Reviewer details
Name: Corne Lourens
Position: Metallurgical manager, Geita Gold Mine
Company: AngloGold Ashanti
Phone: +255 (28) 252 0500
E-mail: [email protected]
Product details
Vendor: Wonderware Southern Africa
Product(s): Wonderware System Platform 3.0, InTouch SCADA, Wonderware Historian, Active Factory, Wonderware Information Server
Phone: 0861 WONDER
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.wonderware.co.za
Application
Industry: Mining and metallurgical
Server OS: Windows 2003 Server R2 SP2
Client OS: Windows XP Pro SP3
Front end: 17 * Allen-Bradley PLCs
Tag count: 5000 I/O points
Updates per day: Approximately 26 million
General
Q: Briefly describe the application including information on any pre-existing system that was in place.
A: AngloGoldAshanti’s Geita Gold Mine is Tanzania’s largest gold producer. Low production in 2006 was a cause for concern. As part of a comprehensive intervention programme, Systems Anywhere was called in to investigate the existing control constraints and possible control opportunities (Systems Anywhere has a long-standing relationship with AngloGold Ashanti). There had been an old InTouch system in place but this project involved redevelopment on an ArchestrA platform and upgrading of PLC communications from DH+ to Ethernet.
Q: Who performed the scada configuration?
A: Systems Anywhere.
Q: Approximately how many man-hours did the scada configuration take?
A: 400 man hours over a 12 month period with deployment during maintenance shutdowns.
Q: Was a structured process followed to determine expected performance under full load and during abnormal failure conditions?
A: The user requirements specified full data and network redundancy. A thin slice implementation was done and approved by the client prior to full implementation.
Q: What sort of licensing agreement applies to this particular system?
A: Each product is separately licensed and licences are based on tag counts.
Q: What upgrade agreements are in place? Are patches and version upgrades free, covered under annual maintenance or managed in some other way?
A: Patches and version upgrades are covered under Wonderware’s Customer First annual maintenance agreement.
Q: How is after-sales support handled?
A: Systems Anywhere provides support through realtime satellite link from Johannesburg, site visits and telephonic support. Wonderware provides support through a mixture of phone calls, e-mail and site visits.
System architecture
Q: What impresses you most about the architecture?
A: There is a large range of products to choose from and it is easy to integrate applications and custom developments through .NET.
Q: What are the key physical communication layers and communication protocols employed in the system?
A: The control system network comprises Ethernet over fibre redundant ring for communication between PC workstations and between I/O server and PLCs.
Q: Is the scada system integrated onto an intranet or the Internet? If so, what level of remote monitoring and control is configured?
A: Yes, for simple remote monitoring.
Q: Does the application utilise web services?
A: Yes. Wonderware Information Server was installed. The site uses web monitoring, reporting and KPI indications as well as manual lab data entry via this technology.
Q: What redundancy is incorporated in this scada application?
A: Full dual redundancy between the four ArchestrA engines and the four Historian backup engines.
Graphics
Q: Describe the graphics development process.
A: Standard library images (InTouch Smart Symbols) were modified where necessary to suit plant standards.
Q: How would you describe the library of graphic images?
A: Comprehensive.
Q: What human factors were taken into consideration in the HMI design process?
A: It needed to be easy for operators to use!
Q: Did you use any ‘special’ images or video technology?
A: Pop ups on the screen include a photo of the associated field device for ease of reference.
Compatibility
Q: Do you run the scada in conjunction with any third-party application software?
A: The SI, Systems Anywhere, developed an Expert System using MS VB.NET.
Q: Was any custom code or scada scripting written for this project?
A: The Expert System was customised for Geita Mine in order to optimise mill output and increase productivity. The mill control algorithm developed by the SI uses fuzzy logic.
Management reporting and integration
Q: Is a trending and historical data reporting system included?
A: Full trending and data reporting facilities exist allowing instrumentation engineers to analyse digital and analog trends and alarms over any specified period. This also helps maintenance personnel spot potential trouble spots and to be more proactive in solving problems and decreasing downtimes.
Q: Is a management reporting system included in the package?
A: Yes – refer Wonderware Information Server under Conclusion.
Q: Is the system integrated with an MES / ERP or other management reporting or control system?
A: No.
Q: Are any production benchmarking tools configured as part of the scada system?
A: No.
Q: Does the application include asset management functionality?
A: No.
Q: Does the application include GIS (geographic information systems) integration?
A: No.
System safety, security and data protection
Q: What alarm management standards or best practices were adopted in configuring the scada system?
A: All alarming is automatically handled by the ArchestrA technology, which provides for the definition of alarm priorities and warnings as well as the monitoring of who acknowledged each alarm.
Q: How were the potential consequences of abnormal process conditions taken into consideration during the HMI design process?
A: Alarm categorisation and screening is part of the ArchestrA infrastructure (Alarm Tree Viewer, Pareto charts, etc). This allows for only relevant alarms to be displayed to operators at specific parts of the plant while also monitoring who acknowledged each alarm. The Pareto charts also allow maintenance crews to address the most important alarms first and by so doing, incrementally improve plant performance.
Q: Does the design make provision for a DMZ and firewall segregation of process network and business networks?
A: The networks are firewalled and segregated into three layers: corporate, scada and PLC.
Q: What intrusion detection is incorporated on the plant network(s) on which this scada system exists?
A: Virus protection.
Q: What configuration backup and archive backup methodologies have been adopted?
A: Specific SOPs have been introduced to ensure backups are controlled and consistent.
Conclusion
Q: What was the predominant feature(s) that made you decide to employ this scada, rather than another?
A: The group has had good previous experiences with this software; it is constantly evolving and meets our needs in many aspects. ArchestrA helps to enforce controlled standards, which ensure that the system is not degraded when changes are implemented over the system lifetime. We highly value the after sales support offered from Wonderware and Systems Anywhere.
Q: What impresses you the most about the system?
A: The Wonderware Information Server, which brings the plant into the boardroom and is especially important for a company like AngloGold Ashanti that has multiple plants. Management can view the performance, downtimes, KPIs, production reports, trends, and shift reports of each plant from a central location at any time. The right information gets to the right people at the right time so that they can contribute to improving plant performance.
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