Whether you are just beginning your digital journey are well on your way with the end goal in mind the hardest part of transitioning is creating in ROI. This webinar will look at the value of the digitalization focusing on how you can turn your cost in two assets. Presentations include: David Yankovitz is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LP Accelerating business transformation through digital technologies Digital transformation is about implementing more and better technologies and involves aligning culture, people, structure, and tasks. The digital revolution could move companies toward new business models, driven by digital ecosystems that combine products and services, enabled by technology. A properly designed and optimally deployed data and digital strategy may represent one of the biggest-ever opportunities in the post–pandemic world, primarily when a clear business strategy drives it. Otto Ricci, Digital Portfolio and Change Management Lead, Braskem America Unlocking the real value from Digital Transformation. Many industrial companies are investing in Digital Transformation, however most of them are failing to experience the huge return on investment that technology can bring. We will explore the common mistakes that prevent companies from unlocking value and lose momentum on their Digital Programs.
Sponsored By:
David Yankovitz
Title: Principal
Company: Deloitte Consulting LLP
David Yankovitz is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LP and a Chemical practice leader with more than 25 years of experience developing strategies and innovations leading to the sustained growth and profitability of companies in the oil, gas, and chemicals sector. He is known for building relationships with CEOs and C-level executives at domestic and international companies, providing them with expansion strategies and cost-containment initiatives. Yankovitz’s wide breadth of experience encompasses business strategies, digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, manufacturing, customer experience, and business process reengineering.
Accelerating business transformation through digital technologies
Digital transformation is about implementing more and better technologies and involves aligning culture, people, structure, and tasks. The digital revolution could move companies toward new business models, driven by digital ecosystems that combine products and services, enabled by technology. A properly designed and optimally deployed data and digital strategy may represent one of the biggest-ever opportunities in the post–pandemic world, primarily when a clear business strategy drives it.
There remains immense, but relatively unexplored, potential for advanced data analytics and digital technologies. Deloitte believes there is great potential to create great impact in a few areas, including in user experience--designing and responding to customer interactions to meet or exceed customer expectations and thus increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy.
What the audience will learn:
• How a clear business strategy driving digital transformation is critical
• Why data analytics and digital tech are important to user experience
• How ecommerce can fit into the overall strategy
• How to evaluate key considerations and the value of an e-commerce system
Otto Ricci
Title: Digital Portfolio and Change Management Lead
Company: Braskem America
Otto is currently responsible to manage the Digital Transformation at Braskem as the head of Digital Portfolio, Product Management and Change Management teams. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has extensive experience +10 years in the industrial sector, in Strategy and Planning and Entrepreneurship. He is involved in Braskem’s Digital transformation from the very beginning when he joined the team to build and operate the Digital Center.
Unlocking the real value from Digital Transformation
Many industrial companies are investing in Digital Transformation, however most of them are failing to experience the huge return on investment that technology can bring. We will explore the common mistakes that prevent companies from unlocking value and lose momentum on their Digital Programs.
*How to implement a value driven culture and transformation program
*What pitfalls to avoid that will move you away from finding relevant ROI
*How to measure and communicate Value to approve funding, deliver value and guarantee return
Randy Mullinax
Title: General Manager - Performance & Reliability
Company: Southern Company
Randy Mullinax is responsible for the Southern Company retail M&D Center, remote operating center, equipment performance testing and maintenance strategy development for the generation fleet. He is currently leading the Performance and Reliability group’s effort focused on a digital maintenance program.
Randy brings with him extensive industry experience including contractor management and productivity. He also oversees the regional maintenance program. Randy spent 10 Years in the Foundry/Cast Metals industry and held various positions including Operations Manager, Production Manager, Technical Manager, and Plant Manager. After his career in the Foundry Industry, Randy spent the last 22 years in Power Generation. He has worked in multiple plants in the Southern Company System with various generating technologies. Randy has held many plant positions including Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager, Regional Planning Manager, and is currently the General Manager for Performance and Reliability.
Randy Mullinax is a Graduate of the University of Missouri Rolla (Missouri S&T) with a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also has a master’s degree in Business Management from Troy State University.
The ROI on Digital Maintenance
Southern Company has taken many opportunities to learn and grow by developing and working with software and technology providers to solve maintenance challenges. this presentation will highlight three case studies of different challenges that were solved by technology upgrades. Learning how Southern Company was able to turn challenges around Transformers turbines and PM reduction into value for their company.
Technologies that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) have been expanding rapidly within the power and chemical process industries. Deploying AI technologies carries potentially large benefits in identifying ways to optimize processes, but also carries risks associated with what data are used to “teach” the programs, and how the technology hones in on answers. This webinar is designed to show examples of areas where AI has proven itself to be vital in solving complex problems, such as in increasing safety and security. Join us for this webinar to learn more about these real-world examples. Canvas AI will present on - No-code AI for Predicting Product Impurities As demand for digital skills outstrips supply, chemical engineers can now take on the role of digital engineer with the rise of no-code Industrial AI platforms. Instead of relying on third party consultants or building up a data science team, no-code AI platforms put engineers in the driver’s seat to take charge of their data and extract the predictive insights that are valuable to them. This hands-on presentation will show how a chemical engineer without coding expertise can transform their data and build AI models to solve complex problems, such as predicting impurity in the product stream of a typical chemical refining process. Samsara will present on - AI-Powered Video to Advance Operations Samsara is the pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud, which allows chemical process industries and power generation facilities to harness IIoT data to improve operations. Site Visibility is Samsara’s AI-powered video management solution that brings powerful search, smart detections, and proactive alerts to IP security cameras. Samsara’s computer vision and machine learning capabilities allow our customers across industries like chemical manufacturing, processing, and distribution to streamline workflows, reduce downtime, and improve onsite safety and security. When there is a worksite incident, it’s important to move quickly and take action. With Site Visibility’s intelligent search capabilities, organizations can find incident footage in minutes and easily share with internal stakeholders or authorities. This time saved is critical in resolving safety or security incidents and has allowed one customer to decrease investigation time by 92%. Increased efficiency allows business leaders to make the most of their employees’ time and work experiences. One customer is alerted to unplanned machine downtime using inactivity alerts, performs remote labor studies to better understand bottlenecks, and compiles video footage for ongoing coaching, ultimately reducing downtime by 45% and improving profit margins by 8%. Site Visibility’s intelligent detections also surface instances of uniform or PPE non-compliance and alert on dangerous or unusual behavior in real-time. Site managers are immediately notified when a worker enters a restricted zone and if there’s unexpected after-hours activity to proactively address safety or security concerns. From monitoring physical locations through AI-powered security cameras to providing real-time data into vehicles on the road with Vehicle Telematics and AI-Dash Cameras to gaining visibility into industrial equipment, organizations are connecting their technology stack in Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud. With Samsara, industrial organizations gain better visibility into their supply chain in a centralized, cloud-based platform.
Sponsored By:
Maddy Hawkins
Title: VP of Partnerships at Canvass AI
Company: Canvass AI
As the VP of Partnerships at Canvass AI, Maddy works with industrial organizations, industry leaders, solution, and service providers across the globe to build a high performing ecosystem of partners. Prior to joining the Canvass team, she held various roles focused on building scalable revenue generating programs across marketing, business development, sales, operations, and partner management for Aquitas Solutions – a leading provider of IBM’s Maximo Enterprise Asset Management solution. Most recently, she led the Company’s go-to-market strategy, execution, and expansion of their award-winning Connected Maintenance portfolio.
Maddy has a passion for advising and enabling industrial organizations at every stage of the digital transformation journey. She is also a long-time supporter and active member of Women in Reliability and Asset Management (WIRAM).
No-code AI for Predicting Product Impurities
As demand for digital skills outstrips supply, chemical engineers can now take on the role of digital engineer with the rise of no-code Industrial AI platforms. Instead of relying on third party consultants or building up a data science team, no-code AI platforms put engineers in the driver’s seat to take charge of their data and extract the predictive insights that are valuable to them.
This hands-on presentation will show how a chemical engineer without coding expertise can transform their data and build AI models to solve complex problems, such as predicting impurity in the product stream of a typical chemical refining process.
Alexandra Adeli
Title: Senior Product Marketing Manager
Company: Samsara
Alexandra Adeli is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Samsara, the pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud. Samsara allows businesses and organizations that depend on physical or industrial operations to harness IoT data to develop actionable business insights and improve their operations.
AI-Powered Video to Advance Operations
Samsara is the pioneer of the Connected Operations Cloud, which allows chemical process industries and power generation facilities to harness IIoT data to improve operations. Site Visibility is Samsara’s AI-powered video management solution that brings powerful search, smart detections, and proactive alerts to IP security cameras.
Samsara’s computer vision and machine learning capabilities allow our customers across industries like chemical manufacturing, processing, and distribution to streamline workflows, reduce downtime, and improve onsite safety and security.
When there is a worksite incident, it’s important to move quickly and take action. With Site Visibility’s intelligent search capabilities, organizations can find incident footage in minutes and easily share with internal stakeholders or authorities. This time saved is critical in resolving safety or security incidents and has allowed one customer to decrease investigation time by 92%.
Increased efficiency allows business leaders to make the most of their employees’ time and work experiences. One customer is alerted to unplanned machine downtime using inactivity alerts, performs remote labor studies to better understand bottlenecks, and compiles video footage for ongoing coaching, ultimately reducing downtime by 45% and improving profit margins by 8%.
Site Visibility’s intelligent detections also surface instances of uniform or PPE non-compliance and alert on dangerous or unusual behavior in real-time. Site managers are immediately notified when a worker enters a restricted zone and if there’s unexpected after-hours activity to proactively address safety or security concerns.
From monitoring physical locations through AI-powered security cameras to providing real-time data into vehicles on the road with Vehicle Telematics and AI-Dash Cameras to gaining visibility into industrial equipment, organizations are connecting their technology stack in Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud. With Samsara, industrial organizations gain better visibility into their supply chain in a centralized, cloud-based platform.
7:30 AM - 6:30 PM: Registration Open 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Exhibitor Move in 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Conference Sessions 1:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Digital Arena Open 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Networking Reception Sponsored by GE Digital
Data governance — the process of managing the availability, usability, integrity, and security of data — is essential to modern digitalization efforts. However, relevant data-quality standards and policies haven’t yet been fully established. How do organizations truly avoid the data management mess?
Scott Drap
Title: Sales Director
Company: Quartic ai Inc
Bill Thackston
Title: Fellow Engineer
Company: Siemens Energy
Bill is an automation engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience in pulp and paper, industrial energy, pharma, and power generation. His professional interests include automation of engineering tasks, legacy system migration, alarm management, and novel solution development. When not at work, Bill enjoys reading, sudoku, and training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Education – BSME, MIT 1986
Data Science Micro Masters, UC Davis (ongoing)
Data, Technology, and Humans…weathering the Digital Storm
While events of the past two years have accelerated the move to digital platforms in unprecedented numbers, uniquely human challenges to organizations remain as common as ever. Legacy systems, reliance on manual tools, unquestioned precedent, and duplication of records and efforts all contribute to the challenges we face.
This short presentation will lay out essential guiding principles for creating systems that establish and maintain high data quality, provide good user experience, support existing practices, and deliver value. We will emphasize the importance of stakeholder inclusion and consider 3 key areas, what is currently in place (baseline and existing data), how can we deliver greater value (new data and analysis) and what is the future vision (automation, visibility, decision-making, etc.).
Digitalization is ultimately a human endeavor; tools alone cannot correct shortcomings of processes and information quality. Treating users as customers and partners will improve outcomes significantly. Further, there are many options for interfaces and solutions that do not require the typical data analyst or developer skill set, enabling direct participation in solution implementation by personnel with valuable subject matter expertise, from proof-of-concept through full implementation.
Sean Gregerson
Title: VP Asset Performance Mgmt
Company: AVEVA
Sean Gregerson is Director of Sales and Marketing for InStep Software and is responsible for the continued growth of their real-time performance management software suite of products. While in this role Gregerson has successfully led InStep into the emerging transmission and distribution enterprise data management and fleet wide online equipment health monitoring markets. Most recently Gregerson was awarded the 2008 Nuclear Top Industry Practice award for his role in Exelon Nuclear’s fleet wide deployment of online condition monitoring software.
Prior to InStep Software, he was a control system development engineer for a leading automation company. In this role Gregerson designed state-of-the-art hardware and software based servo motor, machine vision, and robotic control systems for many of the largest manufacturers in the world. Gregerson also held a sales management position where he was responsible for bringing several new technologies to market.
Gregerson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Bradley University.
