Copper and cobalt harvesting project bassed on fieldbusses
April 2000
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Honeywell Southern Africa
Honeywell Southern Africa has been awarded the control system contract for Anglovaal Mining’s (AVMIN) cobalt and copper from slag project on the Copperbelt in Zambia.
Cosac, as the project is known, entails the reclamation of slag from the Nkana slag dumps, transportation to Chambishi, feed preparation, smelting and pressure leaching. Copper and cobalt metal is then harvested within the existing Chambishi electrowinning plant.
AVMIN made the following EPCM appointments to address the process requirements: Dowding Reynard and Associates (DRA) for the feed preparation plant, Bateman Titaco for the arc furnaces and Hatch Africa for the leach plant and extensions to the Chambishi electrowinning circuits. The Kvaerner Metals scope also includes the utilities, cost control and overall project and construction management. AVMIN directs the project from its Johannesburg base with the technical input from its Roodepoort-based research staff and the Chambishi Metals operations staff. AVMIN maintains overall project management and directly manages the reclamation, transport and environmental scopes.
The project is unique in that Honeywell is to supply an intelligent starter option based on Device Net and the Cutler-Hammer IED. Plantscape’s distributed server architecture is to be used to create a single control system, while providing the additional integrity that allows sections of plant connected to a server pair to be operated completely independently.
This is the fourth largest project that Honeywell Southern Africa has implemented outside of South Africa in just over two years since the launch of the Plantscape system. There are Plantscape systems in Uganda, Angola, Namibia and now the Cosac project in Zambia. Three of these are in mining, metals and minerals and one in the petrochemical refining industry. Honeywell Southern Africa has evolved a unique remote site support strategy in order to manage and support these customers due to the remoteness, and at times, inaccessibility of these sites.
According to Zane van der Nest of Honeywell, the ability to provide an intelligent interface to Motor Control Centres (MCCs), as well as Foundation Fieldbus for intelligent analog-based control, has made Honeywell a serious contender in the mining metals and minerals industry. “Although Foundation Fieldbus is not being used at Cosac, customers have the choice of an additional vendor who can closely integrate both the electrical and regulatory process control elements based on the proven device net interface and the superior technology that Foundation Fieldbus offers,” states van der Nest.
In selecting Plantscape for this project, a team of adjudicators, consisting of the client/end user and members of the consortium, was appointed. Necessary criteria were identified that met the project requirements. In addition, market research was conducted to identify vendors that met these requirements and a systematic weighted approach was then used, resulting in the selection of the Plantscape hybrid DCS from Honeywell.
Further reading:
Introduction to Part 2 loop signatures and process transfer functions
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The previous series of loop signature articles dealt with the basics of control loop optimisation, and concentrated on troubleshooting and ‘SWAG’ tuning of simple processes. In this new series, consideration will be given to dealing practically with more difficult issues like interactive processes, and with processes with much more complex dynamics.
Read more...
Siemens sets new standards in drive technology
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Siemens is setting new standards in industrial drive technology with the launch of its new high-performance drive system, Sinamics S220. This offers a seamless and innovative drive system with comprehensive simulation and analysis capabilities and advanced connectivity features that enable full integration into digital work processes.
Read more...
PC-based control in the plastics industry
Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Nissei Plastic, an injection moulding machine manufacturer based in Japan is implementing a worldwide tend towards open automation systems from experienced specialists using PC and EtherCAT-based control technology from Beckhoff.
Read more...
Loop Signature 31: Non-linearity in control loops (Part 2)
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
This article is a continuation of Loop Signature 30 published in the last issue in this series, exploring reasons for non-linearities which may be encountered in feedback control loops
Read more...
PC-based control optimises robotic parts handling on plastics machinery
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
NEO is a cartesian robot developed by INAUTOM Robótica in Portugal for parts removal on plastics machinery. Its aim is to increase system productivity. NAUTOM Robótica has entered into a strategic partnership with Bresimar Automação to increase the working speed of the cartesian robots using advanced control and motion solutions from Beckhoff. The result is a comprehensive, future-proof automation solution for its entire family of cartesian robots.
Read more...
PC-based control for flat wire motors for electric vehicles
Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Special machine manufacturer, ruhlamat Huarui Automation Technologies unveiled the second generation of its mass production line for flexible stators with bar winding. This enables extremely short production cycle and line changeover times, supported by PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology from Beckhoff.
Read more...
Case History 200: The final case history – desuperheater control problem.
Michael Brown Control Engineering
Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
For this final article I have chosen to relate a problem that existed in a desuperheater temperature control on a boiler in a petrochemical refinery.
Read more...
PC-based control technology in additive manufacturing
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
As an open control platform, PC-based control supports different engineering approaches, including low-code programming. The machine builder, Additive Industries uses this to create the code for the TwinCAT runtime of its 3D printers.
Read more...
Suppression and safety solutions for fire and gas in mission-critical industries
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
By representing world-leading brands and focusing on fully integrated, certified systems, HMA South Africa is positioning itself as a trusted partner in fire detection, suppression and explosion-proof safety solutions across the continent.
Read more...
Integrating fire alarm systems into building management systems
Beckhoff Automation
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Fire alarm systems work independently of the building automation system. Schrack Seconet has developed a flexible gateway using ultra-compact industrial PCs and TwinCAT from Beckhoff, which can be used to flexibly convert a customer-specific communication protocol to a wide range of transmission standards.
Read more...
printer friendly version