OPC UA integration of 70 stormwater pump stations and IT/OT security.

Today, an exciting use case awaits you: It’s about the condition monitoring of 70 stormwater pumping stations and how the Würzburg drainage operations ensure the smooth operation of their infrastructure through targeted modernization. This use case is also transferable to your operations.

How exactly? You’re about to find out. For this, I’ve invited Jürgen Grauer from Red Lion to discuss how they managed to make outdated 3G technology and old controllers fit for the future. Stay tuned for best practices. You’ll find all the details in the episode description or, as always, at www.iotusecase.com. Let’s head into the podcast studio – let’s go!

Hello and welcome, Jürgen. Great to have you with us. How are you? Where are you right now?

Jürgen

I’m doing very well. We’re active in many projects, and I’ve been working as Sales Director at Red Lion for over four years now.

And are you currently in Germany?

Jürgen

That’s right.

Red Lion was founded in Pennsylvania in 1973, named after the Red Lion area, correct?

Jürgen

Exactly. The company is based in Pennsylvania, where there’s the region of Red Lion, and the headquarters is located in the city of York.

So, you’re directly on-site with customers in Germany?

Jürgen

That’s right.

Could you tell us a bit more about Red Lion? Also, about your connection to the Swedish group HMS Networks and your background in data acquisition. What exactly do you do? Can you explain that a little bit?

Jürgen

HMS is something new for us, as we were acquired by HMS this year. However, Red Lion has been around for over 50 years and employs around 400 people. We focus on products for acquiring, networking, and visualizing industrial data— hence our slogan “The Industrial Data Company.” Since April of this year, we have been part of HMS.

Before we get started: in this podcast, we focus on practical insights. Do you have a sample use case that you’ve implemented with Red Lion?

Jürgen

Yes, we have several use cases, particularly in critical infrastructure and manufacturing. We implement applications in critical infrastructure, for example in the water and wastewater sectors, as well as in the energy sector, including alternative energies like wind farms, where we use our solutions for data acquisition.

Do you have a specific example for today, where we can see more concretely how you work with customers?

Jürgen

Yes, of course. Today we have an example that involves modernizing a remote monitoring system at a wastewater treatment plant. It has a central control room and over 70 external stations or pumping stations where stormwater is collected. Each station is equipped with controllers from Siemens, ABB, or other manufacturers, communicating with the control center via 3G—an outdated standard that’s now often unused. The requirement was to upgrade communication to 4G and eventually 5G. That is exactly what this application is about.

Just to clarify: you mentioned a wastewater treatment plant and pumping stations. A pumping station is a technical facility for moving liquids, here water, to either lift it to a different level or transport it over long distances. Is that correct?

Jürgen

That’s right.

Okay. As I mentioned in the intro, the customer here is Würzburg Drainage Operations. So we’re talking about their wastewater treatment plant, correct?

Jürgen

Exactly.

One more question: these pumps are sometimes located near certain infrastructures. Are they generally accessible, or are they harder to reach, for example in canal systems where data access is often limited?

Jürgen

There are many external stations, not just one, and that’s a challenge—you have to travel long distances to collect data on-site. So, distances play a role here. Within the stations themselves, data needs to be read via the panel. However, not all pumping stations have a visualization device, and the idea isn’t to visit each station individually. Data needs to be centralized, hence the control center. It needs to operate with modern standards, especially for security reasons, to fend off potential cyber-attacks. Without these security measures, issues can arise quickly.

Understood, so the use case is focused on digital monitoring and management of these pumping stations at the wastewater treatment plant.
For those interested but unfamiliar with treatment plants, I have an episode with the Bad Pyrmont treatment plant, which I’ll link in the show notes.
Now, I’d like to discuss the challenges. You mentioned that data acquisition operates on outdated standards like 3G. Could you elaborate on that?

Jürgen

Basically, each new standard forces the user to upgrade their hardware, as existing equipment often isn’t compatible, particularly with current security and performance requirements. Here, for instance, the 3G standard is no longer supported. This creates costs for operators, who then have to consider how to manage this. We offered a solution that allows the facility operator to continue using the old controllers and SCADA systems. They don’t have to buy new hardware or additional software licenses but can support new standards through an add-on.

Interesting! This use case could likely be applied to other areas, right? For example, irrigation systems in agriculture or flood protection.

Jürgen

Yes, generally to infrastructure. Exactly.

So, this use case could be transferred to many other areas with similar requirements.