Jonas Hellgren
Title: CEO
Company: APERIO Systems
Jonas Hellgren is CEO of Aperio Systems. Jonas has a computer science background with over 30 years of experience in software development. Aperio is the leader in industrial data integrity solutions. We help customers drive profitability and sustainability goals while mitigating risk in their industrial operations. Aperio AI automatically validates operational data at scale to improve data accuracy, security, and value, allowing for better, smarter business decisions based on real-time, trusted, superior data
Master Data Quality in Real Time
Companies are beginning to understand they must master data to drive performance improvement through digitalization projects. Without accurate, trusted data, any function that uses this data—from the control room to the board room—is worthless and any operational or business decisions based on this data is unreliable.
Two out of three respondents in a Pulse by Gartner survey believe Data Quality is their top pain point in driving data-centered initiatives. It rises to 100% for oil and gas executives. As more CEOs demand to know the asset health and reliability of the data upon which it is derived, the more obvious the difficulties are in achieving just that. An “IT project” that tracks, reports, and improves data quality across the enterprise would take too long to design and implement, and without something substantial, it's just too expensive to manually manage and sensitize millions of tags. An AI solution is required at this volume and intensity.
Enter APERIO. Powered by AI machine learning, APERIO automatically validates operational data at scale to improve data accuracy, security, and value, allowing for better, smarter business decisions based on real-time, trusted, superior data.
In this session, we will share several customer stories, but the most insightful is one which manages data health by monitoring 1,500 sensors at 1,300 sites. APERIO was able to demonstrate the value of doing so in real time and without additional resources. This digital data team could successfully inform executives of asset health trends over time, provide advance notice of failure for maintenance in real time, and eliminate the time and cost of waiting for analysts to inform operations when bad tags exist.
[Could fit in Digitalization tools, Emerging technologies, Workforce, or Reliability.]
Tim Michaelson
Title: Principal Data Scientist
Company: International Paper
Master Data Quality in Real Time
Companies are beginning to understand they must master data to drive performance improvement through digitalization projects. Without accurate, trusted data, any function that uses this data—from the control room to the board room—is worthless and any operational or business decisions based on this data is unreliable.
Two out of three respondents in a Pulse by Gartner survey believe Data Quality is their top pain point in driving data-centered initiatives. It rises to 100% for oil and gas executives. As more CEOs demand to know the asset health and reliability of the data upon which it is derived, the more obvious the difficulties are in achieving just that. An “IT project” that tracks, reports, and improves data quality across the enterprise would take too long to design and implement, and without something substantial, it's just too expensive to manually manage and sensitize millions of tags. An AI solution is required at this volume and intensity.
Enter APERIO. Powered by AI machine learning, APERIO automatically validates operational data at scale to improve data accuracy, security, and value, allowing for better, smarter business decisions based on real-time, trusted, superior data.
In this session, we will share several customer stories, but the most insightful is one which manages data health by monitoring 1,500 sensors at 1,300 sites. APERIO was able to demonstrate the value of doing so in real time and without additional resources. This digital data team could successfully inform executives of asset health trends over time, provide advance notice of failure for maintenance in real time, and eliminate the time and cost of waiting for analysts to inform operations when bad tags exist.
[Could fit in Digitalization tools, Emerging technologies, Workforce, or Reliability.]
Allen Turner
Title: Innovative Solutions SME
Company: International Paper
Master Data Quality in Real Time
Richard Smith
Title: Manufacturing Process Information Manager
Company: International Paper
Rick Smith is a Chemical Engineer with 38 years of paper industry experience. His career has always been focused around process control, process data and mill information systems. His focus has long been to get the data to the decision makers to improve product quality and company profitability. Rick spent a lot of time in the past ten years educating new hires on methods for retrieving and cleaning process data to solve day-to-day problems.
Master Data Quality in Real Time
Companies are beginning to understand they must master data to drive performance improvement through digitalization projects. Without accurate, trusted data, any function that uses this data—from the control room to the board room—is worthless and any operational or business decisions based on this data is unreliable.
Two out of three respondents in a Pulse by Gartner survey believe Data Quality is their top pain point in driving data-centered initiatives. It rises to 100% for oil and gas executives. As more CEOs demand to know the asset health and reliability of the data upon which it is derived, the more obvious the difficulties are in achieving just that. An “IT project” that tracks, reports, and improves data quality across the enterprise would take too long to design and implement, and without something substantial, it's just too expensive to manually manage and sensitize millions of tags. An AI solution is required at this volume and intensity.
Enter APERIO. Powered by AI machine learning, APERIO automatically validates operational data at scale to improve data accuracy, security, and value, allowing for better, smarter business decisions based on real-time, trusted, superior data.
In this session, we will share several customer stories, but the most insightful is one which manages data health by monitoring 1,500 sensors at 1,300 sites. APERIO was able to demonstrate the value of doing so in real time and without additional resources. This digital data team could successfully inform executives of asset health trends over time, provide advance notice of failure for maintenance in real time, and eliminate the time and cost of waiting for analysts to inform operations when bad tags exist.
[Could fit in Digitalization tools, Emerging technologies, Workforce, or Reliability.]
Whether you're just getting started or you're already on your way, it never hurts to get a refresher course. In this session, you'll hear from industry leaders who will explain important terminology, illustrate real-world use cases, walk you through initial conversations regarding the value of digitalization.
Markus Larsson
Title: General Manager
Company: Novity
THAIS HELENA SAATKAMP
Title: Process Engineer
Company: Braskem S.A.
Chemical Engineer with focus on Petrochemical, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
More than 10 years working in Production and Process Engineering Petrochemicals Plants.
DATA ANALYTICS APPLIED TO BRASKEM’S FURNACES REDUCING ENERGY AND CO2 EMISSIONS
Braskem has adopted a commitment to apply state-of-the-art digital technologies to develop strategic portions of our business, leverage our performance and reshape the way we work. In this way, it was identified the opportunity to use a data analytics market tool to model the Pyrolysis Furnaces for all Braskem units to monitor and to provide insights about how to work them in a best point of operation, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
To develop the work it was necessary a multidisciplinary team (process, production, maintenance, automation, digital and continuous improvement team) working together in agile mode. The first MVP was developed in one plant to test the solution. After MVP validation it was planned and started the rollout for all Braskem Pyrolysis Furnaces (Brazil and México plants). Considering that the tool is a user friendly, it was possible to identify a good engagement of the engineers involved.
The initiative idea was to incorporate a multivariable predictive modeling using data analytics for each furnace. The models was built based on some years of historical data, which identifies variables with the greatest impact on energy consumption, it was possible too, to identify which variables were responsible for the deviation of energy consumption in relation to the original model. The MVP was concluded after 6 month and then it was decided to address this digital application to other similar regions.
The results of the tool use was to helps Engineers to identify the process operations variables that need to be adjusted in order to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission. In this application, Braskem achieved savings with improvements in the energy efficiency and had a great CO2 emissions reduction with low investments.
Thomas Sambor
Title: Principal Technical Leader
Company: EPRI
Tom Sambor is a Principal Technical Leader at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He leads EPRI’s Power Plant Piping program (P215), and supports the Heat Recovery Steam Generator program (P218). Prior to joining EPRI, Sambor worked for Structural Integrity Associates in its analytical services group. He evaluated the role of damage mechanisms (such as creep and fatigue) in decreasing the remaining life of components and/or systems through the use of various analytical methods, including finite element analysis (FEA). Additionally, Sambor assisted dozens of plants with the development of their high-energy piping (HEP) or covered piping system (CPS) programs. Prior to working at Structural Integrity Associates, Sambor was worked for ALSTOM Power (now GE Power) in the mechanical integrity group, where he analyzed HRSG component designs to ensure that their intended lifetimes were met. In addition to analytical work, Sambor has practical field experience, particularly in the area of HEP or CPS field non-destructive examination (NDE). Sambor graduated from Western New England University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Sambor attained a Master of Engineering degree from Purdue University in 2016.
Creep and Fatigue Online Damage Trending of Critical HRSG Components
As power generating assets are called upon to operate more flexibly, estimating system and component life consumption becomes more complex because of fluctuations of key variables during operation. That is, off-line lifetime estimates based on “typical” or “representative” operating conditions may not be relevant to the actual operating history. Further, there is an increased need to evaluate component life consumption in “real-time”, so that the effect of various modes of operation (e.g. full load, part load) and transients (e.g. startup, shutdown) can be evaluated.
Fortunately, many power generating stations have implemented a data historian to store key operating parameters. The rich information in such data historians can, theoretically, be mined to estimate life consumption. However, it is time consuming for an engineer to download, sort, and analyze the data. Hence an automated methodology for data analysis and life consumption calculation is needed. There are several third party software applications that automate this analysis by downloading data from the historian, performing analysis, and then uploading the results for review by plant staff. However, these applications are often not seamless in data transfer, and cyber security concerns arise over interfacing of external applications.
To overcome some of these challenges, many of the major data historian software companies (such as OSIsoft®) have introduced multiple capabilities, for example PI Asset Framework (PI AF), which allows the functionality of the data historian to be expanded to perform complex mathematical calculations without the need to transfer (export/import) data. This provides the opportunity to automate life consumption calculations in a secure environment familiar to plant engineers. Said life consumption calculations permit damage trending to be performed, which enables plants to efficiently allocate resources to the components that have the greatest need.
Ian Perrin
Title: President
Company: Triaxis Power Consulting, LLC
Dr. Perrin has over twenty-five years of problem solving and technical consulting experience within the power generation industry. He has knowledge of a variety of plant systems including: gas turbines, steam turbines, heat recovery steam generators, boilers, heat exchangers and balance of plant equipment. Dr. Perrin has extensive expertise in material damage mechanisms, material modeling, non-linear solid mechanics, and component life assessment. With a passion for providing accurate, practical, and dependable advice, Dr. Perrin leads complex multidisciplinary failure investigations, advises on component serviceability, contributes to research organizations such as EPRI, and works with industry bodies such as ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes and Standards.
Creep and Fatigue Online Damage Trending of Critical HRSG Components
As power generating assets are called upon to operate more flexibly, estimating system and component life consumption becomes more complex because of fluctuations of key variables during operation. That is, off-line lifetime estimates based on “typical” or “representative” operating conditions may not be relevant to the actual operating history. Further, there is an increased need to evaluate component life consumption in “real-time”, so that the effect of various modes of operation (e.g. full load, part load) and transients (e.g. startup, shutdown) can be evaluated.
Fortunately, many power generating stations have implemented a data historian to store key operating parameters. The rich information in such data historians can, theoretically, be mined to estimate life consumption. However, it is time consuming for an engineer to download, sort, and analyze the data. Hence an automated methodology for data analysis and life consumption calculation is needed. There are several third party software applications that automate this analysis by downloading data from the historian, performing analysis, and then uploading the results for review by plant staff. However, these applications are often not seamless in data transfer, and cyber security concerns arise over interfacing of external applications.
To overcome some of these challenges, many of the major data historian software companies (such as OSIsoft®) have introduced multiple capabilities, for example PI Asset Framework (PI AF), which allows the functionality of the data historian to be expanded to perform complex mathematical calculations without the need to transfer (export/import) data. This provides the opportunity to automate life consumption calculations in a secure environment familiar to plant engineers. Said life consumption calculations permit damage trending to be performed, which enables plants to efficiently allocate resources to the components that have the greatest need.
Samuel Gauspohl
Title: Mechanical Reliability Engineer –
Company: Lotte Chemical Corporation
A new Generation of Asset Integrity Management
While operating facilities accelerate digital transformation initiatives, focus remains on driving efficiency to stay profitable and competitive amidst complex challenges and eroded margins associated to a post pandemic environment. Meanwhile, the energy transition is continuing to accelerate as the world responds to increasing challenges and disruptive technologies. The need for efficient, data-driven, and environmentally responsible facilities is growing, increasing the pressure on the chemicals and power industries to transform how they design, build, and operate new and existing plants. Owner Operators now need to build clear strategies, powered by digital twins in the cloud, to empower the connected worker to drive sustainable outcomes and increase efficiency and operational agility by connecting data, people, and processes. This presentation explores why a market that is more open to change than ever before is looking to drive resilience and embracing the operating facility of the future. It explores new generation of Asset Integrity Management integrated to legacy systems, data historians.
Floyd Baker
Title: Vice President
Company: Antea USA
Floyd Baker is the Vice President for Antea USA. With over 39 years of experience, Floyd provides valuable insight and perspective on digital transformation and the industrial internet of things (IIoT). He is an asset integrity and digital strategies advisor in global communities. He is a revered global keynote speaker on topics of asset integrity management (AIM), risk based inspection (RBI), digital twin, IIoT, and digitalization.
Prior to joining Antea, Floyd served at senior levels for end users of AIM platforms. He has also served about half of his career at executive levels as a strategist/technology driver at companies providing AIM/RBI/Technology services. His background and education are focused on emerging technologies in inspection, mechanical engineering, and materials science.
