Landfill gas operators with many pieces of equipment understand it’s challenging to have complete visibility and ensure maximum uptime. Learn how to design your plant control system for maximum ROI by utilizing a scalable and comprehensive SCADA system, and specifying the right data points for real-time and historical analysis. By analyzing data and properly configuring alarms and alerts, owners can properly prioritize maintenance, optimize operations, and proactively identify potential problems to ultimately exceed expected plant performance. By viewing the SCADA system as an information system, Affinity Energy can provide owners and operators with the tools to achieve a higher rate of return on their automation investment. Learn more http://affinityenergy.com

1. A Smart Landfill Gas Control
System Design to Optimize
ROI & Performance
@Affinity_Energy

2. Islands of Automation
• Each has its own
controls (PLCs)
– Apply to one specific
application or smart
instrumentation
– Critical pieces of data
to manage in separate
packages
– Own native format
LG2E
System
Blower
Moisture
Removal
Siloxane
Removal
Engine /
GeneratorSCR
Environmental
Controls
Electrical
Switchgear

3. SCADA Solves That Problem
• Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition (SCADA)
– Single pane of glass
– HMI (real-time status)
– Set-point management
– Alarms & notification
– Trending & reporting
– Analysis of overall plant

4. Why Don’t LFGTE Specify SCADA?
• “My _____ manufacturer provides HMI/OIT
already.”
• “SCADA costs too much.”
• “We’ve run other facilities without SCADA.”
• “What would we do with all that data?”
• “We don’t have IT resources.”

5. Debunking the Myths
• If you’re content w/ multiple systems…
– How well are you trained on all three?
– How do you get alarms? (Email, AND pager, AND
web?)
– What about remote access and support?
• If you’re worried about duplicating…
– Make sure they provide an open protocol
– System integrators can easily take points, incorporate
graphics, and trend and report key performance
indicators.
Bottom line: you can’t manage what you don’t
measure

6. Control System & Information System
• Today’s SCADA systems are multi-
faceted. When designed properly, they
help operators and owners:
– Efficiently see / analyze whole plant
– Effectively operate and maintain equipment
– Respond to abnormal conditions faster
– Drive operational efficiency through trending
and KPI analysis
– Send operation reports to key personnel
– Remotely control or monitor operations
– Receive fault and alarm notifications via
email or text

7. CONNECTING THE ISLANDS
OF AUTOMATION

8. Case Study: Concord Energy
• Republic
Services’ CMS
landfill in
Concord, NC
serving 7,700
NC residences
• 11.5 MW
• Landfill gas
fuels 2 Solar
Taurus turbines

9. Multiple Manufacturers…
Difficult to Know What’s Going On
• Extremely complex system w/
22 different devices made by
12 different manufacturers
– Gas turbine generators
– Gas compressors
– Gas blowers
– Air coolers
– Glycol chillers
– Blow-off flare
• All output critical data in
totally separate packages

10. SCADA
One Interface To Rule Them All
• After integrating all
equipment, operators
monitor plant via single HMI
• Advanced visualization
capabilities
• Central location display and
consolidated reporting
• Remotely start and stop
turbines/generators
• Troubleshoot problems via
archived data

11. DESIGNING SCADA FOR
MAXIMUM EASE OF USE

12. 4 Keys For Owners
1. Know your pricing signals
– They tell you when to worry
– Don’t freak out about being offline on Sunday at
2pm. It only costs $30/hour!
2. Understand responses
3. Measure and monitor to those responses
4. Help operations teams understand
– This should feed decision making process

13. What Data Points Should You Monitor?
• Specify right data points for real-time and
historical analysis
– Do you actually understand what you’re
measuring?
– What are your KPIs?
KWh, PF, Methane %, O2%, CO2%, Gas Flow,
Gas Temp, Gas Pressure, Flare Flow

14. Maximum Visibility, Minimum Noise
• Interfaces should be
clear, easy to
interpret
• Only show pertinent
data
• Should give a
clearer picture of
how your facility
performs

15. Only Alarm When Necessary
• Love SCADA, HATE alarms
• Events vs alarms
– “It’s cloudy today!”
– Oxygen alarms & barometric
pressure…. do you really
want to know there’s a
weather system coming in?
• Alarms signal an abnormal
condition. Never confirm
normally running processes.
– Signal an operator call to
action

16. Well-Formed Alarm Messages
• What does operator/alarm recipient need to know?
• Consistent and based on standard, agreed upon terminology
known and used by all operators
T1 LL Alarm
Tank 1 LowLow Limit Alarm
Fuel Oil Tank #1 approaching LL Limit
• Messages should tell the operator the problem, then guide
toward action

17. USING SCADA TO
Maximize ROI/Optimize

18. Change Operator View of SCADA
• Difficult to align goals/objectives
– Owner measurement:
long term profitability
– Operator measurement:
100% uptime no matter what
• Result
– Operator alerts owner to problems
– Owner would rather shut site down
– Both parties annoyed
• Contract is key. Educate operators.
• Remember: what you measure is what you get

19. Electric / Environmental Correlation
• Can’t just think about electric
output. Other factors impact.
– Environmental (air permit, catalytic
reduction, low NOx system)
– Gas inputs
• Watch what’s happening to front
end so you can adjust back end
– Run as close to permit as possible
• Little gas as possible, to make as
much energy as possible, to
produce as little pollutant as
possible
Energy
Gas
Pollutant

20. Preventative Maintenance
• Routine maintenance tests every
10,000hrs
– Fuel in vs. energy out
– Environmental (NOx sensors)
efficiency changes
– CH4, oxygen, nasties
• Helps you get in FRONT of
issues
– Respond to SIGNALS before
become ALARMS
– When to schedule maintenance
(scheduled and condition based)
• Emergency shutdowns

21. Don’t Forget About Reporting
Reports can be generated:
1. On-demand
2. Per schedule
3. Triggered based on a
condition.
SCADA: more than real-time
status, set-point adjustment,
trending and alarms.

22. Remote Access
• Semi-unattended
operation with
remote telemetry
and alarm
notification
• Fewer operators
required

23. Adjust Variables & Monitor Changes
• Landfills = living, breathing, non-static
environments
• Must identify changes that occur, and
adjust based on changes
• SCADA adjusts blower to pull
harder/softer based on BTU
• Every landfill built different, active
variables are site specific
– Rain
– Barometric pressure
– Temperature
– Trash input
45% CH4 X 500 CFM =
1600kw
40% CH4 X 530 CFM =
1600kw
55% CH4 x 470 CFM =
1600kw

24. The Owner/Integrator Two-Way Street
• Integrator to Owner
– Make owner aware of full SCADA capabilities
– Design a system that syncs with the way the owner plans
to operate and maintain the plant and aligns with goals.
– Design a system that focuses on information vs. data
– SCADA should make the owner and operator’s life easier
• Owner to Integrator
– Help integrator understand trends or flags that signal
maintenance
– Help identify and prioritize alarms based on potential
impact to primary goals
– Help integrator understand just building a screen to show
trends and highlights and out of bounds alarms is not
enough

25. Why SCADA Important to Owner?
• SCADA only makes sense as an information
system. Not just an alarming tool
• SCADA exists so owners can be calm, cool,
and collected on Easter, Christmas, July 4
• Ultimate scenario:
– wear and tear
– hours run
– energy produced

26. NEED A LANDFILL GAS TO
ENERGY SCADA QUOTE?
Allan Evora
aevora@affinityenergy.com
704-766-2060 x110