Hindustan Petroleum deploys wireless network for mobile workers

Honeywell Process Solutions’ Mobile Stations implemented at its new fluid catalytic cracking unit, help reduce commissioning time.

June 14, 2011

Honeywell Process Solutions has announced that Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has implemented its Mobile Stations in the Mumbai refinery as part of the $200 million new fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU). Honeywell says these stations increase productivity and reduce operating costs of standard communication infrastructure by expediting the commissioning of different systems and subsystems.

HPCL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenues in excess of $25 billion. The company operates two major refineries in India which produce a wide variety of petroleum fuels with a combined annual output of 14.8 million metric tons.

Previously, HPCL experienced delays in commissioning activity associated with the use of handheld transceivers to communicate with the control room for operations such as transmitter testing, control valve stroke checking, loop checking, determining run indication status, and mapping third party devices with DCS over Modbus. Following the deployment of Honeywell’s Wireless Mobile Operator technology, HPCL was able to expedite the schedule thereby saving approximately $333,000 per day, and improving productivity by 20% during the commissioning phase. The company has also enjoyed increased acceptance of more field-related applications using the same wireless network.

“Effective communications are essential in helping to minimize the commissioning delays and in turn reduce operating costs in our plants,” said a senior representative at the HPCL Mahul Refinery. “Our longstanding relationship with Honeywell made the company a natural choice for this project, and the substantial cost reductions achieved to date have shown that they were the correct choice.”

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– Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander@cfemedia.com, Control Engineering, Home