Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | sepTember 2014 | 11 Comment A utonomous processes and systems together with information sharing, which lie at the heart of Industry 4.0, can deliver untold benefit for the water sector. Particularly as it looks at a future where demand for safe and continuous water supply, and the consequences of environmental change, will only intensify pressure on a critical part of our national infrastructure. Today the UK water industry is a central element of the nation's essential infrastructure and reliance on water supply by consumers and businesses is o•en taken for granted. Expectations are that this precious resource is and will remain forever available. Looking back to the first industrial revolution of the late 1700s, and the beginning of this expectation and reliance on water, the country had to deal with huge pressure on water supplies, which were required to support the rapid escalation in demand for reliable water sources from both industrial and domestic users. The necessity to support exponential growth drove leaders within the water industry to innovate and apply technologies they had witnessed in other boom- ing industries. A prime example was the introduction of the steam pump. Use of this technology reduced the reliance upon long, gravity-fed aqueducts, whilst increasing the volume of water that could be supplied to the hungry processes of the first Industrial Revolu- Time to plan now for the next industrial revolution The next great industrial revolution termed Industry 4.0 is gathering momentum, but what does it mean for the water sector? tion that changed the UK forever. Likewise, through the second Industrial Revolu- tion that saw the realisation of Mass Production, and the third which embedded Electronic & Digital (automation) systems at the heart of manufacturing capabilities, technology has continually evolved and been used in ever more innovative ways to improve the health, safety and environment for the whole of society. However, the question to be asked now is whether we are living in the midst of the next Indus- trial Revolution? It is clear that there is undoubted increasing pres- sure on water supplies. Assessing the potential im- pact of environmental pressures, growing and emerg- ing economies, the advent of mega-cities, global warming and increasing populations, questions have to be asked about the long-term sustainability of what is a•er all the most valuable of resources. How will this be managed? Will the sector turn again as it has in the past to other industries for a lead on innovation or would the arrival of a fourth Industrial Revolution provide the answers the sector needs? Siemens Industry, in collaboration with other au- tomation manufacturers, institutes, universities and industry experts have been asking the same question and trying to define the scope that technology will need to satisfy over the next 20 years to provide the answers to the water-based challenges communities will face in the future. While the final answer is not here today, it is com- ing and it is called Industry 4.0. At the heart of Industry 4.0, lies the develop- ment of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS). A CPS can be considered as an autonomous, self-configuring set of processes or systems formed and governed by a combination of sensors, hardware, communica- tions networks, so•ware and complex algorithms. These systems not only interact with each other, but can reach out across networks to share information throughout the entire supply chain. In reality, we could imagine a CPS as an autono- mous water network where, as demand increases, pumps switch on, pressure and flows start to regulate automatically, reservoir levels are monitored and deci- sions are made by complex algorithms to determine how quickly to fill the reservoir to meet demand. Chemical dosing could also be automated and chemi- cal re-ordering automatically handled by the system. Think of the resource and cost benefits if, for exam- ple, the same network detected a fault and could self- diagnose, order any parts required, schedule repairs at the earliest possible opportunity and independently re-configure services, valves, pumping stations and other equipment to ensure continuity of supply? Or, imagine the perfect storm. Everyone saw first-hand the consequences of the extreme level of rain and storms that battered the country in the early months of 2014. The scenes of flooded houses, con- taminated water and an environment unable to cope highlighted the consequences of the varied and o•en unpredictable weather patterns we experience. Now, imagine being able to simulate a perfect storm in advance. Having the capability to stress test processes, personnel and systems reacting to the storm could unlock the intelligence benefits of running mul- tiple operational scenarios in a virtual environment to understand the impact on a water supply business. Andrew reeks busIness manager for The WaTer secTor sIemens IndusTry

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