The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine

Water 1 WATER – FACTS AND FIGURES

Water consumption Water content 540 km3 Global water consumption per capita (six-fold increase since 1930), of which 29% 71% Earth mass Water mass 19% in India, 15% in China, 12% in the USA 8 of which 97.4 % is salt water (thus not directly usable) mm Diameter of the largest around 70% in around 29% raindrop ever measured is the approximate amount of glaciers, ice, and snow in groundwater water consumed worldwide (1986 in Hawaii) annually (as of 2016), of which

70% agricultural sector 2.6% Fresh water % industry on earth 3 20 95% water in our brain 10% municipal level km 90% water in our lungs (Status 2016, source: less than 1% soil UN Food and Agriculture moisture, ground Organization) ice, permafrost, and sump water 83% water in our blood 0.3% easily accessible freshwater in rivers and lakes, which is 4,000 22% water in our bones 0.008% of all water on earth

76% water in our muscles

The water content in humans is around Ocean freight routes and ships 70% The longest canal in the world is Length of all waterways in km the Grand Canal of China (some 120,000 parts of which were built more than 110,000 2,400 years ago), at a length of 100,000 102,000 80,000 Beijing 90,000 60,000 Number of seagoing vessels 47,130 50,000 China 41,009 44,103 1,800 km worldwide (2019) 40,000 Shanghai 20,000

0 EU trade via ocean freight routes in %

International trade 90% USA Brazil China Russia Europe Within Europe Vietnam 40% Source: Statista 2013

The size of the largest ship in the world, the “Jahre Viking” 458 m (completed in 1980, scrapped in 2010)

2 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine EDITORIAL

Panta rhei – everything fl ows

Dear readers,

In this issue of UPDATE, we are focusing on the element of water and on the possibilities that this element holds in store – including for Phoenix Contact. As an example, the surface of a Dutch lake has become the supporting element of a solar power plant. Another is that both the production of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater are central Stephan Volgmann, tasks of the cities of Bad Kreuznach and Konstanz. General Manager Phoenix Contact Deutschland Water can also bring enjoyment and indulgence. Did you know, for example, that 2.6 billion cups of coffee are drunk every year? Or what a High Fly from Switzerland might be? And what do swimming pools from Belgium have to do with control cabinets from East Westphalia? How we deal with the element of water is one of our most important fi elds of action. The sustainable use of renewable resources and our endeavor to develop the best solutions for this purpose drive us every day. Everything fl ows – this quotation from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus does not just apply to the element of water. The structure of an organic company is also constantly adapting to new challenges. I am taking this issue as an opportunity to welcome you as the new General Manager for Phoenix Contact Deutschland. What hasn’t changed, however, is that we continue striving for innovative products and solutions to provide you with even greater degrees of freedom for designing your solutions to be the best possible. Together with you, our customers, we would like to remain in dialog and shape the future together.

Yours sincerely,

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 3 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine

Water

Water is the ultimate resource; without it, life is not possible. UPDATE is diving into1 2021 with this element.

Water can have beams after all. Or fl oats. They provide a solar system with buoyancy 08 The fl oating power station

A solar power plant has taken to swimming just outside the Dutch town of Zwolle | 08

DRINKING WATER 34 wells, 25 springs, and one connection In Bad Kreuznach, the remote control technology in the water treatment plant is being put on a new technological footing | 16

WASTEWATER Around-the-clock operation Lake Constance is not only one of the most important drinking water reservoirs in the region, but also the recipient of treated wastewater | 22

4 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine PIONEER

Old hand, new position – An interview with Dr. Frank Possel-Dölken 48

In the realm of the pipes – thanks to remote maintenance, Konstanz’s wastewater stays clean 22 Those who dare to enter the pipes Almost too elegant of Hallau pick up “just” to be used tremendous speed for making coffee 42 38

WATERWAY Maritime string lighting Gent is a Belgian city steeped in history and its own seaport, located Editorial | 03 about 40 kilometers inland | 30 From the industry | 06 WATER PARK Spectacular sliding Behind the scenes | 52 SWIMMING POOL Legal information | 55 So much for the ponderous Preview | 55 Swimming safely Swiss! Anyone who uses Klarer To ensure that the domestic pool does products requires courage not become a leaf depository or an energy and a need for speed | 42 guzzler, the Belgian company Covrex relies on solutions from East Westphalia | 34 INTERVIEW Golden opportunities COFFEE MACHINE Frank Possel-Dölken is a new Exquisite indulgence member of the Executive Board at How can a circular connector help to build Phoenix Contact. An interview with the best-ever fi lter coffee machines? | 38 the Chief Digital Offi cer | 48

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 5 FROM THE INDUSTRY

Hydrogen in stock Harvesting Energy provider tests storage the moon The energy service provider EWE is setting Tidal power plant in operation precedents with hydrogen. The company is setting up a cavern storage facility to store pure The power of renewable energy hydrogen at a depth of around 1,000 meters in is harnessed in a variety of ways the local aqueous rock in the municipality of in the Faroe Islands. Naturally, Rüdersdorf in Brandenburg, near Berlin. wind farms capture the power After a planned construction phase of of moving air there. But while 18 months, 500 cubic meters will be available to solar power will continue to have safely store the energy source of the future. For a rather shadowy existence far the developers at EWE, who are working on this up in the north, the power of project together with the German Aerospace the tides will be the focus of Center, the quality of the hydrogen during and increased attention in the future. after storage is of particular importance. The reason is that the After completing the The cavern in Rüdersdorf, which is being “DG 100” tidal power plant, foundation, laying the power excavated by fl ushing the aqueous rock out developed by the Swedish and data cables, and installing with fresh water, has the volume of a single- technology company Minesto, the tidal kite in Vestmannasund family home. In the future, large-scale storage was successfully commissioned sound, the submersible facilities are expected to be at least 1,000 times there and began feed-in in innovator is now delivering a larger. EWE expects the energy source to make December 2020. The company, relatively modest level of power it possible to couple the electricity, mobility, and founded as a spin-off in 2007, of 100 kW to land. However, heat sectors. developed a “diving kite”. This the developers at Minesto have is an undersea, mobile unit that long since scaled up in size ewe.com is anchored in the tidal stream, and are certain that the power where it directs the current to of the moon, which moves the turbines designed to convert the tidal streams, will be an almost energy of the ebb and fl ow of the inexhaustible source of energy tide into electricity. They operate in the future. in a similar way to the kites that you can fl y in the sky. minesto.com

AI revolutionizes the HR department Colleague Computer invites you to an interview

Personnel developers and large companies are already relying on its services: Artifi cial intelligence is expected to make the job application process more effi cient. Not only are the incoming applications pre-sorted using a grid; the subsequent initial interview can also be interpreted by analysis software. A camera is used to record how a candidate behaves while performing some tasks. Facial expressions, posture, and thought patterns are analyzed and evaluated. Only after a candidate has cleared this robotic hurdle will they be invited to the “human interview”. While pleasing fi nancial controllers due to signifi cantly streamlined time and costs, the skeptics are horrifi ed and fear that the resulting uniform, standardized employees will, in the long run, deprive companies of their innovative strength and have a negative effect on the social culture of constructive debate.

Hydrogen storage at a depth of 1,000 meters pymetrics.ai

6 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine FROM THE INDUSTRY

Fully mobile e-mobility Porsche plugging the gap in charging infrastructure with mobile super-charging station

What do you do when Very powerful, very fast, very mobile solution. They simply in size. That is suffi cient for 30 you have one of the most expensive and… very thirsty for bring the power with them – fully charged supercars. The fascinating e-vehicles in energy. in the form of fast-charging inventors have developed no the world in your product It is no surprise that it trucks. With a total connected fewer than seven of the mobile range, but you cannot charge has become the star of every power of 3.2 megawatts avail- super-batteries. And if they are it without plunging entire test-drive program, but what able, the truck can simultane- hooked up to the right recharg- regions into darkness? The do you do when the infrastruc- ously charge up to 10 Porsche ing stations, they can be ready Porsche Taycan has become a ture needed to charge a fl eet Taycans at maximum speed. for use again in four hours. fl agship of the Swabian global of Taycans does not exist? The battery buffer storage corporation’s model fl eet. Porsche has developed a system is 2.1 megawatt hours porsche.com/experience

Connectors of the future The smallest boat Research project ready for series production in the world Connectors are inconspicuous smallest of installation spaces. Going with the fl ow and rarely photogenic. But their While conventional contact importance is growing, because parts are produced in a stamp- How do bacteria actually the number of control and signal bend process, the Aachen-based swim? Scientists at currents in modern components, researchers combine laser- Leiden University in the for example in the automotive based helical drilling with multi- Netherlands are trying out fl uid mechanics sector, is constantly increasing. beam modules to manufacture on an unexpectedly tiny scale. They have The Fraunhofer Institute not only with high precision, but developed the “3DBenchy” boat model. Due to for Laser Technology ILT has also in a way that is suitable for its overhangs and curved surfaces, the fl oatable recently completed a research series production. watercraft is the ideal test object for newly project called ScanCut, which developed 3D printers. aims to produce signifi cantly ilt.fraunhofer.de/en.html The special feature: The object is only about more intricate connectors. 30 μm long, about a third of the thickness of Together with industrial partners a human hair. It is printed using two-photon from North Rhine-Westphalia, lithography. And instead of “building” it in the they have developed a hybrid shipyard with hammers and welding lances, manufacturing process for laser the scientists use electron microscopes and cutting thin-walled metal strips. lasers. One of the objectives of this research This technology uses high- is self-propelled micro-swimmers, which for precision laser technology to example can be used in the pharmaceuticals realize previously impossible industry. design options with multiple spring contact points in the Connection technology with laser cutting universiteitleiden.nl/en

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 7 73,000 4,000 solar panels fl oat on the lake households can be supplied with the solar power generated

8 WATER BODY

Solar goes swimming

When land becomes too scarce for solar power plants, they take to the “sea”. At least, this is the case near the Dutch town of Zwolle. A stable 27 megawatt source of solar power, despite a wavy footing. A site visit including a boat trip.

