Dorogobuzh (a member of Acron Group) has installed an Automatic Process Control System (APCS) in its Nitric Acid 72 unit at the weak nitric acid shop to enhance production efficiency and safety. This is the Company’s first import-substituting automation project that relies solely on domestic technology and hardware.
The digital solution was developed by a Russian company called Industrial Systems Automation. The State Institute for Nitrogen Industry, based in Grodno, Belarus, prepared the design documentation.
With a higher data capacity of over 6,000 physical signals, the Russian APSC can effectively monitor production processes in real time. Sensors installed on all production equipment convert physical parameters to a unified signal. The APCS then processes the incoming data to generate emergency warnings and ensure remote process control. The central control room of the Nitric Acid 72 unit has nine operator stations, each of which displays the entire production chain.
Dorogobuzh began implementing the digital control project last year. The majority of sensors and other devices were installed and switched to the equipment without interrupting the production process. The project team laid a total of 185 metres of cables, installed 4.3 kilometres of ducts and 13.2 kilometres of conduits, connected about 800 control devices and replaced 31 valves.
The work was completed in September 2025, while production was suspended for an overhaul. During this time, the team carried out a significant amount of work to connect and integrate various devices and safety and alarm systems. The APCS project, led by Sergey Shakhorsky, an instrumentation and control section manager, involved both contracting companies and Dorogobuzh’s specialists from the weak nitric acid shop. Prior to commissioning the APCS, Dorogobuzh arranged special training sessions for remote control, compressor unit and machinery operators.
Pavel Simakov, Dorogobuzh’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Engineer, said, ‘We have fully integrated the production equipment into the process control system, thereby enhancing its reliability and controllability. Real-time control over the production process improves operational safety and emergency prevention, ensuring efficient data collection and storage, as well as a high-quality end product’.