Rockwell Automation supplies control system for Umgeni Water
July 2016System Integration & Control Systems Design
Rockwell Automation has supplied the control system that will automate one of the largest bulk potable water infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal: Lower Thukela Bulk Water Supply Scheme, constructed in a partnership between Umgeni Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation. As part of the Lower Thukela Bulk Water Supply Scheme (LTBWSS), the plant will supply 55 Ml/day potable water to various towns within the iLembe District.
The scope of the Rockwell Automation contract included the supply of control and visualisation products for a control system that will automate the abstraction, treatment and distribution processes of the plant.
The plant will abstract water from the Thukela River through a low-lift pump station and, following pre-screening for the removal of coarse grit (as well as aquatic life), divert it to a water treatment process that includes filtration, flocculation, clarification, disinfection and sludge dewatering.
Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLCs comprise the plant control layer through a total count of 2500 hardwired I/O. Rockwell Automation also supplied three 355-kW PowerFlex AC drives; Dynamix 1444 Integrated Condition Monitoring modules; and E300 Electronic Overload Relays as part of the motor protection.
On the software front, the Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View package provides the scada system, supplying a versatile and powerful HMI application for machine-level operator interface devices. Additional software includes FactoryTalk Historian, which logs plant parameters and collects critical time-series data to provide a holistic performance database that can be used for a range of statistical and predictive functions. Software for device and process configuration and browser-based access was also included.
Enhanced plant visibility through The Connected Enterprise
With tighter water quality standards and rising labour, operating and maintenance costs, plant owners are looking for ways to maximise the performance and efficiency of their assets. Conventional water plants use field equipment and logic controllers that generate performance data, but this data is not traditionally linked to the level of the enterprise network.
Technology leveraging The Connected Enterprise – enabled by the information and control architecture, communicates performance, status and condition data to provide visualisation of each plant process – allows a faster, more accurate and automated reporting system.
This information can be mobilised to make accurate, informed decisions that maximise the efficiency, performance and reliability of not just a plant, but of the greater water infrastructure.
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