Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | JULY 2017 | 11 Key points 1. Water companies are all well aware of the need to consider total expenditure (totex) when procuring pumps rather than just upfront cost, although there can be inconsistencies in the way this is applied in practice. 2. Digitalisation and related technology has the potential to make pump control more of an exact science, helping to address the issue of unpredictable pump life. 3. Some water utilities have found it challenging to get their operations teams to utilise automated systems to their full potential; employee engagement as well as training will be needed to help combat this issue. 4. Water companies should be looking to move from the scheduled maintenance of pumps to condition-based maintenance, and in many cases are doing so. 5. Companies are beginning to see the benefits of installing sub- meters on medium-sized pumps as well as larger ones, resulting in more detailed metering data being collected. THE SPEAKERS "Energy audits highlight how you purchase equipment, so instead of replacing like for like, you're ensuring the replacement is energy efficient." Matthew Griffey, research engineer, University of Exeter & South West Water "Among some production teams and senior managers, there can be a misconception that scheduled maintenance is the panacea for all things." Bob Turner, range manager for pumps, United Utilities "Energy management is the right thing to do, but as an industry we consume a lot of power... we should care more and be doing more." Alastair Tawn, wastewater energy & efficiency mgr, Northumbrian Water "With the separation of business units, there's a push to work out our costs… this leads to more instrumentation and advanced systems." Darren Hewerdine, asset specialist for energy and pumping, Affinity Water "There's so much more information available now about a pump's operation that the case for intervention can be made much more readily." Andrew Ball, water utilities director, Grundfos "When you are given a budget, you've got to spend it wisely or not spend it at all. You've got to justify every spend, and spend money to save money." Tom Mills, senior maintenance lead, Veolia Water in association with Sustainable Water 2017 Conference & Exhibition 20th September 2017 Birmingham. events.wwtonline.co.uk/ sustainable NEXT EVENT tangible savings, said the speakers. Large pumping systems require sub- metering on all of the pumps, where comparing the flow, li and power use allows you to calculate the efficiency. It is now increasingly a trend to install sub-metering on smaller pumps too, resulting in a more complete picture. On pump maintenance, water companies are looking to move from scheduled maintenance (where pumps receive attention at set intervals) to condition-based maintenance (where performance is monitored and maintenance applied when needed). The best form of condition- based maintenance, according to one speaker, is to have is a conscientious and observant operator who knows what they are looking out for. Delegates decided the best course of action was to get the entire organisation to move to a condition- based maintenance mindset. Data monitoring will be paramount to this shi in mindset, as it will make it easier for companies to make the economic case for maintenance before a failure has occurred. By Lois Vallely

• Cover
• The Talk
• The works
• The knowledge
• Recruitment classified