ENERGY FROM WASTE
Build and design for a sustainable future
During such a phase of EfW plant design there is real opportunity to streamline these different design disciplines by using software tools that have centralised databases of pieces of plant which hold all the attributes needed for all the different design departments to use. This is called ‘object-orientated engineering’ and is highly efficient when it comes to rolling out similar designs of plant and plant equipment over time.
Modern process control systems follow exactly the same ‘object-orientated approach’ to programming which, again, allows a considerable amount of time saving when it comes to engineering the automation of a plant. Operators no longer want tactical process control system solutions, engi- neered on a one off basis with simple functions and bespoke code which are developed by an individual that they then become reliant on at a later date.
Don’t underestimate process control Process control systems represent a relatively minor aspect of a plant’s up front capital investment at somewhere between 2-6%, and yet it can have the largest single impact on the operational cost of running a process plant with estimates ranging from 15-20%. When taking total cost of ownership into account, the process control system and the
instruments and control equipment connected to it, offer by far the biggest opportunity to the operator to optimise plant performance and minimise future running costs. Operators are becoming far more aware of how the pre- engineered aspects of some process control systems give lots of tools and functionality directly targeted at the operator for improving the efficiency of plant. A standardised approach to control system software also gives rise to the ability of major manufacturers to offer automated upgrade of technol- ogy over time and to give fixed costs for the maintenance of automation assets over the lifetime of the EfW plant. This is generally highly attractive to plant owner opera- tors as it allows them to account for the cost of modernisa- tion over the life of plant which can be used when calculat- ing true operational costs at the bidding stage of a project. The possibilities for lowering the lifecycle cost of energy from waste plants are almost endless. In modern times it is more a question of whether contractors and operators are prepared to embrace new technology and new processes. There is no question that these new techniques will ulti- mately directly impact the bottom line of a design, build and operate EfW project – the challenge now is to embrace the technology early and commit to working in a different way.
Simon Ellam is business
manager for process automation at Siemens Industry Automation
April 2011 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 29
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