System Integration & Control Systems Design


PC-based control platform optimises water treatment product dosing

October 2019 System Integration & Control Systems Design

Clean water is vital in both consumer and commercial areas, including numerous industrial applications, such as mining, petroleum refining and groundwater remediation, in addition to residential applications. Environmental Operating Solutions (EOSi), a provider of products and services used in water treatment, evolved its business model to include the Nitrack control system, which creates value to plant operators by optimising the dosage of carbon supplements. The first PC-based control system used in this area is ideal to support functions such as remote access to the processes in conventional plants.

Massachusetts-based Environmental Operating Solutions has provided sustainable solutions and technical services for biological contaminant removal in water and wastewater treatment systems in the U.S. and Canada since 2003. President Samuel Ledwell describes the core business of the company as follows: “We currently provide over 550 wastewater treatment plants with safe, effective and environmentally sustainable solutions.”

The MicroC line of supplemental carbon sources forms the basis of the EOSi portfolio and represents a non-hazardous and environmentally sustainable option to remove contaminants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, selenium and perchlorate, among others, from wastewater. The MicroC products contain various carbohydrate, alcohol and glycerin-based supplemental carbon sources, which serve as nutrients for the microorganisms in the sewerage sludge used for biological wastewater treatment. These products are subjected to the most rigorous quality control processes.

PC-based control offers alternatives to traditional sales models

“Maintaining regulatory compliance at the lowest cost is a common goal for our customers,” says Ledwell. About five years ago, EOSi began a new initiative to help customers further optimise their use of MicroC products. This evolved into providing and later developing their own product dispensing monitoring and control equipment. In addition, EOSi process engineers develop customised control strategies for the specific process configurations of clients and offer services to help monitor plant performance.

Nitrack is the first PC-based control system used to monitor and control biological nutrient removal in wastewater treatment.

It collects sensor data from a multitude of inputs and uses this data to control and optimise an unlimited number of treatment processes. The Nitrack system will dose the appropriate amount of MicroC based on, for example, the amount of nutrients present in the wastewater system compared to the end-of-pipe target concentration. The Nitrack systems feature a wide variety of PC-based control solutions from Beckhoff, facilitating simple integration into customer facilities along with improvements in both processing power and remote connectivity options. Remote connectivity functionality enables location-independent plant monitoring by the experts of EOSi or by the operators themselves. However, it also entails special connectivity requirements that conventional process control systems usually cannot meet.

PC-based control finds the right price-to-performance ratio

When designing the Nitrack system, EOSi wanted the ability to minimise the amount of hardware required to remotely control certain aspects of the treatment process. The PC-based systems provided by Beckhoff offered the right ratio of price to performance for their needs and were equipped with the required communication interfaces. Randy Pulsifer, automation and instrumentation manager, explains: “The main driver here was to develop the Nitrack technology on a cost-effective platform that would allow our team of engineers to openly communicate with customer control systems, while at the same time having the added benefit of standard PC software rather than being restricted to software that can only run on industrial PLC systems.”

The core of the Beckhoff control system is a CP2216 multi-touch Panel PC, offering a 2.2 GHz Intel Celeron dual-core processor in a compact form factor and custom branding for EOSi. Pulsifer notes: “We gain much greater HMI visibility than before with the 15.6-inch widescreen format, and the device seamlessly integrates with our HMI software.” The Panel PC also runs TwinCAT automation software to handle controller outputs used for important process functions, such as pump speeds. EtherCAT Terminals transmit process variables and other plant information to the C6920 control cabinet IPC, which then passes it along to the plant scada, enabling the necessary processing for continuous optimisation of the treatment processes.

“Flexibility is key to the success of the Nitrack initiative. Considering the long lifecycle of water treatment systems, the ability to simply integrate EOSi systems into plants of all types is vital to enhance product value for customers,” explains Pulsifer. “With the EtherCAT system, we have the ability

to essentially keep our control platform static and change the distributed I/O equipment as the needs of the customer facility dictate.” Further enhancing connectivity and data availability, the TwinCAT TCP/IP server plays an important role in the implementation process, given the varied nature of equipment used throughout the plants of EOSi customers. Another important factor in the area of public utilities is security: The system integrates directly into existing plant scada systems while remaining on an independent and secure network.

Controller flexibility flows from retrofits to future plant designs

EOSi has been pleased with the Nitrack system. “The design used in our old system could only control one element of the treatment process,” concludes Ledwell. “In our first Nitrack installation at a municipal water treatment plant, we control four elements, as well as the HMI, without taxing the CPU of the Industrial PC. We can easily add more control elements if necessary. This robust performance of PC-based control is a huge enabler for our plans to expand the scope of Nitrack installations.”


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Powering southern Africa’s industrial evolution for over five decades
Oilpower System Integration & Control Systems Design
Established in 1974, Oilpower is a recognised name in South Africa’s hydraulic and pneumatic sector. What started as a small, family-run business has matured into a highly structured operation with specialised teams, experienced engineers and a reputation for technical excellence and reliability. Oilpower is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year

Read more...
PC-based control for a food capsule and pod packaging machine
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice
For TME, a machine builder specialising in the packaging of powdered foods, Beckhoff’s PC-based control technology offers unlimited opportunities when it comes to performance and innovative capacity in terms of flexibility, scalability and openness.

Read more...
Multi-touch panel generation in a smart design
Beckhoff Automation Operator Interfaces, Switches & Relays
Following over 25 years of successful in-house panel production and 12 years of expertise in multi-touch design, Beckhoff is bringing out a new smart panel design, the Next multi-touch panel generation.

Read more...
Next-generation PLC technology with advanced chatbot functionality
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
Beckhoff is taking automation technology to the next level with TwinCAT PLC++. Both engineering and runtime are noticeably faster, without compromising on TwinCAT’s signature strengths of seamless integration, compatibility and openness.

Read more...
German Chancellor visits Beckhoff at Hannover Messe
Beckhoff Automation News
As part of the traditional Hannover Messe opening tour, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz visited German company, Beckhoff Automation. Hans Beckhoff, managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation, presented his company and its comprehensive expertise in the field of software and AI.

Read more...
Metal plant automation upgrade
ABB South Africa System Integration & Control Systems Design
A combined compressor house (CCH) control system replacement project, undertaken by NJC, an ABB Authorised Value Provider (AVP), has won high praise from client ArcelorMittal.

Read more...
PC-based control for fertiliser
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.

Read more...
SIs - the channel’s conductors of light
Schneider Electric South Africa System Integration & Control Systems Design
Today’s original equipment manufacturers are innovators in the truest sense, driving the absolute newest in technological advancement. While they develop advanced and often groundbreaking solutions, it is the system integrators who bring these innovations to life.

Read more...
New modules for distributed integration of intrinsically safe signals
Beckhoff Automation IS & Ex
Beckhoff provides a compact acquisition solution for intrinsically safe signals up to zone 0/20 with the IP67-protected EtherCAT Box modules of the EPX series.

Read more...
PC-based automated production system for photo calendars
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Producing up to 1800 photo calendars per hour using more than 90 servo axes, Durrer Spezialmaschinen develops a wide variety of special-purpose machines from the design phase to commissioning. A new production system for photo calendars proves the importance of comprehensive motion control expertise, with AM8000 servomotors and AX5000 servo drives from Beckhoff used for over 90 dynamically controlled axes.

Read more...