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Project Profile

Waste Water Treatment in New Caledonia

Industry: Manufacturing

Overview

Genesis II Digital Controllers have been installed in the sewerage treatment plants of the Goro Nickel Mine and Processing Plant in New Caledonia.

The system was installed by Authorised Distributor, Enviroflow, specialists in biological waste water treatment solutions.

Challenge

The primary function of the Innotech control system is to ensure the output of the plant is of re-usable quality and that stringent effluent discharge standards are met.

In light of the remoteness of the mine, the control system enables the plant to function without the attendance of a dedicated, full time operator.

Site Logistics

The Goro Nickel Mine spans an area in excess of 100 square kilometres, and is situated 90 kilometres from Noumea, the capital city of New Caledonia.

The plant contains five sewerage treatment plants situated in various locations throughout the mine's accommodation and administration blocks. These plants will cater for around 3,500 personnel during the construction phase of the mine.

When the accommodation and administration blocks are filled to capacity, the population of the mine will be the second largest in New Caledonia, second only to the capital city, Noumea.

Solution

The Enviroflow-designed system includes control and monitoring of biological, nitrification, denitrification and chemical phosphorous precipitation to meet Australian and European Environmental Protection Agency standards.
In order to meet these stringent release requirements, the treatment plants require a high degree of automation, and the Innotech control system was selected to facilitate this.

Five Genesis II Digital Controllers were installed, one in each stand-alone portion of the treatment plant. Each Innotech controller is connected to a common Modem Printer Interface (MPI) via an Innotech LAN. The MPI provides alarm annunciation via facsimile or SMS to mobile phone.

The MPI also provides external access to the control system via modem, using Innotech software. The site has a computer located adjacent to the MPI, providing local access.

This specialised configuration of the Innotech control system enables a specialist technician from Enviroflow to remotely control, monitor and diagnose these systems.

The system enables control and monitoring of elements such as flow data, pH, and chlorine dosing. It also enables Enviroflow to monitor and control field devices such as dissolved oxygen meters, nitrate analysers, conductivity meters and ozone generators.

Summary

"There are many control systems in today's market," stated Mike Davis, Technical and Project Manager for Enviroflow. "We have chosen Innotech controllers due to several factors - user-friendly programming, the level of very professional back up service provided by Innotech, and particularly the flexibility of Innotech's control systems, which has allowed us to tailor the configuration to our client's specific requirements."

Mr Davis commented that Innotech's ability to design control systems that allow "out of the box" versatility and programming has been of great benefit to Enviroflow. The company has used Innotech products in a number of applications in the wastewater industry, including sewerage treatment plants, sewerage pump stations, and large sand filters.

Key Functions
  • Control and monitoring of elements such as flow data, pH, and chlorine dosing.
  • Remote monitoring, via modem.
  • Alarm annunciation via fax or SMS.
  • Log and graph data from field devices, enabling accurate evaluations of plant performances.
  • Simulate conditions in a software environment, allowing programs to be written and tested for functionality prior to site commissioning, thereby eliminating construction delays and limiting man-hours on site.
  • Rapid modification and implementation of software - software can be modified and uploaded via modem, allowing plant function to be modified without requiring the attendance of on-site personnel.
  • Control and monitoring of field devices such as dissolved oxygen meters, nitrate analysers, conductivity meters and ozone generators.


For more information about this project or if Innotech can help you please contact us.

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