The Background.
The plant was to be upgraded with the replacement of an existing evaporator.
The evaporator was being replaced to increase plant reliability, production capacity and reduce energy usage and costs. The new evaporator was to be installed in the same footprint as the existing plant and so the production unit would be out of commission for the duration of the installation.
The Client:
Our client is a global leader in the production of taste and nutrition products, they operate globally with 151 manufacturing sites across 32 countries.
The Solution.
Itech developed software for the existing plant control system to control the new evaporator based on the manufactures system design specification, we also modified the control software to remove the existing evaporator control logic and changed the control code for all other plant units that interacted with the evaporator to enable them to function with the new plant.
To keep the plant downtime to a minimum and reduce the time required to commission the new plant we carried out extensive offline testing and process simulation in our offices. We conducted testing using a twin of the site control system with plant signals being simulated. This enabled all operations to be tested and checked before the installation was completed. This also reduced the time to commission the new plant as only I/O and loop testing was required onsite once the mechanical and electrical installation had been completed.
The Benefits.
Our long-term relationship with the client and site knowledge enabled the system to be developed quickly and any potential control system issues identified and resolved speedily.
Plant downtime was reduced to a minimum due to the extensive offline process simulation.
A smooth start up when handed over to production as the operators had already been involved with the system simulation and had used the simulator to be trained on the operation of the new plant.