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

www.wipac.org.uk Issue 5/2016 - May 2016

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In this Issue

From the Editor.................................................................................................................... 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.

How we know what we are measuring is what we are getting and is it important.............. 10-12

In this month’s opinion piece group manager, Oliver Grivson, discusses the concept of checking the measurement

devicesthatwehaveandwhyitsimportantwelookafterthemandmakesurethatwhatwearemeasuringiswhatwe

aregetting

Using a “Flight Simulator” to Support Operator Training.................................................... 13-16

MalcolmFabiyiofHydormantisexplainstheadvantagesofusingmodelsoftreatmentworkstotraintheoperatorsof

thefutureinourFeatureArticlethismonth.HegivesthreecasestudiesofHydromantis’SimuworksTM modelling

softwarebeingusedincompaniesandtheWEFTECOperatorChallengeEvent

Ultrasonic level measurement in water & wastewater treatment plants.............................. 17-18

Theapplicationofmeasurementtechnologyhasalwaysbeenachallengeinthewater&wastewaterindustry.Inthis

articlebyTimThomasofEndress+Hauserthereisanexplinationofwhenthetechnologiesofbothultrasonicandradar

levelmeasurementaremostappropriatefordifferentapplications

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

The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months

WIPACMonthlyisapublicationoftheWaterIndustryProcessAutomation&ControlGroup.Itisproducedbythegroup

managerandWIPACMonthlyEditor,OliverGrievson.ThisisafreepublicationforthebenefitoftheWaterIndustryandplease

feelfreetodistributetoanywhoyoumayfeelbenefit.

AllenquiresaboutWIPACMonthly,includingthosewhowanttopublishnewsorarticleswithinthesepages,shouldbedirected

tothepublicationseditor,Oliver Grievson

ThepictureonthecoverpageshowstheoutputfromaHydromantisGPSXModelasfeaturedinthearticlelateronthisedition.

ManythankstoMalcolmFabiyiforprovidingthefeaturearticlethismonth.

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From the Editor

ThismonthsawtheWaterIndustryProcessAutomation&ControlGroupcelebrateit’s5thbirthdayandasthedaypasseditmademereflectonthejourneythatthegrouphastakeninthosefiveyears. Italsomademereflecton

where the industry is going as well.

Forthoseofyouwhodon’talreadyknowoneofreasonsthatthegroupwasfoundedwasactuallyonthefrustrationsof lots of instruments being installed on wastewater treatment works and the fact that the data that those instruments werecollectingwereallfornothing.Thiswholethemeframedthefirstdriveofthegroupwhichwascentredaroundthe“resistancetotheeffectiveuseofinstrumentation.”ItisaconceptthatweasagrouphavetalkedaboutalotandIhavecertainlypresentedandlecturedonbutIalsothinkthisresistance,somefouryearsafteritwasraisedasaconcept,stillexists.

Ifwestepforwardtothepresentthesubjectthatweasanindustryaretalkingaboutis“Smart,”inwhateverformittakes.BeitSmartMeters,SmartNetworksorSmartTreatmentWorks.Theindustryisbeingpushedtobemoreefficientandthedriveistomeasurethings.WhatIfindahugeamountofispeopletalkingaboutinstrumentationandhowwearegoingto have much more of it and all things are going to be great because we know what’s going on. Don’t we.....

Ofcoursetheansweris,wellyeswearemeasuringitbut......asmyopinionpiecelateroninthismonth’seditionsaysifyoumeasuresomethingyouhavegottoensurewhatyouareactuallymeasuringisactuallywhatyouaregetting.ToomanytimesIhaveheardthesayingof“Wedon’thavetomeasureitaccuratelyweareusingitforcontrolandweonlyhavetobeawareofthechanges.”Wellthatmayhavebeenthecaseinthepastandintheoryatleastitistruebutnowadaysifyouaremeasuringityoudon’tknowwhatthedataisgoingtobeusedforwhetheritisforregulatorypurposes,operationalpurposesordesign purposes the data has value and as we get into the realms of the Internet of Things and we become detached from the knowledge of where that data comesfromwehavethepotentialforlosingthecontextonthedatathatwecollect.Thedangeris,ifwedon’ttakecareofthebasis,thenwecanbelievedatathatwasdesigned“forcontrolpurposes/forindicationonly”

We,asanindustry,arechanging.Theproliferationofinstrumentationisgoingtoincrease,thedemandsthattheregulatorsaremakingonthewateroperatorswhetherpurelyfinancialindrivingdownthecostofbillsorforbettertreatmentdrivingupthecostsmeanthatthisiswhatisgoingtohavetohappen.Toparaphrasetheoldadage“youhavetomeasuretomanage,”butcautionhastobetakeninourdatacollectors,inourinstrumentationandwhatwearegoingtodowithit.Thealternativeistogobackdownthepathof“Resistance”wherealotofinstrumentsareinstalledwithverylittlevalue.Withoutthevaluewehavealackofoperationandmaintenanceasthepointoftheinstrumentismissedandthewholethingfallsover.Ifthereisatangiblevaluetothedataandresultantinformationthataninstrumentproducesthenthevalueistransferredtotheinstrumentandlikemagicthewholesystemworks.

Sohowdowegivevaluetodataandinformation?Thefirststepistoknowwhattodowithitandusethistoformtheinformationanddatastrategywhichinturnfeedstheinstrumentationstrategy.Quitesadlythough,inthemain,thispieceofworkhasn’tbeendone.Ifwewanta“SmartUtilitiesIndustry,”wehavetounderstandwhatwewantasuntilwedothatwearedestinedtowanderintothefutureandwanderpastsomethingvery,veryimportant....thepoint.

It’ssomethingthatwewillbediscussinglaterthisyearattheInternationalWaterAssociation’sNewDevelopmentsinIT&WaterwhichI’llbechairingwithmygoodfriend,KenThompsonofCH2MHill.IfyoufeellikejoiningthediscussionandhavesomethingtosaytheCallforPaperscloseson11thJunesobequickand submit a paper. I’m looking forward to reviewing them all.....

Have a good month

Oliver

Water Industry Process Automation & Control turns five

TheWaterindustryProcessAutomation&ControlGroupturnedfiveyearsoldthismonthandhasundergoneaminorrevampwithanewlogoandsomemodificationsinthewayWIPACMonthlylooks.

The group was originally set up on 16th May 2011 for the benefit of the Water Industry and to spread the news articles, case studies andexperiencesofgroupmemberssurroundingthesubjectofdata,information,instrumentation,processautomationandcontrol.Fiveyearslaterithasgrownintosomethingmuchbigger.Fromastandingstartthegrouphad1,000memberswithinthefirstsevenmonthsandnowhascloseto6,500members.Thegroupisavailableforallandisalsofreeforallwithanyexpensesbornebythegroupeditor.

OvertimeithasaddressedkeysubjectswithintheWaterIndustryfromthe“Resistancetotheeffectiveuseofinstrumentation”,“Themeasurementandmanagementofinstrumentationsystems”,“Data&InformationManagement,”andforthepastyearorsobothSmartWater&SmartWastewaterNetworkSystems.

ThroughthepowerofthegroupeventshavealsobeenorganisedtodiscusskeyissuessuchastheFlowForum&InstrumentationApprenticeCompetitionattheWater,Wastewater&EnvironmentalMonitoringConferencein2014aswellasarepeatoftheFlowForumandtheIWANewDevelopmentsinIT&WaterConferencein2016aswellasvariousworkshopswhichhavebeenhostedbyOliverGrievsonincludingtheSmartWater&SmartWastewaterNetworkworkshopswiththeCharteredInstituteofWater&EnvironmentalManagement(CIWEM).

Thefirstfiveyearshavecertainlybeeninterestingforthegroupbuttherewillbemany,manymoreyearstocomeaslongasthegroupasawholeisthereandactivelysupportingit.ToallthereadersandmostespeciallytheauthorsagreatbigthankyouandhereistothefutureofWIPACforatleastanotherfiveyears(andanotherandanother).

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Industry News

WWEM 2016 to feature the IWA New Developments of IT & Water Conference - Call for Papers extendedThedeadlineforpapersfortheInternationalWaterAssociationNewDevelopmentsinIT&WaterConferencehasbeenextendedtoFriday10thJune2016,givingpotentialspeakersafurtherthreeweekstosubmitpapersthroughtheconferencesubmissionssystemwhichisatwww.wwem.uk.com/it2016/

Theconferenceorganisersarespecificallylookingforpaperswithinthefieldsof

CyberSecurity Modelling&Control(WastewaterSystems)CommunicationsProtocols Data&InformationVisualisationNetworkControlSystems SoftwareasaService&CloudComputingDecisionSupportSystems BigData,Datahandling,&Visualisation

Hydroinformatics Modelling&Control(PotableWaterSystems)InnovationsinIT&Water Internet of Things

andarealso looking forproposal forworkshop sessions in theafternoonof the seconddayof the conference.All submissionswill be reviewedby thescientificcommitteeandauthorsoftheselectedpaperswillbeaskedtoregisterfortheconference.TheconferencewillbeheldoverthetwodaysoftheWa-ter,Wastewater&EnvironmentalMonitoringConference(WWEM)inaspecialareaoftheTelfordConferenceCentre.

AttendanceisexpectedfromawiderangeoftheglobalwaterindustryandpapersubmissionssofarhavebeenreceivedfromawiderangeoftheinternationalcommunityincludingtheUSA,Switzerland,Spain,Canada,Nigeria&Kuwait.IfyouareinvolvedintheSmartWaterIndustryorinaspectsofITinWaterintheWaterIndustrythisquitesimplyaconferencenottobemissedascommunicationsprotocolssuchastheWITSprotocolandDNP3arelikelytodiscussedalongwiththeuseoftheInternetofThingsintheWaterIndustryalongwithprotocolssuchasHypercat.Aswellassubjectssuchascybersecurity,decisionsupport systems and Big Data.

Forthoseinterestedinpresentingapaperpleasegotowww.wwem.uk.com/it2016/ to register

Unitywater Teams Up with TaKaDu to Make Cloud-based Network Monitoring a Reality for Small Water UtilitiesAustralian water utility Unitywater and TaKaDu, a global leader in integrated event management solutions for the water industry, today announced acollaborationenablingTaKaDutoofferitsIoTcloud-basedsolutiontootherwaterutilitiesacrossQueensland.

