1

Rapid CW400 Batching System

User Manual

Pneutrol International Limited,

5 Caulside Drive,

Antrim, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland.

TEL: +44 (0) 28 9448 1800

FAX: +44 (0) 28 9448 1801

18/03/2015

2

Contents

1: GENERAL INFORMATION .......................................................................................................... 3

1.1: System Hardware ...................................................................................................................... 3 1.2: System Software Standard Features.......................................................................................... 4

2: SYSTEM SET-UP ........................................................................................................................... 5 2.1: Standard Navigation bar: .......................................................................................................... 6

3: RUNNING INFORMATION: ......................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Running Screen – Manual Controls: .......................................................................................... 9

4: STATISTICS: ................................................................................................................................ 11

4.1: Production Summary: ............................................................................................................. 12 4.2: Stock: ...................................................................................................................................... 13 4.3: Trucks: .................................................................................................................................... 14 4.4: Drivers: ................................................................................................................................... 15 4.5: Delivery Supplier: ................................................................................................................... 16

5: RECIPE SCREEN: ........................................................................................................................ 17 5.1: View/Edit Recipes: ................................................................................................................. 18

5.1.1: Calibrate Recipes: ............................................................................................................ 19 5.2: Recipe Groups:........................................................................................................................ 23

6: CUSTOMERS: .............................................................................................................................. 24 7: SETUP: .......................................................................................................................................... 25

7.1: Plant Setup: ............................................................................................................................. 26 7.1.1: General Variables: ........................................................................................................... 27 7.1.2: Drives: .............................................................................................................................. 28

7.1.3: Times: .............................................................................................................................. 29 7.1.4: Drain Times: .................................................................................................................... 30

7.1.5: Alarm Times: ................................................................................................................... 31 7.1.6: Tolerances: ....................................................................................................................... 32 7.1.7: Rates:................................................................................................................................ 33

7.1.8: Cement Refill Control: ..................................................................................................... 34 7.1.9: Analogs: ........................................................................................................................... 35

7.2: Material Setup: ........................................................................................................................ 36 7.3: Supplier Setup: ........................................................................................................................ 37

7.4: Printer Setup: .......................................................................................................................... 38 7.5: IO Status: ................................................................................................................................ 39

7.6: Users: ...................................................................................................................................... 40 8: HISTORICAL CHART: ................................................................................................................ 41 9: REAL-TIME FLOWS CHART: .................................................................................................... 42

10: REAL-TIME WEIGHERS: ......................................................................................................... 43 11: REAL-TIME DRIVES: ............................................................................................................... 44

12: DIAGNOSTICS/ALARMS: ........................................................................................................ 45 12.1: Alarms Screen: ...................................................................................................................... 45

13: REMOTE ACCESS: .................................................................................................................... 46

14: SHUTDOWN SYSTEM: ............................................................................................................. 46

15: USEFUL INFORMATION: ........................................................................................................ 47 15.1: Pausing The System: ............................................................................................................. 47 15.2: Emergency Stop: ................................................................................................................... 47

15.3: What To Do If You Have A Problem? ................................................................................. 47 16: APPENDIX 1 – Cement Weigh Hopper Calibration:.................................................................. 48 17: APPENDIX 2 – Aggregate Weigh Hopper Calibration: ............................................................. 49 18: APPENDIX 3 – Best Practise/Regular Checks ........................................................................... 50 19: APPENDIX 4 – Full Alarm List .................................................................................................. 51

3

1: GENERAL INFORMATION The Control System and Software have been designed and developed specifically for the control of

Concrete Batching Plants. The Hardware that is housed inside our Control Panel has been chosen

for its reliability in operation and for flexibility in different applications.

The software is 'Customised' for each plant and is therefore suitable for all types of plants and

plant layouts.

1.1: System Hardware

CONTROLLER: - ALLEN BRADLEY Micrologix Processor.

- Uses Industry Standard Ladder Logic Programs.

- CSA Certification to Class 1 Division 2.

- Battery-backed up memory for protection of program and data.

- Can be expanded to take in 256 additional discrete I/O - Built-in LCD with backlight allows you to view controller and I/O status

TERMINAL: - Exor eTOP 15” touch screen operator interface

- 16.2M colours, providing XGA 1024x768resolution display

- Energy efficient LED display - Displays all plant data.

- Displays plant operation on screen.

PRINTER: - Able Systems Ltd Ap1400V Thermal Panel Printer

- Robust design with added protection for harsh environments

- Mechanism life of 13 million print lines - Print speed of 80mm/sec

- Flexible connectivity

4

1.2: System Software Standard Features

1. STORAGE OF RECIPES: Each recipe will contain the details regarding a specific batch, which

is the amount of each of the aggregates, cement, water and additives if required. There is no limit

to the number of recipes the system can store.

2. PASSWORD PROTECTION: Information in the memory of the computer can be protected by a

password code to prevent any unauthorised person changing or resetting recipes, batching

controls, stock, etc.

3. AUTOMATIC ZEROING: Auto zeroing (aggregate only) between weighments is carried out so

that accumulative weighing errors are avoided.

4. STOCK CONTROL: Materials in stock and material usage are stored in memory on the HMI.

These may be displayed as required to give daily or monthly totals for each material used in the

plant and stock levels remaining.

5. NO FEED: Should a bin be empty or material be bridged in the bin then an alarm message will

be given.

6. PRINTER: The printer will record batches produced and a printout will be given after each

batch with details of material produced.

7. PLANT ALARMS: An alarm message will be displayed on the monitor and a printout will be

given of the alarm fault together with a date and time.

Alarm messages are given for specific faults e.g.

‘Mixer not running’

The operator may therefore rectify the problem quickly and so save on plant 'Down Time'.

An audible and/or visual alarm is also available where the operator may be a considerable

distance from the Control Panel.

