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Safe control and signal transmission for the automated whiskey distillery
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The rugged beauty of the Highlands with its fabled lakes and castles, the picturesque old town of Edinburgh and its unique tradition of bagpipes and kilts - this is Scotland. Connoisseurs and connoisseurs think of Scotland's world-famous single malt. Pepperl + Fuchs helps ensure efficient process control in the production of liquid gold, which is offered in an increasingly diversified manner.
For connoisseurs and connoisseurs, the world-famous single malt comes to mind in Scotland. The world's most famous whiskey distilleries are located in the north of the small country. Where the fog in the valleys mix with the salty sea air and the spicy steam of malted barley, the famous Scotch whiskey is created. For centuries, the noble drop has been produced in Scotland and it takes years or even decades before the whiskey has matured in large oak barrels and has developed its unmistakable flavor.
The modern whiskey distillery
Scotland is considered the largest whiskey producer in the world. Many of the still existing and world-famous distilleries have already been included in 18. Founded Century. Today, they have become partly large corporations that have mastered the production of well-known whiskey brands and have long since relied on modern systems. In order to achieve the enormous production volumes and at the same time meet the high demands of diversification or specialization on high-quality whiskey varieties, a sophisticated and secure process control is required. Before the exclusive drink is bottled for maturation in the wooden barrels, where it can fully develop its spicy, smoky, floral or fruity aromas, the selected raw materials must be processed precisely and safely.
The basic ingredients of each whiskey - grain, water and yeast - are malted, crushed, mashed, fermented and distilled. The manufacturing process involves a series of operations in which potentially explosive atmospheres prevail. "Dust and gases escaping from the mills, mash tuns and stills can create a potentially explosive atmosphere in the buildings. As a result, most of these areas are classified as Zone 2, "says Steve Dickinson, Technical Sales Support Manager at Pepperl + Fuchs GB Ltd, adding," That's why there's provision for ignition protection in these facilities. "This also requires distillery automation systems comply with the current regulations for hazardous areas. Recently, an internationally renowned Scottish whiskey manufacturer, in addition to measuring technology, also renewed its control and signal transmission systems to precisely monitor the field devices and valves used in the distillery and ensure accurate signal transmission.
Digital precision in measurement and data transmission
In order to guarantee a consistently high quality in the processing of raw materials, exact measurement and data transmission become the decisive premise. Depending on the size of the distillery and the number of stills, up to 200 control valves may be necessary for the distillation. When it comes to redirecting control commands to the valves, the renowned whiskey manufacturer relies on the automation company's “Remote I / O System LB”, which is certified for Zone 2 and connects sensors and actuators to the controller via Profibus DP.
"The remote I/O system is a modular system for signal conditioning between field devices in hazardous areas and the controllers or the control system," explains Steve Dickinson. Thanks to remote I/O, the advantages of traditional technology are perfectly combined with those of advanced technologies. “This played a significant role in the modernization of the traditional distillery, because the entire existing fieldbustechnology can be retained and connected to the bus technology of the new control system via the remote I/O system,” adds Sandy Glidden, Area Sales Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs GB Ltd. The LB system for zone 2 convinces through the use of intrinsically safe and non-intrinsically safe circuits as well as a combination of different types of explosion protection.
Safe monitoring of field devices
Profibus PA is used in the whiskey distillery for all measuring field devices such as level, pressure, flow and temperature. The exact digital transmission of Profibus PA with Field Connex field bus technology meets the requirements for precise measurement and signal transmission. "From the control room, Field Connex Prodibus Power Hubs provide the segment protectors in the field," says Andreas Hennecke, product marketing manager for fieldbus systems at Pepperl + Fuchs, explaining, "This reduces wiring costs while simplifying access to diagnostic information." Configuration is done using GSD files so that all measurements in the control room can be displayed with digital precision.
Via Profibus PA, remote configuration, alarms and diagnostics data are transmitted from field devices to the maintenance system, allowing proactive intervention in the event of declining system performance. "To prevent a flood of information or alarms, the data is distributed in two ways," says Dickinson. The plant operator of the whiskey distillery only receives the measured values and a collective alarm if there is a fault; Maintenance technicians and personnel, on the other hand, have full access to all other data. "This allows them to keep the plant's processes up and running at a high performance level," says Glidden.
Two technologies cleverly combined
Profibus Power Hubs in the control room connect and supply field devices via Profibus PA. Prior to using remote I / O in stainless steel housings, the valves were operated via PLC cards with point-to-point wiring. "By using the LB system in Zone 2, the wiring and installation effort of the whiskey manufacturer has been significantly reduced, which means that the controller takes up less space," explains Hennecke. Integrated LEDs provide an instant overview of each channel and simplify maintenance.
With the support of Pepperl + Fuchs' technical support, both commissioning and setup were uncomplicated, saving time and resources. "In addition, the operator of the Scottish distillery appreciates the remote access to the configuration and diagnostic data of the metrology," said Dickinson. "For the senior process engineer at the whiskey distillery, the use of Profibus DP, Profibus PA and the digital infrastructure of Pepperl + Fuchs has proven to be a cost-effective method. This allows maintenance and repairs to be minimized while meeting the high production level requirements, "adds Glidden.