GE Healthcare selects ABB automation system

ABB has been awarded an order from GE Healthcare's Life Science division in Uppsala, Sweden, worth approximately $4 million, for automation systems to be used in the production of protein separation media. The automation systems are part of the development of a new production plant to meet the increasing demand for separation media based on agarose and dextran.

The automation, using ABB's IndustrialIT 800xA (extended Automation) system, provides control and monitoring of tanks and reactors, batch control plus control functions for automatic valves, stirrers and analogue measurement signals for the process. The systems also include functions for the assembling and handling process, operational data management with functions for reporting and archiving.

This project will also take advantage of the ABB PCEquipment Library, a generic, re-usable software suite for batch applications that is claimed to break new ground by distributing the control intelligence throughout the control hierarchy, thereby enabling truly generic, pre-tested and reusable library objects to be provided for units, equipment modules and phases. This makes specification, implementation and configuration of control systems less complex and less time-consuming. In many cases it enables process engineers to change recipes rather than require configuration engineer specialists for the task.

System architecture

The systems comprise about 4000 I/O signals, of which 75 per cent will be handled by ABB's distributed I/O-channels S900, which will be mounted in Ex-classified areas along with local operator workplaces.

The order is the third from GE Healthcare in Uppsala to ABB for automation equipment, including a System 800xA for different production purposes.

Previous experience with 800xA and ABB's project handling capability determined the selection of the systems. This also makes it easier for GE's operators to work with the same operator interface for different plant areas.

The system is scheduled to be in operation in later in 2007.