Building automation

Solar water system transmits flow data to cloud

Overview 

In order to solve the water supply problem for farmers and livestock in remote mountainous areas, the Kunming Water Bureau needed a reliable, low-maintenance pumping system that could not only accurately measure water volume, but also be powered by solar energy and transmit data to the cloud via cellular networks for continuous data collection and storage.

Challenge 

The Kunming Municipal Water Affairs Bureau is responsible for maintaining multiple water sources and reservoirs in Kunming and surrounding areas. Especially in remote mountainous areas, the water supply system for farmers and livestock not only needs to ensure the stability of water quality and quantity, but also needs a solution that can be remotely monitored and managed. These areas often lack grid coverage, making solar power the only viable option.

Solution 

As a professional water solutions provider, Yunnan Shuike Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. collaborated with the Kunming Municipal Water Affairs Bureau to design a solar water supply system integrating the In-Situ HydroMace XCI system with a low-power magnetometer. This system can not only be powered by solar energy, but also transmit flow data to the cloud in real time through the cellular network, allowing the Water Bureau to conduct remote monitoring and data analysis. Mr. Wang, project manager of Yunnan Shuike Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., said: "The combination of the HydroMace XCI system and a low-power magnetometer is one of the most reliable solutions we have ever seen. It is easy to install, has stable data collection, and has low maintenance costs. It fully meets our special needs for implementing projects in remote mountainous areas."

Result 

Yunnan Shuike Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. successfully installed this solar water supply system. All data of the system can be transmitted to the cloud in real time. The built-in battery can power the device for a week without sunlight, and the entire system has no moving parts that are easily blocked, ensuring long-term stable operation of the system. This allows the Kunming Water Bureau to manage and optimize water distribution more efficiently, while also improving the quality of life of farmers in remote areas. "Through this system, we can accurately monitor and manage water resources to ensure that every drop of water can be effectively used," said Ms. Zhang, a technical expert from the Kunming Municipal Water Affairs Bureau. "This is of great significance for promoting sustainable development and protecting the environment." This innovative solar water supply system not only solves the water supply problem in remote mountainous areas of Kunming, but also provides successful experience for other similar areas to learn from.

Geographical background

Kunming, located in the center of Yunnan Province, is known as the "Spring City" and is known for its warm climate and abundant water resources. There are many mountains and rivers surrounding the city, making it an ideal area for agricultural and livestock development. However, infrastructure construction in remote mountainous areas is relatively backward, and solar water supply systems bring new hope to these areas.

Doppler open channel flow meter are used to accurately measure water flow in large irrigation district water channels.

In Chengdu, a city in southwestern China, a region whose main water needs are agricultural irrigation and faced with the same problems with mechanical meters, the Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau found an affordable and reliable solution using AgriFlo XCi meters and Doppler insertion speed sensors. The challenge begins at the birthplace of Dujiangyan, the 120-kilometer-long Jinjiang River that transports water from the Minjiang River to farmland in the Chengdu Plain. The Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau monitors dozens of turnoffs to ensure irrigation water reaches its destination unimpeded and that channel operators have the information they need to predict demand throughout the growing season. Solution The Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau sought a suitable alternative to monitor water flow in underground pipes ranging from 30 cm to 1 meter in diameter. They chose AgriFlo XCi meters and Doppler insertion speed sensors. This sensor uses continuous wave, advanced spectral Doppler technology to "see" the velocity across the entire cross-section of the pipe and calculate the true average flow rate. Currently, the Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau has installed approximately 15 AgriFlo Series 3 meters in key locations, with approximately half of them monitoring three sensors from a single control box. At two important irrigation control points, the Water Conservancy Bureau added telemetry interface cards with Modbus output to integrate with the SCADA system within the region. The PLC regularly queries the instrument data and sends it to the SCADA system, which is monitored in real time by experts from the Water Supply Bureau. "These locations are the intersection points between the main canal and other irrigation canals and are crucial to the operation of the irrigation system," said Mr. Li, a technical expert at the Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau. "Now, we can view accurate data at these critical points in real time, which is very helpful for our work." Results Since the first installation of the AgriFlo unit, the Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau has not only upgraded to the latest In-Situ MACE technology, but also achieved robust performance of the system. Mr. Li pointed out: "Although the process of installing sensors underground is more complicated, it reduces the reliance on traditional propeller flow meters, which require frequent on-site maintenance. The new system requires almost no maintenance while providing the high-precision measurements we need." As Sichuan Province's requirements for water resources management continue to increase, the Chengdu Water Conservancy Bureau not only meets these standards, but also becomes a benchmark for the province and even the country. Mr. Li concluded: "Accurately measuring and managing water resources is a long-term and important task for our city, which relies on agricultural development."

