• Second and third phases of multi-year project expands use of Emerson's Ovation® expert control system at the Stickney WRP; ability to monitor and control processes at remote stations from a central location expected to enhance overall operational efficiency and flexibility
PITTSBURGH, PA, July 16, 2009 -- Emerson Process Management announced today it has received a contract for the second and third phases of a four-phase, multi-year project to modernize the automation and controls at facilities operated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC).
More specifically, Emerson will deploy multiple Ovation networks for the Stickney WRP and Mainstream Pumping Station. The Stickney WRP is the largest secondary treatment wastewater facility in the world, with a capacity to process 1.44 billion gallons per day. The facility serves 2.4 million people in a 260-square-mile area including downtown Chicago and 43 suburban communities. The Mainstream Pumping Station, the largest underground sewage pumping station in the world, lifts sewage from a deep tunnel system approximately 300 feet below grade to the Stickney WRP.
The Ovation solution will collect and integrate information about surrounding pumping stations and stormwater retention reservoirs. This will provide WRP operators at a central location with vital information about influent and other variables from these remote facilities. In all, the Ovation systems will monitor and control approximately 24,000 I/O points.
The first phase of the comprehensive project called for Emerson's Ovation solution to monitor and control a number of processes at the Stickney WRP, including the Southwest Pumping Station. This first phase, which began in August 2006, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2009. The most recent contract, for phases two and three, is scheduled for completion in May 2011.
Prior to this multi-phase project, Emerson and MWRDGC had worked together successfully on a number of other projects including the Lockport sluice gate and hydro turbine controls with remote monitoring at the MWRDGC Waterways Control Room, and control systems for the Hanover, Kirie and Egan WRPs.
"Whether replacing aging infrastructure or taking steps to manage additional capacity requirements, our comprehensive automation and control solution has helped municipalities of all sizes achieve operational, environmental and economic benefits," said Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson. "Based on our significant experience, integrating information about critical processes throughout the District, then enabling operators to access that information from a central location, will translate into enhanced operational efficiency and flexibility for MWRDGC, as well."
Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the power, water and wastewater treatment, metals and mining, chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries.
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