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WIPAC MONTHLY The Monthly Update from Water Industry Process Automation & Control

www.wipac.org.uk Issue 11/2015 - November

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In this Issue

Editorial.............................................................................................................................. 3

Industry News..................................................................................................................... 4 - 9

Highlights of the news of the month from the global water industry centred around the successes of a few of the

companies in the global market.

Condition Assessments - Finding the weak link................................................................. 10-12

Surveying the infrastructure network has always been a difficult task whether it is the distribution or the collection

system. Arguably the state of this network is one of the fundamental problems in the current Water Industry. In this

article which has been co-authored by Leo Carswell and Zachary Alexander of the WRc some of the current techniques

to survey the infrastructure network are discussed.

Overview of Big Data Applications to technical operations in Water Utilities.................... 13-16

Big Data has perhaps been the buzz word of the last few years in regard to all Utilities industries, however not many

authors have actually discussed the practical aspect of it. In this overview by John Cook & Edwin Roehl of ADMI an

overview of the potential applications of Big Data is presented.

Case Study: - Controlling THM Formation......................................................................... 17-18

In this case study from the Tewkesbury Water Treatment Works in the USA an example of the use of a THM analyser

is demonstrated by using an automated control loop and also controlling an aeration system to strip the volatile

compounds before the treated water was passed into the supply network.

Workshops, Conferences & Seminars............................................................................... 19-20

The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months

WIPAC Monthly is a publication of the Water Industry Process Automation & Control Group. It is produced by the group

manager and WIPAC Monthly Editor, Oliver Grievson. This is a free publication for the benefit of the Water Industry and please

feel free to distribute to any who you may feel benefit.

All enquires about WIPAC Monthly, including those who want to publish news or articles within these pages, should be directed

to the publications editor, Oliver Grievson

The photograph on the front cover is of the new testing centres to promote innovation in the Scottish Water Industry facilitated

by sponsorship from the Scottish Government

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From the Editor

The piece of news in the Water Industry that really impressed me this month was the opening of the testing centres by the Scottish Water backed by the Scottish government, this of course backed by the innovation partnership that

happened in May this year with the launch of Hydro Nation. It shows that Scotland are really taking the importance of the worldwide water market very seriously and are joining the league of countries who have a strong innovation presence in the Water Industry including to my mind, Israel, Hong Kong and Canada with organisations such as WaterTap.

As instrumentation, automation & control systems are so technologically based the need for innovation is an absolute key to the success of the industry. So what is happening at the moment, are we not getting and seeing these successes? Well in some areas of the world the answer is absolutely yes. You can see some of the wonderful technological innovations that come out into the Water Industry market and you can see that these countries are leading globally in the Water Industry. but in other areas the innovation, instead of being led by a champion of the water industry are led by the supplier companies who of course are taking massive risks for sometimes a product that will miss the mark and sometimes disinterest from some of their water industry clients and where there is interest then the need for competitiveness in the industry driving the margins to such low amounts that the innovation is their to keep the company in business rather than to help it grow

What stuns me sometimes is that despite the competitiveness and the conservatism that plagues the water industry the research & development that the suppliers do is , to my mind at least, simply stunning. For those of you who read my last Weekly Update you will know that I recently went on a factory visit and training programme that was run by one of the suppliers that I have been running a product trial with. The factory was in a beautiful setting and due to the familial origins of the large multi-national company the headquarters was a real contrast of the ultra-modern and the traditional. It was at the start of the factory tour though that our guide proudly announced that each year they took on 50 Apprentices for the business and they were nurtured through the world of industrial instrumentation. We were shown their final year projects and it was very tempting to break the “no touching” rule, stop the tour and have a good look at what these Apprentices had designed. That was to be the first point in the day where the “health” of the instrumentation industry could quite clearly be marked.

Going through the factory tour though there were several things that really stood out including the work that went into identifying the brand and quite literally putting it everywhere from the carpets, to the shirts that people were wearing to the primary colours that decorated the building. Secondly was the self sufficiency of the firm starting with heavy recruitment of the apprentices to doing all their own chip manufacturing, to do all their own calibration to international standard to having their own box packing machines to managing the resilience of the companies that supplied the supplier. All of this was deeply impressive to the person going on the tour of the factory.

What was even more interesting though is that their was a continuing Research & Development process and a continuous “creeping innovation,” this isn’t unique to this particular supplier as I have seen it with a number of the technical sales people that I deal with on a day to day basis in my day job but what I think that I can do is say what I need to buy and what I will buy and work with the supplier to reduce the risk of a large investment being made in something that won’t sell as well as it should do if a little bit of collaborative work had happened up front. Don’t get me wrong it does happen but to my mind not merely enough.

What’s the importance of all of this though...why do we need to develop new products, new innovations and spend alot of money doing it. Well, in terms of instrumentation, process automation & control it is simple. We are entering (or have entered) an age where we can’t simply just collect data and access it when something goes wrong in order to explain why something has gone wrong if things end up in a legal battle. We are entering an age where information is becoming all important. Arguably this is caused by the technology itself as limits of detection improve and we can detect what may or may not be wrong in much finer detail but what we can see is that consents are getting tighter and tighter in order to improve environmental performance and as such we are getting to the point where more and more data is required to monitor what is happening on a 24/7 basis and this mountain of data needs to be converted into usable information upon which informed decisions can be made.

That is the importance of Research, Development and Innovation in the Water Industry, especially the technological aspects of it that instrumentation, automation, control, data & information fall into. Alot of this is being led by the manufacturers that are out there which is fine to a point but if we are going to do this can we as an industry please invest some time to lighten the risk that these companies face and work together as an industry to say what we want and need to keep the industry going.

I know that I try to.......but lots of single voices can get drowned out pretty easily, with the Scottish Water testing centres we have a start but it is only a start and we need much much more.

Have a good month

Oliver

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Industry News

Testing centres for water innovation open in Scotland

Scotland has opened its first full-scale facilities for the testing of water and wastewater technologies, funded by a £1.6M grant from the Scottish Government. Two Development Centres have been created at Scottish Water sites where companies can test new equipment, products and processes for potential roll-out in the water industry. This could include treatment technology that could support Scotland’s rural communities.

The first is at Gorthleck in the Highlands, where a water Development Centre has been created within a former Scottish Water water treatment works. The facility has its own feed of raw water, with sampling collection and analysis available from Scottish Water’s accredited laboratories.

The second is at Bo’ness near Falkirk, where a waste water Development Centre has been created next to an existing Scottish Water wastewater treatment works.

The Development Centres are part of the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation agenda to make water a driver of the Scottish economy and Scotland an international hub of water expertise. It is intended that they will promote innovation and growth in the water sector while supporting SMEs with final testing of near market technology.

Andrew Macdonald, Head of Scottish Water Horizons, the public utility’s commercial subsidiary which has developed the centres, said: “Scotland is fortunate to be blessed with significant water resources which, for centuries, have been at the heart of industry and community life.

“By developing these facilities in the Highlands and Central Belt, we are meeting a need in the water industry for dedicated testing facilities where new equipment and technologies can be tested to allow companies to accelerate the development of technologies for use in the future treatment of water and waste water. This will help us to promote growth and innovation in the water sector.

“What’s really unique about our Development Centres is that they are located within an actual and former treatment works – meaning they are not only the first dedicated testing facilities of their kind in Scotland, but also the first on an operational scale.

“The treatment of water and waste water can be energy intensive and costly. Our Development Centres at Gorthleck and Bo’ness will offer companies in the water industry an opportunity to test new processes and equipment which could potentially be more effective and produce savings for customers.”

Trials will be overseen by Scottish Water. The water used for testing at Gorthleck will not be supplied to customers, but will be safely returned to the environment, while the wastewater used for testing at Bo’ness will then go through the normal treatment process before it is safely returned to the environment in the normal way.

