In an Expert Focus article for WaterBriefing, David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, discusses how Water 2050 sets out the urgent action needed to improve the operational performance of the sector – and how the use of data and advanced data analytics will be key to aiding its delivery.

 Photo: David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric

David Bean: The Water 2050 strategy is ambitious in its vision to protect public health and improve the environmental performance of one of our key utilities. Indeed, two of the key overall objectives are to deliver clean water for all and the development of a more resilient water infrastructure.

In order to deliver these two key objectives, the use of data and advanced data analytics will be key, particularly in the area of maintenance and asset performance.

To deliver clean water, the strategy’s ambition is to use technology for non-invasive asset condition monitoring, asset optimisation and network risk assessments.

With maintenance, understanding the different variables that affect the health of an asset is vital. This includes, for example, the impact of vibration on rotating machinery, such as pumps, centrifuges, drive shafts and couplings caused by bearing wear in motors.

There are two potential solutions that could help deliver the strategy: Firstly, predictive maintenance, along with condition-based monitoring and, secondly, Edge analytics and the use of digital twins.

Key is to collect data and then operate on that data to provide meaningful information 

The key is to collect data and then operate on that data to provide meaningful information back to the utility company about the health or performance of an asset.

Water treatment and unmanned pumping stations provide a textbook example of where data can be used to drive productivity and efficiency. A modular, smart condition monitoring solution can be quickly deployed and offers a clear ROI. It does so by moving away from reactive and preventative maintenance regimes, or the need for a technician on site, towards the development of systems with early warning of asset failure, via remote monitoring.

With predictive maintenance, software such as Mitsubishi Electric’s Edge platform, which can be deployed onsite with offsite analysis, can offer a dual capability of both data management and Edge-based analytics.

In operation, this type of software can create a diagnostic rule that would include anything affecting the health and performance of the asset. For example, a rule for gear wear could be dependent upon on a number of factors, including temperature, humidity and the materials the gears are made from.

Once the rules are defined, the Edge software uses real-time diagnostic mode to monitor the asset using closed loop control to apply the rule directly to the asset when required.

A good operational example would be the use of rules in an aeration plant. The software monitors the health of the equipment and the variables that impact performance, such as PH and dissolved oxygen levels. A digital twin of the plant can then be developed to compare the performance of the plant against the model in order to ensure optimal, real-time performance.

A second key objective of the Water 2050 strategy is to deliver resilient infrastructure systems that can adapt to known and unknown future challenges.

Water companies have access to significant amounts of data, but the issue is often organising that data into a single view.

Use of situational awareness platform is essential for operations to respond quickly to events

The use of a situational awareness platform that unites telemetry, customer data, engineering data, weather data, fleet and workflow management, into a single, integrated system, viewed through a single pane of glass, is essential for operations to respond quickly to events.

The Genesis 64 platform from Mitsubishi Electric ICONICS Digital Solutions (MEIDS), for example, can be deployed across a water utility’s entire water cycle, including catchment, clean water treatment, consumption and wastewater treatment, to collect data from disparate sources, enabling operations to make meaningful decisions about asset performance.

The platform enables automated decision making which, in turn, can reduce response times, operating costs and improve regulatory performance.

One major UK water company with 45 treatment plants had 19 different systems that needed to be integrated. These include a combination of SCADA, telemetry, advanced business analytics, alarm management, KPI driven dashboards, GIS reporting and integration with business data, such as customer calls.

The implementation of the GENESIS 64 platform allowed the company to respond quicker and proactively plan for scenarios where assets and customers were affected. The software ultimately delivered a saving of £3.6 million whilst protecting the company’s OFWAT OPA score.

Data plays vital role in managing supply and demand of national water infrastructure.

Ultimately, with the UK population forecast to grow from 67 million in 2020 to between 75 and 79 million in 2050, it’s clear that urgent action is needed to alleviate the pressure placed on the supply and demand of our national water infrastructure.

The Water 2050 strategy represents the ambitious and decisive action being made to address this issue, but if the UK is to achieve its key goals, the industry must recognise the vital role that data has to play.

Whilst solutions such as predictive maintenance and Edge analytics can help deliver more productive and efficient monitoring of asset health, the use of situation awareness platforms can empower water companies to better respond to emerging events, thereby greatly strengthening the UK’s water infrastructure. The practical benefits of deploying such technologies are clear, and have already provided phenomenal results.

In short, water’s tech-driven future is within the industry’s grasp – companies simply need to turn on the tap, and let the data that can deliver a cleaner, more resilient water network flow freely.

For more information visit: https://gb.mitsubishielectric.com/fa/solutions/industries/water.