FEBRUARY 2023

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AUTOMATION www.isa.org/intech

AUTOMATION
& CONTROL
FOR THE
CHEMICAL AND
PETROLEUM
INDUSTRIES

Automating Data Collection for Carbon Accounting

The Thrill of Digital Design for Advanced Plastics Recycling

State-Based Control for Complex Systems troleum

Chemical & Pe ion
is
Industries Div
System Integration for the Hydrogen Hub Backbone

ISA112: Supporting SCADA System Reliability

The Four Pillars of Operator Performance

ID
isa.org/ChemP
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FEBRUARY 2023 | VOL 70, ISSUE 1

FEATURES
SUSTAINABILITY

18 Automating Data
Collection for Carbon
Accounting
By Alan Bryant
Using CO2 in enhanced oil recovery
is an important component of carbon
capture, utilization and storage proj-
ects for greenhouse gas reduction.

DIGITALIZATION
OPERATIONS
27 Plastics Recycling: No 45 The Four Pillars of
Digital Transformation Operator Performance
Needed By David Lee
By James Haw Elements of operator performance are
The mission to accomplish advanced complicated, so look to standards and
plastics recycling keeps the automation best practices to guide improvements.
pro responsible for project/program
execution focused and committed. PROCESS CONTROL

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
49 State-Based Control
34 Building the Hydrogen Solutions for Complex
Hub Backbone Systems
By Robert Rice and Ziair DeLeon
By Nishadi Davis
One producer tamed a difficult level
The clean hydrogen ecosystem needs
control task by applying state-based
control systems integration and net-
control to level loops, improving test
work planning.
separator performance.
STANDARDS

39 ISA112: Supporting roleum

Chemical & Pet ion
is
Industries Div
SCADA System
Reliability
By Graham Nasby
The ISA112 consensus-based technical
standard identifies and promotes best
D
practices. isa.org/ChemPI

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 3 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 FEBRUARY 2023 | VOL 70, ISSUE 1

DEPARTMENTS
6 Talk to Me 15 Professional Development
By Renee Bassett By Prabhat Behera
Connections and Conversations Young Automation Professionals: Let Uniqueness
and Competency Be your Guides
7 Director’s Message
By Alan Bryant 58 Standards
Chemical and Petroleum Industries Division in By David Lee
Focus Fundamentals of ISA Standards

8 Association Spotlight 61 Association News

How ChemPID Helps Create a Better World through ISA Announces 2023 Global Event Schedule, Design
Automation of Fire and Gas Detection Systems for Process
Industries, ISASecure Announces Site Assessment
12 IIoT Insights Program for OT Cybersecurity, ISA Wins Two
By Roland Plett Awards for its Automation & Leadership Conference
Remote Asset Monitoring and Operations in
Oil & Gas

© 2023 InTech
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 TALK TO ME | PERSPECTIVES FROM THE EDITOR

Connection and Conversations

By Renee Bassett, InTech Chief Editor

Technology continues and innovative insights they need to keep

to advance by leaps and their projects on track. ChemPID members
bursts, challenging us all to not only keep up also provide useful insight no matter what
but also try to capitalize on what’s possible. your industry affiliation: Graham Nasby
Discussions of the metaverse, ChatGPT explains the ISA112 SCADA standard, while
artificial intelligence and data analytics ap- David Lee covers the fundamentals of ISA
pear regularly in consumer news sources. standards overall, for example.
Conferences like ARC Advisory Group’s 2023
Technology is moving forward drastically,
Industry Leadership Forum discuss industrial
so it’s good to hear from others who have
IoT, edge and cloud computing, 5G communi-
been there before. Read these articles.
cations and other high-tech advances that may
Connect with you peers. Continue the con-
(or may not) be coming to your facility anytime
versations. And consider sharing your own
soon. Automation professionals are the ones
insights and project successes in the pages of
who have to sort it all for their companies.
InTech. The project you advance just might be
Making the connection between new tech- your own. 
nologies and day-to-day operational needs
can be tough. It helps to find peers who are
wrestling with the same problems. It helps to
find experts willing to share their experiences
and talk through solutions. That knowledge OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AUTOMATION

sharing is a big reason why the International EDITORIAL

Society of Automation exists—to bring to- CHIEF EDITOR: Renee Bassett, [email protected]
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Jack Smith, [email protected]
gether professional peers.
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Bill Lydon, [email protected],
In this issue of InTech, we’re focusing on the Charley Robinson, [email protected],
Alan Bryant, [email protected]
petrochemical industry so we can go deep with
STAFF WRITERS: Melissa Landon, Lynn DeRocco
the knowledge being shared, and I’ve called on ART & PRODUCTION: Bonnie Walker, Art Director;
the members of ISA’s Chemical and Petroleum Jamie McLendon, Graphic Designer; Colleen Casper,
Digital Designer
Industry Division (ChemPID) to help.
ISA MEMBER LEADERS
Whether building a network of advanced
ISA PRESIDENT: Marty Bince
plastics recycling plants or the hydrogen hub ISA PAST PRESIDENT: Carlos Mandolesi
backbone, ChemPID members readily share ISA PRESIDENT-ELECT & SECRETARY: Prabhu Soundarrajan
TREASURER: Steve Mustard
their experience and look to ISA and each
other to find the standards, best practices

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 6 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE | CHEMPID

Chemical and z Digitalization: James Haw (PureCycle)

Sustainability: Nishadi Davis (Wood)
Petroleum Industries
z

z Sustainability: Alan Bryant (Occidental)

Division in Focus As director of ChemPID, I want the divi-

sion to be a strong community of automation
By Alan Bryant
professionals with common interests. There
are opportunities to network with other
Welcome to the February 2023 issue of InTech,
professionals to share and learn, to publish,
focused on the Chemical and Petroleum
and to volunteer.
Industries Division (ChemPID). You can
learn more about the division in Association Last year, we assembled a strong team on
Spotlight department that follows. the division board to carry out our goals. This
year, I hope to provide more opportunities to
It is a privilege to include an interview with
expand and accomplish our mission. Watch
Nick Sands, an ISA fellow, for this issue (see
ISA Connect for updated volunteer postings.
Final Say on page 66). His work on the ISA-
18.2: Management of Alarm Systems for the
Process Industries standard has been influ- By being active in ISA standards
ential in the process industry. Nicholas led the
committees, the divisions, and
committee to create this much-needed guid-
ance on alarm management. After the standard
my local section, I have met
was approved, he worked to gain adoption by some amazing people.
IEC, which expanded its influence globally. It
is now recognized by many government safety
By being active in ISA standards commit-
agencies. Vendors and service providers have
tees, the divisions, and my local section, I have
updated products and services to help end
met some amazing people who shared their
users implement this standard.
experience with me. I have been inspired by,
This issue features articles by ChemPID lead-
and learned much from them and made some
ers from each of the ChemPID working groups:
good friends. I hope this division can provide
z Young Professionals: Prabhat Behera opportunities for you to do the same, and I
(Occidental) hope this ChemPID issue of InTech provides
z Standards: David Lee (Emerson) something useful to each of you. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Bryant, PE, PMP is director of ISA’s ChemPID and is a voting member on multiple
ISA standards committees. He has more than 30 years of experience managing proj-
ects and automation initiatives in upstream oil and gas. In his role as an engineer at
Occidental, he is a technical SME, he establishes new programs such as alarm manage-
ment, develops company practices, and automation standards.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 7 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT | DIVISIONS

How ChemPID Helps You Create a Better

World through Automation
Have you ever wondered if someone else
already has it all figured out when it comes to
being an automation professional within the
petrochemical/oil and gas industries? Why
reinvent the wheel? The key to success is to
capitalize on problems that have already been
solved and focus your engineering talent on
problems that require innovation.

ISA technical divisions are communities

of members who have common technical
interests covering a wide variety of industries
and technologies. ISA’s technical divisions are
Figure 1. ChemPID areas of focus.
free-to-join for ISA members, and members
are encouraged to join as many divisions
as they choose. For example, you might be z Discover opportunities to be a leader
interested in both an industry division and a through the division board.

technology division. z Share your expertise to help others.

The Chemical and Petroleum Industries
Through a division, you can:
Division (ChemPID) within the International
z Build a network of peers with similar Society of Automation (ISA) is a community
technical interests. of professionals involved in the extraction,
z Participate in online technical discussions. production, transport, and processing of
z Receive access to the division community chemicals, petrochemicals, petroleum, and
and communications. natural gas. From raw materials to products,
z Learn through ISA OnPoint technical ChemPID members seek to advance best
presentations. practices in safety, environmental protection,

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 8 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT | DIVISIONS

production efficiency, operations, process industries to benefit you and your employer,
control, and automation (Figure 1). ChemPID and have a positive impact on the industry.
is one of the largest divisions within ISA, with Valuable information resources: Member
over four thousand members strong. events such as Connect Live discussions and
ChemPID volunteers join various technical OnPoint presentations learning the latest in
committees or focus on specific roles that the industry. Access to ISA standards and
align with their areas of interest. Any of the publications, and peers who can recommend
https://connect.isa.org/chemicalandpetro- and explain concepts are available.
leum/about/leaders can tell you more about Leadership opportunities: You can improve
their area of focus and the division as a your personal leadership skills, participate
whole. Numerous benefits and professional in panel discussions, or serve as a session
opportunities are available when you join developer for an ISA conference.
ChemPID:
Technical writing: Review papers, make
Networking: Increase your visibility in presentations, lead discussions, or write
within the petrochemical and oil and gas articles for InTech magazine.

ChemPID Leaders 2022-2023

Alan Bryant Jagdish Shukla David Lee Denise Sherrod Nick Sands Christi Mezzic
Director Director-Elect Past Director Secretary Program Chair Membership
Chair

Dean Nishadi Davis Ahmed Greg Lehmann Prabhat Behera Trung Nguyen
Bickerton Publications Abdelrahman Section-Division Young Professionals Technical Lead:
ISA Connect OnPoint Coordinator Liaison Sustainability

James Haw Anil Pushkaran Charlie Souza David Lee Katie White Cheri Haarmeyer
Technical Lead: Board Member Board Member Scholarship Chair, Volunteer Volunteer
Digitalization Technical Lead: Operator Coordinator Coordinator
Performance

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 9 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION SPOTLIGHT | DIVISIONS

Strategic Plan 2023

Vision: z Collaboration - We seek out opportunities
Create a better world through automation to work together for the benefit of the
Society, its members, and our profession
Mission:
Empowering the global automation commu-
Objectives:
nity through standards and knowledge sharing
Outreach, Awareness, and Advocacy - Be
Values: recognized as the leading, global, indepen-
z Excellence - We provide industry leading dent source of automation knowledge.
unbiased content developed and vetted
Vibrant Community - Grow a consciously
by a community of experts
inclusive community to enable collaboration
z Diversity and Inclusion - We are com-
and foster the development of leadership skills
mitted to being a global, diverse, and
Innovation Insights - Proactively identify
inclusive organization
and foster evolving and emerging technol-
z Professionalism - We uphold the highest
ogy, processes, and business practices
standards of competence and skill in
related to ISA’s mission.
everything we do
z Integrity - We act with honesty, integ- Financial Stability - Foster a sustainable
rity, and trust, respecting others in all financial position that continues to support
that we do ISA’s mission.

There is Value in Membership

ISA is a member-focused association, centered on offering you the community and tools
needed to shape the future of automation. We focus on values like excellence, integrity,
diversity, collaboration, and professionalism. ISA is not just an association, we are a
community, built for professionals like you.

ISA/IEC
62443

ISA Connect Career Center Standards Networking Education and

Engage in technical Search job boards, Access over 150 Enhance your Training
discussions - both build your resume, standards that professional network Receive discounts
online and live - or get help career reflect the expertise by connecting with on training
with automation planning – all the of industry leaders members in your courses, event
professionals like tools you need to from around the local community or registrations, books,
yourself all around advance your career world! in your technical and professional
credentials.
the world. in automation. specialty.

Visit ISA.org/membership
to learn more!

