PCS Maintenance and Repair, with IT Support

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Arlington, VA

The CWD team has been privileged to provide PCS Maintenance, repair, and IT services at the Arlington County Water Pollution Control Plant (ACWPCP), working under OMNI Engineering, Inc. since 2011.  As part of the County’s $568M ENR upgrade and expansion delivered under the 2001 Master Plan Update program, a complete process control system (PCS) was installed to meet the needs of the wastewater treatment plant which was expanded to a capacity of 40 MGD.  This contract was for PCS services to assist the County in maintaining and repairing PCS components to ensure a reliable working PCS.  The project also involved support of the IT, data management and computer peripheral systems, as well as optimization of some parts of the system.

Chris DiDio and Alan Rogers led the PCS maintenance effort by monitoring PCS activities and managing troubleshooting and enhancement efforts. Along with our other technical support staff, we worked closely with County staff to identify and vet potential system improvements to hardware, software and associated systems. Our services on this project are described in further detail below.

PCS Committee Meetings

  • Coordinated and facilitated weekly PCS Committee meetings involving County Operations and Maintenance managers, which guided our work on this project
  • Fostered communication among PCS Committee members to gain input on critical controls issues and initiatives
  • Kept PCS Committee members informed of progress on key controls tasks
  • Documented PCS Committee activities and decisions in weekly meeting minutes.

PCS Maintenance and Support Services

  • Monitored PCS product and technology life cycles and worked with County staff to develop migration schedules for hardware and software replacements, modifications, upgrades, and repairs
  • Evaluated process control strategies for optimization opportunities
  • PCS Data Server and HMI Server Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  • PLC Programming of logic improvements, modifications and troubleshooting
  • RPS (Remote Lift Station interface) communications monitoring & troubleshooting
  • Foundation Fieldbus and Modbus Network Support and Troubleshooting
  • Provided programming, software and hardware maintenance and support for the WIN 911 Alarming, ASG security system, MP2 maintenance management system, Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), Expedition/ Primavera, and Management of Change (MOC) document management systems
  • Variable Frequency Drive Support and Troubleshooting

IT Related Support Services

  • VMWare System Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  • SQL Database and Data Management Support
  • Support for related systems such as Sharepoint, County Ethernet Network monitoring, Fiber management, PC/Login, and Network Monitoring, Security and Fire Alarm systems
  • Provided support for WPCP servers and internal website, including safety, information communication, process
  • Interfaced with the Arlington County Dept of Tech Services (DTS) for general DTS and LAN support

Coordination and Assistance with Major PCS Hardware/ Software Upgrades

In 2014, we assisted the County in coordinating and implementing a significant PCS hardware and software upgrade to address issues related to obsolete parts and software version compatibilities.  Key features of this upgrade were as follows:

  • Upgraded DCU hardware/firmware to support RSLogix5000 upgrade from V. 16 to V. 20
  • Upgraded obsolete SRM (controller redundancy modules) to RM modules
  • Ethernet and ControlNet communication modules were upgraded to EN2T and CN2R modules for compatibility with the new RM modules
  • Upgraded several critical L63 processors with more advanced L64 processors
  • Migration from individual hardware servers to virtual VMware servers as described above

Emergency Response Services

Responded to the County’s requests for emergency support services for critical PCS faults that limited the ability to control the process, including issues with controllers, Data server and data collection, Fieldbus networking, power fail restart, and equipment failures.  Addressed issues with impressive response times using remote login connections or physically responded onsite as the situation required.

Training

Training was a critical service as the County changed staff at the Control Systems Engineering position twice during this contract.  Our staff was instrumental in helping to maintain the PCS and help new staff quickly get up to speed on the PCS by providing the following training services:

  • Identified skills that require additional/refresher training to operate and maintain the complex PCS
  • Evaluated staff training needs, and provided training by qualified PCS and IT staff
  • Incorporated County staff into PCS maintenance activities as hands on training

Documentation

  • Documented PCS improvements / modifications and updated County electronic copies
  • Maintained latest controller program files in accordance with County procedures
  • Updated plant PCS and Network drawings to reflect hardware / software upgrades
  • Updated Plant Process Schematic Drawings to Reflect Field Changes

Support for Ongoing Process Improvement Projects

In addition to our PCS Maintenance activities, while onsite we supported PCS aspects of major process improvement work:

  • Implemented logic and graphics modifications to ASE Flow Distribution, WWFF Effluent Pump Controls, and related systems in support of construction of the new Wet Weather Filtration Facility
  • Programmed logic and graphics modifications in support of improvement s to the Filtration and Disinfection Facility backwash and bump cycles, as well as the related methanol feed processes