(61c) What Is in a 4.0 Chemical Plant Today?

A vision is needed when you want to drive transformation. As chemical engineers we need to agree to a common and understandable way of being digital professionals. A simple bullet-point approach can be utilized to confirm stakeholder buy-in. Items relevant for our organizations, such as a lower frontline worker quantity, a lower carbon sustainability footprint, a faster learning curve in operations and maintenance, a definition for software-based automation, an acceptance of cloud devices as standard network devices, a cybersecurity strategy that supports IT-OT collaboration, a preference for modular process unit practice in the place of stick-built plant are all worthwhile examples of what to check, verify and validate as early as possible in the lifecycle of a 4.0 chemical plant of today.

Based on the above, an example list of “wants” or “needs” could include:

• A digital twin native plant;
• Digital protocols such as PROFINET and MQTT;
• Compatibility with the Industrial Metaverse;
• Cybersecure & connected;
• Private 5G & Industrial Wi-Fi;
• AI and Edge,
• RTLS and AGVs/AMRs;
• Lights-out and autonomous when viable;
• Leveraging real-time optimization;
• Virtually commissioned;
• Lifecycle management for investment and obsolescence cycles;
• Evergreen management of change and data authoring;
• Virtual field training & virtual plant operator training;
• Predictive maintenance & operations intelligence;
• Module type packages and open process automation for PLC/DCS;
• Physics-based multi-scale simulation of chemical processes;
• IIoT app platform with no-code / low-code capabilities.

This session is aimed at young, mid-career, and experienced professionals. During this presentation you will gain insights on how to approach both internally and externally the topic of a 4.0 chemical plant of today and how to drive that vision through the value chain that is relevant to your organization so that your vision is enabled by suppliers, providers, procurement, management, technology vendors, OEM’s, EPC’s, R&D, operations and maintenance, engineering, and, in the end, yourself.