PLC control solution ensures reliable water supply in Ecuador

Engineering company SEB used an AMC 600 powered control solution to refurbish a pumping station and ensure a reliable water supply in rural Ecuador. The company got the support they needed – plus devices that can take the tropical heat.

Citizens of the Portoviejo and Chico valleys in Ecuador can take a shower or water their crops whenever they want thanks to the Severino pumping station. It covers their needs with water from the La Esperanza reservoir – and thanks to a new, robust control system, it will do so for years to come.

The pumping station is owned and operated by Empresa Pública del Agua (EPA-EP), Ecuador’s national water company. When EPA-EP asked engineering company SEB Energy Group to replace the control system at the pumping station, SEB knew they had to select controllers that would keep working despite the high temperatures and humidity levels in tropical Ecuador. According to Commercial Operations Coordinator Juan Carlos Fuertes Otoya of SEB, it wasn’t a difficult decision.

“We knew that DEIF was the ideal partner to provide controllers that are up to the task,” he says.

Engineering partner with can-do attitude

Headquartered in Ecuador, SEB provides engineering services to clients in a wide range of sectors, from the oil and gas industry to power generation, and in several South American countries. SEB specialises in modernisation of thermal power plants, optimisation of transfer and storage systems, construction and start-up of control and instrumentation projects, and much more.

The company prides itself on its ability to go the extra mile: If something doesn’t exist, SEB will create it – and that can-do attitude is sorely needed in the Ecuadorian water sector: According to the UN, only two thirds of Ecuador’s population have access to safe drinking water, and most of those that do live in cities. Rural areas are experiencing water shortages or contaminated supplies.

Facilities like the Severino pumping station, which was inaugurated in 2001, are slowly improving this situation. After more than 20 years of operation, however, the tough operating conditions had taken their toll on the station’s control system.

Overcoming a huge challenge together

SEB’s can-do approach served the company well on the successful but challenging project.

“Carrying out a control project from scratch, using equipment that the client had already installed more than 20 years ago, was a huge challenge that we were able to overcome with the help of DEIF,” says Juan Carlos Fuertes Otoya. “We designed an accessible SCADA where the operator can view not only motor data, but also the signals from the protection relays; analogue signals that were never added to the previous SCADA.”

DEIF provided support throughout the project, from sizing the necessary control to be used with the end client, dismantling the previous control, and assembling the new control system. This included making analogue and digital signal connections and setting up communication via optical fibre and Ethernet to the pump group that is located approximately 300 metres from the control room.

“DEIF was at our side”

EPA-EP now have a control solution that provides reliable and efficient pumping station control, and the residents of the Portoviejo and Chico valleys have a reliable drinking water supply. Juan Carlos Fuertes Otoya is very satisfied with the performance of DEIF throughout the project.

“We were already familiar with the DEIF brand, we knew the scope of the success stories they have had and, above all, their applications,” he says. “Throughout the project execution process, DEIF was at our side, giving talks on control, the easy communication with equipment of other brands, and the design of screens. They even helped us with practical cases to understand the correct operation of the controllers. We had three days of talks, and with that I was able to fully control the plant and finish our project within the established deadline.”

Branching out into other industries

Juan Carlos Fuertes Otoya’s top three reasons for selecting DEIF were device resistance to challenging environments; easy communication and interpretation of control; and the free utility software – and he adds that the overall experience was so satisfying that SEB is considering working with DEIF again on future control projects in water utility applications and in SEB’s core markets.

“It was a very good experience,” he concludes. “We are currently looking for new opportunities to enter the industry with DEIF, not only in water plants, but also in generation and oil plants which is our main line of business. We want to continue having good results with DEIF.”