French chemicals manufacturer Naphtachimie has begun modernisation of its entire plant-wide digital control system. A subsidiary of INEOS, Naphtachimie produces ethylene, propylene, hydrogen, methane, ethane and fuel for the French market. The manufacturer is working with ABB on the transition.

The DCS modernisation programme has begun with a transition from Advant MOD 300 to AC 800M. Evolving the DCS will extend the life of the digital control system by decades and will help to optimise operations, minimise shutdown times, and enable more efficient project scheduling for the plant located in Lavéra, Southern France, around 40 kilometres from Marseille.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Naphtachimie, going back to 1986,” said Louis-Christophe Delgado, local division manager at ABB Energy Industries in France. “We have an extensive installed base with the company, and we follow an evolution plan that helps customers continue to get value from existing investments, while enabling them to evolve to new technologies.”

“ABB’s comprehensive plan for technological evolution aligned with our modernisation needs at the Lavéra site,” said Christophe Argenson, purchasing director at Naphtachimie. “We trust ABB to support us in the development of our new DCS.”

The evolution on the controller layer from Advant MOD 300 to AC 800M allows precise system upgrades and evolutions, with minimal disruption to plant operations. Adopting a stepwise evolution approach allows customers to plan capital expenditures in sync with and during already planned maintenance shutdowns.

Leveraging proprietary ABB tools allows an error-free evolution process for enhanced control system efficiency and reliability while retaining the intellectual property of the DCS control applications. The continued use of the already upgraded ABB Ability System 800xA operator stations for the human machine interface reduces training needs for operators, ensuring a smooth transition and sustained operational performance.

“This project reflects ABB’s leadership in control system evolution, emphasising efficiency, strategic planning and technological excellence,” said Enrico Mantero, Hub Service Manager for Central and Southern Europe at ABB Energy Industries.