UnitywaterandTaKaDuhavebeenworkingtogethersinceJune2013whenUnitywaterstartedalong-termengagementwithTaKaDutoimproveoverallnetworkvisibilityandefficiency,reducingcostsandlosses.ThenewofferingcombinesUnitywater’sTaKaDuknowledgeandexperiencewithaprovensolutionthathasbeenadoptedbyleadingwaterutilitiesinAustraliaandacrosstheglobe.

Thisofferwillprovidenetworkmonitoring,leakdetectionandnetworkpredictionservicestosmallwaterutilities(thosewithlessthan2000kmofpipeline).ThesesmallerutilitieswillbeabletoleveragethebenefitsofUnitywater’ssizeandfamiliaritywithTaKaDubyaddingtheirserviceareatoUnitywater’sTaKaDusystem.TheofferpromotescollaborationacrossQueenslandwaterutilities,akeyobjectiveoftheQueenslandWaterDirectorate.

TaKaDuenableswaterutilitiestomanagethefull life-cycleofnetworkevents,suchasleaks,bursts,waterpressureandfaultyassets.TaKaDuhelpsutilitiesdetectproblemsearly,reducewaterloss,shortenrepaircyclesandimprovecustomerservice.TheofferoftheTaKaDusystemandUnitywaterdataenableswaterutilitiestorealizethebenefitssooner,withacheaperentrypointandabilitytoestablishafullyoperationalsysteminaquickertimeframethannormal.

UnitywaterCEOGeorgeTheosaidTaKaDuhadchangedforthebetterthewayUnitywatermanageditswaternetwork.

“SincedeployingTaKaDuinournetwork,wehaveachieved$16millioninsavingsfromhidden(underground)leaksandprevented6.5billionlitresofwaterlossbasedonanannualizedcalculation,”MrTheosaid.

“Therehasalsobeena60%improvementinreactiveresponsetimestoleak,breakandpressurefaultsinthereticulationnetwork.Thesoftwarehaslearnedhowoursystemoperatesandhashelpedusavoidmajorwateroutages,identifythecauseofdirtywatercomplaints,identifypumpfaultsthatcauseburstsbeforetheyhappenandtrackthestatusofeventsfromstarttofinish.

“Itisexcitingtothinkthatotherwaterutilitiescannowexperiencesimilarbenefitsaspartofthisnewofferwhich,previously,wouldhavebeenoutofreach.”“We’reproudofourcollaborationwithUnitywater,anearlyadopterofTaKaDuandarecognizedindustryleaderininnovationandtechnology.Ourofferinggivesotherutilitiesauniqueopportunitytomaximizethevalueoftheirdataandimprovetheirnetworkperformance,leveragingUnitywater’sdeepknowledgeofoursystem,”saidAmirPeleg,TaKaDu’sFounderandCEO.

Unitywateroperates inoneof the fastest growing regionsofAustralia. Theutilityprovideswater supplyand sewerage services to16.3%ofQueensland’spopulation(approx.765,000people).Thenetworkiscomprisedofnearly297,266waterconnections,5731kmofwatermainspipes,114waterreservoirsand79waterpumpstationsacrosstheSunshineCoast,MoretonBayandNoosaregionsinQueensland.

SEAL Analytical announces EMEA Distributor of the year

OmniProcess (Sweden) has been awarded ‘EMEA Distributor of theYear 2015’ by laboratory instrumentation manufacturer SEAL Analytical.CongratulatingtheOmniProcessteamontheirsuccess,SEALPresidentStuartSmithsaid:“Thereareanumberoffactorsaffectingthedecision,includingthevolumeofbusinesswon;theidentificationanddevelopmentofnewmarkets,andbusinessgrowthoverthepreviousyear.OmniProcessexcelledinallcatego-riesandIamdelightedtorecognisetheirachievements.”

With many years of experience and high levels of expertise OmniProcesssuppliestheSwedishmarketwithcompletesolutionsinfieldinstrumentationandanalyticalequipment.

Petter Holmström accepting the award from Stuart Smith and Jens Neubauer

2/3rds of businesses in UK attacked in last yearAnewreportsettingouttheresultsofUKGovernmentresearch intocy-bersecuritysaysthattwothirdsof largebusinessesexperiencedacyberbreachorattackinthepastyear-nearlysevenoutoftenattacksonallfirmsinvolved viruses, spyware or malware.

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that while one in four largefirms experiencing a breach did so at least once a month, only half ofall firms have taken any recommended actions to identify and addressvulnerabilities. Even fewer, about a thirdof all firms, had formalwrittencybersecuritypoliciesandonly10%hadanincidentmanagementplaninplace.

The Government said it is making a record £1.9 billion investment toprotect theUKbutBritain’sbusinessesmustalso takeaction inorder tobetterprotectthemselvesfromcybercriminals

The research also shows that in some cases the cost of cyber breaches and attackstobusinessreachedmillions,butthemostcommonattacksdetect-ed involved viruses, spyware or malware that could have been prevented usingtheGovernment’sCyberEssentialsscheme.

TheGovernment is encouraging all firms to take action: the 10 Steps toCyberSecurityprovidesadvicetolargebusinesses,andtheCyberEssentialsschemeisavailabletoallUKfirms.TheGovernmentisalsocreatinganewNationalCyberSecurityCentreofferingindustrya‘one-stop-shop’forcybersecurity support.

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Strong showing for smart technologies at BlueTech ForumTechnologieswhichcouldtransformtheshapeofthewaterindustryofthefuture,willbeonshowatthefifthBlueTechForum,tobeheldinSanFranciscoon1June2016.WaterindustrymarketintelligencespecialistBlueTechResearchhastakenabroadviewofinnovationinitsevent,titled20:20Vision-InsightstoFuture-proofYourWaterStrategy.TheInnovationShowcaseattheeventwillpresenttheworkofelevencompanies,nominatedbytheO2EnvironmentalTechnologyAssessmentGroup(TAG).

Eleven of the best

AmongthetechnologieschosenfortheInnovationShowcasewillbedevelopments inanalytics,smartcontrolsystems,awastewatersystemandadvancedtechnologiesforpotablewaterreuse.TwoofthecompaniesfeaturedwillbechosentoreceivetheBlueTechDisrupt-O-MeterAwardandtheBlueTechTruffleAwardandwillbeinvitedtojointheInnovationPavilionattheWaterEnvironmentFederationTechnicalExhibition&Conference-WEFTEC–inNewOrleansinSeptember.

Smart innovations

BlueTech Forum features a strong showing from companies specialising in smart technologies. Boston-basedOptiRTChas developed a cloud-based smartstormwatermanagementsystemandApana,fromWashingtonstate,willbepresentingacloud-basedwateranalyticssystemdesignedforindustrialuse.

Some of the technologies on show have already beenwidely adopted in themarketplace. FATHOM, a utility data platform developed by GlobalWaterResourcesofPhoenix,AZisalreadyinuseonfourmillionmetersintheUS.FATHOMusestheInternetofThingsapproachtogather,curateandassessdatafromsmartmeters,allowingutilitiestogainfullunderstandingandcontroloftheprocessfrommeter,tocustomer,tocash.

BlueTech insight

ChiefexecutiveandfounderofBlueTechResearch,PaulOCallaghansaid:“BlueTechForumaimstogiverealinsightintosomeofthemostexcitingcleantechbeing developed today, while taking an in depth view of the serious environmental issues facing the planet.

“It’sappropriatethatBlueTechForumisbeingheldinCaliforniawherethepopulationhasfacedtherealityofwatershortages,Manyofthetechnologieswehaveselected to showcase address the pressing issues of water reuse and water quality and are being developed and applied in the state.

“Thewater industrydoesnotexist in itsownseparatebubble,but isaffectedbychangeshappening inother industriesandothertypesofbusiness,”saysO’Callaghan.“DevelopmentsintheInternetofThingsandthepotentialofcloud-basedcontrolsystemshavethepotentialtocompletelyrevolutionisethewaywater networks are managed and controlled.

“Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthegrowthofmicroeconomies–ofthepotentialimpactofsharingbusinessmodelssuchasAirBNB.Infuture,technologyproviders could become pseudo operators, we could increasingly see the rise of service-based business models and industrial users could become part of the bio-based circular economy through recycling and reuse.

“Thecompanies takingpart in the InnovationShowcaseatBlueTechForumallhave thepotential tobecomepartof thisnew landscapeof the future.Byunderstandingwhattheycanoffer,today’sdecisionmakerswillbeinabetterpositiontoanticipatethechangesaheadandtofuture-prooftheirbusiness.”

Radical change

BlueTechResearchistargetingtheeventathigh-leveldecision-makerssuchaschieftechnicalofficers,strategyadvisorsandrepresentativesofindustrialuserssuchasthefoodandbeverageindustryandoilandgas.RepresentativesofthecompaniesfeaturedintheInnovationShowcasewillhavetheopportunitytopresentdetailedinformationtodelegatesabouteachinnovativetechnology,theproblemitsetsouttosolve,theexperienceduringrolloutandthepotentialreturn on investment.

TheBlueTechForumwaterconferencewillbeheld inSanFranciscoonJune1attheSanFranciscoAirportHotel.Speakerswill includeNASAchiefscientistDennisBushnell,advisortotheUSGovernmentonclimatechange,JonathanClementCEOofPWNandEmilioTenuta,VicePresidentofCorporateSustainabilityforEcolab.

PaulO’Callaghan,chiefexecutiveofBlueTechResearchsays:“Innovationisnotalwaysabouttheinventionofnewmachinesandprocessesbutalsoaboutthedevelopmentofradicalnewbusinessmodelsandnewwaysofoperatinginarapidlychangingworld.TheshortlistfortheBlueTechinnovationawardsreflectsthisbigpictureapproachwhichispartofwhatmakestheBlueTechForumoneofthemoststimulatingandchallengingeventsinthewaterindustrycalendar.”

