Case

Client: A Municipal Water Management Center in Eastern China (anonymous per client request)

Industry: Municipal Water/Public Utility

Project Timeline: Q4 2024

The Challenge: Outdated System, Excessive Energy Consumption, Manual Maintenance

A critical water supply pump station operated by the client was running on a control system over 15 years old, relying on traditional relay logic and obsolete PLCs, leading to:

• Low Automation Level: Pump start/stop and water level monitoring heavily depended on manual, on-site operation, resulting in slow response times and incomplete data records.
• Significant Energy Waste: Pumps operated at constant speed (line frequency), unable to adjust based on actual water pressure demand, leading to estimated energy waste of 30%-40%.
• Frequent Failures & Difficult Diagnostics: Aging relay contacts caused high failure rates. Troubleshooting was extremely difficult when faults occurred, with an average repair time exceeding 8 hours, posing a threat to urban water supply security.
• No Remote Monitoring Capability: Maintenance staff required 24/7 shift rotations, resulting in high labor costs and an inability to implement predictive maintenance.

Xiamen Shun Ding Rui Solution: Integrated Energy-Saving Retrofit Based on Siemens Intelligent Drives and Proprietary Integration

Our engineering team conducted an in-depth on-site assessment and proposed a retrofit solution centered on “Intelligent Operation, Energy Efficiency, and Unmanned Management.”

1. Smart Control Core Upgrade:
   • A Siemens S7-1200 series PLC was installed as the new control brain, providing stability and reliability while allowing for future expansion.
   • A Siemens Comfort Panel HMI was configured with an intuitive interface for pump group monitoring and operation, enabling full station visualization.
2. Core Energy-Saving Drive System:
   • Key main pumps were equipped with Siemens G120 series frequency converters, establishing a closed-loop pressure control system. This system monitors pipeline pressure in real-time and automatically adjusts pump speed to achieve “demand-based water supply.”
3. High-Compatibility System Integration:
   • We utilized our “Shun Ding Rui Pro” series analog input modules and digital output modules to seamlessly integrate existing field instruments and devices such as pressure transmitters, level sensors, and valves. This maximized the use of the client’s existing assets, significantly reducing retrofit costs.
4. Empowering Remote O&M:
   • An industrial gateway was integrated to transmit pump station data to the water center’s cloud platform, enabling real-time remote monitoring and fault alerts via mobile APP and PC.

Quantifiable Results & Value Delivered

Post-retrofit, the water supply pump station was revitalized, achieving a new level of safety, efficiency, and energy savings:

• Significant Energy Reduction & Cost Savings: Through variable frequency speed control, the pump station’s average energy consumption decreased by 35%, projected to save the water center over RMB 500,000 annually in electricity costs.
• Greatly Enhanced Operational Reliability: The automated system replaced manual operation, reducing failure rates by 90%. Unplanned downtime due to control system issues was virtually eliminated.
• Revolutionary Improvement in O&M Efficiency: Achieved “unmanned operation,” allowing maintenance personnel to remotely manage multiple pump stations, reducing labor costs by 60%, and cutting fault diagnosis and repair time to under 1 hour.
• Water Supply Safety & Decision Support: Ensured constant pressure water supply, improving service for residents. Comprehensive operational data provided a scientific basis for predictive maintenance and pipeline network optimization.

Client Testimonial:

“Shun Ding Rui’s solution exceeded our expectations. They are not only proficient with premium products like Siemens but also understand how to use their cost-effective compatible modules to save budget for public utilities like ours. This retrofit not only saves substantial electricity costs but, more importantly, elevates our water supply security to a new level. Their professionalism and sense of responsibility give us great confidence.”

— Director Zhang, Dispatch and Operation Department, The Water Center