A new Generation of Asset Integrity Management
While operating facilities accelerate digital transformation initiatives, focus remains on driving efficiency to stay profitable and competitive amidst complex challenges and eroded margins associated to a post pandemic environment. Meanwhile, the energy transition is continuing to accelerate as the world responds to increasing challenges and disruptive technologies. The need for efficient, data-driven, and environmentally responsible facilities is growing, increasing the pressure on the chemicals and power industries to transform how they design, build, and operate new and existing plants. Owner Operators now need to build clear strategies, powered by digital twins in the cloud, to empower the connected worker to drive sustainable outcomes and increase efficiency and operational agility by connecting data, people, and processes. This presentation explores why a market that is more open to change than ever before is looking to drive resilience and embracing the operating facility of the future. It explores new generation of Asset Integrity Management integrated to legacy systems, data historians.
Rick Wheeler
Title: Executive Director
Company: Life Cycle Engineering Inc.
Rick Wheeler is the Executive Director of Asset Management with Life Cycle Engineering (LCE). He has a broad range of experience in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and nuclear industries.
Rick is responsible for deploying new products and services to support asset management systems based on the ISO 55000 body of knowledge. Rick is a member of USTAG 251, which is responsible for the update and improvement of the ISO 55000 standards and of the GFMAM P-20 work team updating the Maintenance Framework document. Rick partners with the business development team to diagnose client opportunities and develop the optimal solution. He also provides guidance and support for the asset management reliability engineering community of practice.
Prior to joining LCE, Rick managed engineering, maintenance, and automation for Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly and Company. He also held a variety of roles with Pfizer where he served as Reliability Engineer, Maintenance Manager, and later the Director of Engineering and Maintenance.
Rick is a Six Sigma Green Belt and graduate of Kennedy Western University. He is also a Certified Reliability Leader (CRL) and is certified in Prosci’s Change Management methodology.
Building the launch pad for your Industry 4.0 rocket
Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and smart manufacturing promise significant benefits, and there’s tremendous pressure to implement new technologies in order to remain competitive. If the promised benefits are so strong, what obstacles are preventing us from getting started?
This presentation will describe the common obstacles, Outline methods to address and overcome those obstacles. And outline the 7 steps/stages to build a solid foundation from which to launch the Industry 4.0 rocket ship.
“Connected Workforce” has become the newest buzzword at the forefront of modern-day industry challenges. Transitioning to digitalized processes entity-wide may be no different. As new technologies are adopted, employee skills and flexibility will be key to enabling new approaches and processes, and utilizing new data. Digitalization is an opportunity for fundamental change in plant management and execution. Digital tools connect workers, teams, and workforces, streamline collaborative work processes and dramatically improve quality and real-time communication. Digitally connected workforces are able to move faster, react quicker to change, and generate the real-time data that supports innovation in any organization.
Daniel Goulet
Title: President, North America
Company: Mobideo Technologies
Daniel is a turnaround expert, having held a series of roles in turnarounds over the last 10 years and managed large teams of engineers located in different facilities. As President, North America at Mobideo, he shares his turnaround knowledge, insights, expertise and understanding with customers, enabling them to appreciate how digitalization and automation can fundamentally change STO management and contribute to standardization of the STO market.
Dave Maher
Title: SVP, Capital & Turnarounds
Company: Delek US
Dave Maher, VP Refining and previously Refinery Operations Manager at Delek US, considers turnarounds to be the most challenging events to be performed in any facility. Fully aware that the amount of complexity involved cannot be effectively coordinated with traditional means, he has found that the incorporation of Mobideo has helped tremendously and had a markedly calming effect on turnaround execution.
Can digitalization tools really transform plant efficiency and worker performanc
Title: Can digitalization tools really transform plant efficiency and worker performance? Learn from the experts.
Is digitalization inevitable? Many claim that digitalization tools offer some key transformational outcomes that improve manageability, performance, and efficiency. In this case study presentation – with a distinguished panel of digitalization evangelists – we will be discussing actual experiences with digital tools from the field, including:
1. Increasing performance and efficiency by utilizing technology to automate repetitive, low-value tasks, freeing workers for more important tasks, and allowing them to do what they're best at - being intuitive and utilizing their experience.
2. Predicting and managing inevitable change through automatic collection, organization, and analysis of data and ensuring control of all events at all times.
3. Using scenario modeling, milestone tracking, and readiness dashboards to validate progress and manage preparedness against key criteria, thereby increasing manageability during execution.
4. Integrating with existing data systems for objective readiness assessments during planning, and achieving a single system of record for unified and more efficient management during work execution.
5. Implementing standardization across the board - in SOPs, checklists, workflows, dashboards, BI reports, and KPIs - to support best practice and promote continuous learning, adaptation, and improvement.
You will gain an understanding of how digitalization is an opportunity for fundamental change in plant management and execution. How digital tools connect workers, teams, and workforces, streamline collaborative work processes and dramatically improve quality and real-time communication. And you will understand how digitally-connected workforces are able to move faster, react quicker to change, and generate the real-time data that supports innovation in any organization.
Susan Peterson Sturm
Title: VP for Security
Company: Cognite
Susan Peterson Sturm is a transformational Operational Technology leader with 20 years of experience in profitably scaling innovative software-based businesses, including automation, IIOT and cyber security. Susan has a proven track record of growing and structuring early stage, profitable digital software driven P&Ls in excess of $150M. She specializes in change management, product management, M&A and strategic alliances. Susan is Cognite’s Americas Vice President for Security and serves as a Board Member to Innosphere Ventures and One Warm Coat.
An Evolved Blueprint for The Digitally-Equipped Workforce
Subtitle: How to Structure Digital Skill Sets and Foster Collaboration From Desk to Field
Digitization has fully arrived in utility operations, bringing with it tremendous opportunity for improving reliability and efficiency- but at the cost of learning and adapting to new ways of work. Here, the transition has been far from straightforward given many competing organizational priorities, internal friction between IT/OT, and an emerging skills and competencies gap. Without addressing core pillars of how work must change, investment in digital technologies will continue to fall short of the expected step-function in value.
In this session, Cognite will propose an evolved model for how utilities can organize around a data-first strategy and leverage a shared, single source of truth to drive sustainable improvement in ways of work both in and out of the field. We’ll discuss lessons learned on how to structure your data organization from a leadership and role perspective, model the impact on how departments and responsibilities would change, and then suggest methods for measuring existing digital maturity to characterize how and where to get started.
Suzimara Silva
Title: Change Management Expert
Company: Braskem S.A.
Suzi Silva is Psychologist from São Francisco University with an MBA in Training and Strategic Development of People. She joined Braskem in 2018, to build the Change Management strategy and method for the initiatives. Suzi has previous experience in Human Resources as Business Partner, and uncovered in Change Management the opportunity of helping and supporting people to improve their lives and the way they work. With this purpose, Suzi seeks to support the Digital Transformation in Braskem, in order to occurs in a sustainable way, placing people at the center and disseminating how change management can be simple and organic. Something that everyone has done at least once in their lives.
The power of Change Management to boost new technology adoption in the industry
As part of an organization tasked with the digital transformation of Braskem, a chemical company, our job is to innovate by designing new digital products, services, and capabilities to help make people's lives better. Early on, we learned our most significant challenge lies in compelling our colleagues to embrace an innovative mindset. Something we can 100% accomplish without ever compromising safety matters.
Those familiar with the process used by innovators everywhere know it. Every new tool's design is centered on deeply understanding the problem you are trying to solve and the users who will benefit from your solution. Yet, we discovered people leading the design of new solutions often failed to understand — and communicate — those benefits to users. Another common pitfall was failing to onboard users on the new tool and clearly state what they should do differently. That terribly hurt adoption rates, which ultimately means having to either fix or scrap another failed solution.
If that sounded familiar to you, we might be able to help you boost the adoption rate of new technology. Our presentation will showcase SPEAR, an agile and collaborative Change Management Framework we developed here at Braskem. We use it to manage the changes generated by new digital products, services, and capabilities with a laser focus on the user and user adoption.
After testing and iterating for three years, we have used SPEAR to drive user adoption of dozens of new digital products. Now, you can learn from our experience. We will walk you through each step of the SPEAR method — Stakeholders, Purpose, Engagement, Achievement, and Retrospective — and equip you to better manage change in your organization by systematically listening and engaging people behind a common purpose.
Let's make those users happy and boost the rate of new technology adoption in the chemical industry! We hope to see you there.
Jim Flynn
Title: Construction and Turnaround Manager
Company: Invista
to come
In every corner of every plant and business decisions are being made based on knowledge and experience. Every decision generates data that can be used to make better decisions, choices, changes in the process. In this session you will learn about the importance of data collection, utilization, and learn from others how to avoid common mistakes.
Otto Ricci
Title: Digital Portfolio and Change Management Lead
Company: Braskem America
Otto is currently responsible to manage the Digital Transformation at Braskem as the head of Digital Portfolio, Product Management and Change Management teams. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and has extensive experience +10 years in the industrial sector, in Strategy and Planning and Entrepreneurship. He is involved in Braskem’s Digital transformation from the very beginning when he joined the team to build and operate the Digital Center.
Gustavo Neumann
Title: Automation SME
Company: Braskem S.A.
Background – graduation and Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, 22 years in Braskem Automation Team - 11 years as Advanced Process Control Engineer, 7 years as Automation Coordinator for Polyolefin Plants, 4 year as SME for Advanced Process Control, Dynamic Modeling and Virtual Analyzers subjects.
Quality Control Improvement for Polymer Plants
As part of Braskem Digital Strategy, this work is a first step to use Machine Learning to improve Product Quality Control in the company. Currently, the certification of a product quality depends exclusively on the Laboratory Analysis and Plant Panel Operators Experience. The main laboratory analysis, which define if a product is prime or off-grade, takes about one hour from collection time to data availability in the system. This analysis represents 70% of all man-hour in Quality Control Laboratories. In order to extract knowledge and data intelligence from the processes, we departed from a large historical database and applied Big Data Analytics. Data analytics were then applied in most relevant variables to obtain Virtual Analyzers. The solution is based on machine learning modeling on an online solution, which reads process data and writes inferences in a higher frequency than current process. This initiative will provide a qualified and agile response to process adjustments, both by plant operator and by an APC application. Decisions will be made quickly and accurately reducing generation of off-spec products and leveraging entire productive chain results.
Reece Thompson
Title: AWS Global Account Manager
Company: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Reece Thompson is a Global Account Manager at AWS with more than 12 years of experience in the power & utilities industry. He has broad experience across power generation, distributed energy resources, meter-to-cash, energy efficiency, and go-to-market strategy for digital solutions. In his current role at AWS, he is responsible for overall digitalization efforts for the energy & sustainability related businesses across Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Siemens Energy.
Data-driven journey to improve power plant operations: where physics meets machine learning
Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) experience high temperatures, pressures, and flow that absorb thermal energy from gas turbines to power steams turbines at combined cycle plants. Additionally, the energy transition is shifting operational profiles of traditional base load combined cycle plants to cycle more frequently due to the intermittency of renewables on the grid, causing more strain on HRSGs than ever before. Siemens Energy is continuously innovating to maximize uptime and revenue for customers, and partnered with AWS to explore using modern compute and machine learning cloud technology combined with their physics base models to reduce unplanned downtime. In this session, we show how combining deep domain expertise from Siemens Energy and compute and machine learning technology from AWS enable plant operators to reduce time for inspection. This will allow combined cycle power plant operators to create higher revenues due to avoided downtime over a given time period. Additionally, for events detected early enough via machine learning, Siemens Energy and AWS can improve planned maintenance, resulting in less downtime.
Charles Carlson
Title: Principal Key Expert
Company: Siemens Energy
Charles’ present role is focused on development of advanced AI/ML digital twins targeting value driven optimization across the energy industry. With Siemens Energy for 26 years, starting with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1996, his background includes gas turbine and plant performance optimization, data analytics, and various GT service engineering roles in the areas of modernizations and upgrades, engineering management, and most recently technology & innovation development. Primary responsibilities currently include strategic and technical support for Siemens Energy’s “Condition-based Service Intervention” initiative which is aimed at developing disruptive digital solutions for the quickly evolving energy environment of today. This includes proactive services and emerging technologies focused on key business areas of autonomous operations, system reliability, microgrid/smart energy management, and energy consumption & emissions optimization. Following a diving accident in 1988 which left him a quadriplegic, Charles attended the University of Central Florida receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, graduating summa cum laude in December 1995.
Data-driven journey to improve power plant operations: where physics meets machine learning
Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) experience high temperatures, pressures, and flow that absorb thermal energy from gas turbines to power steams turbines at combined cycle plants. Additionally, the energy transition is shifting operational profiles of traditional base load combined cycle plants to cycle more frequently due to the intermittency of renewables on the grid, causing more strain on HRSGs than ever before. Siemens Energy is continuously innovating to maximize uptime and revenue for customers, and partnered with AWS to explore using modern compute and machine learning cloud technology combined with their physics base models to reduce unplanned downtime. In this session, we show how combining deep domain expertise from Siemens Energy and compute and machine learning technology from AWS enable plant operators to reduce time for inspection. This will allow combined cycle power plant operators to create higher revenues due to avoided downtime over a given time period. Additionally, for events detected early enough via machine learning, Siemens Energy and AWS can improve planned maintenance, resulting in less downtime.
