Applied R&D in the Field of Automation
While preparing proposals and conducting preliminary surveys of automation sites, our companyâs specialists have repeatedly faced the need to solve problems that go beyond standard engineering practices. This occurred when the effectiveness (technical or economic) or even the feasibility of a particular method was not immediately apparent. In such cases, applied R&D was conducted to verify the applicability of the method or to select the most effective method of measurement, intervention, or control. Below are several examples of such work.
Modernization
Despite the traditionally conservative nature of the industrial automation sector, automation systems are undergoing dynamic development. Upper-level control systems are built on servers and computers with the same architecture and operating systems as corporate systems, and are also constantly being updated. Lower-level control systems are much more conservative; however, the potential offered by new automation concepts is driving modernization here as well. Our specialists have implemented numerous automation system modernization projects. Below are a few examples of such work.
Reconstruction of Communication Protocols for Proprietary Equipment
During the implementation of the project Control Rooms for Compressor Stations, several types of specialized devices were identified that had been developed by research organizations during the period of rapid growth in computer technology for automation. The devices performed specific measurements, communicated with each other via serial interfaces, and displayed the results on indicators. Information about the parameters and communication protocols had been lost. As a result of the work, we were able to restore and decode the communication protocols (Modbus-like) for most device types and, without disrupting the operation of these systems (using sniffers), feed the obtained data into the project in real time. Data from a couple of device types that could not be decoded was fed into the project using machine vision systems.
Modernization of the Automation Systems in the Electric Steel Melting Shop
During the construction of the electric steel melting shop, an automation system was implemented using the Wonderware Intouch SCADA software installed on industrial workstations. However, after many years of intensive operation, the industrial workstations began to fail as spare parts became scarce. Modern industrial workstations no longer supported the operating system version in use, and the SCADA version in use did not run on the modern operating system version. Our specialists carried out a gradual migration of dozens of workstations across various production areas to new industrial workstations running the latest version of the operating system and the latest version of SCADA. During the modernization process, the workstation programs and scripts were thoroughly reworked and debugged due to significant differences between generations of the SCADA software.
Selecting an Identification System
When designing a system to track the location of railroad cars across the vast territory of a mining and processing plant, it was necessary to choose a method for marking the cars. The choice was between inexpensive barcode labels and radio-frequency tags. As a result of the work, both methods were tested in practice, their advantages and disadvantages were identified, and methods for mitigating the disadvantages were evaluated. Consequently, the client was able to make an informed decision regarding the equipment.
Expanding the Functionality of the Primary Crusher Operator Workstation
A primary crusher has been in operation for many years at a mining and processing plant developing an iron ore deposit. Installed deep within the quarry, the complex processes rock blocks formed after blasting into pieces suitable for transport by belt conveyor. As a result of the development of the plantâs information systems and the introduction of digital communications deep within the quarry, there arose a need for real-time information on the accounting of processed rock mass and statistics on equipment and control system performance. To address this, our specialists installed an industrial workstation equipped with a program for tracking the complexâs productivity and an HMI/SCADA program that replicated the hardware flowchart. During implementation, the program in the Simatic S5 controller, which manages part of the complex, was modified.
Integrating standalone equipment into an automated data exchange system
During the implementation of the Data Gateway project for the metallurgical plantâs product quality control system, there arose a need to obtain real-time data on the quality of welded steel. During the production of a steel batch, samples are sent to the quality control laboratory, where they are examined using X-ray radiography with a standalone X-ray machine that prints the results via a parallel interface. As a result of this work, a device was developed that passes signals from the machine to the printer and transmits a copy of the data (ASCII file) in real time to the data gateway and then to the metal quality control system.
Upgrading the Operator Workstation in a Potato Chip Factory Production Area
At a potato chip factory, an operator workstation running on an industrial workstation with a built-in HMI/SCADA program had been in use for many years in one of the production areas. By the time the need arose to expand the workstationâs functionality, the equipment manufacturer had ceased production of the workstations, and the company that developed the HMI/SCADA system had become part of a larger conglomerate and changed its licensing policy. When evaluating modernization options, the decision was made to develop a new workstation using modern hardware and a modern HMI/SCADA system. As a result of the work performed, the workstationâs functionality was fully replicated and significantly expanded, while the equipmentâs operational life and maintainability were extended.
