report final
TRANSCRIPT
ContentsAbstract…………………………………………………………………………………...……i
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………............................ii
Contents............................................................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER 1: ATTACHMENT AT HWANGE POWER STATION...................................................1
1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................2
1.1.1 Zimbabwe Power Company...........................................................................................4
1.1.2 Safety, Health and Environment Policy.........................................................................4
1.1.3 Quality Policy Statement...............................................................................................5
1.2 History of Hwange Power Station...............................................................................................6
1.3 Company’s Core Business...........................................................................................................7
1.4 Major Customers.........................................................................................................................7
1.5 Profile of Management Team......................................................................................................7
1.5.1Organisational Structure........................................................................................................8
[2] Fig 1.0 ZPC Organizational Structure......................................................................................8
1.5.2 Zimbabwe Power Company Information Technology Structure...........................................8
1.6 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................10
CHAPTER 2: COMPUTER NETWORKING AND SUPPORT.........................................................11
2.0 Introduction...............................................................................................................................11
2.1 Network Setup Structure............................................................................................................12
[4] Fig 2.0 Network Setup Structure................................................................................................12
Internet and email server.................................................................................................................14
2.2 Termination Straight through Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Category 5 (CAT 5) cable........15
2.2 Projects Undertaken...................................................................................................................15
2.2.1 Upgrade of Administration Block Network........................................................................15
2.2 Technologies Learnt..................................................................................................................16
2.3 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................16
CHAPTER 3: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT......................18
3.0 Introduction...............................................................................................................................18
3.1 Hardware...................................................................................................................................18
3.2 Computer Operating Systems....................................................................................................19
3.3Application Software..................................................................................................................19
3.4 Debugging.................................................................................................................................19
3.3 Projects Undertaken...................................................................................................................20
3.3.1Commisioning of ESET NOD32 Antivirus..........................................................................20
3.3.2 Commissioning of New Workstations................................................................................21
3.4 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................21
CHAPTER 4: PLANT CONTROL SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT.....................22
4.0 Introduction...............................................................................................................................22
4.1 Teleperm ME.............................................................................................................................22
4.2 Teleperm XP..............................................................................................................................23
4.3 Technologies Learnt..................................................................................................................24
4.4 Software Development..............................................................................................................24
4.5 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................25
CHAPTER 5: PROBLEMS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION...................................26
5.0 Problems....................................................................................................................................26
5.1 Recommendations......................................................................................................................27
5.2 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................28
[2] Fig 1.0 ZPC Organizational Structure:- Human Resources Department Wall Chart, 2009....30
[4] Fig 2.0 Network Setup Structure:- produced by IT Software Technicians, 2009.......................30
1
CHAPTER 1: ATTACHMENT AT HWANGE POWER STATION
1.0 IntroductionI have been attached at Hwange Power Station from the 13th of September to date under the
Information Communication Technology department. During this period my manager and
supervisor had produced a detailed program which we followed and in this program we
covered the following areas of focus, computer hardware repairs and maintenance, computer
networking, systems administration, and software development which we started recently. I
learnt and gained a lot of technical knowledge both in terms of software packages and
hardware fault diagnosis and maintenance. I performed daily duties such as checking if all
the servers were up and actively involved in performing daily backups of AS/400, Inventory
Procurement Management System (IPMS) and Maintenance Management System (MMS)
application systems. Among other daily duties was checking if the Antivirus server was up to
date and that all the client machines were updating the ESET Nod 32 Antivirus. There were
other duties that were not definite such as end user support and these include network faults
in the Local Area network, hardware and software problems that would arise and were
reported to the ICT department via the MMS application system. I was also actively involved
in a number of projects that arose during my attachment period and these include upgrading
of old personal computers, commissioning of a Eset Node 32 Business edition antivirus,
commissioning of new personal computers and printers, upgrading a certain portion of
network from using UPT to fiber optic and software development of Asset register
management system. While in this department, I got the opportunity to participate,
experience and appreciate teamwork. I realized its importance, since it’s paramount to the
success of any organization; it really added distinctly to my scholastic knowledge and gave
me an understanding and expectations of the IT industry. Conclusively I have also made
recommendations concerning ICT at ZPC.
