Optimization of the Bazenheid energy park

About the project

The “Optimization of the Bazenheid Energy Park” project involves the complete replacement of the 35-year-old furnace line 3, the replacement of all dust extraction lines, and the complete conversion of the current wet chemical cleaning system to a dry cleaning stage for all three furnace lines.

With an investment of around CHF 63 million, the Bazenheid Waste Utilization Association (ZAB) has made itself fit for the future. This expansion has laid the foundation for a comprehensive regional district heating network and a 20 to 30% reduction in the plant's own energy consumption.

Rey Technology was commissioned to plan and implement the entire process automation, including the manufacture and installation of the switchgear.

The fact that the implementation had to take place in seven phases during ongoing operations was taken into account in the implementation planning and carried out in an exemplary manner.

In the first phase, preparatory work for the conversion began, while at the same time the entire furnace line 3 was dismantled. This was followed by a central intervention in the entire Siemens PCS7 process control system. All process control hardware was transferred to a virtualized system environment. During virtualization, special attention was paid to the newly required screen formats. It was essential to adapt all plant images to the new image resolution. During the same period, the Siemens SIMATIC software project was upgraded to the current PCS7 version via 13 Siemens AS400 controllers. The firmware versions of the Siemens AS controllers were also checked and updated to the latest version. This created the basis for integrating the new plant components, such as combustion line 3, flue gas dedusting line 3, and dry discharge, into the virtualized environment.

A time window of 32 hours was provided for the integration of the virtualized system at ZAB. All necessary switch cabinet conversions also had to be completed during this time. The entire plant was able to be returned to operation before the end of this time window.

Ensuring the plant's operation at all times and the tight schedule were a particular challenge. Careful and very detailed project planning was necessary to successfully implement this project.

The tense delivery situation of the suppliers also had to be taken into account. Finally, together with ZAB, commissioning was started and implemented according to the specified schedule.

Advantages for the customer

• Reduction of own energy consumption by 20–30% through modern technologies
• Higher reliability and availability of the systems
• Flexibly expandable for future requirements or new technologies
• Easy maintenance and clear operational management