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment & Cities Keith Brown said: “Scotland has an enviable natural abundance of water resources that is of fundamental importance to our economy, health and environment.

“The opening of Scotland’s first ever dedicated water technology testing facilities at Gorthleck and Bo’ness offers the industry an invaluable opportunity to test new technologies and processes for future use in the treatment of water and waste water.

“Scottish Water’s new development facilities will further enhance Scotland’s reputation for innovation through increasing international collaboration and trade by bringing more water technology products to market.”

Xylem Analytics Portfolio Expanded With HYPACK AcquisitionXylem Inc., a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, has acquired HYPACK, Inc. a privately-owned company specializing in hydrographic survey software used in ocean, coastal and surface water applications, for approximately $18M. News of acquisition was shared in the Company’s third quarter earnings announcement. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Located in Middletown, Connecticut, HYPACK is a leading provider of hydrographic survey data acquisition, processing, and visualization software. Used by government agencies, universities, and consultants, HYPACK products measure and map features in bodies of water in connection with maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration, pipeline surveys, habitat assessments and search & recovery efforts. HYPACK expects to generate revenue of approximately $8.5M in 2015.

“The addition of HYPACK’s premium products and application expertise supports our strategy to acquire attractive businesses that complement our global analytics portfolio, and our continued commitment to provide the best solutions to the tough challenges our customers face every day across the water industry,” said Colin Sabol, Xylem’s Senior Vice President and President of Analytics and Treatment. “HYPACK’s bathymetric products and services, partnered with long-standing customer relationships will further expand our ocean and coastal capabilities. HYPACK will stand proudly next to the ocean and coastal experts from Xylem brands like SonTek, Aanderaa and YSI.”

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Sensus Reaches Agreement To Acquire Sentec For Research And Development Expansion

Cefas leads marine “Open Data” revolution

Sensus has reached an agreement to acquire Sentec, an award-winning research organization that develops electronics and sensor technologies for utilities, meter and appliance manufacturers, and infrastructure providers.

When complete, the acquisition will expand Sensus’ global engineering resources in emerging and transformational technologies, including those that support the Internet of Things (IoT).

“The expansion of our technology resources with a particular focus on research will help us bring innovative solutions to market faster and grow our IoT of-ferings,” said Sensus President Randy Bays. “The agreement with Sentec further illustrates our commitment to R&D spending which has continued to increase every year since 2012 and is now more than $85M per year.”

Sentec has expertise in mechanical engineering, embedded firmware development and other skill sets that complement Sensus. Sentec is also working on cost-effective metrology for different IoT sensors such as window air conditioning units that provide data to enable demand response and load control initiatives and low-cost sensors for energy-efficient washing machines that capture information on water and energy use.

“We’ve been a partner of Sensus for the past 10 years and helped develop some of the key technologies used in their water and electric meters,” said Mark England, chief technical officer at Sentec.

Sentec is located in Cambridge, England, in the heart of the technology centre known locally as Silicon Fen—a nod to Silicon Valley in California and the marshlands that surround Cambridge’s parks and universities. “By establishing a presence in Cambridge, we can supercharge our product development activity and bring additional technology to the market for our customers,” said Bays.

Decades’ worth of data revealing the health of seas and marine wildlife, will be made freely available for the first time, following the launch of a new ‘Data Hub’ by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).

The hub is being launched alongside newly released data on fish populations and climate change and is an important step in the #OpenDefra project, which will see the release of thousands of datasets over the year in the biggest government data giveaway the country has ever seen.

Cefas CEO Tom Karsten said:

“The launch of the Cefas Data Hub is a real opportunity to contribute to the open data revolution and shine a light on the increasingly important role Cefas plays in safeguarding the health of our seas and the nation’s supply of seafood, today and over the decades. The Data Hub has been developed entirely by our in-house experts and represents the wide breadth and depth of our technological innovation and marine science excellence.”

The initial data release will include information collected from hundreds of surveys of UK seas using Cefas’ Research Vessels, including Cefas Endeavour and also remotely operated platforms, such as the network of Cefas Smartbuoys. It also includes data on temperature and salinity of UK sea waters to understand climate change impacts.

Following this initial release, more data will be made available on an on-going basis and work will continue to develop the data publishing system. Cefas holds the second largest data reserve in Defra, following close behind the Environment Agency.

The Cefas Data Hub is formed of two key elements – the experts and the software system. A team of data specialists and practitioners have been brought to-gether to combine the very latest expertise in data standards, storage, access, analysis and visualisation.

Together with Cefas in-house software developers they have developed an on-line system to provide the public with a platform to interrogate, view and down-load open data in a variety of formats. Users will be able to browse data through interactive keywords, as well as performing their own text searches.

The data is a first batch of 585 data sets, the majority representing Cefas’ legacy marine data collection. A full picture of Cefas marine data will be available next year, following a process of incremental data release. Data held on behalf of Cefas’ commercial clients will not be released.

The Cefas Data Hub will be populated by hundreds of free marine datasets in the coming months.

The Data Hub can be found on www.cefas.co.uk/cefas-data-hub

Morrison Utility Services pilots use of Google Project Tango in utility sectorMorrison Utility Services is working with Google’s new Project Tango Software Development Kit (SDK) to explore new 3D scanning applications for the utility sector.

MUS GOOGLE PROJECT 2MUS, the leading utility services provider in the UK, is working with Google’s new Project Tango Software Development Kit (SDK) to explore new applications for the utility sector.

The Project Tango SDK is an android tablet with a wide-angle camera, a depth sensing camera, accurate sensor time stamping, and a software stack that will enable MUS developers to use motion tracking, area learning and depth sensing.

By combining motion and depth sensors, Google has been able to create a device that can understand how it is moving within its environment, giving it a hu-man-scale understanding of space and motion. The device can also assess areas based on visual cues to further improve location accuracy.

The MUS business process and systems team will look into using Project Tango for 3D scanning applications which will enable teams to calculate excavation dimensions and volumes more accurately, rather than using estimates based on length, width and depth measurements.

MUS designers will be able to utilise 3D scanning to improve efficiency in the planning and design of above ground infrastructure, as well as to improve com-munication of design plans. There is also a health and safety benefit as scanning can remove the need to enter risky environments.

Project Tango will improve location accuracy as the device will understand its position in space, including underground and indoors. This feature will support the use of Augmented Reality to ‘view’ infrastructure beneath the ground by superimposing a 3D graphic over the field worker’s view. This ’x-ray’ vision of un-derground infrastructure will aid operatives in maintenance, planning and surveying. GPS does not currently provide enough accuracy for Augmented Reality to be used for utility mapping.

Andy Carter, Director of Business Process Improvement at MUS said the company is continually looking for the latest innovations and how they can be applied to the utility industry, commenting:

“I’m delighted that we’ve got hold of the first Project Tango device; the absolute latest word in 3D scanning.”

“The potential of Project Tango is exciting and the device will enable our developers to explore the full capability of depth and motion sensors on an android device. We’re exploring a number of applications that will bring benefits to the organisations and customers of the utility industry.”

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Smart Water Networks Will Endure When IoT Bubble BurstsIn its latest Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, leading analyst firm Gartner places the Internet of Things (IoT) at the top of the life cycle phase it calls the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’. Beneath the hype of fanciful labor-saving applications such as fridges that reorder milk or robot mowers that activate when they sense the lawn needs cutting there lies a reality. The IoT is delivering value in practical and unsensational ways that will endure.

For instance, i2O Water has been taking advantage of low power electronics, ubiquitous communications, and cheaper computing power for over a decade, long before the term Internet of Things was even coined, to help water companies monitor and remotely control their distribution networks. By monitoring and optimizing network water pressure in real time, we help water utilities deliver better customer service and remove the excess strain that damages assets and increases leakage and burst frequency.

