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WIPAC MONTHLY The Monthly Update from Water Industry Process Automation & Control

www.wipac.org.uk Issue 5/2015

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In this Issue

Editorial.............................................................................................................................. 3

Industry News..................................................................................................................... 4 - 8

Highlights of the news of the month from the global water industry centred around the successes of a few of the

companies in the global market.

Opinion: ICA & it’s role in Asset Integrity............................................................................ 9

Following on from last month’s opinion piece, Farooq Janjua, continues his series of opinion pieces discussing the role

of Instrumentation, Control & Automation in maintenance & asset management

Feature Article: Smart Instrumentation & Asset Management.......................................... 10-14

Typically the UK Water Industry uses instrumentation for one thing, the purpose of why we buy instruments, to measure.

However there is so much more an instrument can do for the modern water industry that we, as an industry, don’t take

advantage of. In this article from ABB some of the possibilities that can feature in modern instruments are explained.

Is “Big Data the answer to the Water Industry’s Data Crisis................................................ 15-16

Big Data has huge potential in the Water Industry but is it the so called “answer” to the problems that the Water Industry

faces. In this article, Oliver Grievson, argues the potential uses of both “Big Data” & “Small Information” and the potential

use to the Water Industry as a whole

Process and asset condition intelligence is key to system optimisation................................. 17-18

In this article, originally published by Water Industry Telemetry Standard (WITS), Guy Fitzpatrick from Xylem explains the

use of their pump controllers and how data available within the controller and the use of WITS has provided cost savings

to UK Water Companies.

Case Study: The use of Advanced Metering Analytics saves water at UC Merced................ 19

In this month’s case study we look at the use of Beacon Water Meters and the Advanced Meter Analytics and how it was

used at UC Merced to encourage an atmosphere of gamification to encourage consumers to save water, especially relevant

considering the current conditions in California

Workshops, Conferences & Seminars................................................................................... 20-21

The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months

WIPAC Monthly is a publication of the Water Industry Process Automation & Control Group. It is produced by the group

manager and WIPAC Monthly Editor, Oliver Grievson. This is a free publication for the benefit of the Water Industry and please

feel free to distribute to any who you may feel benefit.

All enquires about WIPAC Monthly, including those who want to publish news or articles within these pages, should be directed

to the publications editor, Oliver Grievson

Photo on the front cover

The cover photo this month is at the Lord of the Manor site where QED installed a new surge vessel. The existing below ground

surge vessel, which can be seen in the foreground, was abandoned and the new tank installed in a location nearer to the water

main. Provided courtesy of QED and Wise on Water

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From the Editor

Happy 4th Birthday Water Industry Process Automation & Control! Unless you have been hiding under a stone you may well have noticed that the group celebrated its fourth birthday this month. I look back at the standing start it made on

16th May 2011 and there is an immense sense of pride in what has been achieved. Some will know this story and some will not but it all started because of two reasons.

The first reason was frustration and the second was, quite possibly, my own way of doing things. The first was basically all to do with the gathering of data at wastewater treatment works and really is related to the “Small Information” piece that I continue to talk about now. A single, very large treatment works producing the best part of 25,000 pieces of infor-mation a day with only four operators. I thought there must be a better way of doing things. The second was my boss at the time telling me to go out and get a “national” reputation. He was a bit confused when I set up WIPAC and the phrase that comes to mind was “It’ll never work,” the first 1000 members with the first seven months and I remember watching LinkedIn as that 1,000 member came in (it was a water treatment works manager in the US). Four years down the line, this , the 45th edition of WIPAC Monthly and over 5,200 members. To say the group has come on a very long way is an under statement.

So where do we go from here?

This is the question that I do ask myself quite a lot and is the reason I have set a survey for the member of the group to take part in. At the end of the day the WIPAC Group on LinkedIn is open and free for everyone, WIPAC Monthly is advertising free and charge free for everyone as I, personally, cover the costs of it. A number of people have asked me why I don’t commercialise it and at the end of the day I don’t want to. It is here as a free forum for all to contribute but I do want to make the group stronger in terms of the numbers that actively contribute to both the group on LinkedIn and to those who contribute to WIPAC Monthly and hopefully eventually to WIPAC Projects (the Wastewater Flow Manual this year), and maybe in the future WIPAC Events , which if we can get sponsors for them would be free and open to all.

So where do we go from here? The answer needs to come from you, the group members, to tell me what and where you would like to see WIPAC go. To facilitate this I have set up a survey for group members to complete. The link is available if you click HERE. It will take you to the survey that has been set up through Survey Monkey. Please feel free to fill it in or if you prefer you can send me an email at my a email address olivergrievson@hotmail.com.

The results of the survey will be published in the next WIPAC Monthly for all to see but a clear indication so far is that advertising is not wanted and the con-tent is more or less there although there have been very helpful suggestions for how to make WIPAC Monthly better. Whatever direction the group and this publication takes it will remain free for members and also it will remain free for people to contribute to. In order to do this though in a long term sustainable way I do need more of the group to actively engage and contribute. More next month when the results of the survey come out and we will look at ways of turning the results of the survey into reality.

In the meantime WIPAC goes on and this month’s issue had turned into a bit of a special on Asset Integrity & Reliability. This month’s opinion piece is a con-tinuation of the article that was written by Farooq Janjua and is about ICA & the integrity of the assets that we have out in the field. This is reinforced by articles from both ABB & Xylem where the actual functionality of the instruments (ABB) and Pump Controllers (Xylem) by using the additional information that is gathered gives intelligence to the way the monitors & sensors work. Both companies of course have invested in the Water Industry Telemetry Standard (WITS) that was talked about in the group this week. They aren’t the only company as I saw this month that instrumentation specialist, Hach, also have their “Prognosys” system which looks at instrumentation health. It seems a growing area of expertise, the only problem in the UK is whether or not the industry is set up to actually handle this level of complexity or whether its a case of quality over quantity in terms of data or whether it is something that we are looking at for the future.....

The last article this month is something that I know that has been looked at in some detail on the continent especially with the Water Company Vitens but also with companies such as IBM and also in California as whole. The use of data analytics to create a local atmosphere of “Gamification” by using data analytics and providing it to the customer to allow them to make an informed decision as to what they want to do. It works in several different ways and I know the case was used in Sub-Saharan Africa with bus routes and in other ways can be used by Water Companies by mapping hot spots of the phone calls that come into operational management centres as well as the use of social media applications such as Twitter & Instagram. It is certainly a more disparate way of “In-strumentation” but the public can be a sensor too!

Have a good month and enjoy the latest issue.

Oliver

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Industry News

WIPAC Celebrates it’s 4th birthday with a...... surveyThe 16th May each year sees the Water Industry Process Automation & Control Group celebrate its birthday, this year it was its 4th. For professional groups this is somewhat on the young side but with now over 5,200 members of the group and WIPAC Monthly going out to over 6,000 people each issue it is obviously a subject that a lot of people have at least an interest in. Thank you to all who regularly contribute, send me articles and help drive interest in the subject areas we discuss on a regular basis.

I have always said it is the members that make the group and as such I have put together a survey to help tell me, what you the members, actually want. For those who want to take part the link is here. This is a chance for members to feedback and say what they want, in the comments already I have had people say that they want questions from other members and want more of a diversity and wider group commentary. In this vain I have put together the survey to try and increase the amount of engagement of the group as a whole.

So, if you have five minutes then please try and fill in the survey if you can, the strength of WIPAC lies in its members and so does its future. The link to the survey again is available by clicking HERE (it will take you directly to the survey), thank you.

Siemens to build open cloud platform for industrial customers

Siemens builds an open cloud platform for analysing large datasets in industry. This will provide a platform for data-based services such as Siemens offers for predictive maintenance, asset and energy data management. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can also create their own applications to exploit the open infrastructure for data analytics. For example, data can be analysed to optimize operation of the OEM’s machinery fleets (Platform as a Service). It is intended that the new cloud platform will utilize the technologies of the SAP HANA® Cloud Platform. Based on SAP’s in-memory technology, the SAP HANA Cloud Platform is an open platform that enables customers and developers to develop, extend and operate apps in the cloud.

“The establishment of the new cloud platform will make a significant contribution to driving forward the digitalization of automation. Powerful services for analysing data from industry are an important part of our digital enterprise strategy”, declared Klaus Helmrich, Managing Board Member of Siemens AG.

