Project: Baton Rouge Wastewater Pump Station SCADA System-10/27/05

By Control Engineering Staff October 27, 2005

October 27, 2005

The prime consultant on this project has completed a draft of a Phase I RTU and HMI request for proposal document that is being circulated with the city of Baton Rouge. This consultant also had a meeting with the Phase II installing contractor and the city, mainly to provide them a status update on the project.

We are in the process of testing a phone/PDA device running Windows Mobile 5.0 for use by maintenance personnel in receiving after-hours alarm notifications. The city currently uses a Nextel phone to get email alarm notifications. We believe we can duplicate the existing email alarm functionality plus give them the ability to have the same access to screens they would see on the local HMI. Monthly account cost is projected to be somewhat higher, but close to the cost of their existing service.

Update of the existing RTUs to Modbus-compatible firmware has been proceeding slowly, due to the spare controller being lost somewhere in shipment back to the manufacturer. Also, we have discovered that there have been undisclosed software and hardware modifications done to the first booster station to be tested. This will add to our cost since we need to replace a missing radio and battery charger cabinet (will require change order). Software changes added to this station complicate the original design which had standardized programs for the 13 booster stations into two programs – one for the 2-pump and one for the 3-pump stations.