In Malaysia, for example, the water utility Syabas has reduced water leakage by 90 million litres per day and halved its burst frequency by using our technologies to better match supply pressure to demand. Here in the UK, South East Water has reduced water loss by 4.9 million litres per day since installing i2O technology. Anglian Water has cut losses from burst pipes and leaks by 56 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

The approach we take is analogous to what Google is doing in traffic navigation to offer real-time control and optimization of a road network. Where data from your smartphone indicate that problems exist in the road network, Google is able to redirect drivers around snarl-ups using a variety of different routes. This helps it avoid clogging up the most obvious alternative and improves its understanding of the best routes to send other drivers down.

The same data on which our pressure control and optimization technology relies has the potential to fundamentally improve how networks are monitored and maintained. Engineers at i2O are working with customers to analyse data anomalies and patterns relating to specific network faults.

This insight will help water utilities save significantly more time and money by moving from time-based service scheduling to condition-based maintenance. Water utilities currently undertake regularly scheduled site visits to inspect their pressure reducing/regulating valves (PRVs), pumps, and other network assets. This often results in unnecessary journeys, road closures, and customer service interruptions. The very act of maintaining assets can also create new problems where none existed before.

Condition-based monitoring will allow water utilities to prioritize engineering resource where it is actually needed and minimize the time and effort wasted inspecting assets that are in good working order. Soon, the data may also allow the identification of symptoms or an evolving problem and enable it to be ad-dressed proactively.

Controlling and optimizing pressure in water networks and analysing data to improve network maintenance may not seem as fun and futuristic as automatically replenishing milk and smart lawnmowers. Dull but worthy as it may be, providing people with reliable, safe drinking water at lowest cost is fundamental to life on earth. And we’ve been helping do that for a decade already.

CH2M and Cisco to deliver integrated smart city solutions

The first integrated delivery from Cisco and CH2M is to Shendra-Bidkin, an industrial smart city being developed along India’s Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.CH2M and Cisco announced a new global strategic relationship to provide urban planning and design, smart-technology integration and program delivery services. Their first integrated delivery is to Shendra-Bidkin in India to help address economic growth challenges and create vibrant places where people want to live and work.

The two companies are collaborating to deliver integrated services for Shendra-Bidkin, an industrial smart city being developed along India’s ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Working closely with their client, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC), CH2M and Cisco are pooling their complementary strengths with the goal of creating a model smart city from the ground up.

CH2M is serving as program manager for building phase 1 of Shendra-Bidkin. CH2M’s role includes managing development of physical infrastructure (including buildings, roads, water systems, and energy) and an exhibition and convention centre. Cisco is developing the Master System Integration Plan of this new city as part of the program management team.

“We are thrilled to partner with Cisco in creating accessible communities that will provide long-term benefits for citizens and other stakeholders in Shendra-Bidkin and potentially other cities around the world, as well,” said Joseph Danko, global managing director for CH2M’s Urban Environments & Sports business.

Located in the Aurangabad District in the State of Maharashtra, Shendra-Bidkin will be a new mega-industrial city that features a transit-oriented and walkable township, water and energy conservation, renewable power sources, and a healthy quality of life while maintaining the area’s unique cultural heritage. There is tremendous potential for Shendra-Bidkin, Aurangabad and residents as the city expands into a major manufacturing region.

The new strategic relationship between CH2M and Cisco has potential to deliver wide-ranging benefits for cities and citizens, including:

• dynamic street lighting• optimized parking• intelligent transportation• water and waste management systems• integrated analytics• real-time urban services for city operations• city operations management

“The city management layer provides the foundation for improving important city services—such as parking, traffic management and public safety and security — by connecting them all into an intelligent digital infrastructure — an approach that will have a revolutionary impact on how cities will operate,” said Anil Menon, president, Smart+Connected Communities, Cisco.

“India has entered a new era of smart city industrial development. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) have joined hands to build Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Area (SBIA) as a state-of-the-art smart city based on principles of sustainability. Ideally situated within DMIC, SBIA will showcase Maharashtra’s leading manufacturing industries and will be home to many of the world’s leading corporations. SBIA will join other world-class developments as one of India’s first smart and master planned industrial cities that will contribute towards creating an ecosystem for the ‘Make In India’ and ‘Make in Maharashtra’ campaigns to help the country and the state become a new economic force and achieve long-term sustainable growth,” said Apurva Chandra, IAS, Principal Secretary (Industries), Government of Maharashtra.

“MIDC’s extensive experience in implementing and managing industrial areas provides the essential base to undertake this ambitious project that promises to become the ‘face of success’ for new industrial smart cities. We are committed to the creation of a connected, sustainable and culturally vibrant city,” Chandra said.

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• British Water promotes innovative technologies at Amsterdam event• UK companies identify global opportunities • Asian and Middle Eastern delegates join European decision-makers

It is known as one of the biggest water industry events in Europe – but there was a strong Chinese and Middle Eastern contingent at this year’s Aquatech event.

UK companies taking part in the event came face-to-face with top-level representatives from around the world at RAI Amsterdam from 3-6 November 2015. Trade body British Water worked alongside Government represent-atives and the Birmingham Chamber so people representing UK companies were able to make the most of the opportunities on offer.

International interest

British Water International Director Lila Thompson said: “As well as making lots of useful contacts within the European water industry, exhibitors from the UK had a lot of visitors and interest from Asia, including China.”

British Water had a more visible presence at the exhibition this year, with its own stand inside the UK Pavilion. Run by the Birmingham Chamber and supported by UK Trade and Investment, the UK Pavilion shared the expertise of twelve innovative British water companies.

A further seven companies were represented by showcasing their products and services on the British Water stand.

New leads

Terri Ann Boyle, group coordinator for Ximax Environmental from Essex, which produces a highly advanced biocide said: “Over the four days about 200 people came to our stand. We have at least ten solid leads, which we think will lead to new business. Because of what our product does there are so many potential markets and so many potential applications we have been really grateful for the support and guidance we have been given by British Water and UKTI.”

Marketing manager Junaid Hassan, from Warden Biomedia in Luton, Bedfordshire, manufacturers of biological filter media said: “Our company went to Aquatech for the first time this year. We have a good customer base in the UK but we are ready to expand into the overseas market.

“Our main target is northern Europe and we had some great interest from Germany, France the Netherlands and Belgium. But we also had some interest from the Middle East, the United States and Asia.

“It has been a great opportunity for us. Things went so well we had to call back to the UK to send out more brochures.”

Encouraging exports

Chief Executive of British Water Ashley Roe said: “Aquatech is one of the most important events in our industry and it gives British companies a chance to con-nect with some of the key decision-makers from around the world. One of the main objectives for British Water is to help showcase innovation and to help UK companies move into a global market.

“These are exciting and challenging times for the water industry and we want UK companies to be at the forefront of the changes which are taking place around the world. I’m delighted British Water members had such a positive experience at this year’s Aquatech and I’m proud our team were able to play a part in that.”

Lila Thompson from British Water also highlighted the importance of the conference to UK companies in an interview on Aquatech TV – a new feature of this year’s event.

Record-breaking event

Marieke Leenhouts of Amsterdam RAI said Aquatech 2015 had been a record-breaking event. The 25th Aquatech had 859 exhibitors and 18,411 visitors from 139 countries.

She said: “Our aim is always to help businesses move forward and we believe we succeeded in doing so with Aquatech Amsterdam 2015. There was a great reaction to the many new features at the show, and we look forward to building on that success for the next edition in 2017.”

UK companies make global connections at Aquatech

About British Water

British Water is the lead representative and business development organisation for the UK water industry supply chain.

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Quantum technologies could offer commercial potential for water sector

SMEs need to address cyber security or risk losing work

A new roadmap for quantum technologies setting out how UK businesses can lead the world in multi-billion pound industries over the next 25 years has flagged up potential applications in the water sector.

The roadmap published by the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme sets out the promising quantum technologies and the likely applications they will have in industries such as finance, defence, aerospace, energy and telecommunications.

