Incatema starts installing automated control in Camberene Wastewater Treatment Plant

8 November, 2022

Incatema Consulting & Engineering is currently implementing automated process control in Camberene Wastewater Treatment Plant, in Senegal, thanks to a specific software to control every plant equipment.

“Automated control philosophy in this plant is based on SCADA system. This is a software tool designed to run directly on computers and smart devices”, claims Fernando Díaz, head of Infrastructure department at Incatema Consulting & Engineering, “with the goal of controlling the plant with a single connection to it. This is achieved by using various sensors and specific tools that, once connected to each mechanical equipment, send a signal to the app that build the exact information allowing an automated handling.

SCADA is therefore a system to supervise the plant processes, very useful for this purpose as well as for obtaining necessary data to know how the processes evolve and where everything is at, at every moment. The most important feature is that, thanks to this system, plant managers can make good informed decisions, quickly and efficiently, and remotely, not being necessary that the engineer or any other concerned professional is in direct contact to collect needed data.

Even when the main goal of SCADA system is that the assigned professional can control with care all connected devices in the process, we can point out that this system also allows to produce alerts to mitigate potential errors. In any case, all these actions can be done on real time”.

For interactions between the programmable automat and the operator, the system has a control interface that allows setting up the routines for the various processes.

Programmed routines need periodical review to adjust them to the inlet water flow and pollution levels as well as the expected results.

Instrumentation, a complementary tool for automatization

To operate the plan automatically it is necessary to install certain primary elements (instrumentation) that allow to collect data about flows, oxygen level, etc. whose signals are sent to the automat to automatically manage the process and keep a record.

As an example of available elements for the automated operation, there are flowmeters (mainly electromagnetic), dissolved oxygen testers, redox level or ultrasonic level testers, among others.

This Wastewater Treatment Plant will serve more than 1,685,000 inhabitants, with an average treatment capacity of 92,000 cubic metres per day, and will be able to handle treatment peaks of up to 101,000 cubic metres per day, as we reported here.