9 WATER BODY

he power of the sun is the basis of life industrialized countries where it is possible to on earth. Currently, our main source of manufacture, afford, and use solar cells on a large T obtaining this energy is through burning scale is becoming increasingly valuable. former plant remains in the form of oil and coal – and far too much of it. In truth, plants have had On a wavy footing a monopoly on generating energy for millions of In Zwolle in the Netherlands, a plant has now years through photosynthesis. been commissioned that is expected to produce Society has been challenging this monopoly 27 megawatts of electricity. The special feature ever since Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered of this plant is that it fl oats – on a large body of the photoelectric effect in 1839. However, it still water that is a part of the Bomhofsplas gravel took about 100 years before this and numerous quarry. Such an innovation deserves a closer look subsequent discoveries actually led to the and so, along with Werner Neff, the CEO of system development of high-performance silicon solar integrator Zebotec, we put on our life jackets and cells. In the 1950s, Bell Laboratories in New Jersey left terra fi rma. was one of the most successful research facilities, The system integrator based in Konstanz, and in this fi eld as well. Germany played a leading role in the construction And, a good 70 years later, the direct use of the fl oating solar power plant. Zebotec GmbH has of solar energy for generating electricity is established itself in this fi eld over the last 15 years becoming essential for the survival of the entire to become one of the world’s leading independent planet, because the use of energy stored in fossil system integrators for controlling photovoltaic plant remains releases disastrous amounts of power stations. The range of services also includes carbon. The problem here is that land in those the construction of effi cient Ethernet networks

The home of the fl oating solar panels is the Bomhofsplas, a quarry lake near Zwolle

10 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Zebotec CEO Werner Neff in discussion with Jan Aulenberg und Lutz Odewald, both from Phoenix Contact (left to right)

“Bodies of water are a genuine alternative to increasingly scarce land- based locations.”

Werner Neff, CEO Zebotec GmbH Zebotec is a Phoenix Contact system integrator

that are used for networking system sections and transmitted underwater via cables. However, for data exchange. the system performance data is transmitted to shore via WLAN, as cabling would have been far WLAN instead of cables too expensive and complex. The WLAN clients During the crossing, naturally in an electrically installed in each transformer station connect to powered boat, the head of the Konstanz-based WLAN access points mounted in stations near the solar specialist explains the function of the shore.” Ethernet network used here: “The grid connection In the meantime, we have docked at the fl oating point is based on land. This is the point at which system. The solar panels are attached to fl oats, the power generated by the solar panels on the and are arranged like a roof. “This optimizes the lake is fed into the public grid. This power is solar irradiation, and therefore, the yield,” explains 

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 11 The roof-shaped arrangement ensures maximum yield over the entire irradiation period

12 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine WATER BODY

Werner Neff. But isn’t the resulting shading of the then to confi gure the fi nal WLAN network topology water an ecological problem? “No, that has been once installed in the respective system. This is a investigated extensively. On the contrary, fi sh even true selling point, especially here on the lake.” use the fl oating plant actively because it provides them with protection against aerial predators. And Wireless data communication furthermore, there is no increase in algae growth, Two omni-directional antennas are installed on meaning that the oxygen content of the water is each transformer station for exchanging data not affected either.” between the FL WLAN 5110 devices. Due to the Neff opens one of the transformer stations and greater distances involved, Zebotec uses directional points out the components installed. “In particular wireless antennas to connect the access points out here on the water, the high reliability and to an FL WLAN 5110 installed at the central grid robustness of the WLAN components used is connection point on land. All of the antenna cables crucial. We decided on the “FL WLAN 5110” devices are protected with surge protection equipment from Phoenix Contact precisely for this reason. from Phoenix Contact to protect the photovoltaic These industrial-grade devices can be confi gured system. as WLAN clients, as repeaters, or as access points.” Jan Aulenberg beams when he looks into the open control cabinets, because Zebotec does not Confi guration on the spot only rely on Phoenix Contact in the fi eld of network Jan Aulenberg, accompanying expert and product technology. Werner Neff explains why. “Naturally, manager in the fi eld of network technology there are also less expensive alternatives. But this at Phoenix Contact Electronics, explains the will pay off over the operating life of such a plant. advantages of the components used. “This feature The infrastructure components from Phoenix provided Zebotec, as the system integrator, with Contact are ‘industrial grade’, and therefore, robust the fl exibility to fi rst construct the control cabinets enough to meet our demands on high availability. for all transformer stations to be identical, and It is much more expensive in the long run if there 

The data from the modules is transmitted to the land-based station via a WLAN connection

13 WATER BODY

No worries when it comes to follow-up orders: Werner Neff expects that the move onto the water will increase signifi cantly in the coming years

Zebotec “The plant is the world’s Zebotec, founded in 2002, is a system integrator for the control of photovoltaic power stations. In the fi rst few years, Zebotec worked on the electrifi cation largest fl oating photovoltaic of pleasure boats. In 2006, the company moved into photovoltaics, and activities in this fi eld were system outside of China.” extended successively in the following years. At the same time, developments in the fi eld of electrolysis, fuel cells, electric drives, and battery storage systems were also pursued. However, they were discontinued in 2015 due to the lack of market penetration and profi tability. are plant downtimes or if a technician has to come Since 2020, the company has been a part of the by because a component has failed.” BayWa r.e., which has been bringing together various companies from within the fi eld of renewable Climate-neutral construction site energies since 2009. The group activities include the design, construction, and marketing of PV power The entire construction was managed consistently stations within the solar project management sector, to be climate-neutral. Only electrically powered among other things. In these projects, Zebotec’s machines and equipment were used. A battery responsibilities include the systems for monitoring storage system installed on site supplies tools and control technology, among other things. and electric vehicles independently of the current Zebotec has its headquarters in Konstanz on Lake Constance and is active worldwide. For Phoenix level of solar irradiation. And, to ensure that both Contact, Zebotec is the fi rst certifi ed solution partner technicians and material can access the fl oating in the fi eld of renewable energies. solar system, even the boats are fi tted with electric zebotec.de/en motors. 

phoenixcontact.com

14 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Empowering the All Electric Society

Less than one percent of the land area near the equator would be enough to provide enough electrical power for the world’s needs – direct generation of solar energy is a key pillar of the All Electric Society.

If the opencast lignite mine pit lakes in Germany alone were used for floating PV systems, this would represent a potential of around 1.5 to 5.5 gigawatts

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research

Amount of carbon saved as a result 1.1 million metric tons

Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research

Number of artificial lakes in Germany alone 4,474

Potential through the use of just 1 percent of Eu- rope’s artificial freshwater bodies 20 gigawatts

World Bank Group

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 15 DRINKING WATER

Fitness for the water pipeline

Water is an essential nutrient. It comes unceremoniously out of the faucet, and is also very inexpensive – it costs on average just 0.2 cents per liter. But there are alternative sources: The most expensive water in the world costs € 53,470 per bottle and is sold under the name Acqua di Cristoallo Tributo a Modigliani.

A high-quality nutrient fl ows here through the catacombs of Bad Kreuznach

16 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine 20 to 30 thousand The number of liters of water a person drinks in about 80 years.

10,000 liters of water consumed by a dripping faucet per year.

