Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1223154
Pumps & valves: overview high levels of service in a less predictable world". "Fully maintained pumps can be ex- pected to operate at optimum efficiency, reducing energy consumption and cost and lowering carbon footprint. They are also much less likely to fail and incur regulatory fines and reputational damage from pollution incidents, for example," adds Dawson. "In terms of sludge processing, it is always worth reviewing any pump's operating profile to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Utilities are increasingly using intensive techniques which result in thicker sludges with higher dry solids content; they are also experiencing higher volumes as a result of demographic change. Such variations in flow can affect pumps' performance. "The maintenance of emergency pumps at wastewater treatment works is of critical importance. Maximum storm flows occur infrequently, which means operators need to be confident that their emergency pumps can be turned on and work immediately in a crisis situation," adds Dawson. The path towards net zero As Britain moves towards an economy based on net zero carbon emissions, many wastewater companies are starting to generate their own renewable energy. There are many different ways that a wastewater treatment company can generate green energy. Recently, Anglian Water announced it is set to install solar panels at one of its key operational sites in Huntingdonshire as the company moves towards its goal of being a net zero business by 2030. But other firms are using pumps and valves to help achieve their renewable goals. For example, Scottish Water's Cas- tle Moffat Water Treatment Works, gener- ates more energy than it uses, thanks to a hydro-power system, which is supplied by a new state-of-the-art generator and control panel which were upgraded in a £200,000 investment last May. But are there other ways in which valves and pumps can help utilities achieve their net zero goals? "Pumping water and wastewater across distribution and collection net- works - and through treatment plants – is incredibly energy intensive; the single big- gest element of a water company's energy consumption," explains Tattersall. "So, pumps' role in our journey to net zero is really about reducing energy consumption rather than generating renewable energy. "There will continue to be improve- ments in pumps motor and hydraulic efficiency, but here too the biggest im- provements will come in control systems. Advances in monitoring, for example, en- able us to identify when a pump is work- ing inefficiently, allowing remedial action to be taken. As AI and machine learning become embedded, we will move to a situation where inefficiency is predicted and addressed before it becomes an issue - ensuring a more energy efficient overall process," adds Tattersall. "Pressure in water networks changes as the pipes in the network change eleva- tion with the topography. For example, a reservoir in the hills feeding a treatment works in a valley. This results in loca- tions where the pressure is higher than is needed and historically this pressure was dissipated in a control valve. Utilities have been identifying these points where en- ergy is wasted and have replaced the con- trol valves with turbines (which are really just pumps running in reverse) to convert this wasted pressure to electricity." Talking about innovation While improvements to physical infra- structure are important, there can be no doubt that the sector is increasingly turning to technology and artificial intel- ligence to provide the service improve- ments that both the regulators and the customers are demanding. Black & Veatch's Tattersall says the biggest innovations going forward will be in the systems that control pumps and valves. "More and more, clients are looking to digitally-enabled real-time decision making, artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to ensure resilience across their assets," explains Tattersall. "We will see the evolution of "smart" pump and valve systems that provide the inputs for this digital transformation. "The ability to learn from past patterns and predict future events will allow water companies to optimise the operation of equipment like pumps and valves. The process will not be instant. A significant amount of high-quality data is required to determine what optimum performance looks like, and before anomalies can be detected with sufficient confidence to give AI control. Most water utilities do not yet have data in sufficient quantity and qual- ity to reach this point. While it may exist in pockets, there is much still to do in terms of data collection and organisation, to support an effective enterprise level AI system. One estimate is that around five years' worth – one AMP – of new data will be required for an enterprise level AI sys- tem to reach its full potential," concludes Tattersall. Fujitsu UK's Wright also argues that technological change is "inevitable". "While we can only predict some developments, it's likely that new com- munications technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and private/enterprise long-term evolution will soon become part of most commercial business models," says Wright. "In aerospace, for instance, where engines are not sold as products anymore but services instead, these technologies are likely to have a huge impact. "The water sector will likely move in a similar direction, with pumps being sold with a full monitoring and maintenance service attached and which means charg- www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | APRIL 2020 | 29