Supporting utilities such as ammonia refrigeration and steam generation play a critical role in keeping industrial operations running efficiently. Yet these systems operate in the background, only drawing attention when something goes wrong. From stringent safety requirements to specialized maintenance needs, they present unique challenges that can impact uptime, compliance, and operating costs. Understanding these common pain points is the first step toward building a proactive strategy that minimizes risk and keeps production on track.
Common Pain Points with Supporting Utilities
Aging Systems
Many ammonia refrigeration and steam generation systems have been in operation for decades — often 20-30 years or more. In comparison, the average industrial boiler in the U.S. is 30-40 years old. These legacy systems typically rely on low levels of automation, with control panels based on relays and contractors rather than modern PLCs or distributed control systems. As a result, they require frequent human intervention, increasing labor demands and the risk of operational errors.
Incorrect Sequencing Causing Inefficiency
The inability to adapt to changes in demand or load can present a challenging issue. This can often result in incorrect sequencing equipment due to simple control implementations, leading to lower overall system efficiency. A common instance of incorrect sequencing is having the largest piece of equipment either always running or brought online when demand is lower, which can be less efficient in its operation and energy consumption. Keeping in mind, these systems can also be slow to start or restart if personnel are not quickly notified when a fault or issue occurs.
Lack of Integration into Larger Control Systems
Even if a modern system has been implemented, it is less likely that it is part of a Building Management System (BMS) or Distributed Control System (DCS) that could better control these utilities based on what is actively happening in the control system for the entire facility.
Benefits of Adding a Modern Automation System to an Existing System
Adding the consistency and reliability of a modern automation system has the potential to positively impact an existing system. Accommodating the need for increased safety, higher energy efficiency, longer equipment life, enhanced diagnostics, and being able to operate the system with a smaller team are just some of the benefits.
Increased Safety
Safety improvements via modern control system implementations can be realized through redundant architecture and communication protocols that use safety messages, meeting SIL-3 in most applications.
Higher Efficiency
Leveraging technologies such as Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) — which allow for a more gradual start to pieces of equipment like compressors or motors for driving fan belts on condenser towers — helps achieve these benefits. Using VFDs raises the energy efficiency of the system significantly over conventional motor starters and leads to tangible savings in energy costs. Depending on the size of the system, some utility providers may be willing to fund a portion of the project if the energy savings are large enough to impact their bottom line.
Longer Equipment Life and Enhanced Diagnostics
Continuing to build on efficiency, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) allow for better equipment sequencing and monitoring. Having the added benefit of being able to be incorporated into a large DCS or BMS, the amount of manpower needed decreases as these systems can monitor and operate multiple pieces of equipment simultaneously.
Where is the Industry Heading for These Utility Systems?
Regulations and standards from outside organizations are putting pressure on many facilities to modernize their systems to remain within compliance. This presents a unique opportunity to add a modern control system while performing other upgrades. Systems such as ammonia refrigeration are not only here to stay, but increasing in implementation as other refrigerants are phased out.
Emissions Regulation
Boiler systems will need to better regulate emissions in the near future to remain within defined parameters, as many of them rely on natural gas as their fuel source, requiring upgrades of the control systems to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
Remote Monitoring
Remote monitoring is playing a large role as the need for smaller boiler systems that are distributed throughout a plant is increasing, requiring an investment in controls infrastructure to manage the growing network of equipment with a limited staff.
Enhanced Safety
A consistent theme throughout, the desire for enhanced safety is being expressed in the United States after some larger ammonia accidents in recent years. Charging less ammonia to the system and a better control system will help achieve those goals.
Related Industry Challenges
Hand-in-hand with industry direction, relative industry experience presents its own set of challenges. From trying to find prospective employees with the correct licenses, inexperience impacting productivity, and overall safety being the utmost concern, these facilities are truly positioned for automation solutions as the need for monitoring increases and available workforce continues to decrease.
Necessary Licenses
It can be difficult to find employees who have the necessary licenses to care for and maintain systems that have a low level of automation. Many systems, dependent upon their size in the case of steam generation, do not need to have operators constantly checking the system — but they do require that a licensed individual be present on-site.
Inexperience Decreasing Productivity
The issue that occurs is the need to constantly monitor or control these systems pulls operators away from other tasks, lowering productivity. Having human involvement in some systems can often be more dangerous than a control system. In the case of ammonia refrigeration, an operator opening the wrong valve could send high-pressure liquid ammonia to a compressor or burst a pipe, leading to a large release of ammonia due to inexperience or unfamiliarity with the system.
Overall Safety
Similarly, in boiler systems, operating the wrong valve or equipment could lead to a catastrophic failure due to high pressures handled in steam generation facilities. These types of issues can still occur in a control system, but interlocks can be designed to prevent accidental operation of equipment that cannot be used for safety reasons. It’s far more convenient and can be far safer to operate a system remotely than being on-site to operate the equipment.