April 2011 - Control Global

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C O N T R O L R E P O R T DAQ in the Delta Every business has to change with the times and the demands of its customers, but Jim Montague e xecutive Editor jmontague@putman.net smaller ones are usually more agile because their “bosses” and customers are literally the same people. For example, Luckett Pump and Well Service Inc. in Dublin, Miss., about 80 miles south of Memphis, is a three-man company that services many of the “This is not a wealthy area, so we try to do more patching than replacing of tank and pressure controls on our remote wells.” water and wastewater facilities in dozens of small, widely distributed towns spanning the entire northern half of Mississippi. The firm was founded in 1990 by Steve and Jim Luckett and started out maintaining and repairing all types of agricultural irrigation wells in and around the Mississippi Delta region. However, about three or four years later, many customers began asking for gas chlorination equipment, so they began repairing those systems. And, about a year later, they expanded into servicing certified water and wastewater systems for municipalities. “Over the years, water and wastewater regulations have become more involved and restrictive, and put more limits on what water treatment plants can allow to leave their systems,” says Steve Luckett. “So eventually, we went full-time doing pumps and operations services for the water systems in our small towns, and we worked with a lot more controls, pressure transducers, starters, control panels and tanks probes to keep the pumps running and the tanks fixed. This is not a wealthy area of the United States, so we always try to do more patching than replacing of tank controls and pressure controls on our remote wells.” Increasing water and wastewater rules also require more data gathering and reporting, so Luckett took on many of those jobs, too. He previously used wired telephone lines to remote locations, but ongoing costs, service problems and potential short-circuits inspired him to adopt Banner’s DX 80 remote radio gateways and nodes about three years ago. The 900- MHz unlicensed radios are organized as slaves and repeaters and let Luckett and its municipal clients collect all the I/O data they need about every five minutes. Gaining this capability was fortunate because in December 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s latest groundwater rules took effect, which required towns with more than 3300 residents to have 24/7 monitoring of residual chlorine based on samples collected every 15 minutes. However, because each town it serves has two to 15 wells coming into its water system, and each has a residual monitor/analyzer for added chlorine with 4-20 mA data outputs, Luckett was soon faced with organizing a flood of data. Fortunately, he worked with longtime associate Joe Waszgis at Automatic Dynamic Controls (ADC) in Irving, Texas, which represents Banner and Red Lion, and also hired his nephew, Boyd Mitchell, to join the company as an applications engineer. After some training and experimenting, Luckett implemented Red Lion’s G310 data logging and HMI equipment with its Crimson 2.0 and 3.0 software, which takes in real-time sample data from the well’s chlorine analyzers via Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, Ethernet-based connections and Banner’s radios and organizes it using Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet format. “If we didn’t have G310, we’d have to use chart recorders with SDS cards. Previously, we had to work like crazy to keep up with all the data coming in,” says Luckett. “It was a steep learning curve to implement the radios and program the G310 HMI, but we had good support from our suppliers, and Joe and Boyd were a big help. Eventually, we learned to use the HMI to see all our data, its programming got much easier, and it solved a lot of headaches.” So far, just a few of north Mississppi’s municipal water systems have converted to Luckett’s radio-based data-acquisition method, but others are waiting to do it. “We can even use G310 to remotely update our clients’ device software, adjust chlorine levels and turn pumps on or off from our office, so they don’t have to pay us to come out,” adds Luckett. Agile, indeed. 62 www.controlglobal.com A p r i l / 2 0 1 1
Import your Modicon 984 ladder logic programming into a state-of-the-art PLC With the LL984 Editor in the Unity Pro programming software, you can. And it’s free. Your Modicon 984 TM ladder logic programs are as unique as your business. Perfected over time, you trust them to run, monitor, and manage your automation systems without issue, 24/7/365. And now, with the new LL984 Editor within the Unity TM Pro software, you can retain your valuable ladder logic programs and still upgrade to a state-of-the-art programming environment absolutely free. With the latest version of Unity Pro software, you import existing ladder logic programs directly into the development software, saving commissioning time and eliminating the need to rewrite code. Your old applications look and behave just as they did before, meaning no surprises and no unplanned downtime. Plus, when you’re ready to expand or update your plant, you won’t have to choose between your legacy systems and a newer, more powerful PLC. With the LL984 Editor, you can maximize your prior ladder logic investments and still benefi t from today’s faster networks and communications, such as Ethernet I/P, embedded web-based services, and open connectivity with enterprisewide business systems. The LL984 Editor within the Unity Pro software gives you the best of both worlds, free. Upgrade today. Improve your control with a Modicon Quantum PLC Schneider Electric Modicon PLCs have advanced the state of controller technology to make them faster, easier to use, and more flexible, giving you the opportunity to improve cycle times and visibility to your processes. We also provide software tools and quick wiring adapters that reduce the risk, time, and cost of upgrading your existing Modicon PLCs to our state-of-the-art Modicon Quantum PLCs. Make the most of your energy SM Hurry! Register to get your FREE copy of Unity Pro with its new LL984 Editor! Visit www.SEreply.com Key Code a757v Call 866-776-8945 ©2011 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric, Modicon, Unity Pro, and Make the most of your energy are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. • 8001 Knightdale Blvd, Knightdale, NC 27545 (Schneider Electric Automation and Control Center of Excellence) • Tel. +1-919-266-3671 • 998-3497
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April 2011 - Control Global

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