PLC: A TOOL FOR OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS, PROCESS

SAFETY AND QUALITY OF PRODUCT DELIVERED.

By: Dr. Atul P Dwivedi

Commercial explosive industries are growing rapidly in India. The increase in infrastructure
development work has increased the demand of explosive in the market. With increase in the
production rate the safety involved in the manufacturing explosives has to be closely
monitored and incorporated in the system. The quality of the product also has to be
maintained so as to get the desired results in the field. This warrants use of automation and
introduction of PLC in explosive industry. In this paper PLC based automation and its benefits
have been presented.

In recent years the emulsion explosives have had a large increase in the usage on surface and
underground mines. The reason for this are the great advantages that emulsion explosives
offer compared to other types of explosives in the market. The advantages ofemulsion
explosive include safety, excellent resistance to water, increased velocity of detonation,
transport, handling and storage, savings in drilling operations and low gas emissions.

An emulsion matrix is water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion, in which the oxidant solution is named as
the aqueous phase and the fuel oil is named as the oil phase. Emulsion matrixes become
emulsion explosives by sensitization. Compared with traditional industrial explosives,
emulsion explosives have become leading industrial explosives because of their good
explosive properties, their water-resistant nature, abundant raw materials, low cost, lower
environmental pollution etc.

Another explosive material which is commonly used in the explosive industry for making
initiating devices is PETN. It is one of the most sensitive materials used in the industry. A lot
of safety measure has to be followed during production and while using in the field.

The above parameters like process optimization, process control, quality of the product and
the safety of the process leads to the implementation of PLC based software system for the
production of Emulsion Explosives and PETN.

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is a digital computer used for the automation of various
electro-mechanical processes in industries. These controllers are specially designed to survive
in harsh situations and shielded from heat, cold, dust, and moisture etc. PLC consists
of a microprocessor which is programmed using the computer language.

The program is written on a computer and is downloaded to the PLC via cable. These loaded
programs are stored in non – volatile memory of the PLC. During the transition of relay control
panels to PLC, the hard wired relay logic is exchanged for the program fed by the user.
 Typical Block Diagram of Programmable Logic Controller Functions

PLC Based System in PETN Processing:

Before implementation of PLC based system many questions arise like why automation in
PETN Manufacturing or emulsion manufacturing, what will be its benefits, how it will help in
safety management during process and also in delivering a quality product.

The automation in PETN manufacturing is required because of the following reasons:

 In PETN nitration process maximum number of incidents are reported.

 In nitration process there are various variables which are difficult to observe and
maintain manually which is major cause of any incident.
 Human error and work fatigue is also one of the reason for the any incident.
 Process and human safety is better in a properly designed automated system.
 Automation in the process will give an added advantage w.r.t quality and
productivity.
 Automation reduces human involvement in hazardous operation and this will reduce
the operational expenses.
 With automation control we can log the data directly so that during any incident we
can have detailed process data for analysis.
 We can control emergency condition better in automated system.
 Material handling will be better and accurate.

In PETN manufacturing the PLC can be used to control the feeding of Penta erithritol (PE) to
the Nitrator containing Nitric acid in it. The feed rate of PE can be interlocked with the
temperature of Nitrating Mixture present in the Nitrator.

As we all know that the nitration is an exothermic process, so to avoid the excess heat
generation the PE addition can be controlled in such a way that if temperature increases the
speed of rotation of screw feeder (PE feeder) decreases and hence the quantity of PE charged
is less avoiding the excess heat generation.

The PLC system can be programmed in such a way that if the temperature between the two
temperature probes installed at different position in the nitrator is more than specified
temperature the process will not start or PE feeding should stop. Also if the cold water
circulation is not there in the nitrator jacket the nitration will not start of if the circulation
stops in between the process the nitration process will stop and if the difference between the
inlet and out temperature is more than the specified temperature the cycle will not start or
the process will stop. The process will also not start if the valves of the nitrator are in open
condition. One more arrangement can be done in such a way that if the required quantity of
PE is not in the PE feeder the nitration cycle will not start or the process will stop. The nitration
cycle will not start if there is no air flow in the valves. The nitration cycle can also be linked
with the Agitator of the Nitrator i.e. if the agitator is not in rotation the nitration will not
start. One more interlock can also be provided in the PLC system in such a way that if the PLC
system is in manual mode the nitration will not start. We can also make an arrangement of
Manual mode in the PLC system for starting or stopping the system for maintenance or any
calibration work.