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 17 Around 73,000 inhabitants are supplied by the Bad Kreuznach municipal utility company

34 wells and 25 springs serve the water supply

The maximum consumption per day in 2019 was 18,000 cubic meters

n Bad Kreuznach, near Mainz, no one has task, because 4.3 million cubic meters of drinking to worry about their water bill. Most of the water are supplied to connected households and I water needed in the region is extracted from businesses over a supply network with a pipeline the sediments of the so-called “Rotliegend” solid length of more than 500 kilometers every single rock and, in the Rhine-Hesse region, from the year. To be able to handle the volumes and pipe volcanic rhyolite rock, and then processed. The networks, remote control systems for monitoring municipal utility company has a total of 25 springs and active intervention are essential. and 34 wells, as well as 23 reservoirs with a total capacity of more than 25,000 cubic meters. The Old alongside new municipal utility company of the Bad Kreuznach Gunther Christmann from the Water Extraction/ spa town, located approximately 30 kilometers to Building Services Department of the municipal the northeast of Mainz, supplies drinking water to utility company explains the special challenges. more than 71,000 inhabitants. “Old and new systems need to be operated To ensure that this supply runs smoothly alongside each other, because the modernization and is always of impeccable quality, both the process is to be realized successively. And, over the production and distribution of drinking water must years, various automation components supplied be modernized time and again. This is no easy by different manufacturers have been used in

18 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine DRINKING WATER

the plant. Therefore, the new units need open interfaces, must use standard protocols, and, of course, their engineering has to be user-friendly.” To be able to guarantee modern, secure, and event-oriented data transmission, the Bad Kreuznach municipal utility company uses the IEC 60870-5-104 remote control protocol. This provides the data packets that are to be transmitted with a time stamp during data transmission. This prevents potential transmission errors that may occur due to malfunctions. Later comprehensive analyses are possible thanks to archiving in the control room. In addition, the volume of data is kept low. And the events can be buffered if there is a break in communication. The successor system from the previous manufacturer did not comply 23 reservoirs serve as a buffer with the requirements described above, so the Bad Kreuznach municipal utility company started looking for a suitable alternative. In the end, the decision was made to use the remote control not only enables connection to different control system from Phoenix Contact. The products from systems but also the easy and fl exible adaptation East Westphalia have a very good reputation to the respective situation on site, and without any among water treatment plant specialists. in-depth programming knowledge.” Hauke Abbas, expert in Industry Management Water and Wastewater, knows exactly why. “Our Direct control modular remote control stations are based on a Moreover, in addition to the remote control combination of one of our application-specifi c technology, the controller can also take on further controllers, in this case the Inline controllers, control, regulation, and monitoring functions; that and the Resy+ function block library for remote is to say, it is used not just for transmitting senor control technology. With this combination of both data, but it can also be used for direct intervention elements, a modular solution has been created that by the control room. Gunther Christmann explains. 

Empowering the All Electric Society

Climate change is exacerbating the shortage of drinking water. Desert areas are expanding, former farmland is becoming infertile, and groundwater levels are dropping. Therefore, the careful and sustainable use of this resource is also essential to our existence.

4,000 km3 70% 5,753 m3 The number of cubic kilometers of of water is consumed by the The amount of water consumed fresh water consumed annually agricultural sector, 20% by industry, per inhabitant annually in and just 10% by the municipal sector Turkmenistan (cotton production); 11 m3 in the Congo

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 19 DRINKING WATER

“For example, we have integrated a pump control system using the standard Modbus protocol.” A typical characteristic of water management companies is the vastness of their facilities and supply networks. The supply lines, stretching across almost 500 kilometers, are technologically challenging not just because of their sheer length, but also because of the topography. This is because beyond the North German Plain, hills and mountains, forests, and towns present potential obstacles. Numerous companies within the water management industry rely on company-owned lines and extensive IP networks for remote control. “We have this safely under control with our devices from the Ethernet extender product family,” says Hauke Abbas, describing the situation on site. “Line lengths of up to 20 kilometers can be achieved and components can be started up easily thanks to Plug and Play technology.”

Open interfaces also accommodate existing remote control technology

Secure data transmission is possible from the fi eld level all the way to the control room

20 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Gunther Christmann of the Bad Kreuznach municipal utility company

Phoenix Contact expert Hauke Abbas (right) at the briefing in the supervisory control room

“Modernizing the remote control technology had to be performed successively. Old and new systems had to work alongside each other.”

Gunther Christmann, Bad Kreuznach municipal utility company

of data, it is characterized by flexible network structures with access-proof transmission. The high security standard is achieved through Wireless alongside cellular communication sophisticated authentication and encryption If fixed signal lines are not available, for example procedures as well as a proprietary approach. in sparsely populated regions or due to unfavorable “Due to the multitude of possible network topography, simple alternatives to cables are structures as well as the different ranges, needed to connect the more remote stations to the combination of cable-based and wireless the control room. Abbas explains. “When there is communication is ideally suited for networking no other way, we can establish our own wireless water distribution systems, here at our company networks in addition to the traditional cellular as well. And we feel that we are well equipped for network.” the coming decades,” says Christmann, the water Phoenix Contact has developed the license- treatment plant specialist, optimistically. (ha/lo)  free Trusted Wireless technology for this special application. In addition to the robust forwarding kreuznacherstadtwerke.de

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 21 Under pressure 24/7

1,500 cubic kilometers of wastewater are produced worldwide every year. This is an enormous amount which, if not treated appropriately, will endanger the global drinking water cycle in the long term. In Konstanz on Lake Constance, the risks and solutions to this problem are omnipresent.

round 35 percent of all people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water today. Until a few A decades ago, poor water quality was also a problem in Lake Constance. Until well into the 1960s, wastewater fl owed largely untreated into the “Swabian Sea”, which serves as a drinking water reservoir for the entire region. In the 1950s, phosphorus levels began to rise dramatically. New artifi cial fertilizers, the triumph of water-fl ushed toilets, and the widespread use of washing machines and dishwashers created an entirely new wastewater situation. In addition, the population around Lake Constance increased signifi cantly. Industrial and slaughterhouse wastewater entered the lake untreated. The result was massive algae blooms that deprived 

22 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine INDUSTRIAL WATER

23 INDUSTRIAL WATER

the lake of oxygen and nearly caused its ecosystem to collapse and Reichenau and the Swiss city of Kreuzlingen, and the several times. municipalities of Tägerwilen and Gottlieben, both also In 1959, the International Commission for the Protection of in Switzerland. This equates to a population of around Waters was founded to coordinate the wastewater treatment 175,000 people. On the trip from the polluter to the wastewater of the countries on its shores. This commission decided that treatment plant, the wastewater must travel great distances sewage treatment plants and sewers should protect Lake and handle differences in altitude in a sewerage system that Constance. The fi rst stage of the Konstanz central sewage is approximately 295 kilometers long. A total of 26 pumping treatment plant was put into operation in 1966. It was not until stations are used to ensure this. The rainwater is collected and 1968 that the biological purifi cation stage was ceremoniously treated in 16 rainwater treatment plants and four rainwater inaugurated. But it would take another 20 years before Lake clarifi ers before it is discharged into Lake Constance. Constance was no longer threatened by algal blooms and This is heavy-duty work for a module that is indispensable biological die-offs. when water has to be channeled through pipes and basins. Four large Hidrostal pumps, each with a capacity of 75 kW, Wastewater goes into the lake and drinking water goes operate in the intake pumping station in Konstanz when it is out dry, alongside three additional powerful pumps during rainy In the meantime, the situation has improved considerably. weather. At least one of the four heavy-duty assistants is  And this despite the infl ow of wastewater that has already been treated. This requires particularly thorough cleaning so that the wastewater does not become a problem for the liquid nutrient. The waste disposal companies of the city of Konstanz “We see ourselves are responsible for this task. Entsorgungsbetriebe Stadt Konstanz (EBK), the Konstanz as environmentalists municipal waste collection and recycling company, is the largest company of its kind in the Lake Constance region. fi rst and foremost.” The approximately 110 employees focus on waste removal and recycling, as well as sewage disposal and treatment. In Mirco Ebeling, Director of “Wastewater Treatment Plant and the main water treatment plant, up to 40 million liters of Pumping Stations Operations”, City of Konstanz wastewater are treated every day. It comes from the Konstanz metropolitan region, the municipalities of Allensbach

The control room in Konstanz receives messages The pipeline network is more from the fi eld, which extends into Switzerland than 295 kilometers long

24 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Empowering the All Electric Society

It is not just the connection of electrical lines in the control cabinet that ensures clean drinking water at Lake Constance despite the disposal of wastewater, but also the monitoring of the pump systems used. A combination of energy and data fl ow ensure the usability and quality of the drinking water reservoir. 25% 80% 85% of all electricity worldwide of all pumps used are of the total life cycle costs of pumps is consumed by pumps centrifugal pumps are due to their energy consumption

Konstanz sewerage system Langenrain Tägerwilen and Eastern Bodan- Gottlieben Wallhausen rück peninsula Germany Kaltbrunn Dingelsdorf Dettingen Kreuzlingen Obersdorf Catchment area Allensbach Hegne Litzelstetten

Mainau City of Konstanz Main collector Gnadensee Open watercourse Reichenau Egg Konstanz Wastewater pressure line Pumping station Untersee Konstanz wastewater Rain overfl ow basin treatment plant

Transfer of wastewater from Allens- Gottlieben bach, Reichenau and Kreuzlingen, Bay of Constance Tägerwilen Lake Constance Gottlieben, and Tägerwilen Switzerland Kreuzlingen Konstanz central sewage treatment plant

Konstanz wastewater treatment plant 6 1 Intake pumping station 4

2 Screening plant 7 5 3 Sand trap 8 2 1 4 Rainwater clarifi cation and buffer tanks 5 Coarse desludging 3 6 Nesting tanks 7 Intermediate pumping station and precipitant station 8 Final purifi cation tank 9 Sludge dewatering hall 10 10 Pre-thickener 11 11 Sludge pumping station 9 12 13 12 Post-thickener Treated 13 Sludge digester wastewater

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 25 INDUSTRIAL WATER

always running; in other words, in 24/7 operation. The energy required for this is considerable: The pumps need around 560 megawatts of energy for their pumping activity.