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 10 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

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 IIOT INSIGHTS | WHERE THE INTERNET MEETS INDUSTRY

Remote Asset
Monitoring and
Operations in
Oil & Gas
By Roland Plett

“Remote asset operations” was

seen as the highest return on
investment out of all 10 use
cases described in a 2020 survey
by JWN Energy. The Digital
Oilfield Report that published
these findings goes on to identify
“remote asset inspection” and “remote asset
Remote operations are key to
monitoring” to be the second and third choice
by survey respondents.
leveraging digital technology in
A few years ago, everyone believed the
the oilfield.
way to achieve remote operations was in an
integrated remote operations center (iROC). z Increased effectiveness of drilling
All the expensive and hard-to-get experts operations
would make that their primary workplace and Over the last few years, we’ve learned to
they could apply their expertise across all operate more effectively from a home envi-
assets without the need for frequent travel. ronment, which has opened a new train of
thought for many operators. Can our experts
The iROC has definitely proven to be useful
be anywhere? If all the operating tools can
in a number of ways. Oilman magazine pub-
be put in a remote operations center, can
lished the following list of iROC achievements:
they also be accessed from a laptop or mobile
z Reduced the likelihood of events that
device anywhere an expert happens to be?
cause non-productive time
In many ways, this concept of hybrid work
z Reduced costs by improving operational
that we’ve learned about during COVID
efficiency
applies to remote operations as well.
z Helped operators gain a better under-
standing of complex well sites
z Used advances in technology to obtain Industry POV
3-D visualization and improved models Operators continue to struggle with achieving
z Prevented wellbore collisions remote operations in an operations center

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 12 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 IIOT INSIGHTS | WHERE THE INTERNET MEETS INDUSTRY

without even considering wide deployment Secure remote access. Most modern
of the hybrid work scenario from anywhere. assets are capable of remote management
The good news is, companies like Cisco have when connections are available. Partners
an ecosystem of partners that can collectively understand the security requirements of
deliver a remote operation center experience, industrial environments, including oil and
as well as a full hybrid work experience. Here gas sites. Cisco’s validated designs for secure
are a few key elements to consider. access comply with industry standards and
ensure remote experts are able to access
Actionable data. Remote work depends
assets without compromising cybersecurity
on accurate data and insights from remote
requirements of regulators and corporate
assets. Somehow, this data must be reliably
security frameworks.
acquired and transported to where artificial
intelligence (AI) engines can consume it and
provide insights. After that, the insights need
Final thoughts
The oil and gas industry has identified remote
to be delivered to decision makers. This data
operations as a key requirement for efficient,
movement is essential.
safe, and sustainable operation in the future. A
Cisco’s industrial network portfolio of
broad ecosystem of products and partners can
switches, routers, and wireless access points
deliver validated remote access solutions and
are capable of acquiring and processing data
make data available to the systems and deci-
at the edge as required. In most cases, this
sion makers that need it. And it can be done
data will also be transported back to a central
anywhere they happen to be.
data store for processing. A variety of vali-
dated designs meet specific industry speci-
RESOURCES
fications, as well as a variety of service level
cisco.com/go/oilandgas
requirements. This ensures the data reaches cs.co/oilandgasportfolio
the intended destination while keeping with Energy - Oil & Gas, Mining and Utilities
business requirements.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roland Plett is industry lead, oil, gas, and mining at Cisco Systems and last year gave a
Technical Talk to the ISA Calgary Section called “Keeping Our Utilities Safe. He brings
together the products of Cisco and its partners in the oil, gas and mining industries.
He loves moving valuable business data from the dirtiest and most hazardous environ-
ments on earth to the operator screens and OT applications of Cisco customers. Over
the last 25 years Plett has been an active part of the data networking industry includ-
ing eight years at Bell Canada and 13 years at Cisco Systems.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 13 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 GLOBAL
CYBERSECURITY
ALLIANCE

Industrial Cybersecurity
is a Global Imperative
It’s time to join forces. We are stronger together.
Get Engaged!
Follow our blog
Download our white papers and guides
Join the End User Council

ISA99
TM

STAY PRODUCTIVE, STAY SECURE

International Society of Automation

www.isa.org/isagca Setting the Standard for Automation™
 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | CAREER PATH

Young Automation Professionals: Let

Uniqueness and Competency Be your Guides
By Prabhat Behera

After graduating in electronics and telecom- automation also bring accomplishment and
munication engineering, I landed my first satisfaction with direct impact on life. An
job in process automation. It wasn’t a field I example is when I received feedback from co-
had particularly aspired for at the time, but workers in the control room that a recently
fate had chosen an exciting and fulfilling implemented automation project reduced
career path for me. Although I barely had any stress levels and had tangible benefits to their
industrial experience at the time, it was the health, well-being, and quality of life.
encouraging words from my mentors that
With this background, let us dive into the
facilitated my journey over the next 25 years.
roadmap to help you succeed in your career
Over the years, I have had a great experience
journey.
growing as a process automation profes-
sional. The takeaway here is that at the early
phase of our career, some of us are unaware
of the career path that should be followed, Process automation involves
and often it is shaped by our environment.
a unique mix of process,
It is important to keep the doors open and
choose the career option that advances the
mechanical, electrical,
skills you gained from education. instrumentation, and
Process automation involves a unique information technology skills.
mix of process, mechanical, electrical, in-
strumentation, and information technology
skills, bringing a multidiscipline perspective. Courage to be unique
In many ways, it was the precursor to the One reflection from the show “The Buried
now popular discipline of mechatronics. It is Life (starring Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood,
currently at the forefront of the industry and Duncan Penn, et. al.)” is “What do you want
influences an array of business goals includ- to do before you die?” It is true and inspiring
ing health, safety, and environment (HSE); that the quartet have crossed off most of
business efficiency; sustainability; and optimi- the 100 things they listed to complete in
zation. The career options in automation are the lifetime. Since our birth, we have passed
plentiful and the technology is futuristic, with through unique challenges in the personal,
artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins educational, and professional domain to
being the most active areas of research, de- get to where we are today, and it is a testa-
velopment, and deployment. Jobs in process ment to your ability to overcome the odds

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 15 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | CAREER PATH

TIER 3 - WORKPLACE COMPETENCIES

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10
Business Teamwork Adaptability Marketing & Scheduling & Creative Checking, Working Personal Sustainability
Fundamentals & Flexibility Customer Coordination Thinking & Examing & with Health &
Focus Problem Recording Tools & Safety
Solving Technology

TIER 2 - ACADEMIC COMPETENCIES

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

Reading Writing Mathematics Science Communication - Critical & Basic
Listening & Analytic Computer
Speaking Thinking Skills

TIER 1 - PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS COMPETENCIES

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

Interpersonal Integrity Personal Initiative Dependability Lifelong
Skills Acceptability & Reliability Learning

Figure 1. A portion of the automation competency model. See the full model at http://www.
careeronestop.org/competencymodel/competency-models/automation.aspx.

of survival that you are today reading this opportunities and we successfully achieve
article as an automation professional. Yet results that were never imagined. Let’s be
every one of us is unique in our capabilities positive and advance on the journey on the
and it is important that you identify your core path of sustainability for a better world.
strengths and proceed on the unique path
that best aligns with your passion. The automation competency model
The automation competency model (figure
Positivity 1) has been developed by the International
“If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. Society of Automation (ISA) and is recognized
means “First Attempt in Learning.” —Dr. A.P.J. across the industry. It is important to rec-
Abdul Kalam ognize that once you have embarked on the
This has been a guiding principle for me and career path of process automation, there is an
the reflection on the quote confirms that we abundance of resources and support to help
need to look at the life’s episodes in a positive you realize your goals. You’re not expected to
way. Often, people get stressed due to a single know everything, and therefore collaboration
failure and take a step back. If we learn from with colleagues is essential. Break your tasks
the failure and take on the next project with in small and manageable chunks that are
a positive attitude, then challenges become manageable.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 16 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | CAREER PATH

Data acquisition: Obtains all the required

process variables such as pressure, level,
temperature, and flow.
Process control: Regulates the process
to stay close to the desired process vari-
able (PID: proportional [present], integral
[past], and derivative [future]).
Instrumented protection systems:
Automated executive actions to mitigate
process excursion beyond safe operating
limits.
Human-machine interface (HMI): Moni-
tor and intervene to manage the operat-
ing envelope.
Historian: Reflect on past operation and
assure future performance in terms of
improvements and statistical analysis.

Figure 2. The five pillars of process automation.

These competencies are generally acquired sustainable with manual actions. These five
while executing projects. This is augmented pillars provide the possibility to control the
with having a development plan in place that process safely anytime and from anywhere.
includes reference books, industry codes and
standards, best practices, case studies, tips and Final thoughts
tools, and discussion forums. Access to these The automation industry is currently trending
resources can be easily leveraged through and offers opportunities that will continue to
membership in organizations such as ISA. impact our society toward a better world. Every
individual is unique, and those unique perspec-
Pillars of automation tives bring diversity that facilitate amazing
Let us imagine a level control scenario as innovations. Let’s not deviate from “the original
depicted in Figure 2. It involves risk of YOU.” The competency model presented in this
overflowing, could cause burnouts, and is not article may be used to guide the journey. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Prabhat Behera, BS, MBA, PGP (AI/ML) is an Automation Engineering Advisor at Oc-
cidental. He serves as the leader of ISA ChemPID’s Young Professional committee. He
has 27 years of international experience in the Oil and Gas industry in the areas of
project management, reliability, advanced automation, and process safety . His multi-
discipline efforts focus to eliminate vulnerabilities while minimizing the impact on our
planet in terms of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 17 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SUSTAINABILITY

Automating Data
Collection for Carbon
Accounting

Using CO2 in enhanced oil recovery is an important

component of carbon capture, utilization and
storage projects for greenhouse gas reduction.

By Alan Bryant

Oil companies have long used carbon dioxide constitute the bulk of today’s carbon capture,
(CO2) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects.
to produce additional oil that is not produc- CCUS involves the capture of carbon from a
ible by conventional methods like water- variety of sources: large point sources, such
flooding. The technology is widely used and as power generation or industrial facilities
well understood, so these active EOR fields that use either fossil fuels or biomass as fuel.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 18 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SUSTAINABILITY

At the same time, many industrial processes and credited to products, while automation
emit greenhouse gases including CO2, meth- systems capture the data required for moni-
ane, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toring, verifying, and reporting the stored
so over the next several decades, many volumes of CO2 along with the associated
projects are planned to reduce emissions by carbon crediting.
capturing carbon from these processes or
directly from the atmosphere and transport- Enhanced oil recovery
ing CO2 to locations where it can be utilized Enhanced oil recovery fields historically use
or sequestered. CO2 produced from naturally occurring reser-
That means the carbon intensity of oil, gas, voirs. However, capturing CO2 from industrial
and fuels can be reduced by capturing and processes is becoming economically viable
sequestering the carbon dioxide associated with recent incentives and provides environ-
with their production. The amount of CO2 mental co-benefits. Significant infrastructure is
sequestered is deducted from the carbon in place for delivering CO2 to producing fields.
impact of manufacturing and using those Of the possible storage and utilization oppor-
products. Complex accounting systems keep tunities (Figure 1), EOR is the most mature and
track of the amount of CO2 sequestered readily available.

CO2 Source CO2 Transport CO2 Storage Utilization

Enhanced Oil
Recovery

Atmospheric Storage
CO2
Dedicated Depleted Fields
geological Saline Auqifers
Industrial storage Mineralization
Capture

Pipeline

Underground
CO2

Truck
Bio CO2

Biological
Chemical
Point Source Utilization Agricultural
Capture Food
Cement

Figure 1. CO2 source, transport, and use options.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Supercritical CO2 injected into a reservoir trapping within the reservoir. Eventually, the
swells the hydrocarbon, because unlike water, CO2 replaces hydrocarbons in the pore space,
it is miscible in the hydrocarbon phase at resulting in long-term storage within the natural
reservoir conditions. Then, the injected CO2 trap of the reservoir.
sweeps the hydrocarbon to the producing
One example is from the California Air
wells, producing more reserves, thereby
Resources Board (CARB) Carbon Capture and
increasing the field’s overall hydrocarbon
recovery factor. The recovery factor is the Sequestration (CCS) protocol. Other states and

percentage of hydrocarbon in place that can government agencies have similar guidelines

be recovered. or are in the process of developing them. The

CARB CCS protocol applies to CCS projects
Later in the life of the CO2-EOR flood, a
that capture CO2 and sequester it onshore, in
substantial amount of CO2 is produced with the
either saline or depleted oil and gas reservoirs,
incremental hydrocarbon. This CO2 is separated
from the hydrocarbon phase and recycled or oil and gas reservoirs used for CO2-EOR.

back into the reservoir CARB CCS. Not only The system boundary for CO2 capture and
does this recycled CO2 reduce the amount of sequestration in oil and gas reservoirs is
purchased CO2 required to maintain the flood, shown in Figure 3. The CCS Protocol applies to
but the recycling can also promote additional both new and existing CCS projects.

