Siemens provide motor management benefits at new quarry

Newly installed Simocode pro S system offers remote motor resetting and real-time data monitoring

BIRMINGHAM-based IES-Control Ltd have specified a Siemens Simocode pro S motor-management system as part of a solution devised to help control and monitor a number of low-voltage motors at a new quarry site in Mansfield.

Operational efficiency functions, such as remote resetting following power trips, an improved operator interface and better monitoring/data reporting capability, are now underpinning a highly effective, flexible and transparent control system, which has the Simocode pro S modules at its heart.

Tasked with developing a system to control motors varying in power from 7.5kW to 18.5kW, IES-Control turned to Siemens technology to satisfy the customer’s request for an enhanced control and monitoring capability around the daily operation of the 32 motors, and support ongoing preventative maintenance strategies.

Mike Parry of IES-Control said: ‘We were approached by long-standing clients McLanahan UK to create an enhanced motor-management system for a new quarry operated by Mansfield Sand. The various sizes of motors support numerous on-site operations such as powering pumps, sizing screens and conveyors. And the company wanted a control system that provided enhanced functionality to gain operational benefits.

‘These included remote resetting from the HMI following trips without having to open cabinet doors, and better information display and real-time data-logging on the HMI, so operators can easily access and monitor motor loadings on the pumps and conveyors to determine when they are nearing design capacity.’

After discussions with Siemens, Mr Parry and his team at IES-Control concluded that the functionality required for this project could be satisfied through the use of the compact Simocode pro S motor control system – a flexible and modular control system for low-voltage motors. This would provide all the features requested by the customer and, importantly, be particularly suitable for working within the harsh working environment typically found in the aggregates industry.

As an example of Simocode’s inherent benefits, the system allows the team to immediately see, via the PLC, when a particular problem has occurred and quickly identify the exact motor that has tripped. As a result, the situation can be rectified without delay, saving Mansfield Sand valuable cost and resource.

Mr Parry continued: ‘We were pleased that the PLC could also directly monitor and control the digital I/O on the Simocode module over Profibus. This was important on this project because the combined motor loading exceeded the maximum supply the end-user could provide to a single control cabinet.

‘We had to provide an auxiliary cabinet housing some of the drive switchgear from a second supply. By using the Simocode modules, we found we could control and monitor all the motors in the auxiliary cabinet and monitor circuit breaker and soft-start status over Profibus. This factor reduced the interconnections between the two cabinets to little more than a Profibus cable and hardwired Estop circuit control signals – speeding up the installation timescales and keeping costs down.’

The Simocode pro S control system has been up and running at the Mansfield quarry for a number of months. Despite the rugged and challenging operating conditions, the on-site engineering team is said to be very happy with the system’s performance so far.

Martin Cooper, electrical engineering manager for Mansfield Sand, commented: ‘High visibility, operator flexibility and reduced downtime objectives were on our wish list for the new solution. It’s great that these tangible benefits are now being realized on a daily basis, thanks to a combination of IES-Control’s panel design and construction expertise, and Siemens’ innovative Simocode pro S motor control technology.’