SCADA SYSTEM BENEFITS
By standardizing on Wonderware’s supervisory control and dataacquisition (SCADA) software solution,Carson City Public Works has
realized a wealth of benefits.
â– Productivity improvements through automation and information
â– 50 percent reduction in staff time
â– Better management decision-making with remote information access
â– Elimination of time for travel to remote sites
â– Streamlined and worry-free compliance to regulatory reporting
â– Improved asset usage through preventive maintenance
â– Optimized equipment performance with trend analysis.
remote access to and control of the water and waste-water systems.Explains Hoffert,“The software helps in the area ofremote management,in that we have about 40 or 50
remote sites that each have their independent control
features on site.The software package helps bring themtogether so that we have a centralized control system,beit either the water side of it or the wastewater side of it.”“I believe Wonderware (software) makes my job a loteasier,”adds Water Operations Chief Rit Palmer.Previously,Palmer had to drive across the county several
times each day to get the information he needed.“Now,we’re able to get all that information from thecomputer with the touch of a button.It saves us a con-siderable amount of time.”Remote management not only provides tremendousefficiency advantages with its ease of use,but also allows
scheduling flexibility for personnel.Says Hoffert,“The
personal benefit that I as a manager have been able touse is the ability to access the SCADA systems eitherfrom home or different offices,or in meetings at differ-
ent facilities.We are able to see what’s going on,andthat’s especially critical in the summer months when weneed to meet higher demands,”which peak at 18 mil-lion to 20 million gallons per day in the summer. â—Ź Preventive maintenance
With 40 or 50 remotesites that each have
their independent con-
trol features,Carson
City Public Works uses
the Wonderware soft-
ware to help bring
them together in a cen-
tralized control systemfor water and waste-water treatment. Maintenance is a big part of consistentlyproviding clean water to the community
and properly recycling the wastewater.
According to Hoffert,the Wonderwaresoftware has enabled Carson City’s staff tobecome more focused,and to redirect its
efforts in other directions besides data col-lection.Operators are now more efficient
at being able to perform needed preventivemaintenance in a much more timely manner.Control Systems Supervisor Maple explainshow the graphic interface plays a key role.
“Wonderware software,and in particular the
InTouch HMI,has been good for me and mystaff because we can visually see—both graphi-
cally and in trend analysis—any shortcomings ofour system.We can tell if a pump is becominginefficient or if a tank is not getting the properwater it should have,and that allows us to go
back to keep our equipment working optimally.”Being able to store data and create historical trendsalso assists in the Carson City utility’s maintenance
efforts.Says Water Operations Chief Palmer,“The soft-ware helps with maintenance,in that it keeps all of that
information logged in there,like the graphs and the
trends.We use that information daily to see what thetrends are.At any given moment,I can look at a trend
for the day,for the month,for the year.That helps medetermine whether things are degrading and needrepair.It’s all just right there on the screen.”Carson City Public Works has standardized on theWonderware
SCADA software solution for years
because it has helped achieve tremendous improve-
ments in productivity,can be adjusted to suit its needs,
and is extremely easy to use.Whether they work inwater or wastewater management,the managers atCarson City Public Works foresee an even brighter
future using Wonderware software to become evenmore efficient and effective in water management.Adds Maple,“In the future,we plan on utilizingInTouch Terminal Services for tablet handheld devicesthat will allow our operators to freely move about the
city,without having to be tied to a network or phoneline.It will allow them to take their HMI with themwherever they are in the city.”
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