A holistic approach is more useful than bit-by-bit Energy consumption and maintenance monitoring – this is where the experts from Phoenix Contact, who were tasked with improving the effi ciency of the overall system, came in. If this system were to be optimized, a huge amount of energy would be able to be saved. Electrical engineering master Thomas Geiz, who works in solution sales for water management at Phoenix Contact, explains. “We didn’t just look at the operating circuit of the pump and drive motor. We fi rst looked at system effi ciency of the plant. Which operating point has the best ratio of supplied electrical power to pumped wastewater volume? When thinking about these things, aspects such as the pipe installation, the pump’s suction pressure, and additional hydraulic circumstances play important roles alongside pump and motor effi ciency.

Until the 1960s, the wastewater pumped into Lake Constance remained largely untreated

26 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine The PumpMonitor panel immediately informs the maintenance engineer of the status of the monitored pump

The PumpMonitor is a compact unit that can also be used immediately in existing systems 40 Millions of liters of wastewater are treated every day in the wastewater plant in Konstanz

the status variables, are evaluated directly in PumpMonitor, meaning that a simple overview of the pump status is available to EBK employees at all times via the traffi c light display. When In addition, the availability of the pumps as well as the changes occur here or in pump effi ciency, they can consult the maintenance and servicing required to keep them running advanced view to determine exactly what the cause is.” 24/7 has to be taken into consideration. In recent years, costly In the fi rst step, one of the dry weather pumps was repairs have been made to the pumps. We were only able to equipped with the monitoring system as a means of acquiring determine the cause to a limited extent.” practical experience. The test phase went smoothly, and in The “PumpMonitor” is a ready-to-install control cabinet the meantime, the other pumps have also been secured and solution that is used for the comprehensive monitoring of monitored with “their own” PumpMonitor. pumps and motors as well as for increasing effi ciency. As The EBK employees integrated the solution into the part of status monitoring, the system evaluates mechanical, wastewater treatment plant’s distributed control system by hydraulic, and electrical wear indicators. themselves. From the potential communication standards, Hartmut Appelt, head of the Wastewater Chemistry including OPC, Modbus/TCP, and Profi net, they selected Department at EBK, points out another important advantage the Profi net protocol. This protocol includes a documented, of the PumpMonitor: “We activated effi ciency monitoring defi ned data structure for accepting the information from by taking a measurement during operation and immediately the PumpMonitor system, making integration much simpler. recorded the current status of the pumps. This means that “The ability to use controllers from Phoenix Contact that the system is ideal for systems with existing pumps. After function as Profi net clients within the programming example determining the best operating point and effi ciency of the programs also played a role in realizing the task more quickly,” system, the values are displayed to us as traffi c lights and an says Appelt. Because the wastewater treatment plant also has absolute number that are immediately clear.” an automation system from Phoenix Contact with Profi net functionality, this was the easiest way into the control room. Monitoring step-by-step Thus armed, the people of Konstanz can look to the future The specialist, Geiz, explains further. “From this point onward, with confi dence when it comes to the cleanliness of their the changes the system goes through during its life cycle can “Swabian Sea”. (tg/lo)  be monitored. Moreover, operating personnel are informed as soon as the effi ciency level drops. These parameters, as well as update.phoenixcontact.com/en/

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 27 MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE

Pressure makers in the spotlight

Did you know that between 20 and 25 percent of helping to develop power grid and transformer stations the electricity generated worldwide is consumed by and, as a water treatment plant engineer, playing a role pumps? And that 85 percent of the lifecycle costs of in the technological development jump towards digital the pressure makers are due to energy consumption data acquisition in maintenance applications. during operation? These are reasons enough to de- “The previous generation of water treatment vote intensive attention to the topic of pump moni- engineers and maintenance specialists serviced their toring and maintenance. pumps by ear. They knew exactly what a healthy pump sounded like. But there is hardly anyone from this “Almost 80 percent of all pumps worldwide are centrifugal generation left. This brought us around to thinking pumps,” explains Thomas Geiz. “This includes very about how we could record the status data of pumps small pumps, but also enormous units in power plants, in such a way that, fi rst of all, the data is immediately in heavy industry, in agriculture and shipping, in water visible during routine maintenance on site if something treatment plants, and in locks. And when they break was wrong. Second, it was important to us that remote down, entire functional units or production lines come control rooms can detect immediately that a pump is to a standstill.“ not running smoothly, and can then respond.” The man knows what he is talking about, because Geiz These considerations resulted in a ready-to-install (45) comes from the water management industry. Before small control cabinet, which is equipped so that it he and a team developed PumpMonitor (yes, that’s can immediately realize the requirements based on actually how it is spelled!) among other projects, his practical experience. The panel on the control cabinet career also included working in the power plant industry, door immediately tells the maintenance engineer

The sensor technology comes from co-developer PCB Synotech The Axioline AXC 1050 controller is next to the power supply

28 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine A small cabinet with huge potential – Thomas Geiz with “his” PumpMonitor

“The old maintenance the status of the connected pump, and the control room guys were able to receives information on the pump’s status and effi ciency. “We are of course also considering an extension with a cloud assess a pump by ear.” connection to allow automated recommended actions to be made available for support in the future. But before artifi cial Thomas Geiz intelligence can evaluate these plant statuses, we still have a bit of development work ahead of us. At that point, as soon as the pump’s operating data deviates from its ideal conditions, the control room can be alerted and the reason for the deviation in values can also be assessed.” This will turn the PumpMonitor into the digital ear that the previous generation of water treatment experts had – allowing it to overcome the generational transition and increase effectiveness. 

Contact: [email protected]

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 29 WATERWAY

Sailing under

The shipping lane from the fl oodlights North Sea to Ghent in Belgium is 32 kilometers long, 200 meters wide, and lit on both sides.

30 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Oceangoing vessels up to 125,000 gross registered tons (GRT) can navigate this canal

he Sassevaart shipping lane was inaugurated Today, the Ghent-Terneuzen canal, which has in 1549. This medieval artifi cial shipping two locks in Terneuzen, is 32 kilometers long, T route established the connection from Ghent 12.5 meters deep, and 200 meters wide, meaning to the North Sea. Previously, the Zwin River had been that oceangoing vessels carrying up to 125,000 GRT the sea route; however, it had become increasingly are able to navigate it. silted in and impassable. The Sassevaart is the forerunner of the canal from Ghent to Terneuzen in Shipping into the hinterland the Netherlands, opened in 1827, where the huge sea The route beacons – that is to say, the canal bank lock points the way into the Western Scheldt estuary lighting – are an essential part of the technical and thus into the North Sea. infrastructure of a waterway. They ensure that After Antwerp and Bruges-Zeebrugge, Ghent, of captains, pilots, and canal controllers can see the all places, located in the hinterland, is the third- course of the canal route clearly even at night. In largest seaport in Belgium. This shipping port this context, an important requirement is that all mainly handles bulk goods, such as agricultural of the lamps work independently of each other. commodities and iron ore. If one lighting fi xture fails, this does not affect 

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 31 1

17 control boxes are installed along the canal M

2

3

“We do not use the 4 wireless network just to 5 control the lighting.”

6 Herman de Grave, Planner at Istimewa Elektro 7

8

the operation of the other lamps. In addition, the voltage at each light source must be constant – even when there are high load fl uctuations. A 9 total of 300 lighting masts are installed along both 10 banks of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal, ensuring safe passage for ships even during the night. The Dutch company Istimewa Elektro B.V. specializes in the offshore, infrastructure, water, 11 and environment sectors. Istimewa Elektro was awarded the contract to modernize the lighting 12 along the Dutch section of the canal in 2016. To ensure that the new LED lights could be grouped more effi ciently, the company installed additional control boxes that are connected locally to the 13 power grid. However, there were no control lines installed at the time for switching the lighting both centrally and locally.