Bob Hooper
Title: Senior Industry Consultant
Company: Hexagon PPM
Bob has over 30 years successful experience in the development and implementation of corporate operational excellence, maintenance, integrity, turnaround and reliability programs within the oil and gas, electric power, consumer products, and specialty chemicals industries. Significant bottom-line success in safety, compliance, cost reductions and manufacturing capability improvements and ERP and APM implementations. Bob is adept at strategic program management, budget development, P&L responsibility, change management, leadership development and coaching, and staff organization/development. Bob has an Electrical Engineering Degree from West Coast University and The Pennsylvania State University and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Submarine service.
Transforming data into useful, timely decision-making information
Transforming data into useful, timely decision-making information is foundational to digital transformation and the Connected Worker, but what does the new landscape look like for industrial organizations? And what challenges lie within implementation?
Empowering your workers through a connected worker strategy will improve how work is performed in your maintenance, inspection and operation processes and boost compliance and safety metrics. Explore how to improve plant safety, regulatory compliance, reliability, effectiveness and productivity by enabling industry-proven effective tools and processes with access to the right information at the right time, energizing your workforce with faster, better decisions.
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM: Registration Open 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM: Breakfast and Networking 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM: Welcome/Keynote and Opening Session 9:45 AM – 10:00 AM: Networking Break 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Conference Sessions 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Networking Luncheon 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM: Conference Sessions 2:45 PM - 3:15 PM: Networking Break 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM: Conference Sessions 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Networking Reception
The intensity of digitalization’s powerful impact on society is strengthening as stunning advances in data, analytics, and connectivity continue to enable a range of digital applications. Digital solutions are already empowering improvements in safety, productivity, accessibility, and sustainability of the power and chemical processing industries. But they may also be raising new security and privacy risks, and as markets, businesses, and the workforce transform, new strategies may be necessary to reap the most value out of connectivity, and keep intelligent systems efficient and reliable. The 2022 Connected Plant Conference in Atlanta is an event dedicated to exploring digitalization’s full influence on industry and is uniquely positioned to provide industry insight on pressing digitalization challenges. To set the momentum for the rest of the conference, four experts will open the event on May 25 with their exemplary perspectives on technology, policy, and business. Kicking off the unique event is Rich Voorberg, president of Siemens Energy North America, a growing arm of multinational energy giant Siemens Energy. Voorberg will provide a broad overview of existing and emerging digital solutions, surveying the technology landscape. Tim G. Echols, Commissioner at the Georgia Public Service Commission, will then share an overview of Georgia’s efforts to adopt digital solutions. Attendees will then hear from James Goosby, director, Office of Business Technology Planning and Strategic Initiatives, Southern Company. Goosby will share how the utility giant is tackling the dynamics of digitalization throughout its expansive tristate company portfolio, and why digitalization will be pivotal to the company’s transition toward net-zero. Our final presentation will come from technology futurist Farid Bichareh. Bichareh’s keynote speech will examine industry capabilities beyond what is currently achievable, exploring what the next iteration of digitalization has in store. Highlighting manufacturing value chain as a neural network of your body to be able to respond to any events by sensing, perceiving, and acting on it and in result to be Resilient and Self-heal or Adaptive to shocks.
Rich Voorberg
Title: President, Siemens Energy North America
Company: Siemens Energy
Richard Voorberg is President of the North America Hub of Siemens Energy, based in Orlando,
FL. In this role, Richard has regional responsibility for the Energy business in the Americas,
which includes the company’s Generation, Industrial Applications, and Transmission divisions.
Most recently, Richard served as the Head of Service in North America, where he was
responsible for managing all aspects of Large Power Service, including Gas Turbines, Steam
Turbines, Generators and Nuclear. Additionally, he is Chairman of the Board for Advanced Airfoil
Components.
Richard has almost 30 years of experience with Siemens including extensive involvement in the
manufacturing, commissioning management, project management and marketing aspects of the
power generation business. Richard was responsible for the design, project management and
building of a brand-new factory at the Charlotte, North Carolina, site for gas turbine
manufacturing.
Throughout his career Richard has had the privilege to live and work in several different
locations including Canada, Indonesia, Argentina, Korea and Germany.
The North American business consists of over 10,000 people who manage all aspects of
Service from Sales, Marketing, Project Management, Field Engineering, Shop Repair and
Business Administration.
Richard holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Waterloo, Canada, and his MBA from ESMT in Berlin Germany.
Richard and his wife, Esther, have four children and reside in Winter Springs, FL.
Tim Echols
Title: Commissioner
Company: Georgia Public Service Commission
Commissioner Tim Echols was elected to the PSC in 2011. Th focus of the Public Service Commissioner is energy regulation and when Tim took office, Georgia was 34th in solar power. Now, the state is 9th in the nation for installed solar. In 2020, Conservatives for Clean Energy dubbed Echols the "Solar Architect of Georgia."
Commissioner Echols created a Clean Energy Roadshow that has traveled the state every summer for the last eight years. This educational event travels to cities around the state helping commuters, businesses and municipal governments evaluate alternative fuel for their transportation and residential use.
He was also instrumental in keeping Plant Vogtle moving forward. He believes carbon-free nuclear energy plus solar is the way forward for Georgia and has represented the United States at the World Nuclear Exhibition for the last six years.
Tim leads by example by adding solar hot water heating to his home that he shares with longtime spouse Windy and raised 7 children. He also owns a natural gas car, a propane van and now owns an electric car and working to raise funds for the Hog Hammock Foundation a 16-panel solar pavilion in Sapelo, the home of one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities and this array will provide free electricity to the library for the next 30 years.
With all that he does Tim has time for a weekly radio show called Energy Matters airing on Cox Media Group
James Goosby
Title: Director, Office of Business Technology Planning and Strategic Initiatives
Company: Southern Company
James Goosby is Business Technology Planning & Strategic Initiatives Director, responsible for ensuring that initiatives that require technology follow a framework that enables predictable outcomes. He serves as chair the Operations Technology Leadership Team that facilitates business technology planning and implementation while ensuring alignment to business priorities.
He has served for more than 26 years at Southern Company, most recently in the role of Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Operations, where he helped advance work in Moving to Equity and co-led a project to strategically align Operations-wide cyber and NERC-CIP program management. James earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University and served our country in the U.S. Marines.
Farid Bichareh
Title: Steering Committee Member
Company: IIC Chair of Smart Factory
Farid Bichareh is an executive, technology expert and entrepreneur with over 22 years’ experience defining solutions/strategy for smart manufacturing and digital transformation, IoT/IIoT, and innovative Optical Wireless Communication/Li-Fi and AI. He has co-founded several businesses and served as a board member and top executive for several organizations. He also Chairs Smart Factory at IIC and a member of IIC Steering Committee. There are many speeches, panels, articles, papers and interviews that has been published from him during past decade.
Neural manufacturing - The Future is closer than you think
Can smart factories be even smarter?
How a manufacturing enterprise can be connected, responsive and resilient in its functioning?
Just think of your manufacturing value chain as a neural network of your body to be able to respond to any events by sensing, perceiving, and acting on it and in result to be
Resilient and Self-heal or Adaptive to shocks. Basically Neural Manufacturing concept can create a thought process and platform of even smarter manufacturing value chain and enables future of manufacturing to be :• Resilient through connected, cognitive, and collaborative supply chains.
• Adaptive through an agile response to market demand by personalizing products and services.
• Purpose driven by engaging with partners across industries to deliver frictionless experience to end customers.
Technology adoption requires strategy, but in the absence of best-practices or established roadmaps, taking the next steps beyond a successful pilot program can be daunting. Participants will discuss how they have implemented “next steps,” including through asset management programs and other solutions.
Allison Buenemann
Title: Advanced Analytics for Manufacturing and IIoT Data/Industry Principal
Company: Seeq Corporation
Jane Arnold
Title: VP, Global SPS Strategy & Industry 4.0 Execution
Company: Stanley Black & Decker
Jane Arnold is the Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing Technology at Stanley Black and Decker. Her focus is to improve Digitalization in Manufacturing with a special emphasis on emerging technologies including additive manufacturing. Arnold is a graduate of Oxford University’s Business Economic Program and has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Houston. Arnold has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing technology, control engineering and operations. She joined Stanley Black and Decker in February of 2021.
Using Connected Equipment and Data
Installing a traditional MES can be both complex and costly. Stanley Black and Decker is utilizing Tulip, a next-gen MES solution, to digitize the shop floor and transform operations in an easy and scalable way after a successful pilot program. In addition, we are improving long-term adoption of digitization with site engagement, utilizing the voice of the customer, and bringing AI-powered video-based learning to manufacturing workers with DeepHow.
Yves Gorat Stommel
Title: Deputy Head Function Evonik Digital
Company: Evonik Digital
Yves Gorat Stommel is currently working as the head of the Cognitive Solutions team, with a strong focus on setting-up and implementing a comprehensive, company-wide Artificial Intelligence and data analysis strategy.
In his current function, Yves’ motivation stems from bringing together people, technology and positive change. By continuously questioning, improving and re-imagining operational and business processes – amongst others by looking at the company through the new “lens” of enabling and disruptive Artificial Intelligence – value is created for both the company and its employees. This does not only require identifying, benchmarking and implementing best practices, but more importantly targeted communication, linking knowledge and an emphasis on global instead of local mindsets and approaches.
Driving understanding and use of AI throughout the company
Rich Guhl
Title: Data Analytics Baytown
Company: Covestro
Alan Karr
Title: Engineering Manager for Systems & Digitalization
Company: Siemens Energy
Alan Karr is currently the Systems & Digitalization Engineering Manager at Siemens Energy and located in Alpharetta, Georgia.
After stints in the US Navy and at Duke Energy Alan joined Siemens in 2009 and has more than 28 years of increasing responsibility in process controls, power plant O&M, project management, program management.
In his most recent role as a Controls Project Management (2014-2019) Alan was responsible for the complete project lifecycle. Alan has a has a proven track record of managing complex projects with full project-based P&L responsibility.
Mr. Karr holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Michael W. Louis School of Management. Alan is also certified as a Professional Project Manager (PMI) and is a Certified Scrum Product Owner.
Drivers and Next Steps to Getting Beyond the Pilot
In markets that are increasingly driven by availability and cost requirements, the ability to respond with flexibility is the key for profitability. While our global events have brough out new transformation goals and accelerated plant autonomy organizational success hinges on our ability to rapidly respond to disruptions and the ever-changing customer expectation.
In digitalization pilot we recognized that we must fundamentally transform how we operate to deliver value. This extends out from the business model to a cultural change that requires the organization to reimagine the status quo as digitalization is ultimately a human endeavor.
This short presentation will quickly review the success of the Central Operations Pilot while outlining the next essential guiding principles for transformation continuation. The journey for sustainable performance not only starts with securing executive by-in, reshaping workflows and addressing change but continues with workforce enablement and technology integration as today digital technology is a requirement for operational agility.
Bob Lake
Title: Automation Program Manager
Company: Florida Power & Light Company
Bob Lake is currently an Automation Program Manager for the “Reimagine FPL” project, a multifaceted program designed to centralize and streamline fleet power plant operations from a central control room.
Bob retired from the US Navy Submarine Force during which he was a key member of the team that designed the Navy’s first nuclear distributed control system.
Bob joined FPL in 2001 as a plant operator and I&C Technician quickly moving up the ranks to maintenance management. He was part of the joint Siemens Energy – FPL team that commissioned the world’s first SGT6-8000H combined cycle power plant. During this time Bob also helped establish the Siemens SPPA-T3000 Users Group and has served as Steering Committee Chairman for the past seven years.
In 2019, Bob was tapped to lead the automation and alarm reduction efforts for the central operation pilot program.
Drivers and Next Steps to Getting Beyond the Pilot
In markets that are increasingly driven by availability and cost requirements, the ability to respond with flexibility is the key for profitability. While our global events have brough out new transformation goals and accelerated plant autonomy organizational success hinges on our ability to rapidly respond to disruptions and the ever-changing customer expectation.
In digitalization pilot we recognized that we must fundamentally transform how we operate to deliver value. This extends out from the business model to a cultural change that requires the organization to reimagine the status quo as digitalization is ultimately a human endeavor.
This short presentation will quickly review the success of the Central Operations Pilot while outlining the next essential guiding principles for transformation continuation. The journey for sustainable performance not only starts with securing executive by-in, reshaping workflows and addressing change but continues with workforce enablement and technology integration as today digital technology is a requirement for operational agility.
