Radio fills missing link in waste management
A
Radio Data Technology product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
May 25, 2005
An automated system for leachate processing combines PLCs at monitoring and control points communicating by radio with a Scada system at the treatment works.
Leachate is the liquid that collects in the impermeable membrane lining a landfill site as a result of rain percolating down through the buried waste material.
This water is polluted by the results of waste decomposition and must be treated before it can be discharged from the site.
Leachate treatment must be optimised to ensure efficient operation of the plant and that discharge consents are not breached.
The better the control over the "raw material" (the leachate), the easier it is to optimise the treatment process.
The strength of leachate from different cells in a site will depend on many factors including the content, its age and water ingress.
However the cells of a site are spread over a wide area that is hostile to conventional monitoring methods.
Cables break as waste settles and they are vulnerable to damage by the movement of heavy plant.
Manual data collection and control is slow, labour intensive and potentially hazardous.
These problems were faced by Vinod Mehroke, Operations Manager for Brett Waste Management at the company's site near Canterbury, and so he decided to use an automated system with PLCs at monitoring and control points around the site communicating by radio with a Scada system at the treatment works.
The layout of the site was not too "radio friendly".
The leachate treatment works is low at one side of the site and the required monitoring points could be anywhere on site, often at other low points behind substantial amounts of clay and waste.
To tackle this the radio unit at the treatment works communicates with a relay station placed on a high point located centrally on the main part of the site.
This provides reliable communications to all parts of the site (currently 12 points).
In a 30 second cycle time the system contacts every remote point gathering data and setting a pumping time for those pumps that are required to run.
Using the control system the operator can control the pumping flow from each of the pumps situated around the site.
The control system allows the operator to blend the various leachates into a balance tank for final processing.
The system has been operating around two years and has been expanded during that time.
Brett says that similar systems will be considered for future sites.
The automation system was designed and supplied by Phoenix Electrical Engineering and the radio equipment was supplied by Radio Data Technology (RDT) of Witham, Essex.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Radio Data Technology
Related Stories
- Cropico ohmmeter enhances unit resistance testing
- Megger supplies test equipment to training schools
- Silo-Weigh solves weighing problem at Castle Hill
- Zwick updates plastics testing machine
- SGS supervises office construction
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
