Alaskan co-gen plant updates boiler using PlantWeb architecture with FOUNDATION fieldbus-based control.Business Editors and High-Tech Writers AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2000 The first steam and electric power generating plant in Alaska to implement automated control, based on the Fisher-Rosemount PlantWeb(tm) architecture with the FOUNDATION(tm) Fieldbus protocol for communication of digital input/output signals, is already operating at Aurora Energy, L.L.C., Fairbanks. State-of-the-art technology replaced outmoded electro-mechanical control devices on the main boiler, Chena No. 5 (200 Kpph), in order to increase efficiency and reliability at the plant, which dates to the 1950s. The system includes 110 fieldbus-compliant transmitters and 36 FIELDVUE digital valve controllers, DeltaV(tm) automation system, pre-configured boiler control strategy, and Fisher-Rosemount Asset Management Solutions (AMS AMS - Andrew Message System ) software. This advanced control system is one part of more than $4 million invested by Aurora Energy to improve plant operation and expand heat distribution throughout the City of Fairbanks. When the city divested all municipal utilities in 1998, the District Heat and Electrical Co-generation plant was purchased by the Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc., the plant's primary supplier of coal. Aurora Energy was formed by Usibelli to operate the plant and distribute heat energy. Gerald England, General Manager of Aurora Energy, said, "Getting an up-to-date combustion control system was one of my highest priorities. The project came in on-budget and was completed on schedule. The plant has been operating continuously since mid-August with no interruptions due to the new automation system." Aurora was aided in this effort by PC&E (St. Louis, MO), a Fisher-Rosemount subsidiary, which provided design, project management and implementation services. PCE PCE pseudocholinesterase; see cholinesterase. erythromycin Apo-Erythro (CA), Apo-Erythro-EC, Diomycin (CA), E-Base, E-Mycin, Erybid (CA), Erymax (UK), Ery-Tab, Erythromid (CA), PCE (CA), Rommix (UK), Tiloryth (UK) Pacific, Inc., an independent Fisher-Rosemount representative based in Seattle, WA, supplied the control system hardware, transmitters, valve controllers and ongoing support during the installation and startup phases. Price Ahtna JV of Anchorage, AK, performed installation. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Ron Lutes, vice president of PC&E, "Using fieldbus, we were able to complete the commissioning in record time. Aurora Energy now has a very clean control system that can easily be maintained. Remaining non-fieldbus devices can also be upgraded without added wiring." During the coming winter, plant personnel plan to optimize boiler combustion and auxiliary operation Noun 1. auxiliary operation - a operation performed by off-line equipment not under the control of the central processing unit off-line operation operation - (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially for greater efficiency. The asset management system will also be fully implemented to improve ongoing maintenance. Next year, the company may upgrade three smaller boilers on the old side of the plant and bring coal and ash conveying systems into the DeltaV automation system. Reducing environmental impact Aurora Energy takes special care to address environmental concerns. More efficient burning of coal in one location in itself reduces pollution, and the combustion strategy implemented by DeltaV adds a new level of emission reduction. DeltaV with FOUNDATION fieldbus FOUNDATION fieldbus is an all-digital, serial, two-way communications system that serves as the base-level network in a plant or factory automation environment. Developed and administered by the Fieldbus Foundation. reacts faster to boiler upsets, minimizing emissions. The company also has plans to tie DeltaV to stack opacity Refers to being "opaque," which means to prevent light from shining through. For example, in an image editing program, the opacity level for some function might range from completely transparent (0) to completely opaque (100). monitors to provide accurate real-time reporting of opacity violations, minimizing delays resulting from manual computations. Fisher-Rosemount ( www.fisher-rosemount.com ), a part of Emerson Electric Co., is a leading supplier of process management products and solutions, including control valves Control valves are valves used within industrial plants and elsewhere to control operating conditions such as temperature, pressure, flow, and liquid level by fully or partially opening or closing in response to signals received from controllers that compare a "setpoint" to a , regulators, transmitters, analyzers, process management systems and related services. Its revolutionary PlantWeb field-based architecture ( www.testdriveplantweb.com/go/p190 ) combines intelligent field devices, standards and scalable platforms, and modular software See modular programming. to provide not only process control, but also integrated asset management and integration with other plant and business systems. St. Louis-based Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :EMR (ElectroMagnetic Radiation) The emanation of energy from everything in the universe. Although the EMR from electrical and electronic devices is typically measured for practical, every-day situations, every object, including humans, emanates energy. ) is a global manufacturer with market and technology leadership in five business segments: industrial automation; process control; heating, ventilating ventilating Natural or mechanically induced movement of fresh air into or through an enclosed space. The hazards of poor ventilation were not clearly understood until the early 20th century. Expired air may be laden with odors, heat, gases, or dust. and air conditioning; electronics and telecommunications; and appliance and tools. Sales in fiscal 1999 were $14.3 billion. PlantWeb, DeltaV and FIELDVUE are marks of one of the Fisher-Rosemount family of companies. FOUNDATION is a mark of the Fieldbus Foundation. |
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