Sibur, with the participation of Reksoft, launched a project to improve the work of operators

2024: Optimizing Operators

SIBUR, with the participation of Reksoft, launched a project to improve the operation of operators and the reliability of technological processes. This was announced by "Reksoft" on September 18, 2024.

The main goal of the project is to optimize the load on remote operators and improve their skills. The technological partner of the project was the multidisciplinary technological group Reksoft.

During process control, non-standard and abnormal situations can occur when the number of signals on operator screens becomes excessive. In such cases, it is difficult for operators to determine which signals are critical and which signals are secondary. This can lead to delays in response, malfunction of the equipment and a decrease in product quality. Solving this problem has become a key area of ​ ​ the project implemented at the SIBUR-Kstovo and Tomskneftekhim sites.

Modern production is saturated with control elements. The operators of our pyrolysis plant have to monitor hundreds of parameters at the same time. The workload is high even for employees with the most serious qualifications. Starting the project, we also thought about facilitating the work of operators, concentrating their attention on the most important indicators at the moment, and about solving the problem of personnel hunger for qualified personnel, which is relevant for all industrial enterprises. The first results in Kstovo and Tomsk showed the high efficiency of the approach, and we plan to further scale the project to other enterprises of the holding, said Dmitry Anashkin, Head of Digital Transformation of SIBUR Production and Technology.

To achieve the set goals, an analysis of existing automation systems was carried out and bottlenecks in technological processes were identified. Based on this data, they developed a personalized concept of the operator interface - Human Machine Interface (human-machine interface). At the next stage, signal suppression systems were developed and implemented and control circuits were modernized. Also, the design of changes in automation systems was carried out, which made it possible to optimize their work and lay the possibilities for further expansion of production.

During the development of the Alarm Management system, a single alarm base was created, as well as their rationalization and prioritization. The final stage was the implementation, including the supply and installation of equipment, the configuration and modernization of both existing and new systems, as well as the conduct of pilot operation.

All work on the project was carried out in accordance with international and national standards, such as ISA101, ISA 18.2 and GOST R IEC 62682-2019, which guaranteed high quality and safety of solutions.

Particular attention was paid to training operators so that they can effectively manage a large number of process units/units. The challenge was addressed with a comprehensive approach to learning practical skills and included in-depth training on specialist simulators.

The results of the project tests at the Sibur-Kstovo site showed a decrease in the number of alarms by more than 40%, a decrease in the number of manual effects of operators on equipment by more than 40%. In addition, the results will allow the company to reduce the composition of the change of remote operators by 1.5-2 times. The introduction of a new concept of process control allowed to preserve and increase the quality of production in the conditions of the current tough "personnel goal yes" of qualified operators, noted Dmitry Belyakov, Project Manager, SIBUR FEP Corporate Center.