InControl’s long-standing customer – MSE Hiller approached us to manage the control & instrumentation for this major project.
As part of a turnkey project, InControl were expected to handle every aspect of the control and instrumentation, from design specification, programming, electrical design, field wiring, installation and site support once commissioned.
The Company
MSE Hiller’s customer was Birdseye, the UK’s largest pea producer, in Hull. North East England.
The Problem
With tightening of legislation and permit standards, Birdseye asked MSE Hiller to develop a system to treat 400m3/h of their water leaving site and install it amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak. MSE Hiller turned to their trusted partner InControl Systems of Chesterfield – UK, to design and deliver the control & instrumentation.
The Solution
MSE Hiller, was tasked to design, build, and operate the wastewater treatment plant for Birdseye. Against a tight deadline the plant was brought on-stream in the middle of June in time for this year’s pea season.
Frozen peas have been produced in the UK since 1946 after the fast freezing process was developed in 1929 by Clarence Birdseye. Birdseye are one of the largest pea processors in the world, and the largest in the UK, processing and freezing around 50,000t of peas per year during the harvest season from June to August. Their facility at Hull is situated in the centre of a 30-mile radius of 200 growers, allowing the peas to be picked, transported and frozen in the shortest possible timescale. During the pea season, the factory processes 1,000t of peas 24-hours a day. Associated with this is the water which is used to wash the peas and as fresh water needs to be used the wastewater was traditionally treated by the local water company.
With tightening of legislation and permit standards, Birdseye asked Chesterfield company, MSE Hiller, to develop a proposal to treat 400m3/h of their water leaving site. In June 2019 MSE Hiller carried out pilot testing during the pea season to prove the concept of treatment by centrifugation. This proved successful and the company was invited to develop a full-scale process. The space constraints on site and the short project timescale was going to be a challenge, but a proactive project team was assembled, including the client and site operator, to ensure a timely delivery of the project in readiness for the 2020 season.
Process Automation Solution
InControl Systems designed the control solution around Rockwell Automation’s Allen Bradley CompactLogix PLC, which communicates to distributed I/O and the variable speed drives via Ethernet. It also communicates via Profibus DP to the Hiller’s SEE (stationary energy efficient) Controller, which is proven in centrifuge projects like this.
The system delivered by InControl Systems included 13 stainless steel floor-standing enclosures with 12 of these mounted back-to-back, housing all of the control hardware as well as 16 Powerflex variable speed drives ranging from 22kw to 110kw and their related STO (safe torque off) systems.
System Delivery
With only a few days to spare before the pea season began, MSE Hiller delivered the completed plant on time and on budget, despite the challenges of building a large process plant during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ivan Fomin, Managing Director at MSE Hiller explains, “The client trusted us to deliver this solution and worked positively and proactively to help us achieve the target. It is great to see what solid teamwork can achieve under challenging circumstances”.
InControl Systems delivered their part of the project from start to finish in under 14 weeks, and will continue to provide on-going support and service utilising remote communications via an Ewon Flexi (cellular router) fitted to the equipment.
