BASF Fina facility plans for wireless
18 Jul 2011
BASF Fina Petrochemicals LP a joint venture between BASF and Total Petrochemicals USA Inc has established a wireless application plan at its Port Arthur, Texas, site, which houses one of the largest steam crackers in the world.
The wireless plan is based on an on-site survey, which included an RF spectrum analysis, various grid simulation output with signal power levels, and a technical evaluation of the site’s existing infrastructure and technology. These findings provided the basis for BASF Fina’s plan: outlining the implementation programme for its wireless network and applications, as well as scope for future expansions.
The company had previously decided to invest in a wireless application for mobile handheld devices to improve the management of the facility’s turnaround planning and scheduling. It also wanted a comprehensive wireless infrastructure to support future additional wireless applications for condition monitoring, security and productivity.
To achieve these objectives, the management team decided to conduct a wireless application site plan prior to the first phase of the project to implement 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, which involved four days of measurement and data gathering to determine the positioning 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 set-up 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.
