Pumping Station Monitoring

The main problem with any remote monitoring system is predicting failure or the circumstances that can lead to failure. Very often, it is not the product that is a fault, but the operating circumstances.

A good example is a sewage pumping station, designed to pump domestic effluents while adhering to Design Construction Guidelines. These pumping station requirements are set out by water companies that are to eventually become adopted in line with the Sewers for Adoption process.

Unfortunately, household wipes are becoming a major problem to many sites where the wipes accumulate and enter the pumping station in a surge. The pumping station has difficulty dealing with the accumulation and this can result in total failure during the maintenance to handover period. The handover period can take months to years before being handed over to the water company for adoption; during that period of maintenance, the builder/developer has the full responsibility of keeping the pumping station fully operational and maintained.

As builders and developers are not focused on maintaining the pumping station, they look for specialised companies and systems that will assist in keeping a pumping system fully operational.

The Seer Monitoring system provides complete monitoring of a system and can give advance warning of potential problems. 

With technology advancing at pace gathering speed, and the Internet of Things (IoT) allowing all things to be connected remotely, what benefits can be achieved by all this data captured, packaged to the cloud and then remotely accessed?

Looking at the uses of remote monitoring via the cloud in respect to pumping stations, the first benefit is the data or, in basic terms, an insight into building up a picture of the operation. With many variables consistently recorded, such as incoming voltage, pump running durations, operating current and wet will infill rate, there is the ability to track all activity in real-time, and then plot this as history.

IDENTIFYING ‘BEHAVIOUR’ AND ESTABLISHING PUMP MONITORING RULES

Once a picture is established in terms of normal operation for the asset - such as peak demand trending early morning and evening usage rates - and the appropriate pump operating cycles for this period, you can begin to assign ‘rules’ in how the data is to be managed when exceptions to this normal behaviour occur.

For example, a pump station generally will see a consistent infill rate during peak demand periods of 6am to 9am and empty the sump to a normal stop level in approximately 4 minutes when called to operate. However, on any given day, the 4-minute run time becomes longer and longer despite the inflow to the station remaining constant - we can use our previous data to identify the root cause of the issue.  or example, a stuck non-return valve could mean that all liquid being pumped is simply being re-circulated into the sump via the standby pump and pipework leg.

Creating rules from the data will provide early warning notifications to be generated by such events as above and alert responders.

Before this technology to monitor, record and report data in such a manner, system failures and prolonged run periods would have gone undetected, resulting in excessive wear, high running costs and potential environmental damage.

Remote monitoring of pumping stations can provide several cost-saving benefits over traditional site visits. Some of the specific ways in which remote monitoring can help to reduce costs include:

• Labour attendance efficiency - Any changes in normal pump operations are detected and reported, meaning that staff deployed to respond to such breakdowns know what the issue is before arrival and therefore are equipped with an understanding of the failure and any respective spare parts that are required. Diagnoses prior to site attendance reduces labour time, the number of visits required, and consequently, the productivity of reactive maintenance staff is increased.
• Reduced travel costs - With remote monitoring, it is not necessary for operators to physically visit the pumping station to collect data or perform inspections. This can help to reduce the cost of travel, including expenses such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, and accommodation.
• Increased efficiency - Remote monitoring allows for continuous monitoring of pumping stations, which can help to identify problems as they arise and allow for timely intervention. This could help to reduce downtime and increase the overall efficiency of the pumping station, leading to cost savings.
• Reduced labour costs - Remote monitoring can help reduce the amount of labour required to monitor and maintain pumping stations. This can lead to cost savings through reduced labour costs and increased productivity.
• Enhanced safety - Remote monitoring can help to reduce the need for operators to work in potentially hazardous environments, such as at pumping stations that handle dangerous fluids. This can help to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents, leading to cost savings through reduced insurance premiums and other related expenses.
• Life expectancy - The equipment's life expectancy is extended as trends from the data map a decrease in performance, and areas of concern can be addressed, such as wearing parts. Effective proactive maintenance in this manner ultimately extends the longevity of the equipment in service.

Overall, remote monitoring can help reduce the cost of maintaining and operating pumping stations while also improving efficiency and safety.

By frequently reviewing a pumping station's operating data, decisions can be made such as to ‘hold’ effluent in the chamber and instead allow pumping during periods of lower energy costs and when septicity is not a risk. Start and stop levels can also be adjusted to maximise storage potential in the wet well chamber prior to any ‘hold off’ period being entered.

All the above benefits offer more than just financial, labour resource and environmental benefits - above all it is peace of mind that equipment which is typically installed below ground and forgotten about is actually being monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

• Sewage Pumping Stations
• Potable Water Supply
• Water Treatment Plants
• Sewage Treatment Plants
• Flood Warning for River and Culverts
• Effluent Distribution and Control
• Industrial Processes
• Food processing

Seer is available for rent for up to a 4 year period which is an economic choice for many sites which will be adopted by water companies. After 4 years the SEER unit becomes your property and you only have to pay the annual charge for monitoring and subscription to the cloud.