This development further extends the data-based services Siemens unveiled in 2014. With these Plant Data Services, machinery and systems data is continuouslyrecorded, preprocessed and analysed, providing real added value to manufacturing companies. For instance, the “Asset Analytics” services enable companies toincrease the availability of machines, production lines or entire systems through continuous online monitoring. Intelligent pattern recognition or simulation is used to identify potential problems well in advance to enable corrective measures before unplanned downtimes occur. “Energy Analytics” energy data manage-ment services support plant operators by providing the transparency of usage data and revealing hidden energy savings potential.

With the creation of the new cloud platform, Siemens is enhancing its Plant Data Services to encompass “Plant Cloud Services”. Based on the SAP HANA CloudPlatform, an open IT ecosystem is to be created: OEMs and application developers can access the platform via open interfaces to utilize it for their own services and analytics – for example online monitoring of machine tools, industrial robots or industrial machinery such as compressors and pumps located anywhere in the world.

Encrypted communication and the use of certified data centres for processing and storing the data will ensure high levels of security. The latest cybersecuritytechnologies will be employed. The open cloud platform for industry is currently in a pilot phase and will be gradually rolled out to further customer groups over the course of this year.

South West Water installs Aerzen Blowers providing savings through control

Aerzen, a company renowned for its rotary lobe blowers and screw compressors worldwide and celebrating its 150th year anniversary in 2014, has successfully installed five of its new Generation 5 Aerzen Turbo units at South West Water’s Countess Wear WwTW.

These compact units have been employed to replace outmoded machinery and in doing so are providing large power savings, modern controls and monitoring and great versatility.

A key consideration for the decision was the competitive lead time that Aerzen could offer. Service was another factor with Aerzen having developed a UK based service team for this product for quick and effective technical support and all spare parts available within 48 hours typically.

The Aerzen Turbo blower is designed for intake volume flows from 4,000 m³/h to 13,200 m³/h. The Aerzen Turbo is a gearless driven assembly, which utilises lubricant free ‘Air-foil bearings’ to ensure a highly reliable and non-powered bearing solution. The impeller is cast stainless steel for high reliability and flexibility – ensuring that blade shape and efficiency is maintained long term.

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Professor Tony Conway, former Strategic Programmes Director at United Utilities, has joined water infrastructure technology company Aquam Corp as a non-executive director.

Professor Conway, who left United Utilities in March after thirty years at the company, said he was attracted to Aquam because of its appetite for innovation. In his role at UU he was informally known as ‘Director of Curiosity’ because of his interest in new technologies. He is also a visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, which has recently set up a Centre of Excellence for Water.

He said: “I worked for United Utilities, which was previously known as North West Water, for thirty years and covered many if not most aspects of the business. In the last two years in my role as Director of Curiosity my main focus was finding innovative technology from all over the world and bringing it back to UU.”

“I think the water industry is facing more challenges and changes than it has at any time over the last thirty years of my career in the industry. When I looked at what Aquam were

doing I could see it is very clearly targeting the sort of challenges we face and focusing on innovative ways of thinking.”

Aquam Corp is a global cleantech firm that provides infrastructure support, rehabilitation and diagnostics solutions. It has recently extended its services to include pipe diagnostics and detection, rehabilitation and relining, data management and telemetry.

Conway said the increasing cost of energy, tighter regulations, extreme weather conditions and higher public expectation were all making the job of water companies more challenging. He said water was becoming a “digital industry” which would be transformed by the use of real-time data to assess and manage risk, and optimise decision-making.

“I decided to work with Aquam because I saw a company which had a very clear view of what the industry needs. The sort of products and technology it is working with could make a great difference to the water industry.”

Richard Coffey, Managing Director at Aquam Corp said: “It is fantastic to have someone with Tony Conway’s experience, enthusiasm and expertise. We are delighted to have him on board.

“Professor Conway has a passion for innovation and technology which is backed by a great deal of knowledge about how the water industry works.

“This appointment will help Aquam develop the sorts of products, technology and training which will enable our clients to deal with the challenges currently facing the industry.”

Tony Conway joins Aquam Corp as non-executive director

Echologics, an affiliate of Mueller Water Products, Inc is monitoring a three-mile section of a critical water main beneath the Las Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD), the Company announced today.

Installed in 1963, the 30-inch water main supplies up to 7.5 million gallons of water per day to resorts, casinos and attractions, among other users.

LVVWD is deploying Echologics’ EchoShore® TX leak detection platform. The new smart technology platform is at the forefront of transmission main monitoring technologies and enables customers to better manage aging water pipeline infrastructure and reduce water loss due to leakage. It is part of Mueller’s expanding portfolio of leak detection solutions.

The EchoShore TX platform combines Echologics’ proven acoustic leak detection technology with leading-edge wireless connectivity to create a non-intrusive and cost-effective monitoring solution. In Las Vegas, acoustic sensors have been placed along the transmission main to listen for leaks. Data is streamed to the LVVWD and displayed on a dashboard where Echologics’ software enables the staff to make more informed operating decisions.

“Part of our organizational mission is to provide all of our customers with world-class water service through reliable and cost-effective systems,” said John Entsminger, LVVWD General Manager. “Consistent with that mission, this monitoring technology is designed to alert us to any small leaks in the area, allowing us to schedule and coordinate repairs before they become more severe. This minimizes impacts to our customers and avoids higher costs associated with emergency repair situations.”

“The Las Vegas Valley Water District has long been a leader in managing water, using smart technology to promote conservation of water and using information to efficiently allocate capital,” said Marc Bracken, vice president and general manager of Echologics. “The monitoring capabilities of the EchoShore TX platform for transmission mains provide customers with a cost-effective and shovel-ready solution to pro-actively manage their critical water infrastructure.”

The EchoShore TX installation in Las Vegas is a water conservation showcase project for The Global City Teams Challenge, a collaborative network of project teams working on innovative applications of Internet of Things technologies within a smart city / smart community environment. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and project partners for the Las Vegas EchoShore TX water conservation project include the Nevada Centre of Excellence, AT&T and IBM.

Echologics Monitors Critical Water Transmission Main In Las Vegas

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Customer data biggest challenge for firms who exit retail water marketThe first decision that a water utility should take is whether it will retail to non-household customers or not in the Open Market planned for April 2017. It sounds like a simple decision, however the long term implication of this decision is very significant. Deciding to retail means making a string of difficult decisions; for instance the utility will have to choose between remaining vertically integrated or splitting the business into retail and wholesale divisions. The water sector naturally prefers vertical integration, but it is a difficult model to maintain in what is hoped will be a genuinely competitive market. It also makes compliance in the Open Water market relatively difficult. On the other hand, dividing a business means establishing and complying with new terms of trade between wholesalers and retailers; operational procedures and market processes. From a CRM and billing point of view utilities will also need to cleanse their data so that it is fit for purpose to support the new market arrangements.

The Water Act enables the Secretary of State to introduce regulations and provide consent for water utilities to exit the competitive part of the retail Open Water market — but deciding to operate solely as a wholesaler presents its own challenge. Last year, DEFRA said the Government is committed to ensuring that water companies wanting to exit the market can do so when it opens in April 2017.

When doing so it set out ten core assumptions:

1. Exit from the non-household retail market will entail the removal from the utility of any current statutory powers and duties relating to non-household retail customers.

2. All customers of an existing utility must be transferred to a licensed retailer.

3. Exit is irreversible — once the Secretary of State permits exit and customers have been transferred the utility will no longer be able to provide retail services to non-household customers. A utility can re-enter the market at a later date via an associate licensee.

4. Exit is complete.

5. Customer segmentation may occur through subsequent transfers.

6. The option to exit is only available at market opening in April 2017.

7. Utilities applying to exit will have a solid understanding of the criteria on which the Secretary of State will make its decision.

8. Exits and customer transfers will be managed in a proportionate, transparent and efficient manner.

9. All non-household customers must be able to access a supplier in accordance with the Water Industry Act 1991.

10. The process for a utility’s exit will seek to minimise any barriers to entry for licensees.

For water utilities planning to withdraw from the competitive retail market, these assumptions which are likely to be incorporated into a legislative form, will challenge the effectiveness of the utility’s customer management software (CRM). Should these assumptions be carried forward, providing and transferring customer data will be the biggest challenge for a utility seeking to operate solely as a wholesaler. Water businesses will also have to communicate with their customers in a very concise and clear manner on how these changes, or lack thereof, will affect them.

