Sep-2023

A systems approach at work to solve electrification challenges at scale

Industrial organisations can push decarbonisation forward by shifting process heater systems from fossil fuel-burning to electric. This kind of electrification needs to be done with a systems approach in mind that is, considering the entire thermal loop.

Jeff McClanahan
Watlow

Article Summary

Of all the components needed to switch to electric, control panels are one of the most important. For large-scale applications, control panels need to be designed to maximise reliability, accessibility and safety.

WATCONNECT L and XL control panels are designed using a systems approach with the goal of maximising reliability (uptime), providing accessibility when needed and ensuring safety while being conscious of space.

The total cost of ownership of a WATCONNECT panel is also significantly less than both a third-party control panel and a gas-fired system without a control panel, and provides a better return compared to the latter. Again, a systems approach creates a product that significantly helps the organisation meet its goals.

There is a huge push across different industries to ‘go electric’ as part of a larger program of decarbonisation. But the details for doing so can be elusive. One cannot simply swap out gas-fired heaters for electric heaters, for example, without also considering the size, location and connectivity of the control panel that will regulate those electric heaters. These considerations will, in turn, have a bearing on how and when the system needs to be maintained, how long downtime lasts and what the prospects are for future expansion.

This is a prime example of taking a systems approach to the thermal loop. The point of a systems approach is to take a step back, seeing how different design considerations might have an impact on the system and process as a whole, rather than just focusing on the functioning or replacement of a single part. A systems approach also has an impact on the business aspects of an industrial process, as it encourages engineers to consider the total cost of ownership when comparing different options.

Taking a systems approach to process heating was a foundational consideration behind the design of our new L and XL WATCONNECT control panels. Here we take a deeper look at what went into that design as a way of illustrating the power of this kind of thinking.

The design challenge: setting the stage
In 2016, Watlow launched the family of WATCONNECT panels, which integrate highquality heaters, sensors, temperature controllers and power controller products for a complete thermal solution. The novelty here was that WATCONNECT panels were engineered for common applications and validated ahead of time, offering a turnkey solution much different from the custom-based solutions that dominated the market at the time. By having a ready-to-go thermal solution, installation and configuration could be completed quickly, with the system ready to go within two weeks.

The original WATCONNECT panels were a huge success, and it became obvious that there was a strong market need to fill out the rest of the line with systems that could accommodate higher flow rate (200 amps up to 4300+ amps). These are typically needed for larger applications, and with that scale there are some design challenges that become more prominent.

The first challenge is reliability. Uptime is critical for larger operations, and having a system down for maintenance is costly—especially if there are multiple downstream applications or people affected.

(Consider: Having a large power plant go down for maintenance affects many more people and businesses than if a building generator is down for the same period of time.) So when designing our larger control panel, we asked: How can we maximise reliability with each design choice we make?

The second challenge is accessibility. Control panels need to be easy to install and easy to troubleshoot if a problem arises. Typical control panel models have one access point and one door to unlock to reach all of the inner components; this means that, if the panel needs troubleshooting, the entire system would need to be powered down for safety reasons, making it almost impossible to recreate the initial problem to begin with. On the other hand, working with a ‘hot’ panel brings up issues with safety.

Safety, then, is the third and perhaps the most important challenge. Naturally, safety is an important factor in the design of any Watlow product. But the safety challenge becomes trickier with scale, as more power is running through the system for longer periods of time.

More power means components potentially can overheat or expand in ways that can be dangerous.

Finally, space is always a consideration when adding new instruments in an enclosed industrial space.
The amount of available footprint in a control room is often limited, especially in older plants where there might not have been a control room to begin with. (For example, plants with gas-fired heaters might not have large control rooms, since they did not have electric control panels at all). Thus, the footprint of a control panel is always an issue – especially with larger scale ones.
Meeting these challenges meant examining every component and asking some key critical questions:

How will a particular change affect the design and performance of the system as a whole? Will it be cost effective to implement a system with this change, or not? What are the various options available to maximise the end qualities needed for best operation? It was by asking these sorts of questions that we sought to improve on current WATCONNECT technology while building out the rest of the product line.

Designing larger control panels to meet challenges at scale
A systems approach means finding not just one or two solutions to meet a challenge, but finding as many solutions as possible to optimise a given outcome.

Take reliability, for example. What are all of the different ways a system can be optimized to ensure near-100% uptime? One way this was done in the design of the L and XL WATCONNECT panels was by looking at the thermal design of the system. All systems generate some heat, and excess heat is the nemesis of electronics. Thus, optimising the system to keep heat under control is critical. Our design looked at adding to the insulation of the system, reducing power where possible, improving the airflow throughout the system and so on. Airflow itself was improved by using high-reliability EC inlet and outlet fans with advanced monitoring, which provide up to twice the airflow compared to industry standard fans. Thus, by better controlling waste heat within the panel, we were able to greatly extend the life of the electronic components and thus significantly increase reliability.