Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (28 February 2018) – Alcoa Corporation (Alcoa) was presented the ISA100 Wireless Excellence in Automation Award for: “Leadership in Development and Implementation of Wireless Applications for Mining/Refinery Operations.”
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute presented Alcoa the award at the February 2018 ARC Industry Forum in Orlando during the 'Smart Field Systems Creating Business Value for Process Industries” session, hosted by Tim Shea.
Andre Ristaino (right), Managing Director, ISA100 Wireless
Compliance Institute presents the 2017 ISA100 Wireless
Excellence in Automation Award to Chester Davidson, Global
Services Manager, Alcoa.
Alcoa is recognized for its visionary work with wireless technology. In 2014 Alcoa established ISA100 Wireless technology as its global standard across refinery operations. The company established engineering standards, installed wireless infrastructure and monitoring equipment, and developed wireless training modules and support processes.
In 2015 Alcoa established a wireless advisory board to provide corporate governance for wireless technology implementation and developed instrumentation selection criteria.
From 2016 to 2018, the company has worked with its vendor to develop new ISA100 Wireless instruments for its specific needs, including a lower cost, lightweight wireless pressure transmitter, a wireless safety shower panic button, a multi-use wireless push button, and an ISA100 Wireless serial interface for use on in-house specialty analyzers. Additionally, it enabled Wi-Fi in the process area, supporting a global, corporate connected worker initiative.
Alcoa’s objectives in selecting ISA100 Wireless as an enabling technology were to:
- Provide an engineered, secured, managed and integrated wireless network into alumina refinery process areas.
- Support mobile operators using handheld devices.
- Allow for wireless connectivity of PCS/EHM equipment that is either remote or mobile.
- Enable IIOT and IOT in the future.
The adoption and implementation of ISA100 Wireless has reduced capital expenditure related to installation of process/condition monitoring instruments, increased deployment speeds, facilitated troubleshooting via mobile/temporary sensors, and extended monitoring applications to moving equipment.
The complete presentation on Alcoa’s work can be found here.
“Our engineered wireless infrastructure has provided the necessary foundation for us to introduce digital transformation initiatives such as Connected Worker & Connected Plant to our operations and pave our way toward the refinery of the future vision,” said Alcoa representative Ali Nooraii, Ph.D., Director, Global Alumina & Bauxite Process Systems.
”Working with wireless instrumentation suppliers to develop new, innovative and lower cost sensors will be key to our success in improving plant performance through improved data-based predictive maintenance and diagnostics. The next wave of disruptive technology is one good idea away,” said Alcoa representative Robert Polinelli, Manager, Global Alumina PCS Infrastructure.
“We are now seeing large-scale deployments of ISA100 Wireless technology, and the Alcoa approach is a good example of company-wide wireless technology adoption in order to ensure 100 percent instrumentation coverage at operational sites,” said Andre Ristaino, Managing Director, ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute.
About Alcoa
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and aluminum products, with a strong portfolio of value-added cast and rolled products and substantial energy assets. Alcoa is built on a foundation of strong values and operating excellence dating back nearly 130 years to the world-changing discovery that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life. Since inventing the aluminum industry, and throughout our history, our talented Alcoans have followed on with breakthrough innovations and best practices that have led to efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities wherever we operate. Visit us online on www.alcoa.com, follow @Alcoa on Twitter and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.
About ISA100 Wireless™
ISA100 Wireless (IEC 62734) is an international, industrial wireless networking and communications standard engineered to serve the needs of process industries. With native IPv6 networking and object architecture, ISA100 Wireless extends the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) to wireless. End users can select ISA100 Wireless Compliant™ devices from a best-of-breed pool of suppliers with assurances of device interoperability. ISA100 Wireless enables automation engineers to quickly create, modify, optimize, and scale wireless networks that are open, interoperable, and reliable for their most critical applications. ISA100 Wireless is the first standard in the ISA100 family of open standards.
Built from the ground up and driven by user requirements, the ISA100 Wireless standard received formal ANSI approval in January 2012 and approval as IEC 62734 in September 2014. ISA100 Wireless is the only IPv6, 6LowPAN industrial protocol designed for industrial automation. ISA100 Wireless meets requirements of ETSI EN 300 328 v1.8.1 for coexistence with nearby 2.4 GHz radio devices.
About the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (ISA100 WCI) is a non-profit industry organization that provides users and developers with market awareness, educational information, technical support, and compliance testing for the ISA100 family of standards. ISA100 WCI provides real-world feedback from the deployment of ISA100 Wireless devices and systems to ISA Standards Committees, fostering rapid refinement to the standards.
More information about the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute can be found online at www.isa100wci.org.
The ISA100 Wireless and ISA100 Wireless Compliant are trademarks of ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute. All other marks are trademarks of their respective companies.
Press Contacts:
Michael Brazda
Marketing Director
919-990-9227
mbrazda@isa.org
Andre Ristaino
Managing Director
919-990-9222
aristaino@isa.org