Hybrid Testing
A Hybrid Testing approach secured the smooth go-live of the fully automated Dongwon Container Terminal DGT
By Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Schütt
As a response to increasing requirements from the shipping lines terminal operators are forced to look at automation of processes and equipment to stay competitive in the market. Greenfield terminals are often directly planned to run automated but also Brownfield (i.e. existing) terminals have to be converted.
Automated terminals require control systems with high complexity, as in the case of exceptions and change of schedules human interaction has to be minimised. To secure a smart operation of the terminal already the layout planning must be aligned to the assumed type of business (vessel and package sizes, transhipment rates, dwell times and much more).
During the installation of the Terminal Operating (TOS) and Fleet Management Systems (FMS), emulation-based test systems allow functional and productivity tests using Virtual Terminals. This state-of-the-art approach of testing may start long before the real equipment is delivered and configured.
Let’s talk about the next generation of emulation based testing, the Hybrid Testing approach connects the emulation based approach with real equipment. Instead of using the test environment for the IT systems only, also the acceptance testing of the AGV is included to the test environment.
What is the background of this story:
The Dongwon Global Terminal (DGT) is located in Busan New Port in South Korea. It is a Greenfield terminal and will be fully automated:
- remote operated Double trolley quay cranes (QC) delivered by Hyundai discharge and load the vessels
- automated stacking cranes (ASC), some of them with an additional cantilever functionality, were delivered by Doosan and HJSC (Hanjin) using the control system of SEOHO Electric
- automated guided vehicles (AGV) are transporting the containers between the QC and ASC. The equipment as well as the FMS was developed by the Korean Hyundai Rotem in cooperation with VDL from the Netherlands.
- the TOS OPUS was delivered by Cyberlogitec.
Busan Port Authority as the landlord provided the infrastructure including the QCs as well as the ASCs to the terminal operator DGT. On the other side the AGVs including the FMS as well as the TOS OPUS were ordered by DGT themselves. Hyundai Rotem delivered the AGVs as well as the FMS for the AGVs. It was the first FMS implementation for container terminals by Hyundai Rotem.
This configuration led to the situation, that DGT had to perform the integration testing of the components of their responsibility, which never operated together in the past. For performing the testing, DGT built a Hybrid Testing environment - based on the CHESSCON Virtual Terminal product, an emulation based testing tool for container terminals.
Within this Hybrid-Testing-Solution
- our Korean partner Piscesoft Inc. as a software integrator connected the FMS as well as OPUS to CHESSCON
- DGT together with Piscesoft set up the scenario for the Tests within CHESSCON
- they used the real OPUS to organize the terminal operation
- they used QC emulators to discharge and load virtual containers from/to vessels
- they used the YC emulators to stack container into/from the yard blocks
- they used the real FMS from Hyundai Rotem together with the real AGVs to transport the (virtual) containers at the waterside
The Hybrid Testing itself was carried out by DGT supported by Piscesoft, whilst the CHESSCON team supported from their back-office.
On April 5th the terminal was inaugurated successfully by serving the first vessel at the terminal with a real smooth operation from day one.
But that’s not the end: During the whole live of operation the test systems developed may be used to secure the installation of new software releases of the TOS and FMS. Thus, new strategies may be tested to guarantee an optimal and stable operation before going live at the terminal.
Additionally, the virtual test environment may be connected to the live operation of the real terminal to synchronise the state of all components of the real terminal with their simulated counterparts in the model. In this way the whole terminal model will become a Digital Shadow. By providing simulation based operation support methods in the model, a bidirectional interaction between the model and the real world bay be achieved. Thus, a Digital Twin of the container terminal will be alive.