CO2 CO2 capture, dehydration CO2 transport CO2 injection and

Source and compression (Equation 4) storage (Equation 5)
(Equation 3)

Vented CO2

Fugitive CO2
Combustion Combustion
GHG GHG
Combustion
Embodied Embodied GHG (CO2 injection
GHGelectricity+stream GHGelectricity and recycling)

Embodied Embodied
GHGfuel Embodied GHGelectricity+stream
GHGfuel (CO2 injection and
recycling)
Embodied Land Use
GHGchemical
Embodied
GHGfuel (CO2 injection
and recycling)

CO2 Leakage

Entrained GHG

Emissions
CO2 Transfer
CO2 Flow
Figure 2. Carbon dioxide and water can be used
Land Use
to flush residual oil from a subsurface rock
formation between wells, making excess carbon Figure 3. System boundary for CO2 capture and
a resource for enhanced oil recovery projects. sequestration in oil and gas reservoirs used for
Source: U.S. Department of Energy CO2-EOR.

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SUSTAINABILITY

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard below the benchmark generate credits, while
(LCFS) is designed to encourage the use of fuels above the CI benchmark generate
cleaner low-carbon transportation fuels in deficits. Credits and deficits are denominated
California. The LCFS standards are expressed in metric tons of GHG emissions. Providers
in terms of the “carbon intensity” (CI) of of transportation fuels must demonstrate
gasoline and diesel fuel and their respective that the mix of fuels they supply for use in
substitutes. The program is based on the prin- California meets the LCFS carbon intensity
ciple that each fuel has life cycle greenhouse standards, or benchmarks, for each annual
gas emissions that include CO2, CH4, N2O, compliance period. A deficit generator meets
and other GHG contributors. This life cycle its compliance obligation by ensuring that the
assessment is used to account for the GHG credits it earns or otherwise acquires from
emissions associated with the production, another party is equal to, or greater than, the
transportation, and use of a given fuel. The deficits it has incurred.
life cycle assessment includes direct emis- Data collection occurs via the SCADA
sions associated with producing, transporting, system throughout the CCUS process (Figure
and using the fuels, as well as significant 4). In a typical EOR application, the process
indirect effects on GHG emissions, such as follows these steps:
changes in land use for some biofuels.
1. CO2 is sourced from direct air capture, and
The carbon intensity scores assessed for capture from industrial processes.
each fuel are compared to a declining CI 2. CO2 is cleaned to pipeline specifications
benchmark for each year. Low carbon fuels and compressed to supercritical phase.

Fuel bill Enterprise

Carbon GHG
Accounting Calculations
Power bill

Historian

Source Pipeline EOR

SCADA SCADA SCADA

FC FC FC
CO2 source Process and Compress
Compress

Produced
Separate
Hydrocarbons
FC and Process
CO2 source Process and
Compress Hydrocarbon
reservior
Production
wells

Injection
wells

Figure 4. Data collection via SCADA through the CCUS process.

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SUSTAINABILITY

3. CO2 is transported, typically by pipeline, between the amount of CO2 sequestered and
to EOR fields. CO2 is typically transported the amount of GHG created in capturing, trans-
and injected in supercritical phase. porting, and injecting it (Equation A).
4. CO2 from the pipeline is mixed with CO2
The CO2 from the pipeline is metered
produced in the field and injected into the
with a custody-quality flow element and flow
reservoir.
computer. The CO2 injected that is credited
5. Produced gas is separated from oil and
to the project does not include the volume of
water, CO2 is processed, compressed, and
recycled CO2 that gets injected.
recycled to the injection system.
The amount of sequestered CO2 can be
6. Custody transfer meters measure the
allocated back to the sources if each source’s
amount of gas delivered from the source
contribution to the pipeline is metered. The
to the pipeline, the pipeline to the field,
CI reduction attributed to each source is
and the amount recycled.
calculated from the total GHG reduction
7. Flow measurements are delivered to the car-
of the project and the ratio of that source’s
bon accounting system, usually via the various
contribution to the sequestered amount.
SCADA systems. The data can be collected
and organized in a data historian for transfer The GHG from operating the project in-
to the carbon accounting system which is cludes GHG emissions from fuel combustion,
doing the carbon intensity calculations. electricity use, and chemical use (Equation
8. The custody meter from the pipeline to the B). Each of these must be measured and
EOR field is a measure of the amount of recorded at each stage.
CO2 sequestered.
9. The custody meters
from each source
to the pipeline are
used to allocate
the sequestered
CO2 mass to each
source. Equation A
Energy is required
at each stage,
contributing to the
GHG emissions of the
sequestration process.
Per the CARB protocol,
the GHG reduction
credited to the project
is the difference Equation B

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SUSTAINABILITY

Utility Power EOR

SCADA
substation

Field power distribution

M
Production
Facility Reinjection
Compression
Facility
M M
M M

Power to producng wells Production Gathering

Artificial lift Separation Compression
equipment Reinjection Reinjection
Compressor Compressor

Figure 5. Simple one-line power flow for EOR field.

In many cases, the production facilities Data from various sources are consolidated
and injection facilities share the same utility into an enterprise system for accounting:
power source. The metered power for the site z Metered contribution of each source to
must be segregated into production and in- the transportation system
jection power. If the site has a smart MCC or z Total amount delivered by the pipeline to
protective relays, the measured energy data the project
can be read directly by the local automation z Total amount injected
system. If there are not smart devices, current z Measured power, fuel, and chemical use
transformers can be used to measure power z Utility power bills
loads for the injection-related equipment, or z Fuel gas invoices
the loads can be estimated. z Chemical invoices
In the example in Figure 5, the total power Measured data from the sites might
delivered to the field comes from the utility already be delivered via the existing SCADA

bill. The amount of power used for CO2 injec- infrastructure, so it would only require some

tion is measured from the smart MCC and database work to get it to the system.

motor protective relays, collected by SCADA, A method to verify each input to the
and delivered to the data historian. The system is required. A backup plan for missing
accounting system can then allocate energy data must also be in place in case of instru-
used for injection and attribute the appropri- ment or communication failure. An example is
ate amount of GHG to the CO2-EOR process. shown in Figure 6.

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SUSTAINABILITY

sources, including power utility and fuel gas in-

Final thoughts
To measure the amount of GHG reduction voices, source control systems, transportation,

accomplished with sequestration in CO2-EOR, and production SCADA. In many cases, the
data must be consolidated from multiple data are already available, but it is spread across

CCS CO2 SOURCE

EMISSION NET GHG RELATED
PROJECT AND TRACKED VERIFICATION
SOURCE VARIABLE VARIABLES
PHASE EMISSIONS
Captured CO2 Source 1 Amount Allocated portion Calibrated flow
injected of total power to meters and
captured volume monthly sales
Allocation factor transactions
for this CO2 source
Captured CO2 Source 2 Amount Allocated portion Calibrated flow
CO2 injected of total power to meters and
Capture captured volume monthly sales
and Allocation factor transactions
Processing for this CO2 source
Process equip- Electric GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
ment power GHG-fuel GHG project Fuel gas meters
Fuel gas
Compression Electric GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
power GHG-fuel GHG project Fuel gas meters
Fuel gas
CO2 Compression Utility GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
Transport power GHG project
Purchased CO2 NA NA Compared to total Calibrated CO2
volume captured CO2 to pipeline flow
confirm injection meter
volume
Production Utility GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
artificial lift and power GHG project allocated per mea-
process equip- surement at MCC
ment
CO2
Injection Utility GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
Injection
process equip- power GHG project allocated per mea-
Operations ment surement at MCC
Recycle com- Utility GHG-electric Used to calculate Utility power bill
pression power GHG project allocated per mea-
surement at MCC
EOR Reservoir Wellbore CO2 leakage Used to calculate Leakage model
leakage leakage GHG project and monitoring
program per CCS
Protocol
Figure 6. A method to verify each input to the system is required.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 24 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 SUSTAINABILITY

multiple systems that must be integrated. The then make it available to the enterprise, per-
automation team’s role is to identify the neces- haps via the data historian. 

sary data in the SCADA and electrical systems, Photos courtesy of Occidental

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Bryant, PE, PMP is director of ISA's ChemPID and is a voting member on mul-
tiple ISA standards committees. He has more than 30 years of experience managing
projects and automation initiatives in upstream oil and gas. In his role as an engineer
at Occidental, he is a technical SME, he establishes new programs such as alarm
management, develops company practices, and automation standards.

Important Definitions
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction can be ac- CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO2-EOR) means the injection
complished by lowering the carbon intensity of fuels, e.g., into and storage of CO2 in conventional hydrocarbon reser-
adding carbon capture to ethanol production. voirs contributing to the extraction of hydrocarbon reserves.

Carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent (CO2e) con- Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse (GHG) emissions
verts the impact of known GHG emissions to an equiva- that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an
lent amount of carbon dioxide emissions in metric tonnes organization (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combus-
using the known GHG’s potential for global warming tion in boilers, furnaces, vehicles).
evaluated over the same period in the atmosphere, e.g.,
100 years. Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated
with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.
Carbon intensity (CI) is the measure of greenhouse gas Although Scope 2 emissions physically occur at the facil-
emissions associated with producing and consuming a ity where they are generated, they are accounted for in an
transportation fuel, measured in grams of carbon dioxide organization’s GHG inventory because they are a result of
equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ). the organization’s energy use.

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) means the pro- Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities from assets
cess of concentrating CO2 present in flue gas, exhaust gas, not owned or controlled by the reporting organization, but
or air via chemical and/or physical separation methods, that the organization indirectly impacts in its value chain.
transporting the CO2 to an injection site, and injecting and Scope 3 emissions for one organization are the Scope 1
sequestering the captured CO2 underground. and 2 emissions of another organization.

FURTHER READING
Enhanced Oil Recovery, from U.S. Department of Energy
Carbon Capture and Sequestration Protocol Under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, from the Califor-
nia Air Resources Board
LCFS Pathway Certified Carbon Intensities, California Air Resources Board
“Can This Carbon Capture Technology Help Create Negative Emissions?” from Forbes

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 25 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

DIGITALIZATION

Plas ics Recycling:

No Digital Transforma ion Needed
I remember it like it was yesterday. In late touched on how we could deploy automation
2020, I got a text from Dustin Olson, now to set the company up for long-term success
the current CEO of PureCycle Technologies, by avoiding “digital transformation” and es-
Inc. He and I had worked together at a local sentially being “born digital” from the get-go.
Houston refinery about 18 years prior. He
I set out to write a white paper on the
wanted to tell me about a new technologi-
cal breakthrough in plastics recycling and subject. I jotted down some of my own ideas,

he wanted advice on current automation as well as the solutions to many of the prob-
technologies that could be applied to this lems I had encountered over my 31 years as an
new technology. The ensuing conversation automation professional, and I asked several

The mission to accomplish

advanced plastics recycling keeps
By James Haw
the automation pro responsible
for project/program execution
focused and committed.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 27 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

