Optima Related Press & Papers
MBR Automation Master Plan Completion
Contact: Sheldon Shumway
President & CEO
Optima Powerware
(801) 943-5555
sheldon.shumway@optimapowerware.com
SALT LAKE CITY, December 1, 2003 — Optima Powerware announces the completion of a Process Optimization-based Automation Master Plan project at Brazil’s iron ore mining colossus, CAEMI-owned, Minerações Brasileiras Reunidas S/A – MBR. The unique Optimization Master Plan identified many millions of dollars worth of annual savings/additional revenues that MBR can take advantage of by implementing innovative technology enhancements at their Pico Mine, Transportation and Shipping operations. The Master Plan team was headed by Optima Powerware and included two of Brazil’s leading automation and engineering companies ATAN and Minerconsult. The Master Plan identified profit-making potential for MBR through cost-effective process, instrumentation, regulatory and advanced control, and Manufacturing Execution Systems technology advances.
MBR’s Project Manager Engo. Élder de Oliveira Marino states “The project was a great success in terms of identifying how advanced technologies can help us improve our efficiency and also help our personnel understand where we need to advance and how these improvements can be implemented to make MBR a much more profitable and stronger company. The team was extremely dedicated and did an outstanding job. This work will help all of the MBR stakeholders and employees for a long time to come.”
The next step for MBR is to begin the implementation of the recommendations made by the Optima-led team. This work will begin early in 2004 and will help MBR accomplish real and significant gains in quality and productivity.
Michael Keaton, P.E, the Optima Powerware project manager notes that: “We had a real dedicated team in MBR and our local partners, ATAN and Minerconsult, to help us develop a road map that is really meaningful to MBR. This work has already started to have an impact at MBR and as the recommendations are completed, MBR will see even more pronounced benefits.”
Optima Powerware’s mission is to generate millions of dollars for its clients in the industrial processing industries, via measurable productivity, cost savings, and revenue increases. AutoPilot® is Optima Powerware’s flagship software product, which helps plants achieve better operating results in terms of throughputs, recoveries, energy, metal, and reagent consumption, increased uptimes, and the related cost savings. AutoPilot® makes the operation of plants more stable and easier to understand and control.
Please visit Optima Powerware’s web site at www.optimapowerware.com
Fluidized Ore Roaster Project Nets Customer Millions
Contact: Sheldon Shumway
President & CEO
Optima Powerware
(801) 943-5555
sheldon.shumway@optimapowerware.com
SALT LAKE CITY, July 8, 2003—Optima Powerware announces the completion of an Online Optimization Project at Newmont’s Carlin facility. The Newmont plant installed Optima’s AutoPilot® Online Optimization System and increased both recovery and throughput. Also, the project helped the operations team at the Roaster earn Newmont’s prestigious Chariman’s Award. Newmont’s Project Manager Dirk Danninger states “The project went better than we anticipated. We have sustained throughput increases of over 10% and recovery increases of over 2%. During the project, we were able to discover benefits that are worth over $10 million annually, this was in addition to the benefits that we achieved in preparation for the project. The Roster process was particularly difficult to control before but now operators have a tool that really helps them drive the process for much better operating results.”
Dave McLaren, the Operations Manager for Mill 5 where the system was installed stated, “We are always striving for operational excellence and we would like to congratulate our people for pulling together to assist in achieving such impressive results. Good asset management requires good people and the right technology. The furnace with over 30 control variables was particularly difficult for our operators”.
Michael Keaton, the Optima Powerware installation engineer notes that “the economic gains of the project came after the plant had spent two years of relentlessly pushing the plant and operators to improve the temperature control and throughput. So the low hanging fruit had already been picked off.”
Optima Powerware’s mission is to deliver billions of dollars in measurable productivity and cost savings gains for mining and minerals processors through operational excellence. AutoPilot® is a system for assisting plants in discovering and implementing process operational knowledge to help plants achieve greater results in throughputs, recoveries and cost savings. AutoPilot® makes the operation of the plant more stable and easier to understand and control.
Please visit Optima Powerware’s web site at www.optimapowerware.com
AutoPilotTM: Optimizing Control with Record Low Man Hours
Contact: Sheldon Shumway
President & CEO
Optima Powerware
(801) 943-5555
sheldon.shumway@optimapowerware.com
SALT LAKE CITY, December 21, 2000— PSE Optima announces completion of its Amerada Hess project in Seminole Texas with its recently released AutoPilot Optimizing Controller. The highly unique advanced control system was installed with minimal effort. AutoPilot is the first optimizing process controller to fully integrate knowledge/rule based control, optimization, neural nets and algorithmic based multivariable control technology in a single robust package suitable for plant engineering staffs. Bill Hobbs, the plant manager at Amerada Hess-Seminole said, “I have never seen a project like this one where operators and shift supervisors are so happy. The system has gone in so easily.”
The Ryan Holmes process that AutoPilot is now controlling is thought by many to be one of the most difficult to control in the gas processing industry because of its multiple recycle streams resulting in coupled interactions and long response deadtimes.
AutoPilot was able to easily achieve stability and increased recovery with a record low amount of engineering and operations manhours. John Keenan, PSE Optima’s project engineer for the system stated that “We were able to be so efficient on the project because of AutoPilot’s ability to be reconfigured in any way while executing. In addition to handling the tough process dynamics inherent to the Ryan Holmes process, AutoPilot is able to sustain the unit at its flood limit thereby maximizing recovery and utilization of the equipment”
A typical plant using Autopilot can see a five percent increase in profitability which can translate into revenue increases of millions of dollars for many clients. Autopilot is profitable for companies in process control industries such as oil refining, petrochemicals, mining, natural gas and cement.
Autopilot is a supervisory software system with modeling, controlling and optimization technologies. The Autopilot system increases plant effectiveness with multistate modeling technology which allows for control and optimization problems to be broken down to small, manageable pieces linked together in a networked fashion. Autopilot can be configured to maximize throughput, search for cost savings, and provide quality enhancements. Autopilot’s short installation period and easy user interface eliminates the need for highly trained advanced control experts and the long consulting agreements that are required by competitor products.
With offices located in Salt Lake City, Houston and Belo Horizonte Brazil, PSE Optima specializes in consulting services and implementation services for advanced automation.
Please visit Optima Powerwares’s web site at www.optimapowerware.com
Additional Press
“Model-based Validation And Reconciliation in the Process Plant”, Michael Keaton, Michael Keenan, Ph. D., Edwin D. Soderstrom III, Presented at the NPRA Computer Conference, San Antonio, Texas, November 15-18, 1998.
“On-line Soft Analyzers Benefit Refining”, Michael Keaton, Michael Keenan, John Keenan, Presented at the Hydrocarbon Processing & Gulf Publishing Company Process Optimization Conference, Houston, Texas, March 24, 25, & 26, 1998.
“Advanced Process Control at Jerrit Canyon” . Don M. Larsen; Don W. Murphy. Presented at Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) Conference Paper, Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2000.
“Ore processing profitability optimization using a multiple competing model computer control “smart” system”. Ki Chun.