Dave Kroening
Title: IT Leader
Company: Koch Ag and Energy Solutions
Dave Kroening is an Monitoring and Diagnostics Leader with Koch Ag & Energy Solutions, LLC (KAES). His work focuses on building out a vision and strategy for initiatives that can create long term value. This includes exploring, assessing, and developing opportunities that have a potential to disrupt the Operating capability within KAES. He and his team also help to discover and experiment with technologies that can create a competitive advantage. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, snowboarding, and racing.
Evolving toward Excellence: Digital Transformation at Koch Ag & Energy Solutions
Facility owners and operators are searching for ways to gain an edge with data analytics and advanced sensor technology, but successful digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Koch Ag & Energy Solutions (KAES) has partnered with Black & Veatch throughout the evolution of their fleet’s asset management program and digital transformation. Learn about KAES’s progress to date, beginning with leveraging existing data from conventional wired sensors on critical equipment using advanced pattern recognition software to deploying cost-effective wireless sensors on equipment that was previously considered run-to-failure. In addition to highlighting technologies used and real-life examples of benefits already realized, this presentation will include discussion of KAES’s vital cultural changes to move their fleet operations and maintenance toward a more collaborative, proactive, and data-driven mindset.
Technology is dynamic. But the rapid pace of technology change, their wide range of application, and the growing sphere of vendors that offer nuanced solutions can be challenging. This session may provide a quick peek into technologies that have proven valuable to entities, lending some direction to your digitalization journey.
Randy Mullinax
Title: General Manager - Performance & Reliability
Company: Southern Company
Randy Mullinax is responsible for the Southern Company retail M&D Center, remote operating center, equipment performance testing and maintenance strategy development for the generation fleet. He is currently leading the Performance and Reliability group’s effort focused on a digital maintenance program.
Randy brings with him extensive industry experience including contractor management and productivity. He also oversees the regional maintenance program. Randy spent 10 Years in the Foundry/Cast Metals industry and held various positions including Operations Manager, Production Manager, Technical Manager, and Plant Manager. After his career in the Foundry Industry, Randy spent the last 22 years in Power Generation. He has worked in multiple plants in the Southern Company System with various generating technologies. Randy has held many plant positions including Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager, Regional Planning Manager, and is currently the General Manager for Performance and Reliability.
Randy Mullinax is a Graduate of the University of Missouri Rolla (Missouri S&T) with a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also has a master’s degree in Business Management from Troy State University.
Himadri Banerji
Title: Managing Director
Company: ECOURJA INTERNATIONAL
Himadri Banerji BTech from IIT Kharagpur and MBA XLRI, PhD Student on Long Range Planning for Electricity Utilities in his career has led Digital Automation in Steel Plants, Energy (Utilities Power Oil and Gas) and Chemical Process Industries for improving efficiency and performance improvement. Some of the major experiences in Digitalization and Digital Transformation projects project during his career has been in designing strategy, planning, budgeting and implementation of SAP/ERP/Customer Information Systems, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems Digital Automation and Control Systems, IOT, Edge Computing and SCADA Implementation in Generation Transmission and Distribution Companies. Has led development of AI based systems using Machine Learning and Neural Network Models for Demand Forecasting, Fraud Detection Utilities. He has been prolific speaker and panelist in workshops on Digital Technology Adoption in Energy Systems. In October 2020, he was invited by PowerGen Conferences & Clarion Energy in association with Ernst and Young in India as a panelist and speaker for an International Webinar on Digital Transformation in Energy Industry as an expert on “Intersection of Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence”. In 2021 January Himadri Banerji led a workshop on “Artificial Intelligence for Managing Change” for executives of Oil Gas Energy and Metal Extraction Industries which will be repeated as a two day workshop in March 2022.
"Digital Transformation for Exponential Growth in SMES
We are reading about Digital Transformation from Messages in Twitter, forwards from our friends on WhatsApp, from numerous Instagram Graphics, and from articles on the web. Our Mail boxes are flooded with requests for joining user training programs and workshops, or courses by universities on Digital Innovations. We are being constantly mobbed by a plethora of software vendors who remind us that since digital innovation is contingent on their offerings for adopting newer versions of the Enterprise-Wide Offerings, embrace or go extinct! In this chapter we examine what is Digital transformation? It isn’t just about “bringing efficiency to outdated business operations” or “reducing operational costs.” That’s table stakes!” We learn that successful transformation starts with bringing value to those that matter the most: your customers. We also examine the processes involved, the strategies and tactics, whether to do it ourself or spin it out. We also discuss how readymade solutions in Digital Transformation, like Digital Adaption Platforms from various vendors help organizations to leapfrog in their journey beating their competitors. We critically examine risks involved in going digital, cyber security related threats and pitfalls like missing to integrate across processes and devices. Finally, we look at how to measure the success of Digital Transformation the metrics to be used. Besides, we are informed by pundits that today we are in the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with Systems, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, [VR] virtual and [AR] augmented reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning pervading with innovations the connected landscape of the globe. Based on numerous interviews and discussions with CEOs, CTOs, Managers and Field Staff in Sales and Marketing Organizations in different organizations and industries in the last two years, the author has tried to understand what ‘Digital Transformation’ is all about and what are the ways to implement DT in organizations especially SMEs. What are the resources and risks associated with the same and what degree of cultural change is being seen in organizations and finally how are the basic decade old structure of the organizations is undergoing a seismic change? Much of this has been cross checked and verified by digitally accessing information and surveys available on the world wide web.
Brian Boykin
Title: Product Line Director, Digital Product LIne
Company: John Crane
Brian joined John Crane in March 2019 to lead the product development of John Crane Sense®, before accepting his current role as Product Line Director, leading the expansion of John Crane’s digital product portfolio. He is responsible for strategic development of the digital “internet of things” (IoT) business P&L and leading the deployment of digital solutions, tools, and processes across all aspects of the John Crane business.
Prior to joining John Crane, Brian held similar product development roles with John Crane’s sister business, Smiths Detection, as well as engineering roles with GE. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from the University of South Florida
Visibility into Asset Health & Remaining Useful Life Through Digital Technology
This discussion will feature a case study review of a major producer of LNG , with the goal of extending the mean time between repair of their compressors by 1-2 years. Previously relying vent leakage detection as a means to diagnose and assess the health of the mechanical seal, they understood doing so would not give a complete or sufficiently leading indication of remaining useful life. To avoid possible catastrophic seal failure, the plant reliability engineers were forced to routinely shut down a compressor and replace the dry gas seals each time they observed high vibration measurements or other mechanical/operation issues, even when a seal issue had not occurred. Addressing this gap in understanding and eliminating costs of unplanned downtime while extending remaining useful life before the next turnaround was their new goal.
Despite a highly instrumented compressor asset, the mechanical seal can still be a mystery to schedule maintenance for replacement, so seals are often prematurely replaced. For this problem, the LNG producer utilized John Crane Sense®, an OEM agnostic solution, leveraging digital technology to collect and interpret asset health data. With the confidence of more than 250,000 hours of dry gas seal monitoring in compressors and more than 550,000 hours of wet seal monitoring in pumps, the LNG producer decided that the embedded sensors, open platform, and a suite of apps was the best solution available to collect key data, continually monitor, diagnose, and assess the health of dry gas seals in their compressors.
The discussion will not only reveal the outcome of the case study, but also detail the digital technology, and offer additional knowledge sharing from other customer case studies, illustrating the improved reliability and business outcomes achieved through leveraging digital technology for visibility into asset health and remaining useful life.
Alex Warning
Title: Chemical Process Modeling Engineer
Company: Novity
Alex is focused on developing novel physics-based models for anomaly detection and remaining useful life estimation in industrial assets. His particular interest is to turn sensors & physics-informed data analytics into unsupervised diagnostic & prescriptive solutions for a broad spectrum of industrial systems. Prior to Novity, Alex worked as a Senior Engineer at PepsiCo developing computational fluid dynamics models and reduced order models for troubleshooting and optimizing processing lines. The modeling work spanned a wide variety of multiphysics problems from simulating microwave heating granular flow to mixing and pumping phase-change materials. Alex has also worked at a defense contractor, Applied Research Associates, developing open-source software to perform real time photogrammetry from a UAV for the US army.
Critical Asset Predictive Maintenance with Data-Driven and Physics-Based Models
Predictive maintenance (PdM) has made significant strides in recent years and represents the strongest solution to the persistent manufacturing challenge of unplanned downtime. The average unplanned downtime for a mid-sized chemical plant costs approximately $5 million per year and 40% of the maintenance was unnecessary. While many manufacturers understand the benefits that an IoT-based PdM solution can provide, many of them are still struggling to successfully implement these solutions.
We present a novel predictive maintenance solution for monitoring critical assets, such as bearings, valves, seals, compressors, heat exchangers, and pumps, for anomalies and prognostics of remaining useful life (RUL) in the chemical processing industry using real-time data-driven and physics-based algorithms. Based on the asset and sensor data available, a combination of advanced data-driven machine learning and physics-based algorithms are developed for the asset. These algorithms automatically detect cleanings and replacements, resetting without the user needing to input any information. The unsupervised nature of the custom written algorithms allows for rapid transferability to new assets and scalability across the platform improving its robustness.
We present several impressive case studies from our internal pilot at Xerox’s toner plants as well from external customers. We are able to reduce cleaning frequencies by as much as 90% and provide up to a 6-month lead time with 95% accuracy of critical failure in heat exchangers. Likewise for cleaning nozzles that wear out during use, the prognostics algorithms were able to provide 6-month lead time and extend the lifetime of each nozzle by as much as 20% due to premature replacement. The prognostics algorithms have exhibited 90% accuracy in predicting failure in a dryer fan and 94% accuracy in fault detection of roller bearings. We also identified 25% of the alerts were false positives using built-in physics-based algorithms as demonstrated on a hydraulic filter press that dewaters toner.
David Shaw
Title: VP Utilities + Resources
Company: RedEye Apps
David is a mechanical engineer, who has worked across reliability engineering, asset management, and project management functions.
In 2016 he joined RedEye’s leadership team to develop a global Customer Operations function; he then relocated to the USA in 2018 to take responsibility for all aspects of RedEye’s activities in the utilities, municipalities, and cities sectors.
As an engineer, now working for a asset management tech company, David implicitly understands the challenges and difficulties associated with engineering information. He has worked with engineering, asset management, and doc control teams of many asset owning organizations across the globe – from water utilities in Nevada to gold mines in Turkey – to support them with improving how they handle their critical engineering documentation.
He lives in Salt Lake City, and in his spare time is either volunteering with a number of high-school science competitions, or trail running. He has also taught Digital Engineering summer courses at UNLV, and regularly mentors engineering undergraduates and graduates.
An Easy-To-Implement Model To Improve The Management Of Engineering Information
The management and use of plant data often focuses on ‘live’ data – operational technology, SCADA etc. There are many other categories of critical information that underpin maintenance and asset management, one of the most foundational being static, controlled engineering information. This bucket of critical information can include engineering drawings, GIS data, maintenance manuals, 3D models, work records, and point cloud data, among others.
As organizations continue to digitize, this foundational information must also digitize. This doesn’t mean merely scanning hard copy drawings or storing manuals as PDF’s. The advent of cloud and mobile technologies has meant that the principles and core assumptions underpinning controlled engineering information must be revisited. Attendees at Connected Plant will experience many of the day-to-day challenges presented by poor engineering information control – health and safety concerns, increased project costs from rework, and productivity losses from not referencing correct information.
RedEye’s focus in industry is Engineering Information Management (EIM); ensuring the correct maintenance and asset reliability strategies are put in place, and the correct decisions made. This presentation will explore the ‘Engineering Information Maturity Model’ – a tool RedEye has recently developed collaboratively with several of our global partners. This software- and industry-agnostic framework has been designed to provide asset owning organizations simple, easy-to-implement tools to make immediate improvements in how they manage engineering information, through:
• Assessing the current state of engineering information at an asset owning organization,
• Developing a plan to improve their management, and
• Tracking improvements over time.
The Model itself comprises two separate aspects:
1. Levels of Effectiveness: clearly defined levels of Maturity, that can be used to quantify performance.
2. Thematic ratings: core activities that are required to effectively manage engineering information.
Maintenance and asset management professions will benefit from this framework, as well as the clear actions that can be derived from it.
Arnold Castro
Company: MFG Analytic
Arnold Castro currently serves as Chief Technology Officer at MFG Analytic (MFG). He is a leader of MFG’s innovation, vision, and strategy and is responsible not only for ensuring technological excellence, but also for the development of the platform and management of talent within the company. Arnold has a strong background in technology, with over 20 years of experience, intertwined with business management leadership. At MFG, he manages a company composed of diverse individuals who are passionate about leading the company to success as a global leader in manufacturing technology.
As an early adopter of technology, Arnold consistently introduces and tests new technology to ensure efficiency and excellence throughout the company and its products. He currently works with artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, cloud computing, and IoT, all of which contribute to the advancement of Industry 4.0 within the manufacturing industry.