Many water utilities will assume that a decision to avoid competing in a retail environment means negating the need for high performing software that enables effective engagement with customers. However, partnering with a software company that can offer a product and service that supports the withdrawal from the retail market will be a necessity.

Hach Lange gets a name changeHach Lange is about to make a change in the way we appear in the marketplace.

We are not changing, but our name is.

Since Hach and Lange merged more than 10 years ago, we have been improving water analysis for our customers. In the future, we will continue under the international name “Hach.” This means that our logo is changing, but the company details stays the same. You can continue to rely on us for the same expertise, same support team, and same reliable, easy-to-use products.

From 1st June of this year will see us beginning to use the name Hach, which we already use in the rest of the world. Although our name will change, there will be no change to your primary contact people in our business, no change in our structure, and no change in the offices and factories where we design and manufacture our quality products.

Industry partners invest in Purdue Engineering Tech program

The Purdue Integrated Process Education System (PIPES) laboratory was fully designed and implemented through collaboration of industry professionals, faculty and a group of seniors from the Purdue Manufacturing Engineering Technology program. The Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MFET) students and faculty in the Purdue School of Engineering Technology celebrated the joint creation and development of the Purdue Integrated Process Education System (PIPES) laboratory during an open house hosted at the West Lafayette, Ind., campus on Friday, May 8th.

State-of-the-practice process education lab for students

Through the generous support and donations from industry partners Endress+Hauser, Rockwell Automation, George E. Booth Co., Kirby Risk Corporation and other suppliers, Purdue

University will be the new home to a state-of-the-practice process education lab for students. Donations to Purdue University included process measurement instrumentation, a control system, control panels, servers, hardware, piping, large industrial water tanks, pumps, valves, cabling, and engineering guidance.

An opportunity to teach process measurement and control

The fully operational system was designed and constructed during a year long capstone project undertaken by senior students of Purdue’s Integrated Manufac-turing course sequence. Beginning in the fall of 2015, the system will be used to teach process measurement and continuous control, mostly from a technology and implementation perspective. A long-term goal is for the PIPES lab to be used for summer workshops available to industry – taught by both faculty and industry representatives – where practicing engineers would visit the university for two to five days to learn about and experience process control integration.

By partnering with Purdue, supporting companies strive to increase student exposure to fulfilling careers in the industry. Many times students fail to recognize the diverse career options available. Additionally, these academic programs augment hands-on industry competencies and positively impact the problem solving abilities of students through real-world practice. In turn, graduates are more competitive in the job market and have connection with the industries they select for their careers.

New process flowmeter selection pack helps engineers choose the best instrumentA new information pack is now available from ABB to help simplify the selection of flowmeters for process applications. Featuring a White Paper, application guide, webinar presentation and video, the pack explains the key differences between volumetric and mass flow methods and how to choose the right method for industrial process applications.

Understanding how to correctly select the right flow variable can lead to significant improvements in process performance and cost effectiveness. Though both technologies will deliver almost identical results under certain conditions, the deviations that can occur where a process is subject to pressure and temperature changes makes it crucial to make the right choice from the outset.

Originally produced for the launch of ABB’s latest generation of CoriolisMaster flowmeters, the information pack explains the fundamentals of mass and vol-ume flow and which technique is best suited for particular types of applications. Titled Mass or volume? A weight off the bottom-line, the White Paper covers coriolis, thermal and multivariable DP mass flowmeter technologies, explaining how each one works and their respective advantages and drawbacks. The paper highlights why it can be better to measure mass or volume flow directly, rather than expressing mass flow measurements in volumetric units, in order to eliminate possible errors caused when factoring in standard or normalised conditions for temperature and pressure.

These differences are further explained in the Understanding mass flow video. The video shows why volume flow is not enough if you want to know the exact amount of a substance moving through a pipeline and how measuring mass flow can provide qualitative and quantitative data which volume simply cannot.

The application guide, A new generation of mass flowmeters, explains the importance of capacity, accuracy and physical size when choosing a flowmeter and how each criteria can be met by opting for a coriolis flowmeter. The guide also looks specifically at key applications in the oil, gas and petrochem industries where coriolis flowmeters can be used to enable accurate control and measurement of gas and liquid flows.

Information on other potential applications where Coriolis flowmeters can be used is contained in the webinar presentation by David Bowers, Mass Flow Specialist at ABB. The presentation covers various topics such as the unique way Coriolis flowmeters work through to why mass flow is the most useful and accurate form of flow measurement. David also covers a range of case studies demonstrating how coriolis flowmeters can be applied to a range of applications, from truck filling and blending whiskey through to use in the lubrication of aluminium rolls.

The information pack is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to optimise the efficiency and accuracy of their process flow measurements. To obtain a copy, please call 0870 600 6122 or email moreinstrumentation@gb.abb.com ref. ‘Coriolis information pack’.

Enquiries to:Tim DoorABB LimitedMeasurement & AnalyticsTel: 0870 600 6122E-mail: moreinstrumentation@gb.abb.comWeb: www.abb.com/measurement

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Quantum Engineering Developments (QED) completed installation in February 2015 of ten surge vessels for Southern Water to replace eight vessels in the Thanet area of Kent, as well as introducing units at two new sites.

The programme of works, which was subcontracted from Morrison Utility Services, was one of largest undertaken by QED under one scheme. Installation of the new vessels, which ranged in size from 1m3 to 17.8m3, began in June 2014.

Four of the sites – Martin Gorse, Dover Road, Deal Low and Flemmings A – were straightforward installations, with the existing vessels removed and the new ones lifted in and connected within two days. Other sites were more complex, requiring Morrison to carry out civils work to install new plinths, pipework and cabling.

Lord of the Manor installation

At one of the sites, it was more economical to build a new plinth to host the surge vessel closer to the water main and abandon the existing one altogether.

Southern Water’s project manager, Chris Mullender, said: “Morrison constructed the new plinth in reinforced concrete along with cable ducts to connect the compressor. Pipework also had to be installed to feed water from the outgoing main to the surge vessel in its new location.”

QED installed the 9.5m3 surge vessel and isolation valve onto the plinth and bolted them in place. A new compressor and control panel was also installed in an adjacent building with all inter connecting cables and pipework between the associated components.

Sterilisation

The surge vessel was cleaned and sterilised before it was put into service. The access hatch was then closed and the surge vessel filled with water, which was then drained to waste.

As with all surge vessel installations, sterilisation was a major part of the commissioning process. Once the sterilising solution had been completely drained and the sampling results proven satisfactory, the vessel was commissioned into service.

Trials were carried out successfully with Southern Water’s booster and borehole pumps running at normal operating speed. They were also conducted to simulate failure of pumps, to ensure that the surge vessel successfully protected each pumping main from high and negative pressures.

Wingham installation

Another more complex installation was for two surge vessels required at Wingham, Prior to the installation, Southern Water needed to carry out major works for a permanent drinking water main bypass.

“The enabling works for the bypass took a couple of weeks,” said Mullender. “We needed an alternative supply for the downstream village in the long-term to facilitate maintenance of two boreholes in addition to the surge vessel installation.”

He continued, “Existing service reservoirs weren’t adequate for the length of time the works required, so residents could only be taken off their usual supply when the bypass works were complete and we gave the go-ahead.

“As is often the case with drinking water supply projects, most of the works had to be to be undertaken outside the summer period to avoid the time when water demand is at its highest. QED met our requirements.”

Minimal maintenance

Dry commissioning on all ten installations is complete and the first surge vessel, Martin Gorse, is planned to be wet commissioned at the end of March 2015 with the rest to follow.

Maintenance of the surge vessels is minimal. A mandatory interior and exterior certificated inspection of the vessels will be carried out by Lloyds British every two years.

QED’s unique QUBE control system provides reliable surge control on each installation. It also ensures that the compressors are running on the minimum energy consumption necessary, reducing carbon footprint and optimising performance to deliver cost-efficient total capital and operating expenditure.

Mullender said: “It was a difficult project, given the number of different sites, but Morrison and QED worked closely with our team and meeting our requirements and expectations.”

Ten surge vessels installed for Southern Water

At the Lord of the Manor site, the existing below ground surge vessel, which can be seen in the foreground, was abandoned and the new tank installed in a location nearer to the water main.