Once the alarm has been initiated the operator may push the alarm accept button at the control

panel once to cancel the audible/visual alarm. He must then push the alarm accept button again

to continue batching once the fault has been rectified. Also the operator may rectify an alarm

when in the alarm screen using option "F1: ACCEPT ALARMS".

9. MONITOR:

Displays Selection Menus.

Displays recipes

Displays batching tolerances Displays alarms

Displays plant Inputs and Outputs.

Displays running screen.

Displays a variety of stock and production reports

Displays customer information

5

2: SYSTEM SET-UP

When the generator is started, the UPS and HMI will automatically be turned on. During the course of normal use, if the HMI is not being used, it will automatically go into sleep mode, there

is a small LED in the top right hand side of the HMI, the various LED’s alert the suer to the

following:

Red – Power is on, but the HMI is turned off

Amber – Power is on, but the HMI is in sleep mode Green – Power is on and the HMI is on

When the HMI is powered on, the following Log On screen will appear:

Enter user name and password to log onto the system. This will open into the running

screen of the batching system which summarises the batching process (i.e. weigher

status, conveyor/mixer status, batch weights and highlights where each load is in the

system, as well as providing current drive speed feedback.)

6

2.1: Standard Navigation bar:

This navigation bar appears at the top of all screens in the system except reports screens.

Therefore, when not viewing a report and in normal circumstances, the following options are

always available:

View Alarms. In order to view alarms, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 1.

View Running Screen. In order to view the running screen, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 2.

View Historical Chart. In order to view the charts, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 3.

View Real Time Flows Chart. In order to view the real time flows chart screen, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 4.

View Real Time Weighers Chart. In order to view the real time weighers chart, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 5.

View Real Time Drives Chart. In order to view the real time drives chart, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 6.

View Recipes. In order to view the recipes, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 7.

View System Setup. In order to view system setup, hold down the ‘alt’ key and press 8.

7

3: RUNNING INFORMATION:

After the HMI is powered up, the running screen is the default, home screen, which allows the operator to oversee the entire batching process.

The running screen is where the operator will gain the majority of information when the plant is

running, it provides real time batching information such as actual weigher weights, recipe targets,

actual flow rates and how much has been batched.

In the top right of the screen we can see the Auto/Manual selector switch, this lets the user know

which control mode the plant is currently in.

The main part of the running screen is taken up by a graphical representation of the plant itself,

it has various weight indicator boxes around the weigh hoppers which show the live weight in

each hopper. The various current live drive speeds are also shown.

In the top left hand corner of the running screen there are various different pieces of information,

which can be summarised as shown below:

Load Qty (Tns) – this box shows the actual batched quantity versus the target

Qty Rate (Tns/Hour) – this box shows the actual quantity rate in tons per hour versus the target

rate

Below these 2 items there is a table, highlighting various statistics about the production being

undertaken:

Target % - this column displays the target percentage for each material being used in the blend. This is calculated from the load quantity and target tons per hour rate.

Actual % - this column displays the actual percentage that each material is running at, this is

calculated from the amount of material leaving the hoppers and is constantly being updated.

Actual Kgs/s – this displays the actual flow rate in kilograms per second of each material

Batched (Tns) – this columns displays how many tonnes of material have been batched for each

of the materials listed down the left hand side.

8

To the bottom left of the Running Screen there are several user buttons, namely Start, Abort, Hold

and Shutdown.

When the Start button is pressed, a dialogue box as shown below pops up on screen:

A close up of this dialogue box is shown below:

As you can see many of fields are drop down boxes – the user can select the recipe, customer, site

and truck. Below these 4 drop down boxes the user must then enter the quantity to be batched.

We will look at how recipes, customer information, site details and truck information are entered

later in this manual.

9

The second button along the bottom of the screen is the Abort button. When this button is pressed, the system immediately stops what it is doing and resets its automatic program – any

material already weighed up will have to be discharged from the system manually by the operator.

This buttons function is primarily used to reset the program, but in case of emergency if the

wrong mix has been setup or started, this button can be used to minimise the amount of material

produced in error.

Beside Abort is the Hold button, this button does exactly what it says, when this button is pressed the entire plant will pause what it is doing and wait until taken off hold. The mixer and

outloading conveyor will continue to run, but the aggregate belts feeding the mixer and also the

cement filling/emptying process will pause.

The last button in this row is the Shutdown button, this button is used to shutdown the plant

when in the middle of a production run. For example, if the user has started the plant off making 25 tons of material, the shutdown button can be pressed at anytime, this will ensure the plant

stops producing any further material and shuts the system down in an orderly fashion as it would

do if it had reached its 25 ton target, ensuring the aggregate weigh belt, incline belt and mixer are

totally drained out and empty of material.

3.1 Running Screen – Manual Controls: At any point the user can chose to turn the plant into manual control as shown below:

10

When in manual mode, as you can see from the screenshot above, manual control buttons appear beside every device that can be controlled. These manual controls are very user friendly and very

intuitive. Each belt can be started and stopped, there are pushbuttons to fill and run the cement

weigh hoppers – after a few minutes use it will be extremely obvious how the manual controls

function.

The Gob Hopper has its own unique auto/manual control sequence. In the bottom left of the mimic screen, there is a Gob Hopper Auto On. When this button is turned onto the ‘On’ position,

the gob hopper door will operate as per the times configued in the plant setup (where there are

gob hopper open and gob hopper closed times). At the end of an automatic batch, the gob hopper

doors will always remain left open. When the Gob Hopper auto/manual selector switch is turned

to manual, 2 new push buttons will appear, one for open gob hopper, one for close gob hopper –

these buttons allow the operator to control the gob hopper door compeltely manually.

There is an additional button at the top called Silo Controls, as shown below:

The silo controls screen provides the user with provision to control the filling of the silo. Controls

are provided to test the silo controls and also to start the silo filter a shown above. There are

various indication boxes around the silo which can give the user its status, items such as fill valve closed or fill valve open, pressure switch fail or pressure switch ok, silo filter on/off etc.

