Introduction
Denca Controls is experienced in the unique requirements of the
utilities sector - water, electricity, gas, telecomms - having worked
with several utilities companies to provide integrated process control
solutions.
Denca's commitment to imaginative software engineering is particularly
relevant to the complex control system automation problems typical of
the utilities sector, as the following case study demonstrates:
Problem
The sluice gates at Bala Lake were controlled manually, which entailed
having a Duty Controller plus two staff on site on a 24 hour shift
roster. The Environment Agency Wales required that the control system
should be fully automated and operated by a single Duty Controller,
whether on site at Bala Lake or at a remote location.
Solution
With constantly changing weather patterns and flow levels, the automated
control system needed to be accessible at a moment's notice, even if
staff were working off site. So the solution which Denca implemented
included the following elements:
- Design of automated system to accurately measure and control sluice gates' position and water levels within the different modes and parameters of river management.
- Design of remote monitoring and control system which allowed staff to monitor, interrogate and adjust all parameters from a remotely located laptop.
- Manufacture of the specialised control equipment required.
- Coding the control programs for the programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the SCADA, the human machine interface (HMI) touch screen, the remote viewing and control system, and the remote diagnostics to allow Denca to update and modify the system, as required.
- Assembling the motor control cabinets and installing & commissioning the full control system.
Benefits
The sluice gates automation controls and remote monitoring system
provided the following principal benefits to the Environment Agency Wales:
- technically complex problem translated into a reliable, simply operated solution
- re-allocation of labour due to full process automation of the system
- remote monitoring & control allowed staff more flexibility and mobility
- full security provisions coded in to ensure maximum safety and control.
Technical
Following a competitive tendering process, Denca Controls were
contracted by the Environment Agency Wales to:
- provide a detailed electrical & instrumentation design package
- software engineering - configure automation software for PLCs, HMI and remote monitoring & control system
- manufacture and assemble machine control panels & control equipment
- install & commission the full control system.
The main components of the sluice gates automation controls and remote
viewing equipment included:
- 8 x ASM Absolute Encoders for gate position & level monitoring
- 5 x Allen Bradley PLCs
- 2 x PACS remote radio links
- 1 x GE Fanuc Cimplicity SCADA PC
- 1 x Allen Bradley HMI
- Zoom CCTV view & control package
The above installation provided the Environment Agency Wales with a
fully automated sluice gate control system which could be viewed,
monitored and controlled by a single person whether on site at Bala Lake
or at a remote location.
For further details, please contact John Talbot or Andy Vogan on
0151 257 9010
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