The waste incineration plant in Frankfurt Nordweststadt was built in 1965 together with the neighbouring district heating power station. Since then the two facilities have supplied the city district with electricity and district heating. It was decided to convert the plant into a modern waste-fired district heating power station with an annual incineration capacity of up to 525 000 tonnes of household waste. The objective of the operators was to combine the two plants into a single integrated facility that will remain efficient and economical in the future.
The control systems were required to guarantee trouble-free continuous operation of the waste-fired district heating power plant. In addition to this the operators wanted to have access to up-to-date performance, diagnostics and service data at all times, so as to enable inexpensive and simple servicing and maintenance. In order to achieve the desired levels of integration, the plants were to be monitored from a joint control room. The need for modular, distributed and interoperable control became a requirement.
Mitsubishi Electric's powerful System Q automation platform was installed in the neighbouring plants. The modular PLC system allows four CPU modules to be installed on a single backplane. This enabled control of plant processes using high-performance CPUs designed in redundant configurations for critical industrial applications. Local communications take place via a Profibus master module that supports up to 125 field devices. Distributed local stations pre-process and archive the data from the individual plant controllers. PMSXpro was chosen as the central process control system and the flexibility of the automation platform allowed Ethernet connection to the individual automation stations.
Network-capable remote relay system with flexible channel assignment Phoenix Contact
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Phoenix Contact has launched a modular PLC-Interface Ethernet Gateway remote relay system with up to 56 configurable I/O channels, multi-protocol support including Profinet Class C and S2 redundancy, and compatibility with established controller software for straightforward network integration.
Read more...Seven checks before replacing an obsolete industrial control component
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
An obsolete control component rarely fails in isolation. Before ordering an exact spare, manufacturer successor or engineered alternative, maintenance and procurement teams should work through seven checks to define the problem properly and avoid a costly mismatch.
Read more...Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
This instalment of the Loop Signature series introduces frequency plot theory as a foundation for understanding process dynamics, explaining Bode plots, dynamic gain, phase lag and their relationship to control loop tuning.
Read more...The rise of software-defined brownfield automation Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Automation Expert is enabling brownfield operators to modernise incrementally, decoupling control logic from hardware to bridge legacy equipment and future-ready operations without disrupting production.
Read more...Upgrading alarm systems for critical industries Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Omniflex’s OMNI16R alarm annunciator platform provides a direct replacement for legacy CSA systems such as MPAS 90 and SA9100, enabling operators in oil and gas, nuclear and power generation to modernise alarm infrastructure without sacrificing the clarity required for safe operations.
Read more...How DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Schneider Electric argues that virtualising DCS environments breaks the cycle of hardware obsolescence, giving plant operators a smarter path to lifecycle modernisation without production disruption.
Read more...Loop signature Part 2-6
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
The Loop Signature series turns to frequency plot theory, explaining Bode open-loop plots and how dynamic gain, phase lag and crossover frequency can be extracted from test data to inform more accurate control loop tuning.
Read more...PC-based control in surgery Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Researchers at the University of Basel are using Beckhoff PC-based control technology to develop a miniature laser robot for minimally invasive bone surgery.
Read more...How the DCS can step off the hardware obsolescence treadmill Schneider Electric South Africa
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Ageing servers and unsupported operating systems are quietly eroding the stability of process plants that rely on distributed control systems. Kobus Vermeulen of Schneider Electric explains how virtualising the DCS environment can break the hardware obsolescence cycle without disrupting operations.
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