VTTI, an independent energy storage and transhipment company, has 1150 employees and 40 different nationalities. Ruud Timmermans is involved in process automation within the company, including the construction and management of industrial ether networks.
By: Dimitri Reijerman
During the Industrial Ethernet Event, Ruud Timmermans give a lecture about the design and installation of industrial networks at the storage terminals. In daily practice, Timmermans is involved in automating product storage and transhipment: “In addition to helping various locations with new construction or optimization projects, I am responsible for the correct application of standards in the field of process automation and process security at our terminals. We are now rolling out these standards at our terminals to further increase process safety. Among other things, I have written an alarm philosophy together with my colleagues, which states how people and technology should deal with process alarms.”
Timmermans continues: “A second is IEC 61511, a standard that describes the steps that need to be taken to improve and keep reliable the automatic protection of industrial processes. At VTTI we do everything we can to prevent tanks from overflowing.
During his lecture on Industrial Ethernet, Timmermans will delve deeper into the process control networks at VTTI. Timmermans: “I will outline how we install and use the networks on our terminals in the operational domain. In Antwerp, for example, we are currently upgrading an existing network. Just like other companies, we started small with standard IT network equipment. We quickly switched to using separate networks for process control and video surveillance. During my presentation, I will also provide an overview of what is on a terminal and how it is controlled.”
Fiber
There is a lot involved in planning and improving the infrastructure, says Timmermans: “You have to lay the fiber cables in such a way that you can easily facilitate changes or expansions in the future. So it is mainly a matter of looking ahead. Because a terminal is constantly being built and renovated. And excavation work is being done. That is because we want to be flexible for our customers. That is why we are constantly busy relocating pipes, adding pumps, etc. We are always on the move.”
The distances on a terminal site are large, says Timmermans: “The site is often a kilometre by a kilometre. We are currently upgrading the process control network in Antwerp. We are doing this by laying the fibre cables next to existing electricity cables so that only one digging is required.”
Separate infrastructure
In addition, a clear separation is made in the network infrastructure at VTTI: “We keep video surveillance separate from the other connections. We do that physically. But I also want to advise my audience: do not economize and immediately lay down 64 cores in a cable. This prevents a shortage of network connections that are needed to make extensions or apply new techniques.”
Finally, Timmermans wants to give an argument for keeping Ethernet connections physically separated: “Upgrading switches and routers can otherwise be problematic: for example, the IT department has to shut down the network for the upgrade, which can disrupt processes. We design our networks in such a way that all activities can always continue.”
You can follow Ruud Timmermans' lecture by to register free of charge for Industrial Ethernet.
Nederlands