Faster troubleshooting and startup using a digital twin

Industry: Chemicals
Asset type: Production plant
Solution: Operations & performance

Image courtesy of Yara

Background

The Process Data Group at Yara Porsgrunn supports control and safety systems across multiple production plants, including DCS, safety systems, PLCs, PIMS, LIMS, and process networks. The team provides 24/7 on-call support and is responsible for a wide range of systems, making fast access to accurate information critical during incidents.

Challenge

During an on-call shift, an issue arose during the startup of the acid plant (SS4). Operations received an alarm indicating a fault on a valve that could not be operated. The alarm text suggested a possible equipment or I/O fault, but the root cause was unclear. The startup was time-critical, as any delay in resolving the issue would delay acid production.

Solution

On his way to the plant, the on-call engineer accessed the digital twin directly from his mobile device to proactively assess the issue. Using the digital twin, he was able to:

Quickly locate the valve using its tag number
Review relevant loop diagrams and associated technical documentation
Confirm that the valve was motor-operated rather than pneumatic
Examine SAP maintenance history and prior notifications

The SAP history revealed a similar earlier incident, indicating that the valve had tripped on torque and required a local reset and recalibration.

Outcome

Armed with this insight, the engineer went directly to the valve with the shift leader. The valve was operated locally, reset, and returned to service within minutes. The issue was resolved quickly, allowing the plant startup to continue with minimal delay.

Compared with traditional troubleshooting, where finding documentation and diagnosing the issue could have taken several hours, the digital twin reduced resolution time from initial call to fix to less than one hour.

Key benefits

Significant time savings during critical on-call incidents
Faster plant startup and earlier production
Reduced risk of extended downtime
Improved decision-making through immediate access to accurate documentation and history
Reduced reliance on multiple systems and manual document searches
Better preparedness before entering the plant

Conclusion

This incident demonstrates how the digital twin enables faster, more confident troubleshooting by making critical information easily accessible. By reducing diagnosis time and supporting quicker resolution, the digital twin delivers clear operational and financial value and has become a preferred first step for on-call support, project work, and operational troubleshooting.