Siemens has been selected by Orica — Australia’s largest chemicals and explosives company — to implement an integrated control and safety solution, SIMATIC PCS 7, throughout an ammonium nitrate plant being constructed in Indonesia.
The plant will be constricted in Bontang, Indonesia, by PT Kaltim Nitrate Indonesia (KNI), a joint-venture involving the Orica group.
When fully-operational in 2011, the Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 will enable KNI to produce up to 300,000 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate per annum; ammonium nitrate is a chemical used for high-quality commercial explosives for the resources market.
“KNI has already committed more than US$200 million to the design and construction of the plant,” said Siemens executive manager – marketing, Ashish Bhat.
“SIMATIC PCS 7 is world renowned as a superior automation system as it guarantees a high performing plant with the added benefit of unparalleled safety, security and reliability.”
According to Siemens, the SIMATIC PCS7 offers excellent diagnostic visibility, reduced lifecycle costs, migration solutions and seamless integration to the existing plant or future modifications.
“Due to our demonstrated success in automation across many industries, we are confident that our proven process control solution, along with our global expertise and experience in this area, can be capitalised on by the hydrocarbon processing industries,” said Bhat.
Siemens’ experience in the automation area as well as its local presence in Indonesia was instrumental to its successful appointment as a supplier of the process control system for the project, the company claims.
The PCS7 was chosen to integrate all of the existing plant components. According to Siemens, its modular design allows for seamless integration. The system can also be scaled-up in order to meet rising production demands in the future.
Safety was also a critical component of the new plant development and the PCS7 offers smooth integration between the operational and safety processes, Siemens says.