Water Treatment Plant Modifications with SCADA - City of La Porte, IN
The water distribution system of La Porte, Indiana, consists of two treatment plants, three elevated tanks, and seven wells. The goal for NIES Engineering, Inc. was to allow the operators of the main treatment plant to see and control all aspects of the system from their desktop computers. The approach adopted by NIES Engineering, Inc. was to develop a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) solution around non-proprietary software and equipment.
A comprehensive input - output list was generated that could describe every process within the system in terms of the type of signal generated by an event or required for action. This I/O list formed the basis of the plans and specifications. Radios were designed to communicate between the remote sites through a central repeater radio mounted on an elevated tank. The radio system is capable of scanning all sites and updating all values every minute.
The completed system can run in automatic mode, where high service pumps and well pumps are turned off and on based on the height of water in the elevated tanks, and the depth of water in the plant clearwells. The operator can also run the system manually, turning pumps off and on from the computer with the click of a mouse. Alarms are generated if any parameter falls outside of pre-determined setpoints, and reports are generated automatically on a daily and monthly basis.
The SCADA system gives the City of La Porte greater control over their water system, and better information regarding the use of this resource.
Key Points
- Improved Control
- Enhanced Reporting
- Remote Control