We offer standard monitoring portfolios for pumping systems and beyond. Bespoke monitoring offers plenty of choices and to get the best from any system there is a need to establish what you want monitored and useful that will be in protecting your system to ensure reliability and efficiency.

For expert advice with selecting the ideal pump monitoring guide for your application, call our team on +44 (0)1630 647200, email response@ttpumps.com or fill in our online enquiry form.

A pump monitoring unit is a device used to monitor and control pumps in a system. It typically includes sensors that measure various parameters such as flow rate, pressure, temperature, and power consumption, as well as control inputs that allow the operator to adjust the operation of the pump.

The unit may also include alarms and other features that alert the operator to potential problems or malfunctions in the pump system.

Some pump monitoring units are designed for specific types of pumps, such as water or oil pumps, while others are more general-purpose and can be used with various pump types.

The Seer range of monitoring equipment from T-T uses sensors to collect data about the performance and operation of a machine or system. The collected data is then analysed to identify patterns or trends indicating a problem or potential failure. Seer Monitoring is ideally suited to domestic, industrial and commercial settings. It can be used to monitor a wide range of equipment, including pumps, motors, engines, and other mechanical or electrical systems.

Seer monitoring systems improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and prevent costly equipment failures using data collected to optimise the performance of the equipment and to identify and troubleshoot problems before they lead to failures.

T-T has a range of monitoring devices available that are suitable for a range of applications:

• Alert/Alert Pro - detects the open and closed state of a volt-free switch (such as a float or pressure switch), giving an alarm on a closed circuit and resetting on an open circuit. Suitable applications include high/low-level alarm, high/low-pressure alarm, high/low temperature alarm and as an intruder alarm. The Alert Pro provides the same monitoring functions as the Alert, except with the addition of volt-free relay contact for remote monitoring capabilities.
• See the table below for information about T-T's Seer Monitoring Units:

 The monitoring system you choose will depend on the number and type of statuses you want to monitor, whether you require data logging, if you want to receive alerts remotely and the kind of connectivity your system will run on.

Identifying the detailed data you wish to capture and review will help you to choose a system, this can include incoming power supply, motor current, motor trip conditions and warning alarms such as high-level events.  

With any system that is fitted with Seer Monitoring and includes remote monitoring by T-T Controls we will contact you in the event of an issue to explain the details, discuss any remote intervention options and advise on whether on-site engineer attendance is required.

For any sites not monitored by T-T Controls please call us on +44 (0)1630 647200 and explain the issue, we can then try to solve the issue remotely and advise if breakdown service is needed.

If you have a Pump Maintenance Package/Service Agreement please provide us with the reference number and postcode for your site, this way we can identify your site and assist you faster.

T-T monitoring systems can be provided with or without monitoring by T-T Controls, with joint notification options available. With monitoring by T-T you can rest assured that we are receiving site data 24/7, 365 that is used to predict, prevent and resolve any problems as they develop.

T-T has some 40 plus years of designing and manufacturing control systems; from the early days, there has always been a demand reporting system failure that was normally an alarm light/beacon or audible alarm being the mainstay.

Over the years, we have evolved our monitoring systems as technology advances and our experience grew with pumping systems and industrial processes. Initial advances beyond a simple indicator light or audible alarm employed the telephone via PSTN lines, then mobile GSM reporting via SMS text messaging and now cloud technology with the Internet of Things products and services.

Alert - our entry-level unit, providing an audible and visual indication of an alarm condition,  typically level, is available in both mains power and conjunctive battery backup. Variations such as the Pro unit are available for replication of the alarm warning via a volt-free contact to other connected devices such as BMS (building management systems).

Alarm Tel - uses the Public Service Telephone Service (PSTN) phone line connectivity to provide recipients with notification of the alarm condition via a telemetry dial-out unit speech recorded message unit.  Capable of monitoring 3 user-defined alarm conditions, plus mains failure built-in as standard, the Alarm Tel offers reliable communication with no possibility of lack of network coverage or loss of GSM signal. Onboard battery backup provides coverage to report the alarm condition, even in the event of mains failure.

Seer - is the most advanced system in our range and uses cloud-based IoT servers to host and relay data captured via our Seer range of monitoring units.  Three units are offered, entry-level Seer Micro ideal for retrofitting into existing control panels or offering conversion from GSM-based alarm units.  SEER Junior is the next model in the range, supplied as a standalone weatherproof unit with data capture on an enhanced number of variables.  Finally, the SEER Advanced is the flagship model of the range, with the ability to monitor peripheral data inputs such a voltage per phase, along with other performance-related variables such as motor current draw, flow, combined with the facility to monitor the presence of digital signals such as level inputs, limit switches, etc., and display/relay this critical information worldwide in real-time 365 days per year.