Plant Safety Watch Out for these 3 Types of Robots!

Related Vendors

ANYbotics AG

W R Grace & Company

Yara International

TURCK GmbH

Italvacuum, Srl

more less

TRM Filter d.o.o.

less

In the chemical industry, plants need to be kept up-to-date at all costs and different kinds of robots help plant operators to achieve this goal. Whether you need them for inspection in a hazardous/confined zone or for collecting data, these 3 types of industrial robots are all you need in an industrial setting.

The demand for industrial robots is increasing significantly across diverse sectors and this is evident through the recent release shared by the International Federation of Robotics which highlights that the new World Robotics report shows an all-time high of 517,385 new industrial robots installed in 2021 in factories around the world. This represents a growth rate of 31 % year-on-year and exceeds the pre-pandemic record of robot installation in 2018 by 22 %.

In the chemical sector, industry players are keen to adopt different types of robotics in their operations for instance, drones, autonomous mobile robots, and explosion-proof robots. Applications of each of these robots is different and that’s what makes it a ‘must-have’ option for these players.

Drones: Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used for internal inspection of confined spaces such as storage tanks and pressure vessels as it’s dangerous for humans to enter these areas. It can also detect leaks or cracks, identify corrosion spots and unwanted objects within the asset. Capable of reaching significant heights, UAVs also prove to be beneficial for outdoor monitoring of assets, gas leaks or emissions. These applications help companies to reduce downtime, costs and enhance safety measures.

In addition to this, drones are also being used for emergency response and security. Equipped with high-definition cameras, UAVs help in emergency situations at the site such as chemical spills to collect real-time visuals which can then help experts to take accurate and more informed decisions to control the situation. 24x7 vigilance at the plant site is also possible with these drones.

Lastly, they can also carry out surveying and mapping of plants as well as inaccessible areas such as underwater or underground pipelines. This process enables drones to collect data to create 3D models or digital twins of plants which can be used for reengineering.

A live industry example: The chemical company Yara uses a drone by Flyability, a company specializing in manufacturing drones, for internal visual inspection of its assets including hard to reach locations within assets at its fertilizer plant in Ambès, France. In this manner, visual data in high resolution is collected in a shorter period of time as compared to personnel carrying out the inspection physically, thus, lowering inspection costs as well.

Autonomous mobile robots: Autonomous mobile robots are the new trending robots in the chemical sector as it can carry out boring and repetitive inspections with high accuracy which helps to save precious time for plant operators. Also, predictive maintenance is one area that is of great benefit to plant operators in order to ensure the smooth functioning of their units and these robots help to achieve just that. With the help of their embedded cameras and sensors, autonomous mobile robots collect data while inspecting different assets of the plant which assist operators to take informed and timely decisions to avoid major accidents and unscheduled shutdowns.

Agreeing with this, Tilman Eberle, Director Marketing Communications at Anybotics, a firm known for its autonomous mobile robots, explains, “Autonomous robots can do routine inspections and monitor facility and equipment health in an automated way. Removing workers from specific areas increases their safety while the inspection data improves and is automatically digitized. Frequent and real-time monitoring helps the site operator to adopt predictive maintenance protocols. This makes facilities more efficient, prevents incidents, and reduces environmental impact.”

Anybotics’ Anymal autonomous mobile robot is being used at W.R. Grace’s chemical facility in Düren, Germany. The robot has enabled the facility to transition from unplanned to scheduled maintenance by executing over 120 thermal, visual, and acoustic inspection goals per mission, thus leading to early detection of anomalies as well as preventive maintenance. A 1.5 % increase in plant uptime was also achieved by the robot at the site.

Explosion-proof robots: There are many ‘highly explosive’ or ‘risky’ zones inside a chemical plant which can be life threatening for humans. Eberle mentions, “Large areas in chemical facilities are Ex-rated which means that explosive atmospheres frequently occur. Only specially engineered and certified equipment can be used in these areas to avoid ignition.” An example of this equipment is Anybotics’ Anymal X – the world's first explosion-proof legged robot which has been recently introduced in the market.

The Chinese robot company Chongqing Sevnce Technology had also exhibited an intelligent explosion-proof inspection robot at a trade fair last year. Equipped with numerous intelligent sensing devices which help to collect data accurately in order to analyze various meters, liquids, and gases, the innovative robot has also secured an Ex d IIB T4 Gb China explosion-proof certification along with an IP65 waterproof and dustproof certification.

In the coming future, robotics will be capable of so much more that we can’t even imagine but for now we know that with the rise of digitalization and smart factories in today’s world, the demand for robots has picked up significantly and no matter what ‘type’ of robot one chooses from for their processes, it will only be profitable and valuable for their plant operations.

(ID:49300862)