What’s new at LSI – July 25, 2011

I don’t usually like to use the blog space for “bragging” or for “commercials,” but the last 3-6 months at LSI have been pretty exciting with bookings and with projects completed. I thought I would list some accomplishments that have come across my desk:

• Delivered a major system upgrade out of the Golden office (to RAVE reviews from the customer – I cannot stress enough how pleased the customer was) to a major beer producer that included:
  • Malt delivery system cutover from relay logic and Norpak controls to DeltaV in a 48 hour period
  • Cut over the Batch and Grind and Water Blending Systems in 7 days
  • Also performed a major PLC/HMI upgrade to the grain handling system that was on an original Allen Bradley PLC (i.e. predecessor to the PLC-2). LSI upgraded the system to Controllogix/Intellution
• Completed a Digester upgrade to a DeltaV DCS in a liner board paper mill. This effort was deemed a major success by all parties
• Completed a Drives and Motors upgrade on a liner board paper machine from DC drives and motors to AC liquid cooled drives and motors. LSI provided Installation engineering, checkout, mechanical installation support, and PLC programming support. LSI partnered with Rockwell Automation to give the client a major success
• Provided a 692 drawing IFC package in 6 weeks to a major utility to rave reviews, as here is the client’s words: “All I can say is: My hat off to all of you at LSI that made this level of detail in such short time period.  I still need some time to digest the material but what I can see is that this is world class work and I truly appreciate having you as a most valued team member for controls and instrumentation work we will see now and in the future.” And….. “You guys are all amazing and true professionals, you make my life a lot easier so thank you very much for all the good work you keep doing for us.”
  
• Completed a $700,000 panel (102 panels total) order for a pipe manufacturer that spanned both panel shops (Memphis and Rossville) with a design that was changing during the procurement and fabrication process as the client had an accelerated project schedule. This project was also done to rave reviews as I talked with the client last week and he stated to me that we did a heck of a job giving the challenges with the design and the short timeframe with which to build them (16 weeks to procure and fabricate all panels – over 2,000 man-hours). LSI also provided controlnet expertise during the panel checkout as the client’s local engineers had little experience with the technology.
  
• Booked a large order at a power plant in China that will involve integrating a Rockwell Automation Factorytalk View SE system to a Controllogix architecture
  
• Received the 2^nd order for DeltaV configuration effort in China at a chemical producer. A US based engineer will be travelling next month for support and commissioning of this project with our China team.
  
• Is executing a project that involves moving a candy making line from one plant to another out of our Rossville, GA office. The effort includes electrical design (panels, conduit and cable schedules, etc.), programming (Controllogix PLC‘s and Iconics HMI), and overall project management. This effort may lead to similar work in China.
  
• Booked a large order for an acrylic manufacturer for a DeltaV upgrade for their site in TX. This comes on the heels of years of successful work at their Memphis location.
  
• Our MQCS group (http://www.logicalsysinc.com/industries/69-refrigeration.html and http://logicalsysinc.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/lsi-helps-a-customer-move-operations-to-mexico/ ) has moved 4 air conditioner production lines to Mexico and is in the process of helping the customer move 3 more lines. One line was completely new equipment, while three have been a combination of existing and new equipment.
  
• Booked a boiler and steam production optimization study at a Memphis process plant, which could lead to major costs savings in steam production for the manufacturer.
  

The thing that is most striking is that most of these efforts were executed by multi office teams that comprised of engineers from more than one LSI offices, and in many cases, 3 LSI offices. It is truly a case of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” because LSI is getting the right people on the right job at the right time, irrespective of which office that the people are from. It is that cohesiveness that makes LSI very unique in the system integration world.

Eliminating the White Knuckle Ride of Startup: Simulation and Factory Acceptance Testing, Part II

 

In part I of this blog, the importance of having a good functional description was essential in developing a good simulation application, which then leads a good factory acceptance test. In this blog, the importance of simulation is discussed, along with simulation techniques.

Simulation of the software application is a critical step in any project in LSI’s view. The goal of simulation is to eliminate as much of the unknowns as possible before the most expensive phase of the project begins: startup and commissioning. As one of our customers puts it: “the goal is to eliminate the white knuckle ride of startup.” The other goal is to provide the right level of simulation to have a good factory acceptance test (FAT) or software acceptance test (SAT). The same LSI customer from above offers this perspective: “Simulation allows us to exercise all anomaly conditions of our process without real world damage.” Their application involves running gas compressors on a large pipeline. Emergency shutdowns can be catastrophic if not handled properly. Proper simulation allows for these conditions to be analyzed and taken care of before the control system is applied to the real world application.