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Opinion

Instrumentation, control and automation –

The role in Asset Integrity

In my previous article I addressed a risk based role towards the selection and implementation of instrumentation, control and automation ( ICA ). In this article we present the opinion regarding the importance of ICA in the maintaining the long term stewardship and integrity of asset equipment.

As a brief introduction to this subject the concepts of looking at ICA during concept design and operational audits may involve the integration into variety of systematic and structured business process reviews such as inherent safety reviews, HAZOP ( hazard and operability ) maintenance reliability and critical asset reviews towards establishing plant asset risk rating systems and appropriate performance indicators and measures for assessing the healthiness of the asset operation and maintenance.

From the outset the principle of safety first is a concept embodied throughout any organization. The role of ICA exists in not only the apparent safety issues of gas detection such as the occupational and process control safety features of a chlorine gas system but also in level , flow and pressure control systems. Non apparent examples are the ‘ built in safety systems ‘ and role of ICA in safety hard locks, emergency cut out systems etc which are embroiled within the concepts of inherent safety. Inherent safety as a concept requires the principles of minimization, simplification, modulation and substitution and the role of instrumentation and control in implementing these principles within the design or concept engineering stage provides a higher efficiency of assuring the built in safety as a proactive state of ensuring the robustness of systems rather than reactive measures of post engineering modifications or refits or indeed in the strive to eliminate human error through working procedures or operating instructions.

Within the concept of HAZOPs ( hazard and operability studies ) the role of instrumentation and control can be demonstrated through the matrix approach of establishing deviances in operating parameters, the cause , consequence of such deviations and the mitigation measures achieved through the most appropriate choice of instrumentation and control. An example to demonstrate this approach can be through the parameter of dissolved oxygen within the biological process of a wastewater treatment plant. This process called activated sludge treatment is the heart of many traditional wastewater treatment plants and this process depends upon achieving the biochemical equilibrium of the correct aeration and microbial growth. Quite simply too much oxygen or too little oxygen or inability to react to any varying organic loads in the influent will result in unstable conditions – incomplete treatment, inefficient use of energy in the aeration process or in the worst case unstable reactions leading to difficult events such as foaming which will lead to loss of treatment. Therefore through the HAZOP approach dissolved oxygen probes placed in judicious positions within the aeration basis complete with automatic set points and controls provide the mitigation measures and the further analysis of ‘ what if ‘ scenarios looking at the reliability and redundancy requirements may lead to further requirements such as auto-calibration or multiple analysis and control points .

There are overwhelming examples in many areas of varying levels of impact to safety and the overall customer focus of utility operations both directly and indirectly which I am sure the reader is able to equate with and the HAZOP approach is only one of the tools which can help to build the business case for having the appropriate type of ICA system.

With regard to the looking at instrumentation, control and automation from the maintenance reliability perspectives there are range of performance indicators such as operational equipment effectiveness, OEE, and healthy plant indices which rely upon the detectability of performance. To illustrate this point the criticality of an asset which is normally assessed through assessing the significance and impact of failure modes and effects is enhanced as an indicator to asset risk criticality by factoring a detectability function. This makes an asset risk criticality a function therefore of significance, impact and detectability, where examples of monitoring detectability can range from vibration, temperature or pressure gauge sensors for rotating equipment or in the case of fire pumps for example, where the criticality is assessed through the failure mode or effect analysis (ie. the effect of failure or the mode of failure of the pumps ) and the preventive maintenance schedules is dependent upon assessing the performance of the pumps through flow and pressure gauges in order to ensure the duty point of the pumps remains at the point of pump efficiency.

Finally it is worth mentioning that the role if ICA in asset integrity is important from the perspectives of ensuring both the care and use of the asset is achieved hand in hand. The use of ICA to optimize the asset is in essence achieved through the careful planning, monitoring and control of the 4Ms – man, machines, method and materials.

The author of this is Farooq Janjua - who works as Project Manager in the Operations and Maintenance Department of a Major Leading Middle East Utility Company. The views are entirely his own.

He has also authored the handbook on process safety integrity for water and waste water utility operators which is downloadable free of charge from the International Water Association web site.

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Global process industry losses amount to $20 billion, or five percent of annual production, caused by unscheduled downtime and poor quality. ARC estimates that almost 80% of these losses are preventable and 40% are primarily the result of operator error. Smart instrumentation combined with asset management offers the opportunity to minimize these losses.

Smart instrumentation first appeared in process and power plants in 1983. Advances since then have provided technology that takes full advantage of improvements in sensors and microprocessors. Intelligent devices in the field offer more information than users could have dreamed in the past. Smart instruments in the field measure or directly affect single or multiple plant variables, contain a microprocessor for processing data, and are commercially available “off the shelf.” These instruments include not only sensors for measurements and communications, but also actuators, valves, motor variable speed drives, and other control equipment. They allow operators and engineers to gain more useful information about the process and the device itself.

The result is that plant engineers and operators have access to such functions as power management, maintenance systems, process automation, assetoptimization, and safety systems. Standards such as NAMUR NE107 are steadily improving the Human Machine Interface (HMI), making it easier to commission, configure, and manipulate instrument parameters.

Benefits of smart instruments

Smart instruments are characterized by:

- Fast, bidirectional digital-communication capability- Enhanced diagnostics of the sensor, electronics,and process- Increased measurement accuracy under varying operating conditions- Better record keeping- Capability for wireless communications.

No longer are process engineers limited to a process variable measurement from a unidirectional 4-20 mA analog signal. Intelligent instruments in fieldbus networks offer remote configuration and calibration, data beyond process variables, diagnostics, and much more. These systems are decreasing the cost of process instrumentation while providing much more informational value.

The key benefits of smart instrumentation include:

- Scaled process variable: No further scaling needed outside of instrument, reducing complexity and the possibility of introducing error- Self-validation/status: Indication of instrument’s state and health, alerting operators to a change in quality of measurement and potential problems- Tag-number: Clear P&ID identification of the device within network, reducing potential errors- Description: Written definition of instrumentation and its application more clearly identifies its role- Time stamp: Provides real-time record of process variable information- Serial number: Can be synchronized with remote instrument life-cycle management systems and maintenance information- Traceable validation: Indication that device calibration is valid, often addressing ISO 2001 Chapter 7.6

Feature Article:

Smart Instrumentation and asset management

Figure 1A. Conventional analog transmission. Figure 1B. Smart instrument network.

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Figures 1A and B show the differences between analog and digital control systems. Bus communications drastically increase the amount of transmissible information. Also, bidirectional communication of digital information can take place between a field device and a system, and between field devices. To make the most of communication improvements and to satisfy more advanced needs, big changes are taking place within field devices, especially those with wireless capabilities.

Wireless possibilities

In today’s economic climate, maximizing plant assets and reducing unplanned plant shut-downs have become a focus for reducing costs and maximizing productivity. Currently, potentially valuable information acquired by process instruments is often left stranded in the field. This information could be monitored if a communications pathway back to the host control system were created.

Typically, existing installed instruments have a built-in HART communication protocol, used normally during instrument commissioning. The arrival of wirelessstandards, such as WirelessHART, has allowed instrument manufacturers to develop wireless adapters. The adapters can be fitted to existing HART instruments, providing a cost-effective and secure communication pathway back to remote condition monitoring applications, such as ABB’s AssetVision Professional.

Estimates indicate that only 10% of the 30 million HART instruments installed since 1989 have a digital pathway back to the host. Remote digital access wouldallow operations and maintenance to take full advantage of this stranded instrument information. WirelessHART adapters for field instruments eliminatesignificant rewiring costs. Recovered information could include, for example:

- Multivariable process data- Instrument condition monitoring- Degrading valve performance- Sticking valve- Analyzer calibration required- Low level of pH calibration buffer stock- Instrument over-pressure counter- Mass flow and totalizer- Mass flow and density/temperature.

Wireless communications would improve plant uptime in three steps, Figure 2. Initially, the instrument identifies a fault and sets an internal alert. Then an application that monitors conditions, such as ABB’s AssetVision Professional, reads the instrument alert via WirelessHART network. The Asset Management system generates and routes a fault report based upon severity.

Finally the maintenance or remote support team connects to the field instrument and drills down via HART tools such as DTM (Device Type Manager) to diagnose the fault and arrange repair.

The use of smart and wireless technologies considerably increases the range of information from field instruments. In addition to the measured value, status and alarm messages provide valuable information about plant conditions as well as the reliability of the measured values.