Jürgen

Yes, with a few specific differences. Standards like 3G, 4G, 5G, or OPC UA are industry-wide. There are also industry-specific protocols, such as DNP3 for telemetry, which is particularly used in the water and energy sectors to connect remote stations with central control systems. The other mentioned standards, however, are widely applicable.

You mentioned that it’s not just about data acquisition but also about data transmission. Could you explain why seamless communication between devices, IT systems, or even the cloud was particularly important for this customer?

Jürgen

Yes, standardization on OPC UA or DNP3 provides the flexibility to replace hardware and software later on. This way, the customer can install a new SCADA system or controller while relying on existing standards. This provides a modular solution that can be adapted flexibly—a key point for networking. That’s exactly what we implemented here.

To clarify: DNP3 is a communication protocol specifically for remote control in critical infrastructure, correct?

Jürgen

Right.

[08:43] Challenges, potentials and status quo – This is what the use case looks like in practice

Then I’d like to move from the technical use case of remote monitoring to the business case for the wastewater treatment plant operation. Can you explain what the operation would lose in terms of time and money without your solution?

Jürgen

The primary motivation was to create a 4G-based solution. But technically, it was also about real-time data acquisition, secure data storage, and analysis to optimize system availability. All of this was a prerequisite for this update. Additionally, reducing risks from network attacks was important to prevent hacking. Security aspects are also relevant in this business case.

So it’s not just about outdated communication technology but also about integrating and monitoring data in real time.

Jürgen

Exactly, modern digitalization describes it well, and the new standards make this possible.

You mentioned real-time data. Can you give examples of the typical data you collect?

Jürgen

We collect data directly from the system, such as pump operating status, fill level data, and temperature data. These are live values that we capture in real time and analyze centrally. From this, we can derive KPIs and insights.

Insights might include remote monitoring or the condition of the pumping station. Or what would be typical insights?

Jürgen

Exactly. System availability is central, but this can be extended, for example, for predictive maintenance. It allows us to predict when a pump will fail based on operating hours, enabling timely maintenance or replacement. It’s all about big data: collecting data to optimize availability and productivity while keeping costs low through timely maintenance.

Speaking of cost reduction: are there typical pitfalls that can cost customers a lot of time and money?

Jürgen

A potential pitfall, for example, is unplanned maintenance tasks, which involve travel efforts and repair costs. However, it becomes critical when there is data loss, such as from outdated systems that can no longer capture data or due to hacker attacks. Missing data prevents traceability and makes it difficult, for instance, to determine the right time for pump replacement. Without a data buffering function, this can become costly.

Just to clarify: by data loss, do you mean when a device no longer sends data or transmits faulty data?

Jürgen

Yes, exactly. Either there’s no data, or storage isn’t possible. Not all edge controllers can store data, which becomes problematic when real-time data acquisition suddenly fails. Without storage, data gaps arise, and I can’t access previous data. This highlights the importance of a storage function.

[13:00] Solutions, offerings and services – A look at the technologies used

What exactly does the solution look like that you’ve developed for this customer or similar clients? I’d like to hear more about the data acquisition and storage you mentioned.

Jürgen

Data management primarily involves the Crimson® software we utilize.

Essentially, it’s a software platform, often described as low-code software with a graphical interface. This means you can program freely but don’t have to. The user can create dependencies and configurations via drag-and-drop. Protocols are converted, and we support a wide range of protocols, enabling the generation of logic with click-and-connect functionality that supports the capabilities we’re discussing.

By drag-and-drop, do you mean data integration? There’s also low-code software where application components are provided in IT or software. Does the low-code aspect here refer to drag-and-drop for data acquisition?

Jürgen

The first step is data acquisition and networking. We have two boxes, both equipped with Crimson®.

One box captures the data and sends it to the second box, which then forwards it, for example, to the SCADA system. That’s the concept—a solution for data acquisition and networking.

So, it’s a vendor-independent IT/OT tool that enables configuration and management of devices and systems through low-code?

Jürgen

Exactly. Additionally, the software can visualize data, for example on a panel, and is flexible in its use of the hardware platform. However, it must come from Red Lion, as we are not solely a software provider; we sell our software together with our own hardware.

Understood. How exactly does the data collection work, and how is protocol conversion handled for heterogeneous, partially older controllers?

Jürgen

Crimson® includes a library of over 300 driver protocols, both legacy and new.