Shortlisted Innovation Showcase companies:

Apana –Predictiveanalyticsforcommercialwatermanagement Fathom Water –SmartwaterandInternetofThingstechnologyforwaterutilityapplications Hitachi Pegasus Technology –Advancedbio-encapsulationtechnologyfornitrogenremoval Nanospun –Next-generationbiotechnology:microbialencapsulationforcontaminantremoval Oasys Water –Forwardosmosistechnologyforzeroliquiddischargeinpowerandoilandgas OptiRTC –Predictiveanalyticsforstormwatermanagement Organica Water –Decentralizedwastewatertreatmentandwaterreuse Pasteurization Technology Group –Energyrecoverydisinfectionsystemforwaterreuse Spiral Water –Macro-filtrationinthefoodandbeveragesector Water Planet –Ceramicmembranesandpredictiveanalyticsforproducedwaterreuse Xylem –Integratedbiologicalfilterandadvancedoxidationformicro-pollutantremovalinpotablewater

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Routeco announce GAMBICA membershipRouteco very proudly announced thismonth that they have recently become amember of GAMBICA, the trade association for instrumentation, control,automationandlaboratorytechnologywithintheUK.

WithmanyoftheirmanufacturingsupplypartnersalreadyholdingGAMBICAmembershipRoutecoarenowalsoabletoofferaninsighttotheassociationfromatechnicaldistributionperspectivewithintheIndustrialAutomationindustrysector.

ThisnewpartnershipwillenableRoutecotoparticipateinassociationgroupswherewecanworkalongsideotherestablishedUKindustrialautomationcompaniestosharetechnicalknowledge,marketintelligenceandcollaborateonstrategicinitiativessuchasdrivingforwardIndustrialInternetofThings(IIoT)adoptionwithintheUKmanufacturingindustry.

SteveBrambley,DirectorofPublicAffairsatGAMBICAcommented

“WearereallypleasedtowelcomeRoutecointomembershipofGAMBICA,increasingourrepresentationandbuildingourknowledgebaseoftheindustry.WithRoutecojoining,itnotonlystrengthensourpoolofindustryexpertsbutbringsanewperspectivefromtheirtechnicaldistributionexperience.”

Throughservingourlargecustomerbaseofmachinebuilders,manufacturers,systemintegratorsandpanelbuilders,whoarealloperatingwithinabroadrangeofdifferentindustrialsectors,ourknowledge,expertiseandcloserelationshipswithourcustomersallowustoremainattheforefrontofindustrialautomation,andournewmembershipwithGAMBICAwillfurtherassistusinachievingourgoaltobecomebothourcustomersandsuppliers‘PartnerofChoice’forcontrol&automationproducts.

OTT launches new low-maintenance Phosphate monitor

Hong Kong partners up with I2O to smarten up it’s water supply

OTTHydrometryhaslaunchedanadvancedversionofits‘Cycle-P’remotePhosphatemonitorformeasuringdissolvedPhosphate in rivers, lakesand reservoirs. Thenew ‘HydroCyclePO4’uses less reagents per test than its predecessor and the reagents have a longer shelf-life. “This meansthattheHydroCyclePO4canbeleftinthefield,forevenlongerperiods,”saysOTT’sUKManagingDirectorNigelGrimsley.“Withastandardsamplingrateoftwotestsperhour(4xperhourispossible),thisnewinstrumentisabletorunover1,500samplesbeforeaservice/reagentchange isnecessary, so thatmeans themonitorcanbe leftunattended foraroundamonth,whichreducesthecostofmonitoringevenfurther.”

Batterypoweredandweighinglessthan8Kgfullyloadedwithreagents,theHydroCyclePO4isquickandeasytodeploy,eveninremotelocations.Theinstrumenthasaninternaldataloggerwith1GBcapacity,andincombinationwithtelemetry,itprovidesoperatorswithnearreal-timeaccesstomonitoringdataforPhosphate;acriticallyimportantnutrientinsurfacewaters.

Thequalityoftheinstrument’sdataisunderpinnedbyQA/QCprocessinginconjunctionwithanon-boardNISTstandard,deliveringscientificallydefensibleresults,andenablinguserstospendlesstimecheckingdataqualityandmoretimeanalysingwhatthedatameans.TheHydroCyclePO4methodologyisbasedonUSEPAstandardmethods,employingpre-mixed,colourcodedcartridgesforsimplereagentreplacementinthefield.

Engineered to takemeasurements at high oxygen saturation, andwith a large surface area filter for enhanced performance during sediment events, theinstrumentemploysadvancedfluidics,thatareresistanttothebubblesthatcanplaguewetchemicalsensors.

Summarising,NigelGrimsleysays:“TheoriginalCycle-PsignificantlyloweredthecostandimprovedthereliabilityofPhosphatemonitoring,andthenewversionbuildsonthestrengthsofitspredecessorandreducestheserviceandmaintenancerequirementsevenfurther.”

TheWaterSuppliesDepartment(WSD)ofHongKonghasapprovedanewdataloggingsystemfromBritishcompanyi2Otomeasuretheperformanceofitswater supply network.

WSDisresponsibleforprovidingpotablewatertomorethansevenmillionpeoplelivingacrosstheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion.TheorganisationwilldeploydNet,anewdataloggingsystemfromi2O,aspartofahydraulicmodellingprojectwithconsultantsBlack&VeatchandInnopipeEngineeringCoLtd.

As part of the contract, loggers will be deployed throughout the Kowloon region of Hong Kong to record and transmit detailed water network performance data relatingtowaterdemand,flowandpressure.

Somei2OloggersarealsobeingdeployedpermanentlyintheKowloonregionofWSD’snetwork.

JoelHagan,CEOofi2OWater,said:“ProvidinganadequatewatersupplyforHongKonghasalwaysbeendifficultbecausetherearenonaturallakes,riversor substantial undergroundwater sources.With greater demand forwater frompopulation growth andexpanding commercial activities,WSD, likemanyutilitiesaroundtheworld,hasrecognisedthatimprovingthesmartcapabilitiesofitsnetworkiscrucial.i2O’sdNetsystemhasbeendevelopedtoproviderapid,accuratedatatowaterutilitiesthatcanbeusedtoimprovenetworkperformance.”

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ThamesWaterandleadingcompaniesAccenture,Bilfinger,DeloitteandIBMhavesignedcontractsestablishingthenewmultimillion-poundTechnologyandTransformationAlliance(TTA).TheTTAsitsalongsideThamesWater’sexistingeight2OandInfrastructurealliances.Ithasbeensetuptoboostwaterandwaste-waterservicesfor15millioncustomersacrossLondonandtheThamesValley.Thecontractvaluecoveringallmembersoftheallianceisestimatedat£380MovertheremainingAMP6periodto2020.

Welcomingthealliance,ThamesWaterchiefexecutiveMartinBaggssaid:“ThisisaworldfirstandtherearesomefantasticnamesjoiningourfamilytocreateareallypowerfulvehicletotakeThamesWaterforward.It’salsothelastpieceinajigsawthatincludesourotheralliances,eight2OandtheInfrastructureAlliance.”

ThamesWaterchiefinformationofficerNeilClark,whoisalsotheCEOoftheTTA,added:“Thisnewallianceallowsustocreateauniquewayofworkingwithourfellowalliancememberstoreallyelevatehowweusetechnologytodriveourbusinessforward.We’recombiningtheirskillsandexpertisewithourowntechnologyteam’sgreatknowledgeandexperienceofourbusinesstomaximiseourinvestmentintechnology.”

Thealliancememberswereselectedfollowinganintenseprocurementprocess,andwillformallycomeintooperationinOctoberfollowingaperiodoftransi-tion.Eachofthememberswillbringtheirownskills,knowledge,capabilitiesandinnovativethinkingtothealliancewhich,combinedwithThamesWater’sownexperienceinasingleteam,issettocreateatotallynewwayofworkinganddeliveringtechnologyservicesandprojects.

AswellastheTTAprovidingalltheITservicesforthebusiness,itwillalsoenableThamesWatertogetthebestfromthelatesttechnologies,includinggivingcustomersagreaterchoiceofdigitalchannelstoconnectwithandusingnewtechnologiestohelpoperationsteamsinthefield.

ThisprojectisprobablyafirstintermsoftheintegrationofITwithOT(operationaltechnology)underthesameleadershiptohelpdriveintegrationbetweenoperationalsystemsandbusinesssystems,derivebetterinsightandactionfromdataandtoexploittheInternetofThings.

Thames Water’s TTA makes it official

European Cloud Initiative to give Europe global lead in data- driven economy

TheEuropeanCommissionhassetoutitsblueprintforcloud-basedservicesandworld-classdatainfrastructuretoensurescience,businessandpublicservic-esreapbenefitsofbigdatarevolution.

Europeisthelargestproducerofscientificdataintheworld,butinsufficientandfragmentedinfrastructuremeansthis‘bigdata’iscurrentlynotbeingex-ploitedtoitsfullpotential.Bybolsteringandinterconnectingexistingresearchinfrastructure,theCommissionplanstocreateanewEuropeanOpenScienceCloudthatwillofferEurope’s1.7millionresearchersand70millionscienceandtechnologyprofessionalsavirtualenvironmenttostore,shareandre-usetheir data across disciplines and borders.

ThiswillbeunderpinnedbytheEuropeanDataInfrastructure,deployingthehigh-bandwidthnetworks,largescalestoragefacilitiesandsuper-computercapacitynecessarytoeffectivelyaccessandprocesslargedatasetsstoredinthecloud.TheCommissionsaidthisworld-classinfrastructurewillensureEuropeparticipatesintheglobalraceforhighperformancecomputinginlinewithitseconomicandknowledgepotential.

InitiativepartofpackageofmeasurestostrengthenEuropeanpositionindata-driveninnovation

Focusinginitiallyonthescientificcommunity-inEuropeandamongitsglobalpartners-,theuserbasewillovertimebeenlargedtothepublicsectorandtoindustry.TheinitiativeispartofapackageofmeasurestostrengthenEurope’spositionindata-driveninnovation,toimprovecompetitivenessandcohesionandtohelpcreateaDigitalSingleMarketinEurope.

