INDUSTRY:
Chemical industry
FOCUS:
The main challenges faced were transitioning from manual to automated processes, ensuring precise temperature control, and integrating new systems with existing SCADA platforms.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective was to fully automate the synthesis processes within the reactor to improve efficiency, safety, and product consistency, ultimately enabling the production of high-quality alkyd and saturated polyester resins.
SOLUTION:
- Siemens ET200SP PLC
- Ignition SCADA integration
- Phoenix Contact MACX MCR-EX-xx Intrinsic Transducers
- AUMA electro-mechanical actuators
- SPIRAX SARCO electro-pneumatic valves
PROJECT DURATION:
4 months
THE PROJECT COMPRISED OF:
The project involved automating an existing, manual, chemical reactor with a total volume of 10m³.
Through this reactor, two types of resins can be produced:
- Alkyd resins
- Saturated polyester resins
The main processes that were automated are:
- Temperature control
- Stirring and mixing control
- Feedstock management
- Condensation and dehydration
- Pressure control
- Monitoring and data logging
- Safety
- Cooling and unloading
The whole scope of Eltrex was:
- Constructing metal structures to enable the automated system to operate
- Equipping the reactor with electro-pneumatic valves for temperature control
- Installing sensors for parameter monitoring and safety loops
- Constructing the automation control panel using Siemens components
- Developing automation software in TIA Portal and displaying information on the existing SCADA platform (Ignition SCADA)
