An Advanced Analyser Management and Control System to Guarantee Reliability of Process Analysers

At present, processes in chemical and petrochemical industries are controlled by a complex of different of on-line process analysers. These analysers must provide reliable and accurate data that is inevitable to a smooth proceeding of production of processes. Fast evaluation of the process conditions can only be established if all data accurate, centralised and users friendly displayed. Modcon-Systems Ltd developed the Anacon including FreeTune package software to present all analytical data provided by the process analysers on a single display and to guarantee its permanent reliability.

Actual and historical data from all process analyser results can be displayed, either in a graphical or in a numerical mode.

To maintain maximum accuracy and reliability, especially in case of correlative process analysers based on chemometric models, a continuous validation and calibration of the analysers is inevitable. The incorporation of the model updating package, FreeTune, in the Anacon software enables ongoing and on-line validation of the analysers to be conducted in compliance with ASTM D3764. Process analyser results are continuously correlated and validated against laboratory test-results obtained by standardised methods.

Analyser validation is achieved by two modes:
1. Reference sample mode: By the measuring a reference samples of known value.
2. On-Line mode: In a continuous mode, by correlation of the laboratory test result to the corresponding analyser measurements at identical time of sampling.

The on-line update of the chemometric developed models by the FreeTune software guarantees the analytical results to be at maximum available accuracy.

Other features that can be accounted for and are incorporated in the software are the feasibility to control active streams, and alarm management.

The software runs on a Microsoft windows platform, and can be connected to remote analyses by Modbus over serial or TCP/IP connection.