Monitoring and automation system Roxia Malibu™ collects and analyses data from EKJH’s (Etelä-Karjalan Jätehuolto Oy) pump station. Pump operations can be checked online and are represented on exact model of the real pump station. Times of visual inspection and collecting data by pen and paper are definitely over.
Ensuring even flow from pump station to waste water treatment plant is one of the major operations at EKJH site. EKJH is a waste management company handling waste from 9 municipalities. Its site is so big that personnel uses cars to drive from one end to the other. Pump station is located in a separate building and houses eight pumps placed above and below the ground level. Some of them are internal transfer pumps and the others are pumping waste water towards Lappeenranta waste water facility. The station has in-built monitoring and automation system which ensures even flow of waste water and collects data for environmental reports. When the previous system broke down, EKJH found themselves in trouble. Pumps were still working but their operation could only be checked in person. Furthermore, data had to be collected manually, which required a lot of extra work and time.
EKJH had to find a replacement for broken automation system. After examining multiple offers, EKJH chose Roxia Digital Solutions. Solution included new automation hardware, on-site installation, Malibu portal and end-user training. Malibu is a user interface custom made for each process. It is an exact model of the real pump station shown online. You can access and monitor your system operations through computer, tablet or smart phone. Malibu portal is user-friendly and makes it easy to navigate, manage and analyze processes.
Roxia expert on a visit at the EKJH site.
Malibu™ Predicts Failures and Optimizes Operations
Another important upgrade is automatic reporting of (predicted) failures. Based on decided criteria and analysis, Malibu informs the user by email before a more serious failure could occur. “Compared to regular visits in the past, I haven’t visited the pump station for months. I can see everything from my phone or laptop. I don’t even need to log in to the Malibu portal as I get the alarms to my email. I first check from my laptop what is happening and then decide if it’s necessary for me to personally inspect the pumps,” adds Huotari.
Waste water tank is situated under the pump station. Especially in the spring time when snow is melting, the water level can rise fast. If the pumps are not adjusted accordingly, the tank can easily overflow. To eliminate this risk, Roxia recommended to add a frequency converter to the levelling tank pump. It controls the pump output flow according to the current tank level. If the water level suddenly rises above the limit, it automatically adjusts pump operation to a higher rotational speed.
Malibu sends notifications about any adjustments via email. Those automatic adjustments are extremely important since they prevent bigger errors and eliminate more serious failures. “Without Malibu, I would notice something is wrong much later in the process. Pumps would keep pumping and get really stuck which would cause interruption in the flow and unnecessary shutdown,” tells Huotari.
Remote, online view of Roxia Malibu™: exact model of the real EKJH pump station.