CarlosMoedas,CommissionerforResearch,ScienceandInnovation,said:

“OurgoalistocreateaEuropeanOpenScienceCloudtomakesciencemoreefficientandproductiveandletmillionsofresearchersshareandanalysere-searchdatainatrustedenvironmentacrosstechnologies,disciplinesandborders.Welistenedtothescientificcommunity’spleaforaninfrastructureforOpenScienceandwiththiscomprehensiveplanwecangetdowntowork.ThebenefitsofopendataforEurope’sscience,economyandsocietywillbeenor-mous.”

TheEuropeanCloudInitiativewillmakeiteasierforresearchersandinnovatorstoaccessandre-usedata,andwillreducethecostofdatastorageandhigh-performanceanalysis.MakingresearchdataopenlyavailablecanhelpboostEurope’scompetitivenessbybenefitingstart-ups,SMEsanddata-driveninnovation.

GüntherH.Oettinger,CommissionerfortheDigitalEconomyandSociety,commented:

“TheEuropeanCloudInitiativewillunlockthevalueofbigdatabyprovidingworld-classsupercomputingcapability,high-speedconnectivityandleading-edgedataandsoftwareservicesforscience,industryandthepublicsector.Withthisinitiative,ourambitionistobeintheglobaltop-threeinhighperformancecomputingby2020.Wewillalsobelookingintothepotentialofquantumtechnologieswhichholdthepromisetosolvecomputationalproblemsbeyondcurrentsupercomputers.”

TheCommissionwillprogressivelyputinplacetheEuropeanCloudInitiativethroughaseriesofactions,platforms,federatingexistingscientificcloudsandresearchinfrastructures,andsupportingthedevelopmentofcloud-basedservices.

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IBM/Aqualia WWTW project cuts electricity use by 13.5%

IBM Research scientists and Aqualia Spain, the world’s third largestprivatewatermanagementcompany,havejoinedforcestouseIBMcognitive technology to help reduce the energy consumption involved inwastewater treatment.

Wastewater can serve as a potential source of valuable resources,includingbio-solidsforfertilizerinagricultureandbio-gasforenergypurposes.Aqualiaispursuingvariousprojectstoextractvaluefromeffluentsandtakethewasteoutofwastewater.However,newsolutionsareneededto helpwastewater plants face stricter requirements and regulations forquality,aswellashelpreducemountingenergyanddisposalcosts.

Plants must address dynamic nature of operational processes

Aqualia IBM InfographicAmajor issue for these plants is addressing thedynamicnatureoftheoperations.Forexample,differentvolumesofwatercomeinatdifferenttimesofdayornightandwhentheweatheriscold,thebacteriausedintheplanttobreakdownthewastewaterbehavedifferently.Inaddition,electricityratescanvaryatdifferenttimesofdayornight.

Developed by scientists in IBM Research - Haifa, Israel, the solutionconsolidatesdatafromavarietyofsensorsandsourcestoprovideplantengineerswithacontinuouspictureofthewastewaterplant’soperationalhealth.TheIBMsolutionusesmachinelearningalgorithmstolearnandpredicttheimpactfromchangesinweather,plantmalfunctions,equipmentmaintenance,andotherfactorssuchasrainfall.Itthenrecommendsthebestpossiblesettingsandadjustmentstokeeptheplantrunningefficiently.

Pilot project delivers 13.5% reduction in electricity use and 17% reduction in sludge

LleidaWastewater Treatment Plant - The project’s pilot in Lleida, Spain, on aWastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for 96 000 m3/d is showing promisingresults, includingadramatic13.5%general reduction in theplant’selectricity.Theplant isalsousingresourcesmoreeffectively,witha14percentreductionin the amount of chemicals needed to remove phosphorus from the water and a17percentreduction insludgeproduction.Otherbenefits includesignificantimprovementintotalnitrogenremoval,especiallyinlowtemperatureconditions.

“To copewith operational data frommultiple sources,we need an advancedcognitive system that will forecast the dynamic behaviour of our treatmentprocesses,”saidJordiPalatsi,plantmanagerfromAqualia.“UsingIBMadvancedanalytics,we’vebeenabletofocusoncriticalaspectsrelatedto incomingandoutgoingwaterconditionsandquicklyadjust treatmentprocesses in responsechangingconditions.”

Previously, Aqualia operated its WWTP in a less predictive mode, makingdecisions for process parameter modifications based on assumptions andinformationthatwasnotupdatedinrealtime.

AlexanderZadorojniy,projectleaderfromIBMResearchinHaifa,Israelexplained:

“Theanalyticalmodelsarecapableofextrapolatingthesensordatatoprovideamoreaccuratepictureofthecurrentplantstatusandtrends.Basedontheoperation’scurrenthealth,andbyusingmathematicaloptimizationalgorithms,thesolutioncanproviderecommendationsfortheplantengineers,allowingthemtomakeinformeddecisionsabouttrade-offsregardingelectricityandquality.”

The IBMoptimizationsystem isdynamic, continuouslynotingwhatneeds tobeadjustedwithagoal tohelpmaximize resourcesand reducecosts,whilemaintainingsafetylevels.Thesystemprovidesplantoperatorswithrecommendationsevery2hours,7daysaweek.

Byusingsystemsettingsthatareadjustedbasedonwhatisactuallyhappeningintheplant,Aqualiaengineerscanpreventover-allocation.Thismeanstheycancomplywithsafetyandenvironmentalregulationsinamoreefficientmanner.

Solution delivers improvement in total nitrogen efficiency

Inrecentyears,totalnitrogenremovalhasbecomeasignificantexpenseforwastewaterfacilities,requiringalotofspace,expensiveupgrades,andchangesinenergyandchemicaloperationaloutlays.Inadditiontoofferingmorecontrollabilityforeffluentparametersandmoreefficientcompliancewithregulatoryrules,theIBMResearchsolutionshowedanimprovementintotalnitrogenefficiency,especiallyinlowtemperatureconditions(insomemonthsmorethan20%).

LleidaWastewaterTreatmentPlant,Aqualia,Spain

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Opinion:

How do we know what we are measuring is what we are getting and

is it important?

Introduction

TheWaterIndustryusesalotofinstrumentationandeverydayperformsalotofmeasurementtasks.AconservativeestimateintheUKwouldbearound300millionpiecesofdataarecollectedeveryday.Theindustryhasalwaysbeenconsidereddatarichandinformationpoorasinalotofcasesthecommentsarethatthedatacan’talwaysbereliedupon.Sothequestionthatwe,asanindustry,needtoaskis“Howdoweknowwhatwearemeasuringiswhatweareactuallygetting?”Afollowuptothisis“Doesitreallymatter?”

Thesecondquestionisperhapstheeasiesttoanswerandprobablyoneofthemostdebatable.Theanswerisitdependswhatyouwanttodowiththedata.Letmeexplain…..insomecircumstancestheinstrumentationthatweinstallissimplyusedforcontrolpurposesandtheargumentisthatforcontrolpurposesyou don’t necessarily need to measure accurately but you do have to measure in a repeatable way.

Forexample,ifyoutakethemeasurementofdifferentiallevelupanddownstreamofascreenatawastewatertreatmentworksitdoesn’tactuallymatterifyouareaccurateornot,itdoesn’tmatterwhetherthewaterlevelisat0.01mor1m,whatdoesmatteristhattheerrorassociatedwiththemeasurementisthesamebetweenthetwosensors.Asthedifferentialbetweenthetwosensorsiswhatcontrolstheactivationofthecleaningmechanism.Inthiscasetheactualmeasurementdoesn’tmatter.However,inothercircumstancesitdoesandthisiswhereweneedtoknowwhatwearemeasuringiswhatweareactuallygetting

IntherestofthisarticleIwillexplainwhy,forthoseinstrumentsthatdomatter,itisessentialtounderstandtheprinciplesofinstrumentationverification,calibration&uncertainty(andwhatthephysicalcontributionstotheuncertaintyare)inordertoensurethattheinstrumentationthatwehavethatmeasures(ratherthansenses)isaccurate.IwillfinishwithanexampleoftheMCERTSforFlowSchemeintheUKwheretheprinciplesofuncertaintyareusedtoensuredata accuracy

Accuracy & precision

The guiding principles of any measurement in any industry is that there must be an understanding of both of the accuracy& the precision of anymeasurement that istaken.Thesetwoconceptscanbedefinedas

Accuracy –Theproximityoftheresulttothetruevalue

Precision–therepeatabilityorreproducibilityofthemeasurement

This definition was changed with ISO 5725 -1994 and with the BIPM InternationalVocabularyofMetrology(2008).AccordingtoISO5725-1,thegeneralterm“accuracy”isusedtodescribetheclosenessofameasurementtothetruevalue.Whenthetermis applied to sets of measurements of the same measurand, it involves a component of randomerrorandacomponentofsystematicerror.

In this case trueness is the closeness of the mean of a set of measurement results to the actual(true)valueandprecisionistheclosenessofagreementamongasetofresults.

But what does this mean practically?

To come back to what was said earlier – if an instrument isprecise–i.e. itproducesmeasurementsthatarerepeatableand/orreproducible then it can theoreticallybeused forcontrolpurposeshoweverthereadingisnotnecessarilyaccurate.Anexampleofthisisdemonstratedinfigure2asthetwosetsofdatapreciselytrackeachother they can be used for control purposes but the accuracy is poor withanaverageerrorof21%.Theerrorinmetrologyisquiteliterallymeasured in terms of the uncertainty of the measurement

Measurement uncertainty

Themeasurementgoodpracticeguide(Bell,1999)startswith:

Figure 1:Accuracy&Precision

Figure 2: The reading although precise is not accurate which can be used for control purposes but is not ideal

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A measurement result is only complete if it is accompanied by a statement of the uncertainty in the measurement. Measurement uncertainties can come from the measuring instrument, from the item being measured, from the environment, from the operator, and from other sources. Such uncertainties can be estimated using statistical analysis of a set of measurements, and using other kinds of information about the measurement process. There are established rules for how to calculate an overall estimate of uncertainty from these individual pieces of information. The use of good practice – such as traceable calibration, careful calculation, good record keeping, and checking – can reduce measurement uncertainties. When the uncertainty in a measurement is evaluated and stated, the fitness for purpose of the measurement can be properly judged.