11

4: STATISTICS:

From the main menu, move the mouse over ‘Statistics’ to see the plant statistics menu. The system has reporting mechanisms for much of the information relevant to the plant, such as the

daily production screen, a full stock inventory, a record of stock accuracy and docket printing.

The operator can choose what data is required to be reported.

From here, we are given options to view the following plant statistics:

Production Summary

Stock

Trucks

Drivers

Delivery Suppliers

12

4.1: Production Summary:

From the statistics menu, select ‘Production Summary’ to view the batching history. From here

the operator can view all load details between the dates selected at the top of the screen. Press the

‘tab’ key to highlight the start date. Then use the up, down, left and right arrow keys to change

the date. Press the tab key again to move to the end date and repeat the process. Pressing the ‘tab’ key again will highlight the production list. Then Use the up and down arrows to select the

different drops within the list.

The operator can then view information about each load by selecting it in the list. He/she will

have the option of Viewing a summary of that load (F1), or viewing a drop report for that load (F2).

Pressing ‘F3’ automatically sets the dates to show only today’s production. Pressing ‘F4’ sets the

dates to show production since the beginning of the week (Sunday). Pressing ‘F5’ sets the dates to

show production since the beginning of the month. The operator can also print a docket for that load if necessary (F6). A production report can be printed by pressing ‘F7’. Pressing ‘F8’ will show

a bar graph for the production. Pressing ‘F9’ will prompt you to select the dates which you want to

view any manual batches recorded.

The operator can view all the loads completed for a certain customer or truck by pressing the tab

button to highlight the ‘Customer’ or ‘Truck’ and pressing the up and down arrow to select the customer or truck number.

When options (F1) or (F2) are selected, the user will be asked whether or not they want to view

any events, drops or manual controls that occurred during that load in the report. This is selected

by default. The appropriate report will then be shown, along with the standard report options.

13

4.2: Stock:

From the statistics menu, press select ‘Stock Screen’ to view. The stock screen allows the operator

to keep track of stock levels within the plant. Use the up, down, left and right arrow keys to select

the date for which you want to view stock. This will be set to today’s date by default.

For any given day, selected at the top of the screen, the operator can view the amount of each

material present in stock at the start of the day (‘Open’), any deliveries for that day (‘Delivered’),

stock usage for that day (‘Usage’), any stock adjustments made (‘Adjusted’) and the actual current stock quantity (‘Quantity’).

This screen gives the operator the options to:

Make a new delivery (F1)

Make a stock adjustment (F2)

Set low levels for each Bin [F3] – option at top of screen to set alarm when stock low levels reached.

View a report on the history of deliveries(F4)

View a report on the history of adjustments (F5)

View the stock report (F6)

View the material usage (F7)

Toggle Admixture Units between KG’s/Ltrs (F11)

By pressing ‘F1’ to make a new delivery, the ‘Delivery Details’ column will appear on the right

hand side of the screen. Use the up/down arrow keys to select a supplier, or just type in the name of a new supplier. Use the ‘tab’ key to move onto the delivery date and change if necessary (Using

arrow keys). Again use the ‘tab’ key to move onto the docket number field and type in a docket

number for the delivery. Then enter any notes deemed appropriate. Then use the ‘tab’ key to move

down through the material delivery units and adjust as appropriate. Press ‘F1’ to confirm the

delivery, or ‘F2’ to cancel and undo any changes.

Pressing ‘F2’ to adjust stock levels works in a similar way. Use the ‘tab’ key to move down through

the quantity units for each material and adjust as appropriate. Press ‘F1’ to confirm the

adjustment, or ‘F2’ to cancel and undo any changes.

14

4.3: Trucks:

From the statistics menu, press ‘F5’ to view truck statistics. This screen allows the operator to set

up the plants fleet.

Use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list of existing trucks. Use the ‘tab’ key to move

through the truck details for any particular truck. Any changes which are made, pressing ‘F1’ will

save these changes. ‘F2’ will undo the changes.

The operator can add a new truck by pressing the ‘F1’ key. If this is selected, use the tab key to

move to each of the ‘Code’, ‘Registration’ ,‘Truck Capacity’ and ‘Drivers’ fields and enter

appropriate details. The changes can then be saved (F1) or undo (F2).

To delete a truck, select one in the list and press ‘F2’.

Press ‘F9’ to view any changes made to the truck details between the two selected dates. Any

changes which have been made can be Printed (F1) or Saved to a file.

15

4.4: Drivers: From the statistics menu, select ‘Drivers’ to view details of all drivers.

The operator can add a new truck by pressing the ‘F1’ key. If this is selected, use the tab key to

move the ‘Driver Code’ and ‘Name’ fields and enter appropriate details. The changes can then be saved (F1) or undo (F2).

To delete a driver, select one in the list and press ‘F2’.

Again by pressing ‘F9’ to view any changes made to the driver details between the two selected

dates. Any changes which have been made can be Printed (F1) or Saved to a file.

16

4.5: Delivery Supplier:

From the statistics menu, select ‘Delivery Supplier’ to view details of all suppliers.

The operator can add a new supplier by pressing the ‘F1’ key. If this is selected, use the tab key to

move the ‘Name’ and ‘Short Name’ fields and enter appropriate details. The changes can then be

saved (F1) or undone (F2).

To delete a supplier, select one in the list and press ‘F2’.

Again by pressing ‘F9’ to view any changes made to the Delivery Supplier details between the two

selected dates. Any changes which have been made can be Printed (F1) or Saved to a file.

17

5: RECIPE SCREEN:

From the main menu, select Mix Design to view the recipe menu screen.

This gives us the following options:

View/Edit Recipes

Recipe Groups

18

5.1: View/Edit Recipes:

From the recipes menu, select ‘View/Edit Recipes’. This screen allows the operator to configure

all recipes for the plant. Features include:

Virtually unlimited recipes.

