ABB Field IT electromagnetic flowmeters have been ordered for use in water supply network projects throughout the Middle East. The orders are the result of massive programmes being undertaken by the governments of Kuwait, Jordan and Iran to modernise their water supply networks with the latest technology.
In Kuwait, 85 Field IT AquaMaster units have been supplied to the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) to replace orifice plate meters installed for over 20 years supplied originally by ABB (Kent instruments). With a measurement accuracy of ±0.5% over a turndown range of 650:1, the AquaMaster can ensure high accuracy even at extremely low flow rates.
A major attraction for the MEW in purchasing the AquaMaster was its low cost of installation and the future option of GSM communications function, which will enable the Ministry to remotely access metering data on a daily basis. Previously, this data had to be collected manually every four weeks from each of MEW’s 400 key metering locations.
"MEW’s original scheme of installing a SCADA network to remotely collect data from each flowmeter was impractical, due to the cost of installing cabling over such a wide area and because of the lack of available power sources to supply the network," explains Paul Wade, Export Regional Business Manager, ABB Limited. "A substantially reduced cost of ownership and a 45% reduction in installation costs with the future option of GSM communications made the AquaMaster the obvious choice for this long term project."
A further 22 AquaMaster units supplied to the Amman Water Company in Jordan have helped to solve a problem with water hammer, which had rendered useless many previously installed mechanical flowmeters.
Jordan’s water supply network is frequently shut down for several days at a time to help conserve water. Previously, whenever the supply was restored, residual water in the pipeline was being propelled at pressures of up to 40 bar g, severely damaging the moving parts of many mechanical flowmeters installed throughout the network. ABB’s AquaMaster flowmeters have overcome this problem. With no mechanical parts, the AquaMaster can handle any sudden surges that occur whenever the water supply is restored.
"The AquaMaster was chosen despite the unit cost being almost three times more expensive than flowmeters from another manufacturer also being considered for the project. The initial purchase cost of our AquaMaster units was more than that being quoted by the other company tendering for the projects," says Paul Wade. "However, the lower cost of installing the AquaMasters, coupled with their lower cost of ownership, made them the more competitive option both in the short and long term."
Both of these projects highlight the value of ABB’s local support network, which includes both local subsidiaries and its new alliance partners, enabling it to provide customers with on site advice and support.
The value of ABB’s global alliance partner network was demonstrated in a separate project for the Gilan Province Water Company in Iran, which led to an order for equipment including 47 Field IT MagMaster electromagnetic flowmeters with 22 GSM data loggers.
This order was placed with ABB after it had worked with its new Iranian alliance partner, Absardar, to solve a 20 year old problem caused by incorrectly commissioned flowmetering equipment supplied by an unknown foreign contractor. ABB’s technical support team worked after hours and during weekends with Absadar to correctly commission the equipment, which was also retrofitted with ABB Control IT indicator units.
All of the equipment supplied by ABB is manufactured at its factories in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire & St Neots Cambridgeshire.