The rulebook for uncertaintymeasurementwas producedbyBureau International des Poids etMesures in collaborationwith theworld’smeasurementlaboratoriesandtheyproducedtheGuidetotheExpressionofUncertaintyinMeasurement(GUM)methodfortheestimationofuncertainty.Thismethodanditsupdatein2008isstillusedextensivelytodaywithintheWaterIndustry.ForthoseinterestedthedocumentscanbedownloadedfromtheBIPMwebsite(http://www.bipm.org/utils/common/documents/jcgm/JCGM_104_2009_E.pdf).

ButpracticallyintheWaterIndustrywheredowegowrong,whyaren’tthemeasurementsandthedatathatwecollect,notaccurate?

• Thewronginstrumentforthewrongapplication• The instrument isn’t physically installed properly• Scalingintelemetry• Alackofcalibrationand/orverification• A lack of maintenance• Ageoftheinstrumentorinstallation

Poor instrument selection

Instrumentmanufacturerstakeagreatdealoftimeandmoneytodevelopsomefantasticinstruments.Iamluckyenoughinmydayjobtospeaktoagreatdealofthemandhave,onoccasion,seenwhatittakestoputaninstrumenttogether.However,thereisnoinstrumentinexistencethatcancopewithallapplicationsandallsituations.Thisisespeciallythecaseforthewastewaterindustry.Wheninstallinginstrumentationdueconsiderationneedstobegiventotheapplicationthattheinstrumentisexpectedtomeasureinandtheappropriateconditionsneedtobeprovidedfortheinstrumentthatisultimatelyselected.InstrumentselectionisoftenbadlydonewithintheWaterIndustryandinappropriateinstrumentsareinstalledininappropriatemeasurementpoints.Thisisthefirstandprobablythegravestofallsourcesofuncertaintyinmeasurement.

Poor installation

Thesecondbiggestcauseofuncertaintyisusuallythewayaninstrumentisphysicallyinstalled.Fornewinstallationsthisisusuallyalackofconsiderationthataninstrument,whenmeasuring,needsspecificconditionstoworkorwhenretrofittinginstrumentation,thecasewhereithasbeen“squeezed”intoaninappropriatelocationformeasurementpurposes.

Scaling Issues

Assuminganinstrumentisinstalledproperlythereisoftenalackofappreciationthattheinstrumentitselfispartofameasurementsystemandthisincludesthecommunicationofthedatathatitcollectstoanoutsidelocation.ThistypicallyfollowsaSCADAorTelemetrybasedsystemandthetransmissionofthedatacanbeflawedbyamiscommunicationoftheoutputsoftheinstrumentinquestion.Forexample,ifaninstrumentison-siteandismeasuringarangeof0-10andiscommunicatingusinga4-20mAlooptheinstrumentwilloutputasignalof20mAatareadingof10(i.e.fullscale).The20mAsignalgoesdownthecablesandistransmittedtothetelemetrysystemandisconvertedattheotherend.Aslongasthesystemunderstandsthatthe20mAthatithasreceivedrepresents5theneverythingisok.If,howeverthereisascalingerrorandthesystemunderstandsthat20mArepresentssomethingcompletelydifferent(say20)thenthereisasystematicerrorinthedatathatisreceived.

Verification & Calibration

Tosaythereisconfusionofwhatrepresentsverificationandwhatrepresentscalibrationinthewaterindustryisatbestanunderstatementandatworstacaseforseriousargumentbetweenvariouspractitioners.Thereisoftenalackofappreciationastowhatispracticalinsofaraswhatcanphysicallybedoneandwhatisworthdoing.Intermsofthisarticlethedefinitionsare:

Verification–Thisisthetaskofcheckingthattheinstrumentinquestionisworkingwithinitstolerances.Thiscanincludeelectronicverificationusingtheinstruments own diagnostic systems or independent verification to an independentmeans ofmeasurement that, in the highest forms of verification, istraceablebacktonationalstandards.

Calibration –Thephysicalcheckingoftheaccuracyofaninstrumentbacktonationalstandardsandadjustmentoftheinstrumenttobringitbackintoanacceptabletoleranceofaccuracy.Thiscanbeperformedautomaticallyon-sitewithsomeinstrumentsoroff-siteatexternalcalibrationfacilities.Thisisnormallydonetonationalstandardshoweverinsomeexceptions(forexampledissolvedoxygenmeasurements)thisisnotalwayspossible.

Thereare,forsometypesofinstruments,adualsystem.Thisiswhereaninstrumentisinitiallycalibratedinthefactorywhenit isfirstmanufacturedandthentheautomaticelectronicverificationensuresthatitstayswithintolerancesoftheinitialfactorycalibration.Thisisnotpurecalibrationbutiselectroniccalibration/verificationinsofarastheinstrumentismakingadjustmentstobringitselftowithinareasonablelevelofaccuracy.

Lack of maintenance

Onceaninstrumentiswithinoperationandismeasuringthemostcommonformofuncertaintyisoftenthelackofmaintenance.Cleaningofthedifferentpartoftheinstrumentationmeasurementsystemincludingtheprimarydevice(theplacewherethemeasurementistakingplace)andthesecondarydevice(theinstrumentitself).

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About the Author

OliverGrievson is thegroupmanagerof theWater IndustryProcessAutomationandControlLinkedIndiscussiongroup.Hehasmanyyearsexperiencefirstlyinthelaboratoryandforthepast12yearsintheoperationalandprocessmanagement of both potable and wastewater treatment works. He developed a passion for the control of water and wastewatertreatmentworkswhilstworkingforYorkshireWaterintheUnitedKingdomanddecidedtosharethispassionbysettinguptheWIPACLinkedIndiscussiongroup.

He is a Fellow of CIWEM & the IES as well as being a Chartered Environmentalist, Scientist and Water &EnvironmentalManager.HeisamemberoftheMCERTSSteeringGroupforthemonitoringofflow,amemberoftheICASpecialInterestGrouponICAaswellassittingontheWastewaterManagementCommitteesoftheFoundationforWaterResearchandtheCharteredInstituteofWater&EnvironmentalManagement.

Thereisoftenclaimsthatacertaintypeofinstrumentis“maintenancefree”asitismeasuringremotelyfromthemediathatitismeasuring.Thismaybethecasefortheinstrumentbutcertainlynotthecasefortheareaorzonethatitismeasuring.Someofthebiggestcauseoferrorhavebeendowntoalackofmaintenancesometimesrepresentingerrors(byexperience)ofover20%insomecases.

Time to replace the instrument

The age of instruments is often a problem and is often a cause of uncertainty, and over-time instruments can and do drift. Aswe aim to get themostvalueoutofinstrumentsthereisthetemptationto“sweattheasset,”thisofcoursecomeswithrisksthatneedtobemanaged,withinstrumentationthesearemitigatedwithgoodmaintenanceandgoodverificationandcalibrationpractices.However,allgoodthingsmustcometoanendatsomepointanditisnecessary to replace the instrument.

A case study of MCERTS - Self Monitoring of Flow

Themonitoringcertificationscheme(MCERTS)fortheself-monitoringofflowisasysteminEngland&Walestoensurethatthemeasurementofflowthroughwastewatertreatmentworksinordertomeasurethetotaldailyvolumeiscorrect.TheschemeisrunbytheCSAGrouponbehalfoftheEnvironmentAgencyandNationalResourcesWales.

Theschemestartedin1995andisdesignedtoputaqualitystandardinandaroundthemeasurementofflowthroughWastewaterTreatmentWorks(betheydomesticorindustrial)thattreatmorethan50m3/dayanddischargetotheenvironment.Thescheme,intermsofinstrumentation,issplitintodifferentparts

• Testingoftheinstrumentationthatisusedunderthescheme• Inspectionofinstrumentsin-situandensuringtheymeetthestandardsminimumrequirementsincludingthetotaluncertaintyis<8%• A robust management system to make sure that the instruments are operated and maintained

Whatthismeansisthatthereisasysteminplacethatnotonlymakessurethattheinstrumentisrightbuttheuncertaintyofthatinstrument,asinstalledismeasuredandthatthereisatriggerfromanassetmanagementpointofviewthatsays–it’stimetoreplace.

Solookingatatypicalinspectionwhataretheerrors:

Transmissionerror -0.90%Instrumentrepeatability 0.59%Calculationuncertainty 2.0%Telemetryuncertainty 2.0%

Allofthesegetappliedtoflowdataandatotalflowuncertaintyiscalculated–inthisparticularcaseitcalculatedoutatjustunder6%.Whatthisshowsisgenerally the problem is not with the instrument but how it is installed and how it is maintained.

Conclusions

Sotocomebacktothequestionthatweaskedasthetitleofthisarticle“Howdoweknowwhatwearemeasuringiswhatweareactuallygettingandisitimportant?

Toanswerthesecondpartofthequestion,first.Thesimpleanswerisyesofcourseitisimportant.Thereasonforthisisthatweinstallinstrumentstomeasurethingsandwhatyouwillfindisthatwhenwemeasurethingspeoplewilleitherbelieveinwhattheyarereadingandusethatdataortheywilldisbelieveallinstrumentsandendupnotusingthedata,whichnegatestheuseoftheinstrumentinthefirstplace.Thegeneralruleofthumbisifyoubuyaninstrumentandgototheexpenseofinstallingitthenyouneedtooperateandmaintainitcorrectly.Thisincludescleaningitandyesitincludescalibratingitwhichisthefundamental basis of ensuring that the results that you get from that instrument are correct.

Theimplicationsofhavinganinstrumentthatisun-calibratedandpotentiallynotreadingcorrectlycanleadtopoordataandpoordecisionbeingmadeonthebasisofthatdataandofcoursethepotentialforincreasedalarmsandcall-outs.Intheenditisafalseeconomyifaninstrumentisn’tkeptworkingcorrectlyandkeepingitworkingcorrectlyactuallyworkstoimprovetheoverallefficiency.

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Feature Article:

Using a “Flight Simulator” to Support Operator TrainingThree Case Studies with SimuworksTM

Introduction

Manywaterandwastewatertreatmentutilitiesarefacingmajorchallengessuchasthelossofknowledgeablestaff,aswellastheneedforrenovatingandreplacingagingfacilitieswhilemaintainingcompliance,andmanagingfinancialchallenges(Liebermanetal,2006;Seldon,2014).