2
1.1 Zesa Holdings Organisational Structure
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) started major commercialization and
reform exercise in 1999, with the formation of Zimbabwe Power Company, ZPC under the
Electricity Act (Chapter 13:19) of 2002. ZESA was transformed from a vertically integrated
organization into separate specialized subsidiaries of a mother company, ZESA Holdings Ltd.
This comprised the following:
1. ZIMBABWE POWER COMPANY (ZPC): this controls all generation assets and
power station operations. It was established in October 1996, and ZPC directs all power
generation investments, locally and regionally.
2. ZIMBABWE ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION COMPANY (ZETCO): this
handles all Grid assets and is responsible for managing, planning and operating the
system. It is involved in electricity trading.
3. ZIMBABWE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY (ZEDC): this is
responsible for the distribution assets and manages the supply and retailing of electricity
to customers.
4. ZESA ENTERPRISES (ZE): manages ZESA’s non-core business operations such as
transport, projects, production and services and the Technology Centre.
5. POWERTEL: provides landline infrastructure, fibre optics, mobile radios, and power
line networking and consultancy services for the telecommunications industry.
All the companies have their own board of directors who report to ZESA Holdings Limited,
but they determine their own management structures and appoint their own teams on a
competitive basis. To complete the unbundling of ZESA, the RURAL
ELECTRIFICATION BOARD AND FUND, accountable to the Ministry of Energy and
Power Development, was set up by rural Electrification Fund Act, giving ZESA Holdings
3
limited authority to transfer rural electrification business, staff, assets, liabilities, stores and
creditors to the rural electrification fund.
[1] Figure 1.0: ZESA Holdings Limited Structure
1.1.1 Zimbabwe Power Company
VISION: To be the leading supplier of energy and related services.
MISSION: As a generator of electricity and supplier of energy-related services, which are
committed to delivering reliable energy to meet customer requirements, through:
Use of environmentally friendly technologies.
Development and retention of highly skilled, effective and motivated staff.
Positive returns for our shareholders.
1.1.2 Safety, Health and Environment Policy.
We, the Hwange Thermal Power Station management and entire workforce, are committed to
working in a matter that meets international standards of Safety, Health and Environment
4
Ministry of Energy and Power Development
Board of ZESA Holdings Rural Electrification Board
ZESA Holdings Limited
ZPC ZETC ZEDC POWERTEL
(SHE) protection. Our goal is to ensure that we meet our obligations of safety, health and
protection of the environment, stakeholders and the general public. To achieve this, the
Power station will:
Strive to eliminate all injuries, prevent work environment and health impacts, and reduce
waste and emissions through full participation in hazard identification, risk assessment
and audits.
Maintain the highest possible level of health among all employees including the
promotion of HIV/AIDS programs.
Take appropriate measures to monitor and prevent pollution.
Carry out environmental impact assessment for all new projects.
Adhere to set levels of SHE protections as stipulated by local and international standards,
laws and regulations.
Mobilise the necessary resources to ensure success of SHE programs.
Put in place continued SHE awareness programs for all levels of the workforce.
Monitor, evaluate and review SHE performance annually.
A SHE report will be published annually and made available to all stakeholders.
1.1.3 Quality Policy Statement
Hwange Power Station is committed to operating, maintaining, and continuously improving
the business unit so that it delivers a service that meets world-class standards. To achieve
this, the Power Station works to a quality management system based on the international
standard ISO 9001:2000.
Through a systematic implementation of this quality management system from management
level down to the entire workforce, the Power Station is committed to achieve the following:
5
To comply with the ever-demanding requirements by customers and other stakeholders,
as well as legislative authorities.