Multivariable transmission

In this case one field device detects multiple measured variables. A traditional analog transmission system requires one cable for each measured variable. Buscommunication supports multivariable transmission. So the field device can transmit all measured variables detected via a single cable. The same goes for control signal transmission to a positioner for an actuator or control valve. Bus communication system can transmit multiple pieces of information such as control signals, limit signals, and valve opening signals.

Examples of uses for multivariable detection and transmission include:

- Monitoring the condition of the steam heat tracing of differential pressure transmitters by ambient temperature information.- Detecting clogging in impulse lines by static pressure information.

Many other pieces of information can also be used to expand measurement and control capabilities. The valuable combination of multiple sensor systems in a single pressure transmitter permits simultaneous measurement of differential pressure, absolute pressure and, via an external sensor, process temperature. Additionally, the sensor’s internal temperature is measured and recorded for service and diagnostic purposes. The sensor temperature and the absolute pressure can be used to eliminate environmental effects on the sensor.

Figure 2. WirelessHART offers the capability of inexpensively recovering data in existing HART instruments.

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Improving DP flowmeter accuracy

A single multivariable DP instrument can measure gauge or absolute pressure, differential pressure, and temperature. This unit takes the place of three single variable instruments and, more importantly, reduces pipe intrusions and the opportunities for leaks while facilitating regulatory compliance, Figure 3.

Three sources of error exist in a DP flow measurement. Minimizing all three sources provides the best accuracy and repeatability.

- Minimizing transmitter errors- Minimizing errors in gas and steam caused by pressure and temperature variations- Minimizing primary element errors.

Based on their experience with traditional analog systems, most users believe that the transmitter is no longer important when it comes to improving DP flow measurement performance. They believe the transmitter is a 3 to 5% device over a 3:1 flow turndown, and that the orifice plate is the main source of error. But new smart transmitters can dramatically improve DP flow measurement performance.

Suppose the following application conditions prevail:

- Gas: Nitrogen- Line size = 4 inch- Pressure = 50 psig- Process temperature ~70 F- Ambient temperature 60F +/- 50F- Minimum flow = 250 SCFM- Normal flow = 1500 SCFM- Maximum flow = 2500 SCFM- Calibration cycle = 24 months

Most users assume they know the pressure at the flow point because they are measuring it at a header or controlling it off a regulator some distance upstream of the flow measurement. But even a short distance of piping can cause significant pressure variability.

Suppose 20 feet of clean pipe and two 90-degree elbows are between the regulator and the flow point. (In many applications, the distance, and disturbancesin the line will be much greater.) Three sources make up the maximum total pressure variability.

1. Friction, a well established, but often unaddressed source of pressure variability. In this case, the gas is normally flowing at 1,500 SCFM. At the given conditions the flow velocity is about 180 ft/sec. The amount of friction loss depends on the distance and disturbances, the flow velocity, and the density. A calculation via the well-known Crane handbook indicates a frictional pressure loss of 0.28 psi. This loss amounts to 0.4% of the absolute pressure in the pipe.

2. Regulator accuracy and droop. Often users regulate higher pressures in a header down to lower pressures. A brand new regulator is 1% accurate at full scale. If it is regulating the pressure at 50 psig (64.7 psia), 1% uncertainty is 0.64 psi or about 1% of the absolute pipe pressure.

3. Barometric pressure. While atmospheric pressure is generally about 14.7 psia, high and low weather systems moving in and out can result in variability of 0.5 psi. This amounts to 0.8% of the absolute pressure in the pipe.

The three sources of pressure variability add to 2.2%. This variability is not constant over the flow range, so it can’t be “calculated out.” To address it, the pressuremust be measured at the flow point.

So if a DP gas flow measurement does not include pressure compensation, the measured flow variability is 1.1% (half of 2.2%). This affects repeatability as well as accuracy. At a given flow, the measurement could be off by 1.1%, depending on the regulator, the friction, and the barometric pressure. Velocity flowmeters, since they’re not subject to the square root function associated with DP measurements, would be off the entire 2.2%. For a compensated or multivariable meter,this error is virtually eliminated.

Further improvements to flow accuracy require and understanding of the DP flow equation. Recall that flow Q through an orifice plate is proportional to the square root of differential pressure DP. Traditionally, the proportional factor ‘K’ term is calculated at the sizing conditions of normal flow, and then assumed constant. Changing flow conditions, however, can produce inaccuracies. The K factor itself changes with flow rate and temperature. The components of the K factor subject to these changes are:

Figure 3. Multivariable transmitters reduce pipe intrusions, leaks, and wiring while improving accuracy.

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- Discharge coefficient, CD- Gas expansion factor (gases only), Y1- Velocity of approach, E and- Square of orifice bore diameter, d2.

Recalculating these components based on the flow rate and temperature significantly improves performance, and can greatly extend the flow range that can be measured accurately with DP Flow. Recognizing these issues explains how DP orifice flow measurement can improve from a 3 - 5% device to a better than 1.0% device, Figure 4.

Traditional DP Installation - Source of Error

Error (%) Multivariable solution -Source of Error

Error (%)

Transmitter 2.60 Smart Transmitter 0.34

Pressure & Temperature Variation 1.10 Pressure & Temperature

Compensation 0.10

Primary Element 1.70 Dynamic Compensation 0.60

Total Error 3.30 Total Error 0.68

Figure 4 - Table of errors associated with a traditional DP Installation and a “Smart” Multivariable installation

Asset management

Equipment uptime for continuous production represents an important factor in improving process plant productivity and overall profitability. Smart instruments can play a key role in optimizing the maintenance function toward this end.

- An automotive customer increased uptime by 10% by improving their repair process- Customers average productivity improvements of 1% through control system preventive maintenance contracts- A regional brewery reduced waste by $2 million in retail product through remote monitoring- A chemical company reduced their overall maintenance costs by $10M the first 5 years after implementing a predictive maintenance strategy- A tire manufacturer reduced repair costs by 30% and increased warranty utilization by 100% through asset management services- A major beverage company is saving over $250K per year through a parts management program.

Coal pulverizing and rotating machinery provide good examples of the benefits of asset management principles. In coal pulverizing operations typical of power plants, plant maintenance sometimes has to deal with problems associated with the long impulse lines that transfer pressure to remotely mounted pressure transmitters. The lines may plug as often as once a week and even once a shift in some cases. A small air purging system in the sensing line may be present toprovide positive pressure, attempting to keep the coal out of the sensing line. But wet coal following a rainstorm, for example, invariably leads to plugged lines. In the worst cases, maintenance technicians have to drill out impulse lines plugged with dried “mud.”

Ideally, the pressure would be sensed directly, with the transmitter mounted on the pulverizing mill, exhauster, or ductwork. This arrangement would eliminate the need for long, narrow impulse lines. But the pressure sensing diaphragm would have to withstand the severe abrasive effects from high-velocity pulverized coal.

Once impulse lines are plugged, reliability of measurement becomes questionable. Smart pressure transmitters equipped with Plugged Impulse Line Detection (PILD) can quickly alert maintenance departments to measurement problems. On sensing a plugged impulse line, the transmitter displays a diagnostic message while sending a digital and/or analog alarm. This capability protects the transmitter while offering predictive diagnostics of the pressure measurement loop.

The operating condition of critically important rotating machinery can be monitored continuously. Permanently installed sensors make it possible to communicate vibration information continuously. Vibration levels of support machinery can also be measured periodically in the field by plant personnel using portable equipment.

In both cases, health management software processes the data, providing a complete picture of the operating condition. The ability to overlay frequencies, and match fault frequencies to peaks, allows trained personnel to efficiently analyse the data. Alarm reports enable decision makers to quickly evaluate a situation and take appropriate action to prevent a breakdown.

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NAMUR standards

The aim of the Namur NE107 recommendation is to summarize how to make use of diagnostic data from field devices to support operators to take appropriateactions as required. ABB smart instruments follow the NAMUR “Traffic Light” standard for identifying fault levels, which can be adapted by the customer, depending on the application:

White 0 No Maintenance required:Green 500 Low priority maintenance, no influence to processYellow 750 High priority maintenance, influence on process possibleRed 1000 Critical maintenance immediately, definite influence on process.

