Visualization and control of the Vahala Meat Processing Plant in the market town of Hustopece nad Becvou

The Vahala Meat Processing Plant in Hustopece nad Becvou was built in 1998. The plant is divided into the production part, administration offices, and the technical level. The company specializes in the manufacture and wholesale of meat products, such as formed hams, pâtés, smoked meat, roasted meat, and meat in aspic.

The production plant was in need of a control system after the completion of construction. The complete installation of the control system was carried out by the TECONT company. The SCADA-based control system consists of two Tecomat PLC devices (Tecomat NS950 RAPID and TECOREG TR300) and the Reliance SCADA/HMI system. The PLC devices along with the Reliance SCADA system provide control and reliable visualization of the meat processing systems.

Vahala Meat Processing Plant

The Reliance system provides visualization and control of

Heating system and water supply system

• Hot water boiler control
• Circulation pump control
• Hot water circuit control
• Preheating of water supply

Air-conditioning system

• Control of the air-conditioning units used for the air-conditioning of the production areas
• Ventilation of the boiler room
• Ventilation of the machinery room
• Ventilation system of the production shop

Machinery room

• Control of two SABROE ammonia compressors over the RS232 serial line
• Regulation of the ammonia level in the expansion tank
• Control of the pumps used for pumping the ammonia
• Control of the electric fans used for the cooling of the condensor
• Control of the water pump used for pumping the cooling water
• Control of the hot water heat-exchanger

Cooling system

• Control of twenty cooling units mounted on the ceilings of the cooling chambers and production areas
• Measurement and indication of the temperature in the refrigerating rooms

Machinery room (air compression)

• Control and monitoring of the compressors

Further monitoring and measurement

• Redundant detection of ammonia leaks in the production and technical areas
• Control of the smoking chambers
• Control of the CERTUSS steam generator
• Control of power consumption

All the processes mentioned above are controlled and visualized by the Reliance SCADA/HMI system installed on the control computer. The control computer is located in the control coom. Reliance obtains data from both PLCs. Data from the processes are stored in the Reliance database. The data can be used for many other purposes. For example, authorized operators can display historical data on the control computer's monitor or print the data. Reliance also provides displaying and acknowledging current alarms/events.