Furrow Pump, Inc.

P.O. Box 1849

8525 SW St. Helens Dr.

Wilsonville, OR 97070

Phone: (800) 937-3666

FAX: (800) 377-9960

www.furrowpump.com

Computers are of course beginning to surface in pumping technology. PLCs (Programmed Logic Controllers) are often used now to accept or provide various signals, such as voltage conversions, on/off, 4-20 mA DC, or pulse outputs. PLCs can tie different information-gathering pieces of equipment (flowmeters, pH sensors, chlorine monitors, streaming current detectors and more) together with action pieces of equipment like pumps. All of this can result in a water treatment system whose treatment parameters vary according to the constantly changing needs of the water.

One of the next things we’ll begin to see is PID control (Proportional, Integral, Derivative). This type of controller takes different input signals (for example flow and pH), weights them for importance, and summarizes them into a single pump control output signal. Now picture this type of controller talking to all of the other controllers, pumps, mixers and valves in your system. Our treatment systems will balance themselves to provide a proportional treatment, set according to the parameters we establish.

Some controllers are already able to use modems and respond to remote control via telephone. Networked systems with built-in computers are already here, and they will grow on us. It won’t be too long until this technology expands to include pumps, even though pumps have never been a leading edge kind of item. Up until now, it has been more important for a pump to keep working on and on reliably. But the computers will catch up to us – and then they’ll go wireless!

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