Valve Automation at Potable Water Districts Valve Automation serves a vital role in Potable Water Telemetry Control System Integration. Valves are used in a variety of applications, which broadly include OPEN/CLOSE applications for ON/OFF flow control, as well as MODULATING applications for variable pressure and flow control. This article will address an interesting problem that we recently … Read More →
RTU Enclosures Can Trap Heat During Summer Months During the summer months, the internal air temperature of outdoor-installed RTU Enclosures can become very hot — especially at locations where the enclosure is subject to direct sunlight. And while the RTU electronics are industrial-rated, and designed to withstand extreme temperatures, the longevity of the equipment can be … Read More →
Are you heading over to Effingham this week to the Illinois Rural Water Association Annual Conference? If so, please stop by and visit! On Tuesday at 11am-Noon, I am leading a training class that you won’t want to miss: “How to Track and Minimize Pump Energy Consumption by Leveraging VFD’s, Flow Meters, & Telemetry” In … Read More →
Navionics Research Inc. is pleased to introduce a new, unique antenna mounting kit designed and optimized for water tower painter rings. The kit is easy-to-install, corrosion-resistant, and sturdy. Increased Lightning Protection Because an antenna that is staged at the peak of a water tower is a more attractive target for lightning strikes, it is often … Read More →
Extreme Cold and Pressure Sensor Protection During extremely cold temperatures, it is important to keep in mind that the pressure sensing devices in your system — and the tubing that feeds them — should be prevented from freezing. Often times — especially at Water Towers — the pressure transducer is protected from freezing via installation in a … Read More →
When NRI’s VFD & Energy Analytics is implemented in a water plant or pumping station, VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) fault alarms are passed as numerical codes to the SCADA system via an industrial communication protocol (e.g. Modbus, DF1, EtherNet/IP, etc.) and then to the operator. A code of ‘0’ (zero) signifies no fault condition, whereas a non-zero code signifies that a fault … Read More →
In rural areas — due to a combination of long power transmission line lengths and the relative isolation of the remote pumping facilities — it is not uncommon for stations to suffer from power quality problems. Therefore, it is always recommended that a station’s power status be monitored, trended, and alarmed for outages. In the most basic sense, … Read More →
In the Rural Water Industry, when a pressure or flow regulation valve is needed, the traditional choice for many years had been the diaphragm-type valve. In 2002, however, we introduced a new and improved flow and pressure regulating valve/telemetry technology: the electronically-controlled, high-performance butterfly valve. The High-Performance Butterfly Valve offered many advantages over the diaphragm valve, especially in … Read More →
Since 1904, The Des Moines & Mississippi Levee District #1 has provided flood and irrigation control along the Mississippi River near Alexandria Missouri through a series of engineered levees, ditches, and pumps. They are guided by a 5-member Board of Directors, and design services are provided by Klingner & Associates Engineers (Quincy, IL). Since 2012, Navionics … Read More →
I am very appreciative of all the positive feedback that I’ve received over the past few days as a result of this 3-part series of articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. I am glad that I was able to convey how the latest VFD technology — when leveraged to its full capability and coupled tightly with our new VFD & Energy Analytics Telemetry Software — is … Read More →