The programme can be designed in such a way that the process will start at the specified
temperature only. The programme can be designed in such a way that if the temperature of
the system goes beyond the specified limits during the process the complete nitration batch
will automatically get drowned in the drowning tank avoiding the fuming off condition. One
more interlock can also be provided for the measurement of Acid quantity in the process. The
PLC can help in maintaining the process parameters and also the process safety.

Some Visual indication can also be provided for the operators to know what is happening in
the process, for example:: Green, Red and Amber Indicators

Green Indicator : Green lamp will glow when Auto cycle start.
Amber Indicator : Amber lamp will glow in following condition:

 Agitator stops rotating in auto cycle.

 Fault in VFD.
 Drop in air pressure.
 Process temperature RTS’s 1 and 2 are faulty.

Red Indicator : Red lamp will glow when process temperature goes beyond set
Emergency temperature.
For monitoring the process parameters we can also provide HMI/ Monitors.

In Granulation/ Recrystallization process we can provide interlock if the heating media

pressure go’s beyond certain pressure and if temperature of heating media goes beyond the
certain temperature, the pressure switch will cut-offs the heating media or heating media
temperature sensor will cut-offs the flow of heating media. If the temperature of condenser
outlet go’s below set temperature cooling tower fan will stop automatically, and if the
temperature of condenser outlet go’s above set temperature cooling tower fan will start.

Process temperature control in Granulation:

1. If process temperature is above set process temperature the heating solenoid
valve should cut off the heating media directly.
 2. And during recovery if the temperature is above set temperature the heating
solenoid valve will cut-off the heating media directly.
3. Also with heating media cut off, an alarm will blow with visual indication RED
Indicator.

As can be seen from the above, an array of interlocks and logic can be used in the design of
automation through PLC depending on the owner’s requirement. The most critical aspect is no
doubt use of human ingenuity to select proper and simple failsafe logic in the design of PLC.

Some of the Images of the System at a typical PETN manufacturing process :

a) HMI b) Process Monitoring

c) Nitration Process Graph d) Granulation Process Graph

Graph:

a) HMI for monitoring the process parameters

b) Display on computer monitor.
c) In process graph of nitration.
d) In process graph of granulation.
PLC Based System in Emulsion Processing:

In manufacture of emulsion explosives the system can be made continuous with the help of
PLC. The feeding of Oxidiser blend and the fuel blend to the emulsifier can be controlled by
PLC. The doping of the ingredients in the matrix, dosing of the gassing solution into the
emulsion matrix before packing with the KP-Machine can be controlled by the PLC. The
motors and pumps can also be controlled with the help of PLC.

The consistency of the product can be made excellent. The products made in different shifts
will exhibit consistent good properties and the explosives characteristics can reliably
maintained.

Instrumentation Required For Automation:

• Flow Switches : for insuring flow

• RTD
• Proximity switch
• VFD
• Limit Switch
• Level Switch
• Pressure Transmitter
• Load Cell
• PLC
• Mass flow Meters
: for sensing temperature
: for monitoring rpm (revolution per min.)
: for speed variation
: for ensuring the closing and opening limits of
Valves
: for ensuring the specific level
: for pressure measurement.
: for measurement of quantity
: for Programming, software and logic control
: for Ensuring the quantity of material

PLC system images at Emulsion for Process Monitoring:

a) Main Control Display b) Process Flow Display

 c) Process Display d) Gassing Injection Control

e) HMI Display for Operators

Conclusion:

The implementation of PLC based control system in manufacturing of different

commercial explosives can help in increasing the productivity and maintaining the
quality of the product consistent. The interface of man and explosives can be reduced.
The safety control system can be monitored more strictly using PLC. The PLC based
production system can be effectively used for producing the quality product safely.