FEATURE SCADA & DATA ACQUISITION


SCADA SYSTEM IS WORTH ITS SALT AT THERMODYNAMIC SOLAR PLANT


The Movicon 11 SCADA system, available from Products4Automation, is helping prove the viability of thermodynamic solar power after a successful installation at a plant in Seville, southern Spain


T


hermodynamic solar power is being considered for multiple sites around


the world following a successful trial of the technology outside Seville in Spain. The plant reliably produces 400MWh of clean energy per day regardless of weather conditions, thanks in part to a Movicon 11 SCADA control system. To date, despite being a dependable energy source, solar panels have tended to be confined to smaller applications in Europe, typically supplying only their local area and usually backed up by another power source in case the sun does not shine. Engineers and scientists have spent many years trying to develop solar technology to overcome this scaling restriction so that grid-scale quantities of power can be generated for wider distribution to both domestic and commercial users. Now they are in the final stages of perfecting the answer – thermodynamic solar power, that has the potential for large scale energy production through the day and also long after the sun has gone down. An energy plant in Seville, Spain, has, with the help of a Movicon 11 control system, proved that this technology is practical and reliable. The solar facility is now supplying power to


25,000 homes, businesses, schools and other energy users. The thermodynamic technology works


like this: a massive array of over 2600 large mirrors re¬direct the sun’s rays toward a 150m (450ft) tall tower which is filled with salt. The energy provided by all this sunlight melts the salt (a mixture of 60% potassium and 40% sodium nitrate) and superheats it to over 500°C. This is used to produce steam, which in turn drives a turbine that is connected to a generator producing 400MWh of electricity for distribution to homes and businesses. The mirrors can move individually or en-masse to track the sun or for fine adjustment of the energy directed towards the salt tower.


The Seville power plant, with the help of the Movicon 11 SCADA system, has proved the concept of


thermodynamic solar power production, which should lead to similar installations around the world


Thermodynamic solar power has the potential for large scale energy production through the day, and long after the sun has gone down


The main advantage of thermodynamic solar power over other solar solutions is that it can continue to generate electricity for up to seven hours after sunset. This is possible because of the heat build-up in the salt mixture. The system also works in cloudy weather, so is able to produce power throughout the year in many locations around the world. A key to the efficient operation of the


Seville plant is being able to closely regulate the temperature in the tower tank and in the turbine. Managers at the plant also wanted a control system that had simple to follow graphic read-outs. For these vital supervisory and control functions, they selected Movicon 11 SCADA technology. The first challenge for the control


engineers at the Seville power plant station was to figure out how to get highly accurate temperature measurements from multiple locations within the salt tower. This was accomplished by installing heat-resistant thermal imaging cameras on steel poles around the tower and linking them through a fibre optic Ethernet network to the Movicon SCADA system. Each camera is configured to measure


DECLUTTER DATA AND EMBRACE IIoT


InfinityQS has announced the launch of Enact, a native-cloud Quality Intelligence platform that is said to cut through the clutter of data to deliver tailored, strategic operational insights necessary to improve competitive position and financial viability. It gives manufacturers the power to transform their processes and product quality, and helps them embrace Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). “Today, access to information is the expectation in every role in manufacturing,” said Michael Lyle,


President and CEO, InfinityQS. “But the sheer volume of data can be overwhelming. By creating a new way of collecting, analysing, and summarising data, and delivering actionable intelligence, Enact propels businesses to a level of quality knowledge that produces real business results, fast.” Enact helps users intuitively process critical quality data giving manufacturers the ability to see the “big


picture” view of quality across all of their plants, production lines, products, and shifts. The Enact Quality Intelligence platform is a native-cloud product that helps managers and quality


professionals easily view critical quality information across all regions and plants while using any computing device – even a mobile phone. This visibility helps highlight how processes are running, where problems exist, and where quality resources should be engaged to generate the greatest economic benefit for the organisation. In addition to providing visibility across all plants, Enact triggers real-time alarms on the shop floor and identifies opportunities for improvement that reduce costs, increase profitability, improve quality, enhance competitive position, and protect brand equity. The quality intelligence platform provides access anywhere, or any device, at any time; delivers targeted,


strategic intelligence based roles and responsibilities, works like manufacturers do; integrates with manufacturing systems or devices, eliminating the need to upgrade; runs on secure Microsoft Azure cloud; and scales with the enterprise. InfinityQS


www.infinityqs.com


maximum, minimum and average temperatures. These measurements are processed by Movicon data-logging software and displayed in the Movicon Trend and Historical screen pages. All thermal image data are collected in real time by Movicon SCADA software in the control room, from where operating staff can monitor the readings and if necessary adjust the control system accordingly. If there is a problem or need to change


the temperature, this information is sent to a PLC which relays it to the mirror control system. Then, the mirrors can be quickly moved to redirect the reflected sunlight, increasing or decreasing the energy delivered to the tower. The system also produces trending information from recorded temperatures and provides options for setting adjustments, so that power production can be optimised.


Products4Automation www.products4automation.co.uk


36 MAY 2017 | PROCESS & CONTROL / PROCESS&CONTROL


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