Quantum theory explains how light and matter behave - the Government is investing £270 million in quantum technologies to help the UK reap the commercial benefits of recent advances in the science.

The roadmap identifies a series of technologies that have the potential for commercial application over the next few years. They include:

• Gravity imaging for use in oil and gas exploration• Quantum sensors for navigation• Quantum computing for the solution of complex problems or large challenges beyond existing computers• Quantum sensors could map legacy underground infrastructure

The roadmap for quantum sensors highlights some interesting applications which could also have potential in the water sector via through-ground imagers, gravity mapping and electromagnetic sensors.

The roadmap says that over the next 10 years, quantum gravity field and gradient sensors will be developed which can be used to build a 3D map of the density of material around them and will have a significant impact on the world’s construction and oil and gas sectors. It also points out that the trend towards urban dwelling means more building on brownfield sites or in areas of existing infrastructure. Legacy infrastructure hidden below the ground and forgotten imposes a substantial cost: 60% of holes dug to access existing infrastructure are in the wrong place, according to the roadmap .

Gravity sensors could monitor movement of water underground

Gravity sensors will also significantly impact the £318 million market for remote sensing technologies for oil, gas and mineral exploration for the discovery of new reserves, and for the efficient extraction from existing reserves. For example, quantum technologies may allow companies to monitor the movement of oil and water underground during extraction. This may make it easier to use novel techniques to more efficiently extract oil from difficult environments. There is already competition in this field and evidence that testing of quantum gravity mapping devices is already underway in the US, the roadmap says.

The potential market for quantum sensors in space e.g. environmental monitoring, ice mass monitoring, earthquake prediction is put at between £10m-£100m a year, while the estimated market for void detection/gravity imaging in civil engineering, oil and gas applications is put at up to £10m a year

On quantum inertial sensors, the roadmap says that quantum inertial measurement units (IMU) are expected to arise between 5 and 10 years from now and to offer a thousand-fold improvement on existing IMUs. They will allow a more versatile and more durable alternative to navigation by GPS.

The defence and aerospace industry is expected to provide an initial market for new quantum navigation systems between 2018 and 2030 for use where satel-lite navigation systems are impractical. They could be used in submersibles, for precision navigation for robotics in buildings, underground or in other situations where artificial denial of GPS may be an issue.

The market for accelerometers, gyros and IMU sensors was $5 billion in 2012 and is an area where quantum technologies are expected to have a major impact.

The potential market for unjammable naval navigation systems with GPS-like accuracy and underwater functionality is estimated at up to £10m a year, while the market for underground navigation systems for more greater accuracy and safety while mining or tunnelling is put at between £10m-£100m a year.

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) risk being disqualified from bidding for work because of the lack of importance they are placing on looking after their valuable client data, according to a survey of procurement managers by KPMG. The multisector KPMG survey of 175 procurement managers across the UK from organisations with over 250 employees revealed that the general consensus (70%) of procurement managers is that SMEs should be doing more to prevent cyber attacks and protect valuable client data. The vast majority (86%) of respondents said they would consider removing an SME supplier if they were hacked and nearly all of the respondents (94%) confirmed that cyber security standards are important when awarding contracts to SME suppliers.

George Quigley, Partner in KPMG’s cyber security practice, commented:

“Cyber security is not just a technical issue anymore; it has become a business critical issue for the UK’s SMEs. Larger companies are placing an increased emphasis on the cyber security of their suppliers and increasingly the onus is on SMEs to show that they are tackling this issue head on.”

“Unfortunately many SME still take a blasé approach towards cyber security and mistakenly don’t see themselves as targets of cyber criminals. Unless these organisations take a more mature approach towards cyber security now, they face the risk of being frozen out of lucrative supplier contracts.”

Already two-thirds of procurement managers ask their suppliers to demonstrate cyber accreditations (ISO27001, Cyber Essentials, IASME certifications or PCI DDS) as a part of their procurement assessment, with this number likely to increase in the near future.

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Article:

Condition Assessments :-Finding the Weak Link

Condition assessments are vital for safeguarding pipeline assets, and there are a number of new technologies that can help.

It might be stating the obvious, but one of the biggest problems of managing water and wastewater pipes is that they are almost always underground. So they don’t draw attention to themselves, and there tends to be a lot of soil in the way to stop you from seeing them. We do know some things about them. For in-stance, we can usually tell whether they are doing their job – if the water stops, or the sewage backs up, there’s a problem. Beyond that, though, much of the time utilities aren’t even 100% sure where they are, let alone what condition they are in.

Fire-fighting is no way to manage valuable assets. Would you allow your car, or your phone, or even a ball-point pen to completely fall to pieces before you did something about it? If not, why would you allow a £10M water main to fail before you took some action? The answer, usually, is because nobody knew the asset was going to fail. Nobody knew it would fail because nobody could see what condition it was in. Pipeline asset condition is a product of many factors, a com-plex mix of ground conditions, manufacture, installation, previous replacement, weight loadings and so on, which although extensively modelled, the industry doesn’t fully understand as each below ground environment is subtly unique. Hence the need for physical condition inspection.

The key to sustainable asset management is having the right information. In this article we will look at some of the inspection technologies that are currently available, when they should be used, and how they can help water utilities to manage their pipelines and sewers.

Right tool for the job

As an asset manager, you want to deploy your resources as efficiently as possible. Therefore the first question to ask is what sort of survey needs to be accom-plished. Do you know there is a problem? Do you suspect there is a problem? Asset inspection is all about investing the right budget in the right place at theright time. Before considering inspection techniques, understanding the risks associated with the asset sets the priority of the pipeline for inspection. Then there is a need to select the most appropriate technique, as no one solution fits all needs. Techniques can be selected using a decision matrix based onresolution, reliability and cost.

• Resolution is the level of condition detail the technique is capable of identifying, and it increases with increasing technology capability. • Reliability is the level of certainty in identifying the condition. Generally, uncertainty decreases with increasing technology capability.• Cost, in £ per metre or km, increases with technology capability.

Other considerations are the pipe material and the purpose of the inspection. There is a solution for every diameter and material of pipe, and different equip-ment for leak detection and condition assessment. The water industry in the UK has for several decades looked enviously over the fence at the oil and gasindustry and the techniques they have developed for inspection of critical pipeline assets in extremely challenging environments. Although technology transfer to water has been mooted, cost and logistical challenges created seemingly insurmountable barriers. That was until very recently. Now some of thesetechniques are being used in the UK and the advantages these techniques offer are being realised by the water industry.

Pressurised pipes

First, we’ll look at systems for inspection of pressure pipes. One technique which has been extensively used in United States and Canada (over 10,000km of pipeline inspected in water, sewer, oil and gas networks) and is now being used in the UK is a technology called SmartBall. SmartBall is a low-resolution inspec-tion technology. It’s also free-swimming, which means that it can be released into a live water main and allowed to roll along, gathering data all day, until it is trapped and removed from the pipe up to 40km downstream. SmartBall has on-board military-grade gyroscopes, so it knows where it is at all times and can plot the course of the pipeline.

Smart Ball Surveying Process

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There are two versions. One type uses acoustics to detect leaks down to the size of a pinhole, even at 1 bar (of pressure). The other type uses electromagnetic waves to carry out condition assessment by determining the level of stress in the pipe wall. Because damaged pipe is more stressed than undamaged pipe, this shows up where problems lie. SmartBall condition assessment also reveals the position of pipe joints. This means that each individual length of pipe can be compared to other lengths of pipe and any anomalies can be located.

Where higher resolution is required, alternative tools are available, these again originating from the oil and gas industry. PipeDiver is a free-swimming inspection technology for condition assessment of pipes from 400–3000mm diameter. It carries an array of petals, on which a variety of sensors can be mounted. These provide high-resolution electromagnetic scanning capabilities. The PipeDiver can identify broken metal wires in reinforced concrete pipes, as well as cracking, corrosion, excessive stress, and other defects on a variety of pipe materials. It can autonomously negotiate butterfly valves and bends.