Each quarter, we add new drivers integrated into the software. This gives us tremendous reach and allows us to support various hardware products. That’s exactly what we did here: we connected the Siemens and ABB controllers, which still use legacy protocols, with Crimson® to collect the data and forward it to the control room.

You mentioned at the beginning that 3G is still partly an issue.

Now, 5G is very prominent. Is 5G relevant in these use cases, or are those entirely different applications?

Jürgen

It’s absolutely relevant and a requirement. We use the FlexEdge® edge controller, which runs on Crimson® software and can modularly accommodate various communication media through so-called Sled modules.

Currently, we are using a 4G Sled, which can be easily swapped for a 5G Sled through plug-and-play.

What is a Sled?

Jürgen

It’s an insertable card. Once available, we can simply remove the old one and insert the new one. Of course, we still need to update the software configuration, but it can basically run right away.

Okay, I see. This means that the FlexEdge®, as the name suggests, is positioned at the edge level and serves as a flexible platform for providing edge computing power and collecting various data.

Is FlexEdge® hierarchically positioned under Crimson®, meaning it operates on the edge level and then sends data to Crimson®, or do both operate in parallel?

Jürgen

FlexEdge® is the hardware, and Crimson® runs as embedded software on it.

The data is collected and further networked in Crimson®—it’s an integrated product.

I also did a quick Google search—just type in FlexEdge® Red Lion, and you’ll immediately find images of the hardware.

Jürgen

You’ll also find information about Crimson® there.

The software is available as a fully-featured, free download on our website for anyone to try out.

If you have a similar use case, feel free to check it out. Jürgen, I’ll link your LinkedIn profile in the show notes. Anyone interested in connecting with other users in the critical infrastructure sector can also join our community. Just two more questions about data storage: how do you store the data? Is it cloud-first, or how does that work?

Jürgen

It’s flexible. Data can be stored at the edge, on a panel, or in the cloud.

There are also hybrid solutions, where data is stored both locally and in the cloud. We offer various gateways for this purpose, such as our automation gateways or edge gateways, like the DA10D and DA30D, which are more commonly used in mechanical engineering, as well as the FlexEdge® solutions for infrastructure applications. We also have panels like the CR panels, known as factory automation panels, which also use Crimson® and can store data.

Our Graphite® panels, designed for infrastructure applications, also offer these functions.

They are rugged, industry-certified, and resistant to temperature, water, and other external factors.

Glad you mentioned that—these devices are often used in challenging environments, whether in treatment plants or places without infrastructure. So, the devices have to withstand various conditions.
Moving on to data analysis, which addresses the actual business case, you mentioned remote monitoring and condition monitoring to detect potential failures early. How does data analysis work in your system?

Jürgen

In Crimson®, we are also flexible with cloud connectivity and are not tied to a specific cloud system. Instead, we support various providers like AWS, Azure, AVEVA, and Ignition.

Crimson® includes connectors that enable quick and easy cloud connectivity to our controller.

That’s certainly valuable for customers already working with these hosting providers. So, you have pre-configured interfaces to integrate data into the desired platforms.
Thank you for this fascinating overview of the use case. To wrap up: you’re continuously evolving. What can we look forward to next year?

Jürgen

We are in intensive discussions with our new owners about future technology ideas.

In particular, we aim to offer new solutions in security and networking, such as secure remote maintenance to safely access systems from a distance and prevent cyberattacks. This is closely linked to networking technology and products manufactured by Red Lion. HMS is also well-represented in secure remote maintenance with the E1 brand, and there are many opportunities we’ll be tackling together.

Cool! Will you be at the SPS trade fair in November in Nuremberg?

Jürgen

Yes, I’ll be there, and we can discuss the plans in more detail.

Fantastic, exactly! If you’re attending as well, we’re hosting a big community meetup on Tuesday at 5 pm at the OPC Foundation booth. Feel free to stop by—I’ll also include this in the episode description.
First of all, thank you, Jürgen, for this vivid and practical use case that shows how the condition and performance of pumps can be monitored and how these methods can also be applied to fluid control and management. It’s not just about controlling pumping processes but also about maximizing efficiency and preventing malfunctions, as you mentioned earlier in connection with predictive maintenance. The technical use case we discussed essentially covers the introduction of new communication protocols, data acquisition, retrofitting, and IT/OT integration. Thank you for presenting this—the final word is yours!

Jürgen

Thank you for the summary.

It’s an exciting topic, and I look forward to inquiries about this or similar applications in other industries. I look forward to seeing you at the SPS fair. See you then, bye!

See you, take care, have a great week, bye!