Telemetry modules in Control System applications

Dear readers of the TELEMETRON magazine, we are giving you another article containing the description of the most interesting solutions implemented by the CONTROL SYSTEM engineers. Traditionally, this article is a continuation of publications contained in the issues of TELEMETRON magazine from 2008 – 2018.

In this edition of the article, as in previous years, we would like to introduce to TELEMETRON readers the most interesting and technically advanced implementations done in 2018 together with partner companies and independently by an experienced team of CONTROL SYSTEM engineers. We have been consistently focusing on the implementation of topics requiring specialist knowledge and many years of experience. However, we remember that our main goal is to create high-quality applications that guarantee users that they will receive the product they expect.

The applications implemented by our team in 2018 were dominated in over 90% by MT-151 LED and HMI telemetry modules. Such a large share of the MT-151 V2 series resulted from the fact that the application conversion process, prepared by us years ago for the MT-101 modules, to the MT-151 V2 platform, was completed. As a result, all new installations are currently based on MT-151 V2. In addition, subsequent versions of the firmware developed by InVentia engineers in 2018 contributed to the increase of functional capabilities offered by this series. Responding to the needs of our users, InVentia has prepared a special version of the battery module MT-713, which has been used in professional applications for monitoring measurement points on clean waterbuses. Moreover, industrial routers TK525 manufactured by WELOTEC have become a standard performing the role of communication gates and offering data transfer using 3G technology.

The closing balance of 2018 is almost 11,000 telemetric modules working on facilities in Poland and Europe, with application software developed by CONTROL SYSTEM engineers.

In the next thematic blocks, we summarize the most interesting examples of applications of telemetry modules.

The year 2018 was a breakthrough for our team, among others in the aspect of implementing the newest version of the sewage pumping visualization system on the Polish market. The new architecture of this system, based on the latest available IT solutions and the introduction of numerous useful features not available in the previous version, combined with a very high level of implemented security and operational stability, guarantees users the ability to use the system for years without fear of losing compatibility with the latest version of the WINDOWS 10 operating system.

In accordance with the current trends, the new system provides secure access to data from the devices either running under the control of WINDOWS 10 or running under control operating systems for mobile devices, i.e. Android or iOS. While designing the architecture of the new visualization system, the emphasis was also put on the issue of creating database backups.

Two versions of SCADA systems have been developed for visualization of sewage pumping stations. The first one is dedicated to users having the previous version of the system with more than 40 pumping stations and it has been implemented based on the SCADA system MoVicon version 11.5. The standard for this version is the use of two 28” – 32” monitors working in UHD mode.

Splitting image between the two monitors provides increased efficiency in analyzing the status of monitored pumping stations. By default, the detailed information of the selected object is displayed on the left monitor, while the right display shows a map with all selected objects and their status. The right screen is also dedicated to independent analysis of selected parameters, e.g. charts of recorded physical quantities, analysis of working time, number of pump starts, GPRS statistics.

A summary of the most important parameters of monitored objects on one screen is known from the previous version of the system and facilitates quick analysis of the status of objects.

The window of unconfirmed alarms is active in the right corner of the screen. The alarm module has been significantly expanded and enables advanced analyzes of historical alarms.

In the newest version of the system, there is also a window with details of objects, known from the previous version.

In order to ensure the highest possible reliability of operation of the visualization system, the critical parameters of the TK525 router are checked on an ongoing basis. On the top bar of the window, the status of the router and the signal level are presented. Detailed information is also available on a graph of the received 3G network signal level.

The second version of the system was created for users with fewer objects. It is based on a visualization system created by our team from scratch.

The fully scalable graphical interface and responsiveness of the page allow you to run applications on monitors with resolution lower than WQHD or UHD. It is possible to easily configure the user’s router and thus gain access to data from anywhere using a computer with WINDOWS 10 or mobile devices.

The use of the so-called dashboard allows quick and effective supervision of pumping stations.

An intuitive interface presenting the status of the monitored pumping station was created in accordance with the latest trends. The screen with charts combines modern design with the functionality known from the previous version of the system.