M Master 14 Wireless instead of cables Including the side ports, the Dutch section of the canal is 26 kilometers long. “Because of the signifi cant costs that would have been incurred installing control lines, we were faced with the 15 challenge of fi nding an alternative, more cost- effective solution,” recalls Wilco van Genderen, Project Manager at Istimewa Elektro. “We fi nally 16 decided to use the Radioline wireless system from Repeater/Slave Phoenix Contact,” adds Max Verveer, Technical Engineer at Istimewa Elektro.

32 Once the technical support staff from Phoenix Contact had completed the initial route planning, the ideal position of the wireless modules and antennas was determined on site. This showed that the control boxes for the lighting had in some cases been installed great distances apart from each other, and were obscured by obstacles such as trees or buildings. In this case, the modular Radioline system allows the use of various wireless frequencies. It was only possible to cover these distances and to penetrate the obstacles using the Radioline wireless module with I/O extension module 868 MHz wireless modules. A total of 17 control boxes are installed along the canal for switching the lighting. The largest distance between two boxes is more than two kilometers. To transmit the control commands, each control box is equipped with one Radioline wireless module combined with one I/O extension module. Two lighting strings (north/south) are activated per box. On the one hand, this happens automatically when darkness falls, but the strings can also be activated manually by a bridge operator or from the central control room in Terneuzen. “We do not just use the wireless network to control the lighting. In addition, we also use it to transmit various status signals from the bridges and locks to the supervisory control room,” explains Herman de Grave, who works as a Planner for Istimewa Elektro. Because of the redundant communication paths, (From left to right) Herman de Grave (Planner at Istimewa), Wilco van Genderen the connection is secure against interference, (Project Manager), Paul Zeelen (Sales Promoter Industrial Electronics at Phoenix Contact B.V.), and Max Verveer (Technical Engineer at Istimewa) meaning that even large ships, which can block the line of sight between the stations, do not cause wireless communication to fail. “The wireless network has been operational since April 2017. Since then, there have not been any failures – be it when there is fog, snow, or when large ships pass by,” concludes Wilco van Genderen. In this way, modern wireless technology has also made the historic shipping route passable for generations to come. (sf/lo)  istimewa-elektro.nl

The wireless station is equipped with an omnidirectional antenna

33 THE WATER’S WARM

34 Pool supervisor

A swimming pool in your own back yard – almost everyone dreams about it, even people living in one-bedroom apartments. The Belgian manufacturer LPW Pools makes this dream come true with one-piece pools made of composite materials. They require covers, which are manufactured by sister company Covrex. To ensure that the dream stays fun, the company uses products from Phoenix Contact.

hat do swimming pools have to do with terminals, controls, and switch cabinets? “More than W you’d think” explains Raf Olaerts of Covrex. The company, based in Aarscht near Brussels, manufactures automatic pool covers and their custom-fi t drive systems. Together with the swimming pool manufacturer LPW Pools, which is present in the Benelux countries and Germany, both companies belong to the TSPH group of companies (The Swimming Pool Hub). Raf Olaerts is responsible for the fi eld of automation at Covrex. And therefore, he’s right at the center of developing Ease of maintenance and robustness are in the innovative products Covrex is known for. Without a cover, the Covrex requirement specifi cation a swimming pool can quickly become a problem. “More than 70 percent of all pool owners opt for a pool cover,” Olaerts explains in the interview. “The reasons for this are, fi rst of all, safety and cleanliness, because a pool without a cover can quickly become a risk, especially in a family household. And 

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 35 THE WATER’S WARM

without a cover, a pool quickly becomes a magnet for anything produced in-house, in which all functions are combined in that fl ies around in the air, from leaves and twigs to waterfowl a user-friendly controller with remote control. “Our pool and dust. Moreover, in our latitudes, the temperatures during controllers are standardized basic solutions that can be the cooler months cannot be ignored. If the body of water is adapted to the specifi c situation on site at the customer’s unprotected, it will quickly lose its comfortable temperature, premises,” Raf Olaerts explains regarding the procedure. and is even in danger of freezing.” High availability and low maintenance were included in When it comes to hardware, Covrex therefore relies on the requirement specifi cation for the development of the various pool canopies with a clear-glass look, which turn the pool into a true swimming pool, and, for a less expensive version, on slatted covers. Covrex holds its own patents on its fully foamed versions of these. These fully foamed slatted covers offer better thermal insulation and are more resistant to weather conditions such as frost and hail. Customers can choose from a variety of shapes, colors, and accessories for “Our pool control system their pool. is a standardized The electronic pool supervisor To ensure that this hardware can be put to good use, electrical control cabinet that we helpers are indispensable. Pumps and fi lter systems, heating and lighting, and the drives of the motor-driven covers require customize on site.” expert installation. Covrex uses its own control cabinets Raf Olaerts, Covrex

Covrex’s parent company is The Swimming Pool Hub (TSPH)

36 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine The foamed slats protect against The roll-up mechanism is usually at the bottom of the pool. The controller dirt and temperature loss therefore has to be robust and take various safety issues into consideration

pool control cabinet. We faced a special challenge with the is that they are always thinking about these types of solutions automatic swimming pool cover, because its drive system is with us,” says Raf Olaerts. “When we have a question, we completely submerged. “The control box therefore has two don’t just get a quick answer. Our partners at Phoenix Contact separate power supplies,” Raf Olaerts explains. “If a leak also come up with ideas and then think ahead with us.” The occurs and short-circuits the motor, the rest of the system cooperation between the two companies began many years continues to function.” ago in the fi eld of production, and over time has shifted more Covrex solves another potential problem with a special and more directly into Covrex products. power relay in the power supply to the motor. “The reeling system is often installed in a niche at the bottom of the pool,” Complete modules explains Raf Olaerts. “Because the slats are lighter than water, In addition to power supplies and the ELR module, modular they counteract the tensile forces of the electric motor. When terminal blocks from Phoenix Contact are used, including they are being rolled up, they turn the electric motor in the special terminal blocks for potential distribution that facilitate wrong direction, so to speak. Using the changeover relay, smooth and effi cient assembly. In the meantime, Covrex also we can slow the motor down and prevent it from acting as a makes use of Phoenix Contact’s Value Added Center for the generator in the direction of the power grid. Moreover, the supply of complete module strips. These are customer-specifi c speed needs to be controlled to ensure that the pool cover lies DIN rails on which all the desired components are already correctly on the surface.” mounted and equipped with the necessary markings and Jimmy De Sitter has been the contact person at Phoenix bridges. Contact for many years. He goes on to explain. “The ELR The backyard swimming pool business is booming. And module has a built-in surge protection system, and can control thanks to the cooperation with Phoenix Contact, Raf Olaerts the speed of the motor using pulse width modulation (PWM). and his team can devote themselves to the further development For applications such as these, where a DC motor needs to be of their innovative products, ensuring that the dream of a pool reversed and decelerated, it is an effi cient solution because does not become a technological belly-fl op. (lo)  the module controls everything electronically.” “One of the reasons we like working with Phoenix Contact covrex.com

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 37 INDULGENCE

Dripping with sophistication

When it comes to brewing, many people think of hops, malt, or distilleries. But if you want to sharpen your senses rather than befuddle them, a drink made from the ground beans from the Rubiaceae family comes to mind. The Thun coffee machines try to extract the maximum taste and indulgence from these elegant beans.

offee is cultivated in more than 50 countries worldwide. the noble beans. We dared to do it anyway, because after all, But its origin is in the southwest of Ethiopia, more the inner workings of the Thun coffee vending machines are C precisely in the province of Kaffa. From there, it began adorned with a small but rather crucial technological genie its triumphal march in the 9th Century, fi rst through the from East Westphalia. Arab world, then with detours through the colonial powers throughout the globe. The degree of roasting There are parts of the world where the handling and The fi rst thing that interests me, of course, is how a Swiss enjoyment of the brown bean has become part of the cultural laboratory and medical technology engineer, who has a passion heritage, like in Italy. And there are regions where a distant for espresso, arrives at the topic of fi lter coffee. Because that imitation of the once-carefully harvested crop is squeezed is precisely the showpiece of Thun coffee machines – a fi lter through the fi lters from the nozzles of cheap, fully automatic coffee machine. Markus Widmer has to laugh himself. “Of machines. course, I do actually come from the camp of espresso drinkers. In this respect, it is a delicate matter when a North German, It is pretty much a geographic matter. In the south of Europe, who based on tradition should be more of a tea drinker than a Switzerland, Austria, and the south of Germany, the coffee coffee drinker, interviews a Swiss man with close ties to Italy bean is roasted darker, ground fi ner, and then a maximum of on the subject of coffee – particularly because this is not about fl avor is extracted from it using little water and high pressure. the bean itself, but about an extremely high-quality piece of Beyond this region, and this applies almost globally, coffee equipment that is intended to elicit a maximum of fl avor from is usually roasted lighter, ground more coarsely, and infused

38 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Phase 1 88°C – the grounds are wetted

“We have digitized the production of excellent Phase 2 fi lter coffee.” 90°C – the coffee is extracted Dr. Markus Widmer, Thun Kaffeemaschinenfabrik

Phase 3 89°C – the calm- ing phase with more water without pressure to make fi lter coffee.” No wonder, then, that Dr. Markus Silvan Widmer, who founded his own engineering company a good ten years ago (specialized in the automation of laboratory technology), fi rst had to deal with fi nely ground beans. Personal contacts with baristas led to an unusual order. “Thomas Liebe, who I have known for many years, is a barista. And a coffee machine designer. He was commissioned by a German company to build a special coffee machine, something that did not yet exist. We helped with its development, and then started to take a liking to this topic.” 