DIGITALIZATION

colleagues to weigh in. The result marked increased maintenance and development over
the beginning of a remarkable opportunity to its entire lifecycle, i.e., the “transformation”
work at PureCycle and implement something I we want to avoid.
never thought I would get to in my career—an
automated industrial process using cutting-
edge foundational technologies to help create
While my love of the craft
a “planned digital community” that would of automation is what drew
make costly transformations less likely, or at
me to PureCycle, what keeps
the very least, easier to implement.
me dedicated to its success
The journey since has been incredible.
We’ve assembled an amazing team of tena-
is the company’s mission of
cious automation professionals, and our revolutionizing plastic waste
vision has drawn the attention of industry
into a renewable resource.
professionals who have partnered with us
to make this dream a reality—all at an imple-
mentation cost of approximately one-tenth of What it means for us in the short term is
what we would likely incur if we were forced that we get all the great things that provide
to get the same result by transforming legacy value now, all from the beginning: Highly in-
systems. I’ll tell you how we did it. tegrated basic process control systems; digital
twins; high-performance graphics; alarm
rationalization, management, and adherence
Developing the digital
to alarm philosophy from the start; ergonomic
ecosystem
control room and building design; building
First, we had to develop a digital ecosystem
management; central hub support to world-
with interfaces to other business systems.
wide facilities; mobility concepts as part of
Within this ecosystem, we create a true digital
our culture; harnessing artificial intelligence
thread such that each system digitally extracts
to reach higher levels of autonomy; etc.
or writes information in a consistent way. In
other words, the entire digital footprint for But while my love of the craft of automa-
the entire operation is coordinated, designed, tion is what drew me to PureCycle, what
and built like a planned community—or more keeps me dedicated to its success is the
precisely, a planned digital community. company’s mission of revolutionizing plastic
waste into a renewable resource by utilizing a
Why? Because mismatches in applications
ground-breaking, patented recycling process.
or systems, and the integration work under-
taken to force them to work with one another PureCycle’s process dissolves polypro-
after the fact, have historically increased pylene (PP) plastic waste feedstock using a
budget and schedule dramatically. This also proprietary solvent, which then separates
has resulted in a unique system requiring color, odor, and impurities from the PP to

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 28 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

DIGITALIZATION

transform it into an ultra-pure recycled (UPR) it has shown since 2010, which is around 4
resin (shown at the beginning of this article).  percent per year. The question becomes, does
After spending 10 years of my career in virgin it have to? Can the recycling industry reduce
plastics production, knowing that there was the overall amount of oil needed to produce
a technology that could stem the tide of the virgin plastics that people need in their
landfilled plastic waste (or worse, that waste daily lives, and at the same time keep it out of
which makes its way into the ecosystem landfills and waterways? In other words, can
where it was otherwise not intended to end the recycling industry help plastics production
up) motivated me in a way I had not yet become sustainable?
experienced over the entirety of my career. Of the 810 billion pounds of plastic pro-
duced globally every year, only about 9% on
Groundbreaking technology average is recycled, according to Organization
Why is this technology so special? Let’s break for Economic Cooperation and Development.
it down. The chart (Figure 1) shows approximately

Plastics are made from oil, more specifi- what is produced and recycled annually; the

cally, from petrochemicals derived from oil. type of plastic is usually imprinted some-

According to the European Association of where on the item inside a triangle. (Source:

Plastics Recycling, those plastics are produced “The world of plastics, in numbers,” The

at a worldwide rate of 810 billion pounds Conversation.)

every year. The oil majors’ claim that the plas- Considering only polypropylene, of the
tics industry will maintain the rate of growth 159.5 B Lbs. produced annually worldwide,

PLASTIC TYPE ANNUAL GLOBAL PRODUCTION

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET) 68 B lbs.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 104.5 B lbs.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC or Vinyl) 78 B lbs.

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) 141 B lbs.

Polypropylene (PP) 159.5 B lbs.

Polystyrene (PS) 49.5 B lbs.

Miscellaneous/Other 210 B lbs.

Figure 1. Of the 810 billion pounds of plastic produced globally every year, only about 9% on average is
recycled, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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DIGITALIZATION

Of the 159.5 B lbs. of

polypropylene produced
annually worldwide, only about
5.6% is recycled, and almost all
of that is mechanically recycled.

Figure 2. Mechanically recycled plastic is cleaned process is designed to remove color and other
and re-compounded into a grey or black plastic
additives by scrubbing the molecule, resulting
(right), which has a limited number of use cases
that don’t require a specific color or residual-odor in an ultra-pure, virgin-like polypropylene that
specification. can be used in all its original use cases.

What impact can this technology have on

only about 5.6% is recycled (according to overall plastic production? It has been sug-
“Solvent-Based Recycling of Waste Plastics,” gested that plastic imposes an annual cost
PEP Report 199H, IHS Markit / S&P Global, on society almost equal to its total market
October 2021). And almost all of that is value each year. Costs to remove it from
mechanically recycled, meaning it’s cleaned, waterways, and the original carbon footprint
and then re-compounded into a grey or black to produce it (and to recycle it) make up most
plastic (Figure 2) . This recycled plastic has of this external cost.
a very limited number of use cases like deck
If this is true—and it seems plausible—why
boards, paint cans, trash cans, and other
wouldn’t we want to exploit the one recycling
applications that don’t really rely on a specific
technology that had the power to reduce oil
color or residual-odor specification.
production and reduce plastic pollution? If a
But what if that same plastic could be technology exists that can clean plastic that
recycled in such a way that it could be puri- has already been produced, then why would
fied—or taken to a “virgin-like” state—making we need to produce it again? That would be
it reusable in all its original use cases? like throwing away your reusable plates and
buying new ones every day, instead of just
Enter PureCycle. PureCycle takes post-con-
washing them!
sumer and post-industrial polypropylene waste
and purifies it. The innovative process essen- There are those who reject the idea that
tially cleans the plastic at the molecular level. plastics recycling will ever be sustainable.
Feed prep works to remove biological impuri- They continue to make blanket statements
ties from the plastic waste. The purification like, “recycling will never work”. Their

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 30 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

DIGITALIZATION

solution is often reduced to a proposal to the properties that are necessary for the
eliminate plastics, which is not realistic and biomedical industry. It is easy to sterilize. It’s
fails to prescribe an alternative that provides lightweight, low-cost, and easy-to-produce,
some of the same benefits of plastics. making it abundantly available when needed,
such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Life without plastics One example is incubators, which today
Let’s look back over the last 70 years on what are made almost entirely out of plastic. An
our lives would be like and how we would incubator is a bed that helps provide warmth
suffer without plastics. to an infant, and it is an essential tool for
Plastics helped win WWII for the Allies. reducing infant mortality the world over,
Because polyethylene was found to have very especially in third-world countries. It is
low-loss properties at very high frequency estimated that about 42% of all neonatal
radio waves, Great Britain suspended the deaths worldwide occur in Sub-Saharan
commercial distribution of polyethylene at the Africa, with neonatal hypothermia as a strong
outbreak of World War II and a new process contributing factor. In this context, does the
was secretly developed to produce insula- availability of incubators made from plastic to
tion for UHF and SHF coaxial cables of radar drastically reduce their overall cost represent
sets. Development of radar greatly expanded a moral case for plastics production?
in September of 1936, and the design and The problem is that about 90% of the
installation of aircraft detection and tracking plastic used in the healthcare industry isn’t
stations along the East and South coasts of recycled, and either heads to landfills or
England was realized just in time for the out- undergoes incineration.
break of World War II in 1939. Without this
Automobiles without plastics. Automobile
technology, the Royal Air Force would not have
pollution is real, of course, because burning
had the vital advance information to know
gasoline and diesel fuel creates harmful
where to deploy their aircraft; they didn’t have
byproducts like nitrogen dioxide, carbon
the vast numbers needed to patrol the skies
monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and form-
without it. If it weren’t for plastic, Great Britain
aldehyde. In addition, vehicles emit carbon
might have lost the Battle of Britain.
dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas.
Plastics save lives. Of course, metals, glass, But plastics have played a vital role in reduc-
and paper are all used in the healthcare ing that pollution. Here’s how: Fifty percent
industry, but nothing has had the impact that of the average car is made of plastic, and that
plastics have had in hospitals over the past 50% accounts for about 10–15% of its overall
70 years. The list is nearly endless: gloves, mass. (Polypropylene makes up about 32% of
masks, IV bags, tubes, syringes, catheters, that plastic, on average.) Reducing the mass
pill bottles, pill packaging are all made bet- of the car makes it lighter and therefore more
ter by the use of plastic. Plastic possesses fuel-efficient, thus reducing emissions.

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DIGITALIZATION

What about automobile safety? Bumpers

The circular recycling process
are critical to absorbing impact during acci-
Another significant concern about plastics is
dents. Plastic bumpers weigh 50% less and at
the single-use applications for food service
the same time absorb four to five times more
items and healthcare industry materials,
energy during impact. Seat belts and airbags
which have the highest likelihood of polluting
are made of plastic, and child restraint seats
the environment. A management system is
are made almost entirely of plastic.
needed to ensure that single-use items are
Windshields made of laminated glass are disposed of in such a way as to increase the
shatter-resistant thanks to a thin layer of likelihood that they head to a recycling center
plastic sandwiched between two layers of instead of a landfill. To assist in the solution,
glass, which is lighter and stronger than tem- the industry needs to step up and create the
pered glass. Since 1938, this addition alone
demand for items with “multiple lives” and
has helped save lives by reducing ejection
eliminate single-use in favor of multiple-use.
during accidents, which increases the likeli-
PureCycle Technologies is working on all
hood of death by a factor of 10. In addition,
modern laminations can filter out up to 99 fronts to keep polypropylene plastic out of

percent of harmful UV rays. This also reduces landfills and in the circular recycling process

in-car temperature and consequently the use for re-use where it belongs (Figure 3). Here

of air conditioning, which further increases are a few ways PureCycle is doing this:
gas mileage, further reducing emissions. z We’re partnering with sports venues to
These are just a few examples of how adopt our PureZero™ program where single-
plastics benefit the planet. The fact is, plastics use plastics are collected at the source.
are somewhat vital to helping preserve the z We’re implementing Pre-Processing (PreP)
environment and human life, so why wouldn’t facilities where bulk plastics are sorted
we want to propagate a technology that could and pre-agglomerated as feedstocks to our
enable plastics and the earth to coexist? commercial purification facilities.

Figure 3. PureCycle
Technologies is
working on all fronts
to keep polypropylene
plastic out of landfills
and in the circular
recycling process
for re-use where it
belongs.

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DIGITALIZATION

z We’re partnering with civics groups to col- not much virgin PP has to be manufactured
lect PP waste. For example, most political yearly. In other words, let’s make it once and
yard signs are made out of polypropylene recycle it over and over.
so, after an election, these should head
PureCycle has the technology designed to
to the recycling center not the landfill.
do this now, and with our “Born Digital mind-
PureCycle is working to offer this option.
set,” we can do it efficiently, and with a low
Our short-term goal is to grow to a level
carbon footprint. Despite what the naysayers
where we can recycle 1 billion pounds of
say, true advanced plastics recycling has
polypropylene each year by the year 2025.
Our long-term goal is to grow our polypropyl- arrived. 

ene recycling technology so that ultimately All photos courtesy of PureCycle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Haw has been a career leader of the International Society of Automation
having served at the local, regional, and national levels and is member of ChemPID.
He is also a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), as well as
a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Professionally, James is vice
president of Program Management & Digital Strategy for PureCycle Technologies,
Inc, responsible for all worldwide project/program execution, as well as PCT’s Born Digital program.
He has over 33 years of experience in the industrial manufacturing sector, holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and is a regis-
tered Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of Texas.

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SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Building the Hydrogen

Hub Backbone
By Nishadi Davis

The clean hydrogen ecosystem

needs control systems integration
and network planning.
After decades of speculation and false starts, existing assets to scale up the hydrogen
it is likely that hydrogen’s time has finally economy by combining these assets with a
come. Federal investment and funding oppor- range of new technologies to quickly estab-
tunities have created unprecedented op- lish the basis for regional hydrogen hubs.
portunity for private entities to partner with
federal agencies to jumpstart the hydrogen While the most recent focus in establish-

economy. The DOE’s Bipartisan Infrastructure ing these hubs has rightly been in developing
Law includes $9.5 billion in clean hydrogen solutions for the individual assets within a
incentives with the intention of establishing hub, the backbone of hydrogen hubs will be
several regional clean hydrogen hubs. the control systems that link the individual

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier, and entities together. This means that system
its applications today range across a number integration will play a key role in the success
of industries. This allows us to leverage of these projects.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 34 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

to be transported to either storage facilities

Hydrogen hub anatomy
or electrical power generation units. All these
The anatomy of the hydrogen hub can be
different pieces will need to be monitored
divided into four main segments: hydrogen
effectively and controlled efficiently to ensure
generation, hydrogen storage, hydrogen
a robust hydrogen network.
transportation, and electrical power genera-
tion (Figure 1). Because hub establishment will require
multiple partners across the energy industry,
Each of these major segments can then
the controls systems within each hub will
be divided further. Hydrogen generation,
have a drastic range of systems from dif-
for example, will occur through a variety of
ferent vendors, as well as a wide range of
different processes from many different pro- functionalities and communication protocols.
ducers. Production methods will range from It will therefore be necessary to establish
existing fossil fuel facilities that will likely be some form of a supervisory control system to
modernized by adding carbon capture units, integrate all the individual controls into one
to new electrolyzer and biomass facilities centralized system to get an accurate view of
that have yet to be built. Hydrogen that is what is happening across the entire hub at
produced across these entities will then need any given time.

