In this series of blogs, we shine a spotlight on those measurement champions across the ABB Measurement and ABB Analytics business. Join us as we discuss the skills needed to solve the most complex challenges industry can throw at them, and what drives our champions to deliver best in class solutions.

In this blog, we meet Tony Magnusen.Tony trained as a chemist at the University of Southern Mississippi. He then went on to build his career experience in the chemical and power industry. 

What is your role in ABB?

I am a Sales Development Specialist within the Continuous Water Analyzer team for North America.

What skills make you good at your job and valued by your customers?

I understand the scientific theory that underpins chemistry and also have ten plus years of practical hands-on industrial experience. I was recruited from the Power Industry where boiler water chemistry, wastewater, and water quality are fundamental to the operation of the condensate, feed water, and steam cycle, and also monitoring of key environmental outfalls for discharging water back out into the US waterways. Online monitoring of Continuous Water Analyzers are important to help protect plant assets, measuring key process parameters, and monitoring constituents on environmental outfalls to comply with NPDES permits. As a result of working in an industrial setting and understanding the processes involved in a typical water cycle (e.g., Water Treatment, Process Water, and Wastewater). I have a solid understanding of the challenges that face our customers today, namely:

1. Integrated solutions to offer added value components in challenging/harsh      applications.
2. Understanding the instrument’s set up and proper installation to mitigate process error.
3. Operational integrity to provide indisputable data
4. Preventative maintenance to extend the life of the analyzer/solution and maintain continuous operation.

My work experience to date has been crucial for me to understand the integration, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of Continuous Water Analyzers. I understand the reasons why process dependent data is required to run plant processes efficiently. In addition, my hands-on experience in the field has given me a better understanding of the Raw water intake, Water Treatment Plant, Process Water, Wastewater treatment, and final effluent discharges. There are all sorts of factors to consider: sample conditions, where to measure in order to get a reliable and repeatable reading, and specifying the right analyzer/solution. I have an appreciation of setting up complex water analyzers, so that the measurement and any process changes never contradict each other. Prior to my time working in the Power Industry, I worked for a Chlor-Alkali Chemical Plant which involved laboratory analyses of process samples and conducting round robin testing with QC standards to verify our lab instruments and methods. Process sample integrity and the data that’s provided from continuous water analyzers are critical to run processes effectively, and it’s important to provide indisputable data and be able to verify online analyzers in the field to help operate industrial processes, protect plant assets, and maintain good environmental stewardship.