Al-Sabeh Cement Upgrading of Automation System from SIMATIC S5 to S7 for PLCs 1-5 and Burner PLC

Project Overview

PLCs 1-5 and Burner PLC at Kiln4 were from the previous-generation SIMATIC S5 system which is obsolete. This project involved upgrading of the existing S5 hardware to S7 ensuring long-term operational reliability and alignment with modern industrial standards.
The Burner PLC was upgraded independently with its own dedicated S7-1500 PLC. While for PLCs 1 to 5, the S5 CPUs were completely removed and not replaced with new processors. Instead, the old S5 I/O modules were replaced with modern SIMATIC ET200MP remote I/O modules. These new modules were connected through PROFIBUS directly to the existing S7-400 CPUs (CPU 417-5H) within the plant's existing PCS7 system. The entire control and monitoring was integrated completely within the central PCS7 system, creating a highly unified and streamlined control environment.

To minimize shutdown time and reduce the risk of wiring errors that come with traditional manual rewiring, Levant Engineering used specialized S5-to-S7-1500 Interface Module Adapters. This solution allows the existing S5 front connectors for DI, DO, AI and AO modules to plug directly into the new S7-1500 I/O modules, keeping the existing field wiring entirely in place.