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Mill-wide automation is growing up and it is no longer the stubborn, uncommunicative child it was in the 1990s. Mature automation in the new millennium is all about open solutions and sharing information
By Rhiannon James
Open wide for the latest automation advances
Anybody that hasn't heard of the internet or the e-commerce revolution must have fallen asleep at the end of the last century. Similarly, anybody in papermaking that hasn't had their ears bashed with talk of QCS, DCS and fieldbuses must have been taking a very long nap, or had their head firmly buried in the sand. The internet and advances in information technology (IT) are changing the way that paper is sold, how customers buy paper and even the way paper that is used. In the same way, automation is changing the way that paper is made.
Although many paper companies might be suspicious of the way that IT applications will affect their traditional selling channels and paper consumption, most of them have welcomed the changes that automation has brought the papermaking process. Lower costs, improved paper quality, better efficiency and higher productivity levels, to name but a few. The last few years have seen a major breakthrough in papermaking automation, particularly in the creation of increasingly open systems.
The development of industry standards has allowed suppliers to use process control equipment in an open, vendor-independent environment. This trend can be seen in the increasing development of field bus standards such as the Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus DP or the HART connection. Open information interfaces can also be implemented with ODBC (Open Database Connectivity), OLEDB (OLE DataBase) and ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) connections to process history data and with an OPC interface (OLE for Process Control) to real-time data.
As systems have opened up to the outside world, they have also become easier to operate. Nowadays, user interface applications can be implemented in a standard PC Windows NT environment. Information is easily accessible to all of a mill’s personnel who can follow process events with 'www' browsers using Java applications or ActiveX components.
Another trend that has been gaining momentum is the increasing use of advanced control methods such as fuzzy logic, neural networks and statistical process control. According to suppliers, there are two main driving forces behind the rising use of these tools. On the one hand, the new application tools make processes easier to apply and applications considerably easier to test. Added to that, the applications have proved to be extremely functional, typically improving control results by 20-50%.
Down with distribution
Most of the major automation suppliers are jumping on the open system bandwagon. One of the main players, Neles Automation, recently launched a new mill-wide automation system called nelesDNA. The "DNA" stands for "dynamic network of applications" and it is being heralded as a replacement for the earlier stand-alone systems.
Basically, the new system networks the plant’s automation and information operations by breaking down the dependencies between functionalities and hardware components. In the DNA network, fixed dependencies between various process management operations and hardware systems have been resolved so that the plant can select automation and information applications according to its needs.
Neles Automation believes that the application network is a "living solution". It can consist of a few applications or can provide automation and information applications to cover a plant’s entire operation. Even the smallest network grows in response to a mill’s business goals and features can be added through new applications in a flexible manner. Enhanced connectivity with the application network also means that the new generation of automation products can communicate with existing systems without having to update the whole of the IT infrastructure.
The nelesDNA network can also be used for small-scale automation requirements. All automation activities such as user interfaces, process control, engineering, as well as field and external connections can be located in one piece of hardware. The result is SoftDCS, a solution which provides all the functions conventionally associated with a distributed system. The move toward using more standardized equipment and programs also ensures greater scalability and easier adaptation of new technologies. The result is that users can freely select program components according to the exact needs of the operation.
Millennium addition
Another company that has seen major automation developments in the last 12 months is Voith Sulzer Automation (VSA). Clearly, the first major change is in the company’s name. VSA has been created by the linkup of Impact Systems in the USA and the Voith Sulzer controls group in Heidenheim, Germany.
The new company may be in its infancy, but VSA’s ambitions are far from small. Its aim is none other than to create the perfect paper machine. As Hans Müller, president of Voith Sulzer Paper Technology, explains, "This is a machine with negligible quality variations, no breaks and two minute grade changes. We can only achieve this objective with the new breed of 'smart' paper machinery that includes embedded application-specific sensors, actuators and controls to eliminate variations at their source and enable faster machine transitions." Clearly, the supplier has set itself no easy task. But the technology to produce this type of super paper machine is already being developed at a rapid pace by several key players in the automation sector.
It is clear that VSA sees advances in automation as a crucial factor in the success of future paper machines. As a result, the company has launched a new mill-wide automation system, Millennium QCM, which complements the group’s existing Millennium QCS system. The Millennium family consists of four major groups of subsystems:
• AdvantagePlus scanning measurement and MD control systems
• Profilmatic CD actuators and controlsystems
• InfoPac paper machine information systems
• smart paper machinery.
