Siemens Water Technologies’ new Link2Site (SM) cellular- and Internet-based monitoring and control system offers a new way to control, monitor and enhance pumping station and lift station equipment and facilities. The system was designed to be an integrated, fully automated, control and monitoring solution. It is suitable for use as a stand-alone system or for incorporation into existing systems. It supports redundant communication such as conventional radio and cellular simultaneously. In addition, it provides a way to incorporate control redundancy.
Site access and controller configuration security can be implemented via user-entered passwords or with electronic key-reader technology. Configuration changes and site access events are time- and date-stamped and can be recorded and reported over the cellular connection.
Users can securely connect to the system from anywhere with an Internet connection. An operator interface accessed through a web browser provides much of the functionality of traditional solutions such as pump start and stop setpoint adjustment, remote “on/off” control, and alarm setpoint adjustment.
Advanced pump station performance algorithms are standard and can help reduce energy requirements and prolong equipment life.
The ability to configure multiple, multi-point trends illustrates how different pieces of the system work together and allow users to track the operation and performance of different system assets over time. Users can determine which variables in their system to track together and save the custom trends for future use.
Similarly, advanced pump station operation and maintenance functionality allow users to monitor pump performance over time, helping predict pump station failure before it occurs. The system also offers multiple methods of volumetric flow calculation for the station or individual pumps to assist with performance analysis.
The Link2Site system provides immediate notification of alarms via email, pager, a phone call or all three. Advanced callout scheduling functionality ensures that the appropriate person is called in the event of a system alarm. Alarms can be acknowledged either by phone or by computer. The system’s “always on” heartbeat functionality ensures the system is always connected.
The monitoring and control system is available with a variety of flexible service plans to meet users’ individual system needs. These needs could include simple alarm monitoring, complete SCADA control, a redundant communication network, or a simple way of communicating with remote sites.
