Emerson to automate recycling and energy recovery plant

Emerson Process Management has been awarded a contract to digitally automate one of Europe’s most innovative recycling and energy recovery plants being built by Syctom on the banks of the River Seine in Paris. Emerson will install PlantWeb digital plant architecture with FOUNDATION fieldbus technology for the major project that will recycle refuse from 1.1 million Paris residents, converting the waste into energy.

Syctom recognized the value of Emerson’s knowledge and experience gained from similar large capital projects and awarded the contract following a rigorous vetting procedure. Emerson’s PlantWeb digital plant architecture met Syctom’s vision to install the most modern automation and control system available today. The cost and time savings that PlantWeb provides during installation, and the operational benefits that are enabled, made it the first choice for this high profile installation.

The project has been designed to be a technological showcase with special consideration being given to integrating the building into the surrounding environment. Two thirds of the building will be underground to minimize the impact on the local community and there will be no steam plume or chimneys. In addition, no industrial water will be discharged into the Seine.

“There have been many environmental issues to be addressed, in particular the sensitive area of emissions”, said Dominique Coutart, project director, Syctom. “Emerson’s PlantWeb architecture and the innovative design of the plant will ensure that emissions will be significantly lower than the stringent levels required by the latest European regulations.”

Emerson’s Rosemount Analytical instruments will be used for the continuous monitoring of the emissions to ensure that the plant meets all the required criteria, this includes levels for dioxins, cadmium and sulphur dioxide. Sophisticated treatment equipment will guarantee that smoke emissions will be less than 50 percent of the European limit.

“This is a highly imaginative scheme that uses the best technologies to recover and recycle waste in a sensitive and densely populated area,” said David Dunbar, president of Emerson Process Management in Europe. “Emerson’s class leading technologies have been specified for the critical continuous monitoring of the emissions and we are delighted that Syctom has recognized the benefits that Emerson’s PlantWeb based control and automation will provide during installation and later, when the plant is fully operational.”

The installation is based on Emerson’s PlantWeb digital plant architecture, with a DeltaV digital control system and FOUNDATION fieldbus communications technology with 65 segments and more than 500 intelligent devices from several vendors. These include Rosemount pressure, flow, level and temperature instruments, and Fisher control valves with Fisher FIELDVUE digital valve controllers as well as the Rosemount Analytical analyzers.

By using a solution based on FOUNDATION fieldbus, it has been possible to significantly reduce the space required for the control room footprint, thereby freeing this space for other uses. For example, a conventional wired system would have required up to 30 control cabinets but this will be reduced to just five with the simplified wiring and reduced hardware required by the FOUNDATION fieldbus network.

Emerson will also be providing AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager predictive maintenance software, which will give operators data from the FOUNDATION fieldbus devices on the network. AMS Device Manager will make configuration and commissioning of the devices easier, contributing to faster start up of the plant. When the plant is operational, AMS Device Manager will provide online access to instrument and valve diagnostics allowing problems to be resolved before they affect plant operations.

Replacing an existing plant, the new facility will be constructed at Issy Les Moulineaux in the suburbs of Paris and will recover and sort the domestic rubbish from 1.1 million residents. It has the annual capacity to convert 460,000 tons of domestic waste into energy as well as being able to sort and recycle 55,000 tons of domestic packaging and large objects.