James Island, South Carolina

Replace Your HMI Software, Keep Your Hardware

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In early 2006, the James Island Public Service District, South Carolina was searching for a new SCADA HMI to monitor their– wastewater lift station network. After years of reliable performance from their existing DOS-based interface, the need for new computer hardware was becoming a critical issue. The District's existing telemetry devices were in good working order, yet the proprietary driver required to communicate with these devices was not available from any commercially available HMI. Replacing the telemetry devices would be a very expensive and time-consuming project.

A more feasible solution was found in Trihedral Engineering and its VTScad HMI software. VTScada's extensive library of device drivers and telemetry toolset, paired with Trihedral's 20 years in the telemetry business, ensured a reliable and flexible solution. Working with District management and Zetron support, Trihedral's engineers developed a plan whereby all 60+ existing Zetron 1708 and 1716 telemetry devices would remain unchanged. These units would continue to communicate with the existing Zetron 1700 base station via Zetron's proprietary protocol, allowing the system to retain its report-by exception capabilities. The base station would be converted to an industry standard protocol and the existing HMI interface replaced within a week, without significant interruption of service.

The short timeline was accomplished by using a powerful VTScada feature that defines reusable objects for telemetry devices with similar I/O configurations.  An instance of the object can then be created to represent each identical  device, resulting in quicker application development. The District's system offered a perfect example of such a system.

System features include VTScada's integrated Alarm Dialer functionality and remote connectivity via the VTScada Internet Server. After-hours alarms are automatically disseminated via text-to-speech phone calls and pagers.

Highlights

• Convert to industry standard protocol
• Integrated VTCada Alarm Dialer
• Remote access via VTSada Internet Server
• Automated display creation
• Zetron RTU’s (1700, 1708, 1716)

Communications-status information and 'loss of communications' alarms allow District management to monitor system health, while Report Generation and Historical Data Trending tools provide methods for data analysis. Additionally, by opting for a VTScada Full Development license, District personnel can use simple drag and drop tools to develop new HMI displays and add new remote telemetry units as the utility's infrastructure expands.

Onsite installation went smoothly. VTScada's Windows-based architecture and its efficient use of computer resources allowed the application to be installed on a cost-effective Dell workstation, rather than a server-grade computer. The Zetron 1700 protocol conversion was completed without incident and the VTScada installation required minimal tuning. On-site installation and testing was completed in only three days by ITT Flowtronex (an ITT Corporation Company), a local VTScada integrator based in the Carolinas.