Process 4.0 – Digitaaliseen tulevaisuuteen

WAGO Energy Data Management – consisting of a software solution combined with a modular control system – records measurement data from different media and variables for energy monitoring. It then processes them for further analysis, archiving and reporting. The software automatically detects different signals from the connected meters and sensors, making them available to additional energy analysis tools via simple parameter settings.Another benefit: WAGO Energy Data Management is eligible for funding from the “Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings” subsidy of the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).

The modular WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM and the WTG Protocol Converter enable easy management of the complex district heating system in Greifswald.

Greifswald relies on district heating. Almost 20,000 residents – about 70 % of the population – use it for heating and for hot water, which is an astonishing statistic in comparison to the national average of 14 %. The first thermal plant went online in 1958, and more have been added over time. Starting in 1983, one of the two nuclear plants in the GDR supplied the city with both waste heat and electricity. Up until 1990, a district heating line extended 24 kilometers between the Lubmin nuclear plant and Greifswald.

The end of the GDR sealed the fate of the nuclear reactor. Serious safety infractions were revealed, and conforming to FRG standards would have been prohibitively expensive. In 1990, the power plant was taken off line, and the aboveground supply line was dismantled four years later. From 1990 to 1993, an oil heating plant at the Lubmin location temporarily supplied Greifswald with district heat.

Following the shutdown of the nuclear plant, Greifswald maintained its district heating and established Fernwärme Greifswald GmbH in 1991 to supply it. This entity introduced a new energy concept: Downtown pipeline systems were renovated, and four new power plants were built in just five years. Three CHPs with internal combustion engine systems, and one thermal plant with a gas turbine engine and waste heat boiler, now supply thermal energy and electrical power. Electricity is generated exclusively by the high-efficiency CHPs located within the city limits.

The Meyer Werft [Meyer shipbuilding company] has charted a course for modular automation in order to effectively respond to increased time and cost pressures in shipbuilding. The company, based in Papenburg, is among the champions of the “Module Type Package“ (MTP), developed by WAGO. Using MTPs significantly increases the efficiency of a project, in particular when commissioning a ship. Considering the commissioning time frame is around three months, the Meyer shipbuilders are quite interested in using system modules, that have been previously tested and can be easily integrated into the ship’s automation.

Increased levels of technology lead to more comfort, entertainment, efficiency, and safety. A modern cruise ship currently generates around 120,000 signal points – and the number is rising. “The ship is a city unto itself – and is becoming technically more complex,” emphasizes Reinert Giere, development engineer in the innovation department at the Meyer Werft. The shipyard in Papenburg is the first port of call among international cruise ship builders – and Giere aims to keep it that way. He has worked at the Meyer shipyard for almost 30 years, and has headed both a technical department and a division. Giere uses his experience from demanding projects to inform his current position. His responsibilities include improving processes and launching new technologies. One example for this is a new strategy in automation. “I’m now looking precisely at those things that caused problems in projects over the last 20 years.”