Mundell & Associates, Inc.

Consulting Professionals for the Earth and the Environment

  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Español
call us at (317) 630-9060
110 S. Downey Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46219 | Fax: (317) 630-9065
  •  
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Mission and Vision
    • Social Mission
    • Hablamos Español
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Services
  • Industry Solutions
  • Portfolio
  • News
Discuss your projectall news
You are here: Home / Portfolio / PLC Control Program Alteration

PLC Control Program Alteration

portfolio typeCase Historiespdf iconDownload this as PDFPosted on February 7, 2010

Challenge

The operation of a remediation system overseen by Mundell was observed to be inefficient. The system’s logic program was actually damaging the equipment. The PLC control program for the system was written in such a way that when an alarm condition was detected, the system shut down for 10 minutes and then reset itself instead of remaining idle until manually reset by an O&M technician. This caused equipment to cycle on and off rapidly, causing undo wear. This also prompted concerns about water treatment since the equipment was repeatedly shutting down. Thus, when an alarm condition occurred, this self-restarting of the system required the technician to plan a site visit almost immediately. Another complication that arose from the programming was that because of the built in reset, the system could not be reset manually on site. The technician would have to wait the 10 minutes for the system to reset if an alarm was inadvertently triggered by routine maintenance or for troubleshooting purposes.

Action

Mundell wrote an entirely new PLC program to address these issues. A Mundell technical specialist, using specialized PLC ladder logic software, created a program that would emulate the system operation under the existing logic programming, while incorporating an improved shut down procedure in the event of an alarm condition. A sub-routine to allow for a manual reset of the system was also incorporated into the new program.

Results

After implementing the new program, the remediation system ran much more efficiently than it had with the old programming. The new logic program shut down the entire system and initiated an alarm notification any time an alarm condition was detected. This enabled the O&M technician to schedule a site visit at a convenient time rather than having each alarm create an emergency. With the addition of the direct reset feature, maintenance and troubleshooting procedures were made much more efficient. A procedure that caused an alarm to trigger twice would have consumed 20 minutes just in resets with the old program. With the new program, resetting required only the push of a button.

plc-control-panel-alteration-2

more information Learn about our related services (Remediation)

Similar Portfolio Items

  • Expediting Remedial Excavations through Extensive Site Characterization and Real‑Time Data Processing
  • Long-Term Performance and Methanogenesis Associated With Four Remedial Amendments – Indiana Sites
  • Thermal Source Area Remediation at a Former Industrial Facility

Discuss your projectall news

Portfolio

Case Histories (130)
Presentations (155)
Publications (60)
all news View full portfolio

Latest News

  • John Mundell reflects on the legacy of Pope Francis and his concern for our common home May 27, 2025
  • Progress and Challenges for the Future of Indiana Water Resources January 28, 2025
  • Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mundell! December 23, 2024

Join our mailing list

News

John Mundell reflects on the legacy of Pope Francis and his concern for our common home

May 27, 2025in Community Involvement

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mundell!

December 23, 2024in Company News

Using IndianaMap and web-based GIS to protect drinking water

December 3, 2024in Company News

Emissions Reporting and Air Dispersion Modeling Allows Tracking of Indy’s Air Pollutants

July 30, 2024in Science and Environment

Our Affiliations

- Midwestern States Environmental Consultants Association
- Environmental & Engineering Geophysical Society
- Professional Geologists of Indiana, Inc.
- National Groundwater Association
- American Societies of Chemical / Civil Engineers
- Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists
- Indiana Association for Environmental Professionals
- Geological Society of America
- Indiana Geographic Information Council
- Economy of Communion

.....and more more affiliations

Be Inspired

  • Monday, June 16, 2025
    National Pollinator Week

    Polinator Partnership website

Download calendarGet full calendar ICAL· Google Calendar

Reduce Erosion and Preserve Topsoil

Land degradation has increased around the world as our human activities pollute or degrade the quality of soil, affecting not only food production but the overall ecosystems. What can we do locally to preserve our soil?

  • Rotate the crops you grow in your garden.
  • Use local mulch, especially in bare stops to help plants ground and prevent water runoff.
  • Plant large plants such as trees and hedges to reduce wind speed.
  • Minimize soil compaction by create permanent walkways and encouraging people to stay on them.
.....see all tips more tips

Copyright © 2025 · Mundell & Associates, Inc. · 110 S. Downey Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46219 · (317) 630-9060 · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Sitemap