Potential studies: Why plants – like people – need regular health checks

Many industrial plants run reliably for years. Production works, the energy supply is stable and the company knows its plant well. However, just as with people, the same applies to technical systems: Just because everything is currently working does not mean that everything is running optimally. This is why doctors recommend regular health checks – even if you feel healthy. Small abnormalities can be detected early before they become major problems.
The potential studies we carry out for potential studies for process plants.

Health check of your systems

A potential study can be thought of as a comprehensive technical health check. We don’t just look at individual key figures, but analyze the system as a whole:

• How efficiently does the process work?
• How stable are control loops set?
• Where do unnecessary energy losses occur?
• Which procedural degrees of freedom are available or can be created? Which ones cannot yet be used?

The evaluation of historical process data and targeted, supplementary measurements provide a clear picture of the actual system status. This allows weak points to be identified before they have a negative impact on efficiency, costs or operational safety.

Recognize symptoms before problems arise

In medicine, many diseases initially show only small signs: slightly elevated values, minimal deviations or non-specific symptoms. The situation is similar with technical systems.

Typical “symptoms” in system operation are, for example:

• Oscillating control loops
• Inefficient operating points of individual units
• Unnecessary internal energy consumption
• Creeping loss of efficiency

These effects are often barely noticeable in everyday life, but can lead to higher operating costs or more unstable processes in the long term. A potential study makes these connections visible.

Therapy: targeted optimization instead of major interventions

Another advantage of this approach: Often, no major conversions are necessary.
Many improvements can already be achieved through:

• Optimized operating strategies
• Adjusted controller tuning
• Better use of existing degrees of freedom in the process

reach.

This is comparable to medicine: small adjustments in behavior or targeted measures are often enough to significantly improve health and performance.

Independent assessment of potential

As with a medical examination, an independent assessment is also important for technical analyses. CONENGA assesses feasible potential on a purely technical basis and therefore independently of manufacturers. Our recommendations are feasible solutions. The aim is always an objective diagnosis and a suitable solution for the respective system/standard.

Precaution instead of reaction

Many operators only carry out a potential study when problems arise or major investments are planned. However, our experience shows that such analyses are particularly valuable as a preventative tool.

They help with this,

• Recognize efficiency potential at an early stage
• Plan investments more soundly
• Reduce operating costs in the long term
• secure competitiveness

Just like with a health check, if you look regularly, you will recognize changes earlier – and can react in a targeted manner.

Conclusion

A potential study is basically a health check for your plant. It shows where processes are already running optimally, where there is potential for improvement and which measures make economic sense. In other words: not every plant is sick – but almost every plant can be made healthier and more efficient