Electricity and Control September 2024

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

The project involved the replacement of legacy Power flex 700H and Powerflex 700S Series VSDs including the replacement of their inter-drive fibre network connections, with the new Powerflex 750 Series using Ethernet IP to con nect the VSDs seamlessly in load-sharing configurations as well as to the control platform. The new VSDs have also reduced the spares inventory from 14 units to just three units, due to their modular design and common control elements shared across the Power Flex 750 Series platform. The modular nature of the roll-in power cores shared across the series platform means any power core can be swapped out on-site by maintenance personnel in minutes, instead of requiring hours of trou bleshooting. It ensures optimisation without complexity or compromise. This successful upgrade project was carried out by im plementing innovative engineering solutions in partnership with the manufacturer of the VSDs to ensure the least dis ruption to operations at the mine. □

A successful automation upgrade In 2021, Clover Industries, a leading South African food and beverage group, embarked on a digital transforma tion and automation upgrade journey to meet essential system technology requirements and evolving demands in its operations. The company set out to redefine its au tomation roadmap to support its business strategy and objectives. This was motivated by large-scale consoli dation projects which were planned at that time and re quired an overhaul of its existing technology platforms. The journey was complicated by the challenges pre sented by the pandemic, but a successful solution was achieved and it is proving its capabilities. Working with Element 8 and several system integrator partners, Clover Industries adopted Ignition ® by Inductive Automation to tackle its automation requirements. The approach involved establishing new standards and templates across multiple sites to ensure uniformity and efficiency. Ignition was chosen for its flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, enabling Clover to develop reusable templates, provide high performance user interfaces, and ensure seamless integration with existing systems. The implementation also allowed Clover to run systems on various client devices, improving accessibility and efficiency. The transition began with smaller-scale projects, enabling the company to understand what the Ignition Platform could do and to see how it performed. Bigger projects were then implemented progressively, and quite quickly, to full implementation. The transition to Ignition streamlined Clover’s opera In the case of a Iarge iron ore mine, where Referro Systems implemented a seamless upgrade of existing infrastructure, the equipment and technology that needed to be replaced had been installed in 2006, and at the time was new and considered ‘state-of-the-art’ but had now reached its end of life. The project entailed the replacement of 87 high-power variable speed drives (VSDs) and their corresponding control networks that were reaching obsolescence. Key engineering solutions were required to incorporate new technology into the existing motor control centre infrastructure so that the mine did not have to replace the entire system, and simultaneously to ensure as little disruption to production as possible. build the company’s competitiveness, locally and globally. A final word of caution – do not leave the implementation of new technology to the point that it becomes disruptive to the business model, risking the profitability of operations as well as relationships with your customers. The case of a system upgrade for an iron ore mine Core to every mine or manufacturing plant are the motor control centre and the control systems.

For more information visit: https://referro.co.za/

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Clover Industries chose Ignition to achieve effective enterprise control across multiple sites. tions significantly, introducing standardised and simpler systems that are easier to manage and scale. Clover also won substantial cost savings and gained enhanced sys tem reliability and improved user experience. The new SCADA platform enables quick response times and re duces the complexity of updates and maintenance, em powering plant operators and integrating real-time data for better informed decision-making. This transformation has set a solid foundation for Clover’s future growth, enabling an efficient rollout to up grade or replace legacy systems and creating an envi ronment ripe for further technological innovation. Element8, founded in 2020, is a distributor of Ignition SCADA and IIoT Platform, Sepasoft MES, Canary Historian and Flow Analytics Hub. It works with manufacturers and utilities aiming to ensure a flourishing, data-driven future. □

5 SEPTEMBER 2024 Electricity + Control