CHEMICAL
Cabot Corporation Increases Productivity
and Minimizes Maintenance Costs with
Assistance from Emerson’s AMS Suite:
Intelligent Device Manager
RESULTS
•Plant downtime reduced from 18% to 4%;
below targeted level
•Greater than 10% increase in production
•Reduction of from 1.5% to 0.3% waste to landfill
•Maintenance costs down, due to better
problem identification
•Significant improvement in reliability of
field instrumentation
APPLICATION
Production of hydrophilic fumed silica (SiO2);
trade named CAB-O-SIL.
CUSTOMER
Cabot Corporation, Midland, MI, global manufacturer of highquality fine chemical particles, dispersions, and compounds.
CHALLENGE
In a severe, corrosive manufacturing environment that is “hard”
on process instrumentation, Cabot set goals of minimizing plant
downtime; limiting off-spec products; reducing production costs;
improving the work environment, safety, and employee health;
and meeting finished product delivery commitments. Temperature
and pressure swings and starts/stops due to unscheduled
downtime result in added stress on process equipment.
SOLUTION
A combination of planned and predictive maintenance strategies
was implemented utilizing data delivered by Emerson’s AMS Suite:
Intelligent Device Manager software package, including ValveLink®,
Calibration Assistant, and MV Engineering SNAP-ON applications.
A PlantWeb® network of field devices is effectively managed to
schedule outages conveniently and to reduce unscheduled downtime.
For more information:
www.assetweb.com
“While no formal ROI has been
performed, the AMS Device
Manager has been an excellent
investment for Cabot in Midland.
It has helped us reduce downtime
and avoid maintenance costs.”
Kim Murphy, Technical Manager
Cabot Corporation, Midland, MI
CHEMICAL
The value of the AMS Device Manager was highlighted when
a problem in a level transmitter on an acid exchanger unit was
found. A pin-hole leak in the high pressure sensing
pad was allowing acid to attack the stainless steel
in the sensing plenum. Early detection prevented a
catastrophic failure, maintained safety, and enabled
timely repairs without excessive costs. AMS Suite:
Intelligent Device Manager powers PlantWeb through predictive
and proactive maintenance of intelligent field devices to
improve availability and performance.
PLANT DOWNTIME
20.00
18.00
16.00
14.00
% Downtime
Baseline signatures obtained on all valves help locate problems
that simply could not be found with traditional troubleshooting
methods. As a result, “bad” valves have been identified before
they could affect process performance, and equally important,
valves with no apparent problems are spared expensive
teardowns during scheduled outages.
12.00
% Downtime Target
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
Fiscal Year
2001
Fiscal Year
2002
Fiscal Year
2003
Line drawing showing plant downtime for
fiscal years ‘01, ‘02, & ‘03
The AMS Device Manager is installed as a pass-through to
Emerson’s PROVOX™ distributed control system, which
encompasses nearly 500 HART® smart field devices, including
Rosemount 3051 static pressure and DP transmitters, 3144
temperature transmitters, 3095MV flow meters, 8700 mag
meters, and 8800 vortex meters. FIELDVUE® digital valve
controllers, MicroMotion Elite w/9739 transmitters, and
an RAI stack analyzer are also on the network.
Emerson Process Management
Asset Optimization Division
12001 Technology Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA
T 1(952) 828-3022
F 1(952) 828-3033
www.assetweb.com
©2004, Emerson Process Management.
The contents of this publication are presented for informational purposes only, and while every effort has been
made to ensure their accuracy, they are not to be construed as warranties or guarantees, express or implied,
regarding the products or services described herein or their use or applicability. All sales are governed by our
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or specifications of our products at any time without notice.
All rights reserved. AMSTM Suite, PlantWeb®, ValveLink, and SNAP-ON are marks of one of the Emerson Process
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