A good simulation accomplishes things like:

• Confirms that interlocks are working properly
• Tests the sequences in the process or machine to make sure the steps are executing properly and that the proper transitions between steps are identified
• Confirms that any faceplates or pop-ups work correctly on the human-machine interface
• Any bugs in the code are detected and fixed
• Confirms the alarming strategy

Simulation techniques vary rather widely and the proper technique needs to be applied depending on project complexity and the project needs. As a user, you truly want maximum gain with minimum cost, so choosing the right technique is key. There are generally three types of simulation techniques applied and they are:

• Low Fidelity
• Medium Fidelity
• High Fidelity

In low fidelity simulations, simple “tiebacks” are used (i.e. when a valve is called to be opened, the open switch signal is triggered via a simple tie-back from the open output after a set time) and there is typically logic written in the control system to perform these “tiebacks.” Most of the time, these simulation routines in the PLC are removed after Factory Acceptance Testing. DCS systems often have a “simulation mode” built in. Many times it is up to the engineer doing the simulation to manually intervene to respond to process changes (i.e. if a pump that is filling a tank is called to run at a higher speed, then the tank level fills faster – there will have to be some interaction to make this happen). This technique is used for simple processes or machines where there is not a lot of loop tuning and loop interaction.

Medium fidelity simulation is much more process centric and takes things like mass balance, material balance, and heat balance into account. To continue with the example above, with the tank filling algorithm, a medium fidelity simulator would take into account that the pump is running faster and that the tank will consequently fill faster. This type of simulation is often used in process applications where flows, temperatures, and pressures need to be simulated, but the complex interactions that can take place between these variables does not need to be modeled. In medium fidelity simulation, it is not expected that loops will be tuned and loop tuning will need to be done at the time of commissioning.

High fidelity simulation is the most time consuming and cost intensive approach, but it can more than justify itself when doing a highly complex, integrated process. For instance, in simulating a power plant and its dynamic response to step changes in demand, it is critical to understand how the plant will react. The engineer and the operator would like to know what the impacts would be to steam flow, boiler drum levels, turbine speeds, etc. A high fidelity simulator literally simulates the entire plant and all of its interactions as it would happen in real time. The operator literally would see no difference in the simulated plant versus the real plant. Certain industries such as power and petrochemical require this level of simulation as it is critical to know how the processes will react together before the system goes live. It takes a lot of time and money to get the simulation completed in a high fidelity simulation. In industries like power and petrochemical, it is essential. In simple batch processes or machines, it is overkill.

The critical piece in all of this is to evaluate what makes sense for the application. LSI has used all of the techniques above. LSI writes a fair amount of simple tieback logic for simple batch processes and simple machine control. For medium fidelity simulation, LSI has used products like Mynah’s MiMiC (http://www.mynah.com/), Cape software (http://capesoftware.com/), and other products. For high fidelity simulations, LSI has used the above products, or has used more “home grown” systems from LSI’s partner company, Enero Solutions (http://enerosolutions.com/dynamic_simulation.php). (LSI and Enero partner together on steam optimization projects in power plants and cogeneration applications in plants like paper mills). During each project, it is imperative that LSI and the end customer evaluate the level of simulation required to streamline the startup and commissioning process.

More resources to understand simulation, how to apply simulation techniques, and what products are available can be found in the following locations:

http://www.mynah.com/content/understanding-simulation-fidelity

http://www.mynah.com/content/developing-medium-fidelity-dynamic-simulations

http://modelingandcontrol.com/

http://enerosolutions.com/dynamic_simulation.php

http://enerosolutions.com/simulation_steam.php

http://capesoftware.com/

http://www.mynah.com/

 

 

The importance of Simulation and Factory Acceptance Testing, Part I

I want to outline some critical steps in projects that many end users still overlook, and those are functional description definition, process simulation, and factory acceptance testing. I think that the value of a proper simulation and factory acceptance test are often overlooked by many end users when they are executing projects. However, over the years, LSI has found that proper simulation and factory acceptance testing is critical for many reasons within a project and they are not limited to the following:

