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Siemens SPPA-T3000 DCS – Revolutionizing Power Generation Siemens’ new intuitive system aims to increase power plant performance while creating a safer work environment.
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n the power generation industry, there are few things more important than ensuring that a power plant’s performance remains always steady and reliable, and power plants are heavily dependent on the efficiency of the people manning the plant operations. With the launch of the Siemens SPPA-T3000 Control System, a top-of-the-line automation solution, Siemens is paving the way for increasingly the performance of the operational personnel, thereby increasing the plant performance. The SPPA-T3000 Control System is created to perform essential power plant automation tasks: turbine control, boiler control including boiler protection, balance of plant (BoP) and integration of third party systems. It was also developed to maximize compatibility with all types of power plants, and is designed to work with generators and turbines from various manufacturers and with each OEM system. An intuitive system The SPPA-T3000 Cue, Siemens’ latest release of their worldwide power plant control system, has developed an operator centric program that allows operators to work more efficiently by providing them with a set of guidelines, or “cues,” for which the system is named. These cues are specifically designed to support plant operators in order to maintain a steady flow of operation, which in the long run leads to increased performance. Operators are much more efficient as well as less prone to errors thanks to the effectiveness of the cue system. “With the new release [of the SPPA-T3000 Cue], this intuitive system guides the operator in two aspects: one is for normal day-to-day operations where he is given
more information, and easier access to this information,” says Ajit Nambiar of Siemens in a video interview at Power Gen Asia 2015, stressing the importance of the cue system in improving the plant operation’s overall workflow. “The second is when there is a crisis or an emergency situation in the plant. [The system] gives him active support so he can take corrective actions.” The cues effectively serve as a guide to the operators by digesting and filtering the available information that is needed to keep the power plant running smoothly. Rather than using up valuable time analysing the thousands of sensors that monitor the plant’s various main components, the system allows the operators to focus on making necessary adjustments and corrections: timely responses that could be crucial in a crisis situation such as an imminent power outage or a disturbance caused by the weather. Because of the intuitive nature of the SPPA-T3000 Cue’s system, the operator’s workflow is greatly optimized, with an ergonomic interface that is customizable depending on the operator’s specific needs. The interface allows the operator to view all relevant and up-to-date power plant data at a touch of a button in an organized and userfriendly layout, easing up the stressful task of managing the plant’s day-to-day operations for those in the control room. With this, the occurrences of unplanned disruptions are greatly lessened as the system gives the operator overall control over the different units in the plant’s operation. It also creates gapless workflows even with shift
handovers, making the continuous plant operation more efficient as a whole. “The system is a very modern Java based system. It’s the first and only Java based system in this industry and this helps the users to utilize the latest trends in technology in operating the power plant,” says Nambiar of the technology behind the SPPA-T3000. “There is a diagnostic system which would ensure that the plant is running properly, and there is also a very advanced alarm management system,” he says, adding that the control system has a comprehensive list of features that are greatly beneficial to the . For instance, the integrated alarm management processes alarms by categorizing them according to importance – critical alarms receive high priority in the control room, unimportant ones are rerouted for archiving to be attended to later on. The cue system enables operators to easily find the root cause of a problem or disruption and provides information on how to resolve the issue, reducing reaction time and allowing operators to make informed decisions all at once. The ultimate goal of the SPPA-T3000 Control System is to make it possible for power plant performance to be greatly increased while at the same time creating a safer and more efficient work environment for the plant operators. With Siemens’ history in power generation and distribution, it is an option that should be considered by those in the power industry that are looking for a sustainable long-term solution in power plant efficiency.
“Siemens is paving the way for increasingly the performance of the operational personnel, thereby increasing the plant performance.” ASIAN POWER 9