Control System for Acorda Therapeutics
E Tech Group is proud to partner with Acorda Therapeutics to bring an expanded manufacturing process online.
Project
E Tech Group implemented a control system for the expansion of the Acorda Therapeutics facility in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The control system is used to automate process and cleaning steps for the Feed and Spray Drying Systems, the clean-in-place (CIP) System, and the supporting Ethanol Supply, USP Purified Water Supply, and Waste Systems using four PLC processors. The control system coordinates CIP recipes with a SQL database and interfaces with various equipment vendor-supplied systems over Ethernet. The control system stores alarms, process data and user actions, and provides a user interface for the operation and visualization of automated sequences and equipment.
The system also consists of a number of equipment vendor-supplied control systems and an expansion of existing Controlled Area Monitoring System (CAMS). The control system provides Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), recipe management, historical data collection, and reporting.
The following equipment is located in the process area:
- Feed Train 1&2 Aqueous Formulation Tanks
- Feed Train 1&2 Aqueous Blank Tanks
- Feed Train 1&2 Solvent Formulation Tanks
- Feed Train 1&2 Solvent Blank Tanks
- Spray Dryer Drying Chamber
- Spray Dryer Bag House
The following equipment is located in the utility areas:
- Spray Dryer Heaters and Condensers
- USP Purified Water Storage Tank, Heater, Distribution Pumps and Distribution Loop
- Clean-In-Place Skid and Distribution Loop
- Condensate Receiver Tank
- Temperature Control Units
- Autoclave
- Parts Washer
- Clean Out of Place Washer
- Clean Steam Generator
- Vacuum Pump and Receiver Tank
The following equipment is located in the tank farm:
- Ethanol Storage Tank, Heater and Distribution Pump
- Waste Storage Tank and Transfer Pump
- Process Vent Carbon Adsorption Drums
Solution
The control system is a PLC- and SCADA-based system utilizing Allen-Bradley ControlLogix L73 and L75 processors with 1719 Ex Series intrinsically safe I/O, 1734 Point Series I/O, Festo solenoid manifolds, and Allen-Bradley PowerFlex VFDs. The I/O is distributed between 18 control panels which are interconnected with Ethernet/IP networks. The control system communicates over Ethernet to the various equipment vendor-supplied systems.
A separate Emergency Stop system monitors for Master, USP Purified Water, CIP, Spray Dryer and Tank Farm safety stop conditions and shuts equipment down via hard-wired interlock circuits.
Challenges
The SCADA servers are a set of virtual machines hosted on redundant physical servers. The virtual machines consist of a Directory server, redundant HMI servers, redundant Data servers, a Terminal server, an Engineering Workstation server, a Historian server, an Engineering Development server, an Asset Management server and a View Only server.
The operator interface consists of nine fixed thin client workstations located throughout the process and utility areas, two dual thin client fixed workstations located in the control room, and two large monitor thin client displays located in the control room.
The following software packages were used as part of the control system:
- SCADA – Rockwell Automation Software FactoryTalk View Site Edition
- Historian – Rockwell Automation Software FactoryTalk Historian
- Asset Management – Rockwell Automation Software FactoryTalk AssetCentre
- Reporting and Trending – Rockwell Automation Software FactoryTalk VantagePoint
- Alarm Notification – Exele Information Systems TopView
- Thin Client Management – Rockwell Automation Software ThinManager
- Alarm/Event Storage – SQL Server
- Diagnostic Log Storage – SQL Server
- CIP Recipe Storage – SQL Server
Results
The project manager reflects on the talented group of 12 automation engineers who have worked on the project. “From a personal standpoint, the team I’m working with here at [E Tech] is one of the most talented groups of people that I’ve ever worked with in my career. It’s been extremely rewarding being able to work with this group, and everyone is doing an amazing job. We’ve got a really good combination of very experienced engineers, and we also have some new engineers who are really enthusiastic, eager to learn and apply themselves, and who are also extremely intelligent. It’s been a great experience.”
Exit Line Automation and Controls Upgrade
An American industrial company specializing in aluminum products contacted E Tech Group to upgrade their exit line automation and controls. The line had previously been running on vintage reliance analog drives from the ’60s.
The Project: Bring Facility Automation Capabilities into the 21st Century
The project was divided into two phases: hardware design (including design work for a new Portable Control Room) and a phase to build, install and, commission.
Documentation and drawings presented a challenge in this project. With a 50-year-old system and an inconsistent approach to drawing updates and documentation, E Tech Group used biweekly conference meetings to keep the team informed on status and request additional drawings and information from operators and maintenance personnel as needed.
The Solution: Replace Analog Drives with Siemens System Integrators
E Tech designed and commissioned a new PCR, Siemens drives, encoders, process automation controllers, and IO panels. PanelView terminals were installed for operator interface and display. The elongation control system was replaced with modernized controls.