The 80/20 Rule Applied to Industrial Analytics
Matt Kirchner
Title: Chief Product Officer
Company: Atonix Digital
The 80/20 Rule Applied to Industrial Analytics
Maddy Hawkins
Title: VP of Partnerships at Canvass AI
Company: Canvass AI
As the VP of Partnerships at Canvass AI, Maddy works with industrial organizations, industry leaders, solution, and service providers across the globe to build a high performing ecosystem of partners. Prior to joining the Canvass team, she held various roles focused on building scalable revenue generating programs across marketing, business development, sales, operations, and partner management for Aquitas Solutions – a leading provider of IBM’s Maximo Enterprise Asset Management solution. Most recently, she led the Company’s go-to-market strategy, execution, and expansion of their award-winning Connected Maintenance portfolio.
Maddy has a passion for advising and enabling industrial organizations at every stage of the digital transformation journey. She is also a long-time supporter and active member of Women in Reliability and Asset Management (WIRAM).
Canvass AI: Transforming how complex decisions are made in the process industries
In this Technology Showcase, Maddy Hawkins from Canvass AI will share how site engineers and operators from leading Chemical and Petrochem manufacturers are using the Canvass AI platform to quickly solve complex operational problems easily and at scale. Canvass has partnered with industry leaders to create discrete Canvass AI Solutions (CASs) for the most common industrial problems. Each CAS is part of a larger solution ecosystem within the Canvass AI platform, allowing for a clear adoption path to help manufacturers evolve their use of AI.
More digitalization has raised power and chemical processing vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. Despite compliance with critical-infrastructure protection standards and other industry requirements, many security functions face continual stress from addressing gaps identified in ongoing site-specific or regional-level security assessments.” The multifaceted risks posed by cybersecurity require an overall approach that should extend over an entity’s entire organization. Keeping track of new vulnerabilities and communicating new and emerging compliance standards can be challenging.
Jonathan Tubb
Title: Director Industrial Cyber Security North America
Company: Siemens Energy
Jonathan Tubb is a cyber security expert with extensive expertise and experience with developing solutions to our client’s biggest security challenges. He specializes in identifying, mitigating and remediating threats in critical infrastructure environments. Jonathan holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Ohio State University and maintains a Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in Computer Engineering. He brings over 10 years of hands-on experience to his current role, as Senior Technical Lead for NERC CIP Compliance, Industrial Cyber and Digital Security at Siemens Energy, Inc.
Patrick Boo
Title: Commercial Portfolio Manager for Cyber Security
Company: ABB Inc.
Patrick Boo is an industrial technology professional with over 21 years of experience in various aspects of cyber security, control systems engineering and customer relations, with specialization in service and service product development for industrial customers. Patrik holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology.
Shifting security behaviors to Best Practices: A How-To Plan for Safer Operation
Despite the number of high-profile cyber attack incidents, many organizations in the energy industrial space still do not view cyber security as a business priority. The threat posed by cyberattacks on industry in terms of financial loss, production downtime and reputational damage cannot be underestimated. Here we will 1) discuss why a holistic view of OT cyber security needs is often missing from the strategies currently being deployed and reveal the resulting exposure and vulnerabilities. 2) address how better alternatives to expensive programs that are a challenge to maintain can be implemented. We will then cover the strategic best practices to put into action in an industrial cyber security environment to deliver safe, and better understood, safety operations.
Nathan Langmack
Company: Federal Bureau of Investigation Experienced professional and proven leader with a diverse skill set and record of accomplishment. Demonstrated success as a Marine Corps Officer, Sales Executive, and Cyber Security Leader.
After honorable and exemplary service in both the Marine Corps and the private sector, I returned to public service. I try to make an impact while leading and inspiring others.
Specialties include complex cyber and criminal investigations of national and international scope, field operations, leveraging technology to accomplish the mission, crisis negotiation, and leadership in stressful and dynamic situations.
CISA/FBI/NSA
Jason Hollern
Title: Program Manager
Company: EPRI Electric Power Research Institute
Jason M. Hollern is the Program Manager for Enabling Technologies and Digital Transformation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
Hollern’s current research areas include industrial control system (ICS) cyber security for generation assets, controls and advanced automation, and monitoring and advanced data analytics. Hollern has led generation-specific cyber security research and development at EPRI since 2017.
Prior to joining EPRI, Hollern was an Engineering Supervisor for Cyber Security Engineering at AREVA Inc. He led a team focused on cyber security engineering solutions and services for more than half of the U.S. nuclear fleet; implemented parts of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation – Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) compliance program a major utility; and worked with international power plants to implement cyber security processes and tools around the world.
Hollern previously worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control System – Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) in incident response and vulnerability mitigation. Hollern was also an engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Control Systems Security Program and in the Safeguards and Security Program.
Hollern holds a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. He also holds a Graduate Certificate in Terrorism Analysis from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Operational Security for OT – Developing a Utility OPSEC Program
Cyber threat actors can capitalize on utility information that is in the public domain. Public information could be aggregated to a level that provides them with enough information to target an asset, develop a vulnerability exploit for specific plant equipment, and conduct a cyber attack. Utilities can take steps to identify and protect their critical information to prevent it from falling in the wrong hands – and it might come from utility organizations that are not so obvious.
Myriad, complex market forces that converged over the past decade have led to a rapid adoption of new digital solutions in all industries. Pandemic-related challenges, in particular, highlighted the value of secure operations from a remote environment. In the power and chemical process spaces—where reliability and safety are critical priorities—speedy digital adoption continues to drive notable technology advances to support more robust remote plant operation. In this session, experts will discuss evolving techniques and technologies to enable remote monitoring and diagnosis of crucial equipment and processes, such as shutdown events, and improve remote operation and maintenance.
Daniel Goulet
Title: President, North America
Company: Mobideo Technologies
Daniel is a turnaround expert, having held a series of roles in turnarounds over the last 10 years and managed large teams of engineers located in different facilities. As President, North America at Mobideo, he shares his turnaround knowledge, insights, expertise and understanding with customers, enabling them to appreciate how digitalization and automation can fundamentally change STO management and contribute to standardization of the STO market.
Top Ten Excuses Not to Implement Cybersecurity and How to Get Around Them
Differentiating between information security and cybersecurity.
Michael Santucci
Title: President
Company: ECG
After a career as a consultant to large utility providers throughout the Northeast, Michael Santucci founded Engineering Consultants Group, Inc in 1992. In addition to his responsibilities as president of the company, he acts as Chief Technology Officer and seeks to innovate the asset analytics field with specific expertise in predictive analytics and equipment maintenance and diagnostics. Architect of the Predict-It software, Mr. Santucci takes an engineering approach to practical problems, leading ECG to ground their products in their customer's current and developing asset management and reliability needs.
Transient Analysis Tool, Steam Turbine Coast Down Case Study
The objective of transient analysis is to enable monitoring and diagnosis of equipment start up and shutdown events. The Pathway tool supplements Advanced Pattern Recognition monitoring, with the goal of detecting abnormal behavior to avoid such equipment start up and shut down issues in the future. ECG recently had the opportunity to employ this transient monitoring technique for a customer who experienced a failure that went undetected by their current monitoring methods. ECG provided a post-event analysis that, if used, could have provided early warning of the developing issues and enabled the customer to take corrective action, rather than running to failure, as was the result in this case.
The customer had an unexpected failure of their Unit 1 Steam Turbine Bearing on 9-24-21. Their current monitoring software did not detect an issue prior to the failure. The customer provided ECG with turbine data for both Unit 1 and Unit 2. ECG was able to share insights on both units’ bearing behavior.
48 Coast Down events with 71 variables were captured for Unit 1 for 2021 and 2022. ECG imported the data into Predict-It Pathway application for asset model creation. Coast downs characterized as normal were used as the training dataset and a baseline was established. Pathway develops event statistics for each variable at every speed during the coast down. A multivariant model was created to represent the behavior of the process from start to finish, while incorporating each variable’s influence on the development path. Bearing related anomalies were detected by either established limits or model irregularity.
The first indication of any bearing issue is observed on December 11, 2020 for the Bearing #4 and #5 Metal Temperatures. Temperature spikes were observed late in the coast down beginning around the 550-200 RPM range. A step change in Bearing 4 and 5 Metal Temps should have triggered conventional APR alarms after the January 3, 2021 startup. A total of 6 coast downs over the failure window indicated high bearing temperature deviations.
With application of ECG’s transient analysis methodology, the plant owners would have been aware of the developing bearing issue 10 months prior to failure, thus reducing equipment damage, and minimizing costly downtime. Differences in the monitoring methods used to analyze transient processes allow for equipment catches that are not typically seen under conventional monitoring techniques.
Brant Swidler
Title: Senior Technical Product Manager
Company: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Brant Swidler is a Sr. Technical Product Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He currently oversees Product Management for Amazon Lookout for Equipment. He has 10+ years’ experience in Industrial Analytics. Brant holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
Advanced maintenance for industrial equipment and processes, powered by machine learning
Predictive maintenance can support an effective operations and maintenance strategy by anticipating maintenance needs prior to catastrophic machine failures, suboptimal operation and costly downtime. However, this technology has historically been difficult to implement due to the limitations of scaling current data science approaches and the volume of process and equipment data. In this session, learn how machine learning (ML) and other analytics methods can help you overcome common challenges to enabling predictive maintenance and improve productivity, with no ML experience required.
Markus Larsson
Title: General Manager
Company: Novity
Leveraging Smart Dashboards for Remote Plant Monitoring
Now that you’ve implemented a digital twin, APM or intelligent solution that suits your organization’s goals, how do you best reap its functionality and mountains of data to efficiently resolve operations and maintenance problems, address fuel risks, improve visibility into asset health, boost plant performance, and gauge remaining asset lifetimes? Industry leaders presenting in this session may shed light on currently available solutions and discuss
Steven Ford
Title: Compliance & Support Manager, Plant Barry
Company: Southern Company
Steven Ford is currently the Compliance & Support Manager at Alabama Power's Barry Steam Plant located in Bucks, Alabama. He also serves as the chairman of the Southern Company Technology Leadership Team tasked with ensuring system-wide cost-effective, reliable, and efficient technology solutions supporting the business unit strategy.
Steven has worked in leadership roles with increasing responsibility across multiple plant sites in Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Alabama Power. These roles include Operations Manager, Maintenance Manager, Engineering & Planning Manager, and Plant Manager. He has leadership experience in both coal & natural gas-powered generation, including supercritical, combined cycle, and co-generation technologies supporting some of the state's largest chemical plant customers. In the Spring of 2020, Steven supported the Generation fleet as the COVID Pandemic Coordinator engaging cross-functional support from Supply Chain, Human Resources, IBEW Leadership, Disability Management, and Corporate Compliance to meet the evolving needs of employees working at our generating facilities.
Steven believes that being a part of the Alabama Power Generation leadership team allows him to foster a safer working environment, create meaningful professional developmental opportunities for his team, and find ways to improve our generating product through integrated technology.
Steven graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering, Georgia State University with a Master's in Business Administration, and Birmingham School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Steven is married, has four children, and lives in Fairhope, Alabama. In his spare time, Steven enjoys working on cars, playing golf, and spending time traveling with his family.
Bharat Marwaha
Title: Process Data Analytics and Condition Monitoring
Company: Covestro
PhD Chemical Engg [Reaction Engg and Catalysis]
Scaling explainable ML technology within Covestro's data platform
Covestro is leading the charge in applying machine learning to their production systems. As part of their digitization plan, they're building out their internal data science platform. This presentation will focus on the explainable ML tool of choice describing what Covestro has gained from applying ML to various use cases around optimizing efficiency and sustainability targets, focusing on the scalability of these solutions and their impact on ROI.
Berk Birand
Title: CEO
Company: Fero Labs
Berk holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from Columbia University. His academic research focused on optimizing wireless and optical networks with efficient cross-layer algorithms. He developed scheduling algorithms for LTE-A and fiber-optic networks. He holds a patent in IoT systems for resilient fiber-optic networks.
Scaling explainable ML technology within Covestro's data platform
Covestro is leading the charge in applying machine learning to their production systems. As part of their digitization plan, they're building out their internal data science platform. This presentation will focus on the explainable ML tool of choice describing what Covestro has gained from applying ML to various use cases around optimizing efficiency and sustainability targets, focusing on the scalability of these solutions and their impact on ROI.
Anthony Chamblin
Company: Southern Company
Digital Maintenance Program Case Study
Randy Mullinax
Title: General Manager - Performance & Reliability
Company: Southern Company
Randy Mullinax is responsible for the Southern Company retail M&D Center, remote operating center, equipment performance testing and maintenance strategy development for the generation fleet. He is currently leading the Performance and Reliability group’s effort focused on a digital maintenance program.
