Flip a switch at an industrial manufacturing or processing facility, and you might activate an unseen but vital control system that commands its operations. With automation and new technologies on the rise—for the benefits of efficiency, quality, and safety—the long-term reliability of industrial control systems has never been more important.
With automation and new technologies on the rise, the long-term reliability of industrial control systems has never been more important.
B.J. Knapp, a senior control systems engineer in our Duluth office, specializes in designing, programming, and integrating large-scale industrial control systems. From developing the initial design to conducting facility staff training on the final product, B.J. enjoys the challenge of working on a wide range of manufacturing, materials processing, and power facilities.
This is more than a world of wires; designing across all types of facilities requires knowledge of physics, chemistry, and software programming to design sophisticated systems of display screens, sensors, actuators, controllers, and communication infrastructure that detect and react to changes along an industrial process. Here, B.J. takes us inside his career working for local industries in Minnesota and beyond.
Tell us about the career path that brought you to Barr.
Consulting wasn’t on my radar at first. My career started with an internship with Andersen Windows & Doors, where I replaced relay logic and old, obsolete controllers and wrote code for machines in research and development. From there, my work grew larger and larger in scope, and eventually, I was writing automation code on a very large scale for the mining industry. As a control systems engineer with an iron ore processing company in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, I managed hundreds of motor controllers and thousands of input/output instruments behind the operations of an iron ore concentrate processing plant. This led to programming an entire taconite pellet plant from scratch with two other engineers—furnace fans, wagon tippler, pumps, valves, and all. After that, I was hooked on big projects.
Designing and programming large control systems is a meticulous undertaking. It must be done piece by piece, carefully building smaller blocks of code to design the controls for an entire industrial process, from start to finish. I had planned to start my own company so I could pursue these kinds of projects. The bigger, the better. An opportunity arose at Barr, though, and I understood that Barr offered that freedom while providing opportunities to team up and broaden my expertise. After meeting some of the engineers at Barr, I decided to join.
You joined Barr eight years ago. How has control systems engineering changed?
Industrial control systems have become more advanced, thanks to new processors, improved networks, and smarter software.
Industrial control systems have become more advanced, thanks to new processors, improved networks, and smarter software.
For example, motor control systems once required a wire for each signal, which kept status information separate between components. A modern, networked control system shares status information digitally across all data points. This means that if a motor component is about to fail, a networked control system can alert the operator in advance, potentially avoiding downtime.
These kinds of advancements are bringing greater control over industrial processing and providing more performance data to operators. This trend will continue as data is increasingly used for artificial intelligence and machine learning to perform diagnostics and identify process efficiencies. I help clients leverage new technologies and enhancements that have been shown to deliver long-term benefits.
What’s a big concern industrial operators have about their control systems?
A big one is the long-term reliability of networks: switches, routers, and cabling that enable communication between control devices. Most industrial facilities expand over time to accommodate new equipment or processes, meaning the communication networks for their controls are pieced together incrementally. Perhaps one skid came in with a switch, and that network was connected to the plant network, then another, and another. Twenty years later, there is one sprawling, flat network that the entire facility relies on. This is a risky arrangement because one faulty component could disrupt the entire network, and because the network isn’t well organized, locating the problem could take a lot of time.
We’ve helped clients improve reliability in two ways. First, we can divide the network into the segments that actually need to communicate, which makes it easier to locate, isolate, and resolve a problem with minimal disruption. We can do this physically by rewiring the network or virtually using virtual local area networks (VLANs). Second, we can build redundant, or parallel, networks that take over if the primary network fails.
We’ve noticed an uptick in requests to provide procurement and construction support for control systems projects in addition to engineering/design. What advantage does an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project model bring to your work?
An EPC contract means that we’re hired not only to design the control systems but also to procure, program, configure, and commission them as the system integrator. We handle the engineering, procurement, and system integration tasks and hire a subcontractor for construction and installation.
If we’re responsible for procurement from the start, we can acquire the major control system components, program them, and test them in our programmable logic controller (PLC) lab before deployment.
In a traditional engineering (non-EPC) project, we typically can’t connect or test system components until the control panels are installed, the network is commissioned, and power is available. But if we’re responsible for procurement from the start, we can acquire the major control system components, program them, and test them in our programmable logic controller (PLC) lab before deployment.
Getting an early start on procurement avoids project delays by addressing compatibility, communication, and site-specific preferences for control systems early on.
Nearly twenty years into your career, what motivates you to get to work every day?
I still enjoy working on large control projects, particularly writing code and creating operator interfaces that prioritize information and provide control room operators the right information at the right time. This requires writing intuitive code that our clients can support and creating operator interface displays with longevity in mind. We want these interfaces to be relevant and useful for decades to come.
More importantly, I love working with our talented staff of electrical and control systems engineers. I appreciate the opportunities to mentor and be mentored. I believe in our electrical engineering practice, and I’m particularly motivated to expand our automation capabilities into new industries.
When you’re not designing, programming, or testing control systems, what are you up to?
I love hockey. I play it year-round. I just finished coaching youth hockey for my three kids, who all play. I also love outdoor activities like fishing and hunting, and spending quality time with my family. We often explore new lakes or trails and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Minnesota. In the summer, we enjoy spending time at our family cabin near Lutsen or at my parents’ house on Rainy Lake near International Falls.
Looking for control systems solutions? Contact our team to get started.
About B.J. Knapp
B.J. Knapp is a senior control systems engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in electrical engineering, control systems engineering, process automation, and industrial control. He specializes in control system design, PLC programming, HMI development, motor control, and industrial communication networks. At Barr, B.J. supports industrial, mining, oil and gas, power, and manufacturing clients with system design, programming, cost estimation, construction support, and commissioning. He’s passionate about building reliable, intuitive systems that improve performance, safety, and long-term operability.
Image gallery (below)
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In the PLC lab next to his office, B.J. sits with Sam Gidley, a newly hired electrical engineer. As his sponsor, B.J. is helping Sam kickstart his career at Barr by connecting him with our electrical engineering practitioners and supporting his integration into ongoing projects.
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B.J., his wife, and their three children explore Ely’s Peak in scenic Duluth, Minnesota.
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Venturing into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, B.J. and his son begin their journey along the Gunflint Trail in northern Minnesota.
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A trip to Florida brings B.J. and his family to the innovative world of EPCOT in Walt Disney World.