Quimperlé Water telemanagement and cybersecurity with SOFREL S4W
The Missions of the Quimperlé Communities Water Utility :
The water utility of the Quimperlé Communities faces numerous daily challenges to ensure a sufficient quantity of water with impeccable quality. Comprising 16 municipalities, the Community has taken over responsibility for both drinking water and wastewater services.
Specifically regarding drinking water, the utility manages 3 water treatment plants that process surface water, 15 pumping stations that supply 28 reservoirs. The water production and distribution network serves 35,000 subscribers and covers the needs of 55,000 residents.
Marcel JAMBOU, Vice President of the Community, believes that subscribers to the water service are entitled to expect flawless service.
Today, subscribers no longer tolerate water cuts or poor-quality water.
Marcel JAMBOU
Vice President of the Community
As a result, Mr. Jambou demands from his teams a high level of responsiveness, and ideally for them to intervene on the network before the subscriber becomes aware of any issue.
Telemanagement in Quimperlé began in the late 1990s. Over the years, several generations of equipment have been deployed across the installations managed by the Water Utility.
The Benefits of Telemanagement
Thanks to telemanagement, the Community has improved the efficiency of its field teams. These teams work more effectively, as telemanagement enables them to intervene precisely where needed, focusing on priority operations.
The teams save time and no longer need to go out into the field unless absolutely necessary
TODAY, WE ARE DEPLOYING A NEW GENERATION OF LOCAL STATIONS: SOFREL S4W.
We are anticipating a number of future requirements, particularly those involving cybersecurity for drinking water infrastructure. We are renewing our telemanagement systems because S4W perfectly meets our cybersecurity needs.
The second reason for upgrading some of our equipment is our desire to switch to IP (Internet Protocol) communication, which allows us to get ahead of the phase-out of traditional PSTN lines. IP technology gives us the ability to monitor flow rates, levels, and disinfectant concentrations in real-time across all our installations.
The classic SOFREL telemanagement functions are still present in the new S4W devices. We mainly use data logging, history tracking, flow calculations, and alarm management.
We will also take advantage of the communication redundancy function by implementing automatic backup of Ethernet connections via the integrated 4G module in the S4W.
Stéphane PICOL
Drinking Water Production Manager
A Network Efficiency Rate Above 95%
In addition to implementing telemanagement across water production facilities, the community’s water managers have also opted for network sectorization in the distribution systems. Over 100 SOFREL LS42 units are deployed in meter and flow measurement chambers throughout the region.
Today, thanks to this sectorization strategy, the teams are able to maintain exceptionally high network efficiency rates—exceeding 95% in the town of Quimperlé.
Testimonial
Mathieu FUMEY Drinking Water Production Technician
We are at the water production station of the Commune of St Thurien. What does the SOFREL S4W installed here do?
M: The station treats raw water pumped from collection points and distributes it throughout the town. Here, telemanagement is handled by the SOFREL S4W, which fully controls and operates the station. It communicates between sites with the remote reservoir to pump and deliver water on demand. The S4W manages all data, including chlorine levels, levels in the remote reservoirs, treated water tank levels, and also controls all of the station’s automation. It operates the pumps for filling reservoirs and manages the automatic washing of the station’s sand filters.
What do you see as the main advantages of the S4W?
M: First of all, I would say cybersecurity. It also includes a built-in automation module that is quite user-friendly and easy to program. On simpler installations, this automation functionality eliminates the need for a separate PLC. With water-specific function blocks, I save time when programming. The programs are much less complex than those of traditional PLCs.
S4W is not your first experience with SOFREL equipment. What do you consider their main qualities?
M: We’ve been working with various generations of Sofrel products for quite a while now. They are very reliable. When it comes to drinking water installations, we simply cannot afford any uncertainties with our telemanagement devices. We need to rely on long-lasting equipment to prevent and respond to any failures that may occur within our infrastructure.
Video report
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