The main advantage of the Millennium system is that it offers a new modular architecture, including a "Network Intelligent Controller" (NIC) linked to each of the above subsystems on the ethernet network. The NIC technology allows each subsystem to operate independently, but they are also free to communicate with any other subsystem. According to VSA, the overall system operates as if it were programmed on one large computer, although it is distributed over the network.
VSA believes that the full distribution of functionality to the stand-alone subsystems allows the company to build, test, install and troubleshoot the system more efficiently. The new setup also allows for faster installation and startup, less risk of total system failure and lower ongoing maintenance costs. The stand-alone subsystem design provides the mill’s IT department with a new level of modularity, allowing "plug and play" additions of new subsystems without expensive upgrades and reprogramming.
The system’s communication links, both internally and externally, conform to the latest Microsoft and other open communication standards, allowing easy and complete integration with other standards-based control and information units. In addition, the operator and maintenance video displays from the Millennium subsystems and other suppliers’ control and information systems are integrated on a "shared window" using a web browser, ActiveX and other display standards. This provides all the benefits of a "single window" without the major disadvantage of having to rewrite the displays in the DCS platform, the supplier claims.
So far, VSA is pleased with the performance of its system in the field. For example, the Profilmatic CD controls have shown strong results on a recent installation on PM 5 at International Paper’s mill at Terra Haute in Indiana, USA. The new Millennium control algorithms, with advanced auto-mapping and auto-tuning, achieved a 56% improvement in CD weight and a 62% performance boost in CD moisture at the mill.
The next test for VSA&3146;s mill-wide system will be at Perlen Paper in Switzerland. The mill is due to start up a new Voith Sulzer LWC (lightweight coated) paper and newsprint machine in the third quarter of this year, complete with a VSA Millennium system. The machine’s automation design will incorporate the full integration of PLC/DCS, the drives and other systems from outside suppliers.
Honeywell-Measurex gets to work on automation at UPM-Kymmene’s Kaukas mill
| Chinese whispers
The vast potential of the Chinese market is attracting more and more suppliers and investors to the country. ABB has been one of the most active automation companies in this area over the last 12 months, both on large scale and smaller sized projects.
Orders for automation systems have flooded in from paper companies such as Nine Dragon, Mifeng, Hengan, Lutong and Lee & Man, to name but a few. But the company’s most ambitious Chinese order so far has headed for Asia Pulp & Paper’s (APP) Gold East Paper mill in Dagang. In fact, the contract represents the largest single order ever undertaken by the supplier’s pulp and paper unit (PPI February, pp 24-27).
APP started up two enormous woodfrees PMs last year at the Dagang mill. As part of the contract, ABB carried out the full integration of the production processes and cost information, complete automation of the drives, electrification and quality management system. On the automation side, the group’s Singapore office was responsible for providing process control along the entire length of the paper production line. ABB delivered Advant operator stations, an Advant Controller 450 system, AccuRay 1190 Quality Control Systems, an Ulma NT web inspection system, a Smart Advisor System and an Advant Manufacturing Execution System.
Size matters
So far though, such large scale paper mills are few and far between in China. In order to cater for the needs of smaller Chinese producers, ABB China and ABB USA have teamed up to design the AccuRay Smart Start system. Chinese producers often have problems installing quality control systems at their mills, due to a lack of automation expertise and a shortfall in capital for such investments. With this in mind, ABB’s new system is easy to install and maintain, simple to expand and costs have been kept low, the company claims.
The package includes ABB’s latest scanner and measurement technology along with smart machine direction controls. The system uses TCP/IP communication and a smart platform, making it easy to install and maintain, according to the supplier. Costs are significantly reduced with the use of a standard industrial PC, Microsoft Windows NT and specifically designed I/O systems.
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Driving force
Drives have dominated the project news at Honeywell-Measurex over the last year. At the end of 1999, the company successfully integrated paper machine line drive controls into its Alcont mill-wide automation system. The supplier claims that it is the first time that this has been achieved in the paper industry. The move was part of the extensive Auto2000 project carried out at UPM-Kymmene’s Kaukas Mill in Lappeenranta, Finland. The line drives integration is a continuation of the second stage of a modernization project at the mill, during which PM 2’s automation system was upgraded (PPI March 1999, pg. 49). The newly integrated line drives swung into action in the third quarter of 1999.
