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Major Fuel Cell Manufacturer
PC-Based Controls

Andritz Automation has been involved in the programming of a Windows NT-based software PLC for a Test Bench Installation. This "soft PLC" is used for the testing of Fuel Processors. The Manufacturer produces a line of one to ten kilowatt products used for a wide range of emergency and remote power applications for industrial and commercial purposes.

Due to the temporary nature of Fuel Processor testing, the broad range of Fuel Processor ratings and variable fuel source supply requirements; the Manufacturer needed a flexible, low cost system capable of matching various Fuel Processors.

Using a Windows NT-based software PLC and Profibus I/O we were successfully able to accommodate the variable combination of requirements. The PLC logic was written with the same core code that is utilized with all Fuel Processors and loadable code that can be used to match the requirements for the different Fuel Processors.

The Windows NT-based software PLC has provided a high performance, economical system for the test facility, superior to the capabilities of a standard hardware-based PLC programmed in relay logic. The system is capable of meeting the continuous duty requirements typically experienced by industrial production plants, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.