As an alternative to free swimming techniques the WRc Sahara platform offers the potential to introduce tethered sensors into a live water main. In addition to the established acoustic sensors used for leak location Gross Metal Loss inspection offers an alternative low-resolution option. It plots the relative thickness of the walls of ferrous pipes. This allows it to detect internal and external corrosion and gives the information needed to determine whether a pipe is in need of further attention. For plastic pipes an alternative approach can be used based on Conductivity Assessment and the same Sahara platform giving a maximum range of 2000m from the point of insertion. The plastic pipe conductivity assessment technique can find and size leaks, identify old repairs, and find ‘lost’ fittings. It also plots the course of the pipeline, which is traditionally challenging for plastic pipes.

Other techniques offer specific advantages. Sonar inspection on the Sahara platform gives an image of the cross-section of the pipe. It has the advantage that it can be used in turbid water. It is often used for quantifying the extent of sedimentation and build-up of zebra mussels in raw water mains and can be used in tanks as well as pipes. For some tasks the human eye is unbeatable. Identifying an obstruction, inspecting blocked connections and determining the extent of epoxy lining failure are some of the tasks the CCTV survey has been used for. The Sahara CCTV system is capable of sending back live images up to 2000m from the insertion point, and does not interrupt flow.

Smart Ball Results identifying the accelerometer output and the results from other sensors showing the pipe joints (left) and showing anomolies within the individual pipes (right)

Pipe Driver free swimming inspection system including the methodology of the scanning system

The WRc Sahara Platform is capable of working with different sensors including acoustic (left) and Sonar (centre and right) showing scans before and after the removal of zebra mussels

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Leo Carswell is the head of technology at the WRc . He is passionate about the role new technology has in industry to enable change and the deliver outcomes. In this role Leo is responsible for WRc’s activities in the development, assessment and implementation of a wide range of treatment and monitoring technology within the water and waste sector. Leo is also a Principal Consultant in the Instrumentation business area within WRc. He has a PhD in instrumentation for water quality monitoring with over 11 years of wide-ranging experience in sensors and instrumentation for water, wastewater and environmental applications.

Zachary Alexander is a consultant, at the WRc

Gravity sewers

We’ll now turn our attention to systems for inspecting gravity-flow pipes. WRc quite literally wrote the manual on benchmarking gravity sewer inspection. In that original manual, we identified that current CCTV procedures fall short. Limited field of view, inability to see below the water level, and – the elephant in the room – operator subjectivity all combine to make CCTV surveys somewhat unreliable. Electro Scan doesn’t have any of those problems, because it simultaneously scans every point of the clock using electrical currents – which are completely objective. Electro Scan can ‘see’ defects because any defect that leaks water must also leak electrical current. It can assess their length, height, and infiltration rate – valuable information that cannot be reliably obtained by CCTV methods. As a recent example, in a UK sewer inspection in May 2015, a CCTV survey identified no defects at all. A 15-minute Electro Scan survey identified 11 defects and prioritised them by infiltration capacity – the worst being capable of passing 24,000 litres of groundwater per day.

CCTV surveys provide a huge amount of information but trying to identify the specific important details is challenging without dedicating lots of time and resource. There is also the issue of bad lighting obscuring detail and the ever-present possibility that the operator will simply drive past a defect while pointing the camera the wrong way.

Panoramic vision

However, using panoramic vision, it is possible to effectively ‘take a photograph’ of the entire inner surface of a sewer. This photograph lays the whole sewer flat before your eyes, so you can easily tell the parts that need attention and have no need to scroll through seemingly-endless video footage of the inside of asewer. This eliminates the problems associated with 1970s CCTV technology.

Laser and sonar

The same robot that carries panoramic vision can also carry laser and sonar sensors. These both perform the same task of accurately mapping the internal surface of the sewer in 3D – laser above the waterline and sonar below it. Areas where the circumference of the sewer appears larger or smaller than it shouldbe are highlighted, since these are good indicators of potential problems.

Deep Pipe Locator

Applicable to any type of pipe, this method can locate pipes at a depth of over 20m within centimetres. While not strictly an inspection technology, it is invaluable in cases where construction, and especially piling, is going to be undertaken in the vicinity of a water main or sewer whose location is not precisely known. This can enormously increase the value of the land above the pipe.

Conclusion

So much for our overview of pipeline inspection technologies. It’s well known that UK water companies are currently working to a 1,000 year replacement cycle. In the UK there isn’t enough money to do all the replacement we need to and this situation is not going to change. We therefore need to use the technologies which are now available to assess and address the ‘weak links’ and ensure pipeline assets remain fit for purpose and deliver for customers.

The Electroscan method and its advantages over traditional CCTV

Laser Profiling of the sewer system

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Feature Article:

Overview of Big Data Applications to Technical Operations of the

Water Utilities

Background

Large data sets are used for a host of reasons in contemporary society, from planning networks to traffic flow optimization (Puzis, 2013), to substantial early warning of disease outbreaks (Lijun, 2014), or the detection of outliers in contaminated drinking water (Roehl et al, 2013). In organizations, data is used for decision support to better operate a business or manufacturing unit or provide superior customer engagement. Skills in using large data sets to help in decision making falls into the category of data science, and the large data sets are frequently referred to as “big data”. Big data sets are compiled from disparate sources in the hope that they contain information that can be used to solve important problems. The extraction of the information is called “analytics” and employs mathematical methods from statistics, signal processing, and machine learning. For example, big data is used for learning about the behaviour of large numbers of citizens and helping to solve difficult urban challenges on an expansive scale (Zheng, 2014). Conversely, the use of big data has been criticized for government over-reach (Wicker, 2013).

One can also use big data to enhance the operation of networks, in which networks are composed of “nodes” that are interconnected with “edges”. In a Smart Water Network (SWAN), the edges are water mains and the nodes are typically water main intersections, storage tanks, pump stations, and end users (end nodes). “Smart meters” positioned at end nodes support Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that differs from traditional automatic meter reading in that it enables two-way communications with meters. Big data is frequently collected from AMI to enhance the performance of the SWAN. Enhancements can include improved demand forecasts, customer engagement, and capability to locate sources of non-revenue water loss.

Consider that water systems influence all social, commercial and industrial activity in a community and protect public health. A Smart Water System (SWS) ex-pands the SWAN concept to include the entire water supply infrastructure in which all data are leveraged to enhance system performance and service to the community. Each water supply sub-system listed below would contribute its data for conversion by analytics into actionable information. There are opportunities for using big data and analytics to manage each sub-system and to optimize to achieve better overall system performance, improve water quality, improve energy performance and reduce expenses.

• Sources of supply• Treatment plants and their unit processes• Distribution system • Other physical assets • Maintenance operations• Energy usage and management• Customer service including the AMI; • Data collection and management• Health and regulatory compliance

Similarly, a SWS is interconnected with other utilities and infrastructure to which it provides and receives services, e.g., electrical and other energy sources, and transportation that delivers critical chemicals whose cost depends on oil prices. Lastly, the relationship of the SWS with the environment is critical to longer term thinking about the water-energy-food security nexus (Weber and Matthews, 2008; Bizikova et al, 2013).

This research will augment existing research in water system optimization which in this context refers to achieving best practical levels of treatment while simulta-neously achieving minimal use of energy and chemicals. Such research would include, among others, predictive modelling, developing decision support systems, leveraging data that describes the interconnectedness within and outside a water utility among all data sources (ten Heuvelhof et al, 2009) to improve smart water system reliability, robustness and control of expenses.