The main objective of the Auto2000 project was to achieve a uniform automation solution for the entire paper production line. PM 2 produces LWC base paper, which is coated using the mill’s off-machine coater. Production speed reaches 1,540 m/min. According to Risto Tavia, the project manager for Auto2000, control system availability, simplified maintenance, off and online testing and lower costs are some of the benefits that the new system offers compared to conventional, closed logic systems and stand-alone user interfaces.
According to Tavia, "There are two essential areas in line drives control: one is the management and tuning of the whole drive system, consisting of motors, operating equipment, gears and rolls. The other is the management of the entire line drive solution’s control and status data. The current technology is so advanced that this can be managed by a single system on the upper level. The required connections can be made by means of a standard fieldbus that is supported by the equipment suppliers."
PM 2’s line drives are integrated with the Alcont system through the Interbus fieldbus. This direct fieldbus connection from the digital DC drives and frequency converters to the Alcont system’s process module replaces the conventional RK3964 serial interface, separate control systems for the line drives, plus any stand-alone control systems and their user interfaces.
The Alcont system sends all control commands and target values to each line drive’s 'drive group' via the fieldbus. The actual control loops (speed and torque) are contained within each drive group itself. Among other things, the Alcont system takes care of the tensile stretch and pump controls.
On-the-spot values and status data from the line drives are relayed back through the fieldbus to the Alcont system, which then displays them on the user interface.
"The fieldbus is a technically simple method for connecting frequency converters and DC drives, because the data is directly read from, and written to, the parameters of the controller cards being controlled," says Tavia. The fieldbus data is presented as standard I/O data in the application’s I/O pins, so there is no need for separate programming. Honeywell-Measurex also believes that the fieldbus reduces cabling requirements and makes the hardware configuration easier. On top of that, the system offers cost savings compared to conventional solutions, which need a serial interface for the data transmissions and separate programs for the automation system and the line drives end.
| All your eggs in one basket
Controlling the whole of a paper mill’s operations with one automation system is no mean feat. But last year Siemens succeeded in doing just that on Lang’s new PM 5 at the Ettringen mill in Germany.
As part of a major investment project, Lang chose to install Siemens' Simatic PCS7 process control system on its SC and newsprint swing machine, which started up last year. Siemens claims that the system came on stream three weeks ahead of schedule, despite it being the first time that the supplier had used PCS7 for such a large and complex project.
According to the supplier, the main advantage of the automation technology is that it can not only be used to control all the mill’s processes, but also the drives and auxiliary equipment. On top of that, the mill’s data management, programming and communications use a standard configuration that allows the operators to have central access to all data. In fact, the system is based on standardized software and hardware throughout the mill and the data only has to be keyed into the system once.
Not only was the PM 5 project a large undertaking for the Siemens group, it was also the first time that the supplier had used 100 Mbit/s fast ethernet technology. The ability to switch facilities and higher data transfer rates led to an improvement in the system’s performance, according to the supplier. Data is received through an OPC standard industrial interface (OLE for process control). On top of these features, the system uses the SICLOCK TM electrical time distribution system, allowing for synchronized time with millisecond accuracy throughout the whole process.
Siemens was particularly pleased with the short time taken to get the system up and running as commissioning took a total of just eight weeks. Much of the time saving was a result of the system’s Simbasys feature and diagnostic functions. These simulation tools allowed the mill to test the equipment and train staff relatively quickly.
Elsewhere in the Siemens group, work is underway to improve the mill’s existing Millwide Information Management System (MIMS).
The Advanced Process Control Group of Siemens in Brussels, Belgium, is currently developing a new module to add to its MIMS. The Performance Module will allow mill-wide optimisation tests to be performed. The module will calculate the total quantity, quality and cost of production in real-time. These key performance indicators can then be combined to express the mill’s performance in one figure.
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Widening horizons
Clearly, automation suppliers have made much progress in the last few years and this review has touched on only a few of the major developments that suppliers have cooked up for the paper industry. It is also obvious from talking to automation suppliers' that their appetite for creating faster, more efficient tools is far from satisfied.
Papermakers should not be surprised to see even more open and standardized mill-wide automation systems appearing on suppliers’ product lists in the next few years. And who knows, some papermakers may even opt to buy these automation tools over the internet.
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