Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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80 E&MJ; • JULY 2017 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) re- cently launched Experion Elevate, a re- al-time process supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) solution deliv- ered as a secure and scalable service. Experion Elevate, said Honeywell, allows for predictable costs, easy upgrades and continual support. It is a member of Hon- eywell's suite of cloud-enabled solutions for operations technology and information technology (OT/IT). It's no secret that major mining compa- nies are constantly seeking ways to lever- age operational expenditures (OPEX) over capital expenditures (CAPEX) wherever possible to reduce concerns about pur- chase, installation, hosting, and mainte- nance of hardware and software on prem- ises. However, small-sized to midsized companies with limited capital resources also may want to partake of the benefi ts from this approach, seeking long-term use of the SCADA solution, as well as fl exibili- ty in deployment, service and support, and upgrades they may not otherwise pay for. Honeywell said Experion SCADA is at the heart of its Experion systems and pro- vides a highly scalable, integrated multi- service system with a superior human-ma- chine interface (HMI). The use of Hon- eywell's Distributed System Architecture (DSA) allows multiple SCADA servers to operate as one within a single asset or across the enterprise and enables seamless global access to points, alarms, interactive operator control messages and history. In an application note that illustrates the potential advantages of latest-gen- eration Distributed Control Systems for mineral processing, Honeywell noted that its Experion DCS can help producers cope with specifi c challenges, such as: • Increasing throughput with the highest availability and reliability; • Increasing product quality, such as through higher quality separation; • Minimizing life-cycle costs through im- proved maintenance, minimized wear and tear, and comprehensive support; • Increasing sustainability while comply- ing with Health, Safety and Environ- ment (HSE) regulations; • Minimizing energy and water consump- tion; and • Responding quickly and effectively to changing market requirements. To assist in meeting these challeng- es, DCS and SCADA systems can con- trol many applications throughout the production process, including crusher level control, conveyor load-out, inven- tory monitoring, fl otation and separation, concentration, leaching, slurry pumping, process water, smelting and refi ning, and bulk material handling. Broadly speaking, DCS is process-oriented, as it focuses more on the processes in each step of the operation. SCADA focuses more on the acquisition and collation of data for ref- erence of the personnel who are charged with keeping track of the operation. As Honeywell pointed out, there are sites that cannot justify the cost and complexity of a full Distributed Control System (DCS). There are also plants that have adopted Programmable Logic Con- trollers (PLCs) but are actually a better fi t for a DCS. And, with Experion Elevate, Honeywell said it is uniquely positioned to provide any combination of SCADA solutions, offering end users more options Users of the new system, according to Honeywell, can benefi t from a lower cost of entry with the potential for reduced CAPEX, rapid project deployment and lower life-cycle costs. SCADA System Lets Users Leverage Cloud-based Benefi ts