We used the functional descriptions provided by Transfield Worley to write software to control the transportation of the raw dust from storage bins onto a drying belt five metres wide and 70 metres long. The dried dust is deposited into a hammer mill which breaks the product into smaller particles before moving on to a dry storage area.

We then developed the software to transport the dry dust to the presses, the finished pellets to a storage area, and finally to load them onto trucks. Every machine and process is linked with an overall site SCADA solution. The plant operators also have portable tablets to control processes in a mobile capacity.

The safety software was written in a SICK PLC which monitors for failures in the safety system, anticipating problems before they occur, and shutting those processes down.

The plant is producing to expected capacity and Solid Energy are now reaching new export markets.