Figure 1. The anatomy of the hydrogen hub can be divided into four main segments: hydrogen
generation, hydrogen storage, hydrogen transportation and electrical power generation.

Courtesy: www.hydrogen.energy.gov

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 35 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

distributed control systems (DCS), and SIS

Hydrogen hub considerations
will converge to a central location with the
When considering the controls systems piece
help of remote/supervisory control and data
of hydrogen hub establishment, the following
acquisition (SCADA) systems. Advanced
should be considered across the entire hub:
applications will need to be evaluated for
z Centralized controls
integration between hydrogen hubs and the
z Safety systems
electric grid to manage grid balance.
z Centralized human-machine interface
(HMI)
Begin with safety
z Alarm rationalization
Safety system implementation is an integral
z Information technology (IT)/operational
piece of hub integration, as hydrogen is both
technology (OT) infrastructure
volatile and explosive. Because hydrogen use
z Cybersecurity
is well-established across industries, regula-
To design a seamless operating system, a
tions, guidelines, and codes and standards
control systems integration plan should be
already exist to facilitate safety guidelines
developed in early hub planning stages and
around the industrial use of hydrogen.
not as an afterthought. The systems integra-
In addition to existing regulations, systems
tor must take existing network architecture
have already been put in place to establish
into consideration as well as plan adequately
codes and standards that facilitate hydrogen
for future expansion because hub develop-
and fuel cell commercialization. Layer of
ment will roll out in stages and continue to
protection analysis (IEC 61511/ISA84) will
expand.

A control plan
must be developed Because hub establishment will require multiple
to outline which
partners across the energy industry, the controls
information is
necessary to be
systems within each hub will have a drastic
relayed to the cen- range of systems from different vendors, as
tral control system.
well as a wide range of functionalities and
The central control
room, at a minimum,
communication protocols.
should supervise
electrolyzers and other hydrogen genera- continue to govern safety integrity level (SIL)
tion units, monitor pipeline activity, control implementation for SIS. The hydrogen hub
electro-chemical fuel cell interface with the centralized control room will be required to
power grid, and interface with the safety interface with safety systems to facilitate
instrumented system (SIS). This means data remote shutdowns as well as take necessary
from programmable logic controllers (PLCs), control action during abnormal events.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 36 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

HMI development also should be planned control room operators who learn that the
carefully for the central control room. The alarm system can be trusted to only report
goal of the HMI should be to provide control on necessary events. This also reduces com-
room operators with as much visibility into placency. A robust alarm system will be an
the entire hydrogen hub without loading important part of the hydrogen hub’s central
unnecessary data onto graphics. The HMI control system because operators will need
should be structured so that operators are to be quickly alerted to abnormal conditions
quickly alerted to abnormal conditions and across the entirety of the hydrogen hub.
can take immediate action to rectify any
issues. IT/OT network infrastructure
High-performance graphics, following the Another piece of the control systems integra-

ISA101 HMI standard, should be developed tion effort is the IT/OT network infrastructure

so that operators are presented with useful planning. Industry practice for industrial con-

information rather than being overloaded trol systems (ICS) is based on IEC/ISA 62443.

with data points. Display hierarchy is critical Technology advances in recent years have led

to the development of a hydrogen hub HMI to a push for the convergence of IT and OT

because of the vast network of assets that systems, but it is important to understand
are integrated to a central system. Analysis the purpose of each system. OT systems
should be done in advance to determine how prioritize maintaining reliable and safe pro-
to structure this hierarchy, as well as how to duction operations while IT systems prioritize
best integrate future assets as they become securing business data. When it comes to hub
connected to the hub. planning in this regard because many differ-
ent private entities will form a single hub,
networks will have to be carefully planned so
A robust alarm system will businesses can share vital production data
with the entire hub, while securing their own
be an important part of the
business networks. The hydrogen hub in turn
hydrogen hub’s central control will likely require its own independent IT
system. network infrastructure. Early planning of this
network architecture allows communication
to be streamlined across networks.
Alarm rationalization should be performed
following ANSI/ISA84, Management of Alarm Integral to IT/OT infrastructure planning,
Systems for the Process Industries standard. is cybersecurity. Traditional IT risk assess-
Alarm rationalization will minimize the num- ments do not fully capture process risks at
ber of alarm activations and nuisance alarms. the OT level. This is where new cyber risk
Following rationalization, the alarm system assessments as part of CHAZOP (Control
generally results in rapid response from Systems HAZOP methodology specified in

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 37 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

NIST SP 800-82 and IEC/SA 62443) is useful. other. Control systems and network planning
Performing CHAZOP allows us to systemati- should be started early in the hub develop-
cally identify key risks at the OT level that ment phase to ensure that communication is
have health, safety, and environmental streamlined across entities.
implications. Performing a CHAZOP will help
Defining communication protocols at the
stakeholders and decision makers identify
hardware purchasing stage is ideal. Identifying
true risks across the hydrogen hub and take
all necessary hardware interfaces up front
appropriate mitigation measures.
will also be beneficial to the planning process.

Looking ahead Alternatively, trying to piece together com-

Control systems integration is a key com- munication links in the late stages of hub

ponent in establishing hydrogen hubs. development is more expensive and time

Individual pieces of the hydrogen ecosystem consuming. Control systems planning in hub
can only function together if they are able to development should be systematically planned
communicate effectively with one another to design a robust control network. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nishadi Davis, PE, is a member of the ChemPID and an experienced automation
engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the oil & energy industry with a
new focus on hydrogen and renewable fuels. Strong engineering professional with a
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M Universi-
ty. Currently she is a business development manager with Wood, a global consulting
and engineering company operating in energy and materials markets

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 38 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

STANDARDS

ISA112:
Supporting
SCADA
System
Reliability
By Graham Nasby

The ISA112 consensus-based technical

standard identifies and promotes best practices.

When it comes to supervisory control and a single system able to communicate machine-
data acquisition (SCADA) systems, oil and gas to-machine as well as machine-to-human.
industry users and vendors have a need for
The ISA112 standards committee is ac-
common terminology, minimum hardware/
tively developing a series of SCADA system
software specifications, standardized control
standards and technical reports to help users
modes, and other references. The ISA112
in all industries integrate those controls and
standards and reference models provide a
common framework that can be used for follow best practices. Established in 2016, the

specifying, designing, pricing, building, and committee now has more than 300 SCADA
maintaining SCADA systems. This framework experts from around the world representing
helps define how all the disparate parts of a a broad cross-section of roles, industries,
control system can be linked together to form and geographies. These members include

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 39 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

STANDARDS

software and hardware vendors, end users, overall goal to provide a set of SCADA best
system integrators, consultants, distributors, practices to support the overall integrity and
and government. reliability of these systems.

Work on the first ISA112 SCADA systems Through the committee’s leadership, the
standard is not fully completed yet, but it is ISA112 committee has made a conscious
already having a major impact on how SCADA choice to encourage active participation of ex-
systems are designed, used, and implemented perts from a diverse cross-section of industries
in multiple industry sectors. For example, from around the world. Of the committee’s
the majority of the largest water utilities in over 300 members, 75 are active co-authors
Ontario, Canada are already using the ISA112 and the rest are reviewers. As an open com-
framework for managing large automation mittee, the committee welcomes expert
projects and SCADA master-planning activi- members from around the globe. Further
ties. Many other water utilities, sewerage information can be found on the committee
districts, oil and gas companies, and other webpage at www.isa.org/isa112/.
organizations are now starting to look at the
ISA112 SCADA framework for managing ISA112 committee work to date
their automation assets. There is a need for Since it was formed, the ISA112 committee
this sort of guidance, and ISA112 is actively has been able to accomplish the following
working to provide it. milestones.

The ISA112 committee’s role is to develop z Developing a consistent and inclusive

a series of ISA standards and technical consensus-based definition for what a
reports that provide guidance for the system SCADA system is, which can be used by a
design, implementation, operation, and wide variety of industries and geographic
maintenance of SCADA systems. The ISA112 locales
standard is being developed as a “horizontal z Developing a SCADA system management
standard” so that it can be applied to a wide lifecycle diagram, which contains workflows
range of industries, including pipelines, water for building, long-term management, opera-
and wastewater, power, oil and gas, and other tion and continuous improvement of SCADA
industries. By having a broad membership systems that can be easily applied to small,
from multiple sectors, the committee has an medium and large sized SCADA installations

Oil and gas companies and others are starting to look at the
ISA112 SCADA framework for managing their automation assets.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 40 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

STANDARDS

SCADA:
Manufacturing

SCADA:
Power Industry

SCADA:
Upstream Oil/Gas

SCADA: Municipal Water 1

SCADA: Municipal Water 2

Figure 1. Between different industries, companies, and regions, the definition of what SCADA is can vary
widely. Each is correct in its own context, so the ISA112 standard had to take this into account.

z Developing a SCADA Model Architecture definition of the term “SCADA.” Because of

diagram that can be applied to a wide the considerable variation in terms of how
range of SCADA technologies, including SCADA systems are designed in various
PLC, RTU, DCS and IIoT based solutions regions, industries, and backgrounds, nailing
z Developing more than 800 pages of tech- down consensus on the definition was more
nical content that is now being assembled of a challenge than originally anticipated.
into a 3-part published standard and After discussion, the committee adopted the
associated technical reports following definition at at a face-to-face meeting
z The committee is now starting on the on May 5, 2017 in Raleigh, NC USA.
formal commenting cycles for Part 1 of the “Supervisory control and data acquisition,
ISA112 standard, which is expected to be or SCADA, is a system that is a combination of
published in early 2024. Parts 2 and 3 will hardware and software used to send commands
follow soon after. and acquire data for the purpose of monitoring
Like all ISA standards committees, the and controlling.”
ISA112 committee uses an open, consensus-
Different industries use the term “SCADA”
based process for writing and developing
to mean many different things that are spe-
vendor-neutral standards.
cific to that individual industry. Each of these
SCADA definition: The committee’s first industries is correct in how it uses the term
significant accomplishment was to reach SCADA within its own context (Figure 1).
consensus with an open and inclusive Taking this into account, the ISA112 committee

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 41 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

STANDARDS

has defined the term SCADA in such a way that

The committee’s first
can be applied to a wide variety of industries,
each with their unique needs.
significant accomplishment
Some consider SCADA to be the upper
was to reach consensus on a
layers of software. Others consider it to be definition of the term “SCADA”
end-to-end, from the field devices to the
which could be used by
view terminals. Many others consider it to
be somewhere in between. For example, in
multiple industries.
the municipal water sector the term SCADA
is used by regulators to refer to the entire
architecture that could be used for any
automation system, whereas for many oil/gas
SCADA system, regardless of its technology
applications SCADA is often used to refer to
or size (Figure 2). The committee described
just the software and telemetry systems.
SCADA in layers. It uses letters for the layers
SCADA system architecture: After much instead of numbers to avoid any potential
debate and consideration, the committee confusion with the Purdue reference model
reached a consensus for a common logical levels (shown at the right in Figure 2).

