Louisiana Sugar Refining selects control platform for new Gramercy plant
Siemens will supply its Simatic PCS7 DCS and other technologies for the new million-ton facility now under construction.
Siemens has announced that it has been awarded a contract to its electrical and control technology for a project billed as the biggest sugar refinery in North America. The plant, which is currently under construction in Gramercy, LA, will be owned and operated by Louisiana Sugar Refining (LSR), a joint venture set up with Sugar Growers and Refiners, Cargill, and Imperial Sugar Company. The refinery is due to start production in September 2011, producing a million tons of sugar every year.
Siemens Industry Automation Division will be supplying a wide range of electrical and control system components for the facility. The contract includes the Simatic PCS 7 distributed control system, valve positioners, switchgear, smart motor control centers, Sinamics centrifugal drives, and NEMA certified motors. Added to this will be numerous software templates used to optimize the sugar refining process.
Siemens cites its involvement with the sugar industry going back as far as the 1960s for building its knowledge of the industry and portfolio of solutions. “Apart from Siemens general experience in the sugar industry, we were won over by concrete aspects of their bid such as their crystallization process control strategy and general automation control concept. Working in cooperation with Siemens, we will make this plant the most technologically advanced sugar refinery in the United States“, says LSR plant manager Jack Thompson.
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Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com
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