Randy brings with him extensive industry experience including contractor management and productivity. He also oversees the regional maintenance program. Randy spent 10 Years in the Foundry/Cast Metals industry and held various positions including Operations Manager, Production Manager, Technical Manager, and Plant Manager. After his career in the Foundry Industry, Randy spent the last 22 years in Power Generation. He has worked in multiple plants in the Southern Company System with various generating technologies. Randy has held many plant positions including Engineering Manager, Maintenance Manager, Regional Planning Manager, and is currently the General Manager for Performance and Reliability.
Randy Mullinax is a Graduate of the University of Missouri Rolla (Missouri S&T) with a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also has a master’s degree in Business Management from Troy State University.
Digital Maintenance Program Case Study
Shelley Nandkeolyar
Title: Digital Strategist
Company: Georgia-Pacific
Shelley Nandkeolyar is a digital and AI business application advisor to the Operations Innovation
Group at Georgia Pacific. with over 20 years’ experience in leading transformational initiatives.
Shelley has extensive “hands-on” experience and a background in digital business evolution through
system-wide AI and intelligent automation in eCommerce, Retail, and New Business Models. He has
operating experience driving growth as a leader at several large companies, and as CEO at PE backed
companies.
Prior to this Shelley has worked with several PE Groups, The Home Depot, Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia, Williams-Sonoma Inc. and Levi Strauss & Company and started his career with SSCB:
Lintas and DDB Needham as an Adman. Shelley has also been on several boards which include
Wisteria LLC (current, since 2020), Newmine Inc., (2012-2017), Lulu's Fashion Lounge (2014-2016)
and the National Retail Federation (NRF) (2001-2002) and Shop.Org (1999-2004).
Shelley has a Master’s in Business Management with a Marketing major and received his Bachelor of
Arts in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and is a life-long student interested in new business
concepts and unlocking the opportunities they represent
The Collective Intelligence Solution – A Case Study
Subrata Sen, PhD
Title: Sr. Science & Technology Advisor
Company: Georgia-Pacific
The Collective Intelligence Solution – A Case Study
The term digital twin may mean something different to each person or organization. Whether you are creating a digital twin of your entire plant, of a particular project, or a particular position within your company the utilization of the information is very similar. In this session we will delve into the different types of digital twins, the different terms used in place of calling the project a digital twin, and understanding usage an opportunity around utilizing a digital twin.
Michael Nash
Title: Senior Manager, Manufacturing Process Optimization
Company: Arxada
Matthew Bryan
Title: Head of Digital Portfolio Management in Power and Gas Product Development
Company: Siemens Energy
Matt is leading the digital transformation at Siemens Energy in Large Gas Turbine Research and Development. Matt's experience and background is in lean product, process development, system engineering and system implementation, this experience is a great asset to make sure digitalization is done with the business and the engineers in focus. Matt is also the Product Manager of the Horizon Digital Studio a state-of-the-art AI/ML platform that puts your data to work. He is a passionate lifelong learner.
Digital Twin Perspectives
Digital twins can reside in all areas of the product/process life cycle and have many different perspectives. During this talk we will address
the increasing product /process complexity, demands seamless collaboration with design, manufacturing, quality, operations and compliance to deliver products that exceed customer demands. Digital Twins promote interdisciplinary collaboration so you can pursue a faster, more integrated teams where products/processes are virtually designed, tested, validated and monitored/controlled.
Preston Johnson
Title: Senior Solutions Manager
Company: CBT
Preston Johnson is the Solutions Manager for Industrial IoT at CBT, with a technical focus on Predictive Maintenance solutions and systems. Preston builds on 28 years in industrial instrumentation and machine condition monitoring systems at National Instruments, and 4 years at Allied Reliability building predictive maintenance programs with digital technologies. Preston draws from his broad functional background in people and project management, technical and domain expertise in asset monitoring applications, and business development to create and implement comprehensive business strategies for new product development, market introduction, and growth. At CBT, he works with the business development and operations teams to deploy condition monitoring systems and services, reliability solutions, training, and hardware/software systems that improve machinery uptime, reliability, and ultimately, production capacity. Prior to joining the CBT team, Preston held roles in Applications Engineering, Field Sales, Sales Management, Product Management, and Business Development.
Throughout his career, he has enjoyed interactions with prospects and customers solving both technical and business issues by leveraging process, practice, and technology, including signal processing and statistical/predictive analytics. Preston’s specialties include condition monitoring systems, signal processing, prognostics, big data infrastructure, and systems engineering.
Preston has delivered over 40 papers and presentations at technology conferences and serves as Chairman of the Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s of Business Administration in Information Systems Management from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a certified Category III Vibration Analyst and holds the Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) designation.
In his spare time, Preston enjoys cycling, water sports, and soccer. He participates in Olympic distance triathlons and the Austin Men’s Soccer Association over 50 division. When working out, he enjoys listening to the Blues genre of music and is fortunate to reside in the live music capital of the world, Austin, Texas.
Building the Digital Twin for Optimizing Plant Maintenance and Operations
We hear the term “Digital Twin” often in the context of the Industrial Internet of Things, Digital Transformation, or just going digital. Digital Twins applications benefit asset intensive industries that own and operate many mechanical, electrical, and structural assets. Maintaining these assets at peak performance yields the highest revenue and the lowest operational costs.
There are several steps to prepare for and implement a digital twin for the benefit of our equipment, processes, safety, and of course plant ownership. A well implemented digital twin yields return on investment in the areas of machine failure prevention, process optimization, and worker efficiencies both in the field and in the office.
With the advent of low cost industrial IoT data collection tools, data collection becomes available daily, and is available to merge with operational data. With synchronized asset monitoring, operational data, and advanced analytics, predictions of future maintenance and operational adjustments are made.
The Return-on-Investment from digital twin efforts comes in many forms. The resulting optimization and efficiencies resulting from digital efforts include lower cost of maintenance, improved reliability of production, improved work execution and lower energy costs.
This presentation shares the author’s roadmap for implementing industrial digital twins aimed at common plant maintenance and operations activities. This presentation describes the journey from manual to an automated future at a chemical plant. The presentation describes the asset and process modeling effort, the IoT tools for remotely monitoring the assets, and example analytics for improving maintenance and operations activities.
Key takeaways:
• Asset modeling technique to determine what data is important
• Online monitoring tactics to collect needed data
• Levels of analytics to determine health and performance indicators
• Levels of analytics to predict future maintenance and operational needs
• System or organizational metrics and KPIs
Sean Gregerson
Title: VP Asset Performance Mgmt
Company: AVEVA
Sean Gregerson is Director of Sales and Marketing for InStep Software and is responsible for the continued growth of their real-time performance management software suite of products. While in this role Gregerson has successfully led InStep into the emerging transmission and distribution enterprise data management and fleet wide online equipment health monitoring markets. Most recently Gregerson was awarded the 2008 Nuclear Top Industry Practice award for his role in Exelon Nuclear’s fleet wide deployment of online condition monitoring software.
Prior to InStep Software, he was a control system development engineer for a leading automation company. In this role Gregerson designed state-of-the-art hardware and software based servo motor, machine vision, and robotic control systems for many of the largest manufacturers in the world. Gregerson also held a sales management position where he was responsible for bringing several new technologies to market.
Gregerson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Bradley University.
Information Digital Twin
The information digital twin transforms data into contextualized information that facilitates rapid, informed and accurate decision making. We have evolved into an information driven economy where data is the new currency. Only when data is fully harnessed and leveraged can remote work, the connected worker and the autonomous plant be realized.
7:30 AM - 3:00 PM: Registration Open 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM: Breakfast and Networking 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM: Keynote 9:00 AM – 10:30 PM: Conference Sessions 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Networking Break 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Conference Sessions 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Networking Luncheon 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Conference Sessions 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM: Exhibitor Move-out
People —representing a vast diversity of talent and behavior — are the bedrock of any given industry. In the power and chemical processing sectors, where safety, efficiency, and flexibility have always been paramount, human resources are essential for an organizational culture that implements and nurtures digitalization. Achieving a truly connected plant relies upon acquiring the right skills and talent, as well as on engaging the workforce and generating buy-in for the digital transformation. Our keynote presenter, Marta Kondryn, is a people and culture enthusiast who leads human resources initiatives at global transformation learning platform Mindvalley. Marta brought global movement of DisruptHR to Kuala Lampur–headquartered MindValley, and her initiative is now functioning as a solid blueprint for human resources leaders worldwide who want to inspire fourth revolution industrial workforces. Marta will discuss significant barriers to a cultural change that embraces digitalization, and successful strategies—with people at its heart—to implement the solid connectivity needed to link an organization's people, their products, and their projects.
Marta Kondryn
Title: Author
Company: HR Atlas
- Entrepreneur and business owner - building my own sustainable manufacturing business at ShufliaCrafts and gaining valuable business and strategy competencies.
- Partnering with business for growth and transformation through People.
- HR Executive with global activity and vast experience in Southeast Asia and Europe. In the past - Head of People and Culture at Mindvalley.
- Successful career supporting business transformation through people strategies including talent management, remuneration and organizational culture.
- Founder of the ChangeHR, a mentorship program, dedicated to bring change to HR and organisations around the world: https://bit.ly/changehr.
- Author of the book "HR Atlas", that became Amazon Bestseller in HR category in December 2020: https://bit.ly/HRAtlas.
- Fluent in English, Ukrainian, German. Learning Mandarin.
A sustainable digitalization strategy must institute an entity-wide culture that embraces digitalization, recognizes its benefits and challenges, and encourages commitment to investments and projects, big and small. But effecting a cultural shift will mean retraining workers to utilize their experience and skills in a different way. Participants in this session will discuss strategies to encourage digitalization adoption, and the importance of laying out a long-term vision to engage all levels of leadership so that digital investments may be ultimately utilized to their full potential.
Yves Gorat Stommel
Title: Deputy Head Function Evonik Digital
Company: Evonik Digital
Yves Gorat Stommel is currently working as the head of the Cognitive Solutions team, with a strong focus on setting-up and implementing a comprehensive, company-wide Artificial Intelligence and data analysis strategy.
In his current function, Yves’ motivation stems from bringing together people, technology and positive change. By continuously questioning, improving and re-imagining operational and business processes – amongst others by looking at the company through the new “lens” of enabling and disruptive Artificial Intelligence – value is created for both the company and its employees. This does not only require identifying, benchmarking and implementing best practices, but more importantly targeted communication, linking knowledge and an emphasis on global instead of local mindsets and approaches.
Steven Ford
Title: Compliance & Support Manager, Plant Barry
Company: Southern Company
Steven Ford is currently the Compliance & Support Manager at Alabama Power's Barry Steam Plant located in Bucks, Alabama. He also serves as the chairman of the Southern Company Technology Leadership Team tasked with ensuring system-wide cost-effective, reliable, and efficient technology solutions supporting the business unit strategy.
Steven has worked in leadership roles with increasing responsibility across multiple plant sites in Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Alabama Power. These roles include Operations Manager, Maintenance Manager, Engineering & Planning Manager, and Plant Manager. He has leadership experience in both coal & natural gas-powered generation, including supercritical, combined cycle, and co-generation technologies supporting some of the state's largest chemical plant customers. In the Spring of 2020, Steven supported the Generation fleet as the COVID Pandemic Coordinator engaging cross-functional support from Supply Chain, Human Resources, IBEW Leadership, Disability Management, and Corporate Compliance to meet the evolving needs of employees working at our generating facilities.
Steven believes that being a part of the Alabama Power Generation leadership team allows him to foster a safer working environment, create meaningful professional developmental opportunities for his team, and find ways to improve our generating product through integrated technology.
Steven graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering, Georgia State University with a Master's in Business Administration, and Birmingham School of Law with a Juris Doctorate. Steven is married, has four children, and lives in Fairhope, Alabama. In his spare time, Steven enjoys working on cars, playing golf, and spending time traveling with his family.
Stephen Reynolds
Title: Industry Principal – Chemicals, AVEVA
Company: AVEVA
As more and more data are moved to the cloud, the largest concern in most industries is the security and safety of those data. In this session, speakers will talk about securing your infrastructure, different approaches to use cloud computing, and the opportunities that 5G connectivity may offer.
Scott Drap
Title: Sales Director
Company: Quartic ai Inc
Vincent White
Title: Automation Engineer
Company: WOOD
Vince is the Discipline Technical Authority for Networks and System Engineering at Wood in Houston, TX. He is a Key Specialty Leader for Network Design and Cybersecurity. Vince has a BS in Engineering from the University of Illinois with a Minor in Computer Science and a Specialization in Control Systems. Vince has broad experience across a range of control system platforms and industries.
Enabling a Secure Mobile HMI
Jumping into the mobile enabled “open” world can be daunting! Wood recently assisted a multi-national biochemicals client at enabling mobile technology. The facility comprised a variety of PLCs, some with obsolescence or reliability issues, that were all stand-alone without networking or remote access capability. .