Processmodelshavehistoricallybeenusedbyengineersfordesigningandoptimizingoperationsatwater&wastewatertreatmentfacilities.Calibratedprocessmodelsofafacilitycanrobustlymodelcurrentandfutureprocessconditionsinresponsetodifferentoperationalvariables.Anewergenerationofprocesssimulationtoolsarenowemerging,thatintegratethecapacityofprocessmodelsforprovidingrealisticsimulationsofthebehaviouroftreatmentfacilitieswithcustomizedrealistic3DdigitalplantlayoutsorSCADAinterfacesthatcanbeusedasabasisfortraining,operationalplanningandknowledgemanagement.Thesetoolsholdpromisetobeusedasabasisfortrainingthenextgenerationofoperators,andenhancingtheskillsandcapabilitiesofcurrentoperators.

Shortcomings of Current Operational Knowledge Management Approaches in the Water Industry

Thecurrentapproachtoknowledgetransferandoperationscompetencytraininginwastewatertreatmentfacilitiesisbasedonexperientiallearning.Itcanbeaslowandarduous,multi-yearprocessthatcanbestbedescribedasanapprenticeship.Trainingtypicallyoccursatfullscaleandrelieson“shadowing”moreexperiencedstaff,orexperiencingoperationalupsetsastheyimpacttheactualtreatmentsystem.

Becausetrainingoccursatfullscale,anytrainingrelatedfailurescanhavesignificantwaterqualityandregulatoryimplications,aswellassignificantpopulationhealthrisks.Hencethismodeoflearningwhichreliesonstressestothefullscalesystemisnotaviableoption.Thisforcesaconservativestancetolearning(i.e.,onethatavoidsriskatallcosts)andexplainswhywaterindustryoperatorapprenticeshipscantaketime.

Anotherchallengeofthecurrentapproachisthefactthatitdoesnotsufficientlyexposethetraineetothebreadthanddiversityofrisksthatcouldoccur.Withthecurrentmethod,anoperatorcannotbetrainedonwetweatheremergenciesorrealisticTHMissuesinthedisinfectionsystemuntiltheyexperienceone.Similarly,theimpactofprocessemergenciessuchasinfiltrationandinflow(I/I),largescalefailureofindustrialpretreatmentprograms,andothersuchchallengescannotbeexperientiallylearned,withouttheactualeventstakingplace.

Anotherriskthathasevolvedovertimeinwastewaterfacilitieshasbeentighteningregulations.Whilethesearenotnaturaldisasters,waterandwastewatertreatmentfacilitiesareroutinelybeingfacedwiththeneedtomeetstrictercompliancerequirementswithexistingandoftenageinginfrastructure.Meetingtheseregulationsmightrequireoperatingunderconditionsthatmightbedifferentfromhowtheplanthasbeenhistoricallyoperated,andinsuchanevent,thepastexperienceoftheseasonedoperators,mightnotbedirectlyapplicableintheemergentregulatoryregimesofthefuture.

Onemeansofdeveloping realworld competencies in trainedpersonnelwithout subjectingequipmentorprocesses toactual risks is through theuseofsimulators.Simulatorbasedtrainingwaspioneeredintheaviationindustryandotherhighriskindustrieslikenuclearpoweroperations(Vesel,2013)toproviderisk free environments for developing the competencies to address process risks.

Thebenefitsofsimulatorbasedtraininginclude:

(a)Providingasafelearningenvironment:Simulatorsallowemergencyandabnormalsituationstoberealisticallyaddressedwithoutrisktotheoperators,stafforpopulations(Aerosim,2015).Theoperatorcanbeexposedtoextremesituationssuchaswetweatherflows,highorganicloadingspills,equipmentfailure,and other such emergencies without the risk of personnel, system or process failure

(b)Enhancingthelearningexperience:Byremovingtheriskofsystemandprocessfailure,thestudentandinstructorcanfocusonthelearningexperience

(c)Enablingabroad rangeof scenariosand situations tobe tested: Simulatorsoffer theflexibility to testout conditions thathaveeitherbeenobservedhistorically,orevennovelconditionsthatareyettobeobserved,butwhichmightplausiblyoccur

Byprovidingthesebenefits,simulatorsenablelessexperiencedoperatorstofillvacanciesinexistingoperators’poolsmorereadily,andtheycanbeusedforgettingneworseasonedoperatorsfamiliarwithnewprocesses.Furthermore,simulatorsenableoperationstobereviewed,repeatedandvarieduntiltheybecomeingrainedintheoperatorandinternalized.

Enter Simulation Based Tools for Operator Training

Simulator based training tools represent a new and sophisticated method for investing in plant personnel resources and gaining insight into plantoperationsoverbothshort-termandlong-termperiods.Workingwithauser-friendly,customizedinterfaceallowsinstructorstotrainandevaluateneworexistingoperatorswhileoperationalstaffcanusethetooltoanalyseandevaluatedifferentoperatingscenariosandstrategies(seeFigures1aand1b).Thetrainingcanofferexposuretomanysimpleorhighlycomplexscenarioswithinarealisticenvironmentbutwithnorisktoactualplantperformance(Andresetal,2012).

Hydromantis’SimuWorks™platformisanexampleofasimulatorbasedplatformthathasbeendeployedinthewater&wastewaterindustry.Therealistic,highfunctionalityinterfacethatSimuWorks™providesandtheattentiontodetailusedingeneratingscreensthatreplicatetheSCADAsystemsandcontrolinterfaces

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oftheutilityallowsforutmostrealismtobegeneratedinthetrainingexperience,anecessaryrequirementforeffectivesimulatorenabledlearning(Pew,2012;Gebmanetal,1986;Vesel,2013).

Case Studies

Case Study 1: SimuWorks™ Rollout across the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati

TheMetropolitan SewerDistrict ofGreaterCincinnati (MSDGC)operates 7wastewaterfacilities(Figure3)andservesabout850,000peopleintheCityofCincinnati,inOhioState.Thedistrict’swastewaterplantsandtheassociatedcollectionsystemshaveundergonesignificantupgradesundertakeninordertoallowthe facilitiesmeetnewnutrient limitsaswellas tomore robustlyaddressseweroverflowchallenges.Thecompletedandplannedupgradesrunintobillionsofdollars(Johnstone,2013). MSDGC developed whole facility process models for each wastewatertreatment facility in order to (i) provide designerswith virtual facilities on

whichtobasetheirdesignsforupgradesand(ii)provideoperationsstaffwithtoolstotestoperationalchanges(Beliaetal,2015).

Themodelshavebeensuccessfullyusedtosupportupgradesatthefacilitiesoperatedbythedistrict,ranging insizefrom5.7to492million litresperday(1.5to130MGD),andhavealsobeenutilizedasaplatformtosupportthefollowingactivities:

• Processcontrolstrategyevaluation• “What-if”scenariooperationsplanning• Operationsplanningforshutdowns/scheduledmaintenance• Operationalplanningforwetweatheroperations• Processoptimization–energysavings,aerationoptimization,etc.• Operationaltrainingand“flightsimulator”basedlearningusingarealistic3Dinterface

MSDGCisalsocurrentlyworkingonthedevelopmentofenergyandconsumablesmodelsthatwillbeintegratedintotheSimuWorks™platformtoprovidepredictivecapabilitiesforprocessconsumables(chemicals)andenergyutilization(Beliaetal,2015).

BecausetheSimuWorks™modelsarebuiltontheplatformofacalibratedandvalidatedfullplantmodel,thetoolhasthefull-fledgedfunctionalityoftheun-derlyingGPS-X™modellingplatform,whichallowsfortheuseofthetoolforcostoptimization,effluentcompliancemaximization,andscenarioanalyses(seeFigures4and5).ThisfunctionalityhasbeenleveragedatanumberofMSDGCfacilities.AtPolkRunWaterResourceReclamationFacility(WRRF),operatorsandmanagementwereabletouseSimuWorks™asabasisforoptimizingDissolvedOxygen(DO)setpointsandairflowtoeachof8differentaerationzonesinthefacility.Thesimulation-testedstrategywasthenimplementedinthefullscaleplant,resultinginabout11%reductioninairflowvalueswhileleavingthetargeteffluentvaluesforammoniaunchanged.TheSimuWorks™platformprovidedariskfreeplatformforprocessoptimizationandoperationalstrategyevaluation(Yietal,2014).

Figure 2: Bird’s eye view of a wastewater plant and the representation of the plant in SimuWorks™

Figure 3. Location of the 7 Wastewater facilities across MSDGC

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C

Case Study 2: OCWA – Operator Training and Certification Using SimuWorks

OntarioCleanWaterAgency(OCWA)isthelargestoperatorofwaterandwastewaterfacilitiesintheprovinceofOntarioinCanada.TheagencyisatrainerfortheMinistryoftheEnvironment’smandatorycertificationrenewalcourses.In2012,OCWApartneredwithHydromantisEnvironmentalSoftwareSolutions todevelopaSimuWorks™based interfacethat couldbeusedasabasis for the certificationprogram.OCWA desireda hands-on approach to training and troubleshooting. Leveraging the factthat operators are accustomed to sitting in front of computer monitors tochangetreatmentprocesses,OCWArequestedforasimulationsoftwarethatreplicatedthat process inamannerthatwouldmakethetransitionfromclassroomtoreal-lifescenariosseamless(seeFigure6).

Hydromantis configured the SimuWorks™ platform to replicate SCADA andhuman machine interface (HMI) systems at specific OCWA facilities. Theinterfaceallowsuserstoreviewandtestavarietyofoperationalvariables.Anumber of outputs were developed that allow users to review and observe theimpactofoperationalchanges.Someofthevariablesthatcanbemodifiedincludeequipmentstatus,chemicaldosagerates,aerationsettings,equipmentfailure,organicloadingrates,temperatureeffectsandwetweatherevents.

Thetoolhasbeenusedbyoperatorsandmanagerstoidentifyandvalidateplantoptimizationandcost-savingstrategies,troubleshootprocessissues,analyseprojectsandoperationalrisks,andforecastplantcapacityandmaintenanceneeds(Dayton,2014).Feedbackfrominstructorsandoperatorsusingtheplatformforcertificationhasbeenimmenselypositive.

