Commissioning times for automation systems are cut by up to 75 percent.
Trier, Germany, October 9, 2017 „Virtual commissioning“ provides the possibility of testing and verifying the perfect functioning of automation systems and optimizing controls and process steps before the „real“ commissioning takes place in the metal industry. Various successfully accomplished projects at voestalpine Stahl GmbH/Austria, have demonstrated that commissioning times can be markedly reduced by simulating the equipment and functions beforehand – in a „digital factory“.
In modernization or rebuilding projects, every single day counts. Once a plant has been taken out of operation for a rebuilding measure, everything possible is done to bring it back on stream as fast and smoothly as possible. One is frequently presented with the situation that the time left for commissioning the electrical equipment is only very short due to unforeseeable delays occurring during the installation of the mechanical equipment. Against this backdrop, the success of a revamping project largely depends on how quickly and reliably the hardware and control software can be tested and optimized.
The „digital factory“
In numerous projects, Küttner Automation – the company within the Küttner group specialized in automation systems – has made it possible to reduce commissioning times and accelerate ramp-ups by applying the approach of „virtual commissioning“.
The process is based on the creation of a testing environment in which all mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical components of the control systems are connected into a „digital factory“. This simulation scenario allows processes to be optimized and faults in the functional sequence to be identified and corrected beforehand, i.e. prior to the installation on site. The result: all automation sequences have been tested and approved before the new plant goes live.
The control equipment is commissioned in a virtual environment at a very early stage of the project – in parallel with the manufacture and assembly of the machinery. This means no testing and fine-tuning of the control software under time pressure as is very often the case when these activities take place during the „real“ commissioning. Therefore the commissioning activities on site can concentrate on the signal and field level. Moreover, the virtual approach often results in a shorter ramp-up phase, as there will be fewer failures and plant standstills.
Friedhelm Bösche, Head of Software Development at Küttner Automation in Trier, always offers virtual commissioning as an option for modernization projects. „Simulating the preliminary commissioning involves some effort in the beginning. But this pays off later on in the form of major time savings. We know from a great number of projects that the time needed to commission the real systems can be cut by up to 75 percent when the software has been pre-tested in a virtual commissioning scenario.“
A recent example
Küttner Group recently modernized the automation of the iron ore blending unit at the sinter plant of voestalpine Stahl, Linz (Austria). Küttner Automation supplied the process automation that previously underwent the virtual commissioning.
During this phase the Austrian steelmaker gained full confidence about the reliability of the process technology. Plant operators of voestalpine Stahl were involved in the virtual testing at an early stage as a precondition of a very short commissioning phase later on. As a result the very tight time frame of only twenty hours for the on-site commissioning was aligned.
About Küttner Automation
Küttner group is a German medium-sized engineering company based in the heart of the Ruhr region.
Küttner has longstanding experience as a supplier of industrial plant and equipment. The company“s main activities are in the fields of conveying systems, recovery and recycling technology, industrial furnace engineering and heat recovery solutions with references all over the world. The range of services offered includes project planning and design, equipment supply as well as installation and commissioning of complete plants including the associated control and data processing systems.
The independent subsidiary Küttner Automation, based in Trier, Germany, designs comprehensive and reliable control systems for complex industrial processes and tasks. Küttner Automation accompanies its customers during all stages of a project – from the design concept, the selection of the most suitable control technology through to user training, either remotely from its facilities in Trier or at the customers“ sites anywhere in the world.
Company-Contact
Küttner Automation
Friedhelm Bösche
Otto-Brenner-Straße 3
54294 Trier / Germany
Phone: +49.651.8251-143
Fax: +49.651.8251-100
E-Mail: f.boesche@kuettner-automation.de
Url: http://www.kuettner-trier.de
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Regina Reinhardt
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Phone: +49.241.89468-24
Fax: +49.241.89468-44
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