To meet the requirements of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with our external
customer, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Company (ZETC)
To meet applicable internal, national and international standards in our administrative,
commercial and technical operations.
To ensure that the Station is insurable by the insurers at all times.
To ensure the availability and efficient use of human, financial, and material resources.
To inform and train the entire workforce on all aspects of the quality system.
The policy is supported by the objectives established by each and every function at various
organizational levels in the Power Station
1.2 History of Hwange Power Station
Hwange Power Station is situated in the North Western part of Zimbabwe. It is the largest
coal thermal power station in the country with a maximum output capacity of 920 Megawatts.
It consists of two stages with stage one having a total of four units each with a maximum
capacity of 120 Megawatts and stage two comprising of two units each with a maximum
generating capacity of 220 Megawatts. Hwange Power Station is capable of producing
approximately 45% of Zimbabwe`s total energy requirements. Hwange Power Station falls
under Zimbabwe Power Company which is a subsidiary of Zimbabwe Electricity Supply
Authority Holdings.
Construction of the power station started in 1973, and was suspended in 1975 due to the
liberation war and an Economic sanction imposed on the country and was resumed after
independence in 1980.
6
The thermal station uses coal as its major source of fuel and this fuel is obtained from the
nearby Hwange Colliery Open Cast mine via a 3.5 kilometer conveyor belt. A reliable source
of water lies further north, in Zambezi river through a 44 kilometer long pipeline. Water for
both Boilers and Cooling Towers is drawn by both high and low lift pumps to a storage
reservoir located adjacent to the station and is conveyed by gravity to the station.
1.3 Company’s Core BusinessThe core business at Hwange Power Station (HPS) is to generate electricity for consumption
in Zimbabwe and regionally. Electricity is produced using raw materials which are coal, coke
oven gas, water, propane, air and diesel. Coal and coke oven gas is supplied by Hwange
Colliery Company whilst diesel is supplied by National Oil Company of Zimbabwe
(NOCZIM) and Sakunda. Water is pumped from the Zambezi River through a 44km long
pipeline. The low-grade bituminous coal is used to heat the water in the boiler into high
pressure steam which then turns the generators to produce electrical energy. The generated
electrical power is fed into the national grid and from this point ZETDC takes over and has
the responsibility of transmitting and distribution the electrical power to its customers.
1.4 Major CustomersZimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC) is the major customer
for Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC). HPS operates and trades with ZETDC, its major
customer under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). ZETDC is the transmission business
subsidiary of ZESA Holdings. ZETDC has both local and regional customers. The local
customers include households and industrial companies in Zimbabwe while some of the
regional customers are Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and South Africa.
1.5 Profile of Management Team
The management team at HPS consists of the General Manager (GM) on top of the Hierarchy
and Section Heads just below the GM are Managers of different Departments. Section Heads
7
are under Departmental Managers and they also have their subordinates . The management
team comprises the following, General Manager , Maintenance Manager, Operations
Manager Production, Manager Engineering Manager, Finance Manager, Human
Resource Manager.
1.5.1Organisational Structure
1.4
[2] Fig 1.0 ZPC Organizational Structure.
1.5.2 Zimbabwe Power Company Information Technology Structure
The Information Communication Technology department is responsible for all the
information and communication systems and activities which are available in the Power
station. Below is the organizational structure of the ICT section.
8
General
Manager
Engineering Manager
Maintenance
Manager
Finance
Manager
Operations
Manager
Production
Manager
Human Resource
Manager
PurchasingManager
Secretary
[3] Fig 1.1: ICT Structure.
The basic activities that the department is involved in include:
Installation and maintenance of computer systems
User software administration
Network administration and security on Local Area Network
Hardware repairs
User support
Software and systems development
Installation and maintenance of telecommunications systems
System support and maintenance
Plant control systems support
Scheduling and report generation
9
Principal Technician (1) (Plant Control Systems
)
Principal Technician (1)
(Office Automation) Systems
Engineer ICT (1)
Hardware Technician
Software Technician
Hardware Technician
Software Technician
Telecoms technicians x2
Head ICT
1.6 Conclusion
ICT section falls under the Engineering Department, it is a small section but important in the
running of day to day activities in the company. There are many other sections which fall
under their respective departments and most of them work hand in hand with the ICT section
in order ensure smooth running of the power station. The top most goal for Hwange Power
Station is to generate electricity and thus all the departments work as a unit in order to
achieve this ultimate goal.
