- Control
Control and automation system for the Fuel Distribution System at the Equinix MA05 Data Centre in Manchester.
FAIRFIELDS were contracted by Aiden Strain Electrical Engineering (ASEE) to supply a control and automation system for the Fuel Distribution System at the Equinix MA05 Data Centre in Manchester.
The proposed control solution used a dual-redundant Schneider Modicon M580 PLC platform. It also included Schneider Modicon X80 remote I/O and Schneider Altivar variable speed drives (VSDs).
Background
The MA05 Fuel Distribution System provided fuel to the required Generator Day Tank. The Fuel Distribution System consisted of 2 Bulk Fuel Storage Tanks that fed 2 Fuel Distribution Pumps that supplied fuel to 4 Generator Days. The operation of the Fuel Distribution Pumps was dictated by the operation and status of the generators and associated day tanks.
The Solution
The MA05 Fuel Distribution System supplied fuel to the generator day tanks. It consisted of two bulk fuel storage tanks, which fed two fuel distribution pumps. These pumps supplied fuel to four generator day tanks. Pump operation was controlled by the status and demand of the generators and their associated day tanks.
The control application managed the automatic sequencing and continuous operation of the system. This enabled fuel transfer from the tanker offloading station into the bulk storage tanks, through the ring main, and finally into the generator day tanks.
The software was designed with future expansion in mind. As a result, the code structure allowed the system to be easily extended as the fuel distribution network grew.
In addition, the control system communicated with the existing Building Management System (BMS) on site. This allowed operators to monitor system status and alarm conditions in real time.