Fuji Electric Review
Vol.66-No.1,2020
Instrumentation and Control Solutions Contributing to Automation and Energy Savings
Instrumentation and Control Solutions Contributing to Automation and Energy Savings
In the industrial field, efforts are being actively made to improve competitiveness through production reforms that include visualization of equipment operating conditions and prediction and analysis of equipment failures, in addition to automation and labor saving to offset labor shortages. Measures are also being taken to promote energy savings with the goal of reducing environmental burdens.
Fuji Electric aims to contribute to automation and energy savings and expand its global business by utilizing its competitive components, such as measuring instruments and controllers required for instrumentation and control solutions, and systematization technologies that combine these components and the IoT technology.
In this special issue, we will introduce our latest components and technologies for instrumentation and control solutions, as well as their comprehensive solutions.
HONDA, Satoshi
TETSUTANI, Hiroshi; SASAYA, Toshiyuki
Using the words energy and the environment as the keywords for its initiatives to achieve SDGs, Fuji Electric aims to contribute to the creation of a sustainable, diverse and inclusive society.
In the field of instrumentation and control solutions introduced in this special issue, we have been working on automation and energy savings by utilizing competitive components, such as measuring instruments and controllers, and systematization technologies that combine these components and the IoT technology.
In this paper, we will introduce the current status and future outlook of Fuji Electric’s instrumentation and control solutions, including abnormality sign detection in supporting plant operation, AI-based energy optimization, and quality improvement through the development of plant control packages to maintain stable and secure operation.
MIYAMOTO, Shiori; KISHIRO, Masami; SAKAUE, Satoru
In recent years, energy savings through electricity visualization has been progressing to help mitigate green-house gases. On the other hand, initiatives to achieve energy savings in using steam have been delayed due to the difficulty of visualizing steam loss. To address the challenge, Fuji Electric has developed a clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter for steam that enables visualization of steam loss without the need of pipe cutting. Although clamp-on flowmeters have already been used to measure liquids, there have been difficulties developing products due to the extremely low ultrasonic transmission coefficient of steam from a pipe. To overcome this challenge, we have used technologies for noise removal, lamb wave utilization, and signal processing to achieve the world’s first product ca-pable of measuring low-pressure steam.
HIGASHI, Ryoichi; TABARU, Masaya ; AKAO, Kozo
In order to help meet the requirements of intensified marine vessel exhaust regulations, Fuji Electric has developed a laser gas analyzer for exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) as an exhaust gas monitoring system ndispensable to EGCS designed to comply with SOX regulations. By using a laser method, it is less susceptible to interference from undesired gases when performing measurement. It is capable of correcting light-source fluctuations by itself inside the system and does not require frequent calibration using calibration gas, achieving easy and less frequent maintenance. In addition, using a compact optical system with optical-axis superposition and a built-in signal processing circuit has made it small and lightweight, facilitating the transport and installation of the entire detector component. Furthermore, it has been certified by classification societies: ClassNK and DNV GL.
SHIMOKAWA, Takayuki; MIYASHITA, Hiroshi; KUBOSUMI, Hajime
Motion controllers are required to have capability to perform synchronous control with more control axes and shorter cycle. To meet these requirements, Fuji Electric has developed the “SPH5000M” as a CPU module of our “MICREX-SX Series.” Its multi-core microcomputer improves application execution performance threefold that of conventional models. The application program execution cycle has also been sped up by distributing sequence control and motion control to multiple CPUs and executing them synchronously in parallel. As a result, this controller enables machinery to have higher functionality and speed even when the same system confi guration is used as previous systems.
SASANO, Kisaburo; FUJISAWA, Akihiro; NAGATSUKA, Kazuhito
Monitoring and control systems are required to simplify monitoring operations, facilitate maintenance for replacing equipment and components, and improve reliability through system robustness so that even unskilled operators can operate a plant stably and safely. To meet these requirements, Fuji Electric has equipped the “MICREX-VieW XX (Double X)” monitoring and control system with additional functions: a hardware error detection (preventive maintenance) that notifies operators of periodical replacement, plant playback by collecting and recording plant data, and E-SX bus looping that allows continuous operation without duplex system switching even if a failure occurs in the transmission lines.
