{"id":4142,"date":"2017-03-06T17:17:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T17:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecc-automation.com\/?page_id=4142"},"modified":"2018-06-07T15:37:01","modified_gmt":"2018-06-07T15:37:01","slug":"day-tank-control","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ecc-automation.com\/work\/day-tank-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Day Tank Control: In Depth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"day-tank-control-manufacutring-by-electronic-control-corporation\"<\/a>

Production of day tank controllers at Electronic Control Corporation’s facility in Westminster, MD, USA.<\/p><\/div>\n

Innovations for day tank level and pump control<\/h2>\n

Day tank control project background<\/h3>\n

ECC-Automation was contracted by Tanks Direct<\/a> to engineer and manufacture customized automated electronic systems for<\/strong> day tank level control and diesel fuel transfer<\/strong>. The twenty nine day tanks hold diesel petroleum for generators used as backup power systems. These components are being placed within the 427,000 sq. ft. MCC-1 building, purposed as a data center. It is the first of\u00a0five being developed for the information technology-focused Manassas Corporate Center in Prince William County, VA<\/a>. The corporate campus houses a dedicated 200 MW redundant substation with 230 kv transmission supply lines from separate substations. It also has a redundant fiber optic duct bank (FODB) put in by DuPont Fabros Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The entire diesel fuel supply system is configured to house two underground storage tanks with larger amounts of petroleum that feed each day tank throughout the building. An additional process in the day tank fuel system is the periodic transfer of petroleum to a diesel fuel polishing<\/a> tank. The polishing process removes emulsified water from the diesel fuel that is absorbed over time due to modern additives. This keeps the fuel in prime condition for use in the backup system.<\/p>\n

\"day<\/a>

A day tank controller – alarm relays connected to terminals integrated with the data center purposed facility BMS<\/p><\/div>\n

Level monitoring for fuel transfer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fuel level monitoring of each day tank is handled with mechanical floats and electronically controlled gauges. Each time even a small power outage window occurs, the backup system is employed and uses diesel fuel from the day tanks. Fuel in the day tank is maintained at a predetermined level to ensure the availability of power for the\u00a0data center through its disaster recovery process.\u00a0The electronic controls of these floats can monitor day tank level, but not the control of the signaling and pump process for petroleum transfer. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again, Electronic Control Corporation has\u00a0innovated a solution for the automation in cutting edge power redundancy. They designed and built the automated day tank control system to request the fuel and start the pump for transfer. This included programming relay logic and HMI functions as well as integration into the BMS.<\/p>\n

To reduce logistical time and manufacturing costs, Tanks Direct delivered the completed day tank system to ECC-Automation’s facility. ECC then installed a control panel on each day tank prior to shipping them to\u00a0the building site. This also allowed them to save time in applying their strict quality assurance process.<\/p>\n

The challenges of this day tank automation project also called for seamless integration into the Manassas Corporate Center building management system (BMS)<\/strong>. Many electronic control projects now include this requirement, as BMS and building automation systems (BAS) advance to include comprehensive oversight of industrial components within a facility. Electronic Control Corporation has designed, manufactured, and installed complete day tank control systems, as well as BMS \/ BAS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PLCs\u00a0for day tank control<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Some still believe\u00a0that machines and equipment operating mechanically should still be hard-wired and, or analog rather than employing a programmable logic controller (PLC). There, nothing challenges this thinking more than the building of a modern data center, especially one that is completely digitized and purposed for cutting edge power and processing. Since the\u00a0day tanks fueling the backup generators are controlled by a BMS\u00a0running PLCs, this also dispels the case against the more traditional mindset. Benefits through less relays, reduced troubleshooting steps, and more bolster support for PLC-based automation control of mechanized modalities.<\/p>\n

An XL4 series controller<\/a>\u00a0by Horner Automation Group was used for each day tank controller. Their cscape software<\/a>\u00a0provided the API to program\u00a0relay logic (still used in PLCs for mechanized machinery) for monitoring levels and the sequencing of the day tank petroleum transfer. Each day tank fuel controller would call for fuel from the BMS that controlled the main USTs and backup fuel generator system.<\/p>\n

\"day-tank-control-PLC-software\"<\/a>

An ECC engineer uploading software that includes setting up password privileges and turning on I\/O for various tests.<\/p><\/div>\n

Based off of input from delay timers and latching, ECC software engineers put in hours of programming along with quality assurance testing to ensure automation process was sound. Test boards were made to simulate the pump turning on\/off based on the day tank float level. Process sequences were also tested to make sure:<\/p>\n