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 39 INDULGENCE

The Tone Touch 03 in its natural environment – together with Thomas Liebe and Markus Widmer, its developers

The result of this liaison is a wonderful semi-automatic were able to achieve a very purist design.” hand-lever machine designed to fi t the espresso lover’s The following information will be of interest to people with hand. And whose technology is just as much of a milestone. a taste for indulgence. “Within the coffee industry, we know Widmer explains, “In the vast majority of cases, the hot water that the temperature of the water has an important impact that a coffee machine needs is heated in boilers and kept on the taste. You can divide the preparation of coffee into at temperature there. More than 90 percent of the heat is three phases. First, the water is heated and added to the coffee dissipated to the surroundings, with just fi ve to ten percent grounds – the grounds are wetted. used in making the coffee. This is no longer acceptable in the In the second phase, the extraction or pulse phase, you try 21st Century!” Dr. Widmer and his team have opted for an to extract as much from the coffee as possible. The fi nal phase innovative through-fl ow heating system. This not only saves is the calming phase, where only a little water is added, along around 90 percent of the energy, but also allows radically the wall of the vessel.” Astonished owners of run-of-the-mill different designs, since the bulky water boiler is no longer fully automatic machines will additionally fi nd it interesting needed. to learn that volume delivery and fl ow rate are also important This commissioned work gave rise to the idea of the Thuner criteria. Kaffeemaschinenfabrik (TKM) coffee machine company. And, And, on top of all that, “The Tone Touch 03 works with with the “Tone Touch 03”, the best that money can buy when different temperatures. You can start the fi rst phase at it comes to fi lter coffee. This, at least, is the assessment of around 88 degrees Celsius. The second is performed at numerous baristas worldwide, Widmer assures us. “Our aim 90 degrees, and the third at 89 degrees. This can be set using was to simplify the whole process of making coffee with a the digital interface with a special PC program. The water is digital interface. The basic settings are made on a PC, so we then distributed over the coffee grounds with a spray head.

40 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine Almost too elegant for fi lter coffee – the Tone Touch 03 from Thun

Thanks to the newly developed PRC connector, the control unit and power supply can be disconnected in a fl ash

Alongside the quality of the drink produced, ease of maintenance was at the top of the service specifi cation 2.6 billion cups of coffee are drunk worldwide every day and a connection system for the controller can be removed.” And voilà. This is where the new PRC connectors come into play, connecting the black box of the brewing unit to the power supply. Why this system? “We were looking for a Depending on the fl ow speed, this creates different levels of solution that was as simple and robust as possible to satisfy turbulence in the coffee-water mixture, resulting in different the idea of service-friendliness. Phoenix Contact was simply fl avor characteristics.” the most attractive solution for us, both due to the product The elegant machines are assembled in a manufactory in and the advice that came with it.” Thun, Switzerland, with care and a great deal of craftsmanship. Who says that East Westphalian connection technology And this is where Phoenix Contact comes into play. “We can’t also be a treat for the palate? Our only problem now manufacture for the professionals. It is therefore important is to fi gure out how to justify swapping the offi ce’s resident to make servicing and maintenance as simple, uncomplicated, “volume brewer” (that actually is the name of the dull device!) and fast as possible. This is why we came up with the idea of for a Tone Touch 03...  designing our entire brewing unit to be so compact that by loosening just two screws, the water supply, the power supply, tone-swiss.com

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 41 42 WATER FUN

Mobility by the seat of your pants

Speed is their motivation, trickery their profession, and water their means of transport – when these Swiss inventors join the game, you can expect water, speed, and breath-taking experiences.

43 Plettenberg in Westphalia is home to one of the largest parks in Germany

44 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine WATER FUN

he Klarer Wasserrutschen company, is no trace of aqua fun or torrents of water, so a second-generation family business we leave our swimming trunks in our bags. “This T in Hallau, a town in German-speaking is where we plan our slides and manufacture the Switzerland, is dedicated to acceleration in its electrical engineering for them. The elements are wettest form – they make water slides. But if small manufactured in Slovakia. The metalworking shop children’s slides at the local outdoor pool spring to that we need is also located there.” mind, you’d be wrong. Names such as “Fake Slide”, “Infi nity Jump”, and “Kamikaze” suggest that Origins in toboggan runs sliding is thought of in a different dimension here. The e-technology development manager explains. The products from Hallau are brightly colored, as “The company was founded by Armin Klarer more tall as a house, and the main attraction in theme than 30 years ago. He started with toboggan runs and water parks worldwide. made of GFRP. They had to be made smooth after However, visiting the company’s headquarters manufacturing. And this involved lots of water, is initially surprising. “We haven’t manufactured cloths, and of course slides. It therefore made the slides themselves here for a long time,” says sense that at some point we would begin to focus Tobias Beukelmann, as he welcomes us and leads entirely on fun in swimwear instead of snow us into a surprisingly small production hall. There pants. In the meantime, the company is managed by Claudia and Stefan Klarer, the next generation of the family. And with the second generation it became international. Initially, we also made the equipment here, but that changed years ago.” So no water fun at work? Tobias Beukelmann grins. “Well, mixing water into the production and 120 assembly of our control cabinets wouldn’t be a very The amount of water in good idea at all. But when we developed the air cubic meters needed for large slides slide, for example, we set up the fi rst test elements  to transport their visitors smoothly

It is clear that Phoenix Contact fans are at work in the control cabinet manufacturing department

Water slides from Klarer are always individual orders that have to be planned precisely

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 45 Tobias Beukelmann is head of e-technology – his systems are not affected by splashes of water

here on the lawn.” Aha! So they do have a workplace with swimming trunks alongside respirator masks and safety shoes after all! Beukelmann dampens our enthusiasm. “Well, the water is freezing cold, “For an on-location shoot, though – we don’t heat it up.” I’ve also had to slide Slid, asked, hired Even though we are quite close with the border to 30 times with a bodycam Germany in the north of Switzerland, our interview partner’s lack of dialect is noticeable. “I come from until we managed to fi t Wuppertal and have only been working here since 2016.” So how does a Wuppertal native end up in every effect in the frame.” Switzerland? “There is a water park with a large slide complex in Plettenberg, and as a technician Tobias Beukelmann knows “his” slides inside out in machine building, I was simply curious to know who built it.” The question turned into a contact, and the contact turned into the job as head of e-manufacturing.

46 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine WATER FUN

“The ideas for the various elements that make whether the operation is okay, then we control the up our slides are born here within the team. This is system right down to the access controls, such as how the Free Falls came about, for example, where turnstiles. Naturally, TÜV Süd checks every system optical illusions make you think you’re sliding for safety and accredits them.” straight ahead until suddenly a ledge opens up Both in production and the control cabinet, underneath you. Or the High Fly, where swimmers it becomes clear that Klarer Wasserrutschen has can master a ski jump. We have a Freestyle standing a close connection to East Westphalia. “Along slide, Looping Slide, Magic Tube, and the brand with the ST series terminal blocks, we also use new Stormchaser, where we use a turbine that can switches and relays from Phoenix Contact. The even shoot the water park guest uphill at up to a mGuards guarantee the security of our electrical wind speed of 100 km/h.” systems.” In addition to tools from Blomberg, the Each of the approximately 40 slides that are Swiss company also uses marking technology from built each year is a custom-made product, tailored Phoenix Contact. “The systems have to be reliable, to the wishes and conditions of the operators on even if the end customer only has fun in mind at site. “My team and I make the control cabinets the water park. But the operator cannot have any needed here in Hallau. We plan and manage disruptions at all, so the need for smooth, secure time measurements, effect controllers, lighting, operations and simple maintenance routines is the and music, as well as videos and touchpoints in same as in industry.” the installations, in addition to the connecting Because if the slide stops, the fun stops. the sensor technology in the system. The water However, Tobias Beukelmann and his small team technology itself is the only part that we do not are fairly certain that they won’t get wet feet with take care of – the operator handles that. And we the next breath-taking attractions. (lo)  also commission the slides on site as well.” klarer.com/index_e.php TÜV accreditation Up to 120 m3 of water pour down the smooth lanes per hour. “We receive a signal from the pump about

Safety and reliability are essential factors for success, even in a water park

Production quality is equal to that of industrial systems

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 47 INTERVIEW

Diffi cult choices

Frank Possel-Dölken has been a member of the Phoenix Contact Executive Board since August 2020. What has changed for the Chief Digital Offi cer since then? And what opportunities and risks does he see for the future of Phoenix Contact?

