The Severonikel plant (Monchegorsk, Murmansk region, Russia) is a subsidiary of RAO Norilsk Nikel - the world's largest nikel producer. This large enterprise located within the Polar circle is the main employer in the city. The Severonikel plant processes rich copper-nickel ore and converter matte, as well as scrap, wastes and raw material.

Workplace for 13 thousand people, the Severonikel plant has a melt shop, shop for splitting converter matte, refine and melt shop of anodic nickel, two nickel electrolysis shops, copper and carbonyl nickel electrolysis shop, as well as metallurgy, copper and sulphuric acid shops. The Severonikel plant's product range includes 12 types. These include electrolytic, nickel carbonyl powder, nickel carbonyl grit, electrolytic copper, concentrates of precious metals, sulphuric acid, etc.

The Severonikel plant is committed to providing the best quality and employing the most advanced technology across all metal processing industry. With an urge for substantial growth and cutting-edge technology, they always employ the latest developments in industrial automation. To ensure this, the plant co-operates closely with the research institutes and invests in industry automation technologies. The Severonikel plant commissions the control systems development to many well-known system integrators from the North-Western Russia, such as Sevzapmontazhavtonatika, Saint Petersburg branch of Industrial Computer Systems, Azimuth Engineering, etc...

Having thorough analysis data from industrial automation market available, the Severonikel plant management made a well-grounded decision to implement a new corporate program of upgrading the manufacturing process. The long-term search for the basic industrial automation tools suppliers resulted in contracting ICOS and AdAstra Research Group,Ltd offering integrated control system solution for the plant powered by TRACE MODE SCADA and SOFTLOGIC software and open controllers.

SCADA TRACE MODE provides a uniform tool for operator's HMI and for controller programming suitable for use in large distributed general purpose control systems. The Severonikel's plant management decision was also influenced by TRACE MODE SCADA's full support of ICOS equipment, as well as meeting the following requirements:

ease of installation;
scalability;
reliability;
data security;
open architecture and capability of integration with the existing infrastructure.

Moreover, this software and hardware solution was also reasonably priced making it possible to deliver more control systems with better performance still to budget. After completing some first projects started in 2000, Severonikel plant has adopted the integrated TRACE MODE SCADA- and Softlogic-system as a corporate standard for SCADA.

First, Severonikel plant used SCADA- and SOFTLOGIC system TRACE MODE to develop a control system for autogenous smelting unit in the copper smelting shop. The plant team empowered the copper smelting process with a custom technology. The system featured the circuits stabilizing critical autogenous smelting process parameters when the assembly was launched. The process is specially designed for automated control, making manual-only supervision impossible. This posed an additional challenge for the control system developers. Moreover, the technology was being extended throughout the control system development. Besides traditional SCADA functions, the TRACE MODE SCADA had to serve as a research tool capable of analyzing the automated facility behavior. The tight deadline resulting from the need to avoid stopping the plant operation, only added to project complexity!

For this task, the Severonikel plant managers relied on the advanced one-stop solution covering integrated development of software for operator's stations and controllers (SCADA+Softlogic) generating large time savings. To foster the control system launch, Severonikel plant also had three control engineers trained at the Authorized training center of AdAstra Research Group, Ltd in Moscow. The 2-weeks training ensured the project completion just within 3 months.

The TRACE MODE SCADA- and SOFTLOGIC system-based automated information system (AIS) of the autogenous smelting unit at the copper smelting shop includes SCADA TRACE MODE Real Time Monitor (RTM), Global Logger and 4 open controllers run under the Micro TRACE MODE SOFTLOGIC software.

Having analyzed the operation of the control system of the SCADA TRACE MODE-based autogenous smelting unit, Severonikel's managers decided to use TRACE MODE as a base SCADA system across the plant and took on new projects. Using the proven information technology, the factory engineers designed the Decomposer control system at the carbonyl nickel shop. Following the first application, this control system used Softlogic technology combined with the traditional PLC hardware. This project required training of another 4 Severonikel's peolpe at the Authorized training center of AdAstrA Research Group,Ltd. Soon, the engineers completed a few other SCADA TRACE MODE based systems to be successfully launched later on.

The plans made during the previous year came to reality already in the beginning of 2001. The team deployed new control systems at the Severonikel carbonyl nickel and oxygen-blowing shop. This resulted in raising the quality of process control. The oxygen installation launch that previously required two days and three attending employees can now be done by one operator within a few hours.

During this period, Monchegorsk played host to the second workshop of SCADA TRACE MODE aimed at sharing project experience (sponsored by Severonikel plant and Sevzapmontazhavtonatika Company). The workshop led to a decision to develop five TRACE MODE SCADA- and SOFTLOGIC based systems including a control system of water supply shop (remote input-output I-7000 modules), circulation control system in the copper electrolysis shop (collaborative development by Severonikel plant and Azimuth Engineering, Ltd, Saint-Petersburg), as welll as a number of another control systems at the facilities being constructed.

Some time later, Severonikel plant engineers launched all the scheduled control systems and held in Monchegorsk another Polar Pole TRACE MODE SCADA- and SOFTLOGIC system workshop meant to analyze the completed projects and plan the new ones. The workshop included employees from Severonikel, AdAstra Research Group,Ltd and Apaitit Production Company.

Next two years, the engineers continued successful SCADA TRACE MODE based control systems tradition. The new installations covered automation of the following facilities:

electrolysis facility of copper processing;
section at the metallurgy shop;
the control system at Minprok area of the electrolysis facility of copper processing section at the metallurgy shop;
the control system of the autoclave unit at the nickel electrolysis shop No.2;
water supply shop;
the melting facility No.2 at the refine shop;
energy accounting for carriers consumption at the automation and electric repairs shop;
the control system of the melting facility No.1 at the refine shop.

The Severonikel management also initiated upgrading and expanding the existing SCADA projects at the oxygen-blowing, carbonyl nickel, water supply, No.2 nickel electrolysis shops.
The plant employees believe that the control system of the melting facility at the refine shop No.2 has been the largest SCADA project of the last 2 years. This control system includes four components:

nickel powder burning facility;
burning and restoring facility;
gas cooler;
dust collection facility.

Each facility employs 2 PC-based controllers by ICOS run under Micro TRACE MODE SOFTLOGIC-software, the one of them remaining in hot-standby. The control panels at the burning and restoring, nickel powder burning and dust collection facilities have pre-installed TRACE MODE RTM operator's software collecting data from the controllers. The TRACE MODE RTM at the burning and restoring facility also has gas cooler controllers connected to it.

The Severonikel facilities supervisors, shop supervisor and their deputies have access to the SCADA information from across the shop from the TRACE MODE NetLink Lite client consoles at their workplaces connected to the process history database controlled by the TRACE MODE Global Logger history server which accumulated data from all three SCADA RTMs.

The deployment of the SCADA TRACE MODE at Severonikel Plant ensured development of one technology for further control systems supporting various plant processes. This resulted in huge savings due to optimized and quick control. The Severonikel is now enjoying better product quality, reliability of equipment, and easier control over sophisticated technologies.