In the chemical industry systems and plants have to ensure the greatest possible availability and unrestricted operational reliability. Against this background transparency and flexibility are top priorities. Flexibility also means the best possible maintenance capacity from a control room. A new developed system made by E-T-A is now able to monitor and control DC 24 V control circuits by means of an intelligent power distribution system.
Author Timm Decker Regional Sales Manager Germany North, E-T-A Elektronische Apparate
All production facilities in the chemical industry have a large number of sensors and actuators. This is the only way to ensure maximum operational reliability, detect disturbances at an early stage and initiate corrective action in time. Bus modules, valve clusters, servo motors and drives, magnetic valves and automation components such as PLCs or fieldbus couplings are used for this purpose. The diagnostic capability and remote serviceability of the entire control and field level play a decisive role alongside energy management, which is becoming more and more important.
Irrespective of the specific chemical production process, the standard of the material manufactured can only be maintained at a guaranteed level if each production step is clearly controlled. Imperfect end products represent a substantial risk for end users, not only in the pharmaceutical industry. This could add up to economic damage for the owner of the plant if a batch is produced incorrectly.
Many plants today cover an enormous area, so that cables several hundred metres in length between the sensors or actuators and the power distribution system – and thus the power supply – are not uncommon. It is vital to protect this automation intelligence reliably and alert the customer’s personnel immediately to any abnormal operational conditions. Only then will they be able to take corrective action quickly and efficiently. In many chemical firms this monitoring task is already handled by ControlPlex, the intelligent protection system from E-T-A.
Transparency in all control circuits
The ControlPlex Board consists of a power distribution system (SVS100-PWR), a communication platform (SVS100-COM) and electronic circuit protectors (ESX50D-S). The standard version of the power distribution system is designed for 8 or 16 electronic circuit protectors and a total current of up to 40 A. The system can be extended to a maximum of 64 slots by cascading several power distribution boards. Power is supplied via spring-loaded terminals up to a maximum of 10 mm².
The circuit protectors are supplied with DC 24 V directly from the power supply. The power supply for the communication module is separate. The load voltage can therefore be disconnected by means of emergency stop contactors without losing any communication capability.
The communication module supports various protocols because the systems used in the chemical industry are very diverse. The customer decides which communication protocol to use when ordering the system. There is hence a wide range of possible applications. E-T-A offers both fieldbus (Profibus-DP, Modbus-RTU, DeviceNet, CC-Link, CANopen, Interbus, etc.) and Ethernet (Profinet, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, Modbus-TCP, etc.) versions. Fixed slot addresses are assigned at the factory to enable plug-and-play and hot swapping as well as numerous configuring, start-up, system expansion and maintenance options.
Besides the communication module, the complete ControlPlex system also includes the power distribution system with integral protective elements, namely type ESX50D-S electronic circuit protectors. These are available in two configurable versions: with the first of these, the current rating can be adjusted by means of a selector switch while the alternative version allows the rating to be param-eterised in the software via the internal interface. The alarm limits for various load currents (50 % to 100 %) can also be set in the software. The operating status at any given time is indicated by a multi-coloured LED on the circuit protector.
Apart from a circuit protector’s signal status, a number of other parameters are also transmitted by the communication CPU such as the input voltage, load current, load voltage, limit values and unit temperature per load circuit.
Software provides a clear overview
The configuration software with its intuitive, Office-like GUI supports the user during start-up, maintenance and system expansions, providing a quick and clear view of the actual operating status of individual load outputs. In addition, a graphical ammeter shows the overall load on the DC 24 V power supply.
The system is configured via a USB or external bus interface of the communication module. All settings are stored internally in the application CPU and externally in the communication level software. Any changes to the software as well as any swapped devices are traceable because they are documented in a log file or maybe on a Web server.
Maintenance technicians in the chemical industry are usually under considerable time pressure when it comes to remedying a system fault. ControlPlex has an integral history memory which offers valuable support after disconnection to ensure fast troubleshooting and efficient corrective action. The system stores the entire fault history in a chart similar to an oscillogram. Plain text instructions make it easier to evaluate this chart in the future. This feature simplifies troubleshooting and reduces downtime to a minimum.
Hall 11, Booth A59
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