 Mr. Possel-Dölken, you have been with Phoenix Con- Wage Countries” Cluster of Excellence. This was focused on tact since 2008. Can you tell us about your professional production technology on a global scale, in which numerous career before you started working with us? partners from industry were also involved. Of course. I studied machine building at RWTH Aachen But at some point it was time for a change, because a University from 1994 to 1999, majoring in production scientifi c career was not really my thing, even though it was technology. I took the opportunity to go to Tsinghua an enjoyable time. University in Beijing for a year as a guest researcher before returning to Aachen to do my doctorate. The subject was the  How did contact with Phoenix Contact come about? software development of control systems for machine tools in Naturally, I already knew Phoenix Contact as one of the machine building. players in automation technology. Phoenix Contact was one of the pioneers when it came to the subject of wireless in the  So initially a purely academic career? industry. Phoenix Contact was also one of the fi rst to create Although I have also been involved in teaching, I have always an environment for programming control systems with high- been more of a practitioner, having also been active in business level languages in the area of “IT-powered automation”. We process management for many years, among other things. As have polished this into the form of PLCnext to such an extent a full-time scientist I then worked in the WZL machine tool that it is really fun today. laboratory. The WZL is very practice-oriented; for example, my fi rst project was developing a planning system for a fl exible  So your dream destination was East Westphalia? manufacturing system in the aircraft industry in Canada. (Laughs) Well. At a machine building convention in Berlin in 2007, Mr. Hasse persuaded me over coffee to drop by for a visit  That sounds really exciting. So why the move to free to Blomberg. I’ll be honest, the region of East Westphalia was enterprise? not at the top of my list of destinations. But I am a Westphalian It was indeed. Most recently, I was General Manager of by family; I can play Doppelkopf (a popular German card the German “Integrative Production Technology for High- game) and I also go down the cellar when I want to laugh,” he

48 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine says with a broad grin. “When my wife sat with me in a café in head of Corporate Technology and Value Chain. This was Detmold on a gloomy November day and said that she could followed by IT subjects relating to product data and subjects imagine living here, the matter was decided. I then started the such as shop fl oor management. That led to me becoming the job in 2008. Business Unit head from 2016 to 2019. And then the gentlemen of the Executive Board approached  But you didn’t start in automation development? me. I have been a member of the Executive Board team myself That’s right. I spent the fi rst few years in our in-house machine since August 2020. and tool shop. This job gave me the opportunity to work on a wide range of subjects with a large number of colleagues from  What has changed for you? almost all areas of the company, which gave me a very good It was a smooth transition. However, in the past I very rarely overview. Production equipment building may not sound very went more than two years without making changes. sexy, but at Phoenix Contact it is a real high-tech forge. Naturally, there have been some changes in interpersonal For example, I was present in the early days of zinc die exchanges. I have noticed that people are suddenly talking to casting production, which is now located in Paderborn. At that me as one of the General Managers. In this role, you have to time, this was a long-cherished wish of Klaus Eisert: A true think three times about what you are about say. People listen connection technology company has to have its own foundry. much more carefully and interpret three times more into what In addition, around that time we also started working on I say. That is a change, of course. automation in switchgear construction.  Which areas are new in your scope of responsibility?  But that’s not all, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this I am responsible for the Digital Process and Solutions Business interview. Unit. This is a new organization set up as a central function A new set of tasks came with the subject of product lifecycle in the area of business process management. Our IT is part management. This is how I moved into the corporate of this, plus the area of digital customer interaction from the technology fi eld. Ultimately, this resulted in becoming the e-shop right through to online marketing. 

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 49 “The biggest challenge will be in deciding what not to do.”

Frank Possel-Dölken, CDO Phoenix Contact

In addition, there are central tasks in the fi eld of transformation and the associated internal process and IT standardization. I am, for example, involved in the national infrastructure, digital products, and services. This is already Industry 4.0 platform, where I represent the interests of the topic closest to my heart. Phoenix Contact. With the departure of the current CTO Roland Bent, I will be taking over our IP Management team  What are the challenges of the future for Phoenix starting in March of this year. Contact? When I look back over the past few years, I see incredible  How do you fi t all these tasks into your schedule? opportunities, in so many fi elds. So the biggest challenge will The amount of time I commit to work has always been high. actually be in deciding what NOT to do. But sometimes this role is also about clearing your head for a This is a wonderful position to be in, but is also a diffi cult while to think things through. You also need time to be able to task. Because our activities are widely spread. Technology do this. It is not about getting through as many deadlines as disruptions are imminent, for example in e-mobility and possible or working through all the fi les. The only way to lead renewable energies. If you think just of the fact that we are is not just by doing everything yourself, but also by delegating represented everywhere with our products, systems, and sensibly. control cabinets in the booming wind and solar markets, it Travel will certainly take on a higher profi le in the post- becomes clear that these are not exactly dark clouds on the COVID era. I used to visit our locations regularly, particularly in corporate horizon. the USA and China. But in the future I will have more frequent The role of the Executive Board is not just to open up every appointments that are not directly related to production at market that we can open up, even though it is tempting and our locations. the prospects are almost endless. Because this would simply overwhelm our strengths, those of our 17,600 employees.  What are your upcoming tasks in the future? What do For us, it is not a matter of closing facilities or reducing the you fi nd exciting? workforce. Our pain will lie in having to say no sometimes, Naturally, I’m interested in topics such as the digital regardless of just how fantastic the prospects are.

50 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine INTERVIEW

To a certain extent, this is refl ected in my personal fi eld  How are we proceeding in markets that opt for fossil of responsibility. We do have a great deal of resources. But if energies or nuclear power? Are we really giving up we were to tackle all the highly interesting issues at once, we sales? would also go under. Deciding what not to do is now my very Nuclear power is very important in China and France, for own personal challenge – one that is completely new to me. example, and the oil and gas industry is very important in the USA. But there are changes taking place there, as well.  What role will Phoenix Contact play within the frame- Sustainability is a high priority in China’s upcoming fi ve-year work of the All Electric Society? plan. Similarly, large companies in the oil and gas business Ultimately, the size of business that we have today dictates have started to adapt to the changes and are trying to develop that we also have a social role to play. This is also a fi rst step in new business areas. where we focus our objectives. If we are faced with the choice If we look into the circle of Phoenix Contact’s global of becoming involved in industries that are nearing the end management, that is to say into the circle of those responsible of their life cycle or in future fi elds such as renewable energy in the respective countries, then we see that of course we have generation and the hydrogen economy, then we will always people there who are attracted to the Phoenix Contact way of focus on the sustainable issues in the future. thinking; in other words, those who support more progressive Our products play a signifi cant role as technical enablers attitudes. This enthusiasm is part of our entrepreneurial in many fi elds of application and industries. Within the DNA. And yes, we will also take a pass on sales when in doubt. framework of the All Electric Society, we will focus our (lo)  development work in the future on areas where there is a direct link to the key sustainability goals. update.phoenixcontact.com/en/

Frank Possel-Dölken in an open-air interview on the fl oodplains of the Emmer river

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 51 BEHIND THE SCENES

Zinc-plated series 3D printing with new possibilities

Zamak 5 is a standard material in zinc die casting. In this process, molten material is pressed into steel moulds under high pressure. The process is of signifi cance wherever large batch quantities are required. Disadvantage: The steel mould is complex to manufacture and expensive. When changes are made to the product, a new mold must be created each time. Protiq has now succeeded for the fi rst time in designing a process for additive processing of the series material Zamak 5. This makes it possible to produce prototypes and small series out of zinc economically. In addition, Benjamin Lenz, Hermann Trompeter, Franziska Berkling, component geometries are possible that could Bastian Simon Bröckling, Marcel Volmari (from left) not be achieved with a casting mold. protiq.com Germany’s Best Award in training from Phoenix Contact

At the end of this training year, of Phoenix Contact, Frank Marcel Volmari can call himself Stührenberg, in a corona- “Germany’s Best Toolmaker”. necessitated small ceremony And Benjamin Lenz won the at the Schieder Training Center. award for “Best IT Specialist He was visibly proud of the for Application Development” outstanding results of the three in NRW. Franziska Berkling trainees. “This is the merit of became the “Best Warehouse the good and well-founded Logistics Specialist” in NRW. training program at Phoenix The trio not only received Contact. We’ve had state-best praise and recognition from trainees several times, and this their trainers, but also warm year is the fi rst time we’ve had a congratulations from the CEO national-best trainee.”

