Solids control in drilling

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Crane performs electronic acrobatics!

A crane control refurbishment project at Clydeport’s Hunterston terminal (GB) relies on Parker SSD AC890 series system drives to deliver pinpoint control in the unloading of coal from vessels. The massive crane can lift up to 36 tonnes of coal in a single grab, allowing loads to be deposited reliably and accurately into the dockside hopper, even in inclement Scottish weather and winds of 40mph or more.

Clydeport operates Scotland’s main west coast ports, with Hunterston located on the Clyde Estuary in North Ayrshire providing a world class bulk coal facility. Hunterston has the natural advantage of having one of the deepest sea entrance channels in northern Europe; does not have to be dredged on an annual basis, and is flexible enough to cope with even the largest vessels afloat – up to 350,000 tonnes.

Formerly known as the Hunterston Ore Terminal, the facility was built on reclaimed land in the late 1970s by the former British Steel Corporation to land iron ore and coal, the raw materials for the Ravenscraig Steel Plant (Motherwell). Ravenscraig closed in 1992 and the terminal was bought by the Glasgow-based Clydeport port management company to handle coal.

The long travel dockside crane at Hunterston is one of the largest in Britain, but at over 30 years old its control system was beginning to show its age. Relying on mechanical brakes and thruster brakes, operation could be a nerve wracking business in the typically challenging weather conditions. In addition, mechanical wear and damage were ongoing problems, with the squaring of wheels and worn out tracks. Modern ports demand absolute efficiency, and demurrage – the compensation paid to the owner of a vessel which has been delayed in port beyond the agreed time – can be considerable.

To inject a new lease of life into the crane, Clydeport decided on a major refurbishment of the control system, and put the project out to tender. Among the keys to success would be the ability to integrate seamlessly with the existing Ward Leonard field control system, and to provide regenerative braking with an active front end (AFE) tied to the dock power supply. The former would maintain Clydeport’s own engineering personnel’s familiarity with the system, giving them increased confidence, while the latter would be key to increased control and energy efficiency.

The tender was won by Stockport based system integrator T&M Machine Tools, with owner Tom Yates developing a control system built around Parker SSD AC890 series drives with AFE technology for regenerative braking. Yates comments: “AC drives normally dissipate braking energy by using dynamic braking resistors. However, crane applications can operate much more efficiently with an active front end. Here the drives are on a common DC bus where the overall system shares the line’s energy, with the active front end providing a clean, efficient method to regenerate the drive’s braking energy directly back into the line as required.”
Each of the crane’s legs has four 37kW motors. The control solution developed by Yates divides these into eight paired sets, each under the control of an AC890 drive.

The control panel itself was built for Yates by the systems department at Parker SSD’s Littlehampton facility, which also provided full engineering support for the wider upgrade project. Yates worked closely with Parker SSD to develop the AFE regenerative braking system, with the full regenerative operation giving the crane drivers pinpoint joystick control of the traverse movement of this massive crane. “The AFE regenerative braking allows a lot of energy to be dissipated very quickly, giving very accurate control even in heavy winds,” says Yates.

The crane can lift up to 36 tonnes of coal in a single grab, raising it 100ft or more out of the vessel and into a dockside hopper, which feeds the coal onto a conveyor system away from the dockside. In a business where speed is critical if demurrage is to be avoided, the Hunterston terminal boats unload at speeds of over 2000 tonnes per hour, ensuring a quick turnaround for carriers. “The operators find the refurbished crane much easier to drive, which gives them a lot more confidence, and so helps to boost unloading efficiency. They can drive the crane faster, confident that they have pinpoint accuracy of traverse movement. Even in high winds, the crane can perform electronic acrobatics,” says Yates. “Also, mechanical wear is significantly reduced, so maintenance requirements are simplified, and further potential for demurrage is eliminated.”

Testament to the success of the upgrade is the fact that T&M Machine Tools has been awarded the contract for a second crane. “This is another job where I shall definitely be working with Parker SSD,” says Yates. “The products are extremely capable, and the engineering support from Littlehampton is excellent.”

Improved electric grid in Chile

AES Energy Storage has commissioned a 12MW frequency regulation and spinning reserve project at AES’ Los Andes substation in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Combining an inverter and control system provided by the SSD Drives Division of Parker Hannifin with a lithium ion battery system from A123 Systems, the project will improve the reliability of the electric grid in Northern Chile.

System operators need effective frequency regulation and spinning reserve to help them manage fluctuations in demand for power. One of the biggest challenges in electric grid management is that the amount of power generated and the amount consumed must be in exact balance at all times. When imbalances occur, the frequency of electricity (50/60Hz) required by users is not maintained, resulting in grid instability. Effective frequency regulation keeps the grid in balance.

Alongside frequency regulation, the spinning reserve is the extra generating capacity available immediately to meet peaks in demand or to cope with disruptions in supply such as when a generator goes down.

The newly commissioned Los Andes substation combines Parker SSD inverter drives in the power conversion section with lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, all housed in climate controlled containers. Alternating containers of batteries and inverters make up the total 12MW system, with each inverter container housing 2MW of capacity. The system represents the largest of several projects that have used Parker Hannifin power conversion equipment in utility scale installations.