Striving consistently to ensure the highest possible level of offered solutions for sewage pumping stations both in the SCADA system layer and on the object level, our programmers also made significant modifications in the application software for the MT-151 LED V2 module for controlling the sewage pumping stations.

The software has been extended with further diagnostic functions, which accelerate the remote analysis of the pumping station operation from the level of the SCADA system, and allow to precisely determine which pumping station control element works improperly or has been permanently damaged. An example of a control cabinet equipped with the MT-151 LED V2 module and MT-UPS-01 module is presented on the photo.

In 2018, our team consistently developed a new generation of the cloud application to visualize the measurement processes on distributed objects, based on access to data from a web browser. Full scalability and responsiveness of the site have been ensured by using vector graphics in SVG format, as well as the Bootstrap library. Due to this solution, the content of the page adapts to the size of the screen on which it is displayed. The capabilities of JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3 were also used. Below is an example of visualization of sewage flow in a solution intended strictly for billing purposes, i.e. settling receivables for the transfer of wastewater to a sewage collector connecting two municipalities.

Flow charts and balances on the projections.

Responding to market needs, in 2018 the metering process of gravitational sewage discharge from industrial plants was continued based on a professional flowmeter TIDALFLUX 2300PF made by German company Krohne, using the newest measurement techniques.

The measuring system includes, of course, telemetry set with a cloud application for the visualization of the measurement process and a billing module. Below is a block diagram of a complete, professional system for metering of gravity wastewater flows. The system consists of a measuring chamber with a specialized flowmeter TIDALFLUX 2300PF, a dedicated measurement and telemetry cabinet containing, among others, MT-101 telemetry module and a modern cloud application for the visualization of the measurements with chart modules and for calculating balances. Communication between the flowmeter and the MT-101 module is based on the ModBus RTU protocol.

On the screenshot fragment, the cloud visualization dedicated to the TIDALFLUX 2300F flowmeter is shown. In the right part of the window, there is an additional field informing about the level of sensor filling.

In 2018, further tasks related to the metering of flows and pressures on the clean water mains were carried out. Since the mainspowered measuring chambers do not pose a technical challenge, in this article we describe the points on which there is no 230 V supply available, due to the distance from LV power lines. The use of battery-powered telemetry modules and measuring devices were required with accumulators or renewable energy sources.

In the professional solution presented above, a modern, specialized Krohne WATERFLUX 3070F electromagnetic flowmeter and a telemetry module MT-713 in a special version, i.e. powered from an external battery pack, and equipped with an RS-485 digital communication port with ModBus RTU protocol support were used. The possibility of digital communication between the WATERFLUX 3070F flowmeter and the MT-713 module allows for sending much more critical measurement and self-diagnostic information to the visualization system than in the case of simple solutions based only on the transfer of information via pulse and alarm outputs. In the case of battery-powered flowmeters, it is important to adjust the speed of measurements to the dynamics of the flow of the measured medium. The implemented solution ensures obtaining an optimal ratio between the effective accuracy of the measurement system and battery life. The logger embedded in MT-713 module allows for accurate mapping of current values of flow and pressure in the visualization system. In order to facilitate assembly in the chamber, the telemetry system components have been mounted on a special board. The applied solution significantly accelerates the commissioning of the entire measurement system and possible diagnostics.

To visualize the measurements process is used the same cloud application, as to serve the chambers with flowmeters for measuring sewage flows. The structure of elements displayed on the website is adjusted to the standard of the measuring chamber’s equipment. In the case of battery-powered flowmeters, it is important to control the energy consumption of individual devices and to estimate the time remaining for battery replacement in the telemetry module or flowmeter.

Intuitive charts facilitate quick analysis of recorded quantities.

In 2018, more measuring chambers equipped with classic water meters were also included in the system. Depending on the type of the object, telemetry cabinets were installed outside or inside buildings. Control of the flows and pressures at various points in the network is particularly important in mountain areas and uplands. Increasing expectations of residents to have the guaranteed pressure, especially at the ends of the network, enforce monitoring of these parameters 24 hours a day, even in the points without mains power.

