and understood,” explained Hughes. The project involved developing sophisticated
control systems for a number of forest sensors or arrays, each containing approximately 30 carbon dioxide delivery points positioned at different heights within the woodland. The system manages valves, gas analysers, wind analysers and other instrumentation, while collecting vital experimental data. A key innovation was the development of a 3D visualisation engine that allows researchers to see the relative heights of all sensors and view the arrays from different angles – a significant improvement over the previous system’s basic interface, the company explained. Hughes commented: “The solution we have
Based in a mature oak woodland in
Staffordshire, the experiment is designed to
investigate the impact of elevated CO2 levels on forest ecosystems. Jennifer Hughes, general manager for Transicon, said: “We’ve developed control systems for all sorts of uses across the manufacturing sector, but developing a systemfor use in environmental research and so closely linked to sustainability is a real first for us.”
The BIFoR FACE experiment relies on a variety
of sophisticated instruments and specialist equipment to release carbon dioxide into the woodland to simulate the future atmosphere and collect high resolution data. The original system controlling the experiment used Turbo Pascal, a text-based programming language dating back to the 1990s. Rather than simply updating the code, Transicon used its expertise to re-design and implement the industrial platform solution. “We took legacy text-based software and
replaced it with a modern Siemens controls platform to provide repeatability and a solution that can be more easily maintained, changed
developed provides a blueprint for reliable, consistent experimental control systems which could be implemented globally should the FACE experiments be expanded to other locations in the future.” Dr Kris Hart at the Birmingham Institute of
Forest Research, said: “The Transicon team has transformed our research capabilities with their innovative approach to modernising our control systems. Their expertise has enabled us to significantly enhance the precision and reliability of our carbon dioxide delivery system, which is absolutely vital for the integrity of our long-term climate change research.”
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