Recipe configurable aggregate bin hole settings.

Recipe usage report

Material usage report by recipe or selection of recipes

Ability to view change history

Down the left of the screen, there is a list of all existing recipes. These can be easily edited by

selecting one using the up/down arrows as normal, then using the tab key to move through all the properties which make up the recipe. Each can be edited, and if any changes are made, the

user will be presented with the options of saving (F1) or undoing the changes (F2).

If a new recipe is required, enter the screen and press ‘F1’ to Add New. Select the recipe section

which the new recipe is to be created under and press ‘F1’. The ‘Name’ field will be highlighted.

Enter a name and use the ‘tab’ key to move on to the next field. Once all values have been entered, press ‘F1’ to save, or ‘F2’ to undo the changes. Recipes can also be deleted, by selecting a

recipe from the existing list on the left of the screen and pressing ‘F2’.

Some recipe statistics are also available, such as a record of all changes made to a recipe (F9), a

summary of recipe usage (F6) and a material usage report (F7), configurable by selecting one or any number of recipes to be reported on. These reports will appear in the usual format.

Note: If these buttons are greyed out you may not have the rights to access these features.

19

5.1.1: Calibrate Recipes: At the bottom of each recipe there is a calibration button, this allows the user to either adjust the calibration of the recipe or enter a new calibration for that recipe. Before any new calibration or

adjustment to an existing calibration is considered, the user must physically check round the

aggregate weighed feeder for buildup. For more info see Appendix 3. When the calibration button

is selected, the following pop up appears:

If this is the first time the recipe has been calibrated, the user will have to select the top option. If the recipe has already been calibrated and you wish to update the calibration of the recipe, then

you should select the 2nd option. When either option is selected, you will see the following

screen:

The user is asked to select the zero calibration time. Normally this is set to 30 seconds, when ‘Next’ is clicked on, the mixer and belts will startup, running the system empty for this set time,

this allows the system to average the weight of the belt when running empty. As the zero

calibration time is running, you will see the following dialogue box:

20

The remaining time countdown timer allows the user to clearly see how long is left to run on the zero calibration time. After the zero calibration time has completed, the following dialogue box

will appear:

The system displays the average reading per second during the zero calibration time. This is

shown so the user can compare recent calibrations. The user must now click on the ‘Next’ button to set the duration for the full calibration as shown below:

Above, the user must set how long the full calibration is to run for. Normally this would be set for

120s. The plant will start-up and run for the preset time using the belt drive speeds already setup in the recipe. It is important the user has a truck below the end of the belt, as the amount

of material ran through the plant must be weighed after the full calibration time has finished.

Once again, the user will be able to view the full calibration countdown timer as shown below:

21

After the full calibration timer has finished, the following dialogue box will appear:

Once again the average reading per second is shown for the full calibration. Again this is shown to the user primarily so calibrations can be cross checked. The user must now click ‘Next’ again

to be taken to the finish calibration dialogue box:

The user must now enter the weight of material ran through the plant during the 120s full

calibration time after is has been weighed into the first dialogue box. The system will then

automatically calculate the average weigh rate and the tons per hour, using these belt drive

settings etc. When the user is satisfied the correct value has been entered, you must select

‘Finish’ where you will be asked to confirm calibration results:

22

The recipe screen is now updated displaying the new results and time/date stamp as shown below:

It is imperative the user clicks ‘Save’ in the bottom left hand side of the recipe screen to complete

final confirmation of calibration and save the new recipe details and calibration details.

Immediately after calibration the user must now run an amount of the newly calibrated recipe

(normally 10T) through the plant and weigh it to confirm accuracy of calibration.

23

5.2: Recipe Groups: From the recipes menu, select ‘Recipe Groups’ to view. This feature allows the ability to add

different material sections to display in the recipes for editing.

A new recipe group section can be added by pressing the ‘tab’ key to highlight it and press the

‘spacebar’ key to select it and it will be added on the right. Press the ‘tab’ key to move over to the

right and select the different material sections to be shown on the recipe. Press ‘F1’ to save the

changes. The screen is typically only used by PIL or other authorised personnel.

24

6: CUSTOMERS:

From the main menu, select ‘customers’ to view and edit the customers’ details.

If a new customer is required, enter the screen and press ‘F1’ to Add New. Enter a customer’s

name and use the ‘tab’ key to move on to the next field. Once all fields have been entered, press

‘F1’ to save, or ‘F2’ to undo the changes. Customers can also be deleted, by selecting a customer

from the existing list on the left of the screen and pressing ‘F2’.

Each customer can have several sites which can be added by pressing ‘F5’ and entering in the details to the fields and pressing ‘F1’ to save. A site can be removed from a customer by selecting

the site and pressing ‘F6’ to delete.

Each customer can have certain recipes assigned to them therefore when adding a load for that

customer the recipes are narrowed down to only a few to choose from. It can be narrowed down

further by assigning certain recipes to customer’s sites. To assign a recipe to a customer, select the customer and press ‘F7’. All the recipes appear. Press

the ‘tab’ key to highlight the first recipe and use the up and down arrows move through them.

Press the ‘spacebar’ to select the recipe to be assigned to the customer. When the appropriate

recipes are selected press ‘F1’ to move back to the customer’s screen and press ‘F1’ again to save

changes or ‘F2’ to undo. To assign a recipe to a customer’s site, select the customer’s site and press ‘F8’. Follow the same process to assigning a recipe to a customer.

All changes made to customers are recorded and these reports will appear in the usual format by

pressing ‘F9’.

25

7: SETUP:

From the main menu, select ‘System Setup’ to view the setup menu screen.

This gives us the following options:

Plant Setup

Materials

Supplier Setup

Printer Setup

IO Status

Users

26

7.1: Plant Setup:

From the ‘System Setup’ menu, select ‘Plant Setup’ to view the plant setup screen. This screen

allows the operator to accurately control how the plant runs, and in particular, the times taken

for various processes which occur during a load.

