Stavanger, Norway – January 2027 – Equinor, a global energy and chemical company, has announced a 30% improvement in process stability and 25% lower maintenance costs after deploying the ABB PM825 3BSE010796R1 controller at its petrochemical plant in Stavanger. The upgrade, completed in Q4 2026, fixed critical control gaps in the plant’s ethylene production system—where legacy controllers struggled with harsh conditions and slow response times, leading to frequent process deviations and unplanned shutdowns costing €1.6 million annually.
The Challenge: Instability and Downtime in Petrochemical Production
Prior to adopting the ABB PM825 3BSE010796R1, Equinor’s Stavanger plant faced four major operational challenges:
- Process Deviations: Legacy controllers had a 200ms response time to sensor signals, leading to frequent deviations in reactor pressure (±5 psi) and temperature (±2°C). This caused 9% of ethylene batches to be off-spec, requiring blending or disposal.
- Harsh Environment Failures: The plant’s high-temperature (up to 180°C) and corrosive (hydrocarbon fumes) environment damaged legacy controllers, leading to 6–8 module failures annually—each causing 12 hours of downtime.
- Complex Maintenance: Calibrating old controllers required shutting down reactor lines, resulting in 72 hours of planned downtime annually and €288,000 in lost production.
- Limited Scalability: The legacy system couldn’t support additional sensors for emissions monitoring, putting Equinor at risk of non-compliance with Norway’s strict environmental regulations (EPA Tier 3).
“Petrochemical production requires rock-solid process control—our old controllers couldn’t handle the harsh conditions or deliver the response time we needed,” said Ole Bjornstad, Equinor’s Plant Technical Director. “We needed a rugged, fast, and scalable controller that could keep our processes stable while supporting our sustainability goals.”
ABB PM825 3BSE010796R1: The Rugged Controller for Chemical Environments
After testing competitors from Honeywell and Yokogawa, Equinor selected the ABB PM825 3BSE010796R1 for its fast response time, harsh-environment durability, and scalability:
- Ultra-Fast Response Time: 10ms signal processing latency—20x faster than legacy controllers—enabling real-time adjustments to reactor pressure and temperature, minimizing deviations.
- Harsh-Environment Design: Reinforced aluminum alloy housing with corrosion-resistant coating, operates in -40°C to +85°C temperature range, and withstands exposure to hydrocarbon fumes and vibration.
- Hot-Swappable Maintenance: Supports hot-swappable module replacement and remote calibration, eliminating the need for reactor shutdowns—reducing planned downtime by 80%.
- Scalable I/O Capacity: Expandable to 2,048 I/O points, easily integrating additional emissions sensors (CO2, NOx) and supporting future process expansions.
- Safety Certification: Complies with IEC 61508 (SIL 2) safety standards, integrating seamlessly with Equinor’s existing emergency shutdown (ESD) system to prevent overpressure or temperature spikes.
Results: Stability, Savings, and Compliance
Seven months post-deployment, Equinor’s Stavanger plant achieved impressive results:
