Remote maintenance of biogas plants
Web based remote maintenance over a mobile network
The production of energy from renewable resources is expanding at a fast rate. There has been more focus on biogas production plants, where energy crops such as manure and other organic residues are fermented to produce gas in a cogeneration plant that eventually produces electricity and heat. The overall efficiency of the production depends on many factors which affect the procedural process. Continuous monitoring using a web-based service portal and corresponding intelligent terminals is desired for uninterrupted operations. Exactly for this purpose, the remote maintenance specialists at MB Connect Line have developed new innovative flexible solutions.
Complex process
Almost everyone is knowledgeable of the natural process of fermentation. The goal of the fermentation process is to produce a byproduct known as methane gas which is a dependable and reliable source for producing electricity and heat; however it remains a complex and technical process. The raw materials such as corn, biological animal waste (manure) and plant waste are inserted in the visible round silos which have flexible elastic domes. The resulting gas mixtures in these so-called fermenters are processed by the removal of accumulated water and sulfur so that it is sufficient for the engine of the biogas generator. The digester must be kept at a constant temperature, so that the micro-organisms grow and optimally reduce the biomass. This is done partly by the heat that is created in the biogas engine. The plant can reach a high efficiency only if the fermenter and the biogas engine are properly maintained. If any errors or deviations of a parameter occur, plant operators or biogas farmers, need important information in order response immediately. However, the biogas plants are usually isolated and or built in a distant location away from all neighboring establishments. This is due to the odors created by the plants that are not very pleasant. In addition, the facilities remain near the fields of farmers this ensures that the transporting of the biological materials and the fermentation inducer residue remain in the same location; whereas this requires no extra resources.
Remote access via a mobile network
The mbNET router that was created and developed by the remote maintenance technicians of MB Connect Line has enabled biogas farmers worldwide to stay informed about their biogas production plants. The mbNET router is universal and enables remote maintenance for any biogas plant worldwide. The router provides protected and transparent access to the control components of the biogas plant over a secure Internet connection. It is quite uncommon, to have a telephone or DSL connection to the biogas plant. In order to fulfill this communication requirement, our mbNET routers support different mobile communication standards. This enables mbNET routers to support various local network infrastructures. In addition to Ethernet (WAN) the router can connect to the Internet via its integrated modem (i.e.: UMTS, GPRS, EDGE, GSM, analog or ISDN).
The mbNET industrial routers UMTS support HSDPA and HSUPA the fastest available transmission method in mobile communications. They offer a DSL-like range up to 7.2 Mbit /s and upload rates with download rates up to 2 Mbit /s. If UMTS is not available in a particular area, the router can use the GSM-based GPRS or EDGE services. The mobile versions have two SIM card slots which offer failover capabilities, uninterrupted connectivity and reliability. Switching between SIM1 and SIM2 can be configured via the user interface. Additionally, you can choose from network signal strength and/or the no roaming option. When activated the failover feature monitors, analyzes and repairs the network connection if any failure occurs.
Comfort and security with remote maintenance Portal
During the practical implementation of a system there are technical and organizational aspects to consider such as connection management, data security and access protection. With the development of mbConnect24 MB Connect Line has provided a realistic solution that ensures your security online. The mbConnect24 portal serves as an intelligent operator between the system operator of the installation, the service personnel and the biogas systems. The architecture of mbConnect24 as a portal solution meets the security requirements that are for data transfers over Internet connections. The connections made from the biogas power plant to the portal server are both on the service page at mbConnect24.net. Connection requests from the portal to the system or the service computer are blocked, in order to provide a more secure data transfer.
Monitoring of the biogas plant with your Smartphone
As a simple and mobile web access application mbWEB2go enables the biogas farmer, by Smartphone or Tablet PC, from any location to view the most important data of a biogas production plant. A Clogged pipe or pump outage can be identified as well during the field or install work. The data or other Ethernet devices of the biogas plant are available as web visualization on the built-in Web server in the mbNET router. A secure log in to the remote maintenance portal mbConnect24 is made by using your user ID and password via the secure HTTPS protocol. Accessing the web visualization is possible via any browser without the need to install any additional software. Neither a VPN client nor a special certificate is required to connect.
A service technician can look at the system status in detail, change parameters or conduct software updates from a remote location.
Connection management
The mbNET industrial router at the site of the biogas plant registers at the portal and establishes a secure VPN connection. The connection can be activated automatically once the router is supplied with voltage or on demand. Additionally, the on demand connection is triggered by a component at the biogas plant sending a signal to a digital input of the router. Providing a dynamic or private IP address by the provider is not a problem because the connection is established from the router to the portal out.
“Better safe than sorry”
The transfer of the data itself is via a secure VPN connection, based on the OpenVPN protocol. The portal is hosted in a high performance data center with redundant connectivity and 24/7/365 monitoring, so that a network availability of well over 99% is guaranteed. The service technician only needs an internet connection to their VPN client with credentials to the Internet, either on the corporate network, or via a DSL connection from home. Additionally, a UMTS modem can be used when traveling from one location to another.
Hosting or your own Server
Now, in addition to the mbConnect24 web-based solution, a matching physical server with a pre-installed system is available. This is interesting for manufacturers and service providers that want to manage their own service portal within their corporate network. All VPN connections terminate within the area of operations. The preconfigured mymbConnect24 servers take over the entire connection management as the backbone of the Service Center. These servers are offered in two variations: the "midi" variant supports as many as 250 users and 50 simultaneous active connections. The next variant "maxi" is a 19" rack mounted version that supports up to 1000 users in 150 simultaneous active connections.