10
CHAPTER 2: COMPUTER NETWORKING AND SUPPORT
2.0 IntroductionThe power station comprises of client base of 120 computers which are connected to a
centralized network server. These computers form a local area network (LAN) and after a
detailed study of the power station’s network I concluded that generally it employs an
extended star network topology. All client computers are required to logon to the zpc.hps
domain on the network server in order to gain access to the shared network resources. There
are four servers namely the Internet & Email server, Solaris server AS400 server and
domain server. The internet & email server is the one responsible for internet connection and
incoming and outgoing of emails. The Solaris server is responsible for two systems namely,
Inventory Procurement Management System (IPMS) and Maintenance Management System
(MMS), whilst the AS400 server is responsible for the functionality of the AS400 application
system. Lastly, the domain server is the one responsible for logging in users on to the Local
Area Network being the zpchps domain. If a user is not logged on to this domain then they
will not be able to access any LAN resources inclusive of imps/mms, as400, internet (for
those with access) and email. Hwange Power Station currently connects to the Internet using
a dial up modem and telephone line. MWEB Zimbabwe is the Internet service provider. The
internet server runs on a LINUX Red hat 9.0 platform. The server houses a POP3 mail server
that configures email users to the domain zpc.hps.co.zw through Outlook Express Below is a
simplified network diagram for HPS.
11
2.1 Network Setup Structure
[4] Fig 2.0 Network Setup Structure
The Hwange Power Station network works on a server-client basis. It has basically four
servers namely the Internet & Email server, Sun Solaris server (IPMS/MMS), AS400
server and the Domain server, and a client base of approximately 120 computers.
The internet & email server is the one responsible for internet connection and incoming and
outgoing of emails. The Solaris server is responsible for IPMS and MMS, whilst the AS400
server being responsible for the functionality of the AS400 application system. Lastly, the
domain server is the one responsible for logging in users on to the Local Area Network being
12
the zpchps domain. If a user is not logged on to this domain then they will not be able to
access any LAN resources inclusive of IPMS/MMS, AS400, internet (for those with access)
and email.
The Email/Internet server is directly connected to a modem and to a central Cisco Switch
which then distributes the network to other departments forming a Local Area Network
(LAN). There are 3 servers that are directly connected to the central Cisco switch and are
located in one room and these are Internet & Email , Sun Solaris server andAS400 server.
The domain server is located in the ICT workshop and thus is connected to a switch in the
ICT workshop.
The structure of the LAN at Hwange Power Station is an extended Star network topology
comprising of a dedicated Central Cisco switch which connects 14 departmental sections via
switches and hubs. Client computers may connect directly to the nearest switch or hub or may
connect to the switch through a patch panel. All the hubs have a data transfer rate of 10 Mbps
yet the switches transfer data at either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps depending on the network
interface card (NIC). All client computers are required to logon to the zpc.hps domain on the
network server in order to gain access to the shared network resources. During my work
experience I carried out a number of tasks concerning computer networking and these
include:
Installing and configuring Network interface cards.
Configuring an outlook express account on user machine.
Resetting user password on outlook express.
Terminating an RJ45 for Straight through and cross over cables.
Installing switches.
13
Setting up and installing a network printer and troubleshooting network printer
problems such as failure to print.
Network configuration (Internet Protocol Address, Subnet Mask, DNS).
Creating data points.
Internet and email serverHwange power station currently connects to the internet through a dial up internet server
with MWEB Zimbabwe. The internet server runs on a LINUX Redhat 9.0 platform. The
server houses a POP3 mail server that configures email users to the domain
zpc.hps.co.zw through Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook.
