Old Pulteney Distillery/UEA
An innovative approach to biomass heating systems
The project
Biomass is big business. It’s a widely available, renewable fuel source that produces a fraction of the carbon emissions of fossil fuels and offers a host of other benefits. Biomass is also an extremely sustainable fuel source, which helps guarantee security of supply. With heating technology evolving constantly and more organisations looking to reach net zero, the purchase of industrial biomass heating systems is at an all-time high.
Banelec has been involved in several major projects over the years to help our clients make the most of their investment in biomass fuel and heating systems. Two of the most notable were on the site of the historic Pulteney Distillery, in Scotland, and at the University of East Anglia (UEA). In each scenario, the clients’ objectives were the same – to use their biomass plant more effectively, while assuring safety, minimising downtime and reducing waste and running costs.
The Challenge
Working in close partnership with Stahl Crane Systems, who provided all the hardware, we first supported the creation of a new community heating project in the Scottish town of Wick.
A small woodchip-fuelled biomass power generator station was installed on the grounds of the distillery, which produces the award-winning range of Old Pulteney whiskies. The biomass station provides renewable energy to the distillery and supplies around 200 homes in the district heating network.
We designed and created the crane system needed to enable round the clock operations while ensuring site safety for workers, visitors and the local community. The system was installed in 2007 and is still running today. Following the successful implementation of this solution, we were asked to develop and deliver a similar system for UEA, using the same programming and technology.
Our solution
For both projects, we were tasked with designing and programming the PLC systems to enable the plants to operate most effectively. These were complex projects requiring a high degree of accuracy and safety, particularly given that both sites are unmanned.
Each biomass station has two silos. The system we designed automatically detects which silo is emptier when woodchips are delivered and alerts the delivery driver to which door they should open to unload. This process is controlled by PLC to prevent the driver from opening the wrong door and unloading woodchips into the wrong silo. Once the correct silo is loaded and the delivery vehicle has moved away, the door closes, and the crane automatically sets to work to unload the delivery silo.
The crane travels to the appropriate silo – with its grab open – and lowers to the pile of woodchip. The grab closes when the crane detects it’s on the woodchip. Around 4m³ of woodchip is collected with each pass, and the crane delivers it to the storage area, where it’s automatically dropped into the zone with the lowest woodchip level. The woodchip is unloaded to maintain the optimal level in a hopper that feeds the boiler via a screw feed system. So, if the hopper requires filling at any point during the process, the crane will abort dropping the load in the storage area and take it straight to the hopper.
All the programming was carried out by Banelec’s experienced team of in-house engineers. All the amazing things it does – including alerting users to the emptiest silo, only allowing the correct door to open, and making the crane automatically unload the biomass fuel and travel to the appropriate silo – was down to our expertise in automating systems. The fact that we were able to use the initial system we created for the distillery as the blueprint for a similar solution at UEA highlights how confident we are in the quality and effectiveness of the end-product, and the value, safety, peace of mind and operational improvement our technology and software delivers.
The Impact
The systems we have designed for both the distillery and UEA ensure the crane unloads the silos and automatically stores each load in the most efficient way. Safety is built-in to every stage of the process to minimise the risk to workers on each site.
Access is controlled by the PLC systems we installed, and while they can be overridden, the cranes will shut down immediately if they are. This means each site is fully automated and can be left to run 24/7, with minimal need for maintenance or human interaction.
Each crane is also monitored remotely and sends alerts to a local plant maintenance team if a fault occurs or woodchip runs low, helping to minimise downtime and ensure efficient operations.
It’s just another example of the way Banelec can apply our expertise in automation and building electrical control systems to make operations smarter, safer and more sustainable… and we’ve got two happy customers to prove it!
If you have invested in biomass and would like to find out how we can help you get the most out of your plant and machinery, get in touch today. We can provide a complete end-to-end solution for all your needs, to transform the way you operate and maximise the return on your investment.