The waste management companies in Wiesbaden (ELW) purifies approximately 0 000 cm³ of wastewater each day. In dry summer weather, it takes about 48 hours to run through the entire purification process, from the grit channel to the raking station, the sand filter, the preliminary treatment tank, the activated sludge tank and the final filtration process, before the clean water runs into the Rhine river.
State-of-the-art technology
"Today, we use state-of-the-art technology to get our rivers and lakes clean and to make sure that they stay that way. This is how we help to ensure that we have water of the highest possible quality," explained Michaela Kessler, head of the sewage plant. State-of-the-art technology includes not only 250 pumps and countless kilometres of piping, measurement, control and regulation technology, exhaust fume detectors, gas measurement and personnel location systems, but also 55 MOBOTIX cameras, which are installed on the wide sewage plant grounds.
"We have made extensive changes in the main sewage plant over the past eight years. Many things that were added to the plant cannot be effectively checked by a regular inspection patrol today," said Hans-Peter Schranz, head of electrical engineering at ELW. "That is why we have installed MOBOTIX cameras at specific points to provide us with a good overview of the entire plant at any particular time." These cameras are used for access control and grounds surveillance as well as for observing the sewage purification process.
Analog planning
"Originally, we had planned to install about 50 analog cameras with pan-tilt heads," said Schranz, "but then things changed." Passavant-Roediger Controls, a system integrator and solution provider in the field of water and wastewater technology, was commissioned to design and install the new automation, network and process control systems. "As an alternative to the analog cameras we had another idea," said Herbert Hützen, head of the project at PRC. "Shortly before, our managing director had discovered the MOBOTIX cameras and was so impressed by the technology that he suggested them as an alternative."
Digital technology
"Analog cameras with pan-tilt heads are expensive, susceptible to mechanical failure and have to be serviced on a regular basis. The installation process is also considerably more expensive," explained Hützen. "The robust, maintenance-free digital MOBOTIX network cameras outperformed their analog counterparts significantly. Thanks to the integrated combination of telephoto and wide-angle lens, they not only provide the same functionality, but they are also very easy to install and integrate into the existing fibre-optic network. In addition, they offer convenient recording features and event-controlled recording based on predefined motion fields."
The residual problem was how to manage the large number of cameras so that they could be easily operated by the sewage plant workers in the main office. The MOBOTIX system made it possible to manage several cameras using a standard web browser, but with more than 50 cameras, a special solution was needed.
Effective management system
"Three different suppliers took up the challenge and installed elaborate test systems, but they did not get the job done," recalls Hützen. "Then MOBOTIX recommended the WINSTON camera management software with intuitive operator interfaces. The software was easily adapted to the individual needs of the sewage plant and includes such useful features as a site plan and alarm windows. "They actually delivered a management solution that fits the cameras, and it really works," concluded Schranz. "We are very happy with this complete solution."
For more information contact IAC, +27 (0)12 657 3600, [email protected], www.iaconline.co.za
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