HVAC work at Bitsch

On the strength of the experience it gained at the Bieudron plant (Cleuson-Dixence), HYDRO Exploitation was entrusted by Electra-Massa AG to research and replace the automation of the HVAC system (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) at the Bitsch plant in Upper Valais.

12 PLCs set up in the plant

The whole system must be regulated, controlled and monitored by a high-performance digital system. We decided to use a PLC from Beckhoff, and integrate the control and display with the existing supervisory system. A total of 12 PLCs have been set up throughout the plant. They are connected to a specific looped network and ensure the transfer and regulation of the air throughout the premises, namely: the recycling of heating and cooling, cooling by transfer of the air outside, zone control, dehumidification, smoke extraction and the extraction of exhaust gases from the access tunnel to the plant. The different controls of chilled water by zone are based on PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controllers. The alarms are fed back to the supervisory system and the measurements provided by the sensors are archived in a database.

By entrusting the HVAC work to HYDRO Exploitation, who already manages the operation and maintenance of the plants, the client has ensured the new functionalities will be integrated in the existing systems in the best way possible, whilst benefiting from the expertise of a flexible and proactive Automation & Control team.