This client runs a bioenergy facility where food waste and other biosolids are converted into methane gas, which is either processed and returned to the grid as natural gas or burned to produce electricity. The organic byproduct of this process is then made into fertilizer and sold.
To better regulate and automate this conversion process, the client worked with a different firm to draft the initial design. They quickly realized the project’s scale and necessary technical expertise required a large team of Siemens experts. Therefore, they reached out to DMC because we are a Siemens Solution Partner and have extensive experience delivering Siemens PLC solutions to clients.
DMC performed an audit of the existing design and made necessary changes to the design features. While still offsite, two teams of engineers developed the PLC and SCADA aspects of this automation solution simultaneously. They leveraged the Siemens Open Library to modify existing code for necessary functionalities, thus saving our client development time and helping us stick to a fast project timeline.
Once the offline code was written, DMC worked onsite at the facility. The design was still fairly incomplete and in development, so much of the programming had to be done onsite. Our team also responded to dynamic changes in both process methods and hardware during this development and implementation process.
To supplement our custom code, DMC integrated various OEM vendor packers into the system to achieve the client’s required functionalities. We also performed functionality testing, I/O checkout, and network configuration to make sure everything ran smoothly.
Due to industry regulation compliance, data from the biosolid conversion process must be stored both onsite and offsite for five years. DMC utilized the SIMATIC Process Historian to accomplish this long-term data storage. Our custom and comprehensive solution provided our client with an automation system that not only supports their current needs, but can grow with them.
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