Figure 2. The ISA112 SCADA model architecture diagram is a functional diagram outlining how most
SCADA systems are structured, and how this relates to other architectural models.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 42 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

STANDARDS

The committee is currently hard at work

Looking ahead
The ISA112 committee uses a combination putting Part 1: SCADA Systems Lifecycle,

of monthly conference calls, semi-annual Diagrams and Terminology through formal

face-to-face meetings, and offline work to commenting rounds, with an aim to go

carry out its endeavors. However, much of the to final ballot in 2023. Part 1 is expected
collaboration and face-to-face meetings have to be published in early 2024. In parallel,
only recently resumed after what had been a the next two parts of the standard - Part
3 year hiatus due to the COVID 19 pandemic. 2: SCADA Lifecycle Work Processes, and
Most recently the committee met face-to-face Part 3: SCADA System Architecture—are
in Galveston Texas in Nov 2022 as part of the on track to be published in 2025 and 2026
ISA’s Annual Leadership Conference. respectively. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graham Nasby, P.Eng is co-chair of the ISA112 committee and an industry-recog-
nized leader in the OT (operational technology), SCADA, and industrial automation
sectors for his efforts in cybersecurity best practices, standards development, alarm
management, and operational efficiency. He led development of ISA112 SCADA
Management Lifecycle workflow, now used by water/wastewater, electric power, and
pipeline utilities across North America. Through his work with ISA, CSA, ANSI and IEC, he has co-au-
thored international standards on systems design, cybersecurity, industrial automation, alarm manage-
ment, and HMI systems. He is currently Senior Manager—OT Security Architecture for CN Rail.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 43 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

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OPERATIONS

The Four Pillars of

Operator Performance

Elements of operator performance are

complicated, so look to standards and best
practices to guide improvements.

By David Lee

Operator Performance (OP) is a large topic and important foundation upon which a success-
can be a very difficult subject to navigate. It is ful approach to OP is based. The four pillars
also a subject that is forever evolving. Keeping can simply be stated as:
track of latest best practices and standards z Having the right number of people to
can be time-consuming and difficult. This
perform the required tasks
article looks at the various elements of OP and z Ensuring those people are competent to
some of the latest initiatives and focus areas
perform those tasks
relevant to automation professionals. z Ensuring those people have appropriate
When I look at OP, I take a holistic view tools to perform the tasks
and break it out into four subtopics. I refer to z Having a conducive environment in which
these as pillars, as each, in my opinion, is an to perform the tasks

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 45 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

OPERATIONS

based certification and periodic requalifi-

1. Number of People
cation are used to maintain competence
The first pillar requires task analysis and
over time.
workload calculations. Having the correct
number of people continues to be perhaps The use of a competency-based qualifica-
the most challenging aspect of operator tion process also facilitates job progression
performance metrics as there are no stan- not solely based on seniority. Using seniority
dards on how to effectively calculate work- alone is a poor practice that often leads to
load—although there are some recognized people working in roles for which they are
proprietary methodologies that are used to not suited.
do so. However, getting this wrong can have
Technology to increase competency
a significant impact on, for example, the
and support training of console operators
number of operator consoles, the size of the
especially, has developed at a pace. There
control room, and even the control center.
has been a significant Increase in the use
Another part of workload calculations is of simulation and digital twins, especially
perhaps better understood: It is the managing as the cost of ownership and maintenance
of fatigue through hours of service and over- of those technologies has significantly
time limits. Fatigue can have an impact on decreased. The use of cloud-based hosting
shift schedules and number of shifts and that, and software-as-a-service licensing struc-
in turn, could impact the size and structure of tures have helped in this reduction in total
the operations’ team. Excellent guidance on cost of ownership.
fatigue risk management is provided in ANSI/
API RP-755.
Key Points to Remember
Automation team members have
2. Operator Competency �

important roles supporting opera-

The pillar relating to competency is one
tor performance.
that has been paid a lot of attention to over
� Operator performance require-
the last few years. Competency, most often
ments affect the design of the
managed through training and development
control system and control room.
programs, starts all the way back at new-
� Automation professionals
hire selection, when key competencies are
should be aware of industry best
defined for each position and then used as an
practices related to operator
input to the hiring process.
performance.
Once operators are hired, these com- � Operations and other stakeholder
petencies—along with technical skill and
requirements must be considered
knowledge requirements—should be used
in control system design.
as the basis of formal, individualized train-
ing and development plans. Qualification

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 46 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

OPERATIONS

Along with the alarm management system,

3. Appropriate Tools
the human machine interface (HMI) is meant
Perhaps the most obvious aid to improved
to provide the operator with situational
operator performance is the toolset that the
operator has. Increased use of more tradition- awareness. The ANSI/ISA-101.01 standard,

al advanced process control (APC) techniques along with its technical reports, provides

can obviously help keep the process stable, guidance for the implementation of a best

freeing the operator from having to monitor practice HMI. The adoption of this standard

and control complex loops. In some indus- has been very slow, however, and many

tries, batch control based on the ISA88 stan- companies live with poor design until they

dard is prevalent, but increasingly, procedural need to upgrade their process control system.

automation including state-based control is Arguably, the biggest impact of ANSI/

becoming common. A standardized approach ISA-101 on the operator is the adoption of
to implementation of these systems will its suggested four-level display hierarchy.
soon benefit from the new ISA106 standard. By providing an effective Level 1 display,
ISA106, Procedure Automation for Continuous typically on a large screen, the operator gets
Process Operations, supports automatically de- a continuous view of critical operating pa-
tecting and reacting to process state changes, rameters such that changes—especially those
which is a way to remove workload from the changing towards abnormal—can be easily
operator while ensuring predictable response identified and acted upon.
to abnormal situations.
The use of properly designed Level 2
As for the operator interface, its alarm displays allows the operator to act and see
management system is still in many cases an the response to the action in one place, al-
ineffective tool when it comes to providing lowing the number of monitors to be reduced
an operator with prioritized, meaningful, to meet good ergonomic practice.
and actionable queues to head off abnormal
As we look at the design of these levels,
situations. The generally accepted best
and indeed the traditionally P&ID based Level
practices of ANSI/ISA-18.02, Instrument
3 displays, we must get away from earlier lazy
Signals and Alarms, provide a sound approach
practices. We also must start thinking about
to developing an alarm management strategy.
how we present process information, moving
However, many people still stop at reducing
away from simple data to contextual informa-
normal alarm rates to meet the recommended
tion, to ultimately, simple decision support
KPIs and pay little attention to the problem
representations. Radar plots and trends are
of alarm floods potentially overwhelming the
not the only answer!
operator. The use of state-based dynamic
alarming, to reduce the magnitude of alarm An often-overlooked tool is the application
floods, as well as stale alarms, is not a new of communication technology. This could be
concept but it is still not common. as simple as a plant radio or telephone, but

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 47 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

OPERATIONS

increasingly collaborative environments can been a consistent consideration. Guidance,

provide real benefits. There also is a trend in the form of ISO-11064, and even the
toward the use of mobile devices as operator ISA-RP60 series, has been out there for some
interfaces. Use of these tools and their appli- time, but still many control rooms are dark,
cations in certain industries where there are cramped, noisy, and distracting environments.
no real control rooms, or where the operator Consoles are often designed without atten-
is by design mobile, can be game-changing. tion to good ergonomic practices, and chairs
are an afterthought. More could and should
4. Operating Environment be done to improve this critical pillar.
Finally, there is the operating environment,
which, in many cases, is the control room. In conclusion, operator performance is a

Over the last couple of decades, control complicated subject, there are many interact-

rooms have been moved out of process areas ing components that can lead to ineffective
to safe locations or they’ve been built to be solutions. If you are going to spend your
blast-resistant and otherwise address most hard-earned capital on improvements, plan
safety concerns. However, addressing opera- carefully and look to the standards and best
tor performance in control rooms has not practices to guide you. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Lee C.Eng, FIChemE is ChemPID Past Director and Chair of ISA’s Standards
and Practices Council. David spent 20+ years in industry in automation, project
management and operations management. For the last 17 years he has been
an automation and operator performance consultant. He is currently a Solution
Consultant in Emerson’s Industrial Software division.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 48 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

State-Based Control Solutions

for Complex Systems
Anyone who has ever worked in the Canadian By Robert Rice and Ziair DeLeon
Athabasca oil sands production fields knows
that the term “tar sands” is far more accurate.
While oil is ultimately produced, it begins
as bitumen, the heavy crude that is almost
One producer
solid. Extracting it from wells demands
steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) tamed a difficult
level control
techniques where each well is a combina-
tion of two drilled holes (Figure 1). One well
injects steam to heat and soften the bitumen,
task, improving
separating it from the sand, and the other
producer well pumps it out. What results is a test separator
performance.
mix of bitumen, natural gas, solids, and water.
While this process is energy-intensive and
expensive, numerous companies are using
it and producing a total of about 1.3 million
barrels per day across the region.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 49 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

Figure 1: SAGD wells use steam injection to extract thick bitumen, which also contains natural gas, solids,
and water.

Most companies engaged in this effort all the wells into a single stream and removes
operate large production sites with multiple gaseous compounds so the liquids can be
pads consisting of 10 to 20 well pairs sharing treated subsequently. Later, water and oil are
common infrastructure. Since the output of separated. Recovered water is usually treated
any well is a mix of products and contami- and reused.
nants, multiple steps are required to recover This first separation stage provides the
and concentrate the actual crude oil while earliest opportunity to evaluate the output
removing lighter hydrocarbons and contami- from a given well so operators can judge the
nants. The first stage of separation combines actual production volume with its proportion

Real-world production facilities rarely present ideal scenarios.

They are invariably driven by numerous conditions and
interactions, providing impediments as well as opportunities.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 50 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

of bitumen against water, entrained solids,

and contaminants, including undesirable
sulfur compounds.

Well output is anything but consistent since

bitumen deposits are non-uniform even over
short distances. Consequently, different wells,
even at the same site or pad, can have much
different output. Characteristics of a given well
can also change over time as different portions
of material liquify and are extracted.

To evaluate individual wells, a much

smaller test separator is often used (Figure Figure 2: A test separator provides an opportunity
2), in conjunction with piping and valve to evaluate the output of each well pair individually.
manifolds, so that any one of the wells can be
directed by itself to the test separator rather
than the collective unit. This allows operators separator, perhaps less than 100 gallons, and
to examine and characterize each individual it is critical to maintain a consistent level in
well, determining the quality and quantity of the drum for it to function properly. Due to
its output. For a typical operation, the control difficulties instrumenting this type of flow
system might configure each well to the test stream, there is no flow meter on the separa-
separator for 12 hours, stepping through each tor inlet, so the task becomes a basic level
well in sequence. loop. Conventional wisdom says creating an
effective level loop is difficult under the best
Controlling level circumstances, but this situation introduces
The test separator is not a grab-sample additional complications.
system. For the 12 hours it is connected to
For example, when switching wells, there
a specific well, production must continue
is no way to know what the incoming flow
normally, so the flow is continuous. To do its
will be. The wells do not produce consistently
job, a specified level must be maintained in
when compared to each other, nor does any
the separator. When working properly, the
single well produce consistently all the time.
test separator performs the same task as the
When well No. 1 is tested on a given day the
main separator, but at a smaller scale and
level loop may be stable, but the quantity and
only for one well at a time.
character of its output will likely be different
Assuming an example production site with when it is tested again almost a week later.
12 wells, each well would get its time on the So how can operators hope to maintain
test separator every six days. The test separa- control of the test separator level loop in the
tor drum is very small compared to the main face of such chaotic conditions?

