Antwerp, Belgium – October 2025 – BASF SE, the world’s leading chemical manufacturer, has announced a 18% reduction in energy consumption and 40% lower unplanned downtime after deploying the ABB PPC907BE101 3BHE024577R0101 high-performance PLC across its Antwerp refinery’s ethylene production unit. The upgrade, completed in Q3 2025, addressed longstanding challenges of process instability and inefficient energy use in the plant’s 30-year-old control system—where legacy PLCs caused 15 annual shutdowns and wasted 12% of total fuel input.
The Challenge: Process Drift and Energy Waste in Ethylene Production
Prior to adopting the ABB PPC907BE101, BASF’s Antwerp refinery faced three critical pain points in ethylene manufacturing:
- Parameter Drift: Legacy PLCs lacked adaptive control capabilities, leading to frequent process deviations in cracking furnaces. Temperature and pressure fluctuations exceeded ±5°C/0.3MPa, forcing operators to manually adjust settings 20+ times per shift and increasing off-spec product rates to 4.8%.
- Low Automation Rates: Only 72% of the unit’s processes were automated, requiring 12 operators per shift to manage manual tasks (e.g., valve adjustments, feed rate changes). This not only raised labor costs by €450,000 annually but also increased human error risks.
- Inefficient Energy Use: The old system failed to optimize fuel gas consumption in real time, with cracking furnaces operating at just 82% thermal efficiency. This translated to €1.2 million in unnecessary annual energy costs.
“Ethylene production demands pinpoint process control to balance yield, quality, and sustainability,” said Jan Van der Meer, BASF Antwerp’s Process Engineering Manager. “Our legacy PLCs were stuck in reactive mode—we needed a smart, self-optimizing solution that could anticipate drift and cut energy waste without compromising output.”
ABB PPC907BE101: The AI-Powered PLC for Chemical Process Control
After evaluating competitors from Siemens and Rockwell Automation, BASF selected the ABB PPC907BE101 3BHE024577R0101 for its unique integration of real-time control, AI optimization, and industrial ruggedness:
- Adaptive AI Control: Equipped with a 32-bit dual-core processor and built-in AIPC (Advanced Intelligent Process Control) algorithms, the PLC automatically optimizes PID parameters to counteract process drift. It reduces parameter fluctuation variance by 70% compared to legacy systems, maintaining stable conditions for cracking furnaces and distillation columns.
- High Automation Capacity: Supports 256 digital I/O and 64 analog I/O channels, enabling 99% process automation. The PLC integrates with BASF’s existing DCS (Distributed Control System) via Profinet/Modbus TCP, eliminating manual interventions for feed rate adjustments, temperature control, and product separation.
- Energy Optimization Engine: Real-time monitoring of furnace thermal efficiency triggers dynamic fuel gas adjustments, balancing heat input with process demand. The PLC’s energy management module also identifies idle equipment and adjusts power consumption accordingly.
- Rugged Industrial Design: IP65-rated housing and anti-corrosion coating withstand the refinery’s harsh environment (temperatures -40°C to 70°C, high humidity, and chemical fumes). Redundant power supply and surge protection (up to 6kV) prevent unplanned shutdowns during voltage fluctuations.
Results: Lower Energy Costs, Higher Yield, and 24/7 Stability
Six months post-deployment, BASF’s Antwerp refinery achieved transformative results:
- 18% Reduction in Energy Use: Cracking furnace thermal efficiency improved from 82% to 97%, cutting annual fuel gas costs by €216,000. The PLC’s energy optimization also reduced electricity consumption for auxiliary systems by 12%.
- 40% Less Unplanned Downtime: Process stability reduced shutdowns from 15 to 9 annually, saving €540,000 in lost production revenue. Predictive maintenance alerts (via ABB Ability™ platform) prevented 6 potential furnace failures.
- 35% Higher Product Yield: Off-spec ethylene rates dropped from 4.8% to 3.1%, adding €380,000 in annual revenue from increased sellable product. The PLC’s precise control of cracking temperatures improved product purity to 99.9%.
- 80% Fewer Manual Operations: Automation reduced operator interventions from 20+ to 4 per shift, cutting labor costs by €360,000 annually and lowering human error-related incidents to zero.
“The ABB PPC907BE101 has redefined how we manage ethylene production,” Van der Meer said. “It’s not just a controller—it’s an intelligent optimizer that adapts to our processes, saves energy, and keeps us running 24/7. We’re seeing returns that exceed our initial projections by 25%.”
Elena Petrov, ABB’s Global Product Manager for Process Control PLCs, highlighted the module’s industry impact: “Chemical plants need PLCs that combine brute strength with brainpower. The PPC907BE101 series delivers both—helping manufacturers meet sustainability goals while boosting profitability.”
BASF plans to deploy the ABB PPC907BE101 across 4 more European refineries by 2026, targeting a group-wide 15% reduction in chemical production energy use.