The user must be able to interpret appropriate response to a diagnostic event. Reactions to a fault in the device may vary, depending on the user’s requirements. For example, the control loop may or not be critical. The plant operator will see only the four status signals. Detailed information can be viewed and analysed by a specialist engineer.

Focused asset management supports maximum productivity while incurring minimum costs. Productivity is maximized by fast, reliable startups, by adopting predictive maintenance strategies to assure reliability of essential production assets, and by using field-based information and diagnostics to identify and avoidpotential trouble. Careful planning and execution of plant turnarounds minimizes their duration and extend intervals between them. A predictive maintenanceprogram can be expected to bring a 1% to 3% improvement in product throughput, generating enough additional revenue for payback in three to six months.

ABB helps China manage drought – and restore one of its most pristine lakesPerched on the Yunnan Plateau at the headwaters of the China’s Pearl River, Fuxian Lake is home to at least a dozen species of fish found only in its pristine blue waters. Some 155 meters beneath its surface, archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient kingdom that may have slid into the lake during an earthquake 1,750 years ago. More recently, the region surrounding one of China’s deepest freshwater lakes has been hit by drought, in the process threatening Fuxian Lake’s water quality and putting economic development of the surrounding area, including Yuxi City, increasingly at the mercy of the weather.

To tackle the challenge, officials enlisted ABB starting in July 2014 to provide sophisticated automated control equipment that will form the backbone of an ambitious emergency water project. This system will redirect ample water supplies from Dalongtan Lake, to the east, through more than 70 kilometres of pipeline connected to the drought-hit region. The diversion project will clear the way for some 2.5 million residents of Yuxi City and other urban areas in Yunnan province to develop their economyBoosting growth, helping the environment

This is another example of how ABB technology – in this case, control devices from its Compact Product Suite to optimize the network of pump stations that control the diversion system’s flow - is helping underpin China’s economic growth and contribute to environmental protection even when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate.

ABB is working swiftly, with the project due to be completed by May 30 – less than a year after ABB was commissioned to do the work. It’s also a prime example of the message ABB’s alliance with Solar Impulse is sending: Through technology and innovation, we can run the world without consuming the earth. Solar Impulse is in Nanjing, China, a stopover on its historic mission to become the first solar powered plane to circumnavigate the planet.

Fuxian Lake and nearby Xingyun Lake, which are connected by a river, will be restored to their natural levels, helping protect water quality that’s among the best in China. That’s good news for the fish that live in here, including a spiny-finned member of the carp family called schizothorax lepidothorax that’s found nowhere else in the world. While Fuxian Lake has suffered from drought, Dalongtan Lake, which has been traditionally used for urban water supply and local industry and agriculture, enjoys significant water flows that haven’t been impacted by the shortages. The flows average some 167 million cubic meters annually. Even in dry years, annual water flow reaches about 110 million cubic meters, making Dalongtan Lake an ideal resource to help restore the water balance around Yuxi City and in Fuxian Lake. The pipeline to Yuxi City will mitigate the impacts of the drought, boost the economy and help restore Fuxian Lake to its historic levels

For the project, ABB is providing 21 redundant sets of AC 800M controllers, with around 5,300 input and output signals, as well as four engineering stations and eight operator stations.

This project contract was signed by ABB’s channel partner (Authorized Value Provider), reflecting how ABB’s control products and technical support in China are partnering with local companies that bring know-how and engineering capability. ABB’s equipment will help monitor, control, record, manage and automate the diversion system’s three pump stations and their respective electrical equipment, while enabling communication between the relay protection system, video monitoring, the direct-current control system and the integrated information management system. Known as a “pearl of the Yunnan plateau,” Fuxian Lake even in years of normal rainfall has limited in- and outflows, one of the reasons why it is so environmentally sensitive. With ABB’s equipment now helping managers operate the water diversion system efficiently, the aim is for Fuxian Lake to be returned to normal levels within a decade.

“Fuxian Lake is among China’s most pristine lakes, with water so clean that people can drink it directly from the lake,” ABB’s Yang said. “With this project, ABB is helping to preserve this natural wonder and in the process clearing the way for the region’s residents to develop their economies in a sustainable way.”

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Industry News (continued)

Article:

Is “Big Data” the answer to the Water Industry’s data crisis?

The Water Industry collects a lot of data, not as much as some industries and more than others. This is a fact. An arguable figure that I use is somewhere in the region of 300 million pieces of operational data every day. If we look forward into the future where there is a potential for a much more data hungry water industry then it has been predicted that the water industry is in for a tough time. Big Data has been promoted as a solution to this problem.

The extent of the potential problem

Does the industry really face a problem? What amount of data are we actually talking about?

Operationally -300 million pieces of data per day which is mainly single numbers i.e. what is actually being measured whether it is flow, chemical concentration or something else entirely different. This generally doesn’t include the data that modern instruments produce that tells companies about sensor health. Being conservative this can multiply the amount of data between 10 times. The amount of data operationally becomes 3 billion pieces a day.

Customer usage data – If the UK goes to a point where the entire water industry is universally metered with Smart Metering there will be approximately 25 million water meters, for customers, in the UK. If the customer data is picked up at an hourly resolution in line with comments made by a Water Industry metering manager this is another 600 million pieces of daily data.

Potetial data volume820 million pieces of data per day

110 million pieces of data per day

on potable water treatment works assuming greater amount of data

collection .

Possibility for 10 times this amount

with sensor health data

60 million pieces per day assuming

roughly 35,000 pumping stations

and DMA monitors.

Possibility for significantly more

with WQ Monitoring

600 million pieces of data per day assuming the

universal monitoring of 25

million homes and hourly data

40 million pieces of data per data assuming 35,000 pumping stations

in the UK.

Potential for much more with

sensor health monitoring

110 million pieces per day

monitoring wastewater

treatment works

Possibility for 10 times this amount

with additional sensor health

status

So is Big Data a potential answer to this problem?

Big Data – What is it all about?

Taking the Wikipedia definition of “Big Data”

“It is broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Challenges include analysis, capture, data curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, visualization, and information privacy. The term often refers simply to the use of predictive analytics or other certain advanced methods to extract value from data, and seldom to a particular size of data set.”

It has a history of being used in a number of different industries from retail with companies such as Walmart which deals with 1 million customer transactions every hour to the Large Hadron Collider which records more data in a second than the global water industry records in an entire year.It seems that “Big Data” has the potential to meet the water industries needs at least some of them.

What are the options for the Water Industry?

Taking the operational alone the Water Industry does have coping mechanisms for the amount of data that it collects. At its worst, at the current time, it collects data, stores it and normally when required retrieves it and manually analyses it. Not the most efficient way of doing things and a lot of the value of the data that is collected is lost. A step further on large treatment works is the data is used for automated control purposes and is used to give a more efficient mode of operation. What tends not to be done is the automated presentation of this data to give easy access to information about how the plant or system is running.

To look at an example of this – A large works which typically has 250 instruments and sensors record everything from flows, concentrations, valve position and levels on a fifteen minute basis, the eventual daily data set is in the region of 24,000 pieces of data a day. The question to ask is what information does the operator of that works actually need to see in order to do his job. The works has six primary tanks which each have a flow meter and a dry solids meter on the sludge line, these meters record 1,152 pieces of data a day. What the operator actually needs to see is one or maybe two pieces of information. The data to information ratio in this case is 572 to 1. This reduces the amount of information that is derived from the data to 42 numbers, a lot more manageable.

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Another example is regulated flow monitoring on wastewater treatment works. At the current time there are approximately 3,500 installations across England & Wales. These flow monitors, under the MCERTS programme, record 123 million pieces of data every year. For regulatory purposes only the actually pieces of information that is required is 1 piece per site giving a data to information ratio of 35,000 to 1. Not to say that the 15 minute data is not useful, it is, but this does not fall into the area that “Big Data” would provide any further use than what is already done.

This is what has been termed as, Small Information, a buzz word for the what the industry has been doing, in some case well and in others not so well, for years. The key is to identify the information that is required from the different stakeholders in the business from managing director to operator and structure the data & information management system accordingly. This is normally the remit of the system integrators and the information system specialists and more about the organisation of the data to get the information that is necessary to inform the business.

