Today’s water utilities often rely on nonintegrated programmable logic controllers with limited functionality to automate smaller, stand-alone equipment or processes. Unfortunately, these can limit broad information sharing necessary for optimal operational efficiency. The modular Ovation OCC100 controller from Emerson cost-effectively manages the flow of information from various sources to ensure continuous, reliable operation.

The compact model OCC100 is a nonredundant controller with a small footprint designed for the water and wastewater industry. A suite of communication protocol software and wide-area networking technology reside in the controller, reducing complexity and giving small and midsized municipalities a cost-effective way to boost reliability and control geographically dispersed equipment.

“The real breakthrough is its ability to communicate using wide-area network technologies,” says Tom Snowdon, business development manager for Emerson. “You can use it to control widely distributed assets from a simple control location using multiple forms of wireless technology.”

It is well suited for applications where redundancy may not be needed. Examples include reservoir monitoring, gravity filtering, disinfection, tertiary treatment, and pump or booster station operation. Besides operating independently, the controller can be merged into a larger Ovation distributed control system, enhancing visibility into plantwide operations.

The model OCC100 can be paired with an Ovation playback recorder that automatically and continuously records operational data at the same resolution as the live control system. Like a digital video recorder, it has standard functions such as play, pause, fast forward and rewind. With the ability to visually step through logic sequences using process graphics and signal diagrams, users can view historical data through the lens of what the operator would have seen under actual plant conditions.

“You can have local control of processes in a water treatment plant while taking advantage of our programming power, all with a single plantwide control platform,” Snowdon says.

This holistic and repeatable view of plant events can be used to speed troubleshooting, enhance training and support decision-making. Plant personnel can review actions taken during an abnormal event, such as a chemical spill or wet-weather event, to identify best mitigation responses. They can then update operating procedures to better manage similar events in the future. The recorder lets them quickly diagnose problems, minimize equipment damage and reduce maintenance. 314-553-2000; www.emerson.com