Easy modernization of the Barsinghausen wells with Well Control

Barsinghausen encompasses 18 districts covering an area of around 103 km². The local municipal utilities reliably supply drinking water to around 35,500 inhabitants and businesses. The drinking water is primarily provided by the Eckerde water treatment plant, where six wells tap into an aquifer with an abundant supply of water.

As part of the planning for a new deep well, those responsible for the project at the municipal utilities opted for a new automation system for the conveyors. The modernization project had become necessary as the existing solution no longer used state-of-the-art technology. Besides the automation system, the customer also intended to replace the visualization system that was used in the control center. When formulating the criteria that the new automation solution needed to meet, it became clear that the requirements were diverse. Not only do staff need to be provided with comprehensive process information, they also need to be able to diagnose the state of the plant and operate the remote stations from the control center. The key objective is to ensure safe plant operation, keeping in mind the operating costs that are generated. After a comprehensive analysis of the systems available on the market, the municipal utilities chose the Well Control automation solution from Phoenix Contact.

Well Control is a preconfigured control cabinet that handles all the necessary open-loop and closed-loop control tasks. The solution therefore fully implements the automation section of a deep well. The plant manufacturer or operator only needs to custom plan and create the power section. Both sections are then connected together via standardized and documented interfaces and the entire system is connected to the control center. Only the field devices and functions need to be configured in order to start up the application. This means that no programming knowledge is required for staff, and there is also no need to purchase special software. Configuration is performed directly on site via the web visualization on the AXC 1050 controller or by remote access.

Well Control is a preconfigured control cabinet that handles all the necessary open-loop and closed-loop control tasks. The solution therefore fully implements the automation section of a deep well. The plant manufacturer or operator only needs to custom plan and create the power section. Both sections are then connected together via standardized and documented interfaces and the entire system is connected to the control center. Only the field devices and functions need to be configured in order to start up the application. This means that no programming knowledge is required for staff, and there is also no need to purchase special software. Configuration is performed directly on site via the web visualization on the AXC 1050 controller or by remote access.

The devices installed in Well Control offer comprehensive diagnostic options that enable state-based maintenance. In addition to a continuous overview of their current state, the QUINT POWER uninterruptible power supplies with IQ Technology and the PLUGTRAB PT-IQ surge protection components provide information regarding their remaining service life. This enables better organization of maintenance activities. The status information of field devices is also evaluated by the controller and sent to the control system. The staff at the Barsinghausen municipal utilities can therefore see the state of the plant at all times. In-house cables are used for communication with the modernized well. As a secure connection can be assumed due to redundant four-conductor operation, those responsible for the modernization project chose to use the Modbus/TCP protocol. If a connection via the IEC 60870-5-104 remote control protocol is required in the future, the connection can be converted in just a few steps.