MATHESON has launched its new Remote Operations Center (ROC) at its office location in Irving, Texas. The ROC enables central access for monitoring and/or controlling the company’s air separation units, hydrogen plants, and on-site/pipeline gas production plants.
The center is comprised of multiple workstation cells, with each workstation manned by a Remote Operations Technician. A single workstation cell with one Technician is capable of monitoring as many as seven plants simultaneously. According to MATHESON, the ROC is sized for twice the capacity of current operations, so plants that are mapped into MATHESON’s five and ten year plans will be accommodated easily before the ROC itself requires expansion.
Each Remote Operations Technician continuously reviews data graphs of product quality, production rates, purities, levels, and alarms. The technician can access process controllers and make adjustments, as well as being able to shut down systems completely. Additionally, each plant has as many as eighteen cameras located throughout the plant campus. The Remote Operations Technician can view all cameras in real time to assess plant conditions that may not yet be indicated by data or alarms.
“The bottom line,” according to Scott Harrison, Vice President ASU Operations, “is that all of our plants receive continuous production attention 24/7, which, quite simply is not feasible without a ROC. In addition, the local plant operations teams are able to focus on equipment startups, physical inspections, maintenance, and other duties that fall outside of routine plant operation. Improved quality, safety, and efficiency are the result.”
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