Custom Drive Solution Automates Irrigation Process at Remote Farm

Did you know that Lakeland Engineering Equipment Company regularly provides drive start-up services for various fan, pump and motor applications? In fact, our team includes Certified Drives Specialists, trained on drives and PLCs from industry-leading suppliers.

This fall, a customer came to Lakeland in search of a more user-friendly and intuitive product to automate the irrigation process on their wild rice farm. Lakeland team members Brent Miller, Account Manager, and Karla Davidson, Automation Specialist, collaborated with supplier ABB to program and start-up a drive solution that provides pump control.

The Application

The wild rice farm’s process is to flood the fields from a nearby river, drain the fields and harvest the fields. In order to automate the irrigation process and provide pump control to operate at maximum efficiency, a customizable and outdoor-rated drive was needed.

Goals

The customer’s main goal was to have a reliable and intuitive solution that would allow peak operational efficiency. Not only did the customer require a solution that would assist with automating the irrigation process on their farm, it was also vital that the solution be user-friendly and cost-effective. The customer also wanted the ability to alter the programming and timing parameters on their own. Included within these desired parameters was a run schedule that would allow the pump an opportunity to drain and rid itself of debris.

Challenges

Finding a solution that operated within the customer’s set timing parameters while allowing these timing rules to be adapted according to their needs was one of the biggest challenges faced during this process. In addition, Lakeland needed to find a solution that was outdoor-rated and compatible with pump applications. To overcome these challenges, Lakeland weighed two options. The first option was to design and build a custom panel and drive solution – the second was to purchase a pre-packaged drive and panel solution.

The Solution

After comparing which solution would achieve the goals set forth by the customer while minding their bottom line, Lakeland worked with longtime supplier ABB and recommended the ABB ACS550 3R irrigation packaged drive. The ABB 3R irrigation drive package is user-friendly, flexible, outdoor-rated and cost-effective. Download the product sheet to learn more about the ABB ACS550 3R irrigation panel.

The Outcome

Lakeland custom programmed the ABB irrigation drive package to meet the customer’s specific parameters and accurately provide pump control to their wild rice fields. Once the programming was complete, Lakeland tested the drive to ensure everything was running properly. After the drive was up and running, Lakeland showed the customer how to alter the programming. The customer now has the knowledge to perform minor adjustments to the programming.

Lakeland regularly performs drive start-ups and troubleshooting for pump, fan and motor applications and has a team of experts that have undergone extensive training on ABB, Lenze, Yaskawa, Schneider Electric and IDEC drives and PLCs. Lakeland strives to provide an unrivaled level of customer service with in-person support whether your location is in the metro or completely remote. For a custom solution, out of the box solution, application assistance and more, contact Lakeland for your drive needs.