Wireless sensing and monitoring to escort the operation of the water tower

According to a report by Maims Consulting, many communities now use water towers to supply water during peak water consumption periods or during power outages. In order to maintain sufficient pressure, these water towers are deliberately built on relatively high land, and then rely on gravity to supply water to each household through the water pump power distribution network. Since the water pressure of daily houses is required to be between 0.31 and 0.55 MPa, the average height of the water tower must be about 50 meters to provide a pressure of 0.34 to 0.41 MPa.

This requires the Municipal Council to monitor the water supply system from time to time to ensure proper water pressure and level. Water pressure control is very important. Whether it is too high or too low, it may lead to inefficient system operation or damage to the water supply pump. Usually, the pressure sensor is installed in the water tank of the water tower, and the water level is determined by measuring the water pressure. At the same time, the pressure sensor can also be placed on the water pump and drain pump to monitor the water pressure. Through the remote sensor control system, the operator does not need to climb up the water tower or go to different places to read the pressure sensor monitoring instrument, the information will be directly input to the computer for analysis. However, the operating environment of the water supply system is not conducive to the implementation of the wired monitoring system.

When operating in an external environment, the wired system is susceptible to lightning strikes and ground faults, and its sensors and connected equipment will be destroyed. At the same time, voltage is also a problem for wired systems, because foreign water tanks usually only provide 120V AC voltage. In addition, the wired system also requires that each sensor be connected back to the controller and connected to the port. Due to the height of the water tower, the maintenance cost of hard-wired sensors is very high.

The architecture of the wireless remote monitoring system is similar to that of a wired system. It measures the water pressure of the water tower and transmits it to a remote location by using "air wires" instead of cables. The wireless telemetry system consists of many terminal nodes, including a radio that powers the sensors, and the system can measure the pressure transmitted to the gateway. Powered by batteries, the terminal node solves the problem of using sensors in areas with no power or unstable power. As the central hub for receiving measurement data, the gateway stores the latest sensor data in Modbus format so that the programmable logic controller (PLC) can be accessed through the control center or internet connection.

The gateway can be physically connected to PLC, data acquisition and monitoring control system (SCADA), distributed control system (DCS), or wireless connection using a cellular modem. There is no need for a 2.4GHz wireless network, but only 900MHz. The wireless network can provide powerful data transmission under different terrain, structure and weather conditions, and can operate for many years under harsh environmental conditions. Since the nodes and other components are not physically connected, the wireless system reduces the risk of lightning strikes or ground faults, but the wired system is not immune to disaster. Figure 1 shows the working configuration of the wireless remote sensor system in the water distribution system of the water tower. The integrated sensor node (see Figure 2) includes pressure sensors, wireless nodes and intrinsically safe built-in batteries, which are installed on water towers and pumps to monitor water level and water pressure. There is no need to purchase pressure sensors and wireless nodes. These integrated sensor nodes can be used as economical alternatives to pipelines, wired sensors and other pressure sensor solutions.

Figure 1: The working configuration of the wireless remote sensor system in the water distribution system

In the wireless monitoring network, as many as 240 integrated sensor nodes are distributed in different locations to provide feedback to verify the water level and ensure that the system has sufficient pressure to supply water to users. After the data is sent to the gateway, the gateway transmits the data in various formats, such as 4-20mA or Modbus format. By adding an Ethernet connection through the interface module, the gateway becomes a part of a local area network (LAN) and Wi-Fi network, or is connected to a cellular modem to transmit information to a laptop or smart phone. Maintenance personnel can monitor the water level of the smart phone, computer or command center, so that the operator of the dispatching station can check the running status on the business intelligence dashboard.

The Pressure Scout wireless pressure transmitter integrates radios, pressure sensors, and intrinsically safe circuits with built-in batteries, and can be used as an economical alternative to pipeline, wired, and other pressure sensor solutions. The telemetry system can provide easy-to-use and reliable pressure measurement for wireless industrial applications.

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