When the screen appears, there will be a list of categories down the left side of the screen. Select

the appropriate category using the up/down arrow keys. The categories available are:

General Variables

Drives

Times

Drain Times

Alarm Times

Tolerances

Rates

Cement Refill Control

Analogs

Moving up and down through the list will display a number of properties for each category. Use

the ‘tab’ key to highlight the property/variable to be changed. Make the change. In the case of a

checkbox, use the space bar to activate/deactivate it. In the case of a numeric value, use the

arrow keys to alter it. Once satisfied, press ‘F1’ to save any changes, or ‘F2’ to undo any changes

made.

The options at the bottom of the screen allow the settings to be Refreshed (F3), or a report of any

changes to be viewed (F9). Choosing ‘Refresh’ updates the current on-screen values.

27

7.1.1: General Variables: Selecting ‘General Variables’ allows miscellaneous settings for the plant to be edited.

General variables include the following:

ML / Pulse – Defines how many mL is used for each pulse of the water meter.

Density – This is used to set the density of the admix material being used.

Next Docket Number – this is used to set the next docket number the plant will batch. This will be printed on the ticket and stored with the load in the production screen.

28

7.1.2: Drives: Selecting ‘Drives’ allows the manual drive speeds to be edited.

The following settings can be edited:

Manual Speed – This allows the user to set what speed they would like each drive to run at when using the plant in manual mode.

On/Off Speed – This allows the user to set the speed at which water pump 2 will come on and off.

29

7.1.3: Times: Selecting ‘Times’ allows times for the plant to be edited.

The following settings can be edited:

Aeration – this defines the length of time the cement silo aeration comes on for when weighing into the cement weigh hoppers in manual.

Weigh Settle – Weigh settle defines the time (in secs) that a weigher is allowed to settle after a weighment.

Gob Hopper Open/Close – these times defines how long the gob opens and closes for when running the plant.

30

7.1.4: Drain Times: Selecting ‘Drain Times’ allows drain times and discharge delay times for the plant to be edited.

The following settings can be edited:

Drain Time – Drain time defines the time the system should take the plant to discharge its contents after reaching the empty signal.

Discharge Delay – Discharge delay defines the time delay (in secs) the system is to wait after receiving the discharge signal, before discharging a particular bin or weigh hopper

into the mixer.

31

7.1.5: Alarm Times: Selecting ‘Alarm Times’ allows alarm time settings for the plant to be edited. When an error is

detected in the plant, alarm times are the times the system will allow the plant to rectify itself

before raising the alarm. If, after this time the error still exists, the alarm will be raised.

Here follows definitions of the most common alarm times:

Run/Stop – This defines the amount of time before the system alarms once the mixer/belts have failed to either start or stop when requested.

Flow/No Flow – This defines the amount of time before the system alarms after a flow or no flow fault condition has occurred.

32

7.1.6: Tolerances: Selecting ‘Tolerances’ allows the flow percentage tolerances to be set.

Tolerances are used to define how accurate the system weighments must be. They apply to each

material being weighed or measured in the plant. The main tolerance is:

Flow (%) – each materials flow percentage can be set and if the actual flow rises above or falls below this percentage from its target, the system will alarm to notify the user.

NOTE: The plant will attempt to weigh within the tolerance limits set at all times regardless.

33

7.1.7: Rates: Selecting ‘Rates’ allows the maximum kg/sec for the plant to be edited.

The following variables can be edited:

Kg/sec (Max Hz) – This allows the user the enter the maximum flow of each material per second when weighing at maximum speed. The aggregate, additive and water all have a

maximum speed of 50Hz, the cement has a maximum speed of 100 Hz.

34

7.1.8: Cement Refill Control: Selecting ‘Cement Refill Control’ allows all settings to do with how the cement weigh hoppers are

refilled to be changed as shown below:

Here follows definitions of the most common alarm times:

Full Level – This is used to set the full level, in Kgs, of the cement weigh hoppers.

Refill Level – This is used to set the level at which the cement weigh hoppers automatically refill.

Inflight – When a weighment target is reached, there will still be a certain amount of material in the air which has not been weighed. This is called the ‘Inflight’. The system

stores these inflight values so as to compensate for the amount of material still ‘in flight’.

Slow Feed SP – These apply to the cement bins. When approaching a weigh target, these bins slow down their discharge rates by jogging their doors open and closed (jog on and off

times). The value (in Kgs) set here tells the system how far off a weighment it needs to be

before starting its slow feed.

Jog On Time – The time (in secs) a bin should close its door for.

Jog Off Time – The time (in secs) a bin should close its door for.

35

7.1.9: Analogs: Selecting ‘Analogs’ allows the user to calibrate the raw value coming from the loadcells to a known

actual weight.

The following variables can be edited:

Raw Min – The user enters the minimum raw value (shown in the raw value column) when the weigher is at its minimum weight (ie. when the weigher is empty)

Raw Max – The user enters the maximum raw value (shown in the raw value column) when the weigher is at its maximum weight or when a known calibration weight has been

applied to the weigh hopper.

Raw Value – This column displays the live raw value coming from the loadcells that the user should use to enter appropriate values into the Raw Min and Raw Max columns.

Scaled Min – The user enters the minimum scaled value (shown in the scaled value column) when the weigher is at its minimum weight (ie. when the weigher is empty).

Typically a user will enter zero into this column when calibrating the weigher.

Scaled Max – The user enters the maximum scaled value (shown in the scaled value column) when the weigher is at its maximum weight or when a known calibration weight

has been applied to the weigh hopper.

Scaled Value – This column displays the live scaled value which is a result of the calibration that has taken place in both sets of min and max columns before hand.

WARNING! - The values in this screen will be set up by the commissioning engineer. This screen

therefore contains information, which is relevant during calibration so the values SHOULD NOT

BE CHANGED unless by a competent person.

