Wickliffe, OH, May 3, 2006—Through an ongoing Technology Partnership, ABB Inc. and Metso Automation Inc. announced today that Metso's Neles ValvGuard product has been Industrial IT Enabled. Neles ValvGuard partial stroke testing and monitoring system for emergency valve applications helps ensure that emergency shutdown (ESD) and emergency venting (ESV) valves will operate as required despite long periods of idle service. Unlike traditional safety systems that require testing while the process is completely shut down, Neles ValvGuard allows testing of valve performance on-line, anytime, without disturbing the process.
The system monitors safety valve performance trends and automatically provides a warning so that simple low-cost actions can be implemented before a dangerous situation occurs. Because the exact condition of the valve is known at all times, maintenance periods can be extended, avoiding unnecessary process shutdowns and repairs. As an integrated extension of ABB's System 800xA High Integrity Safety Instrumented System (SIS), Neles ValvGuard provides reliable valve performance that is continuously tested and monitored on a real-time basis for more robust yet cost-effective operation.
System 800xA High Integrity improves process availability and reliability while reducing risk to overall plant operation by providing a common high integrity system environment for production control, safety supervision, and production monitoring. "The Neles ValvGuard product from Metso Automation provides a leading-edge, robust valve testing, monitoring, and maintenance tool that compliments the capabilities of Industrial IT System 800xA High Integrity. The integration of Neles ValvGuard will provide ABB System 800xA users a proven, best-in-class solution for their safety applications," said Mark Taft, Group Vice President, Control Systems Business, ABB Inc.
"ABB's commitment is to provide our customers with new capabilities to do much more with their automation systems than they could do in the past, with less effort. This partnership with Metso Automation is one more way we deliver the tools our customers need to protect their plant operations while making these operations more efficient and profitable." Metso's Neles ValvGuard integration into System 800xA delivers unique problem detection and management benefits with the use of Asset Monitors. Traditional solutions between system providers and device suppliers support only the ability to configure the device and to read process and diagnostic data.
This innovative integration between Metso and ABB provides the ability to alarm based on the actual diagnostics, actively seeking potential problems and alerting plant personnel. The active monitoring of this information ensures that diagnostic data is not buried within the system, waiting for someone to find the information after a problem has been detected. The combination of advanced diagnostics in Neles ValvGuard, with the monitoring and alerting capabilities of System 800xA, provide the information needed to take action before a problem is detectable, helping improve overall process safety and operations efficiency.
"Integration of Neles products to ABB's System 800xA serves especially our customers in oil and gas, petrochemical and refining industries," said Markku Simula, Vice President, Neles Product Line in Metso Automation. "We believe that Neles ValvGuard and NelesESD valves integrated to ABB's System 800xA High Integrity SIS provides customers increased safety and reliability in the safety critical processes." Industrial IT Enabled products set the standard for productivity and ensure compliance with System 800xA's automation and information architecture. Industrial IT Enabled certification verifies plug and produce integration of value added 3rd party software and hardware with Extended Automation System 800xA.
In addition to Neles ValvGuard, certified integrations for SAP, IFS and MRO maintenance systems, Meriam Technologies device management system, Intergraph SmartPlant® Instrumentation and Matrikon's ProcessGuard alarm management also enhance System 800xA's comprehensive safety and device management capabilities. ABB's System 800xA extends the scope of traditional control systems to include all automation functions in a single operations and engineering environment so that plants/mills can run smarter and better at substantial cost savings. Its reach extends well beyond the realm of essential process control to production management, safety, smart instrumentation, smart drives and motor control, information management, asset optimization, simulation, and documentation.
System 800xA's unique engineering environment manages one set of consistent data, for single-point entry, single-point change, and re-use across the plant. System 800xA Extended Automation has been chosen by Control Engineering magazine to receive an Editors' Choice Award as one of the best products introduced in 2004. ABB ( www.abb.com ) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.
The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 103,000 people. Metso Automation operates worldwide and has sales and customer support units in 34 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia, and Africa. The number of employees totals 3,200.
www.metsoautomation.com . Metso is a global engineering and technology corporation with 22,000 employees in more than 50 countries serve customers in the pulp and paper industry, rock and minerals processing, the energy industry and selected other industries.
