Emerson to automate major pharma facility in China

London - Shanghai CP Guojian Pharmaceutical Co. is to employ Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture to digitally automate its new API production suite, which will have the largest mammalian cell-culture system in Asia. The facility in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park is due to start producing the first monoclonal antibody drugs in China this August.

Engineering procurement contractor M+W Zander of Shanghai selected Emerson to design the plant’s automation system, which will link the vendor's PlantWeb architecture with Foundation fieldbus instrumentation for networking intelligent process instrumentation. The system will use Emerson's DeltaV digital automation system to also integrate variable frequency drives using DeviceNet, and all On/Off valves using AS-i bus.

According to Emerson, integration with the DeltaV systems speeds installation and commissioning for fast start-up which is key for biopharmaceutical plants, and also includes DeltaV Batch software for process optimisation and streamlined compliance. The fieldbus technology will be applied to all process control valves and many of the plant’s 2000 analogue input/output control signals.

Emerson is also supplying its AMS Suite software that communicates with smart field devices for efficient commissioning as well as supporting predictive maintenance applications.  Instrumentation, meanwhile, will include Emerson’s Rosemount temperature transmitters, pressure transmitters, and flow meters as well as Fisher control valves with Fieldvue digital valve controllers in key locations throughout the process.