Location: Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania
Industry: Extractive industry and building materials
Project value: EUR 1.6 Million
Solution: Integrated turnkey system (detailed electrical engineering, distribution panel manufacturing, PLC/SCADA software architecture, on-site installation, testing, and commissioning)
1. Context and technical requirements
Within the client’s production facility, the thermal process in the calcination kilns utilized a mixed fuel regime based on natural gas and shredded waste fraction. To align with industrial energy efficiency standards, a complete technological conversion of the feeding and combustion line to plant biomass (shredded wood and agricultural waste) was required.
Constraints and requirements:
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Transitioning from natural gas and waste to shredded plant biomass required reconfiguring the kilns’ feeding and combustion systems.
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Replacing field instrumentation involved operating with electric motors of varying power ratings, requiring electrical panels adapted to the new technological specifications.
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Connecting and integrating the new motors and valves into the centralized control system to ensure a stable technological flow.
2. Project objective
Implementing a comprehensive engineering, execution, and automation package for controlling and monitoring the biomass combustion process, including:
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Electrical engineering for the entire infrastructure;
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Developing dedicated control software;
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Manufacturing the new electrical panels;
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Connecting field instrumentation (motors, valves);
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Executing on-site installation;
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Testing, commissioning, and specialized technical support.
3. Solution architecture
The technical solution consisted of replacing existing electrical panels with equipment sized for the new technology and developing the corresponding control logic.
Key equipment:
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Control: Siemens industrial programmable logic controllers (PLC) (requested by the client);
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Drives: Siemens SINAMICS G120 variable frequency drives;
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Switchgear: Eaton low-voltage electrical switchgear;
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Rittal industrial panels and enclosures;
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Lapp Kabel industrial cables.
Integration and automation:
- Establishing connections for variable-power motors and process valves across the plant;
- Developing the control software application to manage the biomass flow and incorporate modern safety standards.
4. Integrated technical services package
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Electrical Engineering
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Elaborating complete technical documentation required to adapt the electrical infrastructure to the new biomass operating technology.
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Electrical Panel Manufacturing
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Assembling and equipping Rittal industrial electrical panels and enclosures, integrating Eaton low-voltage switchgear and Siemens SINAMICS G120 variable frequency drives.
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Software Development
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Programming the dedicated control application on the Siemens PLC platform, configured to handle the facility’s new operating logic.
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On-Site Installation
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Executing on-site installation work and performing all electrical terminations to field instrumentation, including valves and motors with varying power stages.
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Commissioning
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Providing specialized technical support during start-up, functional verification of all connections, and system calibration until reaching standard operating parameters.
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5. Impact and results
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- Industrial Decarbonization
- Transitioning to a carbon-neutral renewable thermal energy source, reducing the emission footprint associated with natural gas combustion.
- OPEX Efficiency
- Decreasing the specific cost per gigacalorie consumed by energetically utilizing local plant biomass.
- Hardware Reliability
- Infrastructure built on Tier-1 equipment (Siemens, Eaton, Rittal) ensures a high Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and readily available spare parts.
- Operational Safety
- Integrated hardware and software safety functions prevent abnormal operating conditions and protect operational personnel.
- Industrial Decarbonization