It will also incorporate complexity science (Mitleton-Kelly, 2011; Newman, 2003) to provide water-system stakeholders with more meaningful input into holis-tic decision-making of complex networks. In this context, the term complexity science or complexity theory refers to socio-technical systems that exhibit both physical and social interrelatedness. For example, networked infrastructures, such as those for transport and telecommunication, water and energy services, are prime examples of socio-technical systems. Infrastructure systems are complex systems in view of their combined social, economic and physical complexity (Weijnen, M. and Ivo Bouwmans, 2004).

Outline for the Application of Big Data

1. Sources / types of data

a. Real-time water quality data – source of supply, plant processes, and distribution systemb. Customer metering – e.g. Smart meters or Automatic Meter Readingc. Operational data – chemical dosage, pumpingd. Weather

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2. Potential Big Data Applications broken down by focus area

a. Source of Supply

i. Real-timemonitoringforwaterqualityvariables,e.g.,toxins,e-coli,pH,Sechi-Disc,specificconductance,chlorophyll-a,DO.ii. Collectionofdataviasatellite,cellular,IoT,SCADAtelemetryorotherandbringintoWTPtointegratewithlabdata.

b. Modelling

i. Modellingsourceofsupplyfortoxinssuchascyanotoxins.“Modelling”describestheconstructionofamathematicalrepresentationofaphysicalorhuman-drivenprocess.Theresulting“model”canbeusedtogainunderstandingandpredicttheconsequencesmanipulatingtheprocessindifferentways.Forexample,amodelcouldrepresentthethermodynamicsofareservoirandpredicttheconditionsmostfavourabletotheformationofcyanobacteria.ii. Developreal-timemodelusingwaterqualityandquantitydata,weatherdataandotherindicatorstooptimizewatersupplyandwater,quality,andlocationlevelofintakeinreservoirforwithdrawal(RoehlandConrads,2014).iii. PredictivemodelsfortheemergenceofTasteandOrdercompounds(T&O)e.g.geosmin,MIB(Dzialowksi,etal,2009).iv. DatasenttoWTPinreal-timetoadjustfortreatmentperformance,chemicalselectionandchemicaldoserates.SuchdatacouldconsistofpH,SCM,turbiditylevels,TOCremovalefficiencyandothers.

3. Treatment Steps Assuming Conventional WTP Using Rapid Mix, Flocculation, Sedimentation and Filtration

a. Forecasting and Energy Optimization

i. Developforecastingmodeltodeterminedailyandweeklycyclesforwithdrawalandprocessing.ii. Selectbestcombinationofenergyefficientlowservicepumping.iii. Selectbestcombinationofclearwellstorageandhighservicepumpingbaseduponforecasteddemand(JainandOrmsbee,2002).

b. Optimize conditioning of water for filtration

i. Monitorreal-timelevelsforinfluentturbidity,UV-254orotherTOCsurrogate,temperature,pH,alkalinityandhardness,etc.ii. Dosingofchemicalcoagulantandcoagulantaidbaseduponoptimalrapidmixandflocculationtoproducebestsedimentationperbelow.Useofbigdatafordevelopmentofprocessmodelforfront-endapplication(Cooketal,2010;Shariffetal,2006).iii. Initialcoagulantdosagesdeterminedfromacombinationofjartestsandprocessmodelsdevelopedfromhistoricalperformanceandbigdata.iv. Considervariousreal-timecontroloptionsincluding,streamingcurrent,TOCfororganiccontrol,and/oranartificialneuralnetwork(ANN)processmodelfrombigdataorequivalentreal-timemodelforreductionofTOCandturbidity(Shariffetal,2006).v. Usingprocessmodelwhichmimicstheprocessphysicsandwhichisdevelopedfrombigdata,optimallycontrolcoagulationdoseandpHwithfeedbackloopfrommonitoringforpH,turbidity,SCM,etc.

c. Filtration

i. Usingbigdata,determineoptimaloverflowrateandproductionoffilteredwatertoensure:PartnershipforSafeWatergoalsaremetforturbidity,bio-filtrationcriteriaisachievedasapplicable,filterruntimesareachievable.ii. Usingbigdatatooptimizebackwashprotocols,suchascombinationofwaterandairscour,numberofminutesbeforereturningfiltertooperation,headlossconditions,lossofmedia,etc.

4. Disinfection and DBP Formation Control

a. DBP big data history

i. Determinebestcombinationofdisinfectconcentration,pH,temperaturetoachieveCTrequirementswhileminimizingDBPformationbyevaluatingthehistoryofplantperformanceanddeterminingoperatingstateswhicharemostdesirable.ii. Changingdisinfectantsuchasfreechlorineorchlorinedioxideoraddingunitprocessesshouldbeviewedasalastresortversusfirstresortasitislikelythedisinfectionprocessissub-optimal.iii. Usingbigdataandhydraulicmodelforresidencetime,determinemaximumconcentrationofchlorinedoseforCTanddoseleavingWTPtoachievelowestlevelsofDBP(Cook,DaamenandSweeney,2012).iv. DetermineresidencetimefromSCADAflowdataandtankstorageinallwaterstoragetanksondistributionsystemandensurewaterqualityismain-tained.v. Monitornitrite(NO2)levelsinrealtimetodetectincipientnitrificationormonitorreal-timeondistributionsystemforpHandDOanddevelopmental-gorithmsforpredictionofnitrification(Cook,RoehlandDaamen,2013).vi. Minimizelongresidencetimesusinghydraulicmodelandbigdatahistory.

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5. Customer Service Metering and Engagement (AMI)

a. Customer service consumption data will be generated as petabytes per all meters polled, defined as 1015 bytes per polling of all meters. Divide customers into small district metering area (DMA). Build algorithms to predict flow demands from DMAs and compare to actual demands over time. It will be relatively easy way to detect anomalies, which are either big demand changes or, more likely, broken water mains.

i. Usepeta-datafromAMI(Berardinelli,2012)tohelpdevelopshort-termandlong-termforecastingmodel,alongwithsystemgrowth,weather, conservationeffortsandinstitutionalknowledge(suchasanewindustryiscomingtothearea).ii. Customer service and engagement should be better when monitoring AMI in near real-time, as would conservation of water practices(UtilityAnalyticsInstitute,2012).iii. Alertindividualcustomersofpossibleresidentialleaksifflowgoesabovenormalbycertainpercentage.

b. Having small DMAs will enable leaks to be quickly isolated. This approach is utilized by TakaDu, among others, and in the UK and Australia where service areas are metered (Cahn, 2014). Still others use various methods of acoustic leak detection with both fixed and portable sensors (http://pipe linesinternational.com).

c. Feedback actual demand to forecasted demand and adjust accuracy.

6. Asset Management

a. Equipment maintenance using big data

i. Forallmovingequipmentitems,connectsensorswhichmonitorvibration,excessiveheat,etc.Afterevaluatinghistoricalperformance,thisbecomesoneofthebestwaystodetectincipientfailure.Ithasbeendemonstratedthatpredictivemaintenanceistheleastexpensiveapproachtomaintenanceandreliability(Fayad,2014).ii. Goalshouldbezeroequipmentfailure,i.e.,onlyplannedmaintenanceactivity.

b. Management of buried infrastructure

i. Conductinventoryofburiedconditions,fromwhichanassetmanagementprogramcouldbedeveloped.ii. Watermainreplacementwouldbescheduledatoptimaltimesandincludedaspartofalargercapitalimprovementschedule.

7. Energy Management

a. All major energy users shall be metered to determine the power used per unit of production or unit of pumping. This data will be trended and predictive power consumption during critical usage periods shall be predicted.

b. Efficiency losses shall be tracked to determine the time for replacement and/or rehabilitation of motors, pumps, etc.

8. Data Management and Analytics for Decision Making

a. Data file storage architecture shall enable easy access to file directories.

b. Data support systems and predictive decision making.

c. Compilation of multiple file directories and development of operating models and decision support systems with advanced visualization.

