile terminals (MDE). The results of Work Clearance Management are transferred to the SAP system in real time via ex-protected scanners and are immediately visible for the employees of the control center. This time saving can be an enormous advantage in an inspection standstill, when a large number of cut-off wheels have to be set and checked. The shorter the turnaround and thus the downtime, the sooner the system can be restarted and production resumed. If this process of work clearance management is mapped via mobile scanners (RFID or barcode) and an SAP system in the backend and the required master data, such as pipeline databases, energy separation lists, blank positions, etc., exist in the SAP system, the entire process can be managed faster, more transparently and more securely.
clavis implemented the mobile activation management at a German refinery as a mobile online/offline application using Syclo Agentry with connection to an SAP system. Ex-protected RFID and barcode scanners from Ecom are used.
This is particularly important for securing positions that are used for several measures. Can the blank be pulled out already? Or is it still needed by someone? Was the correct size and width selected when setting a blanking disk in order to prevent flammable substances from escaping?
In order not to lose track of every existing or missing energy separation, clavis has implemented a sophisticated status logic that analyses existing dependencies and uses optical warning signals to prevent life-threatening mistakes from being made. For each safety position, both setting and pulling are carried out according to the four-eyes principle: one employee carries out the work, a second inspects and then gives the corresponding signal after positive notification.
Since the plants in the process industry can be very large, the distance from the plant to the control station or measuring stand can be very long under certain circumstances. And a smartphone must not be used here in explosion-protected plant areas. In order to accelerate the process of work clearance management, it is supported by mobile terminals (MDE). The results of Work Clearance Management are transferred to the SAP system in real time via ex-protected scanners and are immediately visible for the employees of the control center.
This time saving can be an enormous advantage in an inspection standstill, when a large number of cut-off wheels have to be set and checked. The shorter the turnaround and thus the downtime, the sooner the system can be restarted and production resumed.
If this process of work clearance management is mapped via mobile scanners (RFID or barcode) and an SAP system in the backend and the required master data, such as pipeline databases, energy separation lists, blank positions, etc., exist in the SAP system, the entire process can be managed faster, more transparently and more securely.