SCADA helps keep road tunnel traffic safe and free flowing

Traffic flow and safety have been enhanced in one of Italy’s most important motorway tunnels by the commissioning of a new control system based on Products4Automation’s Movicon 11 SCADA technology.
Because of the country’s mountainous landscape, road tunnels are an important part of Italy’s transport infrastructure. Each tunnel has its own unique traffic management system to handle the safety and security requirements involved with their operation. Because of the ever growing usage volumes as the number of cars on the road increase each system needs to be regularly maintained and developed. Bespoke control solutions are usually specified for each tunnel; programmed for the unique challenges each one presents.
When engineers for the Spogliamonaco Tunnel on the Lauria–Lagonegro motorway in Basilicata were looking to renew their control system, they wanted to develop a system which allowed for both local, on-site control and remote control from head office. They identified a bus architecture and SCADA software as the optimum solution and also wanted an open system so that they could mix and match hardware from different manufacturers – a critical requirement for a system that could be operating for decades.
The architecture the engineers developed consisted of a central PC acting as the overall supervision and control unit. The decision was made early on to design out other local controllers such as PLCs or CPUs, as the simplicity of the system would help contain initial costs and ensure maintenance was straightforward. Instead they ran a single bus the whole 1500m length of the tunnel, with all the I/O nodes distributed along it.
When it came to selecting the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) software many options were considered before eventually deciding that the Movicon 11 system was most appropriate to their needs. Movicon 11 is XML-based and combines SCADA with an HMI (human machine interface), which means it offers an all-in-one development environment for managing HMI, SCADA, soft-logic and analysis of operating data. It is also open and highly flexible, and attractive feature in an application where constant design evolution is to be expected.
The I/O control is based on Windows XP, which is freely available, well supported and low cost. Windows XP is not deterministic (able to absolutely guarantee the sequence and speed of signal processing); but this is not a requirement in tunnel control systems, as no instructions are completely time critical. Instead a LonWorks card fitted in the PC handles all the data traffic from the 110 I/O nodes on the bus.
LonWorks is an open networking platform that is used worldwide in a range of automation applications, including many in building automation and HVAC environments, as well as in other tunnel control systems. There are a great many brands and models of hardware products available that are compatible with LonWorks including high power lamps, emergency lighting, ventilation fans and water pumps.
In the Spogliamonaco Tunnel installation, the Movicon SCADA system constantly monitors all the data produced on the bus for alarms, such as failed lamps, and trending towards critical conditions such as rising carbon dioxide levels. It is also able to monitor other parameters such as dangerous vibrations (e.g. earthquakes and rock falls), reduced visibility due to excessive exhaust, wind speed and direction, ventilation extraction rate, CCTV and several other functions.
Many functions are automated by the Movicon system, freeing the staff in the control room from routine duties so that they can concentrate on higher level activities. From the supervision stations, situated both in the local control stations and in the main control centre, operators can monitor the full length of the tunnel as well as facilities at each end, using screen pages that display both current and logged data.
All the commands can be easily and intuitively set by mouse-clicking on the on-screen graphics. For example, the traffic lights that control vehicle movements are normally run automatically by the Movicon logic control function, but users can assume manual override should the situation require it. The same is true of the ventilators and other critical equipment.
All operating data is logged by the SCADA software, and can be analysed for alarms, trends etc. This leads to optimisation of operations and helps to maintain efficiency and smooth traffic flow.
The engineers have also programmed the Movicon SCADA to provide enhanced management of the maintenance programmes. Optimising the work schedules for the maintenance technicians can be complicated because some equipment - such as the lamps - is maintained to regular time schedules while other equipment – such as the fan – is maintained based on usage. Added to this there is the need to attend failures and breakdowns. By working this out automatically equipment is better maintained and people’s time and resources are used to the best advantage.
The Spogliamonaco Tunnel has always been fitted with landline telephones, giving personnel a straightforward and effective means of communication. These landlines have been integrated into the SCADA system so that their use is logged alongside the rest of the operating data. The SCADA also has the capacity to send text messages and pre-recorded mobile phone messages to staff who are ‘on-call’.
In summary, Movicon has provided an innovative tunnel control solution that facilitates rapid development at low cost, yet which still functions at a high level and with simplicity.

Article source -  http://www.dmaeuropa.com/Clients/Products4Automation/News/tabid/1233/itemid/2246/Default.aspx

About P4A

Products4Automation (P4A) is a specialist supplier of new and innovative software and hardware solutions to the UK market. Products ranges available from P4A include the latest touch-screen HMI's and flat panel PCs, SCADA software and plug-ins, a wide range of SCADA enabled hardware, Alarm plug-in software for large automation systems, and a full range of Production Intelligence software solutions.

