Remote access ensures the operational security of large aquariums
Optimal living conditions for fish and plants
Feel how starfish cling to your hand – large aquariums such as those in the Baltic Sea Information Centre (OIC), in various zoos or at the “Sealife” locations delight visitors of all ages. They provide exciting insights into the ecosystems of diverse underwater worlds. Probably many visitors are not even aware of the technical effort behind the aquarium facilities. Fourteen cubic metres of water are circulated per hour. This corresponds to fourteen tons of water or about 120 filled bathtubs. The challenge here is to effectively monitor and control water values such as salinity, temperature and oxygen content in the water cycle. Only industrial components are used for the control, regulation and drive technology.
If you compare the aquarium systems with a machine or production line in industry, a decisive difference is evident: “If a production line fails, it is certainly annoying and associated with costs. If, on the other hand, the control system of an aquarium fails, living creatures are immediately threatened,” explains Franz-Josef Vennewald, owner and managing director of VewaTech, and continues: “We cannot afford any downtime, which is why every one of our plants installed throughout Europe is equipped with remote maintenance. VewaTech from Hamm in Westphalia has been supplying turnkey aquarium systems for over 25 years, from planning and production of the system components to commissioning and maintenance over the entire life cycle – including complex system technology at the highest technical level.
(c) Vewatech
(c) Vewatech
The control technology of the aquarium technology is designed so that all functions can be controlled remotely. In an emergency, for example, pumps can be switched on and off manually via remote access if the control system on site fails. For remote access VewaTech relies on the industrial routers mbNET from MB connect line: “Without remote access we do not offer any system today. Usually we get network access. But thanks to the manifold connection possibilities of the mbNET routers we can also manage with an analogue connection or mobile radio”, Franz-Josef Vennewald continues.
DATA COLLECTION AND ALARMING
The aquarium systems are largely automated. There is no provision for local personnel to intervene in the control system. An alarm feedback system ensures operational safety by means of optical and acoustic signals as well as data transmission to the building control system. “This means that we always have all relevant data and measured values in view and can intervene long before a fault occurs,” explains Franz-Josef Vennewald. The basis for this is the remote service portal mbCONNECT24. Here, data, water values and operator actions are continuously logged. If a limit value is exceeded, an alarm is immediately sent by SMS or e-mail. Thanks to the data history, it is possible to retrace at any time how a critical condition occurred.
Thanks to mbCONNECT24, visitors can also access selected current data themselves via the Internet. At the Ostsee-Info-Center, for example, visitors can find out about the current temperature and salinity (salt content) of the Baltic Sea in Eckernförde without setting foot outside the front door.
Links:
Sales partner H-I Elektronik
www.h-i-elektronik.de
VewaTech
www.vewatech.de
Baltic Sea water values on the portal:
rsp-vpn.mbconnect24.net/58ee2ed8604087@oic/01383524
(c) Vewatech
