Desalination Plant Control System
The first of its kind in the UK, Adsyst delivered the SCADA & PLC control system for a Desalination Plant
The Background:
Our client built the UK’s first large-scale desalination plant, on the north shore of the River Thames. The plant treats brackish water – which is a mix of fresh water from the river and seawater – from the Thames estuary using a process called ‘reverse osmosis’. Water is taken from the tidal river during the ebb tide when water is flowing out of London and the salt content is at its lowest. The treated water is then pumped through a new pipeline to a reservoir in North East London.
The Challenge:
Adsyst was awarded the competitive tender for this >£1M project to supply a new PLC/SCADA control system in 2009. Construction started in 2009 and was opened in 2010. Energy saving was a key factor in the design of this project. The design incorporated energy recovery through turbines in the third stage of pumping of the reverse osmosis process. The challenge for Adsyst was to provide a control system that could be adapted/added to as the process design evolved during construction.
The Solution:
The project involved Adsyst and a multi-disciplined team, to deliver the PLC/SCADA control systems for this technically challenging project, providing a “first of its kind” process using four-stage reverse osmosis. Adsyst were able to offer flexible a commercial strategy – delivering the systems on time, to budget and identifying potential cost savings to the client.
Part of the process was to provide detailed designs, which included: (1) multiple Profibus networks using Profibus Scanner Cards located in the PLC rack. The solutions provided were designed to optimise savings, using a combination of optical fibre & copper networks. (2) Designs for a resilient site-wide optical fibre Ethernet Network using Hirschmann Industrial switches. (3) Designs for RSViewSE Client/Server control. (4) Detailed design of 500 SCADA mimics and SCADA control Pop-ups.
We used a Rockwell PLC Process Control interfacing to 3rd Generation Intelligent Assemblies (MCCs) for motor and plant control. Our service included process Simulation using the proprietary package MathCAD. Data imported into Labview provides real-time calculations. We supplied the SCADA application and PLC hardware, engineering testing and commissioning.
The Results:
We had supplier engagement with Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Hirschmann, Pepperl & Fuchs and other key manufacturers throughout the project to ensure the design, set-up and commissioning of manufacturers’ equipment, provided a truly integrated design with optimum performance. We were able to offer flexible working with design documentation translated into English where translation was not always clear. We provided Process simulation to provide real-time control solutions for process equipment integrated into PLC control.
