Brazil 6,000 T/D Soybean Oil Automation | SENTRADO
A detailed case study of SENTRADO's industrial automation solution delivering measurable results for food processing operations in Brazil.
Project Background & Objectives
SENTRADO was engaged by one of Brazil's largest soybean processing companies to design, engineer, and commission a complete distributed control system (DCS) for their 6,000 tons-per-day soybean crushing and oil extraction facility. The plant, located in Mato Grosso — the heart of Brazilian agribusiness — operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during harvest season, making system reliability absolutely critical to maintaining production targets and revenue streams.
The existing control system, installed over 15 years ago, had become a bottleneck for the operation. Frequent unplanned downtime, limited diagnostic capabilities, and the inability to integrate modern instrumentation were eroding the plant's competitive position. The client required a turnkey automation partner capable of delivering a world-class DCS while minimizing disruption to ongoing production during the migration period.
SENTRADO's scope encompassed the full automation lifecycle: front-end engineering design (FEED), control panel manufacturing, software development, factory acceptance testing (FAT), shipping, on-site installation supervision, commissioning, site acceptance testing (SAT), and operator training. The project was delivered on schedule despite the logistical challenges of shipping equipment from China to inland Brazil.
Problems We Had to Solve
1. Outdated Control System
The legacy DCS had reached end-of-life with no vendor support available. Spare parts were increasingly difficult to source, and unplanned failures were causing an average of 4-6 hours of downtime per month, directly impacting production throughput during critical harvest windows.
2. Tropical Climate Conditions
The Mato Grosso region experiences high ambient temperatures (up to 40°C), high humidity, and significant dust from soybean handling. Control cabinets required robust thermal management and ingress protection to ensure reliable operation in these harsh conditions.
3. Zero-Downtime Migration Requirement
The plant could not afford extended shutdowns during the transition. The client mandated that the new DCS be installed and commissioned with no more than 48 hours of total planned production interruption across the entire migration.
4. Recipe Management Complexity
The facility processes multiple soybean varieties with different moisture contents and oil profiles, requiring sophisticated recipe management to optimize yield and maintain consistent product quality across varying input conditions.
5. Limited Local Automation Expertise
The plant's maintenance team had limited experience with modern DCS platforms, requiring comprehensive knowledge transfer, multilingual documentation (Portuguese and English), and ongoing remote support capabilities.
Our Approach & System Architecture
SENTRADO designed a complete DCS solution based on the Siemens PCS 7 platform with redundant AS 410 controllers, ensuring fault-tolerant operation with automatic CPU switchover in under 50 milliseconds. The system architecture was divided into three process areas — preparation, extraction, and solvent recovery — each controlled by dedicated controller pairs communicating over a redundant PROFINET ring network.
The control cabinets were manufactured at SENTRADO's UL-certified facility in China, featuring IP54-rated enclosures with integrated air conditioning units to handle the tropical climate. All cabinets underwent a rigorous 72-hour burn-in test with full signal simulation before shipment. The ET 200PA distributed I/O stations were installed in field junction boxes near the process equipment, significantly reducing field wiring costs and improving signal integrity.
To address the zero-downtime requirement, SENTRADO developed a phased migration strategy. New controllers were installed in parallel with the legacy system, with signal splitters allowing both systems to monitor process variables simultaneously. Each process area was cut over individually during scheduled maintenance windows, with the old system remaining on hot standby until the new system was fully validated. The WinCC SCADA system provides operators with intuitive process graphics, advanced alarm management, and a built-in historian with 3-year data retention for regulatory compliance and process optimization.
System Architecture Highlights
- Redundant Siemens PCS 7 AS 410 controllers with hot-standby CPU configuration
- PROFINET ring topology with MRP (Media Redundancy Protocol) for network resilience
- ET 200PA distributed I/O with hot-swap capability for all modules
- WinCC SCADA with 4 operator stations and 1 engineering workstation
- Integrated recipe management system supporting 50+ soybean variety profiles
- IP54 cabinets with integrated cooling and dust filtration
- OPC UA interface for ERP/MES integration
- Remote diagnostic access via secure VPN connection
System Parameters & Configuration
| Control System | Siemens PCS 7 DCS v9.0 |
| Controllers | 2 × SIMATIC AS 410 (Redundant) |
| Total I/O Points | 3,200+ (AI: 480, AO: 160, DI: 1,800, DO: 760) |
| Communication Protocol | PROFINET IRT / PROFIBUS DP / Modbus TCP |
| HMI / SCADA | WinCC OA — 4 Operator Stations + 1 EWS |
| Control Cabinets | 12 × IP54 with integrated AC cooling |
| Distributed I/O Stations | 18 × ET 200PA remote stations |
| Historian | WinCC Process Historian — 3-year retention |
| Power Range | 380V/480V 3-phase, 50/60Hz |
| Recipe Management | 50+ product variety profiles |
| Network Topology | Redundant PROFINET ring with MRP |
| System Availability | 99.5% (guaranteed) |
Key Components & Hardware
Siemens AS 410 Controller
6ES7410-5HX08-0AB0
Redundant high-performance DCS controller
ET 200PA Distributed I/O
6ES7650-0PH00-0AB0
Remote I/O station for field deployment
WinCC OA SCADA
6AV6371-1DN07-0AX0
Operator interface and process visualization
SCALANCE X204RNA Switch
6GK5204-0BA00-2KB2
Redundant PROFINET ring switch
SITOP Power Supply
6EP1336-3BA10
Redundant 24V DC power supply units
SIRIUS Soft Starter
3RW4445-6BC44
Motor soft starting for large crushers
IP54 Control Cabinet
Rittal VX25
NEMA 12 enclosure with AC cooling
SITRANS Flow Transmitter
7ME6910-1AA30-1AA0
Electromagnetic flow measurement
Project Phases
Engineering & Design
8 weeksFEED, P&ID review, I/O list development, control philosophy
Panel Manufacturing
6 weeksCabinet assembly, wiring, component installation, QC inspection
Software Development
10 weeksDCS programming, HMI graphics, recipe system, alarm configuration
Factory Acceptance Test
2 weeksFull simulation testing with client witness, I/O verification
Shipping & Logistics
5 weeksOcean freight Shanghai to Santos, inland transport to Mato Grosso
Installation & Commissioning
6 weeksOn-site wiring, loop checks, phased cutover, SAT
Training & Handover
2 weeksOperator and maintenance training, documentation handover
Measurable Outcomes
Performance data verified after system commissioning and sustained operation.
Production capacity from 4,600 to 6,000 T/D
DCS uptime over 18 months of operation
Zero unplanned production stoppages since cutover
Optimized motor control and process loops
Before vs After: Quantified Comparison
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production throughput | 4,600 T/D | 6,000 T/D | +30% |
| System availability | ~92% (frequent downtime) | 99.5% | +7.5 pts |
| Unplanned downtime | 4–6 hrs/month | 0 hours | −100% |
| Energy consumption | Baseline | 20% reduction | −20% |
| Vendor support | End-of-life, no support | Full OEM + SENTRADO support | Covered |
Data based on project commissioning reports and sustained operational measurements. Client name available under NDA.
Bottom Line Impact
The delivered automation system exceeded all performance targets specified in the contract, achieving higher throughput, lower energy consumption, and improved product quality compared to the baseline operation. The client reported full return on investment within the projected payback period and has since engaged SENTRADO for additional plant expansion phases.
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