Product category:
Smaller-Sized PLCs
News Release from: Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 21 June 2005
Water company signs up for automation
support
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Mid Kent Water and Mitsubishi Electric, encompassing the supply, application and support of automation equipment.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Mid Kent Water and Mitsubishi Electric, encompassing the supply, application and support of automation equipment It extends a less formal agreement which has seen Mid Kent install Mitsubishi PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and HMIs (human-machine interfaces) over many years, to include the full range of control and automation equipment
Mid Kent is about to embark on a programme to replace its many ageing variable speed inverter drives from various manufacturers and has confirmed that it will specify the new Mitsubishi F700 drive on virtually every occasion.
The total capacity of the installed drives is over 1MW.
"Many of the drives currently in use are no longer made or supported so are increasingly likely to become liabilities", says Roger Payne Mitsubishi's Divisional Manager for Automation.
"Rationalising on the F700 will allow Mid Kent to achieve significant economies of scale, and allow us to formulate effective 24x7 support at a level far above that normally expected in the water industry".
The F700 was launched last year to considerable acclaim as its energy saving and reliability have reset the benchmarks for industry.
Of particular interest it can be configured especially for pump and fan control.
Mid Kent will also implement Mitsubishi's networkable air circuit breakers, another recent launch that pushed the barriers of a seemingly mature technology.
At the core of the WS Series circuit breaker's design is the polymer ablation type auto-puffer.
This is moulded in a patented polymer formulated to react with the high temperatures generated locally when shorting occurs to give off significant volumes of an inert gas that prevents the arc from developing further.
In addition, the geometry of the auto-puffer is such that the gas is blown at right angles across the arc path at high speed to further assist in extinguishing the spark before it reaches a critical size.
Additional benefits to Mid Kent Water from the memorandum include training credits, extended warranties, advantageous terms, software updates and special support.
John Beechey, Head of Asset and Investment at Mid Kent Water, commented: "This MOU is part of our integrated strategy to maximise the performance of our assets by the selected application of key enhancements".
"We look forward to working closely with Mitsubishi and further developing these innovative approaches".
Mid Kent Water specialises in water provision services, serving nearly 600,000 customers across Kent, including the centres of Ashford, Canterbury and Maidstone.
In addition Mid Kent supplies over 22,000 businesses including offices, factories and agricultural/horticultural companies.
Waste water services are the responsibility of Southern Water and Thames Water, to which Mitsubishi also supplies.
In fact Mitsubishi supplies to all the major water companies in the UK, numbering among its biggest projects an island-wide system on the Isle of Man designed to cope with the fluctuations in demand of a tourist economy and the storm potential of a maritime climate. Request free introductory details about products from Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems ...
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