Below are the commands I used whilst working in LINUX:
Creating email user accounts: - this was done within the root folder or mail folder
by the use of the command useradd <username> at the command prompt. For
example in order to add a user whose name is I Gavaza typing the command
useradd igavaza would result in the email address [email protected] .
Deleting email user accounts: In order to delete an email user account the
command userdel <username> is used, for example userdel igavaza will delete the
email account for I Gavaza.
Managing user passwords: - at times an email user may require their email
passwords to be frequently changed for security reasons, or they may have forgotten
their password. The command used for resetting or renewing the password is
passwd <username>, for example passwd igavaza will prompt you to change the
password for igavaza and asks you to confirm the new password as well.
Creating an internet user account: since there are users who are entitled to
internet access, user accounts are created for such and the command used after
logging on the internet server is htpasswd /etc/squid/squid_passwd <username>.
14
Where htpasswd /etc/squid/squid_passwd igavaza will create an internet user
account for I Gavaza,
2.2 Termination Straight through Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Category 5 (CAT 5) cable
All client computers are connected to the network server using UTP CAT5 cables which are
normally enclosed in a protective trunking and run through the ceiling from the client
computer to the server room which houses all servers. I was actively involved in terminating
cables and the cables I constructed were straight through UTP cables and cross – over cables.
Straight through cables are normally used to connect a computer to a switch or hub or to
connect a computer from a data point which in turn is connected to a switch or hub. I used
and familiarized myself with the following basic resources:
CAT5 cabling enough to connect one client computer to the nearest switch or hub or
to a data point.
At least two RJ-45 connectors.
RJ-45 crimping tools to attach the RJ-45 connectors to the cable.
Ethernet continuity cabling tester.
Wire cutters.
2.2 Projects Undertaken
2.2.1 Upgrade of Administration Block Network
The Administration Block is a Building that is used by the General Manager, Management
and their respective secretaries. Initially this building was connected using Unshielded
Twisted Pair (UTP) cable from the Main Switch located in the main control room about 25
meters apart via a tunnel to the administration switch. Also pre-terminated optical fiber
15
supplied by Powertel was initially laid in the same tunnel from the main switch to the
administration block together with 3 more optical fiber cables which were for use in other
departments the UTP cable fails. In this small project I worked with two technicians and my
fellow student on attachment. The major fault was that the link between the Administration
block and main control switch was down. This was caused by water which sipped into the
tunnel. This tunnel also carried insulated electrical cables and these caused Electromagnetic
Induction effects in the CAT5 UTP cable thus causing interference in the electrical data
signals carried by the CAT5 UTP cable. Our task was to identify a free pair of fiber optical
cable that was running from the main switch to the administration block and use it to replace
the damaged UTP cable. In this project I learnt about a concept of looping in order to identify
a pair of cables amongst many cables.
2.2 Technologies LearntDuring my period of my attachment I acquired a lot of knowledge on computer networking
technologies and these includes creating data points and terminating UTP CAT5 cable which
we sometimes used as an uplink or fly-lead or to make a cross over UTP CAT5 cable. I used
various tools such as RJ-45 connectors, crimping tool, Continuity cable tester and cable cutter
to terminate UTP cables. I added nodes on the Local Area Network by adding switches and in
most cases these switches would be replacing a hub. I applied my theoretical knowledge I
learnt at college on client server architectures by learning how to physically set up client
server architecture between 2 workstations using a cross-over UTP cable.
2.3 Conclusion
Computer networking and support is an area that I learnt new technical tasks which include
terminating RJ-45, network troubleshooting techniques and email administration. The major
16
challenge that I faced during the course of studying computer networking were, lack of
resources such as RJ 45 terminators were scarce at a time we needed them most.
17
CHAPTER 3: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT
3.0 Introduction In order to effectively achieve Hwange power station’s goals and objectives, a number of
software application systems have been installed and these are administered and maintained
by the IT department. Throughout my attachment period I have been actively involved in the
day to day system administration, user support and data backup of these application systems.
