Water & Wastewater Treatment

WWT PUMP AND VALVE SUPPLEMENT 2019 11 can use technology to detect it, then we get there a lot quicker and reduce the impact onto the environment. "Also, the other output from that pressure data means that because we're seeing this data in a higher resolution than what we've ever seen before (128 samples a second) – we can use the data to determine how a rising main is performing and prevent bursts from happening." Ultimately, the benefit is two-fold. "We're picking up on the failure much quicker and we're also able to use the data to look at other technologies or different ways of using our pumping station asset group to ensure bursts are reduced and the life of the rising main is increased," explains Pompa. Extending the life of assets With a host of technologies now available for monitoring the performance of a pump and for accessing and analysing the performance data remotely, there is no reason why maintenance must take the form of formulaic, regular, scheduled visits. Instead, condition-based maintenance – where effort is focused on the assets most likely to need attention based on performance data – is considered by many to be best practice. According to Pompa, this is particu- larly useful when it comes to extending the life of ageing assets and infrastruc- ture. "From what I've been learning around pressure monitoring and flow monitor- ing, if we don't start understanding the whole system from not just the pumps, but the rising main as well, then several opportunities could be missed to further optimise the system. Assets and infrastructure are getting older and there are technologies and different ways of working out there that can help us increase the life of these assets. "Once we start doing that discovery stage, we can take that into a learning stage and start educating our field and maintenance technicians around the different control methodologies that can be applied to increase the life of our assets. "If we don't integrate more of this technology and exporting of the data, then we aren't going to notice the deterioration of our assets as easily. We are constantly monitoring thousands of kilometres of pipeline across the region, so we're finding ways to work smarter to ensure the longevity of our assets." The general consensus is that in every industry and in every facet of our lives, data is becoming increasingly important. But what types of data points are most key when it comes to monitoring pumps? "Flow and pressure are key consider- ing the familiarity amongst the work- force when you are looking at perfor- mance," comments Pompa. "If you have that data and you understand how an asset should be performing, then you can monitor when to intervene." Having information on site – for example a flow meter reading output – can help operatives to diagnose problems more quickly. "Once you can start visualising data on a tablet the opportunities are endless. You can see how it performed three days ago, and you can look at different trends and make assumptions on those trends," states Pompa. "You can trial different operations on pumping stations to see whether the asset has improved or not. There are great opportunities with this technology. Infrastructure is only going to get older and the population is going to get bigger, so we need to ensure that we're investing our time and money in the right places and getting the most out of our assets." Collaboration and innovation Pompa would also like to see greater collaboration and sharing of innovation amongst water companies. "I think with pumping, because we do so much of it and it has such a big impact on the environment, the opportunity is massive. So why wouldn't we push innovation out there? "Our Shop Window initiative, which is our hub where we exploit new technologies and new ways of working in one place, is encouraging that. We're a very open and innovative company. We are open to change for positive impact in everything we do." Anglian's 'Shop Window' in Newmar- ket provides an opportunity for suppliers to come and trial their best equipment and solutions in a live environment. "As an industry we need to collabo- rate more because it will save a hell of a lot of time," continues Pompa. "That cross-sector collaboration needs to be communicated more – potentially with the front line services who come up against these problems every day to come up with combined solutions to combat them. We could compare how they work to how we work and then work together on integrating these solutions." Pompa, who has spent 11 years working for Anglian, says he has witnessed a step change in the world of pumps and remains positive about the future. "Anglian Water has promoted a lot of innovative schemes over the last AMP where we've seen pump technologies such as pump reversing units, and flow monitors which offer actionable insight for our technicians to act upon. We've seen burst alerts on rising mains, so we've integrated innovation and technology and we're taking our workforce on that journey. There's been a huge step change here in terms of integrating innovation and technology. "Anglian Water are always trying to use technology instead of building big carbon structures. As an example, instead of building a storm tank, let's use technology to manage the flows on the network better and use potential capacity in the network to hold that flow instead. "I very much see the future is around using technology to understand our assets better and for powerful analytical tools to provide that actionable insight. Using our existing data, accompanied by rich data sets such as pressure and flow, will allow Anglian Water to operate their asset base more efficiently. I see a different approach in maintenance in the next AMP as well. Once we know our assets better, we'll start to complete that more proactive maintenance. We'll move away from reactive maintenance and become more proactive. We'll then understand what the pumps should be doing, and we can start to increase our maintenance schedules to ensure they're working optimally." Anglian Water pumps in action.

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