Challenge
The control of the technical systems of a large transport infrastructure facility – power supply, cooling and ventilation – had to be renewed while traffic kept running. A failure of these systems would have brought traffic to a standstill within a short time.
Solution
On behalf of a transport technology group, a five-person Novotec team of WinCC OA and PLC developers took on the software: analysis, concept, design, implementation and commissioning. A software generator produced large parts of the control programs. A simulation of the system and automated tests revealed errors before any conversion work took place on site.
Result
More than 100 controllers were migrated step by step without traffic ever having to be interrupted. Each controller went into operation only after a complete test.
Background
A transport technology group renewed the control of the technical systems in a large transport infrastructure facility: the power supply and the cooling and ventilation systems in the technical rooms. This included the PLC hardware, the control system computers, the integration of the control computers and the associated software.
The controllers are spread across many technical rooms at several sites, some of which are difficult to access. Every on-site deployment therefore had to be right first time. Novotec rebuilt the system as a simulation, with virtual and real controllers, and tested each controller first in the lab and in factory tests with the client.
The facility remained in operation throughout the migration. The control logic is designed to keep the systems running as long as possible even in the event of a fault. The conversion was planned so that work could have been paused at any time without restricting operations.
Our services
- Analysis of the existing control system
- New PLC hardware and software concept for the entire system
- Building a PLC software generator, together with a C# developer
- Screens and functions for the redundant control computers in WinCC OA
- Programming the components to specification and integrating the control computers
- Implementing the protocols: OPC UA to the higher-level control system, S7 to the PLC level
- System simulation using virtual and real controllers
- Factory tests of the room controls together with the client
- On-site commissioning, instructing the electricians and data point tests
- Monitoring and optimising the system
Technology used
Programming was done in TIA Portal in multi-user mode, with testing in a simulation of the system. Siemens S7 controllers were used, with redundant units at critical points. The control computers were visualised and programmed with WinCC OA; communication runs via OPC UA.