Aging DCS System
“We had an aging DCS system that was about 30 years old. Because there wasn’t much accessibility for the operations and maintenance staff, our controls group had to be involved every time a change was needed,” Michael explains. “Now with PlantPAx, responsibility is back in the hands of the operators and maintenance teams.”
To date, IEUA has converted three facilities to the PlantPAx platform and started migrating a fourth facility earlier this year. The new system incorporates a number of Rockwell Automation offerings including PowerFlex 750 Series Drives, CENTERLINE Motor Control Centers and IntelliCENTER Software, ControlLogix® Programmable Controllers, ThinManager Software, FactoryTalk® AssetCentre software, and input/output modules.
Live Upgrades
“These upgrades have been happening at each facility on a live, active system,” Michael says. “With the help of Rockwell Automation, our design consultants, and our internal staff, we were able to achieve these upgrades without affecting operations and incurring any downtime.”
As a water wastewater agency, resiliency and availability are priorities for IEUA. From a control standpoint, the agency prides itself on having little to almost no downtime.
Consistency Across Facilities
Since implementing the upgrades, IEUA has reduced the number of control systems-related work orders as well as the number of change orders needed for control system integration projects.
“One of the significant values we’re seeing with the upgrades is consistency between our facilities. With standardized control and high-performance graphics, every facility looks and feels the same in how the systems are configured and designed,” Michael says. “This helps streamline the after hours on-call support we provide when operators move from one facility to another.”
Key stakeholder involvement and training have been critical to IEUA’s successful upgrade. The agency engaged its operations and maintenance teams in the development and design of the system to ensure that the information provided within the system was easily understood.
“That was the big thing for us,” Michael explains. “Instead of just throwing this whole new system at everybody, we kept them involved, trained, and up to date.”
Future Plans
Now as it nears the finish line of its current 10-year SCADA master plan, IEUA has started to explore what’s next.
“We’re considering implementing model predictive control and some artificial intelligence control features to improve chemical usage for the dissolved oxygen operations in our aeration basins, as well as enhancements to our network security,” Michael says.