36

7.2: Material Setup:

From the setup menu, select ‘Materials’ to view the material setup screen. From this screen, the

operator can configure materials used within the plant – aggregates, cements, admixture and

water.

Simply arrow up and down through the material types on the left of the screen to display all

materials defined under that category. Press ‘tab’ to highlight the list of defined materials. Use the

up/down arrows to select a particular material. Pressing ‘tab again allows the different material properties to be altered, such as ‘Name’, ‘Short Name’, ‘Weigh Units’, ‘Delivery Units’, ‘Density’ for

admixture and ‘Price(£/Tn)’.

A new material can be added to the list by pressing ‘F1’. A name and short name should be

entered for the new material. If the material is an admixture, the other properties should also be given values. Press ‘F1’ to save or ‘F2’ to undo the changes. A material can be deleted by

highlighting it using ‘tab’ and arrow keys and pressing ‘F2’. The user will be asked for

confirmation before the deletion takes place.

All changes made to Materials are recorded and these reports will appear in the usual format by

pressing ‘F9’.

37

7.3: Supplier Setup:

From the setup menu, select ‘Supplier Setup’ to view the bin setup screen. From this screen, the

operator can assign a material to a bin for – aggregates, cements, admixture and water.

The weighers used within a CW400 plant are aggregate and cement. It also has at least 1 admix

flow meter and a water flow meter. A list of the weighers and flow meters will be visible on the left

hand side of the screen. Use the arrow keys to select the weigher to be configured. Then press

‘tab’ to highlight the large central area to set the material used for this weigher. Use the up/down

arrows to select the material for that bin you wish to change. Press the ‘Tab’ key to move to the

next field. The ‘Enabled?’ check box indicates if the bin is available to use. If the same material is held in more than one bin, it is possible to force the system to use the

alternative bin using the ‘Current Bin?’ check box. Simply move through the list of bins until the

bin you wish to use an alternative for is reached. Press the space bar.

It is possible to change the order of which the material weighs up by using the up/down arrows on the right hand side of the screen. Select the bin/material whose feeder order you wish to

change. Click on the up/down arrows to change the feeder order. Other bins feeder orders will be

changed automatically to avoid any conflict.

When all required changes are made, press ‘F1’ to save or ‘F2’ to undo the changes.

All changes made to Materials are recorded and these reports will appear in the usual format by

pressing ‘F9’.

38

7.4: Printer Setup:

From the setup menu, select ‘Printer Setup’ to access the printer settings screen. This screen

allows the operator to choose which printers to use for batch printing and report printing. It also

allows the operator to choose what details to print and what to ignore.

Again these details should only be altered or adjusted under the instruction of a Pneutrol

Engineer.

39

7.5: IO Status:

From the setup menu, select ‘I/O Status’ to view the I/O list. This screen is used to show the

plant inputs and outputs which the controller uses to run the plant. Below is a picture of the

Micrologix SLC used in the Rapidmix CW400 machines, I have labelled the items of interest:

The I/O Screen is shown in the graphic below:

Main SLC Inputs Slot 1 (Inputs) Slot 2 (Inputs) Slot 3 (Inputs)

Main SLC Outputs Slot 3 (Outputs)

SLC Display

Screen

Main SLC Outputs Slot 4 (Outputs)

SLC Display

Screen

40

The I/O screen and the information displayed thereon is useful for plant engineers should a fault

arise. Active inputs and outputs are highlighted green. Each input/output displays the name

complete with wire number, so fault finding can be conducted with as much ease as possible.

7.6: Users:

From the setup menu, select ‘Users’ to view and edit users on the system.

Only authorised users are allowed to access the system. Once logged on, different areas of the system support different levels of security access.

Password protection for different areas of the system.

3 different levels of security – full/modify/read only.

Only users with an authorised user name and password can log on to the system.

To add a new user press ‘F1’. Enter in a user name and password for the new user to log on with.

Tick the ‘Enabled’ check box to activate the new user. Set the user control as either ‘Admin’, ‘Mangers’, ‘Batchers’, ‘Guests’, or ‘None’. Each user has different default rights. These rights can

also be modified by selecting each check box for different areas.

Then, press ‘F1’ to save or ‘F2’ to undo your changes.

41

8: HISTORICAL CHART: From the main menu, select ‘Historical Chart’ to access the first charting screen. This screen

allows the operator to view historical data of loads previously completed.

The historical chart displays a chart showing x and y axis and a smooth line showing various

pieces of information which can be selected by the user.

By pressing F1, the user can choose to show any number of items (up to a maximum of 6) on the

graph as shown below:

As shown on the pop up above, the user can select the start and end times of the graph and also

some additional axis options. Finally the graph can be exported into csv file format by clicking Export (F2).

42

9: REAL-TIME FLOWS CHART:

From the main menu, select ‘real-time flows chart’ to access live charting of the current plant flows.

When the plant is running in automatic or manual, the user can look at this screen to view the

actual live real time trending of the various materials. This screen is helpful when setting up the

machine and also for checking the blend is within required parameters.

Similar to the other trend screen, the user can press Select Channels (F1) and then choose to add

additional items up to a maximum of 6 onto the trending graph. Again the graph can exported to

Excel.

43

10: REAL-TIME WEIGHERS: From the main menu, select ‘real-time weighers’ to access live charting of the current weigher

weights.

The user can choose to add on the graph as many weighers’ current live weight as required, this

data is then shown on the graph. This lets the user see very clearly how smooth and continuous

the flow of material is from the various weigh hoppers, alerting the user early to problems with

material flow or of material sticking. As with all discharging sequences, we are looking for smooth lines, showing that the material has been flowing constantly rather than having large peaks and

troughs.

Similar to the other trend screen, the user can press Select Channels (F1) and then choose to add

additional items onto the trending graph. Again the graph can be exported to Excel.

