A water solution worthy of Italy's Calabria Region

One of the benefits of the Wonderware solution at So.Ri.Cal. is alert the operators if there are possible problems on any device in the water/wastewater system. The notifications are prompt and conveyed visually so engineers know what to do right away without having to physically visit the site where the device is located.

The timeliness of these interventions is important - now pumps can be turned off promptly when the tanks are full, saving electrical energy and extending the life of the equipment. 

The status of the machinery is automatically collected and stored through Wonderware Historian and incorporated into the regular reports that the plant personnel receive on a regular basis.

 

A Flexible, Open and Scalable Platform 

 

The So. Ri. Cal. team wanted a high performance solution that would be reliable and withstand the demands of remote operation in the Calabria mountains, its forests and countryside. They wanted an open solution software platform that could evolve in the future without limitations. They wanted a solution that is easy-to-use and easy-to-learn.

 

So. Ri. Cal. selects Wonderware

“Wonderware gives us complete freedom for the future. We can focus on optimization and choose the most reliable and high-performance hardware without worrying. We have almost infinite scalability.”

Sergia De Marco, General Director, So.Ri.Cal. De Marco 

More information

 

For more information on this success story, you might want to check out the following links:

1. Wonderware Supervisory Control
2. Wonderware InTouch
3. Wonderware System Platform
4. Wonderware Historian
5. Wonderware Historian Client

Efficient operation at Italy's Calabria Water

For over 30 years, the Società Risorse Idriche Calabresi (So.Ri.Cal.) has supplied drinking water to the people in the Calabria Region of Italy.

The agency is responsible for a far-reaching system that covers approximately 6,000 kilometers and is comprised of 200 aqueduct systems, four dams, 10 derivation crossbars, 14 wastewater plants, 300 lifting stations and almost 1,000 tanks.

In this region, as in most of the world, water conservation is emphasized. But the challenge is compounded by the geography of Calabria and the remote location of much of So.Ri.Cal.’s system. This is the mountainous area that forms the “toe” of Italy, and most of it is covered by high peaks and thick forests. Travel and communication with outlying parts of the system can be difficult.

Remote Control and Automation Requirements

Each year, So.Ri.Cal. sells 270 million cubic meters of water to towns throughout the provinces of Calabria. And while this measurement is accurate, the agency realized that it wasn’t able to determine how much water was being produced by the system overall.

Sergio de Marco, the general director of So.Ri.Cal. recognized the tremendous opportunity to improve efficiency by eliminating waste.

“Since we didn’t have real-time data, it was impossible for us to accurately identify waste. But we knew it was mainly due to leaks in the aqueducts, poor connections and overfilled delivery tanks, as the pumps are controlled and managed manually.”

Sergio De Marco, General Director, So.Ri.Cal.

So. Ri. Cal. decided to use Wonderware.

More information

In the next series of posts, we will be talking about the Wonderware success at Società Risorse Idriche Calabresi (Calabria Water Resources Society, Ltd).

9REN Group - A Smart City Success Story

Renewable energy. It's the mantra for today's society -- to identify and implement clean renewable energy sources to wean us off our dependence on fossil fuels. This is one of the fields where Spain and Italy are taking the initiative to a global level and 9REN Group is a clear example of a company leading the way.

Because of System Platform, 9REN only requires one person to control the operation of all of the 580 plants, regardless of location.

To help operate its plants, 9REN created EOSystem, a solution built on Wonderware System Platform.

9REN is one of the more dynamic companies in Europe -- their facilities, marketing strategy and personnel radiate the vitality and energy of a company that is on the move.

More information

 

Please refer to the following links for more information:

1. 9REN's website
2. Wonderware System Platform
3. InTouch HMI as a SCADA system

Take care,
Jay

Read Italy's A12 Motorway Success Story

Click to read the Società Autostrada Ligure Toscana success story.

More information

For more information on this success story, you might want to check out the following links:

1. The A12 Motorway
2. Wonderware Supervisory Control

The tunnels of Italy's A12 Motorway are safe with a little help from Wonderware

 

Dissipating Harmful Emissions in the A12 Tunnels using Wonderware Software

Thousands of vehicles pass through the tunnels of the A12 Motorway every hour and concentrations of exhaust gas can quickly rise, reducing visibility and making the air unbreathable. These conditions can have a disastrous effect on motorists. Proper ventilation is essential and this requires specific methods for extracting harmful emission.  Using the Wonderware solution, operators can determine the amount of harmful gases inside the tunnel enabling them to manage the extraction of noxious fumes.

In case of fire, the air ventilation system features fans whose rotation speeds and direction are automatically adjusted to enable the efficient extraction of smoke and gases that could potentially feed the flames.

It’s a delicate balance, especially in tunnels such as Saturnia which is equipped with 14 fans.  In this tunnel, a complex measurement system was installed to perform smart calculations based on exhaust gas concentration, smoke opacity, wind and atmospheric pressure, in order to optimize the operation of each fan.

“A motorway is always open and any failure can endanger the lives of people. During the design stage, we focused on the reliability and redundancy of all installed systems to guarantee optimal control under any circumstance.”