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 51 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

operating profiles, or operational states,

Applying loop analysis tools
that can be dynamically applied to a control
For the last 20 years or so, control loop per-
loop’s performance metrics. Depending on
formance monitoring (CLPM) tools have been
the operating situation, state-based analyt-
available to help oil refiners, chemical plants,
ics allows operations staff to gain a more
and other process manufacturers improve the
accurate assessment of loop performance as
interaction of hundreds and even thousands
processes shift between different phases of
of related PID loops controlling a process. By
manufacturing, making users better informed
analyzing operational data, these traditional
and more capable of improving production
CLPM solutions identify undesirable PID
performance.
performance characteristics, facilitate the
isolation of root-causes, and even recom- States add context to the source data and
mend issue-specific corrective actions. are configurable based on any combination of
operating phases, products, run-time condi-
These tools have proven very effective
tions, or other production-related attributes.
at providing a generalized assessment of
Even distinct batch sequences can be ad-
controller performance based on in-use
dressed in this manner.
data. Unfortunately, they are often limited
to a single basic operating condition, gener-
ally when the plant is stable and running
“normally,” whatever that means for the
For our example well site, a
plant or unit.
more advanced state-based
For the case of test separator level control,
the picture is much different than a typical
version of CLPM proved
process unit. The biggest difference is the ideal for analyzing a control
scope of the problem. Instead of hundreds
loop with 12 entirely unique
of loops, the operators are concerned with a
single isolated level loop for the test separa-
operating conditions.
tor where tuning parameters need to change
every 12 hours and be associated with a
unique source. Conventional CLPM tools State attributes are determined by the
simply do not apply. CLPM solution using process and condition
data accessed from a plant’s data historian, so
Adding state-based analytics that state-based analytics techniques can be
More sophisticated CLPM tools that have applied for like-to-like conditions throughout
emerged in recent years now incorporate an operation. This makes it possible—based
state-based analytics capable of distinguish- on what state the system is in—to proactively
ing a process’s many and unique operating detect negative performance trends and
states. They develop and apply multiple enable users to understand and address

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 52 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

issues more precisely, such as variable tuning, for several wells. The set point of the level
operational constraints interfering with effec- loop during production would normally remain
tive control, and loop interaction problems. constant for effective separation, although this
figure happens to depict setpoint changes that
For the case of our example well site, this
were initiated to characterize the system and
more advanced state-based version of CLPM
generate models used to build the adaptive
proved ideal for analyzing a control loop with
PID settings. Clearly, the amount of control
12 entirely unique operating conditions.
effort necessary to maintain the set point
changes drastically. This may be related to
Applying state-based analytics
tuning, but also likely instability of well output
In this case, because the control system is
across the test period.
used to configure the valve manifold to con-
nect a given well with the test separator, it is
straightforward to designate 12 unique states. Analytical results
Of course, more states are possible if there are Prior to Control Station’s involvement at the
other uniquely detectable conditions. Figure site, there was little differentiation between
3 clarifies how this works. It shows a few days the level control success of each individual
of data from the process, with 12-hour periods well. When assessing overall performance,

Figure 3: This process data from the level controller shows how it regulated separator output from several
different input sources over a period of days, depicting the dramatic change in PID controller conditions
and performance based on the state. The top trace shows the level and the PID’s set point value. The
bottom trace is the sequence ID, or state.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 53 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

the traditional CLPM approach operated that production staff should at least note if
on the aggregated data from many varying not investigate and address.
states. The assessment included computa- When data from the test separator process
tions related to PID tuning, mechanical was examined using traditional CLPM capabil-
performance, and process interaction. But ities, the AAE (as an overall average calculated
without the ability to distinguish the perfor- across available well pairs) was 4.8. For this
mance of individual well pairs, the result was operator, the average value was not consid-
a set of values not specifically helpful for any ered excessive, and seemed to suggest that
of the states. the controller was performing reasonably well
The key performance indicator (KPI) in this when having to regulate liquid level across so
case was an average absolute error (AAE) many different well pairs. However, a decent
value. It is a common assessment of control- average can hide some truly bad actors.

ler performance and quantifies the difference Once data on individual wells was available
between the set point and measured process using the state-based analysis, it was clear
variable for a given PID loop. Naturally for that there were excellent wells with values
a dynamic process such as this application, below 5.0, along with five underperformers
some degree of variability should be expected well above that value (Figure 4). Determining
and tolerated. Still, any notable increase in why those bad actors were so far above the
AAE generally corresponds with a change average and solving the underlying problems

State-Based Results
(Bypass Test Separator)
BEFORE AFTER
WELL PAIR AVERAGE ABSOLUTE ERROR WELL PAIR AVERAGE ABSOLUTE ERROR
WellPair-5 9.21 WellPair-5 4.03
WellPair-6 8.4 WellPair-8 3.45
WellPair-11 8.13 WellPair-11 2.83
WellPair-7 7.59 WellPair-6 2.3
WellPair-9 5.63 WellPair-10 1.93
WellPair-4 3.01 WellPair-9 1.17
WellPair-3 2.82 WellPair-1 0.842
WellPair-1 2.58 WellPair-3 0.749
WellPair-10 1.95 WellPair-4 0.497
WellPair-8 1.93 WellPair-7 0.489
WellPair-12 1.19 WellPair-12 0.312
Average 4.8 Average 1.7

Figure 4: Once it was possible to see an AAE value for each individual well pair, several stuck out as
needing attention, and an improved PID control strategy enhanced performance under all conditions.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 54 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

Figure 5: Once the site identified the poorly performing loops, it was possible to modify the tuning
parameters for those wells to optimize overall performance of the test separator.

went a long way to optimizing the overall data to recognize any one state, or they can
performance of the test separator, and the “collapse” the data to consider averages of one
site as a whole. or more states, depending on the need.

Once each well could be treated as its Prior to the tuning effort, the end user
own state, it was possible to implement a PID experienced issues where the separator
strategy with gain scheduling to bring the
loop under tighter control (Figure 5) for all
states, reducing all AAE values below 5.0 and
By analyzing operational data,
resulting in a much better average value of traditional CLPM solutions identify
1.7. Analysis revealed that there was a reason-
undesirable PID performance
ably strong correlation between the average
flow rate and the recommended controller
characteristics, facilitate the
gain, allowing an improved control strategy isolation of root-causes, and
to be developed. This stabilizes production
even recommend issue-specific
during each well’s time on the test separator
and presents a clearer picture of the output.
corrective actions.
Analytical tools allow users to “expand” the

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 55 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

PROCESS CONTROL

would exceed alarm limits and cause a unit numerous conditions and interactions, pro-
to trip, so operators ended up babysitting viding impediments as well as opportunities.
the units more than seemed reasonable. The combinations of these attributes can be
After analysis and subsequent tuning, the enormous, and the effect of individual com-
system runs more consistently in automatic binations on production can be lost within
so far less operator intervention is required, broader trends.
and there are fewer trips.
The addition of state-based analytics now
While traditional CLPM tools have proven makes it possible for CLPM users to delve
helpful in assessing the performance of deeper, facilitating the detection, analysis,
basic loop operations, state-based analyt- and adjustment of operational conditions that
ics is showing particular value within more had previously stood in the way of plant-wide
complex systems. Real-world manufacturing process optimization. 
and production facilities rarely present ideal
Images courtesy of Control Station
scenarios. They are invariably driven by

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Rice, PhD is the vice president of engineering at Control Station. He is
Control Station’s thought leader, and he has published extensively on topics associ-
ated with automatic process control, including multi-variable process control and
model predictive control. Dr. Rice has been the recipient of numerous awards for
innovation, and for his contributions to the advancement of the process industry. He
received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and
his MS and PhD from the University of Connecticut.

Ziair DeLeon is a field application engineer at Control Station. He is responsible

for the deployment, use, and support of Control Station’s award-winning portfolio
of process diagnostic and optimization solutions. Prior to joining the company, Mr.
DeLeon held positions in operations in the State of Connecticut’s tobacco industry.
He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hartford.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 56 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

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 ISA STANDARDS | DEVELOPMENT, APPLICATION & GUIDANCE

Fundamentals of ISA Standards

By David Lee

One of the questions I get asked most goes are standalone documents that provide best
along the lines of “I know ISA has a lot of practices that are encouraged to be adopted.
standards, but which ones should I be us- Neither technical reports nor recommended
ing?” It’s a reasonable question, and perhaps, practices have mandatory statements.
given the breadth and depth of the standards Although the lines can be a little blurred,
available, an understandable one. More than we break down the standards into the follow-
140 ISA committees, subcomittees, working ing broad categories:
groups, and task forces are involved in ISA
z Process safety
standards. Almost 200 standards documents
z Instrumentation
are available from the International Society of
z Control
Automation (ISA), and more are currently in
z Networking and security
development.
z Automation
You will also see many standards refer- z Business systems
enced as ANSI (e.g., ANSI/ISA-18.2). These
are documents that have been adopted by the
American National Standards Institute as U.S.
Standards are documents that
national standards. ISA also has some interna- have mandatory statements
tional standards that are developed with the such as “shall” that need to
International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC), such as ANSI/ISA-61511-1.
be complied with to meet the
standard.
Document types explained
To start with, there are a few different types
Standards categories
of documents:
Process safety is of paramount importance
z Standard and there are two significant standards:
z Technical report (TR) ANSI/ISA-18.2 and ISA-84.00.01, in this
z Recommended practice (RP) space. ANSI/ISA-18.2 deals with alarm
Standards are documents that have man- management in the process industries. It also
datory statements such as “shall” that need has several technical reports that provide
to be complied with to meet the standard. guidance on the application of the standard,
Technical reports are typically documents including areas such as Batch and Discrete
that provide guidance on how to use the Processing (TR-6) and Packaged Systems (TR-
parent standard. Recommended practices 7). IEC 62682, Management of alarm systems

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 58 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ISA STANDARDS | DEVELOPMENT, APPLICATION & GUIDANCE

for the process industries, is based on ISA-18.2. Building on the instrumentation layer
ISA84 adopted the IEC 61511 standard, Parts is the control system itself, and there are
1–3 , which replaced ISA-84.00.01, Parts important standards that deal with this. The
1–3. Similarly, this has technical reports that first of these are the other standards in the
cover burner management systems (TR-5), ISA5 series dealing predominantly with the
fire and gas systems (TR-7), and even cyber- documentation of control logic along with in-
security for safety systems (TR-9). strument loop diagrams (ISA-5.4—who knew

Instrumentation provides the founda- there was a standard for this?) and graphic

tion of any automation system, and there symbols for process displays (ISA-5.5). The

are several key standards in this category. latter is somewhat dated, although still
Perhaps the most basic of these is ANSI/ISA- relevant, but has been partially replaced by
5.1 providing standards for instrumentation ANSI/ISA-101.01, and its technical reports,
symbols and identification for P&IDs. There providing guidance for the human-machine
is also ISA-51.1 that provides guidance for interface (HMI) for process automation sys-
instrumentation terminology. This standard tems. This standard has also been provided
is a little dated, last updated in 1993, but as the basis for the future IEC63303. There
still contains a great deal of foundational is also a series of standards and technical
information. Both of these should be in all reports under ISA77, which deals with fossil
automation professionals’ libraries. Another fuel plant controls and with documents relat-
extremely useful standard is ISA-20, provid- ing to controls, simulation, testing, and HMI.
ing standardized specification forms for There is also a set of recommended practices,
instruments, primary elements, and control ISA-RP60-x, that provides guidance on
valves. There are also several documents that control center design. These documents are
address hardware specifications, calibration, more than 30 years old, and we are looking to
and testing, such as ISA-75 (valves), ISA-37 reform the committee to create a new control
(transducers), and ISA-67 (nuclear). room standard.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 59 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ISA STANDARDS | DEVELOPMENT, APPLICATION & GUIDANCE

In the network and security category of enterprise level and control system level.
there are three important standards. The first There is only one set of standards in this
is ANSI/ISA-100 which deals with wireless space, ANSI/ISA-95, but it consists of nine
systems. The second is the set of standards separate documents. As we look at recent
dealing with cybersecurity, previously trends in digital transformation and integra-
ISA99 are now ANSI/ISA-62443-x. These tion of business and control systems, this set
are extremely important standards and are of documents provides guidance for infor-
foundational to ISA’s cybersecurity train- mational transactions between the various
ing and certification and ISASecure system software components.
certification. Lastly there is the set of ANSI/
ISA-62453 standards dealing with field device Final thoughts
interface specifications. Hopefully this article has helped identify
The next category deals with automation, some standards that you can use in your jobs.
and there are two very important standards in These are all for sale on the ISA website, but
this space. The first is the ISA88 set of docu- one of the great member benefits is that you
ments that provides a framework and guid- can view all ISA documents, with the excep-
ance for batch control systems. The second is tion of some IEC documents, online. Another
the ISA106 set that similarly provides guid- service that ISA provides relating to standards
ance for procedural automation for continuous is to help users with expert interpretation
process operations, for example state-based of standards. If, as you try to apply an ISA
control. The parent ISA-106 standard is due standard, you are struggling with how to
to be released very shortly. A third standard interpret a requirement or recommendation,
that we are eagerly awaiting the publication we have experts who can provide an official
of is ISA-112. This standard will provide much interpretation.
needed guidance for the implementation Lastly, standards are developed by volun-
of supervisory control and data acquisition teers; we are always looking for volunteers to
(SCADA) systems.
participate in these activities, the S&P board
The final category concentrates on the or specific committee chairs would love to
business systems, especially the integration hear from you. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Lee C.Eng, FIChemE is ChemPID Past Director and Chair of ISA’s Standards
and Practices Council. David spent 20+ years in industry in automation, project
management and operations management. For the last 17 years he has been
an automation and operator performance consultant. He is currently a Solution
Consultant in Emerson’s Industrial Software division.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 60 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

