For the Rijnland District Water Control Board it is all about keeping dry feet and having clean water. In the more than thirty waste water purification plants, Rijnland purifies waste water so that it can be discharged back into nature in a responsible way. An important task that leaves no room for malfunction. In order to keep these waste water purification plants going, Rijnland uses the PROCENTEC ComBricks modules on a PROFIBUS network. This way, direct action can be taken when suddenly something is about to go wrong.
Rijnland District Water Control Board keeps waste water purification plant going with ComBricks
According to Paul Schipper, project automation assistant, this is a large responsibility to carry that does not allow downtime at all. Paul explains: “In the past we experienced several PROFIBUS malfunctions in the aeration tank of one of our waste water purification systems. The controls of the valves stopped working. The entire system came to a halt, meaning the water could no longer be aerated. We consider sustainability to be very important. Therefore, we purify waste water in a natural way: by means of bacteria and oxygen. The aeration tank contains various bacteria growing and feeding on the waste in the water, which they convert into harmless matter. To help the bacteria we add oxygen to the water. When the system is down we can no longer aerate the tank and the bacteria will die. So, failure of the system puts us under a lot of pressure.” Downtime is simply unacceptable in this line of work.
Reliable solution
To get the PROFIBUS network in this modern waste water purification plant up and running again as quickly as possible, Rijnland called in PROCENTEC to assist. Paul Schipper: “In this type of situation, it is of vital importance that the malfunction is solved as quickly as possible. That is why we contacted PROCENTEC. One of their engineers came right away and tested the system’s continuity with ProfiTrace 2. From the scope images it soon became clear that the defect was between two valve controls. When we arrived at the spot, a broken PROFIBUS cable appeared to be part of the cause. From the ComBricks scope images we could also identify an EMC problem. The PROFIBUS cable had not been installed separately from the main power cable. The fact that both cables were close to each other, caused interference that resulted in a system failure. After the inspection we received an extensive report with concrete recommendations.”
Results
Rijnland immediately started looking for a solution to prevent future malfunctions. Paul Schipper: “We thought: better safe than sorry. That is why we bought PROCENTEC ComBricks modules. These modules have now been included in our specifications, so that we can permanently monitor the PROFIBUS system. ComBricks has been connected to the section that manages the controls of the blower and the power in the aeration tank. Fortunately, we did not have any other malfunctions since then. The PROFIBUS system is now much more stable and totally free of malfunctions. For any future malfunctions, we will now be able to take action at once. Furthermore, we nowadays use the ComBricks modules in new construction projects too.” Paul Schipper is also very pleased with the service PROCENTEC provides: “PROCENTEC is a good partner, because they are always available to us. They actively think along with us regarding the most appropriate solution. We think it is very important that an independent third party is there to help us, so that we are sure that the problem is considered objectively. Through the expert advice and the supply of products, our system is up and running again.”