Apprion, a vendor and service provider of Industrial Wireless Application Systems for the process manufacturing industry, says it has a Wireless Application Site Plan at the BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP facility in Port Arthur, Texas (BFLP). Apprion’s team of wireless and industrial experts conducted the on-site survey and plan, which included comprehensive RF spectrum analysis, various grid simulation output with signal power levels and a technical evaluation of the site’s existing infrastructure and technology. This evaluation provided the input for BFLP’s plan outlining the future expansion and implementation of the facility’s wireless network and applications.
BFLP had plans to implement a wireless application for mobile handheld devices to improve the management of the facility’s turnaround planning and scheduling. In addition, they wanted to implement a comprehensive wireless infrastructure to support future additional wireless applications for condition monitoring, security and productivity. The management team decided to conduct a wireless application site plan prior to the project’s phase 1 implementation of the infrastructure and mobility application.
"We wanted a full wireless application site plan across the entire facility to determine the most cost-effective and efficient implementation possible," said James Skoruppa, senior I&E controls engineer at the Port Arthur facility. "Plus, we did not want to create various individual, ‘one-off’ systems – a common mistake when implementing new technology in a phased approach."
He added, "The Apprion Services Team was very clear on what they were delivering and the end result was impressive. With the Wireless Application Site Plan and Apprion’s expertise in wireless applications for industrial processing, I feel extremely confident about our infrastructure and application implementation."
The BFLP management team partnered with Apprion Services to conduct the survey that involved four days of measurement and data gathering to determine the placement of RF transceivers and network devices that would comprise a facility-wide wireless infrastructure. A dedicated infrastructure of Apprion IONizer 802.11 industrial Wi-Fi access points and condition monitoring sensors were positioned at key locations throughout the plant in anticipation of the future facility-wide wireless infrastructure and applications including backhaul for gate readers, condition monitoring, remote operator handheld devices, communications and video applications. Performance measurements including area coverage and network connectivity were performed within each zone of the plant.
At the conclusion of the Wireless Site Plan, BFLP received a strategic wireless report with the Wireless and RF site assessment results, recommendations for detailed implementation planning and a extensive report mapping out the most efficient and cost-effective path for moving forward with various wireless applications at the Port Arthur facility.