Pumping station
A modern telemetry system connects every pumping station to the control centre via cellular network and reports level, flow, pressure and faults in real time. Operators avoid inspection trips to widely distributed sites and respond faster to failures.
Pumping station at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Pumping station
Remote monitoring in water management: district digitises irrigation
Real-time monitoring – a Plug&Play retrofit for water networks
Goodbye 3G: future-proof remote monitoring for the Würzburg dewatering company
Intelligent pump monitoring using artificial intelligence
Remote monitoring for wastewater treatment plants reduces maintenance costs
Telemetry system for pumping stations: every site in view
Entwässerungsbetriebe Würzburg, the city's drainage utility, replaced its 3G modems with IIoT gateways from Red Lion's FlexEdge platform. Their Crimson software converts up to 300 industrial protocols, so the existing S7 controllers and the WinCC SCADA system remain in operation. Data travels over 4G and OpenVPN using the DNP3 telemetry protocol, either cyclically or event-driven. At pumping stations, PSsystec uses the 230-volt version of its SMARTsensor, which sends level and flow data via NB-IoT through Telekom's Cloud of Things to the FlowChief software. For pump condition monitoring, ifm IO-Link sensors record flow, speed, pressure, temperature and vibration, and the moneo platform learns the normal state from this data and reports deviations.
The examples come from energy and environment, water management and agriculture, as remote reading, level measurement and condition monitoring. With FleX Automation and Red Lion, Entwässerungsbetriebe Würzburg monitors 70 stormwater pumping stations around the clock, using gateways that can be upgraded from 4G to 5G during operation. The Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland water authority relies on condition-based maintenance with ifm at its largest pumping station in Katwijk to keep the Randstad metropolitan region dry. A German district uses PSsystec to read the meters of distributed irrigation pumping stations remotely.
Podcast episodes featuring Pumping station
Telemetry systems for pumping stations: frequently asked questions
What does a modern telemetry system do at a pumping station?
A modern telemetry system transmits measurement and operating data from outstations securely to the control centre while existing controllers keep running. In Würzburg, the FlexEdge gateways use the DNP3 telemetry protocol, which transfers data in real time and sends it cyclically or only when something relevant changes, reducing operating costs. Remote access runs over the cellular network via VPN. The gateways are ATEX and IECEx certified, so they can also be used in hazardous areas.
What does the 3G and 2G switch-off mean for pumping stations?
Remote monitoring systems that still run on 2G or 3G modems have to be moved to newer cellular standards. After 3G was discontinued, Entwässerungsbetriebe Würzburg replaced the modems at 70 outstations with 5G-ready gateways whose 4G modules can be swapped on site during operation. Germany's 2G network is scheduled to be switched off on 30 June 2028. For this reason, a German district converted its pumping stations to LTE-M and NB-IoT with PSsystec.
How can a sewage pumping station be monitored remotely?
Data loggers at the pumping station measure level and flow and send the values live via cellular network to a platform. A municipal utility responsible for drinking water supply and wastewater treatment for around 100,000 residents uses the 230-volt version of PSsystec's SMARTsensor for this. The FlowChief software detects unusual flow rates automatically, and live transmission of readings and alarms shortens long downtimes.
How does condition monitoring work at a pumping station?
Sensors on the pumps record flow, speed, pressure, temperature and vibration, and software learns the normal state from this data and reports deviations. At ifm, this is handled by the AI-based moneo SmartLimitWatcher, which sets limit values dynamically depending on the operating state, such as under load or idling. Warnings can be passed directly to SAP via the SFI interface. The Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland relies on ifm condition monitoring solutions at the Katwijk pumping station.
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