CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, Jan. 10, 2006 -- GE Fanuc Automation Inc, a unit of GE Industrial, has announced it is working with CH2M Hill, a multinational engineering firm and designer of Singapore's Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, on one of the largest integrated SCADA systems in the world. One of the project's first centralized water reclamation facilities, the Changi plant, is configured with approximately 500,000 tags across an architecture of 50 nodes running the newly-announced Proficy™ iFIX 4.0.
CH2M Hill was retained in 1998 to complete a feasibility study and preliminary design for the plant. The company provided all detailed designs and tendering services including all structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and control facilities. This design took full advantage of advances in technology over the duration of design development.
"CH2M Hill has had considerable success with iFIX on previous projects and it was the obvious choice for a project of this magnitude," said Jim Black, CH2M Hill's Information and Controls Systems Technology Discipline Director. "This SCADA application empowers the driver towards operational excellence across the entire range of functional areas of the plant including the deep tunnel system pumping stations, treatment process, solids removal, etc."
The completed solution features 50 SCADA nodes and 10 thin clients processing the 500,000 tags. Proficy Historian is utilized to manage the overwhelming amount of data that is used for compliance reporting as well as for ongoing plant improvement projects. The Proficy Real-Time Information Portal and Terminal Services allow for the optimized access by a wide user base via standard web browsers. These CH2M Hill-developed applications include integration of the plant information systems, electronic operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). The Proficy Real-Time Information Portal provides complete integration of the plant floor and business systems used to optimize facility operation.
iFIX HMI/SCADA is part of the Proficy family of automation software products, a single intelligent production solution that will work with existing multi-vendor hardware and software solutions to gather and analyze data. Solutions can connect to equipment across the entire physical enterprise to deliver both on-line monitoring for rapid operational response as well as collect historical data as the foundation for continuous improvement.
The significant scope of this project fostered a cooperative environment between GE Fanuc and CH2M Hill. The unprecedented size of the system itself resulted in minor enhancements to standard product based on collaborative design evaluation.
iFIX 4.0, scheduled for wide distribution this month, offers canned functionality to drill into tag details, instantly trend variables, view enterprise data through hosted portal displays and deliver thin client connectivity to SCADA nodes through terminal services. Graphic tools deliver a variety of drawing productivity tools and advanced capabilities for 3D Piping and connected object management.
In addition, the system is comprised of more than 150 Group Schneider controllers taking advantage of the iFIX platform's interoperability capabilities. A key component of iFIX 4.0's extendable architecture is its capability to discover PLC information, including configuration and tags, delivering new levels of developer productivity and efficiency.
"The ever-increasing demands on today's Water and Wastewater facilities require an increasing level of capability from the supporting automation and information technology," said Glenn Graney, GE Fanuc Business Development Manager for the Water Wastewater Industry. "The Changi project is a great example of what effective design and productive partnerships can achieve."
With headquarters in Denver, employee-owned CH2M Hill (www.ch2mhill.com)is a global firm providing engineering, construction, operations, and related technical services to public and private clients. With more than $3 billion in revenue, CH2M Hill is the largest program management firm, the largest construction management-for-fee firm, and the seventh largest design firm in the United States, as ranked by Engineering-News Record (2004). The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of transportation, water, energy, environment, communications, construction, and industrial facilities. CH2M Hill has more than 14,000 employees in 200 offices worldwide.
GE Fanuc Automation (www.gefanuc.com), a joint venture between GE and Fanuc Ltd. of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Based in Charlottesville, Va., GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Industrial and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.
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