Evonik is a global market leader in specialty chemicals. The company’s Oxeno site in Antwerp, Belgium is an onshore refinery that processes different C4 fractions. These raw materials are brought in either through pipelines or ships and processed into a final product. The site works with hydrocarbons – organic compounds made up of only hydrogen and carbon. Chemicals are split and combined in reactors. In distillation columns, the difference in chemicals’ boiling points are used to separate them. These chemicals are fed through pipelines into the distillation columns and heated.
Manufacturing Butadiene and MTBE
Evanescent evaporating chemicals rise inside the column, which is where they are separated from the product at the bottom of the distillation column. Generally, when it comes to hydrocarbons, the longer the carbon chain, the heavier the molecules and the higher the boiling point. By repeating this process in a subsequent column, more chemicals can be separated, and by adding different chemicals, new chemical bonds are created, giving rise to new products. The products manufactured at Oxeno include Butadiene and MTBE. Butadiene is used in synthetic rubber, primarily for the tyre industry, and has various uses in plastics and elastomers, which are plastics with a high elasticity such as synthetic rubber or silicones.
MTBE gives rise to a higher octane number and improved fuel combustion in petrol engines; this means MTBE helps to improve air quality. In the Oxeno control room, screens display vast quantities of data across five desks. The process operators are trained in chemistry and must have experience as external process operators before being able to work internally in the control room. Internal operators guide, control and manage the production process. Various alarm lists are shown on the screens, in red or yellow; these have to be checked and adjusted to ensure the production process runs smoothly and safely. External operators must be contacted as they carry out checks on the ground. Temperature, pressure and flows are constantly monitored.
Human Centric Lighting
The Oxeno control room was recently renovated. A Human Centric Lighting solution was installed to provide the best possible working environment. Throughout the day, the colour temperature of the lighting changes to give the internal operators a good rhythm and to keep them alert at the right times.
Rik Luyens, Sales Engineer at ATS Antwerpen and Dirk van Cauteren from Framaz, Glamox’s Belgian distributor for land-based projects, suggested the solution to Evonik. The company operates 24/7, with the staff rotating between three shifts. The C90 light fittings from Glamox are calibrated in a three-day cycle across 24 hours, with the colour temperature creating the appropriate atmosphere. Users can adjust the light intensity independently, but not colour temperature. The cycle will continue to be refined based on user feedback. Peter Neefs of Evonik says that users have responded positively to the lighting.
DALI monitoring
Jose Cordova Alvear of Framaz coordinated the scheduling and initial set up of the lighting installation. The building’s automatic light fitting controls and E80 emergency lighting monitoring are managed through DALI. This allows issues to be read immediately and a fast, appropriate assessment of whether steps must be taken to ensure safe emergency exits will be available in case of an emergency.
The C90 light fitting from Glamox is a family of modular LED luminaires with fully illuminated surfaces with excellent design, flexibility and visual performance. With a high finish and large illuminated surface, the C90 offers premium light qualities with no visible luminaire frame in the ceiling. The perfect shaped frame around the optics is made in one piece without any joints and is only 12mm wide. This makes the frame invisible in the T-bar system.
The E80 from Glamox is a recessed LED exit sign luminaire. The E80 is recognised by the use of high quality material and components. Signs for both 20 and 30 metre distances are available. The E80 can be supplied as a manual, self-test unit or centrally controlled testing and monitoring. A centralised battery option is also available.
For more information on lighting solutions for the onshore energy sector, please visit www.glamox.com/onshore