So where does this leave “Big Data?” There are areas within the Water Industry where it naturally fits in. On the customer data side, when smart metering becomes more prevalent, a huge amount of data will be collected. This could be used, in conjunction with mapping software and system models to map consumption maps in DMAs where there are spikes in consumption. This can be extended further using Water Company instruments within the network, monitoring spikes or drops in pressure or could inform where disturbances in the network cause potential customer issues in water quality. The more data that is collected the better the resolution of the operational models which allows the monitoring of the system to be limited to the resolution of the measurement instrument, often in the region of 10-15 seconds. In a lot of cases this could be changed giving near real time monitoring of the operational performance of the potable water network.

In the wastewater network there are uses to where Big Data can be used to form the basis of the so called Smart Wastewater Network. Working on the same principles of the potable water network the complex nature of the wastewater network lends itself much more to the use of Big Data. Cross mapping hydraulic models of the network with meteorological data, sewer flow and level data together with sewer overflow data allows customer information informing Beach Alerts similar to what is done in companies some of the Water Companies including Northumbrian Water who were recently nominated for the approach. This allows the presentation of the data to company operators (or potentially an automated system) to allow informed decision making in the here and now for operationally reactive work or with further analysis allows prediction of where problems can occur.

Figure 3: Is hot spot mapping a potential way of displaying areas of high concern that are picked up by Big Data analysis

Is Big Data the key to solving the Water Industries impending data crisis that some would argue is already upon us, quite clearly no. Saying this though, along with defining the information that we actually need and along with “Small Information” it is quite clearly a part of the solution that needs further investigation as to how it can be utilised in the future.

35,040 15 minute values

365 total daily volumes

1 Annual TDWF

Figure 2: The relationship of 15 minute values to regulatory data required for flow monitoring

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Oliver Grievson is the group manager of the Water Industry Process Automation and Control LinkedIn discussion group . He has many years experience firstly in the laboratory and for the past 12 years in the operational and process management of both po-table and wastewater treatment works. He developed a passion for the control of water and wastewater treatment works whilst working for Yorkshire Water in the United Kingdom and decided to share this passion by setting up the WIPAC LinkedIn discussion group.

He is a Fellow of CIWEM & the IES as well as being a Chartered Environmentalist, Scientist and Water & Environmental Manager. He is a member of the MCERTS Steering Group for the monitoring of flow, a member of the ICA Special Interest Group on ICA as well as sitting on the Wastewater Management Committees of the Foundation for Water Research and the Chartered Institute of Water & Environmental Management.

Application Note

Process and asset condition intelligence is

key to system optimisation

The reliable provision of water and sewerage services requires water companies to think and plan long term, especially when it comes to effective asset care. Water companies are under unprecedented pressure to reduce maintenance costs, but are they harnessing the power of systems and technology already in their possession to aid this, or merely reacting to problems as they occur? Guy Fitzpatrick from Xylem explains why it’s time to change maintenance methodology from cure to prevention.

Maintenance practices can be viewed like a set of scales, with predictive maintenance on one end and reactive maintenance (run an asset until failure) on the other. Although run to failure is a common strategy within the water industry, it can lead to high costs resulting from machine downtime and an excessive spares inventory. With a greater focus ever growing around total expenditure (TOTEX), proactive and predictive maintenance is being recognised as a more cost-effective solution than run to failure, but this can result in unnecessary maintenance interventions that can themselves introduce problems.

For example, the simplest approach is preventive or periodic maintenance – like changing the oil on a car every three months, regardless of how much the car is driven. Scheduling an oil change every 3000 miles may seem like a good precaution to take, to ensure peak performance, whereas in retrospect, too much oil can actually damage an engine.

Needless to say, predictive maintenance has become the preferred technique for critical assets in many situations, not only because it brings significant cost benefit advantages, but also because it improves the level of control that engineers can exert over the future performance of assets. However, a widespread network of water company assets, located on unmanned sites, raises a key question, how can water companies ensure they are getting the most out of their pumping systems to drive asset care?

Good predictive maintenance programmes rely on receiving up-to-date data from the field, whether from on-line measurements, hand-held data collection or periodic inspections. However, it’s not just a case of receiving vast amounts of data, but how this data is analysed, interpreted and acted upon that will put water companies in the perfect position to know how to get the most from their assets and make the right decision for the short, medium and long term.

Thames Water: A case in point

In 2014, Thames Water began to further invest in ways to maintain and monitor its wastewater pumping assets more effectively. The water company wanted to further embed change its maintenance methodology to push proactive and predictive interventions, rather than reactive, and capitalise from asset and process intelligence provided from technologies already delivered as part of its ongoing asset and data improvement strategy.

With this in mind, Thames Water approached Xylem to pilot a scheme to optimise more than 50 pumping stations utilising the Flygt Multismart Intelligent Pump Station Manager (iPSM) from Xylem. The Multismart is designed to manage pumping stations and provides users with the ability to manage necessary station control, communication and data requirements locally or remotely. When optimising the performance of a pumping station, it is vitally important to have a clear picture of what equipment is on site and how it performs before offering any recommendations on how it can be improved. With this in mind, Xylem introduced a step-by-step project delivery mechanism that would be used across all pilot sites that would ultimately enable Xylem to engage and collaborate with Thames Water, helping to achieve greater efficiencies across its sites.

Initial site survey

Working closely with Thames Water, Xylem initially created an ‘Optimisation Site Survey’ document to record all critical site information, whilst also focusing on the 18 Multismart key functions including control modes that are designed to monitor and control process and asset condition to minimise risk of failure, and both protect and sustain the asset condition. A team of engineers from Xylem then evaluated the entire pumping station and recorded the conditions of the site and its assets. This would include what type of well was in use and the cleanliness of the chamber, through to the performance of the pumps, and flow rates.

Conducting an overall site audit allowed Xylem to obtain accurate performance data and ensure Thames Water asset registers were up-to-date. Although this process can be lengthy, it’s an important step to obtaining a clear picture of current system status and where further improvements can be made.

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Site knowledge & data analysis

Xylem was granted access to data at the Thames Water Waste Operational Control Centre (WOCC), the water company’s main SCADA systems that provide alarm, trend and log data from the Flygt Multismart units across the pilot sites, as well as Thames Water’s top end systems. The collated information, dating back over the course of a number of weeks, enabled the team to understand current performance trends and therefore make accurate and tailored recommendations for each and every site.

Propose fully optimised solution

Once the data had been collated and analysed, Xylem produced an ‘Optimisation’ report outlining all the current settings of the pumping station found during analysis; such as such as start stop level, where high level probes should be, where overrides are located etc. From this, Xylem was able to recommend a series of Improvements to the operating configuration, based on site specific detail and indicate the overall benefits of these changes. The report was then discussed in detail with the Thames Water operational managers, where they signed off any recommendations they wished to be implemented.

Optimisation & Validation

Once the Thames Water operational managers agreed on which improvements they wished to progress, Xylem was then able to deploy a team of engineers to put the plan into action. All of this was conducted in conjunction with Thames Water WOCC. All the solutions were implemented and thoroughly tested, per site, by Xylem and Thames Water tested it remotely from the WOCC to make sure everything was working, as stated in the optimisation report.

Based on the results of the pilot, it is estimated that Thames Water will achieve nationwide energy reductions of 18 per cent, and aim to vastly reduce call outs, and of those still required improving the ratio of first time fixes as a result of remote diagnosis and improved information sent to field technicians from the WOCC. Following the success of the initial pilot scheme, Thames Water is now rolling out this programme across its pumping stations throughout the UK. Xylem is working closely in partnership with Boulting, a Tier 1 ICA framework contractor to implement the programme.

Needless to say, a product alone can be limited in its capabilities unless it is fully integrated into a company and system. What this project has shown to date, if nothing else, is the benefit of working in partnership with an OEM from the start; enabling the teams involved to have a greater understanding of how an organisation operates and how it’s system’s function day-to-day. It can be all too easy to apply a sticking plaster mentality to maintenance, when in fact with careful planning and analysis, businesses can harness the power of existing systems and technology to improve maintenance strategies over the long term, rather than simply focusing on short term fixes.

WITS Protocol

Introduced in 2010, the Water Industry Telemetry Standards (WITS) were developed to overcome Remote Telemetry Unit (RTU) inconsistencies and allow for flexible and secure communications between devices, particularly in telemetry applications.

The WITS are based on the international DNP3 protocol which was developed to allow for flexible and secure communications between devices, particularly in telemetry applications. The WITS organisation has 79 members of the Protocol Standards Association and encourages close co-operation between water companies and external suppliers in order to achieve standardised telemetry features for the water industry.

