Coke goes better with Cimplicity

Systems integrator EKB is automating two coke-making plants for Corus Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.

Systems integrator EKB is automating two coke-making plants for Corus Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.

EKB has extensive experience and expertise of the GE Fanuc monitoring and control software, Cimplicity.

It carried out its redesign and installation work in cooperation with Triple M from Haarlem, expert in the application of GE Fanuc PLCs.

Corus IJmuiden owns two plants for producing coke.

A coke making plant consists of a series of ovens, each approximately 1.5m in width, in which coal is heated for about 18h at a temperature of 1000C and with a low amount of oxygen.

One of the waste streams produced is gas.

The ovens are filled at the top and emptied by pushing out the material horizontally.

The coke is then cooled down under a quenching tower.

It is now ready for transport to Corus's blast furnaces for the manufacture of iron.

A coke plant is divided into product groups of ovens.

Each product group of ovens is filled, heated, then discharged, according to a plan.

For every product group, there is an operational 'charging car', a pushing machine, and an extraction machine.

The network consists of two levels: the production level and the control level.

The production network links the Oracle database server for the oven plan system (OPS) to two redundant servers running Cimplicity.

This network also supplies data to the Cimplicity Scada-viewers, from which the system is run, and is equipped as a standard 10Mbit/s twisted pair Ethernet network.

The control network consists of the redundant HMI servers, machine co-ordinator PLCs, access points for data transfer to and from the controller PLCs, and the controller PLCs.

The control network uses a 10Mbit/s fibre-optic Ethernet link.

Communication with the local controller PLCs via the access points is based on a wireless LAN radio network.

Local control of every machine consists of a GE Fanuc 90-70 PLC on an Ethernet LAN, with a programmable PC for maintenance technicians and an RF link up to the main network.

For every machine, an operator panel is connected directly to the controller PLC to visualise the actual process status.

EKB supplied the control cabinets, the radio network, the Scada control application and a customised Delphi application.

Triple M took care of the programming of the machine controlling PLCs, the machine co-ordinating PLCs and the operator panels.

To communicate with the machines, EKB supplied a direct sequence technology based broadband radio frequency network (wireless LAN).

To fulfil Corus IJmuiden's specific demands, an easily maintainable Delphi application was developed which handles data transfer between the reliable Oracle database server and GE Fanuc machine coordinating PLCs.

The end user can configure the, so called, KoFaCom system completely without programmer intervention.

The Scada application for controlling both plants was developed based on the HMI software, Cimplicity.

From the client PCs, the following controls can be executed and the actual process data is accessible: selection of various machines (charging car, door extraction machine and pushing machine); change machine status (automatic to manual); selection of quenching tower; and selection of coke wharf.

Integrating extensive testing periods into the development stages solved complex factors like implementing the radio network and the control takeover by the new systems.

Also, an extensive functional test was done prior to operation, and detailed training for operators and maintenance personnel was provided.

The first coke plant is fully operational now, and has been realised in a relatively short time.

The success of the project came about due to the close co-operation of EKB, Triple M and the customer Corus IJmuiden.

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