Veterinary medicine process control programming

Project profile: Optimation was contacted by another system integrator to provide programming services for a client in the pharmaceutical industry. The client had a new process involving the manufacture of veterinary medicine.

By Bob Sullivan November 6, 2013

Project name: Support for Emerson Process Management’s DeltaV for the manufacture of veterinary medicine.

Client: Confidential, subcontracted by another system integrator

Value: Approximately $160,000 total

Schedule: Approximately 1.5 years

Project objective: Implement the new system on schedule to allow the customer to meet an increased demand in the market, while leveraging the company’s rigorous process and product standards.

Qualifications: Optimation’s experience with project management, continuous and batch control, S88, Title 21 CFR Part 11, and the DeltaV control system made for a good fit as a solution provider for the project.

Benefits/results: Since installation, the system is up and running and the DeltaV controls have been successfully integrated with the vendor package controls on the skid equipment. The customer was able to bring the medicine to market on time, and realize the corporate production goals.

Programming details

For the control programming project for veterinary medicine manufacturing, Optimation initially provided input for the functional specification; detailed design specification; and software specification test, factory acceptance test, and site acceptance test (FAT/SAT) plans; and reviewed the various skids’ control system programs. Three Optimation software engineers were assigned to provide programming for the overall controls for the new pharmaceutical process using DeltaV software from Emerson Process Management. The required programming needed to comply with stringent customer software development standards. The programming included software and hardware configuration, continuous control, alarming, interlocks, batch control with recipe generation, graphics, and skid integration.

This was the first DeltaV system to be installed at this particular plant site, even though DeltaV is the standard controls system platform in many other locations for this client.

In addition to providing programming for direct DeltaV control of some of the equipment, Optimation also provided the programming associated with integrating the DeltaV system with different equipment skids, each containing vendor package controls. The physical interface to these package units was done via a combination of a DeltaV Virtual Interface Module (VIM card) over Ethernet along with DeltaV serial cards. These package controls were mostly programmable logic controllers (PLCs) but also included some custom controls (VAX-based). The package equipment included one bioreactor, two fermenters, three utilities TCUs (temperature control units), one WFI (water for injection) system, seven autoclaves, one centrifuge, one waste neutralization system, and one CIP system. Optimation aided the client with skid PLC programming along with some engineering assistance associated with I/O wiring.

FAT and SAT reviews were conducted as part of the project process. Additionally, Optimation created a detailed design specification with flow charts to document the details of the programming. After the design and implementation were complete, the Optimation team assisted in the testing, installation, debug, start-up, and commissioning of the system, and provided training for operators.

– Profile author: Bob Sullivan is senior controls engineer, Optimation.

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