Eraldo Benedetto
Automation Manager
Giordano & C. S.p.A.

More information

For more information on this success story, you might want to check out the following links:

1. The A12 Motorway
2. Wonderware Supervisory Control

Light at the End of the A12 Motorway Tunnel with a little help from Wonderware

On a motorway with 24 tunnels, lighting is one of the most critical elements to driver safety. The proper level of visibility must be assured in relation to current weather conditions as well as time of day. A driver’s visibility must adapt quickly to sudden changes in lighting, and in a vehicle traveling at high speed covering several feet per second, proper roadway lighting is imperative.

Being blinded for only seconds can impede driver safety, so adjustments in traffic lighting are essential. With the many tunnels along the A12, proper adjustment of the tunnel lighting system is critical. For example, the entrance to a tunnel must be lit to replicate current outside lighting conditions, whether it be day or night. While in the tunnel, lighting must be adjusted to provide proper visibility along the roadway, with lighting intensity decreasing as the driver gradually approaches the inner section of the tunnel.

Lighting must then be readjusted to mimic the outside lighting conditions as a driver exits the tunnel. These critical lighting processes are automated and controlled by Wonderware software. Prior to automation, this activity was entrusted to a worker who had to manually adjust the lighting each hour of each day, and ensure they were properly modified to represent current outside lighting conditions.

This manual process had the potential of human error which threatens the safety of drivers. In addition, delays in lighting adjustments had an economic impact by requiring the hiring of staff and the inefficient use of electricity. A delay in adjusting the lighting by even few minutes can result into significant additional energy costs.

For this reason, the automated management using Wonderware System Platform enabled S.A.L.T. to implement a substantial technological advancement in the management of critical applications.

“Time scheduling is based on an astronomy calendar where sunrise and sunset timetables are stored, including possible corrections triggered by a network of twilight sensors and light meters, which detect real weather conditions. This process is important to the profitability of S.A.L.T. by ensuring that only the proper level of power consumption is used, avoiding all unnecessary powering of lights. Energy savings equates to cost savings, which has a significant impact on the company’s balance sheet.”

Eraldo Benedetto
Automation Manager
Giordano & C. S.p.A.

More information

For more information on this success story, you might want to check out the following links:

1. The A12 Motorway
2. Wonderware Supervisory Control

Safe driving in Italy with the help of Wonderware

With the help of Wonderware software, the Società Autostrada Ligure Toscana p.a., or S.A.L.T. has implemented an automation solution that effectively manages Italy's A12 motorway, providing more than 50 million motorists that use it each year with the safest driving experience.

“Adopting an industrygrade automation solution was the first step to the successful implementation of a project characterized by a large number of controls, and mostly, by the need to guarantee uninterrupted operation.”

Eraldo Benedetto
Automation Manager
Giordano & C. S.p.A.

More information

I'll be providing more information in my next post about the Wonderware solution on Italy's A12 motorway. In the meantime, you might want to check out the following links:

1. The A12 Motorway
2. Wonderware Supervisory Control

Watch the 9REN success story video and find out about optimized asset excellence

Renewable energy. It's the mantra for today's society -- to identify and implement clean renewable energy sources to wean us off our dependence on fossil fuels. This is one of the fields where Spain and Italy are taking the initiative to a global level and 9REN Group is a clear example of a company leading the way.

Watch the success story video and find out how Wonderware helped 9REN operate all of the 580 solar plants from their Madrid office.

9REN: Solar Power Plant Business Metrics

After completing the Wonderware solution, 9REN was able to produce these compelling business results.

• From a single control center, 9REN can effectively monitor the operations at each of the 528 solar plants, ensuring continuous generation of 425 MWh a day.
  
• 9REN's efficiency has improved at such a point that staffing has been reduced by 15% - from three to one - for control room operation, allowing the company to focus its personnel on other important tasks
• Event recognition has increased by 50% and time to obtain performance monitoring reports has been reduced from one month to two days
• Solar trackers production has improved by 5%

Why Wonderware for 9REN's solar plants?

9REN wanted a solution that would provide an effective platform for collaboration, would have tools that enable standardization, reduce engineering time and cost savings.

They chose Wonderware System Platform, InTouch HMI and Historian as the main components of their EOSystem because it provides flexibility and scalability, while still being easy to use, maintain and upgrade.

What is the EOSystem?

EOSystem is a solution created by 9REN to operate and maintain the hundreds of solar plants in Spain and Italy. "The EOSystem allows 9REN to control all photovoltaic installations from a single application in the control room from practically anywhere", says Antonio Palacios Higueras, Services Technical Manager for 9REN.

The challenges of running multiple solar plants

Why did 9REN opt for a Wonderware solution? It was to answer three main challenges.

9REN Photovoltaic Solar Panel Power Plants

 

 

9REN develops, builds and operates renewable power plants across Spain and Italy. They deliver over 90,000 Megawatts of power per year while operating 568 photovoltaic installations.

To manage its plants, 9REN created EOSystem, a solution built on the Wonderware System Platform. For this innovative solution, 9REN won the Invensys Open Asset Excellence Award in 2010.