Automation · RAS · Bioprocesses
We know theory and engineering, but our hands have also got dirty assembling systems. 25 years in aquaculture and industrial automation, on projects across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
PLC/SCADA/HMI automation and instrumentation for aquaculture and other bioprocesses, such as wine and beer production or microalgae cultivation. We also convert existing systems built on third-party controllers for water quality, hydraulics or motor control into one integrated, more efficient system.
Complete mass balances, hydraulic calculations and specifications for water filtration and conditioning, pumps, actuators, instrumentation and motor control centers. A master equipment list linked to the final P&ID tags. Construction continues with partners specialized in offshore and land-based aquaculture buildings.
We solve problems in existing systems or design new controlled systems for the cultivation of aquatic animals, plants and microorganisms.
Many aquaculture companies invest in automation and end up with a system that is incomplete, hard to operate, or full of functions nobody uses. The problem is rarely the hardware. It is usually the process that led to it.
The project begins with a PLC, a sensor catalog or a supplier's standard package, and the farm is adapted to the system instead of the other way around.
Without a document describing what the system must do, the programmer fills the gaps with assumptions. Some needs are missed, and other functions are added “just in case.”
Screens, alarms and controls are designed without the people who run the farm every day. The result is alarm floods, confusing screens and manual workarounds.
If functions are not tested against a specification before start-up, errors appear with fish in the tanks, where a failed pump or oxygen valve can mean losses within minutes.
Without up-to-date drawings and program documentation, the farm becomes dependent on the original integrator for every change.
We follow a standard sequence, scaled to the size of each project. Every function in the final system can be traced back to a real operational need, and every function is tested before it goes live.
We start with how the plant actually works: species or culture, production plan, water treatment, critical parameters (oxygen, CO₂, pH, temperature, flow, levels) and failure scenarios. The result is a User Requirements Specification: what the system must achieve, in the client's own terms.
The P&ID shows every tank, pump, pipe, valve and instrument, and how they are connected and controlled. It is the shared map for engineers, electricians, programmers and operators, drawn using standard ISA-5.1 symbols.
It describes, step by step, how the system behaves: control loops, sequences, setpoints, interlocks, alarm limits and what happens during power failures or equipment trips. It is the most important document in the project: if a function is not in the Functional Description, it is not programmed; if it is, it is tested.
Every sensor, actuator and signal is listed with its type, range and connection. These lists define the size of the control system and avoid both missing signals and oversized hardware.
Control panel layouts, electrical schematics, power supply and backup (UPS), and the communication architecture between PLC, SCADA, variable frequency drives and remote access.
Before writing code, we define the PLC program structure, the SCADA/HMI screen layout and the alarm philosophy: which alarms exist, their priority and who must respond. Screens are designed around operator tasks (ISA-101), and alarms are kept meaningful (ISA-18.2).
The program is written according to the Functional Description, using structured and reusable code (IEC 61131-3), so others can understand and maintain it.
The complete system is tested before shipment, with simulated signals, against a test protocol based on the Functional Description. The client takes part, and every deviation is recorded and corrected before installation.
On site, each instrument and actuator is checked from field to screen: correct wiring, correct scaling, correct direction of action.
The system is tested in its real environment: first without water, then with water, and only then with fish or culture. Control loops are tuned and alarm limits are confirmed under real operating conditions.
Operators and maintenance staff are trained on the final system. The client receives as-built drawings, the final Functional Description, the commented PLC program and the SCADA backups, so the plant stays in control of its own system.
The goal is not the most complex system, but the right one: a system your team understands and trusts.
Photobioreactors for microalgae production.
Oxygenation and filtration systems. Commercial representation for new clients in the Middle East.
Joint development of aquaculture projects in the Gulf: offshore and land-based systems.
Cristian Cox, MSc in Biological Engineering, aquaculture engineer and industrial electronics technician, with 25 years focused on control and industrial bioprocesses.
With projects in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, BPIG is currently involved in projects in the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.
Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, BPIG works as an engineering consultancy and as a bridge between international manufacturers and clients in those markets.