Main Service MD-5

Arthur Engineering has provided electrical engineering services for Bronco Wine Company since 1974.  Since then we have designed most of the electrical systems including five (5) 4000A main services, plant lighting, and control systems for crushing, pressing, filtering, barrel room cooling, and bottling operations.  This is the latest service installed at the north end of the plant to feed a new refrigeration area.

Arthur Engineering specializes in custom motor control and control system design.  This motor control center at Bronco serves the Continuous Press Area.  The MCC is located at grade below the control platform and is connected via stainless steel wireway to the PLC control panel above.  The new PLC controls and monitors all the conveyors, presses, crush tank gates and pumps for the area and has greatly simplified operation and maintenance of the system.

Continuous Press Area
Motor Control Center "2MCC-1"

Continuous Press Area
PLC Control Panel

Continuous Press Area
Operator Interface

Above "2MCC-1" up on the control platform is the main PLC control panel for the Continuous Press Area.  The controls feature a graphical operator interface that provides monitoring and control of the entire system.  An alarm screen alerts operators to problems in the area and provides a brief description of the likely solution.  There are three other operator interface stations on the platform that can be used to operate the six presses in pairs.  Arthur Engineering worked closely with Calmetrics on the design of the PLC and operator interface system and related programming.

Arthur Engineering designed the power distribution and PLC control system for this experimental Micro Fermenter.  The tanks to the right are temperature controlled based on user set points and can be monitored by a central PC in maintenance and at the winemaker's office.

Micro Fermenter

Tank Presses

Working closely with the Owner, Arthur Engineering designed the main power distribution, lighting and PLC control systems for the Tank Press Area at Bronco.  The area has grown since the original four presses to fifteen, fed from two separate feed hoppers.  We provided all PLC programming services as well as integration of the machine controls with those of the conveying system.  The system has been upgraded by the Owner with our assistance to include graphical operator interface control of the conveying and pumping systems both at the dump hoppers and up at the press platforms.

Several years ago Bronco began to experience difficulty with the old relay type vendor-provided controls on their rotary vacuum filter.  Working with the Owner, Arthur Engineering designed a PLC control system to control the original filter plus a second larger filter.  Due to the harsh environment in this area, the panel was built of stainless steel and corrosion resistant operators.  The use of the PLC gives Bronco the option of adding a graphical type operator interface that was not available at the time of this design.

Rotary Vacuum Filter
PLC Control Panel

Warehouse

We have designed the power distribution and lighting systems for all the warehouses at Bronco, including this one with a unique sky-light lighting system.  The sky-lights, provided by Natural Lighting Company, have T5 fluorescent lamps built into them that are staged on a few at a time depending on the ambient light available at the roof.  This design is extremely energy efficient and provides better quality light than any HID source.  Arthur Engineering also designed the PLC controls for the various Barrel Warehouses at this facility.  The Owner provided their own PLC programming and Intellution HMI to control and monitor the cooling in the Barrel Warehouse from the winemaker's office.

Bronco's expansive tank farms require work lighting and power distribution in the aisles as well as on the catwalks above.  Arthur Engineering designed a unique portable pump panel design using Meltric de-contactor type 480V outlets which create a clean, safe and flexible way to distribute power for pumps in the tank farms.  The design has evolved at Bronco to include stainless steel construction for many years of rough service.

Tank Area Lighting