Keeping a level head

Keeping a level head

A Water Pumping Station serving a major population centre now maintains its water reserves to precision levels, following automation of its CC-Link based control system so that water inflow and outflow are accurately matched.

At the heart of the station are six variable speed pumps, two of 130kW, two at 250kW and two 630kW. Their job is to pump water from the nearby treatment works that gravitates into a contact tank and to extract water from a reservoir, ready to feed through on demand to the mainly residential area the station serves.

Without regulation there is a danger that the tank will run dry or, rather more likely, overflow and flood nearby roads. If the tank overflows, it would almost certainly be necessary to significantly reduce the flow through the treatment works – causing massive inconvenience, pollution and possible disruption to supply. The main goal therefore was to ensure that the site had a secure pumping capability at all times, day and night.