The show started off in its usual fashion – introductions, leads, demos and apparently for New Orleans little sleep and a lot of people talking about the fun they had the night before.  This year’s WEFTEC was easily surpassed previous years, with over 17,500 people attending and 984 exhibitors.  The exhibit hall itself was nearly a mile long end to end.

There was a lot of chatter this year about energy efficiency, sustainability and the wastewater infrastructure. A big ticket issue was the EPA’s new Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy. This of course ties right into our philosophy – save operating and energy cost, work towards a sustainable water infrastructure and become greener through conscientiously managing your pump stations more efficiently.

Overall the show was amazing, we had great booth traffic, awesome help from Brendan’s reps – Coastal and Odessa Pumps, Hydra Service, Automatic Engineering Inc., Pete Duty and Associates, Instrument and Supply, and Nedrow and Associates. And of course our very own MultiTrode crew, Sandy in particular who did a great job organizing and coordinating WEFTEC 2010.  We are looking forward to taking on The City of Angels at WEFTEC 2011!

MultiSmart has the capability of calculating efficiency based on 3 measured variables:

1. Supply Voltage
2. Current
3. Flow

Knowing these 3 variables enables the Operator to calculate gallons per kilowatt Hr (gal/kWhr).

MultiSmart Firmware Version 2.3.0 includes a groundbreaking advancement, Alternation by Efficiency, the ingenious derivative of MultiSmart’s gal/kWhr ability!

In order to save energy costs, this mode is especially useful where an old pump, scheduled for replacement, is coupled with a new pump.

The Old Way:

Create an N to 1 ratio based on the most efficient pump, allowing the most efficient pump to run N (N is user adjustable) times more than the least efficient pump.

The Problem:

1. Although pump efficiencies begin to equalize, the alternation mode is continues to favor one pump over the other because N to 1 is an absolute comparison.
2. When implemented, some stations experience a high number of starts per day on the most efficient pump which adversely affects the efficiency of new pumps.
3. Not all systems are set up the same. Therefore, there’s a need for indication of the currently active alternation scheme.

MultiTrode’s Solution:

MultiTrode is committed to R&D, continually working on product improvement and new product developments, responding to ideas and feedback from customers.

Our team of highly qualified R&D engineers set their sights on addressing these shortcomings, focused on making O&M jobs easier and elating our Customers.  There is we did:

1. MultiTrode created an Efficiency Deadband (%). This allows for a standard alternation scheme to occur whenever the efficiency of the pumps fall into the Efficiency Deadband. If the difference in efficiency exceeds the Efficiency Deadband, the station will resume the N to 1 ratio favoring the most efficient pump.
2. MultiTrode recommends setting the Station Optimization feature of Max Starts per Hour on each pump.
3. For ease of reference, a database tag was created to indicate when the regular alternation scheme is active in the Pump Alternation Efficiency Mode.

Written By:
Jimmy Hidalgo
MultiTrode Applications Engineer
May 14, 2010

MultiTrode’s commitment to R&D is evidenced by the MultiSmart Firmware 2.3.0 Release. This groundbreaking advancement includes numerous technological achievements including data logger enhancements to ensure make accessibility even easier and capabilities even better.

Noteworthy Data Logger Improvements include:

• Crisis Logging – When a configurable Crisis event occurs, values of configured tags are saved to a log file for a User-programmed set of time before and after the crisis. This is an excellent troubleshooting tool. For example, if you receive a Motor Overtemp Fault, you can log the motor currents for 30 seconds before and after the fault.
• Interval Logging – Specific log entries can be stored at periodic intervals. Additionally, these can be configured to trigger a DNP event. This is excellent Trend Analysis tool useful SCADA software, Excel or any trending software.
• Configuration Logs – Any configuration changes are saved to the Configuration Log. If security is enabled, then the username is recorded along with the change. For security-conscious organizations, this is an indispensable security tool.
• Field Comments Logging – This novel features allows you to add Comments to the History Log easily and quickly. For example, configuration changes can be accompanied by a quick note of explanation.
• Enhanced CF Card Options – Save logs to a compact flash card including:
• Configuration Logs
• Device Information Logs (including IP Address, Serial Number, Enable Code, Hardware Version, Firmware Version, DSP Version, etc.)
• Interval Logs
• System Logs
• History Logs

With such valuable information at your finger tips, determining why a specific event occurred will be as simply as reading a log… Perhaps someone changed the configuration: You can see exactly who changed what. Was there a reason for the change? Did they write a Comment? Don’t have time to deal with this now? Just save all the logs to the CF card and look at them later from the comfort of your office.