Ghost drivers in production Automated guided vehicle system connects automated small parts warehouse with production

When the robot starts driving, the company’s premises. The where the ghost driver takes no one at Phoenix Contact has blue sheet metal box travels over the load and then delivers to jump to the side in fright. between a state-of-the-art it quickly. With the new automated small parts warehouse and a Thanks to its safety guided vehicle system (AGV), production line. systems, the “new colleague” automation has also found its To ensure that driving does of course keeps an eye out way into moving goods traffi c not become an end in itself, for the feet and shins of its within the Blomberg site. the robot is linked to a state- unwary human colleagues. “The devices work in a of-the-art ordering system And since the containers similar way as domestic that employees can use to are carried at waist level, no robot vacuum cleaners. Only order the individual parts they one has to stoop down at bigger, more resilient, and need “just like on Amazon”. the receiving point. The only even more ergonomically The material is transported difference between it and our friendly,” explains Björn Eilert, from the automatic small human colleagues is that it who oversaw the introduction parts warehouse in transport doesn’t leave its silent blue tin of autonomous driving on containers to a transfer point, shell for dinner.

52 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine BEHIND THE SCENES

Start-up with masks – the team at the new production site in Rzeszów-Dworzysko High-speed launch in Poland E-mobility subsidiary expands production capacities

Poland has not been a low- of automotive giants and their manager of the new factory has been completed. wage country for quite some suppliers for years. in the Polish Rzeszów- Project manager Christoph time. But it is a country with Initially, the company was Dworzysko Science and Paetzold is visibly proud. “We a lot of young, committed, looking for a plant manager Technology Park. The speed started producing AC charging and well-educated talent, who would be responsible for at which the bold plan to cables in January. The core and it has a great deal of the entire 15,000 square meter expand production has taken team of just fi ve people has potential and excellent production facility in the new off rivals that of any sports grown into a powerful force connections to neighboring building to be constructed as car. The topping-out ceremony of 56 employees, and are still countries. No wonder, well as a new team. Phoenix was celebrated in September, looking for reinforcements.” then, that Phoenix Contact Contact E-Mobility’s ambitious and in the meantime the E-Mobility in Rzeszów, Poland, plans for the future foresaw brand-new production building update.phoenixcontact.com/en/ is fully committed to the the fi rst production start being including administration future. Poland has been an as early as 2021. important location in the Since June 1, Dominik global manufacturing network Mazur has been the plant

Title for Testlab CHARX takes charge Testing institute with distinction New name brings product range together

It is safe to call the independent testing institute The E-Mobility product range from the necessary Phoenix Testlab a pioneer in the world of Phoenix Contact has been given a overvoltage protection in electrical engineering. Quite offi cially, it is now new name: CHARX will, in the future, the charging station becomes one of the “Milestones of Electronics”. stand for comprehensive charging CHARX protect. This award, presented by the trade magazine technology from Phoenix Contact. This year, the portfolio will be Elektronik Praxis from the Vogel publishing Instead of “Product xy from Phoenix expanded to include DC power house, recognizes Phoenix Testlab’s pioneering Contact E-Mobility”, people will be contactors called CHARX contact. role in the fi eld of EMC testing (for over reaching for “CHARX” in the future. Together with the matching 25 years) and in the fi eld of battery testing (for Charging cables and charging components from the parent 15 years). sockets have been given the name company Phoenix Contact, such as Although the award ceremony was not held CHARX connect. Controllers for the energy meters, power supplies, touch as part of a grand gala due to COVID-19, General charging process are called CHARX panels, and industrial connection Manager Dr. Holger Altmaier nevertheless control; software for the management and communication technology, a proudly accepted the award. of charging stations and parks is complete range of products for AC called CHARX manage. The DC power and DC charging is available. phoenix-testlab.de/en/ electronics for fast charging stations has been named CHARX power, and phoenixcontact.com/charx

The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine UPDATE 1/21 53 BEHIND THE SCENES

Security Digital consistency on a blog From planning to production New home for Security and Co. With “Smart Engineering and Production 4.0”, a technology Security in everyday professional life, security cooperation was started fi ve in the data jungle – these can be gripping, years ago that was intended applied topics that are linked to your own to provide the switchgear and experience. Clearly arranged and attractively controlgear manufacturing packaged. With easy-to-fi nd individual blocks industry with end-to-end that lead to specifi c action instructions. digitalization of engineering and This is exactly what you will fi nd when production processes. you visit the newly designed website of our During these fi ve years, Eplan, Phoenix Contact colleagues in the Security, Rittal, and Phoenix Contact have Safety, and CE division. This blog is all about been setting standards that have that support highly automated making your professional life safer. Clearly long since been put into prac- production, even down to a batch arranged, with quick facts for both the tice. Confi gurators, engineering size of 1. Here, we are looking professional and for the user. And, of course, platforms, automation solutions, at the entire process: Digitalized combined with the offer made that the experts and digital assistance systems product development in switch- from Phoenix Contact will also take care of work in a network. gear and controlgear manufac- your very specifi c professional/company Roland Bent, General turing that paves the way for the problems in detail. Manager of Phoenix Contact, industrialization of the industry.” sums up the joint commitment. blog.phoenixcontact.com/services “We have turned our ideas into smartengineeringandpro- consistently applicable products duction.com/en/

The sun is rising in Bad Pyrmont Energy Solution Partner Program successfully launched

It was a kick-off with The focus of the Energy signifi cance. Phoenix Solution Partner Program Contact’s fi rst Solution Partner is on PGS controllers and Meeting with 35 customers the associated PLCnext and partners, which took technology. Those who place at the end of January, achieve partner certifi cation marks the start of an exciting are provided with support collaboration in the fi eld of in the development of renewable energies. specifi c solutions, access This is because the spe- to software solutions, and cialists from Phoenix Contact the assurance of continuous provide their customers with further development. In Solar Team Phoenix Contact kick-off event addition, there are specifi c training courses ranging from we expect a sustainable took the opportunity to get terminal blocks all the way to development of the solar to know each other and to automation technologies, as market. And with our Solution network. well as improved purchasing Partner Program, which was Afterwards, the focus was conditions. In addition, Phoenix initially launched in Germany, on the latest developments in Contact provides support we serve the needs of our the controller world of PLCnext when commissioning systems, customers precisely, right up to and the PGS controller. An personal contacts on site, and the certifi cation of controllers exchange between equals marketing support. in international markets.” and a successful start to Jörg Hildebrand, who After a brief round of the new partner program, as numerous services for the developed the program with introductions by the team Torsten Sieker emphasized in realization and commissioning his team, says, “Based on led by Jörg Hildebrand and conclusion. of their renewable energy sys- the approximately 6,000 PGS Torsten Sieker, Director Global tems, in addition to continuous controllers that are used Industry Management Solar phoenixcontact.com/ext/en/ technological developments. each year in Germany alone, Power, the participants then pv-parkmanagement/index.html

54 UPDATE 1/21 The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine The next issue will be published in May 2021: Earth

The element earth is as diverse as its possible composition. And so is the way of working with it. From agriculture to mines, from tunnels to compost, from excavations to earthquakes – be inspired by the potentials of using technology from Phoenix Contact!

AT THE CONSTRUCTION PIT Hamburg’s new pearl The Überseequartier quarter wants to become a new fl agship Legal information for the port city. Involved from the very beginning: Our experts Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG from Building Automation. Corporate Communications Lutz Odewald (Editor-in-Chief) UNDERGROUND Telephone: +49 5235 3-42153 E-mail: [email protected] Stack em’ low Design and implementation: There is nothing wrong here Ralf Tegtmeyer, Christian Brill when your car disappears down Picture credits: a hole. Underground parking. Cover photo: © I.Dr/Shutterstock © Shutterstock: 2, 16, 17, 55 Thomas Franz: 08 ff, 16 ff, 30 ff, 22 ff, 42 ff ON GUARD Andre Köller: 3, 48 ff Dirk Leemans: 34 ff Earthquake detector Lutz Odewald: 28 ff Blomberg technology helps Dripping with sophistication: when the earth shakes. Thuner Kaffeemaschinenfabrik (p. 38 ff) Mobility by the seat of your pants: Klarer (p. 44) Copyright © 2021 Phoenix Contact All rights reserved. 2 “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

Heraclitus

“The water is a friendly element to a man who is at home in it, and who knows how to deal with it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe MNR 1273550/2021-03-31/00 MNR phoenixcontact.com CC 13-21.000.L3 CC