Remote monitoring specialist Omniflex has supplied an advanced anodic protection control system to South African phosphate producer Foskor, helping modernise the company’s acid cooler infrastructure while maintaining continuous operation during the upgrade
REPLACING A LEGACY TRANSFORMER
The project involved replacing a long-serving legacy transformer rectifier (T/R) system used to protect acid coolers in Foskor’s phosphoric acid production process. Rather than replicating the existing installation, Omniflex delivered a distributed PowerView CP solution that combines programmable transformer rectifiers with distributed control system (DCS) integration and comprehensive remote monitoring capabilities.
Acid production environments place significant demands on plant equipment, making reliable anodic protection essential for extending asset life and maintaining efficient production. However, upgrading these systems can be challenging, particularly where production cannot be interrupted and new equipment must integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure.
This system allows for remote monitoring of the entire system, enabling the project team to track the system’s performance during integration. This ensures that potential issues are identified early, allowing for rapid troubleshooting without major disruptions to operations. Furthermore, the DCS system’s remote monitoring capability means that experts and technical staff can access system data from anywhere, offering unparalleled flexibility and efficiency. Whether working from a central control room, on-site, or remotely from another location, team members now have the ability to diagnose problems, adjust parameters, and perform troubleshooting without the need for on-the-ground intervention. This significantly reduces response times, cuts travel costs, and minimises the need for scheduled maintenance windows, all of which contribute to improved system reliability and cost-effectiveness.
“Many industrial facilities rely on legacy protection systems that continue to perform an essential role, but modernising them without disrupting production can be a significant challenge,” said Ian Loudon, international sales manager at Omniflex. “This project demonstrates how distributed control and remote monitoring can provide a practical upgrade path, giving operators greater visibility of system performance while reducing maintenance requirements and extending the life of critical process assets.”
THE DISTRIBUTED ARCHITECTURE
The distributed architecture positions T/R units close to the acid cooler tanks, reducing installation costs and cabling requirements while allowing engineers to monitor performance remotely. Engineers can securely access operational data from anywhere, enabling faster fault diagnosis, simplified troubleshooting and reduced maintenance costs.
Lebo Vries, instrumentation engineering manager at Foskor, said: “Omniflex delivers an excellent product helping us to cost effectively upgrade our acid cooler transformer rectifiers with programmable control.”
Following careful planning, phased implementation and comprehensive testing, the upgraded system now provides reliable anodic protection while supporting uninterrupted plant operations. The installation incorporates dual transformer rectifiers per panel. PowerView CP control and both manual and DCS-controlled operation, creating a flexible platform that supports long-term operational reliability.
For more information visit: www.omniflex.com