Wood designed a plant wide equipment LAN connecting all PLCs and third-party equipment (VFDs, UPS etc.). A Plant Wi-Fi network was deployed for IT network access throughout the plant. Best practice KPI monitoring was established on overhead monitors. The operators specifically requested Mobile HMI capability for access to the PLC screens for monitoring and control, to help them walk around the area while being able to respond faster. The Mobile HMI connected to the equipment LAN using the Plant Wi-Fi network via VPN through an IT-OT firewall.
Wood assisted with the network and cybersecurity design of the solution, working with the client IT and OT engineers, resulting in a robust system and the best architecture for this solution. The client is now considering deploying this strategy at their other global sites.
Jumping to a mobile HMI should include key design and safety considerations for ergonomics in all possible work environments and with the usability of the mobile form factor. The safety aspect was equally important in deploying this solution, so mobile HMI accessories were selected in a way to support safe operation. Operator ergonomics were considered in installing the overhead HMI.
Dominic Gallello
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Company: Symphony Industrial AI
Mr. Gallello is an established technology leader with a deep background in vertical software solutions. Throughout his career, Mr. Gallello has established a track record of building great products, driving an intense customer focus and building global brands. His products have won more than 50 awards including 2 R&D 100s, considered the “Oscars of Innovation” as well as the company level, “Best Work Culture” Timmy Award. He was named a SaaS Top 50 CEO in 2018. He has led three successful turnarounds of public & private software companies over the past 16 years, resulting in ~$1.3B in exit value, with a 300%+ average increase in value. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gallello held Executive Vice President positions leading product development at Autodesk and Macromedia. Mr. Gallello has lived and run companies in China, Japan and Hungary and speaks a number of languages. His articles have appeared in such publications as Wired and the Wall Street Journal. A hands-on philanthropist, Mr. Gallello has funded and overseen the development of orphanages that have provided a nurturing home and solid education to 500+ children over the past 15 years. An avid long-distance swimmer, Mr. Gallello had completed many challenging races including the Asia to Europe, Arctic Circle Crossing, Sicily to Calabria and the Golden Gate to Bay Bridge races in recent years. Mr. Gallello holds both BS and MBA degrees from Monmouth University.
Harnessing AI and engineering for optimal reliability in power generation and distribution networks
Asset reliability & process professionals face an enormous challenged to tame the tsunami of data and turn it into useful information. With the advent of increasingly ubiquitous IIOT devices, sensor data is growing 50 times faster than business data with only 2% of it being used! By 2025 the number of devices will double to 21 billion.
While AI has become an essential component of making sense of the data, AI alone is not sufficient to determine cause and actions without raising false positives. A must going forward is the ability to create models that harnesses not only just AI’s processing power but also the subject matter expert’s deep knowledge and understanding of operating nuances.
The methodology involves building fit-for purpose anomaly and performance digital twins that works in tandem with process knowledge, failure library (FMEA) engines and advisory rule engines. The digital twin detects faults, finds efficient zones, and allows “what-if” scenarios to create the best possible outcomes. With a combination of data and first principles models, performance digital twins capture operating dynamics in real-time. Armed with this data, the twin “self-learns” to adaptively change and with built-in optimizers dynamically adjust process parameters that drive higher energy efficiency and lower emissions.
The above principles and methodologies have important positive ramifications in power gen and electrical distribution networks. We will explore optimizers working in tandem with plant controls can improve to improve heat rate efficiency of gas turbines in simple cycle and combined cycle applications, reduce boiler tube failures and emissions in coal-fired boilers thereby improving performance and reliability together. Similarly, we will look at using system-of-systems approach, with sophisticated AI-driven network analysis algorithms, imbalance in electrical systems can be spotted early and faulty areas up to individual assets like switchboards isolated to maintain network fidelity and ensure overall network performance with high uptime and power factors.
Michael Higgins
Title: Sr. Manager, Plant Applications
Company: NRG Energy, Inc.
Harnessing AI and engineering for optimal reliability in power generation and distribution networks
Asset reliability & process professionals face an enormous challenged to tame the tsunami of data and turn it into useful information. With the advent of increasingly ubiquitous IIOT devices, sensor data is growing 50 times faster than business data with only 2% of it being used! By 2025 the number of devices will double to 21 billion.
While AI has become an essential component of making sense of the data, AI alone is not sufficient to determine cause and actions without raising false positives. A must going forward is the ability to create models that harnesses not only just AI’s processing power but also the subject matter expert’s deep knowledge and understanding of operating nuances.
The methodology involves building fit-for purpose anomaly and performance digital twins that works in tandem with process knowledge, failure library (FMEA) engines and advisory rule engines. The digital twin detects faults, finds efficient zones, and allows “what-if” scenarios to create the best possible outcomes. With a combination of data and first principles models, performance digital twins capture operating dynamics in real-time. Armed with this data, the twin “self-learns” to adaptively change and with built-in optimizers dynamically adjust process parameters that drive higher energy efficiency and lower emissions.
The above principles and methodologies have important positive ramifications in power gen and electrical distribution networks. We will explore optimizers working in tandem with plant controls can improve to improve heat rate efficiency of gas turbines in simple cycle and combined cycle applications, reduce boiler tube failures and emissions in coal-fired boilers thereby improving performance and reliability together. Similarly, we will look at using system-of-systems approach, with sophisticated AI-driven network analysis algorithms, imbalance in electrical systems can be spotted early and faulty areas up to individual assets like switchboards isolated to maintain network fidelity and ensure overall network performance with high uptime and power factors.
When starting digitalization, the focus is typically on internal data and processes. A next logical step would be to leverage both internal and external data, to holistically address supply, production, and demand challenges. This session will share several examples of use cases that go “beyond the plant”.
Yves Gorat Stommel
Title: Deputy Head Function Evonik Digital
Company: Evonik Digital
Yves Gorat Stommel is currently working as the head of the Cognitive Solutions team, with a strong focus on setting-up and implementing a comprehensive, company-wide Artificial Intelligence and data analysis strategy.
In his current function, Yves’ motivation stems from bringing together people, technology and positive change. By continuously questioning, improving and re-imagining operational and business processes – amongst others by looking at the company through the new “lens” of enabling and disruptive Artificial Intelligence – value is created for both the company and its employees. This does not only require identifying, benchmarking and implementing best practices, but more importantly targeted communication, linking knowledge and an emphasis on global instead of local mindsets and approaches.
Israel Wink
Title: IFF - Intelligent Feedstock Flow
Company: Braskem
Chemical engineer responsible for the IFF digital product, he has 25 years of experience working in the Industrial petrochemical area, 11 years of which have specialized in the technical evaluation of raw materials.
IFF - Intelligent Feedstock Flow
Our product has the name IFF - Intelligent Feedstock Flow! Our Smart Platform helps teams involved in the process of quality and processing assessment of raw materials, who want to buy with more agility, seizing market opportunities.
We become more competitive, while preserving industrial safety, seeking to generate more value for Braskem, guaranteeing reliability and compliance on decision making.
However.
What is the the main advantage of IFF (Intelligent Feedstock Flow)?
Using Machine Learning, Big Data, Data Science plus user’s experience of senior petrochemical engineers, several tools were developed inside IFF platform that automatize the most important steps of quality evaluation, that in the former way were done manually by expert engineers consuming time and people resources.
This way, we achieve speed in the process of evaluation and approval of new kind of feedstocks to the Petrochemical complex. Inside the system is possible to categorize automatically the type of naphtha clusters, identify the probability of contaminants using historical means of that origin, manage which asset of the company has the best performance to process this kind of feedstock and keep the whole historical evaluation and process improvement shared with teams that need to be in agreement with this scenario.
This tool connects the industrial team with their technical vision, with the Comercial team with their financial vision and manage the tradeoff of the decision optimizing the profit and avoiding industrial problems with the reactor, cracking furnace, compressors, etc.
Using our platform it is possible to monitore all the process from analyzing the opportunity of buying a feedstock (since the trader’s team receives the offer) to the final processing of this feedstock. The system interacts with the user alerting if there is some problem with this feedstock before it is bought, avoiding losses with raw material’s contaminants.
Celso Recalde
Title: Professor
Company: Escuela Superior Politecnica de Chimborazo
Celso Recalde is a professional researcher, "Perfiles" chief journal editor, reviewer, and principal professor at Chimborazo Higher Polytechnic School ESPOCH, Ecuador. He majored in physics at the ESPOCH, Ms.C. in environmental management at the UNACH, and received a D.Sc. from the José Antonio Echeverría Higher Polytechnic Institute CUJAE, Cuba. Recalde has proficiency, expertise and skills in renewable energy and the environment. Areas of expertise: Microbial Fuel Cells: biosensor, bioelectricity and hydrogen production. Thermosolar: Solar Water Heaters, Solar Potential and Transmittance. Sustainability-Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.
Dr Recalde founded the first Research Center of the ESPOCH (CEAA) and is chair of the alternative energies research group. He has achieved over 35 national and international awards for research grants. His publications are in bioelectricity, biosensor, environment and solar energy.
Drought risk in hydroelectric power plants in Ecuador using climate models
The operation control of hydroelectric power plants depends on climate behavior. This summary is a project result of the Ministry of the Environment and Water of Ecuador. At a global level, tools are developed to infer the behavior of rain throughout the year. The basic information corresponds to CHIRPS and CHIRTS data, and the INAMHI meteorological stations data at a daily frequency with 137 observations of stations for precipitation, obtaining the circulation patterns for the period 1985 - 2015. For the future, 2020 - 2050 the outputs of CMIP6 files of models that provide high resolution data are used. Six Weather Types of daily patterns of atmospheric circulation, precipitation and temperature are classified. Satellite data was calibrated with on-site information. The temporal and spatial scale of the atmospheric circulation patterns of geopotential height and precipitation were classified to observe the interannual variability and climate behavior. The temporary patterns of climate models with the best adjustment in the area were developed in Python. The different expected values of daily rainfall were obtained, especially sites with the presence of droughts for the period 1985 - 2015, and future projections are generated on it. When analyzing predictions in each region or other meteorological parameters, for example, in the Galápagos Islands, 60% of average days have a decrease in precipitation aspect to be considered for possible reservoir construction in the archipelago. On the other hand, adaptation plans must be generated in the provinces of Manabí and Guayas that have an important stage of drought; considering that important hydroelectric projects are based in these areas. This analysis must be performed for all watersheds and their future influence on water availability. As well as raising risk analysis for the different agricultural sectors, energy, watershed management, among others. The continuous improvement of the models with the updating of meteorological data and the generation of alert systems are a guide for making decisions.
Andrew Tang
Title: Vice President, Energy Storage & Optimisation
Company: Wärtsilä
Andy Tang is the Vice President, Energy Storage and Optimisation for Wärtsilä. He has nearly three decades of experience in business development, strategic planning, corporate finance and M&A transactional experience. He’s been at the forefront modernizing the electric grid including leading Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s upgrade to digital wireless SmartMeters. Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University where he was awarded the White Fellowship. In addition, he studied International Economics and History at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom.
Software-enabled market bidding strategies
Renewables are now the cheapest source of energy, but currently only account for about 12% of energy consumption in the United States. This is partly due to a lack of tools for integrating renewables into the current wholesale energy market-bidding structure. This not only impedes the transition to 100% renewable energy, but blocks power producers from lucrative revenue opportunities.
Andrew Tang, Vice President of Energy Storage & Optimisation at Wärtsilä, will present a case study on a solar-plus-storage facility in southern USA that uses cloud-based market bidding software to automatically bid firm energy into the day-ahead markets. The project is one of the world’s first examples where energy traders use artificial intelligence and energy storage technology to competitively bid into wholesale markets.
Andrew will explain how integrating automated market participation into the operation of renewable energy and energy storage unlocks a segment of the market previously unavailable. It was previously thought that renewable energy would not be able to compete in market-driven procurements. However, first-mover auctions surprised utilities with energy storage offers too good to refuse. Energy storage has enabled better integration of renewables onto the grid by guaranteeing that reliable renewable power is available to meet the demand of energy markets just as any flexible fossil fuel power plant guarantees fossil fuel electricity.
Andrew will discuss the complexities of bidding in energy markets with power from energy storage assets, which requires a sophisticated approach that anticipates fluctuations and can recalibrate and react in fractions of a second. This type of instantaneous calculation requires traders to work with an algorithmic software to manage the bidding process. He will use real-world data to show how auto-bidding software provides revenue opportunities for customers and an entry point for the renewables sector into real-time energy trading.
Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, opened a 1.4 MW microgrid project in Tech Square near the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems and energy management systems. Join a small group tour of this facility and learn about the latest technology being used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Get an up-close look at fuel cells and battery storage in use and the integration of existing, proven technologies like diesel generators and a natural gas generator into microgrid configuration. The installation also serves as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices and energy economics. (limited to End Users only) First tour at 8 am second tour leaves at 9:15 am.
