Biofine Renewables Enhances Productivity And Safety With Siemens PCS 7 Process Control
ATLANTA -- Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a contract from Biofine Renewables, Waltham, Mass., to standardize its plant in Gorham, Maine, on the SIMATIC® PCS 7 process control system. Biofine Renewables selected the process control system to improve the productivity of its start-up and shut-down processes and enhance worker safety. The contract amount was not disclosed.
A leader in research and development, Biofine Renewables converts cellulosic biomass feedstock into levulinic acid used in a variety of chemicals and fuels. Steve Fitzpatrick, president of Biofine Renewables, says the PCS 7 process control system plays an important role helping the company commercially develop patents for converting the cellulose in a variety of materials into biochemicals and biofuels.
The control system, which will be installed by system integrator Optimation Technology, Inc., a Siemens Solution Partner, includes redundant dual screen operator stations communicating over Industrial Ethernet to the control processor. The PCS 7 system utilizes a PROFIBUS fieldbus network to communicate to Siemens variable frequency drives and I/O modules.
“We had great improvements in productivity and safety with the PCS 7 system at our plant in Italy and transferred much of that technology to our Gorham facility,” Fitzpatrick says. “The graphics are intuitive and the trending and alarm functions are very good. The customer service support from Optimation has been impressive as well.”
Operators at the Gorham plant monitor the thermochemical process in real time on a PCS 7 OS human machine interface. Sequential PCS 7 function charts are used to smooth start-up and shutdown sequences. A custom interlock logic function provides interlock status visualization and allows engineers to control overrides for enhanced safety.
“Biofine Renewables is spearheading important research and development work that is invaluable in forming new chemical and fuel technologies,” says David Hankins, vice president, Siemens Chemical & Pharmaceutical Center of Competence. “Siemens is a leader in research and development as well, and we are committed to helping the company shorten production times, reduce costs, and minimize risks with our proven biofuels control technology.”
About Siemens
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens' operating companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world's broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. For more information:
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Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions. With nearly 400,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide sales of $96.6 billion in fiscal 2007. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA reported sales of $19.8 billion and employs approximately 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit
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