Doosan Babcock Case Study - Multi Fuel Burner Test Facility

The Multi Fuel Burner Test Facility (MBTF) in Glasgow, Scotland, is used to test different coal furnace technologies in addition to being capable of testing numerous different types of coal fuel. The plant control system was originally implemented using National Instruments FieldPoint hardware, and NI Lookout™ software. Due to global environmental pressures, there is now a requirement to test numerous different ‘clean burn’ technologies and fuels. TBG have implemented a major upgrade to the MBTF software, replacing the existing Lookout™ code with a more powerful LabVIEW™ system. This new system caters for the easy addition or removal of functionality from the system as may be required by the various burn technologies under test.


System Design

The plant comprises more than 450 data channels used for data acquisition and control. Plant control, data analysis and trending are performed by three different PCs; a Master PC is used to control the plant’s hardware, and two remote PCs are used to view the data from all of the sensors within the plant, producing historical trends and data logs which are required by the owner of the technology under test and also the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).


Using the original system as software specification, all of the necessary objects, logic and functionality in Lookout™ were redesigned using LabVIEW™, ensuring the new software mimics the look and feel of the original Lookout™ system. The system is divided into nine sections such as water cooling, furnace ignition or coal transport, allowing the operator to easily switch between each of the different screens.

Design Challenges

The main design challenge was to determine the functionality of the original system through analysis of the existing Lookout™ code. It emerged that understanding the code alone was not sufficient to ensure that the LabVIEW™ system would operate correctly. As a result it was necessary to obtain a thorough understanding of the mechanics of the system through the study of existing flowcharts, wiring diagrams and hardware schematics. This had the added benefit of allowing us to be more capable at finding faults during the commissioning of the system.


System Results

Doosan Babcock are now using a system that has the same functionality, look and feel as their original Lookout™ system, but with the added advantage of fast and easy implementation of new software features that can reflect any hardware changes made to the furnace architecture as will be required to test future coal burning technologies.


Doosan Babcock were able to leave us some feedback for our work with them. Please see their testimonial along with a few others here.