This area that I managed to experience greater experience was on hardware and software
maintenance as well as user support or help desk. We carried out two projects which were
commissioning of a Licensed Antivirus system and commissioning of new desktop
computers and upgrading of old computers.
3.1 Hardware Computer hardware equipment used in the Power station includes Visual display units,
printers, central processing units, hard disk drives, power supplies, computer motherboards,
Network interface cards (NIC), projector, keyboards and mice. In our day to day duties when
we were dealing with hardware we did more of corrective maintenance than preventive
maintenance due to a shortage of spare parts in the IT workshop. I installed and configured
new NIC on client computers and during this process I learned about a ping command “ping
127.0.0.1” that tests whether the NIC is working. I installed and loaded new hard disk drives
on computers with operating system. I recovered data from crushed hard drives and formatted
hard drives using Easy Recovery Software. I learnt how to use debug routines using a start
up floppy to debug a faulty hard drive. Debugging is a methodical process of finding and
reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic
hardware thus making it behave as expected. Debug is an MS-DOS command that can be
used to enter machine language into the computer either to create programs or test computer
peripherals by receiving back various computer machine code. The debug command is an
external command and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems. All
18
Versions of MS-DOS Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT Windows
2000, Windows XP However, some of these debug routines can also potentially damage
computer components or cause them not to work properly hence a thorough knowledge of
hardware and MS-DOS commands is needed. I never experienced many problems with
printers except paper jams and empty cartridges and these were simple to solve.
3.2 Computer Operating Systems The majority of machines in the power station are running on Windows XP and Windows
2000 whilst a few run on Windows 98 and Windows Vista. The internet server uses Linux
Red hat 9.0 while the IPMS, MMS and plant control GET Machines use SCO-UNIX
operating system and the network server uses Server 2003. During my attachment period I
managed to work with all the operating systems mentioned above except for SCO-UNIX and
windows server 2003.
3.3Application Software There are a number of application software’s used in the station and these include IPMS,
MMS, AS400, partition magic, easy recovery, ESET NOD 32 Antivirus, Microsoft Office
2000,Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office 2007, AutoCAD. I managed to work with all
these and gained confidence in working with and troubleshooting software problems.
3.4 Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in
a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware thus making it behave as expected.
Debug is an MS-DOS command that can be used to enter machine language into the
computer either to create programs or test computer peripherals by receiving back various
computer machine code. When carrying out debug routines on hard drives I used a start-up
floppy which entails the use of MS DOS debug commands. The debug command is an
external command and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.
19
All Versions of MS-DOS
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
However, some of these debug routines can also potentially damage computer components or
cause them not to work properly hence a thorough knowledge of hardware and MS-DOS
commands is needed. I carried out these debug routines on a number of hard drives that were
malfunction due to viruses or defects in those hard drives.
3.3 Projects Undertaken
3.3.1Commisioning of ESET NOD32 AntivirusZimbabwe Power Company purchased licensed ESET NOD32 Business Edition Antivirus
software from ESET Zimbabwe for use and has a maximum of 300 users. In this project a
specialist from ESET came to commission the Antivirus and also to teach the ICT staff how
to basically set up the Antivirus software. As a student I was actively involved and learnt how
to set up and configure a Windows based Antivirus server and to set up and configure all the
computers in the station.
The major task in this project was to first make sure that all the computers were either
running on Windows XP Service pack 3 or Windows 2000 Service pack 4 thus all computers
that were not running on above mentioned Operating systems had to be loaded or upgraded
20
with Windows XP Service pack 3 or Windows 2000 Service pack 4 depending on the size of
Random Access memory (RAM), hard drive and processing speed on that individual
machine. With the help of other technicians we(students) did this exercise of upgrading the
operating systems on about 120 computers and installed ESET node antivirus on each and
every computer in the power station.
