The Challenge: To provide a coalyard tracking Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
that optimizes coalyard operations. Coalyard personnel (process
engineers, technicians, operators) were required to have 24-hour
access to a central database of real-time information for executing
operations and meeting business objectives.
The Solution: Using off-the-shelf data historian tools, Brock Solutions’ CoalTrack
solution captures data from Coal Analyzers, Blending and Recycling
Systems, Coal Handling Systems and Fly Ash Systems. From this data,
customers are able to track coal receipts and deliveries in and out
of storage areas. Operators can correlate coal quality and boiler
performance as well as monitor equipment availability.
Functionality
There are four major classifications of data captured and managed by the CoalTrack system:
- Coal receipts and deliveries maintained by type and/or blend
- Transaction Data: transfer from one location to another
- Equipment Usage History: conveyor starts, stops, flow and direction are summarized into
daily statistics and recorded in an equipment usage history archive
- Blend Chemistry History
CoalTrack provides the following features and functionality:
- Generates lists of all coal deliveries by carrier (ship, rail,
transport, etc.), type of coal, date and time
- Defines paths for the movement of coal throughout the facility
- Captures and maintains statistics on conveyor utilization and coal deliveries
- Provides ability to relate temperature and moisture content to deliveries
- Provides a flexible reporting methodology for accessing captured data
The Benefits: CoalTrack increases accuracy in inventory tracking, improves production
efficiency and reduces paperwork. In addition, its ‘open architecture’ makes
it easy for customers to change the system’s functionality or to add new
applications as their business goals evolve. With this open system, customers
realizes significant benefits in terms of lower maintenance and upgrading costs.
