R. STAHL HMI PC in use at Ardmore Distillery
Open HMI ET-456 the ATEX certified PC system from R. STAHL is now in use at Aberdeenshire based Ardmore Distillery, following the requirement to expand the main still-house control system to include automated valves at their external tank farm. 
The fully automated control system allows the operators to control all aspects of the distilling process from one central location right next to the spirit safes in the heart of the still-house.
When the requirement was identified, it was then time to consider the available options. A 2-week trial of the R. STAHL product resulted in an order of two 19” Open HMI ET-456 PC’s being placed in 2007. Advanced Electrics carried out a complete rewiring of the still-house at Ardmore Distillery in 2001 with new control and instrumentation panels and were therefore contracted to carry out this installation as well.
Advanced Electrics carry out electrical, control and instrumentation installations, predominantly in the distilling and food industries throughout Scotland. With an extensive client list, the company are successful at not only recommending products outside of their remit, but also at building and maintaining their own range of PLC, HMI and SCADA systems.
Ewen McDonald, Contracts Manager at Advanced Electrics, says “We chose the R. STAHL hazardous area PC system as the ideal HMI for the Ardmore still-house because of the flexibility of the windows operating system which allowed us to use the same software as the existing safe area HMI’s in other areas of the site. We were also attracted by the robust construction and build quality of the PC that we had on evaluation.”
The Open HMI ET-456 is an easy to maintain product containing no fans, moving parts or batteries. It is completely certified in its own right for both gas and dust environments with touch screen facility for convenience. The Windows operating system is pre-installed, ensuring that the product is literally able to plug and play with an operational lifespan of over 50,000 hours.
The installation has proven to be a success, with excellent communication and service all round; the PC’s were delivered to schedule in January 2008 and installed in July during a maintenance shutdown period. No problems were encountered and the site operators at Ardmore Distillery have been pleased with the look and operation of the new system.
Being a global manufacturer of electrical equipment for hazardous areas, R. STAHL can offer specialised solutions for switchgear, lighting, automation and system solutions. Products from the range can be customised where necessary and include a 12 month RTB warranty as standard.
For further details about the Open HMI ET-456, please click here.