FEATURE PUMPS & PUMPING SYSTEMS
AUTOMATIC COMMUNICATION between pumping stations in water treatment networks
Magnus Unosson, senior account manager at Recab, explains the benefits in having connected water operations
communication through the network. The next step is connectivity.
Water treatment site
T
he United Nations (UN) has included access to water and sanitation as
one of its sustainable development goals for several years, but the importance has become obvious during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Whether water is being supplied for domestic usage or circulated in treatment systems, connectivity is important to ensure availability and effective network management. The water and wastewater treatment industry is one built on a high number of variable factors, ranging from pressure in pump stations to the water volumes passing through them at any time, including chemicals. Historically, managing these factors has been challenging, particularly for sanitation companies across their networks of distributed assets. For example, if one large pumping station plans on increasing pump pressure, it must be coordinated with nearby smaller stations to avoid leakages or effluent discharges into ditches. Traditionally, this process requires manual coordination which is not efficient.
IOT-ENABLED In recent years, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has grown in popularity as a way of addressing the challenges. Many sanitation companies are now adopting sensor networks and router technologies to monitor performance characteristics. Information is automatically exchanged between pump stations and the supervisory control and data acquisition
26 ARPIL 2021 | IRISH MANUFACTURING
(SCADA) systems in cleaning plants. However, introducing the IIoT to water
networks is not as straightforward as selecting a router and some sensors. The IIoT devices must be easy to configure, able to provide a low total cost of ownership (TCO) and are secure. They must be available at all times, too, which requires reliable service uptime. Recab works with sanitation and water companies to introduce connected technology into their operations. The first step is to settle on a reliable router, such as INSYS icom’s SCR series 3G/4G routers, for example. These routers are designed for simple yet effective connectivity, with robust security via a combination of a stateful firewall and a virtual private network (VPN). The SCR series features a two-port switch with 10/100Mbit/s speeds for fast data
The routers will typically use 4G communication, which provides a dynamic IP address that can make connecting to SCADA systems difficult. This can be resolved by using a VPN, which can be set up easily using the icom Connectivity Suite for all INSYS icom routers. This service not only provides easy and stable remote access to routers, it also gives the router a static IP for the SCADA to connect through. INSYS icom routers and the icom Connectivity Suite are designed specifically for industrial applications, which is why they are ideally suited for building IIoT networks in sanitation and water treatment.
INSYS SCR-L200 LTE mobile router
REAPING REWARDS With the IIoT solution set up, businesses can then reap the benefits. One immediate advantage comes from the efficiency of automatic communication between pumping stations in a network, reducing the need for manual coordination of pressure adjustments. Engineers can have a centralised view of the performance of each pump station from the sanitation plant, without the need to travel between each station. In a post-pandemic world, it’s unquestionable that sanitation is increasingly important and the availability of water remains critical. To ensure that water networks can operate as effectively and efficiently as possible with reduced costs, the IIoT and reliable connectivity are invaluable. There are some important considerations for engineers before investing in IIoT systems, but with the right approach, products and partner in place, sanitation and water companies can benefit from industrial connectivity.
Recab UK
https://recabuk.com/ / IRISHMANUFACTURING
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