Glastonbury Festival is the largest ‘Greenfield’ music and performing arts festival in the world and a template for all the festivals that have come after it. Event organisers choose Omniflex wireless telemetry equipment to ensure that water is delivered across the site effectively, efficiently and economically.
The Festival takes place in a beautiful location in the Vale of Avalon on an enormous site more than two and a half kilometres across, with a perimeter of about 13 and a half kilometres. During the festival period the local population increases by around 175 000 people.
The challenge
The infrastructure necessary to host such an event is diverse and complicated. The festival was 40 years old this year and has grown hugely since it first started in 1970. Glastonbury now requires nearly 4 million litres of water over a period of five days. There are over 700 hand basins and 100 standpipes located around the site to provide fresh water for drinking and washing. As the festival has grown so too has the demand for a good supply of water to all the facilities across the site.
In order to address this requirement, two new 2 million litre capacity reservoirs and a pumping station have been built at the highest point on the site. Previously road tankers were used to import water onto the site, which was then stored in ‘bladder tanks’ around the site.
The conditions for holding this year’s festival demanded a water pressure of 1,2 bars at the vast number of water outlets. The challenge was therefore to ensure water pressure measurements at various points around the site were constantly available to the pumping station. The difficulty and cost of installing cabled infrastructure made a radio telemetry system the best option.
The solution
After reviewing alternative bids and carrying out field trials, Glastonbury chose the Omniflex M2G RTUs. The system installed comprised of 3xM2R 868 MHz radio telemetry systems in the form of two slave units located at different points on the perimeter of the festival and one master unit located at the pumping station.
Sequence of operation
Pressure sensors located in the pipe work provide 4-20 mA analogue input signals to the two slave units, which then transmit this data via the 868 MHz un-licensed radio frequency to the master unit situated in the pumping station. This data is then supplied via the RS232/485 Serial modbus port into an ABB controller, which is responsible for bringing on or taking off-line a bank of pumps within the pumping station dependent on the demand for water.
The M2R units are capable of accepting both digital and analogue inputs. Although this year’s project required analogue inputs only it is the intention to increase the functionality of the system for future festivals.
The industrial era of wireless telemetry and radio communication Schneider Electric South Africa
Data Acquisition & Telemetry
Today’s advanced wireless telemetry offers a range of benefits that go beyond cost savings, including greater flexibility and mobility, remote monitoring capabilities, and enhanced safety.
Read more...Keeping mine outstations connected Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Industrial Wireless
Remote monitoring specialist, Omniflex has helped wireless data communications systems firm, Scan RF implement site-wide monitoring systems at the 17 000-hectare Kolomela iron ore mine in South Africa.
Read more...Connecting every transport node RJ Connect
Editor's Choice Data Acquisition & Telemetry
Stockholm's bus system strategically links urban mainline, suburban mainline, non-mainline routes, community service buses and night buses. To acquire and process data from multiple sources and analyse onboard information on their moving buses, Transdev sought a dependable and powerful onboard computer. It teamed up with CatAB, Moxa’s local representative, known for delivering top-notch industrial data communication boards and equipment since 1988.
Read more...Paratus South Africa boosts Tantum IT’s connectivity with Eutelsat
Data Acquisition & Telemetry
Tantum IT is a leading IT service provider specialising in remote IT management, cloud services, and secure data handling for industries in remote and high-demand environments. To overcome its connectivity challenges, Tantum IT chose Paratus, an official distributer of Eutelsat OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit services, to provide the solution.
Read more...Simplifying battery management for remote dual-voltage systems Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Electrical Power & Protection
Ian Loudon, international marketing and sales manager at remote monitoring specialist, Omniflex outlines the advantages of dual-voltage power supply in field environments.
Read more...The role of alarm annunciators in temperature monitoring Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Temperature Measurement
Director at alarm annunciator specialist, Omniflex explores the importance of alarm annunciators in temperature monitoring applications, drawing on examples from different industrial settings.
Read more...Keeping an eye on invisible radiation Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
At its peak in 1994, the energy generation capacity of the UK’s nuclear power stations was 12,7 GW across 16 plants. In 2024, the capacity has fallen to around 5 GW, and the number of stations is down to nine. However, this is far from the end of the story as spent nuclear fuel remains radioactive for centuries, and requires rigorous safety processes to safeguard against leaks.
Read more...Wireless communication system for remote access to data KROHNE
Data Acquisition & Telemetry
KROHNE has introduced the OPTIBRIDGE 3880 IIoT data logger for remote data services, acquisition and evaluation. It is a fully autonomous battery- or mains- powered wireless communication system for remote access to measurement data.
Read more...New industrial tablet series for non-ex applications Pepperl+Fuchs
Data Acquisition & Telemetry
Pepperl+Fuchs is introducing a rugged tablet series in accordance with MIL-STD-810H. The slim Windows-based devices are available with a 20 or 25 cm display, offering numerous customisation options and an extensive range of accessories.
Read more...Plant signal conditioning Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Flow Measurement & Control
Often, plant managers have a deep understanding of all the key operational challenges facing their facility, and have a broad knowledge of the instrumentation that can help solve them. However, they might not always be aware of the latest innovations that can make their lives even easier.
printer friendly version