Koch Separation Solutions

Executive Summary

KSS has transformed the landscape of separations by developing and leveraging synergistic technology such as membrane filtration, ion exchange, evaporation, drying, and more. To further simplify operations, KSS engaged VividCloud to develop their SepTrac™ Smart System, a cloud-based customer portal that captures system performance data in real-time for remote monitoring and offers self-service options to their customers for quicker engagement.

The KSS systems are implemented with rugged, industrial Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and SCADA control systems. The client wished to evolve these systems into an IoT network and to provide advanced product monitoring and up-to-date customer support as part of the company’s digital transformation strategy.

Key Challenges

• Competitive need to add remote monitoring and offsite management functions
• Modernization means evolving IoT networks out of industrial PLC systems
• Remote monitoring requires highly reliable and available architecture
• The volume of data collection could quickly overwhelm live graphing tools

Solutions

The SepTrac™ Smart System links to any KSS system to gather live data, send notifications and alerts, store documentation and influent logs, and provide an easy point of access to our dedicated customer service teams. An easy-to-use, customizable dashboard eliminates the need to download and manipulate process data.

Live Performance Data Dashboard and Charts

The customizable dashboard visualizes the entire system, or subsystems such as Performance Metrics (productivity, quality, etc.) and Operating Conditions (pressure, flow, temperature, etc.)

HMI view

With the SepTrac™ Smart System, the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is built directly into the program and is updated several times per minute, eliminating the need for third-party software. Operators can easily and remotely monitor the process and check in on pump and valve configurations, tank levels, and flow conditions.

AWS Services Provided

• AWS Route 53 : DNS for public facing (i.e. the front-end web app)
• AWS DynamoDB : data store of the application
• AWS Lambda : processing of IoT messages, REST API requests, cron-based jobs
• AWS IoT Core : MQTT broker with topic rules for routing device data, secure communication with SSL certificates
• AWS S3 : private object storage and front-end website hosting through AWS CloudFront

• AWS Cognito User Pools, Identity Pools : User authentication and authorization
• AWS SNS : email notifications for system alerts
• AWS SQS : Job queues for cron-based aggregations
• AWS CloudFront : Caching and delivery of front-end web app stored in S3
• AWS API Gateway : Proxy to Lambda for REST API requests
• AWS Cloudwatch : logs and periodic events for cron-based jobs

End Results

This new platform services multiple customers seamlessly and securely. Equipment operators and plant managers get instant access to critical performance data and system information and are able to engage quickly and easily with KSS customer service and support teams. The cloud-based portal revolutionizes system operation and management through live data accessibility and predictive analysis.

Imagined by KSS process engineers and technology experts, architected and built by VividCloud, the SepTrac™ Smart System creates on-demand access to decades of experience and expertise – anytime, anywhere.