What could be easier -

Written By:
Jimmy Hidalgo
MultiTrode Applications Engineer
May 11, 2010

Simply:

• Download the firmware to your computer and unzip the file.
• Look for the file named update.img.
• Use a flash card reader/writer to copy the file to the flash card. (You can purchase a USB compact flash reader/writer from MultiTrode or other sources.)
• Insert the compact flash card into the MultiSmart unit and restart (press Settings->More->More->Restart).
• The unit will use the upgrade image to save the latest firmware automatically
• Press the yellow “Save CF Data” button on your MultiSmart unit before ejecting the CF card. Failure to do so may result in data corruption and/or damage to the CF card.
• We recommend that you erase the update.img file from the CF card after upgrading all units that you need to upgrade. 

When you get to the Newsletter Signup section, don’t forget to select the box reading “Please give me access to the free MultiSmart firmware upgrades and release information.”

Your request will be processed within 24 hours.

If you already have a user account, and are logged in, you will see “Edit my account details” at the top right of the web page. Click on this, and check the box which reading “Please give me access to the free MultiSmart firmware upgrades & release information.”

 Complete the other details requested and click the Submit button. Your request will be processed within 24 hours.

World Leader
MultiTrode is a world leader in control systems with satisfied customers in thirty-five countries worldwide.

15% of Revenue Committed to Research & Development
MultiTrode continues to develop technically advanced products and systems. Our team of highly qualified Research & Development engineers designs and develops products that are focused on making the job easier for operations staff and municipal management in water and wastewater organizations throughout the world.

MultiTrode is continually working on product improvement and new product developments, responding to ideas and feedback from customers.

Worldwide Service and Support
We provide service and support to our customers wherever they are located, either directly or via our network of Channel Partners.

Case on Point
The MultiSmart range of products is the result of a $5M development project and over 20 years of experience in control and monitoring technology for water and wastewater Pump Stations.

The MultiSmart Pump Station Manager incorporates an advanced lift station controller, a flexible and open RTU, a PLC, voltage, energy and current monitoring and other control panel components – all in one unit. Its intuitive interface for operators and engineers means no programming is required. Instead, station performance is adjusted by turning on features and changing parameters. 

VFD’s are quite useful to the water and wastewater industries because they can be used with the pumps, conveyors and drives involved in pumping and aeration applications. For instance, pumping uses excessive energy and cause significant wear-and-tear on equipment. Use of VFD drives enables pumps to accommodate fluctuating demand, running pumps at lower speeds and drawing less energy while meeting demand.

MultiTrode has developed an innovative VFD algorithm which makes it very easy to setup a VFD station. The standard application uses one 4-20mA control loop through each drive. The MultiSmart Pump Station Manager algorithm then provides a smooth power curve as levels are increased and decreased regardless of how many pumps come online.

For example, the lead (duty) pump starts at 50%, and at the level where it is running at 100% the lag (standby) pump starts. A lot of applications would start the lag pump at 50% and keep the lead pump at 100%. What the MultiSmart VFD algorithm does is start the lag pump and bring the speed of both to 75%. (And note that all of these parameters like start speed and level for 100% speed are user adjustable)

Therefore, multiple pumps will always be running at the same speed, and the speed will be adjusted depending on how many pumps are running.

