Gratomic’s Graphite

Gratomic’s graphite mine in Namibia, incorporating Delta AH500 PLCs, DiaView SCADA, ComAp genset controllers, and Schneider power meters

Gratomic Inc., a leading supplier of high-purity vein graphite, operates a flagship graphite mining and processing facility in Namibia’s Otjozondjupa Region. As the mine scaled toward commercial production, Gratomic required a robust automation system to optimize operations, stabilize power supply, and ensure real-time monitoring and control of the fully off-grid plant.

With the entire operation powered by three diesel generators, precision load management and coordinated control were critical to success.

Customer Challenge:

•Implement full plant-wide automation and centralized control.

•Ensure stable power generation and load balancing using multiple generators.

•Achieve energy efficiency and safety with real-time power monitoring.

•Enable remote monitoring and diagnostics.

•Improve overall throughput, uptime, and reporting for operational transparency.

Our Solution:

Control System:

Delta AH500 PLC

•Modular PLC system for controlling ore crushing, milling, flotation, drying, and bagging processes.

•High-speed logic control for sequencing and interlocking.

•Seamless integration with third-party equipment via Modbus TCP/IP and RTU.

SCADA System:

Delta DiaView

•Centralized SCADA platform for real-time plant monitoring.

•Custom HMIs for various process areas: crushing, milling, drying, air compressors, and water systems.

•Alarm handling, historical data logging, and performance reporting.

Power Management:

•ComAp Genset Controllers (InteliGen series) to manage 3 synchronized generators.

•Load sharing and auto start/stop.

•Auto-transfer and redundancy.

•Communication with Delta PLC for dynamic load feedback.

•Schneider Power Meters (PM800 series):

•Monitoring power consumption per process line.

•Data pushed to DiaView SCADA for visualization and trend analysis.

•Load profiling for energy optimization.