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46 www.coalage.com August 2016 control room technology Taking the Control Room Out of the Control Room by donna schmidt, field editor Many of the changes in today's prep con- trol room have been more gradual, such as efficiency improvements on the pro- cessing side of a plant. Conversely, con- trol systems technology has been quickly changing and continues to evolve rapid- ly. While many facilities have come into the 21 st century from that perspective, others either have not made any of these crucial upgrades at all or are still making changes with each budget year as part of a phased approach. Tomorrow's trends in control systems technology for today's control room is very reflective of the overall technical evolution — and revo- lution — that has taken over the world, both inside and outside of the industry. The control room no longer has to be in the control room. Coal Age recently spoke with Harry Ev- ans, general manager of electrical services for DRA Taggart, who noted the changes plants should be making if such upgrades have not been made, as well as some trends for the future. For example, a search through the company's history will unearth count- less prep complexes seeking the latest in closed-circuit television for that respective time period. With the emergence of the Digital Age, the wall filled with clunky tube- type television sets were replaced with flat panel screens powered with digital modes and Power over Ethernet capabilities. "It has changed the way CCTV is installed and operated," Evans said. "Advanced camera functions and digital alarming and record- ing has given operators and managers a new tool." Taking these changes a step further, operators began asking for — and suppli- ers responded by designing — technology with the ability to literally take the control room out of the control room. The individ- ual that was once tethered in many ways to the room to keep peak uptime, make adjustments to the plant's levels and en- sure key movements were being made, no longer needs to be within those walls to oversee these tasks. This has become increasingly im- portant with changes in the industry that have left companies doing more with less, including asking a smaller crew of plant workers to manage functions that a group double its size did just a few years ago. With remote monitoring now fairly com- monplace, according to Evans, control sys- tems designers are offering some kind of web access capability within its software. If there is an internet connection, there is a way to see, adjust and troubleshoot. When troubleshooting uncovers a big- ger issue, remote technology obviously has another important advantage: the ability for the system's maker to assist with diagnosis, A popular control board model from the 1970s and 1980s. Managing the modern preparation plant control center with the newest control systems technology Control systems technology in mining have quickly evolved over the last several decades.