MechChem Africa November 2019

⎪ Water and wastewater processing ⎪

Digitisation of water processes saves almost 40% in costs

Key plant processes within water and wastewater operations can now be digitised, generating 20-40% in cost savings. This is good news, especially for an industry under pressure to lower operating expenditure and manage an ageing workforce.

aredesigned tooperatewithinopen architec- tures,whichallowsforeasy ‘snapon’upgrades to existing infrastructures. This avoids the need to ‘ripand replace’ inorder tomodernise and achieve the corresponding operational benefits. Using fully integrated SCADA and Telemetry systems, remote sites with limited internet signal can be connected reliably. An example is theAnglianWater company in the east of England, which covers a geo- graphical radius of 16100 kilometres, 12000 remote stations and 630 000 telemetry data points. Thecompanyhad25yearsof data, dat- ing fromthe time a systemwas installed in the 1970s. Inorder to complete itsmodernisation project successfully, it needed tomigrate this data and integrate it with existing systems, whilemaintaining operations. It has achieved a leakage rate at 4.97 m 3 /km/day; one of the lowest levels in the UK. Workforce mobility technologies that use mobile Human Machine Interface (HMI) technologies, such as smartphones, tablets, portable wireless devices and wearables are also expanding capabilities and improving operator experience. Australia’s Yarra Valley Water company saved 80% in external sup- port costs, and reduced faults by 66% thanks to its SCADA system and mobile data access. “At Schneider Electric South Africa, we look forward to sharing our global knowledge and local expertise with water and wastewa- ter operations around the country,” Squire concludes. q

“ T rends such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing and ‘edge’ control are emerging as technology engines that present cost-effective options for modernising operations,” says Jacques Squire,water andwastewater segment leader at Schneider Electric South Africa. It is estimated that in South Africa almost 50% of existing wastewater treatment infrastructures function inadequately and are in need of some form of intervention. As water systems’ physical assets age, the cost of maintenance rises exponentially, and instances of downtime increase in frequency. Maintenance is often performed in a reactive mode once equipment breaks down and, in these instances, stress levels are high, pro- ductivity is lost and costs accelerate. “These plants depend heavily on a pool of experienced workers to ensure that opera- tions are run efficiently, safely and securely; generating high quality output in a manner that adheres to regulations,” says Squire. Squire notes that ageing facilities are not the only problem. More than 38% of utility employees will be eligible to retire within the next decade, she says, and the expertise they have nurtured over the years will disappear.

Workforce considerations The combination of an ageing workforce and ageing infrastructure, along with current cost control measures, means that these is- sues need to be addressed quickly. Workers should be supported with tools that enable them to make better operational decisions. Fortunately, new technology trends, such as IIoT and artificial intelligence (AI), present themselves as opportunities for the industry to reinvent itself. Proper implementation of digitised solutions can address operational costsandsomekeyworkforceevolutionissues. The technologies can enhance knowledge retention and provide more flexibility when managing a changing workforce; another crucial part of the modernisation puzzle that requires careful consideration. Digital technologieswill be key for attract- ing and training new workers and such tools alsoenhance theabilityof theplant tocapture the knowledge of more experienced workers so it can be shared with the new generation of incoming workers. Upgrades reduce capex worries Fewmunicipalities have the funds toengineer wholesale infrastructure improvements. Fortunately, many of the new technologies

22 ¦ MechChem Africa • November 2019