Namur, the German chemical industry body has just published a position paper* on the requirements for robotic solutions for the automation of facility inspection rounds. The position paper, a product of Namur’s AK 4.20 Remote and Autonomous Operations workgroup, describes the challenges and requirements for the integration of a robot-assisted inspection concept.
Inspiration for the study came from the increasing use of autonomous platforms to transport goods and equipment in plants and warehouses. Their use in the process industry is said to be an absolute novelty. However, today’s robots’ stabilizing and navigational capabilities make them capable of moving, running and flying, giving them potential applications outdoors.
One possible use case in the process industry is the inspection tour, where a shift worker walks the plant and verifies equipment according to a checklist. Inspection rounds provide up-to-date information on the condition of the plant and are essential to ensure plant safety and function. Robotic automation of such inspection rounds can protect employees from exposure to environmental hazards. Robotic inspection can also gather more data and potentially detect small changes in the plant at an early stage.
Use cases include container and barrier inspection, safety tours, creation of heat maps and an evergreen 3D plant model and more. Mobile robots can be also used for perimeter monitoring and emergency response. Robots need to be safe (Atex certification) and capable of use in different environments like walking on stairs. Recorded sensor data should be accessible via an open application programming interface. Processed data should be made available to the user immediately with raw data kept available for subsequent use or further processing.
The paper ploughs on, enumerating control system, cyber security and data integrity requirements and pointing to various relevant standards that should be adhered to including KAS-51, IEC 2700X, IEC 62443, DIN EN ISO12100 and DIN EN ISO 13849. The paper concludes, rather emptily, that the ‘further development of these technologies by the process industry is recommended’. ‘Collaborative and autonomous mobile robots, combined with artificial intelligence methods, can open up new fields of application for the sustainable operation of chemical plants in the future’.
* The Namur report is available here (in German).
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