Work Clearance Management

WCM – Work Clearance Management for the mechanical isolation process

In the process industry, it is often the case that systems or system components have to be taken out of operation – i.e. isolated – in order to carry out maintenance work. This is particularly necessary in the event of an inspection shutdown. Among other things, it must be guaranteed that the pipelines do not allow any inflow or outflow to the systems. To ensure this, so-called plug-in washers are used, which can vary in diameter and thickness depending on the pipe.

During a system shutdown, personnel use up to several hundred plug-in disks. Multiple uses are possible. For their own safety and to protect the system, maintenance engineers need an absolutely reliable and clear management tool in which the exact switching status of each disconnection can be tracked in real time. Forgetting a barrier can lead to life-threatening situations.

Our sophisticated status logic ensures security in your company

This is particularly important for fuse positions that are used for several measures. Can the plug-in disk already be removed? Or is it still needed by someone? Has the correct size and width been selected when placing a washer to prevent flammable substances from escaping?

In order not to lose track of every existing or missing energy separation, clavis has implemented a sophisticated status logic that analyzes existing dependencies and uses visual warning signals to prevent life-threatening errors from being made. For each securing position, both setting and pulling are carried out according to the dual control principle: one employee carries out the work, a second checks and then gives the appropriate signal after a positive response.

More efficiency through mobile work clearance management

As the plants in the process industry can be very large, the distance from the plant to the control center or measuring station can be very long under certain circumstances. And a smartphone must not be used in explosion-protected areas. To speed up the work clearance management process, it is supported by mobile end devices (MDE). The result of the work clearance management process is transferred to the SAP system in real time via explosion-proof scanners and is immediately visible to the control center staff.

This time saving can be an enormous advantage during an inspection shutdown, when a large number of cut-off wheels have to be set and checked. This is because the shorter the turnaround and therefore the downtime, the sooner the system can be restarted and production resumed.

If this process of work clearance management is mapped via mobile scanners (RFID or barcode) and an SAP system in the backend and the necessary master data, such as pipe databases, energy disconnection lists, plug-in disk positions, etc. exist in SAP, the entire process can be managed faster, more transparently and more securely.

clavis has realized the mobile work clearance management at a German refinery as a mobile online/offline application using Syclo Agentry with connection to an SAP system. Ex-protected RFID and barcode scanners from Ecom are used.