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).

Carson City, Nevada - A "Smart City" Success Story

In order to achieve its goals, the people of the Carson City Public Works Department created an infrastructure revolving around the capabilities of its people and the best available smart city technology from Schneider Electric.

Leveraging virtualization, mobile devices and smart phones to increase the efficiency of its operators and management, the smart city solution at Carson City increases situational awareness and allows the public works department to achieve a high level of operational readiness.

The Smart City of Dusseldorf and Wonderware

Read the Stadtwerke Dusseldorf success story and find out how Wonderware helped the City of Dusseldorf reduce cost, optimize its control system and improve reporting.

More information

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

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

All-Around Optimization in the City of Dusseldorf

All-Around Optimization

According to Stadtwerke Dusseldorf, the Wonderware solution has helped achieve its targets:

1. They have fully automated their operations, reduced operating costs and enhanced safety.
2. Plant availability is up and maintenance is improved.
3. The system is simple to administer and reporting is flexible, so the right data is readily available for better analysis and decision making.

And, since the system is built on an open platform known for flexibility and scalability, the city can look forward to meeting the needs of its customers into the future.

“Now we are able to create all required reports, analyses and documentation ourselves. We are no longer dependent on outside companies to provide us with that information.”

Matthias Rammler
Electrotechnical and System Support
City of Dusseldorf Public Works

Results of the Wonderware Solution

1. Operations are fully automated, resulting in reduced operating costs, increased plant productivity and availability, improved maintenance and simplified administration
2. With the new Wonderware solution, data is centrally archived and secure; availability of real-time and historical data has enabled the City of Dusseldorf to meet its goals for the system
3. Operators and management have the data they need to quickly analyze and efficiently optimize processes

More information

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

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

The City of Dusseldorf's Water Solution: A Complete System for Monitoring, Control and Reporting

A Complete System for Monitoring, Control and Reporting

The three waterworks and the new control systems are interconnected, operating separately and redundantly to protect Stadtwerke Dusseldorf’s ability to provide uncompromised service.

Each station runs Wonderware InTouch in a multi-monitor setup to visually display the operations

One feature of the HMI that supports the department’s goals is its extensive library of standardized and customizable templates and objects. This enabled Stadtwerke Dusseldorf to keep most of the implementation in house and easily make changes and updates, saving time and operating costs.

A separate server runs the Wonderware Historian database and collects process data

Conversion of the data to Microsoft Excel format is handled on a Wondeware Historian Client workstation. With this, operators have the reports they need for hourly and daily evaluation of production data, including water quantities, electrical power and water quality.

Reports on cost allocation are quickly generated and sent to city management. Plus they’re documenting their adherence to water rules and regulations, especially those pertaining to drinking water compliance.

Once the preparation of these reports was outsourced, now Stadtwerke Dusseldorf performs these analyses internally. The new system and Wonderware software also enable data to be transmitted over the telephone system and shared on handheld devices for added flexibility and efficiency.

More information

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

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

A long term Water Project at the City of Dusseldorf

Planning the Project Flow

Because the implementation of water solution would span a six-year period, the city worked with Wolfgang H. Paul Elektrotechnik GmbH (WPE), a Wonderware Systems Integrator in Germany. WPE developed the initial configuration of the control system, the networking connections and the monitoring setup between the waterwork plants and the remote stations.

This enabled Stadtwerke Dusseldorf’s personnel to carry out the bulk of the design, supervision and administration of the project. They defined a clear process for the integration based on a joint operation concept. Prior to the installation of the new control system, each component was tested at field level and installed on the network.

Once the solution was set up, the three plants were brought on in turn, allowing engineers to adjust to the new equipment without interrupting operations.

More information

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

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

Safe and clean water for the 600,000 residents of Dusseldorf with a little help from Wonderware

Stadtwerke Dusseldorf, the city’s public works department, uses a new state-of-the-art control system based on Wonderware software to help automate the City of Dusseldorf’s waterworks plants.

Part of Stadtwerke Dusseldorf's goal is to reduce cost by improving operations, reporting and analysis

It's easy to understand why Stadtwerke Dusseldorf opted to modernize its control system. It makes sure that the City of  Dusseldorf's 600,000 residents have ready access to water that is safe to drink. The system carries about 55 million cubic meters of fresh H2O to households and businesses through a pipe system that extends farther than 1,700 kilometers.

