Peru’s largest copper-producer digitally automates smelter

Emerson Process Management announced that Southern Peru Copper Corp. (SPCC) has selected PlantWeb digital plant architecture, with FOUNDATION fieldbus technology, for digital automation of its smelter near Ilo, Peru.

In 2004, SPCC launched a project to modernize its Ilo facility capacity to 1.2 million metric tons/year, reduce SO2 emissions, reduce copper production costs, and increase H2SO4 production for feedstock in another SPCC facility, and for export. SPCC completed the FEED (front-end engineering and design) portion of the project in 2004. During 2005, process and control system upgrades were implemented, with commissioning scheduled to begin in early 2006.

“We realized we would need to use FOUNDATION fieldbus, HART, DeviceNet, Profibus DP, and OPC [OLE for process control] communication technologies on this project,” said Luis Canzio, senior electrical engineer of SPCC. “PlantWeb digital architecture makes implementing multiple communication technologies as easy as ‘plug-and-play,’ while maintaining communication technology transparency.”

Additionally, SPCC cited the Delta V digital automation system and its embedded multivariable control capabilities as being well-suited to provide control stability for its copper smelting process.

Emerson’s contract with SPCC comprises:

Control system hardware, software, and related services, including a professional plus workstation in a PowerEdge 2650 server;

Twelve operator, and one professional workstations;

One base station in a PowerEdge Server, for remote desktop connections with wireless Ethernet;

One application station in a Stratus fault-tolerant server for OPC connectivity;

Nine DeltaV MD redundant controllers;

AMS Suite: Intelligent device manager for HART and FOUNDATION fieldbus connected devices;

OPC for PIMS (process information management systems); and

Redundant DeltaV Connect for Bailey stations for interfacing the DeltaV digital automation system to an existing Bailey Infi 90 system.Services Emerson will provide include:

Configuration of DeltaV system and AMS Suite applications;

Cabinet integration;

FAT/SAT (factory/site acceptance testing);

Commissioning and startup assistance;

Installation supervision;

Training; and

Services for migration of Bailey Infi 90.

Emerson’s migration group, together with the local Emerson office, integrated SPCC’s legacy, Bailey control system into the PlantWeb digital architecture. Migration services included converting database points, control strategy, and graphic displays, accompanied by an offline configuration checkout prior to actual connection of the new digital plant architecture.

— Richard Phelps, senior editor, Control Engineering richard.phelps@reedbusiness.com

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