Case Study 3: Supporting the Operations Challenge Event at WEFTEC

OperationsChallengeisoneofthemajoreventsattheannualWaterEnvironmentFederationTechnologyConference(WEFTEC).Teamsfromaroundtheworldcompetein5eventsthatincludeSafety,Labpractice,Maintenance,ProcesscontrolandCollectionsystems.Startingin2016,theProcesscontroleventnowincludes a simulator based challenge. Teams are presented with a variety of wastewater treatment challenge scenarios to pick from and the operators use SimuWorks™simulatorstotroubleshootvariousprocessstrategies.Thescenariosfeatureregulatory(effluenttargets)andoperational(costminimization,energyreduction,chemicalsusageoptimization,etc.)targets.Solvingtheoperationalchallengesinvolvesadjustingplantparameterssuchasairflow,solidswastagerates,recyclesludgeflows,dissolvedoxygenlevelsandchemicaldosagerates.Scoringreflectstheabilityoftheteamstomeetorapproachthespecifiedtarget outcomes.

The incorporationof a simulator basedplatform into the premier global challenge for elitewastewater operators – theWEFOperations Challenge – is areflectionoftheparadigmshifttowardstherecognitionthatsimulationisaprocessskill (Ross,2015).TheSimuWorks™platformforthechallengehasthefollowingfeatures:(1)aclickableinteractiveplantlayout(2)asummaryofkeyoperationalparameterssuchasMLSS,SRT,Energycost,DO,chemicalcostandsludgeproduction(3)asectionfornotesandtrainingortestinstructions(4)thesimulationcontrolpanel(5)anoutputorinputpaneland(6)aflyoverpanelwitheffluentparametervalues(seeFigures7and8).

Figure 5. SimuWorks™ Interface for the Sycamore Creek facilityFigure 4. GPS-X™ model layout of the Sycamore Creek WWTP

Figure 6. Operators at the Belleville (Ontario) Water Control Plant work on a troubleshooting scenario during a Sewage Simulator Solutions Course using the SimuWorks™ platform. Source: TPO Magazine, 2014 (Dayton, 2014)

Figure 7. Representative SimuWorks™ Interface for the WEF Operations Challenge Figure 8. Operations challenge teams working with SimuWorks™ at Regional Events in 2016

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Conclusion

Simulation-based training is extensively utilizedwithin themilitary, nuclear energy and aviation sectors and is being increasingly applied inmany otherindustrieswherethecosts(intimeandresources)aswellastherisksofexperiencebasedlearningcanbesteep.Simulationbasedtrainingofferssignificantbenefits thatareparticularlyattractive for thewaterandwastewaters treatmentfield.By replicating theprocess conditionsandperformanceofexistingfacilities,andprovidingrealisticreproductionsofthecontrolinterfacesusedinoperatingthefullscaleplant,operatorsareprovidedwitharealistictrainingex-perience.Theinterfacescomecompletewithfamiliarviewsandfunctionality,aswellasrobustplantresponseandbehaviourdrivenbymathematicalmodels,oftheirowntreatmentplant(EHEST,2013).

Bestpracticesimulationsutilizemodesofinformationpresentationthatoptimizetheusers’abilitytounderstandandmakesenseofthematerial.SimuWorks™featuresanimmersionbaseddistributedlearningsystem,offeringrealtimeinteractionsaswellasrealismofenvironment.Thespecificinstructionalbenefitsofsuchsimulationdesigntechnologiesanddistributedlearningsystemfeaturesincludesthepromptingofpsychologicalprocessesrelevanttoperformanceinrealworldsettings,knowledgeintegration,enhancementoffeelingsofpresenceandengagementandtheprovisionofasafepracticeenvironment.

The case examples presented in this paper demonstrate how simulator based training has been successfully deployed at full scale for knowledgemanagementandoperatortraining.InthecaseoftheimplementationofSimuWorks™atOCWA,thetoolisusedtosupportaregionwideoperatorcertificationprogram.OtherpotentialusesofSimuWorks™includesitsincorporationintosuccessionplanningcompetencytraining,emergencypreparednesstrainingandHRassessmentsforpromotionandcompetencytesting.

References

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2. Belia,E.,Walsh,J.,Passaro,S.,Yi,P.,Waller,K.,Menniti,A.,andO’Shaughnessy,M.Theevolutionofaproventool–Adaptingprocessmodelsforoperationsstaff.(2015)WaterEnvironment&Technology,September,2015.

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tages-of-simulators-in-Helicopter-Flight-Training-final.pdf5. Gebmanetal.(1986)AssessingtheBenefitsandCostsofMotionforC-17FlightSimulators.http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reports/2006/

R3276.pdf6. Johnstone,R.(2013)MetropolitanSewerDistrictofGreaterCincinnatiUpdate.SocietyforAmericanMilitaryEngineersCincinnatiPost,April,2013.http://

posts.same.org/cincinnati/SAMEPresentation%204-16-13.pdf7. Louise A. Lieberman, P.E., Kathleen M. Gillespie, M.A. Thomas J. De Laura (2006). FULLFILLING THE PROMISE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:

IMPLEMENTINGKMINITIATIVESTHROUGHOUTTHEORGANIZATION.WEFTEC20068. PewGlenn(2012).Frasca:TheBenefitsandPitfallsofSimulatorTraining.http://www.avweb.com/news/features/frasca_flight_simulation_pitfalls_train-

ing_207806-1.html.AVWeb9. Ross,Mike(2015).AnnouncementofChangesfor2016ProcessControlEvent.WEFProcessControlTeamTechnicalMemorandum.August201510.ScottieDayton(2014).VirtualReality.Aflightsimulatorforwastewatertreatmentplantsgivesusersahandsonapproachtotroubleshootingormaking

changestothetreatmenttrain.TPOMagazine,January2014.http://www.tpomag.com/editorial/2014/01/virtual_reality11.Seldon,R(2014).PreventingLossofOperatorstoEnvironmentalManagementPositions.July,2014.WEFHighlights.http://news.wef.org/loss-of-opera-

tors-to-environmental-management-positions/12.Vesel,RichardW.(2013)PowerPlantTrainingSimulatorsExplained.Powermag.com.http://www.aerosimaviation.com/why_use_a_simulator13.Yi Phill, Wendell Khunjar, Katya Bilyk, Ron Latimer, Paul Pitt (2014). BENEFITS OF WASTEWATER PROCESS MODELING FOR PLANNING, PROJECT

DEVELOPMENT,ANDMANAGEMENT.NC-AWWAWEA2014AnnualConference.

About the Author

Dr.MalcolmFabiyiisPresidentofHydromantisUSA–theleadingwater&wastewaterprocessmodelling&designsoftwarefirm.

Dr. Fabiyiwas previously GlobalMarket Director forWater&Wastewater at Praxair, Inc., amajor industrial gasproducer and distributor. At Praxair, Dr. Fabiyi led the development and commercialization of technologies fortheoptimizationofaerationandmixing,nutrientremoval,sludgeminimization,highsolidsmembranebioreactoroperationsanddigesterperformanceatmunicipalandindustrialwastewatertreatmentfacilities.Dr.Fabiyi is leadinventoron6issuedUnitedStatespatents.Dr.FabiyiwasalsoformerlyChiefTechnologyOfficeratEnvironmentalOperating Solutions, Inc. He has authored over 40 journal and conference papers, and has presentedwidely atregional, national and international conferences. He also has extensive global environmental experience servingclientsacrossNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,Asia,TheMiddleEastandAfrica.

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Article:

Ultrasonic level measurement in water and wastewater plants

Radartechnologyisoftenviewedasthe“best”methodoflevelmeasurement,butthisisn’tnecessarilytrueinthewaterindustry.Althoughradartechnologycertainlydoesofferhighperformanceandaccuracy,inmanywaterandwastewaterapplicationsnon-contactlevelmeasurementusingultrasonic(Figure1)isthebestchoiceduetoitslowercostandapplication-specificbenefits.

This paper will compare ultrasonic and radar sensors, and provide examples where ultrasonicinstruments are the best choice.

Level measurements

Continuous level measurements and limit level detection are needed in water and wastewatertreatment plants from a process engineering, water management and safety perspective. Levelmonitoringandcontrolarekeyfactorsinoptimizingoperationbetweeninfluentflowtotheplantandtreatmentprocesses,aswellasforcalculatingandcontrollingcosts.

Becausenosingleleveltechnologyexiststhatissuitableforallprocesses,eachtechnologyhasitsplacedependingupontheprocessmaterial,processconditionsandenvironmentalconditions. Installationoptionsarealsoaconsiderationinselectingthe“bestfit”technology.Inmanyprocesses,multipleleveltechnologiesmayperformequallywell,leavingcostasakeyconsideration.Selectingtheappropriateleveltechnologyforaparticularapplicationiscriticaltoasuccessfulmeasurementaswellascontrollingtheinitialcostsofinstrumentsandcostsassociatedwithmaintainingalessthanidealtechnology.

Ultrasonic versus Radar

Whenacontinuouslevelmeasurementisneededinthewaterandwastewaterindustry,free-spaceradarandultrasonicinstrumentsarebothfrequentlyusedandofferadvantagesoverothertechnologies.

Ultrasonicsensorsusepiezocrystalstogenerateamechanicalpulsewhichislaunchedfromthesensormembrane.Thissoundwavereflectsoffthesurfaceoftheprocessmediumduetoachangeindensitybetweenairandthemedium.Thereflectedpulseisthenreceivedbackatthesensormembrane.Thetimeofflightbetweentransmissionandreceptionofthereflectedpulse(echo)correspondsdirectlytothedistancebetweenthesensormembraneandthesurfaceofthemedium.Becauseanemptycalibrationdistance(distancefromthesensormembranetothebottomofthevessel)isprogrammeduponcommissioningtheinstrument,theinstrumentcanreporttheactuallevelbysubtractingthemeasureddistancefromtheemptycalibrationdistance.

An ultrasonic pulse is a mechanical sound wave which requires air as a transmission medium, and ultrasonic instruments operate based on the speed of sound in air. For this reason, ultrasonic sensors cannot be used for level measurement in a vacuum. If the space between the sensor membrane and the surface of the processcontainsothergases,suchasnitrogen,methaneorcarbondioxide,thevelocityofsoundisdifferentandwillresultinlargemeasuringerrors.

