Client
Project Overview
We delivered a process automation solution for Cloud Chemical's formaldehyde plant using Mitsubishi iQ-R and FX5U PLCs, VFDs, and a dual-screen SCADA system. The system holds PID process variables to within 0.03%, keeps flows, levels, and working parameters within 0.2% of set values, and gives operators real-time visibility into plant efficiency, energy use, and raw material consumption.
Cloud Chemical's formaldehyde plant runs continuous production where flows, levels, and process parameters must stay within 0.2% of set values around the clock. The plant needed precise PID control of its reactor process, real-time visibility into efficiency and raw material consumption, and a way to make configuration changes without losing sight of live process monitoring.
A Mitsubishi iQ-R process PLC handles PID control, using a proprietary control algorithm that holds process variables to within 0.03%. A Mitsubishi FX5U PLC manages MCC switching and Modbus communications, while Mitsubishi VFDs dynamically adjust motor RPM to regulate flow and pressure. HART protocol carries four parameters over a single wire pair from field instruments, including mass flow meters on the process line and on the water added to maintain formaldehyde strength. An energy meter logs voltage, current, and power factor over Modbus.
All switchgear, VFDs, and PLCs are housed in a Form 3B MCC panel with top-entry cable alleys, with the critical control components backed by UPS. SCADA runs on dual screens — one showing the P&I diagram and pump status, the other showing set values, process values, alarm logs, and reactor bed temperature warnings — so operators can adjust the plant without disturbing the monitoring view.
SCADA computes plant efficiency in real time from the HART-fed mass flow meter data, factoring in methanol and water consumption. Efficiency, along with raw material usage, is logged for daily and monthly comparison, giving the plant team a running record of how process changes affect yield and consumption over time.
The formaldehyde plant now runs with PID control accurate to 0.03% and process parameters held within 0.2% of target, with efficiency and raw material use tracked automatically instead of reconciled by hand. Operators can adjust the plant from one screen without disturbing the monitoring view on the other.
Tell us what runs manually today and what it costs you. A senior engineer — not a sales team — will look at your scope and give you a straight technical answer: what we'd build, how long it takes, and what it's likely to cost. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you that too.