Ongoing automation support for multiproduct plasma processing plant.

Starting in 2015, ZETA developed and successfully implemented a versatile and fully automated multi-product system for blood plasma processing. It comprises 24 mobile processing units of different scales, which can be connected to the auxiliary system via 19 docking stations integrated into the cleanroom wall. The highly sophisticated system recognizes which unit is docked, identifies its functionalities and is always informed about the current status of each mobile unit. Error-free docking and undocking enables a modular production concept. The complex automation concept enables 24/7 operation.

In the initial project, ZETA provided a fully automated system and supplied the hardware and software. In the years following the project, ZETA delivered an upgrade of the pilot plant, provided additional automation support and enabled testing of specific use cases through simulation with SIMIT software from Siemens.

Read more about the multipurpose pilot plant in our Success Story!  

Changes and modifications to hardware and software pose a challenge to process automation. At the same time, there is limited downtime to perform tests and check-ups on the plant.

ZETA provided further assistance with the operation of the plant to enable the customer to operate the plant at maximum efficiency. In a further project, ZETA provided software and server upgrades and implemented a process historian and information servers.

SIMIT simulation software enables testing of automation projects and virtual commissioning of systems and processes. As part of the follow-up project, ZETA generated a digital twin as a basis for simulation. Starting with a copy of the PCS7 DCS system, including the server infrastructure, and integrating the SIMIT simulation that covers everything from the virtual controller to the process level, the behavior of the entire plant can be modeled. This digital twin allows simulation of the automated thermodynamic processes that occur in the plant system (e.g. reaching a certain temperature in a heating step), based on numerical modelling. The digital twin has already proved valuable in several use cases and is being further refined for other applications. For example, updated anti-virus software could be tested for compatibility before being implemented in the real production process.