Mass flow controller for pump control to optimize detergent color

Using Pumps to Control Dosing of Undiluted Dye Major home furnishing companies around the world use liquid colorants (dyes) to add color to their detergents, laundry care and cleaning products. Colorants are highly concentrated and usually only a small amount is needed to provide the appropriate color to the (Z) final product. (Z) Two important requirements are: Repeatability: (Z) Color consistency of the final product is very important, just like every perfume bottle must be the same color. Therefore, color quantification must always be highly consistent. Accuracy: Accurate dosing of colorants is highly desirable since colorants are generally not cheap

How to properly dose liquid colorants?

The first solution that comes to mind is to use a pump to dose the colorant. However, this is not a very accurate dosing method, at least not for this application.

Combining a pump with a Coriolis mass flow controller can help you control the pump for better dosing.

How does pump control work? The flow produced by the pump is a volumetric flow, and all characteristics change accordingly. The accuracy is affected by the physical properties of the fluid and is related to temperature and pressure. Additionally, most pumps cannot handle fluctuating back pressure, as this creates slippage, instability, and high deviations in flow. A way to improve accuracy is to measure the flow of the pump through a Coriolis mass flow meter, as these meters measure true mass flow (e.g. kg/h, g/h, etc.). The meter's output is typically connected to a PID controller, which corrects the pump's rotational frequency (RPM). The disadvantage of this method is that the pump flow is unstable, making it necessary to filter the Coriolis output signal, resulting in a slow output signal. Because this signal is also used as a control signal, response and control are slowed down.

Pump control using Coriolis mass flow controllers

To avoid this, you can use a Coriolis mass flow meter with an integrated PID controller with an independent control signal that controls the pump speed.

Because this control signal is different from the output signal and is not interfered by filters, the flow meter and pump combination can achieve unparalleled control speed and stability. If there is a change in back pressure, the pump is immediately adjusted to run faster or slower, allowing for immediate flow correction to maintain the required accuracy.

This flow measurement method is independent of fluid properties, so changes in fluid flow do not require recalibration or the use of conversion factors.

small flow pump control

In the case of liquid colorant dosing, the (ultra)low-flow Coriolis mass flow controller brings great convenience in dosing undiluted dye. There is no need to mix dye with water to create a large enough flow. Undiluted dye is not only more concentrated and therefore of higher quality than water mixtures, it also saves water and prevents algae growth in the equipment.

Measurement and control of cooling water distribution systems

In cooling applications for RF and semiconductor components, special water-based coolants flow from the cooler to various circuits. 

These coolants are expensive and need to be precisely measured and controlled in order to operate around the clock.

During continuous operation, the circulating coolant characteristics (pH and conductivity) change and therefore need to be treated at the main treatment plant to maintain pH and TDS so that expensive cooling water can be recirculated.  

The challenge was to efficiently distribute the coolant, at a pressure of 16 bar, from the main chiller to the combination of supply and return lines at the required flow rate. 

 To achieve high-precision control, the system will be designed and manufactured from grade 316 stainless steel and equipped with local and remote display process instrumentation for temperature, pressure and flow.

In order for remote SCADA to perform high-precision control, all process instruments must be installed on each branch with remote transmission output. Pressure loss, space limitations and zero leakage complexity of the system are other limiting factors.

Solution

Dowesotn's many full-process instruments meet all customer requirements because of their advantages such as high precision, compact design, local LED indication, flexible installation, and nominal pressure loss.

 Doweston ultrasonic flow meters are selected for use on lines of different sizes. This flow meter has high measurement accuracy, uses clamp coupling, uses both manual preset valve and ball valve, and is small in size. It can be installed in any direction to achieve fine control and quick and easy maintenance.

The Doweston temperature transmitter, without a food and clothing sleeve, is directly installed in each pipeline loop at a very small depth to monitor and retransmit the actual value records to a distant place.
Doweston pressure transmitters measure the accurate pressure of the cooling pipeline and meet the requirements for high-precision measurement.