References

Acoustic Leak Detection Approaches: http://pipelinesinternational.com/news/a_new_generation_of_leak detection_systems_for_pipelines_based_on_acoustic_/080371/. Accessed on March 31, 2015.

Berardinelli, Bridget. 2012. Taking measure of advanced water meter technologies, Opflow article, 38: 5, AWWA.

Bizikova, L. et al. 2013. The Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus: Towards a practical and decision-support framework for landscape investment and risk man-agement. Intl. Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, CAN.

Cahn, Amir. 2014. An overview of smart water networks, J. AWWA, 106: 7.

Dzialowski, Andrew et al. 2009. Development of predictable models for geosmin-related taste and odour in Kansas, USA, drinking water reservoirs, Elsevier Publishing.

Cook, et al. 2010. Process Optimization: Enhancing Understanding through Utilizing Full-Scale Data, proc. of the Water Quality Technology Conf., AWWA.

Cook, J., Roehl, E., and R. Daamen. 2013. Detecting Nitrification Using Online Distribution Monitoring, proc. of the Water and Health Conf., October 2013, Chapel Hill, NC.

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Cook, J., Daamen, R. and S. Sweeney. 2012. Artificial-Intelligence-Generated Process Models to Optimize TOC Removal and TTHM Reduction at the Ozark Point WTP, proc. of the Water Quality Technology Conference, November 2012, Toronto, CAN.

Fayad, Claudio. 2014. Solving for Reliability, Flow Control Network, Vol. XX, No. 11.

Jain, Ashu and Lindell Ormsbee. 2002. Short-term water demand forecast modelling techniques—conventional versus AI, J. AWWA, 94:7.

Lijun, S. et al. 2014. Efficient detection of contagious outbreaks in massive metropolitan encounter networks. Nature, MacMillan Publishers, v. 4 i.d. 5099.

Mitleton-Kelly, Eve. 2011. Identifying the Multi-Dimensional Problem-space and Co-creating an Enabling Environment, in Moving Forward with Complexity, Chapter 2, Emergent Publication.

Newman, M.E.J. 2003. The Structure and Function of Complex Networks, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Vol. 45, No. 2.

Puzis, R. 2013. Augmented Betweenness—Centrality for Environmentally-Aware Traffic Monitoring in Transportation Networks. J. of Intelligent Transportation Systems, 17, no.1: 91-105.

Roehl, Edwin and Paul Conrads. 2014. Optimally Managing Water Resources in Large River Basins for an Uncertain Future, proc. of the South Carolina Water Resources Conference, October 2014, Columbia, SC.

Roehl, E., Cook, J., Daamen, R. and Uwe Mundry. 2014. Interpreting Real-Time Online Monitoring Data for Water Quality Event Detection, Report No. 4182, Water Research Foundation, Denver, CO.

Shariff, Riyaz, et al. 2006. Real-Time Artificial Intelligence Control and Optimization of a Full-Scale WTP, AwwRF, AWWA and IWA Publishing, Denver, CO.ten Heuvelhof, E., de Jong, M., Kars, M., and H. Stout .2009. Recent trends in infrastructure-based sectors.

Utilities Analytics Institute. 2012. Analytics Case Studies and Best Practices, http://www.energycentral.com/UAIreport, accessed March 30, 2015.

Weber and Matthews. 2008. Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States, Environmental Science and Technology, 42:3508.

Weijnen, M. and Ivo Bouwmans. 2004. Innovation in Networked Infrastructures: Coping with Complexity, keynote lecture at IEEE Conference at The Hague, The Netherlands.

Wicker, S.B. 2013. Cellular Convergence and the Death of Privacy. Oxford University Press.Zheng, Yu. 2014. Urban Computing: Using Big Data to Solve Urban Challenges, Distinguished lecture at Hong Kong Baptist U., http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/urbancomputing/default.aspx, accessed April 17, 2015.

John Cook is the CEO of Advanced Data Mining International, a Leading-edge environmental engineering company that solves complex process problems through building computer models of natural systems using AI, chaos theory, data mining, etc. Advanced research for the Water Research Foundation, Water Environment Research Foundation, USGS, and water utilities. Areas of applied research and engineering include expansive area groundwater models, salinity intrusion modelling, distribution system monitoring and modelling, plant process optimization and optimizing oil and gas production, among many others.

Edwin Roehl is the chief technical officer for ADMi. For over 20 years, Ed has been developing highly advanced engineering software for a variety of applications. He spent six years in Oil & Gas Industry R&D developing expert systems and engineering models to manage oil field operations for Gulf and ARCO. He spent nine years at Alcoa Research developing and managing programs for engineering design automation and advanced process control. For 5 years, he was a consultant with OptiQuest Technologies where he developed and applied advanced data mining technology for several industrial and environmental clients.

Endress+Hauser Cooperating In Smooth System IntegrationEight renowned automation manufacturers have already joined the Open Integration partner program

In future, operators of process plants will be able to more easily integrate their devices and components into their automation systems. Endress+Hauser has launched the Open Integration partner program that promotes the cooperation between providers of industrial automation systems and fieldbus communication. To date, eight companies have joined the program: AUMA Riester, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt, Honeywell Process Solutions, Mitsubishi Electric, Pepperl+Fuchs, Rockwell Automation, R. STAHL and Schneider Electric.

“By working closely with our partners, we want to make sure that a relevant selection of products can be easily combined and integrated for common target markets,” outlines Michael Ziesemer, Chief Operating Officer of Endress+Hauser. This is done by using open communication standards such as HART, PROFIBUS, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, EtherNet/IP or PROFINET and open integration standards such as FDT, EDD or FDI. Michael Ziesemer continues: “We are open for more cooperation partners. Every market stakeholder who, like us, consistently relies on open standards is invited to join the Open Integration program.”

Cooperation starts with what are known as reference topologies, which are worked out jointly by the Open Integration partners. Each reference topology is tailored to the customers’ applications and the field communication technologies used in these applications. “To fill the program with life in terms of content, we are going to target specific customers who might be interested in joining us,” announced Michael Ziesemer.

Depending on industrial segment and market, the focus will be on typical requirements such as availability, redundancy or explosion protection, followed by the selection of system components and field instruments of practical relevance. This exact combination will then be tested and documented before it is published as a joint recommendation, giving customers concrete and successfully validated suggestions for automating their plant.

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Case Study:

Controlling THM Formation - A case study of Tewksbury WTW

The town of Tewksbury, Mass., services the needs of more than 30,000 residents through a 7 MGD conventional water treatment plant located on the banks of the Merrimack River, the primary water source for the Tewksbury Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The Merrimack is a dynamic body of water experiencing rapid changes in organic loading and ammonia concentrations due to effluent from the upstream Lowell Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and confluence of the Concord River.

While turbidity of the Merrimack River is typically below 10 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) 80% of the time, it has been measured as high as 1,540 NTU. Although ammonia levels are typically below 0.05 mg/L, a bypass event at the Lowell WWTP and water quality conditions during winter can lead to increased levels.

The Concord River, which makes up less than 10% of the total water volume for the Tewksbury WTP, is a slowing moving body of water containing high colour and trihalomethane (THM) precursors.

The Tewksbury WTP currently uses chlorine dioxide and sodium hypochlorite addition for disinfection. Chlorine dioxide is generated onsite at the Tewksbury WTP using hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium chlorite. It is the primary disinfectant, while sodium hypochlorite is used to remove ammonia

and maintain a residual and stabilize the water. Although disinfectant chemical treatment is dependent on influent raw water conditions, chlorine dioxide is typically dosed between 2 and 3 mg/L and sodium hypochlorite is dosed between 0.5 and 0.8 mg/L. Using a combination of chlorine dioxide and hypochlorite allows the Tewksbury WTP to address ammonia, taste and odour concerns while minimizing disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation.