The technology delivers frequency regulation in a less expensive, more responsive and more accurate method than either the traditional alternatives of pumped hydro and compressed air, or the emerging flywheel energy storage technology which is being trialed for electricity grid applications. The solid state system installed at Los Andes offers the advantages of high efficiency, high speed of response and minimal maintenance. In addition, because the project frees up spinning reserve and replaces unpaid reserve from the power plant, AES can receive payment for its full output capacity by selling directly to the national grid.

The project was officially put into commercial operation on 16 November 2009, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that included Marcelo Tokman, Chilean Minister of Energy. And further upgrades are planned for other substations: a 20MW power station upgrade in 2010 will free up 5-10% spinning reserve to be sold to the national grid, while a 100MW upgrade within the next three years will free up a further 5-10% spinning reserve to be sold to the grid and provide connection of regional grid power systems in Northern, Central and Southern Chile.

This is Parker’s first project with AES Energy Storage outside the U.S. and is also the first lithium-ion battery system to be deployed to the electric grid in Chile. In 2008 a Parker SSD system was used on a 1 MW Ancillary Services unit in the Northeast. Earlier this year a system was provided for a 2 MW Hybrid-APU at one of AES’ Southern California power plants to help meet reserve requirements.

Free drive configuration software enhanced with new features

Parker Hannifin, has released a new version of its cross-platform drive configuration package Drive System Explorer (DSE) Lite. Available as a free download, DSELite version 2.11 incorporates several new features and added support for the company’s newly introduced AC650S series compact sensorless AC drive for permanent magnet motor applications.

DSELite is an easy to use, block programming tool, with an intuitive user interface, for the configuration and commissioning of the company’s full range of AC and DC drives. In addition to supporting user defined configurations, it offers real time monitoring and charting. An online help function is available for the various drive function blocks.

In addition to support for the AC650S, new features in version 2.11 include the ability to perform online updates from within DSELite itself. The software includes an installation of the latest AC890 firmware, enabling users to take advantage of updated options boards and communications functions. Version 2.11 also offers improved download speeds for AC890 firmware.

DSELite 2.11 works under Windows 98, Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems. It can be used with all current Parker SSD Drives products, as well as several legacy products.

BA simulators energy consumption

The latest variable speed drive technology from Parker Hannifin, the global leader in motion and control technologies, is being used by British Airways (BA) to improve the efficiency and reliability of its flight cabin simulators. By enabling the simulators’ hydraulic control systems to be powered only when needed, the drives are cutting energy consumption by 95%, in addition to extending maintenance intervals and service life considerably.

The two British Airways flight cabin simulators, one based on a Boeing 737 and the other a 747 passenger cabin, are used by the airline for essential cabin crew training. The ability to simulate various incidents allows trainee crews to practice safety procedures and emergency drills in a realistic setting, preparing them for real life situations. With thousands of crew members training each year, the simulators are in high demand, making it essential they are available for use 24/7.

The cabin area in each of the simulators is a life-size representation of a section of a real aircraft, complete with seats, overhead lockers, and all other fixtures and fittings. The 747 simulator is static, with doors that are hydraulically operated in exactly the same way as on a real aircraft. In addition to hydraulic doors, the 737 version is mounted on a large hydraulic rig, which controls the rise, tilt, and shake of the simulator. This system can move the cabin forwards, backwards and side to side, simulating flight conditions, such as turbulence.

Both simulators are controlled from a single hydraulic control system located in a small external plant room, with the power output typically split 30% to the 747 rig and 70% to the 737 if both are in use simultaneously. Previously, two separate pumps and motors in the hydraulics system had to be constantly run at 100% speed, leading to high energy costs and significant wear and tear on the system. To remedy this problem, BA approached Parker SSD for a more efficient solution.

Parker worked closely with BA and Trend Control Systems to modify the hydraulic system using the latest drive and control technology. The improved system combined a Parker AC variable speed drive with a Trend controller and Parker accumulators and valves. This set up would allow the hydraulic system to be driven only when needed, and therefore reduce energy consumption considerably.

The Parker SSD 650v AC drive was ideal for the application as it offered a flexible, easy to use solution that would provide dependable performance over a long service life, and therefore maximise the return on BA’s investment. The drive makes setting up complex open-loop AC motor control systems simple and fast, with pre-programmed options and a user-friendly interface. Additionally, the compact dimensions of the unit would allow BA to make the most efficient use of space in the simulation area.

Once installed, the new system had a noticeable effect on energy consumption. Dennis Doody, Senior Engineering Technician for BA, commented, “We are very impressed with the new hydraulic control system for our simulators. The combination of the Parker SSD drive and the Trend Controller have allowed us to use the system in a much more efficient way, cutting overall energy costs by as much as 95%, from 360kW/day to just 21kW/day. As the operating conditions are now much more stable, and the system isn’t being driven flat out all the time, we are seeing a reduction in the need for maintenance, which is lowering our costs still further. “Aside from the money saving implications, we’re really happy that we’ve managed to cut the environmental impact of the simulators. They are a vital part of our training processes and essential to our ability to safeguard passenger safety, but we want to make sure we’re using them in the most efficient way. The new hydraulic drive and control system has enabled us to meet our economic objectives in line with our company-wide sustainability goals. We’re very happy with the outcome and feel sure we made the right decision choosing Parker as our partner on the project.”