Our client, a central utilities supplier at a major manufacturing site needed technical support to test new control software and commission new equipment. Cooling towers, chillers, boilers, circulation loops, thermal energy storage, air compressors, waste treatment, and other minor systems were installed and controlled by redundant Allen-Bradley ControLogix PLCs with redundant Cimplicity® graphical interface servers.
Dynamic Engineering Design conducted Factory Acceptance Testing. Inspection of panel wiring and hardware at the panel shop included simulation of all inputs and outputs. Acceptance testing also was done on the PLC and graphics software configuration to ensure completeness, uniformity, and compliance with the details of the functional specification.
On site, the commissioning of the facility proceeded with network checks, loop checks, hard wired interlocks, and VFD & motor control checkout. With these functionalities verified, we proceeded to tune the PID loops and verify the automatic sequences of operation.
The tests concluded with live tests of the redundant processors, redundant communications and redundant power supplies.
All testing was documented in detail. Mechanical and software issues were punch-listed, and upon completion, an ‘As-built’ functional spec. was created to serve as a record and basis for future training.
