Systecon FAQs - Systecon Controls the Pumping System


Frequently Asked Questions What type of projects could use a Systecon pumping package? What are the advantages of a Systecon pumping package? Do factory built pumping packages cost more than a field built pumping system? What are the benefits of factory testing a Systecon pumping package? Is there enough room to properly maintain a factory built pumping package? Why should Systecon control the pumping system? How does a factory built pumping system benefit the design engineer? How does a factory built pumping system benefit a contractor?
The Systecon controls are specifically designed to optimize the performance of the pumping system. The "brains" of the Systecon control system is an Allen Bradley PLC. The industrial grade PLC is extremely reliable and fast. The failure rates are less than one per 100,000 hours of operation. The PLC evaluates data at least two times per second. This fast response is required to eliminate hunting that typically occurs in water pumping systems that utilize slower acting devices. Systecon has a vast array of experience in optimizing the performance of water pumping systems. Systecon developed wire to water efficiency in the 1980's. This control strategy determines the overall efficiency of the complete pumping package by evaluating the inefficiencies of the pumps, motors and drives at the various flow and head scenarios seen in a dynamic pumping system. The software is written to continually calculate the overall system efficiency to make intelligent decisions, which maximize performance and minimize power consumption. The wire to water analysis is designed to stage pumps on or off based on the system's most efficient operating point. Most of the time field built systems are staged, where only the efficiency of each pump is evaluated. This type of control strategy is usually not the most effective method of operating a pumping system, since kW consumption is not being evaluated. In addition, Systecon's controls also incorporate an approved BACnet device that allows communication between the many commercially used building management systems. The Systecon control system supports ModBus, BACnet, LonWorks, and N2 protocols. The Systecon controls are comparable to the functionality of chiller controls. The pumping package controls optimize the performance of the pumping system while providing the protocol interface device, which allows the data and information from it to be monitored by the building management system.