Trap Rock and Granite Quarry Solution

PlantPAx Solution

Tri Tech Automation was the main automation contractor to deliver a greenfield quarry site aimed at delivering over 4,000,000.00 tons of varying aggregates annually to the market. This production area is just over a mile wide and located on over 1,500 acres total. Tri Tech Automation was responsible for design and delivering all controls, power control, network infrastructure, IT infrastructure, reporting, visualization, safety, and instrumentation.

With a project of this size your controls decision really comes down to three things:

  1. Risk: How probably is it that your project will get done?
  2. Support: When I need help, who am I going to get it from?
  3. Scalability: When I am ready to grow, how easy is that going to be?

Looking at a project through this lens helps eliminate some of the monotony of focusing on brand names of equipment and capital expenditure and focuses on what customers really care about: having a plant that is effective to run, easy to support, and able to be scaled. We walked the customer down the path of a PlantPAx solution from Rockwell Automation to solve all of these challenges. Rockwell Automation offers a fully characterized control system which means we can simulate the system before engineering even starts and verify it is going to perform. This is done via the PlantPAx estimator that is used to size the system based on variables specific to the system. This along with other standard and “off the shelf” features helped drive down the risk during the execution phase. The supportability of this system is also second to none. The PlantPAx system is very well documented and open for all to leverage. This along with the large inventory base that Rockwell and their partners carry make this a site that is set up for operational success. Lastly the site/code is architected in a very modular and repeatable fashion. When it’s time to grow it is mostly just copy and paste. Getting a standardized solution and leveraging good design and delivery practices has this quarry set up for success.

The scope can be broken down to the following areas: Network Architecture, Power Controls, Controls, HMI, IT Infrastructure and Commissioning.

Network Architecture/Design:

Design of a robust network leveraging redundant REP rings and managed switches made for a robust network for Ethernet control. Redundant fiber based rings each rated at Gig speed at all distribution points make for the backbone of this distributed, Ethernet controlled site. By utilizing Stratix switches we were also able to integrate to network as a part of an overall control strategy of a smart system that is proactive in detecting problems. Leveraging the Stratix Faceplate’s and Premier Integration we can get detailed information directly on the HMI for monitoring, reviewing, and troubleshooting. Managed switches also allowed for Quality of Service (QoS) to be leveraged for safety over Ethernet deployment.

  • 28 Managed Switches Redundant REP Ring, Safety Over Ethernet, QoS.
  • Stratix Faceplates and Premier Integration

Power Control:

The project had 176 motor loads for a total load of approximately 12,000HP rated at 480VAC and 4160VAC. Large Power Control Packages, Drive Systems, MCC’s, and Custom Soft Starters were all a part of our deliverables. Custom Engineered MCC’s from Tri Tech Automation allowed for the customer to leverage their corporate wiring standard convention while utilizing the latest features of Rockwell’s Power Control. Smart Overloads and VFD’s allow for advance control and diagnostics

PLC
HMI
Proactive Features
28 Managed Switches Redundant REP Ring, Safety Over Ethernet, QoS.
176 Motors
12,000 HP, LV, MV, ranging from 2HP to 800HP, Load Sharing
Distributed Safety
2,000.00 Tons per Hour
Almost 1 Mile Side to Side
Electrical Design: 750 drawings
Controls Design
Programming
Network Design: Physical Media, Network, VLAN’s, Etc
Server Infrastructure
Thin Clients
Historian/Reporting

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