Freespaceradaroperatesbasedonthesametimeofflightprinciple;however,radaruseshighfrequencymicrowavesemittedfromanantenna.Ratherthanreflectingbasedonachangeindensityassoundwavesdo,microwavesreflectbasedonachangeinthedielectricconstantoftheprocessmedium.Sincemicrowavesareelectromagneticanddonotrequireairasatransmissionmedium,radariswell-suitedforuseinavacuumorwhenothergasesarepresentinthe empty space.

Ultrasonic applications

Manylevelapplicationssuchaswetwells,rainwaterbasinsandwastewaterchemicals(withoutvapour),areperfectspotsforultrasonicsensors.Ultrasonicsensorsofferflexibleinstallationoptionsandminimalmaintenance.Someusersmovedawayfromultrasonicsensorsbecauseofpastproblemscausedbycondensation;however,anultrasonicsensorequippedwithautomaticself-cleaning,suchastheEndress+HauserProsonicFDU91,eliminatesfailurescausedbycondensation.

Bymonitoring theamplitudeof the signal at the sensormembrane, condensation isdetectedbyadampeningof theamplitude. Theunit automaticallyincreasesfrequencytothepiezocrystals,creatingaself-cleaningeffectandensuringthesensormembraneisfreefromthedampeningeffectscausedbycondensationorbuild-up.Thisfeatureallowsultrasonictobeusedwithoutconcernsforcondensation.

Measuring inlet flowwith a level sensor in an open channelweir or flume is a primarymeasurement in awastewater plant. A level sensor is used tomeasurethelevelinaflumeorweirandconvertstheleveltoaflowrateusingaQ-Hcurve(flowvshead).Manyultrasonicsensorscontainpre-programmedQ-Hcurvesforawidevarietyofflumesandweirs.Alternately,manyultrasonicinstrumentsallowforentryofamanualtablefornon-standardflumesorweirs.Themeasurementaccuracyofanultrasonicsensorissufficientforopenchannelflowmeasurement,thustheaddedcostofaradardeviceisnottypicallyjustified.

Rainwaterbasins(Figure2)areusedtopreventtheoverloadingofwastewaterplants.Inthesebufferbasinsit’snecessarytomeasureboththelevelinthebasinaswellasthevolumeofoverflowintothedrainagechannel.Someultrasonicinstrumentscanmeasurebothvariablessimultaneouslyusingonlyonesensorinthebasinconnectedtoaleveltransmitterwhichcanbemountedupto1,000feetawayfromthesensor.

Figure 1: Ultrasonic sensors are used even in harsh environments for water applications. Here, ultrasonic transmitters are being used to measure level on the incoming water in a water plant.

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Ultrasonicsensorsareidealforinstallationintightplacesduetotherelativelysmallsizeofthesensorandtheabilitytomountasensordirectlytoaceiling.Whenusedwithafloodingprotectiontube,anultrasonicsensorcanensureahighmeasurementisindicatedevenifthesensorisfloodedandunderwater.Inoutdoorinstallationswheretemperaturescandropbelowfreezing,ultrasonicsensorsshouldbeorderedwithintegralheaterstopreventiceformationonthesensor, ensuring reliable measurement year round.

Cleaning mechanical bar screens is most efficient when performed on anas-neededbasisratherthanonatimerorwhenanoverloadconditionoccurs.Toachieve this, two ultrasonic sensors can be installed — one upstream of the bar screenandonedownstream—tomeasurethedifferenceinlevel.Whenthebarscreen is clean, the levels will be nearly equal. As the bar screen traps solids and debris,flowthroughthebarscreenisrestrictedandtheupstreamlevelwillrisehigherthanthedownstreamlevel.Thelevelscanbemonitoredbyatransmitter,suchastheEndress+HauserProsonicFMU90,whichcananalysethelevelsandcontrol the bar screen cleaning process. Radar applications

In some wastewater applications, radar is clearly a better option thanultrasonic sensors. Because radar uses microwaves, the gas in the head space isirrelevant,andwhileradariscertainlynota“silverbullet”foruseinfoam,it does perform superior to ultrasonic with regard to foam on the level surface.

Sludgedigestersareverycommon inwastewater treatment.Sludgedigestionisabacterialprocessthatcanbecarriedouteitherinthepresenceofoxygen(aerobic digestion) or the absence of oxygen (anaerobic digestion). In bothcasesthesludgeisconvertedfromcomplexproteinsandsugarsintomoresimple compounds such as water and carbon dioxide or methane. Thesedigestersoftengeneratefoamandcertainlycontaingasesthatwouldruleoutusingultrasonic.Radarworkswellinthisapplication.

A variety of chemicals are used in wastewater treatment. Because a level meas-urement using ultrasonic sensors is based on the speed of sound in air, if the empty space in the tank has anything other than air, large errors can be gen-erated.Forexamplethespeedofsoundinchlorineisaround38%slowerthaninair,thusalevelmaybereportedthatis38%lowerthantheactuallevel.Thespeedofsoundinnitrogenisaround11%fasterthaninairwhichcouldindicatealevel11%higherthantheactuallevel.Inthesetanks,radarisabetteroption

than ultrasonic.Summary

Radarisanexcellent,highperformingchoiceformanylevelapplications,butnotnecessarilythebestchoiceinwastewater.Someultrasoniclevelinstrumentsonthemarkettodayhavefeaturesimplementedspecificallyforthewastewaterindustry.Ultrasoniclevelinstrumentscanbeacosteffectiveandbeneficialpartofanefficientandsafewastewatertreatmentplantandshouldbeconsideredwhenselectinginstruments.

Figure 2: An ultrasonic sensor can measure level in a rainwater basin and the volume of water being diverted to the outfall.

Figure 3: Ultrasonic sensors such as Endress+Hauser Prosonic FMU90 monitor levels on both sides of a bar screen.

About the Author

Tim Thomas has spent the last 19 years working in the process automation industry. He received electronicstrainingfromtheUSArmyIntelligenceSchoolinFt.Devens,Massachusetts.HebeganhiscareeratEliLillyandCompany writingsoftware.Fromthere,TimwentontoworkatEndress+Hauser in theServiceDepartmentasaTechnicalSupportEngineersupportinglevelandanalyticalproduct.Fromthere,hebecametheLevelProductSpecialist.Currently,TimworksastheProductBusinessManagerfortheMidwestregionwithadualresponsibilityastheGammaBusinessDriverfortheUS.

Endress+Hauserarealeadingsupplierofproducts,solutionsandservicesforindustrialprocessmeasurementandautomation.Weoffercomprehensiveprocesssolutionsforflow,level,pressure,analysis,temperature,recordinganddigitalcommunicationsacrossawiderangeofindustries,optimizingprocesseswithregardstoeconomicefficiency,safetyandenvironmentalprotection.

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June 2016

IWA Leading Edge Technology Conference13th-16thJune2016JerezdelaFrontera,SpainHostedbytheInternationalWaterAssociation

ACE 201619th-22ndJune2016Chicago,Illinois,USAHostedbytheAmericanWaterWorksAssociation

Process Control22ndJune2016SteamMuseum,KemptonParkWTWHosted by the SensorsforWaterInterestGroup

July 2016

Biosensors20thJuly2016UniversityofWestEnglandHostedbytheSensorsforWaterInterestGroup

September 2016

WEFTEC201624th-28thSeptember2015NewOrleans,USAHostedbyWaterEnvironmentFederation

ModellingintheWaterIndustry28thSeptember2016ImperialWarMuseumDuxfordHostedbytheSensorsforWaterInterestGroupSponsoredbyCrowderConsulting

November 2016

IWA New Developments in IT in Water Conference1st-3rdNovember2016Telford,UKHostedbytheInternationalWaterAssociation

Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference (WWEM)2nd-3rdNovember2016Telford,UKHosted by InternationalLabmate

Flow Forum @ WWEM2ndNovember2016Telford,UKHosted by WaterIndustryProcessAutomationControlGroup

Page 19

Conferences, Events,Seminars & Studies

Conferences, Seminars & Events

Process Control

Where: SteamMuseum,KemptonParkWTW,UKWhen: 22ndJune2016

Description

ThisworkshopwilllookathowtheUKwaterindustryisachievingincreasedtreatment performance, reducing cost and managing risk through the implementationofadvancedprocesscontrolsystems.Thefocuswillbeoncase studies where new concepts, many taken from other sectors, have been applied tocombinesensors,withcontrolalgorithmsandautomation.Theday will cover both water and wastewater process control and is aimed at water company employees seeking to understand recent advancements and potentialopportunities.

IWA New Developments in IT & Water

Where: Telford,UKWhen: 1st-3rdNovember2016

There has never been so important a time for IT in the Water Industryas there is in today’s Water Industry. Instrumentation has proved to bereliableinthemodernwaterindustryforasignificantamountoftimeandcollects hundreds of millions of pieces of data across the globe everyday. As aresultofthistheWaterIndustryhasgotthereputationofbeingDataRich& InformationPoorandthesituationwithAdvancedProcessControlandSmartMetersisonlygoingtogetworse.

For the third time the International Water Association will be hostingits “New Developments in IT in Water” conference, this time co-joinedwith the highly popularWater,Wastewater& EnvironmentalMonitoringConferencebringingboth instrumentation,automation, control& ITall inthe same conference venue.

Withatwokeynotespeakers,40presentationsin12sessions,agaladinner,a welcome cocktail party set over a total of three days this is an event not to be missed in this year’s event calendar.

Over 100 Free workshops, over 140 Exhibitors and a Focussed Conference, WWEM is the

specialist event for monitoring, testing and analysis of water, wastewater and environmental samples.

Over 100 Free workshops,

The 7th International Conference and Exhibition

on water, wastewater and environmental

monitoring

Follow us: @WWEM_Exhibition

www.wwem.uk.com Tel: +44 (0)1727 858840 email: info@wwem.uk.com

2nd & 3rd November 2016

Network with Hundreds of Industry Experts...

Supporting Trade Associations

Anouncing the IWA New Develpoments in IT in Water Conference

1 - 3 NOVEMBER, 2016 TELFORDMore details coming soon at www.wwem.uk.com

WWEM 2016 with IWA Banner.indd 1 30/03/2016 10:12Page 20