HART Innovative Achievement Award Presented to We Energies for Exceptional Ingenuity in Using HART Technology
Austin, TX, USA (16 December 2010) — The HART® Communication Foundation (www.hartcomm.org) announces the selection of We Energies, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the HART Innovative Achievement Award. The award recognizes exceptional achievement, ingenuity and innovation in using the power of HART Communication in real-time applications to improve operations and maintenance and to realize greater benefits from intelligent instrumentation and automation system investments.
 Ron Helson, HART® Communication Foundation Executive Director, (left) presents the HART Innovative Achievement Award to We Energies, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, represented by Todd Gordon (right), We Energies Valley Power Plant Computer Instrument Technician Leader, and Bob Vigansky, We Energies Pleasant Prairie Power Plant Computer/Instrument Technician. |
We Energies, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, is using the power of HART Communication technology in all life-cycle phases of operation including design, construction, device configuration, loop check, operations, maintenance, troubleshooting and insurance compliance testing in all ten of its power plants. “We were impressed with how extensively We Energies is using HART Communication throughout their plant operations. They are requiring all new devices and control systems to be HART-capable taking full advantage of the communication and intelligent capabilities of their instrumentation systems,” says Ron Helson, HART Communication Foundation Executive Director. |
HART smart valve positioners have been in use at We Energies since 1999 providing valuable diagnostic capabilities that have allowed engineers to detect and troubleshoot problems while the valves are in operation. “HART Communication helps to pinpoint problems before mechanics start taking valves apart,” says Gordon. “A leaking valve diaphragm which has been identified with diagnostics can be replaced without removing the valve. We have found numerous problems before they affected plant operations.”
HART Communication has allowed We Energies to move to predictive maintenance for measurement, control and safety instruments in key applications. “We have realized substantial cost savings by monitoring valve condition remotely and identifying valves that are leaking steam or losing instrument air,” says Gordon.
Gordon suggests a straightforward approach on how to get started using HART technology. “Identify a specific system or operational plant problem, speak to the field techs that have worked on this problem, designate a HART champion, then concentrate on one aspect of the problem at a time,” he says. “It also helps to prioritize problem devices that could shut down the plant and focus on the highest priority devices.”
The HART Communication Foundation (www.hartcomm.org) is an international, not-for-profit, membership organization supported by more than 245 companies worldwide. Founded in 1993, the Foundation is the technology owner, standards setting body and central authority on the HART Protocol and provides global support for application of the HART technology. The Foundation establishes and controls the HART Communication standards including new developments and technology enhancements that benefit and support the needs of the industry. The HART Communication Protocol is the leading communication technology for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and systems with more than 30 million devices installed worldwide.
Wisconsin Energy Corporation (www.wisconsinenergy.com), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. The company's principal utility is We Energies. The company's other major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC), a component of the S&P 500, has more than $12 billion in assets, approximately 4,700 employees and 46,000 stockholders of record.