44

11: REAL-TIME DRIVES: From the main menu, select ‘real-time drives’ to access live charting of the current drive speeds.

The user can choose to add on the graph as many of the current drive speeds as required, this

data is then shown on the graph. This graph allows the user to view the real time current drive speeds and be able to trend as many of the drives as required.

Similar to the other trend screen, the user can press Select Channels (F1) and then choose to add

additional items onto the trending graph. Again the graph can be exported to Excel.

45

12: DIAGNOSTICS/ALARMS:

12.1: Alarms Screen:

The system has various diagnostic tools in order to simplify fault detection. All information in the

system can be saved to disk as back up. Only Pneutrol engineers should modify how the system backup works. Plant IO states and full diagnostics are available.

Alarms occur to inform or warn the operator of certain system states. Any problems can be

immediately diagnosed. The alarms screen is accessible from any point in the system by selecting

1 Alarms, along the top of any screen.

The alarms screen provides the following features:

Alarms are immediately viewable.

Alarm screen gives full alarm details with exact dates and times.

Simple quick fault detection.

From here, the operator can accept any non-critical alarms (F1), View an alarms report between

given dates (F2), or an events report between given dates (F3). As for all reports, you will be given

the options to print them or export them to alternate media such as a text file. The events report

also gives the user indication of who was logged in when any plant setup or recipes were changed.

46

Dealing with Alarms:

An alarm is dealt with as follows:

From the HMI;

1. Press ‘1 Alarms’ to display the Alarm screen. This will show a list of all the active alarms. 2. If the alarm is an out of tolerance alarm or similar, check the screen to see which item was out

of tolerance and by how much. If it is not serious then the weight may be accepted by pressing

‘F1’. If there is a serious weight discrepancy then the system may need to be switched into

MANUAL and all existing materials put through the system until the system is clear. Investigate

the cause of the discrepancy and when the cause has been eradicated, abort the process and

restart the system in auto. 3. If you are confident that you know the cause of the alarm then pressing the 'F1' key on the

keyboard will accept the alarm.

PLEASE REVIEW APPENDIX 4 AT THE BACK OF THIS DOCUMENT FOR FULL ALARMS LIST

13: REMOTE ACCESS:

The customer must provide suitable 3G dongle or similar, allowing remote access for

management, PIL technical staff, your distributor or your agent:

Technicians can interrogate the system and assist in fault

finding/fixing from their headquarters

PIL Technicians can download new software updates

Management/accounts staff can view/receive production reports

from their own offices as required

System can be started from a remote interface

14: SHUTDOWN SYSTEM:

At the end of a day or to simply switch off the computer go to the Main Menu and select ‘Shut

Down’. The HMI will display a message box asking you to confirm the shutdown. Press ‘y’ if it is

ok to shut down, otherwise press ‘’n’ to cancel the shutdown. Always allow the computer time to

shut down properly.

47

15: USEFUL INFORMATION:

15.1: Pausing The System:

Should it be necessary to pause the system for any reason, choose the HOLD/RUN option on the

running screen. All screws, motors etc will be stopped and the plant will stay in its present state.

To resume again from the running screen choose the HOLD/RUN option again.

Note: Do NOT press the ABORT option as this will completely reset the Controller to the start

position and the load will be aborted. The system will then have to be completely cleared before

you can start any more batches.

Note: This in no way removes power from the equipment and should not be used to enable

someone to work at a piece of equipment. If work must be done then the system should be "Cleared", all the mix passed through the system in the normal way, placed in RESET and the

equipment then ELECTRICALLY ISOLATED, both on the CONTROL PANEL (Key Switch) and the

STARTER Panel (Mains Isolator).

15.2: Emergency Stop:

In the case where it is imperative that the system be shut down immediately, i.e. as in the case of

an accident then the "Red" EMERGENCY STOP button on the left hand side of the panel should

be pressed.

This will stop the plant batching operation i.e. stop belts, mixer, screws etc. Further isolation can

be carried out by turning the Isolator handle on the starter panel to the OFF position. Should this

facility be used, then it is necessary, on starting up again, to clear the system manually.

15.3: What To Do If You Have A Problem?

In the event of a system failure, immediately take a picture of the running screen on the HMI with

a camera phone of small camera. Also take a picture of the inputs/outputs using the facility

provided in the 'INPUT/OUTPUT' screen. Carry out a visual inspection of the plant and write down any faults and correct if possible.

If no faults are noted, clear the system completely in manual mode and attempt the next job or

batch in automatic mode. Observe plant functions and record data as necessary. Relay all

findings to PIL.

The more comprehensive the information supplied to Pneutrol, the easier it will be to provide a

solution to the fault. Also have available all plant control drawings to discuss with Pneutrol

Engineers.

Email: support@pneutrol.com

48

16: APPENDIX 1 – Cement Weigh Hopper Calibration:

It is best practise to check the calibration of the weighers regularly. Below are some pictures of the appropriate places to set the weights on top of the cement weighers.

The picture below shows how the weights should be set on the cement weigh hopper. As with any

weigh hopper, it is important the weights are set as close to the edge of the hopper as possible,

evenly spread so the weight is distributed equally through the loadcells.

It is important after the CW400 has been moved that the cement socks of the cement weigh

hoppers are not too tight. It is also vital the transport bolts have been removed/slackened sufficiently so they cannot affect the weighing accuracy at all, as shown in the picture below:

49

17: APPENDIX 2 – Aggregate Weigh Hopper Calibration: It is best practise to check the calibration of the aggregate weigher regularly.

The picture below shows how the weights should be set on the weighed aggregate feeder. As with

any weigh hopper, it is important the weights are evenly spread so the weight is distributed

equally through the loadcells.

50

Again is it important to get the weights spread out as evenly as possible – it is best to have 2 weights at the front of the weighed feeder, 1 at either side, 2 weights at the back of the weighed

feeder, 1 at either side and 1 weight right in the middle.