The setup incorporated was that all client computers were configured to update the Antivirus
from the Antivirus Server automatically after every 24 hours keeping the Antivirus up to date
and at a lower risk of attack from viruses, worms and spam’s.
3.3.2 Commissioning of New WorkstationsNew computers were bought and these were about 40. In this mini project I was actively
involved with loading them with Windows XP SP3 Operating system, installing and
configuring IPMS,MMS and AS400 application software’s., configuring user emails on
outlook express, configuring and installing network printers and also loading other
application software’s.
3.4 ConclusionMost of the work I covered on a daily basis was to deal with hardware and software
maintenance and support. With a total of about 120 Computer users in the power station we
attended to all faults reported by these users. When a user submits a fault using MMS all
faults are logged into the MMS system and when it has been attended you indicate whether
you successfully completed it or not. At the end of the month the Principal technician would
compile all the job cards in MMS and compile a report showing how many faults were
reported and if there were successfully completed.
21
CHAPTER 4: PLANT CONTROL SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
4.0 Introduction Plant control systems are basically found and implemented in the Hwange Power Station
plant and there are used to control the machinery used to generate electrical power. There are
basically two Digital Distributed Control Systems (DDCS) used in the power station and both
were designed by Siemens, Stage 1 uses Siemens Teleperm ME, and stage 2 uses an
upgraded version Teleperm XP. Plant Control systems is a critical area in the generation of
electricity as it contains the automation systems which control, monitor and administer the
machinery used to generate electricity.
4.1 Teleperm ME
Ethernet
CS275 bus
CS275 bus
[5] Fig 4.0 Teleperm ME
22
OT3OT2OT1
Switch
Server
Unit
FAEStruk
GET
AS
Switch
Key
AS………Automation System
GET……..Graphical Engineering Tool
OT……….Operator Terminal
The FAE is a bus connector to the Automation system. The Operator Terminals in Teleperm
ME use a program known as Hummingbird that runs by showing the graphical user interface
(GUI) of a simulation of the physical plant operations. The operator terminal computers are
loaded with Windows XP operating system while the server units run on SCO-UNIX
operating system.
4.2 Teleperm XP
[6] Fig 4.1 Teleperm XP
Key
23
AS………Automation System
SU………Server Unit
PU……..Processor Unit
OT……..Operator Terminal
4.3 Technologies LearntI learnt how to check plant status, to start and stop processes and also to carry out backups on
server units and operator terminals. I was taught system administration using SCO – UNIX in
plant control systems and I had the opportunity to use basic commands for checking plant
status, starting and stopping a process.
I learnt about major devices that are used in the DDCS which are the star coupler and GET
and SRUCK machine. The GET and SRUCK machines are used to
create simulation of the process variables,
to backup data,
to transfer and check plant data
to generate code to modify parameters.
The star coupler is a device that takes in an input signal and splits it into several output
signals and serves the same function as a switch.
4.4 Software DevelopmentI and my fellow student on attachment have been assigned to develop an Asset Register
management system and we are still in the early stages of system analysis. We began this
project on the on the 1st of May 2010. This system is meant to be used by the ICT personnel
at Hwange Power Station to manage all ICT assets in the power station. We are using Delphi
24
programming language to write the coding and to develop the interface. According to our
schedule we must be implementing the system month end of August 2010. I was actively
involved in data gathering and the major data which we collected was the serial numbers for
the Computer equipment used by all the users in power station. This equipment includes
Computer box that embodies the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the Visual Display Unit
(VDU), the keyboard, mouse, printer, projector and scanner.
I have so far managed to design the interface forms for the Assert register system and also
made a database for user records and equipment records.
4.5 ConclusionSince Plant Control systems is a critical area in the generation of electricity in the power
station I did not get the opportunity to physically study work in this area because the systems
are always running and in use by Plant Operators. Any mistakes when working on the system
can disrupt the generation of electricity. However I would get an opportunity when the units
were down thus could learn about backups on these machines which run on SCO UNIX
operating system. The Plant Control systems were designed by Siemens and hence when
there are major problems their specialists and consultants are called to solve these problems.
