The purpose of pumps is to ensure that water is supplied to consumers reliably throughout a distribution network, irrigation water is provided for cultivating fields or the ground water level is lowered to keep open-pit mines from flooding. In cases like this, the Wago-I/O-System 750 XTR guarantees dependable operation where conventional automation systems come up against limitations due to extreme weather or environmental conditions.
Author Kay Miller Global Key Account Manager DCS, Wago Kontakttechnik
For many applications in the water management sector, the Wago-I/O-System 750 XTR’s strengths make it a good solution compared to standard automation systems. This is es- pecially important for pump installations outside temperate climates in countries like Russia or Kazakhstan, where winter temperatures can be well below -10 °C. It is equally vital for applications in the desert regions of China, Australia or America, where the blazing sun beats down on control cabinets, making their temperatures soar.
The robust variant of the modular, fieldbus-independent Wago-I/O-System 750 was developed specifically for such harsh climates and conditions. The 750 XTR Series combines different characteristics: it is very weather-resistant, immune to electromagnetic interference and insensitive to vibration and impulse voltages. Due to the expanded temperature range, high operational reliability is guaranteed even at extreme temperatures from -40 to +70 °C. The system eliminates the need for expensive and space-consuming insulation and climate control devices like air conditioners or heaters, leading to the use of smaller control cabinets or terminal boxes. Omitting a separate climate control system also means lower energy, wiring and maintenance costs as well as fewer potential fault sources.
In regions with high fluctuations between day and night temperatures, dew can negatively impact on the equipment uptime. This is particularly critical for intermittent operation where the pumps only run part-time and condensation can develop if the apparatus cools during downtime. However, this is not an issue for the Wago-I/O-System 750 XTR, as its controllers, couplers and I/O modules are protected against short-term condensation according to class 3K7 (IEC EN 60721-3-3).
Shock and voltage resistant
Another characteristic of the 750 XTR is the increased mechanical loading capacity, which is very important in the mining industry. A large number of pumps in underground and open-pit mines are used to lower ground water lev-els. Strong impacts and vibrations due to explosives and heavy vehicles are daily occurrences here. XTR features very good vibration resistance, namely 5 g according to DIN EN 60068-2-6 (corresponding to 50 m/s2 acceleration), 15 g shock resistance (150 m/s2) and resistance to continuous shocks up to 25 g (250 m/s2) as per IEC 60068-2-27. This performance enables the automation system to be mounted in direct proximity to equipment that generates strong vibration or impacts.
With an isolation rating as per EN 60870-2-1 up to 1 kV (<60 V, class VW1) and 5 kV ($60 V, class VW3) impulse voltage, the Wago-I/O-System 750 XTR is reliably protected against surges resulting from switching operations or lightning strikes in the vicinity of a pumping station. Additional advantages are the system’s reduced interference emissions and increased interference immunity. These make it ideal for telecontrol applications with stricter hardware demands. The 750 XTR Series Telecontroller supports all telecontrol protocols commonly used in water resource management according to IEC 60870-5-101/-103/ -104, IEC 61850-7, IEC 61400-25 and Modbus.
Large memory capacity
In view of the requirements for continuous documentation of failures and measurement data, including water levels and throughput measurements at rivers or dams, there is another feature of the 750 XTR which is especially useful: the SD memory card slot in the Ethernet controller. The data memory can be expanded up to 32 GB, providing sufficient reserve capacity for any application.
Wago offers comprehensive Codesys function libraries specifically for water and process technology applications. These substantially reduce the amount of programming and simplify system operations. Prefabricated system macros for many typical applications are found in these free libraries, which include visualisation elements. The user simply has to configure a pump application, for example, and can then commission the system directly. Significantly less programming work is required than with conventional systems. Commissioning itself is likewise accelerated and markedly more cost-efficient. Wago also offers comprehensive customer services, including product experts who can adapt complex tasks to meet individual needs.
Conclusion
The Wago-I/O-System 750 XTR is a perfectly tailored solution for demanding outdoor applications like wells, pumping stations, pipelines or disposal sites that are exposed to extreme climatic influences, vibration, shocks and surges. The robust variant of the proven I/O-System 750 not only has the same fundamental advantages of greater flexibility, modularity and compact size; it is also especially resistant to extreme temperatures, interference, voltage spikes and vibration. This results in many possible uses – both within and outside water resource management.
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