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Press Release
April 2007
ITT Flygt helps London Underground stay on track
The world’s largest ITT Flygt Aquaview
Masterstation is being used by Metronet Rail to keep tunnels and stations free
from excess water that could disrupt London’s tube network. 
Flygt a leading fluid handling and control
solutions specialist, has worked closely with Metronet, the company responsible
for renewing two-thirds of London’s Tube, and now plays a key role in
helping minimise water-related disruptions across much of the 253-mile,
275-station network.
Almost 170 Flygt fluid monitoring and control (FMC) pump
controller units have been sited at strategic points in the network, gathering
critical fluid-related data remotely at numerous vent shafts, tunnels, stations
and escalator units.
Information is relayed from Flygt FMC
controllers using various methods of communication (including GSM, Telephone
line, Wide Area Network [WAN] and [IP]) to Aquaview workstations around the
Underground, which is then used to determine when individual Flygt pumps need
to be employed and at what rate in order to prevent water rising to levels that
could lead to sections of the network being shut down for safety reasons.
In the past, technicians travelled backwards
and forwards visiting assets according to a rota. This could often be
interrupted by alarms and emergency service calls. Now using the Flygt Aquaview
system recording and reporting asset performance and runtimes, this has been
replaced by planned service and maintenance.
Metronet asset manager Dave Rooks said:
“Working with Flygt and their products and services and armed with
real-time information about fluid levels at key points throughout the network,
we have been able to activate appropriate pumps before water levels rise to a
point that necessitates the closure of a section of track.”
Fluid levels are monitored and controlled
using remote outstations, which send data to processor units that use WAN and
modems to communicate with a central server. The server records the data and
displays it live on control-room workstations, where alarms are triggered when
key readings fall outside pre-programmed parameters.
Rooks continue: “Flooding and related
disruptions to tube services have been minimised since we introduced the Flygt
Aquaview Masterstation”.
Flygt Monitoring and Control solution
provides an efficient operation and saves energy which is the single largest
cost item in a processing industry. Aquaview makes it easy to report what has
been gained, and money speaks louder than words. In some applications using
Flygt Monitoring and Control has contributed to savings over 10 percent at pump
stations while at the same time processing more water.
Many technicians working with the equipment
find the FMC pump controller very user-friendly. At a glance, the front
panel’s design receives a spontaneous positive reflection, as it is
specially designed for pump control and is easily identifiable. If there is a
requirement to change a setting such as a pump start, stop level or a flow
calculation there is no need to rewrite the program. Simply adjust the values
on the LCD screen via telephone connection, a laptop or on the Aquaview
Masterstation which in turn will update the controller.
Metronet is running Flygt’s latest
version of the AquaView Masterstation software, which offers an open
communication platform. All data collected is stored in a SQL database. The
structure of Aquaview is network ready and data storage can be made on a file
server anywhere on the network. It offers the possibility of expanding a system
step by step without being locked into a single set solution. Above all it
turns monitoring and control into a safe and simple process.
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