An example of a measuring chamber equipped with a classic water meter and a pressure transmitter is shown in the picture. By using the functions offered by the MT-331 module, even in such a simple case, important measurement data and other information are sent to the visualization system, e.g. signals on opening the measuring chamber or exceeding the permissible water level in the chamber.

Migration of inhabitants out of cities forces the expansion of the existing water supply network. It is not always possible and reasonable to increase the cross-section of the transfer pipes to meet the growing demand for water. The segmentation of treated water networks, the construction of buffer tanks and chambers equipped with hydrophore sets is in many cases the only solution. An indispensable element in such installations is a remote monitoring system that controls the water level in tanks, the work of the hydrophore unit, flows and pressures, the work of the aggregate, switching on the area lighting lamps, or zone violation.

Signals from the ZH controller, aggregate controller, flow meter, or pressure and level transducers were fed into the telemetry cabinet in which the MT-151 HMI module was installed.

The ability to define screens on the graphical display allows local verification of the value of over 30 parameters.

Full visualization of the entire facility has been performed in the SCADA MoVicon system.

Below is a screenshot of the detailed visualization of this object.

Another object is a hydrophore set controlled by the SIEMENS controller. The MT-151 module reads data from the controller registers and sends them in 3G mode to the dispatching station where the MoVicon SCADA system is installed.

Below is a screenshot of the next object of ZH type. Visualization is made in the SCADA MoVicon system.

In 2018, the process of implementing the visualization systems based on the MoVicon SCADA was continued. It enabled the simultaneous reading of data from objects connected to the local industrial Ethernet network and reading data from the WELOTEC router sending data from distributed objects. Because of the distances between objects, a fiber-optic bus connects the controllers with each other.

Below is the visualization of this system. Due to the number of objects and drivers, the visualization made in the MoVicon SCADA system is displayed on 2 UHD monitors.

On screenshots below, the next visualization of the water treatment station is presented.

Below is an example of a modern visualization application made in the SCADA MoVicon system. It is a technologically advanced water treatment station. The data from the PLC controller, which is responsible for the process control, is transferred to the dispatch station. To sum up, the features offered by the MoVicon SCADA system allow creating professional and modern applications for visualization and remote control of selected functions of the technological process.

In 2018, visualization systems for sewage treatment plants were developed in the Movicon visualization system, which is distributed by the AB-MICRO company.

The MT-151 LED/HMI V2 module enables complete implementation of the control process for small water treatment plants or sewage treatment plants. The ETHERNET port enables creating local subnets and communication with inverters, flow meters or gate valves. Data transfer to the router located at the control station uses 3G technology. The technical capabilities offered by battery-powered telemetric modules combined with the accuracy of the measuring devices mounted at the control points allow for more and more accurate control of the parameters of the treated water network, leak detection or loss calculation. In conjunction with professional visualization, made in the SCADA MoVicon system, our team aims to offer solutions that are compatible with the „SMART WATER and WASTEWATER NETWORKS” concept, which is part of the WATER 4.0 philosophy.

The implementation of the „SMART WATER and WASTEWATER NETWORKS” concept is another challenge that the water and sewage industry must
face in the next decade. Climate changes, flood rains, the need to control the flow of rainwater to retention reservoirs to avoid flooding, minimizing water losses, increasing the safety of the of treated water networks, optimizing the maintenance of water networks according to the „predictive maintenance” principle, are the factors that force the use of an increasing number of control and measurement devices in the network. A condition for the proper functioning of such a complex diagnostic and measurement structure is fast and reliable data transmission between control points, and a computation center, in which collected measurement data are gathered and processed and then the decisions regarding required control processes are taken.

Professional telemetric modules offered by InVentia, in conjunction with professional control and measurement devices from other manufacturers, enable practical implementation of systems compatible with the idea of SMART WATER and WASTEWATER NETWORKS. The promotion and practical implementation of this idea is a challenge for the next years that is standing in front of our team.