THMs are the most significant DBPs generated and cause the greatest concern for the Tewksbury WTP since bromide levels are low in its source water and chlorinated DBPs are favoured. Chloroform, one of the regulated THMs, dominates the town’s finished water as it has faster formation kinetics than other chlorinated DBPs.

While the plant’s staff has been satisfied with the effectiveness of their current chemical disinfection and treatment process regime, plant operators are constantly monitoring the levels and subsequent impact on DBP formation resulting from the use of sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide for oxidation and disinfection. For example, in 2009 the Tewksbury WTP experienced high levels of Total THMs (TTHMs) and, as a result, operators lowered the free chlorine dose while increasing the chlorine dioxide dose. The dosing changes were effective at reducing TTHM formation and highlighted the need for operational staff to explore additional process enhancements to further optimize treatment and minimize DBP formation (see Figure 1).

Disinfection Process Efficiencies

Following an engineering evaluation of the Tewksbury WTP completed by AECOM and issued in December 2012, additional disinfection process efficiencies could be realized through two modifications: First, an automated dosing control loop — currently under evaluation — to allow the plant to readily respond to rapidly changing raw water conditions and chlorine demands without promoting DBP formation; second, pilot test an aeration system for additional THM removal.

Because they are volatile organic compounds, THMs can be removed from water through volatilization given sufficient gas transfer opportunities. There are four primary species of THMs; chloroform (CHCl3), bromodichloromethane (CHCl2Br), dibromochloromethane (CHClBr2) and bromoform (CHBr3). Chloroform is the most volatile of the primary THMs and is the most prevalent THM speciation found in treated water at the Tewksbury WTP.

Packed towers, spray aeration, diffused aeration, and tray aeration are all methods of THM removal through air stripping. Each method has associated costs and gas transfer efficiencies. Air stripping using a combination of mixing and spray nozzles was the most applicable aeration approach to pilot at the Tewksbury WTP since the methodology is best applied in clearwells and/or distribution storage tanks.

The aeration pilot, managed by AECOM, was undertaken from September through November 2014. The three-month pilot program included a detailed study of the effectiveness of an air stripping aeration system at minimizing THM levels at the Tewksbury WTP. Influent and effluent THM values were measured for the duration of the study. In addition to traditional third-party laboratory analysis, an online THM monitor manufactured by Aqua Metrology Systems was also piloted for the duration

Figure 1 Tewkesbury WTP Sodium Hypochlorite and Chlorine Dioxide Dosing Changes

Figure 2: Aerial view of the Tewksbury Water Treatment Plant.

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of the study to measure THM values. Split sampling was used to determine how well the THM analyser would compare to certified third-party laboratory analysis.

The validation of the THM monitor found the instrument to be consistent and highly reproducible with a standard error of deviation of five percent. The automated online THM analyzer uses an approved “purge-and-trap” sampling method, followed by desorption into a chemical mixture that generates a coloured product and time-resolved spectrophotometric analysis for detection and determination of THM levels. Manually collected “grab” samples from other locations can be analysed alongside samples taken automatically by the monitor in its online mode, allowing for multi-point analysis.

The THM monitor was installed near to the pilot plant and was used to analyse eight daily samples. The instrument provided plant operators with immediate results for Total THM and chloroform species measurements at the Tewksbury WTP. Prior to the use of the online THM monitor, plant operators waited to receive analytical results from external analysis, oftentimes conservatively operating the facility since real-time THM values were not known.

As a result of the real-time data provided by the online monitor, THM formation within the WTP and distribution system became easy to identify. The baseline and predictive data available through the analyser allowed process changes to be readily adapted to the current yet ever- changing water quality conditions at Tewksbury WTP.

In October 2014, a cause and effect analysis was performed to see THM formation based on changes to the disinfection scheme (see Figure 4). The analysis demonstrated the importance of controlling free chlorine in pre-treatment due to its dramatic effect on the production of TTHMs. Analysis further displayed the effectiveness of the various oxidants currently in use at the Tewksbury WTP to minimize THM formation.

With the conclusion of the aeration pilot study and successful operation of the online THM monitor, Tewksbury WTP is looking to install a THM monitor in full-scale and permanent operation at the facility. The THM analyser will enable plant operators to have a firm and immediate understanding of THM values so they can better anticipate problems and maintain optimal treatment conditions at the Tewksbury WTP.

Figure 3 Tewksbury’s 7 MGD plant services the town’s 30,000 residents

Figure 4 Cause & Effect Analysis

Expression’s of Interest for next year’s UKWIR programme opening soon

UKWIR is the United Kingdom Water Industry Research organisation, it commissions a number of reports each year in line with priorities identified by the UK Water Companies including the Water & Sewerage Companies. At anyone time there are normally around 70 different studies in progress. Each year the pro-gramme for the next year is launched on the UKWIR website, there is then a short period of time, between the 1st - 31st December for companies to show their “Expressions of Interest.”

This window of time where next year’s programme (2016-17) is due to uploaded to the UKWIR website on 1st December 2015 and the website is also open to suggestions for future programmes (2017-18 & 2018-19). For those companies that are interested in conducting research with UKWIR it is strongly advised that they keep an eye on the UKWIR website which can be accessed by clicking here.

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January 2016

IoW Eastern Section “Dragon’s Den” Innovation Day16th January 2016The Future Business Centre, Peterborough, UKHosted by Institute of Water

Coastal Pollution Monitoring Workshop27th January 2016Dublin City University, IrelandHosted by Sensors for Water Interest Group

WWT Wastewater Treatment Conference28th January 2016National Motorcycle Museum, Coventry, UKHosted by WWT

February 2016

Smart Potable Water Networks Workshop25th February 2016Saffron Hill, LondonHosted by CIWEM

WEX Global 201629th February - 2nd MarchLisbon, PortugalHosted by Water & Energy Exchange

March 2016

WWT Smart Water Networks17th March 2016Holiday Inn, Birmingham, UKHosted by WWT

Optimising Control of fouling with Smart SensorsDetails to be ConfirmedHosted by Sensors for Water Interest Group

June 2016

IWA Leading Edge Technology Conference13th - 16th June 2016Jerez de la Frontera, SpainHosted by the International Water Association

ACE 201619th - 22nd June 2016Chicago, Illinois, USAHosted by the American Water Works Association

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Conferences, Events,Seminars & Studies

Conferences, Seminars & Events SWIG Events in 2015-16

Innovation Workshop

Where: University of WarwickWhen: 25th November2015

Description

There is a wealth of new technology and innovation being developed in UK universities which often translates into the development of new products in industry. Successful translation and exploitation of academic research depends on recognising potential and forming necessary collaborations. This SWIG Innovation workshop is designed to bring together academic research groups and interested companies to identify potential technologies, collaboration, and exploitation opportunities in the area of sensor technologies developed for use in water.

The need for new sensor technologies for water is often driven by legislation and the need for regular measurements at lower concentrations, or the need for more rapid or more reliable measurements made at remote sensing sites. This encompasses a wide range of technologies that are used for measuring physical, chemical or biological parameters in or of water. For examples sensors that measure water pressure, height or chemical and biosensors for measuring dissolved components, or pollutants or micro - organisms. How remote sensors and sensor networks communicate reliably and securely, energy harvesting and data management are other important technology areas that form part of a modern water sensing system.

Coastal Pollution Monitoring Workshop

Where: Dublin City University, IrelandWhen: 27th January 2015

Description

The SWIG Coastal Pollution Monitoring Workshop will address the impact of EU Directives including Water Framework, Bathing Waters and Shellfish to monitoring of rivers through to coastal waters under current pressures from both industrial and natural pollution. The Workshop will provide delegates the opportunity to learn about current monitoring projects and practices from regulators, academics, water companies and sensor suppliers from both the UK and Ireland.

The workshop will look at monitoring technologies for application to coasts, ports, marinas affecting leisure users, fisheries, aquaculture and bathing waters.

The event is being hosted by Fiona Regan of Dublin City University

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