Airtime for water industry issues used to be a rarity in mainstream news, but that has changed of late — a development that is not particularly welcome, considering that bad news makes for good copy.
Water Online’s “Math Solutions” series, presented by wastewater consultant and trainer Dan Theobald (“Wastewater Dan”), provides an understanding of the sometimes difficult calculations involved in achieving wastewater operator certification.
Two tools leverage computing power for engineering design, opening up a digital world of possibility for wastewater plants.
The U.S. EPA has recently released a video tutorial that outlines all phases of emergency planning and response for the water and wastewater facilities. This article will introduce and give an outline to the new training from an insider’s point of view.
Efficiently service and maintain intelligent field devices
Field devices are the eyes and ears of automation. The failure of a valve positioner, temperature, flow or pressure sensor can quickly lead to serious malfunction of the process. With SIMATIC PDM Maintenance Station V3.0, Siemens offers the right solution for efficiently monitoring the condition of smart field devices, irrespective of the automation and control systems used
From data to knowledge to transformation
Move from complexity to simplicity, from asset and process intelligence to operational intelligence with the PI System. Its highly scalable, open data infrastructure empowers enterprises in real time, transforming operational data into actionable knowledge and business transformation.
ABB uses digital solutions to drive outcomes. Engaging customers to demonstrate tangible results that scale.
The new generation of ABB’s total plant automation: DCS and SCADA for the power and water industries.
Reduced operational costs and downtime through seamless distributed control system integration.
Real-time control of a 360km water distribution system through an advanced distributed control system.
Improved water reliability and lifecycle costs through total control of a one hundred mile transfer system.
100% available water in the driest of deserts through highly efficient desalination.
In water and wastewater operations, optimizing energy use plays a huge role in cost efficiency, but how can you know if pumping equipment and other motors are running as efficiently as possible? Analytics systems that interpret performance from a variety of data points — pump curves, run time, flow rates, vibration, temperature, energy consumption, etc. — can quantify pump operation to keep performance efficiency on an upward track.
In today’s competitive business environment, which focuses on increased throughput, economies of scale and a healthy bottom line, accurate and reliable measurement is a key component. Monitoring production processes by installing a wide range of sensors including flow, level, temperature, and pressure is common and crucial to be competitive. Although there are many reasons why plant managers decide to install monitoring devices in their process, environmental and regulatory reasons dominate one side of the spectrum, whereas quality, process control and monitoring govern the other.
Combined and sanitary sewer overflows are natural hazards for wastewater collection systems. Without a comprehensive solution to monitor troublesome conditions, overflows can be triggered with little warning and lead to expensive and embarrassing situations. Fortunately, versatile analytical systems that capitalize on existing wastewater collection infrastructure hold promise for avoiding such negative impacts.
Knowing that aeration requirements consume 50 to 60 percent of a wastewater treatment plant's (WWTP) energy bill is one thing. Knowing exactly how and when to tweak aeration output to optimize activated sludge process efficiency with minimal energy waste is an entirely different story. Here are several key considerations on using precise air-flow measurement to reach that sweet spot with greater consistency and cost-efficiency.
With the proliferation of new sensors and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) initiatives now feeding SCADA systems, water industry managers lament how they are drowning in a sea of data yet starving for insights that really matter. With concepts like data democratization starting to bear fruit, advanced analytical capabilities are creating new opportunities for water insights without requiring a degree in computer science.
Understaffing, upcoming retirements, and finding qualified replacements seem to be recurring themes in the water industry. Perhaps the answers are as much about the tools we use as the people using them. Here is how a new approach to utility data management can capture the knowledge of retiring workers, share the insight across all disciplines, and shore up the skills and interests of the next generation.
The more a water utility knows about its current operations, the better equipped it can be to make more informed decisions about upcoming maintenance and capital replacement programs. Here are several key approaches to identifying cost-effective ways to make merging historical asset data and current operational data as the next step toward building a stronger, more resilient utility.
In many water industry applications, a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is considered the heartbeat of the operation. As a result, many data management decisions revolve around what the SCADA system can or cannot do and how big of a deal and expense it is to change. Can’t there be a way to devise more ROI-responsive data solutions, without having to change SCADA solutions?
The Paul L. Busch Award recognizes an individual for innovative research in the field of water quality and the water environment, with a special focus on those who show promise and make significant contributions in bridging research and its practical application.
Trench and excavation work represent some of the most dangerous jobs in the construction industry. Maintaining up-to-date training on safety regulations and equipment solutions is essential to not only keeping employees safe but also leads to improved project productivity.
Illinois American Water’s Padma Paan is one of only 54 individuals accepted into the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) Water Leadership Institute (WLI).
The National Infrastructure Commission’s Young Professionals Panel (YPP) today invite young people to share their vision for the future of infrastructure in the UK, as they mark one year on from their establishment.
Of the many challenges faced by the wastewater treatment industry today, perhaps none are more acute than the threat of “brain drain” — the loss of institutional knowledge that comes from one generation of wastewater professionals retiring without enough of a workforce entering the field to replace it. While there are a number of potential solutions to this problem being explored, two neighboring Ohio communities believe it may all come down to wages and education.
The Dunham Fund, the largest private foundation in the Aurora, Illinois area – announced it will be honoring victims, their families and employees affected by the February 15 shooting at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois, by matching $1 for $1 up to $100,000 of new donations made to the Aurora/Pratt Survivors’ Fund, administered by the National Compassion Fund. The new donation period for matching gifts began at 5 p.m. CST on March 12, 2019 and will end at either the close of the campaign or upon reaching $100,000.
