Project
Gas Control System Modernization
Client
County of Maui
Location
Kahului, Hawaii
Project Overview
The County of Maui operates and maintains multiple landfills across the island of Maui. The central landfill employs a flare gas system to combust landfill gas (LFG) for electricity generation. The County's previous control system, which encompassed both PLC hardware and SCADA software, had reached the end of its life and lacked the advanced features of modern SCADA systems. The operations team required a reliable cloud-based SCADA server to eliminate the necessity of an on-site SCADA server.
Layline's Role
Layline's controls, networking, and software engineers were engaged to upgrade the outdated PLC hardware, transition the SCADA system to communicate over cellular radio to the internet, and develop a cloud-based SCADA solution. Additionally, the client requested an onsite assessment of the current state of the PLC cabinet prior to commencing engineering work to ensure a thorough understanding of the existing infrastructure.
Challenges
While defining the design and developing the solution was straightforward, the team encountered significant challenges onsite with the existing PLC cabinet. Years of transitioning maintenance responsibilities had resulted in numerous issues with wiring, mounting, batteries, and communication. The team quickly adapted by deploying skilled field engineers and technicians to rewire the cabinet, thereby enhancing the likelihood of successful commissioning.
Solution
The team successfully designed, developed, and implemented a modernized control system solution, enabling the County to continue operating the facility efficiently. A new groov EPIC PLC from Opto22 was programmed to replace the previous end-of-life PLC's flare gas program. The cabinet's wiring and communication systems were upgraded to establish reliable internet connectivity. Engineers deployed an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud server and configured an Inductive Automation Ignition cloud SCADA server. The onsite team worked diligently with the operations staff to test all telemetry, and the development team provided onsite training to the operators to ensure smooth execution of the system.
