DeltaV digital automation system's scalability allows
incremental boiler changeover at Penn State
Penn State University, (Centre County, PA) could no longer
support the aging equipment controlling its four-boiler power
generation system. A particular problem was the vibrating
grate stoker operation, which the University had run with
solid state controllers using dip switches for adjustment.
The college looked for a cost-effective solution that would
not only remedy the stoker operation problem, but could also
grow into a plant-wide system.
Equipment & Controls (E&C) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
replaced the old system with a single-controller DeltaV system
to run the vibrating grate stoker sequence for all 4 boilers.
With the completion of this phase of the changeover, operators
reported increased operating accuracy, greater operator awareness,
and increased operational confidence.
Penn State also replaced the single throat gas/oil burners
with a new, gas-only design manufactured by Coen of California.
The University decided to extend the DeltaV control system
to include the Burner Management (safety shutdown sequence)
and Combustion Control (parallel positioning) systems. Equipment
& Controls designed a first out sequence for the DeltaV
system using Coen's safety shutdown process. The company installed
a dedicated controller per boiler, along with other necessary
hardware to meet National Fire Protection Association guidelines
and Factory Mutual insurance approval. E&C also added
a controller for performing combustion control on the four
boilers.
University power plant operators use the new information
on I/O diagnostics, and cause of flame-out at the burner --
information not previously available with the solid state
burner management system. This has greatly increased the system's
reliability.
Says E&C's Phil Szajnuk, "In general, everyone is
supportive of the system."
"We're working toward complete DeltaV system plant control,
including fieldbus," says Penn State's utility systems engineer
Bill Serencsits, "We're working toward getting one of
our additional plants converted this summer, and then we'll
start with the coal boiler in the main plant." Serencsits
adds, "The system's scalability allows us to proceed
over the course of a few years as budgets allow."
The changeover will also free up limited space in the facility's
control room. Notes Serencsits, "When we replace the
pneumatic control panels with fieldbus twisted pair wiring
and DeltaV PC-based workstations, we'll gain a lot of control
room space."
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