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CHAPTER 5: PROBLEMS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.0 ProblemsBelow are a number of problems the IT Department faced as whole during
my attachment.
Network security was difficult to maintain as the Domain server is
misbehaving and hence anyone who could get a username and
password could basically access the internet at will and for as long as
they wished. (The principle previously employed had specific
individuals who had internet access and their access times set).
Also the different operating systems in use make it difficult to
introduce a uniform network security measure as some operating
systems are poor at security.
The current network cables in use are susceptibly prone to natural
dangers like the rain and insects as well as rodents. This is proven as
some of the cables malfunction during the rainy season and some are
at times bitten by rodents.
Most of the machines in use at the power station have since seen
their days this is mainly seen through the rate at which the same
machines are always in the workshop with one malfunction or the
other. Also these machines have since become very slow and have a
small memory capacity which make sit difficult to install certain
operating systems ( like windows XP and Vista)and application
software (like Office 2003 & 2007, Acrobat 6-9) .
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Initially there was no Antivirus Server so there was a huge problem
of computers being frequently affected by viruses. The problem was
solved when the company purchased a licensed Antivirus software
that had a dedicated server which automatically updates user
computer.
Shortage of equipment for use by ICT personnel and examples of
such equipment are Digital multi meters, RJ 45 caps, and electronic
component spares.
5.1 Recommendations To Hwange Power Station my recommendations for the ICT department are for them to add
on the ICT under-graduate attachment programme areas of focus such as working in different
departments within the station as could help in giving students a better appreciation of how
these departments work and their general contribution to the whole organization. I would also
recommend the upgrading of the current Network system from dial up which has a slow
transmission rate to Very Small Terminal Aperture (VSAT) system which uses satellites and
provides faster and reliable network system. VSAT can also be easily used to form a Wide
Area Network which would incorporate all the ZPC social amenities within Hwange town.
Repair or reconfiguration of the Domain server and re-enforcement of the network security
through the introduction of user levels especially on internet access. Each user must be made
liable to their account i.e. if any network rule violations or breaches are experienced and
logged on the user’s account the user is to be found responsible and appropriate action taken
(e.g. downloads of pornography and infected materials).
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5.2 Conclusion The Industrial attachment at Hwange Power Station gave me a good picture of how a
company really operates and developed my imaginative and creative skills. My period of
attachment was an eye-opener as it also helped me to appreciate the operation of the working
environments versus the theoretical background I had gained from the college. My
communication skills greatly improved as I learnt to communicate with different users from
different departments within the company and I learnt to appreciate their different levels of
understanding of ICT technologies and equipment. Technically I gained considerable skills
and knowledge of troubleshooting software and hardware problems. I did get a lot of support
the ICT team I was working with, their patience and support really made me comfortable and
enjoyed working with them.
Working in all sections of the company provided me with more knowledge on business
know-how and management. The employees were also helpful and I got the assistance
required at all times and this contributed to my learning objectives.
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Appendix
ZESA – Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority
ZPC – Zimbabwe Power Company
ZETDC - Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company
ICT – Information Communication Technology
VSAT - Very Small Terminal Aperture
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References
[1] Figure 1.0: ZESA Holdings Limited Structure:- Human Resources Department Wall Chart
2009
[2] Fig 1.0 ZPC Organizational Structure:- Human Resources Department Wall Chart, 2009
[3] Fig 1.1: ICT Structure:- ICT Engineer Wall chart, 2009
[4] Fig 2.0 Network Setup Structure:- produced by IT Software Technicians, 2009
[5] Fig 4.0 Teleperm ME:- Siemens Manual page 13 © Siemens AG 1997,
Prepared by Chris Waddicor
[6] Fig 4.1 Teleperm XP:- Siemens Manual page 7 © Siemens AG 1997,
Prepared by Chris Waddicor
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