October 2020

48 n WATER INDUSTRY October 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com Remote access solves Covid-19 pump commissioning conundrum F or water users that urgently need extra pumping capacity, Suez Water Technologies & Solutions offers skid-mounted booster pumps that can be delivered to site and put into service quickly. The pumps can be used individually or, if a larger capacity is needed, two or more pumps can be used in combination. When multiple pumps are used, they are typically arranged for cascade operation, with individual pumps turned on (staged) and turned off (de-staged) automatically to meet flow or pressure requirements. The speed of the pumps is also adjusted automatically to provide continuous control over the output. For one recent project, Suez needed 12 variable-speed AC drives to control skid- mounted pumps. It chose 30kW IP20- protected 30kW VLT Aqua Drives from Danfoss, fitted in stainless-steel enclosures. These drives support cascade operation, but need extra hardware and connections between them to implement it. Suez wanted a simpler alternative that would, in particular, eliminate the need for the additional connections between the drives. This was important because the booster pumps are supplied in a “plug-and-play” configuration that minimises on-site configuration and set-up. With this in mind, engineers at Danfoss developed new firmware for the drives that supports cascade operation over Modbus – the communications technology that Suez uses to control its installations. With the new firmware, no extra connections are needed between the drives, simplifying on-site installation and reducing the risk of errors. In addition, this approach provides full cascade control without needing any extra hardware, cutting costs and complexity. “The new firmware did exactly what we wanted,” reports Suez project engineer, Sam Hemmings. “But now we faced another challenge. As this was the first time this solution had been used, we wanted support from Danfoss to help us commission the drives. This was not only to evaluate the new arrangement for cascade operation, but also to ensure that the drives were optimally configured for performance and economy. Normally this would not have been a problem, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the Danfoss engineers couldn’t travel to our factory.” Working together, engineers from Suez and Danfoss therefore devised a solution based on TeamViewer, a proprietary software package that allows remote access to computers using fast, secure comms technologies. With the aid of this package and the freely downloadable Danfoss MyDrive software toolkit and MCT10 programming software, the Danfoss engineers were able to sit at their desks and view the desktop of a computer connected to the drives in the Suez factory as if they were working locally. The engineers at the two companies also talked to one another by phone while they were configuring and commissioning the drives. “This remote access arrangement worked very well,” Hemmings reports. “Drive set-up and commissioning went smoothly, and the work was completed on schedule. This was certainly a very effective solution to a rather unusual problem! “We were able to develop a parameter set that will work no matter how many pumps are used in combination,” he adds. “This means that the we don’t have to tailor the drive parameters to suit individual applications, so our pump skids are always ready for immediate despatch, which is a big benefit for us.” n A recent project needed 12 VSDs to control skid-mounted booster pumps. The project posed two challenges: how to operate the pumps in a cascade mode; and how to commission the VSDs when Covid-19 made it impossible for drives engineers to make site visits. Using remote access software, Danfoss engineers were able to commission the drives for the skid-mounted booster pumps remotely from their desks