Acquisition aids expansion into flow chemistry market.

The AGI Group has acquired Chemtrix B.V. effective from 29th December 2023. Chemtrix, based in the Netherlands, designs and manufactures a scalable portfolio of flow reactors that enables industry and academia to harness the advantages of flow chemistry and process intensification. This strategic acquisition will bring flow chemistry scale-up capabilities into the AGI Group, supporting both pilot and manufacturing solutions.

The AGI Group is a world-leading solutions provider for precision manufactured glass equipment across chemical processing industries, including the scientific and pharmaceuticals sectors. The core strategy of the AGI Group is to expand its global presence to support customers and enable sales growth in markets outside of Japan.

The AGI Group’s expanding portfolio of well-known brands includes the flagship AGI Glassplant brand; Premex Reactor, a supplier of premium quality, high pressure reactor systems and magnetic stirrers for research and development; and Syrris, the global leader in flow chemistry solutions for laboratory scale applications.

The Chemtrix flow reactor portfolio complements these offerings perfectly, and has been designed to change how chemical processes are developed, delivering increased process safety, reduced operating costs and new chemical possibilities at scales ranging from milligrams in the lab through to tonnes for manufacturing.

Mike Hawes, CEO of AGI International, commented: “We are very excited to have Chemtrix join AGI Group. We have a strong and successful history in providing high performance flow chemistry solutions for research laboratories. The addition of Chemtrix now allows us to support the market in scaling up their processes to the pilot plant and manufacturing scales. Chemtrix has a fantastic reputation in this market, and we are delighted to be able to offer the high quality and high performance solutions in the Chemtrix portfolio.”

Dr. Charlotte Wiles, CEO of Chemtrix, commented: “Our strategy focusses on developing close collaborations with end users across academia, the fine chemicals, specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries to develop a complete, easy to scale product portfolio whilst delivering our customers safe and reliable scale-up from the lab to industrial production. We are delighted to join AGI Group, and continue our shared mission of delivering high quality, efficient solutions that meet our customers challenging process needs.”

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@Chemtrix @agigroupincorp #PAuto #TandM

ESW (PL)

Emerson’s Smart Wireless network monitors biomass gasification pre-combustion chamber at Polish power plant

WirelessHART™ network with Rosemount® wireless temperature transmitters ensures chamber walls are not damaged

Emerson Process Management’s Smart Wireless network with Rosemount® wireless transmitters is being used to enable thermal monitoring of biomass gasification pre-combustion chambers at the Elektrownia Stalowa Wola S.A. power plant located in the city of Stalowa Wola, Poland. New temperature data is being transmitted over a WirelessHART™ network to operators to ensure that the ceramic walls of the chamber are not damaged by stress fractures through overheating.

Biomass gasification (a method for extracting energy from many different types of organic materials) is a process where biomass materials are processed to create a carbonised solid and gas, both of which are used as fuel for electricity generation.

Both power and heat is produced by the Elektrownia Stalowa Wola gasification system using forest waste wood (including chips and dust) and other biomass material from agriculture. The organic waste passes through a 9m long by 3.5m diameter rotating pre-combustion chamber where it is heated using natural gas to a temperature between
280 – 360°C. The carbonised particles that are produced are burnt in a fluidised bed which releases energy for steam generation. The pre-combustion chamber is made from a ceramic material which is protected from damage by a layer of insulation.

Elektrownia Stalowa Wola S.A. (part of Tauron Energy) wanted to further safeguard the equipment by measuring the temperature of the chamber walls so that they could be alerted to any potential problems. Should temperatures go beyond 350°C, an alarm is triggered and the operator can adjust the amount of air going into the chamber or reduce the heating of the biomass. If required, the fuel for the chamber can be shut down completely. Should the operator not react in time, the system can shut down automatically.

Two sensors have been installed within the insulation material to provide the temperature measurements of the chamber walls. Because the pre-combustion chamber rotates, a slip ring assembly would be required to connect the sensors. However, dirt, carbon dust, and other forms of contamination build up in this area which can lead to flash over (arcing between the rings or to ground) and damage the connections between the lead and the rings.

“With every day usage creating the potential for high contamination we were concerned about the long term reliability of a slip ring solution. Wireless was the natural alternative and Emerson’s WirelessHART devices also meet the EX requirements,” said Miroslaw Lysikowski, Instrumentation & Control Manager, Elektrownia Stalowa Wola S.A.

Two Rosemount WirelessHART temperature transmitters have been installed on the rotating chamber delivering measurements from the sensors every 30 seconds. This provides the operator with the information needed to protect the chamber from overheating. A further transmitter has been installed nearby and acts as a router, strengthening the self-organising wireless network by providing an extra route for signals to pass through. The device also measures the ambient temperatures.

The sensors and transmitters were installed by Elektrownia Stalowa Wola during a routine shut down period, taking just two days to complete. Emerson’s AMS™ Wireless SNAP-ON™ application was used to validate the network and is now used to manage the wireless network and identify any potential trouble spots.

Measurement data from the sensors is sent via a Smart Wireless gateway to the existing Emerson Ovation® expert control system that controls the biomass gasification process. Start-up of the wireless network took only a matter of hours including installing the Modbus TCP/IP cabling that connects the gateway to the control system.

