ABB upgrades Eastern Province Cement Co's process control system, Saudi Arabia

ABB has recently completed an extensive upgrade of the Extended Automation System 800xA to the latest standards at Eastern Province Cement Co’s (EPCC) three production lines at its Al Khursaniya works in Saudi Arabia.

With outdated hardware and software potentially impacting the plant’s reliability and to avoid unexpected shutdowns and improve functionality of the cement production lines, EPCC decided to optimise its process control system.

The scope of supply included the evolution of Extended Automation System 800xA licences, state-of-the-art computer, laboratory and raw meal proportioning system hardware, as well as project management, engineering and site services including training.The modernization follows a previous process control system upgrade of the production lines number one and two in 2003, as well as equipment deliveries for the extension of the plant with Line No 3 in 2005.

The contract was booked in June 2013. Commissioning was completed in December 2013.

“ABB has completed the final upgrade on site in a record time during the planned maintenance shutdown of the plant”, said Mohammad Arif Khan, Electrical and Instrumentation Manager at EPCC. “The excellent team work between EPCC and ABB engineers made it possible to meet this challenge,” he added.

The Eastern Province Cement production facility is located in Al Khursaniya, in the Eastern part of Saudi Arabia about 165km north of Dammam where the company is headquartered. The plant started commercial production in 1985 with a production of 2.2Mta of clinker and 860,000t of cement. Today, capacity reaches 3.5Mta of clinker and 3.7Mta of cement.