Intelligent sensor control for waste water pumps
On January 18, KSB Aktiengesellschaft in Frankenthal introduced to the trade press a new, floatless control system for submersible motor pumps. The core component of this innovation is its "Intelligent Control System“, ICS® , a computerized control unit integrated into a plastic housing for lateral attachment to the submersible motor pump.
The housing also contains three vertical capacitive sensors that tell the processor whether or not there is any water in the cistern and whether or not the pump should deliver (or is flooded over such that an alarm needs to be initiated).
Dedicated software simulates the control logics of a conventional, float-operated waste water lifting station. By analyzing the pumping-off time, the ICS® can tell whether or not there is a second unit in operation in the waste water shaft – even without an electrical connection from pump to pump. The first time the pumps are flooded after being installed in the shaft or cistern, they keep pumping water until the middle sensor sends out a switch-off signal.
ICS® -equipped submersible motor pumps are supplied as plug-in units, and they require no control cabinet. This reduces the connection work to a few quick flicks of the wrist. Modern power electronics – so-called "triacs" – provide power to the drive motor, so no conventional relays are needed. The sensors are fully integrated into the pump, so there is no danger of their malfunctioning in greasy or solids-laden waste water. System initialization is fully automatic, with no need of operator intervention. The compact design of the control system enables conversion of standard submersible motor pumps into automatic pumping stations with no major modification of any hydraulic or electric elements.
Source: KSB SE & Co. KGaA