Until the introduction of the standards, water companies would select their telemetry suppliers from a constrained list of RTU suppliers compatible with their telemetry infrastructure and systems. These were generally built on proprietary protocols and would provide non-standard features and data sets. If new suppliers were selected it would mean that new protocol drivers would have to be added to their systems at significant cost and effort.

As a result of using numerous telemetry units across an estate, a large amount of time and effort was often spent managing the procurement, maintenance processes and configuration standards, which were constrained by the proprietary protocols; therefore it was a struggle to achieve consistent data reporting.

Furthermore, retrieving data from numerous RTU manufacturers via different protocols led to inconsistent data sets and alarm/event reporting. Each RTU vendor provided similar features but presented the data differently resulting in lots of information but proved very difficult to draw comparisons between the same asset types being monitored by RTU’s from different vendor’s i.e. performances of different pumping stations.

The WITS protocol enables the standardisation of industry features such as data logging and alarm/event reporting. These features are then configured through the use of the WITS configuration management features. Where customers select a common set of WITS features, they are then able to share the WITS configuration approach between each manufacturer, essentially meaning WITS enables RTU’s to be configured in the same way which ensures the data collection is consistent across the estate.

This Applications note was produced by Xylem Water Solutions UK and they are one of the founder members of the WITS protocol standards and their Flygt brand telemetry equipment is WITS compliant.

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In California, water is precious, competition for water is fierce and conservation is critical. In the midst of the state’s worst drought to date, Governor Jerry Brown declared historic state-wide mandatory water restrictions calling for a 25 percent reduction in water usage through February 2016.

However, it’s not easy to get people to turn off the taps, especially when so many Californians have no idea how much water they are using. According to a March 2014 report by the San Jose Mercury News, 225,000 homes and businesses across the state still are not charged for the water they are using. As the adage goes, “you can’t monitor what you don’t measure” – and many of those users have no idea how much water they are using because they don’t have water meters.

These communities, including areas of Bakersfield and Sacramento, use 39 percent more water per capita than the state average. That’s 77 more gallons per day per person. The University of California Merced (UC Merced) is located between these two cities and is in one of the driest climates in California – the Central Valley. Known for being an extremely green campus, staff and students have joined together to dramatically cut water, energy and gas usage per student every year, showing water savings well ahead of goals set by the UC president. As part of its water saving initiatives, UC Merced has relied heavily on BEACON® Advanced Metering Analytics (AMA). “BEACON AMA’s automated data collection and online software has significantly reduced the time and resources needed to ensure and document our new compliance standards,” said Emron Quarqat, UC Merced’s Water Operations Crew Leader. “It has made our team and the campus a lot more aware of our water consumption.”

Water conservation competition

What started out as a friendly student competition, focusing on reducing water consumption in the dorms, turned out to be an eye opening experience for the whole campus. In 2010, well before the new compliance standards were set, a group of staff and students developed an energy team to take a look at water conservation. Spearheaded by a student for a class project, a dorm water challenge was set into motion through the help of the energy team. “We knew we needed data and BEACON AMA turned out to be the best solution for providing real-time water consumption data that everyone could see and pro-actively use,” said Quarqat.

BEACON AMA combines cellular endpoints, use of existing cellular networks and an easy-to-use software product to give UC Merced the fast, near real-time data it needed to start conserving.

BEACON AMA offers an interface that is easy to use for the operations crew and the students. By utilizing the BEACON AMA software suite and the EyeOnWater app, the campus can easily access and manage exact, near real-time data. This gives them a troubleshooting tool for any maintenance issues that may arise. Because they have access to accurate data that is collected continuously, it can also easily point to specific occurrences.

In addition to real-time data, the campus operations crew also knew it needed to save time and obtain accurate meter readings. After considering numerous products, the campus selected a variety of Badger Meter flow measurement products. The campus’ end-to-end solution includes E-Series® Ultrasonic, ModMAG M-Series® Electromagnetic, Recordall® Disc Series and Recordall Compound Series flow meters – all connected to BEACON AMA via cellular communications.

Since the energy team was formed and with the new compliance measures, UC Merced has tripled the amount of meters on campus. They now monitor all of their reclaimed water, irrigation and wastewater.

Competition pays off

In the first year of the water conservation competition, the campus dorms reduced their water consumption by 14 percent, saving 79,000 gallons of water. They also saved 1.4 million gallons of water from 16 water leaks detected by the near real-time data. Nine dorms and 565 students participated this first year. The best result is that water conservation continued as a daily habit and the annual competition has grown over the years. In the following years, the campus saw another nine percent reduction, involving over 2,000 students. “The whole campus has their eyes on water conservation and we now know where our water isgoing,” continued Quarqat. “Plus, it’s saved us money.”

BEACON AMA revealed numerous leaks around campus that the operations crew never knew about, and were easily remedied. For example, a 100 gallon a day leak was responsible for hot water, energy and chemical loss. Stopping the leak saved the university $6,105 annually. In addition, the dorm competition revealedfive toilets leaking a total of 150 gallons an hour. The leaks were quickly identified and fixed in seven days, saving the university an estimated one million gallons of water per year and $6,576. Other leaks in cooling towers, boilers and irrigation systems have also been quickly detected and solved using the BEACON AMA system.

“For my crew, the number one concern is keeping an eye on leaks, consumption and the granular measurement data we need to provide to the energy team,” said Quarqat. “BEACON AMA and the various meters have made it very easy for us to make smart, quick decisions in which the whole campus benefits.”

Conservation trailblazer

Since 2010 UC Merced has been a leader in water and energy conservation. Their efforts have paid off with less consumption, saving university resources that can be applied to other initiatives. UC Merced is leading the charge and setting the example for other universities and colleges in California. Many of these institutions have toured UC Merced, learned about their system and have begun implementation at their own campuses. Meanwhile, staff and students at UC Merced are thinking of new innovative ways to keep improving their campus and the state of California. Up next…making irrigation more efficient!

Case Study:

BEACON® Advanced Metering Analytics (AMA)

Makes Water Visible at UC Merced

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Leakage Workshop

Where: ABB, Daresbury, UKWhen: Postponed

Description

Leakage from the underground water distribution system continues to challenge the water industry. Over recent years leakage has largely been maintained at target levels. However following the recently updated Water Resource Management Plans and Water Company Business Plans, a significant number of Water Companies are planning to drive leakage levels down. The drivers for the planned reductions in leakage come from the need to abstract less water, customers’ asking companies to lower their leakage levels and the outcome incentives offered by Ofwat. Regardless of the reasons for the planned reductions, the challenge will be: “How to reduce leakage further in the most cost effective way?”. Just doing more of the same is unlikely to deliver the savings, so companies will need to meet the challenge making best use of technology, people and data analytics. SWIG is running this workshop to explore the role that new sensing technologies can play in helping to meet this challenge.

This workshop is being chaired by Dene Marshalsay of Artesia Consulting and is kindly being hosted and sponsored by ABB

Sensing in Water 2015

Where: Nottingham Belfry Hotel, Nottingham, UKWhen: 23rd-24th September 2015

Description

Sensing in Water is the highlight of the SWIG Calendar and is its Biennial two day conference. This year it returns to the Nottingham Belfry Hotel where the theme of the conference & exhibition will be “The Service of the Sensor” and has the aim of

“using sensors and instrumentation to help deliver water company outcomes in AMP6 and over the next 25 years.”

There will be four sessions at this years conference covering:

Serving the customers – communications and communicating with the customer.Serving supply – potable water treatment and distribution.Serving the environment – monitoring and control of wastewater collection and treatment.Serving the company – managing assets, people and processes

The keynote speaker for this years conference will be Martin Kane who is the Chief Engineering Officer of Severn Trent Water and the conference dinner will take place at the Nottingham Belfry on the evening of the 23rd

September including after dinner entertainment.

SWIG Events in 2015

Conferences, Events,Seminars & Studies

Conferences, Seminars & Events

Events Calendar in 2015

June

7th - 11th June - ACE 2015Anaheim, California, USA

29th June - 1st July, Sludgetech,University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

July

1st - 2nd July, NEL International Flow ConferenceCoventry, UK

September

23rd - 24th September, Sensing in Water 2015Nottingham, UK

26th - 30th September, WEFTECChicago, USA

October

12th - 13th October, 9th European Wastewater Management ConferenceManchester, UK

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