Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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Project focus: water networks optimum operation taking account of constraints, including the need to meet conditioning and sweetening flows. It will monitor system operation compared with the optimum schedule and issue updated instructions regularly. Typically, where changes are required, these instructions will be issued every 30 minutes and will be implemented by the Level 2 (or Level 3) control system. The Optimiser will enable Wessex Water to respond more effectively to incidents and planned outages, ensuring that supplies to customers are maintained as well as minimising operating costs. In order to understand and establish Wessex Water's particular requirements for the Optimiser, Atkins arranged a series of internal stakeholder workshops incorporating staff from operations, water resources, IT and water quality. The output from these workshops was the production of a comprehensive user requirement specification (URS). The team also consulted suppliers and other users of optimising solutions to gain a good understanding of the scope of technologies available. Pilot Trial In order to select a supplier for the technology, Atkins undertook a closed loop pilot trial in the spring of 2012, which sought to test the pumps, replace and amend the telemetry, and install new assets in the reservoir. In 2012, Servelec Technologies was appointed as the preferred supplier of the Optimiser soˆware. Atkins, with Servelec Technologies, worked with many parts of Wessex Water on the development of Phase 1 of the Optimiser. This was to be developed and tested on an existing section of Wessex Water's water distribution network where the operating regime and constraints were previously understood. This development work identified enabling works required to provide the necessary feedback from the system regarding metered flows and reservoir levels. A programme of enabling works was managed to install new level transducers and flow meters and GSM telemetry loggers. System constraint information was also required to understand abstraction licences, treatment works outputs and pump operations allowable. Rigorous end-to-end testing of the communications network was undertaken to ensure that control signals were passed through various systems between the optimiser and the site control systems. Phase 1 went live in September 2014, controlling 28 individual pumps and 2 flow control valves successfully. The knowledge gained and difficulties overcome during Phase 1 have allowed Wessex Water's Supply Optimisation Team to build the Optimiser model for Phase 2 which is extending the network under Optimiser control to include the integrated grid assets as they become operational. Benefits The Optimiser allows an holistic view to be taken over the supply network and 72 hours ahead – rather than decisions being based on only the current water level in the adjacent reservoir. This gives many benefits, including improved security of supply and contingency planning; efficient transfer of flows in a complex supply system; efficient management of assets in a complex transfer and distribution system; savings made in avoiding Triads and Duos periods; optimal outage planning; optimal blending ratios for nitrate sources; and reduced call outs out-of-hours, as forecast provides more confidence in network flexibility. In conclusion, the water supply grid will ensure that Wessex Water can meet its customer demands for the next 25 years, will provide security of supply through its ability to redistribute surplus water to areas in deficit and will allow blending of sources to maintain water quality. The Optimiser provides an effective, reliable, repeatable and auditable solution to the challenge of managing a large and diverse water supply network. ● Julian Welbank, Wessex Water Head of Asset Strategy: "The system provides a leading example of the System Operator model that is discussed nationally as a way forward for the optimium management of regions." ● Drummond Modley, Grid Programme Manager: "The development of the Optimiser so ware has been very successful. It brings a cultural change: the operational side of the business moves from central monitoring and local control, to central monitoring and control". • Perspectives A schematic of the Optimiser communication context system 22 | mArch 2017 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk