Electricity + Control October 2018

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

Secure transfer of process data to mobile end devices

push messages. It offers a number of advantages over conven- tional e-mail and SMS messages by visualising live data, variables and status values. This makes the IoT Communicator an ideal ad- dition to the related TwinCAT IoT and TwinCAT Analytics software products. Enquiries: Michelle Murphy.Tel. +27 (0) 11 795 2898 or email michellem@beckhoff.co.za

The TwinCAT IoT Communicator makes it easy for PLCs to com- municate with mobile devices by connecting the TwinCAT con- troller directly and securely to a messaging service through TLS encryption. For smartphone and tablet users, the associated IoT Communicator App ensures that process data can be represented on all mobile devices in a clear overview. Alarms are sent to the device as push messages. TheTwinCAT 3 IoT Communicator exchanges data using a pub- lish/subscribe mechanism. Since no special firewall settings are needed, integration into an existing IT network is easy. Informa- tion is exchanged via a message broker that uses the standardised MQTT protocol and acts as a central messaging service in a cloud or local network. A high level of communication security is guaran- teed by proven TLS encryption (up to version 1.2). Transmitted process data can be displayed on mobile devices us- ing the IoT Communicator App, which is available for both Android and iOS operating systems. The IoT Communicator App also incor- porates an integrated QR code scanner to facilitate entry of access data for communication between the broker and individual users. The TwinCAT IoT Communicator simplifies the transmission of

Socomec Digiware system for showcase Green Star project

This makes it the most effective solution for metering consumption, and measuring and monitoring the quality of electrical energy in industrial and commercial applications, re- quiring a large concentration of points with a small footprint. “These were the main reasons that the system was selected for this mega-project,” Socha comments. The 12 000 m 2 building is located in the heart of Africa’s richest square mile. In 2017, it received a five-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), making it one of the largest new-build projects to receive this rating to date. Enquiries: Karen Zotter.Tel. +27 (0) 11 249 5000 or email karenz@em.co.za

Leading supplier ElectroMechanica (EM) has supplied the Socomec Digiware system to a large South African corporation’s head office in Sandton, where it is being used for large-scale electrical metering to meet the project’s five-star Green Star rating. EM is the sole distributor of Socomec’s metering offer, and was contracted as a hardware supplier in this regard for the pro- ject. Product Manager Artur Socha explains that the system can cover a large number of metering points, is highly accurate, and also allows for significant space-saving in the electrical panels. The solution needed to be flexible and modular, and ultimately be able to translate data back to the build- ing’s power metering and building automa- tion system software. The total number of metered points ex- ceeded 1 500 measured electrical loads, from LV main distribution down to sub distribution board level for basic electrical loads. The metering of all power distribu- tion units in the data centre was also in- cluded in the scope, thus adding to the overall requirement of providing metering hardware with a small installation footprint within the panels. EM commenced work on the project through a contracted engineering consul- tancy group in 2016. After the Digiware

solution was selected, the supplier was in- volved continuously, from the panel assem- bly to on-site support during commission- ing. Metering solutions of this scale need to have dedicated system integrators and service provides to ensure consistency throughout the installation to deliver solu- tions that are customised to the end-user’s requirements. The Digiware system comprises a hub of technological innovations that revolu- tionise metering measurement, bringing a high degree of flexibility to installations, and making connection and configuration easy. These innovations combine to deliver unrivalled performance in terms of accura- cy and functionality.

24 Electricity + Control

OCTOBER 2018