WET News

february 2015 WET NEWS 9 Southern Water has upgraded its provision for the service and planned maintenance of more than 60 Hydro SludgeScreen units installed around its region projEcT SpEcS • Severn Trent undertook a major project to upskill operators and to ensure staff being redeployed to new sites are fully trained in sand filtration equipment • Hydro International provided training to introduce operators to best-practice techniques for optimising performance of the DynaSand® equipment and reporting problems • Southern Water upgraded its provision for service and planned maintenance of more than 60 Hydro SludgeScreenTM units installed at more than 30 sites • Southern Water asset Team conducted a review of in-house maintenance procedures and the services provided by Hydro's specialist Service Division • The two teams worked together to implement improvements and target common root causes for failure P revention is better than cure' is a maxim that serves both medical pro- fessionals aiming to optimise human health and engineers seeking to keep infrastructure in tip-top condition. Equally true in both sectors – especially in challenging economic times – is to say 'prevention is more cost- effective than cure'. AMP6 is rapidly approach- ing, and collaborative partner- ships between water companies and experienced equipment suppliers are already offering innovative ways to increase operational efficiencies. Such partnerships open up new ser- vice and maintenance opportu- nities that can bring with them significant whole-life cost savings. Adopting a more conscious and planned approach to main- tenance is an important pillar of any strategy for improved equip- ment performance and reduced operating costs. It can be com- bined with regular training of operational staff to ensure full and detailed knowledge of the equipment operation. Ofwat's rising expectation that utilities serve their custom- ers' best interests, especially regarding the costs that impact on their bills, means that an unplanned approach is no longer an option. In AMP6, UK water companies are being encouraged to demonstrate per- formance based on total capital and operating expenditure (totex), where both forms of expenditure are considered together. Financial rewards It has always been good practice to calculate the continuing value of an asset – including performance, energy-consump- tion and maintenance – against the cost of replacing it. How- ever, asset managers have his- torically oŠen been tempted to take the short-term view, opting for reactive repair and replace. With the shiŠ to totex, for the first time, water companies have been given a direct incentive to optimise the operating perfor- mance of equipment, extend the life of assets and improve plant and process efficiency. Studies show that there is no shortage of opportunities for water utilities to reap the financial rewards of efficient operations and maintenance. Generally speaking, water and wastewater treatment sites in the UK show a woeful lack of planned maintenance, with up to 90% of maintenance activity showing as reactive, not planned. A study of operational costs for UK wastewater treat- ment works showed that the best performing sites could be 50% more efficient than those that had not been optimised.* Hefty fines Water is a complex, highly-regu- lated sector and equipment is mission-critical. A treatment plant failure resulting in a breach of discharge consents can trigger heŠy fines from the Environment Agency (EA). Simi- larly, while it is possible to tanker sewage sludge off site because a treatment works has stopped working, it adds crip- pling and unacceptable costs. The totex challenge means that this is no longer a finan- cially acceptable way to operate – and the regulators are on the case. That is why some water companies are turning to their equipment manufacturers and suppliers to provide service and maintenance agreements to pro- tect specific items of plant. OEM equipment suppliers are well placed to offer a tailored service to meet operators' needs, covering regular inspec- tions, spares replacement and training whether the require- ment is for a specific piece of equipment, or for multiple sites or a region. Planned, preventative main- tenance is a routine schedule of TEchkNoW • up to 90% of maintenance activity at uK water and wastewater sites is reactive, not planned, says study • The best performing sites can be 50% more efficient than those that have not been optimised • The shift to totex gives water companies a direct incentive to optimise the operating performance of equipment Maintaining asset efficiency • With the shift to- wards totex, water com- panies have a direct incentive to optimise the operating perfor- mance of equipment, extend the life of assets and improve plant and process efficiency. ONSITE aSSeT ManageMenT NEED To kNoW 1 a planned preventative maintenance approach minimises the number of resource-intensive reactive responses 2 PPM can cut planned downtime and outages while extending equipment life and lowering operating costs 3 energy consumption can be reduced, along with customer complaints ThE VErDIcT • "We are convinced of the benefits of planned maintenance agreements. They are critical to our operating efficiency. Working with Hydro, we were able to agree a plan which considered the total tasks, the scheduled maintenance visits and how critical procedures should be divided between the in-house team and Hydro's service provision. The maintenance provided under the contract has been fully integrated with the important maintenance completed by Southern Water's own staff." bob Phillips, principal legislation officer – assets, from Southern Water "We are convinced of the benefits of planned main- tenance agreements. They are critical to our operating efficiency"

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