Black-powder filtration: PLC and SCADA HMI for a gas facility in the Netherlands
October 2026 · 2 min read
The short version: in 2025 a gas facility in the Netherlands installed a filtration skid to remove black powder from its gas stream. APARA delivered the complete control scope: engineering, an ATEX control cabinet, Siemens PLC, HMI, FAT and commissioning. One contractor, one interface, from design to a running system.
The challenge
Black powder is the industry name for fine particles, mostly iron sulfides and iron oxides, that form inside gas pipelines and travel with the gas. It is abrasive and damages control valves, meters and compressors. A filtration skid removes it, but the skid needs a reliable control system that operators can trust, installed in a hazardous area.
What we delivered
- Engineering: control and instrumentation design, I/O, cabinet design, loop and termination diagrams.
- ATEX design: all equipment selected and certified for the hazardous-area classification, with intrinsically safe circuits for field instruments.
- Control cabinet: ATEX-certified control cabinet, designed and built for outdoor installation at the facility.
- PLC: Siemens S7-1500 control system, programmed for the operation and monitoring of the filtration skid.
- SCADA HMI: ATEX-certified operator panel with clear process screens and alarm handling.
- FAT and commissioning: the complete system was tested in the workshop before shipment and commissioned on site, with as-built documentation at handover.
Why one contractor for the whole control scope
On many projects, cabinet build, PLC programming and HMI development are split between suppliers. Every split is an interface where things go wrong: I/O that does not match, alarms nobody configured, delays during commissioning. By delivering engineering, panel, software and commissioning as one package, we kept the responsibility in one place. The client had one point of contact and one schedule.
Standards applied
- ATEX 2014/34/EU and IEC 60079 for equipment in hazardous areas
- IEC 61131-3 for PLC programming
Planning a skid, package or control system upgrade?
APARA delivers PLC, SCADA and HMI systems for oil and gas, chemical and energy facilities, including ATEX environments. Contact us to discuss your project.
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