IOWater - International News

50 The News N° 29 - February 2019 Europe - France Following a bibliographic technical study car- ried out by IOWater in 2017 on the impact of pump defects and wear on the machine’s mechanical and electrical variables, Schneider Electric was keen to pursue its investigations by setting up tests in real conditions. The training infrastructure at the National Training Centre for Water Professions (CNFME) offers multiple potential uses and representations of real-life situations (net- works, pumping systems, etc.), making it ideal for carrying out this kind of test. IOWater was therefore naturally well placed to pursue its support for Schneider Electric in this second, more practical, phase. IOWater’s installations were then adapted to simulate pumping defects (in particular cav- itation). An Altivar Process frequency drive provided by Schneider Electric assures control of the WKL pump cycle. A diaphragm valve placed at the point of aspi- ration enables generation of different levels of cavitation at the entrance to the pump, while a tap lets in air. The pressures upstream and downstream from the pump and the flow in the network are recovered using sensors to observe the evolution of operating points depending on the defects generated. A supervision and acquisition system has been developed to collect digital information from the drive and sensors and the pressure and intensity signals upstream from the appa- ratus, with an acquisition frequency capable of reaching 250,000 measurements a second. The test results are compiled thanks to this software. Schneider Electric analyses them according to three functioning levels: electri- cal, mechanical and hydraulic. The conclusions should lead to improved understanding of the impact of cavitation on pumping systems, and ultimately the deve­ lopment of new detection methods based on analysis of data that will be measured or estimated by the speed drive. 4 IOWater’s pumping pilot learning platform used for the tests In July 2018, IOWater carried out a functional diagnosis of online measurements from the industrial waste treatment unit at the Orly Sud Air France Industries site. At the control point of the final discharge, the three measurements concerned were pH, conductivity and temperature. The objectives of this support were to control the aptitude of the measuring instruments, evaluate the accuracy of these measure- ments, and test the reactions of instruments (thresholds and/or limits exceeded with LEDs lighting up on the transmitters). Moreover, some parameters, especially pH and temperature, are subject to discharge thresholds at the end of treatment. The transmission of information, analogue loops, and sampling and verification practices were thus controlled and subject to recom- mendations. To perfect the diagnosis, a documentary review (operating modes, description of measurement points, process measurement flowchart, calibration/verification sheets, fre- quency of maintenance operations, cleaning and calibration) was supplemented by phy­ sical controls of the measuring instruments (pH, conductivity, temperature). 4 Air France Industries Instrumental diagnosis Schneider Electric IOWater’s learning platforms boost R&D at Schneider Electric Control of the output analogue current (4-20 mA) on a conductometer BETTER WATER MANAGEMENT IN INDUSTRY