“We are extremely happy with the final solution, which has proven to be very reliable,” continued Lysikowski. “Looking to the future, we expect to use these new measurements for process monitoring and will also be working with Emerson to further expand the use of wireless technology.”

Elektrownia Stalowa Wola S.A. is currently considering increasing the number of measurements on the rotating chamber to increase its knowledge of the process. The wireless temperature measurements will then be used as part of the control of the burning process.

Novartis (F)

Emerson's Smart Wireless technology improves operator efficiency and plant flexibility for Novartis in France

DeltaV™ digital automation system and integrated wireless network enables easier maintenance, and increases control and flexibility at biotech production facility

Emerson Process Management’s plant-wide wireless network is helping to improve maintenance and operator efficiency, and increase plant flexibility within the Novartis biotech production centre at Huningue, in the north east of France. Emerson’s DeltaV™ digital automation system with a fully integrated Wi-Fi® network and mobile operator stations are providing process and plant information to operators and maintenance staff throughout the facility. The new wireless network is also improving the flexibility of the control system when there is a need to adjust a product recipe.

Novartis, one of the largest and most widely respected pharmaceutical companies in the world, employs over 300 people at Huningue where they produce the active ingredient for Xolair® , a drug used to treat moderate to severe persistent asthma, as well as several monoclonal antibodies and an immunosuppressant. Xolair is derived from genetically modified mammalian cells that are cultivated in a laboratory before being fermented in various bioreactors.

Localised control is essential to the efficient management of the process which is spread over three production levels, as well as being geographically dispersed. Novartis implemented a distributed architecture, based on Emerson’s DeltaV system. This has enabled operator stations to be located near the main areas of the process such as the bioreactors and tanks. To further maximise operator efficiency, Novartis recognised that they needed a control architecture that enabled their operators to be fully mobile.

Novartis is a pioneer in implementing new technology and has been using wireless since the year 2000. In 2008, when migrating to version 9 of Emerson’s DeltaV system, the company benefited from developments including integrated Wi-Fi and wireless security. In 2009, Novartis expanded the wireless architecture with additional Wi-Fi access points, implementing a complete mobile wireless solution with the DeltaV system.

"In 2000 we introduced wireless technology and recognised that it was well suited to our needs. The most recent developments to Emerson’s DeltaV system have enabled us to implement a plant wide wireless solution,” said Philippe Heitz, Head of Engineering, Novartis.

Novartis has installed a wireless network with coverage obtained on all three production levels using 10 Wi-Fi access points. The network includes 17 mobile operator stations and 100 DeltaV controllers, spread over two systems. The first system controls the upstream process of cell cultivation and harvesting. The second controls the downstream phase of purification and freezing. Both systems will soon be interconnected using Emerson’s DeltaV ZONE, a software and hardware solution for connecting two systems.

The mobile operator stations provide Novartis with complete flexibility to control its manufacturing processes. To meet the standards required for sterile zones C & D, the mobile operator stations have a stainless steel enclosure that houses the central processing unit (CPU). The devices are equipped with a USB connection to the usual keyboard, monitor and trackball for this type of environment and connect to the network of Wi-Fi access points.

Operators can move from one level to another with their mobile station and still maintain an overview of the process. This has not only significantly improved operator efficiency but it has also made it possible to reduce the number of workstations required by 50%. There have also been efficiency improvements in the area of plant maintenance. For example, by using a mobile workstation, it is now possible for just one person to calibrate the instruments when previously it would have required two. Should any workstation have a fault there is no longer a need to shut down a process whilst the station is fixed or replaced. The flexibility offered by the wireless network and mobile workstations provides a perfect back-up system. A further benefit is that when a new product is being launched or a recipe changed, the mobile stations can be moved throughout the plant as required, removing the need to install new operator stations.

"Because of the wireless network, we do not need to systematically invest in new control stations, even if the production of new products requires a change to the plant equipment or layout," explained Heitz.

The benefits of the DeltaV system coupled with the wireless architecture has helped Novartis to diversify production, changing from a single-chain product, such as Xolair, to being able to produce multi-chain products such as monoclonal antibodies and immunosuppressives. This is helping Novartis meet the needs of patients.

W&WW papers!

Water and wastewater white papers will add to your problem-solving repertory

The technical papers section at Controlsoft gives environmentally concerned operations people in the waste and wastewater industry the chance to review solid information that can lead to tighter chlorine control and lower chlorine setpoints, as well as massive cost savings.

The Water and Wastewater group includes application notes and technical email such as "Process Control for Drinking Water Treatment," "Coordinated Control for Chlorination Stations," and "Keeping Chlorine Discharge Residual at the Desired Level."

These papers offer both experienced and new technical personnel the opportunity to add to their process control knowledge.

Engineers and operations people may request free PDFs of the Water and Wastewater group by going to www.controlsoftinc.com. On the home page, click on the Support button to reach the technical papers section of the web site, which shows the titles of available papers (grouped by industrial category, such as food and beverage, fermentation and biochemical, etc.).