 To receive your free development CD and information pack click here

CREAMERY UPGRADES WITH MOVICON SCADA

Parmareggio Unigrana has used Product4Automations’ low cost Movicon 11 SCADA to automate one of the creameries that has helped it become a major butter producer, as well as world-famous for its cheese.
With demand for the region’s butter soaring (up 22 percent in 2011 to Euro35m) the decision was made to automate the Fiordalba creamery in Modena, to increase production, guarantee quality and ensure efficiency. To maintain quality and originality many food products from this area of Italy have special Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
The creamery’s systems design and installation was entrusted to I.T. Technologies Srl, a Movicon integrator that works extensively in the region. The plant, which was already partially controlled by Movicon equipment, was to be fully automated, including installation of a new SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. This would improve the system redundancy and add a quality certification capability. Many other new systems were also installed on the production floor, while some existing systems were enhanced with extra functionality.

Butter production
Fresh cream is the raw material used for making Parmareggio butter. This comes directly from regional PDO dairies which themselves use automation systems to guarantee security and quality. Close relationships are maintained with suppliers, often built up over decades, to ensure product integrity.
The cream is first put through a centrifuge where it is mixed with water and melted butter. It is then pumped into a storage tank from which it is collected and sent onto be skimmed. From here it is immediately sent on to a pasteurisation plant. This delicate process cycle is constantly monitored and recorded by the Movicon SCADA system to ensure compliance with stringent European food safety standards.
Once pasteurised, the cream is left to settle naturally in vats. During this phase the temperature is constantly controlled in order to obtain a perfect end product with an easy spreading consistency. After this it is pumped on to ripening tanks where it cooled and remixed then pumped on to the butter making machines, where it is churned while milk enzymes are gradually. This thickens the cream to make butter. Separated buttermilk, a useful by-product, is sent to a separate pasteurising process then stored in silos to await collection for other processes.
A sophisticated NIRS (Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy) system working with the SCADA constantly controls the all the products’ chemical parameters.

Packaging
The butter is automatically transferred to the packaging area. As with the rest of the production, this phase uses completely enclosed and automated equipment to prevent the risk of product contamination from operators or the environment.
The high speed lines are able to package butter in all shapes and sizes according to market demands. They are also equipped with automatic weight control systems.
With all the production and packaging processes complete, the butter is placed in a refrigerated storeroom where temperatures are constantly monitored and recorded until all the product quality controls of each batch have been double checked by the Quality Control Office. Security and food quality are always maintained at maximum levels during this stage.

Plant and control
The entire production plant is controlled by a Movicon 11 SCADA system implemented on three Siemens S7 PLCs built into stainless steel control panels in a central control room and connected via Ethernet. One PLC manages the production process system; the other two manage the CIP (cleaning in place) systems and the storage systems. Together they guarantee maximum security during the different production stages. They also measure operational and chemical parameters, which are mainly determined by temperature and the product’s micro-organic profile.
The control system also includes a number of Movicon HMIs or graphical screen which can display pages for every process within the plant, covering critical parameters for quality, hygiene, productivity and maintenance. The HMI screen pages are all divided into two frames, one containing operational statuses, the other containing operational command sequences.

Perfect hygiene
The control system also runs an automatic Clean-In-Place CIP system, which is fully integrated with the production processes and implements cleaning processes without any disassembling of the plant or its parts.
The cleaning system ensures uniform treatment of surfaces that have direct contact with product, while damage to mechanical parts is avoided. Further there is no risk of contamination while the plant is disassembled. The cleaning is scheduled automatically and all cleaning data is stored for traceability. The overall objective is for efficient and effective cleaning and to fully meet the FDA and health and quality standards.
The CIP system uses comprehensive detergent recovery to ensure product quality. The recovered washing liquid is collected so that it can be regenerated and reused, a critical principle for maintaining the highest environmental standards. Again, all data is recorded.

Redundancy
The main control room also accommodates two additional PC stations, which run Windows 7 with Movicon 11 setup in a redundant configuration. Both PCs are constantly updated and each backs up the other, including recording of all data for track and trace requirements. This guarantees maximum availability and continuous 24 hour running of the creamery.
Thanks to the redundancy system, the operating personnel have two workstations. These can be used independently; for instance, an operator may be using the first to monitor a cream collection tank and start a cleaning process, while his colleague checks skimmer operations and prints out a product quality report.
Communication within the control system is based on Movicon S7-TCP communication drivers, which collect and aggregate data in a Real Time Database residing on an MS SQL server.
The production process is managed visually on the HMIs, from where instructions can also be sent. These instructions are collected on the database, no matter which HMI the come from.
A predictive alarm management programme follows trends within the accumulating data to pre-empt malfunctions and provide step-by-step guidance on appropriate corrective/maintenance procedures.
The system runs the plant in compliance to the FDA CFR21 part 11 regulations. These are normally associated with pharmaceuticals production, but are also used for high quality food operations. They are designed to control access to plant and product to authorised personnel only.
Movicon has a simple but very sophisticated user and command access management system explicitly designed to support the CFR21 Part 11 regulations. In addition to all the requirements defined by the user privileges (area and access level), the system manages ‘electronic signatures’ in reports and for historical data. This way, each significant action executed in the plant, such as commands or target parameter modifications can be traced back to an individual person. Audits are recorded in the database with encrypted access and can be documented appropriately in reports.
The creamery continued to run throughout the whole installation process, which was completed quickly and efficiently thanks to the I.T. Technologies technicians’ vast experience and the rapid design and configuration ability of the Movicon platform.
Parmareggio has achieved its target productivity rate and is set to maintain strong growth well into the future.