To enable seamless integration of the new technology with the line’s older equipment, E Tech Group’s automation engineers interfaced the new controls with existing legacy analog drives and hardwired relays to confirm that the new system operated in lockstep with the legacy control system prior to commissioning.
E Tech Group’s engineers wrote the drive interface to be transparent to operators and maintenance personnel with a focus on long-term maintainability and improved troubleshooting capabilities.
The Results: Exceeding Client Expectations, but Not Budget or Timeline
Startup and commissioning were completed ahead of schedule. As such, the project came in under the installation and commissioning budget originally quoted. Because of the transparency to the operators, the integration was seamless.
Moving forward, this new integrated control system will save the client money via increased production capacity, as well as reduced malfunctions and subsequent downtime. Even better, E Tech Group engineers designed this control system in a way that will lessen the client’s need to contract outside IT troubleshooting and system maintenance.
Enabling our clients to perform at their best both now and in the future as they grow is at the forefront of our mind in every control system build, upgrade or retrofit. E Tech Group provides disruptive automation strategies with the best automation products in the industry to create robust, integrated control systems that help you reach your goals.
Emergency Support Call and Upgrade of Steel Mill Line Controls
After a steel mill client experienced a flooded basement and damaged equipment, E Tech Group upgraded the obsolete drives, PLC, and HMI, as well as an automatic tension control mode.
Project: Increase Production Capacity and Shore Up Safety
A leading steel company hired E Tech Group to increase throughput and safety on the customer’s six-stand cold mill line. Additional project goals were to reduce head and tail off gage, reduce inner stand strip breaks, reduce electrical downtime, and improve safety.
Solution: Follow the Audit’s Recommendation in Control System Design
E Tech Group conducted a mill drafting study to determine HP and speed limitations, reviewed the mill model, and set up proper procedures. We conducted an equipment audit to determine the failure rate and root causes, before implementing the audit’s recommendations.
E Tech Group’s control system integrators implemented:
- Monitoring and tuning of the inner stand tension
- An MG set stand
- One custom 12 pulse drive to fit on existing gen base
- A screw-down clutchless control.
We also regulated the voltage to the speed reg. Our automation engineers then performed a safety study and implemented recommendations. We performed installation, startup, and commissioning of all relevant systems.
Results: Real-World, Real-Time ROI via Improved Safety Automation
This successful project accomplished several things for the client:
- Reduced head and tail off-gage
- Reduced strip breaks, WR, and BU roll wraps by 50%
- Improved strip shape
- Increased annual tonnage
- Reduced electrical downtime by 50%
As such, this project resulted in a quick ROI for the client, with whom we have worked on other control system upgrades and retrofits since. E Tech Group offers metal manufacturers automation solutions of any size, from integrating a single piece of equipment to providing facility-wide control system builds or upgrades. Our breadth of experience in the industry provides us with the specialized knowledge needed to create intuitive automation systems that set our clients up for success.
Remote SCADA Maintenance and Troubleshooting for a Metals Client
A steel manufacturing company was experiencing errors and downtime with their SCADA system. E Tech Group’s engineers swiftly identified and eliminated the error, getting production back online.
Project: Diagnose & Repair Dueling SCADA Systems
A steel manufacturing company needed to replace an outdated furnace control system and for remote support. The client had a redundant SCADA system where one of the SCADAs stopped working. The issue occurred because, over time, the SCADA system was generating error logs which caused the hard drive to fill up. The error occurred because to the company’s anti-virus system was locking SCADA files that were being accessed and written to by the SCADA system. The hard drive reached maximum capacity which resulted in the SCADA system halting.
Solution: Clean up Corrupted Files and Confer with the Client
E Tech engineers remotely identified the corrupted files causing the errors, cleaned the files allowing their system to start back up, and provided consultation to the client’s IT team. We installed HMIs and PLCs, along with a furnace safety system and a furnace control system.
E Tech Group engineers set up a secure way to remote into their system and worked with their IT department to come up with a better solution for the client’s server set ups. This involves coordination with E Tech Group’s IT team and the client’s IT team.
Results: Cost-Efficient Control System Troubleshooting
This project only took a half an hour, thanks to the ability to remotely support. This saved the cost of a flight, hotel room, and four hours minimum onsite. Plus, we set the client up to be able to troubleshoot the control system in-house in the future, lessening the need to outsource IT support.
E Tech Group has deep domain expertise in the metals industry, designing and implementing robust, strategically-designed control systems that integrate and optimize automated processes. Partnering with the best automation companies on the market, like Rockwell Automation and AVEVA, metals clients can expect streamlined, consistent processes on an adaptable, scalable automation system.