Energy research center expands, networrks, and automates

The University of Utah’s Industrial Combustion and Gasification Research Facility (ICGRF) partners with industry to research gasifiers, combustors, pilot-scale reactors, fluidized bed reactor, process heaters and other systems. As the ICGRF grew, it needed improved control systems. Its legacy Opto 22 automation did a good job controlling individual systems, but a plant-wide automation system was needed, so users could control, monitor and coordinate all equipment and processes from a central location. The first step in the upgrade was to review the old control programs and account for all the I/O points involved. This included three control programs for the 1.5-MW multi-fuel furnace (L1500), circulating fluidized bed combustor and grate-fired combustor (stoker), plus building services and analyzers for 422 individual I/O points. The next step was to troubleshoot each of the control points. ICGRF is always looking to control costs, and Opto 22 assisted in this by supporting the university with much of the automation system hardware. Each year, about 70 chemical engineering students conduct experiments or examine processes controlled by Opto 22 automation systems as part of a senior design capstone course.