Case Study

Water/Wastewater

Converting Profibus into fiber increases data reliability

Summary
W  ater treatment facility uses copper-to-fiber-optic media converters in new operation. Media converters converted RS-232, Profibus and DeviceNet protocols into fiber optics. Dekalb County is planning a system expansion in the future.

Challenge
The plant can monitor every level of the water delivery process including the intake of water from the nearby Chattahoochee River into the filtration process. The water then is transferred into the water storage tanks located around Dekalb County. Constant monitoring of the countys storage tanks indicates the demand and, therefore, the required amount of water being pulled from the river into the treatment plant, as well as the water level. The plant requires 24-hour monitoring and control for several variables within this detailed process. Specifically, the plant monitors filters, flow meters, levels, water temperature and several other variables. The plant also controls all of the filters remotely through a control center in the main building within the facilitys complex.

Customer Profile
Scott Candler Water Filter Plant Located in Dekalb County in northern Georgia, the Scott Candler Water Filter Plant uses a multi-step automated process to filter 150 million gallons of water a day. The state-of-the-art treatment plant, which opened in August 2007, was built at a cost of $153 million, and the county plans to construct a $50 million expansion in the future to meet the growing demand on the countys infrastructure.

The Scott Candler water filter plant filters 150 million gallons of water per day.

2010 PHOENIX CONTACT

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The main control center uses a PC interface that displays information relayed back from all of the plants processes. The plant needed a way to transmit and convert data between the control center and several areas of the plant to regulate the flow and filtration of Dekalb Countys water. This critical process uses several communication protocols and media including DeviceNet, fiber optics, Ethernet, and Profibus protocols. Specifically, the plant needed a way to convert both Profibus and DeviceNet protocols into fiber in order to relay the information reliably to the main control center.

The narrow fiber-optic converters, installed in several control panels in the facility, take up little rail space within the panels. LEDs on the front of the modules indicate lost communications and signal strength, making it easy to diagnose operating problems. The PSI-MOS also has a built-in dry contact that allows the operator to set up remote indication. The treatment plant has also installed redundant systems that include the copper-to-fiber-optic media converters in several of the control panels, in case the primary system fails. The system integrator also installed several Phoenix Contact MINI power supply units on the rail alongside the media converters.

Solution
To successfully convert Profibus into fiber media, a systems integrator used Phoenix Contacts PSI-MOS fiber media converter. The converters reliably and accurately transmit data back to the main control center through fiber. The facility uses multi-mode glass fiber, which can transmit maximum distance. Additionally, the PSI-MOS media converters can convert other fiber technologies including polymer and hardened-clad silica (HCS).

Results
The Dekalb County water treatment facility is very pleased with its Profibus and media conversion installation. The plant passed an initial 30-day regulated test to ensure the facility was properly treating water. Since then, there have been no significant interruptions or downtime within the system where the media converters have been installed. The visual and remote diagnostics available on Phoenix Contacts media converters reduce maintenance costs by providing signal integrity data to the plant without additional equipment or training. Overall, the use of Phoenix Contact media converters and power supplies has proven to be useful within the environment of a water treatment plant.

Phoenix Contact fiber media converters provide a reliable and effective conversion from serial connections to fiber optics.

2010 PHOENIX CONTACT

PHOENIX CONTACT P.O. Box 4100 Harrisburg, PA 17111-0100 Phone: 800-888-7388 717-944-1300 Technical Service: 800-322-3225 Fax: 717-944-1625 E-mail: info@phoenixcon.com Website: www.phoenixcontact.com

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