A Smart Landfill Gas Control System Design to Optimize ROI & Performance

A Smart Landfill Gas Control System Design to Optimize ROI & Performance

@Affinity_Energy

Islands of Automation• Each has its own controls

(PLCs)– Apply to one specific

application or smart instrumentation

– Critical pieces of data to manage in separate packages

– Own native format

LG2E Syste

m

Blower

Moisture Removal

Siloxane Remova

l

Engine / Generator

SCR

Environmental Controls

Electrical Switchgear

SCADA Solves That Problem• Supervisory Control and

Data Acquisition (SCADA)– Single pane of glass– HMI (real-time status)– Set-point management– Alarms & notification– Trending & reporting– Analysis of overall plant

SCAD

A

Why Don’t LFGTE Specify SCADA?• “My _____ manufacturer provides HMI/OIT

already.”• “SCADA costs too much.”• “We’ve run other facilities without SCADA.”• “What would we do with all that data?”• “We don’t have IT resources.”

Debunking the Myths• If you’re content w/ multiple systems…

– How well are you trained on all three? – How do you get alarms? (Email, AND pager, AND web?) – What about remote access and support?

• If you’re worried about duplicating…– Make sure they provide an open protocol– System integrators can easily take points, incorporate

graphics, and trend and report key performance indicators.

Bottom line: you can’t manage what you don’t measure

Control System & Information System

• Today’s SCADA systems are multi-faceted. When designed properly, they help operators and owners:

– Efficiently see / analyze whole plant– Effectively operate and maintain equipment– Respond to abnormal conditions faster– Drive operational efficiency through trending

and KPI analysis– Send operation reports to key personnel– Remotely control or monitor operations– Receive fault and alarm notifications via

email or text

CONNECTING THE ISLANDS OF AUTOMATION

Case Study: Concord Energy• Republic Services’

CMS landfill in Concord, NC serving 7,700 NC residences

• 11.5 MW• Landfill gas fuels

2 Solar Taurus turbines

Multiple Manufacturers…Difficult to Know What’s Going On

• Extremely complex system w/ 22 different devices made by 12 different manufacturers– Gas turbine generators– Gas compressors– Gas blowers– Air coolers– Glycol chillers– Blow-off flare

• All output critical data in totally separate packages

SCADAOne Interface To Rule Them All

• After integrating all equipment, operators monitor plant via single HMI

• Advanced visualization capabilities

• Central location display and consolidated reporting

• Remotely start and stop turbines/generators

• Troubleshoot problems via archived data

DESIGNING SCADA FOR MAXIMUM EASE OF USE

4 Keys For Owners1. Know your pricing signals

– They tell you when to worry– Don’t freak out about being offline on Sunday at 2pm. It

only costs $30/hour!2. Understand responses3. Measure and monitor to those responses4. Help operations teams understand

– This should feed decision making process

What Data Points Should You Monitor?

• Specify right data points for real-time and historical analysis– Do you actually understand what you’re measuring?– What are your KPIs?

KWh, PF, Methane %, O2%, CO2%, Gas Flow, Gas Temp, Gas Pressure, Flare Flow

Maximum Visibility, Minimum Noise• Interfaces should be

clear, easy to interpret

• Only show pertinent data

• Should give a clearer picture of how your facility performs

Only Alarm When Necessary• Love SCADA, HATE alarms• Events vs alarms

– “It’s cloudy today!”– Oxygen alarms & barometric

pressure…. do you really want to know there’s a weather system coming in?

• Alarms signal an abnormal condition. Never confirm normally running processes.– Signal an operator call to action

Well-Formed Alarm Messages• What does operator/alarm recipient need to know?• Consistent and based on standard, agreed upon terminology known

and used by all operators

T1 LL AlarmTank 1 LowLow Limit Alarm

Fuel Oil Tank #1 approaching LL Limit

• Messages should tell the operator the problem, then guide toward action

USING SCADA TO Maximize ROI/Optimize

Change Operator View of SCADA• Difficult to align goals/objectives

– Owner measurement: long term profitability

– Operator measurement: 100% uptime no matter what

• Result– Operator alerts owner to problems– Owner would rather shut site down– Both parties annoyed

• Contract is key. Educate operators.• Remember: what you measure is what you get

Electric / Environmental Correlation• Can’t just think about electric output.

Other factors impact.– Environmental (air permit, catalytic

reduction, low NOx system)– Gas inputs

• Watch what’s happening to front end so you can adjust back end

– Run as close to permit as possible• Little gas as possible, to make as

much energy as possible, to produce as little pollutant as possible

Energy

Gas

Preventative Maintenance• Routine maintenance tests every

10,000hrs– Fuel in vs. energy out– Environmental (NOx sensors)

efficiency changes– CH4, oxygen, nasties

• Helps you get in FRONT of issues– Respond to SIGNALS before become

ALARMS– When to schedule maintenance

(scheduled and condition based)

• Emergency shutdowns

Don’t Forget About Reporting

Reports can be generated:1. On-demand2. Per schedule3. Triggered based on a

condition.

SCADA: more than real-time status, set-point adjustment, trending and alarms.

Remote Access• Semi-unattended

operation with remote telemetry and alarm notification

• Fewer operators required

Adjust Variables & Monitor Changes• Landfills = living, breathing, non-static

environments• Must identify changes that occur, and adjust

based on changes• SCADA adjusts blower to pull harder/softer

based on BTU• Every landfill built different, active variables

are site specific– Rain– Barometric pressure– Temperature– Trash input

45% CH4 X 500 CFM = 1600kw

40% CH4 X 530 CFM = 1600kw

55% CH4 x 470 CFM = 1600kw

The Owner/Integrator Two-Way Street• Integrator to Owner

– Make owner aware of full SCADA capabilities– Design a system that syncs with the way the owner plans

to operate and maintain the plant and aligns with goals.– Design a system that focuses on information vs. data– SCADA should make the owner and operator’s life easier

• Owner to Integrator– Help integrator understand trends or flags that signal

maintenance– Help identify and prioritize alarms based on potential

impact to primary goals– Help integrator understand just building a screen to show

trends and highlights and out of bounds alarms is not enough

Why SCADA Important to Owner?• SCADA only makes sense as an information system.

Not just an alarming tool• SCADA exists so owners can be calm, cool, and

collected on Easter, Christmas, July 4• Ultimate scenario:

– wear and tear– hours run– energy produced

NEED A LANDFILL GAS TO ENERGY SCADA QUOTE?

Allan Evoraaevora@affinityenergy.com

704-766-2060 x110