 Article source - http://www.dmaeuropa.com/Clients/Products4Automation/News/tabid/1233/itemid/2230/Default.aspx

About P4A

Products4Automation (P4A) is a specialist supplier of new and innovative software and hardware solutions to the UK market. Products ranges available from P4A include the latest touch-screen HMI's and flat panel PCs, SCADA software and plug-ins, a wide range of SCADA enabled hardware, Alarm plug-in software for large automation systems, and a full range of Production Intelligence software solutions.

 For more information on SCADA HMI solutions and production software please contact us

XML-based HMI brings increased flexibility and functionality to new shrink wrapper machine design

When specialist packaging machine builder Kosme looked to adopt a new SCADA/HMI standard platform to provide control and visualisation for its new Flypack shrink wrapping machine, it turned to the XML-based Movicon SCADA package, supplied in the UK by Products4Automation.
Established in 1981, Kosme is a leading producer of packaging machines, including packers, palletisers, depalletisers, blowmoulders, wrappers and carton sealers, from single machines right up to complete production lines. With its unrivalled industry insight, Kosme saw an opportunity for an innovative new style of shrink wrapper built on a modular platform, featuring a compacter unit, a wrapping unit and a heat shrinker tunnel. Built with a tray erector and a layer pad inserter module, it would also be able to handle trays and film packs.
The machine would not only set new benchmarks for performance, with speeds of up to 45ppm, but would also deliver best-in-class control interfaces for improved operator control, faster product changeover and simpler servicing. This would see the Flypack system divided into an ‘operator side’ and a ‘service side’. The operator side would provide all the handwheels for format changeovers and the operator HMI. All of the serviceable components would be located on the service side.
To deliver the level of control required by the operators with the degree of modularity required to build such flexible machines, Kosme knew it needed to reassess its control strategy, moving away from fixed format controllers. Kosme’s R&D Group was looking for an alternative approach that would deliver the increased flexibility required combined with a significantly lower cost of development, while providing the levels of functionality and graphics that are essential for enhanced and intuitive operation.
To meet these requirements, Kosme investigated Progea’s Movicon SCADA software. Movicon SCADA/HMI technology is the only package of its kind to be completely based on XML standards and emergent technologies such as Web Services, SVG graphics, SOAP, OPC, SQL, .Net and COM, and Java. Movicon promised the ability to create user interfaces with vastly improved graphics, independent of screen size and resolution, making machines much more intuitive to operate and delivery richer functionality.
A move to Movicon also delivered the level of modularity that Kosme required in order to reduce the resources that would need to be deployed in planning and maintaining not only the Flypack but also any subsequent machine designs. In addition, by providing identical graphical interfaces and functionality on both Windows XP Embedded and Windows CE platforms, Movicon would allow Kosme to adopt whichever was more suitable for a given machine design without having to worry about porting an HMI to a different platform.
Developing the machine control interface around Movicon allowed Kosme to take a modular approach to machine design for more flexible operation. The Flypack shrink wrapper can provide a choice of packaging modes that include film only, tray only, film plus tray or film plus layer pad options. The container formats are also very versatile, covering bottles, cans and containers, and can be produced in any size and supported material including PET, glass, aluminium and more.
Movicon also gave Kosme the flexibility to meet the specific needs of individual customers of the Flypack shrink wrapper, making it easy to incorporate user specific functions. These included support for dynamic language change, user and password protection management compliant to FDA CFR21 Part 11 regulations, and alarm notifications by SMS or email.
Other optional functionalities can be enabled at any time on existing installations without any modification to the project, enabling control systems to evolve easily with changing customer requirements. These features include tracking, production reporting, statistics, web connectivity for remote access to the visualisation system, and the ability to access the system as a client from a mobile phone.
The Flypack shrink wrapper is not only an innovative addition to Kosme’s product range, but has also been hailed as a breakthrough product within the packaging industry generally. With its modular design and advanced HMI system providing significant user advantages, Flypack shrink wrappers are now being delivered and used all over the world.
For Kosme, the switch from conventional fixed format solutions to the more flexible XML-based Movicon approach has delivered machines which offer new standards in functionality and ease of use, and which are simpler to maintain and easier to service. At the same time, the switch to Movicon has significantly reduced Kosme’s machine development costs while providing the ability to respond to specific customer requirements.

About P4A

Products4Automation (P4A) is a specialist supplier of new and innovative software and hardware solutions to the UK market. Products ranges available from P4A include the latest touch-screen HMI's and flat panel PCs, SCADA software and plug-ins, a wide range of SCADA enabled hardware, Alarm plug-in software for large automation systems, and a full range of Production Intelligence software solutions.

For further information contact: Products 4 Automation Limited 

Article source -  http://www.dmaeuropa.com/Clients/Products4Automation/News/tabid/1233/itemid/2169/Default.aspx