Setup of this module is simple, with only the following values needing to be setup for each pump:

• Start speed, %
• Level at 100% speed

Some additional features help to optimize the station:

• Manual (hand) speed (to ensure that pumps run at full speed for manual/hand mode)
• Fixed speed value and duration if required, e.g. to clear pipes by running pumps at 100% for 10 seconds initially

Texas Water 2010
American Bank Center
1901 N. Shoreline Boulevard
Corpus Christi, TX  78403
4/13/2010 – 4/16/2010
Booth #818

Design-Build for Water and Wastewater
Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center
1501 Gaylord Trail
Grapevine, TX  76051
4/19/2010 – 4/23/2010
Booth #208

APWA /OWEA Show
Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center
6808 S. 107th East Avenue
Tulsa, OK
4/19/2010 – 4/21/2010
Attending with Automatic Engineering

79th Annual Conference, Short School, and Expo
Hot Springs Convention Center
400 Convention Boulevard
Hot Springs, AR 71901
4/30/2010 – 5/5/2010
Attending with ISI

Please stop by our booths. There you can find out more about MultiTrode Products.

Featuring:

• MultiSmart – The world’s first Pump Station Manager
• The Probe – The most reliable and cost effective liquid level sensor
• SafeSmart Backup Controllers – A complete backup solution

Current class offerings include:

• Latest Advances in Pump Station Management
• Introduction to the MultiSmart: the World’s 1st Pump Station Manager
• Introduction to Backup Controllers for Lift Stations
• Customized classes also available

Hurry – Space is filling fast!

To take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity, contact Sandy Santiago at 561-994-8090 or sandys@multitrode.com.

After making your reservation, you will receive an email Webinar Invitation with simply to follow instructions. Then sit back in the comfort of your own office while the MultiTrode Team entertain you with tales of technological advancements and features that will make every day in the field seem like a walk in the park!

The design life of most equipment requires periodic maintenance: adjustments, alignments, lubrication, rotating, parts replacement, etc. Every time we fail to perform routine maintenance, we shorten the equipment’s design life.

Maintenance Approaches

Reactive Maintenance

Defined – Run it until you break it! No effort is made to maintain equipment; manufacturer recommendations are ignored. Also called “Crisis Maintenance” or “Hysterical Maintenance”.

Pros - No manpower hours are expended. No maintenance costs are incurred.

Cons – You may think you’re saving money, but you’re not.  Shortening the equipment’s design life may result in higher replacement costs. You may have an additional expense if you’ve worn down your secondary/backup equipment. Then, there is the element of chance – there is no guarantee that a critical piece of equipment will not fail during peak demand, or during weekend/holiday time.

Preventive Maintenance

Defined - Actions performed on a set schedule that detects, precludes or mitigates degradation of a component or system with the aim of sustaining or extending its design life. Also known as Condition Based Monitoring.

Pros – Although it is not the optimum maintenance program, it is a vast improvement over Reactive Maintenance. Performing manufacturer recommended preventative maintenance will maximize the equipment’s design life. Money will be saved by ensuring the equipment runs as efficiently as possible.

Cons - Risk is increased by human error during the performance of maintenance. You may find yourself conducting unneeded (but scheduled) maintenance. Although the risk of failure is reduced, it will not be eliminated.

Predictive Maintenance

Defined – Actions that detect the onset of failure, thereby allowing causal stressors to be eliminated or controlled prior to deterioration of the equipment. Predictive Maintenance differs from Preventive Maintenance by basing maintenance on need rather than a preset schedule.

Pros – A well-organized Predictive Maintenance program will all but eliminate catastrophic failures. The ability to plan ahead will facilitate inventory/part ordering and avoid overtime cost. Equipment operation can be optimized, energy costs can be reduced and system reliability increased.

Cons – Requires staff training and investment in technology.

MultiTrode Can Help

At MultiTrode, we believe Predictive Maintenance guarantees the best results. Predictive Maintenance, also known as Condition Based Monitoring, is the ideal maintenance strategy because it identifies when assets need to be replaced – allowing the utility to plan cost-effective maintenance.

To ensure that the hydraulic and electrical state of the pump and motor can be clearly monitored, the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager measures the following:

• Flow rates per pump, total volume per pump
• Energy used per pump
• Pup efficiency in gals/kWhr or liters/kWhr
• Insulation resistance per pump
• Supply voltage (all 3-phases)
• Current monitoring (all 3-phases)
• Detailed fault analysis for each pump

For a free MultiSmart demo, email UsSales@multitrode.com.

Learn more about the innovative Level Sensing Probe and intuitive MultiSmart Pump Station Manager at www.multitrode.com.