Algae Plant Integration

Customer: Chemical/Energy Customer

Project Type: Control system integration including electrical design, instrumentation and control system development for an alternative energy company.

Project Scope: Matrix Technologies designed the electrical and control system integration for the Algae Plant integration project at a facility in New Mexico. Matrix designed the plant control networks used to interface servers, HMIs, OEM controllers, plant PLCs, and remote I/O panels.

Matrix developed instrument specifications and a functional specification to be used as a basis for system software design and programming. Matrix purchased all control system and network hardware and software for the plant, including servers, switches, HMIs, licenses, PLCs, I/O, instrumentation, and designed and fabricated panels.

The PLC program and HMI screens were designed based the functional specification and on the P&IDs for each separate process area.

Matrix created system drawings, including panel fabrications, schematics, panel layouts, a system block diagram, and construction drawings and schematics for the eighteen (18) pond VFD panels and seventy-two (72) lighting control panels.

Control system integration including electrical design, instrumentation and control system development for an alternative energy company.

Engineering Challenges: Since this was an entirely new process for “growing” algae for the purposes of making biodiesel, there was a great deal of experimentation performed by the customer in the design process.  Matrix needed to be agile in handling the changes as they were developed, while ensuring the project stayed on schedule.

Project Outcome: Facility started up on time and operated according to specifications.