• Reduced time on-site testing and troubleshooting software
• Faster start up
• Less end customer changes during startup
• Less stressful/smoother startup

In part I of this blog, we will discuss the first step in having a good simulation and factory acceptance test, and that is having a good process/functional definition. Certainly, the first component to have a good simulation and factory acceptance test is to agree on how the process works and what the end user wants to accomplish during the project. The key is to document the process and how the operator will interact with the process on the front end so that clear expectations are set and so that the software can be written as efficiently as possible. This is true of a new process or of one that is undergoing a major retrofit. I can think of two examples of where the process is existing, but where the process definition and functional specification process has been or will be critical to the success of the project. One of those is a process in a steel mill that has not changed for many years and is almost all discrete functions. The other is a feed mill that has become heavily batch oriented in which the process has changed drastically since the plant’s inception. In the first case, the code was written by the OEM in such a way that made it difficult to troubleshoot. As a matter of fact, this customer states regarding the importance of a good functional description: “Changes and improvements that have been performed on various operating systems (fluid, pneumatic, electrical, control, etc…) will impact how the original system function has changed.  In order to properly prepare for project development and implementation, you must ensure that all impact and aspects are included.  The functional description is a necessity in order to ensure all parties involved understand and agree how the system will operate.“

In the latter project, 7 different programmers have touched the code and have had 7 different ideas on how to accomplish things. There is code in the PLC that is simply “dead” and does nothing at all. In both cases, the end customer wants a readable, functional, and expandable set of code in the end. The processes are vastly different, the PLC brands are different, but what is constant is that both have agreed that defining what the process does and how the code will look is a critical step in the project. From the end user standpoint, they will gain the following benefits:

• They will be absolutely positive how each and every part of the process functions and how the software was written
• The maintenance and operations staffs will get exactly what they want because it is well defined
• They will have an operator training manual for training new maintenance and operations personnel

LSI has used many techniques to document processes, from flow charts, logic diagrams, HMI screen samples, and in some cases, just a plain description of the process with words. At certain times, our end users have a format that they would like us to follow, and in other cases, there is not a predefined format to follow. The most successful way to document a process and how the operator will interact with the process through the HMI is to be as graphical as possible. For that, logic diagrams and flow charts (we have even pasted sample Sequential Function Chart code from the proposed PLC program in the document as a flow chart) are extremely useful. The most important thing is that a customer can understand what is being conveyed very easily, and this is best done by producing something graphical in nature. Another benefit of this approach is given by Nick Riggio, LSI’s Golden, CO branch manager: “[taking the graphical approach above] allows for the customer and us to have code reviews along the way. They actually get to see what their code will look like in the end and comment on it during the project.” Nick also states the following: From a technical standpoint, we have to detail all of the interlocks, permissives, etc. in the process. We can also drive out any anomalies that affect the system as well. The customer will end up with more organized, robust, and easier to troubleshoot code.”

In part II of this blog, I will discuss simulation techniques and why simulation is important; and in part III I will discuss what an end customer can gain out of a good factory acceptance test.

First video blog

 LSI’s first video blog – as a test.

LSI’s services may qualify for a tax credit

Recently, our CFO sent an internal email request about hours spent on a few “products” that LSI produces, as these hours may qualify for a tax credit. He also informed me that our customers also could receive a tax credit for hours that LSI has spent on their projects. So, below, I am giving a very simple, maybe even over-simplified, overview on how this tax credit could apply to a manufacturing company.

The credit itself is called the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit and was enacted in 1981 and it allows companies that perform technological research to get a write off on their taxes on researcher’s wages, their supplies, and a portion of subcontractor labor (up to 65%), as long as the work is performed in the U.S. This tax credit was reinstated for the 14^th time since 1981 on December 17, 2010 as part of H.R. 4853, the “Tax relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act.”

Basically, there are four criteria, which I will summarize below:

1. Permitted Purpose
2. Elimination of Uncertainty
3. Technical in Nature
4. Process of Experimentation

You can read a summary about each of these criteria at a CPA website here. Also, here is a case study about how improving a manufacturing process may qualify for this tax credit. What this means is that if your company has engaged in activity where research and development was done to improve a product or manufacturing process, then you may qualify for the tax credit. This could include the work completed by LSI or other outside contractors. The key is to have a well documented case, and to have accounting principles in place that allow these R&D costs to be tracked and documented easily. The burden of proof is on the tax payer, therefore, you should contact your tax professional to investigate if and how this tax credit can be applied to work in your facility or facilities within the last year.