ISA Announces 2023 Global Event Schedule

ISA has set the dates for its 2023 global Digital Transformation
events, each with virtual access to select Conference—Brazil
sessions. Attendees will benefit from experi- September 2023
ences with renowned experts and presenters, This second annual event will take a deeper
hear firsthand about the latest technologies dive by going beyond the need for effective
and trends, and gain access to high-value, cybersecurity to keep up with the increasing
peer-reviewed technical content. pace of digital transformation within the
industrial automation field. It will explore
Online registration opens soon for all
the development of a smart manufacturing
conferences.
center of excellence that targets the digital
landscape as it continues to evolve. This
OT Cybersecurity Summit—Scotland
event will provide a platform for sharing ideas
May 31­–June 1, 2023
and solutions to address the unfolding issues
Cheri Caddy, deputy assistant national cyber
resulting from rapid technological growth
director at ONCD/the White House and
across multiple industries in critical infra-
Megan Samford, VP, chief product security
structures such as oil/gas, chemical, water
officer at Schneider Electric will be keynote
and power generation.
speakers for this brand new event. The OT
Cybersecurity Summit will focus on the
ISA Automation & Leadership
leading international standards and confor-
Conference—USA
mance systems that are being used to keep October 4–6, 2023
operational technology (OT) safe and secure The ISA Automation & Leadership Conference
in industries such as energy, manufacturing, (ALC) is the automation event of the year—
building automation and more. New develop- combining ISA’s leadership conference with
ments within the ISA/IEC 62443 standards the best technical presentations from ISA’s
series will be highlighted and technical automation conference series into an unparal-
training and certification programs designed leled event experience. This multi-day techni-
to help you implement the standards into cal and leadership conference and exhibition
your business operations and workforce will will bring together a global audience of auto-
be reviewed. Professionals involved in the mation managers, engineers and technicians
security process should attend this event to who want to stay abreast of trending industry
learn more about workforce development topics focused on digital transformation,
strategies, hardware and software protection cybersecurity, IIoT, smart manufacturing and
practices, and ways to improve infrastructure process automation. It will provide attendees
and data security measures. with access to an array of subject matter

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 61 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

experts from the US, Middle East, Brazil, Design of Fire and Gas
Malaysia, and India—and will offer the best- Detection Systems for Process
of-the-best content and ultimate networking Industries
opportunities in a fun, interactive format. With the release of
the ISA-TR84.00.07
Digital Transformation Conference—Asia technical report

Pacific on performance-
based design of fire
November 2023
and gas detection
This third-annual event will bring together
systems for process
subject matter experts to share end-user case
industries, risk-
studies and firsthand experiences on how to based techniques
optimize core assets in acceleration towards for detector place-
energy transition and industrial sustainability ment have become prevalent in fire and gas
through digital transformation. An in-depth system (FGS) design. While the technical
program will explore how oil producer report addresses designing the FGS based on
the user’s risk profile and performance re-
companies leverage machine learning, data
quirements, it does not provide any guidance
analytics and IIoT technologies to streamline
on implementing the FGS lifecycle.
operations, improve life-of-field production,
The Performance-based Fire and Gas
and increase HSSE across the region. 
Systems Engineering Handbook by Austin
Bryan, Elizabeth Smith, and Kevin Mitchell
provides a thorough overview of the FGS
design lifecycle presented in the techni-
cal report. It examines each phase of the
lifecycle and describes practical activities
required to develop an FGS design. In addi-
tion to discussing the design process, this
handbook also provides appendices that
contain data for FGS system risk analysis,
FGS risk grading procedures, and a discus-
sion of the FGS mapping techniques used to
verify the achievement of the newly defined
coverage targets.

Find out more about the book from one

of the authors. The book is available for
purchase on the ISA website. 

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 62 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

ISASecure Announces Site Assessment Program for

OT Cybersecurity
This month, the International Society of “The proposed site assessment scheme will
Automation (ISA), along with the ISA Security have a critical role in the OT cybersecurity land-
Compliance Institute (ISCI), has announced scape—the automation systems at the operat-
its intention to create an all-new conformity ing site itself,” said Brandon Price, ExxonMobil
assessment scheme for automation systems senior principal engineer for ICS Cybersecurity
deployed at operating sites—a critical and long and current ISCI Board Chairman. “This
overdue addition to the landscape of opera- standards-based program is unique, and we
tional technology (OT) cybersecurity solutions. anticipate it will become the global standard

Based on the world’s only consensus- used by operating sites, certification bodies,

based automation and control systems internal auditors and public policy makers.”

cybersecurity standards—ISA/IEC 62443— The program will encourage the broad

the OT cybersecurity site assessment industry adoption of the ISA/IEC 62443 op-
scheme will apply to all types of automation erating site cybersecurity standards and best
and control systems in industries ranging practices. ISA and ISCI plans include building
from traditional process industries to critical and overseeing a related training and creden-
infrastructure such as oil and gas, chemicals tialing program for site assessors. ISA and other
and water/wastewater. training organizations already offer training for
Suppliers have broadly adopted the leading the ISA/IEC 62443 operating site standards.
international standard for OT cybersecurity, “We are inviting companies who are inter-
ISA/IEC 62443, as well as its certification ested in supporting and promoting this program
scheme, ISASecure, for commercial off-the- to participate; particularly end-users whose
shelf (COTS) automation and control system support is critical to this program’s success.
products and supplier’s security development Supporters may participate in specification de-
practices. ISASecure recently released an velopment, provide funding, or simply provide
IIOT component and gateway certification public support,” said Andre Ristaino, managing
program (ICSA) to remain current with new director of ISA Consortia and Conformity
technology advances. However, asset own- Assessment Programs.
ers and plant managers have yet to coalesce
“We anticipate a development schedule of
around a single cybersecurity assessment
12-14 months and expect to formally launch the
scheme for OT deployed at operating sites,
program in Q4 2023 or early 2024,” said Ristaino.
relying instead upon a patchwork of third-
party specifications that may not promote An informational webinar was held on
industrial control system (ICS) security best 28 February. Visit the website for more
practices, leaving operating sites vulnerable. information. 

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 63 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 ASSOCIATION NEWS
HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

ISA Wins Two Awards for its Conference

The 2022 ISA Automation & Leadership Conference—our
Conference has won first place in two cate- Society’s flagship
gories at the annual vFairs Eventeer Awards: annual event,” said
Best in Class Hybrid Event and Best Use of Claire Fallon, ISA
Mobile App. The event was also a runner up executive director.
in the Best Use of Gamification category. “From its high-cal-
iber speakers and
The Eventeer Awards showcase the best
technical content
events hosted on the vFairs platform through-
to the excellent networking opportunities for
out 2022—a total pool of more than 2,000
automation leaders and sponsors, our 2022
events with over 10 million attendees world-
conference marked a triumphant return to in-
wide. Nominations for these awards were open
person events. Making that experience just
to public voting, and winners were determined
as strong for our virtual attendees the world
based on the highest number of votes received.
over was a huge priority for our events team,
“We are honored to be recognized and we are honored to be recognized for the
for the ISA Automation & Leadership high quality of ISA events. 

International Society of Automation

Setting the Standard for Automation™

Control
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This edition expands on:
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• Selecting fail-safe valve open or close positions to meet cybersecurity demands
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40-0722

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INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 64 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

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 FINAL SAY | VIEWS FROM AUTOMATION LEADERS

Interview with ISA Fellow Nick Sands

By Jack Smith

Nick Sands was elevated to ISA Fellow in

“My advice is
2012 for his work in alarm management and
safety systems. He has worked for DuPont for
to be ready
more than 32 years, all in automation roles, to say yes
and is currently a Senior Technology Fellow as when the
well as the company subject expert for safety
instrumented systems (SIS) and alarm man-
opportunity
agement. He was the co-chair of the ISA18 comes and
committee from 2003 until 2022. to put in the work to make it
InTech asked Sands to elaborate on his successful. And then repeat.”
automation career, experience with ISA,
—Nick Sands, ISA Fellow and
thoughts on becoming a Fellow, and automa-
tion challenges. member of ChemPID

InTech: How did you get involved in

automation? engineers encouraged me to join ISA and the
Nick Sands: It started when I worked as a co- meetings were fun, educational, and social. A
op at Tennessee Eastman. The company had few years later, I wrote a paper and submitted
a great program, with many different types of it to the Chemical and Petroleum Industries
assignments. My first was in the manufactur- Division (ChemPID) for the conference with
ing information systems group and I learned the ISA Expo. That was an amazing experi-
that computers ran the chemical plant. That ence and opened my eyes to how important

was it. Since there was no automation engi- ISA was (and is) to the automation industry. I

neering program at Virginia Tech, I took all the was hooked. The people from ChemPID were

courses I could that were related to automa- welcoming and I’ve been a member of the

tion in the chemical engineering, chemistry, division ever since.

and electrical engineering departments. I was

going to be an automation engineer. InTech: What advice do you have for
ISA members seeking to become
InTech: How did you get involved ISA Fellows?
with ISA? Sands: It’s important to highlight that ISA
Sands: I joined the local ISA section in Fellow is a membership grade awarded for
Victoria, Texas when I started working after impact on automation and not for service to
graduating from Virginia Tech. The senior ISA. ISA does provide many opportunities to

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 66 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 FINAL SAY | VIEWS FROM AUTOMATION LEADERS

develop expertise and to make an impact. competency in manufacturing, in my view

Participation in divisions and especially from working in manufacturing. Automation
standards committees let you interact with competency is a wide scope. It includes
experts and become an expert. ISA confer- instrumentation, programming, safety
ences and InTech let you share knowledge systems, alarms, human-machine interface
and experience to help others on their jour- (HMI), control theory, networking, integra-
ney, creating an impact. tion, security, and performance of all the
parts. The challenges include the range of
The ISA18 standard committee’s effort on
technologies, with many that are obsolete,
the first global alarm management standard,
the reduced staffing at plants, the retirement
ISA-18.2-2009, was that type of experience
of many knowledgeable resources, and the
for me. I had no idea going in how that one
continued lack of an automation engineering
effort would change my career, from the
program in many countries, like the U.S.
many friends to the papers and presentations,
to the implementation in my company. So The solution probably has many parts and
many new opportunities opened over time. should be sustainable. Competency goes
beyond training to practice and eventually to
My advice is to be ready to say yes when
expertise. ISA and many future ISA Fellows
the opportunity comes and to put in the work
have a role to play. 
to make it successful. And then repeat.

InTech: What do you see as the great-

est challenge in automation today?
Sands: One of the biggest challenges is that
of developing and maintaining automation

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack Smith ([email protected]) is senior contributing editor for Automation.com
and ISA’s InTech magazine. He spent more than 20 years working in industry—from
electrical power generation to instrumentation and control, to automation, and from
electronic communications to computers—and has been a trade journalist for more than
20 years.

INTECH FEBRUARY 2023 67 WWW.ISA.ORG/INTECH

 International Society of Automation
Setting the Standard for Automation™

2023 Executive Board

The International Society of Automation is pleased to introduce the 2023 Executive Board.

President Past President President-elect Secretary Treasurer Executive Director

Marty Bince Carlos Mandolesi Prabhu Soundarrajan Steve Mustard, P.E., Claire Fallon
EECOL Electric Trinity College Dublin B.Eng, C.Eng, CAP, ISA
GICSP
National Automation, Inc.

Ardis Bartle Jim Garrison, P.E., Edward Naranjo

Apex Measurement CAP, CFSE Honeywell
and Controls LLC aeSolutions

R. Donald Bartusiak, PhD Vivek Gupta Mary’beth Ramey

Collaborative Systems DCM Shriram Celanese Engineered
Integration Limited Materials – Hytrel

Dean Bickerton Eddie Habibi Jagdish Shukla

The Reynolds Company Zenzero Servilink Systems
Investments Limited

Dr. Paulina Chan, Maxym Lachance, P.Eng Sujata Tilak

SMIEEE, CMgr, CCMI BBA Ascent Intellimation
Global Mutual Innovation
Consortium

Francisco Diaz-Andreu Claudio Makarovsky Ashley Weckwerth, P.E.

2023
Repsol-ISA Microsoft Burns & McDonnell