April 6, 2016 – ABB will supply the complete integrated electrical and automation system for Mo.S.E. (the Italian acronym for experimental electro mechanic module), a flood barrier system designed to block the high tides and storm surges that enter the Venetian Lagoon and regularly flood the historic center of Venice.
The solution will utilize ABB’s Internet of Things, Services and People concept to manage data signals from more than 50,000 devices and coordinate operation of the entire flood protection system, consisting of flood barriers, navigation locks, and breakwaters to shield the lagoon from rising sea levels, winter storms and spring tides. Mo.S.E. entails 78 flood barriers embedded in the sea floor at the three inlets to Venice’s lagoon.
These water-filled steel boxes ranging in size from 18.5 x 20 x 3.6 meters to 29.5 x 20 x 4.5 meters can be raised with compressed air in just 30 minutes, creating on short notice a barrier able to withstand incoming high water levels up to three meters above normal.
ABB’s Symphony Plus automation software platform will control the raising and lowering of the barriers according to pre-set parameters whenever high water approaches or leaves the lagoon. Further to that, ABB will also provide an integrated electrical automation solution enabling remote operators to control the power network.
About ABB
ABB is a global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people
