Alstom Power - Energy from Waste (Bolton)

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Business Challenges

This was essentially a new build project of an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant commissioned by Greater Manchester Waste (GMW). The objective was to enable GMW to meet it's waste management obligations in themost effective manner and against environmental pressures to reduce landfill activity and dispose of waste in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

How We Helped

The system is based on Wonderware's InTouch 7.0 for FactorySuite 2000 to provide the SCADA system and Allen Bradley PLCs and SLCs to provide plant/process control and monitoring.

The SCADA system runs on two operator workstations. A third workstation, the engineering workstation, is used primarily to make changes to the SCADA and PLC systems. The engineering workstation contains the following software:

• A development and run-time licence for InTouch 7.0 to allow changes to InTouch
• Allen Bradley's RSLogix 5 and RSLogix 500 to allow changes to the PLC and SLC systems

These packages also run under Microsoft Windows and can operate concurrently.

The engineering workstation, when not being used for engineering purposes,may be used as a third operator workstation. A network of PLC systems provides the processing power necessary for the plant control requirements, device manual control, auto sequence control, modulating loop control and alarm detection.

Communications between the operator workstations and the PLCs is via Ethernet. A 10Base-2 coaxial cable extends along the operator desk, across the control roomto themain PLC cubicle and is terminated at the Ethernet hubs. Each of the two hubs facilitate up to four
fibre connections to the PLCs.

The Main PLC is a hot standby system and is located in a cubicle within the control room, the Power Distribution SLC is located on the upper level of the turbine hall and the remaining SLCs are distributed locally to their associated plant.

The PLC, SLC and local control panels were built and installed by Capula to Alstom's specification. Alstom also provided specifications from which the majority of the PLC/SLC software and Intouch screens were written.  The control software which runs in the PLC systems comprises a complex arrangement of sequencing, interlocking, and closed loop modulating controls to automatically control the furnace, boiler, feedwater, flue gas treatment and balance of plant areas