ABB recognizes The Dow Chemical Company with “Control Room of the Year” award

Hydrocarbons Command Center at Oyster Creek, Texas designed for maximum operator effectiveness

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The global award recognizes installations that best exemplify the modernized control room environment to actively promote operator effectiveness, safety, and production efficiency through the innovative use of 800xA control technologies.

The largest integrated petrochemical manufacturing complex in the Western Hemisphere

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced that it will present its 2015 “Control Room of the Year” Award to The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) for the new Oyster Creek Hydrocarbons Command Center.

“We are delighted with this recognition; the design of the Hydrocarbons Command Center was the result of our shared vision and close collaboration with ABB,” said Peter Holicki, senior vice president, Dow Operations. “Together we set out to create a work environment where our operators had access to the very best tools and technology, in a workspace designed around their needs, to help them do their jobs safely and efficiently.”

Dow’s Oyster Creek world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit will start up in late 2015 and is one of the units that will be controlled by the Hydrocarbons Command Center. The site is part of Dow’s larger Freeport, Texas operations, which is the largest integrated petrochemical manufacturing complex in the Western Hemisphere.

Main facts

Industry	Oil, gas and petrochemicals
Customer	The Dow Chemical Company
Country	USA
Solutions	System 800xA Control Room Design

Peter Holicki, senior vice president, Dow Operations

“Together we set out to create a work environment where our operators had access to the very best tools and technology, in a workspace designed around their needs, to help them do their jobs safely and efficiently.”

Best practice in human centered design

The Hydrocarbons Command Center uses ABB’s System 800xA Process Automation System to control all facets of production at the plant. The control room was designed to provide site operators with the latest ergonomic working environment, where they can ensure that site production processes run effectively and safely, and have all needed functions readily available at their fingertips. System 800xA integrates information from all systems in the plant, and presents that information to the operators in easy to access formats for better decision making and improved overall performance. It also integrates and controls other plant systems and equipment, including electrical systems, variable speed drives, instrumentation and analyzers.

“We are proud to present the Control Room of the Year Award to Dow. The automation team in Freeport has been a vital partner of ours for many years, seeing the potential value in a modernized control room environment and trusting our hand in helping them to make it a reality,” said Frank Duggan, Executive Vice President at ABB and Executive Sponsor for ABB’s Dow relationship. “Dow’s new control room is a best practice in human centered design; this exemplifies what the control room of the future will look like. We are honored to celebrate it.”

Frank Duggan, Executive Vice President at ABB

“Dow’s new control room is a best practice in human centered design; this exemplifies what the control room of the future will look like. We are honored to celebrate it.”

World-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit

The new PDH unit at Dow Texas Operations is part of the company’s comprehensive strategy to increase its ethylene and propylene production and connect its operations with low-cost feedstock opportunities available from increased supplies of U.S. shale gas. This site expands Dow’s High Melt Index (HMI) AFFINITY™ brand polymer franchise. These materials deliver stronger bonding in hot melt packaging adhesives. The Company will also expand its ELITE™ polymer franchise which delivers enhanced durability and flexibility for food packaging, hygiene & medical, and industrial and consumer packaging markets.