TANGE, Yoshio; KIRYU, Satoshi; ATSUI, Tetsuro
In order to meet the demands of energy savings and high-mix, low-volume production, plant automation is required to achieve much thorough operation at lower costs. Fuji Electric has developed edge-controller-based model predictive control (MPC) that can be implemented in our “MICREX-SX” PLC although MPC had conventionally been performed on a high-performance computer. By performing offline MPC model identification and optimum gain visualization using operating data, it can perform stable online control. Furthermore, the flexibility and reliability of the PLC makes it easy to use MPC on the shop floor.
NARUMI, Katsunori; SUZUKI, Satoshi; TATEYAMA, Junya
Plant operations require technologies capable of performing appropriate operations in various situations. Plant equipment stores large amounts of various types of data, such as operation data. Fuji Electric has developed a plant operation support system that can perform appropriate operations through the analysis of large amounts of data. The system uses multivariate analysis with multiple prediction models to perform simultaneous prediction and aggregates predicted values to improve prediction accuracy. This allows for early detection of abnormality signs with high accuracy. When detecting an abnormality sign, it will search the database for avoidance procedures to inform users of them.
KITAMURA, Sumio; KATO, Kuniaki; YOSHINO, Minoru
In recent years, many high-level experienced engineers in Japan have reached their retirement age, while those overseas have often succumbed to high turnover rates. As a result, it has been necessary to recruit inexperienced engineers and simplify engineering. “HEART” is an engineering support tool that automatically creates control software using control function specifications. It streamlines each phase of engineering to significantly reduce lead time and improve quality. Furthermore, it provides various symbols necessary for documentation and can help create easy-to-understand specifications using familiar general-purpose OA software.
Umemoto, Kazuo
Fuji Electric has been providing customers around the world with a number of cement plant monitoring and control systems. In order to provide these systems at a reasonable price, we have developed a cement plant monitoring and control package by consolidating features from existing systems that we have delivered to customers. Deployment of this package enables us to provide optimized one-stop solutions suitable for each customer through combination of equipment, including substation equipment, drive equipment, control systems and measuring instruments. This allows customers to rapidly build monitoring and control systems that achieve optimal, reliable and stable operations, providing them with value.
FURUKAWA, Koji
There are several business models of private finance initiative (PFI) projects, but the garbage incineration sector almost always uses the design, build and operate (DBO) model. One of the aims of the DBO model is to reduce the life cycle costs incurred during the project period. Fuji Electric is contributing to efficient plant maintenance by providing various kinds of systems for plant operation: operation support systems that allows inheritance of our cultivated technical expertise; early-stage abnormality sign detection package that detects abnormalities and inform operators of optimal inspection and maintenance schedules; and equipment maintenance management systems that optimally and reliably support regular tasks, such as equipment management, and irregular tasks, such as providing guidance on sudden failures.
NARUMI, Katsunori; TANGE, Yoshio; SHIMASAKI, Yuichi
Many steelworks outside Japan cannot reliably measure the energy of individual pieces of equipment. As a result, it has not been possible to visualize the energy of the entire steelworks. This has hindered accuracy in demand prediction and has caused their optimal operation plans for energy savings to be less effective. To improve this situation, Fuji Electric has developed a new AI-based forecast method that steelworks can apply even if they cannot measure the energy of individual pieces of equipment. The package mainly consists of functions for modeling, visualization, optimal operation and demand forecast. It uses an optimization calculation engine to create optimal operation plans for operators to save energy.
MAEKAWA, Osamu; KATO, Tsutomu; ABE, Shigeru
Fuji Electric provides radiation management services ontributing to the safety and security for facilities that handle radioactive materials and for their neighboring municipalities. Fuji Electric has developed an nvironmental radiation monitoring service and radiation management systems by combining the latest IoT technology with our radiation measurement technology, which have been used for recovery and reconstruction work in the Great East Japan Earthquake area. These solutions can be introduced inexpensively and quickly by utilizing cellular phone communication networks including cloud servers and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Further, in our radiation exposure management system, a dedicated dosimeter with a built-in communication function can be connected to the system via Wi-Fi or cellular networks to remotely notify the manager of worker radiation dose in real time.
