BASF FINA roadmaps wireless at petrochemicals site
16 May 2011
Mountain View, California – BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP has established a wireless application site plan at its facility in Port Arthur, Texas. It covers detailed implementation planning and maps out the most efficient and cost-effective paths for specific wireless applications at the facility.
The plan is based on an on-site survey by Apprion, which included comprehensive RF spectrum analysis, various grid simulation output with signal power levels and a technical evaluation of the site’s existing infrastructure and technology.
This evaluation provided the input for BASF FINA’s plan outlining the future expansion and implementation of the facility’s wireless network and applications.
The company had plans to implement a wireless application for mobile handheld devices to improve the management of the facility’s turnaround planning and scheduling. It also wanted to implement a comprehensive wireless infrastructure to support future additional wireless applications for condition monitoring, security and productivity.
The management team decided to conduct a wireless application site plan prior to the project’s phase 1 implementation of the infrastructure and mobility application.
“We wanted a full wireless application site plan across the entire facility to determine the most cost-effective and efficient implementation possible,” said James Skoruppa, senior I&E controls engineer at the Port Arthur facility.
“Plus, we did not want to create various individual, ’one-off’ systems - a common mistake when implementing new technology in a phased approach.”
The BASF FINA management team partnered with Apprion Services to conduct the survey that involved four days of measurement and data gathering to determine the placement of RF transceivers and network devices that would comprise a facility-wide wireless infrastructure.
An infrastructure of Apprion IONizer 802.11 industrial Wi-Fi access points and condition monitoring sensors were positioned at key locations throughout the plant in anticipation of the future facility-wide wireless infrastructure and applications.
The setup included backhaul for gate readers, condition monitoring, remote operator handheld devices, communications and video applications. Performance measurements including area coverage and network connectivity were performed within each zone of the plant.
