Customer Solutions

Lookout Provides Island-Wide Monitoring of Wastewater Systems

Author(s):

Chris Cunha, Oahu, Hawaii

Industry:

Industrial Controls/ Devices/ Systems

Product:

Lookout

The Challenge:

Upgrading a DOS-based wastewater SCADA system with a Windows-based process monitoring system.

The Solution:

Using National Instruments Lookout software to upgrade the existing SCADA system quickly and easily.

The 600 square mile island of Oahu, Hawaii, population 800,000, began wastewater operations in 1901 when instrumentation and control systems were simple and basic. As wastewater capacity demands increased and effluent limits became tighter, we expanded and upgraded the control systems at regular intervals. We recently undertook a major project, focusing on Windows-based computer systems, using Lookout software to provide enhanced monitoring capabilities to an existing DOS-based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that has been in operation since 1992.

Existing System Configuration
The existing SCADA system monitors and controls more than 9,000 data points from a total of 115 remote terminal units (RTUs) located at 65 wastewater pumping stations and 12 wastewater treatment facilities around the island. Four of the wastewater treatment plants have stand-alone SCADA systems that are used for monitoring and control of equipment at the plants. These stand-alone systems and all the information from the RTUs are relayed to a central command center located on Sand Island near the Honolulu International Airport. Leased-line telephone circuits and microwave links accomplish the communications between the RTUs and stand-alone systems.

Choosing a New System
After evaluating major HMI/SCADA companies, such as Wonderware and IMAX, we chose National Instruments Lookout for the new monitoring system because of its ease of setup and use, as well as its extensive graphics capabilities. Each facility now has a control panel that displays all equipment status and alarm conditions. In addition, they have hypertrends and digital images of the exterior and interior of the facilities. We use extensive high-resolution graphics with animators and play waves.

Barrington Systems of San Carlos, CA, provided the RTUs and the DOS-based control system software. Because no software driver was available for National Instruments Lookout to talk to the RTUs, we selected Centaurus Systems, Inc., of San Diego, CA, to provide the interface software.We kept the existing SCADA system in place to provide a real-time database from which the Lookout computer system could obtain the necessary data. We connected the new Lookout computer system to the existing SCADA system with a high-speed communications link.

Security
We set up the system so the SCADA operators can monitor any facility at any time. The system jumps to the control panel for any facility in which an alarm condition is detected. Audible recorded play-waves also sound so the operators know that either an alarm condition exists or a designated event happens; for example, a door opening at a facility. Each employee is issued a bar-coded ID card that must be read by a card reader at each facility. We then display the employee’s picture on the control panel.

Results
With the Lookout system, monitoring wastewater facilities has become easier and more informative. National Instruments Lookout was the easiest software to configure of the available packages; operators appreciate this ease of use. Specifically, because of the trending capability in Lookout, we can monitor more of our plant and get additional information for a much greater overview of the system. With the older DOS-based system, we could only pull up eight hours of data, but with more than 100 stations over the island it is an added benefit to pull up a whole day’s or just an hour’s worth of activity.

Author Biographies
Chris Cunha, SCADA Project Manager, has been employed with the City and County of Honolulu for the past 19 years as the electrical/electronic superintendent for the wastewater treatment and disposal division.

Ron Slauson, SCADA Project graphics illustrator, has been employed with the City and County of Honolulu for the past four years as an electronic technician for the wastewater treatment and disposal division.

For more information, please contact:

Chris Cunha

SCADA Project Manager

Tel: (808) 847-8303

Fax: (808) 848-5638

E-mail: MDA0003@co.honolulu.hi.us

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