Plant Liqu iT offers a depth of technological integration that offers our customers a previously unachievable combination of flexibility in handling production processes and transparency in their monitoring.
Therefor the process control system Plant Direct iT was extended with the following core functions:

• Class "Sequence" for mapping of complete technological processes
• Additional branch-specific, technological classes (equipment modules)
• Recipe control based on procedural components and the class "Sequence"
• Material-related process control
• Automatic route control
• Special functions for tank farm management.

Like all of the other components of the Plant iT platform, Plant Liqu iT consistently adheres to the principle of “parameterization instead of programming” in all of its functions and the approach of open system architecture. If required, Plant Liqu iT also provides corresponding interfaces for technical program integration of application-specific solutions.

The sequence

Plant Liqu iT enhances Plant Direct iT with the possibility to map complete technical processes in sequences. Every sequence is an instance of a class and is fully parameterizable in relation to the steps defined for it, the functions within these steps and their transitions (branching points and step enabling conditions). When engineering the step-internal functionality, already defined objects (e.g. valves and measuring points) are accessed and the process-oriented OCM (Object Control Matrix) class in particular.
Classes that have been specially adapted to the soft drinks industry and those relating to Plant Liqu iT (e.g. FIFO for the handling of queues and automatic tank changes) top off the basic functionality of Plant Liqu iT and enable integrated parameterization of complete processes. Every sequence can be monitored in detail via its own operating dialog and if required can also be controlled. An online view of the transitions of each step enables a detailed diagnosis and direct intervention in the process. All relevant events and data including any interventions are displayed and are available in a detailed sequence report for subsequent testing and for documentation purposes.

An efficient sequence overview provides a precise view of all plant processes and their status in running operations at any time. In the event of an irregularity, the operator can intervene directly from this overview.

Recipe control

Especially in plants where a variety of finished and intermediate products are manufactured using the same or similar processes, Plant Liqu iT provides special functionality for recipe-controlled processes based on a simplified procedural model. Processes are described by means of procedures comprising one or more unit procedures which themselves consist of one of more operations. Each unit procedure equals one object of the class Sequence Controller and the steps defined for this object represent the operations. Master recipes can be created by combining such a procedure with different, equally structured parameter sets, e.g. for making different products using the same process.
The system distinguishes between recipe and equipment parameters. For the recipe parameters different replacement methods are selectable which allow to define for each parameter, whether it is a constant with regards to the master recipe or it has to be defined individually each time
the process is started. Equipment parameters describe technical properties of the plant and are thus generally considered as being constant.

Equipment modules

The equipment modules further increase the efficiency and security of automated processes. These particular technological classes:

• Encapsulate technical process functionality of complex technicalequipment or complete units,
• ensure reproducibility and
• provide simple and secure operation of complex process functions in manual or semi-automatic operation via class operation dialogs.

Equipment modules are optimized for cooperation with sequences but can also be used with all other classes. The range of available modules spans from simple applications (for example temperature control of a fermentation tank) to functional encapsulation of complex technical equipment  (e.g. chopping system of a lauter tun) or entire units (e.g. malt transportation system). In order to improve the diagnostics the operating dialog of the equipment module provides a special online overview of its communication with the objects also involved in the control of the same process.

Automatic route control

The usually complex and time-consuming mapping of different routes that sometimes need to be selected depending on the product in multi-product plants with network structure becomes fully parameterizable with Plant Liqu iT. This leads to significant simplification in running operations and also when adapting the system in the course of plant modifications, upgrades or changes within the process. A special equipment module called REM (Route Equipment Module) enables parameterization of fully automatic route control in connection with OCM objects. The sequence addresses a variable number of REM objects, which can be assigned to it either statically (technically determined routes) or dynamically (routes dependent on source, target or product). Depending on the route or units to be used, each REM addresses statically or dynamically assigned OCMs that control the assigned actors and sensors.

Tank farm management

Especially for the mapping of processes with a large number of source/target combinations Plant Liqu iT provides with

• the tank farm wizard and
• the tank farm overview

two high-performance tools for the handling of tank farms. The tank farm wizard provides assistance for parameterization that allows the simple definition of very complex tank farms and enables parameterization of generated matrices in relation to permissible function and route combinations. Modifications made in the event of plant extentions or modifications can be planned in this way both simply and securely. The tank storage overview provides a detailed online view in several layers of the current states of the entire tank storage facility, a tank group or an individual tank. All important parameters (for example filling amount, cleaning status and current order) and the currently executed process steps (for examples bottling, emptying and cleaning) are displayed in a concise manner. In the event that an irregularity is ascertained by means of the tank status display, the operating dialog of the affected tank can be accessed directly from the process picture overview.

Material-related process control

Plant iT material, the system component for process-orientated material management, can be accessed directly from process control level. With the help of system-internal standard functions transaction-accurate booking records can be generated for every single material movement out of the running process and almost realtime. In that way, material-related process control including inventory management and – in combination with a super-ordinated order management – also tracking and tracing is possible.