Modification Concept for a Composting Facility

The process

The composting facility ensures a fast and effective composting of biological waste. The composting of the biological waste takes place in the so-called composting hall. In the composting hall there is a device which repositions the compost. This crane is fully automated and fulfils the following tasks:

1. entering the composting material: the operator chooses a particular area where the crane then distributes the material.

2. restacking the composting material: the composting material is restacked within a previously defined area.

3. transporting the composting material out: the composting material is transported from a previously defined area to a composting field outside.

Crane

The composting field is divided into 260 virtual fields so that the crane is able to move to the correct coordinates. The following illustration shows the visualisation of the composting hall. Furthermore, an overview of all current work positions, including the level of the compost, the order management, the crane controls and a diagnosis of the crane, were integrated into the visualisation.

Visualisation of the composting hall

The controls

HIT converted the old S5 controls to a new failsafe S7-300. The failsafe inputs of the PLC were used to determine the positions of the crane and the trolley travel. Moreover, a new, more effective storage algorithm has been developed. With this algorithm the routes of the crane were shortened, so that the restacking of the composting material was accelerated.

Why HIT?

HIT successfully completed this project. A reliable composting facility with a clear user interface was designed for the operators. From the very beginning, the system proved its reliability. These features have increased the failsafe performance and the productivity of the system.