Useful links on the subject matter (all were used in the information provided above) are below:

Article on the irs.gov website

Article on inc.com

Article from R&D Magazine

More Information #1

More Information #2

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LSI Sponsors IEEE Student-Professional Awareness Conference

LSI strongly believes that we in industry are all responsible for training our next generation of technical talent.

It is no secret that America has lost manufacturing jobs, nor is it a secret that the amount of engineers entering the manufacturing sector has dwindled. In several discussions I have had with local universities, even the engineering disciplines have seen a reduction in enrollees over the last 20 years. We must all work to change this and to make America a leading producer of engineers and to continue to be innovative.

America is still strong in manufacturing, much to many people’s surprise, but we have to be smart about what we produce and we have to use automation to lower costs of manufactured goods and to make better quality products. China and Mexico have taken much of the labor intensive, low cost manufacturing jobs. However, America still outpaces them both in manufacturing output in raw dollars because we are still able to produce higher dollar products much more efficiently and at a better quality. This trend needs to not only continue, but accelerate. Helping schools draw more engineering talent into their programs, and getting more top talent into manufacturing will help us as a country achieve this. LSI is investigating more and better ways to work with the local universities to help in this manner and this conference is one step in this process.

Please join us in the sponsoring of this event. You can find out more details and sign up here:

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers( IEEE) – Professional Awareness Conference

LSI helps a customer move operations to Mexico

Background

Many people do not realize that LSI works prevalently in quality control systems for the air conditioning and refrigeration business; nor do people realize that LSI has significant mechanical design and mechanical installation management capability. This blog highlights how these two groups of engineers worked with a customer to move manufacturing capacity from one site to another.

LSI has been working with a major air conditioning manufacturer for many years in doing manufacturing quality control systems and had used LSI’s” MQCS” product in many applications. You can learn more about MQCS here. This manufacturer is moving some manufacturing from a current US site to a site in Mexico and asked LSI for assistance. LSI had already built charge equipment and implemented MQCS software for the US plant.

Challenges

There were 4 production lines running in the US and since the company didn’t want to shut down one of these lines, a new line would need to be designed and delivered to the Mexico site. The idea was to have one line up and running in Mexico, then move the other lines as needed, so that no manufacturing capacity was lost. The challenges were many:

• Coordination between US and Mexico based engineering and quality control departments
• Old Run test procedures had been developed in a Dbase III format and needed to be migrated to SQL as efficiently as possible
• The manufacturing capacity needed to be increased to satisfy some more stringent requirements and additional test procedures
• The manufacturing capacity and extra run test stations needed to fit in the same or smaller footprint than the lines in the US
• The schedule was tight and the end user’s engineering resources were limited to complete the project in the time allotted

Solution:

LSI performed the following tasks for the project to solve the challenges outlined above:

• Developed an import utility for the old Dbase III database that allowed LSI and the end customer retain all of their current test procedures. No re-development was necessary for the legacy products and test procedures associated with them
• LSI built 5 new refrigerant charge stations, along with 5 auto run test stations for the new line
• LSI redesigned the framing structure to allow the product to be rotated and have multiple operations performed at the same station which allowed for more capacity in a smaller physical footprint
• LSI designed and built these stations in a modular format so that they could be easily reassembled in the plant, once the stations were built and shop tested. This allowed for a faster installation/commissioning time
• Customized the MQCS software for both the US and Mexico site to accommodate the new testing requirements

Lessons Learned/Conclusions:

LSI was able to perform this project ahead of schedule and under budget. The customer actually was able to make a pilot run on this line in 80% of the time allotted and the line is scheduled to be online sooner than expected. The customer has committed to further work with LSI as a result of this successful project, which includes the 4 additional lines’ relocation to Mexico and the interface of the MQCS software to SAP; which is being rolled out in multiple locations.

MQCS panels as installed

MQCS panel, with the software up and running

 

You can always catch the latest news about LSI, as well as other updates LSI has published recently here: http://www.logicalsysinc.com/latest-news.