After a weigher calibration has been carried out as described on page 31, an amount of aggregate

must be ran through the plant, for example perhaps 10 tons in automatic – after this material is ran through the plant it should be weighed and this amount must be entered into the recipe

screen so the system can update the actual proven flow of material.

This process ensures accuracy of production.

18: APPENDIX 3 – Best Practise/Regular Checks There are various key points that we recommend are carried out on the plant regularly to ensure

ease free operation, in conjunction with the various mechanical checks recommended in the

mechanical manual.

Hourly Checks

1. Check around aggregate weigher for material build up

2. Check around cement weigh hoppers for material build up

3. Check the oversize material grill in the mouth of the mixer for material build up

4. Tap out cement w/h when discharging

Daily Checks

1. Check weight of load

2. Empty out cement weigh hopper and check the zero 3. Check the water spray bar is unrestricted

4. Check for build-up in gob hopper

5. If 24 hour batching pc must be shut down and restarted

6. Check cement w/h discharge pipe for build-up

Weekly Checks

1. Check calibration of cement weigh hopper

2. Check pneumatic valve panel filter and lubricator (filter should be clear of water,

lubricator should contain pneumatic oil) 3. Test all safety pulls

4. Test all emergency stops

5. Test cement high level

6. Examine silo filter cartridges

7. Check silo pressure relief valve (PRV)

8. Check silo pressure switch

On Start-up

1. Plant must have power turned on a minimum of 20 minutes before start-up

On Plant Relocation

1. All transport bolts must be remove from each weigh hopper

2. Earth spike must be fitted to plant at all times 3. Full calibration check must be completed

4. If control panel is unplugged, both ends should be covered to prevent water/dust ingress

51

19: APPENDIX 4 – Full Alarm List Plant Safety Fail These alarms become active when either an

Safety Switch Tripped Emergency Stop (EMS) or Safety Pull cord is EMS - Panel Active activated.

EMS - Remote 1 Active

EMS - Remote 2 Active

Safety Pull Switch 1 Active

Safety Pull Switch 2 Active

Mixer Castell Switch Off The Castell interlock for the mixer lids has been turned off

Mixer Safety Switch Trip The mixer safety switch has tripped – check safety switch

Mixer Motor Protector Trip

Cem W/H1 Screw 1 Motor Protector Trip Cem W/H1 Screw 2 Motor Protector Trip

Cem W/H2 Screw 1 Motor Protector Trip These alarms become active when a

Cem W/H2 Screw 2 Motor Protector Trip motor protector overload is tripped.

Water Pump 1 Motor Protector Trip Each alarm is clearly marked,

Water Pump 2 Motor Protector Trip appropriate motor protector should Agg Feeder Motor Protector Trip be reset inside the electrical panels.

Agg W/C Motor Protector Trip

Cleanout Conv. Motor Protector Trip

Outload Conv. Motor Protector Trip

Power Pack Motor Protector Trip

Compressor Motor Protector Trip

Air Healthy Failed Air supply to plant has failed – check plant compressor

Agg Feeder Not Reaching Target When running, the plant is not

Agg W/C Not Reaching Target reaching its preset target rate

Agg Feeder Not Stopped The Feeder or W/C has not stopped -

Agg W/C Not Stopped possible electrical fault

Cement W/H 1 Not Reaching Target When running, the plant is not

Cement W/H 2 Not Reaching Target reaching its preset discharge target Additive Not Reaching Target rate – check for blockages or

Water Not Reaching Target restrictions to the flow of material

Cement W/H 1 Screw Not Stopped

Cement W/H 2 Screw Not Stopped The SLC is still receiving signal to say Additive Pulser Not Stopped the piece of equipment is still running

Water Pulser Not Stopped check for electrical fault

Mixer Not Running The various items of equipment have

Cleanout Conveyor Not Running not started to run after the relevant

Outload Conveyor Not Running outputs have come on to run them.

Mixer Not Stopped The SLC is still receiving signal to say

Cleanout Conveyor Not Stopped the piece of equipment is still running

Outload Conveyor Not Stopped check for electrical fault

Redlion Comms Failure Communications have failed to the Red Lion loadcell

amplifier – stop batching and check local Ethernet network

Agg Feeder Drive Not Ready

Agg W/C Drive Not Ready The various VSD’s are not ready to run

Cement W/H 1 Screw Drive Not Ready Check fault code on front of VSD Cement W/H 2 Screw Drive Not Ready

Additive Pump Drive Not Ready

Water Pump Drive Not Ready

52

Water Level Low There is a low level of water in the water tank

Agg Feeder Drive Comms Fail

Agg W/C Drive Comms Fail Ethernet communications have failed

Cement W/H 1 Screw Drive Comms Fail to the VSD – check Ethernet network

Additive Pump Drive Comms Fail Water Pump Drive Comms Fail

Cement W/H 2 Screw Drive Comms Fail

Agg Feeder Drive Not At Speed

Agg W/C Drive Not At Speed The VSD has not reached required

Cement W/H 1 Screw Drive Not At Speed speed – check there are no blockages Additive Pump Drive Not At Speed

Water Pump Drive Not At Speed

Cement W/H 2 Screw Drive Not At Speed

Invalid Load Targets Recipes, calibration or load setup is incorrect, please re-enter

Silo Extreme High Level Active Silo has reached extreme high level

Silo Extreme Level Active

Silo Extreme High Level Tacho Fail

Silo Extreme Level Tacho Fail Silo component has failed, check Silo PRV Switch Fail operation of specified component

Silo Air Pressure Fail

Silo Fill Valve Fail

Silo Pressure Switch Fail

Silo Fill Cover Open The Silo fill cover is not open – you cannot fill the silo

Silo Isolator Not On The silo filter isolator is turned off – you cannot fill the silo

Cement Silo Low Level The cement silo has a low level – re-order material