Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 23RD FEBRUARY - 1ST MARCH 2018 | 23 Operations & Assets Market view N ew digital technologies are enabling water utilities to extract greater infor- mation and efficiencies from legacy water infrastructure to enhance decision- making, promote conservation, build 21st century infrastructure and, perhaps most importantly, increase the value and benefits of the network. The lessons learnt from the digitisation of other sectors such as heavy industry, manu- facturing and power are now being success- fully applied to water infrastructure and commercial projects. According to Capgem- ini Consulting's latest research, The Digital Utility Plant: Unlocking Value From the digi- tization of Production, 33 per cent of UK util- ity companies have a digital plant initiative in flight, while a further 33 per cent have a digital initiative plan already in place. Digital utility plants leverage a large number of applications across the produc- tion value chain. These combine multiple technologies to address a specific business requirement. For example, predictive maintenance, which combines industrial Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, is a popular digital application for improving productivity and reliability by minimising unplanned downtime Another example is intelligent networks. A proactive and predictive understanding of the behaviour of network infrastructure has been a long-sought goal within the industry – and one that is increasingly incentivised by the outcome delivery incentive meas- ures brought out by Ofwat in the last price determination. Despite rapid advances in sensors and acoustics, however, the industry is still reliant on customer-generated information as the first signal of network failure. At its heart, the issue of network control and intelligent operational understanding is driven by the lack of connection between operational technology and IT. By integrat- ing these traditionally separate technologies and changing the interaction between the two functions regarding network monitoring, the opportunities are significant. A more intelligent network, with more connected sensors and devices, gives a richer level of data, which in turn supports richer analytics and greater insight. With leakage, wastewater flooding and pollution incidents all carrying significant financial and reputa- tional burdens, this is a key priority. Then there is smart analytics and smart leakage management. With 20-30 per cent of UK water production lost to leakage, leakage detection still relies on people and listening technology. This is where predictive maintenance, machine learning and digital communica- tion can change things. By scheduling maintenance based on pre- dictive analytics, instead of just the age of the infrastructure, water companies can achieve their economic levels of leakage while replac- ing fewer pipes. Meanwhile, next generation machine learning tooling and algorithms can drive insight-led interventions targeted at driving value. Further data visualisation and conceptual aggregation provides actionable, intuitive operational intelligence, aiding the operational teams and providing improved customer interactions. There is also the impact of digitisation on staff. We see the development over the next five to ten years of a truly connected work- force with real-time access to knowledge and information about critical assets. Workforce scheduling will be more dynamic and intelligent, taking feeds from analytics engines and predictive asset behav- iour models to get to the issues ahead of fail- ure or customer impact. We envisage a world where an engineer will be equipped with technology that can bring live data feeds into their wearable or mobile device, use aug- mented reality to render 3D models of assets for maintenance and deliver instructions on how to carry out the work from a remote engineer seeing it through a live video. There will continue to be rapid innova- tion in analytics platforms, which will com- bine with machine learning capabilities and be operated in the cloud . The analytics will be paired with wide- spread use of advanced visualisation capa- bility including augmented and virtual reality. This will give easy, controllable access to standardised and reusable data across the operational asset base, combining standard asset configuration data, real-time situational data, historic performance data, and environmental data. The visualisation of this data in real time will enable a bet- ter understanding of operations and asset performance. Implementing the digital plant Go for quick wins by selecting low invest- ment and high value technologies. The use of drones in critical asset inspection opera- tions across a network, for example, results in immediate gains at limited cost. Investing in running proof of values such as leakage management, and energy management sig- nificantly reduces totex, improves customer service and safeguards the environment. Launch projects with high value appli- cations such as predictive maintenance, intervention management, or digital asset lifecycle management to ensure recurring gains. Analytics, big data, and advanced modelling are used to detect leaks or losses as well as for predictive maintenance. For faster gains, invest in applications that allow for more targeted operational efficiencies, such as smart autonomous site operations, investment planning, asset mon- itoring and sludge or waste monitoring. Finally, rely on emerging applications and technologies, like additive manufacturing. The use of 3D printing in engineering or con- struction lifecycle models in capital delivery, for example, are being used to drive stand- ardisation of assets and asset data through- out the design-build-commission-operate lifecycle of water and wastewater plants. The industry is changing fast, yet there is still a distance to go. With outgoing Ofwat chief executive Cathryn Ross heavily criticising the industry as delivering "an analogue service in a digital age", it is clear from a regulatory perspective alone this will not be enough. Karen Thompson, principal consultant, Capgemini Consulting The digitisation of water By implementing 'digital plants', utilities can unlock value and realise the full potential of new digital technologies. Karen Thompson explores some promising water sector applications.

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