Can an image presented to an Operator make him more efficient, work safer, and give him the visual intelligence to make the best decision possible should corrective measures be needed?
When one thinks about CCTV or video surveillance, the security application comes to mind first. CCTV is everywhere, banks, malls, city surveillance, homes and is used to either prevent crime as a deterrent or have a video record of a crime scene.
Industrial plants use many sensors, remember that a camera is also a sensor, it captures an image in the form of light. A mine, for example, would have temperature sensors, limit switch, gas sensors etc. to monitor the process of turning raw material into a final product, a bar of gold, or a 300kg slab of anode copper.
A smelter is the last process in turning the raw material into a product ready for customer collection, and it's vital that all the systems are fully functional to keep customers and shareholders happy. Smelters are large multi-story industrial facilities that require significant investments and must be operational during production runs. They are manned by skilled staff covering all engineering disciplines but cannot have eyes on all systems simultaneously.
Enter the world of Process Control using CCTV.
Having an image of a vital production component presented to an Operator while operating a machine, makes him efficient and keeps production runs on schedule. It is also the perfect solution if the Operator cannot get close enough to the machine, for health or safety reasons.
The image presented may be as simple as a pressure gauge monitoring the production process or the flow of molten copper on its way to a mold. Molten copper is hot, a person cannot inspect the lava flow up close. Cameras are best suited for this application. If the pressure gauge starts raising, the Operator can act before a critical event or execute corrective measures should the mold mechanism have an issue.
Having an image of critical plant processes in conjunction with conventional process control systems is highly desirable, considering the high cost of machinery and the final product. There is no second best in a Smelters high octane pace should equipment fail.
In these mission-critical applications, only the best product will suffice, and Avigilon's range of cameras fits that bill. Field-proven technology that can take the punishment of a smelter's environment, deliver high definition images, and as critical to operational process as a thermocouple. In fact, if any of these sensors fail, the plant must shut down.
The potential has now expanded to many other departments within a typical engineering site.
The best approach to get your mind around the process control application, is to think about the Operator. Can an image presented to an Operator make him more efficient, work safer, and give him the visual intelligence to make the best decision possible should corrective measures be needed? Are workers abiding to plant regulations? Are they wearing the necessary PPE? Or are they operating a machine correctly?
Traditional security products have cross-pollinated into the Process Control domain. The applications, I'm sure you will agree, are endless.
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