Regular Paper
YASUMOTO, Koji; HAMADA, Ippei; NEMOTO, Kenji
Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) used in data centers require reliability, energy savings and economic efficiency. In standby redundant and parallel redundant systems, redundant capacity will equal the capacity of a single UPS. As a result, smaller capacity units provide more economic efficiency. In recent years, there has been growing demand to deploy common backup systems with enhanced reliability, whose economic efficiency increases as the single UPS capacity becomes higher. It is against this background that Fuji Electric has developed highly reliable and economical common backup systems whose redundant capacity does not depend on single UPS capacity and load capacity.
New Products
KIUCHI, Tadaaki; TSUJIMURA, Norikazu; MORISHIMA, Yosuke
Power conditioning systems (PCSs) used in photovoltaic power generation can be broadly divided into two types depending on the generation capacity. For large-scale power generation of megawatts (MW) or higher, a centralized type is used in which largecapacity PCSs are utilized to collectively perform power conversion. For small-scale power generation, a string*1 type is used in which small-capacity PCSs are distributed in a decentralized manner to take advantage of their ease of installation and management. However, in recent years, the number of largescale power generation systems has been on the rise that use multiple string-type PCSs connected to each other. The reason for this is that, compared with the centralized type, string-type PCSs can reduce the risk of power reduction in the event of failure through theirdecentralized distribution of small-capacity PCSs. Furthermore, there are other advantages, such as the ability to generate more power through each boost circuit performing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control. In addition to their easy installation work that eliminates the need for foundation construction, delivery roads and heavy machinery, the increase in the capacity of the small-capacity PCSs has resulted in a decrease in the unit cost per watt (watt). This has helped to suppress the introduction cost of the entire system. In response to these market changes, Fuji Electric has added the “PIS-50/500” (1,100 V DC/50 kVA) string-type PCS to its PCS line-up composed of centralized-type PCS Series.
HIRAYAMA, Noritomo; KANAI, Hideo; KISHIRO, Masami
Under the Paris Agreement (COP21), an international framework on lobal warming and other climate change issues adopted in 2015, Japan has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26% by 2030, compared with 2013 levels. In addition, the 2018 amendment to the “Act on the Rational Use of Energy (Energy Saving Act) established a new system to provide a special depreciation of 30% or a tax credit of 7% of the acquisition price of newly purchased energy-saving equipment through the “Tax System for Promoting Investments that Advance Energy Savings and Renewable Energy” in order to thoroughly promote energy savings in society. Encouraged by these agreements and amended laws, households and businesses have been widely implementing energy savings of electricity through the purchase of eco-friendly products and the use of renewable energy sources such as solar power. Electricity can be easily measured, and various energy-saving measures have been already performed by visualizing. Therefore there will not be much room for savings. On the other hand, steam is diffi cult to measure and visualize and this makes it hard to see the effect on energy savings. Even when energy-saving measures are implemented, it is thus often diffi cult to sustain them. However, in order to achieve further energy savings, it is inevitable that steam usage will also need to be optimized.
KURIHARA, Tsukasa; NAGATSUKA, Kazuhito; OTSUBO, Kosuke
In recent years, the scale of industrial plants with motor applications has been expanding, and thus plant operational effi ciency has been required much more than ever before. Furthermore, traceability is of growing important in production site. Therefore, the amount of data handled by this type of plant system is increasing. In steel plants, such as those with surface treatment lines and rolling mills, electrical equipment is driven by inverter control. The controller used in such a plant is required to use a high-speed, large-capacity memory and high reliability network to enable it to support system advancements. The “MICREX-VieW XX (Double-X) XCS-3000 Type E” controller has been developed in order to meet these requirements to be achieved. This controller is a core component of high-speed electric controller systems capable of monitoring and controlling the operational status of production facilities and quickly updating large amounts of monitoring and control data while maintaining high reliability.