Vienna’s northern train station relies on online monitoring of its lifting units

With around 25,000 properties, 5,000 buildings and over 1,000 train stations and stops, the Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichischen Bundesbahnen – ÖBB) is one of the country’s largest property owners. Some 760 well-trained specialists keep this infrastructure operational around the clock. Web-based services help to secure the neuralgic sewage disposal in the company’s train stations, which have worked to good effect at Praterstern station in the north of Vienna. The pumps and the network infrastructure are both provided by Wilo. The complex, which was completed in 2008, provides a pleasant atmosphere for travellers – and that also applies to its sanitary facilities. In order to guarantee optimal efficiency, operational reliability and performance, the ÖBB opted for a new ‘EMUport’ lifting unit from Wilo.

Solids separation system to protect the pumps

The Wilo ‘EMUport’ lifting unit markedly reduced the frequency of clogging. Indeed, Vienna’s newly refurbished main train station features 21 ‘EMUports’ to ensure successful sewage disposal. “Building on these positive experiences, we decided to install this solids separation system in the Praterstern station,” said Coufal.

In Wilo’s solids separation concept, the inflowing sewage firstly reaches a container, where a grid retains the solids. This pre-treated sewage then flows through the idle pump and is stored in a reservoir. When a pre-defined fill level is reached, the pump transports the sewage from the reservoir back into the solids container. From there, pressure pipes convey the solids into the sewage network. The system features two solids separation chambers and pumps. These run alternately, though in the event of a fault or maintenance they run continuously so as to ensure almost interruption-free sewage disposal.

Regular functional testing and preventative maintenance and repair decisive factors for service life

Thanks to the solids separation system, materials with considerable clogging potential are kept away from the pump hydraulics. Yet the lifting units’ pumps still require regular maintenance and repair. The specific intervals are measures are prescribed by DIN EN 12056-4. For commercial use, the system must be maintained every three months by a competent specialist. Moreover, the lifting units must also be inspected once per month by its operator, by monitoring the operability of at least two switching cycles.

This involves an enormous amount of work across the various properties of the ÖBB. “Beyond that, such intensive use, such as in a train station, leads to numerous fault repairs each month,” complained Andreas Coufal of the misuse of sanitary facilities. The ‘WiloCare’ concept is therefore based on two key pillars: maintenance and repair in accordance with DIN EN 12056-4 as well as fault prevention through real-time system monitoring. To that end, the lifting unit is equipped with additional sensors that transmit system parameters to a Wilo Cloud via a communication box. “For reasons of data security, we work with our own web-based system when doing so,” detailed Niko Kösling. “It analyses all decisive operating parameters in real time. If a pump sees an unusual increase in power consumption, the Wilo service technicians can use the data available to isolate a problem and resolve it on-site before a malfunction actually occurs.”

Depending on the scope of the selected service package, unplanned call-outs can be charged at flat rates or are sometimes included in the service price. “As well as the technical transparency from the monthly status report, this also provides calculable cost transparency,” said Andreas Coufal of the operator, ÖBB, outlining an additional financial advantage. What is more, the service takes the pressure off ÖBB personnel.“Regular functional testing and preventative maintenance are decisive for service life” said Thomas Huber, Service Manager at WILO Pumpen Österreich GmbH. “If such work is not carried out, the pumps do not last as long and the actual life cycle costs increase, independent of the manufacturer,” said Huber, describing the practical aspects.