Flehe, Am Staad and Holthausen

The City of Dusseldorf’s water comes from the Rhine River via three plants throughout the region – Flehe, Am Staad and Holthausen – that employ the Dusseldorf Method, a technique developed there. The process takes the water through a “multi-barrier principle” treatment. Stadtwerke Dusseldorf employees in the quality control department constantly monitor this three-step process as it treats, filters and protects the water before it is delivered to end users.

How Wonderware helped Dusseldorf Waterworks reduce costs, optimize control and improve reporting will be the subject of the next series of posts.

More information

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

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

Watch the Carson City Success Story Video

Watch the Carson City success story and discover the benefits of the Software Solutions for Smart Cities from Wonderware.

Carson City, the capital of the state of Nevada -- Named after the frontiersman, Kit Carson, who rode through the Eagle Valley in 1840 in his quest to map the west. 

 

Carson City sits in the center of one of the most scenic and historic areas in the country and is known for its fresh air, beautifully rugged natural surroundings and its proximity to the casinos of Reno and skiing in Lake Tahoe. 

 

The Carson City Public Works Department is responsible for taking care of the City's water, wastewater, transportation, landfill, fleet, environmental and renewable power systems. 

Carson City: The positive effects are evident

The positive effects of the Smart City solution on the way work is done in Carson City are quickly evident: The overall solution allowed Carson City to achieve a 15% reduction in man-hours. 

Smart City Key Installation Elements

 

Key Installation Elements of the Smart City solution at Carson City

1. Windows Server run on VMware vSphere with multiple hosts utilizing vMotion, HA, Fault Tolerance, and other features
2. Uses wireless and fiber optic communications infrastructure to the various PLCs that make up the hardware at Carson City: Quantum, Momentum, GE/Fanuc, Allen Bradley PLCs and drive.
3. Uses System Platform on VMware vSphere 5, mobile control with iPads and SmartGlance, analysis on mobile devices for managers and key operators

Virtualization helps the Smart City Solution

 

Carson City has achieved its goals through a complete set of innovative tools, capabilities and solutions.

“The virtual machines that we've implemented here in Carson City have allowed us to reduce the burden of administration and overhead costs while significantly increasing our reliability and disaster recovery processes." 

James Jacklett, Electrical/Signal Supervisor

Traffic light monitoring at Carson City

 

The Smart City solution at Carson City also involves traffic light and transportation system monitoring. It involves 70 Signalized intersections in 3 different counties.

“The City maintains all of the traffic lights in Carson City and Douglas County. Integration with Wonderware has enabled real time status, alarm notification, and historization of the state of communications for the transportation system; which provides us with better monitoring and operational readiness.” 

James Jacklett, Electrical/Signal Supervisor

Solar Power at Carson City

 

The Smart City solution built on Wonderware software helps operate and maintain the solar plants at Carson City.

“This solution also includes the management of the Public Works solar plants that provide up to 748,000 KWH of clean power each year” 

Brandon Mathiesen, Water Production Supervisor

SmartGlance and Situational Awareness

Carson City is able to view its InTouch HMI screens from anywhere using the iPad and mobile phones giving its operators situational awareness at all times.

Because everything is stored in its Wonderware Historian, Carson City enables its senior staff to get instant access to key performance indicators and critical process information right on their mobile devices. Situational awareness is greater than ever. All of this is done through the help of Wonderware SmartGlance.

The iPad for Water and Wastewater Plants

Leveraging virtualization, iPads, and smart phones to increase the efficiency of its operators and management, Carson City is able to increase situational awareness and achieve a high level of operational readiness.

 

It seems common place now but it's very impressive how far we've gone. Today's Smart City solution allows Carson City operators to monitor and control every aspect of the water and waste water plants while on the move.

 

Smart City solution delivers clean water

 

The scope of the Wonderware solution at Carson City is fairly large. Let's focus on the water and wastewater system in this post.

 

Carson City, Nevada - A Smart City Success Story

 

 

In order to achieve its goals, the men and women of the Carson City Public Works Department created an infrastructure revolving around the capabilities of its people and the best available smart city technology from Invensys.

"The Carson City Public Works Department is responsible for taking care of the City's water, wastewater, transportation, landfill, fleet, environmental and renewable power systems. With a staff of over 120 people we are often called on to assist the public in many different ways and many of our duties go on around the clock." 

Darren Schulz, Deputy Public Works Director

Leveraging virtualization, iPads, and smart phones to improve the efficiency of its operators and management, Carson City has increased situational awareness and achieved a high level of operational readiness.